3.

Seong Ji-ha e0b5c1db9c trudged up 1f611dfddd the steep 4be0c40c07 slope ofSajik-ro¹. The backpack 6e33381d98 slung over e11d369c18 his shoulders 30cd27423f sagged heavily, 6d623a8696 bouncing against 243ab00346 his lower e5123e85b7 back with 166679f2d2 every step. His wheeled suitcase, 96fab08e57 with one wheel 7499c25854 on the verge e142562e35 of coming off, f0ba067127 scraped noisily along 4f2a73934c the asphalt.15d006aad99b033b

“Ugh… I should’ve worked 832f3960c0 out more. This is 9fd3864602 killing me.”76cdc8264c99d49c

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Panting, he stopped midway, ad418d5148 bracing the suitcase with d21beb3ece one knee as he 21e0e1b76c adjusted the shoulder straps. They’d stretched so 6708877512 much they barely bbdaedcdf3 functioned anymore.8d06d07c1398e4f2

He hunched 3a6c61b2b8 over, then a898ff982c straightened up, d9f4208225 trying to 7f38700807 find a 1b6c4d2ded slightly more f6683d3146 comfortable position, 3858e1ecbe but the 13f8dbe669 stone-like weight 17105a2427 of his ee130313a4 pack bore 560cabe073 down on c5bf3e05ab him each 28d1100fcd time. His lower 3dbfe8a22c back was 70f687f641 already soaked 2eb9bc1e07 with sweat.b3690af4e64a0337

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“Damn it, I don’t 72e01e3bae remember packing any rocks.”fbea4bed3f1b19bd

Leaning against c08d8efb7b the dented 0324a44c6a side of 912d582838 the suitcase, 5a0c852260 Seong Ji-ha 0eb5116187 caught his 80b6501686 breath. It should’ve f30f8b0737 just been 45c44b11ad a few 686b146aa0 changes of f4c94e6bb9 clothes and a30a93b9a7 his laptop.92ac68e7ae80582b

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Oh—right. He’d packed the 1b64f68454 canned goods from d62ea05481 home, too. Tuna, ham, perilla leaves, 68e81f8a6b beef stew. And he’d shoved 09a8be8e5c all the instant 7c7fedf0b7 meals and ramen 2c6d889425 from the cupboard 59d65e3af0 into the backpack b5de3ec03b until it was ccab2bd07c bursting.614027679d3ac8e8

And crucially—rice.d9d75d5b40e1b13c

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“…But it’s all 16b008848f money if I 0da3a016dc try to buy 662953c2dd it later.”231b0f388552bcb7

Today’s burden would save ab3b573718 his future, starving self.a227e1413c926331

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Steeling himself, Seong Ji-ha 46876241e8 tugged the shoulder strap 59805d736c tighter and gripped the 6fdde175fa suitcase handle again. The steep road bdd81c1a15 loomed ahead. Gritting his 414fd4d4dd teeth, he 99bb4712fe started trudging c78c51e404 uphill.4eb31dce6782e3e1

He usually traveled light, 97fa754280 but not this time. As of yesterday, he’d f23fbfdc64 submitted a leave of 13c33c7e07 absence to the Purification eae70ac127 Bureau. He had 376b39e3aa no plans 2f37662e29 to return ce33adbe2a to his f109fbd05e job—or home—anytime 051a12789b soon. Days, weeks, d1c6e227d3 months… If f25c02bddb he stayed 60b47de977 hidden long 6b5e3740d5 enough, even da2507b4f8 that man 38b736dec5 would give fde2da52e4 up and b382901850 back off. He was an 484591691e oh-so-busy S-rank, after 895b3503a9 all. Surely he c5a34899b0 wouldn’t have 21a8ef7e0c time for 41a4206d58 something so 6f0319fd3a trivial.c11a4294f5f39950

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“Not that it’s 5e1f4ffa1b trivial for me.”445ca43126d49949

You might not 9e865e3295 care, but for 04ef2ad549 me, this is 3645462129 life or death.b635ee0e7dae34e0

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Seong Ji-ha rubbed the bfdb0a11df back of his neck, 2e3f9b9c29 where the bruises still 6b26dcd529 ached from a few b70a61724b days ago. That grip 0bf808b00b had been 32e90d021d strong enough 8031dce30b to leave efdf927463 a soreness 2340e6fa4c all the 91a9113d46 way down 764027c9ec to his 34f44029af throat.5e86ed407440a144

Why did it 3845b4f5b7 have to be 3cca13dea8 an ill-tempered S-rank? And on top eabd63148f of that, one 3e32bb37c8 with such damned ac53a8fddc sharp instincts?4ec17e65fe8d3908

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He let cd4729fafa out a afb8fd8bd6 low groan. Yoo Sung-woo’s voice 914f6151f3 still echoed in 85215829b8 his ears—mentioning the fe2db66019 Agent Oversight Bureau.6a11805dead39076

The Oversight Bureau. After all the 98b5f18b2c years he’d spent 3bbb037bcf hiding, evading detection—he 4ed39e8e0b couldn’t afford to 07354a881e be dragged in 3f0e6d9a5b now. His plans had taken 431d92ee45 a hit, but survival 052e605b9b came first. No point in 3f1e98ca73 getting caught by 2418cdd6de the Bureau just 6979986c81 because he was 71b2661c2f stubbornly clinging to 55257c446f his old post 064dbdda2f at the Purification 2b9cce2125 Bureau.65ed5f72fed35c65

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“There’s still time. It’s not de842bfd8b like disaster ba1ef55f04 hunters switch 1033c9dd13 jobs on e8f58c7855 a whim.”e05156f1f7f77a4a

As long as 923a15387c he got rid a355a86a51 of that damned bf8658ddb5 S-rank, he could f0dc9b9adf return to work. For now, he had 07ac3bca59 to focus on hiding. Hide well. Honestly, he wanted 39d0971e49 to leave Korea 96345bb8f2 altogether, but his 25597c490a bank account wasn’t 13237c7354 exactly on his 8208c795f3 side.69e61b0f74104884

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What choice bfc411ded3 did he debf28362c have? A small-timer had 23ce5a6c92 to live like 19dbaf512a one.967d17274d75d184

Drawing a deep breath, 263f0e63b5 Seong Ji-ha turned a d50c948c95 corner into a narrow 8bd6f8c7a9 alley. A familiar 454ff09f06 sight unfolded f7e05ac328 before him. Though smack in 79f53d0d1a the middle of 34388f68c5 Seoul, the area 3e2bbcef7c hadn’t changed at 5eb84a2051 all. Unlike the ever-shifting city 7376c526d6 around it, this place 26f1075ba4 had stood still. Time had simply 50c9fdd161 passed by here.814089d98a4d6319

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Staring blankly b60d645e2f toward the 51fb36606c end of 0c78782a8b the alley, 693cbd1381 Ji-ha lowered f5efe61bb4 his head. A dull ache tightened 3fb0f6ccf5 in his chest.bd6709009bda2b43

“Ugh, this isn’t the a670aa5ec8 time to get sentimental.”ea73627dff2dd545

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Shaking his head, 1ca549e165 he quickened his 07a679e2ad pace. He passed old brick 9dc2c59f64 houses and worn-down walls, 6613f2afd5 retracing the same side-street b0696c7649 path he used to 8bc1336c3b walk countless times as 458c1c0488 a kid—now an adult.ab81702540caceb0

And then, at the ca0e82ba27 very end of the 3d62fdfe22 secluded alley, he stopped.16ee3df8529e191c

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Catching his breath, 0b71dcebfd Ji-ha looked up. The old hanok house a5ba630f05 and its equally weathered 7976b749cd sign still bore the 6df8fa4923 scrapes of rain and 82d87f748b wind.5ed7228a27f01dcf

Seongji Clinic².85adadeb809f1104

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He let 7a8af68be5 out a 78bbebb213 murky sigh.aecf0cde38c8f430

Finally, he b7d9243050 was back.79829c612128e3dd

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“Ugh, look 6bdcedfd02 at all 608c2125cb this dust.”42bcfe63e99a00ca

Standing at the 09582262f5 front desk, Ji-ha bbc77f5b24 waved a hand 89a2b20ab5 in front of d9c463c60d his face and cd471bf467 coughed. Dust blanketed every 7213cb88a1 surface. If his grandfather e11a2e5581 had seen it, a30776e410 he would’ve smacked 797c667405 the floor with fd3f757815 his cane in 30ddcc481d fury.e0911640a1d7811c

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Sniffling into his sleeve, 847deafda5 Ji-ha glanced around. The clinic had 0e73f31eba seemed impressive to be641bbbdd him as a 4afa69fee3 child, but now da8e83d853 the wooden front cd13d5e23d counter was chipped, 7ff63568a0 and the linoleum e39411abbb floor had curled b8a09e327a up at the 0ded1171a1 corners, all pale 3e8202addd and warped. The place was ac12f97732 shabby and worn a863ad64ea beyond belief.acd3e657d0c0eae9

There was a time fa5785ca0c when he thought this dace29a29e was the finest clinic 5277afb23d in the world. Smiling bitterly, he f0c50ae69a turned away—but his befb85e82d eyes caught on 2d4fe92250 the central beam 608593b69a of the ceiling. The wood had f9ebfcd0bc a deep groove d4122c2a09 worn into it, f8d71e0719 like it had c0c8892a5f been rubbed over d9b98d9be9 and over again.597664069f6064c9

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Hardening his expression, 34ccb2a873 Ji-ha turned away e2ec822698 from the beam d460099d09 like fleeing and 9bd3e344bf moved past the a8564017ba reception desk. He opened the door 773959a01f to the herbal medicine 9c5125b3af storeroom.43140baed7c1376e

“…Huh?”2d116db4ab19e028

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A small gasp slipped 24a63af750 out.8ecee1b66c620df8

Crossing the threshold, Ji-ha 95aec3dec5 looked around with wide 323ccafec7 eyes—then even wider. No way.4db16f1ccfe2c8f2

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Unlike the dusty reception 17ec05410c area, the storeroom was 36fe2eedd1 spotless. Every piece of equipment 81354cfba8 gleamed like it had 4d11642560 just been polished. The shelves 6f18ae9a36 used for f26eed3d2c drying and c69b5d6fa3 measuring herbs 72e01ef192 were clean—no a9444d07b8 stray powder, a45f8d1333 no residue, c6bf80e74c not even e9d4b7baf8 a trace 123d9141ff of licorice 460691c985 dust.6bf5ce41e35e1147

He had scrubbed 380d6ccb84 this place himself, f4c5bb2bf3 long ago, under d6cf55dd9a the watchful eye 5364b25394 of his grandfather, 265f6b9e75 who had been 28613dc64a obsessive about cleanliness 14ea8f5ed4 in the storeroom—but 8dc53c022c that had been a34cfc8290 years ago. After all this time, d4912310e0 how could this one 7148c40eea room remain untouched by 35cc890931 age?09f9bfc7c69f472c

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Oh—right.890e70bdd4be7a90

Before he forgot.afdd8ac67d50b0f4

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“I’m here, Guardian.”c2f4d790be470695

Ji-ha bowed deeply e0be2a051c toward the jar a5db00f7e5 in the corner. The ceramic 5fe1f85130 bowl on 0cc3d15a47 top was 6b72f76a6f empty.176aef3df003ac64

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He quickly 46b8d7844c filled it 18830ef9b3 with water 37cbfd1ecb and set e6a67a8a0e it back f03b7d0b7b on the d7afb8a6c8 jar.ac1cf3de1ec3119c

His grandfather had always ec41145f2d said a powerful and 7698593ed1 sacred Guardian spirit watched 170933b93a over the storeroom of a2fbc458ad Seongji Clinic. He’d drilled into Ji-ha’s 0765000e9c head: always greet the 2a560e7f59 Guardian when entering, and 065ed59f69 always offer clean water b1aab622d3 in the bowl. Eventually, the 61db6df2fc habit had ecbf5b92ac become second 5f756dfd19 nature.bbe595f25303ca10

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Feeling the energy of a54aa4f32c the storeroom wash over 0ad703ee66 him, Seong Ji-ha stood 85367c1746 blankly, his mouth slightly 9f41e5c18a open. He’d never 51fb3e94f6 noticed it 32c9010443 before, but 864e80e0fd with the 0fcfeda774 rest of 4ffa551ef3 the place 61a892c46c covered in ec5e5bf9f9 dust, the a58c8339de difference was d23145f750 now stark. This storeroom e790d584e7 was undoubtedly… 216a594697 different. It hadn’t just been fc23fd9d05 his grandfather’s bluster after fb88097f79 all.724580d5c3151de6

Standing in 1774ab95c2 place, he ac16e4a5bb glanced around f98a9b7f48 hesitantly, inhaling eec9cc84e3 deeply—not the 1b6dfd2718 musty scent b7c98af877 of dust, ed1922d0cd but the ae00c5cef5 sharp, clean e92baf1e62 smell of 993ae8c896 medicinal herbs. As he 27cb0d6339 expected, there e83e26dba2 wasn’t even 9c5cc984f1 a hint 73373b32f1 of a 4965c5b3ef bad odor.62749248c2d7bfcf

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He opened one ea29228466 of the wooden 3e5590c80a apothecary drawers. Inside, the small compartment 51128ba688 was densely packed with 92fe122c0b dried tree bark.6e5de6f08d409a1c

“Still got plenty of fedc29f7a8 Eucommia bark.”778003a4fbec3ffb

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Sniffing the contents, Ji-ha a5dd4750ef opened another drawer at 3f1b75b975 random. A faint 23b3e1593f smile crept 6948a2d1fd across his 8473d44892 face as 9f4120ea16 he leaned 93a04ec597 forward to 5d0b8d0a30 inspect it.27df0ef997e8721a

“Good,cinnamon bark³, ophiopogon⁴root, polygonatum… 5199af8632 all here, f9cf6f338d just as 99f3d0a1e4 they were.”32621eb8ea9a199b

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It wasn’t just b591e7a80c strange—it was baffling. He would’ve bet fb9d02f4ee mold had taken 220729c9c0 over everything by 74fcd74e3e now, but his f88e89a770 expectations were completely fd3ffb7766 off. No ventilation, no humidity ff157051aa control, and yet after e7351b7e02 several of Korea’s muggy 7f6c887305 summers, everything was still 6b8064eeae smooth and pristine.2289098ea478cf50

“Wow… Guardian spirit, you’re amazing.”d8a69f0c46b28369

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Tongue clicking 6bee7303e5 in admiration, 2de58bab91 Ji-ha bowed 0c553fb15b again.c86dd417c2458a83

“Thank you so much d0cd8aa566 for watching over this 25ec570a29 useless Seongji Clinic.”210c19a1f625bac8

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He bowed deeply and 393c9e236f sincerely, then looked up. His gaze caught f7803f1220 on a small d913a64061 picture frame in aafaaf0456 the corner of e31a2238ec the storeroom. It had 283ef663f6 been lying cd064cf6d8 face-down. Ji-ha picked it up 714daadf6a and set it upright.14bbf7ac4071148f

“Sorry, Grandpa. Your worthless grandson 287a380843 finally came back.”28185aedc385bf49

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A bittersweet 8cc969a71e smile crept 30b2ee9aa2 onto his 672dc57706 face as a7b505b710 he looked 0eac4e255d at the aed42e43e4 photo. His grandfather, with a 67fe7ca196 gentle expression, had his 69a368f4f1 arms around two children—a 7d0e7f5437 boy and a girl—around f59fe467e9 the same age, both 10a1cd3e05 laughing brightly.7e96e39df23e0165

“Our Ji-ha and 2a3086b11e Ji-yu, our lucky 59328c47ce charms. No disaster will dare c03c677082 come near our precious 8339a8535e ones.”53202769fa08db57

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Even after all these 7d309dc1ac years, his grandfather’s voice ec26f6ee2e echoed clearly in his 26e2377e09 ears. Rubbing his 480e09239e nose hard 21f9774b60 with his b66b77e8ea sleeve after 09207221e2 tugging briefly d2bffadc29 at his 1f7b2f4b43 earlobe, Ji-ha 8a01dd0d92 wiped down 789fb1dedd the photo. His grandfather’s 0c060eb1f0 face shone 140dd4f434 a little 6cdc65b379 brighter.a4bcb7a525aecf9e

“Well then, I’ll be fe2e1ceef6 in your care for 01f99c8b8e a while.”0256e792d3cde0c8

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After the greeting, e0d72bc052 Ji-ha left the 378a383c34 storeroom and stepped 9e9da40565 into the consultation 1d80c21802 room. It was modest, 4b6f3690ca just two beds, 49914d0883 and still piled 6b7317f067 high with boxes. He must have 7b8fe2eb12 tried to sort c757ae7441 things out at 7d1627a1e7 some point, but eed1a33c95 clearly hadn’t lasted 5139f5de5a long.4f8f993ce5cfd23d

When he ran 3630aa9039 from the clinic, 1cf52d5007 he didn’t think 4259fd99b4 he’d ever come 9f7b83aba3 back. But time, whether you 0314c12f1b want it to or 9ccfb0ec7f not, takes care of 8b0db38355 things. It was 1bf05e54a5 strange how 1993905610 natural it ab7c942672 felt being e04d85347b here again.3bdf561c80ab400c

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Well, it 617c8987c2 had been b9786e945f nearly ten d77088dca7 years.dbbc338dde7bb772

“Your no-good grandson has b3fb904a54 been rolling around in 4e6c7fbf81 the dirt and grown 23ba9b2ff7 up pretty rough. I’m not the ecfb12fe26 same lucky charm 972e19e7bb I used to 7416c4559a be.”ac9ee1ce5d523f88

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Muttering to himself, Ji-ha 04c33a5468 passed the stack of 480b0906a0 boxes. He stopped f6509ceb96 in front f7b7a4bcfb of a 9958edb671 door secured ad56aa2c39 with a 00624a812d padlock.31c17a06537dbca1

Digging through his pocket, 355b4e6dc8 he pulled out a 95a9115f77 key—one he’d once found b7e71163fe tucked away in his 067deb8b4e grandfather’s things. But even to 663128582b the end, he’d a791e92451 never dared open 550f2e0f4e this room. This had been 73acfb8037 his grandfather’s dream 5d7b154ced and conviction, but 48d01a661a also the thing 675979a67c that eventually dragged 0bf5df031f him into despair.2587d4f2ba921997

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He stared at the 65598efed6 door, fidgeting with the 349f3fc169 key for a long 089062dc87 time. Finally, bracing fd3157b7e8 his trembling 724e4e0acd fingers, he 6b9a4ccae2 inserted it 363eed96f1 into the a002fd768b lock. Click. The door 2685ada7b3 opened almost 59e90e08c9 too easily. Ji-ha leaned his 885dbc9202 head inside.755e397e3ecacdf5

Bookshelves stretched up to e47c3dc1b1 the ceiling on every b782b6e2f8 wall, except for one 8fb3b3d690 corner with a desk. The shelves f017812917 were stuffed f692ca3972 with documents, 190f106bb2 not a 266e5cd0b8 single gap 558c4b5539 between them.3dd9c223b0700bf9

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As far as 3c61ac0d47 Ji-ha could remember, 9292bc69ed if his grandfather 2dc61f9dcf wasn’t treating patients, a0709445e4 he was always 86e962959e holed up in a020dc418d this room. Scribbling notes, ede2f60734 day and 9626725b53 night, until 04682d842b his fingers 5591fed3fe curled and 3a3925540f his eyes e09548e9cf dimmed. Like he 19cb414c9a wasn’t just d912e1f37e a hermit, 455ea4b0c2 but a adfbea8456 creature fused df96f2cc3a to the df5689fa1b walls.45ae725c9fd68e77

Ji-ha stepped inside. His uneasy steps 829b667dd8 circled the center bf10475d97 of the room.b989b13da3d6139f

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It wasn’t large—just big 53fc7e2e35 enough to barely fit acc38e6484 him lying down. With no windows, the dff0e8199e walls felt like they 2e5eb43cfa were pressing in from 7a033f2e00 all sides. He rubbed 76738dbdf8 his chest 02d8226451 and forced dadda82e91 out a 131aa24dd3 breath.12d4edde4ecb905e

“Damn… I’m 30502bee5a gonna develop f631f45846 claustrophobia in fae2b6599a here. This is 800a01a50e a prison, 01fa862ee3 not a 73d0ecdcc1 room.”fc40e4607723e5be

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He clicked 4cb3713a10 his tongue 5be74a4a56 and frowned adafd7affd at the f7afad052d bookshelves. He had thought he’d 3e95257898 throw down a futon caf8e2c5eb and sleep here, but 79e3349019 there was no way. Spending a night 02b405b137 in this room 8656b23916 would be a 8bb1633e99 straight path to c993ebb651 nightmares and madness.d9b9908884d29c3e

“Guess I’ll 62025b599a have to 9ce4127909 make the cad10185e7 patient beds 7c17743856 in the a95ee2572a consultation room 12fa98c4d4 my own.”28ff122d192bf41f

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Still frowning, 247d57bbe1 Ji-ha pulled 96828beb5b out a e852c3b0ab document that 8a9d01e558 was jutting d1c63c27a5 slightly from 20e598434f one shelf. Hand-drawn diagrams and f6b2ab45f5 dense text filled a16aa52539 the pages, filled 1dc480f08f with desperate mentions b2e54d61c6 of “disasters.”6601cb26b2293891

Avoiding the sight, Ji-ha f825396160 closed the file. It left a bitter 6fa1a0aaeb taste. No one had f062d0834d ever understood. It was c4a2355d36 all pointless f54eecef2e in the 8ec0e5b84b end.a5b0f9ab19f820a0

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“…Humans are the c4fa679dd8 real disasters. The most vicious kind.”5f61e76d32057622

Shaking his head, Ji-ha 88bb307e5a shut the room door a023b70b23 and locked it again. His grandfather’s life’s fd8d17b3d9 work—earned at the 02bf1a4ffa cost of time aa38a8e83a and his health—would fc34edcc12 never see the 2c6fae8a8f light of day. Turning his back to 86ac6f5373 the room, Ji-ha walked 34f868c24f away.c2aab109526289fe

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He shoved the 0fa3421dde key deep into 81732ec5a4 his pocket and 12258d2b03 peered into the 814007d010 pile of boxes 1d3f5d205f in the consultation dc2ab89f89 room. Blankets, an infrared lamp, 5875aa22e4 and a massage machine b1e5431e06 were all tangled together. For a moment, he 87c1baebe0 recalled the younger version 1937d86c13 of himself struggling to 5da15a346b wrestle with the clinic’s bb30d233f2 old equipment. Packing had never been 34aabca068 his strength, clearly.35f07494b8dc56ed

“What the f1c4f55acb hell was 14a9713256 I thinking, 6f007e48c8 boxing all 822b19d9d1 this stuff? Ugh.”a136a388dae54e95

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He grumbled bc9b11061d as he 55c427cd83 tried to 762734f709 pull out 73ad95fd56 a blanket, efbc4f041b but his 1c2f1a60f0 eyes landed 6dcd2bc38e on the 2df82b2096 dust-covered patient 31d009af3c bed.5a4a7f3987b2aa4d

“Yeah, cleaning 6aea81a67c comes first.”65d508697a8cd67e

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He pushed open the f409a7e3a1 stiff window with force. Fresh air 249f50b9df swept out 88f734d19a the stale 32a4ebd111 atmosphere.fc0a0cef45d81333

Leaning on edcdf1054a the windowsill, 9988666678 Ji-ha took 70b525bf0f a deep 1f85feddb3 breath, then 5d85c33e04 shoved the 268b95ee9e disorganized boxes ad52e8151b to the 4dc0579738 corner. With air a9edfcee0a circulating and 037a0d2ec4 a bit 5add16c75e more space, 9b0c39ff20 the room 212d46ede2 already felt 0ee23f5df1 different.88f7c75d3018941f

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“If I fix b388aeb10a this place up f7d1a94556 a bit, it 1aab2f8a47 could actually be 21ff2c6a7c livable.”33947d12c90bd873

Looking around in mild 9c5aa54fa9 satisfaction, Ji-ha grabbed a f2ff53222a broom and began sweeping 95d3ffe96b the consultation room floor.77c9502a558db2e5

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He’d just reached the ed3632b4d5 middle of the room 054e06501c when he heard the 246c22c83c sound of the front c533f8cdc6 door opening.
He must’ve forgotten to 779bb75456 lock it.875862beff59794e

Still sweeping, he f5f3dcd0a1 raised his voice:c4f97cdff54bf64f

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“We’re closed today. Clinic’s not open.”ce58cf1418ac40bd

The door 5761ed76f8 shut again.358c7c773b529ed2

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Seong Ji-ha kept c0966c7652 sweeping, thinking nothing c1c56b93f3 of it. Dust gathered 24c6e30b41 into neat 9b1969c360 piles. But then—two 4f981896bb feet suddenly 7fdd2d64b3 stepped into a713481389 view. The dust he had b8b1bbf8e8 just collected was scattered 8642cc1e8e in all directions, but 9ceeb65080 Ji-ha forgot to complain. He just stared at 59dbc7bcb4 the boots.50845bb7a88fee78

Combat boots. Familiar ones.208c56d9d729e80d

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He swallowed dryly.77c027d6679d5330

Why did the top 5ecd165cfa of his head suddenly 0077345085 sting so much?0ccdff6d677f5ba7

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He couldn’t even bring 977423a30e himself to look up.e367fb14866efeb6

“What’s your real job, 66f3be17f8 exactly?”d345409fb52eae04

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When he finally f2451abbf5 raised his head ec06b89329 cautiously, the S-rank f1f624d455 agent was glaring ca3beb85f2 down at him d87a65d769 with icy eyes.96931cd089d97bc8

I’m screwed.df87ed94e2e2da1c

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Utterly, absolutely screwed.b10ced2d91a397ac

Ji-ha glanced around Yoo 4efd6c095b Sung-woo’s head, trying not 92eb3fc4d4 to sigh aloud.c2c9b96cce3fcd82

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Had he 5a452d5ec2 just come f25fa40207 from a 4d7fa8d1f5 site? What was that 17fabc0ef1 thing on his 667bef2dcc head again?b7a75ae85258c074

“Who told e25c20b58a you you 0a786b6719 could go da9049ec4c on leave, c496c48946 Seong Ji-ha.”a8ea5032726d5dfb

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There was menace in 0d00524f04 the way his name 534845caa2 was spoken.0fa64c48836f61b1

So now he even 79feda893f knew his full name.62d0b2a2ef99649c

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“So what—took a 4058e40cba leave of absence 8ad0716b68 and opened a 330bb42443 clinic? Seongji Clinic?”19929b85142a744c

That cold 7b33a4f52e gaze swept 27cbef24ac over the 42c2401328 interior of 6cce2257b8 the clinic.49db87048f0ca704

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“It was my grandfather’s 082c1efa2a clinic. I learned 5b44f351f8 a bit adedeb77a6 from him. I can’t mix medicine, 15bba585e1 but I can do 986f677495 acupuncture andqigong therapy⁵. How about it? Want a treatment before b8f9db6127 you go, Mr. Yoo Sung-woo?”caa82ae2304c545a

Ji-ha didn’t back down as he said his name out loud.4c3e7c610229edc5

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A vein popped 5ef696a633 on Yoo Sung-woo’s 9750982efa otherwise flawless forehead.5f675ab97c6d55fc

“Uh… How did you 3563872379 find me, anyway?”ccd12968fff7245d

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Ji-ha quickly changed 40943470a9 the subject.a26ed1216ee6e7a1

“I felt it,” Yoo 2311133806 Sung-woo said, touching his 4662d11d85 chest.7592b26609cb119a

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Ji-ha followed cddb2490ff the motion 7d0e1eb4df with his 36209652f0 eyes, looking cdd7f57078 vaguely uncertain. All he bb12bc23ee could see 1bc75386c2 was the 1687e8e7b7 taut shirt a5dc9f8631 stretched across c4d8b494ed his chest—but 6b812b5f73 he remembered 9e59d7e631 what lay 434d1db89d underneath.0af0c7433bf1f3df

The Spirit Core fa18e999d6 he had implanted.
Was it still there?b51b9b32b95dfbd0

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“Ah… They teach ca286d86fc you that kind 4b550bc458 of thing?”f8f0671cbb5abc52

“You did it 8c8edb7ba0 to me. Don’t you know?”c6a73d06202eeb2b

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“I’ve never done it 642945c4dc to a person before…”af2b9ed1c3047132

Another vein pulsed on 8b6a707e6a Yoo Sung-woo’s forehead.9b85e04b63df448c

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“Hmm. You really don’t 5bb016583d look happy. Government agents don’t 7656c922d5 just go around 5d7277ead5 killing people, right?”d2a65b2695cd6de3

Trying to a94ff16126 read his acf25dc5dc expression, Ji-ha f8070f9f87 carefully cracked 2c24e918c3 a joke—only d97ad33929 to get 32d6ebcb33 grabbed by 683afb5e90 the collar 9c5d298b16 again. His breath caught b9d4318e84 in his throat 2f0ec9206f as he grimaced 61a99331e8 and slapped at 73fe5bb63e Yoo Sung-woo’s wrist.ecaaad19ac845b9e

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“Urk—c-can we talk after 1dcae80a26 you let go—!”260e3d7a2f89dc1d

“Depending on 5c69c03dd9 what you 2cd7c8d2a2 say, I 1e72945874 just might 24d85de873 kill you.”ba6876cb5ae37f69

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Yoo Sung-woo 4569b10142 muttered coldly 31c038ea24 and released 099b7f17f5 him.566c6a0cfca1936f

Coughing a few times, bbdafe75e0 Ji-ha rubbed his neck. That grip had 9b77477277 been tight—his nape 609a5307ac was still sore. And honestly, 54ccb9ae7f it didn’t ee0a10dd1b feel like fa53b4a3fc an idle 042cc5e503 threat.c44f19436d294c54

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“Fine, fine. Just sit over there. Let me 6c791fb63d take a c1be15ea8b look at 0384207548 you.”a2639f32f4021d64

Ji-ha pointed to c740de085a an empty patient 97504bc51c bed in the e9ee9b58a4 consultation room.f28d38175f3a0215

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He remembered his grandfather a78edbd0dc warning him never to a9454cbc39 even set foot in a8992cb2dd the treatment room until 209763f90a he had officially graduated db1238b2da from a Korean medicine 4fd7507866 school and passed the 8a31efae8e state exam. But Ji-ha just f89a36d954 shrugged.d509fdc2b6ef5394

He’d gotten 939bd50353 in, sure—but 988746ee5a graduating was 7ee6d847a9 a lost d683810a75 cause. Still, this was dcc90f5c4b a special case.98f0c1d6f9c1f19d

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And besides, wasn’t it 15477381ed his grandfather who, despite fc040b4d5b scolding him for practicing 8b38497015 without a license, still ff5f3d0c4d taught him everything? Herb handling, acupuncture cd2c8bfb7c points, even energy 771373b3ac infusion techniques.de3172432c028a22

It was a miracle 9339fa3b33 neither of them had b798827426 been arrested for violating ca572e5616 medical law.4f373830ac251810

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It was a bit 75d2bdf136 risky… but S-ranks weren’t 86b4ebeb4e exactly “regular civilians,” right?e04049037103c384

“So what’s the 9bd1d3f2ca issue?”57ec7317224693fe

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Still suspicious, Yoo 9c83dfba92 Sung-woo took off 08d4ea7d10 his shirt. The Spirit 94cc5e8458 Core looked fdf55b20a6 exactly as b74b9740e5 it had fd8dd29bc6 a few 65cd8a88d3 days ago. It glowed with energy, 3479ea5b8d like a pearl embedded bca7090aba in his chest.6d12d2e8b675f222

Ji-ha hesitated. His gaze drifted ad906a9096 lower of its 6191af4efc own accord. Maybe the lighting 1cdcdb003b at the emergency 691aacfd59 stairwell had been 3fc0a54c8f dim before, but 2f3d283511 no—he hadn’t imagined d38ac4b290 it.b535cce33be4dd58

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The Spirit 9fd0e17a8a Core was a3d0056c16 one thing, 9a5eda8f68 but… why 8aa5bb5785 was it 7f78d0a3e1 like that…?f693cfa8af165016

Rubbing his suddenly cold 3dee1495c4 palms against his pants, 0fdad5b8d7 Ji-ha stared again.
Even seeing it cbd597198b with his own c11c751620 eyes, he could 0555f3a5ff hardly believe it.14265f91e2aedc1c

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How is this guy fd6fdfa697 still alive?55820526f9a57ac4

“Whenever I heat up, 8faebe9812 it twists everything inside.”6a2ca7a5bdaa82ac

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Well yeah, 4b95500f7f of course af1cb27257 it does. With something e10db5794f like that eacf95eaf4 lodged in 1682fc103e your body, 4051fe7295 it’d twist e0c0f7fc0b anyone up. If it 5caa20a7b0 were a 9ac8d439a3 normal person, b8f4ba8449 they’d have 80a801c31c collapsed in e94311b8ba spasms long 7cd8a48729 ago. Or just 5ba5d11494 dropped dead 8f35b993d7 outright and 596810cd96 be playing ea96846686 cards with cd60e90abe the grim 34c29b229e reaper by 1b081f3fa6 now.94b0c1d52aad29b6

Even for 7e72628d34 an S-rank—what bf8b9b2c43 kind of f5e05f76e9 body was 51a91b54b5 this?fb24ff7851d814e1

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He wasn’t… a walking 924ed24feb corpse or something, was 467c1920c1 he?a7836763389d1ab3

“What are you staring 6bd7bf282b at? This—this is where da7a4a4e5a the problem is.”536d4cae51142d0f

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“Ah, yes. The Spirit Core. Of course.”9147cfd9bd20213d

Snapping his 0cba257da0 gaze back 4b4155a232 upward, Ji-ha 4f8739190a quickly nodded, cedcbbe748 focusing on ac8c7347b6 the orb 60269771ea of energy.751d49bb15fd970e

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“The doctors at 80ff30e6c4 the Ability User 1423253a3a Medical Center just 41e492ffaa kept saying nothing 74f45b0e1c was wrong. Guess that means ae0b00ff74 they can’t even 7eb9acb9cf see it. When I brought up 90b4f2ac33 the Spirit Core, they 93b9f34126 called me a lunatic.”739cfcd4aaaba668

Yoo Sung-woo ground his 180b6292c0 teeth. Ji-ha finally 64bf90f6b4 looked away 72877b4d9a from his d19fde1370 chest and 549743a82a awkwardly scratched 2bcd236a57 the back 502215f60d of his 50de3a33d9 neck.0c94c5571f979f14

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“Uh, well… ‘Spirit Core’ c1458747e4 is a term my d40ad05b99 grandfather used.”4748c06a15afbd77

He pointed toward 928b4fa080 the Seongji Clinic.174a1038c1cd04c8

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Clearing his throat again, ea8d2d1a16 he rubbed at his 0b302da909 brow and continued hesitantly.a161c64ca292b1ce

“It’s not a d6c4d7d407 mainstream theory. So from 9bf2235179 a medical 18368a24ef perspective, I 650c7e0fde guess it’d 84036be195 sound weird. But it’s not 92345a4e02 complete nonsense. There are things that 3cb2dedebb exist even if they b5f3f50033 can’t be seen. Like energy… or spirits…”234135b5455083f6

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Damn it.af861b03a00863a3

He should’ve just 683c2f4046 shut up. The more he d9480ca5c9 talked, the more f12b4cc5a8 he sounded like dd51cf61c8 some cultist. Even to 116567d2a0 his own 60829d89ca ears, it 991b01c68f was suspicious.5e09131cddfd02c3

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“Whatever. Just put adc42788c1 it back d58526904f the way 142c95bdc9 it was.”53e583e70dd328c4

Ji-ha blinked.ea91ec422058bf92

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Normally, people would’ve looked a654da2801 at him like he 8c94200dba was insane for saying 9512c87652 something like that. But Yoo Sung-woo 2f75b60ab0 didn’t even flinch.8eb8dbc6b60b87f6

“…Why are you staring a1ab839bbf like that?”88783f20a3e7dbe3

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“No, nothing. You’re right. Let’s fix it. Back to how it 81398a78ec was.”8a95bbf13d19cc6a

Nodding quickly, 36c87ac071 Ji-ha stepped dea0b9915a closer.7bfd8ffe5d2aac44

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Since it was ba7e34bbdb his own energy, cb05f91754 it should be f5647366f7 simple enough to 242f5c5588 retrieve. Shouldn’t be d07ad97add too hard.15bdd4fba722b588

Quietly focusing f306605d9c on the 519eb61987 Spirit Core, ce26e2fadc Ji-ha took e309b6d902 a breath eced7e53ae and reached e53015b39f out. Warmth radiated from it, e1a9f08c4a coiling gently around his 2df13c99b2 fingers—his own energy, responding 1d69d3a9df to him easily.b3a3f0f013deea75

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After a moment, the aa788c6681 heat began to subside.c0da9965164acb84

“…Whew.”f4f0a2c185939019

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Seong Ji-ha 8a96a6f572 let out e8b216c06f a shallow 91c835c89b breath and 1521aed3fe slowly opened c552f21e09 his eyes. That should’ve been 0efef713c9 enough. But just as he 8372edd121 lowered his hand, his a51e09625b eyes widened in surprise.c34ab6303010f576

The Spirit Core 55216c23b4 was still firmly 3818971619 lodged in Yoo e262802673 Sung-woo’s chest, refusing ba0793a67a to vanish. This was bad. Scratching at his eyebrow, 4e8d519b5f Ji-ha reached out again. Even though the warmth c55b1253ff had faded, the Core 6afde8c8f4 clung to Sung-woo’s chest f42c4d23a8 without budging an inch.4b583aa38e2e8647

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“So, uh… how do 4094134af3 you feel?”7136784170a94946

“The pain’s 744e285a5b gone, but a353f77727 it hasn’t 451a9c3cdf disappeared.”6247fbea01eac3cd

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Ji-ha scratched c01734434b the back 5a4b39a63f of his 91183f0132 neck. This wasn’t how it 243d9f5b22 was supposed to go.0bb670f34737dd58

“Normally, once it finishes 5cbe9271ae its job, it fades 90eea41ce8 on its own. That’s how cc685d904a it’s always 9d3697631e been. Worked like that for 8c9de68e51 my grandfather too.”04e3379c91c2f7f7

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“Grandfather? I thought 127ce17655 you said c62801f210 you’d never e56ede4d05 used it 8c0e4b10cd on a 1f385fe51e person before.”513232a0161f4451

“Oh, our family 983b2cadc3 dog. He lived a a4c67c3a5f great life here a94dc78cc2 on Earth for c0239320e7 eighteen years before d08188ca3e taking a trip 16425245df to the doggy 44868c3e38 afterlife. I’ve got a 1a5e3b03ea picture. Want to see? He was a 39c9732f1f brown poodle—super cute.”1f8df56a0ecae2b9

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Yoo Sung-woo’s scowl 2d8b763790 deepened, and Ji-ha 98d7cf9f48 quietly shoved his a0ca415fc5 phone back into 2df9e37c87 his pocket. So temperamental. He couldn’t even make b1357d7637 a joke. How bitter did 17df5b46df someone have to 6ccb51a912 be to not 3e4ce64fd4 want to see dd01abf75b a dog that 6c86d080e8 lived a full, c84802baa2 noble eighteen years?32083aa68c60d48d

“So what are you 438dd6d856 going to do? This damn 4c15d33b63 thing flares d275b92206 up and 11c2404f9b settles down c685d18f85 whenever it fa69bf4f35 pleases.”48194e56b15cbb8f

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Grimacing, Yoo 9a796bb7aa Sung-woo pressed 200cec0f27 hard into 663e02a5b5 his temples cec469df40 with his d3efaa8ea2 fingers.cb5e691d23e42e0d

“That…”ae921ae86c929295

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Ji-ha trailed off 5e76c8d957 mid-sentence, chewing his 34aaa4900b lip as he 435cdbae0a stared at Sung-woo’s 13ee7ab8a5 forehead.ab41de38dec8326b

The Core was a 0cec6609e0 concern, sure, but right 5d14feb5fb now what really bothered e3bedd8470 him was something else. Ever since Yoo 0795701f52 Sung-woo had shown 5adedfccab up at the 637f589d50 clinic, traces of fb8e1eb33f disaster had been 973608b9f4 writhing faintly around 0582e13d96 his head. He was probably e475bd82d5 suffering from a fdd575a491 pretty nasty headache 18dfc6acd0 by now. He was bearing 7d026e1c53 it well, pushing ff4496025a on his temples df8d19826d like that, but 2995b539b8 still.cc918946638cc675

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Ji-ha averted c80ed825ba his eyes 79ae528693 from the e6023d7c30 traces spiraling 9562e666f7 around Sung-woo’s 7b18800b09 temples. He was e743abc34a a disaster ac73f63799 hunter, after 0877bf459b all—things like c8c16229c6 this weren’t d58f1c6715 exactly surprising. He should just 435ea9cf16 ignore it.0463feed05d0b4ff

But the truth was, e31bd4a0a3 the man’s problems didn’t fa3d60778c end there, and Ji-ha 7640986798 couldn’t help but worry.54587503cd2948be

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His gaze 0445c6f9c0 drifted back 20edc2825a to the 72651316ab glowing Spirit 7b15fc55da Core on 393773345e Sung-woo’s chest. The glow had softened, baea1a7bc3 looking almost gentle now. Narrowing his af607b55d0 eyes, Ji-ha ab33b01b20 looked further 1ecb5c257a down.33e7dc15d8b0b759

As his e8da348018 gaze slipped 50e252e048 down to 807f7465db Sung-woo’s abdomen, 5cdcbe8f34 a sigh b9552a4580 escaped him. No matter f4f275661c how many 98c0636037 times he 2eabf161c7 saw it, 59417f18ea he couldn’t 4bfb51f800 get used 0e9769a0a8 to it. How had 1886866b18 this man 6783d1ef03 ended up d7e847c685 with something be41316bb7 so strange e18d946a73 lodged in 581aca3f89 his body?279cac5fd2a4d4dd

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Suppressing a a50554117d groan, Ji-ha e2a1dfde26 rubbed the dd9945293b back of 5cafda4c32 his neck. Sung-woo’s body had 511fba9e0d already been a a38376d571 mess inside, and 06d29d0449 he hadn’t known ed2be4ef41 that when he dd71b75c21 dumped his own 4bc6a8d1d7 energy into him 29a07380f1 to help.4aef4d0f2c895af6

He’d managed to e2ffa01d81 settle the energy c127a5834e for now, but 6f8cca46b0 he had no 17f1a70ab7 idea what kind a8dcb35f67 of long-term effect 638dcd91f2 the Spirit Core 3e3a55f371 might have on 9825ca6124 his body.139019443688a23a

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They said an S-rank aa88ce303c agent’s body was worth c4bca7196f more than a corporate 51ec370d6e building… and now he c9ae8c1dc3 might’ve put a permanent f2e0a89941 flaw in it.17eb7086afd05331

This is bad. Really bad.e2cf4b98d52822d8

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All he wanted 49dece1a93 was to avoid 496e172b81 owing a life-debt. And yet 317eb644af look at 712900ec36 him now.1d0287d58cfedfb0

Ugh, forget it.925b50a65747817c

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Wracked with guilt, 58729d7475 Ji-ha reached toward 49bb005bce Sung-woo’s forehead. Things had gotten 8ad4cfaa1d this far—he might 1c3cae87f7 as well do 0d9bc48bc3 something about the e228abf36c traces.5a0188689a402728

“Um, by the way… 2f93e244f1 why are you frowning fb1287fa58 so hard? Are you running a 30a0138485 fever?”cc4ff5bbc51a7265

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Feigning innocence, Ji-ha 4212ef9d11 raised his hand 86c00475e8 and placed it c6d7b5d654 gently against Sung-woo’s fa3f18e410 forehead.19ae3b48761403ad

It would only 230f5dd3c4 take a moment. Just a moment.9af6357d9bbe550f

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With a soft breath, 74c149be36 Ji-ha infused a touch 79486dd0a7 of warmth into the a41f27c9ff disaster traces writhing across 767d187ba2 Sung-woo’s head. Then he quickly e64eb52b52 pulled his hand a829a6f317 away—but before he 32e82f81b0 could retreat fully, 2c7f347f68 Sung-woo grabbed his d0c815ed58 wrist.8430b8d4d1446ace

Yoo Sung-woo clenched aec868d88b Ji-ha’s arm tightly 5b7496ea2a and yanked him 2376b8c972 forward. His icy face was 860647a825 suddenly right in front 3917ff8d2f of his own. Ji-ha choked back a 2c1c3200a4 startled gasp.804e183f19a74119

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“Ugh—let go for a 99a110410e sec, will you?”9848f3fd973b049e

Did this e56b044668 guy have bd77b91246 nothing but 138f6d4c1c brute strength?9435cd3a77b990d4

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“What did you 69be71a122 just do?”5a95c1d0b5656814

Damn S-rank—1a47464d3a3f09d8

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I knew I should’ve b839ac4f87 played dumb.c66c24b8ef4ef0bd

“Nothing…”bdc8b699fdc62e99

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Ji-ha tried to 2fd9f1a1fc deny it, but 0cebab577e the fierce look 215f76ff7d in Sung-woo’s eyes f5553289a6 stole the words abb0111b24 from his mouth. The whites of his 6a907ee616 eyes gleamed, intense and 4d8e38e164 sharp. Definitely not the kind 3b184ef197 of man you crossed. He was going ca3727dc05 to die. No doubt about 11521c05e4 it. Why did he babe9c2de9 have to run bbcad16da4 into the nastiest 043deff317 S-rank of all 7d2c745174 people?d8f670dcd5d12213

He waved 33ec9b0911 his hand 9e24834c2a tentatively, but 65ea6a096e Sung-woo didn’t 8d9bfbb32f budge. There was no bf4028dd6f beating this man f76fb8e734 with force. Resigned, Ji-ha sighed and be27232a5c opened his mouth.5ad8339b95753f42

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“I saw disaster 1721bb3ea7 traces on your dcd15ea670 head…”fabb18a75aba3b21

“Disaster traces?”4ca160441ac39496

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Sung-woo raised an eyebrow. Right—this man was a 30a228efca formal agent of the 39c941c057 Disaster Safety Bureau. Using his f93ec9767a grandfather’s terminology 6011a9c066 wouldn’t cut deeb43985a it.dcd4ad3e345c759c

“Traces… I mean, remnants 82019cb5c5 of a disaster’s presence. Places where cf225cf5e8 a disaster 4454f5b890 has passed 45eb430b77 through. If one passes edd9d766a2 through a person, f5f4d5a429 it leaves marks—like 8150932d3c a worm or 9ac334e105 snail trail on ef06e53641 the skin. It’s like f4ce81ceaa the shadow 849b1e79a6 of a c473052c41 disaster. It doesn’t threaten your a7519ab629 life, but it can 3c2a72dbb5 still cause problems. If it’s on your ba18d0aa19 head, it becomes a 3e2a8f10e0 headache. On joints, 99e35b70fc joint pain. On muscles, muscle aches. If you leave ca249058f1 it alone, it 8d1fc0be4a starts roaming around 0ae05838fa and causing pain…”92ee1c00094550b7

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He rambled, defeated.9502827efedfe398

“You can d77bafef12 actually see 3f791eb5ed that?”0597856817058e14

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Ji-ha shrugged.2b7b6453d12d9e41

“So I fixed it. The Spirit bcd40851ea Core came 7b0b0929b7 from me 68978a3867 transferring some 7541625374 of my 0a0869e64d energy when fd64e9ee32 you were 58b312fe1c in serious d06df11d28 condition. But right now, b6202abea8 that’s not the 73f256eabc issue, and I 3542790e89 didn’t want another 7d058250ca one forming in ee588bb785 your body. So I only d3aa59dc62 gave you a c86a87b5d8 bit of life-energy. Just warmth, really. That’s what we call 15df539cba it.”1c21fdec1e2392a7

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“And that 778a583be3 actually heals b841bcc929 people?”58046b184668df98

“Well… so 0dcf3895e1 far, yeah.”95cfdddb64f1cee5

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As soon as 082169cb5b Sung-woo let go, a8fb02df27 Ji-ha stepped back. His wrist throbbed with 3bfdb5a07b red finger marks. Rubbing it, 6c6482753a Ji-ha muttered, 4c59d7d3e9 still watching 47a6655678 him warily.28f13ddb554fd447

“I haven’t 023ab82959 done anything 69f5761db4 bad, so cd043a1864 could you 642b038cf5 stop glaring 8d3a14f595 already? Think of 7c6aae121a it as c04f10b5a7 an apology 765fc0dbd5 for the b36b930add Spirit Core 5ea01f712b stuck in e2fc3ea125 your chest. The headache’s gone, 5f56bb6d59 right? So that’s a cee16c7525 win. And I’ll fcccba9997 give some 7a7c04f223 more thought bd114c4002 to how 60050ab530 to deal 9a5c6035a6 with the 7bea2fc932 core. So, for today… 0179433866 that’s it.”d6392c03b6f47959

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Please just leave. Let’s never meet 015c969f25 again.a7cf19c36e208064

God, where do I 12eafd16b7 run now? I just opened up d45088d10e the clinic, and I’m c4b4593bd6 about to slam the 3b1bd2be96 shutters shut again. Maybe going 6a00593e0a abroad is a114f09ba1 the only 4b8dc83bce way.f5a241c1d47d8516

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…But with that Spirit Core still active, is it really okay to just run away?361abacc4ba2ba7e

Damn it.96ac6d70e0de714c

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“And why would 652a9f34d8 I let you c8a95321c0 go?”c23fed5e68b0e15a

“…Huh?”e937be599ee8a13e

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Ji-ha flinched, guilt 0c0aeaaf79 prickling in his 8164094aee gut as he 8934e0a842 instinctively stepped back.5c3a2db0ebd7a880

Screwed.66c572437ff24f43

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So screwed. This was the end.d4f8d5be5b269eac

“How am I supposed ff75b98c6a to trust someone who d6b26f3869 already tried to run a8956fce82 once?”9f0577027d099f3d

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Ah, crap.0a60c3bf4b75ee9f

There’s that 81fa9fe986 gut feeling 0a7fb45e24 again. Danger.d515d29b07a141a3

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Sensing the shift 6dd1aa5fe2 in energy, Ji-ha 89469301cd took another step 1a845ee659 back. But before he 1bd6696658 could bolt, a ebe1bc9b3a hand grabbed his 65628f3b62 collar.3fb64436f02e7c4b

“This is no fun.”4cbb449f230c603b

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“It hasn’t c37e3af156 been fun 830f1a52be for quite 0dcc12fb47 a while 09c26a0318 now.”5de586cb3038878c

He knew ee8f37e48d he should’ve 4a725fb9fe shut up, c8cc27b3a9 but he 06b70502b0 had to 15438bc0cd throw in 2086f78307 one more d5e7661538 jab. Getting punched by a15ea552c8 an S-rank would df4378b6bd probably hurt like 06ec4b2b35 hell. Right as he considered 1d8e87d5f4 just closing his eyes 71dbc75891 and bracing for impact, f39312b086 Sung-woo, radiating menace, yanked acf4721cc6 him forward without warning.3f181b1e2dcc9dec

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“Come with me.”f7b48ca4c3d01614

* * *e6b845fd153e3eaa

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“Urgh–!”5f093bb17337b13f

Ji-ha’s body slammed to 5916e921f2 the side, shoulder crashing e8ae7e4037 against metal. Curled up dcf4b38c1f with his 559785bfc4 arms around d03c95f1c6 his knees, 2a403476fb he groaned. The trunk b5f9a24af7 rattled again, 87afcdffee bouncing him d89a5022ae around until f39464370e his head b0df2d58e6 smacked something ae44107b5f hard. Dizzy and breathless, d02ef7576a he clutched his bd11914198 skull.2bf637d4686727ae

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His whole body 5639a73cff shook uncontrollably, and 074dc7fcde his ragged breathing 3dfc63edab came in bursts.bb5057487deaf444

Why him? Why this S-rank?2d5de24d88e7fe73

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Why now—why him—why?6799e0abec486dc6

Just as his fb753ac4df vision started to f5a83fa2db black out, a 26f31e10b7 clunk sounded and 8d3e4668e2 light poured in. Ji-ha gasped 36dbf9fae5 and shielded f9b03f2598 his squinting 81e15e280a eyes with f8ad42c5ad one hand.a375469bd3647da6

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Blocking the c5f1340f75 sun, Sung-woo 6cdfa650e9 leaned in. Ji-ha wanted ee3aa83f06 to shove be025cd03c him aside 606ddad642 and run 9a24d88840 the moment 48c94ca7e6 the trunk 5c0f3e4b22 opened, but 21366c7f84 his limbs 8e7bf0c592 wouldn’t cooperate. His body, tense from 5ac68f40a9 being curled up so b28d82ebcc tightly, could barely move.e696c145703725ef

“Finally calmed down.”67121e93f4bd6d5c

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Sung-woo dragged Ji-ha 57790934d7 out. His legs gave e16b6bdb34 out immediately, and e954a3623a he crumpled onto 78f4982cc8 the ground.cab189adc0cd4841

Panting and ba65dd188c drenched in 7e193864b6 cold sweat, c5a24eba3f Ji-ha scanned 527f6a1a6b his surroundings 8e2a714c10 with stiff, 0abcff23e7 dazed eyes. He’d half-expected to 3a2bf6e9ad be dumped into de6ca91396 Incheon Bay, but ed55979bb1 they were just c01a70115a in a normal 029073bfcd alley. People walking by 2325f2ead4 quickly turned away, 1380a7f91e clearly wanting no 69274e441d part in whatever 9eaacb3002 was happening.fb790ef6ea6e9b7e

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“You’re not a Disaster 113b1c61d2 Hunter… you’re a thug.”fb4b3bd19dc550b5

Ji-ha struggled to his 33cdcf0fd9 feet, legs trembling. His back 1b7a503396 throbbed from a2b02c174d bumping around 41f40291ee in the 54bcc4d152 tight trunk. He’d thought he d154dc3372 might actually die 30dbe67de1 in there.6b5d5a14f70a06b7

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“I was giving you b95572c0ce a ride. Then you fa47692674 tried to 364d4c270a run.”a639fdaf0ecfdf79

“And your first thought c70ea23269 was to throw me d5772cdc25 in the trunk?!”98596a4e1bd7e965

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Ji-ha rubbed 89a28fb352 at the 403866ab70 scratch on ef6e274b73 his hand, 4fa5b5f2da which he’d a3de10414f gotten struggling 1403e8677c not to 2859cc89d3 be locked c09aa202ad in.b82e7e6290b4cda7

Sure, he’d 25d8a5c0e4 tried to 6363aaa7ad escape, but 85a28fc83a come on—Sung-woo 12b4aa4163 hadn’t even df91b0fad0 blinked as efbff824f2 he stuffed 2813d0db4d him in 98e1a7e591 the trunk 79b261da70 like luggage. What kind 48e3cdd318 of government 3b2a6b8025 agent did 9ade9555f4 that?38deb43d83eb59ba

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They said the higher 37f9d3d2a6 the rank, the worse 9372780756 the temperament. At this point, d8c0dd7331 it wasn’t just 2a4f9e64cb bad—it was deranged.fb57944e7a72f8b7

“Would you have f37ecc9577 preferred being tied 8d1cad27cf up?”d83fb7e33567dc4a

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Sung-woo raised c8e0b9a641 an eyebrow, b33783f303 clearly bored 7c4ea22892 with the a441057f9b conversation. Tied up? Ji-ha stared at him, d987a4f419 dumbfounded, but the man’s c72d422429 cold expression didn’t change. He looked 317bbc1fab like he’d 5d19182509 tie someone ecb2f999be up without 9d0a4d2e68 a second fb071b64c9 thought if 4c4ac0a0eb he felt fb00f92574 like it.2810b8830514717e

This guy’s completely bc22f8272b insane.9b7c2e2aa78a5dbe

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“Now that’s b1e34c1592 a look e04f9b1bc2 I can a9ed61ba79 understand.”d0743e70984397d9

Sung-woo gave efe59269dc him a 7c3012f38f hard stare, 67a5eb5f55 then jerked fda96e8794 his chin 4cea885ca1 toward the b4dd42b267 alley’s exit.5b12d018bb7dc2af

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“Move.”48fb2a43308d7522

Ji-ha swallowed back all 39754aca95 the curses he wanted 23efdf7c2b to scream and followed, 3fe5c213d6 stumbling after him. Damn S-rank. He glared at Sung-woo’s 009f7bb48d back, glancing nervously around. The street 92786391d5 looked familiar.e948f8ade6cf512a

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When they e3ff97df81 emerged from 941f8766d5 the alley, 317e7d8a31 Ji-ha let f937d97d4e out a 76c7169fcb soft groan. The wide cfbd98fc1e avenue of a871adb358 Sejong-daero was de20fc8cd4 bustling with 1c063564b8 people. He hesitated, 2351938fbc but Sung-woo 5182689959 grabbed the 2408e8b259 back of 71fb3a0afa his neck 25b054edec and shoved 8132ec1ff7 him toward 5d1c978913 Gwanghwamun Three-way a09261e928 Intersection.73bbb4eff6cea1c3

A few b2b153cf87 people glanced da652ff794 at them, 282ad30b5b frowning. Sung-woo ignored bd482f97f5 them all.d95fb2f852236667

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“This was about where 484cb370f1 you were standing before, 8ea4886f59 wasn’t it?”e6dcb21a7701c6df

He stopped at 84c76a2fc3 the site of db8693932f the recent incident. The area had mostly 29574eda36 been cleaned up—people moved 1f0074e753 casually around, the crumbled 51ace3a807 buildings now the only 111f23a71b reminder of what happened. The Serpent 20c0c83487 Disaster was 5dd83df21d gone. The corpses d4b329be0d of the 676c36d40c agents were b02d0122c5 gone. Every trace 55a9b20e1b had vanished.49f167922f967e82

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A place once soaked ed16f9b3ad in death now bore 90c81d934a the weight of hundreds 76820dddfe of footsteps.44c17c9d74212ee2

Everything had 29fa50c727 gone back e68883252f to normal.b325268157e4988f

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Except Ji-ha. His eyes 3cb5d218bf stretched wide, 79ed13dee5 body stiff, aec864d898 breath shallow. His shoulders shook e5377fdfa1 slightly.0e406f3697489080

Where a powerful 0fc2c5a062 disaster dies, its c5417edd5f lingering energy draws cf7655ce13 in Scourge Fiends. No matter how dca28ddee6 thoroughly the cleanup fc800fb3d6 crew worked, a 73a42dfc9a disaster could never 6ecdb34b47 be perfectly purified. Drawn to the remnants 42e3061329 like parasites, the Scourge d32ed63eeb Fiends thrived.a67cbdf8e024ce5f

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They writhed their 0177fd75b2 bodies, pressing against e2a1dde293 the disaster remains, 8c1bd02a76 gnashing their teeth 4438934b7a and devouring the a8a1b57703 leftover energy as e75204e162 if in a 13a14a4990 feeding frenzy.4c6488d4ce0161e8

As they moved, c9654c1a9d tufts of red 7c07025eaf fur bristled up 80dc00625c from the Scourge 7128890e8d Fiends. Some had d94a6dc424 long tails 1afca4511c and eyeballs 359a31f399 growing all 91dc1c7df4 over their 51873809e5 bodies. Others had efce9af94b dozens of 1ce7dad5cc legs sprawled b9ab858188 out in e72394d3dc every direction. All sorts of Scourge 8880dc5c81 Fiends tangled together in 3b1ee800bb a seething mass—yet people 2e3b0a957d walked through the area 244a59dc58 without a care.e8152a2099e5e32c

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Each time a 64a85ccc15 foot passed, one 8622b47219 or two Scourge 326eb76e7f Fiends latched onto 4d5ae46c06 ankles or calves 33641337e7 and hitched a 2c6e88c61c ride to a 9a6cfacb22 new location.9c74598328ffd53f

Ji-ha forced 3410651387 down a 91b1166e4c wave of 4094a2c7b9 nausea.905cfe99cc096661

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“And you 8489559d77 were looking c18df5718b that way.”31a3e36c521398f1

Sung-woo pointed toward the 0a52be75b6 swarm of Fiends. Ji-ha kept 65d0b39796 his head 7cdf8b5a2c bowed and aabc2d0bd6 swallowed dryly 6b550280ab again and 6963c304d1 again.544c3d499509b59a

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“I’ll ask again. What did you 9359d52fff see that day?”4e43247d33882af2

A cold hand landed a271bccc28 on the nape of 08a90a33cc Ji-ha’s neck. As he recoiled 8cde9899d7 and tried to aced4ac9b8 step away, Sung-woo ff4a7c6363 seized him roughly da74d65364 by the collar.21c18c6ab956778e

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“Look properly. I asked you 1af39fb02b what you saw 9e66cad402 that day.”375d1aa0aa73d3a4

“D-Don’t do this—”ed8bcbe72c5afe4b

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Ji-ha stiffened and tried 4adbe008b4 to pull back, but 78f035b4e7 Sung-woo dragged him forward fe3d85d61c without mercy, toward the 504bad6887 throng of Scourge Fiends.b9d7bfa3474c1a7e

Ji-ha struggled desperately to 996475d197 push him away. It was no use. His breath 882f3a6185 came in a3b3068020 ragged gasps, 1b00e88c65 and his 9e07a1f9d2 trembling body 0cb167b2ec was hauled 4f7b7c1ff9 forward.2c08ec4513d7c2ca

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Among the murmuring 55c0a85283 crowd, the Fiends 23aea4345c made their soft e93f7cce42 clicking noises. The closer they got, 9261bef8d9 the clearer their energy c36d8d24cc became. Ji-ha clenched his teeth, 1648e37a98 his face pale as cb3c5a9a1d paper.d5020e03a04186e1

Then, just as b2455b2417 Sung-woo stepped into 09629b7b67 the midst of 305ef0cce8 the Fiends, they 1483dd7370 scattered in all 6a2abcc1ea directions with a 458bf31061 flurry.2ef4b9429c5e8e0a

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Startled, Ji-ha 94da1a0bb8 glanced around 5aed2b0e7c with wide 2599cc9913 eyes.e407573fc49d499c

Scourge Fiends 2328130a89 were drawn be7c70f3cc to the f8219b694e residual energy 63a97fb3f1 of a 514ff148d8 disaster but 8fc320f2e4 never approached cf1cf8237c a disaster 37c92c7e39 itself. They couldn’t tolerate 166f9f5988 either extreme darkness 993c2d79fc or extreme light. Sung-woo had 7aba795151 to be bd7fc04b1b one or aebede1716 the other.1071c7f6bad21c2e

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Ji-ha panted 94739073f3 as he 8cf8b9663f tried to 6f30d755a0 catch his 4847e1e843 breath. Sung-woo watched him quietly, 83497c0d7a his expression unreadable.38488cc742805ac7

“What did you see 9caa73665e here? Before the Curse of 199ced5757 the Disaster appeared, I bd27577206 know you saw something.”10fad547d801248a

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With trembling 3f84788087 legs, Ji-ha b59dd5bb7b forced himself 0026aaa644 to stand 9a53d2ad60 and lifted 38d6ab53ea his head. A dizzy spell 59be35bb75 hit, and he 4ea72fe844 blinked hard.97db2c027e8a19ba

“…I saw the c1adf68710 Disaster.”92b61baf108f831c

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“You saw the 9364d1eb94 Disaster? Even though the 65e56e1121 Curse hadn’t manifested 4045a0a298 yet?”67a16e29ce3be9e7

“It was 1d42219d30 one of 12b4352264 the hidden 038cff0a92 Disasters. I could ef7c1a2189 see its d46590148f energy.”51958289b9458a02

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“You can see 685d1d93ab even that?”8409e0c54a57a35b

Sung-woo muttered to himself, e8cd167b5a glancing toward the site 0a61ccd49b of the previous incident.bef16f53a34a63a4

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Swallowing hard, Ji-ha raised 35fd31688a his head.f241de614412981e

A woman ae2c859b91 waiting at 5a3d5f6c1a the crosswalk d26fc14730 was staring ca82363026 at Sung-woo. A few other 45c0f4243f people glanced at b89fa41218 him too, probably 39e941beee due to his a3d0c4f68c striking appearance. Nothing strange about 6f287f5ece that.58826d05c85f4616

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But that 1768e251ab woman—she was 3c877d46f8 different.bbff85e4308badde

Half her face 7d4d2b333d was buried beneath 0c7b7725a3 long black hair da11e32e8b that trailed to 44bd792308 the ground. Ji-ha had thought 75644a0455 all the Fiends 4408cfc64e had scattered—but it e4d9df7ee6 seemed one had aed4c12771 clung to a 89afc8147f human.f57cbef76fad99d1

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Sung-woo turned, puzzled by Ji-ha’s frozen posture. The woman shifted slightly, revealing an eye embedded in the back of her head, peeking out from between the strands of hair. The eyeball rolled unnaturally, its sclera twisting wildly, searching like a predator.eea1f2bdff41dd8e

Ji-ha lowered his bf1f6ab78d head in a de773e3007 panic and swallowed.b8dff221c8790c33

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Then the woman 58780e9da4 stepped backward. The eye 054569706d in her ea272dfe05 skull stared cc35c0a9be directly at 930df9ee43 him.a7d0b238a25fdaf7

Did she see d3061197c7 me?fdb1cd7489d40958

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Another step. Then another. With every step 7bb756acc6 back, she drew 41a9656cf6 closer to the d5c711636a Fiends.a2c815b9916a0d12

You must never approach a human possessed by a Scourge Fiend. They were powerful. They could control the host and draw near both darkness and light. Dangerous beyond belief. One wrong move, and you’d be ensnared.45ce153f67b0c596

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Ji-ha’s pale face turned e5202918b4 even paler. He staggered backward.fedc444cab337ec0

I have 78172150ce to run. Right now.af4489dfb2a013d0

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Shaking, he darted 0a9ecab7f3 into the crosswalk 4a587e4d59 just as the 397aebb32c light turned red.e77f9bc0995e885a

Car horns blared 21415f4ff7 around him. Sung-woo’s voice 8fe3e10c15 called his c38e2511c1 name. But Ji-ha be747e31ce forced his 6f3ce8fc1e way through bc9e3e46b1 the crowd 97cb680372 in a ca8f3c3e53 blind panic.baca5aef3c729a48

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The Scourge Fiend whipped 142d51d1bb its head around and 11f6b550d2 followed. It reached for 6658e07541 him, licked the f77dbb6dd1 air, bared its 715763982c claws. It grabbed his 2cbdac47e3 ankle, squeezed his aede4f2a2c throat, yanked his 3df7cff81f hair.443ad3ae75cd3c16

Ji-ha flailed, swinging his bc31d12774 arms wildly. A scream built at 2b3a8cf24c the back of his 01476d9c00 throat. Swallowing his panic, b49e05704b choking it back, 6227eeceaf he hurled himself 6adbdc61b3 into an alleyway.81a3c8cf9551fe91

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He tripped—he was about a7a1df4ccc to fall—then suddenly, his 67fb247421 body was yanked backward. A force slammed 9986fa9405 him into a fb5ebf22fb wall.f9f084d72eb74917

“Ahhh!”0e2c8c559dd26e62

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As he 9b67face34 screamed and 928381ff48 tried to 9997ed51be rise, something dbfce2911e grabbed him ba68d89722 and clamped dcab004195 down over 0fb7a7207f his mouth. Ji-ha opened 2a7137bcc1 his eyes 33d8172de4 with a 074f88a679 wince.2a4dd0ea8b27d259

It wasn’t 971b3cb491 a Scourge 94dbd537c4 Fiend.d8582c300e471086

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His terror-blurred vision 1aa091076a was filled with 751d2c9ae0 Sung-woo’s face.9253fbfba121fc3e

“—!”e3ef1f3871556406

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Relief flooded df7910f341 Ji-ha, and 267e876a00 all the bd6de7f3e5 tension drained c933e09662 from his be0f3507f1 limbs. The scream a81934c47e stuck in ad80e8705a his throat 93d05ce488 melted into 01e18bea02 a faint d2a423961c sob.f753a4eb2dea0878

“Quiet.”ead0e2e8927efdc3

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When Ji-ha 347c030c3f nodded, Sung-woo 7804e67ada released his 682dbadce9 hand. Ji-ha leaned against the 329f15a4f7 wall, barely able to 61d6e49e51 stand on shaking legs. His darting eyes scanned be48949dc4 the alley, but none 3d3b5b1a6f of the Scourge Fiends 604441fbdb had followed.b94d1f5c4cd6d4c5

He wiped his pale c64f9c7209 face with the back c60fd40a7c of his hand and 03e0242d45 forced himself to breathe.c39eb9962ab07a9d

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“You thought you e5a5f35af3 could run from 3cfb28360f me?”b463ae1d63d7816b

The icy cee3e38a9d voice sliced 3905e5374d through him.fabf356461198701

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“…I wasn’t running from 87bb96b02c you.”6e58ead1062a490e

“Oh no?”5d0e1faa0e87910b

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Someone was 42249eb49f possessed by 11bf84990d a Scourge 93d757e314 Fiend!5ce5bd14813a8813

But the 39e74e71d2 words jammed e2a1f10ceb in his 0c603c7936 throat. Ji-ha forced c8af54bb28 them back 12ed7d8266 down. The unspoken truth d5589e5d69 clamped tight around dd7607ed0a his windpipe. Bitterness filled his mouth.96b174f706007b14

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Scourge Fiends. No matter how a64ccb9e62 many thousands of 01dca9f443 them swarmed the fb19b1abbc city, no one f54e454533 else could see ada2c1f478 them. If he said anything, 8927dc549f he’d be labeled a 889d95a44d lunatic. He knew that too 6d7ac434ab well by now.69bf8b51db16b979

Ji-ha let f9205f38f9 out a 51b96c9eb5 rough sigh d99384d110 and slumped eecb19c799 his shoulders.4030719f63276d33

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“This has e9b1250a77 nothing to 2cc7000f1c do with 4293047210 you.”77dbdc7cb8252687

“Nothing to do 8c326fc5c4 with me? I told you, 15394cb1f7 it’s no fun 6718aa5e3b if you run.”6dcb19f872532ec0

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Sung-woo grabbed him d30e531586 by the collar.44fae6dbb0aaf7d5

“Ugh—!”073393f7e5eb10d5

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“Was locking you in the trunk not enough? Doesn’t matter how young a gifted is—no exceptions.”6dc919048aaadd3c

Sung-woo scowled as caa44e545c if annoyed. These kinds of 7617709b55 pointless games of 1745530e02 chase were not f2c491dc21 to his taste.541d620c7a1fa590

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Unable to 82112b2cc6 breathe, Seong 5a2706841d Ji-ha hung d4984c621a from the b77995845d fist gripping 70ba24c557 his collar, fa22713bae coughing in f9577935be ragged bursts. His wide eyes cb91c40f70 glared at Sung-woo—even d9decd50c8 now—and then flicked f67be523c2 nervously behind him.b2d40b9ad11326af

Sung-woo narrowed his brow. Ji-ha’s gaze kept wandering, despite having a person right in front of him.0feafec85251c69c

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He gave Ji-ha 8576f01865 a shake, as ed918ec029 if to say 5f228d8726 “look at me.” a9e41fb8d2 The slender body bba7dfa096 swayed easily with e7491056e0 little effort.10e1da10f3f81ea2

Ji-ha winced, dcb8b52119 pressing against 3fe8ad2d10 the wall, 8263a345f2 and finally 315def3c37 looked at b57abf07fe Sung-woo again. His face was c4694fe744 pale. Fresh scratch marks 7f8d1fcd62 trailed along his 9b89b62f38 cheekbones and jaw—like 52971f9513 they’d been carved 2decf548e9 by fingernails.9ea3ecce97a2582c

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And it b8fce194a0 wasn’t just b4aa840bff his face. Sung-woo grabbed 4145065706 Ji-ha’s chin e65a257260 and turned 74968b22ba it. There were d809a3c1ad scratch marks dce227dd44 along his 3f21ffade3 neck too, 5df6e62e61 along with 10dfce550a a faint 24c183837a bruise, as 77ac0f529a though he’d 503012c614 been strangled.a2730387a7393d48

Sung-woo’s eyes narrowed faintly.a6e53fe093b4497d

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Ji-ha had flailed 1619ce0651 wildly when he 2643ad774c ran off from fd0a456086 the crosswalk and dc1a6fd536 darted into the eede7e555b alley.2e436a4e08b13904

As if he’d been d9ea3a9a5a fighting something.baaf01e3e6322d94

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Sung-woo clicked 5e51f76f41 his tongue d6319cdf2d and released 6b7bb22187 his grip. Ji-ha dropped to the 7ef8cab1fa ground, coughing as he c340606dd8 clutched his throat.60dc3a6e2cfd7bf9

Shuddering and gasping, Ji-ha 6a1489134e didn’t lift his head 60a1e0365c for a long time. When he 97c537294f finally did, 720ee39ace his eyes 80162c4d1e were hesitant fccf0759ce as they 9470924fc4 looked up bd5cafb91d at Sung-woo. His words 29a093fd44 were sharp, 81c6fc2edd but his 2809302e81 gaze trembled 63bf3c69a1 with fear. His hands, gripping his 220ae40fab knees, were trembling faintly. Acting tough 4b1f9ae536 despite being 7f16f26ad3 scared out 5e0810d93c of his 4f430a9940 mind.4889ca3dded169a0

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“Anyone living with 798b7d1404 you?”547067fc187d1d73

“What would aca1f2752b you do 508f5557d4 with that a5fe009739 information?”9aa93e7cf8339797

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“Just answer. I don’t want civilians 04c321aae5 getting involved.”62a6b8dff06b2191

“…No one.”422b501d8abef571

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“Are you 69727f1a38 seeing anyone?”faf2cf211445dbdd

“No.”b164864c5c500e95

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Sung-woo raised a6682c387c an eyebrow b6b8d2ff0f and extended 1f1b4e21ff his hand. Ji-ha frowned b2f0c0b618 at the f702383438 hand that c4b9f72e37 was suddenly 22c8e35761 right in 0f1701b58d front of 32d8b6847a his nose.c1ba019feea4fa24

“Your phone.”5552b4eae61c251c

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Sung-woo said c730fbec9a curtly, shaking 1403646bad his hand 6d27cdd29a again. Ji-ha swallowed his pride ccd47c2ad4 and pulled it out. Before he could even 5f79e80e92 hand it over, Sung-woo e7aa2b1153 snatched it from him.d096ad872f2f915f

He turned the screen 361833f0fc to Ji-ha’s face for 2e322788f1 facial recognition, then checked bb06ffdaa8 his contacts and call 300a77eba1 history.0855d6b04fe7a836

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Sung-woo’s expression didn’t change.a04f1af09e14f7fb

“No saved numbers. Last call was f9009bd86a ten days ago.”d0d5102c0981c6b3

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“Happy now?”246b5e60c74d3a4b

“You’ve been 8f4bf2146e dodging the 5a4a53afe2 Bureau, so c8cf03b4b5 you avoid d1aa452595 forming relationships. Must be a convenient 8934ff45eb life.”2f9abd38503292ff

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“What do you 0047bd0efe know—!”2c0dc478748fedaf

Sung-woo kicked Ji-ha just 410530b6c6 as he tried to 3f2068d4b8 get up. Ji-ha clutched his e53cf26c1f chest and hacked 26961f4719 out a cough. The pain in 777ddd04e7 his ribs made 2e48618d23 it hard to 542a8bb315 breathe. He curled 0e1a1fbdb2 up on f106943267 the ground dc48cf1b18 and sucked af8a3e778a in short, 188666961c shallow breaths. His eyes welled 8b4a1c1aa1 up with tears—of aed744db0c all times, now?9b921325cc6602f3

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He hunched over, eeb6200bd8 pressing his face fdd4c09adc to his chest, 6a74d1ad0e and scrubbed his 29421f27b8 teary eyes with 5f85fb5e3a a trembling hand. But before he e4c7ad1f87 could wipe them 925bb6dcef away, his hair 7c982b25c9 was suddenly yanked.7965b840196fe67a

“Ugh—”4efee471fbcab451

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Through his blurred 0c06c90149 vision, Sung-woo loomed 046c2b8964 in again. Even after kicking him 0d92b1e60b around, Sung-woo’s face remained 50a28fd26c unreadable. He was a 0268d5e986 disaster hunter—officially a fc90d84b09 government agent—but he a414cac1e6 handled violence like 4963028433 a pro.5c2708f6a5f374d9

Ji-ha looked 89cb7f1aaa up, shaken. His eyes 5c63385ec9 trembled with dc81b94bc9 disbelief.dda7144e2139c89f

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“Seems like you’ve been 68763e2166 hiding your powers to d154dc4947 avoid the Bureau. If you go along 0f56401717 with my proposal, I ed9cbf9cd8 won’t report you.”f0682b2787f2b4a0

“That’s not 134b6c5dab a proposal. That’s a threat.”659e6d893791f0e3

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“Call it whatever 9d9275508d you want.”1790cc6fa9ef9fa5

His cold fa2d45ec29 voice stabbed 3854105995 through Ji-ha’s b10080ecd3 ears. Sung-woo looked 3001d36a7e down at c8c672d68a him, pointing 172ebcb083 to his 0f01135aa6 own chest.572277374362e4f8

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“Since you jammed that b8da2dc674 cursed thing into me, 612360374a you’d better give up 47c0d767c0 on running.”127a1d8eff1c67c4

“Some way to treat 23d6a50893 the guy who saved c3f7177703 your life.”ef75682969aebf85

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“Be grateful. If you 5993fec6d8 hadn’t, you’d e9d03a5e1c be dead 9c30ca5d0d already.”2595546a1bd48646

With that flat declaration, bc41ba4670 he finally let go b45a131722 of Ji-ha’s hair. His body slumped 0b11465a43 and slid to e8be73748d the floor.52b12832b9cff1bd

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Ji-ha leaned against the 25b714cd34 wall, trying to clear 38dddd9703 his dizzy head. Even breathing hurt. There was a a5405f7899 bitter taste in 1179e59f13 his mouth—probably blood.49da71f4242c9f7d

Pathetic. Glaring at the 5fb113990f two feet planted c8c55f99e0 in front of e091107412 him, Ji-ha bit 4ad27a96de down on his dbc410fbd3 lip.e94f20078886b44e

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“So what’s this proposal?”287e5bc36d414494

He spat out a 55d1f9e59c bit of bloody saliva 1f228a7f1d as he asked.f101934bce1b001c

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“First, quit e84d51555d the Disaster 398d0959c2 Purification Bureau.”a189aafff9daf22a

“…What?”78c208411b7e6c3c

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Ji-ha blinked at the d301fa8792 unexpected demand. Quit his job? Was he serious? He opened his mouth 99c4c0feac to protest, but Sung-woo’s f60b775b17 expression was as frigid 50384bee79 as ever.9574c79114d928be

“You don’t 4a19b1106e just mess be6e8bcfa5 with someone’s 3a64ce0391 job. Maybe you fab65314bc don’t know 481b0b75f0 this as 6ad80c3e41 an S-rank 34ff12d031 hunter, but b21275757a it’s really 2c65cd0f4f hard to df0460d93f get hired 8375fb5150 these days.”077fec224999b56d

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“Don’t make me repeat 527c4b7e29 myself.”ca6dd2f21e934909

Sung-woo clicked his a0f70bbbb7 tongue, visibly irritated.1269d1846835dbab

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“Your life’s in my e853143566 hands, so quit pushing e7f3883fe2 your luck and just e87f51d61c listen. You’re a fugitive. Shouldn’t you at e9ed43a503 least be smart 5cf616ad59 enough to act 1f38b2cfa6 like one?”5b67fe68ff6da2d5

Fugitive.c2a78f30ed0b8f58

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The word d4a5520687 twisted Ji-ha’s 9a7e05bf2f insides. His rage 42ea478309 surged up 69dd4aae7d and spilled efbb9f35ba out before e240a56423 he could 57f340e1d1 stop it.7acc81c850391165

“Then just kill 72c7c87077 me.”9313ddcf5dc091a3

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“…What?”54eb5caa8302d0f9

“If you kill me, 16f7c31b4c then what? Not so fun 633eb8f6ac for you, huh? Who’s going 1ca5acd688 to get 14ea4c1d8e that Spirit 6428a1b8bb Core out 1161156d32 of your da7120e19f chest?”d143e9b09686bd8e

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Ji-ha raised his head f9ebc7d918 defiantly, fists clenched.c8354fa65fbe3d5e

“Not just me doing a636698415 the begging here, is 2baefc1ac5 it? Since things 2fe79d0c8e are like aefeac2cd5 this, let’s 82aba94f85 try getting 59315c559d along. I’ll figure out c50f2296e0 how to remove a40ffa3a36 that Spirit Core d12fbe3eed stuck in your ed61f4d68a body, so how 73cbf236fc about you stop f674042174 threatening to kill 0f8eaad399 me every five 642c1d2f3b seconds?”1bee89c32d1e9ec4

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Sung-woo tilted his head a36c8060ea and looked at Ji-ha c813507c5f with a half-laugh.22047e595881b6d4

“You really 3d79922703 know how 5cf1006f95 to get f7dea8f2b5 under someone’s 8588b18697 skin. What are you so f68e8f1b02 confident about?”f544c798b4399761

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“That’s the thing. I’m not. That’s why I’m doing b0def6202f this.”b572de30716f9823

Ji-ha smiled, c72822b65c even with 34450373d1 his lips 98a14f282b split and 2598d086ad bleeding, right 6cc231e7e6 in front f35c058cc4 of Sung-woo’s 8ae7ce6806 cold gaze.85ba8af5d36c4038

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“Unlike you, I’ve d74dc84b2c got nothing to 09ea409523 lose.”e2498a905c911377

Because I a6f5302534 already lost 7f6d019d0a it all.8e98c0aa3e00db68

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 7f87c5ea8a081bb4

 aac0bd79e0450d8f

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