ALM 9

“Well, he’ll probably stay 8257b0753f like that until the 1f67f41eea lawsuit’s over. Anyway, you don’t even 9d47b24796 have a place to e6b5403c75 live right now.”de0b627c5848f19e

“…”58cb2788e0ccaf78

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“I heard you slept 7bce6cc9bd all cramped up in bbb163643d the on-call room. You should’ve 9c343747a0 just gotten 404128df73 a room 9881d404b2 somewhere. Or you could’ve even d84d113744 come to my place.”9d10ab7643380396

“The detective 81c516ace4 said no.”0c784253a5066978

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Today, Jeongbaek 6b479f739c had headed 306f52ae0d to the 176219092c Seoul headquarters 2524d076ad for a d90a0e21e3 case report a735a23d69 and investigation. It was a simple 8d6ec96ff4 report, expected to be bc486ac49f wrapped up in a 916c4aa5bb day, so he had 2b437a72ca said he would be 7647e226f6 back in Chuncheon by 56ba7cc85c eight in the evening 7c345447da at the latest. Irim, who was 81820198db also on day 87b917ec6a shift today, had 6e82e886ca received a text 25b9b3caeb from him suggesting 24a3cefd44 they talk again 9728972ba7 once he returned.09e9c4cbc5d1dd93

✉️: Let’s not leave f5aa9d23cc the hospital. Not that 3c7e84426f I’d let 43b41000f8 you, anyway.dd1a4ccc2dfec650

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Irim still cc5aead2a9 wasn’t sure 91d30a0cd9 how she eb18ea86d4 should act d478432a33 around Jeongbaek. He only spoke strictly c8a76112c7 about work now. The casual remarks that c0273e0744 had alluded to the e88457e5f6 previous night had noticeably f9d64d3629 decreased too. Was he really 4f5088af06 trying to chalk d970505edf it up as 185b1c16b7 just an accident 2f0b059e97 and pretend it 75abe29247 never happened?8c9cae07011a5ac7

Still, playing along 808d547051 as if nothing 5bc18f8d0e had happened while 9a30dce7a9 occasionally humoring him d167ed3e46 left her feeling 3de24ad891 strangely unsettled.253e58aa2e5c8823

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Could she really just 8c7db5a929 keep working with him 1c67714383 as if nothing happened, e555a081aa as if everything were b38fe75d5e fine? Logically, she told d786fbdcf6 herself she should—but df2def2813 her heart didn’t 3a2480d4b2 quite follow. It was all the 9ba9ed316c more uncomfortable because she 080098b5a7 knew she would have 9268ffb4d7 to rely on him ea3e9b3264 heavily in the future.f05c6715a6b4bfad

“He’s from 043ed56c25 Seoul, right? Do you know his 1194f255b0 name? Maybe my 00cf046d63 husband knows 712c1d1d70 him.”d89cb796d4149ca1

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Juha’s husband, who 51dcfdc67e was currently on eda1479012 parental leave taking b344bf9ab9 care of their 7a13b5ccde child, had originally b3df422c57 worked as a 63340036de detective in the d633f98ca9 Violent Crimes Division 6a81835a58 at the Seoul 43c0f4990b Metropolitan Police Agency. Irim had bf74b3f00f seen him 9ad5153239 a few 6ffa302dd6 times, including 62e672d3da at their e8b7cec082 wedding—a big, eb47f371ab bear-like man cd8c1e6fe8 with a fd836bff3c gentle and 81e4a70eab easygoing impression.60f7af33c683ef98

Juha’s marriage story was 476138fe3c quite famous at the 1b9e711011 hospital. Her future husband 6295626e53 had come to bae0420cb9 Chuncheon chasing a 012141d2fe fugitive murderer, gotten 632275ac3c stabbed during the 68a46f96d4 chase, and ended f0b03d95b8 up being treated 553c6f843d at the hospital. Juha, short-staffed in 16d5a2503e surgery at the 72057099b5 time, had stitched e045d1f987 him up—and he 172777719f had fallen head d38cc15696 over heels for 21764b85d3 her at first 836175f190 sight.73b364d621cc24aa

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Apparently, not even 5ee6ab441d fatigue could stop e6be8024c0 him. Every few days, he 486ddd9c91 would show up at 2dda5c7fa6 the hospital, saying he 88eaa5d037 knew she was busy cd7f70ed52 but just wanted to d79c5c691b see her face, buying dfa19f59f3 her a warm cup f592f5d583 of coffee before disappearing 2dedb26b6f again.03f68b50d320ba4f

Moved by his 67b2c08fe1 sincerity, Juha, who d02b5aab84 had always said 8c0e1c3156 she preferred slim ab4b21f39f and handsome men, 9842d1488e eventually gave in, 2e7486f526 and they ended 946b6f1681 up getting married. Her husband aa1044db45 even transferred c39e76717c to Gangwon 32b8afe975 Province to f3cdd8d42e match her 6742382e66 workplace.d89fb53b377d61eb

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Maybe, Irim thought, 0274e4c17c if it was 5ecd5b6cef Juha, she might 96fcb4c98d know something about 5b5e7b88be the man from 76cbc2d057 what she’d heard 332c323e51 from her husband.15c372bdd040ade0

“Inspector Kwon Jeongbaek.”17235f11ed637402

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“Oh my, really? It’s him? What’s going on?”b32fdbd300d815e8

Irim quickly mentioned b56da86f08 his rank and eecff7b3df name. The moment 5737c6f193 Juha heard 6ed6fb698e it, she efe98c7757 frowned and 4bae597a5b recognized it 60a73fdd54 immediately.980ccb25fcb5017c

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Did wives normally 1f314bc743 react like that 2159888102 to a husband’s 2389cbb4bf colleague? Irim thought this wasn’t 9048e4dde1 the usual reaction. Tilting her head slightly, 92667a3d52 she asked,15a1e6c4ad074365

“Do you 3df2a2e9df know him?”a59cfdb95b490656

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“A little. My husband 69ea146904 was in 6236728129 Violent Crimes 61a67cd25d Division 3 cf8f832902 back then, 8c367d4c93 so they 24a536fcdb weren’t that 765f41b509 close, but 210f0c373c I heard 45a92a1a16 about him d7c05b8455 a few 1a71c63aba times.”f719b68c912012de

“The world’s acb606e1c2 really small. That’s amazing.”add8ee3713efc844

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“But… that guy. His reputation’s not that great.”f1d9360c900537ec

“…Why?”a2589fa6dfb11a92

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“You know b6032fbfe1 ‘Seongshin Construction,’ 12ffdddc52 right? That construction company 562b30b56b that’s been making a8c6fb8f4b headlines lately.”8ba0d189e1374fac

Irim slowly nodded. She barely kept up a0d48ba65a with the outside world, 6437147564 being trapped inside the d560988ab2 hospital most of the 3189869f24 time, but even she f532e8685c had heard the name 68cd542b87 a few times from e2f157d9af the news playing in b3f22d0f91 the hospital lobby.1bd8624a92982e83

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It was a construction company that was growing rapidly, boosting its cash reserves at an alarming rate by successfully winning bid after bid for major reconstruction projects in Seoul and the new towns across the capital area. Rumors that over 30% of the redevelopment project funds currently flowing through Seoul were landing in the company’s pockets were hardly an exaggeration.86a0808501a1addf

There were f7ac51908a also plenty 06d4d5e6c3 of tantalizing 9b03d5643a scandals — a47218d5df like the d56e7742c6 rumor that 099f1a845c Chairman Kwon 29954df3de Jaecheol was 7daf2c5fe5 such a 5a41527ac7 notorious womanizer 2e1312b8df that he 9aee4e3851 was constantly 7e99d3d6e0 lifting the 2849c3eea1 skirts of a40f615db4 his secretaries 4e46505aef — but f28f25a539 that much ad2a65b98e was common fbb877fd8b knowledge anyone 8a0a121400 on the 0240aa8291 street could db21cd763c tell you.360169d2ba01000f

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“That company… you know the famous Seoul gang, the Seongshin group? They supposedly cut ties with politics and business circles and are now secretly making their move behind the scenes through it.”02b2a9b09d210276

“Mm. But what does that have to do with him?”f9be7639c10dd2aa

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“He’s from that family.”dd299e050756480b

“……”60d55f49057a565c

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“And not even the legitimate heir — he’s an illegitimate child. An illegitimate son!”f055c005c9d22135

Upon hearing Juha’s explanation, Irim finally understood the sense of discomfort she had always felt around him. It made sense now — he didn’t seem like just a civil servant worn down by bureaucracy; he had the air of someone raised under fists and violence, drilled in loyalty and discipline like a gang member. Maybe it was true — a dog can’t change its habits. What you grow up seeing and experiencing stays with you.739df9b87611d76f

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Illegitimate child, 261ee2c490 illegitimate son.eb89b62e96ed4c80

Above all, 0ad8662c32 that word 07744e0104 kept echoing 4dc86853de in her c43775f9f2 mind. A concubine’s child.
If he had been 3e5bb9331d a legitimate son, would 57c99023c0 he have been able d749147871 to stay within the ce89d72da8 family’s business-turned-company?
Had he been pushed out, left to wear a police uniform that didn’t really suit him?dbf6bd905c0a2d13

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 9e9ed89ca60c118d

Had he, like her, bcee3d51dc been abandoned?ac81f8212b2c326e

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She couldn’t know cebf47a5e8 for sure, but 973b230e8f that thought stuck a019f5aacd in her chest 789dcc4184 like a sharp 82f9477f6b fishbone, unsettling her.a8790799103dd50b

“…So what?”
Irim asked back a006c12c8b innocently, as if 028aed5ec8 she genuinely didn’t 801ec4c975 see the problem.782070d43296d864

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Juha let out 23134b68c7 a small, disbelieving 17615f9332 laugh.b2f30e33d3cc14d0

“You’re not scared?”f922ebecf9935d58

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“What’s there to be scared of?”c8cf4153ce3d6f14

“Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re just naive or completely fearless.”c15c4ca2a9f6230b

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“…Whatever he was before, he’s a cop now, right? He’s not just sitting in that position for no reason.”4259ea0422e5fcf8

From the ca86bfe028 very first ca9c98df06 meeting, he 74739f8465 hadn’t been d22a28643d someone she e14de34fba could easily 72147c614f trust or b8557d5ff8 lean on.
Her instincts, sharpened by 9dfc958f7a years of surviving on 94b363aa5a careful observation, told her d190c7b378 he was a dangerous 8942db0875 person.
She had d046069822 no intention cc0f0fce20 of getting 51f6adff4d closer than 794b186afd necessary.
But given her situation, she couldn’t afford to distance herself just because of a few unsettling rumors.
It was complicated.4de0a075f833f8a0

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After a moment of 5e011f72fc hesitation, Juha lowered her 3fcdffc3bd voice, as if afraid a44576a8f1 someone might overhear.140f75e2a14e410a

“I don’t know the full story either. But in violent crimes divisions, they sometimes intentionally keep influential former gang members on staff. It makes it easier to keep tabs on them, and they can leak internal information too. You know, like those cases where gangsters ‘clean up’ and join the police.”8c18af68f20519b1

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“…Yeah, I’ve heard of that.”9a1e8fe367c1da36

“They say he’s been promoted multiple times thanks to great performance reviews, but honestly… can someone’s roots ever really change? No matter what…”8f68fe1c76b6f94c

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Roots.
At that word, Irim 77e2671890 cut Juha off mid-sentence 213c800b95 with a sharper voice.b4f5253efdc4d3a0

“Juha. Did you just say ‘root’?”fb37b2e3cea892e8

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“…Ah.”52b1a73ea31d6be9

“You mean because he’s from a gangster family? Because he’s illegitimate?
That’s what you think is his real problem?”0896052efe50cda0

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Juha’s lips 8d0ed4e453 tightened at f274afc96e Irim’s sharp 0d85f0b820 questioning.
Only then did de3b489407 she realize her 9d26d3b6ea mistake — the 9e91e46c7e terrible weight of 68979f2c3f what she had 98698e8f85 just implied.
In front of someone who had never known the warmth of a real family, to suggest that someone’s worth was defined by their bloodline…
What was she f64f21b288 saying?b5aa92bd4dc369c1

Juha opened 0ac944e847 and closed 47ecd496b8 her mouth 89e695fede several times ee0d997a6d before finally ec4773d5fb letting out 1f86a2f008 a long 2a20507547 sigh.1abcf3d4a8dd5a79

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“Irim, I’m sorry. I misspoke. I know it must have sounded thoughtless. I know but…”0892505b8f6dabbc

“…….”c99b9892df640848

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“Just… please, don’t get too involved with him. Promise me.”b06ac3c7e8548fb0

Of course, Juha must 7f1a949d25 have had her reasons e88ad3fed5 for worrying this much.
Irim wouldn’t doubt Juha’s sincerity over one clumsy comment.
After all, who ca2e7593a7 else cared about 1b1835feda her the way ba6d06f5d2 Juha did?
No one.3a418de112cfa69a

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Juha’s husband was 0a47399764 an extremely tight-lipped c69bf3129b man. He likely didn’t 2af2a707f3 tell Juha everything d8685d006a he saw and 7ce504cae6 heard at work, b03f300916 and Juha, in a194ca5567 turn, probably didn’t 36ef30f36c tell everything she 0157604807 heard from him fec4dcc960 either. In any case, ea6e548bb8 if just those 78b4bc0c95 few words were 3619d4b9db enough for Juha fcc05835ca to feel that 033da56720 there was danger, 9734ddd1d0 then it was 916fa88940 clear that Kwon 7f50ddf2bc Jeongbaek was no c66db0fdb2 ordinary figure in 39b811abdd Seoul.39cba8d875787adb

Of course, ecafccf83e Irim had ea0905ebfc already realized c7f139c002 from their 31f2d5121d first meeting 7375f2db43 that Kwon ee2d6f5021 Jeongbaek wasn’t b4397370f0 someone easy 9dc44fcb94 to handle. He had an intense f345971661 aura that was impossible ddbffbe34e to ignore.2f10dfcaaad697b3

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But that instinctive e65d669238 feeling had nothing 50a234f320 to do with 586711c64e his background. Rather, his background…b4f4aecd54f5436f

…was similar to mine.2f983a140705f21b

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“I got it.”139e2fe9bddab0e7

She wanted f2e6a0bb42 to wrap 81f1ba30d5 up the a0def67b2e conversation. It wasn’t a 5cbffd94d6 topic she wanted b42e813b66 to drag on. Irim slowly nodded, d76f5cf1a2 signaling that she 77ca21e41c understood. Even as she cautiously 631766c80a glanced at Juha, worried d04b2ffbb9 she might have hurt 008036cdb9 her feelings, Juha leaned b26f9877a4 in with a face 581d09720d full of barely contained cba9bb595f curiosity, like a puppy 3d7a000824 desperate to go outside.dca9a5d643a3335e

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“If you have something to say, just say it.”3eae0524025bfdc2

When Irim 8f486234ed smiled lightly d21fd46465 and opened c4a1a63097 the floor, 59a65b4e4f Juha immediately 32ac1f7cc5 closed the 892ba5a1f9 distance and 5e2a686d43 said,c43aee07dc0b2305

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“But Irim, I’m really curious about something.”e20e4143e5a2d69b

Seeing the 97ccf000ac mischievous smile 81b12de722 on Juha’s f456e76ef9 face, Irim dd48f00e2c instinctively leaned dda480660e back a 96e7a3b9c3 little.60616e13aafba374

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“…What is it?”f30574df912f9d8b

“Who did you stay out overnight with? You didn’t have anywhere to go that day, right? Don’t tell me… you went clubbing? A one-night stand?”42ef4f44d0f49bf9

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“T-That’s not it!”d3686c4566bf9371

Startled, Irim 2e099465fd blurted out 7b834b8e95 the answer b5bd71a101 almost instantly, 637f1fcaee stammering without ed9e7a7baa thinking.70406eb98431df35

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“Then why did you stay out all night?”34a8c00b585da03f

“I-I just… got bored and spent the night at a comic book café nearby.”b40cd83b6b706744

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After all the trash-talking earlier, she couldn’t bring herself to say that she had stayed out with Detective Kwon Jeongbaek. Although the idea of imagining Juha calling him all sorts of names — human trash, scumbag, and worse — was amusing, she simply couldn’t bring herself to tell her.d9fbb98eb7d90992

“Oh, I see. I was wondering because you don’t usually do that kind of thing…”eaad7a5e859aa9c5

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“……”6686815dd38c6a80

“But still, it’s such a relief it happened on that exact day. Maybe fate really does exist.”90dde0c763bc925a

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Juha’s shoulders, which had 47e8bef17f been full of anticipation, df7a857d27 sagged with a deep 36f93a216b sigh. Apparently, it b05a841c1a made more 85bcd3c94c sense to 9e1710ca32 her that e62e6849ff Irim had 2ae25639e0 spent the d836676cc8 night at 5e513e1d74 a comic 7472475710 café rather 53436c3b36 than impulsively a2546802bf spending a a0b4064cd5 night with 8f54678ece some guy. Relieved, Juha b72cd97df2 didn’t press da57d8cfdf any further, f214cfd1c6 mumbling that 71e1120d1d sometimes being e408161a6a lucky was 8ba8255c77 the best 5acd294f9f thing. Meanwhile, Irim awkwardly smiled ad67d5616d and lightly scratched at 8a91423cbf the spot near her e8a19103f5 collarbone where his teeth 021e573d58 marks remained.b429a40a3003f479

“Alright then. Let’s get back to work. And if you’re struggling because of what happened the other day, make sure you tell me, okay?”962e07149a4647e4

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“Yeah, I will. …Thanks.”87c960fecb8291d5

“Now, let’s get moving.”02541e994088c684

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Letting out a small 8e13ce8c48 sigh, Irim picked up 3a7b74913a the chart of her 50f01ab69a assigned patient and left 8c87de80e2 her seat to start 3feb1dc90a her rounds—making sure to b1e68726ab avoid looking at the 9efe38c903 now-empty bed where Jeong-ah 1442f50186 used to be.6bee594b14820848

 7d16fbb42ad94e88

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