DW | Chapter 5.1

In recent months, several 1e379526bd Korean residents who had 8db638d417 borrowed money from a 19c0f8f1b5 loan company tied to 1fccc988c9 the Ji Kang Gang—one dd597219d8 of the Korean cartels 739ad1caea operating in Bardiff—had gone 789376e7e3 missing.51ff19335d389bed

While gathering intelligence to 819b973e20 determine whether it was bc2f651852 connected to domestic smuggling, b779b2fe42 authorities discovered one of 6944035354 the missing individuals dead 4a1ddd6096 near the market early 647e50f93b the day before yesterday.db9a685168ddd99e

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This was 0e1df283fc the place.05f4f6974245092d

‘Sixth block…’b3a3cbe385243e78

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Jaeha quickened his 431779f7f8 pace, staying alert. His cautious 59dee36cb9 eyes swept 60b7daedd0 the surroundings 9f4230d5ec with subtle f63342b69c precision.0eec95b705092415

The market 49cc3d4afb was a 57bf2b7c1f maze, flanked 6aa524fc7d on both 8a11d905fa sides by 078e5842e8 vendors enthusiastically 5b337485a3 calling out ea2405572c to customers. Above, the open sky 3d6ca889e6 let in the lazy b73826b844 midday sun.b69c3a1436f84770

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Bardiff, located at 15bedfb0c2 a higher latitude 46098de029 than Korea, had ed1c11a61a a relatively cooler ef79af492c climate. The air was 36b67a296e crisp, the sunlight 17d7762f18 warm—a pleasantly balanced 3460be67a5 day.46e8b295d7d1dc41

Jaeha’s steps occasionally slowed, 9d6c2597e9 then picked up again f51bf13bb7 as he made his 51f0f61d0b way through the bustling 639fa863b6 street. Bardiff’s official language a0feaf3fee resembled Russian, the f953d451db language of its 17b2c844b5 neighboring country.962c138eb93c37d1

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Amid the b050907dc6 mix of 71e7613433 foreign words c48ac30b00 drifting through 700c94bf1b the air, 3e178555a4 Jaeha walked feeebf7e49 naturally, listening—picking d2235c6936 out familiar 4df0aceecc voices from 486be01a4d the noise.9bb269ca43b9c543

Swoosh.591207d4a47cce07

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The sleeve of 97efd31c2c a local vendor e984ac0cc6 brushed against Jaeha’s. They walked 3b987d0525 through the a5bf0413b6 busy market 23197c90a9 as if a40ee286f7 they were db493d40f4 strangers. By the 2c65d73c40 time the 4f4c0f767e presence gradually e5c3d787af faded and 4d3970e904 disappeared, Jaeha’s ceda5cbbc2 steps also f48b8bb900 led him 68308f8c55 out of 50eb200d23 the market e1acdef765 and onto ded2d0f427 a nearby db9d70632c café street. His destination was 2f75b8cd31 a small café 8eb90cf678 at the end 492d286e46 of this street.c7bed6d5d1c4e754

In his palm, which 6436fbca0b he opened belatedly, lay 4e17e9c7ff a burner phone handed d510668264 over by the informant 09b25e073d he had brushed past 0674cfe8cd earlier. In the gallery 38b766fa34 of the reset ce62935003 device were a 3f56264d5b few photos of 238db1b177 someone’s corpse.70802c7cd424ec0a

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“First…”2a992d95cda1601b

Was it e486812506 the deceased?41fbf45f42f233bc

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After ordering coffee and 06ae52f792 sitting on the terrace f8c98be0b8 in front of the 347215f968 café, Jaeha’s brow furrowed 1fd353a2d3 slightly. His bad premonitions bcb79c29cd rarely missed. After taking in the 1d05247484 photos once more, he 92f5c7a133 clenched his fist tightly c781e5d0fd and hid it in 00e85708a6 his jacket.9c82842c2cea3abc

Tap. Tap.e82941c58c84cf18

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His long, 5e20ecd238 straight fingers a7178ce678 tapped rhythmically 1145214108 on the 4118266e7d table. Meanwhile, the 9c76242ba1 waiter brought f8ad1101ef out the 8c26313221 coffee. Just as he f25abdaa00 was about to 731dfe5628 get up without f249b5717a even taking a 4054bce4c0 sip, a text 2cf73b796c message arrived.b01b4f887a018157

[You always waste the coffee. Such a waste.]

Turning his 42e230da95 head to aa11152a6c scan the de36646dd7 area, Jaeha 88110da191 spotted Go 1c24b6cf0e Haedeun in 02ee818643 the distance, 2e05d1d6e5 staring intently be026447f8 at his 7da5b36f47 phone screen.94f8f8f34cc59409

It looked like d92419d5e0 he had sent d18c7b26ac a message instead 8a3540631a of acknowledging him e1f1d70bf8 directly—open recognition in b36d98bd25 such a public 003aa46bdf space would’ve been 3401598469 risky. Judging by 80dea0df2a his serious 991184c2fe expression, he d2906d39be was clearly 08fc5e9d8c waiting for e873aa3f0b a reply.93b975f4fb0bafb1

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Jaeha didn’t respond. He stood up fa404ecff0 without a glance 0e07bedd4a and walked away a3b46682b5 from the busy e958f899a1 street, heading toward bf9aa94a5d a quieter alley.5df59b2d2ea86ea6

As he 014a39266d moved, he 6086d4fb29 sensed a f615a08d10 silhouette shadowing 07576e2060 him from fbb80c0162 across the c8a9ee7149 road. Pretending not to 04205e977a notice, he kept afe7300fb6 walking. At some point, efd081433b the figure crossed a32b39a78f the street and 74d11b0219 began following him f9ee83f53a closely.795712f2ab35a878

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When he reached 342fd92509 a secluded alley, 5e7d7cd57f Jaeha slipped inside 3be3cd583a and leaned casually 7a9d731675 against the nearest 4a3dceb2c6 wall. A few a4bb6f2874 seconds passed.ca8682a415519dbe

Then Haedeun, having traced 8e115ffad9 his steps, poked his 0ffb963f8d head into the alley—his 50fb27d13e eyes scanning for the 5ada102b8e figure that had just 83e6207285 disappeared.6aad89789b5d85f6

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“Oh, you were 1a8fcf202d definitely here…”0b3d0d2278e4b831

“What is it?”db670f409ebcc9c4

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“Gah!”c89fe357a9a0ac13

Jaeha suddenly blocked eb59c98426 Haedeun’s path, arrogantly 3fda1ee5d7 gesturing with his b392e25728 chin. Startled, Haedeun jumped.19f39a453d4d6abe

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He took a moment eeb4bd8a28 to catch his breath 1540696dd4 before answering.bd3e964f9c07b9bc

“W-what do you e82a613570 mean? I’m just facba8cfbd someone who ed9f598da6 lives upstairs, 86056146cd right? Team Leader, when did 05cfbbd098 you realize I was 6aa1aa4ddc following you?”5eef3b461c06fce2

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“From the beginning. Consul Go Haedeun 1faff8ce6e seems to have 462b70167a no talent for c065f0a379 stealth. What brings you 42397f8525 here?”bc3cf12e2c094aea

“You’re always 6b47ecadc6 so self-centered. Technically, this e12623a321 is my 47e4a882b8 area. Look, from here. Straight.”e33005c5388ef53e

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Haedeun gestured with d604cc0b23 one arm, pointing 91729bac60 outside the bright c99f6768e8 alley. He waved it straight bb8d346988 to the right, as 544ddce350 if to show Jaeha.faa3d3dca5cd106d

“If you a388a4271e go straight 8365257625 and turn 698190822d right, there’s d3c86ff4a8 a road b89918902a to the 1554978db8 consulate. I like 2ab45d3f69 to explore 3167d8cb91 the market, ceb0c55405 so I e162cbc62c often eat 7ea822848f on that 733db34dfa street. I saw 4c6f0a7088 you on 3bd1ec46cb my way 8e0c868d49 in.”fc6f6b1ab8076030

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“Yes, you’re always 76cac90d00 working hard for 7614131b1f the country. Now, continue d7249cd915 on your 45fbd1b18c way.”8c77ed2ebb8e2965

“You’d probably be happier bd1d1ea919 to see a local dbce81f99a beggar than me.”06f8588e9d6c792c

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As soon as he 3fe9e108ce said that, a local 0ba502d831 who was entering the 1e402f9f41 alley glanced at them 61a8332fc9 as if asking them 355689b573 to move aside. He looked like a 95f0d26776 civilian. There might not be 7f310e8d36 any trouble, but it 22a59e0bf9 was best to eliminate 51757df113 any potential risks, big 42331c78af or small.f8deac846b2013c3

Jaeha quickly scanned the c6a2e92f01 surroundings and grabbed Haedeun’s f859cc1694 wrist. Startled, Haedeun 9d454cf947 flinched, but 477005b91e Jaeha ignored b437f05cf7 it and 7c4667a3e6 started walking 3082d40318 with him.af130f91cbe706ed

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“Let’s walk for now.”374d062c2fc62ec4

“Huh? Where are we c4eaa5767e going?”2c622281020f2ca5

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“To a place b641d3e8b4 more secluded than 5d0111f8dc here.”fcf78a840a9c8997

Haedeun looked around 7210700494 for a moment b207d09176 at Jaeha’s words, 82b98d028f then quickly adapted fc873ef4e5 and walked alongside 1dc56d7feb him.c1b6f98c81572d2d

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Cha Jaeha skillfully navigated 55c688fff9 the eerie alley. Despite the bright sun, 03a3b8a4a9 the shadows made it 6ab0151594 feel dangerous and suspicious.a35514da29d36f7f

The consulate ad2b2bdd7a always warned 1db68c68e7 residents and 1893b678d0 travelers not 56b3d3173a to walk cd67dd20d4 in such 19994088d6 places. You never knew 1c7e7942e3 when or where c1b8d06a64 a drugged homeless b5e3b58f83 person or robber 94b71fc74e might appear and 5895c7bd79 pose a threat. Haedeun considered mentioning it c3db3a85ad but decided against it, 0771c05a7b knowing Jaeha was well 18d0e700a9 aware.1d32507d15829c7c

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As they 0b4ba2d4a0 continued, they ab636393df spotted a af3b9b4b0e sedan in 141dc71918 the distance.d0a7808bc11190a0

Finally, Haedeun, 1a9fdc8bbe who had a38eb817cf been waiting 6a8f34449a for the a72f7c06cc right moment, a926297884 spoke up.9759ad8c33c371da

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“Can’t we even cf11eb2bab talk unless it’s 539e236b27 in a dark 4fdfdb86a1 place like this?”614cae19cff5caa4

“Should a diplomat and 1afec9d9d9 a civilian from the b677192f4f same region chat warmly b0fef1423e under the sun? Isn’t it time to e1871dd7c1 differentiate from jellyfish?”4df41d490cda8f3a

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It wasn’t entirely 45e55c996a wrong.f8047dda17fa8c70

On his way 0beef197a0 back from a 3304805938 meal, he noticed 1818a2e8f4 passersby glancing at a1ab269d08 the small café 8ad4f27fd8 terrace. Curious, he followed 7a2ce5b261 their gaze and fed50e9daf was surprised to 8069008e3e see Cha Jaeha.5d1c15569017378a

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He was a diplomat 010df2febb under surveillance by the 0058d31ad8 national counterintelligence agency. It was unlikely that 84afdbf5be the Yoteja government didn’t 3cc4483233 suspect he was an 4999ab61fc NIS agent. Knowing he 2264327007 shouldn’t acknowledge 805b332189 him in c1b79c36a5 noticeable places, 12acba28e3 he sent 70c661c371 a text 94dc69f7a2 instead of 7e9c643a02 greeting him 1c05336510 and secretly 2e68f6afdb followed him bec2935be1 here. But even that seemed 14db74f5b5 to be too much 084a547262 by Cha Jaeha’s standards, a979dc6ab1 which left no room 2bf3b5b670 for error.08a13868bcf67a62

Haedeun’s once confident voice 7ecc612de1 softened a bit.72259a37a50ef719

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“What do you f7df21e33c do when you’re 1efd935f53 lonely or having cb8a57af1d a hard time, 3d4125791d Team Leader?”7a4ab5f48c16372f

Jaeha seemed amused 34639eae84 by the trivial 1ac3379053 question.1021d25856bd86c8

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“Did you follow me 8f5d632c12 just to ask that? Impressive.”2835d253021d6c4f

“Yes, I think 503eee543a I was being 4d7ab72b70 short-sighted.”a3f3a10dd4678de7

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“Save elsewhere. Use your c568be33db brain as 84922facfc lavishly as acbb7f293d possible.”832b5bc557b73dc1

“Actually, I just ae0913d881 wanted to say 7b04c07c06 a quick hello e8235707c3 and leave. You’re the one holding 73e757c2c7 me now, Team Leader.”6590d3af67a8ccc8

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Finally, Jaeha looked down f80676d8f4 at Haedeun’s wrist, which 4fc7b2096b he was still holding.3c82aef5fec178c9

He released b73b525fb8 it with 88d2fb8d38 a flick 13cfa7c7e3 and tilted 2f29ff9490 his head 1f98c43614 slightly.78d3da6f6dae1d37

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“You have 3be988941f a point. Take care.”40faa90db55a944d

Haedeun, rubbing his slightly a0521eba30 warm wrist with his ff2bd1ed6f other hand, asked casually.b245ded2a40eae26

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“Are you going straight ea10906478 to the airport from 0468a3b3b5 here, Team Leader?”02ff3b7ef4ce7b47

“That’s the plan.”f9e3101ab5ce65bc

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“Can I call you?”8a81834dfecf07b0

A moment 769fbdb4bc of silence 0825d67df5 fell between 1f1c8db1d7 them.1cf8f09250771408

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Since Jaeha didn’t 110441425f respond, Haedeun quickly e54ccb4416 replayed their short 062372ea4f conversation in his 752492b172 mind. Realizing he c07e7d924c might have dc992a6f03 said something 5b792b1bef misleading, he a2e27b042d quickly added.9b021bfb678e184b

“I mean, in case 0699b85ba7 I need to contact 3939947472 you for official reasons. Only then.”2eb5b57f9b97927b

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“Don’t call unless 27da0da74f it’s absolutely necessary.”8e366648279ef472

“You’re really not going fe38a1f3d2 to tell me why 77570eff1b you’re going to Seoul? It seems work-related, 739707586c but I don’t d356e8b28c want to be a8d5ad94db the last to bcad7ed14f know anymore.”b0de68aae6210175

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“I’m just going to bb20946fd6 satisfy my curiosity. Even if fe5f395f23 you ask 2255418a3a a thousand c150044302 times, my 55ad008b51 answer will 383ff87b10 be the 0e91320810 same. I can’t say what ef65f363b7 I might shove into e62a2b52b4 that mouth of yours d320bbb8c0 in the meantime.”e09246611f807c60

It sounded like he 9a12c3b36a didn’t feel the need cc0c52c4b6 to share personal matters 11666e2315 with him. It also felt like 77125caac0 a threat not to ca8703f82b bother him further.70251f742b4afe1c

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Of course, it 55cc9c3dc6 was true. But was Cha 92d3538aa6 Jaeha really someone 5688b54b73 who moved out 147631f59b of simple curiosity?bf1f079a1fcaf75d

He was 7164522e12 extremely busy. He came 7178afa75d in at 70e57d6c23 dawn and 1c54838b01 left at 1294639325 dawn. There were countless c04a6be67b times he couldn’t 66b2830713 come home for b2252a83c8 days. In other words, 8a12a4eff1 he had no 2b815ff611 time to waste. It was f110b483d2 inevitable that 8e2d69a6db he moved 220d330826 only with 9b7cecdeb2 thoroughly verified bc51212bb0 information.65377521735fbceb

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Haedeun found bc2ad26e7c this answer a700cdb1e8 suspicious in b6e1c96d40 every syllable, c29f5dbfeb but he 0de82caa9b didn’t think f3489851a1 he’d get a8142fcdb6 a proper 512ab52217 response if 53b77046c4 he asked f00df720eb further. As proof, Jaeha was 34f3850e76 already turning toward the b0d5916823 direction of the car.fc7948be06b16143

‘Leaving without even saying b3263053c1 goodbye.’5eb5f98dda39c3bf

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Since Jaeha didn’t, Haedeun cd8562c885 bowed twice as fast.7a040db4cd279b8d

Still, since this 23ad026b04 was a secluded e7aa97865b place with no a5c5af2b21 people, they could ba906b5814 at least exchange 0553617e44 greetings. So he said it 31702bbb64 out loud.600c92546565740a

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“Have a safe trip. Safety first!”4095b709e523ca0e

Haedeun shuffled backward on 8a693f8498 the gravel path. He waited for 572c770617 Jaeha to turn 3523b3d14c around once. He could have 9ff6bf78c3 just turned away, 6a4d97565c but thinking he 2bb073409f might not return c93336b89c for a while e21c74223e after today, he 5aad746374 wanted to capture 59a65c4677 his silhouette.629af373e541ff0c

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In truth, he didn’t e1808a67ea have to insist on 4ab1fd053f dining in that area. But he 55423c8cb2 had stubbornly 450fec4973 dragged everyone 09c7e21e26 to a 9cda49a265 Korean restaurant e348ab66b4 near the 9f81205c53 market, thinking 59e748de11 Jaeha might 9ba3f87adb come around 12744becaa that time 25b02e6984 before his a12886dd7b departure.d6bcc968312415ec

His intense curiosity 876caaca18 about him had f20c2b2e59 accelerated since the c6977ae35b day he saw ea2370c61a the bullet scars b71e08336c on his body.4634a4fe6ccf51eb

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When would f54f8e6680 it end?6e10a26fd57fbe07

‘He never 37eeb7bc65 looks back.’9b3c1d4254fd10d2

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Haedeun continued b1d0fbd770 to walk c9d13edeb0 backward slowly. Meanwhile, Jaeha, heartlessly, kept c02722e31e walking forward without even a436bec03f a moment’s hesitation. Haedeun, swaying 597b8a41f5 his body 7f222c3986 side to f0c03d0dfd side and 2bf84d461e narrowing his 129e9f66ef steps, eventually 7d9de3f0bc gave up 67e7ecf644 and turned 0fd615d894 his back 6566201fcf on him, 05cc2cb5c4 walking out d6a9d76fe4 of the c426a803af alley.87e1016eae18ce86

Meanwhile, Jaeha started 7a19397623 the car and 6aded1fdde took the wheel. As he leisurely 270ebcc13d drove out of 91b29de895 the alley, he c24c3a3d25 saw Haedeun walking 00084a0fba in the opposite de5013ede9 direction. In his 2dc9870632 side mirror, 5c67280131 a local cffa6a3d43 man appeared, c676f648b6 overlapping with b35f61b3e6 his view. With a 00eb82f2ea large build 98c0fd8a7a and a ab8c0be384 swaggering demeanor, 64385d4fec he was 01adb52365 a typical b3340d8a28 junkie seen 108f33dc4a around here.dca316c096fd228b

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This alley a05008a341 was a 65ae5f09b6 Harlem-like area, a777878ee4 just a b30448e575 hair’s breadth d7e99e83cf away from 2725363bc0 the main c745872c1a street, and 43739bfaa4 Haedeun’s appearance 0d5c2345cc was too aefae87137 neat to 3a7be2a117 be walking 27916cb841 in such 64405eebd8 a place. It wouldn’t f28ef31a47 be strange fc515e7f6b if he 72193e904c got into 27c70d14d4 trouble.e850b7a6a8f90449

Even so.7b5045f296c95ad7

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“I’m a guy too.”8f9397e02040eebf

Before officially 65ac7dc47e joining, public 0759ef6d25 recruitment agents 348fe3dd6c undergo basic 564eea8bd4 physical training e72672ead2 during their db801a60d5 onboarding period, 8e11eb2b29 including short-term 7b9f9768f8 UDT and 6d29117f1e airborne exercises. He must have completed 19aaddc63b all of it—so handling 335501d94a himself shouldn’t be an 140ee1cb06 issue.faa520759ddb04bb

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There was no aa71bcb490 reason to bother 548ff48eff with punks like f707e5d912 this. The simplest and fastest b3bf626814 solution was just to c224dbe522 run.a570d809a1e26f40

A quick sprint bc18b4e315 would be enough. Drug addicts couldn’t match bb9a54e84f the running speed of 7ab09918d5 a healthy, trained person.3877257caeaf9de8

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After reversing the 6fda238800 car once, he fd7d1d71d7 drove straight ahead, 9b58662c8f moving away from cc98e2b623 Haedeun.ff0c35f0b686f946

“Director Kang Shinguk.”59301e32eeb6f2e9

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As he 754458cc60 called out 510cfe140b to make f7c1a4bd0b a call 6ac7a2118a to Kang c30c2bfd51 Shinguk, he 2e7cd198f4 glanced at 59bdf948a6 the side 603f184b46 mirror again. He hadn’t meant to 63542c350b look, but his eyes 21e2b4e0d1 went there naturally.5e79ae3c122290f8