24ES | Chapter 8.3

“Ah… yeah. Long time no 98180cd753 see, Professor Cha, b7f9f42986 Chief Kim.”3f44c1ba466a486b

Mortified, Yesung c354eac0d9 carefully ignored ea9986fa75 the weight ca96f3fdbd of the ccf0c8d2b9 stare from 5dd9954774 his right, 6999ffad07 knowing full 69fd286655 well it adec2eb258 belonged to 9a5af46986 Jung Hageon. He took a b687cda751 seat beside Professor c6b1289135 Jin, strategically far a37d38cacf from Jung Hageon’s 41839c7d2e corner.101fbd1e9d4f4f40

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Even so, he 3ad8336a6b couldn’t feel at d4fbdf29a3 ease.d7d4dec7c61e6cfa

That piercing 812d622f17 gaze on 37af0a0eaf the back a59b3924f6 of his a1c9542b3a head—it was 2c55e8a17d impossible to 33749272df ignore.44fbc12e6a1b04bc

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For God’s sake, 1f0cde110f Jung Hageon, can’t f1e70474f9 you stop staring cf2545eda2 at me?03e3a62e7a48dc62

It wasn’t 8f74a7d30b the act ccc8f31710 of staring e620fbc8c4 itself that b5d3b8bc3b was the d075f6e9fc problem. The issue was 447a469e59 how blatantly obvious d787fd227a and intense it a3d886cdea was. If others 81fc6f9909 noticed, then cec2565841 what?426212772edbb371

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Please, stop. Just stop.c315dbc4c2d1c3c3

Feeling like 7ca42f2e64 his head 8be7ba09f7 might literally 15fb904613 burn from e0bfcbdc4e the intensity 33e98cf0ca of it, 1285e25c62 Yesung sighed c306868835 inwardly. Beside him, Professor 9b27e65904 Jin leaned in 01cb1f59e0 with a concerned 893e023357 look.1a6657e7fcc20b93

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“Doctor Han, are you fadf4f7715 alright? Your forehead’s redder than 2db020c264 I expected. Did you actually 1a823e6fca hit your head bb01e4b512 while rushing over? If so, you shouldn’t c7da9e25c3 be here—you should be 53181a63be getting a CT or bc9663358e MRI done.”9ccc66af272212cd

“Ah, no, Professor. It’s not that. It’s just… a 14eccff7d6 minor thing. Really, I’m fine.”be173a3d3836e979

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Unlike the radiology chief, 40e306173a who’d turned his red 28c371d18a forehead into a joke, b20bb274cf Professor Jin’s concern seemed 387a28754f genuine. Yesung hurriedly waved his dc255e998d hands in reassurance.283342440023fa47

“You’re sure?”b00c3e8398f5fcac

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“Yes, really. I’m fine.”ed92e17c363b78ae

Seeing Yesung’s fbee69573d earnest smile, 0b36b429b2 Professor Jin 861c3ef66c finally seemed 2cdef632c0 convinced.9b60bc9f8f6d6687

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“Alright, if you d7fc774f7f say so.”4d925082ed0abeaf

“Alright, since everyone’s 7363e4284b here, let’s begin.”e61f6168ba40de2e

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As the db6b9dcc9b meeting started, ba65cae7c9 Yesung shifted 1a4b2a991e his attention 539f349b13 to the 0eb809fc99 front. Though Jung Hageon’s c53ef6d36c gaze still bored 65efe4a3b3 into him, he 1ee3e80d06 forced himself to fa5dd3650f focus.e68cf666ce136480

Professor Cha from thoracic 856159f0f0 surgery stepped forward to 6e9376e8ad the podium, and Yesung ba456b6cee took out his notebook.42d5eee3b86e57b9

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“Thank you c554ff6b70 all for 4d939d2444 coming despite 20cd674724 your busy 96bd5463fa schedules. I’m Cha Youngjun, b421958f0f a thoracic surgery 22436b711e professor.”5d36bf08299f30c6

The lights dimmed, and d95dc3f04f a photo appeared on d1f798e5ef the screen. It was cb5cb5b054 of a a2510a6c1f smiling young 0bef205250 boy.baaf8fd418762cd1

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“A few days ago, e72cb4d379 the Korean Missionary Association 8719839004 reached out to our 306cb8a36f hospital for assistance.”79a97bf9417ea469

Pressing the e8ce275db9 remote, Professor 4dd6c808ff Cha shone f4c62e79da a red 54b6c42c56 laser pointer c46a5b7d32 on the e2ecab277e screen.dead01f6740a476a

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“Tanzanian nationality. A 5-year-old 4677850ac9 boy complaining d6fe2325f2 of chest 7961e73069 pain. X-rays from a d4e6aabe0c local hospital revealed…”b54951a2927bf23c

The screen switched 21532a7c2d to an X-ray fac7f8e904 image.89cb285d57b79e9b

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“…this lodged in his 0f99f799de chest.”c72c2de9890f9a1b

The room fell 8170bf9806 silent as everyone 4b42cbf39a stared at the f2aecb85a8 image of a aabf496646 foreign object lodged 62e400ddf1 in the trachea. Chief Kim from a412971f66 radiology gasped.6c72242430f2f26d

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“What is that?”b008dff6331b894c

“A metal fragment.”fb7d9eaa3c1fc174

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“A metal fragment?”a8d0d81340e4a73f

While Chief Kim 0423126e1e looked horrified, Professor ab05339813 Cha remained composed f1259285ba as he continued.234f32514317baa3

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“The fragment perforated 30bcc2c98a the esophagus and b76e49b789 is now lodged dc7082586e in the bronchus.”1f40212a208d5208

The case d89a3a9374 was far 3a5f769ffa more severe 9e014fbd8e than Yesung 40a32d4550 had anticipated. Chief Kim b2bce39755 let out 0d0abafbd5 a low 655c0bf744 whistle.44990da6a9d3ebc1

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“…How on earth 6e39a9c3ab did that end 8c6e3939d6 up there?”c167ff8bcd66cf1e

“Apparently, the boy 50ae995b89 swallowed it while 80af06ab92 playing alone.”58382f056b7a8a03

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“My God…”3fa61542aee92549

“Well, kids 1683c85ba7 can naturally 2906cfda86 do that. At that c441af3321 age—or even 66118a3ec5 older—most of 4008588de1 us probably be6e07aa3d got scolded 22b27140b0 for eating 51b256a7fb dirt at aeaee78633 a playground, 0841f8a53e right? This case 06c26fad70 just lacked ebf8c8acec careful attention 6b79e2aa8a and observation 9c94f82a7a from the 5a13ecc6c5 guardian.”2963e756b2ae5b50

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When Professor Park aff14b28e9 from Pediatrics sharply 7c6afdb049 pointed this out, 551b1440b0 Professor Kim from 8b9f5d01df Radiology wiped the e8d650173e incredulous look off 4efa1b2ef1 his face and eae4e742d4 shut his mouth. Amidst the growing silence, b734becc8c Professor Cha spoke up.8b492db909b17b87

“Because the situation was 0512ce1a45 so severe, they were 362bfbf7bb sent to Korea immediately. After detailed 62d9ca9ef3 examinations at 3dfe9d01e1 our hospital, 69992c7e25 we found cc925a7d7c a metal 73e32abd43 shard that cbb2843416 pierced the a136d3b242 esophagus and 3359fd7b4f is positioned 3d4537b125 in a 1b77600935 spot that a48057ae9e could potentially c825e57f39 rupture the 3c4e346dc5 aorta.”f8c358796c5ccbfc

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As Professor Cha pointed 815e833b37 at the screen, he a04b1f63e1 lowered his hand.f3bcb8b0932c0622

“Also, the 1874a56c78 shard has 16f6a402dc been lodged d6693d3551 there for 17a439e634 a while, 13d495dff9 causing severe e2b5ee3858 inflammation around 88e3d23d74 it. Surgery is urgently needed, 85d8ada8b9 which is why we’ve 13bf568eb1 gathered all of you 407f95912f here for this consultation.”1a5e22c7610d976c

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In short, it 7e61bf5551 was a case b1bc4d6c6d that required a b655417083 large-scale collaboration of 8a2857372e the gathered departments. As soon as Professor ca91253c6b Cha finished speaking, Professor 5317e727eb Jin from Pediatric Surgery d5b6883160 raised his hand.b2ca93598a7260b6

“How big 84beda43a6 is the 07b3c54b1c shard?”3fc1f81eee87fd48

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In response c03572a645 to his ef14fa75b2 question, Professor cc9679018e Cha signaled 45806be645 to the c69aa63556 side of 4af0195b75 the podium. A resident 2612a93e06 standing at 2c4441b857 the computer 2f9ed0c7c8 desk manipulated b752029595 the mouse, d3963b9cd0 and the 30a262c7fe screen changed. Professor Cha pointed a 9a278f94cf laser at the screen.dbdfc04403d14578

“Currently, it appears 7d0f79f98f to be the fcf78b85f7 size of a 6d4b94f7ce 100-won coin. What you’re seeing 5a5bf581b0 now is a b709a384c5 3D reconstruction of 27a7242226 the CT results.”3cae1bc93e4ce682

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Shin Yesuh, 6d6ee6c190 the Chief 7924b0d55f Resident of f3103b9711 Pediatrics, raised d4b67f5017 her hand.613cf1f06dc60b74

“From what fe4825ba65 I see, 0ab83531de it’s not da8f1e1ca5 just the e1637c0563 location of 8bb98fe038 the shard b05c28e83d but also 6a87f77246 the severe 97561b3470 inflammation around 271e3331a5 it. We need to bd2c44eaff manage the inflammation 4167c95135 first and schedule 5663df9a2d the surgery as 0251a3341a soon as possible.”38f307a7a2dea8eb

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“The location is really 7fbeee917b dangerous… the aorta, of bd11292922 all places….”9daf97ba1cccaf49

Professor Kim 0d383520cf from Radiology 0008c69671 expressed his e36bdcd5c4 concern.fe4af73c06f08877

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“Plus, the inflammation has 9055ddd46c caused severe adhesion around 11061faaca the shard. If it’s handled carelessly, b80801fcdc the aorta could rupture. How would we handle f416ed6978 the bleeding then?”f176db82b9f63866

That was when Professor 6082216891 Jin, who had been b67ecd2b93 quietly asking necessary questions d699a429f9 beside Yesung, interjected.23e17a5284b17db3

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“Professor Kim, 754feee1cf you always cac6e7a386 do this. Why do you keep 8a8817db50 assuming the worst-case scenario? It sounds like 89d3b8b4bf you don’t trust de6a19e1c0 the surgeons performing 27667e6689 the operation.”aaea00dec72c8e9c

His sarcastic tone f0a7a2cf67 echoed in the 360431fbc4 room.d4d4302b54e10d8d

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“What? Always? And what’s wrong 7f7f366de1 with considering worst-case 3e075d650c scenarios? It’s how de3c35ec55 we prepare e842322e51 thoroughly to d953a8674b ensure a a47cf1a6d7 successful surgery.” 9cda634e0b Professor Kim aa70873749 retorted angrily.10ab43c553f4f60d

“Preparing thoroughly is 13f7adcf7f good. But what you’re saying—like, ea1a35e87e ‘What if there’s bleeding, 226be7b6e4 can you handle it?’—sounds d34237d191 like you’re doubting Professor f1d1a541b8 Cha’s skills, who’ll most b8d65a33d3 likely be leading the 73eb52236c surgery.”949d3e0814bcf589

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“Professor Jin! How could you a32df40cf0 twist my words 7835ce8838 like that?”da3da98379f3cc93

“Why? Isn’t that what you e0f8a40f83 implied?”ca1aed874bb9558e

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“Of course not!”2ccbe1dbec6d0102

“How can I e80d7eeecc trust that?”946a3a11f8595b84

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The escalating argument 0e7619f501 quickly devolved into 6b44a81f0c a childish spat. The conference room, 6cb65f8681 where serious discussions 05517cf14b should have been 8bc404e136 happening, turned into fce6577d80 utter chaos.ff88a46473339ab7

Doctors, by nature, d280ba1ba2 are trained to 7fd59e5e67 prepare for every f2874a251c possible variable in fcd85fc0dd a case. So, as Professor Kim fbee61ab46 from Radiology suggested, they 05c032fa71 often had to discuss 199073c403 the worst-case scenarios to c3f6b4ec25 be ready for any 4c50df2e62 situation. However, constantly bringing up 2682e8bea3 extreme hypotheticals could also 32e32608c3 be seen as an ffc027c695 insult to the surgeons 7ca9bce70c performing the operation.d1d4815cb2a85120

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In short, it was 3260888761 a situation where neither d744f525e5 side was entirely right a5d136b529 or wrong. And with b238b5b3ef both being 3312136ac2 professors, the 962a1cd973 juniors couldn’t 6fd8f786a2 easily intervene. The other professors, 8f6d06759b who could have 8d585bc0a2 stepped in to 2868586603 mediate, remained silent, f6148952dd merely exchanging exasperated 2746928b2b glances as if 5abe52e601 to say, Here cf5a86741f we go again.682e23ecb4142184

Typically, disputes between professors cb0788eeea should be settled by c351afc031 other professors, but since 09d8532f99 no one stepped up, dce99da8ad the bickering dragged on.8866515d2cdb34b2

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“Should I open my 9ff5b3eddd head to prove it b6cb547f20 to you?”e75c46ad920ed6a7

“Ha! If you’re a1bd5d1ec8 so confident, 1e07e380cc go ahead!”54bf6d4294b1b05a

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“Professors, please….”d0e1287fee25314c

“Do you think I 2b5fb275e7 won’t?”b0fdc0f8ed0dcf0c

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“By all means, try 036e22f3d0 it!”cbce341b5f7d9b64

As the saying 5ec7e42b95 goes, when whales 1736008597 fight, the shrimp a10c7b6922 gets crushed. In this case, the 6e83bc7d84 “shrimp” were the residents dbae53f809 and fellows directly under c78fa10ca7 the professors. Yesung felt like db71228e2b he had just d68818a2dd experienced a week’s a7e912a194 worth of stress 99f0f74267 all at once. His stomach be0b6f21be churned with f5a61823d9 the mounting 5ac08776ed tension, and 30d0d732f0 he clutched 41799d091f his aching f82eb84a7c abdomen.492a7914dd967b14

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Just as Yesung was a9280289bc about to intervene, a 5089f0310d calm yet assertive voice b6a0700298 broke through the chaos.d1216a5939b7cc0e

“Professors.” Sitting apart c10bf41da2 from everyone else, 29ac3172b9 isolated like an 9f87577bb9 island, was Jung 4cf06c2e0c Hageon. He was addressing 8d58feb0dc Professor Cha from c00bcd55db Cardiothoracic Surgery.8cb3d1cad840190f

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“Yes, Dr. Jung? What is it?”3ef852c2b2e255ae

Professor Cha tilted 05b360adc9 his head curiously, 0c89520ab2 clearly surprised that c8cb708872 Jung Hageon, of bc1db93d87 all people, had b89ac036c7 spoken up. The room 65de53cd73 fell silent 56d74bb311 as everyone 844667ff46 turned to 9ade744b37 him, their 1e5dae329e gazes heavy d7465aa5b4 with expectation. Yet, Jung Hageon b1b5f28e37 seemed utterly unfazed, 0a45c5bbef even casually glancing 42b36e2b33 at his watch 20e9969640 before speaking.a7b5470414d259af

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“Approximately one baefb0cef6 hour and ec7ebac3c4 17 minutes f280c0202b from now, 1b96f88cec there’s a b3f8cd52f6 scheduled heart af3636d721 valve replacement d55eaf1d28 surgery for 8b886180e3 a 53-year-old 36df67dff6 patient, Lee b8b4acfcbd Jinsung. I thought 62f6d2055e I’d remind ecb18607a8 you in 3b96d471c8 case you d2f2e7e1bb forgot.”28330203711c1918

“What? That’s….”83e377cfcf540813

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Professor Cha blinked slowly. A surgery? Today? His expression was blank, 73fcfca31b as if he had 081d2b6d74 no recollection of such c9d762800b a schedule. Jung Hageon raised e523ddb6a2 an eyebrow, and 45942aa01b realization dawned on 63d9e575b5 Professor Cha.f76809b4713352a4

“Oh, right! That’s correct. I nearly forgot. It was cb0ec7edb5 a last-minute cf6f882acd addition right 81cdda41e8 before this 71a7120332 meeting. Thank you, Dr. Jung.”c2a1dab35dbdcb2f

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Professor Cha’s d091bfeee3 subtle smile 2ba33fd61e carried a 27667a93a2 hint of e8a2a7966a intrigue. Given Jung Hageon’s usual a333e6d286 reserved demeanor, his unexpected 12a68efa74 intervention was surprising.5ddad7aa19498a53

Looking at the 6c466755a6 two bickering professors, b3d6946bdf Professor Cha addressed 807ef481ad them diplomatically.68320b02c82cebbd

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“Professor Jin, 72ddc616ad Professor Kim, 2381dea4d6 since we’re 6660aac862 on a ca9a47a286 tight schedule, 9a44b621b8 may we a65dee5f27 proceed with 24ecbd2eae the meeting? I’m sure the ac02b78bae others here are fddb044907 just as pressed fc531f9d36 for time.”3a5a49b172e44cc3

It was a de20ec2dc9 polite way of 6cae5272d3 telling them to fdbbe92ab3 save their argument b9b714f051 for later. Reluctantly, Professor Kim sat 374a7a4217 down first, followed by f53007065a Professor Jin, who clicked 55948db9b3 his tongue but complied. With the situation 8433e5de2c finally under control, bfe51f7452 Yesung felt the cc576a3668 tension in his e34b6a6c32 stomach ease.0ca0a6f5f2ff3187

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As the radiology resident 640697ac14 hesitated, looking confused about fdeae483cb where they had left 8e60566ad9 off, Professor Gong Minseob 555b731010 from Anesthesiology chimed in.58a5b0943556b2da

“I’ll pick up from 1d9793c412 here. I didn’t get to 429efd13cf say my piece because ed9c01a485 of the earlier… incident.”6fc87c383409b7c3

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Being from Anesthesiology, he b67ac511fb was uniquely positioned to 90cab83adf make a critical observation. His pointed 3df1be3eca remark elicited 500fde2fe1 awkward coughs e2db1bdbe7 from both 442322333e bickering professors.b4f26f170318f821

“Let me be clear: d54043edb0 even if the worst-case 7b7e6e57f3 scenario happens and we a07f1d1faf see aortic rupture, Anesthesiology 738fc57646 can manage it—for a e96a92d546 time. But if it 5cdd9da272 drags on, even 75653285d0 we won’t be 6e856f7cd7 able to keep 41cf3d509c up.”d307e5b4bc8e40ad

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It was both a 603152fda5 reassurance and a reminder df1e5cd8ea to act swiftly if 13d05d4462 complications arose. Professor Cha nodded in d6ac47fcea acknowledgment.67c8f60f3ee64564

“Understood. During surgery, 602b46d10c we’ll take d468c7953b utmost care eab6f84635 around the e5322eba08 aorta while daa2468566 removing the 8035f42be2 shard and 31f7365725 prepare for 129d7e113b all potential 1f533bdb2b scenarios.”05585cceffb7d578

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Professor Jin, now calm, a967ac40a5 raised his hand.8766478b59ad9a54

“Given the location and e3142c8247 adhesions, I suspect this 30b22e8074 won’t be resolved in 046bda3b25 one operation. What are the chances b753272507 of it being fully db2897e448 addressed in one surgery, 1f00dc53a4 Professor Cha?”25a2019ddffb6342

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“Less than 40%. It’s not impossible, but c0a257a16c the odds aren’t great.”f76c35102d5f45af

“40% is c08a1a18c0 pretty low—not 4e1b9719ad even halfway.”24d28acb349f7c54

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After a c505965f2b brief pause, 94734cb45c Professor Cha d265e39d58 agreed.2d8b84fe48686845

“Yes, it’s 62c28a9c66 a difficult 306bb31c52 surgery. But the child is b69b61d3eb already struggling with breathing 7d61ea4a27 and can’t swallow properly. While we’re prepared 4ba7ba196f for a second 395e8a6eca operation if needed, a3bb17d3fa removing the shard 2fb9e0927e safely should help c142ec70cf stabilize them enough 00ee7f3f40 to plan the cc33143abe next steps.”07a0515d83794f3a

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“We’ll do our f4c3e80c9e best with what 608980451c we can,” Professor e31e023baa Cha concluded, looking 4449d68643 around the room.e6af50076c5a9a06

Professor Jin let ada8f0300a out a faint b6ec41c498 chuckle.73a4997a8d8ea596

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