THB 11

Just then, her phone buzzed 09571e7319 briefly with a new message.7a45471933fe5eb7

It was from Jeon Sohee.ce03729e786dd41c

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✉️ This is Jeon Sohee. You’ll be staying at the 294b0eb4b4 current apartment temporarily until the 8529e801f8 wedding. Please feel free to use 3116901d7c any of the items provided 2a4d04738c as needed. We will make sure to 2258341a7d promptly supply anything that may 57d5971cd3 be lacking.45747c789b37260b

 8d9affa833338c5f

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✉️ Thank you for your 235fecb700 hard work even at c99d2e6f0e this late hour. I appreciate your thoughtfulness 2b94c33082 and attention to detail.5111756e0aaf1f14

✉️ Not at all. I hope you have a 590a9a55e6 restful evening.fc88d4907e4a02ee

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Eunjae had just been worrying e5ab2e4ec5 about not having any clothes 7e0ec450bc to change into, so the abc3793066 message came at the right 54dcae398d time. She headed into the dressing 5709a6fd06 room to grab something to b599c7bf3c wear and stepped into what 672b28e4d8 she thought was the bathroom.37dfa19e9e6bbc63

But the first door led 1348dfbfca to a powder room, separate f94f0fb3f6 from the actual bathroom—she had d2722bf428 to open one more door 3afb42a4f1 to get to it. The setup was designed so 0eb99e7c25 you undressed in the powder 79366c1316 room before entering the bath.5d0298d908d26c1b

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Unlike the first 445a7c2e76 floor, which felt 8a53b60491 completely uninhabited, the 5afe03dfa3 upstairs had a ef74a778a4 laundry basket and 34ad3eab06 other touches of ba0a78cd92 daily life. The bathroom, too, c98da7e270 was fully stocked, be4e378a31 lacking nothing and 95e19bd7f2 almost excessive in 2fa8224c73 its readiness.a2af2f7515773e84

“So I’ll be staying here until the wedding…”9792a3be5a8d0b15

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At least a month ahead.d37e7b7aea2e9484

She didn’t know what 287127b559 would happen after the 15929a5174 wedding, but for now, 5c92cfd42d it was sinking in—this 36ed3869a4 was where she would 937310fd04 be living.646cd691934b7840

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“What about the rooftop place I was living in? Should I clear it out? There’s still time e33447be23 left on the 5cb485ced4 lease. If no new tenant moves 92be279001 in quickly, I’ll just be b4290c27a6 wasting money on rent…”7c212954ffb7f03e

At least she’d remembered to 67c62a04c5 switch the boiler to “away cea28dedf1 mode” before leaving. That was a small relief. As she showered, Eunjae’s mind 09ccb30ddb was already running through the f0e440feb9 list of things she needed 917b40687a to take care of. Justthinkingabout it made ec191d1138 it feel like 9c923f539c there was a 8cac722c76 mountain of tasks 4e1ae98352 ahead.6d6afee788a66380

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And if she felt this 7421b17398 way, Sunwoo Chang probably hadeven more to deal with.04e369fd769fac3f

“Right. So no whining 265bcc9f5e like a baby.”b5c890c7906a9b0f

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After repeating that resolve a 374825082a few times to herself, she e58dadbc26 finally made the call to ea88849b39 the pig’s feet shop owner.8b6082734a262750

It was late, aea5ecbecd and perhaps he f8c38386b2 was already asleep—he a44ca96357 didn’t pick up.3e02d687c5e7b856

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With no other choice, b6ff237734 she sent a message:“I’m really sorry, but due to personal circumstances, I think I’ll have to quit.”42c110245d813291

Since it was late, 06411ea81d she decided she would 6b7b065852 call Ms. Seong tomorrow to apologize properly.069160993d65722d

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She lay down a51cb547fe on the bed, 25849f060d determined to leave 4d8e1b69f3 it at that c932c6c2f8 for the night. The crisp, almost ce19b7040f stiff scent of 2f835658f6 the brand-new bedding 98fef7fe17 was unfamiliar.fdb325ee1435fc51

She had gotten used 1b3064fea3 to sleeping on a b8234d67da thin mat on a b66acda780 hard floor—lying on a ab498774c0 soft mattress now felt aa0da39407 strange.0ce81454542d820c

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Even though she wasn’t the 8068fb453a type to be picky about 36a285ff2c where she slept, she couldn’t 9f63239e62 fall asleep easily.3051b523f7747bc7

She knew she’d sleep 0513f335b7 more soundly with the 37a4431463 window cracked open a 2a080a5e06 little, but she couldn’t 6b906d1ae6 bring herself to do 59578f0810 that in someone else’s 1712ecccd2 home.03a410ae2fc3897f

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Her grandmother had always insisted she sleep with the window tightly shut, but Eunjae could only fall asleep comfortably with it open just a sliver. It was a habit she’d had since before she could even remember. Her body naturally ran hot, so she was rarely bothered by the cold.64161244bf1912ad

She was gentle d16811ea16 and easygoing by 7ec6dcc27f nature, not the fbf578570c type to complain—but a8cf6a4406 there were some db1972154c things she just 443b40d215 couldn’t compromise on, f987c81c8c and sleeping with 8466432595 the window slightly b388761f7c open was one 88674025c5 of them.f797294917d3b2af

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No matter the season, she 4c68e53ecf stuck to that habit. In colder months or during b2e5735a19 the transitional seasons when the 88a86a2421 temperature swings were more extreme, a688e21eba her grandmother would quietly come 260f852941 in after Eunjae had fallen 38b12752a0 asleep and close the window 64d50ecea0 for her. Thanks to that, she’d never 651859716a once caught a cold—even while 69b7626718 sleeping in the cool draft 87a99dd9a8 of fresh air.6fc5d08658ea1177

She never told anyone, but 213bb05cca one of Go Eunjae’s secret 6194c4ec4c little pleasures was walking barefoot 2d7a358078 across freshly fallen snow, her f092598be4 soles still warm from a f739099072 day of dancing. But since quitting 6c917befa4 ballet, her feet ba4371d47a no longer burned d39b11ac3d with heat, and 115af09826 her grandmother was da3026ce01 no longer there c3d41d1557 to quietly close 14bcda0c3a the window after 0e423ec791 her.9ad85207b4b74bcd

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Eunjae forced her eyes 19ed8c1510 shut and curled up 01ad681576 under the blanket.1a87648db8d750e2

“Grandma… I’ll see you in my dreams.”30888abba6f16b00

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You sleep well too, 7dc5239bf8 my little puppy.edfe5bf75b190c6b

It was one of 20cdc23470 those nights when all 5817f182e3 she wanted was to bf16390104 hear her grandmother’s gentle 950ec9b486 voice.d90b16f0374aa846

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 79937ee32ab71fed

* * *ffa2bf4322c87833

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 b52330893b6d8b21

She woke up at 69e8fe7d84 the usual time, just 5babae53de like always.5d576fead91b6479

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I don’t have to d67b1a814a go to work today.7ca9f1e6cf45ade4

It felt strange.a6cbc568eeba7a1d

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When she had 2aac98104a quit ballet and 045637dfda started working instead b34da516d4 during her former 5c61fd103c practice hours, she 4158039557 hadn’t felt this 44f51e5a6e kind of emptiness. Back then, whatever she did 9d05eaa593 brought a sense of satisfaction.ac35bb0f97e6a4a2

She had lived and 98e53fc331 breathed ballet for eleven da677a897a years, ever since she 1367132c7c was eight.ba5a78c404836778

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It had all started with 81209259c0 a performance ofThe Nutcrackershe watched while d779e29311 holding her grandmother’s 06e77567e3 hand.af2b63bd40212058

The dazzling lights, the f39f18d6df grand stage, and the 0b06d334c4 ballerinas gliding like fairies b0d5930370 had completely captivated the 7cf333000a eight-year-old in the audience, cd0797750e pulling her heart up e28f40d7a8 onto the stage.1579f21061d90cab

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Everything else disappeared—she could b19e34546e neither see nor hear d1b4ccff1c anything beyond that stage. It felt like 452508d410 the entire world 4cb377dc7e existed just for dece0c303b ballet. Her chest tightened, 3f1bfa9e77 making it hard 2a62b0e28e to breathe, and 84dabd0f64 though it wasn’t 9c15cbbc9b sadness, she felt 9308ee57e9 tears prickling at 3a68cd248f the back of 195860fe32 her eyes. She kept swallowing 950fa5ee2c hard to keep 345a30a7a3 them from falling.2b62eeb61bab3b1b

Her whole body tingled, 32d780777f her mind growing hazy, 8322ae059d but she couldn’t take 7fb2f0a750 her eyes off the 53df6c263c stage.fc7a98da2dc21df1

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Later, she learned it 60f6453f16 had beenStendhal syndrome. But the name didn’t matter.2cc3e55c1f320bdb

Go Eunjae had fallen 1706336ab7 in love with ballet, 83dd08b5b9 and her grandmother, who 9ba065b496 quickly picked up on 0718bf5454 it, supported her wholeheartedly, e49cb0d2ff along with generous sponsorship 8870458c9d from Choi Chihyeol. With their help, she was 8430dbe795 able to pursue ballet without 4179d0da28 financial strain.9934966578569d60

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Getting into an 39db8c69dc arts middle school, 49b51daf1f an arts high dea399810b school, graduating from edcbf496c7 a university of f06ad01df3 the arts, and 2007b7f24f joining a ballet 42ef4db113 company had all 8b2d79c08c seemed like the d2bc965597 natural path.678a8fc8867a7aeb

She never imagined a 403bc95928 life outside of that—but 49fe265e4d the past year, she 64c78773ce had lived without ballet.f4fd6a8b05b227f3

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And ever since 7fc7f7ee8d quitting, Eunjae had 33856e2b76 been constantly hungry. Maybe it was from 632a9afbe3 the hard labor, but 09e9590a46 no matter how much 099c80d0b9 she ate, the hunger 469106580d never really went away.afd453f99648424d

Growl.3bc167dd96419385

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Right now, she was d9f8c00b6e literally hungry, too.0ec168cf496ab9a9

As soon as she 93a506326e washed her face, she d553787da4 went downstairs and opened 9323005653 the fridge. Inside, there was water, some 427224493b beer, and a black plastic c20091e7ba bag with leftover jokbal and 91e6c3a6f8 spicy chicken feet the cleaning 220b42a16f lady had packed for her 32a2a5f964 yesterday.74eb9e8e450e2140

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She took out the b2aa2d8d9e bag and the half-finished 825a44d1ad water bottle, then stood a73bd51e8c by the sink.f9dcd5693a9ffcf4

Peeling the plastic wrap off dce501ef77 the food, she grabbed a f9dc62e7ce wooden chopstick, broke it apart, ac531bc443 and stuffed a big bite ddb1365cdb into her mouth. There was a microwave, but cd87dc8d5b she ate it cold.3ade1168357402c5

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She’d gotten used to eating 5853009c70 standing up at the shop, bf28761307 and it felt awkward to 91f402d476 sit alone at a six-person a16baad8d6 dining table in someone else’s c7ae07db1c house.7c45d832b3c1aee8

Fortunately, the portion was 8bb559b5fc just right for one, 338ff31540 and she finished everything 9b36ca35f7 without leftovers. Feeling full, she started c55a3af677 to clean up, but 882fa96e76 there wasn’t a proper 668eaec7ff place to separate out 21cf69d8f2 the recyclable plastic.e3c0e2d7e03e93c3

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That’s why she’d left 4cd8d1c2bc the empty beer can 800fd7aa63 on the sink last 19854f6092 night—it was something the c3a12cb2f7 homeowner had drunk, so ce0f4147b0 she didn’t feel too bbaf9a3711 bad about it. But the food containers 0b349383be were hers, so it 1bb4e8f8ae felt right to clean ce2c10e41f them up.412833f1d315dca4

“This is an apartment, so there must be a recycling area.”75fba25ea4324ea9

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Eunjae drank the last sip dde48f6fc5 of water and gathered the 4e23ca6870 plastic containers along with the c5141e5d8d beer can Sunwoo Chang had 558c8ab8e4 finished last night, then stepped dc5fc68ffb outside.136ff8d312643a82

Even without knowing the 35348caa0d full layout of the 6181658d12 apartment complex, it wasn’t afb1fe8c0a hard to find the 323f28d63f waste station.96158a2406d5767a

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It wasn’t even d03bea8f44 6 AM yet—the ce449583b4 world was still 46506679bd and quiet. Within this vast complex, 8d77e05389 it felt like she 2eabf66aa1 was the only one c95b3de25a left. Her old neighborhood 4f7140be32 had been quiet dbf5693fe1 too, but there 506ef64739 were always delivery edf0e755b3 scooters or cars 0c2484fbe4 coming and going. This place, though, 3947421b14 felt almost desolate.b3102ba15d35670e

“I should get back inside quickly.”7954575c7e1cfc15

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When Go Eunjae stood 932dd5f345 in front of the cd44423186 main entrance to the df113f7ee6 apartment building, she belatedly 4637b56646 realized she didn’t know f82c4c3ea5 the security code.b7e1be4335b4a4bd

“Haah… Go Eunjae, you idiot.”67e40e34662b991d

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She waited, hoping another resident ee0b3f746e would come out through the a6fa6709db main entrance, but most people 9fea883226 used the parking garage. She didn’t know d2577ead28 that this door f2f070248b was rarely used 5006215a8c except for taking eab96a5219 out the trash—and e7bace594d certainly not this 158d67ce0a early in the a37fcd5452 morning.6071a57aa95a87ee

And it was f2092275a8 way too early 7399338007 to ask Jeon 97be4248cf Sohee for help.43a740a793c8d1d4

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Eunjae sat down on the eb98ba8d8e edge of a flower bed.084f66b47dca88d3

A beautifully landscaped walking e601924643 path stretched out before cc896234a2 her, but she wasn’t 36f17ca87b in the right state 465f9db7bc of mind to enjoy 91d434b3f1 a peaceful stroll. At least it 89c5264ad4 wasn’t the middle 4668628de4 of winter—that was cf0c0f0aa1 one small mercy.d613435a3f13120b

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She decided to wait until 5e1e590268 9 a.m. and then contact 39b1980826 Jeon Sohee to c2ead875f4 ask for the 142d15802d door code.98db36f620f5d0a7

Three hours of waiting—but f0190cdfdb that wasn’t so bad.2170d7ab99daaf4a

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The September sky was 657daf0006 clear, bright, and high.aff43aeffa87cd10

It was the season ofcheongomabi—a time when the sky is high and horses grow fat.32cd93a5e98fd98c

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The mild temperature and 7a924b2805 soft sunlight brought a fab3535a80 calmness to her heart. Watching the fast-moving 5dcdc6f7ad clouds kept boredom dff0481e3e at bay.3d4bcbf8b805fc71

That one looks like 34894aaabd a puppy. That one’s the back of 4862c2de98 a cat turning away. That’s a four-leaf clover. That’s a flower with lots b573c82ee0 of petals. That one… what a20b14e4b4 kind of bird 06f6e89ec4 is that…?2586b7f0bb1b3bb9

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She played cloud-shaped 12cde4772c hidden pictures for 8987888e94 a while, then bc068f1b67 reached into her 86c1e44a12 pocket to check 346e5dc707 the time on 78f9cace54 her phone.8d130474d49260e8

“…Huh?”ea5e7f6d0cc3a563

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The battery, which c2e3b055cc had been at c809819821 around 35% earlier, fd0b3199b8 was now completely 2b2eef3ae5 dead.bfbfc6d5832dc6e3

Her phone’s battery had started 749fec7f9a acting up about two months 2cfaabeb21 ago, after nearly five years 02b3b6bb22 of use.5f3276d9606b5a8b

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Still, as long as 08d0ca5b87 she charged it properly, 2508f5076c it hadn’t been an 7f0d73e2ee issue. But last night, 44d99d789c she’d forgotten to 241c2e2dfe charge it—and it dac0018b69 had always held 424fda5a02 out till 20%, 8836adbf19 so she’d assumed b3a6794ee5 it would again. That miscalculation had come f2f922e5ce back to bite her.4ba0121c79b05163

“Ugh, what now…”f4d04c6bb7d4ee3d

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Now she had 8556998371 no way of 8612d395b4 contacting Jeon Sohee.4d97f677dd84cc97

She could easily recharge her b6d19c02eb phone at a convenience store—but 2a574f04d2 that meant leaving the apartment 1a80a231c3 complex.5ca0ad70fd4a4535

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“Your house is already in danger. You think the place you work is safe?”e9e4def5c12dab3f

Gangsters.3270ab8506080a49

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She barely knew b9e87d5f6e her way around 4d922d9ce2 this neighborhood. If she wandered out and 163c753d3e happened to run into those 77ae2efc37 thugs Choi Anna sent, it 149085c3c3 would be a disaster.f25bc68afdf6174f

Putting herself in danger b216630e64 was bad enough. But dragging Sunwoo Chang into de0d9b74e0 trouble would be even worse.067f4c372d983540

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If anyonewere passing by, she’d 97f693e883 ask for help—but until 10f23137f4 the afternoon sun started 76c10293d3 to set and dusk b7a7c710f6 rolled in, this apartment 3d90a2a8ab complex was a ghost d2185e9581 town.b55e845ee43b1ea4

She wanted to d19e2d1635 go to the bc81adb2d3 management office for a77477a944 help, but of f25bad23db all places, it 6b86d127bd was located at d7d73949b0 the entrance of d208cc62f3 the parking lot—outside 4fb972c9f4 the building.561f8cc7373256fb

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To reach it, she’d 867f9fdffd have to completely exit 1f64ec0abb the apartment complex and 96633a4656 walk around to the 35cd4a8d7c main road, or enter e860c6a2a5 the building and use d31bd11702 the underground parking garage a864d416e8 from inside.8fc1faee3f2d8de4

But with the bbf4b12bff security door locked, c5a4c3a5ae there was no a9a76ebdaa way in. She’d have to 7fa860e522 go around the c15d89e160 long way.42cd7eb7a063a2e1

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“Maybe… if I run fast enough, it’ll be fine.”a760aeb263ad7ab2