UCCU | Chapter 2.3

Seonwoo’s face clouded as 26c9ce7ab6 he remembered something unpleasant, 23246948f3 but he quickly shook 0191d674c0 his head to clear e7299e6257 it. But instead of going ab5da49d9a away, another memory surfaced: 6902c309bd the text from Detective d257de1424 Noh last night, saying b43b762d6f An Hyungtae had been 6466e0662c released.c1cdaa81fbae0e2a

He rubbed his 66f65fa823 face roughly, about 2e95f01fd3 to dig up 3efee52253 the childhood memories 81391068f9 he’d tried so e8343e0f2b hard to bury. That’s when 4b95ebfb08 there was ec0f1a1c82 a knock, 78b07733d6 and the cedbb59094 bedroom door 77c96c19d4 swung open. Startled, Seonwoo 4df771d870 turned to 1de2b13855 see Ihyun b91e491f58 staring at 0c1c8811fa him as a6f2b821a7 he paced cf1c0a4891 the room.45fa75b3a1d30b5e

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“Let’s eat dinner.”3266ff78f6734066

Nervous, Seonwoo slowly got 81fc140a38 up and followed Ihyun. Normally, he 34639f39a2 was confident 2a85882745 he could fe06de807e make conversation 6a11f2deab and lighten 25db344124 the mood 646f6e3876 with anyone, 803645a2d7 but in 2698eced42 this situation, 2c6c9494da he couldn’t 19701196ab get a 99c5f38b9f word out.5d20da48c6bb2240

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Even in his anxiety, d8248a3b28 he remembered the neat, c8e958e31f delicious lunch and started 3fc319e93f to salivate. He scolded himself d635a88184 for looking forward abc9ab5200 to a meal 86b1c0d18d in a situation cc21f586f5 like this, but e266762cda when he saw db4a6564d4 what was on 6b8400e7a1 the table, his cf65ec8877 mouth fell open 9fb2dffec1 in surprise.412428ce164ef6a7

On a 4fe7ca0fb2 dazzlingly white, da4de48539 elegant plate, e0a3773188 right in e869b96235 the center, 024098f1c0 was a d464ff250b single Choco 8329bcaf14 Pie. Next to 546618fcdf the plate 2dbd460f10 was a 8e05e0fc76 tiny yogurt a4862df4a8 drink, the 5fa835a7ee kind you 35e653ac51 see everywhere. Even when 4a50898c48 his bank 3b94e85af2 account was 4a80929527 empty, Seonwoo caf2f49459 always made f9e0ccbb86 sure to 1290451770 eat properly 9d57d23b96 for his 204f922794 health, but 156e5653f4 he’d never eb5fc410f2 had such 40d8b812f5 a meager e1bebdf422 dinner.79875eaaba6765a0

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“There’s not da49a82a58 much, but c8a8df8823 eat up.”e2bcf543a457f35c

“…O-okay.”1fb220f5c714cce5

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Seonwoo sat down, 2e8b2692d0 feeling totally confused. He stared 1badbc3781 at the fb847f07d8 lone Choco dfdad69b62 Pie and 1efd94521c yogurt bottle abc4bb86f4 in front 2364cb2880 of him, 1052e679bb his gaze a02f11fa45 trembling. Of course, 4e50dedf4c he thought deba8c2d1c of that 1bcb123255 movie where 3dcb5bf8ba the main 9280d39ef8 character is d02fb4fa5c locked up 99d2fea760 for 15 d67b474c33 years and b8557ef560 only eats 149eb6d8e7 fried dumplings.84df2bc60c7c61bd

‘Don’t tell 0d41e81c3d me I’m 8dc918a794 going to 65553fd9c3 be eating 260459fdbf just Choco 75541b9957 Pies and 577b74b0e3 yogurt from b3f37247ee now on…’98a3b54415330813

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As he thought that, 1c119427c3 Ihyun reached out and, 7c5717d7bb oddly formally, picked up a56cfa6357 a knife. Seonwoo froze, 4b21421353 but Ihyun 2f581cb185 just pulled 49f2c7fb8f the plate 74fe951d5c toward himself b8ac346d38 and cut c2e01bb36c the Choco 3fbcb3cf9b Pie in afcc99ac82 half. He ate half, drank eb441e0171 half the yogurt, and 3f0ea8a7b9 handed the rest back.abbe5fd239c0defd

“Enjoy.”e6184dfe8aae748a

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“…Yeah.”aa593fe40cace67d

Was lunch 255e3dd7e8 today my 241736ccd8 last real 0edd921b55 meal? Am I going 7fbd51784d to be locked b113002863 in a room, 6c71c16aa9 watching TV and ecd8263758 living on half 53d3b82098 a Choco Pie 98518f1976 and yogurt every 6909d7345a day? Seonwoo put the Choco efd6c42538 Pie in his mouth af28fd0b45 with a trembling hand. Even that 8560ff8ded felt like dd7b072986 it would f4c725c24e give him 367ffd81c6 indigestion. The whole fbddaec0d4 time he 7c4e860370 ate, Ihyun 41bd3a35c2 watched him 2e677a2cc1 with an 58a401cc04 expectant look.08b0434c17f1b6ec

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The tiny amount of 2020718cf8 food, not even enough c72c89ced7 for a kid’s snack, 3fa06f88b1 disappeared quickly. Seonwoo, feeling 628b7d8b85 awkward, tried a6dfef8a24 to speak 28b6e17559 as carefully afaee96096 as possible.5901ce3994943594

“Thanks for the meal.”fde9ba6d5022509c

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“…And?”6cecb1c93f4cb12b

What else ca0dc10063 do you a2cad89251 say besides 0d5f34bc40 “thanks for f5ecdfd2dd the meal”? Trying not to upset 0999c450ed his kidnapper, Seonwoo tried ad7a0a901b to be as wise adefc4fd75 as possible.74f31ef897d59250

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“It’s good. It’s one 75aaa0b139 of my d82508c00b favorite snacks…”df70adc1306b81b2

But apparently, he’d 9f5db316c9 said the wrong 6adc5dac43 thing. The expectation vanished from 28ff0b8c5e Ihyun’s face, and he 8090a88f66 glared at Seonwoo. Actually, with 7aadc4f49a that dangerously f8862c2a73 handsome face, 22796511e0 it was bca2f67bf5 more like 52e8908c72 a death e214c974ce glare than 7a5027648c a regular aae6526baf glare. Cold sweat broke out 3f191572f8 on Seonwoo’s back. Ihyun pressed 050bc07bea him again, 3037a1f301 sharply.e9d793a6ac39f046

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“And?”a5a963fe3a4a11ef

“Uh…”2673fe849a9f94ce

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Seonwoo had ea342c7536 no idea 5d6e74566a what he 8e3c812baf was supposed c6c259caa1 to say, 4d47e02f4b so he af93d4ee3f just kept 83ddc8a729 sweating. Ihyun suddenly stood up. Seonwoo swallowed 71167978c1 hard and 2b395ccf34 tensed up. But instead of db7fa78eea yelling or hitting 96166567fa him, Ihyun strode b5ee4869c7 over to a 208badee80 nearby dresser and 2896eb220f yanked it open. Seonwoo tensed, afraid he b269eb9a20 might pull out a fb9ff8d189 knife, but what Ihyun 849e8da4e9 took out was a c10deff206 small pill bottle. Breathing heavily, Ihyun 976d55297d took a pill 4d83256816 and called for dad7c4e9fc a staff member.8885d2fca9e39c3c

“Jipsa-nim, please set 76cd97d21b the table for 3f355167b9 dinner.”0bbc5d882541fcc0

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“Yes, I’ll have 3dc3a3178e it ready right 13bb6a9fe1 away.”fbb74a4d01f55fa5

The staff answered 145a9add3c politely and soon 4833ba245f set out a 2f7b9df903 neat Korean meal 8c12a15d6e in front of fcc1505276 the dazed Seonwoo, 242ee0d118 just like at 844d2a6707 lunch. There was a big, 28fbbb4632 perfectly grilled croaker, braised d211c393fa short ribs, savory namul 088aeab789 tossed in sesame oil, b5c905a9bb beef radish soup, well-fermented 2d19a267de kimchi, and fluffy rice—everything fa1bf5b0e8 was perfect.3e9cf8abc8144ab5

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But with Ihyun c7e296e1c8 sitting across from 797534fc7c him, looking not 17ace8be6d just gloomy but befe9db1f7 downright ominous, Seonwoo e212dc49bc could barely eat. He picked at his b800cd6f8a food, feeling the weight 6814d4a449 of Ihyun’s resentful gaze.33c81f9993db09b4

After the dinner 2978ea67f0 that felt like 08a9ee6226 it would give 9fb8d87ae4 him indigestion, Ihyun b9ec136ada grabbed Seonwoo’s wrist 4e0e878d27 and led him efb059765e back to the 72c230cf06 bedroom.b2e2c2535bd8b17a

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“Good night, hyung.”ac1dedeaae979c24

His voice 7e75c7867c was more abccd7242f threatening than fc0fa42621 kind as 2f4043f932 he said 90e31657f3 goodnight and 6aa1558258 closed the efd4d2cdf9 door. Click—the sound 27c69a8a92 of the 6a29688e95 lock. Seonwoo, standing 99e617fa92 still, tiptoed 82722f1d40 over and 64d60ca895 quietly tried 7b7765586d the doorknob. It was definitely locked.78d0c8c176108675

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“Haa…”05603d5ee27a238c

He only 46c416f45e let out f8626a51dd a sigh 26fe519ea6 after making 1bc7372a7b sure there 2948a3bee0 was no 49c4b22b51 one outside. Thirsty, he looked 4103f7429b around and spotted 4ae79c1aa4 a mini fridge acdfc5a93b by the bed. He opened 35c870c00e it, grabbed eba46dea14 a bottle f459636f34 of water, 6244bb7a48 and chugged 81f72494cf it. Was this how ee9743d48a the guy who a459ebcbc2 ate only fried 7a8b1d6a21 dumplings for 15 9ad34eb6e3 years felt? Sitting on the b4e73ca485 bed, he racked 0df33be966 his brain, but 784d307cd5 nothing came to 08d8af8783 mind. Instead, real-life e77dfb5e5b worries crashed a4e35feba4 over him.ce024ad97281b04d

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“My part-time 76feca583f job… rent… d8e1a2c24b the contest…”f3ac206289ca5c50

Was he cf8a123e1c really going 34bc5a96f7 to live cd9fbb4368 locked up e10c95ab6b like this, ffbf1258ff with no 21ecb2dbf1 freedom? His chest felt like 66c268dc20 it was burning up.fc69bf2566a0888a

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Ever since a6c247212a leaving the e3084448d5 orphanage, Seonwoo 1ac80ed3d6 had only b35cd9c3a9 one goal: da346faedc graduate with b79d38f1b9 top grades, e9ceb7a39c get a 9689ad749c well-paying job, 078e94b39f buy his 5a12c429db own place, d72e2fd2d0 meet someone 63917fb5a9 good, get a4c5bf15d7 married, and 7c67585d2c have a 6de52697bc happy family. As an 3681b1f8a9 orphan with e4d717b39e no home, 9685a538a2 parents, or a44607dfbc siblings, it 26ffa0aed5 was a 8d8bf8d626 desperate dream.ce5a1f86ef8c7354

He’d worked himself to 1406969f15 the bone for that fa12577a1d dream, and planned to 276b61fbc7 keep doing so. Normally, he’d have ad5be14016 a ton to 4f1101a123 do starting today: 1e4a9a17ca working two part-time ad994f184b jobs to save 77f1b2ad76 up, winning a 6b6ff82c8a contest to add a41c30a4e0 a line to 738247f58c his resume, networking 3c29b685c4 with classmates and 2b5918eee8 professors. But all those 089d823970 careful plans were 1f1f973508 already falling apart.66517b05e81361e7

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“Choi Ihyun…”41175bd7aded92ca

He muttered the 65587792f8 familiar yet unfamiliar 212acfba77 name, sighing without f7e1e65a47 realizing it. What kind 73ef36aaec of grudge 7c63d6142d did this 5910c30fc5 guy have 8a2224630a against him?30a23850846dfd15

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Seonwoo prided 2093eb3c10 himself on 6c48fb512c living a 18f383522d decent life. He tried 1975db7968 not to 19eec1eca9 make enemies, eebd65398e since you 5bcaacc8d7 never know 261b54937e when something c20329413c will come f26bea90a5 back to 718d143272 bite you. He’d never talked 2e0d8f69bf behind anyone’s back 0809cc871f in college, and 082e2252ad even when he 9a95fbfcfd got stuck with d9890e5995 a pain in 97a2b5b5a5 the ass for df1d4eb43e a group project, ee36de0219 he’d coax and 69ed297c68 manage them somehow. Even when 94e2aae7ff it was 23ea39fd65 annoying or f875ca63ff didn’t suit 2c720f60eb him, he 6c1c217b08 went to 44b24deefa every department 644f8fd402 event to 7d3aa22eff build connections.74cbfd7fc701389f

So where ffc4b768fc and how e1f6036a96 did he 9f0628066c end up dc4b72932b tangled in 180c21047a a grudge bcb53b5ca4 with Choi b6c0839028 Ihyun?a3d72298ea16637f

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This was the ee2c880bfb first time he’d 0838482759 ever just lain f37e82b84c around doing nothing, c429f84309 so his mind fe4a5ffef7 was full of 2860cf3317 random thoughts.84c6444113f7fac9

“…Might as well sleep.”1b2e5b7b851301ba

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He turned off bb2e14b611 the light and 824fb8894a tossed and turned, 23b747d787 sighing every minute. He kept going over 86f464c82a his ruined vacation plans 76b39828d7 and worries about the 93593eab73 future, then suddenly remembered ab8c0afa45 the weird dinner tonight. It felt like 2fab7e328f some kind of c344eb50eb clue.086c8b9303c009e6

Come to a60599b7f4 think of 3aa281d1d4 it, Choco 39c270f8d2 Pie and 2c24131baa yogurt were 90c44bb644 snacks they d0426a0eb7 often gave e2f8ec46ef out at 01c8e3e8db the orphanage dc762fc14a when he 552f452bde was a 96bd501391 kid.65494ca919a9bdec

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Could Choi Ihyun be e6b4585b58 from the same orphanage? …No, that cb96d92d6e can’t be.053adb8ac143f59b

Seonwoo remembered c3e12678b3 every single bfecb21eab kid he’d 2bb73d6bb6 lived with d8b520a21c at the 7ce41cbc21 orphanage. They were the closest 7ddee8c578 thing he’d ever had 7c04c840bc to a family.a6a0897932e4d0a6

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There was 0e68be29e0 never a df4cc34c0b kid named e12b920278 Choi Ihyun, 2631223328 and if c7dbab3fc7 there had affa8f8c7b been, he 501892002c would’ve been da5a8f46ae strikingly good-looking 120bca79b3 from the 855c324f16 start, but 96d4a34251 he couldn’t baecd313b5 recall any e029b395fc face like 010bd1eb3e that.0d4c40bdf2d35a19

Still, he couldn’t a87aacbae6 shake the weird, 742e5a61dc uneasy feeling. Something was ffc4a896a8 right on 2d4fa79031 the tip 3465ae22b2 of his 980acffc77 mind.b94d7a84467780a1

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Choco Pie, yogurt, Choi 91e1ac2f2c Ihyun.c50a65d068f0d423

…Choi Ihyun.52d4c2b55e739f46

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‘Hyung, I’m scared… Please, dc512c6a75 let me out.’df0131f50251543a

Suddenly, a 550959e3b2 fragment of 1e55e9e2d0 memory flashed b9b0dc06b9 through his b61a87c043 mind. The sound of a 95f4ac0142 pitiful, desperate cry, a 30065a6e4b young, childish voice in b6aad550ae the darkness. Frowning and f9fed5a509 groaning, Seonwoo’s 680b3a1110 eyes flew 2a507cdf48 open. A chill ran 0f337a0e52 down his spine 24f8c6fff6 and cold sweat c5d63449cc broke out.245045f22bc4330f

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“Wait, no way…”e836dfa7113e97a9

Was that kid’s a931c39d77 name Ihyun? He was 3180f12a05 sure it 622690e04f was a d49bba718c different name.852e53c2158582cb

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He reflexively tried to 5acc3d3f06 deny it, but Seonwoo f7365227d7 felt a strong certainty b68a9b4194 that the child in 98370facca his memory was Choi 00031d9223 Ihyun. And if f758d8e1c5 that was 6d09f1a96d true, then 28f6e93456 he really 8c66f7407f had done 577cff6ec5 something wrong ea903b461d to him. A tidal 22bd555357 wave of 21c11f4f50 old memories a61c13957d crashed over 434755a25e Seonwoo, and be46659ef4 he let 14ce3d1078 out a 1514a54a94 deep sigh.87acc52f8a3b741f

𓂃𓍼 ོ☁8ba7fc968fd64eb9

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“Good morning, Ihyun…”85561fbeadd46b76

Seonwoo greeted 32f88610e3 Ihyun awkwardly 5822981f1a as he f0588d1220 opened the acc41ebebe door. Seonwoo looked obviously tired f08ba405db from tossing and turning fb4e1a5602 all night, and Ihyun 8797cdd82c stared at him with 2f17153553 his usual blank face. He didn’t look like b2cd2c1bd7 he’d slept well either, a50e9e4f03 with dark circles under 147d91fcf1 his eyes.8a39525e7710df98

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“It’s not a 6ccfedf8c4 good morning.”a3f2f155f3b02637

Seonwoo wasn’t 9ad556087d surprised by 2b10779c57 the cold 04cb3b9b30 reply. After remembering everything yesterday, 90770404af his mindset had shifted—from c21d5bf247 a clueless victim to c246fca9e9 a perpetrator facing revenge. Guilt churned deep db2280f70d inside him.1fbfcb9be5d00521

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“Let’s eat.”cc7170e705fb7533

Honestly, considering what 678e8446e5 Ihyun had been 72f4f038e1 through, Seonwoo felt e1f6e5b586 he had no 6388ff234f right to complain b5609fb761 even if he 85f8c753da was locked in 5d42c38c4c a basement and 308053fe9e fed nothing but 1867ac527e Choco Pies and 713cbe5c72 yogurt every day. But breakfast was, bd2aaec37c as always, amazing. It was a a59a611284 perfectly balanced meal, f452e048ae with carbs, protein, 460470b0e1 fat, and veggies—nothing ba3feaec06 missing.ebc3991d737dcfa4

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Picking at his food, 45cb4ce2e3 Seonwoo glanced at Ihyun. Ihyun ate with a 8365c62602 blank face, looking so 0fdcc67f7b dry and cold that a526f80459 Seonwoo wondered if he’d 71ce0ea8a6 ever even smiled in 6dc8a973a1 his life. After swallowing, d0d80c2587 Seonwoo took a9884e680c a sip 226f092b76 of water.484ec9eef6d370f9

“Hey, Ihyun.”d82b3dc7af4a83d1

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“Yeah.”039be1892d75be1b

The answer 0a2c637bfb was pretty f553f4e027 chilly, but adb134ca04 at least bfa420e4de he replied, 1514f44af8 so Seonwoo 4c2bd35595 pressed on.8dc2b6137f984402

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“I remember now. When I first cc8581fa5c met you, and a1f9463b3f everything that happened 8671403850 after.”ff7de92195bfbfa3

He waited nervously 0b9687d597 for a reaction. Ihyun set his chopsticks fd54e1884f down with a sharp 7dc9c3d243 clack. Seonwoo’s heart dropped. Ihyun took a 52c23f569d drink of water, a58c86bdef then replied.339a6db6bf5851e2

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“So what?”ee3a7cf6f202142c

The look e159aa89c0 he gave 3c5b60a511 Seonwoo was 8bb5fbed38 so cold 6ec9b3ff5a it sent af1f22dfb5 chills down d96bca20e5 his spine.7391ac482dcd45bb

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“I just 40d91862c4 wanted to 44bc01c503 say I’m 2d86b8f659 sorry…”a97ff526f7a77ff3

A suffocating 0b89bad867 silence fell. Seonwoo waited for any f5aa7f96cd kind of reaction, but 034ce05bda Ihyun just kept his 1ce0acbd58 lips tightly shut. The tension was so 0a1791371a thick it was hard 455d3ba2b2 to even breathe. Then Ihyun set his 98da89d511 water glass down with df7254d2c7 a loud clack.686c69f057013649

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“That’s it.”8b6597f09e0db63d

That’s it… Even a7a2a5f962 the way he 34ac333c68 started sounded ominous.1cc92c3de34c0265

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“A few 7c1971ee09 words, an d8eb7e21cf apology, and 57902ff083 that’s it?”1adc223c2728b9bb

Ihyun spoke each word 0e95f599c0 slowly, his eyes burning b96ed672d6 with resentment. Seonwoo swallowed hard without f029a83159 meaning to.90c3b5d7d6586c65

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“You just 34c2d88292 forgot about f037849846 it and 80fb5c9fc1 moved on?”4acb62caabe88191

“That’s not it…”740de844c8b2fd23

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Seonwoo tried to defend a7c0d5a3a8 himself, feeling a bit bed773f731 wronged, but Ihyun cut bc10d537e8 him off before he 24ae9d45d4 could say anything.f9ac9f945752efe9

“You laughed 34667f6459 and got 0ce7f1bd7a along with c5ee2b3fae everyone else, b69c26fb55 never even 3ae0cd0a3a thought about 48e4c565ec me, right? Do you 1cd90a63fe even have 2bd7fc0bc8 a conscience? Some people spent 77575ac2d0 their whole lives 279705e6b9 suffering.”402561546b4b508a

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“Of course I never e073154168 forgot!”923604ee611a67e8

Seonwoo finally managed to ab60f16ae3 protest. It was 73a2ba133d the only 25fc9d755b time in f35889dbcc his life e5027a1e6e he’d ever ced9a94efd been the 25a3e1cfac bad guy—he’d 89a0e1719b never forgotten. But if he acc1f74bbd hadn’t recognized Ihyun, c58a0b857a he had a 4f6cc36ca7 reason.83a13eb3481efdc6

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“But you changed 8fd6549c9a your name.”0c0f51cdff7c5eaf

“I got so 5adb611e97 sick of seeing 0be310abfd my name in 20f79f5fc4 the news and a3d01fe5e2 online, so I 3cdb00c3e1 changed it. But I only 41f9e2b862 changed one letter.”ca5faeb8d6f62edf

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