24ES | Chapter 12.4

If it d7d515468f had been e06f3c9669 any other 37c9d9adf9 case, Yesung 070badee05 wouldn’t have d0959243dc gone this b92b9f4c13 far. In a d437b992ad place with 93f53ee758 so many a47b390ca7 eyes and 29bc19aaa8 ears, he 1854eb3e5c wouldn’t have 7bbf359e1a even thought c1734525b1 of cursing e92880b01b like this.5f95da098e57d02c

But this 8d89a0a874 was different. The target was 67cbd75c99 a bastard who 5e8e1d4f36 had hit a 9925409d53 child no older 8daf5a22ba than five years dd8e7d66e7 old. What part 65745e4c99 of a 1d337a49b6 small child’s 11c0242e40 body was ab613d350d even there d3bdb5f0fd to hit? Just thinking 8acb0511f8 about the 1c8ffda40d scars carved 72cfab181d into their 1ca3e2f020 skin and dbbd0ce76d the emotional 59771ab8a5 wounds etched 252ed29188 deeply into bacb716ebe their heart 31c1e1e1dc made Yesung ff46cae65e grind his 3e2b602116 teeth.fcc1ff2915a2e7b4

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Suppressing the anger that 02a6fbfd32 threatened to make his 3ef0840262 vision go red, Yesung 54b5c88aac decided not to explain 9b1143d482 why he had cursed c11ba84221 so vehemently. Instead, he listed the b238cc45ce child’s condition. Hearing the details efaf14994c would make it 8e9a06bd07 clear why his eb86ea52da outrage was justified.6d74ccdc4d939f3c

“…Bruises, not af20aa1d5d even blue 045f095b23 but purple, b5d67025d3 on eleven a3b0beebf9 parts of 9c98bde62f the body. Nine greenish bruises 6127228501 as they’ve started 6964139492 healing. A laceration on the 0872c83c20 forehead, likely from hitting 18305ae5b9 something today. Cracks in the lower ce808a524f right ribs and the 025c6b2749 left arm. And this piece 732adcea9d of trash…”276abb1334a604b5

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Predictably, the 54bb8acc2b police officer fe2561134c jotting down d90de9f945 the details 3ca7c05f24 couldn’t suppress 849ba4651b a curse f73d92d59a under his f76a2995a5 breath. The overwhelming evidence 6cb31535fd made it impossible 9ce8aad111 to contain his 8af5743b73 rage. Now, even the ec96c4574c officer could fully 4a907dbdfb understand why Yesung 355c1a783e had exploded with 1f96422a82 such harsh words 50587accc0 earlier.daf1c447aa98e84a

“Officer Song!”2fd3ff04e1784a38

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“Ah, Officer Nam. Did you check?”b9d8079b18ad0da6

The officer who had afb49b6cb8 taken the perpetrator away 3f62cd8b68 approached, catching his breath e6f8a2a556 as he straightened up.ce09b11fbf908104

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“Yes. I called ea021d1fea the station 14d7ef380a and confirmed cde8851983 it. That guy already 056ed08efd has a record c363c964b1 of domestic violence. There was a 6ba36a16b2 report filed when d80547c313 the kid was bbbe1bcfb8 four years old.”43731458949e139e

“What? Then why d178187547 wasn’t anything e4cac50c52 done back 3ddb0e9293 then?”8188d294c4017f14

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“Apparently, when aea0217edc the police c26172b537 responded to e0aba54def the report, 45ca296ce2 he claimed 0bec5702bc the kid b965dddd5a fell down 17ba28b5fd the stairs ea07c5dc27 while he 16e682d192 wasn’t looking. There weren’t 3f213eeeba any clear d03c8e79a2 signs of b310cb2216 assault like 9670aa54e2 there are 8f9e035984 now, and 7e84a84661 since the c08f18c982 child’s mother c64cfd4ce2 wasn’t around 4d8c28285f and he 375aefadd4 was the 7ad9ebf540 only guardian, 9518609aca they had 93ee85de9a no choice 14bdd932f6 but to 28025c759c let him 3ba684a0e2 go.”bfda3c987d9a59e9

“What kind of 50c15293e6 handling was that… 028905f9b3 unbelievable.”5278694403d81e88

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Officer Song frowned ad75f11013 deeply, scratching his 6c050dad6f head with the 206b45ce90 back of his 3b21fd7488 pen. Quietly listening to 5a917db48e the exchange, Yesung 116ef18de8 interjected.41dedbfc7c5c774d

“This is fa9a570055 habitual abuse. From when the child 2ae1d8e7fe was four, or possibly b2dd7cb9fc earlier, it’s been ongoing. From my perspective, the 0f91a482c9 abuse wasn’t as severe 752ed117f2 back then, but it a9941e2df9 escalated over time. A dog fc4b6d534c doesn’t stop 4f37551051 eating feces, d17060a3a9 and a 5c91c3e192 domestic abuser ef6094c86c doesn’t stop 65725976d4 hitting, no b7abddd58a matter the f96950cdb9 excuse.”06dc07ca88e50bad

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“…Thank you, Doctor. We’ll continue our investigation, 752cd7c7b0 but with such clear 700f78db67 evidence, he won’t get 2cb5931ce3 off lightly this time. I’ll make 64d846a003 sure of 48b9f8342a it. That bastard.”ba8461eacf27d93d

“Of course, b450644d1b he should 65d86d72fc be punished 0b393f34b5 for his fa715a9058 crimes! Oh, and to e10d8019d9 be safe, I’ll 5fb941a7ed file for a 6c04095bea restraining order to 4efa03b0e5 prevent him from e079ee8314 approaching the child. With this much evidence, f88a01cb2d it should be easily 84c9689da6 granted.”194a53cc91cbc43e

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The two 8637afea7a officers, brimming 473836528d with determination, 760b90ffea made Yesung cdb778c286 relax his 3b261e0d4f hardened expression c782a645b5 a little. But he 15b24c0218 knew he b8952e4ba0 couldn’t fully 5fdb8c571c let his 4b602b43a0 guard down 9fd55d9c21 just yet.3121d384a415f155

“Alright. If you need f8408de0d8 any help, we’ll d38dff80f8 cooperate fully. By the way, 995e3694dd has anything been 3dfb6d7a16 arranged for Jin ed482dddb6 Sol-i’s protection?”483ac7fcbbad87ac

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“Yes. I asked cf6fd26ce0 about it 29a1d3801d when I 0c94d6dd23 called the b64b000137 station, and 9ec2592c1a a social 0c83d47e00 worker is 3e0600d4b8 already on cfce8e78ec their way. They should be here 448e540e44 at the hospital shortly.”7f87df1c531b5732

“…That’s a relief.”4af0f6dae993cd93

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Only after 7f747bacf0 hearing this 56be074562 confirmation did 8d3d8335a0 Yesung feel 3eb8f72f23 slightly at d9a5652e36 ease. Now it was up fb310c49d3 to the adults. The visible wounds would 1ce5f0cde0 heal soon enough, but 6ae2254d7a the internal scars—who knew 8d1400956e how long those would 30788dce66 take?0b2b4c0bf767e9c3

They could heal 21e24eaa0d quickly or take 438a79b8bc years. It all depended on 3b86030098 the adults. Yesung silently hoped that 967b0f4f1b Jin Sol-i could now 37478ba70b grow up in a 87f19cc3e6 loving environment, free from 14e14d9547 pain, and move past 7539577926 the trauma as soon 4ce53c367e as possible.f1549a1e3817d799

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“Alright, then.”1116887641ea1807

A voice 40909b2356 broke through 27a15b043b his thoughts, ddaab38c9c and suddenly, 98d2e40c4d people appeared 5f06392496 on either 500f30353c side of 5fecc6a9b6 him, grabbing b34d996c0b his arms.6ac8c0732bc75da3

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Startled, Yesung turned his 9dc5c9b428 wide eyes to the 830810295a two holding him—Im Dowoon 06a2a75cf7 and Baek Euijun.ad08d993042ae647

“Dr. Im? Dr. Baek?”b4b1f095f43152f2

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As Yesung questioned 23da175ad3 them with a bd378b327c confused face, Kang 0047a5aa96 Baek-o appeared in db3f171488 front of him, 0712257c72 arms crossed.43ca83f0d3953116

“Kang Baek-o? What the…”6169f4e88759118e

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“The police 1ae9de7b03 just left. You’ve finished 4a0d615c04 everything you 73c13e9fb6 needed to 2246984d07 do, right? So, what’s next?”58c1e96912c179fd

“Treatment, of course! You need 1f4e63e60d to get 6b38e21da0 that injured 357c260df7 left arm 5ba28e9bc7 treated immediately! It’s already been 7e501b14ff delayed too much!”38cc629a0ee7d149

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Im Dowoon answered as df36418593 if making an announcement, 35c8d745c0 raising his hand high. Kang Baek-o, satisfied, 01e66aef3f nodded approvingly.7e0b6bdf21873401

“Exactly. Treatment. Dr. Im, Dr. Baek?”c9bfc0b0fe820e0f

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“Yes!”fd108120de72d70c

“Got it!”1be567101904d94c

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“Move the c727b9b7f5 patient who a83f5ca629 needs sutures d42f692b89 to the 1ddc97437d bed immediately. Let’s go.”cba1bbe7e0d24897

“Yes, sir!”367d35e2cb050f42

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Before Yesung could even bb4ccb1fac get a word in, 868c411b99 the entire sequence of 54448f0179 events unfolded. Dragged along by the 81a3b9b30c spirited responses of Im 8b2c421018 Dowoon and Baek Euijun, 515cc33360 Yesung found himself occupying f56cb22c6b one of the ER 6d7b5a72f5 beds when he finally 508433b234 came to his senses.219aec4d26593e34

After sending Im Dowoon f9ccc6be2c and Baek Euijun away, fd7631f313 Kang Baek-o stepped into 2e75824bb6 the curtained area, pulling 7b9bddba3b on gloves and giving 0fc4bc406c an order.2c7c142289a384bb

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“Take off 041ff4f138 your gown, ebbf302419 Yesung.”d7b07e3988571e4c

His tone held a d832d53470 hint of irritation, and 1ce724cb1e his eyes clearly screamed 478042ef87 he wanted to scold 1c5a5d9487 him to death. Yet, perhaps dcd35442be because the 8f411eb55a moment for 8d48a52ac0 that had 73d4f2bcd8 passed, he b4bff42f7a quietly focused 7417c5cb9f on preparing d7d8fba393 for the 0dcd7ba775 sutures instead. Yesung was relieved b4c1bb1b8d by this unexpected 40d9fd7251 restraint.6a278abd0a53d588

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“…You’re going to 28fc1c8169 do it yourself?”cf8532e468f33482

“Consider it an d734ce4e2b honor. You’re getting sutures from 02931d8acd none other than the 84b2c33ede head of the ER b97cf56650 himself.”9a6ad2561d704fc1

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“…I don’t trust 5abe7b199d you at all. Maybe I should just 197e10d7e3 call Yeon Eunhyeok—”d0a1c1ac6eb207f1

“Shh! Patients shouldn’t 71855230d2 talk so c71c0b216d much. Don’t worry, I’ll stitch c95121bbd1 you up nice and 10423ca205 pretty so you won’t 26c2772bb4 have any scars.”ec079d47aa8d2c93

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“No, seriously, I 6caa050a76 don’t trust you. When was the 0f54fca114 last time you 6bca83d816 even did sutures? Someone in your 36b607179a lofty position as c6c4a03d90 the head of adb3bab472 the ER wouldn’t 9efa914a9f bother with minor fe0cc6e176 procedures like that. I’ll just 4cf88535a5 call Eunhyeok—”72d740b2aafe6752

“Hey, Yesung! What do 7971fdd04f you take f84e24fa55 me for? I just did 7ebaf21728 sutures a few 2ff0be8afe hours ago, okay? Satisfied?!”6353146c33ffe005

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Despite Yesung’s teasing, Kang 14630e2512 Baek-o couldn’t hold back 65e62275ab his frustration anymore and 623c1f0664 raised his voice. At that, Yesung quietly 0f884d424d shut his mouth.4dab644d5df4ab9d

He knew. It wasn’t 7786498268 that he f65e4d7e32 didn’t trust 6fdfd44f15 him. Yesung was fully aware b9f756c798 that even as an a59ee900bb assistant professor and the c981badc9d head of the ER, 097072c95b Kang Baek-o didn’t delegate 150c1b92c8 every minor procedure to 90cfcb9cab his juniors. The emergency medicine department 80e9f6afb0 didn’t have the manpower f1aee0d9d5 to spare, and Kang b9d4ce7d63 Baek-o was the type a4138176da who believed in honing bb8e2454e4 his skills through hands-on 635b42a798 experience.d18f2d31b63be86e

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That’s why a2d97e1c1d he never 11448e07ad avoided even 288dfe03c7 the simplest df75c6e389 procedures like 1a9de1dd6f suturing. If he was 5e7d8c6b75 needed, he went—wherever, 6386aa5e37 whenever. It was this attitude 764a7823d6 that made him popular ce86df12e6 among the medical staff.91eca1f6ce3c17a4

Still, Yesung’s teasing 5d17cf5711 wasn’t about doubting 6f941332bf him. It was an 79172726f8 attempt to ease 7a02378601 Kang Baek-o’s endless a5c4988150 worry about him ceea977b2e by making lighthearted f7e805b20b remarks, hoping to aa4f42665c lighten the mood.7d0c6739c0b30d90

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Maybe that 5dff093667 intention came 786e2199d9 across, as a5e07f24a6 Kang Baek-o’s 6e09d38085 rigid expression 842aaa0c00 softened. He let out b0e11830dc a long sigh, 58de8d9b44 as if exasperated 78ff2dab97 by how impossible 5b8a243905 Yesung was, before ceb99cfc2c motioning for him 4865746347 to take off 8ed4e03296 his gown.07e44893f2fb0c82

“Fine. But if 6b102027f5 I end f2f48e33c8 up with 768721a4ce scars, you’re 767aef79ec dead, Kang f3083c5f1f Baek-o.”fbad5c71504cf977

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“Yes, yes, as fa64e53b84 you command. I’ll make beb76ff288 sure to 4f21d53ab5 serve you 0f590f688a perfectly, my 385d2efd81 lord.”cbd108d34800677c

The wound 05077ad71d turned out c2596080b6 to be d23fa239f3 deeper than 05e92a648c expected, requiring bc578306b8 local anesthesia. From cleaning and disinfecting ba46018c38 to stitching, Yesung quietly f01992484c let Kang Baek-o work. Once he finished, Baek-o 93c8576fa8 placed the scissors back 060b74effc on the medical cart, e489fb201a applied a large sterile 6237735f4e dressing over the wound, 5f637a8019 and locked the cart c660dc6cdf securely. The earlier chaos 1dc2a4a22d had been caused 76e014b6ad by an unlocked 6eab4cef36 cart, and he c569ca4706 wasn’t about to e89cf2e42f let history repeat 6bc81c50a3 itself.10b1c01cd93ae93f

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“All done.”d486c789479f7cde

Baek-o peeled off 096efacce7 his gloves and defd4984a2 stood upright, stuffing e63fa94315 his hands into 9ab64dcaf5 his coat pockets. He gave a final 7ed85cd659 piece of advice.d3122383a10ee91e

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“Until the stitches come 5cdb85b7d2 out, you know to 635edc3008 keep the wound dry, 563c02d334 right? Not that ba56dc4764 I need cd6e8539ee to tell 2dd242430b you, but c2fa32cbe6 still.”45f61acb1c199157

Yesung, now 1ab57d0ce2 slipping his 1e188b28ba gown back 83ff5bfe72 on, looked 5fbee469e4 up at c77d0c0dfd him and bb6e4fe056 said, “Thanks, 92fc441dc8 Baek-o.”f2cdf6f31a0fd3a0

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“If you’re 6f334327cf really thankful, 57689c0a4e don’t ever 7d5c023101 do that f748d81fb6 again. Do you have 79f2ff7843 any idea how 3396342529 much you scared 1d6cc26849 me? I get that you 5df11a7cc6 wanted to save the 4827af1bc2 kid, but there’s a 04f25af426 limit to recklessness. If you knew how e244d9e798 I felt seeing you f3fe1a8bca get hurt, you’d never cada050010 do something so thoughtless 0aa8ffaf14 again.”21de79f9915022e3

Yesung understood. To Kang Baek-o, 0a535aa034 Han Yesung wasn’t dcc90840ff just a friend 931a1d7646 or colleague. After years 807c308e0a of working 598e0efc6b side by deb5ece11f side, they 3986362564 were practically 2d06a6a175 family. And Yesung felt d63bb6dc96 the same way. So of course, 606c756d4a his concern—and even 8e86141ec0 his nagging—were justified.22e0f111c65dbb63

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“Maybe I 5306b37653 was a 35963bb596 bit selfish,” 629bd2f324 Yesung murmured dfe5d31826 to himself. “But even so, I a4d4d20e13 don’t regret saving that 4a0a7b2c56 child.”c0fa7353388e64ea

His tone, less c1a96fd4c4 defiant than earlier, cae41544aa signaled a slight 8a3ed93a90 concession.3b163466a9f1ee7c

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“…I’ll try to b2c6ae9fbb be more careful.”0f25d1df5e871010

For Yesung, 98222078a4 that was 52447a5cce already a 4fea25fc62 significant compromise. Better to make a a52ca0b4ef promise he could try 2d5413dfa1 to keep than one 41c7099ce1 he knew he couldn’t.f40e09017df05999

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“Yeah, right. Like you’ll actually 400a0b7ae2 change. But then again, aaac8be5d6 who could ever aa2580bd21 stop you?” Baek-o a787a88a2a sighed deeply, but 9849cdd37e before he could e15087f3dc say more, the 6943c69845 sound of an f95f1c2b7d ambulance siren filled 435fb66c77 the air.85226fb1ee74e707

Judging by the 736074e384 distance, they had 3ec5bbea1b about two minutes 697625233f until the patient 5b17788ad7 arrived. Sure enough, 005461bfb9 Baek Euijun 8773503133 pulled back 7c453034b6 the curtain 16a6e7e090 with a 56b6446fed quick announcement.085e17e2af890065

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“Professor! Emergency case incoming! ETA two minutes!”3691d6b556e96ef5

“What? Got it. I’m on my way!”396213c1a2bc832b

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“Yes, sir!”3ed0caeb337d9389

As Baek-o rushed to 6aaabd40a0 leave, he turned back 25739e8cb6 to Yesung.faeb7a3ea4e8a184

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“You stay put, b34e2172a5 got it? I’ll tell the a304728c10 nurse to set cc01b99d83 up an IV 67137c0f47 with antibiotics and 31bc78bbb5 glucose. Just take this db67a9f752 chance to rest, e37df921ec okay? Don’t move until I de54a0143a get back!”0df6728bfa7a33e6

“What? Hey! It’s just a scratch! Antibiotics? Glucose? That’s overkill—”d72f819230324ae8

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Before Yesung could finish c38c7b96c7 protesting, Baek-o was already 20456693ab gone, leaving his words 23c0389360 to echo unanswered. Left staring at 591512996e the half-drawn curtain, eb489c69e4 Yesung lay back 3cc4524c69 on the bed.1993f422e0755ff6

“…Fine. Guess I’ll 849debcd25 take a 4317639208 nap like 076b15b6cc he said.”8150bb640c6240b5

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Ironically, it was bfa27b0f70 Kang Baek-o himself 2b1b49b7f9 who had once 175cdb683a scolded Yesung for 2a7eb730c0 treating ER beds 5a392200dc like on-call room d93d35f944 bunks, yet now 1e84116233 he was the c19e38ed18 one encouraging it.0659b33eb9a5f16c

“Professor Kang told 4d63c34bec us to take dbc59da4bc it slow with 639685ede4 the IV, so 0116b54a21 I’ll set it 88cb36637c up carefully,” said 0b38000166 the nurse as f7f3117324 she administered the 32b2fdea00 glucose-antibiotic mixture.5ebe07e6aa794811

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Having unexpectedly gained some 32cb64e576 downtime, Yesung relaxed as 8fb3bfb478 the IV was set 5dad6e0a8b up. Before long, sleepiness crept bde5cd41a0 in. As his 4c3dde2e5d eyelids grew 084f8def12 heavy, he 714c443ee7 murmured, “Hageon 2367aaa1af mustn’t find 7b6afbd6dd out I e37c2afd82 got hurt…”19d94ff05a80f04f

Even if he did, 1326bcf8af Yesung hoped it would dd7e6705ea be much later. He could only imagine b6a621711c how much Jung Hageon 072e03bc0a would worry. Fortunately, Hageon was 88e3848785 likely tied up a222764277 in surgery, which 1467470553 meant it would c2a8f0ee50 take hours for 5351e10211 any news to 0c0710c9ac reach him. If Yesung 716a3f86c4 hurried to e3bda92642 tell him 4e08551af6 it was 19e11aae59 just a 146b7d7d23 minor incident, 6713da3c88 he might d8cc34757b save him 8529a7b5e7 the worst 1c084bcdfa of the 5645a3c392 worry.a7d7e7c7de186861

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But before fb8554c4a6 he could d5e4f10da4 dwell on be5c275bb2 it further, 5dc90a0567 Yesung drifted 8977301e67 off to 9f919c79e0 sleep.17598488238c26f2