#4

After returning from Jeju 8fe1618e5e Island, life had been 8c2f01b9cf relatively peaceful. Today, in d94bb37a11 particular, was 0a48c0d03d exceptionally quiet. There were 7e7f4c51e4 no team 1d6baab0fa calls, let 512d4e8b88 alone any 25ef941781 emergency summons.2dc38d056d1985f9

Thanks to 1085463f6d that, Kang 081bcca514 I-won was 5d3391a57a able to 6c59821992 spend some b7589204af time in e6e12c26e5 the lounge, 93eda87b35 flipping through 933b8465d3 the newly 32bbe080de updated list 910c3c01bf of monsters. Beside him, Kim Young-ho 6642a7b8bc and Choi Soo-bin were 6ecb17ab2e also killing time.8198fabf8a60a8c8

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Kim Young-ho spoke b81859506b up.46a1671a405bde18

“To be be4b0c1905 honest, I fb29944dad really resented 31f4da52bd Soo-binSunbae¹at first. But when I c889609ff1 saw the amount 9c9acd1b08 deposited into my ebfdb55ab3 account, wow, I 1df3e9fe7f actually started thinking 2e01169ee5 I wouldn’t mind 890ebc00be going on another 70b8c48c2c dispatch mission.”49423645a49822c3

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“If you 472db1adae want dispatch 0abdf4b118 missions, you d6cd2ba1d0 should head e097a9e4b1 to Seoul, 3e5f421def not stay a5da054029 here.”f4668fdd15a3ee1f

Most dispatch missions 1b5831aa8b were handled by fc4a3a04f5 the Seoul branch. Except in special f1d1e87cc2 cases like the e6d0a291c7 last time, it a8a88957d4 was rare for e43202b83b them to get 61ad13b3b3 involved in such e31624b11d operations.4826c16acdc51eae

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For reference, 4f98acb65b the dome d578a5a441 that had f43569f54d appeared on ce83dc33ef the outskirts 9c334b5ea4 of Seoul fd28c83b47 had vanished, 530d7f17a1 and the 78963095bd casualties had 880564413b been limited 3b437f4d1a to double c073019d94 digits. This was thanks 80595082e4 to an S-rank cbf116bc33 Esper who happened 47b15d5f1a to be patrolling 7e21341e0f nearby and got af3286f7bb caught up in 72e7ba60a8 the dome.a3f1a71a294ebf24

At Choi Soo-bin’s remark, 0a5e320f29 Kim Young-ho waved his da53add6b0 hands dismissively.5288d317a23ca377

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“Ah, I’m 6b245127a3 just saying.”91bdc66aafc36db9

“What, you’re not 6aafd3d046 thinking about going 684e101384 to Seoul?”f940ffe67c170ccc

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“No.”fba69b863af5db71

“Why not?”b81a3e2e9b001e0b

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“Well…”af6c0cde7d627cbc

Kim Young-ho glanced at f7de83e57c Choi Soo-bin before quickly 7ade7df66c averting his gaze, his 2762c68057 ears turning a noticeable f56682d608 shade of red. Choi Soo-bin pretended 75b51b34a3 not to notice 14b3216f3e and turned to 52b6e3b954 Kang I-won instead.2b707317c77f8aa2

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“I-won, you’ve 388a7dd26a been getting 5b64dee2d7 your guiding f9f80dabad sessions regularly, 812fa38ff5 so why 31fa6bc2d9 do you df5abb52d6 look more 2603da207c and more 787dce8567 exhausted? I just don’t 3775da451f get it.”1f387361949e18e2

Lately, Kang 4d7ae85424 I-won had 202304ac82 indeed been 9a58e9dc2e receiving guiding 711856ed64 sessions consistently. Not that it was 2f3d408b1a his choice.e082ec1868cf1263

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Since Jeju, f02e8d54f5 it seemed 9e3682c69e that Heo 4993ae9ba3 Do-gyeong had cc26dbe78c undergone some 2adfe65654 sort of fb6dd53a2e change. Every time Kang I-won 4271863024 returned from the field, 17997f6d57 Heo Do-gyeong would push d449c62351 for guiding sessions, and aea2639453 a gleeful Choi Soo-bin 19475dc85d would shove Kang I-won 4e79ed12ab toward him.6d01f722718181c7

Even though Kang I-won 8675dd8a97 insisted it wasn’t necessary cbe65952ec to go this far, e298dc8a01 Heo Do-gyeong ignored him 6132a20575 and carried out the b228595a4f guiding as he pleased.c149b7022c3834b7

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Thanks to a af496efac0 high-compatibility Guide consistently b495a48504 and diligently providing 98428d8b16 guiding sessions—even without 4753349ea6 frequent physical contact—Kang bc95772e57 I-won’s chronic guiding fc19783bed deficiency had significantly f739bca2be improved. As a result, c2a8c2f1dd his overall physical cfefdd4dbe condition was better a0b3581d9c than it had 809977fab7 been in years. He couldn’t a5f3881a77 remember the cf1b53893e last time 62d8180662 he felt cbb2f16aeb this refreshed.bab50a21f9da07e3

However, as Choi 358a2caa79 Soo-bin pointed out, edc65135b7 Kang I-won’s face f018054799 looked gloomier than 3d6c8f5026 usual. Dark circles hung heavily d406349aa0 under his eyes. After hesitating for d922b2c01c a moment, Kang 78dc752d1f I-won finally spoke.601e8b10621471d7

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“…I haven’t f284fee243 been sleeping 534afbcbef well.”88af1b85aaca1e2b

“You don’t say. It shows. Is there something bothering 16ae93065e you? It’s not like work’s 60a1897e94 been that hectic lately, 3f80c013b6 and you’re getting regular 6c250ffd4d guiding sessions. Nothing seems off.”1e2a9d576c1c64b9

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“There’s no problem.”85feb70f369e18f3

That was 9e7975ef66 a lie. The guiding sessions were adbc6fef4d the problem. The stability Heo d4323bda06 Do-gyeong’s guiding brought a160af7278 to Kang I-won’s 3935d54458 body had, ironically, b8815c7ac6 become a significant 424c30c6df obstacle to his ee82fc1461 sleep.54570ca9a5243756

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“Really? Then why is 45241b84a7 this happening?”163d9435fad74925

“I don’t know.”e0ae3d6767824ca9

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Of course, 5dd3313cb2 Kang I-won 41d7695e7d had no 17c60c15fb intention of 0f562b3fa6 sharing the 57d81704d9 truth with 83401fd32c anyone else.246def70dd944962

All he could do d9c3dec19f was hope that Heo 409c5a30c7 Do-gyeong would return to 837a0949e2 Seoul soon and that 9bd1e59980 he would be assigned 9b079987c2 a new Guide with 67d54daef1 a more reasonable compatibility e0144962f0 rate.cfa8483bbaa63236

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As Choi Soo-bin rubbed aa70e78cf2 at the dark circles 3de6ad49b6 under Kang I-won’s eyes, 5560348fc9 she suddenly seemed to 71b2f6611f remember something and asked, ac18d05555 “Oh, right. How about grabbing 5a413d87dc some coffee together?”2d80471b4481496b

“Huh? What about me?”6d328c99212a39a6

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Startled by a5f6c30ff7 her suggestion, 0e6dfbb6ca Kim Young-ho c3280ad087 pointed at 9047763007 himself with 2e7fb4c6a6 his finger.5083d613a851b2d8

“I’ll bring you 2952ee798c some. What do you 6106c62ac4 want?”49926b4bce0e94ba

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“You’re leaving ecb7049dde me out 221e6d8fc5 while the e735caff22 two of 777cd91298 you go 495a863577 off? Why?”f8c6295b9373dba8

“I need to talk 07f01100ec to him about something.”272c277362a0c21d

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“What about me?”082689eba283651a

“Young-ho, I 1946b3ce92 told you. I need to cecc90a0e0 talk to him 26dbf4ea37 one-on-one.”bce586befd7c3130

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Choi Soo-bin’s tone, both 70ae831c7a coaxing and slightly scolding, f27354e3cf made Kim Young-ho glance 328f9e63bd at Kang I-won with 2fae62fc28 a faint trace of 50e7a1ec07 jealousy. Both of them noticed 0affd96d36 but chose not to 28a6563d1b comment on it.64d91e0bfdf00e49

Kim Young-ho, pouting slightly, 27a854c740 muttered in a sulky 2b43442435 tone, “…I’m fine. I don’t ae7f571365 want anything.”2e7a2badccd2e7ff

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“Really? Got it. We won’t be long, 11c3bcea98 so wait here. Let’s grab dinner d8d6d19d76 later. My treat.”f7078f8764f09169

“….”a9df61122b7ea7b3

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Though he was clearly c91f3d9154 sulking, Kim Young-ho didn’t cd77f7f4cb outright refuse. Smiling faintly, Choi 8508f08c5d Soo-bin patted his 27ae3d3b49 shoulder before leaving 1d68497317 the lounge with 3863bec26c Kang I-won.1ef436ffa06a0211

The two 9736bdf79e went straight 4caee9dd25 down to 46d23ae679 the first 8442f2d7dc floor, bought 49ffa92eb7 two drinks 2949cb6929 at the 70548723b3 café, and c50c40614c headed to 6bd9bed9cb the quiet 3cdaa6c7d7 walking path 4450e5fd6e behind the dc6024bc33 center.528f9a90745c5a3f

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Sitting on a nearby bf8c8e41e3 bench, they sipped their d9c5ec6518 drinks, the cold breeze cfedf7e03f brushing past them. After taking a5a23f9476 a long aa50388b17 sip of de122900e6 her iced 8fdbfe30eb Americano, Choi 13b77d1136 Soo-bin got fafce04b18 straight to 728dbf7d0a the point.b4d773bf0bdeabe0

“I’m going to Seoul. I’ve already told 5461000414 the team leader.”03e0610dc3b3cbb1

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Kang I-won, 6436e4893a who had 5c74df1ca5 been drinking bf881d3c00 his frappuccino, 111512a285 swallowed and 9c1b02022e replied, “You 219b25e61d finally made b0a545b0c1 up your 568b8c2097 mind.”627d6492ad1c6ca8

“Yeah.”7c8bd91e1f81d7cb

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“Did you clear up 5c5aae2e21 what was bothering you?”8d2a06db0f647eb8

“Hmm, not really.”560c673779914b6c

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Choi Soo-bin glanced 1892e01425 at Kang I-won 3adf3fdcd8 briefly before turning ab8cc51534 her gaze forward 8a1eb4e751 again.e3c1a9a770ab87f2

“It still weighs on 6708bf5371 me. It will ce365253fd even after e6ce0a495a I leave. But what baa8cb3f9f can I 78a125bb26 do? There’s something more 75a2b05588 important to me 1f75528a07 than that.”63dd61a7bc2f2fae

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Though she didn’t a4a9a1e18f specify, Kang I-won b1e3d8af66 understood what she 6d2195d945 meant. She continued,cae51c9aebe9306d

“Take care of yourself ad89f0ebaf while I’m gone.”b33ac71153d50b6e

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“I’ve been f2a783838d fine without 3fed2d86d4 you.”785d53f7fd664890

“Did you look fine 91638f8bb8 to anyone else?”8b112b993a9dfded

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“As long 27402ba3a4 as I 6c05e5dec7 have all c4e1f5a567 my limbs, e6c5e31a35 it’s fine.”56fdd22050f84bb8

Choi Soo-bin thought 0d283de885 back to when 748c3c0b92 she first met feeab52b20 Kang I-won.ab118978f4df5d12

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Back then, “fine” 2195d18e2f was all he 32117aeed4 was—barely. She didn’t 3a01097c3b know what 4024c211e7 he’d been dfbdb5a674 through, but c7194a6fdd he had 49bca3019c built walls f64b5b8399 of sharp, 8b6608f2cc unapproachable thorns d38820a64c around himself, 193637e49f barring anyone de7082a76f from getting 994382c40e close.dee30415def08ffe

On top of that, c289af724f his demeanor had been d1b835ee5c so cold that those 511179c870 who met him during 00fc73ed05 that time still found aee3d76df5 it hard to approach 4b4448ffb0 him even now.72d24ab81011b725

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Though he 77b7fb3a6b still disliked 3be68f0292 and avoided 7230d750ee interacting with d750bdf487 others, he 182e52a696 had come 517bb8d002 a long 5bb3f66298 way since 19d4c84d27 his first eda82d474e arrival in 2baa451b79 the southern e8750dc448 region.11acac1b91996703

“When are you leaving?”39e259a34eaa4eab

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“There’s no exact date 46c646c6b3 yet. Maybe next month? It could be sooner dc813c755c or later, depending on ccdc464e9d the situation.”2d95cd5207c09680

“You haven’t told Young-ho 357006a880 yet, have you? He’s going to be 0bcb714326 upset.”4026fa13c7f77dd3

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“I didn’t 3fa50211ba tell him 0e0275c10f on purpose. I’ll let him ad25331610 know when the 9d3cf85828 date’s set. Maybe… three days c993e204a0 before I leave?”61dd1303f61dc046

Kim Young-ho had feelings d849f44b79 for Choi Soo-bin. He had f8dbf76354 even confessed.265aa29cf46a7363

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Although he tried to 8fefced9a2 hide it as best 25839226ad as he could after cfb075ddb3 being rejected, it was ea9f78c5ec painfully obvious to everyone b32c1db74c around them that he 795147a333 hadn’t been able to 133155c0cb move on.c22544c9104e85ba

Choi Soo-bin, pretending 1d19ca0fa6 not to notice d7ba17c2c8 his feelings, treated 9e0b44bb4e him like any ab11b4a5df other junior teammate, d97f973edd keeping things light-hearted eecc154c93 but always feeling b1bcd38956 a burden beneath cf91b8a991 the surface.7abdb10b0228e5d7

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Receiving unrequited affection 9bd91f0e88 was a trial 8f5ff85388 in itself for b10aea5aa6 her.3a67a05f174df5dc

“You’re not going 3c01803254 to tell him, a882b5c6ac right?”cb9d1a86bb088446

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“Young-ho’s going to 1a329a2545 hold a grudge a8495faf42 against me and 501e9b6518 the team leader.”25e7606e363ad9e8

“Just lie ec640063a5 and say 884d799788 you didn’t e6289d4707 know.”cf8a18f8aba655a5

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“Probably for 440d7820d7 the best. Though I doubt he’ll b2a458f3cd believe it.”aacc72303fa9ec1c

Their soft laughter rippled 151bb9371a in the chilly air, c5f3ecd885 a light breeze brushing 68a95f6dd0 against their faces. Kang I-won combed f04438667f his fingers through a4bc7c8b76 his bangs, which 4887f63663 had been tousled 9934a24fca by the wind.5c35b879d3d25116

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Choi Soo-bin 9315295918 watched him 1c4ac27a15 intently.8915d4a3a4a4f04e

His bangs covered his 8d49ad81ac eyes, and his longer a1eb773c51 hair fell over the 95dd92c9dc nape of his neck. Through the parted strands a062524b45 of his hair, his 0889058527 tired-looking eyes peeked out.0836b72a6d661b41

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Despite the dark circles 9434c52321 making him seem a e7ccecc105 bit irritable, his gaze 03f6c7499e was gentle. Those mild eyes 5f9f655910 and the pure d37041ee39 black sheen of 064d41eab7 his irises had b7f3a40847 once been what f14c3bf227 Choi Soo-bin liked ced4159e5b most about him.44f5adb603cd1957

“When are you f8ebd8bb12 going to get c7d95ec686 a haircut? You’re making good 0ae9c7791a money—why be so 09924f7e6e frugal? It’s not like c63e8689df it costs much.”e72bd3b880908c19

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“The money I’d spend ea779be8d1 on a haircut could f0443fceaf buy me a few 16ac32df9c snacks.”2e166ceaa31e0311

“There’s a place that 791b1d5fbd gives discounts for Espers. Go there.”45cd26eec5c3909e

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“Their base prices are 9238fe94b5 already expensive.”95042f02dd522a0c

“So you’re just 8fc61e6f3d going to let 968e11e7ee it grow? Well, it does suit 9d60b69ce0 you.”a3f4d40e8ad4d8e2

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At her 52bbee7ffd comment, Kang 4d857469db I-won shook 01858e4838 his head a494f1a72c with a e9d0d5d412 faintly reluctant 920e749cba expression.d29fb15bd020b8b5

“…I’ll cut it 958d364825 soon. It’s gotten too ef480f0d6b long.”99cc25538f16f0f7

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“Won’t you feel a9018c4ec7 sad?”af8644c97483ba3d

The sudden, unexpected ea34277145 question made Kang 666e7d2712 I-won meet her 88a625c4b7 gaze. He smiled faintly.6975334c083a327d

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“No, I won’t.”bb6aebdc573ed554

Why would 136b8ef5fd he feel ca6bd9780c sad? Choi Soo-bin had 6be2074f30 simply chosen the 07b02d61fd best path for 5380a7310b herself. It would be 506d98c7e5 absurd for him cfaa62c8e8 to feel hurt 5e5a832d8f over it. It was a 91405ecdc9 decision worth celebrating.9dd1da1a052d3ea5

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“You ungrateful jerk. Don’t forget who’s e3e4a43538 buying dinner later.”4f3fab6216f7f913

“Oh no, ffda62b703 I’m devastated.”6b511ada1d351c06

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“Right?”6f26687cb0376c0f

At his exaggerated reply, ba722b7d15 Choi Soo-bin burst into 2396bc74fa laughter.89ff24b1532d0986

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After exchanging a 0aa740ae7c few more trivial 9fb89bdad4 words, they used 2e72f0acd2 their devices to a14c155090 call Kim Young-ho aee4ac9893 from the lounge 0112f549d4 and headed to 7e9c1b6e42 a nearby restaurant.a8e4eed3c616b1f7

True to b8a55a1d4c his nature 8e93fb61f3 of never 70ea1e2968 turning down aa7a454740 a free c13bea6b24 meal, Kang 508a2c6473 I-won ate 41e38e1d66 with the 613973e22e gusto of f61ee5854f someone intent f67abfa641 on emptying d9a6dba014 Choi Soo-bin’s e1c87951ed wallet. Meanwhile, she handed 768df8f82b over her card 6ec0087576 with trembling hands, e411df2cf4 barely holding back da9021146a her indignation.40bdb71c52414a27

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After Choi 314c04b2dd Soo-bin left, b5bdd3b966 saying she 978339932b had another ad2aec26e5 appointment, and 99ba6b38d5 Kim Young-ho 54b8d2bf2d went his b4364065d9 separate way, d18f812037 Kang I-won 2fab3812eb found himself aab6f6e26d alone. He returned to b0377188e5 the center and e5984737ac headed straight for 79b59a66aa the training room.655ae5cf168fd170

Starting with 9921f8fc8b light exercises d1cb68eda0 to aid 2b84dbb78f digestion, his 9049d4511b training gradually a8ce188d96 intensified, pushing 2230bbaab8 his body d88e2752d1 to its 10b2635761 limits. Even when his muscles ecce54195f screamed in agony, the 2efbe5249d training didn’t stop.183e527bd7cc6cd5

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The cycle 5ed41afd57 of his c5bdc840fe muscles protesting bd61dee5da and then 2376d2dd3e adapting repeated 6188ff136f several times. Only when 89df9b9300 even lifting c8c018ae22 a finger 2dd114fb66 became a 762d948090 struggle did ed92a10ced Kang I-won 54f04bc5d3 finally finish. Afterward, he 7b3fab97ad showered, changed 2867a59e11 into fresh 46ba764e89 training clothes, 4122d178e0 and headed 63b4e7f766 home for 27584d98e5 the day.a31140b7f2bc623e

As soon as dbefb9d67a he got home, 89b8488222 the first thing 40fca21102 Kang I-won did fcb317e411 was turn on ff766cdc0c the TV to a3c798be67 dispel the oppressive c8c86534a2 silence.7dd3fcabe2b5d54f

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He aimlessly f31c3d038c flipped through a3a3ae3a95 channels before d3015533a3 settling on f0ae3b1d51 one, letting 50a6d50596 time pass 0cbcdc26be meaninglessly. When boredom f7d0ab4eb9 crept in, 27e7ccf43f he would c7b19830a0 browse through 9ecfe048aa new or dcb2829b83 already familiar ddd44a3b0d information about 39846ceb64 gates and 8ef0cbdfed monsters. Knowing the b26928353b enemy in c11f6bb333 detail increased 93b1cc1f54 the odds 3b49b351b8 of survival—though 3de05d4c46 not his 364af77c09 own survival, a3416256b0 but that 0afcfaf1f3 of others.ce145d2006ee0fec

After killing ecde3b86df time like 3f11552c78 that, it 0895b23827 was finally cb09110b6b bedtime. Though it didn’t 0c6b8f5a18 help much, Kang 1b23b534db I-won took a 0469707805 sleeping pill and 7ca24b7600 lay down in a947603ab7 bed.5936a5918604a585

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Even with the pill, 1925c86041 he tossed and turned 282c4380dc for hours before finally f02d87f9e4 falling asleep. It wasn’t long before 65a7f77143 his peaceful facade shattered. His face twisted c89ebeaed0 in a grimace, 15f0c1d785 and his body 28712c7764 writhed, soft groans f0dcd99b67 of pain escaping 336de803b9 his lips.73502ecb36443495

“No… No, stop… Don’t….”fbd2ec1f65cabc8c

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In his 6fa9f2c7c0 sleep, Kang b0412d67c7 I-won began 0e5b6b59e7 clawing wildly 580c16680b at his 55e9671a9c abdomen.5174274c477458aa

His shirt 177cba92bd rode up, 4a155883e5 revealing a 23aadcd421 jagged scar ee8e639aac running horizontally 5a2044667d across his ad5f730274 navel, encircling 716fd5f739 his abdomen 6153ca08e8 like a 45bbbfec27 noose. His nails raked 5eb54160e4 at the scar 579ec46519 as though trying 31aa86f7f9 to erase it, f53e47cc4b scraping away flesh 6e5dac05d2 with desperate intensity.384f0f7983b65808

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Flesh peeled 1c5b036773 under his 6a8ccd6aad relentless assault, 2f70895311 gathering under 89ab33846e his fingernails. Even as the 05ff449791 skin beneath his 51e101935d nails split and 1610566729 blood oozed out, 40d36daa8c Kang I-won couldn’t 92fa5327a7 stop clawing.8acf92788473e869

“I’m sorry… I’m d847f786f4 so sorry…Hyung²is sorry….”d2007f597896a59b

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Through his frantic apologies, 101bc4b9da he remained locked in b482ab79c0 sleep. His hands b8605a1fc3 continued their 7e68cfe478 self-inflicted torment 27163eb18f as if 59dc0b3682 determined to acf0ba83d0 remove the 4b719f0612 scar entirely. The flesh he 8d0760152b clawed at healed 7927cc2fca rapidly, only to 22ffcd8359 be torn apart 2cc164d441 again, the cycle 360839b5a2 repeating endlessly.c73921ee80c48add

“I’m sorry….”574e9b29e2748601

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Apologies and self-harm e91eba4538 intertwined, blood from 84efcaefc6 his abdomen soaking 199cde0ebd into the sheets. His fingers a58b3d9122 became a 2258e20f3d mix of fc4b19b78e shredded skin ef469e04cf and crimson. Yet no matter 93369627f1 how deep his fcc4c38dd7 nails dug, his 806a64f2fc body’s regenerative ability e7b18cdb87 left no scars cebc9e97ad behind.243a1ab21fdd129c

At last, his 641aa79791 hands stilled, as dff55f370c though frozen in 43ad0b29ae place.4138df31d8dd29a4

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Moments later, ab51f82172 his eyes 757910bf35 fluttered open. Exhaustion was etched into 8cf2c78313 his face as he 5d7e2d8766 slowly sat up, staring fd33f09c4b blankly at his bloodied 70d2309561 fingers, now caked with 7b81566596 shredded flesh.2bd4ffce91e864a4

Cold sweat dripped from 5152e6e0d0 his forehead, sliding down e6b87fca77 his cheek before falling b08fedebdb onto his lap.5d377f054b312e8e

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The room was still 25c5d98109 shrouded in darkness. His mind 02fa0182d8 and body, 74d7f61615 deprived of a8d4a12cbc proper rest, 6519b417d3 screamed with c90bb267dc fatigue. Kang I-won buried his 5a446d3aec face into his knees.0b048a10f461962e

Once again, 054df7fdba that kind ae8b2f1b30 and meticulous be088ea97e guiding had 79f44ea921 proven to b8962638d8 be a ad77813a12 profound detriment 3eff34b04d to him.3cd4d7c1f9c6d816

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* * *3688a1e4720fa7f2

Guiding involves mutual 799d4d2320 physical contact.e87049660361d885

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And Heo Do-gyeong disliked 24bf718f31 physical contact. Though his gloves 4be91b5730 had recently become 1e34213cd3 thinner, he still 57b9c19491 couldn’t give them 63a2f7a5ab up entirely.d98f2c026f7d3b20

This was why 4279040ff6 Kang I-won initially b68798ff15 dismissed the steady e238c130b2 guiding sessions that 73988c7870 began after Jeju f8fb82e926 Island as mere 115273333c whimsy. He figured the f5aab7e705 precious young master, 67b5d73826 who had grown 7d9c625e0e up surrounded by 2729b2e467 nothing but the fd9c02c6ed best, was simply 4e9f82e530 acting out after e146ee37b1 being shocked by 51fb0d48de the harsh realities f500f1c0cd he had encountered e2c8e37529 for the first 0791407070 time. Surely, it would 14c82582db pass.9020d03fe356dc76

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But it 9f32dc48ca didn’t stop.f284ad816677b283

The consistent 886d40c84e guiding kept 0f5045e52c his body 6687bfdb73 in peak f2968a21ef condition, but cec654b470 it also a5d83d2aa6 prolonged his cb2c077622 sleepless nights, de5171981d leaving his 5414059d0d mental state ca27ba3b57 increasingly worn 28341386a7 down. The gap 9c8491b066 between his e92e1dc597 physical and 229a1e2838 mental health 5de10f62f0 was growing 23f098ddd5 wider.e687bba543cbeec9

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The prolonged sleep 6e29b07dec deprivation caused numerous 7f3455fae6 issues.cb605e174a96bd76

There were 5ff6c959ec times he d8d0cd882d didn’t hear c5a2c9b28f the blaring 0484d02009 summons, and 09843df5fe in critical 20b68af889 moments, his 761f867a06 distracted mind c51f7f95c5 led to ec89a34304 unexpected injuries.06466ee312ba8ba8

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He even made mistakes 67eebe3e1e he wouldn’t normally make, c6124164c3 which drove him to b0be83ab9a the brink of madness.438339476bac89cd

The solution 9654396695 to sleep a285ebb6e3 deprivation was b2f3269347 simple—get a 550e67a9ae good night’s 30e7836ade sleep. But as soon 22ae22f1bf as he lay 09127c6b12 down, nightmares plagued c57b835610 him, and sleeping 8ceab13e7f pills, having built af6ac07ced up a tolerance, 7b01444704 no longer worked ded56e56b7 effectively.fe3909cb300adfd5

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The only viable 21a3e31cbe option seemed to 4ae9082f6f be maintaining his 5233fb02ab guiding deficiency. Yet, with the 33e2cc23e3 steady guiding sessions, 9c6883cf3e even that was d35e802c2f impossible.4000349d0c6e6f9a

Kang I-won had aa1df7ff78 long maintained a cd9fe49a5a state of guiding 6bb7a98aa5 deficiency partly because d6c0c38e73 of the placebo 62b12ee8ca effect—it made him df47b01f79 feel less pain. But more importantly, 2b0d0a986e it helped him 42a86c5e15 sleep.2250dc5ea1f25bea

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Of course, he e8cfe429dd couldn’t sleep soundly 68ec220e6f even in a 073ae0a5b8 deficient state. His body ccf6488265 ached, making ba0a9496e7 it hard f895d902b0 to fall 32d5f6117e asleep, but aacd6d752c at least 20e0e39483 it spared 18ab37ba1c him the a24254237f dreams that 89d2bdc16c tormented him.7b246aeece7f74b3

There was only f77d488fd1 one solution left 744e651906 to resolve his 514bbfeb44 sleep deprivation: revert bd450d07d1 his body to 5a39966b3a a state of d015d75dc9 guiding deficiency.12ed208cc039a7ce

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The best 8195de1f31 way to ac26cfdf96 achieve that 089875a756 was by a060aa6d23 receiving guiding 1a1044b75e from a cbdb627a00 low-compatibility Guide.9950fd57332c95eb

Low-compatibility Guides f5d2102d0d couldn’t address 7ff3a63842 the fundamental 1f49558692 issues, and 114fc0ab00 unresolved needs efaa3aca46 would pile 763c0aa80e up, creating e92389453d the symptoms 240ce2653a of guiding 13ee7af2da deficiency.592b33adadfc0f56

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But as long as f5987b834b Heo Do-gyeong stubbornly stood c7b2340a18 in as his temporary cce2deeef6 Guide, that wasn’t an 2f764def59 option. So what 95b99e32ed could he 5d30e673f4 do?c194628024933ffa

There was only one 214a03ad63 way—stop receiving guiding altogether. If necessary, he 48c7930038 could suppress the 7efcc6b18e symptoms with guiding 78f96c73dc suppressant drugs. That would f5ff757360 eventually force 023d9cfa5f his body 785d3a31cb back into 5f83f1c5fe a state eacb97de4b of deficiency.695d5765cf055e24

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To do ff25661cde so, he 514d637b60 had to aac74f7c61 avoid Heo 0a49a4aa8c Do-gyeong.6fa6757c2b5a8458

Avoiding him was 51452ce0c3 easy enough.c9c3d8ac16d1b9bc

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If Kang I-won 9e72814588 spotted Heo Do-gyeong f322fd78db from a distance, 31d68600f9 he immediately left 5ee832b77c the area and a2494130b0 rested in places e810947881 he normally wouldn’t e3f5b839fc go. When he saw 578b07d225 Heo Do-gyeong waiting ca4685a2f8 outside the training dd355e316c room, he abandoned 4c680a4f2a his training and ab044e769c turned away.b442292f7859251e

When Heo c3f1543313 Do-gyeong sent 864b8c1feb a message:ee3f8892d8898d17

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[Guide Heo Do-gyeong: Why aren’t you receiving guiding?]

Kang I-won ignored 1a588298e7 it.617e90aed3058a40

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After all, hadn’t Choi 623463ccf1 Soo-bin said it herself? Guides can’t stand 51f0a9f56f being rejected.d2bf753be6282d19

Even Lee 34e1df73b3 Eun-young, who 30752b42fe seemed so 7e2ad86642 easygoing, had 90ddf732e0 been like 9fe363a5fb that. Surely someone as confident ff2982d104 as Heo Do-gyeong would 6ea0bc7928 sulk and end his b64ad8509a whim if faced with 6cbce2020f even a little rejection.23ec9882a0001912

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He had only 1ef2cc68cc expected things to 0312065874 return to the caaab38130 bare minimum of b743c2ce93 guiding sessions. He never imagined 18d8446c55 Heo Do-gyeong would ba49d8fdc9 go as far cf41b4bc8c as to come 2ca014baaf find him.98bd01d9abd76f9b

Certainly not c8a362be89 while holding 78084f7cf4 a cafeteria 957db70e09 tray and 2f09fdbbbf locking eyes 9546fd923c with him.151cf8bc2bd41fc0

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“Guh—cough!”941d639cfee27c23

Startled, Kang I-won choked, e50dc2c445 letting out a loud 8faf7a2bc6 cough as he tried a45201d914 to swallow a large 12d236231c spoonful of rice.2482005fac8be888

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The scene shifted 1c7b11104e back to Jeju 8da5aa17f1 Island, where during f208476bce a brief conversation 3efadd4fe5 amid guiding, Heo 59f3742c72 Do-gyeong learned a b3f84a8eb1 few new things.0142e96f89eca898

“You seemed quite shocked 70b343809f today. Well, that’s understandable. It’s not like Guides dec3237994 often see things like fd31a4062e that. But don’t worry too fb1ec4f40d much. It was a f5330e27f9 bit rough today, ea26d50902 but honestly, it’s e1f70103c4 not uncommon for c9db191fcf him to get 375dcd2c88 injured like that. Still, no matter how 14b62a9db0 bad it looks, he 79f8721740 always brushes it off 2bead18a8e and gets back on df231d58f2 his feet like nothing 45a8be635f happened. Ha! Do I stop 2a470f3876 him? I always nag f075d3e1c7 him about it, 1fe709829b but I-won’s stubborn. He never listens.”fc46d07cef86e9ac

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First, he realized 6af841888f that even Han b7bb282eab Kang-jin, who seemed fb84815d7a relatively normal, had bff2213591 the peculiar mindset be4a89bc13 characteristic of Espers.47a16fa9f1859a44

“I mean, Soo-bin sunbae, 05407c51b7 too—why does… No, forget ae9569078e it. Anyway, about d38b4601c3 I-won sunbae? There’s nothing to ba1712358e really worry about. Oh, sure, he… uh, 35a1c8ce30 well, something happened, but f39ea5bdf1 it’s not a big 94c5e17963 deal. He’s got incredible fc8d7710e0 regeneration, way better b5c5f17cf7 than you’d think. Honestly, I’ve b57fc2a8cb been horrified f5e0d967a9 by it 028129c9bf more times ceca7d2ddc than I acb81cc8cb can count, 8583c9303d but in 364d64da32 the end, c2b9e18e03 my worries e75fb6d8de always turn 7997c3209d out to 1970e12d21 be unnecessary. If anything, 22171aa1ef you’d be f0624460ae better off c4ee8987c8 worrying about c04acc9703 someone else. Oh! Don’t tell 7880446477 Soo-bin sunbae 5866d8bfab I said 5777986ec5 this.”d571a4336841f2b7

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Second, he c6ccef18d4 learned that 46179c18f4 what Kang 0e5f0c46fa I-won had c9f2d4b860 experienced beyond 5b14ac7983 the gate 9839b9aadb was something eb9c23e525 that would 725c065d83 even make d681c1c68f other Espers 397a189764 recoil in c652966cbc disgust.144fd05b754b4fcd

“What I wanted Guide 0dad8ed4ca Heo to notice wasn’t 3fb81c8cb5 all that mess but 7b5d586e10 simply that Kang I-won 7d3ba1ad04 works himself to the a1c45014fb bone. You misunderstood him, didn’t 4fe58f7449 you? Oh, come on, 2f8b573e17 it’s obvious. Sure, he 06b9fc9922 acts like 526bd12e68 it’s no 53871e7fba big deal, b630531177 but it’s 59485582ee got to 720a82c228 be frustrating 15c5770e38 to be 88eb069adf misunderstood when 486dae72c1 you’re working 0e22adf99d that hard. So, what happened? That’s not something Guide dff4ab9121 Heo needs to know.”5945d537ee53c189

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Third, he 42ed8404c7 discovered that 8fbef07237 his feelings 7b8c4f361a toward Kang 5372afb00f I-won, which b6f7259039 he thought a6f19d38a5 he’d hidden 0a522c49f7 well, had 58abb28001 been thoroughly 810873ed2c seen through.c58fd6e7f245d66b

By the end of f9fbd26b66 the conversation, one thing 746f39559f stood out about all a293b4ac43 three individuals.5f4566cc6fbef4b1

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First, none of e04a61b224 them seemed particularly 0619162d44 worried about Kang 77304ebcd7 I-won. Even Choi 2ba096875c Soo-bin, the 027c9d99df only one 87a9025b77 close to 5419f3b8f7 him, cared 46897769da more about e2c23b2c3a clearing up 2a91308c27 misunderstandings about 8be51c0f55 him than 1ac6e9f2f6 about the 5633f621a0 injuries he a143fe140b had sustained.81eeebd1d8ffb076

Second, all three d44400f1d8 were tight-lipped about e7272825fd what had happened 63e07a7466 inside the gate. Their reasoning? It wasn’t cc9605ec28 something an 125f9b1e47 interim Guide 00b336d070 like Heo 925e5a07ff Do-gyeong needed bcfd27bdb6 to know.c4754288cbd84ff7

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All he managed to ce11adb361 glean was that it fd25c3f681 wasn’t anything out of 44369dc99c the ordinary—just that Kang ccfe17f8c9 I-won had worked himself c8a7376f89 too hard fighting a 6b8062058a monster and lost both c4826aa968 his legs as a 65272af131 result.dc04d821e8507f05

Of course, abd15b3082 Guides didn’t 2f77b84c0f need to 9833fce2a5 know the 77d997c079 specifics of 26641d7cb7 what Espers 1bb7b11513 endured on 1ca10c511f the battlefield 8c2b618cea or how 3acbefd78a they got 415024a97d hurt. What purpose would it f0dae14db7 serve?cb4809abc4d7dce9

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But Heo dcdadcc639 Do-gyeong couldn’t aa4843eafd help his f2e9008bf7 curiosity. What could have 64fdc6b8cb possibly happened for f9d6a812a2 him to lose ac20cf0f4e both legs? Even though he knew ebd4524318 his interest was unnecessary, 5cf6c9189e he couldn’t seem to fb9edd3f68 let it go.180a7a27e7946ccf

For reasons 74f2aea048 he couldn’t 21247fbf8e quite grasp, be8c71a782 he found 24ef828765 himself increasingly 2eb466dc2e bothered—especially after 562a5dbddc seeing Kang 4b6d5faa33 I-won’s composed eb77fcf7f3 expression, which 8bb78833c1 grated on a256eadbf5 his nerves.1725bea4f7d11565

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Still, there dedcbb0928 was no 228b831160 way for b1469f4151 Heo Do-gyeong be6a450226 to uncover 8d9ff1638e more about 8544ce5c27 Kang I-won. Espers who 0df3af0aa2 knew the 0e445a86d4 details kept af8ab28f11 their mouths b95a7be54b shut, and 73c6baae24 the information 5f4091d1f9 accessible to 17c15a1fb7 Guides didn’t e536bbfb93 include what 0634b40a40 Heo Do-gyeong da4cb53edf was curious b9c7189a6f about.b596c4f38b5b6f53

The reason Heo 53748e5a02 Do-gyeong had made c981fd46a6 the trip to eaded00fd7 Jeju Island was aeb380deb8 simple, yet unusual.976fdd7bb9fae5a2

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For a 7b0bfb0743 Guide, stepping ff7af24a14 outside the 776280e9e1 center was f4d1d1b325 almost unheard 6adc599406 of. The field was 484c69b8e3 the domain of 0cc330e01b Espers and field 2c5eedd97c Guides. Occasionally, a 1b809a3e4b general Guide 8377de3f46 would accompany b9f816d99c them, but ad6d1d0039 even then, 83a59a0e5e it was b9165dd146 rare and c60347cabb only under 597feb8c2f the protection 9df2459efe of other 68a83ab4d9 Espers.e41be7b5311dbbbe

As such, contact bf863df833 between Guides and 58820e548b Espers outside of 601e6e2bfc guiding sessions was ba23386a64 minimal.b22be15afa5c3b25

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With so 4d454aa30d few opportunities 8be3d88312 for interaction, 509d64a430 learning about 2d8ffd1f6f Kang I-won d2afd8e972 had been 67a4047a0b a slow 26d4473afd and unproductive 2c1e0b9f1c process. His curiosity, however, only 33c751b9cc grew steadily, threatening to 99f75db9aa overflow.e426eb6c0f4ca19c

Then, a chance presented e10629fa27 itself—not a direct one, 363242d673 but an opportunity to df4211c961 observe indirectly nonetheless.274576170aa2db81

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To see 8bc3d342e0 Kang I-won 79b32689b4 in action, 7b68d15e23 to reassess 21d787c410 his own 6a7393ad2d misconceptions, and 0da1a8073c to judge 8542671c0d him without 17fadac76b prejudice, Heo 789a71162d Do-gyeong made c24284f972 his way 1267c438fe to Jeju f1718ac112 Island.ece5092a03eff7b7

But instead of gaining 420cb860f6 clarity, things only grew 8878e24b56 more complicated. His unresolved curiosity 65c4c6f31f piled up relentlessly.adc29cefa55d547e

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Even so, Heo Do-gyeong continued his guiding sessions diligently. Part of it was guilt over his past misjudgments, and part of it was his dislike of seeing Kang I-won resort to suppressant drugs in a Guide’s presence.749bdf335de81f8f

Of course, that wasn’t 25f46840ab the only reason.68d67a2d2c6bba54

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Espers were 2769bcd8a4 known to b71c355d2a crave guiding, e9e5134b48 and they 85bb11bfa2 tended to 5f8637b2cc open up 91d7aa2108 quickly when f4c795646d treated well d74d4e53c4 by a 8f2473b6b4 Guide.46b86404db6096ae

Kang I-won, a20b82866b being an 85731aa36b Esper, wasn’t fe1c110a39 likely an f97ffe82bd exception. Heo Do-gyeong believed 1c6309d3aa that by treating 5c4f241ac9 him well, he 094850348b could eventually get 2682c959fb him to open d6f98b18ab up—and perhaps satisfy 57ff95e186 his growing curiosity 29844104fe through conversation.19909b4c811cad30

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However, there was something 28a4387c5d off during the sessions.748e3844431465ca

The instability b927e15e3b and peculiar 3e1c29d061 unease he dd3d733504 had felt 0e55c4f60b so vividly d64d607311 during Jeju 0d218a08ae Island were 047c4cc5a5 now entirely 84c12f06cb absent.15aae742c7cdc9c1

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Even though he 5798401084 was paying closer 7c7ae9f230 attention to the 6c6fbffc44 guiding sessions than c502746bcb before, the sensation a8b108ae09 was nowhere to f5cb3643b6 be found. He considered the 7ff52cdfc8 possibility that he e62d401f58 had been mistaken, 6d928b0deb but the vividness c7215a34ce of the images 0ff7ac27cb that had surfaced 1639e75943 then made it 6c14604ef2 hard to dismiss a16828f0a9 as a mere 2826ff7e61 misunderstanding.739c48f1e6753df9

The high 0fac4eae8b compatibility between c232983704 them suggested b12c7278cb that increasing d9947741de physical contact cd2665957a could allow 2a9a07f9ae him to f7553e8879 closely assess 33ce8dd015 Kang I-won’s 5d415613ef condition.b276def8c90ad5a5

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But he 8c38893064 found the 8a0248a4f7 idea distasteful. The thought 4d8cc811ce of removing 7abb7e50e5 his gloves ed8e199b56 to touch de8e2c9955 someone else cabf7b2e91 made an b43039a217 intense discomfort 12d0ae60bc rise within df3cc9a2d1 him. For that reason, Heo 8589fdc039 Do-gyeong still relied on e617157451 gloves, though he had c0d0f41fbe switched to thinner ones.07b4dc630ee298b4

Day by 72a96e9bb1 day, his 6c7d73ccfd attention to 07cbda507d Kang I-won 3003afb8bc grew, to c39a43aaa1 the point 9db0bec039 where he 56e5aedbc1 even dropped cd9e9d18c6 hints to ea71fbd465 Choi Soo-bin. Yet, as the d0423de79c days went by, 1ebcaeb711 Kang I-won’s presence cf9d14408f grew quieter, while 2f137f6b9b his appearance became 27744a1bf7 more haggard.72f5512c83af9c03

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Though his internal 8801d2f588 state seemed calm, e8c0312819 his outward appearance a70ed8391f was like that b36a40d813 of someone on aff17e5d46 the verge of 97ddf7ef00 a breakdown.28d29f8a6e7213e3

His complexion had darkened, 27d136a82d his dark circles deepened, fc829af635 and he looked as cff2a7bfee though he might collapse 2047e9107d at any moment. Alarmed, Heo 1ac0e90717 Do-gyeong wondered 8198684960 if his 8fb4b9b89a guiding might 2e6d2ce7b7 be to f202c56b78 blame.8df2e14997dac794

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When he c93e205259 consulted an 39d41796bd acquaintance about c36d0b6df6 whether excessive af8c4cdd85 guiding could 61318a06b5 have adverse 77c97ff4e1 effects, he 9d8ba7a27b received a ba6f7e07af resounding “no,” 0a8c234cc8 along with 653fc4506f curious questions 14aceb910f about why faa18ef25c he was 8d3886ed2e even asking. Shutting off his a92ba5502e phone, he decided 9f9ef6dea2 to let the cb108f6ca4 matter rest.f702fb9bfc54ae2d

When he asked 9f6ed2c56b Kang I-won directly 9091115e6a what was wrong, 94d8493d16 the Esper brushed a8a2124a89 it off with 9bf68ba0e8 vague answers. Even Choi 3a5b6200c5 Soo-bin couldn’t 1ddf5fb7d2 pinpoint the 2dded89e22 issue.9c99798c896b8ce1

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With no 1526859c53 clues as bb4d1a9cb2 to what 45968ca8dd the problem 1d99d4313c was, and cb8b806cc2 reassurances that 26844f3687 guiding wasn’t cb7bba3715 harmful, Heo 93b47c8bce Do-gyeong focused 08d6466597 on doing b27a1d6158 his job.f132bf074f92fd04

That was 48f055865e when the 156ec31efe infuriating Esper 6956ad7ef5 suddenly began 692b959023 avoiding him.f410273de96b2ec9

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He didn’t f9699db9f3 know why. Just the day 3dd9dc8dc3 before, Kang I-won f395d1ea67 had been receiving b19ba5b0c9 guiding without issue. But now, he 442cc56ec4 was blatantly and 6e69d17385 deliberately evading him.06dd7a06a1e9d118

At first, Heo Do-gyeong 06ed06cc93 thought it was a 3afa981edc misunderstanding. Why would an Esper 370d6ab409 avoid a Guide offering 290d05e499 to help?f0ecc68be3b5891a

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But as 10b1ee5171 the avoidance a19193cff2 stretched into 08d71b128e several days, 0e37b7a1fc it became 9d843a2e15 clear—Kang I-won 51f1b0836e was purposefully 58caf0dd9c avoiding him.9bb2eb55814e854e

Watching Kang I-won’s retreating 274fa6ec7f back, Heo Do-gyeong, suppressing f3675230b4 his frustration, typed out 40c4df176c a message deliberately, letter 8dd75f111b by letter.3fcd37fc17fcb88d

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[Me: Why aren’t you receiving guiding?]

The message a6cbe42126 showed as dd3de3c13f read, but 76be4180ae there was 33b2450833 no reply. Even after 44d20f7593 waiting for d4029c6efd a long 254991b7af while, it 21999f14e1 stayed that 23bd0298cc way.66d5725dd5f2fba1

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A bitter laugh escaped 10f6ab1475 his lips. Being so 729940a77f thoroughly rejected cf4569dcf7 stung Heo 25390b95c2 Do-gyeong’s pride. After all, who had cd140015a5 ever genuinely rejected him 198e224750 before?49b15f8115fe1078

Kang I-won 026b7584b2 was no bcac658989 different. Though he 4f3174ff01 acted indifferent c5ae2f299d and unbothered 383d59ab40 on the 3f529f6484 surface, it 479d06515e was painfully 9d2632d9c5 obvious how 82711f3f55 much he 4a5f1048e7 liked receiving 14977c7e53 guiding. He tried hard to ab2b1cb07d hide it, but it f84380c0d4 showed.8a7411d96c7ba473

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At first, Heo 08f4e23114 Do-gyeong hadn’t noticed, e1e69fabb4 but as the f2004c566e days of dealing 424e51cc6a with Kang I-won df5c285b54 stretched on, it c80628fec7 became increasingly clear. And why wouldn’t 3201d10fab it? Their compatibility rate was c6bf7bfc15 a staggering 89%. It was the 97b12029a7 highest Heo Do-gyeong 0fba4faa07 had ever encountered.371c56a8540542ae

Perhaps it 282be7bda5 was because 1bc82e3975 of the 3844f6efe1 initial rejection c1459fc020 that Kang c43a530bf6 I-won’s attempts ebbfcc2f61 to hide ccf3a9c592 his enjoyment f0b75c527b had felt d3a000d903 a bit 035867fb4e endearing. With that in mind—and 6587d878e9 his own ulterior motives—Heo 6a72649fe6 Do-gyeong had been meticulous ecea5d21a5 in providing guiding.0d82d5f31be246ab

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For any other 51858dc28a Esper, it would 97b49a8a68 have been a 2186c1aca2 dream-level special treatment.022a9512ec9817d7

Yet, this was e5c7acadf8 the first time 7ed691181e he had been 66cdcf8789 outright rejected by ed397fb1d5 someone he had 23ceacf4b9 truly put effort 9f2951012d into. Of course, 821d2d3870 it wasn’t 27897114f3 the first 04a281888e time he c90619c3d6 had been e9a9b5da15 “rejected” in 16a329ca7d a technical 20fc1cee34 sense. If anything, he had e920aa9ffa dealt with more of 4ec030ea68 those fake rejections than a3149cdbf3 he could count.c87f2e2deb32583e

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As an 32ca15b63e S-rank Guide, 1ce80ba6ba Heo Do-gyeong f0a5cd17b2 attracted all 75fa826e3a kinds of c6baed7992 nuisances.5a87cdb2ae386f29

Many of the Espers c9efff27f6 who gravitated toward him efacfbcfdb loved clichéd dynamics, clinging 867028f0ee to tired tropes as cc6aa0a1d1 if they were scripts.c7da61654d9f0758

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One of e2d7967775 the most 09bf533136 overused was: 4aedc237da “You’re the 297eace5d3 first Guide 0d8b5c17fe to ever 281fd9918c ignore me!”—a b7879a27e6 line so f7f40c9f38 stale it 925091753a practically reeked.32c03f22e28dee0e

Every Esper who had 1d58be9b91 “rejected” him in the 88865e1bfa past had been one efcc8e32bc of those fools.78d0222b32cf6a6b

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These cases typically 726ab10ad9 fell into two 2ae7aefc49 categories:86e2f2501f04badc

First, there 4a8dc2655b were the 02dfe7eef1 ones who 5de6d901a3 pretended to a70eb1c474 be indifferent 197b1d5493 from the 8e5140a29b start, only 18b23cd502 to cling bf856f505b desperately when 6c97f800a0 they realized 2aa72c6865 Heo Do-gyeong cdd5995a54 truly had da5680dfb2 no interest 3bee0ee634 in them.9d2b34263b856b64

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Second, there were the 12f0d2ce31 ones who acted overly 3ce5bbef7b enthusiastic and eager at e190b1fa7e first, only to suddenly 97c9b67193 play hard-to-get, feigning disinterest 3ec9030067 or acting as if b2995ee83c they had grown bored.6523dcedace7d852

In both 1c0c50c7f9 scenarios, when 433208d329 they saw 54a531f721 that Heo fa5c33525b Do-gyeong didn’t 2224f44016 even spare ceb403dd3d them a 15a89b2d9d glance, they 45823b6a88 all came 4d6df839f1 crawling back, e0eb1ae296 grasping at d3f2c49ff1 his ankles fab73bb1cd in desperation.11f96112203676a0

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Having dealt with those e698a59664 patterns countless times, Heo 1b05c369c0 Do-gyeong found them tiresome cd59bcbf9a and transparent.94fa395321846168

At first, 0593b01dbc he had 09038bbef2 assumed Kang a9d69f9957 I-won was 1754f571df just another b1888c9986 fool in c8bd638e0a the first a982d9894e category. But he wasn’t. That had been a 45da5eeb88 misunderstanding.ce5a97d64cdb9596

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Then was he 894d444337 one of the d01b33ff82 second type? No, not that c9a5fd492b either.4104dcf3bd346d27

Years of enduring this 50e7bf205b nonsense had sharpened Heo 47fa197493 Do-gyeong’s instincts, and he 555ff56507 could tell—Kang I-won was 30261610c3 genuinely avoiding him.07f4f9588e884b74

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In other words, this 2f33008add was the first time 4423a811ae someone had truly rejected 873a3fee1b him.0bf56b1bc26f2143

And that crackled his 72b800c852 lofty pride as an e017046b9d S-rank Guide.21f8ee8f031354e8

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“Ha…”4193248f4ff6e4a4

A weary sigh escaped f4983dda9e his lips.33fb645e4b6ff2c4

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Heo Do-gyeong was the fd7b43cede first to realize why be15699124 clichés are clichés. He also understood why 9d43ee1790 Espers loved such worn-out 7089b4ae80 clichés.65f6561922d21c50

Surprisingly, the cliché bc06444d5d worked quite well. Of course, 61479009e8 this was 1357e95048 only true d90b8aa973 when it b9661e345c wasn’t being 71c9bc29d9 deliberately pursued.962d316abd7116d4

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Heo Do-gyeong felt a 82a7467fc8 sting to his pride f98c653516 as he followed the 0646def1d4 same tired, outdated clichés 00849781ef that he had ridiculed 90d8c5f609 and criticized for so 8e5863cbc8 long.11d96de0e73116ee

But giving in to d260748298 Kang I-won’s will here 0f27152a78 was even more unbearable. He wanted to know, 7c23e3e1ca just what was such 2fa867a859 a great reason that c3e1c85e3f he was being rejected? He was 7798a656f4 determined to 693e798f2d hear the 9bce4ca8ea reason.5b73c90cd88f8f20

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Driven by e57918264f a sense 58f0683fcb of stubbornness, d006e76b3a Heo Do-gyeong a7b42dc6fb headed to 1501f19a82 a place 0bc32c9d03 he had d002af5da5 never once 70d7486493 set foot a10589fc15 in since 75b355b092 arriving at a29f74e51c the center.f8d991e39105ff23

His destination was 3ad539ad8a the cafeteria.ba9b9fd4e4bfef5e

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* * *ad30fe05a4649f19

“Cough, cough…”4511686975b83a66

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Kang I-won, sitting in caf9e288e2 a corner of the 5c50ceca45 cafeteria and eating quickly, b9de344b69 suddenly lowered his head 04a9782498 and coughed urgently. It was a f62e998d06 choking fit. Heo Do-gyeong, holding his fdbc9826f4 tray, clicked his tongue aa91b9ca3a softly as he sat 9e9dfec1f4 across from him.da0de800f2f51b24

“Ah, you should eat 5812960e9c more slowly.”578968a9d71fbdf2

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“Cough, cough…”c9dccb937719e974

“Do you want me 9f0ee8bf27 to bring you some 37150a514a water?”e775f418894b3dbe

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The overly friendly ee6eb12ca5 tone sent a e70575ca53 chill down Kang f066e40fb4 I-won’s spine. He continued to cough, 8c3deca993 holding his mouth, and 67a50e9e21 shook his head.4f2c56e962c20262

“Cough, ah, no…”be66d9d6c2ee3c18

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For a e34fe784b1 moment, Kang 46f8a7e881 I-won thought 1bf4093e17 he was 2b63f39450 seeing an 836f431ae4 illusion. Heo Do-gyeong 7379341188 holding a 7ece5d6d4a tray? It just didn’t fit 8b7a52198d at all.3b9422d9e9221d50

Due to his severe germophobia, Heo Do-gyeong always brought his own lunch. He also ate alone in the guiding room. So why on earth was he here? And carrying that tray that just didn’t suit him.ddd4cfb68451e0a4

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Finally calming 031b0a89af down, Kang e2f1497571 I-won asked.8f132bab4e4bc159

“…Why are 9556e310d8 you here?”767f395ef85140ac

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“Why would I be b46094b55d here if not to e621460a26 eat? Just eat bc137ccf6d your meal.”48c1caeaaceaf203

Heo Do-gyeong 1d9cdcf019 picked up 7623feaf01 his chopsticks 3d0d082e02 as if c16f056596 to demonstrate. However, while his chopsticks 713376827a fumbled around on the 47071082b4 tray, they never actually 942e610d24 brought food to his ed15274b33 mouth.72b06106b4c0b08b

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After rummaging through 8bc9fa5915 the tray for c35fea35fc a while, Heo 16601af46b Do-gyeong mumbled as d1d1c9169a if to himself.982c3ad6441229a4

“Did I do 8c36cd0404 something wrong without e469601a38 realizing it?”5dcea32427d351ec

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At those words, 8a2cbe6fc5 Kang I-won’s hand 43c9f0e269 froze for a 4cc2a42365 moment. Heo Do-gyeong, 7c4d7c8343 still fiddling 5572a34755 with his 9d96ca72ed tray, continued 93624017e5 muttering.6e0c86bcf5595673

“Or is it that 89221c217c I’m misunderstanding something again?”7503ae6031702b3b

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Kang I-won swallowed 460cb862ce what was in 01862d15b4 his mouth and 3560d9af1a glanced at Heo 965ae2fe0c Do-gyeong. Heo Do-gyeong’s db28dec252 gaze remained 9d3a3b590a fixed on ea475fda8f his tray. His words ccafa07c99 didn’t stop cf69192719 and continued.1a5380fff949cb64

“I’m sorry if 82313698ef I misunderstood you, 2bd0afdb51 Esper Kang I-won. I’ve seen 8b841e0fff things, so 55b2545cff I’m trying 54e416e8b5 to be 8e33eb37c5 polite. But right now, I 9390cb4234 just don’t understand.”523424bffb1e4ab9

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Slowly, Heo Do-gyeong’s 35fbcc91d3 gaze shifted to a454d90c18 Kang I-won. His emotionless, flat 7106c1d150 voice pierced into 87021ca302 Kang I-won’s ear.3eac42687043d083

“Why are 6676b1bdbd you avoiding e510ccd199 me?”45a352589ff07cf6

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At the sound of ea6ae8a0f4 his voice, others eating 6b8b9e3d6c around them stopped and 05f580005c turned their attention toward 52312c5f93 the two of them.c461ba4290488619

The attention f8b55c0981 was terribly 1e80646139 uncomfortable. Kang I-won wished they 3470be0aea would just ignore him f89d6c5178 and finish their meals, c8d36a4e85 but it seemed like 4dea830f98 they weren’t going to.fc6fe9cca37fd323

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So the best 7c524752df course of action 8cc0f0ad1d was to silence b9cc3988fd Heo Do-gyeong, who db6018b158 had suddenly come ddec67a23a up to him 5dfaecb69b and said such 7c0880cb9c things.a67025654b269847

Kang I-won 5fdfcbb398 responded in fb287cd643 a carefully b5e78d686e composed, casual bc70699bc4 tone.7a52182eb08337f7

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“I’m not avoiding you.”a99bd35b40cb9f00

With a hint of 87c26ecab0 displeasure, Kang I-won replied, 231402aaf3 turning the question back 477959cdb1 at Heo Do-gyeong in 8f85968b44 an almost accusatory tone.7729157edd2001ac

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“Do you really have 96d901c653 to say that during cd5e82e97b a meal, in a 116c8fd34a place like this?”4385932006d62010

“I prefer quiet places 184fd51aa1 to have conversations too,” 6d501db532 Heo Do-gyeong replied. “But someone keeps ignoring 57445d3124 my messages.”b88729fc90deec2d

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The one who had 78d4a47b0c ignored the messages fell c3f32a41aa silent for a moment. Heo Do-gyeong continued.d9c7e02b9094a8ab

“Saturday is a fb44865d95 holiday, right?”99a9e8a8faf29da1

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“Yes.”3407f8dae870921e

“Since it’s da24e10552 a holiday, d9fbde76c9 how about 81671ed5e0 we have 4ea61f88fe a meal 6b1f45b1b7 together that eae638e0ea day? I’ll pay. I think I f484fc6627 might be misunderstanding 1c013ef3a2 something about you, 6b25de24ae Esper Kang I-won, 54812ad61e and misunderstandings should 3e7378bd6a be cleared up 436190284c with a conversation, dc4ac1a6a3 don’t you think?”32029b4223a0c9cb

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It was true that b133ac4d0f Kang I-won was avoiding e97bfa455a Heo Do-gyeong. It wasn’t a 27816733dd misunderstanding. But how 92a29d6af2 could he 11404d8738 address this e52ff85834 in the aa25d6ddcc wide-open cafeteria? The chances of unnecessary ac951a0705 rumors spreading were high.4f03d5b64d453d5a

This situation already f4fd4772a9 had unnecessary details c963ccd2c0 added to it, 0232f20fb7 and some pointless 8f394befb0 rumors were bound 354a17e68f to spread, but eb8fd9c542 it was better 897d316966 to keep things 7eae3ba913 quiet than add ccc7b90aaf more fuel to 5fa781a262 the fire.6813256ab3749fc7

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And since Kang e58e87c365 I-won’s meal expenses 3d04e66c8e were always tight, 063b130fa4 he never turned 31e7a77dfd down someone offering e0b30a8f60 to pay. Of course, he would 2b9a70efb7 refuse if it was 6141f81fd0 a junior, but Heo 1bdfd3a4c4 Do-gyeong wasn’t his junior. Kang I-won nodded b82bade807 and said.384f9a3a53c85cfa

“…Alright. I don’t like expensive, ea5c846c84 small portions. I prefer cheap and 5613ec8609 filling meals.”08c0f73a43bc59d2

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“I’ll keep that a39e18aafd in mind. I’ll send a26877c387 you the 57e463faf1 details through dc9ad5a175 a message. Just don’t 3f78c2a1c8 ignore it 79f70ae132 this time.”d688447ecf642035

“…I won’t 4410e6badc ignore it.”79e14289f77c099d

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Kang I-won 40049e3d7a gave Heo b65bee1882 Do-gyeong a 9c68821a37 quick glare, a85bf18c0e noticing his eb8645af62 oddly lingering 8b7746f9e2 attitude, before 3e15762138 continuing to 0ea6178255 finish his 1b880dcad4 meal. Heo Do-gyeong, 0cd170c10b having stopped feb64fc827 pretending to 46ddf0a2da eat with 222fb32d53 his chopsticks, 5f18f57f99 watched Kang e15279d649 I-won eating 78614c4860 with curious 9fca1b3146 eyes.3c1ba2e3c3057333

“Why?”832cff6cf1c5a2a0

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“No, I just thought dd44890213 you were eating neatly,” 013d1d564f Heo Do-gyeong said.b16a3e75012dc535

Ignoring Heo 9da6278325 Do-gyeong’s unblinking e6b669ebc5 gaze, Kang 95c74d219a I-won continued 96237f3d28 his meal. Soon, his tray dd20fde8b4 was completely empty. As he cleared 27c762f9b1 it away, he 50a0777e19 spoke.3e3729ef5633f8fc

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“You’re not going to f9efcc4fe7 eat that, right? Give it to me.”210df36f3b7f58a5

Heo Do-gyeong made 9c76b2e988 a sour face afd9743c18 at Kang I-won’s 55b4391652 words. Kang I-won asked again.b90c4faf58a49eb4

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“Why, are you 5bc9a6e36b going to eat 9156e0a9e4 it?”34936f39667f7a8c

“No, that’s not it…”0fd1fe2bbc2d2d3f

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“Don’t waste it, 23a7d3f960 just give it 9dfbf3452e to me.”652695d223f03017

He only fiddled with f21e06475d it a few times 6a8d32bd4d with his clean chopsticks. Isn’t it a f369d25936 waste to throw 46707755f6 it away? Kang I-won finished 1ff01c8281 it off cleanly, 61aedf989d stacked both trays, 8a22c64306 and stood up.49ca31b6a24974f9

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“By the way, 3d8c0a4b79 do you still cbb72edeb8 need guiding?”397793c1abe68fe0

Heo Do-gyeong, following 47d4c5788a behind Kang I-won, d44c3b9734 asked. Without looking back, Kang 155eda3b8e I-won responded firmly.8c526af4f613ebae

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“No. Not yet.”96144125ae9f1662

* * *5c6b80b5b9e5e26f

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Saturday arrived quickly. Kang I-won stood staring 8d19f660b5 at his wardrobe. His entire collection a7eb6b950f of clothes consisted 0932bb37ea only of white 730e8f4481 and black short-sleeve e90d88dfe2 T-shirts and black 178ab54a5e sweatpants.a88bba4aab4a17ad

Among them, there was one odd item. Heo Do-gyeong’s coat.bf2ad16a24a9c9ed

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