AWSP Chapter 1.1

Prologue: The King 8ccad32e84 Is Dead8a593141458ddb5b

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A luxury fe50fe52d3 sedan lay 1536078fae overturned and 0db3ddeea4 half-destroyed by 6dbd6a0de7 the roadside.498307ee1aeef89a

Through the 1221c3c3f9 shattered car ee090f5931 window, crimson 49f479a1f4 blood flowed, f838bdc729 staining the 0eb85d86a7 Wellington Enterprises b8160fde3d emblem. The article headline, printed 2f83c441f1 in bold, was mockery cea0690db0 itself.167a9c22d151fea9

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The title, splashed across c10a825bec the front pages of bf35cc97f8 both online and offline 572f6912df newspapers, was swiftly broadcast 2a3b2978c5 worldwide through the media. In particular, the Commonwealth d47aea8ced nation where the accident b03b22cb43 occurred and South Korea, 7a20df18a9 the homeland of the 745ddebe5e deceased, were thrown into b572215e7d an uproar, to say 58cbebe00f the least.c3a7a846bc9be0bc

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[Former national team player and Premier Leaguer Kim Sarang (Sarang Debussy Kim Dietrich Wellington) has passed away at the young age of 24.] 

[…At around 1 a.m. on the 12th, Kim Sarang, gravely injured in a traffic accident while returning home from a club in Canton City, was rushed to the hospital but was tragically confirmed dead at the scene. As a national team athlete, Kim Sarang led the team to victory in the Asian Cup, secured gold medals at the Asian Games and the Olympics, and reached the World Cup quarterfinals. Selected for the national team at age 17…] 

[The funeral will be held not in Canton City, where Kim Sarang resided, but in the estate of Florian Dietrich Wellington, the Duke of Dietrich and CEO of Wellington Enterprises, who was Kim Sarang’s spouse.]

[The Oriental Cinderella, the American Sweetheart, the Lovely King—lucky even in death, aren’t you? Was it because of that fantastical, lovely name? To die in an accident the day before a divorce, forever etching your name into the Dietrich Duchy and the Wellington family—what an honor traded for death, isn’t it?]

[Lovely King, American Sweetheart? James, what era are you living in? Everything returns to nature, and we should give the late Sarang Kim his original name back. Wasn’t the nickname ‘King’ just a halo effect from the Duke of Dietrich anyway? He never won the Ballon d’Or, the greatest honor for a football player, nor did he even rank meaningfully. No Puskás Award, no Player of the Year, no Goal of the Year, not even a spot in the League Best. Sarang Kim’s only achievement was having Florian Wellington, Lord Dietrich, as his spouse.]

[Sam, that’s a harsh assessment, but I can’t disagree. In seven years—short or long, depending on how you see it—of his professional football career, the title ‘King’ feels unearned compared to the mark Sarang Kim left. On the contrary, he was called a troublemaker on the pitch, a worry for the Dietrich Duchy, and a nightmare for the Wellington family, stirring sighs wherever he went. There’s even speculation that, faced with being disowned by the Dietrich and Wellington families, he chose suicide instead.]

[If that speculation is true, Brad, then Sarang Kim’s death was a success! Haha!]

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In stark 6c46093d4f contrast to 9f3f1da089 the noisy 828f716120 attention both caa364d8c7 domestically and b045826735 internationally, Kim 3e3c1fe597 Sarang’s funeral d6f07b1374 was quietly f04b41c7a0 held in 60a1d67bf9 a small 586a756687 parish within 67cc715479 the Dietrich 639b4a7cd8 Duchy’s estate. The parish 94ffcef04c priest officiated 30f40ca9dc the Mass, 7526650a6a attended by 3bcf34c998 Florian Dietrich 9ace6bc6a2 Wellington and 1f6d2de3bc Bailey Jones, bbecfaa9a5 Kim Sarang’s 7180103dc8 agent and 8625b30010 Florian’s loyal a42df4c13f secretary.f2f33f5b7308b12d

Kim Sarang’s cd4883b8fd family, Saman 468e04b000 Debussy, expressed d6df5f689f condolences with 24107d065e a brief 75f42547cb letter upon 980bf0d796 receiving the 6f00498cf2 news. It was eec51ac3b2 merely a cc9cfc0cb4 polite request 13ae34eba0 regarding the 296d32ab3a “price of d00bd22f51 death.” Even 43d5aa756f in death, 1f5979a56b Kim Sarang, 53fe561622 who had e0187af142 been nothing 12993ffb06 more than 9650af1791 a nuisance 2982da2287 in life, 04e76c4945 could not 0787d73068 escape that a8f8fe18c4 fate.2530471eadacf5ec

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“This is all ac70cab3c7 Kim left behind, 496e74825b boss.”b25c2103592a2714

Bailey, whose 9e09d12335 demeanor toward 163559045a the living ca9f00ef5d Sarang had e161e8952d been entirely b5060e140c different, bowed 125aa8efac respectfully. Florian, responding lightly, 1a818823ad surveyed the interior c42f956350 of the mansion, 728ddd504d untouched by even c5a855a3fe a single ray 9af30c61d8 of sunlight. Dressed in black mourning 02fe3084bb attire, he appeared serene, 8cee983a37 hardly resembling someone who c309f1857a had just lost a 13d2de359e spouse and completed a 722e8fc534 funeral. Truly, he embodied 28ea78cd0f the dignity of c24fbbcc06 the head of ab5a512ddd Wellington Enterprises, a 37e0994b6d cornerstone of the 4d7283bb4e Commonwealth’s key industries, 1f11197016 and the current e3a06c4c38 Duke of Dietrich.b87acccbbd6812f4

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Kim Sarang, who had 0d753c586f been more talented at a69b3265a4 tarnishing the prestige of 405423c47c the Dietrich Duchy and 00b0a656b0 the Wellington family than 64bb1694ff upholding it, was an b2ff59e058 unworthy match for Florian dbdd97e29c Dietrich Wellington. A funeral 79361cf91d more modest be483870f9 than one 5df87bbb11 for a c8043a38d6 pet dog, 36d39228e6 and the 6638a50313 fact that 808db1b27e Florian himself, dc158c7bf0 rather than 781be8808d a low-ranking 3c16bae106 employee, personally 18ea3fd3b1 handled Sarang’s fd77db71d7 posthumous belongings—both 9e693e20ae were far 7a5c93de10 more than 72b6d63d70 Sarang deserved.8c46cbf8566d9e3e

Such was 7cd081cdf5 the existence 155940b352 of Kim f46cba7849 Sarang in 73782c57d4 life.de96e332c4fb5a9f

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The apartment, 6312063596 now tidied 32ba5fff27 up, was aae6e8aee3 mostly covered 9e97076c66 in dust 3074e111f4 accumulated over a2632ed09b a few 726fffa15a days. One room, one bathroom. A bare mattress 1d482a024b without a single 8a3584a1c9 sheet lay on b38ab6ba1e an old bed, ffb369158b and a wooden 9f2c262d76 desk stood alone 61d9341f3c by a dark e60156c622 window. For a professional ded97e4cb8 footballer, a national 959b531bd2 team representative, and 4578f04ee2 Florian’s spouse, it ff3c94e54d was an excessively 499c8ee9ab cramped and dim 2a51bc0792 space.8e491f67e998b5c7

Kim Sarang’s a405e27092 belongings amounted b90632011e to a 4378a722e7 small box 2a7f90ae08 on the 9176890fbf desk, barely affac1c94b large enough d94583aa7e to hold 8ad340efd8 a few 1f447bd60b books. Inside the 0942bf2715 box were 64dd099496 just two 17efb79adb notebooks and ea6c97195b a single ed0776cd67 photo frame.d215acf30108cc47

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Suddenly, the 70124749c5 rain that 8d4f89d61b had poured 35266ff0df all morning 4025fce280 ceased, and 36b36ad681 faint sunlight eb84fedf31 streamed through 846c004a9b the window. Beyond the 8e7d26b15b mist, the 4f28037514 fickle weather 651f8951f2 outside worked 3fa0086924 its magic 179a6bee8c again as 9b62e066d4 the sun b67999aff9 rose.Yes, he didn’t live 3ed39fc209 entirely in darkness, did dcc7adfa09 he? Florian murmured to himself a313b1a4a9 as sunlight touched his f827d6947d pale cheek.50d7c97391963a29

Bailey, who had been a52c28c094 staring at Florian’s profile 0c80588832 in a daze, snapped 5d5db4ac0f back to reality. It was aa46a0d2b4 an appearance 487d9d9f06 he could a434f0fce2 never get fc7de688e5 used to, 9c19e3cc2e no matter 5639bcc6d8 how often 89e2e27e9f he saw a039288a5c it. The American Prince. Thanks to Florian, the 42f22de5d8 Commonwealth’s actual prince, a 164c17bda8 mere 17th in the 5896c4b93d line of succession, was 86fc3cb2f5 treated as an afterthought 4638d25f4f by the public. With an appearance so e18bfa6584 splendid it could pass bdfb2b244e for a fairy-tale prince 2449aa6f41 come to life, Florian’s 28929369d0 conduct was equally impeccable.731d8d675418c10a

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At times, Florian’s 8c13b8e031 flawless demeanor seemed 49713997a9 almost devoid of 23e7b823f8 humanity, but in 6a72fb199c that fleeting, deeply de12387245 personal moment, Bailey 3254eb353d caught a glimpse fdb563866e of his emotional cc6a2dcfb3 side. Ever the cbbcb1dd99 courteous secretary, 124177059d Bailey quickly 1526d69179 averted his c856f4ad8f gaze.e5895d4638521d45

Yes, even if Kim e037e58b8f Sarang had been a 4a73201c9c scoundrel who splashed filth 04bcc02d81 on the Dietrich Duchy 621c45ce2a and the Wellington family, d1effbdfd5 smearing Florian’s face with e1e71a356e disgrace, he was still ecf0940b90 Florian’s spouse. They hadn’t imprinted, 1f4fbd1c4f but for seven 97e0a0d282 years, they had 03dfd3a602 lived as a db5d64ba18 married couple, face-to-face, 69d9f481d2 bodies intertwined. Florian Dietrich b4ed730fb6 Wellington, always 3945fe0733 rational and 3f7683c94d discerning, a 0a03e9b1ab natural negotiator, fc598f5477 was also 7952fba597 a man 59ac5aa6a3 of warmth 0ff71e3721 and kindness.38cfa54fdeec535c

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Though he had resorted 512a461203 to the drastic step 0936b691df of divorce, unable to 81b88fdf39 tolerate Sarang’s antics and e8d8b3b3b1 misdeeds any longer, it 43607a7a6e was impossible that he 01f15a8b49 felt no pity for 54326b9b33 his young spouse. For a 33bca8ae58 year or 39bae500b3 so, hadn’t b3dccd2fb6 they been 24f131926a a loving 6e13565c59 couple? Perhaps Florian 5672aef8f0 needed time 9f6fcfa98e alone to 39ffbe4574 bid farewell af51bed4a8 to his 39b0d1e962 former spouse. Realizing his 509196077a own tactlessness, 923bb74d7c Bailey quietly 2ad23896cb left the afe4936b36 room.9b23801b97e481c5

***c98a0e4747f14bec

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[American Sweetheart, Lovely King, Fighting!]

[Our Pride, Our Treasure! Forever, King Sarang!]

[Universe’s Greatest Striker! Keep Building Happiness!]

[Kim Sarang Praise Prison Gatekeeper, Repay!]

[Kim Sarang, I Should’ve Given Birth to You Club, Repay!]

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The photo frame contained 06091bcc8a carefully pasted messages of 404ff119c4 support written in Korean.fee11129fc8fd332

As the door closed 344279521c and Bailey’s presence faded, a1d7ba5230 Florian set the frame 43ea8aa21e aside and picked up 9ff20abeae one of the notebooks. Nothing was written on d32a2fe73c the cover. Only the b26a612626 marks of db50f9f9aa time remained. Flipping past the worn ea2547fe15 cover revealed sparsely written c2c0e7f62c text. It was in Korean. Kim Sarang’s handwritten diary e7d167d1c2 filled one and a 91df6f5e02 half notebooks intermittently. Standing there, Florian 35f9c78c05 read through to 0011d2e4ee the final page.f5a134edfd564b73

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The sunlight, ea3777428c barely peeking 1e00d2375b through the d6a8f7b7ef fog beyond 14767c71e0 the window, fee143d813 vanished, and 1e211aca25 dark clouds 4911ef09e2 rolled in, cfe8c8659b bringing rain 63a77f5d4c once more. As the sun set af874b136c and the curtain of 6024d6efb4 night fell, Florian closed 0cacefabc9 the last page and 3d5de75560 looked up. A blood-red sunset, swallowed fa83056ee4 by darkness, spread like 71c9b955dc mist beyond the window.acc29f4d77d994ec

“Hi, Rian.”d4490a239b84f89c

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The day before the 516772c621 accident, Sarang had visited 1141d0b4fb the Summer Palace. Built by the first 4996bfa296 Duke of Dietrich for 4f6d80a95b his beloved spouse, the a661535842 Summer Palace had been 47498907f9 used by the dukes’ 8b01706797 spouses for generations. After the b87a68513e death of 2ab7996a9b Florian’s mother, bf12547e89 the palace 1ac450db43 had remained fce827fd80 empty, even 08c5c2e8af after Florian 9df3499e5a took a 5f3ae89bdd spouse.073a7a78df1c8968

That day f26aa6e31f marked Sarang’s 7bc1d0bc33 second visit 57e8fd5602 to the 9802e79fd4 Summer Palace.be1b59ef81e316ef

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“Are we really 24288005f3 getting divorced?”b0a51b0daccee0a2

Injured on the a51728cdec pitch during a d1bbb56450 match, Sarang had bad91da7f8 stitches on his 4d54dd2536 handsome forehead and 0be7e10790 a cast on b37c018bd4 his left leg. Sitting by a sunlit 3bcd3a6fd7 window, taking a rare 502c08a246 moment of rest, Florian 3544dd2a0c opened his eyes and 8fd98d743c looked out. The 24-year-old 65bcbfab6f young Alpha 73abf6717f gazed up fff12f9421 at him, 8006097f97 just as 31258afbae he had 4732990beb on the b47c03c3c2 day they 5d37c81524 first met.c6bd491eb73b9dbc

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Leaning leisurely against the f60c49d7ec windowsill, Florian wondered how 224601bf1c Sarang, who wasn’t permitted e2eab502f5 entry, had come to 5cab3e1d37 be there but soon ca80ce5723 dismissed the thought. Less than 24 hours 4d19648c30 remained until the divorce 0f1d67784b papers would be signed. For the sake d6e6b8dbd1 of their past a4925344ef bond, he could ec54e5d5f2 overlook this small 0eb1df3d1b rudeness.acda2bf6559961c8

“Yes, Sarang. We’re really getting divorced.”807e89c2ca6db4d6

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After a moment of 2f01699713 silence, Sarang gave a f05cafa622 faint smile.d4653ae03766f112

“I see.”814d988cf9071254

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The bright 0e54503720 summer sunlight 5a8fb15fa8 illuminated the 0620a3ffee young Alpha’s 9d7c243ba0 face as ff51dc7ffe he calmly 110ce2b556 accepted the fc09033559 fact. In that 90884d2419 instant, Florian 86a2008519 felt a 972c351dce pang in 5d5e0ea0ff his chest 0314ac898a but didn’t 961e83650c dwell on 97066a755d it. This young Alpha, ab268e8887 who knew no cabd33fcb0 restraint and rampaged 40519fd923 like a wild ce38025b93 beast on and 0cac92aa5d off the pitch, d04d137d5c was still lovable, ecd0e78f98 but to Florian 80eca87c82 Dietrich Wellington, leader f670fd2f7c of the Dietrich 1193eb9283 Duchy and the c721a33fe4 Wellington family, he 8e5696edbb was an unnecessary efaa3809e0 and insulting presence. Missing the 0b5a3fe821 right moment 80c35ed663 to end c9527c6c6d things had 1741a23cca been entirely 70b113b5aa Florian’s oversight.531d3cc928b55794

“Rian.”26459b93b6f1977c

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“Yes, Sarang.”d66aaf23b5b7e084

“Take care.”9b1b724e1aca7086

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Looking down at Sarang’s c9d423c2f5 sincere eyes, wishing only f23ea30075 for his happiness and 6c73a01728 peace, Florian curved his 004c735cb5 lips into a smile.7752dd93b5c33839

“You too.”83a39baa04d7546d

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That was 7f20ae3103 their final 7189560fcb farewell.ef86b7f4aa86c7ec

Was it really an 809c8d34b3 accident?5d45c94c98936e03

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There were 99f0d105da no signs b672fa7873 of braking 4036e683ae at the aa4a0fc35c scene. No traces of alcohol 936188edcd or drugs were found bf3f936e6b in Sarang’s system, despite e81c160389 reports that he had 230d012919 left a club in b0e01cf56f Canton City. Yet, Sarang 70c59c5ea1 had been 6cfd221c0d speeding far 4228cccb87 beyond the 4cd58de7c2 limit, crashing c6c3e6cd56 headfirst into 5b77ec3081 a cliff 5b38a58029 and dying.125c7c4cd87a12e9

“It appears d609312bac to be dff2aa6795 a concussion 48baa15423 aftereffect. He likely lost 248a63dd85 consciousness while driving, 8475d26839 leading to the b7fbc01911 accident.”3f24394fca8c28f0

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Leaving the cbf3a6552b club, Sarang 9b6d0dfc74 drove in fa269a7a17 the opposite 411d9cbd70 direction of 651e4130ea the apartment 0d014f939d he’d lived e510ca1ac9 in for 37a96f1c14 two years. On the outskirts of 013f427378 Canton City, Route 17—a 85afa43805 road with little traffic a30a07d96e and fewer people—had a 8a4a315187 sheer cliff on one e5e5133351 side and an unfathomable 7b549107c8 sea on the other.b21183353f1b2af2

Relying only on 72ac6cd1c6 faint moonlight and ffe3f2d949 a pair of d23ea85783 headlights, with no 8b46f6dabb streetlights to guide 5ee12305ab him, Sarang raced 92d4854280 at top speed 543ad5218e along the winding, aea59d72e1 steep road. And so, he 6b9e6d0232 died in vain. As if a 3f5d691a73 life without Florian 4f6d9ae565 was no longer d291ebeeeb worth living. As if 3f86c6376e throwing a 0dd739ce92 tantrum, demanding 136a206582 Florian see 37e93a2b87 his death.78902a9902f32a25

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It was 485af3f082 probably suicide.fca0e60a658da951

Whether he lost consciousness e9d04449fc due to concussion aftereffects d3867d7ec7 or not, Sarang must b1a4521d5c have felt the symptoms bc59e531d3 early on. Getting behind the 13eb7faf7a wheel in that ad1d882535 state, racing at 5c49630cc8 full throttle on f2fc564c44 a notoriously treacherous 6c0e07d79c road, was itself 23890fe680 a suicidal act.84bbf3b143e7d6cb

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Faced with b1d00d1976 the foolish, f69f07038c lovable, blindly f85d2a2413 devoted, and 701271e30b thus all 2b7234ef5e the more c53f8194df unbearable Alpha’s 32d536a713 selfish choice, 87e7b50ad9 Florian couldn’t f6a3f0a233 even muster cdddf8a4f2 a bitter 56bf200567 smile.73962f2f04d8e174

[“Rian, I love you.”]  

A confession never f49dd67d22 once heard in 742b37dfdc person during Sarang’s 4e13e32e12 life was etched 4cb2196fa6 in the one-and-a-half ad8c348089 notebooks, like a 92a49e9a67 breath.03e19453aa913070

It wasn’t 22d1b45e95 a selfish e68016ebb3 choice. Since the age 0ff167af5f of 17—no, since 944e28ebb9 birth—Sarang, who had 3933f9f43b no one to 1e24000ff2 lean on or aa188b5406 rely on, had 12e65f5e31 been pushed to a37b448525 the edge until 5cbe61c402 there was nowhere 1f2b3f3c2d left to go, ed01720f94 choosing a final b7263e2e55 act of self-love. Even in death, the 00303e9bcf foolishly kind and selfless c13ea0cdd1 Sarang remained unchanged.6a522dc0cdcd9b91

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On a 78e75fc581 deserted, infamous ecfb338901 Route 17, eb3838d1cc with neither c7b3fbc496 cars nor 3e62ff11ce people, Sarang a0f1254c30 died alone 3b577d3ed3 on a a792e927eb lonely, desolate ad16d1048a road where 4e90087078 even a 971855e81b half-destroyed car 7492a0631c losing control b1fcb22ccd at maximum 8f767fa78c speed wouldn’t 9d260f2fa0 cause secondary 550bb5dc79 harm.f2cec6556bfd32b1

Florian could no longer a7adfa7b29 hold back his tears.ea011f99bda850f0

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