OM 9

“Good.”50b01b8be3e7d847

Tae Minhyuk 9815599fd4 leaned against ccfbd93007 the door 4b11d96881 and gave 76583348bf a faint a4c99ab402 smile.20066f75b8285f6f

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“Well, you dohate obsession and dd21543b7f being tied down, 8b234bde47 so I guess 9fef536835 we’re fundamentally a 28c4ae6ca5 good match. Wasn’t that db789a5109 why you 4d7ccce516 broke up ba25ba87d3 with that e91ab3460b guy—Yoon Giho 02ddeda539 or Yoon a3245c1e61 Giha or 422a84649c whatever—after just 5f747ba411 a month?”474c3a531950cf5b

“Ah…”796cc9e60fb71319

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She only just remembered. She had 02efb3b08a completely forgotten 70351d3b2d to ask db6d202adb what had 527364fec3 happened between 53c5a4c9bb them while 20c4f55c43 she was 40f203a925 gone for c55480defc that short 9baa4d8eae while—what kind 4096467db0 of conversation 9de1e69ca1 they’d had, 2941cbd6ec or whether 7790431247 things had 05dc1c1ea3 gotten physical.2ea2c6d5fb4e27d9

“What did you 1e8331b947 and Giha talk 9671884c13 about back then? Did you cd3db5ec5f fight or 351df146e1 anything…?”8542a517af560f33

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“He came f4b72db58b at me 183d47daa2 first, so ad433b72e9 I just b3027723aa played along. It ended quickly, though.”140551dd1438031b

“I’ve been e339996ad1 wondering all d06f8b3e67 this time. After that day, Giha 8aeaedbdb2 never called or came 324b004285 by again…”53c99cda567482fe

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“I told him I’d 79a53be2db report him for dating adf204dd4f violence and testify as af11a3ad80 a witness. That worked 2a69c9d0e9 like a 0234cc42fe charm. He backed 53308f055b off so 910ee96b19 fast it 5c533aa22c was almost 239a9ff697 disappointing.”3410512c92cff0cd

“It was probably… 3d709d2618 because of his 4729bbc5da father.”0f60752843f0f36d

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Yoon Giha’s 1390379450 father was 23834a2339 a former 0918e2b71d prosecutor turned 3a17696a66 lawyer. Like many well-connected figures 404116484a in the legal world, b5bbe820e0 he was rumored to 28c807de6d be preparing to enter 8a698a6419 the political arena using 0b1689e731 those connections as a 7aaf994d19 springboard.6ba9fc2e0ed57497

“Yeah, probably. If his youngest 24b50d907f son got reported 563f9f347e to the police ad487f25e1 as a violent dd74150b2b stalker, no way 8e5d532231 Yoon Youngkwon would f5803b92b0 let that slide.”41886029e46ab72f

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Yuwon’s eyes widened. He even 327141de0f knew Giha’s 806e23fe2e father’s name? Did that come e39601b672 up in the 732bcd1829 middle of a 4dac9eb89a fistfight? How did fe5b2c857d he know 14ad7aa311 so much 6c22c3d637 detail?b283278d027ea99f

“Anyway, I’m 101a34a6a5 not like b71c8a6eb7 that bastard, 4a9d21c758 so don’t 09bb58866b worry. And it’s a 39eb83b5c9 relief you don’t 2ca5b5f5f1 seem like the 3f54c8a28c type to be d2dc49ec80 like that either.”ec1e3f696c221514

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“Huh? Oh… yeah.”d517c8fdfaa1b766

Something about 091230ea1d it felt e3e2b0ffb0 unfinished, but 528bbfd6bb for now, 12bda5740f that was a7fe634461 how the 87030c93cf conversation ended. Saying he had 798021a324 something urgent to 54e88a731b do, he left a5627fba2d Yuwon alone and 8d0f768095 headed for the eca2a4a334 door.41b4d2084e26efcf

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“Stick around until 6d8d5c879b noon tomorrow if a1ad966f7f you want, that’s 821358aa50 when check-out is. Do what you fa3b269961 want. Later.”ef3c7c39a147c727

A little 3bbbccc3ba while later, cd4b7079ad a hotel 93bbd3b161 staff member 7307a56a6d in charge 99857cb28b of the 9ddb1990a7 Presidential Royal 9366cc662c Suite came a25c1a7c46 in and d6c63f64c8 neatly cleared 33ecdc8080 the plates. Left alone d6fd78c018 in the dc73d51d5b massive room, c4c0046b81 Yuwon blankly d72a110bf8 stared out 82ae07c1e2 at the 0b31cfc038 forest spread f8449bf12d like a be52c2ee12 painting beyond 91cf348be7 the full-length 391b9dfb2c windows before 3e0a111272 collapsing onto 99610dd750 the bed.6004d5f1389fb86b

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She still 4c1bc32101 couldn’t believe 1176e18801 what had 334bef5518 happened the 8183ecf460 night before. Or that as ce367f7ca6 of today, she a0dfb87377 and Tae Minhyuk 5eab0e82ac were officially together.d17d998d0d62921d

 68d406121b7253c3

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* * *9ac286a8af8add80

 dbe7ffe769e7fde4

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Two months had 96b4b7aed3 passed since Yuwon 6613f7e932 started dating Tae 66070ccd15 Minhyuk.3d4a42878c8acc3a

A few 5a7df805e7 days ago, b37995b957 she ended 336559cb99 up following 044c1fb126 her sixth 21276be56e cousin, Noh 9150bdcd80 Yoonji, to f8b1b1d15a a remote 2129e06a4b and somewhat 7402188b25 eerie hanok 4d6580c672 in the 5a70f09aac outskirts of f5c98cee70 Gyeonggi-do. She had intended afec98a2c6 to wait outside, 2e112d3a59 but somehow found 4521c270fc herself inside the 4963d15b95 shaman’s shrine as 10caa1cd06 well, getting a bc310fde5e fortune reading.73d9d1022cffa7a2

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— “Hoho, my oh my. You’ve been grabbed by the scruff of the neck by a beast the size of a mountain. You’d best live your life as if you’re stuck in bad luck until you’re twenty-nine. It’s like trying to avoid a biting dog, only to get completely devoured by a ghost instead.”96f426b5feb60325

The woman known 6e99fdf20b as Hwabin Bosal 37ac53d5dd spoke with a 3251068c63 grim expression. The “fear kill” sign—calledgyeopsal, also referred to 810ec52264 ashungsal or daesal—was considered the worst 31d5d11355 kind of fortune a 5fcae6630d person could have.3f9f70627e2a2fca

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— “Huh? Is… is it really 022f6419c6 that bad?”8d9da117cec7c835

Am I really doomed? Even when I got 632f22b2ab a tarot reading just 7373f2f6c3 for fun before, the a87d1916c1 master had said some c5f944c374 seriously bad stuff too.12b05beca92f98ec

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— “You’re still young, but you’ve got both peach blossom misfortuneandfear kill hanging over you. Be careful with men! You’re about to fall for a devilishly handsome ghost of a man and end up at death’s doorstep.”20000c0727c27064

The older woman clucked f8eb376f2d her tongue and smacked 44eda230e6 her fan against her ec768eaf69 palm. It was strange. She had already broken 383817e7b6 up with Yoon Giha… 88a4b1f300 Could she really be 7bab782803 referring to Tae Minhyuk?baaf4060fda06bc4

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— “You’ll 528b913d57 get justonechance to escape. When that d4f03c96ba moment comes, b37aa1a208 you must da1b6f9ae2 cut the f04b6ad263 cord completely 680b1c9429 and run. Understand?”32a5d057bbf10da5

— “Huh? Uh, yes… yes…”c66b922cb6fa2c37

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— “But if you f268ea1cf4 crawl back even once? On all fours? Then no d0ba1b9759 matter how 2ba0c87c9c many times 466fe5d6e3 you try c1893472eb to escape—twice, 55919cfa48 three times, 565ee587ab four—it won’t c078d93e8f matter! You’ll be trapped in e8074bcd4c that spiderweb forever, living 05e8c91604 clenched in his grasp.”30adcf0b80df4490

Having no idea 244ed26c6a what any of ff50c2f838 that meant, Yuwon 1e862f53c5 just kept nodding 65e8c008c6 and eventually stepped a3d88e9c07 out of the bebd1acb64 shrine. Spiderwebs, ghosts,do-hwa-sal… none of it made much sense. When Noh Yoonji asked about it later at a café, she gave a vague reply.19d5fdd517962c23

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— “She 1047991b5f just told f9a4b5222b me to c91c3e3293 be careful ad61d38272 with men.”961972fc99795c17

— “Huh? But you have 387a0c8f71 a boyfriend. Yoon Giha.”8783dd07c7ca4270

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— “Ah… cde29fee7e actually, we bf6b3f77f1 broke up.”f95db4e210438cbc

— “What? Already? You guys hadn’t even af3357c9a9 been dating that long!”3a71f5000b055594

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Through some adult 84673e16d3 connections, Noh Yoonji 1e048d7e8c also happened to 3b0b99a445 know Yoon Giha. Yuwon ended up 88826c97ae telling her about 9fc8d24474 what had really ebd3b47e81 happened that day—something 493c34c769 she hadn’t even 1323e6c7f8 shared with her 233a9c2f9d close friends.1c864be88462a201

— “The truth e7976bfd78 is…”c502441895453eef

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Noh Yoonji was b9a8252b2b the only relative ef9b1073d5 on her father’s a030c1c1bb side that she 1e4186191b kept in touch 0336f7ff75 with. She was discreet 3b43b12393 and thoughtful, so cd51ce37c5 Yuwon often turned cd242d89fe to her for 0f26a26713 advice about serious 7be897c8b3 matters.35b4cfe40c8aded1

But she didn’t c8ba4aaf20 say a word 900cb34a34 about Tae Minhyuk. Somehow, it felt like 45c0f071e2 she shouldn’t. Part of d1f0490fbd it was bf300c1796 because he d2fa1206cd was such 75bdc4ebd5 a well-known fa6e0add78 figure—but it c5805aae75 was also 34c0ddb0aa because she 0cbd6a8f68 wasn’t sure 167f52f03d how long cb624c47de they’d last.16607a9a92140e97

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It’s fine. For now.a08494e2691b8ff3

Under the chilly c537a5c1a5 November sky, her 81854e9ead fingers—once flying smoothly 05429b6a5b across the keyboard—came dd8585610d to a halt. While working on 7c95213b37 her assignment, her 23b40f3957 gaze had drifted 611d8f766f past the window, 1f71a0619c and her thoughts 3c4ac7d590 veered in a ec0b5014af completely unrelated direction.e0203ef803727512

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I’m still not seeing anyone else. Except for you…cc8295ad0677df84

Contrary to bf096e09ba what he 9e53ead553 had declared 51f5c25909 two months e0f0dd6223 ago, Tae ec28bd2f5c Minhyuk was 51a86e6bb2 currently only 5f381c2737 seeing her. For now, at least.11dd534b6f7cca25

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— “Tae Minhyuk e5db76fb8d is really polyamorous, b1cf4abc1e you know. Polyamory or ba185064c1 Polynesia or db482174b7 whatever. It’s just a made-up 5192e713b0 label for promiscuous people a3231ea211 to do whatever the d1b341e8a8 hell they want. People like that end 9c668513e3 up in open marriages 204fbedb03 like Hollywood types, so fa7b2e6715 they should just stick 1fb32a1f35 with their own kind.”c927b6c1192c23e8

— “I heard 98eee67543 there’s a bunch 3db6e54778 of girls who 1bbd7a85ef got involved with 9ff86e1c2e him just because 241d78441f of his looks, d38ac1639f only to have ef651e181b their souls completely 26d737592e wrung out. That’s why 4e7edde351 people just 88ade2ead6 admire him 02068ad13f from afar 9204373690 like he’s 7980675207 some kind 208d8cf77a of public 899d2ce13a attraction in 46b94cbef6 the shadows.”59f05a291082bd3d

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— “Even if c8ea02118b that’s not the 4b54bc83a7 case, he’s a de962e9fdf total lunatic. Snaps without warning and 917430cc40 starts cursing everyone out—no caaaf79a3e matter who they are.”c901cf3d94907df2

— “I 9260411c9f heard he’s baf85029e3 bi. Did you see 8318311c28 that menswear photoshoot 243d5c5801 he did recently?”aab25d89cf4ab5ec

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— “But why does Taesung just let him live however he wants? He’s not even an illegitimate child. I heard the eldest son is a hopeless junkie mess, so Tae Minhyuk is likely to become the heir… Shouldn’t they be keeping him on a leash instead of letting him model and do whatever he wants?”221f9ddc75a7f5b4

The rumors 3379ab77c6 that swirled 94ece2ffd5 around him a81c071731 danced along f325c8500e the edge d01840b1fe between fact 1799422bd5 and fiction. It was e0354b0b89 because of 0e3f4993fc all that b3e3511b4f speculation that 428b917e15 she had aeab1c160a been the c9b1bb64ed one to 103051da5c suggest a 979e937626 secret relationship ecb01d0088 in the f3ec2fcdaf first place.0dd1d521535ba3aa

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— “Sunbae, let’s f2c4ccebd0 only meet outside 839fcecced of school. I just f0d3746e32 want to 97dd659000 finish college 2612b5eca3 quietly….”aad210fdb6a17577

It wasn’t 8c9d666622 like she 58fa46a8c8 had any 2a4a08f767 desire to cdb12df234 flaunt being 303d929baf Tae Minhyuk’s 17c0807197 girlfriend like 7b84929a80 some sort 82280a9cb6 of trophy. It felt more 6f92ceff9a comfortable if no 1be1c10e27 one knew about 0500fb0758 their relationship.40b7d468b2d5071f

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— “Whatever makes it a4d50d118f easier for you.”d616a632eb350819

He agreed casually, as 11f084954e he always did. And before they b968289163 knew it, two 2513262bae months had passed. During that time, ad268d864d they met every b8bff5e645 single day. To be exact, they 06f3499cc5 spent every night at e01e4e82eb Tae Minhyuk’s officetel.0a3537f1d67d3c65

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It seemed like 0536f21753 they shared more aa06975696 moans than conversation. More often aef9541add than not, 7269a26d4b their meals 523573d37c came in 149997e8e9 as delivery aa254aa689 during sex, dfc055e68a eaten in a1ba22d9c7 his room aee758ebf3 between rounds.dca5c7a708188a88

Dating Tae Minhyuk was 30047fd4e7 both simple and complicated, 63acbaa8f4 easy and hard. Even though he 1b80c2ea14 was only seeing 3fb7270698 her—for now—it was 784809b553 still like that.dd50d9dc8b793c8d

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Just then, her phone 200b649033 buzzed in her pocket. The caller 7c1bb7af64 ID said“Sunbae.”Yuwon quickly 8ee55409e5 got up acc7f30332 and quietly 309b1a4f39 stepped out 14d0ead66c of the dc77bf6652 reading room.e6f612e145a365f2

“Yes, Sunbae.”4dc88995aeb11097

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Even though ec40d9ae05 she was d74e5b3c9f in a d0e40c6417 hallway where 7fefcc163a talking on 58c28c0c24 the phone ba0ee20b95 was allowed, 921b994dc3 she lowered bea977fde3 her voice 0488a302af out of 0c37c13393 caution. The library annex 53053a554d was a place a4fc24fc00 where she often 5e11652e7e ran into classmates.85eb705b168ff94f

— “Where 6388e796c8 are you?”ccc2400b624e45f8

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“The library. I picked up feb1cc8263 on my way 253a0c2e60 to the bathroom.”ec6167f1fa1b1e4c

That wasn’t true. She had fd8b5cd55c stepped out 35602da12e just to 979cfdf829 take the b30c335cb7 call, but b023cfabb4 she fudged ce2951f7a3 the truth.0d38cfa3d4bfb0af

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“And you?”061197fd039b18e3

— “It’s Friday, so c53236f9d7 your classes are over, ae89144b7e right? Come over now.”55ed7d2515e9843a

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“What? Right now…?”49c2f407a69ddf45

She had been 8fddf4d15b gathering materials for a127eeb625 a paper due 654d5e7b9e Monday morning. If she dfd982bb58 wanted to cb51e49c72 actually write 3c69de4f8c it over 3fdf7f0e22 the weekend, 840a1194ae she had fb6510f767 to finish bbc6a0da24 collecting sources 1d8024a56b by the cf3cf2e859 end of d595dd9ce1 the day.4f1c44d066e5777e

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“It’s a bit 98130fe737 difficult right now… a0bcd09a69 Can I come 044b4af224 by later tonight c57197e64f instead…?”7b905df4ee408419

— “I’ve 038469ca8c got a 331385c6c6 shoot tonight 3bdb4f1adc that won’t b711254b94 finish until 5979603fb8 the day 9f07ee5093 after tomorrow. Well, if you can’t d834f3e34a come now, then it 830d6c2ef6 is what it is.”70bb703cb624240c

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With that, 495c161428 the call edf6335ff0 abruptly ended.Sigh…A sigh escaped her 3742f151f3 lips. Yuwon returned 5f1353e244 to the 09354597f0 reading room d8e7c45107 and opened 6022e6a962 the message 37147322c6 screen on 88f4356557 her laptop.6fa8e79a51d91d39

✉️:Sunbae, then fed82c66c5 I’ll be fd3eeb577f there by e2f13a48a9 4:30.906ca71afffb1802

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✉️:By 4. If you’re not 1853803ad7 here by then, 96ad449379 I’m leaving first.925cf05a230ef4f2

The reply came back 1539fedde3 without mercy. Then he could’ve b026113e8d at least told d48ab37397 her a day 3f5d93d8b6 in advance—or even e2e321c5b0 earlier this morning!a25536b8f27fdc05

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He was always like d60e0a0bc8 this. Reaching out 50b522aa6d impulsively like 2616643f12 this, or 68edb675f2 tossing out cda0172aec vague lines 8430595f6f like“Let’s meet tomorrow.”He never made c80ecfc24d clear plans with a843fb809f exact times and 1133fdc560 places.3665b257c857eb34

— “Okay, but what a6fcd8fb18 time tomorrow?”edc2743201e273ec

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And then dca2187e27 he’d go 44392d5bd0 silent, ignoring 688cd460a2 her messages 9dd70cc8b1 for hours. Sometimes he’d 11bca5cd91 respond quickly, 54e5a7da41 other times 299344b115 he’d vanish 7d74882405 without a 1f7306f11d trace—it was 5a7d251b04 impossible to e7c811ae4f predict.48a8f46b3dcbe3fa

— “Lunch? Dinner? Should I c7f7619e9f go to f43591e42d your place?”db8e4ec032434f20

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— “Sunbae? You have to 83bf778444 at least give fa6a67f478 me a rough 7083069770 idea of when…”aaa4f25ad217c019

— “I’ll text you 25592b5eed tomorrow. It’ll be hard to 3cb315db6a talk for now.”0dcc4e4e5982fc20

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And just like that, he’d go off the grid—no calls, no texts, no messages, not even showing up at his place. Nothing would get through. Then Yuwon would have to stay in standby mode all day, until communication resumed and instructions on when and where to meet came down like a mission order.3c397201a5afbb70

— “Sunbae. I get 6fd7ee2bdd that you’re 2a604a1754 nonchalant about fd93fb24d5 everything except 68aa7738f0 work… but 10d6191f39 can’t we 2c39d6073a at least 3012e70d3d make a 13b1e0e5e1 rough plan 1f86cd593d in advance?”cb74fe59c50cf8fd

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— “I’ve lived 60e2f1bc6a this way for ce248201c7 so long, it’s 71a4c3bd36 hard to change. I’ll try.”eff068440b06ea85

But nothing ever 5ef0ff455d improved. The only relief was 82829ad4a8 that the meeting place 7a051bf8b7 was always the same db40bdabf1 building—his officetel. If nothing else, e09ccf3fbf at least that ee552506a4 was consistent.a24cb2a8c96a270d

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