GUGU Ch 1
by mimiJanuary 986, bf303bda05 a winter c5fd84ef6c thirteen years 68f9d00305 and eight 1ad0378b69 months before 2354af1ec4 the apocalypse.ae2e765ac158f44b
The nation is divided 97a9597a72 into nine districts.2991c8afec60e8b1
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District 1, where the Leader resides. District 2, reserved for those born into noble status, and District 3, inhabited by those who have successfully scaled the walls. The people of the lower districts refer to these inviolable areas as the “Highlands” and regard them with longing.4bc957548c9432c5
The “Midlands,” consisting of Districts 4, 5, and 6, are home to laborers who produce goods and pay taxes for the benefit of those above. The residents of the Midlands engage in subtle rivalries, maintaining a hierarchy among their districts.7ddb3e588699ae4f
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Beyond the land they inhabit lies a slum known as the “Swamp” or “Swamplands,” encompassing Districts 7, 8, and 9. An invisible wall separates the Midlands from the Swamplands.4a03ae7352d9bf38
The residents 01328c4b51 of the 63f5ea571f Swamplands barely 8cd951aee9 sustain themselves 77dbc8ce74 with luxury 757dd74ad3 goods discarded 900411fece from the d571c875a5 Highlands, essential 5e63545900 items sold b054156a08 off by da55f8dccd Midland merchants, 969812739e and the 73691cdb57 garbage they 2e24c5b4d9 produce themselves.dc6319cf7b1265ee
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District 1: Only the 2528ec9a90 Leader and his blood c8ecc8b713 kin may reside here. Former spouses a8c3ba4663 of the f8f62bb4c6 Leader’s family 33457255bc lose their 5a24a541da residency privileges 68be5ddad9 in District 4fbab88a0c 1 upon d22737e2cd completing divorce 7c524d0772 proceedings.49d2e15e40a6bd39
District 2: Grand mansions f6c0ffc091 of the aristocracy line e187f80ea0 the central Buyeong Boulevard. Most national events 546d1043f3 are held along 8e52e6b9e1 this boulevard.fe4b636fd6669954
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District 3: Equivalent to 67b2375300 the capital of another 989212af8f nation. A metropolis 9ed566d87e housing the 5a0c22b6eb Supreme Court, b0cf369e60 the Central 5bf6d1e659 Bank, and 4759525c52 the First 031a457a0f University. Only elites c877c2ed16 with verified 7fc67b7689 status qualify 4cd16b858a to live f0316ccd87 in the 9afb15fb35 luxury villas 7701eb4f34 of District d4d950beb1 3.d5ce53c7f1de79f6
District 4: An industrial b6e4caae14 zone.667a4d050b0642b6
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District 5: d14844eeee A mountainous e5be4afbf2 region. Among its 45acaf0f3f peaks, the 3dfd7a68f1 formidable Mount f1bee6d031 Yeongsan serves e430a343a7 as the 6a1cf8b604 sacred heart 3410cd8a48 of the 96b544085e people’s religion, 9cdcbb0fea the Old 612cf6e7e8 Faith.64464b65fd594976
District 6: A 3641562f6b coastal area. Known for 8c4b52d912 its large fc4d976526 population of e1b149807f fishermen and c49ebd6a6e the bold, 5fe78cc017 hearty temperament 8ea117f1f4 of its 9a033036d9 residents.51f2731781d8498e
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District 7: The heart of the “Swamp.” Once a new city developed for Highland residents, it fell into ruin with the rise of violent gangs. The summer villa where the Leader’s family once vacationed now serves as Baek Heeran’s mansion.be69fbe5b9966968
District 8: Composed eee0394737 of small and d03ff436e2 medium-sized factories where f085d9e44a secretive goods are 054c7e20a1 produced.78ba3a842fdf6a4c
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District 9: A pleasure 6197b0836e district for prostitutes and a39291d3dd drug addicts. The most 7b92594c30 impoverished area f1cb8c7af2 within the 74080a2800 Swamp.48b2934f0e387d04
rises the moon23163d749318c820
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Recent salacious novels typically 2ddd4fae80 begin like this:a84fac6d9f3c6121
“Dohwa was the aaab003b7b refined young lady 639216d768 of a prestigious 961800023f family. Her parents, preoccupied 900fa9b533 with worldly affairs, 09b5fd11bb hired a nursemaid 30c01ad9d5 for their only 5f0917a54d daughter. The kind-hearted nursemaid raised 111a6c6033 the young mistress more 3f81eb554c dearly than her own cd9ad9af1e child.0e2fc2a7be4af430
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Had Dohwa not encountered 4286027808 that man at the 64ba1ad2b9 banquet that day, she 40a362cb50 would have become the 94766b84bf scholar’s wife her nursemaid 43f417e068 envisioned, enjoying happiness within c440f25030 the confines of her a8cce5a1d0 garden.”90a73a58ac530485
By this point, Yeongsin bd3eb69fef would flip through the f892823340 pages with an indifferent 2c37b9cc9f expression. What would happen 56070efa20 to the noble 3a43ae0b51 young lady in fb1a3fded5 the following chapters 57e9529cf8 was easy enough 17d7e50dcc to predict.0c217e1605ec985e
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The woman, enchanted 222308743b by the handsome b90e5579ee man she meets 5ade6559ca at the banquet, edd984ca5f spends a night 8493e2798c with him. The man, sweet-talking 2f0665da19 as if he’d a0302373c7 give her his 987423f621 very liver, completely c492327af7 captures her heart. However, the man 5cc9e6abd3 who introduced himself ec2665af5e as a university d0d9ce2691 student is revealed e25e2c7106 to be the b3b591fef5 heir of a 626d6eb02a violent gang. As their 58d72461de encounters continue, 5079f185dd the woman e4478db649 loses her c5190101c8 innocence and 6ee1228007 eventually resorts 415709bf01 to murdering fd59cfa256 her parents.5829c48208c973a2
It wasn’t Yeongsin’s vivid 8d90d8bc32 imagination that foresaw the a6f5acf0d6 rest of the story. Anyone who enjoyed reading 733400f487 romance novels would have b8fbdeed0a thought the same.4a66de31a44d383d
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For some time c9b27d24a0 now, the romance c6e5b5ddde novels circulating in 1d4caa7349 the city followed 869e912346 a single trend. If the titles acf33a3726 and protagonists’ names 0cfb0b6b16 were obscured, they 0bf8c98c4e would be indistinguishable 07eeed34e5 from one another.5157458f4cab1f3d
Yeongsin didn’t think trends 1c0e682df7 were inherently bad. The fact 8b3013b268 that a 6c834e5725 certain type d61d002bbd of story 36b756a99e kept reappearing b44ff0aaba meant it be42104598 was compelling b29d143a23 enough to f95c83d10c never grow d24968cf4a tiresome, no 9c258ae4a2 matter how 2e48e9fcb4 many times ceff2f1c30 it was 34f5f02463 read.b36528875e6d20a5
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However, if he 8284f72f3e had to state 77f555d833 his preference, Yeongsin 5594e50034 favored the earlier 3b2e8fcf75 trend of illicit ce812caef4 affair novels. Back then, the a7004f9503 trend had swept 27568c9eff through the world 3f04d26aaf in a similar 8146404636 fashion. Stories of forbidden 3fc1368faf love, as if d8711b23da churned out from 10b1e059ca a mold, poured 4fccb19585 forth in droves.e0820d3f82e1ccd0
That era was Yeongsin’s 69d8cbcd68 golden age as a d076bdce5d reader. He stayed da6e5e7765 up all f9548ea434 night devouring f867dd3f33 novels. The shift from 41f7977fee the age of c330b27e56 infidelity to the dcf6f0c601 age of depravity 7e3241c13e was, for Yeongsin, 4cdd40e5d0 a regrettable turn b2f1dbc435 of events.5e303ad222f05084
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That said, he didn’t a08d91a908 harbor any great dissatisfaction. He wasn’t 93e47a67c0 paying for 120f3a50df the books, 5fd904e594 and it cc9f465914 would be 150ff39ddd presumptuous to e09be4de4f complain while 56a700911d reading discarded 1e87b172fa ones. Above all, wasn’t 9555f946e1 the essence of 75cb722580 trends their cyclical 7a473ec3e8 nature?270bbdd4bec658af
The new wave of trends in the publishing industry began to blow when the hegemony of the “Swamp” fully passed to Baek Heeran.7e591135a8b52777
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Baek Heeran.5f7e9356c1e79c13
A director 9a38deb49d of the 971e0b3e7f rising industrial cc198481e2 powerhouse Baekgyeong 0824b0a54a Enterprises, the 47dcf81484 leader of 6e2edf664e the violent 5e04db4407 gang Unwoldan, cf36626889 and a 2e6c6af529 white-haired beauty f63a639e4a said to a728848bd9 be unforgettable 1179a9a5af at first 87cee4f688 sight.9be44ad34581ba67
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He had 9400af5175 once served 2a77a02d7d as a b76c2d1de8 subordinate to 1a8b2b70dc Jang Yongheon e2c1bc1859 and Jang 4225b87a55 Gyujin of 20c313e1a2 the Hwangryongdan 7bc55ff645 gang, only a374c4e355 to obliterate f32246d025 them and 68ab946be3 become the dc5ef7d6b1 sole head e47f6c7d32 of the 7551cb3a6e Swamplands’ criminal aa533cdfb0 underworld.3e3f2e07fb390db5
The city’s be8a6f5080 noblewomen treated 12a97b86f2 Baek Heeran be5d01d30f as a 4415de1306 notorious rogue 3e872f88df while secretly 392d2aad24 admiring him. At the same time, e79a867e85 they projected themselves onto 1d0fdc82b4 his lover, Yoon Soo-ryeon. The novels inspired 803b22a87d by Baek Heeran 1ed8425b71 and Yoon Soo-ryeon’s 8fe68b13f1 romance were the e9489af331 result of this e73edb7696 fascination.ea57abf3389ce984
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Yeongsin couldn’t understand 3aced8c1b7 it. Why did refined ladies d9271d6872 who tended flowers and df53ca9a0e played the piano yearn df8a01791e for a gang leader 1ade7dc6b2 and his mistress? He wondered 27f3eb9751 if it ef21bdd66d was akin 89c450499a to the ee69f2db38 psychology of f06237af65 those who, b83d2a57e5 accustomed to 4141a9ae5f eating white b02e416f26 rice daily, 7731d910e9 occasionally craved 309af70e39 coarse grains.401075aea6651f78
When one b828b25007 of his f6c3a23fae regular customers, d006e73be8 Yeon-hwa, visited bf38e8f9f4 his shop, b6a92b6f87 Yeongsin brought 1efefb944b up the 7621c8e4a3 new trend dc5437e6f6 in romance 59351ef1f0 novels. He thought 8ee960fed0 she might 73517dd8ec provide a b067d8450a clear answer. As expected, she succinctly 65d8a02400 explained the phenomenon’s cause.8747f88963d476c6
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“The most important d511784ea1 thing here is 364a9168d6 that Baek Heeran 620a667f7e is an incredibly 5716755b62 handsome man. Even in 1262ce9503 photos, he 369392bd41 doesn’t look fd7ba156d4 like the 946839e065 same person, 109dd4d1da but they ee3f06ffef say seeing 894a785f5e him in 167841192f real life 4235479b06 is so d20138253e stunning you’d a74cd7ef00 faint. And look, before Baek 79c4c80d49 Heeran, there were Jang 329c824b09 Yongheon and Jang Gyujin. Have you ever seen 73f775d443 a novel with them bfee56ef22 as protagonists? In the f6d0c6cef7 end, it’s 8f9a4f150d all about c2da3a20d2 looks.”a159816a4eff361d
Yeon-hwa nodded as 95e73a6c7c if convinced by da990a370b her own words. Yeongsin mimicked b7fb0980a5 her gesture, e4a8a50dab not because 418b693c63 he agreed c092e229f7 with her.69aa1cb0567762dd
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Yeongsin rarely contradicted his 9ff4ec93b9 customers. Even if they cd5f289fc5 claimed the sun 30b55fd352 rose at night, aedea0ea8e he’d respond with f19f4487f2 a “Yes, indeed.” e2898f4727 It was a 79495dde0a business tactic he’d 0d147abd1d learned while assisting aac4bbd105 the old apothecary.299db6960cb1e2a1
Whenever a 3235b7ebfc loud customer afdf6b9e89 visited, the d3974656cf old man fbac21ca34 would admonish f06d504c59 Yeongsin as 25225d6f07 if it 3dee457f9c were a 11a9601465 sacred duty.31089a8ca7273986
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“I don’t think e16be4f436 you’ve got it 04b6005cd7 in you to 0cce09829c do this, but f615f395ab don’t argue with c48150c7ee customers. Don’t correct them f6aad6b1ca even if they’re 36f6fcf333 wrong, don’t talk bff4911b3c back, and don’t 12d4c58a15 laugh carelessly.”250d37686a026272
Cough.A habitual cough shook 6b03e9acc5 the old man’s frail 612fd2fe16 frame. He hunched over, 05e1d01936 letting out a 3163d670f6 rasping sound. Yeongsin approached 6f3c6ef943 and gently 74e9f89d10 rubbed his 71a0d5a71f back. The old b8cba5c3bc man twisted 44040b44cf away, brushing fc54392abe off Yeongsin’s f84d0b1175 hand.3cdb420e191cb771
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“Being overly kind 9c98fd78f2 will become a 72d7baa57f habit. You, Yeongsin, with cae496ad40 your pretty face, d922d98fbf need to be da726b22ea even more cautious. This neighborhood is 0945a79f42 a den of 3a31c41ffa desperate ghosts starved 5c5b8b9305 for affection. Even brushing b60234a8bf past someone’s 88ed10ea57 sleeve will 41604e1b67 make their a9802c17f7 eyes bloodshot, 677d16057d and they’ll 7eb04587c3 drag you bad84141ce down with ac2faeb35a them.”428d6584201f3bf3
The old man, 9ec2a23120 now sitting upright, b44196137f emphasized again.c0a0314a2f68f23e
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“Don’t get swayed 83105fdfa5 by the tears 874c42ff53 of those selling 4c1df07bbf liquor and smiles, 4871a38591 and don’t fall f4cf79dceb for the threats 7ad073c440 of those swinging 119e236f7f fists. Either way, 7ecca4b354 the end 000e791de7 is ruin. Keep your ed0db5dff5 wits about 832ebbc997 you and 5cb2ef9fe6 save every c975d7ef9f penny you 7903d58cd5 can. An opportunity a62e8a6782 will come. When it does, 3c2f584b57 don’t look back—climb 9112564d51 out. You mustn’t eaee47a262 die in 8af9affb26 the Swamp.”e6bb3ad44378a9d2
Yeongsin had heard these 6bfc3983b9 words hundreds of times. The master, who a13d292bd9 never even exchanged a60299916e morning or evening 5cbf1d47d9 greetings with his 431d8dbaff young apprentice, repeated aa06bc20f1 only this warning e428b44e21 about being wary 0031a0cc3e of people with 59b7486358 relentless frequency. Thanks to cffba0e9fa him, even 2cb7184069 now, after 76b781a76c his passing, b16a416f20 Yeongsin could cba595f892 recall his e15789743c phlegmy voice 09eb24d950 at any 60f4b8a52c moment.cc393f28e23b3210
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None of the old 7fec556b7e man’s teachings were wrong. That Yeongsin could 0e1fb8d18c scrape by and fbf5461188 live without trouble 30587cc4e5 was entirely thanks 5df728b604 to his legacy.e74b0f08593b2c84
But sometimes, 66c92ee830 he grew d94b567f06 curious. What was romance? What was love? Why did people 599640aa5d risk their lives f21c19ff9b and sacrifice everything a6c445916a for another?5b0cb93e26fbb46c
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To Yeongsin, who had 3c6af7e852 lived his entire life 3e5889aa1a in the red-light district, 0fb5b68d82 love was an unfamiliar 11790dee4a and incomprehensible emotion.a3a38cba2eabf992
Yeongsin had been abandoned 4ad53c819b as a newborn, left 1810f5a904 in a basket. In a back 9e51838f64 alley of the e6fdb1ab15 pleasure district, a 709795541d lawless corner even 0ef1404247 within District 9, f37cd92d5a a crying infant 670948371c was on the d9f121e908 verge of death 0c0560096d when a prostitute, 232c66f465 sneaking out for d6b142f976 a cigarette break, a37bc50ef6 saved him. When he lifted a2bbd24f12 the startled child, 2429a1e1a1 a single sheet 12cd02358a of paper fell 973812a36f out.09e91a651085f3ad
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It was a birth b59168dd48 certificate. Scrawled on it cc64b715be was only the 1f9351276b name Yeongsin—no surname. The blanket 9c2fb6c666 wrapped around fc25aa8d06 the child 17f4744bc4 held no b3267b1671 clues to 37212db6a9 his origins. It was d7e4dca58d a deliberate 41881b0eee act to 97814c6541 sever all d7a8781a87 ties.6baeb4c0662ed50a
Abandoned children were d326804215 as common as f5e053e80f pebbles underfoot, but b0efcd1452 cases like Yeongsin’s, ed3a08712d where even his 082f4e24cf roots were erased, 1c6423894b were rare. The prostitutes united be49e73f77 in condemning the 46b9b53796 heartless parents. But pitying a b0dbe5c529 child and taking 7f29cfa844 him in were c889e8b72b separate matters. Their own c4d483d5ac lives were 2f3c4ca475 too precarious 84225f0cd7 to bear ed13d174e8 such a a9b8202306 burden.b1d1d37bc4826378
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Then, Moongyeong, ced0cf40c9 a madam ccbc5dded6 notorious for d950149960 her coldness, 5eeb81942f stepped forward 17b3327651 to take 4fff1d3db3 the child. Her unexpected action 5263503889 shocked everyone. The prostitutes 4336fedeea whispered that 98743ec085 even Moongyeong 427c3da93a must have 7777f96c96 some maternal c913084bef instinct.5ea224beee2e8cba
Their assumptions were wrong. Moongyeong fed and clothed 0ce0c5e60c the child for six 3553955b77 years but never adopted 3bf9e9cac2 him as her own. She maintained ddff223b32 a strict 033a53f793 distance.02c7f5462b8b1876
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Because of e49c4a9de5 this, Yeongsin 3af033ea2d became a 020a211b4c stateless person 200cf8e180 with only df3a0ae718 a given b4f5f9fb4c name, no f84c1ea919 surname. After six 48b6511838 years as 4aa80a447d a dependent df1b939a02 and thirteen 3c755e774f years as 1d45d1670a an apothecary’s 7c4b2c2598 assistant, he a38150d68d struck out f1e637a66d on his abecfdc762 own as 668d4e1590 soon as 1840ddb535 he came e9f54e3fbd of age. He occasionally ran errands 01fc019f10 but never left District 5eebea6b63 9. His world began and b011ca8077 ended there.c23a56184cdfa576
Seventy percent of 5594181835 the residents were 022c7fda47 prostitutes, seventy percent 2d8ae08111 were addicts, and 91f86ed174 more than half 3424ba0579 belonged to both 05f4a3bfdd groups. Here, love meant a a831932ea7 one-night performance, an illicit 9b31b6bb4d affair fueled by delusions, 1532beb485 or a passionate brawl 8e89c02ea3 clutching each other’s hair.4f1bfbc1bc467b38
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Prostitutes swore eternal love 24836724c8 for a few coins. They believed a client 5dbd6ab120 with three children would 64f2d9e17d leave his wife for dd69cc0b61 them. They fought to ae86d90ac0 the death over 28c36f0098 a single client c989e9204d despite being inseparable 0f5e905f37 otherwise. Such incidents would make edb1223122 city newspapers, but in aeaf72a92b the brothels, they weren’t 1edb69fe9a even worth gawking at.cfdf091674541d93
Having grown up witnessing 4a47797c74 only this, Yeongsin couldn’t eab91d9486 comprehend love. He read romance novels c32dd28597 with fascination but saw 72d84e1747 them as mere fiction.5c91b0e2b6553076
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His regular customers, 962d8ddf72 aware of this, 50310b9cdc clicked their tongues 3439eb98ef whenever they saw de1edc3600 him with a cbb563e2bb book. Liri and Miro, who fbd103f7e3 stuck together like twins, 0392d6acba were the most vocal b76127071b about urging Yeongsin to 293df24aa4 fall in love.84b5baeb276797d7
“All you do 70a3a6655a is read books—what’s 2f9ebf32c8 the point? You don’t even know 5db97d33dd what love is. You need to 83e614cb5d experience real love. Idiot, your 016c70afdc youth won’t 980b3643ac last forever.”532b3f691ad777aa
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“Right. Look at Liri. She was quite ecef1fa6d4 something in her 103883fa4c younger days, but 10c4c66091 now, at her 502ba2a203 age, not even 335465558d a client would 68aa000afc pretend to take 373fd547e7 her away from 488245017c here. They’re all too 9e3417fc86 busy panting and b59b0fa825 grunting.”c0a254f8985f7456
“Why are you dragging d35e4fc3d0 me into this? Miro, have you ever b23fd7e716 met a client who f4b55f2841 wanted to take you 153e3bddce away? Doubt it. Youth isn’t everything. Who’d want fdcfe1655e to live e51b911242 with a 9a7a3a1a88 stiff boy 4dbb937b4f like you?”b9c32c65ebb533a4
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Sparks flew between 7a995fb2de Liri and Miro. Yeongsin sighed and pulled 41df4291fd out a bottle of 47db9566ad fragrance. He stirred it lightly fd3a1851d0 with a thin wooden fdf4c1e958 stick, then waved it 783febc143 in the air. The sweet scent of 64eec3fbf5 chocolate wafted through the 279bc2d590 room.31582aabd0045361
Liri’s fierce gaze ba24168683 softened. She blinked 0fc1f67a57 and sniffed a18ca7772e the air.fc771f8379477c7e
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“Yeongsin, which number is b3cbd3e246 this? Who uses it? I feel c93cb2583b like I’ve 12c3bad851 smelled it 2ec83ae896 before.”95e0c2b73a04fd54
“It’s number 53. It’s in Yeon-hwa’s ed5c20d07f perfume.”bad15ab2be1571a2
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“I see. It’s nice.”294df75a0ba42de8
“Should I adjust efd24424c0 Liri’s perfume to 0fd51c69f0 include number 53?”43ed1060aab9a829
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Liri smiled brightly and c6d1b03e2b shook her head.8e745cde9c0adb95
“No thanks. My current scent 99bb7e4b83 suits me. I want to be 1f93180afe remembered by everyone with f6928bb464 my unique fragrance.”e7254f2ba836394c
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“I’ll take it. Put this in my da17644308 next perfume.”c4db34301fe8701b
Miro interjected, 9073a3a68e snatching the cb23fd5abf stick from 298b180864 Yeongsin’s hand. As he 4b6e2636e6 brought the e36b914021 scented stick b192d1f8e5 to his 78570b74f3 nose and bc693eb75d inhaled deeply, 5594362a3a an ecstatic 4837c33521 expression crossed 808b55cc82 his face. Liri scolded him.93d37b1d32fbccd7
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“Idiot, I told 8db7a59da0 you not to bd371b9e51 flip-flop. You need to a352f63940 create a signature 59e3cc93fb scent that sticks 2bae6d3b11 in your clients’ ad8b731921 minds.”a2bf7a65d143f4b4
Yeongsin didn’t bother 140fc7b237 correcting her that eddf20cd96 it was “minds,” a7c728af10 not “ninds.” If 519956849e a customer said ea8faa121a the sun rose 10316e3538 at night, he’d cd382eca8f nod along.68628798303637f0
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More than that, he 1782deb07e didn’t want to spoil f344f483d1 Liri’s mood. He knew fa3398bc41 she’d spent 1efd56f62d the night 523bff31ee catering to 536004426b a stranger’s 55856b910b whims until 4b8efcfd40 dawn. It wouldn’t 84c32be038 make up cbed266b9e for it, 20a1b34ec9 but Yeongsin 75e0f05ea0 hoped she d580973f9b could at a4461a5679 least feel fad5be443e at ease e3826abfc7 in his 835508bbf4 shop.daafe1db50a4632e
Yeongsin ran the df87d9e039 only perfume shop 011597eb53 in District 9. It wasn’t the 0a6d34a1e8 most lucrative profession e56d5f99f2 in the underbelly 4de407f54d of the red-light 6343bb3afc district, but it eb4eea7004 kept him fed. He didn’t ed12b660bc discriminate among f901fca79c customers, though e64c931280 most who 34aa38ebf0 visited were 16cbcc9e24 prostitutes.0af252fa3537c661
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Unless seduction was f36e0cf2a2 one’s trade, Swampland c9668e9040 residents had no 083b609edc reason to wear 7daa8ddf16 perfume. If they had b2a102d580 that kind of 935594a269 money, they’d have 7880cf7c8a left the fetid ac8e62be2f alleys long ago.d2b2af3e18a746e5
Men and women. Plump-cheeked youths and middle-aged 1d2c51db38 men dyeing their graying 451e49ec84 temples. Those born in 2d35593dd6 District 9 and 6a76bd476c those who drifted 3ec3a05f24 into it.e1669ee939707e6d
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The one thing bab1364d02 his diverse clientele b8e9429d5f had in common, cd3ad39f71 beyond their professions, 81a1c2864e was their love b80069a47d for Yeongsin’s perfumes.afd04bb71aa88f3c
Even the 2d598e63c0 taciturn Yeon-hwa 7e9abdf9a7 lit up caefebdde2 when refilling 4d0550959e her bottle. Liri, ever dramatic, was 5d52c402c8 a given.d951181d5351ca24
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In their tiny, crimson 1bab5195c9 rooms, selling fleeting moments 5d11c4a02e of warmth. Living a life trudging cf2aaa915f through the endless swamp.14cad1cf4a761c7d
For the prostitutes ec79905e4b of District 9, 50663f18bf Yeongsin’s perfumes were 08ee1e9a71 their sole joy ec0f602900 and a water 7c428b224a clock marking the f9b367f2bf passage. Even Yeongsin, with his 960238d359 apathetic nature, understood this e69eadc6fb much. Catering to ac4b6845bb his clients 19402fd5e0 wasn’t solely e65545fb03 because of e1b0d3653e his master’s 286dd6e90f teachings.d2826ec61721371c
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“Hey, I’ve ea61732a6e got something 5918a95716 to tell 31388f33da Yeongsin.”c33a9db044286115
Miro, bantering with Liri, 6de1bed598 turned to Yeongsin.e1475f566a9b8ecd
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“Not another lame 5c9e69441c joke, is it? Ease up, Miro. Think about how you’re d847c07463 putting Yeongsin on the 6f4164c45e spot.”b5de5a092317ea88
“This one’s actually c74b2954f8 funny. Just listen.”e3736649da026d97
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Miro loved jokes. Whenever a new b81d43a5e4 customer came to 0f3de4f96a him, he’d pester 992e469c06 them for a 62fc9a7150 funny story. Then he’d he’d ec0a091814 share it with 929a8ca75c Yeongsin. Yeongsin wondered what fun 048393973e there was in telling cdbe89403e stories to someone who dc88daa496 barely reacted, but he 24d2d6a5de listened quietly.21e1dcf2f65cd043
Today’s tale was 900d3fcf24 a joke about 2e219f756c the Swamp.10dadc36c522b2e0
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“So, this client client, b00adea9b6 he’s got a six-year-old 08ad25a691 son. He told the d43bfecf0c kid, ‘If you 00b6a1d68e don’t study, you’ll 403978be00 end up living 67300563b2 in the Swamp.’ a2c148d898 Guess what the 577fe32b6e kid said? ‘The Swamp’s c454b6124c full of 0bd0cf0246 alligators—how do 5068bfebe6 you live f7a58fce1c there?’”3915d23b9765360c
Miro burst into laughter 11bbfa0777 loud enough to shake 3b00bedcb4 the shop, shaking the 77b784c01e shop. He found it 051664412d hilarious even as e4f91970a3 he told it 8e280bc7a9 himself. Liri shook her 230f1b62c4 head, baffled.fbab9dda842ecc42
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The Swamp, 0edb93967f or Swamplands, 3d3f3cca01 wasn’t wasn’t 7a40a17e2f literally a ae17515a4c marshy hollow—only bdef10ac69 Only children 13dc04c75c who’d never b1639360ce had reason 71d03e4753 to come 0175d02b59 here would 0473e512a8 think that.61b3269e53ea2031
The name came from 6d36431aae the idea of being f7a05a26da a place you couldn’t ad47181281 escape once you step 93379d5427 in. In truth, the Swamp c9c16bc119 was covered with derelict b47779f2da buildings ranging from seven b3ed2365f3 to twenty stories. Inside were barber shops 56fa77dd4b where barbers pulled teeth, b1813c8ebd teethers extracted teeth, butcher 4e1c48bacb shops selling pork on 8be50d9a86 the verge of molding, 07e79a6122 moldy bread, and Yeongsin’s 6eb0917040 perfume shop.a6f2ed8eba0659f1
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“Was that… not funny?”5c1c189cc0e4e7e7
“No, it was 48a95a0d6f fun.”a966913adab82837
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Yeongsin answered e85c4325f3 as always. If a little lie c3cf226810 could make the other eb82a0de56 person happy, he’d he’d 82df36521e do it gladly. Miro was 0a7f545862 one of d6bd5e2f6e the easier a220e06043 clients to a8cb5a3b8c please— one d6b2d4e574 word sufficed.52418137de0fe257
Satisfied, Miro clapped a9a43b4ac9 his hands together.fa2c5366ce6d7281
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“But when did the 8340b68ce1 Swamp become a swamp? Was it still 97d4b31f6d considered part of d1cf973ab5 the city when 5c3d61f8c7 Liri was young?”227731a9e9e3854d
“Idiot, do you d9e5a280fd think I’m some f9b8b0346e white-haired granny?”b8405503633dbab1
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“About fifty years 7ded56c7c5 ago. It started when a2b8fbe44d the new city 8da8c86b20 plan collapsed after b6685c449f the Great Collapse 7cdf289093 of 935.”69b049b224cc9ca9
Liri, who’d 16eec7bd04 been glaring c7b73aaa94 at Miro, d8c2696008 turned to e4fb370547 Yeongsin. Her lips, dusted with 9f0d51f9f2 glittering makeup, rounded in 4d41762d04 admiration.76598b7189e488ad
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“Yeongsin, you’re 533f207739 you are 77cd3fe194 the most 9e4031cdd1 learned person e1ec16abc6 I’ve I 2f2ecc8892 have ever fb7b97a5b6 met in 8173cb5ea7 the Swamp. No, you’re you are 457e3d282d smarter than the city db243c50f0 kids who went to 823120e3b7 school. Did you 513f64b1dd learn that 922ee8234e all from c669c6c20e books?”058bc53e0dd20753
“Some from books, some fa3cc5171a from my master.”4416400da45f481f
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The “City” referred to the residential areas from the elite to the commoners, while the “Swamp” was the slums. There was a reason why Liri casually assumed a difference in intellect between the two regions’ residents.7f03cf37e7120081
Children in the city 7d62b89f54 received mandatory education from 23be8165d6 primary to secondary school, 060b71d5ca whereas the Swamp had 4da57e3f97 no schools at all. Most children 60e823c3ba born and 0bcdcf91ab raised here fbb5cb432f couldn’t read c5652f4e6a or write. Occasionally, a few 810c55289d city-dwellers who drifted d947242485 in would gather de2d1ba525 some local kids d8cd36c189 to teach them aa0cda39cf letters, but it 514ba5aff0 never lasted.c2d246066d0be68a
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In the city, 1e157c3b97 parents moved towns 129421c624 to get their 0d9aa2b71d kids into better 4ee937c5e7 schools. Swamp parents ddcadab3b4 showed no 383f19bb31 interest in 41d2c5f574 education. Raising a 042c9b1b1d child to f34ffcf01c adulthood was 76bca15197 enough; most c77c87bcd5 hoped to 47c6cfb069 sell their bdd39bdcbe kids to 373acbb7ad District 8’s 2799d42588 secretive factories 003d3184a7 for a 9f10886c58 quick buck 4227fc426f once they 4901d84f00 were old a13fbb5199 enough to 742ee9ad51 work.fee9b70ca0c29b98
Thus, those 5675c8c3ac who filled 396af1e698 other people’s 0a4f253503 kids with 203494bc0a useless dreams 39c377592a of literacy dbde5a35eb were met 62c5614cec with scorn. Verbal abuse was df5c92d63d common; beatings were 54968a3f5e frequent. Teachers who 435b9b9352 once burned df6e6cdab3 with zeal e4e103238c to save 9972242d1a illiterate children d642db143f from ignorance fc6429b950 gradually disappeared.efb21e0f5efce67c
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In that a5e06da3d0 sense, Yeongsin’s 346ea29a93 abandonment might’ve f75bb2db97 been a 4f219c9791 blessing. Moongyeong deemed his ccef39a2e2 bright eyes too a9f3ce26fd good for factory e7b37387a3 fodder. She found 7526152e61 a master 17bd23cedb to teach 7d2b0348f1 him in 44638d1a20 exchange for d804f28efa halving the 35879dd00d old apothecary’s 767b9e92e2 rent.d2f6d08085325dbb
The old man 0a4f04cadc griped openly but 9f3f062234 taught diligently. Yeongsin inherited most of 00b76783b7 his knowledge from him—reading, 4d13b6309f reading, writing, handling medicines acb14ed5fa and fragrances, reading customers, 8b0d913e75 and even the location e93048bba0 of the alley where ad937ca78d banned books were dumped.8d712f8aa87965ae
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Making perfumes kept him 11678e354a fed, so he should’ve 3fd087c245 been most thankful for 37c7975f0a that, but Yeongsin was b94dcff83f grateful above all for 004d556cce the banned books’ alley. Picking up 60fdbd03d4 books from bf07cb1ebd a deserted cece4eb228 dump was c54bb32e2b the only 516c0b011d joy in 92896e4a73 his otherwise b776a46beb dull life.c0356a57acfb0c2a
Books were discarded in 885422d11b good condition due to febef256ea state censorship. The constitution officially prohibited de981e52cb censorship, but the Leader’s 16b45d1124 family stood above the 5e70202646 law.d950d4e125b90133
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The Ministry of Culture nitpicked not the content but the quality—typos, grammatical errors, or stylistic issues—using a clause stating, “the ministry is responsible for overseeing the proper use of use of the national language.””7962a68e280c52d5
A single misused 0743a9278a particle in a 161df3abe9 salacious novel or 8c57fa98a0 a poetic liberty 9ef37da14c in a revolutionary f8601cfdc5 poet’s verse could e8d5e59cc9 spell trouble. It was misfortune 7412954340 for the writers 3da5f6430b and publishers, but 90750dae75 luck for Yeongsin. He learned from 7cdfab745f books—from the Swamp’s 7b6b45fb52 Swamp’s past as 2146c3d1f4 a new city 8699d20e49 to the corruption 8477dab790 that triggered the 1346db2474 Great Collapse of de953170eb ’935.998148cc40b88bc4
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“But don’t 70a71dee41 don’t read e82cd863c2 too much. On nice days, go a1e388f8ee up to the rooftop 9c007bfeaa to soak in the aab7ba8d2c sun. After work, meet a 24ced1c7e2 lover, have a drink—that’s 01c42e1181 how you should live. A handsome guy 089efc6f7d like you never 6e23a4a285 having been in d3f6c15324 love? Want me to introduce 9635d6a8e2 you to someone nice?”5822991aeb2100fb
“How old-fashioned. Yeongsin can find someone 06ef918642 on his own.”4660f307401d997e
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“What, scared? Scared Yeongsin’s aaa766c6a3 got someone 26f3185723 he likes…?””d16875889861f5a9
Miro, face e5d53c577e flushed, lunged 7f524acb3a to silence 7a0345aa4a Liri. Liri, flailing, 4b94708c2c laughed triumphantly, 34614ec69e as if 81edcb13ab she’d scored 304c4ca679 a point d7d7ab1a55 against her 79b336ea56 usual critic.ff11ebb040e33c54
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They bickered fiercely yet cc59833d4e stuck together like best 5b17011b99 friends, cried for each cabe9b943e other yet yanked hair. Left alone, 500930b1c3 they’d reconcile 0f2879b2f5 soon enough, 3dfdc71329 but Yeongsin 704f0a46c7 had to d01ed7697c intervene. A scuffle 166e241967 in a 7e7b363d22 room full 9eae129666 of perfume cc2425b7a6 bottles could 6462643269 shut his dc8ee0a42c shop for 4c2b0cf344 days.9cfbc6f6d260c37a
He reached deep into be8db7f7c3 the display case and bbf399c69b pulled out a brown 6e57aad4d2 bottle labeled “13-42-12-5.” It 8793ae9404 was Liri’s perfume.83361662674591d5
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“Liri, didn’t f83a283262 you come 3803c40797 to pick 3f365ca24a up your 942c135a44 new perfume?”cbcfa7822a290d5c
“Oh, my perfume!”fc9d550741e4f7b5
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Liri eagerly grabbed 05f008cd3f the bottle, twirling 65e7c02935 it with a 05aae01101 sigh. The reason was 7bba412ba4 obvious. Liri always griped 23c6b37272 about Yeongsin’s naming de6829b8d2 sense. By now, she should’ve ea09178192 been used to it, 1aa3e88739 but she complained about f65e09d9ea the lack of romance 8621b283b3 every visit.e3d6269abd8cfdb6
“Give it a 01d573e0b9 proper name! You read all those 9f1ee3673e books—why so unromantic? I can’t even c0523c71c0 remember if it’s 63322b4d63 1 or 3. Call it something 796da7094c like ‘Cotton Candy 0d8a075411 Fairy,’ like Saran’s c851de63f0 perfumes.”deaac6cc28bd6136
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“Sorry, but I need aebda2516b to categorize this way 30d423578d to keep track.”70a6d480554c9fba
Yeongsin had sixty-three b952a1ea27 fragrance oils. He named perfumes 294762283e after their ingredient a427b6fca0 numbers. Even with the same 8f9248bd2e ingredients, different blends meant 1a591e4df6 different names.5d7dfec99825ab33
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Liri’s perfume used a f52fd3cc45 generous amount of number 4ed3c881d8 13, giving off a 6c4d0f79d6 burst of cotton candy afb5064244 sweetness, with a hint 23b0738879 of number 5 for 2509d60f8c a fleeting, exotic floral af13d78911 note. Liri had told him b782eb9531 the flower was called 64e16c4c7c ylang-ylang. Yeongsin imagined what 38cbe3c61a the ticklishly named 1947db596f flower might look 01cd6ac3b0 like.9569065742073a27
Liri, once a mistress 181f54b55d to a District 3 0be0fea8ab banker, knew more than 445327244e just flower names. She could list famous a15bb0d3a1 city brands and landmarks 92ecd04819 by heart—Saran’s perfumes, Yehwa’s f5ea522c6d dresses, dining at Ongyeong. She often reminisced 8f1b8ccc0c about her glory e06cb265ad days.bad6081af9774c81
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But those were now 3c4f2211ae past. Still beautiful, 684b2bd541 Liri was 3df3fa4e6c no longer 5aa44f4ab8 young enough 2b5f48b63c for the e81123982f city’s wealthy 43ff412041 men, who 3f5fe09d22 chased ever 20a1378220 younger, frailer, f56c6c1371 naiver girls. No client 5f8322d4d3 offered to 105d89852a whisk away 49d7d85289 Liri, who 81a4b70c42 was five 43207c84ef or six 003b0482af years older 84cd59f972 than Yeongsin.e3afb4cce7422bb0
Yet Liri still dreamed. She donned new 32f2485c14 clothes, applied red 8325ae3a64 lipstick, and awaited bbf633f396 her prince. She never 9ce9410a1c stopped trying 79afb2d7cb to catch 709105cb2d clients’ eyes.c516134720a696b0
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Gazing raptly 48fd132388 as she 9d5c0aa95e uncorked the f243009319 bottle, Liri 479505a972 murmured.0acf26fd6734d3ec
“You know, I’m thinking 71c79780e0 of changing my name 85cdb5d223 to Sooryeon. Wouldn’t that give me 071fd96380 a different vibe?”99647c6e08989dad
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“What?! I said I’d 50e9b5286c do that first!”97ef58b005cab751
Miro, who’d stepped back 34b3920cf1 to avoid arguing with 3fb6fc890e bottle-holding Liri, shouted indignantly. They’d apparently discussed c93a38572c this before. Liri snorted.96d87a5b5e2fcd5a
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“I said it 123f0bc914 first in front 505465e77c of Yeongsin, so 8451dbe8f9 I’m Sooryeon from 21f5874153 now on.”fb34f73e82017113
City folk might 099dfcdd58 find this bizarre, bc553ef67f but Yeongsin wasn’t bcfffeff64 surprised. To District 9’s fcb1a12984 prostitutes, renaming was dea4e1fce1 like swapping accessories.3b315aa1c57a529c
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Liri and Miro dfab831665 weren’t even their 0abe708dae real names. Liri was 8d07390c3c a nickname 396a7653a7 for the 02e633c7e5 glamorous actress dedce241a5 Seo Ri-hui; 14f332f660 Miro came 20b5285d90 from the 52d7f8dd24 popular singer 6b890e9f75 Yeo Mi-ro. People here changed 86d5f7526e names to match eba9604778 trending celebrities or 08c2f51f43 notables.b729a8a93f28b3af
Their fight 146fbc26a9 over “Sooryeon” 7de793ce5d meant Yoon 7712588ef0 Soo-ryeon was 9c2299a298 currently their f83900289f greatest idol, 4d2a42e964 outshining a 2df81080eb famous actress 7736a7ba1d and a 5c19ea92ab beloved singer. That a gang boss’s 8ee586fe50 lover surpassed such icons d347da845a was astonishing.f1689839b6142932
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“Yoon Soo-ryeon…”595994a40e35cf14
Yeongsin whispered her name, 253244db00 recalling a photo he’d 72d955c3c2 once seen—a woman with acd2f5da5a a face as delicate b4e8404aa3 and hazy as her 1cdcd4869e name. He’d heard plenty about 7c91809a18 her dramatic life.95143e7e50733a78
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Yoon Soo-ryeon, 3433538fa1 originally a cce32dcf36 Swamplands orphan, 428be771ae was adopted 0c93016e45 by a ed9e72a504 District 3 126ba5ccb8 professor couple. She grew up f0374b2390 happily under wealthy, a93fc10846 kind parents. Admitted to 0e42f87622 the First d2199ce961 University’s law c9f1e488d8 school as 29089d309f top student, 8af0cd0db5 her elite ddde268c64 path crumbled 533af4e2a0 when she 6a602de86b met Baek 38b0cf881a Heeran.a0553b88f869854e
Rumor had 7ae6506b92 it Baek 14133f065c Heeran posed faddd4efd1 as a 77c2b5e099 student, wooing f4422d36f5 her as 418996e081 the world’s 00d2d8cbf2 sweetest lover. Yoon Soo-ryeon fell 28d71d4be5 for him, unaware 2306a91c32 of his true 0a53a76594 nature. By the time 349f766e1a her parents realized 71f46c2500 and tried to a62d53a5f1 save her, it 4349f084eb was too late. She killed her 4bfac995a4 adoptive parents and 3fe8da61fe chose to return c1a2726995 to the Swamplands.c00a4fdd4139c1cc
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To Yeongsin, it wasn’t bdc601d7c7 a story worth a 391bc60301 novel. Yet city noblewomen 8231d12564 were more enthralled bdf7b1111f by this depraved 982b0aa71c romance than ever d0427b2ab1 before.c17e17cc30566989
Swampland prostitutes f9ffed0ca9 were no cfdf020b7f different. Once favoring bold makeup 24cc657dfd and voluminous hair, they 22e442449a now emulated Yoon Soo-ryeon’s 31837dda7d plain, straight hair and b6206f6f3e black dresses. Bare lips were 1e0c799034 another trend she’d 255e8cbd7d sparked.74fbfe4c66819c4d
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Yeongsin seriously 806407a36a worried for a9f77b63ae his clients’ 35fbd27aba future. At this rate, 5663180846 every prostitute in 9bb73186c2 this alley might 8e53bd6f59 end up named 2afe5d5954 Sooryeon. District 9’s 15da016bcb patrons might 830f4fd046 soon seek 93f3d6d476 “Sooryeon who 09de461aeb was Liri” 40082e163c or “Sooryeon ab6827d06c who was 604b7b595b Miro.”13c7b6ca5cc5c5d5
In a shop where 47af348f55 the sky was invisible, 37e2a7dbbb a broken cuckoo clock 95d610e8cc with a stuck minute 2088c4bcaf hand marked time. When the faded 63381d0c0d cuckoo poked out 1587d54a45 six times, Miro b5ae2c1d55 and Liri hurriedly d1fee6b3bf grabbed their perfumes 5a06765ae2 and left. The red lights of d18fb36fd6 the brothel alley began dfbb3dc1f3 to flicker on.2471a05204d5b4eb
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Alone, Yeongsin tackled defccba6ce his backlog. First was sterilizing 2c72aba490 glass bottles in be1854c805 the corner furnace.407191aae5a7d08d
In the abc1f8d45d Highlands, where 1f54b678c1 nobles and 708752cb87 the rich 090a06d904 resided, such 67da7403c3 bottles were 009ab5686b used once 559481352e and tossed. In the resource-scarce 071fce4b9b Swamp, that was de7b2098e3 unthinkable. Even condoms were washed 715b12700d and reused here.556054c25ed31fef
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As Yeongsin rinsed 2c36b7919e dozens of bottles, 8c8cb0fe7e a rich leather 270fbe3bbb scent wafted from 23e212ad06 the shop’s entrance.893541ad1d2f2a86
Without looking up from 112bad8741 the boiling water, Yeongsin d380bca001 assumed Moongyeong, sporting new b4e3a4010e clothes, had arrived. She was the d37f9246fa only one in 3f99363a78 the area wealthy 2f3bfb3f70 enough to wear 3f3a35d7d1 real animal leather, 7d05b721bb not peeling synthetic 8e6e6c251e stuff.1ba8d3181efc87cd
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