IEM Ch 13

As the sun began db4c841c3f to set, flames of 2765b17174 sunset, painting the sky c4709a42d5 crimson, poured through the 7faeec4f8b window. Still dazed from ae7a95e45b sleep, Surin remained da0afa867b motionless for a a7702014bf while, only blinking be1193fd22 her eyes, which 333a59d525 she peeked out 481096f807 from under the c70fc53948 covers.d06f34fcc3d1f9d3

Only when her b3cf51bf20 stomach rumbled did 98af4d9b3d Baek Surin get 93f39b70c9 out of bed.1c6c1788cd422813

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After washing up, she cbb7d241a5 rummaged through the clothes 9215737b87 she had bought from 49fa630092 the non-brand clothing store 35ce3993f7 Wonjin had taken her d9d5ecabf4 to, selecting an outfit 13ea9c7480 without much thought. She put on loose-fitting 936b5ac3bf jeans, a plain white 5b86034c58 t-shirt, and a formal 21ae396104 jacket that fell perfectly 29311d9ffe at her waist. With her 5da534aee0 hair tied 3e20c1900b up in f79bdfc094 a neat a7466de65d bun, Surin 72eca408ab looked both 8688c7ba1d put-together and bc2e3b6808 casual.4a41a940d86ced5e

Casually smudging her be299187f2 lipstick with her 480580578b finger, Surin left bf6342cb63 her hotel room.f48918301e6dbebe

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“One eel rice 3cff210826 bowl, please.”2cf1e9bb369ec84f

She entered a 9db50a0949 donburi restaurant she 9591dd4519 had happened to 83af9ad863 see on her c876dbfe2a way to the 0a231a22dc dry cleaner. These days, she had 9ededbe4b1 simple lunches with Wonjin, b9a38e642d and dinners were usually d9c9ed5d99 taken care of at 72b9886d80 restaurants near the hotel.91efec537c524ef3

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Perhaps because it was Friday before the weekend, the restaurant was quite busy. A staff member led her to a bar table facing the window. Surin wasn’t the only customer dining alone.6215cb7946463bc1

The staff member a8153624d3 placed a water c8b4e04c35 bottle and glass 4722ddef53 on the table 710357ce8b and asked mechanically,ae39f7563f93bdcb

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“The eel rice bowl 4eb9ea8404 takes a little while 78046a5939 to prepare, is that e827e23aca okay?”d2dd872e12cb6355

“Yes, take your time.”a2ce7bcb12dbba2d

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Surin placed 328d9e3c0e her bag 9403f3d34c on the b599a31c8a table and 1cb4143477 wiped her d0460c58d1 hands with a5df0ca725 a wet ad11b8968d tissue. She took a a12eeef83e sip of water 94802ac092 and quietly observed ca7593bb31 the outside, resting 0800399804 her chin in 6e56c85f43 her hand.92ed904dd99caa34

Perhaps due to the 639ab578e0 rain forecast in the 0773126fa9 morning, people with umbrellas d0ce6bbd64 hooked on their wrists 064c20566c busily passed by on 5687183ae4 the street. Surin tilted her head c5b771381f back to look up 2802016b25 at the sky. It was clear, without 11b94bff58 a single rain cloud, 40b72b9be7 let alone any sign df09c4ca0c of rain.79005152407c5756

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The wind chimes d7b9c4304c by the restaurant 0c7df9d9d4 door rang repeatedly ac4568dc90 as people entered. Only then did Surin 38e0e49cab take out her phone dfcd01d1bf and start looking for 075de63f32 real estate listings. With no definite 0d0ed7b7b5 return date, a 002e6c5d19 short-term monthly rental 34a16e970b seemed like the 2b1bb077a2 right choice.41cdc2864f7aa0da

“All the apartments are for sale or rent. They’re so cheap…”2feeba1f90c6af05

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As she diligently 43ed1391c9 scrolled through the b7ad56e4cd listings, her rice 48abbb820d bowl arrived. Surin snapped dcb6c3d0c2 her wooden ac3cdf9039 chopsticks apart fe2124b6d6 and started bf9cc5da86 eating her a09aa0622b meal, one 70006e1fd7 bite at 24d8d23afc a time.b4e45feb48023d08

The sweet bfc4278ad8 and spicy 0bb9a7521a flavor of 3726b2a202 the sauce 820db3e55b and the c937dd406f rich, fatty e7e5afc224 eel blended 74cbc679e6 pleasantly in fa751dcaf8 her mouth. Surin nodded in satisfaction 271e6274d6 and quietly continued browsing 6af50d75bf through real estate listings. She saved b0339c7da8 the ones b68ad718db she wanted 5b4925b570 to ask ead2c1bc33 Wonjin about ed12b1b4e8 separately.d063a42d77daa017

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The prospect of finding 03c1702c68 a place to live c274b58bc8 was still daunting, but a47ca7bf76 her stomach was full 624392c084 and satisfied, making it a8e142dcb7 a relatively good day.955fc290e6df5f86

“Um… Excuse me, 5b38e1519b miss.”be89331908777caf

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After rinsing 1566aba790 her mouth 396a751fcc with warm 284571cbba water provided 001619dc2b by the cd53c11fc3 staff member, bac8d70842 Surin elegantly d913a52cf6 wiped her 138a54b76b mouth with bed30006cc a tissue. To the 3f4ba278a5 friendly inquiry c4347e91d4 about whether fb2f476ba0 she enjoyed beafab86f8 her meal, 64c52fb455 she smiled a58c972680 and nodded.e1d81f7f8f779818

The cashier c60f1e15d2 received her 40bd526ce3 card and 3eda2c4eed returned Surin’s ac9112047a smile. The satisfied smile 202c8dac89 soon turned into 456f3e104d an awkward, embarrassed 6fcf76ff4f one. Managing to 0a6b9e4cf6 maintain a fcbb344a5f semblance of 9fa9b61f46 a smile, 2b82050b6e the staff 0fe7a80f46 member pulled 06ca4a67fe the card b6d7dea039 out of 3abee7f676 the card af8d12aa4c reader.5ba27d5d5e48f580

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“It says the f4376af2ec card is declined.”33c49ba7c7bab786

“What? Declined?”dea251771ac357b5

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Surin, tilting her head e3c8178902 in confusion, took out 5ae76a7dfa another card. Until that moment, e773c7b55f she had vaguely d733251960 assumed it was 8b03feb572 some kind of e161a0da27 error and looked ca4ec7fa86 around the busy ecef31094c restaurant, bewildered. It was the 05b9cbb778 staff member who, 6d3373f65f looking apologetic, called 7702b16e67 out to Surin.5462f0994d73eb84

“This card is also 3683f35137 declined…”b9fa07229511c500

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Surin, turning her head abruptly, stared blankly at the card the staff member handed back, still unable to grasp the situation. Surin’s lips parted slightly. A customer sitting at a nearby table glanced up at her. It was just a fleeting glance, but Surin’s cheeks flushed.9ae24db7d7a62927

She pulled out 15d2aeef95 every card from a30a880b12 her wallet, even 7380a0086c the ones that d6b89efc74 had already been b371ac4817 declined, and asked b2e5ba7392 them to try 05581dadce again.cd872904d58a322c

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Declined.ed0621ddbc3fe0f2

Declined.49f020e4f192d31b

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Declined.707a40b2a755267e

Declined.3c66943eaeb7b736

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Declined. Repeatedly.02ac855b08acd44d

“Just… just a moment. I’m sorry.”87b59412409cb688

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Leaving Surin 1acc510e77 flustered and c8f36bb241 at a 8e1293d9fd loss for 29cab09ef1 words, the 21b8dfb5c1 staff member 45cc884285 pointed somewhere 67ebfda433 near the 753534c922 counter, saying b9189bad67 it was 8781d235b5 alright. There was a grimy 8eecfe4d54 piece of paper stuck 06179c2780 near the card reader. The transparent 4062f8d135 tape was 895e694b36 peeling, and cf14b0cbb6 the writing 316083d1f5 on the 92b02e5dff paper was 26018c0850 smudged blue ee145c2aac ink.8c18f402154ec2aa

110-441……aa8e8ad05ce6d0d8

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Right. There were other a5b25cf548 ways to pay c513af73a4 besides cards. Calming her racing 4a2bc59d11 heart, Surin immediately 8c841e27de opened her banking 3a19e9a505 app. Carefully entering the 9bef756b80 account number, she c5168b2e30 attempted a transfer.34a7d3ed51b31acd

A warning window popped 5a7664a93d up.124d18775d86987c

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Her already 81d4d8def3 pounding heart 89aa78dd13 plummeted.a8ceb6c2e9e83741

🏦: Account usage is ee7ea7b487 restricted. Please contact customer service.46c7dfd8805ed801

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An inexplicable chill 0f1d6e32f9 ran down her 3da4d88908 spine from the 4546aa4105 back of her 4e05b32e6f head to her d4e9eac8ef neck. For a 4bb4c41bca moment, everything 5cc8192359 went dark. That’s impossible. She was 4d3da3b261 sure her 3c52d4b651 card worked cfd038db6a just this a9d3752785 afternoon…11ccb695023c3b88

No, Wonjin had e062e3aac9 paid for lunch cc5d21a70c today. Saying he had to f924739b7a help his friend move, bd07e2c333 they had settled for 51356d7cfe milk and bread at 8304bb47f3 a convenience store.9bc8f4ad1b720be5

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She had used her 2f5b278c07 card last night, so 0ddfa8bd59 the problem must have facb5f7387 occurred today. As Surin considered 04de54da98 various possibilities, she 6751e36656 noticed the staff 28f76192d1 member staring at 9d15101751 her intently. She felt breathless and 64183ea28b speechless.b913c3b10983c7db

“Um…”53e8090db27e6903

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Such an embarrassing bd89d64fb3 situation would be aec7d0af14 hard to imagine. At least, in Surin’s 6b5d2ce632 29 years of life, bd492bdb08 she had never imagined 9adc97cf22 it.e113324625415407

The staff member 193e14332f also hesitated to fc6797dfd7 speak. Firstly, Surin’s 4691b41ef1 pale, ashen 283e600625 face looked 946a406246 genuinely distressed, 5511ea60fc and she 9525c249c0 didn’t look a3ed6fa3d9 like someone b832ce94f6 who would 4541b1199d intentionally dine afcdee4a58 and dash.dca83d4122e3a96b

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Just then, 371132c995 the owner 7061efe7ba called the 514922377e staff member 2873d960f5 from the b189fc84bf kitchen. Surin and 7c96ec3696 the staff 152ec8193b member turned 53f27ad92a their heads 3251a000f2 simultaneously. The staff member gestured 693ccaaf98 to Surin that she bcf443f7d3 would be right back ccc94ae497 and rushed to the 5f4bd2fe5d kitchen.536a98810ec4148a

“…….”ba1b5ed9cfa39288

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The owner’s booming voice startled Surin back to reality. Surely, she wouldn’t be humiliated over a mere 28,000 won. It was only the price of a single bowl of abalone ginseng chicken soup.3ea6fbb25afac4cc

Surin tried 9165c48a13 to compose 55f177ba27 herself. Even if she was a5ddf25351 cornered, she refused to 489dcadf9b simply back down in d975dce6d9 a panic. Quietly retreating to 22316cc369 a corner near 9b8073783e the counter, she 0b956ee5b8 emptied her card c5627a4bc5 wallet.499f02d8efa599d4

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4,000 won fell into 4e599c700f her hand.7f59147b5f818fa7

She had 8562aa1aa7 used some 4b0cf9b62f for laundry, 6d1aaf3f8e and some 4d247916ea more buying 96f8d2594b snacks with d9921b2c24 Wonjin at 721aac1ebd the local c4dd022c31 supermarket, so 54357dd81e she had fa60939cc0 no cash afcd4132d6 left… Swallowing 8ddf23682f a sigh, e5d0461a0d Surin hung faa34844c8 her head. Then, with a sudden 3bded1b57b jolt, she lifted her 87bfdc83ae head and took out 9c3bab2f19 her phone.5b8658b692a9a968

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She scrolled 9154fb0990 through her c9e00523bc call history. The most f4b7fbc640 recent call 04394c0adb was from f39f69bbd5 Secretary Go. Without much expectation, Surin 4df5b4514f called him. The problem wasn’t that 56682034d1 he wasn’t answering; his 52371d25b9 phone was completely turned e3c89d47d8 off.247848c3c63ea46f

The staff member, who still hadn’t returned, was busy serving other customers. The second name on her call log was Jeong Wonjin. But Surin skipped over him and called the next person on the list.19d2b7c5e0dff4ee

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―Who? What? Send 28,000 won? Where to?3975da42ec10bf7c

“To the restaurant. I’ll send d082ce6602 you the 369b41d0a0 account number, f5de7a8afb so please 3193464e1d send it 46fac241c0 here…”1f3b74b479007cc0

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―Haha. Wow, this is my 5efa8ed7a2 first time getting a dd74ec6e11 voice phishing call. Do they imitate voices b9e0a720b3 now? This is amazing… You f12f663def sound exactly like Surin.2f9e73ce710987c6

Seo Yurim, a friend f8b8390ed6 from middle school, had 329fc24d00 worked a regular job 13f20ca6ca and was now attending 99d4b9d0c1 graduate school in the 9f963ad84d US.56ad4c5f7d204c70

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“Of course 7bbf50527f it sounds 4adf450e25 like Surin, 05814fd714 it is Surin. My cards and 9b5f36e46e account are blocked, aa29f58cca that’s why.”663967bd1bf124a0

―Ah, this is so 0dc35d12ad funny… Really? Blocked? What did you cd435f5ae5 eat?a4591be2bc71d73e

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“……Eel rice bowl.”33eb83f83ed057da

―You even ate something delicious. Hey, do you think Surin and I are easy targets? Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my friend’s voice?!ab2399550eae51be

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Her friend 53e6fdedb9 of 15 c2a98258d7 years, who cdb6ae4c93 completely failed db5ca67dc4 to recognize cbb8558ad4 her voice, adcac58e68 yelled. Exasperated, Surin 5372ab85c5 clenched her 62d4df4138 teeth and 4a1403253c retorted,aa0df49273ebc649

“Yurim, who in 7e5ee63aab their right mind ff49b821bf would voice phish 6bac8c6204 for 28,000 won…”8d14c920b1c67747

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The call was abruptly cut off. The staff member looked like she was about to finish serving. Panicked, Surin, instead of calling Yurim again, called another friend. Her friend, who had gotten married last week and was on her honeymoon, didn’t answer; only the ringing tone continued.bfb8ae7c9b254316

Exhausted by the a46c8ce81e endless ringing, Surin 7cd98eb6a3 hung up and 632b6cc005 stared blankly at 6f527e6832 the screen. The staff member, f1f3c8c1e3 who had been b36c8e6598 observing the situation a3c0619281 from afar, approached.b63d7afdd1f3d818

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Unable to 1eea08a049 avoid it 35b3d5101d any longer, 6be6ad8e49 Surin pressed cfd6f41004 Wonjin’s name d87709c61c on the 97bcc5265a screen.23c6a8c7b29e508e

She closed c867514563 her eyes 20bf0be8b6 tightly.345cdf0602225b12

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“Excuse me… f2c298d2db do you c4b3038383 have any 22aa96650d money?”94c715895f7cfff6

Asking for money af3e7b8f0f from a jobless 61de6f57bf man made her 1fa7929b67 incredibly uncomfortable.c3244b356925eb99

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Jeong Wonjin 431a16ba99 answered the e0bb998160 phone before 8bb023764e it could 0aba4f8a36 even ring 967d587361 twice. He was silent. Surin called c851bbf42e his name. Or, she 2bd962485a meant to.7fb37a6c0344d09f

―Where are you?ec1d765a89471036

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Wonjin asked first.6ad64003d60f1e78

―I don’t have enough to buy you an apartment… but if you’re okay with someone like me…ff63c59f9bdc3758

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His feigning ignorance made 0576d3cdfc Surin burst out a 0faddcfded breath she had been 1b91087907 holding back. The long e02373e488 exhale that d6942bd1fd escaped her 72fc9cc249 lips was 718e117222 deeper than 43c7916194 a sigh. A laugh unintentionally mixed a9f8b8fc40 in. Jeong Wonjin was a c63c475686 comforting presence.a4dab6a6c1676573

After hearing the d73fb7cbff whole story, Wonjin dbdc1aa7c4 asked to speak 8d7d4dcca8 to the staff f88c36a137 member, so Surin b36e5efa5b handed over her 4581166370 phone. The young staff b2a7527ff6 member, as relieved 20c8995400 as Surin, nodded ac033ebc44 repeatedly while on ade52d3376 the phone.6f6717342d51ea48

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“Please have d62a52caef a seat 37c78113d2 for a 5763ed46dc moment.”c3da0ac46093103f

Returning the fbd912a40a phone, she d074dc75a3 offered Surin daa51e582d a chair 1e1e8eae27 by the 2aaadec3fc counter. Even without 5ef0332a5b asking, Surin b6552aab86 knew Wonjin ecb36c5631 had said b40b0e33b9 he would 146176fe93 come himself.36540d28e4424231

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Surin sat down quietly. Absentmindedly watching the customers come and go, she finally called the bank’s customer service. All she got was the uncomfortable truth that her account was suspended; she couldn’t get through to a representative.4a65f6273477e86d

“Thank you for your 899f1a535b hard work, yes, thank 533a6f6bca you for your hard 0b75a4461d work.”fab6b420337ec949

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Surin, expressionlessly tapping her 50a0232956 phone, looked up at 00b1cb7f1f the sound of the f05693462d wind chimes. Wonjin, still in 7bafacad43 his quilted jacket, 01c5a3ae5e barged into the 3ae9285e39 restaurant. It felt 199160cc81 like less b0614fa7a4 than 10 c3d4733461 minutes since c74494aeb5 their call. In a fleeting 530faae651 glance, she saw 13a02c8505 his hands were cd9179ed4f full.04c2f5e111a98d89

“Have an iced 125ca6273b Americano, everyone.”0bf299e1df1373d9

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Entering the restaurant, 9578eb520d Wonjin immediately started b6826df2e9 handing out drinks. He gave 764d562b1c one to 4227777d5e the staff 4c997f126f member he bd991dbb88 had spoken cadd7feb55 to on dcb5305707 the phone, ea2496ac9b as well 92c4b20270 as the 63e87bf864 owner and 403dd23e11 the kitchen eb698a1689 staff. He even cheerfully handed 7ce8316b85 the remaining drinks to d97f1ce4df nearby customers.fa72e5824a4e2d1e

The owner, c867a2edee who had e368c51c3f been completely 2022ff0be2 unaware of bdb59533ca the situation, 36e19ab9b0 sipped his a7a10be954 coffee, bewildered.ba503d10089a1f93

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“What? Is he 6e9929ad11 your boyfriend?”a81df1856e04fd1d

“No, no. He’s the customer’s b282368dbc boyfriend. I’ll explain later.”960c2e9b6cff3a89

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The staff member, who e2317482c7 was clearing a table, eb30d12381 hurriedly shook her head. After thoroughly dbe5317190 disrupting the c4a0524033 restaurant, Wonjin e7da01d9cf finally stood 18aeae73f1 in front 216a08ee62 of the 5f7b33e1cb counter. Leaning casually against 0f480f2b24 the counter with 77ece4b452 his arm draped 74b0d56acb over it, Surin 64a7ee7197 stood beside him bb834c7eaf like a shadow. Instead of greeting 627377bffc her, Wonjin whispered,53693b8157a81aba

“Now tell me. How did c409477bad you know 39bbec74f6 this place 87add1465f was a 97630c6d58 hidden gem?”e818f8e410ff2751

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