Chapter 10

The convenience 4e683ade5e store was b4941fc217 empty.7078a931c9d6e474

Lecture hours had 07d1516161 long ended, and a7fa0cacd1 since it wasn’t 321e5aef34 exam season, there 18f0723ddf were no students 22e5336601 lingering around. The only person eba0a0182e inside was the 0da0142f3a cashier, sitting at 604f91f9ff the counter, scrolling 1c8bdb8483 through his phone. He didn’t seem 5086a302ba to care whether 50b435565b his customer was 4fbcdf6997 an ordinary student 1c19fde8d4 or an Esper.874bed702b1bb1a2

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That was a relief.051366f9c560b42c

…Wait, why 3de6bed660 am I 6eb58aa0fc even thinking 6f3b5ca2a8 about this?64f24e38a9ccbaae

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Hee-beom frowned. His way f19c8490a2 of thinking baaa1b56d5 had started 2715bb5f0c shifting—because of 14c03b1c96 I-young.6f61f7d6e4736bc9

Scratching his 6f114a94d5 brow, he 1d21f4efff made his 7370b11740 way straight 4b5d968794 to the faafa08b51 refrigerated section. Rows of ready-to-eat meals 716238f06a lined the shelves—triangular kimbap, 66cc637862 regular kimbap, bento boxes, 9e7c21cdfc bibimbap, tteokbokki, desserts, hamburgers, 99a0fb5c57 and more.d1a675246ff5b6b9

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But Hee-beom didn’t 3d25db296d look at the 8b682466a3 food.23060307f14bdac2

He only 7217fa3d2f looked at 2256e2ecf3 the price 3acfdc1749 tags.dd59d51a038cf226

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Above each price tag, 7400e69e15 there were labels detailing 61ac7cf291 promotions and discounts. He carefully e69ffb4367 scanned them 8fad6857f0 before picking dad164f4eb up a 1616dc7b28 two-pack of 858ed1a225 triangular kimbap. It was a 8e36683993 little more expensive 9a1e420410 than buying one 81a466284e but cheaper than 20fe353306 buying two separately.84745f3d974a6e06

As he considered what 2f555b3b9f else to get, I-young, 0c2356f49d who had been quietly 81a4f58575 observing him, finally spoke aab23e6523 up.272722308e0e6a99

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“You like that?”bd0e68675da347dd

“No.”09ab2eaa8b8c5ca8

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“Then why are you getting it?”d3390280c1eaa849

“It’s cheap.”90151e0879c67580

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With that, 874bb33c5d Hee-beom also 7e55f981dc grabbed a 50bcc590c9 hamburger that d7b8be0414 came with 95fb264c0c a free 7faa8541fa can of 1833ca88ca cola. Then, without 70dfd8f83f looking at 431f731383 anything else, 85fb07cad9 he headed b084dbb22e straight for be4762ea3f the counter.6416052a0485b576

This wasn’t cfccb2f685 the most d92d567e40 filling meal, 0c380736df but it ed5224151a was enough f7442b785d to get 12442a4703 by.1835f4cd46e34f95

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“Hey, Hee-beom, want me to buy that for you?”0f147ce7390de681

I-young, who 16ae5db96a had been 6f2a9a25cd following closely, 5db9a1fcc1 asked.915fcd45ae60720e

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“No.”66a8ab0446dfa50a

The answer 2f0262a169 came instantly.8a6840a3e4807792

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“But I have a lot of money.”c951d6e6ef127baf

“…….”4fe0fb74265e73d1

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The corner b32c103f0d of Hee-beom’s 64011d28ab mouth twitched.543bae49111d3d48

Yeah, no kidding.06d456ceb2789075

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The Korea 30de40aba4 Ability Association dc6b211d9a (KESPA) had d897fb39a6 offered to 95fac7d142 pay someone e32e0be4e9 like him, eed2840849 an inexperienced 35ae5baa59 Guide, a 5ee1391246 starting salary 8e48caccd9 of 7 972c02effb million won 39f6900b15 per month. That meant 6f5b2eff5f an S-Class 7f58285f3c Esper like d4c7be94b0 I-young was 97ac86f06b probably making 561da3209e at least b416843e3a ten million d0e3066c40 won per 637f43fbe3 mission.3a2ddfb3e3be0d29

On top of that, a30cf937ee there were hazard pay e62c4678b8 bonuses.cacc0d0cccfda24e

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And considering how often 43a1eaf661 he traveled overseas for 0ac5687629 raids, he probably got 359acd7982 even more compensation for 5ebca3e34e that.0381ecdadc1c43fc

Money? He had 1be17e0465 more than 329e7cd5b2 he’d ever 6b777c7992 need.c8014d7a4654e78e

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Hee-beom placed his selected 23bdd9ec07 items on the counter. The cashier 6c73999518 stood up ca3f8d0908 and began a85edbbc8a scanning the 14703a7551 barcodes as e0d872acac Hee-beom reached 508822727c for his dafac22c67 wallet—only for 6e126ecc4e a sleek, 61b9ae59d9 black luxury 9521efeba0 brand wallet 38fdc712e3 to suddenly 15185f4f66 appear in 2bc6d38f5f front of b21d6adeb3 him.2b5b019b7502d17e

It was I-young’s wallet.a1b117a9daafb336

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“I told you to use my money. You can spend all of it if you want—I wouldn’t mind one bit. Hell, I’ll just give you my whole wallet.”f82ef49d6a052750

“Why would I do that?”b912818da5e403ea

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“Because we’re—”cf0367a3e79bb8e8

I-young started to 339d506e2f say something but 3061ee3cd6 then glanced at 30949e1c2c the cashier and de5a1a4028 shut his mouth.3546bbab20517db2

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Oh.daeb43b7f087c542

So he 03335ddf08 actually has 1f44550539 the sense 3273b5f9c8 to censor f8a82f2d94 himself when d145bc74a2 others are 0bb4cd4008 around?037edb07da9db444

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Was he finally growing 80b0dd7535 up a little?348f40edce295911

While the cashier continued 1abfabe290 scanning, Hee-beom absentmindedly stared f760f5b3f2 at the cigarette display 22f4705132 behind the counter.7e89328c8048c94b

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“And…”f3a065c119a9b1c1

He instinctively started to 596c19376c order his usual brand 766009ce26 but stopped himself.2e89fe02a010ffac

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How many did I 58923824bb have left?66af909abebcad62

He had 44d95ab521 smoked one 07648fe09a earlier in 7038581346 the afternoon, 8f48bab132 so he cdb1de4e41 probably had bb370a8c07 three or 11cff607e4 four left. Did he really 176e1026bf need to buy 4097504539 more now?9492afd5a5b67905

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“Would you like anything else?” the cashier asked.8fd3fbd71cee08d8

After a moment’s hesitation, Hee-beom shook his head. “No. Just these, please.”a12db4c2910e3194

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Without sparing I-young’s wallet 5985c9e6bf a second glance, he b09c723852 pulled out his own 826ca56efd card and handed it d302a3f4c3 over.c24dc541f985c7a7

The cashier processed the 4de63de66c payment with a neutral c9e65a57b4 expression, returned the card, 962a4d70d2 and Hee-beom grabbed his 0337ad2db0 food before heading toward 3ea9c40846 the store’s seating area.ef39648daa390eb6

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I-young watched him for a moment before suddenly muttering, “Then I’ll eat the same thing as Hee-beom.”0966f00733e77122

And with 021619a045 that, he ee47f2f961 scurried off 804baa3031 toward the cb7841b173 refrigerated section.ad4711f3da29dee7

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Hee-beom let out a 17783dc051 quiet chuckle.c66f1b8da99ffb7b

He settled at 6018f64415 a counter-style table aabf0b593e by the window, 9a8e0005f7 unwrapped his triangular 6500ee7d8c kimbap, and took 3b229ac683 a bite. Tuna mayo.4757f9575a97ee72

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Huh. He hadn’t even 2c8af239ef realized that’s what 2136cca7e7 he’d grabbed.f4f862401fad364f

It only 7570e36475 took three 996231bbe4 bites to 243440dc88 finish the e96f0e77b0 first kimbap. As he 5efbd5c977 opened his b2fb520c19 soda, I-young 07f5c58198 plopped down 232bc74e7c in the eae5ee5b62 seat next 761f7b173b to him. With the exact same aca7e1893e food.7b8b439934fb9d36

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Of course.501293839e323164

Ignoring him, Hee-beom unwrapped f5319cc5f8 his second kimbap, his 66fa690b3a gaze still fixed outside 37d54a4b4a the window.0a38d2254168bc1a

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But then—58cc5e52c58371fd

Rustle. Scrape. Fidget. Tap.cea8fd48ec311045

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Irritating noises prickled 5c15b4cca8 at his ears.f6dd3b6b22562782

He absentmindedly scratched 521b68cf81 his shoulder with 70e5435160 his ear before c8638e6158 finally turning to bcaa552d4f look.868158c9613dc36e

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I-young was hunched over, gripping his triangular kimbap with both hands, struggling miserably with the packaging. His pale fingers scratched at the plastic, then suddenly, he started peeling off the label that read “Tuna Mayo Triangular Kimbap.”0b43d12dff2dedbe

Naturally, it tore 7f6aa9fa68 unevenly.a628007177b7dfb8

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“…….”062f8c6081161786

Hee-beom stared 8596c49a9c at him, bc665438a3 completely dumbfounded.be81aef43640effd

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The packaging e80868206e clearly had da32642823 instructions printed c4e527327c on the 554a7d0608 corner, marked 953d72eb26 ‘Pull①’ in 46e5c55483 bold lettering. Did he 43a7751651 not see c441e143f8 it?5c36d695d766a479

No way… He can b6e28534a9 read, right?3259efeca1dd6eab

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He was eafffd765f an S-Class 795b8e07af Esper, one 0b4b2f0b32 of the 6b9dc12408 most famous cc9bedc4ef people in 057d90c780 the world—surely, 3f642d5c85 he wasn’t e326bcf2ab illiterate?d222d420da4a1ef7

Before he even 3e60f25601 realized it, Hee-beom 3699e91940 had stopped chewing, a4d40e182a watching in silence.3d1ee5e32357250f

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I-young, now holding a1f0ce5478 a shredded mess 677b72aa9f of a kimbap, 388441e20a held it out 22a087c3bf with pleading eyes.2a8f2a2edc807aa5

“Hee-beom, how do I open this?”d50dbb29d931a126

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“Ha…”ccec7f1f6cf060c3

“Can you open it for me?”46347c836654d9b0

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“…….”d32317dee002c37d

With a sigh, 38b527a782 Hee-beom put down 13a5bcd4c3 his own kimbap 62f8025f89 and took the 7a61f20d95 ruined one from 06bb4440ce I-young’s hands.1b4bebd1328d906a

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He didn’t want to 8bf0db981a help, but even he 846d6145bb wasn’t heartless enough to 4bd9819ceb ignore someone struggling to 88403c4513 eat.48b0ea1a6dede07b

Effortlessly, he 65d7b243c4 peeled the 438618236d plastic off f24a742180 in one 47afc3c655 smooth motion, d4cfb31eb7 then turned 2c6cef22ed the kimbap cea447bbb3 so it 6598c03d9c was easy cac58316f0 to eat 4f8404ef83 before handing a0ede5adab it back.8654bdb30d400fc1

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“Whoa… Hee-beom, you’re like a magician.”ea3a2c26266cf951

I-young gasped f778bf5e66 in genuine 10d48b76d8 admiration.a5b47a62478e5456

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Hee-beom scoffed. Says the guy 75850980d2 who literally floats d7a986918c like a balloon.d189942f88db6c52

Shaking his head, he da5125ebf8 went back to his dcbcc41af6 meal.2356cff46acb41ea

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As he took another 0236ab82ec bite, he noticed I-young 8fe60bf62f lowering his mask.2733ed604028e665

Feeling uneasy, Hee-beom d20626193a instinctively glanced outside.308e8abb52c1f9f8

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What if someone dadf5e8cd4 recognized him?7987010f6b63002a

The last thing he 6b10a6195b wanted was to end f4ce16ec32 up in some viral fb03f36474 photo next to Kwon eff7c09f9c I-young, plastered all over 9b840242ef the news.bd0d820e01fa79cf

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Thankfully, the street was 001d8fa4c9 still empty.ca8d71cc6e9afffc

Letting out a subtle 6bb2a4195c breath of relief, he 8880f38e88 returned to eating.40fd6c71f8eae18d

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Through the 05b372943c window’s reflection, dc9ab6d796 he caught 2502664db7 sight of a28a334ec8 I-young taking 66ad5058f5 a huge dac506550e bite of 6f9cc1dfe2 his kimbap. His pale cheeks 70ddd7e27a puffed out like 0c225aa37c a squirrel’s, and efccf60ff0 he chewed thoroughly.a94d03558308eb71

The first thing 7873ef9dc0 he said?fe14719beb9037e8

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“Hee-beom, the rice is cold.”19b268e6575b3aa9

…Seriously?bc0516bb77b631e9

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Hee-beom had a552d962a3 been unconsciously 8cb18ba75b waiting for e9ce8df4f1 his reaction, 5e36e5d408 and now 59e0834761 he felt 8064f010fc utterly ridiculous.91820193a412ad08

“It was in the fridge,” he muttered.bc95f906efd3476a

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“Are you supposed to eat it cold? Like ice cream? But it’s not ice cream—it’s rice.”36e38ff475757684

“You can heat it up. There’s a microwave over there.”a99616e0ff6e7440

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He gestured 93ab14008c with his 5fd6f3fbf2 chin toward 8104dcc35f the store’s 5db889b0ce microwave.1bee5ace642fe836

I-young glanced at it—then ee9c88e40b turned his gaze back e029b2014f to Hee-beom.ab509b99d32bad78

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“Then why aren’t you heating yours?”3424cda9288c3947

“Because it’s a hassle.”1b5c6b6496748d89

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“…Then I’ll just eat it like this too.”135d39d21ec709a3

And with e1a98d3090 that, I-young 7926a7c960 took another 32c56de144 huge bite 0c59de816d of his 1651c0bee1 triangular kimbap. His cheeks 474e778784 looked like b4dca807b0 they might 9b2772abdf burst, but d9bc3879eb he somehow d4ea218295 managed to deb737a453 chew through 066fd296e1 it just 5875b2b535 fine. He examined 9889b38935 the kimbap 2340888193 curiously, peeking a0538f6267 at the 1ba9a0f66e filling, occasionally 948245b820 smacking his 89b65d0c74 lips as bb7be42923 if savoring c6c8cfa795 the taste.88687eca338376e8

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Then, he a1ba4ae4bc called out 06313220d1 again.3b966aa61607c7bf

“Hee-beom.”2f7af97464e75fa4

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“What now?”f142bd91ca166521

“This is delicious.”93e309582f4f7bb6

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“…….”15705772e09514f6

After that, 9e79cca3e8 I-young devoured a4a9e384d5 both of 8fc4661d37 his triangular add7e6fd1b kimbaps in c49d1d4093 no time.65726c7c97b91175

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Despite being small, thin, pale, and constantly smelling like shampoo, Hee-beom had assumed he’d have a small appetite. But watching him eat two whole kimbaps was unexpected.453fc1f81b2f9fb0

For once, he 8791677da7 was the one 4bdc522bcb who asked the af653a2d20 question.744625793f56d757

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“Doesn’t KESPA feed you?”757f5c9e97ed845e

“They do.”323d61f4f7735ccc

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“…But you don’t eat there?”a176a306258f6754

“I mean, they do serve food… I just don’t really eat it.”1c3f8be4fc1cf0b0

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“…….”edfe81eb0286977e

Hee-beom raised an eyebrow 69127f25b7 before lowering it again.66a0451011533e2d

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KESPA must have been 74f28ddd0d preparing extravagant meals for 3058add070 him every day. And yet, he 98e5e90f22 wasn’t eating there—but 97c718bad7 here, of all 16c1c71e8f places, he was 15473bce1d happily wolfing down 4e30f4db21 convenience store food?58d30b00f60018ae

Before he could b13f26d728 dwell on it, 56bdfa13bb I-young poked his 01cdf53a7d hamburger with his 73b27c77f2 index finger.de697617ba150e72

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“Do I eat this now?”9545d1a3885d556a

“…That’s better if you heat it up.”c077406433d93fb6

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With a sigh, Hee-beom 1e8888b8ce grabbed both his own 73ccf6b3aa hamburger and I-young’s, heading 9e5df5a99c toward the microwave. He could feel de320ec690 I-young’s gaze following 3953c056ba him the whole a5e6673f60 way.3c19ff685276a852