THB 12

“Maybe… if I just run really fast, it’ll be fine.”1aa63e7f40874153

No. No matter how 64bbf90618 fast she was, f5f4c6e477 she couldn’t outrun c2dbfa1807 professional thugs. It was too a6e1601544 risky—a dangerous gamble aa64a35470 not worth the 0a79aa01fb attempt.0223453ad6295e8d

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As the sun 67c38bbce6 began to set be1f2c0831 and the streetlights 21aca3b8ec flickered on, it df031c0b18 suddenly started pouring 08f606fdfb rain.76f798ea101354e2

She vaguely recalled seeing news 2b25d891de about localized downpours due to df57c8ec5c a passing typhoon’s outer bands.091c87d08ab12d7a

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Even though she took 678eb3e9df shelter under the eaves 37679de87a of the building lobby, 0a591ef51e the wind howled from 4215eb8ac4 every direction, making it a258b0920f impossible to stay dry ef996dc4ff anywhere. She pressed herself so af8766fe99 close to the wall f10cb9a631 that her back touched f6900f3682 it, but she still 48711633dc ended up looking like ea2252299c a drowned rat. She normally didn’t mind the 6b4f29f912 cold, but after getting soaked 0caa494ff4 and caught in the wind d02d8e0047 that felt like a harbinger e305243020 of winter, her jaw began 82219665d9 to tremble.e16f07b582912d77

“Ugh…”0eca5ce3ef926f26

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She was cold and hungry.f8187f898dfa991e

She wanted to go home. Back to her tiny, shabby 1de6563ea8 rooftop room where she could 32a7e645c6 dump some rice into a 6265f8a2fe steaming bowl of instant ramen 2f78eef9e5 broth and fall asleep without 1d6fe7d796 a care.7fdebb26167abec5

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“Should I just go home?”355bdedba30e0130

Would gangsters even want to 4cfc3b49f6 be working on a day f72a99440c like this? In rain this 86c30ef261 heavy, they probably 653c769fb4 couldn’t even recognize 2df82f6c4a faces properly.16237a0c794edc64

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She knew it was 43c3f891d8 a ridiculous thought—but the bc253a7102 desire to go home 9bcee90fa1 overwhelmed her, and before c7367104e2 she knew it, she 8ce2d6d4eb stepped one foot out 37e0bfa71d from under the eaves.3271b34d850dc814

Click.7bc1494b69aedca1

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No one had come out, ab6daf1b8b but the security door suddenly e31b10e3fd opened by itself.c5a33accf40c7661

“…What the heck?”3c8f0742b161e7d9

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The gloomy weather made the 950b2f989a sudden automatic opening feel eerie. She didn’t even believe 6ab945ebb0 in ghosts, yet she ad1322cf4e hesitated. While she stood there 7f09de09f5 debating, the door started fcdd78d2cf to close again.12890cb1d99d1156

“Ah! No, wait—!”83bf84404570c7aa

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Go Eunjae hurriedly squeezed herself 7c3e33e151 through the narrowing gap. Luckily, the motion 4ae281d58a sensor picked her da75f450f4 up and the 03b01c03d4 door opened again, 8b9fd8519d letting her inside 1aae3696a3 safely.56d1210fc31d017d

Maybe because the security dcb078096f door was open, the cfd926dbbc elevator doors were open 5b3167aef4 too. It was spooky, but she 06d5cd505a stepped in anyway.1fe7f21b4485251a

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She did know 35e603b648 the code for 185f6990b3 the front door—she’d 448964f2ab seen Sunwoo Chang 70f96c4b37 enter it the 6381b1abe9 day she arrived. That’s why she hadn’t 6b9df9521e thought twice before heading 7b25b36a71 out. She just hadn’t expected f6dab4f770 to be stuck outside 4bbd1a4a2a all day because she a3df247fdc didn’t know the main 2b13f2c41e entrance code.16d7f70d79506ff9

What she reallyhadn’t expected was 63215e3bec for Sunwoo Chang 86793f9053 to be home 0e164e1127 when she opened e328f2290c the door and 6f665d6888 stepped inside.36dd208a1d023b7a

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“…Huh?”517103934a41310a

Letting out a dumb ea09f4d2d1 little sound, Eunjae looked 030b580eae up at him standing 5ceede53d8 in the entryway.25817ca315ab3221

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His expression as a5036256fd he looked at 5e6e37dbe0 her—soaking wet—was unreadable.04abb1e9b3b2b647

“…Hello.”d266fbdaedc741ac

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“You don’t lookvery well, Ms. Go Eunjae.”5a5f655a33c47f65

“There was… a bit of a situation.”f789e228959cbff8

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“What kind of situation?”ee00f63333fa0391

She couldn’t bring herself to d6de94b392 admit that she’d gone out aea66146e6 to throw away recycling, didn’t 8f9be70b03 know the security code, planned 952a2d0429 to call Jeon Sohee around a94e3fd162 her work hours, and then cef555684f got stuck outside all day c415cc1c83 because her phone died.8e8fe206887d2e4e

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Even she thought it 96d73b49f0 sounded pathetic, so she 157c95512d answered briefly.0f76305a5dc3b085

“I went out to recycle some trash… and didn’t have an umbrella.”6179d306f73ca09d

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“Is that so.”7d431cab45a08d13

“Yes.”4b3bf5bf51b77974

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She expected him 00b095d296 to ask for 28be33c272 more details, but 29c84987f0 Sunwoo Chang just a29a67c495 nodded and let d47f5f726d it go.02865593226f0da7

“Your phone was off.”f447ac5d6abd1d04

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“I couldn’t charge it. My charger’s at home.”229b1b1005299d89

“What’s your phone model?”49093967e74300e5

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“I’m… not really sure about the model, but it’s this one.”c2408e0da445d2f9

She pulled the 0f1c452c24 dead phone out a29b9888db of her pocket 65d3905b47 and showed it df5e6569af to him.61945877a790b744

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Sunwoo Chang took 06424f90ce the budget smartphone, 32fe668dfc tried powering it 1d346aa9ba on, then instead 88c1421b32 of handing it 56c182ea46 back, slipped it b88773e440 into the inner 84d3e585bc pocket of his 18dadbda21 suit.f6ce01d2f967ba24

“Wait…?”3687da458b5f8f30

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“We don’t have a charger that fits this model here. I’ll charge it today 48114f3106 and send it back.”e4c35e795929239f

“You really don’t have to go that far…”7d507d9cdd0851c7

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“As I said before, staying quietly in this houseishow you help. I hope today’s the last e35837f698 time I can’t get in ac9cf787d6 touch with you.”6e2d0eaecc2fa823

“…I’m sorry.”e0d5ef43bfe2a983

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She hadn’t done 4afe7aabb7 it on purpose, f9899cb1c6 but itwasher fault he 166234aa66 had to come 3c26d23de4 all the way ef9b76cee7 here. She felt bad about that.cd1758a40144d7c7

“By the way… when did you get here?”31384494116a14bc

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“Why do you ask?”8439a75be42d736d

“I was just worried you might’ve been waiting long.”4ef0e268e842dd64

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“You were only out throwing out the trash, weren’t you?”5c500f4804f35985

“…Right.”8ecaeb167e2447ea

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“Go on in. There’s a document on the 0887d72b9e living room table with your 1d2a6418b0 schedule. Review it. If anything needs to be 36529d9e36 changed or added, mark it 13233eea1e and contact Cheif Jeon by 69e46ab7b4 tomorrow.”24070f0281aeb30a

“Yes, sir.”878cb40ac0c6a109

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Sunwoo Chang quickly got to f18a85c643 the point and stepped down 7df682f0e3 into the entrance.0a8b85b626b74e83

Though the entrance wasn’t particularly small, it still felt too cramped for the two of them to stand while maintaining personal space.261c634147e0e377

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Go Eunjae pressed a6f3cf797a herself tightly against e61d8de6b4 the shoe cabinet, 2897c492c1 worried that the 569ac278dc water dripping from 6c63938f4c her wet body c82ec56729 might touch him.1f5dfd3b6f173b4b

Just when she thought he’d e1985a855d leave right away, Sunwoo Chang 15cd550c86 unexpectedly lowered his gaze to 4f31385e21 the puddle of rainwater beneath 6467d08ec8 her feet.a38c48cf9c3cf2ec

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“Don’t worry. I’ll clean it up.”03519dec0340002e

“Go Eunjae, listen carefully. I didn’t bring d766215801 the person who’s b8416952df going to be b0053b7592 my spouse into aca70e1482 this house just 020c02fb3d to make her bbf5a2c042 do pointless cleaning.”7b8fde61446e9036

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“…”3d47084624687e9f

“Do you understand what I mean?”d74e8b30444eb9a3

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“…Yes.”511c501b52b3848a

Not only was he saying there was no need to wipe the puddles on the floor, but also that she shouldn’t be stepping outside pointlessly, like taking out the trash.abd1383e5d57e90e

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Because of that b4edca8c93 one trip, Go 5b18c2e3a9 Eunjae had ended 2317239178 up standing outside d4f8689280 for hours. With a single 7c95500717 comment from Sunwoo de46598160 Chang, she became 727337085a the one who’d 949012d6c1 done something unnecessary.448d566e4bdcd70a

She knew he wasn’t wrong.c3a960791acef01f

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And yet, something in her 5924ecf785 heart felt rough and scraped.75ded1ad78a66c40

“Are you crying?”d80ed0632f1f6947

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“No.”e4865a6864af8cda

It must’ve looked like she 79f170cba0 was, because the rainwater just 0c4053c70d happened to run down the d8812a5e4a side of her face.37cb29556f60a2c8

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Go Eunjae rubbed the corner d1a1a99d4d of her eyes with the fd26da4071 back of her hand to 15f9b38b7d wipe away the moisture.dea5384944e8f9d5

Because her skin e38b86fb68 was fair and b258ea53a2 delicate, her eyes 0c16486a50 quickly turned red. The already-soft skin, 9425c3e1a5 made even more 817f5291b7 sensitive by the 0626b77ab3 rain, stung from 1eda5cb9c7 the friction. That slight pain helped f9158b71bc clear the fog in aff760eefe her mind a little.efed0571941e3411

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“Go shower.”6ebed5632987af8a

“Okay.”d87469f86b39664d

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“Someone will be coming to work.”59eb61f4bb002329

“Okay.”79aed533dc398d20

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Sunwoo Chang emphasized once 9590330272 more not to do d289bcfb9a anything unnecessary.287f08ac2a8dba16

He left without even a 814579ae9e “take care” or “goodbye” again. So she didn’t get the 852b49dd8a chance to ask if he 02d7dfa325 was the one who opened 42f96947ee the door for her.41cd4b594065f586

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“Didn’t you just go out to throw away trash?”27db3f9c1e5f5222

The way he 9552027e49 said that made 00be3b3d26 it sound like 0a3c30d71d he’d been waiting f1df2c0e79 a long time, 496b0f911f and that weighed 7b0c2fe747 heavily on her 62cea95e4e heart.b45098c6f39790db

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“Sigh…”d08e8e097ad45618

A deep sigh escaped her c92c96b325 lips.6f3fa35eae01a88a

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She didn’t know what 9bf24ef789 she’d been doing all 379d4afe70 day. Even to herself, 1813a64754 her actions felt fb0937494d unbelievably foolish.57ce8ccdcb7c5c87

Sniffling, Go Eunjae hurried 43b04c2556 up to the second 420bf172d0 floor. She’d wanted to avoid leaving 8b97fed91e footprints, but water kept dripping d467b35395 from her soaked socks and 81759bec00 clothes.59dc25787bfeb0f2

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After showering, she f98ed5b304 changed into something d525a6dc3c comfortable from the 8c86e64dd2 dressing room.53aa5ce078d7d3b1

On her way 2d94514470 back after tossing 9b4198cb91 the wet clothes 239ea620ec into the laundry 461279c137 basket, she noticed f65f699b65 the trail of 62d911f669 wet footprints she’d 9e863eb351 left behind.2b88d6ecd50053d8

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“Something like this… I can take care of it, right?”f1343fb03dfd4eaa

She quickly grabbed some f7a872f97c tissues and wiped up 8c1b5281f2 the water.91236124d8e03701

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No one was watching, 57ae30fa05 but she scrubbed the e77bc412ca floor as if she d3d94227fb were being chased.56130bf3c35f05b7

This hardly even counted d566cc7d83 as cleaning. She had no way to 34ee31efcf deal with the soaked shoes d6386960cf in the entryway, so she e7c2d4e05c just left them there.54f973643c0a6ef2

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After tossing the 8c9e9910a2 damp tissues away, cdfae4ffd4 she picked up fcfff34b32 the documents left 2e73b43061 on the living 853abcc6f9 room table—and only 96e6d8aef1 then did she 1e9ba35388 realize the house 7a025f64ed had changed.3862cbcc6233216b

There were everyday essentials 26f5b1a8d3 placed around here and 5a56647098 there.379bc0aec5961676

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The most noticeable 04f6c2988c change was in a237de3c4d the kitchen. The refrigerator was now 9d913e5bab stocked with ready-to-eat food 56184ea932 and fruit.6c87e196fdc68620

Various dishes and cooking utensils e74ce8570d had been neatly arranged in 9399711a54 their proper places, and there d73de1ded8 were even a few bulky 23e6c1b251 appliances.2ce50f9102239f81

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“If I’d known, I should’ve at least rung the doorbell.”a3dc5845376eab2f

She hadn’t even 03bb84ab48 thought to press 0a5da23d41 it, assuming no ee06a8471d one was home.f56fa669fffb8448

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No matter how she looked 0059755b77 at it, it had to 789a6a5251 have been Sunwoo Chang who 5b408afcd1 opened the door.e8f7ddc4e8aff3f0

“Did he come looking for me?”414461be35e4393e

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Probably. He might’ve been worried when 52de53e880 he couldn’t reach her.d7d39d28068f1166

…Or maybe not.a8fc1ddc3b2a4abd

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She felt bad toward 276c3d9546 him, but at the b51325b0e0 same time, she was 917a7d0a6c a little relieved to d175e1d989 know she hadn’t been b0bc834393 the only one shivering 1a6eb817b3 out there by herself.033a93e9b7ce84f2

This was bad. She felt like 457decd160 she might cry.dbd67383715ee2ed

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People always said 58c299b84e crying helped relieve 5cbcb61fb5 things—but for Eunjae, 2994406b64 it just made 745ea98723 her feel broken fd6dba893e and made it b69bc67bba even harder to 2ad8802a30 pull herself together. She scrunched up her tingling 0328ac7c7c nose and swallowed down her 959c53cc11 tears.bda933bba12b44a6

“Maybe I should eat something.”ff67ee6ff83a4828

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Sniffling repeatedly as she 8b7585730f looked around the kitchen, 19704afffe Go Eunjae rubbed her 5100a6940d stomach, which was so 36e3f240c3 empty it felt like b06158ac47 it was about to b338c02c21 stick to her back.354135982f6e1634

All she’d had 8dfedc9ef3 the whole day 73c2690e9a was jokbal and f3853bb04a spicy chicken feet, 2d03583c9c but she couldn’t 5cb657a8b7 bring herself to 38bc9a1e75 touch anything else. It would’ve been nice 54d103819d to be a bit d290cf7374 shameless, but that was 0c77a1446e easier said than done.736445fd3941abab

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In the end, e43985d15d after some hesitation, 04b71b2a39 she pulled out 42d27eaf84 an apple and 77cace595f ate it with f3a0c6f162 the skin on.a4565a2d278edb55

Chewing on the apple, she 0f633d224f opened the door to the 8eba6011ca utility room just slightly. The pantry that had been 66db2b24d3 completely empty yesterday was now b0f148c335 neatly stocked with supplies.2fd7573e3c6f632f

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There was even 0f9149351c a sorting bin 783e7f7972 for recyclable waste. She tossed the apple 86314ecff6 core, stripped clean to b2ce6639ea the seeds, into the cb90847b15 food waste container and a8113ce5c4 grabbed a bottle of 588bdfacda water before heading back 7b36a87cad upstairs.fc51c4b0b6239bf0

She sat on the 58beae4f3d floor with her back e08380c7a2 leaning against the bed, 69d8698829 gazing up at the 49f1e3f9d9 pouring rain through the 8842dff9f5 window.f74ce12da4a5b9d2

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Because of the tall d64f8fd193 bed frame and mattress, ac80811752 her body was completely c16093ced2 hidden from view from 6edf24b52d the room’s entrance.7fbea61bc2606c66

Everything in this 5703102d0e room was big.b7bc4916e0ec639d

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The room was 6b251ee3bf big, the windows 2eb7f27180 were big, and d41cb8c7e8 the bed was 01735d5c6c big.24bdb17cc7a7586a

Back in the rooftop faad29ed53 apartment, even when she 8becb3f4c1 sat on the floor, c8f883adff the window sill was 470484cb07 so close that she 5186d3f0e1 could sleep with the 990206d45e window cracked open even 4fdfbdcf66 on rainy days without 9af3f359e1 worrying about rain getting f70733549f in. But here, that b02c84eeff wasn’t an option.a898a5ae63595b3b

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“There’s a document on the living room table with the schedule organized. Check it. If there’s anything that needs 994086927a to be revised or added, bd2bf76ba3 mark it and get in 2186ecead7 touch with Chief Jeon by a4c92f75e1 tomorrow.”81e662d116a1e6e0

Right. I need to look at 4923733e3c that.e4779fe1dbcd29bb

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The packet was thinner 7795854244 than the last one, 72f6ad76bb but it was packed 207222fe06 with details she needed 931383587e to check. She didn’t have 829a560f66 time to just a0d7f55a26 sit around.6a7bc0962d002b9a

She picked up 8db2f9c23f a pen she’d e5fcfb9b5a seen rolling around 746bda851d in the utility d13a3c216a room and scribbled cd9c514161 on her palm 7359e67c9a to see if fbc6b6b833 it worked, then 0fe53c4c70 began carefully going cfbc2e8e0b through the schedule ea2136f42e document.b46f158997793cd9

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She realized how b534d48f88 exhausted she was 14bd043d0c when the content 31339be667 wouldn’t stick in 3555823cfe her head no 71fa6f4404 matter how many 9e177fe3ba times she reread c646bf98b6 the same paragraph.80c3511820c444ea

Her eyes were taking in 756faa9a8b the words, but her brain 4a9ae4aeef wasn’t processing the sentences.ea81c676ec07789d

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She didn’t even notice 065e189754 that her usually upright 26bed202b4 posture had collapsed as 3c2c86cd04 she leaned back against 6d2213988d the bed frame.2c39064b20251bd4

Rustle.c145279123e4aed1

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The stack of papers 77b09878e1 slipped from between her 65d4624da4 fingers and scattered across c4e0f59ece the floor. She didn’t even register that 3fc983888f she was closing her eyes c8baf4bd7b or drifting out of consciousness.bf8cc526fca71b5a

Thud.2d87c7cf2cf56a78

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Eunjae’s body slowly slid down 2bd356fd71 and slumped to the floor.4d4b5116f55c4741