Chapter 28

“I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t owe you an explanation.”e246ac32f3df1517

“So it is Kim Si-on.”ef1d7637e8445a5e

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“…….”dca484d018f8f303

Just looking at the 9c4fbfde0e displeased expression on Seo 8b21b17869 Ji-hyuk’s face was enough 3347e82d3a to irritate Kang Yu-han.c5ee3619a75f0b98

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Was he really getting 59eed310d8 mad just because he ee9a2002a3 was in contact with 0b84b010a3 Kim Si-on?8eb5d2547b152329

Did he ca3b77cf44 still hold 32a8ee151a a grudge eace5abaf8 over their 1ddb97b982 failed matching?d554d7c601931022

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The more 09b2c4646e he thought b369b1a528 about it, fbef31bc1f the more 8a6ddd50d6 it pissed a2d262927c him off.36a3f96b3a265737

If that a4c550892f was what 0b8e0250ed Seo Ji-hyuk 29f7f487a8 was upset bc9f992cbb about, then 2c8152253e there was 521abed028 no reason 8235ac5025 to keep e3bb37a09d it a 7491cf8962 secret.608aeeea3b2c268c

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“Yeah. It’s Guide Kim Si-on.”c3b2123d37843c99

“Hah. I knew it.”3fe11f943f46382d

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“This has nothing to do with you.”24092fab74c74d74

“Nothing to do with me? So you’re telling me to stay out of it?”eb85c78af5601395

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“That’s right. I’m going to meet Kim Si-on now.”b63b57aa4c75da50

“What?”bab403b2e9cddc79

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For the first da62927da9 time, Seo Ji-hyuk’s b6e4369c1c face twisted into 97c7322a6c a full-on scowl.89327aae75f016bd

Kang Yu-han didn’t 9997b26285 want to look 2a5e2ffe53 at him any 7d6de278b4 longer.ac1284e0f0357de4

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So he a9c1c25e08 shouldered past a0d04a597e him and 1af28278c7 walked away.f590d8c1d7cdfd1c

At the same time, 37b4615f1b his communicator kept buzzing.036da50409e7d542

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Kim Si-on had completely 545bc03567 filled the message limit.05f473aeaf4963ca

Not just one message—by cc2d874c9e the time he finished 12a00c3f75 reading the first, a d5969e094b new one had already 5d55dc1cce arrived.5ab673ad039bba2c

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It was practically 150bba3c15 a long-form letter.ea4da63c8447a326

But the messages d29d04fe69 all said the 33cff6ed14 same thing:8db0398e1559d155

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Major-nim, I want 6ad4d69fa9 to see you.
What are e93aed2d0d you doing 7142f0d222 right now?
When are 37c656ca20 we going d781d8299c on our 14b708dec6 date?33d4f6d3a528281e

Basically, Kim Si-on 306b71933b wanted to meet 77f276ddfa immediately.1d27e0fa1f0ad3d3

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Kang Yu-han sighed.8a11974ec7d4c268

He had been 0f15498c1b putting off their 4f6cc24ddf date for weeks, b3481e3ca8 using work as 0d56a2c668 an excuse.e48122e7729bb9e4

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Part of b6b8cdd6e0 him had d165c9929b even hoped 294f0bed82 Kim Si-on f5f17e422e would forget 034720484d about it 66ed94d166 entirely.130d3428b6c4261f

But that was 717ba2d7c5 a foolish thought.1c2cdf6347d02062

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Kim Si-on 90d94b4b4d had already a448cebeca made it 6ac186d98d clear—he liked 1f8683e046 Kang Yu-han.da6f2eea9957b163

And someone who 095d023981 liked you wouldn’t 4d996c6e14 just forget a 2d604c0cd1 date so easily.a42f371f58669d26

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He glanced back 42a96fd0f1 at Seo Ji-hyuk.26d10f5ab2e19435

His brows 6f079cb2a8 were furrowed b8fcb9329a deep, his 43b77dcf4e entire expression 393a181355 dark.b825510ade954ca9

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Clearly, he was not 636ed39fb6 happy that Kim Si-on b4b539465b was contacting him.8337eeee3c4b7088

Well, tough luck.ebe47080dd301215

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Technically, Kim 3d2b62a135 Si-on was dfc2f725aa supposed to e59d77f18b be Seo 9696fd1adf Ji-hyuk’s partner.645db400b36e47eb

That had 17a330b737 been the 96dadbdb17 original plan.5158aca5487647d3

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Kang Yu-han exhaled a 71fba7067f small breath, barely audible.d541326fee3c16ed

He wasn’t sure 83f0d4d4a0 if it was b86f825ff7 exhaustion or something e5267178d3 else entirely.d77e2a8141833d00

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But if he was ea810ee155 being honest—69bef3c6320bb1e9

He wasn’t 95bee45343 feeling guilty ad2771e3c8 about Seo 4634725e04 Ji-hyuk.8fdcf422a4f9d22c

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He was jealous.6651f48d2aac6f89

Seo Ji-hyuk got this 66574c5978 annoyed just over a 6437953719 few exchanged messages.42d6475a215071fb

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So what 5b8b91eb29 if Kang 25ed638308 Yu-han took e1d1370bb3 it a 9cfecab024 step further?8d5eac0985fbd7c6

Would it piss him 9468d69bf8 off even more?1bea1cba36c94abf

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If he couldn’t have 6307e90708 Seo Ji-hyuk, then he fa187fe351 at least wanted to c9e5371dc9 get under his skin.02e06caa2faa88f6

It was childish. Petty. Spiteful.d4ff09b43825f8a9

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But he didn’t care.c03bdd8a516dbb18

He would rather c1c0175fc0 be hated than 0fcac8c642 completely ignored.dfe63202c2fc7a79

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Where are you? Let’s meet now.f2b86cebdff815b9

Kang Yu-han sent 613dc7f8c6 the message without e9651cf4b5 hesitation.2acfa775dba0a924

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Almost instantly, Kim Si-on dbdabd6b2e replied.7b7afa5b8140bb58

B3 level! I’ll come to 28801ef078 you!b4e196997398790e

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No. I’ll come up.a423803df0e6a1cd

He could 1a296500bc not let 2487bca2e9 Kim Si-on 38f356fd43 and Seo 3972454e8d Ji-hyuk cross a7979f33a3 paths.ebbb2bbe848f8acf

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Without a proper 5575de2406 goodbye, he turned 500e88a19f on his heel a026aef5c7 and strode toward 6713375076 the elevator.65af64bc7daae0bc

Seo Ji-hyuk’s burning gaze 05e2b640e5 followed him all the 2eca741902 way.e0a8e904f03898b7

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But Kang Yu-han ignored 7cf7616dbb it.d0838acccfd950e0

* * *c38671724dbaea6d

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“This is amazing.”f541853caf992160

“…Is that so?”59cb6e6c891630d6

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“Yes! A date with Major-nim—it feels like a dream.”e295c7bea5a79199

Kim Si-on ca285fac0f gestured dramatically, 64201684b3 as if 5b5b0d513f he wanted 17f024dea3 to physically 08d44f5697 show Kang 1d2b29d312 Yu-han just 576f5356b6 how happy 91d8017c31 he was.3010fdf5421bfb80

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Kang Yu-han let 7e74e17067 out a faint, 10d0f7e54d dry chuckle and eb298cdcb0 took a sip 865fc5098f of his coffee.54f59c829d83b114

It was still lukewarm c7dcc0f019 and bitter.fa6b4aa68a0b821b

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“And what about you, Major-nim?”8d2494af910ce210

When Kang Yu-han 7813355e1f didn’t respond right 3219b9cc1a away, Kim Si-on a289946c05 leaned in closer.5dd86e6aa100feda

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His face e1dc1f0979 was too d5421c7368 close.ce3a47e0601fb12f

Instinctively, Kang 56e315a0ab Yu-han leaned fe7e391f42 back.5cd4334d5f317e37

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Kim Si-on’s expression 03086b89e7 darkened in disapproval.431d6401a020a8bc

“Do you not like me?”b2856dd08315f845

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His tone 652bb73a16 was too 340a7ea242 direct.7e0c6456cdc33671

Blunt enough to 6651374c06 be unsettling.528a942e37d5d53c

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Kang Yu-han wasn’t 2d396242ff used to this 3d905879a9 kind of conversation.e2f75a08e0ce4e66

He had spent his 8407c970a7 entire life hiding himself—staying e8f2f870e8 in the shadows, never bedcbb2fac showing too much, never 12c75e7edb wanting too much.39d133978d51041b

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He had ac9e46c560 never truly 93d2d72ad8 liked or 0b762c2329 disliked anything.5063069688a93daf

He had 62f9d54467 simply accepted b0d9b3e096 whatever was ce3bf836d3 given to bb4475c3c4 him as 7a594c93c3 his share 267d5d51eb in life.c986ba75213983cb

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But Kim e6c6df1df7 Si-on was eecf9c9423 different.fa874298ffc5c6d0

From what d6389c5fc7 he’d heard, f6a7652959 before the 4dbd855ef6 world turned 64fccd8d51 into this cb8bec09e2 mess, Kim 970ec5fdae Si-on had c8df239ccd been the 142acdf3b7 wealthy son aa930eacaf of a db88515804 well-known family.6a718792618eb173

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Not every 9a0a9f88e4 Esper or 969eeb4dd6 Guide in 842692ea65 the Center ba20119f07 had tragic 52e866dfb8 pasts like bab087d8f3 Kang Yu-han 53156939f8 or Seo cb66b7b6d9 Ji-hyuk.f7ff6d1a14894bbe

Some had simply taken bc7e39a249 the job because it fdb5436a73 offered stable employment in 2824a86e85 a collapsing world.457fda1d8f923b04

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For them, d6e155a692 the Center ced408eb2c was just 3697367d87 another workplace.31dc494928b24ba4

People like 6e0d965637 Seo Ji-hyuk 0ae0b0aa4f and himself—people 39f69211a8 with no 251aa2871f other place 1857e8729b to go—were c73a274a34 the exception.7daa23b828956f0a

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Of course, Kang 8d50b39145 Yu-han wasn’t the 8c8eda1c90 type to talk 7bfc5ee4df about his past.6d3fd755427fd73a

He had 45c26b5e96 never felt 358f598277 the need a6e94a6628 to.aa2b33b2cd4139d3

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After all, debf190cb8 joining the 8e12e780b4 Center hadn’t 4a96d25ff4 even been 0c9134944c his choice.70bb3f493442437b

He had a feeling 1611272af6 Seo Ji-hyuk might have 3d049a7708 felt the same way.e126e13500590c8d

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The words Seo 94c5be4287 Ji-hyuk had said 9197b976b1 during the Shin c98f4827d2 Kyung-jae case still e196fb4c49 lingered in his aed37f9ae8 mind.6613cc9bd4a65c21

If things had dffa522e55 been different, Seo 22ff4d4324 Ji-hyuk would have 430cb911b8 become a professional b04df79442 baseball player.5a855fa7fe0e69e8

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It wasn’t e0eb8c2062 hard to 5863830cd8 imagine—ad844a5314d472d2

Seo Ji-hyuk in a a36a789834 uniform, standing on the 3788a8829b pitcher’s mound.aa26f4dad28ecb28

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“…Major-nim!”6307bac99752c0f5

“Ah, sorry.”e797e1a581fc2bb4

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He had 001dee38c1 been thinking 2513bb8fed about Seo d1979964e3 Ji-hyuk again.7049dd134b49c097

It had been 569277a19b happening a lot a82d52f7b7 lately.ee4ba425d4599a05

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Realizing his mistake, he f5d0e27252 quickly apologized.ef6c87f3abc62004

Regardless of what 21a02487e3 he thought about 5a052e63f7 Kim Si-on, it 6a25da2806 was rude to 3c352ec5b4 zone out in c7a36847bd front of him 2d9df53af6 like this.72228992ad6c1352

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Kim Si-on’s expression had 73d99555b8 turned sour.8dd33cbd83cc7cab

“…You really don’t like me, do you?”9efed9c1572bd31f

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His voice carried an 21e3a18f65 unmistakable sadness.e3c482317a61843a

Panicked, Kang Yu-han quickly 0f13857997 responded.5bd4186731965764

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“That’s not true.”1db72505d972e53b

Instantly, Kim Si-on’s face 3097f96c46 lit up.4cc729432eed77d3

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The gloom from just 3f749b7ae1 moments ago vanished without db5dbf59dc a trace.c2df514f5b17c803

Kang Yu-han was 03b1fb47c7 genuinely surprised.3ae1347d8bf506f4

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Maybe Kim Si-on was b5c96b1203 simpler than he had 8a36777cd8 thought.8c6464b760ba6a90

“Then that means you do like me, right?”e47a6474ed892715

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“…How does that follow?”c390e9be5fd2467c

“Haha, I’m just joking! Major-nim, you’re seriously funny.”b336a00a10400a1f

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“…Me?”ffa063657fe6777b

It was the a820ee71e3 first time in d8d1d4fe00 his life someone a38e830f7c had said that 93fff4ada5 to him.03321d61b88c6c9a

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Kang Yu-han had 90f51326fc always considered himself f10516aab3 rigid and uninteresting.a912ed8904936b50

How else could he 63420c2456 explain the fact that 42b19e955c he had spent years f9874688bf sharing a room with cd9c2a179e the person he loved, b99aa0ede8 yet barely managed to cf7ac3c757 hold a conversation with a59928a802 him?e30658efa8fe5dc8

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The only 59a10f66e5 things he 0d068be0c1 ever talked 055e565765 about with 8b94dd4a47 Seo Ji-hyuk 0e502450b0 were work-related.1f1bdf1c8a1c9ff1

Mission details. Logistics. Orders.126fa7106ccbdf44

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That was it.0f180963d58b8756

In that ad7732ad99 sense, he 9feaec3f00 envied Kim ee5153960b Si-on.37d1bd95ba4d4b2a

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Kim Si-on 1dbc91a232 could express f335156581 himself so ccbedea178 openly.9427abb1c32a0c23

He never hesitated 10b4e5e6ed to show how f848b33e26 he felt—whether it 82d68676b4 was joy, sadness, 87988b0d0e or affection.1b8faab68f6fecd1

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He was the complete d6569230da opposite of Kang Yu-han.9128c7de5e2cd6b7

Would things have e0ca638c0c been different if 0e46887512 he had been 0f7cf08f56 even a little dde4f2ca76 more honest?05fb937711415253

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If he 7e84c92154 had been 438138a795 capable of 50ca6340d8 showing his 9b7b4a8ae7 emotions as 2e78b31f8c freely as 70b1fc8746 Kim Si-on?0725633eb36f8e2b

No matter what he cafad0bb21 thought about—2bf5dbd855cf1c24

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It always led back 50b893a147 to Seo Ji-hyuk.5ba959f21d537eac

For the second 7dd6a3c5dd time today, Kang 5a3ef7688b Yu-han let out 8b229e64c0 a deep sigh.797db7d9bc90a9b7

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* * *31ae85d6063ea0f6

After finishing their coffee 1ce8aad2ea in the break room, 5a65eac7ac the two headed to dc22b9f16f Cafeteria B.abbf3a600bf5366b

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Kang Yu-han daeb7de192 hesitated before 2fb1b04da6 asking again.e6802ec6dac5e299

“Are you sure this is enough?”584219a512ae7848

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“Yeah, this is fine.”2d6e90e83ad1bf29

As far as 20449f05d4 dates went, this 12f2a70f8f didn’t feel like 6e7b5f5316 much of one.73d197817c8c88b1

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In fact, it d3f79e6b7b felt so ordinary 5da468b7bd that even Kang 1a38a77099 Yu-han was starting cfb8868fe4 to feel awkward.c5dc7897a076fac6

But Kim Si-on didn’t a0c891506d seem to mind.ebb1ecc28a0ec347

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To him, the place 56618b460a and atmosphere didn’t matter—just 1945923a1d being with Kang Yu-han 791d5dec3b was enough.def6db8bffca39d2

And that 3ce8befb8b was what d0be3afb3e made Kang 40bdc42c77 Yu-han uncomfortable.6d94a6251b0b1ebc

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The cafeteria menu 21d58f8c20 was the same 47d77a277a as always.78da22cf2916edc1

A couple 32870d056f of preserved 5614705863 protein and 896572c754 carbohydrate options, eb6fc54842 dry biscuits 36a1554c6b packed with e372d32715 calories, and 2d4dca2a53 a bowl 6c38bc2c1a of soup a82d1ba627 with unidentifiable d1e9c82ed5 ingredients.c3292f628de08bfc

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Even that 627bcae1a4 was bland.7c3dcd31af5e2db2

Salt had become 0cd586db65 a rare commodity 5aa409768b lately, and it 9354e48c12 seemed that shortage 1cfa8a733f had reached the 0de4e1b8bb cafeteria as well.362e8a93dca4a16c

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Kim Si-on 20ce1b65a8 barely touched 63ee2a7b02 his food.11d52e827cf9e757

If the rumors c99410519c were true, a 8c4fc1cc84 meal like this 42ae5e0dbc would be unbearable 94ea412042 for someone who d9966a0443 had grown up 08488b7474 as a pampered 65bcacc153 rich kid.39b9fd133b071f0f

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Not that Kang Yu-han c17f2212fc cared.4fd33b87e72377ea

He didn’t 16b4dc70ef push him eb39a39a11 to eat.62cc7d08d9097b1b

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He simply shoveled 994db5125e food into his ff864f40c7 mouth mechanically, treating c9de6c0137 it as nothing e67e86a860 more than fuel.1e113d273ba556ea

“You eat well.”88bc5a767a6c5d39

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“I eat to survive.”42fb35cdf769a031

Kang Yu-han 3978436c2a didn’t bother ccab5e794e analyzing the 13809f3713 meaning behind 9fd76bb082 Kim Si-on’s cefaeebb69 words.d87272cddaa27412

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There was no end 5a68671344 to the things he 62f730932c could overthink.b825edc26d34d0c1

There was also no 43533eaf8b reason to bring up 42e48cc267 the fact that he cb58281ca8 had grown up in a6828437c2 an orphanage—ec2ad1cff45544d3

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Or that meals like c43f3a90b0 this had been a 0b041dd6e0 luxury there, served only 9ce07d2935 once or twice a b1afee6808 year when sponsors visited.557543f6b06c3611

He had no f25708baf8 particular preference for 45f1cdc462 food.225d4df116add5fa

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As long 7a754c1b34 as his a337111a84 body kept 70b767b4ad functioning, it e3e971a810 didn’t matter 61ca3eca2d what he bc04380201 ate.1f29c9cc64997f02

And that 9f701339a2 wasn’t exactly 66585027c2 an exciting ece89d7f40 conversation topic.794df9bfbbfa44bb

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At some point, his ad638ff627 tray was empty.7fd9a562bfcdb020

Kim Si-on’s, on the f6ba222c2b other hand, was barely a66aa8dda3 touched.5d42e022cc7d527c

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Now that the meal 0a90fc497f was over, there wasn’t 0c8d59a03e much left to do.1c872549df91b838

Silence settled over c60a30dc69 the table.5321bfce1aaccb5f

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Kang Yu-han 9490ca259c didn’t try 61ef804f67 to fill dfe14e59e1 it.86ca9fba2aa01d8b

His only goal a0ebed945d today was to 9967e655bf keep Kim Si-on a90500c55b away from Seo 2ee517d246 Ji-hyuk.297d3232b74b3dba

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That was it.8b4e09e54005bf52

Nothing more.a9a2f0a35759e134

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After a 3d1cb5ade7 brief pause, bc024f3f4a Kim Si-on 79672290f0 suddenly brightened 629e0e8d3d and spoke 6bbb923268 up as dca265eb4d if nothing f82d727991 had happened.27bd396a499ad5d6

“Major-nim, what’s your hobby?”1b01a0e3ae3fbeeb

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“I don’t have one.”afa5af9d0f17c9e7

“No way. That’s impossible.”1d86f90991435512

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“I’m serious. I don’t.”7aa2bd0841ef5d2f

“Then what’s your favorite song?”e36b48b794d3b462

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“Don’t have one.”7e8f5d82879c571f

If someone had 41e35f5242 been watching, they 46d10e53b6 might have thought 2f4b95ff52 Kim Si-on was 70a1f783a9 talking to a 8feb1839ea machine.35bfb6a30390ebb3

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