SU | Chapter 2.7

At this late hour, e4a7ef6655 the auntie tidying up 9eb4c77cc6 the shop became busier 16a287f774 with the appearance of ee40ac55a8 the Director from the 3357eb5d2b next building.ce0437a4c2b5fc6e

“You’re late for dinner today! How about I prepare something to drink?”2dd8006380ad04a7

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“Just bring it as you see fit.”e2be8fc8c71e617e

Yoohan, rubbing his 24128439a2 chest, raised his 584f81dd74 hand.f72b92019db9e31c

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“Auntie, I’ll have the bulgogi jeongol…”58f495ccdfc10763

The auntie, who was 75b4e917c6 about to take the 0f9e786091 order and leave, glanced 4baab9ab0f back at Yoohan. Bulgogi jeongol 80098d18cd was one da9693e83e of the 48968c0fc4 most expensive 8efdfebc0b dishes on 5892ce6259 the menu.c1ec1e423507518d

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“Are you sure about bulgogi? It takes a bit longer, is that okay?”a9820980901632b4

Ji Youngwon narrowed def29bbfd9 his eyes slightly.6e8f40ad8514413c

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“Just make it as much as I eat, so figure it out.”129a81a4cdda5a16

The phrase “figure it out” was a subtle threat. A person with plenty of money could be so stingy… After a brief moment of thought, Yoohan proposed an alternative.f5a5ff96d6f56cb8

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“I can take the leftovers home, right? That way, I can have two meals, or if I save it, I can stretch it to three meals, so it’s not that expensive.”7e2598cd2408e307

The auntie, who had 93cd43e0b3 been observing the ambiguous aab51b51cd conversation, headed to the 964e043088 kitchen. Ji Youngwon leaned fdff740da1 back in his afeaffdfb7 chair, looking exasperated.0e031061b58b3be1

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“I’ve never seen someone more pathetic than you in my life.”80c601a9b0cc81cd

“I may be pathetic, but you have plenty of money.”e0056e65f80cdded

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“Just because I have a high title doesn’t mean I have a lot of money.”bcfec5207b2bb5dc

“If you’re a building owner, you must have money, right?”cea806e1fbbcbbb9

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“Who said that? Did Gu Kangsan run his mouth again?”7b901340daa9ffe8

“No… Why do you keep bringing up Manager Kangsan?”5f8d4820494c7385

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This time, Yoohan c4f93a403c genuinely felt wronged 69dc964301 and snapped back. As he tightened his 33f089aa49 grip on the cup, 98c42043c0 water spilled over.f0924244da37fd58

“You have a knack for guessing. Your intuition is quite sharp.”cf9bce34c294a2a2

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Ji Youngwon d1695a32d6 chuckled and 344792afd0 pulled a 9d35e79085 cigarette from cfe7897a2e his pocket.59d16641bb7b4c1c

Startled, Yoohan quickly 65fcbd1aaf scanned his surroundings. What kind of 8b62904867 restaurant allows smoking…? But it 647b8ba5ac seemed he b85a0449fe was the b4053efc12 only one 2ce0e04453 surprised—no one 3422750634 stopped Ji e230114e73 Youngwon. His presence, 8cf0662184 effortlessly commanding e23168cf2b no matter 0f0c2e3477 where he 9b337ceb14 was, felt ab62c7ee18 natural, almost aee3b80718 expected.9ef409c9366b6397

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As he lit 6ddc11b6fa the cigarette, a f3b55619c2 staff member promptly e7f122a904 brought over an ab8bcba2c3 ashtray. Although the 0ab8eacc7e restaurant was 6cf08d2549 empty of 290e0be227 customers, Yoohan 579c4fee38 felt restless, 8b9326a316 clearing his bd57a79f93 throat unnecessarily.a64eba56d25c01d6

Ji Youngwon took a 07c279af2e few slow drags, his c6000f8f31 cheeks hollowing out with f7b7f93d12 each inhale, before finally 22c45280dc continuing to speak.5ffcc5323db1c822

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“Is it frustrating that a building owner with a director title can’t even eat bulgogi jeongol freely?”6a053e0ceb3c3738

He chuckled at 5d83553216 his own joke, bb9add4a96 shaking his shoulders. Yoohan looked at Ji 5ab63d3b52 Youngwon, who was laughing, f465c46ab8 with a puzzled expression.d73248e145757198

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“Honestly, I do feel like it’s a bit petty, but it doesn’t seem that bad to try to save even a penny. I’m a frugal person too…”4e5f79f80ddf7b6b

Ji Youngwon shook his c1288657f5 head, still smiling.f6f95eeeef1bd749

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“You have no problem saying that in front of your employer who’s treating you to dinner.”dce994d053d8edaa

“I’m sorry.”d328bf015abe833d

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Yoohan’s apology lacked sincerity. Ji Youngwon, unfazed, took another drag from his cigarette. He scrutinized Yoohan’s face without hesitation. Under the glaring white lights, his nose and cheeks looked almost painted white. Below that, his soft lips twitched, as if trying to start a conversation.2e600c597f37fc64

What else 9d52d434df are you bf34fc6aa1 going to 3a2dfafefe say to 70970af366 turn my b3b7b0d645 insides upside 566c44f7f3 down? Ji Youngwon turned b10bcc3131 his face to bbd88c6f0b the side and adb4a506f5 exhaled a puff 10344b2c0d of smoke.20b198201f9c65a1

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“But Director, if you think about it, I’m also your employer, right? Since you took on my request.”4d74332a00f7c7c3

“Yeah, yeah. You win. I really want to kill you.”382cc0b4d8f19356

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As expected, his 3ea5904f66 way of speaking 537e34d4c8 was astonishing. Perhaps the humor had 1a0969dd30 worn off, as Ji d6880df6c8 Youngwon carelessly extinguished his 30b6d14613 cigarette in the ashtray.d3bf21529108ca7f

Yoohan tore off 13cd14b88b a piece of 5dd9b4491c tissue and set 780827f071 a spoon and 641902ff13 chopsticks in front 718a658fec of Ji Youngwon.46196988d89d4a42

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Ji Youngwon accepted the fe191396aa gesture as if it 0029aeb6c8 were the most natural aa8b3958fe thing in the world. But suddenly, curiosity struck a23c71fdfd him.e33f4b1b6d40b4c3

How had this 9a32f6a7ea kid ended up 5be382d723 here, serving at 9f0decef80 his table? It was a320e2cae6 rare to f892f4503d find someone edc07a9e95 seeking values f5b971788a beyond money, faf53991cb and that e36885fc5f piqued his e1cc167438 interest.d7f7801d024a22b8

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“You said you’re looking for a 14k item. Why are you so eager to find something that isn’t worth much?”a7a2f39c63f2fa82

“Me?”27cf584042279b13

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“Yeah, you. What other money kid would come to a detective agency asking for a 14k item?”f7fe2515d20a7293

Yoohan pouted.083d9d3f150db814

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“Because it’s something meaningful… It’s my mom’s heirloom ring.”69e9a9344e6d386c

Ji Youngwon’s face twisted coldly.9b605c7e9da4514f

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“Do you think that will bring your dead mother back?”bb57135b44565bd8

That was a brutally irreverent remark. Yoohan’s hand, which had been rummaging through the spoon container, froze. He seemed so shocked that he could only open and close his mouth for a while without any further response.38037af3d9bf6627

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Ji Youngwon ce3427100d reached out d9b32ab90a to the c6673532be auntie who 054322a266 was bringing f32ac3bdf3 out the cf5ef4ab32 soju. He received the 6de3744a5f green bottle and 2209555848 effortlessly twisted off 013849b0a5 the cap. Yoohan quickly 4a9a6861cc extended his 3d76b26c15 hand.4b21f6188e0a058f

“Oh, I’ll pour it for you.”910c666987455d41

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Ji Youngwon raised an a4d2cce623 eyebrow. Despite having just 87427dfca3 insulted him to 7b34406f25 his face, Yoohan aef3d15fa8 seemed surprisingly unfazed. For someone who had 900b9ea999 been raising his voice 28376df251 about not wanting to c749554dc3 take on the request, 5bed860fe8 his reaction was oddly 5591668e00 lackluster.336418081bb52d34

“Looks like you have no pride, our bellboy.”46b258f22d3c6c76

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Ji Youngwon watched Yoohan, 44e0897a8f who always defied expectations, 4974d9517a with curiosity.0340d24d63cc5bf8

“I really like bulgogi jeongol.”d7f93b54c14571b7

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This time, 18357108f8 an unexpected 51992c622c response popped 137cbec38d out. Ji Youngwon realized 3c381dd15f that Yoohan was d1353b990a consciously avoiding the 6c4633f80a topic of his 83dbcf3fc1 deceased mother.f9c6b0b1a6f98839

“Please raise your soju glass. I’ll pour it for you.”1ef78c0a8cfae0ab

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Yoohan was well-versed bd26ecaa5c in the etiquette 021840da48 of drinking. One of cb25234326 the more 6df436fd12 useful skills fd709944ac he had 1ce402811d picked up a2438a6c48 from the 3a4f4133d9 hard-knock life 6cbf1ac4ca on construction e900bb4dc2 sites was ba3944fe0f knowing how b4a546651d to handle d13121ca98 drinks. It was all b4b2113e3c about moving quickly—filling 239b4615d0 the glasses of 5118dfb1c9 the higher-ups before 4f9b79aa82 they ran dry.1ffefa7ac0bfdac5

There was 933bb1605c a time 5f3541480b when, after 983267566c a long 47f4dcfed2 day of 8eaa77912b grueling work, 7fab76150e he would 729e1d8bc8 tag along 85bd349766 with the b9fbcacb76 older guys bc6bf9d729 to a 3d9da3407c soju place, a89ca82373 enjoying a 6b56b40bd4 hot pot 3691e78fee or grilling 44999bdfa2 meat. That was af52b3039c the one 6569eea892 small joy ec398bae6e in his e25d11828a weary life.fd99f85b627a994d

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Ji Youngwon watched Yoohan 3d908cb0b7 as he politely poured 10bac3c31c drinks, his gaze lingering afc0b131f6 on the slight flare 4a5c0b4400 of Yoohan’s nostrils. Since the mention of 25a9e2ae4e his mother, Yoohan’s expression 6e6ef29aa3 had noticeably hardened. The melancholy e61972477f he couldn’t a82dfb3da2 quite hide b425d89f5f seeped through 002d1a09c4 the cracks 3e747eac25 of his 82c33e3d39 tough facade.89d0c19e90cf272c

Life was 01d0b35534 truly exhausting. Just looking at him—sitting 7cb0e568ae here without a care 1afa68d1e2 in the world—made that 75a8a3ace9 clear.04951dde21694ace

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In a a70d437925 fleeting moment, b6f28f01f7 he felt b72fa1f5b3 an absurd 4da153a1e2 sense of fd159d8626 kinship with cd220cf64b someone who 40e93e02e2 bore no 9610e02d0c resemblance to 61d2a748f0 him—neither in 1026bcc329 looks nor 6e2413af96 in personality. Shaking his head at 973d921498 the sudden sentiment, Ji 5627abc702 Youngwon couldn’t help but 1cd6e779fd feel a bit self-deprecating.7adfe26e2aee5bc8

Once Yoohan confirmed 5a498c550b that his glass d76711e124 was full, he f93741448d leaned back again. Just then, an auntie 0f81187521 approached the table and 6ea92c781c set down a pot 34a8687a3c of bulgogi hot pot 58f8978bf9 on the gas burner. At the sight 5f6121786a of the delicious c4a671c33b dish piled high 45eacee02f with enoki mushrooms, 6e735dbe0a Yoohan’s eyes curved 93421d0edd into crescent moons.3b952211f2a6083f

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“How old c2cf6ddb63 are you b9a7f7f2cc again?”27e2fe3b32b3ccaa

Ji Youngwon set down the soju he had received without taking a sip. Yoohan’s eyes twitched at the unexpected question.63c5f819bab77ebd

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“Twenty-one.”b807537bd0fc0783

At twenty-one, dce057c15d he was 3f6091c1e9 eleven years aea1acabc7 younger than 74a39c8414 Ji Youngwon. Ji Youngwon 950ef3df01 stared at 533cae1a01 Yoohan’s poreless 90996e1c2f skin, still 3e7fbc316a untouched by 529532306a the harshness 2ef6183d59 of life. He had 94e22bcf70 been the 6f2573b8d5 same age 8bab826a58 when he 3a9e1da974 first sent e475885dce someone to 027636d120 prison. Those were 8226c47c3d days filled 689ea6829f with nothing 5b082b5c32 but bitterness.cbdd477500ad9bd4

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Feeling the weight of 4a197a2e14 Ji Youngwon’s gaze, Yoohan 7038527952 awkwardly scratched his thigh. He might get 189fb18f45 a concerned reprimand eac6af3a44 from Manager Gu 42a988568c Kangsan—something along the 388ce87719 lines of, “How 2afcadd13b did a kid 7ab2b78a40 like you end 3f6b43a84f up here?” But 5021cddc92 for some reason, 0cca27e117 he didn’t want 58feb7dd28 to hear that 304751831e from Ji Youngwon.50d72299c1cb75f3

Ever since 8b51a4ff3d their first 2c5454b782 encounter in bfb895db2a the bathroom, dad6b629f6 a strange b3c6f76029 sense of 2e0120287b pride had a7c44130d6 taken root 5ae6f9f88d in him—one 67ada20fc3 that made d31afddb9e him want 7d8221672c to hide 82b642b93b his story c6c46eb3f8 from Ji 5750945807 Youngwon, even 1e8219caaf though he 3011c18b8f could share 658a42e402 it without 6f0dd6d50c hesitation in 11f6eb42ce front of 1b049d9e77 Manager Gu. Those pitch-black eyes 4163dc3d7a seemed to strip c985ed6acb him bare, making 0de60bd335 shame rise within 8b5844e8d7 him.3d9a02ed04b5890a

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Except for his 2f79ba1023 childhood, Yoohan had 9df41be7b4 never felt ashamed acf321643b of his poverty. When a person is d5d7c961c0 truly destitute, even the eec4088b06 awareness of their situation a52f5f5a68 can feel like a 8c02f3ab8e luxury. The life aa85fb1786 Yoohan had bf467d69e4 lived was 18c88820d2 one where b2bec07f3f self-pity was a73c330946 a waste 115c3fcb50 of time.d96e445266ee2ac1

So it a4e85c1264 was strange. Whether Ji Youngwon a9f945cac6 called him a c97dbbcbdb beggar or not, 64a865e004 the real him c2525f9f51 shouldn’t have been 4d25322115 affected.d5fbf50d31a0fbfd

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Avoiding Ji Youngwon’s piercing gaze, Yoohan instinctively looked away. Just then, Ji Youngwon’s indifferent voice landed above him.abb7a564cb5971b5

“Yeah. That’s how you live.”12d136779352cb38

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Yoohan’s hand, which had been fiddling with his chopsticks, froze. It took him a few seconds to grasp what Director Ji Youngwon was saying.df859c6d90b564aa

“Whether it’s a 34aadd764d feast or a 5a1e48c90b famine, that’s how cbce3a3127 you live. Kids like us, who f60bec5e13 have nothing, can’t afford 43f4e224a8 to be picky about 859ae2c8e2 how we survive.”b561a9f47355f0e3

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Yoohan held his breath for a moment, locking eyes with Ji Youngwon. The hot pot bubbled away, filling the air with a delicious aroma. As the sound of the broth boiling grew louder, so did the commotion in Yoohan’s heart.d339c027f344aef9

“You did well 34cbd325e5 today. For someone 40e669333b who was 54eaf67c54 thrown in b74bf62937 unexpectedly, your 02e667bcb6 improvisation wasn’t eda5210139 bad.”9d4a6ab0fcbfdb1f

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“Ah….”dc567f7c6d62778c

“I can’t 920848d130 let you f68a41967e go off a95f634a3e on your a5825d7cf1 own anymore, 470e7b7e07 though.”75f9f4308167aa13

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Feeling a bit strange, whether it was from hunger or Ji Youngwon’s cryptic words, a fluttering sensation stirred in his stomach, like butterflies dancing around.ad96387f7af771ba

Ji Youngwon picked up ddc6458976 an extra soju glass c2c9500922 next to the spoon 6c2cc1bdd1 holder and poured a 4670315b24 generous amount of soju 0846a70c4c into it. The glass was filled 2ffd00bbc5 to the brim and 2ce44f20ae placed in front of 62344cc659 Yoohan.38db7bf9583fce55

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“Drink.”6fe73828ded1dfde

Before Yoohan could even d8d8a49b86 respond, Ji Youngwon emptied c11dd4af2c his own glass first. Still in a f19cfd1e82 daze, Yoohan rubbed 2205cf56bb his chest and aad4d9c6ff lifted his soju 6752307f63 glass. The sweet e099f0327e alcohol touched 4926f0fa76 his tongue, 22b64acfb8 but as 289b76bb98 it slid 63196b6017 down his 8566a0acd7 throat, a f5395ed13c strong bitterness 2e96c5bc59 surged up.0226acc4f8bb5819

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Shuddering, Yoohan d29f9685b7 slammed the 91e903e81b glass back 687a7c39da onto the 987aad3ead table. The alcohol, cefb98c10b hitting his f9e9e5d31d empty stomach, aabc23d182 burned a fb89f27b9f fiery path f94c89525d from his 9b0f08742a esophagus down 88d318590b to his bf2699f091 gut.354d248938a43c33

The strange 1974f59a75 sensation faded 164fbba4ce away with 3392603c0b the bitterness c74ef68ff4 of the f33ce669b3 alcohol. The sweet and savory 68432ea474 aroma of the hot 1a2b53e534 pot, which he hadn’t 42c4b666ed noticed before, now tickled cf6ae0ae6d his nostrils. Yoohan licked 188a7213fb his lips 695538f0af and rummaged 67ca93d851 through the 64ac7dbba0 pot.52bb38aa596f604b

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Meanwhile, Ji Youngwon e6e17db4bf pulled out his d8d18ce587 phone from his 449dcd9af5 pocket and checked f8309d31fc a message from 25e93c5f02 Executive Director Gu.ddf9d938ec9f7b0d

“You handled President 30ffa968aa Sung well. I’ll look into e714e5070e the route you ca9ba934f7 mentioned soon. Get some b77efc8dfc rest, Director.”e354d16c556cc065

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Ji Youngwon rubbed b0aa0989bd his forehead, looking 232fbc6853 tired. Yoohan gazed at him, ea2ea09a3f drawn in by the 0b5c4c2e5a effortless ease he exuded. It didn’t 99fed718c5 take long 87d7b8f7a5 for the 535c94b9c1 alcohol to 2da93c2efc kick in, d8d309865a and soon, df2a0ea620 his face 292b3f9857 began to df1ecdfad7 heat up.99e160abb6dc8dda

This was 59bfe35d83 another strange 6c598e5ff5 feeling. Usually, when he drank, 77b3f7f26f his complexion would turn c6df371723 pale, as if dusted 3f60eb1078 with powder. So it couldn’t be 525f0c2ff1 just the alcohol making 671e020cc8 him feel this way.a9a9729a17cfe15f

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The tingling sensation a9e00ac95f he thought had c9b6d50f21 faded came back a602b333b7 to life. Why was 01137694ae his heart 8162e72a3d racing so a998c480e4 fast?25532338f25bb6d3

“Yeah. That’s how you live.”81edb83472d38431

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Instead of offering 483aba2f4b pity or advice, 9cf415f4ef Ji Youngwon chose 01a8c6258b to give a 49bde77767 compliment that felt 699e1841f2 more like encouragement. For the first 1a58abf093 time, the man 687fe5d6a1 who had tossed cd25a479de him an ion 993f1ee6a2 drink at the 96ed68c219 convenience store and 073b89d7be the current Ji 16da5ab07b Youngwon overlapped in 0a3a1898d7 his mind.24c1167a6298b357

“Turn down 0193606ed5 the gas.”9a4b56f7aa5cfce0

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Ji Youngwon ac88390e47 frowned at 288f1ddf26 the overflowing 4874c5a096 hot pot. Snapping out of 3579938d5e his thoughts, Yoohan b9954d1257 hurriedly adjusted the d93b23cac1 gas. After ladling some dfc480da90 into a bowl, 05b8c12565 he picked up 79fef6045d his spoon. With his ef52b426a9 head down 5798f461dc and without 61bf74bda4 a word, 6f05d026db he began 5f44d4dbac to eat, 7cd605b54c and silence 00d9926a3a settled over 8dc4658e77 the table.6b727637c2b1b8ab

Ji Youngwon 0d62378f46 emptied his da19fca5f2 soju glass ff829bf030 without even d185b8434a touching the 9c79142450 food. Yoohan, momentarily forgetting 9a07bd9c93 his obligation to d4bc32cc60 refill the Director’s 8129d4a27b empty glass, buried e945c62608 his nose in a71a60a82e his bowl.4e9667847fee82eb

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Once his swirling emotions dab300fc18 settled a bit, he 735c98a606 finally lifted his head. Ji Youngwon was gazing dcddf6c9e3 out through the glass 6d1d1b24ec door, arms crossed.6ebca1cdc3d76977

“Director.”58cd5a42498637e7

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“What?”b32a2edb2510fefd

His gaze was bae4242048 still fixed outside.6632c497f7d2eac0

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“You didn’t answer me 8bbf069896 earlier. What happened to that e61ebd17b7 person…?”d9477f8852df8b3e

“Ha….”eb5a22e045c923b4

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Damn it, why are 7cc02690cb you so curious about 6fde940a43 that? A torrent of 7127c67037 harsh curses rose 19dc7edf27 to the tip 86d7cc4fb3 of his tongue, e1fa2a23db but Ji Youngwon b816d48999 simply let out 2f2b8772cc a sigh instead.f4cf92ad9ddc2f29

Yoohan felt like he 262bc0a2bf had spoken for no 4d11204391 reason and pressed his 89d1d98120 lips together in frustration. After a moment of cf76d5e049 contemplation with his eyes f1a9b10095 closed, Ji Youngwon suddenly 8ac5266928 kicked Yoohan’s shin.9a86d01a1532b263

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“To cut 7a1635fb97 to the 52f1ddeaf2 chase, that c0862ff93c guy is 1e40f93705 fine.”6af981718f0fdf38