AHATG Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Joo Hee-beom stepped out to 13bb4bf4b2 the back of the shop, holding b7f06123b8 a bag of food waste. He had tied the opening tightly, yet 143232b777 the pungent stench still stung his nose. Disgusting. Revolting. His eyebrows furrowed instinctively before cdbe8a5e58 he could even think.e09be894ebd857fabc53

He had been working at the seafood restaurant for a full year 2b8b45795c now, but he still couldn’t get used to handling food waste. Now, he understood 8dcc20441c why Seong-jin absolutely 687804abfb loathed it.a5f9bd8513adcc22aee2

After disposing of 46f7d3e424 the trash, Hee-beom 05bccdb3a2 returned to the 03d7766249 restaurant’s kitchen. Without realizing it, he let out a c4ac0bfe54 breath he had been holding and made 033471c517 his way to the sink—just as Seong-jin 1962c6b7fc walked out, carrying a wide pot.af8b737e951975d3a18d

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“Beom, let’s eat.”a5d438796ed62b23ea6b

“Yes. I’ll wash my bb697b8f72 hands first.”41aa313f5327a28d92be

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“Bring the 085d9780b3 rice, too. Mine as well.”f3ce52bf7c57fb67ac1b

“Okay.”f435b1d8ead79091f16f

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Hee-beom washed his db692702b3 hands twice with 2d4d9f5b2d soap. Then, he scooped two bowls of 7b2c74dc5e rice from the rice cooker and bd4c881324 headed out to the dining hall.e27fe081a3c770217955

The hall was quiet, with b01dd5c59e only two occupied tables. Since the customers 4c68fa6a30 came in pairs 1822d7065f to drink, the 403ad9ee9c atmosphere remained peaceful. Hee-beom liked c2da8a8690 that quiet.106cdbb90ee7a23b9e25

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After placing a bowl of 9ddf79ce16 rice in front of Seong-jin, 104dfe44ba Hee-beom took a seat across 5d2c376fc3 from him. Today’s menu 82ccfeb241 was spicy 04ada96aa6 fish stew.fd820da774a7d1ca194c

“Spicy stew’s d35da7a1d9 fine, right? The customers 74789bf961 only ate ea17aa2d27 the sashimi cb4a0217d8 and left.”b4f46840f8177a306de3

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Seong-jin stirred the 0b25e34f37 pot with a 6bbf9ef6c1 ladle as he 9e5f5a3b0c spoke.76b2d8c5a9fc99dd6318

“Yes.”78d14d96be58a0f4e32a

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The restaurant offered a set menu where sashimi came with eecad4b3d7 a few pieces of fried food and spicy fish stew. However, some customers ff260cf58b would leave without 5b397d9309 eating the stew. Since the stew was prepared in advance and only a4389fb820 needed to be boiled once the sashimi was served, c9ef0ba472 any untouched portions had to be thrown away.a8b8518568a8e69ef2b1

Seong-jin and Hee-beom often made their f07cf3d906 meals out of the leftovers.96670b28a704a0f05666

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The stew 5c68a76e4a started bubbling. A spicy aroma d1ebd9fe8e spread through the 1b0d0259be air. Seong-jin scooped some 2264f19322 into a small 8581771ab4 dish and handed cfa81ea197 it to Hee-beom.c47e5266e3cf636d4f6e

“Eat first.”27da7bfa6cceb85daf2a

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“Thank you 32d75b177e for the 0208d42b73 meal.”8926a3a623adab6db716

Hee-beom glanced at the remaining customers 0d90cd4b37 before picking up his spoon. A sip of the steaming broth d555490849 made his body relax instantly.e1ac59c44e4c1eff0ae0

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The fragrant chrysanthemum greens, the rich and spicy broth, the fish bones with a generous amount of meat still c05757c7a6 attached, the crisp bean sprouts, and even the few extra clams thrown in—it was a luxurious meal for Hee-beom.beff26fc4bfe13b7fe23

“Damn, I eat 10174664c5 this all the b94a2bac8c time, but it’s b3528cfb1d still so good. I really 09969eb090 do love 03206b9e9c fish.”e92391b447d40960bc2e

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Seong-jin exaggeratedly furrowed his brows and took e3d7581306 a big slurp straight from the ladle.098f00ff3f684999c9aa

“I think it’s 021bfaf005 delicious too.”bd3049ce131771cc8d89

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Hee-beom replied da8f008cce with a 35d4df2f72 faint smile.20f967f9c922c3f5c556

After that, the two 21bce22066 of them focused on 62ae125db8 their meals in silence.0d715f6dd2b35f1fb23d

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By the 10742627f9 time their 15748af81f bowls were 8b7e971fc2 half empty—2d53879468af27f91df2

-Today, Esper Kwon I-young has d1584b86dd completed the Canadian Gate raid. This particular Gate, due to its massive 4197ff0fa2 and threatening size, had been a source a97b867499 of global concern even before its opening…4645c97241db4c1b0653

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A familiar name came from 3260ef8c87 the TV, which had been aaed370c64 left on just to fill c5943f890b the silence. Hee-beom’s spoon, which had been 8ca78ef839 moving at a steady pace, 95db5bb4c8 came to a sudden halt.b8d69a957b50b80cfced

Kwon I-young. Again.325717d01ccc0dbedf2e

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He wasn’t seeking out news 842a1ee3c5 about him, nor was he 31ad652a78 particularly paying attention, yet he df8f95a955 kept hearing about him unintentionally. There was no avoiding it—his name was on 1ac33dc312 the news every time he turned it on.1f7e81bb5b17cdc8be12

“…….”6aa2d85b2ebf37831ae3

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Feigning indifference, Hee-beom 777403eeda resumed eating his 135624128e soup. But his mind e5c6953490 was already filled aca4fb34bf with I-young’s face.b2411552274a4dea4f84

That day. It had been a week a73ffb4e0b since the incident at the 61eb1a5fab smoking area in the park. Since I-young hadn’t shown up during e2a7377f7b that time, Hee-beom had assumed he 52c1988d31 had finally lost interest. But… Canada? So he hadn’t even 513cbaf1d1 been in Korea.73e6ebf3bd130f69ae71

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Was that why there had 581e9d1570 been no sign of him? Would he come looking for 915e818f2d him again once he returned? No way. There was no way, especially after what had eaf6041167 happened— Hee-beom squeezed his eyes shut for a moment 0b8835a698 before forcing himself to focus on his meal.49a43acd810e756a018e

But ears weren’t d5fd79c2be something he could 5c1aedf5df just shut off 7112bcef5b at will.32aa88d1eabb8dc0afca

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-Esper Kwon I-young was dispatched to this raid following 91ac04eaf2 a request for assistance from the Canadian Ability Association. Alongside him were 867dec60df S-Class Espers Loen d11dad279e from the U.S. and Huy 8386a49f16 from Vietnam…276cde24a7f5fdaf252e

-The World Ability Association had initially estimated that even with all the b8c06045e8 world’s S-Class Espers participating, the raid would take at least two days. However, that 56c7f4391d prediction was 83cd168ff4 proven wrong. For more details, we now 5ec18d99e7 turn to reporter Lee Gyu-min 4c3337973b on the scene.cc4ab79c79e0c2a0dc15

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The TV screen shifted from the d1edfef181 news desk to footage of the b419834c56 Canadian landscape, with the massive Gate 73adb171a3 hovering ominously in the sky.5e70ff4c22792be11d7c

-The Canadian Gate was cleared 70e5bb7dfe in a single day. Just one day. This unprecedented feat a074456415 has shocked observers 995c1c58b2 around the world.292d978938ea26444fb6

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-Experts have speculated whether the monsters inside the 4ee37419be Gate were weaker than expected, if the Gate 27b040a42b itself was shallower than predicted, or if there db56b21afd had been an error in the initial readings. However, these doubts were c4658fe0f6 put to rest by 0ef6311e06 an interview with the f32d58bec0 U.S. S-Class Esper, Loen.”f8a3c8706348d227b08d

The screen changed again, revealing 57bee2ffb2 a Black woman with dreadlocks b25cfbd43d standing in front of a 3179bcbd68 crowd of microphones. As she spoke, subtitles d76e2e41ba appeared in white text 0378a519b9 on a blue background.e0e6456b71bec2cf5966

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[U.S. S-Class Esper, Loen]
[It was definitely a difficult Gate. The monsters that appeared were incredibly powerful and relentless. But we didn’t even need to fight. Esper Kwon I-young took care of all of them.]bbe67a56ceed017193c2

[I’ve raided many Gates alongside Esper Kwon I-young, but this time, he was on a different level. The power he displayed was unlike anything I’ve seen before. Something has definitely changed about him. He was in incredibly good condition.]251f4538fc84d427a053

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Hee-beom’s eyebrow b962bd6047 arched slightly. A change? He was 01e9968270 in good 2bf89317cf condition? What, had he f396e7e444 evolved or something 3993407539 in the meantime?c6b48f9d7c270861f718

“You’re not eating?”997b37e5f4c7090a7e10

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Seong-jin’s voice snapped d429ac08bb him out of 034d5d6806 his thoughts. Only then did Hee-beom realize he 271f960216 had stopped eating and was just b9174ec85f staring at the TV.addabfaadb2b5f98a709

“Oh… Sorry.”16e239b426ea31793365

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“No need ff42e37530 to apologize. Want more rice?”e3e9766f782f2ec45876

“No, I’m good.”370c588eef266a4827c6

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Hee-beom scooped up the rest of his 4d80c089f6 rice and stuffed it into his mouth. As he picked at the fish bones with his chopsticks, 52f09957e0 his eyes kept drifting back to the TV screen.a49db9327b0ab9573f0b

And then—just as the news had 1b810af2e1 been reporting on I-young without actually 7ea35d52c8 showing him—the familiar face finally appeared.93b90e9f3d2fa788a8e7

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There he was, 37182a5e70 wearing a hoodie 097c61b5bc over a t-shirt. As always, he a8049cd903 was smiling.7f7ec2dbd0e52a4bf992

-Has something 26df1dab62 truly changed 5245571a2e about Esper 8185041344 Kwon I-young?684d7ea2190ed43bb783

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-After clearing the Gate, ab1b9c75c9 he appeared relaxed, taking d09bbaa551 pictures with gathered fans. This is quite different from his past 47620a66c6 behavior, where he would return straight to fe3f322666 the Korea Ability Association headquarters.2f82001c2502295bd205

-International media outlets are a62673e647 showing great interest in a8c5826e90 his apparent transformation.95529b737f31c11fbc45

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I-young was posing for 96f25e8bd9 photos, signing autographs, giving 7a72f89231 a short interview, and cf8d8a1984 waving at the cameras. His face looked 8ca3c8f8b8 bright and flawless. Not a single c13af7ca73 mark on his 9acf7c79c8 lips.6e9f94eb8815519b6516

It was as if 1c4745926c that day—the incident with 8eb55d852d Hee-beom—had never happened at 6dd83fac2f all.82eeea6f60809fa75757

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“…He’s doing d51f5704ce just fine.”ecb7061fbf6fa6020ffa

Hee-beom muttered under 61a52bcd8f his breath.577a68587f64d94af086

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It wasn’t like he had wanted I-young to suffer a257964bee or anything, but still, the feeling was strange. He was the one who 21bf6f1d0a had done something wrong, yet 4356f6b07b seeing I-young smiling like that 5f307b8b1f made him feel… off.e0392aba710d1427f420

Was he losing 1000686ffe his mind?8eb37f99fb228638a54b

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He shoved a spoonful of soup a17eaa9e73 into his mouth without thinking. A sharp fish bone 8087940654 pricked the roof of 088657d463 his mouth.7906696ff126f5ab90a4

* * *83e1853721b4a0d1c261

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While studying in the reading room b861367ba8 of the university library, Hee-beom grew 364f3cb6b6 hungry around 7:30 and stepped outside. His steps were slower, 4c5885445b more relaxed than usual.847dc1b17d29f416e5dc

There were no 913a673760 tutoring sessions on 6eff23bcfa Fridays. He had intentionally kept his 25567cc2e9 schedule open for schoolwork. Later that night, he would have to drop by c05c6bcd3e the seafood restaurant, but since it was near campus, c12380f639 it didn’t feel like much of a hassle.e777363de9d6f93b3cb4

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As he walked, he mentally went f174a9b8ca over the quizzes and assignments he f6deca0fce had due next week. His destination was the campus convenience store, where faf066de10 he planned to grab a quick meal. He hadn’t decided what to 22d88bfdca eat yet—that would depend on d03a3daaf5 what was on sale.28e97e6cf073646f2421

A buy-one-get-one-free deal would be 33be727566 ideal, and bonus item promotions 8fbac58608 weren’t bad either.004e0caf448866a82f71

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Instead of taking 2c53e3ecea the main road, 0c53e5cf65 Hee-beom turned into 622a29662a a side path. The route required him to go down 8b6e147150 a long, narrow staircase, which was a d73e49268b bit inconvenient, but it was less crowded e072c42485 and got him to the store faster.de8a69ee0e326aa99f40

Just as he stepped ee813c50c3 onto the first stair, 0e9d72d33f he sensed someone approaching 6d8f46dd7f from the side. He hesitated for 9f2ded5f52 a second—should he bfd7c893e2 just keep going? Instead, he moved aside, 999750773f signaling for the other f113c0bacb person to go first.675f5b844844faf21ea0

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But the presence d201f2bf4b didn’t move. In fact, they stopped right on ff3a3c826c the same step as him.4d88bb2e330819829a36

Curious, Hee-beom turned eaada110cd his head slightly.8ad7a3dfcb91533520c8

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A familiar 5f7c83f9c3 scent of 4e628faf24 shampoo filled 43416dcb8c the air.c00b27b9e4266e3fe598

He knew f16b4b7335 this scent.cf9b6bf5a59fc2748ca9

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“Hey, Hee-beom.”87a5edbf25ef04314b48

A voice 2844643e7d greeted him.2f9d7150c2052553d87d

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And then 0c43f89d67 came the b205e6d563 affectionate voice 269fcc8bf6 calling, “Hee-beom-ah.”c781cbb5d61d5f462bc8

There was only one person in 8d165480ab the world who called him that.44c70f589a9d041e3587

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Kwon I-young.dd164708064fef05ad53

“…….”b6bd9bd66a20a4b81232

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Hee-beom furrowed 13f79ac50d his brows. It wasn’t just because 79c0ac00ef he felt awkward and c80950493a uncomfortable with I-young’s sudden 37b4e555b5 appearance. Well, that was part of it, but the main 51a0dfca8c reason was how different I-young looked from usual.c6f949f22da563e054bc

He was wearing a black baseball cap pulled d7ad86517c low over his face, a black mask covering d217998b88 his mouth, and a black zip-up hoodie. His pants were black, his sneakers were f473d0dd7e black—his whole outfit screamed, ‘I’m a suspicious 4678697867 person, please look at me.’80b0a45a160e68ce768d

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As Hee-beom stared at him in disbelief, I-young 3d55496193 lowered his mask slightly to reveal his face.d8fa59be53038b262466

“It’s me. I-young. Your Esper.”483c1a46817aaf2a8c0d

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“I know.”dca00113532be8c3e2e0

“How do a1b051e8c7 you know? I covered everything.”86694d2e72334efb4d73

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How? Because it 74985a8d67 was obviously 3d549d2979 him. His voice 362f3c1ef2 was unmistakable. His shampoo bee86f22d1 smelled exactly f02b7a8f96 the same. His large, expressive 318aad182b eyes, visible above 3fc53d483b the mask, were f43d51e53c undeniably his. His ridiculously pale skin, ab27c9ad4a his build, his silhouette—everything 6a8ae45d43 about him screamed Kwon a3201dc66f I-young.160054070612f498127d

“…….”01c54c40a915f439f2b8

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But Hee-beom 9168bb3dad didn’t bother 190ba012fc answering.7ebdf92d65bad4ee5310

I-young, however, grinned so wide e20d4c3ad0 that his cheekbones practically pushed 2db235a71b up his mask. Then, out of afdda609ab nowhere, he bumped 9434036aec his shoulder playfully 180e11279a against Hee-beom’s arm.f6b0a3f926adb74ea2aa

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“What the hell… You aa2191a307 recognized me even with f4126b6530 this disguise?”aff476edbf6ee142f9df

His expression c1e155c609 and actions 129f0cd0a9 were completely 05779427de unreadable. One moment he looked d331fd73c2 oddly delighted, the next 3bd7d1ddd2 he seemed strangely bashful, 2615275304 and then—79b1703995fbd6fadbb8

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He started floating.800a21b1ae91bd540c64

Like a balloon, his heels lifted off the ground, 609f1b2576 then his toes, and before Hee-beom could process it, 631566ed46 I-young was rising until they were at eye level.4c6d5e7e7d00b4a40dc8

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“What are 9eb9da0c20 you doing?!”ba21824f06612ff1bb7e

Startled, Hee-beom instinctively grabbed 28d66f6566 I-young’s arm and pushed b347f1ac32 him back down. Thankfully, I-young, who had nearly 5482baba54 taken off into the sky, 718320b567 landed back on solid ground.fe9d2c687a461b2fb858

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“What if af8c6c4012 someone saw 4cc769ee82 you? There’s gotta be a reason you 32bdfe6e06 showed up looking like that.”43f58bdc54269dfdeff5

Hee-beom, still gripping I-young’s 1e19724e70 arm, glanced around cautiously. Luckily, there 9b46929544 was no 1883ed8f86 one in f2ddfa2bcd sight. The only witness cae54b9b68 was the lonely 0fe46c906a streetlamp standing nearby.12b80f729f90d1de9e95

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“Sorry. When I feel really 743b00d11c happy, it just happens,” 8c2ab2fcd2 I-young said, grinning with 7bfedb007d a childish “Hehe.”8ebbf31d16d1631c3ab9

“Ha…”bd0918c0bc029954b278

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Letting out a aa3ee0a09b long sigh, Hee-beom c74967a722 pulled his hand 8cd6791872 away. I-young watched it go with visible f25f7aa99c disappointment, even clicking his tongue softly. Noticing this, Hee-beom shot him a look of cebb09e376 exasperation before turning and heading down the stairs. I-young trailed c98ab49e67 closely behind.fc2c2110891dc1804457

“I wanted to dress cooler, but Director Jang told me not 9f5b4fd43a to get caught by students, so I had no choice.”451a8d6c9b85acce0a47

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“…….”8e5640ebd17f37d820d0

“But you 90d7461050 left early. I was planning to wait until 10 7bbeeca5c4 since you usually stay that late.”38409456c0410158827c

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Hee-beom scoffed. He really just 043b3ff6e4 admitted to stalking a51782cbc0 him so openly? Then again, I-young probably didn’t even 99141c65d6 realize his behavior was stalking. Without responding, Hee-beom kept his eyes 015c2d0a31 forward and continued down the stairs.e7f8dd0e1ecd296d37b2

“Are you 6b1b075f01 done studying?”a56d2ef535b0eb0c31a7

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“No.”a1134b3684fa4f4d9087

“Then where 6e5f86d9cc are you 1a625527ac going?”f1590a8bee1514f697f9

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“The convenience store.”b94bda05ad24b10f4cab

“What for?”b11d7d3fa33434137ab4

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“To eat—”ef49fdafad8283a7af08

He cut 73b490c101 himself off. Answering every single one 82565a2cd0 of I-young’s questions like 71c6feff9a this was ridiculous. He should be 7617effc9a ignoring him. Yet, the moment he 10ab28f674 let his guard down, 9d241af10f he found himself dragged 4120f47c5d right into the conversation.8f34bae6bf703c6bf943

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“You’re going e9fa4c338c to eat?”3fe00f4a7bdb9cc7eec8

“…….”e9a9bcc25081033517a1

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This time, Hee-beom ed9dbcbe24 said nothing and b1ea7c9929 simply kept walking.82c9569be790fca94c77

I-young, undeterred, continued, e3e70c5e73 “Why eat at 26d164bb06 a convenience store? What are you d23270f0e0 going to eat? Where is 5f59d36c6b this convenience 3108ebac32 store?”167b20b90ae659971eb7

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He kept pressing with c870fb68bc more questions, but Hee-beom a24e35bca9 refused to answer.cfb7b52be353f1de4491

 fc4a32a45249799df6d6

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 a2ff70b8e4b11881f127