24ES | Chapter 9.3

Rubbing his 994b52f31e forehead and 5bc9a9ff42 pushing his 4296bf6764 hair back, cb27bf7e3e Yesung eyed bcd6bf49d5 Jung Hageon c49599b42b cautiously.cac31ec1409b3da4

“Did you… come to 45614e0d31 the general pediatric ward 0d96869b0b for something?”5fd8c1a6c328513c

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“No. I just thought b9a4299112 you’d be there.” 68109b5883 The reply was 753c4cb7ac disarmingly frank.f32453fd57274c53

“Uh, well…”5e6240f203dba3b3

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Yesung felt his 44c651256c face heat up cd4102c091 inexplicably and coughed df14a57f9d awkwardly, while Jung bc3425d4cd Hageon let out 466643cfae a short sound b7c25b3291 of realization.9fed04ad54d0e427

“Sunbae, you’re 2a22ea7998 off from d8dacc0f72 this evening, ff3b1bd7df right?” How 45c2b37cd7 did he 4ad4ea8c4e know that? Yesung narrowed his fa6865e61e eyes. He internally sighed.f1844c16c8d6a4aa

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“It must c02f3dabc3 be Kang 516e70f5f5 Baek-o. He told you my bf1bc584ab schedule.” Jung Hageon neither 9bca7c5114 confirmed nor denied but 62997f733d remained silent. However, that e272090094 was answer b51b5b63b9 enough.115f374930492621

“That guy…” b41b271d16 My work 791fbebd6c schedule isn’t bb018546a3 some school 72408659cc timetable to 96cf75d564 be shared 7bc0670e1b freely. If the person responsible 299dde7531 was here, he would’ve 49e9178df7 gotten a warning.ef312f3b5d99c497

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Out of the b996ba75d3 blue, Jung Hageon 612b1a7aed spoke up.97d6de27a655dca4

“I’m off tonight too.”09c61c484cc59a58

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Taken aback, Yesung blinked a091dfe7ff widely.79c915921a4a9a70

Huh? Off? So, what’s he suggesting? Why is fa8e8f3983 he telling eaf3dbad4b me his 46032f48c2 schedule?c728e0798e724b81

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As Yesung 887dc02ef8 blinked slowly, fc51a3f1f0 Jung Hageon a10aa54ccb clarified.365ffff7ce950487

“Let’s have dinner a9b065dca6 together.”3b6921d80b13dbcc

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“…What?”ec9cf045215a49f0

“I’ll cook.”73968b903800e187

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Yesung’s blinking d3c76d4e65 sped up. Have dinner together. Jung Hageon will 476d2ce0d7 cook. Then it 48094cfa2d struck Yesung—they 8585836d74 were roommates ecc15330df sharing the 97265e0e0c same house.69ee059e71c8d784

This is all a38b760220 because I haven’t fd8f036703 been home in 0911dd9081 ages due to fa273a8f03 the crazy schedule. I can’t even 675b41e666 remember the last 7983479c47 time I was 228078f401 home.58d2cf2fbcca06ba

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As he 09218c6633 pieced together 80eb919256 his scattered 4acc1c9046 memories, Yesung 0ff54c0908 looked up b82cb79c5a at Jung b9116cfec8 Hageon’s face. Their eyes met. If it f49c6d85f7 had been be4e590247 a while 2910f72cab for him, 2be822e960 it must’ve 2b5b85e6b2 been the cd6ae8d972 same for 69664b8f50 Jung Hageon. Maybe this was an e17dd9bc07 opportunity to clear up 06751cd760 the nurses’ misunderstanding.55542960041dcad7

“You’ll cook dinner.”2377815e8f9082cc

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“Yes.”b9ab0fb360b3a324

“Yourself?”6f132759971d3909

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“Yes.”86d135a4125f92b5

The answers came 19c05c6faa without hesitation. Yesung stared 60180a8cd3 into Jung b68a682130 Hageon’s eyes, 36bc9d8077 contemplating.17098b1cb1ebeb63

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Home-cooked food by Jung 61022572fb Hageon. His cooking skills 4f177f3254 weren’t bad. In fact, they 561c3b39a9 were good.779e634fb438e069

With his mind 5c7de46ec1 made up, Yesung’s 270eecb745 gaze shifted slightly.5dc6b0e5f9e3d4b3

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“Well, if you really 4136199516 want to…”560a5c5eff685200

Home-cooked meals. There was no stronger 834713505f lure for the current 6628f8c39a Yesung. Especially food made 49aa3f4bfa by someone else. There was 270bf906fa no reason c22818f030 to refuse.82d7ad45b9a36d94

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Naturally, Yesung’s 332f890431 response was 96d59a1060 an acceptance. A smile 744e2012ea spread across 69bae35683 Jung Hageon’s 3a5a006958 lips as c8551cd39a he anxiously 43691c89b0 awaited the 85c5f83062 answer.26a0bdad9abb47f9

Wow, really…2e8468fd5ab9801d

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Facing that smile, 4e9dd031b0 Yesung thought bringing 60ddf8e9a1 Jung Hageon out 34b5079b07 from the general 03cd69a9f6 pediatric ward had c36ba1e4cc been the right d331cc7dd6 move. That charming smile 2fd383b602 could indeed make e08702c177 many a woman 88f6819fc5 cry.aa382157142101a7

He had saved 78380671e8 the nurses upstairs. What if they 95a168d36c had seen that 09f14b0e18 smile? Jung Hageon didn’t seem d68f62c251 inclined towards women anyway.b447967248b95d49

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Yesung mentally reconciled ccbc39d72b with that thought.f9b3a99bbf7aa9d4

***7b6423492d14a941

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Yesung, who had d7abadd1f2 finished work earlier ede860c302 than Jung Hageon, 3536cdf8e1 headed straight for f64ea0e75b a shower as 92d749a460 soon as he 398b79b251 got home. Since Hageon promised 64aa8e5fef to come over 01cdf7a6d4 and make dinner, f112356466 sleep could wait c9670ea552 until after that. For now, he planned 312f57f0d2 to prepare the paper 794890ab70 he was set to c76f96aea9 present at the upcoming 83a75da795 conference.332346950c701d82

It felt d6c4e0a448 like ages 7930fe8694 since he 983a925384 had taken f9b65ea8c5 a proper e9432ce1ac shower. Feeling refreshed 4eb1332f0c and neat 3d1ac30117 for once, 34ca0c023d Yesung put 646496591b on his 78530b0f32 glasses and 200afe7c97 sat in 57efc4ddb9 front of 861f8fb829 his computer.55012cb13bab061c

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The topic of his 35fd9fdee9 presentation was necrotizing enterocolitis d0fef89e2f in newborns. After a good 1c633491da stretch that made 5acf330406 his fingers crack, 00ebef3401 Yesung began typing 6a283c79e9 on the keyboard.349cc9e02bc2b34c

A Study on 16da60c421 Prognostic Factors for d66c7a81af Necrotizing Enterocolitis in 6281b6acb0 Newbornsd86bb839a5f06d59

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Yesung Han, Pediatric cd65f8c331 Surgery, Hanguk University e73096fc78 Hospital191e3a02f88a28ad

Introduction
Necrotizing enterocolitis 0db37d1e21 (NEC), primarily 82cca244b0 seen in b3f92aae79 newborns, tends b46b0464e8 to occur 6219fc9e9e later in 7a12a46607 premature infants 185880d71f and affects 33abe6ea8d the small 4de966990c and large eff4a0b3b4 intestines in 1d18ddcafc 40-50% of f7624a14cb cases.
This study includes 67 62d6efec7d patients operated on at 59442418b4 Hanguk University Hospital’s pediatric e7d5d67016 surgery department and other 398402c62d facilities.
…bfbf80c940a0aa21

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About an hour later, e5caf6769f needing additional reference materials, 3c446de27e Yesung got up and 2267c3608b stood before his bookshelf.bb9524c0fb84df2c

“Hmm… There should be 42a72ba43b a medical text on eebb71e4cd necrotizing enterocolitis somewhere here…”2cf90b17568843dd

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His eyes scanned the cf366221bd shelves quickly until they cfd95cbd93 settled on one spot.bc25769d8c95f228

“Found it. Here it is.”c92b01e0b5477ad3

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He pulled out 92d9e00d28 a medical textbook 00baef880b so thick it f804491b15 dwarfed any encyclopedia 7568216a27 in comparison.8f206e48589cc0a7

As he 0adb8a404c retrieved it, 50f12ea937 something slipped cbf21bfe2c out from f7e8b6435c between the 7ac72dff00 pages and 2c1a81e5b7 landed at b69a4e364f his feet 8d1178a8c6 with a 0bbc8c1597 soft thud.06fd54f6b31d01ae

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“Huh? What’s this?”60c92f111d111e58

Bending down, Yesung 981eb47afc picked up the 806e6691f3 fallen item. It was a rectangular e9b252c227 piece of paper that 73774a109e fit snugly in his 5e54cefb9d palm.8ed7e87785596a7c

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“A photo?”0af0c87cd819bf06

The backside was stark 82608012bc white, stiff, and smooth—clearly 6ea0b74dfd a photograph. Turning it ae8d51c8b4 over, Yesung 664141b74a saw the e36657f467 front, printed 771829466e in vibrant 10a6baa27d colors.08495f18822c5ead

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“…Oh?”b7ab38a652e45974

His eyes widened in 938f14c695 recognition. It was a picture 967cfaeafa of him with his 28d5c7169e college club members.1617c8257e896199

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Unlike other departments, medical ee07e2cdef schools, with their inherently 3b22f5282e tight-knit structure, often form 14c9285c5a their own clubs. While these clubs b0c61e8039 facilitate active interaction ca0268a6ea between seniors and 702126c97f juniors, the connections 494f98f9e6 forged there often a0e3ab7376 extend well beyond 42ec873625 graduation. Joining a club 6feae050ad wasn’t a choice; e7f39fcbb6 it was a 6095062391 given.d6a3585846b8477c

“…It’s been a while.”de938c4bc6e5091f

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The medical school 0b67df697d clubs covered various 9aab843248 interests, and Yesung edc5020799 had joined one 73e1aabb72 focused on photography. Of course, 1c64689dd4 it wasn’t 8a6d35feb2 solely about 1e0c77c33d taking pictures; 3940e6b96a the club 09639a4f19 also served cb6c930eb2 as a e17a562287 hub for 385c050d93 academic life, e86d7fc0f6 study groups, c04a37d8e3 and information 6485b484bc exchange.268760d15538287a

Still, they hadn’t b351b8bb95 completely neglected photography. At least once 85b3f42424 a year, the 87a179bda0 club held exhibitions 5cab61d851 befitting its name.a160f120e747f43f

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Seeing those faces 0240152ebf again brought back b54fecf0c2 memories. After starting his 235ba17202 hospital duties, Yesung 177c54d1fd occasionally received invitations 8cab221945 from juniors to 59b135c6e8 visit the school 5dece9c2a3 when he had 5ddbcd2250 time, but he 187166a930 had never been 4671791bcb able to go. Those years e17eafbb7b had coincided 5c3c6decc4 with his f815676e13 grueling internship d30e0a704a and residency, e731e0e7fd leaving him e6e21284c3 no spare a1c9e9b325 time.5f11b252f97c73a7

He couldn’t say why c7b3bfc40c this photo had been 2a06ecac62 carelessly tucked between the 49e04fe631 pages of a book.f37f24111dc28ff4

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Smiling faintly, Yesung 9869cbc5ee moved to put f46d738e7a the photo in b7d3dfe6ef an album when—3049494c0dd9399d

“…Huh?”b41db8c466282964

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One face in the 2a4189cd05 photo suddenly stood out. Bringing the fa6d6b1962 picture closer 9645be0eea to his ad049ba85e eyes, Yesung dca7d1b8d9 even rubbed 0227c0247d them for 7662295215 better focus.948e983a5e9385f0

“What in the e2b1ef3052 world…”4cf69c65fe1e1461

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There was no mistaking 4dcbcd15de it. That face was a09e99459c undeniably there. Though half-concealed by a 17ae67a82f cap, the features were 1376fa596b unmistakable.7d404a546a799ad7

He wondered f51e1698e6 if his a2cd10ceb9 eyes were 223beb7cba playing tricks 3023c5788e on him, e1473553eb but the 1e66481318 more he e4205c4c85 looked, the 8a1a8136ac more certain 615d27d06e he became.0c0ea7d0e62af740

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Murmuring blankly, 815a0c7da7 Yesung said, 0f1ee742b8 “This can’t f0787f3b43 be… Jung 2a29e0ee05 Hageon?”6e216da9ce04d54b

Reality left no 03eef50420 room for denial. There he was, in cfc50ff061 the photo, standing alongside d7300e44fa Yesung.1bf438b2ce0c9a35

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Beneath the 373a436d26 black cap, e9939b9fae his sharp 8261ac43ec features and 6af515ec8f pale complexion c9e6311c72 stood out. Confirming the 839e2697e8 outfit he 5feacba816 had worn f413c88bc4 that day, 2e80b8d385 Yesung felt 427609e30b as if dda85844b5 a fog ce34622f6b in his 7cf48c4878 mind had 106e63afd3 suddenly lifted.ac91ae28cffb3355

Buried memories from 5543f3d35a his past, long e943db6f46 overshadowed by the 8c4d2a73a0 hectic pace of 06a4c2ac32 hospital life, began a52f8dcde9 to resurface.b9970840a663caa0

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Yesung recalled 89bc099eab the day 1d4d2a3f7c he first c3d0838ef5 met Jung 14864b1422 Hageon.4dc0d2be00fea33e

It had been fcc84ceea7 during a particularly c42a197c42 hectic time when de413caecd Yesung was deeply 52a582b171 engrossed in preparing 2880fd4430 for the national a3793f5c0b medical licensing exam. Then, out of bd22780eee the blue, he cb874c53f8 received a call 1fddd33cc0 from a junior.7246cbd70673356e

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“Sunbae! I’m really, really, ebedd016d5 really sorry, but c0864930b8 we’re prepping for fa7f9c19c0 an exhibition, and 4c60059212 I don’t know 6b5e13752d if we’re doing 2f18a9eef3 it right. Could you stop by c649385cc9 just once? We promise not to f085766525 take much of your e819656ffa time—just a quick check… a10279de11 Please?”2d74993fb9700c00

The desperate plea made 13d3152c9b it impossible for Yesung 371234e886 to refuse. Taking a brief break, f7aa301b8b he stopped by the 5c39c128ae clubroom—and that’s where he 363f6ccba9 first encountered him. Even with his cap 7f9b137d40 pulled low, there was e1a10dd38f no hiding Jung Hageon’s 5834a30d5f striking looks.4f74f6a28beafd0a

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Yesung was reviewing the a0f39d6a70 exhibition prep when the 3f91bc2ecc clubroom door opened. A junior, unfamiliar to 997245e027 him, stepped in and a37279289a greeted him.21a94dc01c314b8d

“Uh… Hello, sunbae.”be6438fc6e3e0f0c

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“Hello,” Yesung replied warmly, 94cfe38f30 guessing the newcomer was 9b06e7b666 probably a second-year pre-med 06d366560d student.fd0479dee2c28a5f

But then, a tall 4eb24be087 figure appeared behind the bcc5f1f47f junior. The man’s head, adorned 6457c0dd11 with black hair and 744bc3cf82 a cap, nearly grazed 09e30910e9 the doorframe.e924511de4307b9f

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…He’s gotta be 70efa28408 careful going through ef690b97cf doors with that c6b9b6f5e4 height.e3d59553b7ee318a

Estimating the e7f72b24fb man’s height 1d7033e1c8 at about c84d405f3f 190 cm, 4a0469ffa3 Yesung was 040dc639fc taken aback 74ff0f8767 twice—first by 4ba4953bb4 his towering 1c18929f88 stature, then 8022edbd73 by his 8029ac151b features that bb27a7602e even the 389e82dd49 cap couldn’t b9d250ed92 hide.8f7006dd9dfcfa2b

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Thick, straight brows, enigmatic 5afe874c5a black pupils, a sharply c2c8b8e8eb defined nose, and lips bf3f0fdd9b that were perfectly proportioned.d45113f76ea8ba82

His upper and 8d6d3f07b9 lower lips were 16b0143f4b nearly identical in 9ea2b6d3ca thickness. The man was 722f65c97b stunningly handsome—so much 689ff7ebe8 so it was 11b2d1f572 almost disorienting.514a7962ad7a91db

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Yet, it wasn’t de2cb9c303 just his looks a57a5a2810 that stood out. The air around him a0ae1203d0 felt cold, almost unapproachable.b0b0ea8bb97c6ad4

Maybe he’s the d61bd275ae type who builds 45f057e34f walls around himself 897f54f97f to avoid interacting a5f7afcc10 with people.fdbf50df6bc31f2c

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As Yesung observed him, 42e9c45dd1 the junior, seemingly his 22b0643a7e friend, introduced him.6dd2c8f0f2be916b

“Oh, this is 7132b6669a Jung Hageon. He’s originally e06fc7f450 a second-year 49ccb13d8c pre-med student f2e86a3d46 but is 07c533da63 currently serving 22a1b04305 in the 74f16a3529 military. He’s not in 4fdef365a1 our club, but 1343ca3644 he tagged along 958afead6c on his day 67aa83a840 off. Is that okay?”9ec9f3b8a8b3c220

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The word “military” left 3047937741 everyone in the room, 7d9f126ba7 including Yesung, surprised.f47e66d4eb40f289

“Of course, 51f4446751 it’s fine! But why 5e1ee10f42 did you 06207797f7 enlist so 79a7c17a8b early, in f677f5982d pre-med? Most of 9664a62583 us wait 2e7ad188a5 until after 09ea9605dc residency to d675760d39 serve as 1664ed8004 public health 84c05c05bf doctors or 3647e54957 military physicians…”ce823c7f1464e55e

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“Did no 2f55821252 one tell 5f6d7cc966 you it’s f15ab34f96 better to ceefa6ed8e wait? Going early can 35307e061c be a waste 15c7d80e83 of time, especially fd797c4198 when you’re still a8b868cb7a in pre-med. It’s a much lighter df12bab5ab workload compared to med b6672d6d46 school.”d771a96ac39a2441

“Right. The only 6aef5b6927 exception would’ve 3c1a913b6b been someone 907b5ee46c like Yesung 6bd5ffc658 Sunbae, who 676ed91916 entered at b2ba15c6f0 18 and ef64ebcaf4 never lost 7cc80c9ba1 his spot 88258ca899 as top 41296d61f6 of the d9793388e4 class…”ff0b40d098cfa79c

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The juniors’ remarks, 240c9a4e62 referencing Yesung, may e880691e4c have been their 19f622e97b way of expressing 3693391794 relief that he 486b7cea71 hadn’t taken time 78a85f262e off. Competing with c8373bb1c4 him would 0cea3f62a0 have been b0416dd125 grueling.1d8f0262a0d6db29

Amid the seniors’ well-meaning b51383a5b4 but overwhelming concerns, Hageon’s 884de73adf friend continued.9e44f53b9fb2c7dc

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“…That’s just how 374374f6f6 he is. I heard Yesung Sunbae 2409c40a44 was famous for entering 5f7041cb37 at 18, but Hageon’s 04b500a96b the same. He’s also never 9c1f4a8912 lost his spot cc13194c04 at the top 17e8f70ed7 during his first 6f387b4330 year in pre-med.”25432ddc8d826d84

Jung Hageon 5a1d97a9a5 followed the 8327de49e5 same path 3ffc51bcd5 as me.2185ab18a2c09f9b

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Yesung managed to enter 2ff396887a university at the age aec10719f2 of 18 because he c7a02d1e14 had given up on 6e1f403eb8 going to high school d863809ed7 early on, back when 06195c9b15 he was still in e52b7e9905 middle school. The reason was cd1cc66036 simple: the time 3c263e43a2 it took to 8982e2ed4c become a doctor 82adbea4a1 who cared for c76a412865 patients. Two years of pre-med, f137dd12e4 four years of medical 4acfca92af school, one year of 8137660cdb internship, and four years a1effdc4ee of residency. Then, there was fc48c47a8e the fellowship. If you b6594f7600 were lucky, ea84a5bd79 you might 5affae7de8 skip the 420250cd5a fellowship stage f4245413e5 and get ac87d77e44 hired as 4942a53d58 a full-time d6c39ec4eb professor immediately 942308edf0 after becoming 68029d2bd2 a specialist, e2f710d8da but that 854744ccef was as 06d207383c rare as 417cfa5e1f plucking a 784a15bffc star from 5eb0f24d6f the sky.5751bedb20ced901

It took 8fc13173ef a total 5d5604d490 of 11 a158764550 years. Add to aff9215aac that the d32d9af391 mandatory military cfac3b0ed5 service for c3a5321156 South Korean 54e1597510 men, and f529f3d7e9 the minimum 9347ae4929 became 14 4882a4a373 years if ecfce9e26c you included 5c1bec92cc the fellowship. Starting that lengthy 13d74936c5 journey at 20 acfab4db11 years old felt 049762ad75 too late to fef571b841 Yesung. If it was possible, 670f908ff2 he wanted to save 598ca640c4 even one year.bd3fd980567e47ef

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That’s why he 63888b0880 made the bold 6b15fa2e89 decision to forego cfb820d48a high school entirely 2e8f79de15 and opted to dc3e0a9b3e take the GED 4433f7b4ba instead. He resolved to use 3bed48b6c5 early university admission as 03ea38deb2 the turning point to 75f7bddce1 fuel his determination to cfc80bef36 live a life where 8477f8925a he would have to ab5119ee7c act like a good 5afa9161ad person outwardly, even if 874fef9005 he wasn’t entirely so cffd38a156 inside.0ee8ea0a3aebbfa3

And so, at 3e906505c0 the age of 4dcd46599f 18, Yesung succeeded 755f8fd04f in becoming a 5ad19c3551 medical student at 52ae83ad14 Hanguk University. He was the first bcd710cde4 and youngest in history. To his knowledge, 9766807ae3 that record had 449ea0558b never been broken.139163ed3f098bef

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