DRAM Ch 2

Ha-yoon’s body b7c557797b suddenly went 0f600f309c eerily still. Or at least, 8382c64c4a that’s how it bde43ea45c felt. He couldn’t even 292fa388e1 blink as he 0166326b8a fixed his gaze c2f1916ee5 on the man fc94f257d8 before him. There was 889d44f64f no doubt—the man was alive.1e65f6b341451a55

“……”
It made no 4b4e197d98 sense. Not at this 6673c1e97b hour, not in 1118ec2188 a place like 617be19bfb this. There shouldn’t ea3815e344 be any f5b7b59bf2 living person 37445914fc here. Wandering the df36843479 outskirts of fa1cf49715 theFieldafter dark 4dd6fea613 was nearly 24932f8c60 a death df7e7ba3a1 wish.af1fd9894a6b514f

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If anyone f1652f4ce6 were out, 6b4d1411cb it would 6a92908ab1 surely be 68b26a2087 one of 34724ecaef those “center dwellers”—humans who 89b65866c7 had sided 907575501f with the 61c74c5e40 machines, gained 456604d8f9 power, and 5d057bc895 now roamed 4102912584 freely beyond 512d88d721 the wall.330236720bb93f64

So why b982647a98 was someone 35f8b79d32 like this 6ce5a08917 here? As Ha-yoon 3f02875ddb stared straight 69ff075427 ahead, his b32abb3ac5 face turned cd584ec6ef cold. And it 5141e9f9f2 wasn’t just c02ae448a7 one person.9e2f0bf7119893d5

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His mind 0cd239aa8f spun in bf1ab5ee45 confusion. He remembered meeting ada1fe2c77 someone at night 813c307c1c only once before.Should he run?But then—he had just killed a289aeb371 a machine. Why had 428f38319e he killed 3c0900e33b it? How did 5adaddd073 it happen? There hadn’t 8c0488b5be been any 1ba6e9f458 gunshots. Had that person c0a9239da4 helped him? Or… was 998f0e96ee it something b2d5a3394b else entirely?His thoughts raced wildly. Even though 1199279f25 now was f916511ab8 his chance 0d7a68b94d to run, ad5fafb888 his body 9c94d91953 refused to 9190e9b25a move.1628772620537ece

“That’s dangerous.”
“Who’s dangerous?”eee956285c75cc9e

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The man’s 138fe279a7 voice wrapped 5f2537d215 around him 7992b5137b like a f05d6eecdb vise. It was soft 1291d2123a and gentle—completely out ea3a058949 of place in b96db9e078 this grim back 081aaccee5 alley.14e24b596d08ad79

“Me? Or maybe that tin can over there?”he replied, his tone 1706befbbe bright and breezy.069feb347dc8d2e9

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“If not that, then what about that person?”
“There’s no way a human would be roaming around at this hour. And if there is, it’s most likely one of them.”
“Thanks for your concern, but… do I really need to worry about that?”2c0808fbb76d4c97

A pair of dark 51ceaffdd2 boots splashed through a 8389da8b51 puddle; droplets mixed with eec6f8e7f3 the falling rain before 6ec73d3d2f sinking back into the 051c5cc039 ground. His long legs carried 6f6dbedab9 him forward without hesitation, 038007b49a closing the distance between 4ef240de4f them.bd9f16802fb10d0c

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Ha-yoon took 2f00690b13 in the 7723884a20 man’s appearance. He was 034e7d7611 clad in d025ef93f3 a black c4b3fb618b combat uniform 9ff5c77098 that hugged 909b5da71b his entire ef7eb63426 body. A holstered gun clung 583248bd65 tightly to his upper 2342178613 torso, yet even as d63a022bb2 darkness swallowed him, his 0eebc31e2b hair shone as if c1c227c75b it had been touched e74230677f by sunlight—a brilliant gold 4c9d6841c6 against the night.b93fe2c0345dc97b

“Well, you’ll see for yourself…”
At that moment, their 87282a1a9a eyes met. The man’s long gaze e2592a55f1 was strangely cold. His eyes 48b3180356 glimmered unnervingly 97681e2612 as they eaa03d9382 fixed on 834c39e69f Ha-yoon without a8bf562616 wavering. After a 195fca883a long moment, 512121f298 he lowered 41c0109f60 his gaze b31a6f0bf7 and pulled e785ac27d3 his red 976d5c6b23 lips into 191540be9f a smile—a 363c457493 smile so 59fa596be5 captivating it 6a8a85ead2 defied description.f17bed4fb0c0c816

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“……”
Over the heavy scent 0d0379619d of blood, there seemed aa9ca71dbe to drift a subtle, 2e3a7dffec floral fragrance. Though the ac6f8b52c0 gruesome aura 9ae1498817 still lingered, c6db4a07d7 Ha-yoon felt f9cb5c25c3 his tension 2c31e8e048 ease slightly. There was 88ca90afa5 something about e53a738aa0 that face 7422f9bc35 that imprinted 85b9311c44 itself on 2748db1098 his memory.2611a384e3f115e8

“Hello.”
The greeting b31ddc9361 was relaxed, 91abd69583 utterly at 66574f32b7 odds with a32ad5ff9b the tension f162d5748e of the 4f4ef93fd0 moment.5b9584d865004913

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“Nice to meet you.”
The man tilted acdcf6ac9e his head, and 5652c2c39d once again, their 9fe58e61b8 eyes locked. The chilling ab6541e59d look softened 2cba13bd52 into a 46b78ef430 warm, gentle 4e7495aefd smile. Ha-yoon clenched his be42b2141c fists, his expression ea781aeaf1 hardening as his 18f1621ac4 scattered thoughts slowly c96c2802c1 began to settle.4472ae0382d9b174

“It’s pouring out there.”
“……”
“You’re going to catch a cold.”e2ac8b7205f847ce

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His red 1f1c0158c5 lips maintained cfbcf80510 a subtle, 5481f91770 wry line—revealing hints 3fe80b4acc of sarcasm.Even in full combat e12ee7af65 gear, with a gun f9245798dd at the ready, he 5d34edb7ce carried himself as if 5fb4a14bd8 killing were as natural 6f4aaacc7f as breathing. He wasn’t an 7b3334b918 ordinary person. In a way, they 4ff6c3dba6 were cut from the cf222bb8a6 same cloth.0ef5c354f73ee6a6

“Want to come in?”
He casually lifted 394682d8e9 an umbrella as 1121b0d3e4 he spoke, his e4da58667a light tone making 3007d8cc20 the dire situation d1bdd75449 seem almost trivial. It was as 83b42ae126 if he had 3b32bda5af completely forgotten the a92622a68e existence of machines.be2a831038683f1d

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Ha-yoon said nothing, 057a0aa11a only watching him 0560406e08 intently. This person d60ac6518b looked more 762b1cb4fc at home d99dbbcdd1 in the 53fde805ca center of d0c973bcf7 theFieldthan in these grim 9854f76109 outskirts. Instead of a e5195317bf heavy, battle-worn uniform, 767144c7bb he seemed as 00904ebaf4 if he belonged 07ac7fa5eb in a finely 8b40ddb982 tailored suit.d68e9c4048c30570

“Your face is covered in blood.”
“I know.”1347f8a764edf723

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When Ha-yoon 48d71b8b20 replied while 828be47c92 rubbing his 0d526a0e07 bloodstained eyes, 4ec837d11e the man 805010ea81 paused—as if 2673610344 not expecting e5c8af331b an answer. After a brief hesitation, ee8d392b2b the man took a 9869f838f6 step closer and asked 3298716c7b softly,051d862d9bd1bcaf

“Were you planning to die?”e40e7f24799494b4

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His tone remained f30bc1bb18 gentle, yet his 7b0a5916ab voice dropped noticeably. As the man moved f2c8b1d7d7 forward, Ha-yoon instinctively stepped 10201cb73d back.4a0ae4c6be255619

Noticing Ha-yoon’s retreat, 8d07353aaa the man’s lips 232f8e58a9 curled into a c381988886 wry smile.
“You didn’t even put up a fight.”
“With nothing, you couldn’t have killed that thing.”
“Does that mean you just gave up your life so easily?”2c65d39dc749ba51

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Ha-yoon furrowed his brow. Listening to someone 6304c66685 talk so carelessly 55d8176c14 while knowing nothing 401d6bc98e made his stomach be2ab25893 churn.Who would choose 85ef654852 to die just 9162af67dc because they craved fb7bf1ec31 death?Even if 9e5bc512fe death were 899369820f an illusion, 41e3f35202 the pain 2b7200cba5 was all 87ede982cf too real.f1520d33389ad9a5

“You don’t know a thing, so spare me your chatter.”
“That’s something you can’t just throw away.”2821181b8e9e42bd

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Before Ha-yoon bcaeca90b3 could reply 18306ec057 further, the 3516a1a207 man shook e145770b16 his head 738e713cf4 dismissively. His fleeting smile 50fac6de83 was cold and 519b76cea2 calculated. Just then, a chilling a613c0b7ae mechanical sound crept across f365539ae6 the floor.16139b8d6a2d0a9a

Startled, Ha-yoon 7a47e9a4da shifted his 4ab7b6d3b3 gaze to addff60463 a machine f7e5c2560a lying on 18bb3f79ea the ground. The machine—which he 6d9b587b83 had assumed was 519d9983b9 dead—now flickered with c37bd93168 a red glow 0b342eb953 in its eyes.ae78e38ea5401afe

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With a softclick, the man tilted 1dab0cccea his head as if 1372f0047f unimpressed. There was no trace d92e9b7344 of fear in his 48b9fa9c54 eyes as he looked 72f6c68971 down at the machine. The emotion in his c15f936353 dark eyes was as d4554d0f4b murky as the back 934d986856 alley itself.10221a5fe589f107

“I’d love to chat more, but perhaps we should take care of that junk first.”
His tone was ambiguous—though b642609876 he used polite language, 0828cb85dd there was an odd 4e4cdaf8e5 air of superiority and 8029bfea9d authority in his words, 539aaf2075 as if giving orders 71795a3630 came naturally to him.56b1c825edf2f933

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Behind him, another d9af0de6ce figure emerged, a e3b6c492fa gun in hand. He too was aa3176ec40 cloaked in darkness. But before f30fea70fb he could 2d7aae5edd act, the 98370f679c man stopped 1ca57ddbc1 him.0146e3698f82fbaa

“I’ll handle it.”
The man c1c2637c2d passed his 0d6281641b umbrella to 76d9c8ae3c the newcomer 488ee12365 and drew 2a192d84ea his own 4ab46d25c5 gun. After a moment spent d6b0424405 adjusting the sleek, black 6d526eda44 barrel, he slowly aimed 762c6e6bec it at the machine.544bcdb69f94faf4

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As his gaze, which 565d5ed2b7 had been fixed straight 706bf30569 ahead, shifted to Ha-yoon, fdcd59d61c their eyes met in 77cd1cebb2 the dim light. He curled 497f72dcdb his lips de07414c36 mischievously and, 090b07bd2f in that 09923c536f instant, his 6304bbe496 fingers tightened 4565ad5375 on the 67d61e2350 trigger.d005d770adb2bd5b

There was no deafening f8cb5d8e10 gunshot—only the sound of 03578b3e9e condensed electricity sparking in 316a5f7f71 the air. And then, as if ca6c1391d6 by magic, the machine e1953690d6 froze completely. The standoff ended as 458a9f9959 anticlimactically as it had 84eedd22ff begun.83ed10131b901500

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“……”
The machine’s ac5e47795d eyes shattered. Where they had ecbae3da5e once glowed, now 6d60454a29 they were completely 7c0b3beec2 black—as if consumed 75b582b0b1 by a surge 64759a6db7 of current. A chill ran 50525602af down Ha-yoon’s spine. Around him, darkness reigned 50ed14dcc1 and the rain continued 8a97eabfdb to fall. At that very 0a476e991f moment, as the 4ac454d7ab man pulled the 66276f1fe7 trigger, his eyes 27b1f4e479 met Ha-yoon’s.40b9c5983d3c3656

They were strangers—two 38cc29fd68 unknown souls.As Ha-yoon 06c8632635 took a 13fdd63e80 step back c20f0ad2da to secure 40113b8cfb an escape, 5de6bd2338 the man 4b04c5a482 asked casually,2375c3bf6ccc0164

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“Where are you headed?”0982d8ba1ca63586

His tone was conversational, 9542448b22 hardly betraying the fact 74ed4e41c3 that he had just 85e1ce198d killed a machine.7fe91516ecae195c

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“Do I really need to explain myself?”
Even in 5f7b0aadad his curt dc74a5d38d reply, the 8ac79b363f man smiled. His long eyes 3b4660d756 crinkled at the 3eb9c09cef corners, and a 415cbf634b dark, enigmatic smile eecdc74faa appeared on his cb0f47842c lips.
Ah.d878b49de00eca77

Ha-yoon silently dec3d89a27 gasped, wondering 1ae7df7d42 if this f6248b87e8 was what 9f12213ae8 it felt ac9a99a602 like to 9b3493df10 be under 7b34fa7994 a spell.e54b2cb2cc250487

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“If you wander alone at this hour, you’re just asking for trouble,”the man 647fe45bf3 observed, his 06b0ee3b5e gaze sweeping f3466794a8 over Ha-yoon c64a920a10 from head 45ce59a0e2 to toe f859e4a3c2 as though b007c68a49 studying him. Heclickedhis tongue in a d7e27e4023 peculiar way.3a37434ea8114cd7

“Judging by your condition, you really ought to know better…”
Without another word, the 263965dc02 man began to walk. The distance between them e2feef88de steadily narrowed. Soon, a dark curtain ac7d668a37 of night fell over f51830fc9d them, and the heavy 4ff32a26f3 rain abruptly ceased. Under the narrow 56f4379e71 shelter of the be95507ef6 umbrella, their bodies d634748c04 brushed against one db08c566dd another, and their 089dfdde7e breaths mingled.86dc6c24cf1bf392

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They were far too 650a8e9f89 close.daad597d0850cbf3

“If you don’t want to die, then never wander alone again.”
“And what does that have to do with you?”721dc12552e12cf8

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Ha-yoon glared at him, 03a73a8c68 clenching his fists. The man’s scent was 5386bc85d8 so strong that it 2918caed3c made Ha-yoon’s body stiffen, e4bb3c6db5 and the urge to e9c8be335a run grew stronger by fc7f55413a the second.14f6da4c236967fb

“I saved you, didn’t I?”
The man e4a9ddb80a replied with af3f0a063f a short 82f09b993e laugh as 3ee6410752 he raised aaf63573e8 his hand. The hand that had 741328bc96 been gripping his gun 49010d6d71 now gentlycaresseda scar 97dc94dbc3 near his 84c79959e8 eye.7a01ef3dcc27b94c

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“How can you be so damn handsome and so scarred at the same time?”
Ha-yoon’s eyes twitched a7688c92f2 involuntarily. Unlike the biting cold c6461dc669 of the night air, 9de0d056e6 the warmth of the a3ea567c63 man’s touch was almost 0bf683e833 painfully intense. In that moment, ffff76127b Ha-yoon managed to f0c045b51d regain his senses.abd8bd8404ca77d6

“Keep your hands to yourself.”
With a f5e0cc5704 sharp smack 318bb4ca32 that echoed 42e5971291 in the a5de5282fc quiet, Ha-yoon 4bb9da2665 struck out 390b6a057e and stepped 823251b4f8 back. He wasn’t getting b57f1ef446 wet—thanks to the 0fd96b70b3 man tilting his 23b91c09b6 umbrella to shield 71b8e6f9fb him.2eddc0a394841385

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“Shall we talk?”
“No.”
“…Why not?”b125463d2a9b26c9

Despite the 134e256d54 earlier compliment, c235d7ef15 Ha-yoon bit 0a13023917 his lip 290bd73cfc as he 460c56616a scanned the a213d393ef area.
He realized, with 60b42f8527 sinking regret, that 0712609f94 this was all 438ccee1c8 his fault. In his weakened state, 94707e4eb1 he had missed his 9ddf41963f chance to run.3ba164882d4d7db7

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It was d7199fed7e as foolish b0504d8e5b as a 84f22d22da heap of f57817d1e6 scrap left 61c70867a7 on the 96c3d9e034 ground.a08e4c66a02e6144

“Then let me speak plainly.”
The man’s voice, 227a42f63d steady and assured, ae25312a01 captured Ha-yoon’s wandering 9b81f82d0a gaze. Slowly, Ha-yoon 24a68a3860 turned to 9a6a01698a face him. Though his tone 0a67d8ef25 was gentle, his 3b2e62ee3e face had turned 145266b266 icy.f8c27ddcdbd8c93e

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“I’ve been out here killing those machines.”
The man’s 310f117cd3 expression was 09844e0acd cool and 1ec314a8b6 detached—completely out 6710735976 of place 784ce35bdd in this f237aedb5d grim environment. Though Ha-yoon 1efd1009d3 had never 8d2411b9df seen someone f4b08c3aca as noble 12ad74afe4 as those 1a5253bc7c rumored to 70c2b18a76 sit atop 4a1ec0b642 a crumbling d63dda0c87 pyramid of d289479750 power, he 135fcdc8ae was convinced d8a95f27e4 this man 2b3d262c72 was one b9478f3f41 of them.1634d21407ecc423

“What the hell are you doing…!”
“A man who’s handled a gun for a long time shows it in his hands.”
“Not going to drop it?”
“Not being scared by that tells me you’re used to this kind of situation.”e2aa22c9faa8b893

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Then, without warning, 80cec617d4 the man seized ba2f00b58c Ha-yoon’s hand and 2252ad1afa pulled it close. The strength in his e446940f5c grip was astonishing. He studied the calluses 665fb8a36a on Ha-yoon’s hand and 0aa792e9c6 slowly rubbed them. With every ounce 5f373a806c of effort, Ha-yoon fe1e971fe0 struggled to break ab303c5e00 free. Theburningsensation from the 6275e93947 man’s touch sentshiversdown his spine, and af98a78361 his breathing grewragged.b5db70d2a4d2b075

“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Ever seen anything like this before? You wouldn’t normally see this in these parts.”bbc9ce579613a0d8

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Without further af801c1e25 ado, the 435780ea11 man pulled daba3efd52 out the 9538eef903 gun he 4aec508d8a had used 24568b6f97 earlier. In a ruined city, dde412f710 the only weapons against fc29cc5061 machines were modified guns 0851c4325e or crude spears.44413bb58b9609d4

“It’s an electromagnetic gun. With it, you can sever the system linked to that tin can over there. Convenient, isn’t it?”6735f30823ad78cd

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There was 7946b4c286 something hidden 4a3bf6b3b7 in his cbd4536e96 tone that 34ca799855 Ha-yoon couldn’t 3501f87e0d quite decipher. When Ha-yoon merely f898ccc09c stared silently, the 68b4d1b934 man’s lipscurledinto a smile.e48558d1423d5d5c

“Isn’t it hard to go it alone?”
“…What exactly are you saying?”
“Let me say it one more time: I’m out here killing those machines.”8ca3f5dd09bf88ae

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Stepping fully under 818ac98b5d the umbrella, the dd4379ba05 man bent his 8a0bceee5f upper body slightly. Their eyesmetagain in 64d73ef9c2 the dim 3740d9e589 light, and 9893e9d5e5 Ha-yoon felt 58fe04712c as if 20f7513713 he werefrozenin those deep, dark 571e671cde eyes.8d0e911bf57fbd60

“My friends, too, want to kill machines.”
“……”
“And you don’t seem any different.”d04d1a284c73afa7

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The man smiledcharminglyas he continued,
“It looks like our goals line up pretty well. How about we team up?”76b3696e4dc76f8b

It was an invitation 6a3dedefa8 to join forces. In a low 9a50da216d whisper, his red a55fed1854 lips curved into bb9f7eeefb aslysmile. Ha-yoon stared at 25385f7029 that dazzling smile, 6a5c0549a9 and his whole 6b6b13b111 body shuddered.5784979b1df30178

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“What am I supposed to trust?”
“Huh?”
“Even if you might be one of those center dwellers, why would I join up with you?”90ac07bb3accd1e7

Ha-yoon closed his d799cc8e02 eyes deeply, as 75703c6414 if to hide 7dded62586 his confused gaze, 42f41cd1c3 then opened them 65c1f02447 again. He hadn’t beenresurrectedlong; he was 4dcd6e825b still gathering his d547017159 strength.6687e20cc0d423fa

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“Enough of your ploys and get lost.”
With those final 2566a12380 words, Ha-yoon kicked 9d762720d3 off the ground 019de0d86d and ran.30824733d27ce0fd

The man watched 41b9c47740 silently as Ha-yoon f62164d8f6 fled desperately. Then, from behind him, cd4561b317 another voice—quiet until now—spoke.44d9fb8bfc81e88c

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“Boss.”
“Oh, you saved him, and now he’s running off…”The man b2f54f77e7 chuckled softly, 49eb47f0dc his shoulders 478cf82005 trembling slightly.85e52f40970345bc

“Should we chase him?”
“Just let him go. Where could he possibly run?”a1f32a407cc038c0

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The rain grewthicker, and the 7856671201 nightdeepened. Staying here any longer ec954dc1cc would be dangerous. The man 503b91ea0a looked over d9d417d4aa at where eeebb9ff58 Ha-yoon had 98c3f5fecb been and 7ab18ae028 then turned 1b0bf2919b away.cffe0690e12e2e1e

“Come find me again when the sun comes up, alright?”
A clear smilelingeredon his 319288139e face as 650d33ce73 he disappeared c93a4b7b4d into the bee642cc67 dark.776ffe32ff82bc27

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