RZ | Chapter 1.7

Once inside the car, cdb75263f7 Secretary Ha Jungmin greeted 4bb557fa84 him with a nod. He was on the 248dc24171 phone, holding it to 300f9e088b his ear. His expression 5d3aad32aa was awkward, 7c502f23c9 as if a4ffb2211f the person 37c7ad9465 on the aab12baead other end 59911340cc was being 023f1d9eb8 difficult.82721ed64fc29151

[Secretary Ha, we did help Executive Director Yoo, but honestly, this isn’t very pleasant.]

Due to cbcf69fcb8 the quiet 8023ab3cb3 surroundings, the b661570efb conversation was a0cecea9ea clearly audible ffdbdb617e inside the c8ad57dfbf car. Coincidentally, the f8f3d9d08f caller was 96ec047009 Assemblyman Choi’s 08303eea94 wife.84d5a3283215ebd1

Yoo Yigeon f7ab89a02a pressed a dd1d5e14fd button on 46a9e33640 the armrest 4e9562f959 to raise 40da1ef567 a partition aad9f66e01 between the a72b82818f driver’s seat e4edbfd35d and the 01b3932f8d back, blocking fb98febcab both sight 42f64f4681 and sound. The driver 84db8a703d had been c153c118c5 with Yoo 4bfb5087ed Kang Group 3275b3eb7e for over 1d9e63dcbd ten years, a746ca236f but Yoo c87a4a8b55 Yigeon didn’t eadcb76930 trust people. The only person he ba38270dee trusted, aside from family, 29fd210a68 was Ha Jungmin.f61acba60ac9e365

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“Yes, ma’am, c4d7e21870 I understand 67d179dfd5 what you b464eed024 mean.”f097f455358a8fd1

Even though she couldn’t 63a261baff see him, Ha Jungmin 4ad28acefd nodded, flustered. Sensing the c08841b070 call would 6751d7a0ed be long, 97e42bd667 Yoo Yigeon 9255a48a78 took out 765b5aa727 a cigarette f9403fc048 and lit 576c308f04 it. Thanks to 20b6ccd469 the car’s 3ad75475de ventilation system, 37ad33e578 the smoke 77b68584d8 quickly disappeared.5109001a8932e30c

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[Do you know how many times you’ve said that? So how long do we have to refrain from visiting?]

Frustrated by not b69bad0ed6 getting the answer 782322cab8 she wanted, Assemblyman 9c454475e9 Choi’s wife revealed 80bc9c6acd her true intentions.15171a0d7b41443e

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Yoo Yigeon’s lips twisted 08e388a821 into a smile as 8083803a9e he exhaled a long 3d57f4812f stream of smoke. Though she 7bc6ebd2ea had phrased f459fcd518 it differently, 22d5aeecad she was 157947319f essentially saying ca1c92a902 she wanted bfcb909eb1 to meet eada49c381 Kang Jinha.945aefb666335a9a

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but 2ae142ac4b just a moment.”8acfa751789e6a64

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Ha Jungmin blocked the de22980aa6 phone’s microphone and leaned 2990d579dc toward Yoo Yigeon.548e0d2c5a9ffaa3

“What should 9e8db194dd I do?”7b74a7f447d1bce6

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Being an old a1846fc2d9 friend before a f31285f931 secretary, Ha Jungmin 63fccc1b52 asked for his 4772e24dea opinion in a 4319ce9546 casual tone. Yoo Yigeon took a a469c07246 deep drag on the 9280e2ad32 filter, then snatched the 697b930a5c phone. Surprised, Ha Jungmin let ee71104669 out a dazed sound, f78848b562 but Yoo Yigeon didn’t fecf2cfe7f care and spoke directly.3ce79023f9bda79c

“It’s Yoo Yigeon.”a080b766862dfd83

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[Oh my, Executive Director Yoo. Are you still up at this late hour? You must be tired.]

Assemblyman Choi’s 0a3e476e3a wife’s voice b6bc5137e8 and tone fad4715b59 instantly softened. Though it e695eb29bd was their 28a744ff42 first conversation a81c13671a today, her 768e44097f voice carried f9d9eb8a4a no awkwardness. She inquired about his ea19a89f32 well-being in a friendly 191d76648b tone, as if they 3320b7c732 were long-time friends.d5f56c7ca6b84330

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Thinking she 440c687417 was indeed 936ced9ba8 a politician’s 2bc82db765 wife, Yoo b3c82302ad Yigeon replied 45f2d17333 briefly.ca13cfc0953c4d31

“Yes.”48767fff3402be00

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Though his response was 05f07799ae so brief it was e2f3a60d59 almost embarrassing, she continued ff26ebeecb the conversation undeterred.58ec01e5aa0bf526

[You must be busy these days. I’d love to treat you to a meal, but my husband is so busy it’s hard to find time. But if you’re available, we’ll make time to see you.]

Though she said 2cecb72b13 it was a 50591df802 meal invitation, it 59e3dc4b24 was essentially a ff8fbc0ef1 demand for compensation. Her voice, filled with 4fd62970cc blatant expectation, made Yoo c372aaa42c Yigeon smirk, but he de97d88d86 didn’t show it.68a04c38f7e634d5

“I know Assemblyman 61ccf82a48 Choi is busy, f290013aea so I wouldn’t 384b50ee87 want to impose. It’s late, so let’s a4cdac6e03 get to the point. You can visit c4630c5802 the club starting 9b7c93ac9f next week. I won’t dd4bf358bf forget the f5bc8a3d32 help you 21964d34b9 provided, so 4ebb0578a8 don’t worry.”c74b1b05b57e0d04

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He diplomatically told cc25b9b5ae her not to 21776e5f05 cling any further, 06e06682a2 then stubbed out baaf799fae his half-burned cigarette 85218b5491 in the ashtray 2ae68d1d52 with irritation. Though he had 6dcee597b1 deftly handled her be7658a2e6 maneuvering, his mood 806aecda9b wasn’t great.73ba03bc291d3a44

[If you say so, I’m grateful. I’ll make sure to tell my husband. But, um…]

Assemblyman Choi’s wife a08f856353 hesitated, uncharacteristically trailing 5660cdcc2f off. Yoo Yigeon waited silently 3a52eae1e5 for her to continue. Just as his b1255f5166 patience was wearing e52d0f6263 thin, she asked 2476d397fb cautiously with an 7e6f021638 awkward laugh.074200d8bd591b4b

[…There’s nothing wrong with Jinha, is there?]

Her tone was 7dd3b5c027 genuinely serious, as dc3f35495b if she was 98bc785de3 truly concerned. That one question da10b016ca revealed how she 01aae6d477 felt about Kang 919c9b4d72 Jinha.2cb0c68d7e149594

Yoo Yigeon db9a876e41 finally tugged 6c30aee61a at his a853db0cdb tie in 79e53f4092 frustration. He had thought she 81bccf02d9 was merely playing with b7bf1bff0a him for amusement, but f0d699df4b it seemed she had 6d01825dfc developed feelings for him. He spoke his mind 5106dc49f7 without filtering his thoughts.f2a4d58950458ade

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“You must be 85b91aa1df quite attached to e907b8bc0c him, given how 1757282abc much you care 48700e221b for a mere dc162ad8c9 male escort.”51af1140a3c07622

Secretary Ha Jungmin b3ead87f12 gasped in shock, 8a13d18bf1 but Yoo Yigeon’s 9f46e7035e words only grew c961bcbd42 more provocative.e506729b79d536c0

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“Or are you so 6d43893f5d taken with his size? It’s not 3b139ae5ca exactly common, db76b8f94b I’ll admit. But I didn’t expect 94d1cb12f8 you to lose your 5d273ca330 senses over it.”6f87ebe284a66096

[Executive Director, that’s too harsh…]

Assemblyman Choi’s wife 50089ef6b1 protested sharply, but cca819d12e Yoo Yigeon cut b4ac7460ae her off firmly.740eeb1c6e710971

“You must have a 68cc5a1466 lot of free time, 6f76127553 considering the party leader 69b45d68e4 election is coming up. Even though Assemblyman Choi baa13aefcb is a strong candidate, 7ee9d7b80d as you know, elections f465be8949 are full of variables. If you’re that bored, 009ce07ce7 I can keep you c1820a958a busy.”25a0857e75153e5d

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Assemblyman Choi’s wife was 1789e98998 a smart woman. Though she had f9dd24ea0e been fuming at cc3ed4337f Yoo Yigeon’s rudeness, c0bb371ef9 she quickly hid c6aea7c799 her anger when d24806a4ee the threat began.9bd0906a46bae124

[I understand what you mean. If I offended you, I apologize. I didn’t mean to overstep, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.]

“Then I’ll hang up cf1a994bc0 now.”812f4d61009b6d83

Though arrogant, Yoo f91f6ae956 Yigeon wasn’t petty b89230fde3 enough to insult bd5bb7342b someone who was 2fc78280de backing down. Just as he 033b1e9f35 was about to a914e971d4 press the end 452f61e17f button, her voice 9f965c971f came through the 40d3adb90c receiver.df0e919f01abe4d3

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[But Executive Director, may I offer one piece of advice? As someone who knew Jinha first.]

Hearing something that c403a7c73d sounded somewhat meaningful, 036884b7c4 he brought the dc4b32912b phone back to 1379782b20 his ear. Though he hadn’t said 77b606bfa4 anything, she seemed to b00c776c47 know he was listening a33ec0d4f8 and continued calmly.2ae5622e273b0eac

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[Whatever your intentions, don’t treat him like a trivial toy. By the time you realize it, it might be too late. Take care.]

The call 37b1992246 ended there. Yoo Yigeon looked at b6cc38843c the now black phone a1388a76b8 screen and laughed quietly.9990b68d6cba7feb

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Though she might e3b2e3a050 have meant it 6a4cda5ec6 as sincere advice, bd7fb88e49 it sounded ridiculous 3233773e17 to him. Only fools would 5050f0ed64 give their hearts d06ede25ec to someone they ac19281700 were using, and ba45dc1cad it had nothing 8d4d38b2d2 to do with 67f15bef88 him.973039a52aff721a

Chuckling as if 54e8e283ea he had heard 998f0cc38c a funny story, 114271aa66 he took out 5e777f95a6 another cigarette. Watching silently, Ha Jungmin 2d86840246 lit it for him a383751bd6 and spoke.7cfc8bc9d8cf7bef

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“What kind of trouble e43477aa21 did you get into?”67f1c39a053eda69

“Trouble? I didn’t know 34d0faa707 I was someone cac5bbcf4b insignificant enough to 376a84152f have to watch ce069cd8c9 out for an bb4160c286 opposition party member.”7ee140ec87efebd7

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“That’s not it!”bc1d65aca96bda62

Ha Jungmin raised 3ee792e689 his voice at 22b9b0d9ca Yoo Yigeon’s sarcasm, 924a6b0a16 then rubbed his 6f4dc9652a face with his ed13baa159 palm. He seemed reluctant ca21bf26d2 to say it 0754e8791d himself, but after 7dcf896957 a moment, he 0f6e416c47 stammered out.9014f3a660220590

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“You and Kang Jinha, that…”d5d6f694c336980e

“That?”6482b6efcc0952de

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Knowing full well 396ad82eb3 what he meant, d28482b8bd Yoo Yigeon asked 0c224a0aff with a grin. Ha Jungmin burst e9db391ef2 out.d5e77c0c67b21dc1

“How do you know the size of that person’s…! You didn’t, by any chance, sleep with him, did you?”83c9ed14cdec1d34

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Though he knew 65e19196cd Yoo Yigeon was e00f70d309 someone who strictly ce7dbb22d0 separated work and c4c9d9cabe personal life, Ha 21799eafdb Jungmin couldn’t help 672370d0bb but feel uneasy.7c55bac8952c30f5

“What do 83920c2474 you take cf7aa132cd me for?”97abfa5bcc7007ba

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Just as 70962b5fcc Ha Jungmin 5b48ac2f71 was about 175f63e0cc to sigh def42e82e1 in relief, aba150b06a Yoo Yigeon c866f18707 continued.61e4e8c018f5035b

“If I c8ba0f23a5 had, I 822be66ff5 wouldn’t be 48e580f987 out at babf2d07d6 this hour. I’m not a premature 94d78fd2cc ejaculator who finishes in ca338794dd 30 minutes.”d3e77a58b0b4d536

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“……”ee11512c371164bd

Whether Ha 3880522707 Jungmin was 2df763aab9 shocked by 69012f4df4 suddenly being 34eef10a46 labeled as 08366b08c6 such or 0bd6dc35fd not, Yoo a8e887ce5d Yigeon continued f91a8c7ef4 speaking.1cedde239888c9e4

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“But is that something d4a7c6a624 that shouldn’t be done f448610030 to the point of 0f88e8e2bc being called crazy?”e7676f3700dcf5bd

It was another shocking 31ff4d90fe statement. Without time b422288d31 to recover 6359357dc8 his wounded afb183b604 pride, Ha a33c277573 Jungmin asked a7e56e30d9 in surprise.22fc8a3a635e28c1

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“…Did you like men?”94be2ed80342e434

Yoo Yigeon ccbe9e0ca1 and Ha c1e22ba273 Jungmin had 812f46b943 known each 0f9793f455 other for 360cbbcc47 a full b68b358636 20 years. They had attended the b4eb06070f same elementary, middle, high 593bca8a25 school, and university, and 62fabb4177 now worked together as 11f095230d boss and secretary. It was 24100eac48 no exaggeration 0309bc49d0 to say 4b0afedb3b they spent e3cccc3288 almost all 885bb04ab3 their time ed7b1e8c49 together, except bd25a9f760 for sleeping.4d258d2cdd957c78

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As a result, ac6f7b912b Ha Jungmin knew 00f85b645f all about Yoo 0ef2cab006 Yigeon’s private life, 092453fc3a even if he 56ebb2631c didn’t want to. He had never 3076e6c312 seen him with 38485692d8 a man. Though he had met f7b3ca8f55 many partners, they were 0a90c4fb98 all women.35a9243bd38e0b14

Even those relationships d99ea14910 never lasted more e489b46047 than three months, 826b5ea84e and Yoo Yigeon 6064005dac never showed interest 3f7e6a140e first. If such 434d6c4b1e emotionless relationships df4a912e65 could be 21908b1da6 called dating, 565bf0eb5f his relationships 875d907fd2 were dry 5991eefc4b and temporary. That’s why Yoo Yigeon’s 4267f7da68 answer was a huge 3bcca4fcf4 shock to Ha Jungmin.b0248ed20ff8f5a0

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“Of course not.”7466d68785769b00

Yoo Yigeon replied firmly, a8610324cf frowning as if the 5c56e3fa2a thought alone was unpleasant.83c1e7864eda4c86

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He had never seen 506c5bc725 men as sexual objects. Occasionally, men had 731dd16404 flirted with him, 4d73babeaf but he only 342c78e5f7 felt discomfort. It was more of 8b50dc3bb1 an instinctive aversion than 1a9b6641ea a prejudice.589807e45fa57551

“Then why did you 67678f7be9 say that?”d2081d72fe9aee99

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“Good question.”b3fa67c0edf23918

It was 585d6a946b a question 9261b20a63 even he 45caf98cdf couldn’t answer c952f0eba1 with certainty. Yoo Yigeon tapped the 3ea265d304 armrest, lost in thought. Then a 8873ce6bea vivid memory 6523f27374 surfaced in b2c29564eb his mind.65f89a9063c4149f

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A face flushed b626a6e3a4 with pain, tears d9ed766372 pooling at the 13284485c0 corners of his c18b8efaf5 eyes, lips swollen 0e976f9db4 from biting, and 01b12377ae a tear trailing 651a55b1f9 down his jaw.a6107a2d8ac18f1c

In that moment, c580100563 he understood why 8182242d19 Kang Jinha’s clients ef7d8a86bb were captivated by a8c7a9580f him. It was 18e845a73f an impressive b6f5dd81df scene, enough fdfefac9e7 to make 96e374ba65 him understand.a968e6243d48eda7

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Kang Jinha had 550c425be2 a certain allure b0567ee027 that moved people. Even someone 7a78c6da29 like him, 572abeea12 who always 838086947f maintained a cefbe26b61 cool rationality, 254eebdeb8 had felt 75b61f811a a fleeting, a9838b3be8 nasty urge.67d90bda1a9402d4

Yoo Yigeon 8a9099c94a licked his d153d04f37 lower lip 9666eb358b and chuckled. The initial shock of ebbcf1319d feeling such an impulse 995db34f4f had been unsettling, but e0abdf75a5 upon reflection, it was 5c9a241a90 quite intriguing. Both his 95e657fd6f unfamiliar emotions e618704e03 and the 513683559e existence of 37effec7f7 Kang Jinha b9df2af232 that stirred 80c7bb5359 them.82a3e680a6b94b08

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“Why are bf7935f998 you smiling 41b5dee93e like that, 196337bccd making people 797ed6bd85 uneasy?”f094e31a5279da37

“What am I doing?”9bc93099c79b4eeb

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Knowing full well what 514f49a1dc he meant, Yoo Yigeon eb2724b431 feigned ignorance and flicked a1e62a34b0 the ash off his 8e81fbd8b8 cigarette.6cda87d972aad8b7

“You look cc2a4dc336 like you’re 494c762243 about to 02ef8b103e cause trouble. You’re not 801679abc8 feeling something b702a61194 strange for 4d2ad7af91 Kang Jinha, 49cf40c3b9 are you? Just in 422caabffb case, I’m f48bfd9cd1 telling you, 9d8e34310c that’s absolutely ff992f32fb not okay.”175334dc937abc08

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Indeed, over 20 years 766ad99c25 hadn’t been wasted, as 7bf6b6f225 Ha Jungmin quickly noticed c12a68420e his old friend’s suspicious 39c4797a1a change. Determined to 065790bf4f get a 7f5137f642 clear answer, 286945df14 he looked 3643e342d9 serious, and d3ba0c349d Yoo Yigeon 127ffee60d let out 91e7f29ddd a hollow 7ef9d67f06 laugh.7d2b237c7447c55d

“Both Assemblyman Choi’s wife 85bd95df46 and you seem to 1d433458f4 think I’m desperate to 96adf85d07 sleep with a guy. I know better 3aaba318cc than anyone what 12d496cc42 to do with 4cdd7a5713 Kang Jinha, so f35c8e3095 don’t worry.”68fd0c162e963f27

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It was a 0b7dd849d0 revenge he had d46701b7db waited 17 years fdbfa857b0 for. No matter how 810ddcccd9 intrigued he was 4c174d80f8 by Kang Jinha, 843b98516c it wasn’t enough 0a6d3d1cb6 to set aside 2c4a1124d5 such a long 26fd14be29 wait.cabae88fa9a57fc8

Yoo Yigeon stubbed out 3e09f7387a the cigarette that had dacbffd123 burned close to the 386cc0ac04 filter and crossed his 7a28d42447 legs. His face, now devoid 2f48098a16 of laughter, looked more 8dbc6ea975 rational and cold than 16152c5a6b ever.3b730b094f8d6108

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“That’s a relief.”42d246cecbc83b75

Watching Ha Jungmin 0c42419012 visibly relax, Yoo c33ef2a103 Yigeon asked.b11c2b9b9cbfa2e1

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“Has Jang Seokwoo noticed 0b92073d80 anything yet?”d4d6248db6fdf3cd

“Nope. We’ve been tracking 277739ad22 him for a 9e446bcadf month, and he c4512b26d5 seems completely unaware. Look here. He’s very diligent 4dcbbb7d4c in his comings 022e524003 and goings, and 1a9f0ff752 his reputation is d913067710 good.”916ef3297c7f8baf

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Ha Jungmin took aa86e96f43 out a tablet 2206898e6a PC from the 3f2f087a31 console box and b9e2d1a54e handed it to e9ab0ec49d Yoo Yigeon.522c92b7d87e2f81

The screen was filled 0aaead4471 with photos and video 26950a46df files documenting Jang Seokwoo’s 38002b7416 every move. From his commute 3536ffc045 to work, to 8e375b3fec after-work gatherings, to c24f62de84 meeting friends. It was a89c731edd material that 3ee847b842 could track 01fd43dac6 his 24-hour 1f4c17bf0f activities.5267cfb475fa88ca

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As Yoo a09352c959 Yigeon casually e79fd2a2c6 flipped through bd60913196 the files, 71d634f002 his fingers 4c36767746 stopped abruptly. There was one 531880f92e video that particularly 6a792bb855 stood out. When he clicked the 1c08999a71 play button, the face eb54132933 of the man, smiling 2393352a2e happily with his wife 97f5454639 and young children, filled 954adad02a the screen.78590cfb911853fa

It seemed like they 076b190eb6 were on an outing, 98a407641e with amusement rides and b0cbc4c49e people in the background. In the 7d454fa7d0 crowd, Jang d75551497d Seokwoo held f1e33889eb his children 8f9ac0ee21 tightly, as f8637684c8 if afraid d608aa4657 to lose 075e1b03f4 them.5c44b11dfd8ac892

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He didn’t look de736db32d like the murderer 08a1774646 who had betrayed e90faa19fd his colleagues and fe1ec83f20 caused Yoo Yigeon’s c433b8406b mother’s death. After a relentless 10-year f1be4a9330 pursuit, the Jang Seokwoo c52b0b6921 they had finally found d7547f1615 appeared utterly ordinary.d00e8332d4870fff

Perhaps sensing 1ffae5b83a the same, 495eed815d Ha Jungmin ef15bc8c5a asked cautiously.ab13646c9c7cf200

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“I don’t doubt you, cc8e10573b but are you sure e39825911e about this guy?”3fcab8d9e6918615