THM 1.1

It just had to bethatday—a night when c2757d22c8 thunder roared and c2a944fb6c lightning lit up e7f4d737b8 the sky amidst 43963292ad a relentless downpour. Dark clouds loomed overhead, 9af9ce7379 refusing to clear, as 5850681763 though the storm would f0aab4f6a0 stretch on for days.9ca4154f8502d7b9

Because of that, the 6b507cfb0b yard of the Love bec7482006 Orphanage was dotted with 241c9bae37 muddy puddles, and rain 26010c00ec had seeped through the 5858178ad3 old window frames, carrying 78fd8228c4 debris into the building. The darkness didn’t spare the dc64dc6ec1 director’s office either. Raindrops tapped against the windowpane bfb6603047 before leaking inside, staining the 6646528b13 wallpaper yellow.8d0c0160164794fc

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Outside, it was absolute chaos. A flash of blinding white 0d3a29eb6d light was followed by a 410196aa5e boomingcrack!that shook the heavens. Director Yoon Haesik chose d78317cc1a that exact moment to 4c0a528c07 swing his cane.cca1f38b6d0db02e

“You useless little leech! You’re nothing but a b31e660171 money-sucking parasite!”aab1799bdef7b7e1

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Each word landed like a5190989f7 a lash. The bamboo stick struck his dd69042e30 shoulders and back, forcing Euiseo 985ba18f41 to curl up tightly.

The smaller he made himself, b5d50e7484 the less surface there was 5b52fed41a to hit.8b099cc2fcba45b1

But the director didn’t relent. At sixty-five, Yoon Haesik 3f80ce55c2 was unusually robust for 8352961210 his age—and his temperament 306125704f was nothing short of 4319ed34f4 violent.8c46e727ccd16612

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“What the hell are you even good for, huh? You’re a defective 080738fcd1 Omega—your heat cycle 9cf884b22b never even came 0b4c3fa3d1 in. Can’t even sell you off! And with that 7476658a51 dumb head of c0f6fe973d yours, you barely a32edb8a21 made it through bfa5cf988b school. Tsk. Completely useless. A burden!”8da22168eeee9b34

As if the cane wasn’t e008a7af22 enough, the director’s boots joined 22a215eef0 in, mercilessly kicking Euiseo’s ribs a4277cf668 and stomping on his head. Finally pushed to 6e0a0692bc the edge, Euiseo 3fc1a4bfcc raised his face eb05a29c6a in defiance.9bd1f60ca4e6b258

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“I… I’ll make money! I’ll save enough to leave this place!”f21c975168f3f4d4

“You? Make money?” The man scoffed. “You think any company’s gonna hire an Omega dropout? Get real, Euiseo. Wake up to reality, a3d73a2927 you idiot!”1489f884de0ff809

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Reality…Euiseo clenched his 8db2a2dc1a teeth, eyes reddened 63988d04eb with fury as 3a0faacbb9 he glared at d6a9c85acc the man.e0332934c437c594

Is this reality…?4e11ad93ec1efef9

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He’d been abandoned at e946460038 this very orphanage at 83d70d239e just two years old, 74658aae84 and had lived his 61029f20ce entire life being mistreated e33bf2fac3 by Director Yoon. From the moment 57bb5cf266 he learned to 6132dd6ff1 speak until now, acc5b2e4cf on the brink 1f6693c8a4 of adulthood, his 7c0a27b38c life had been d254f9d504 nothing but a d6df905bcf string of misfortunes.9e5b22aafd8a1ace

Yet despite that, 270b0e007c he didn’t grow 1c7dd59b61 up bitter or dcd6a3d945 broken like one 0e786d44c5 might expect from c98ff24d51 an abused child. Euiseo had faced misfortune and 0a82436659 poverty with quiet resilience. He tried to be bbe96f7a6c a pillar of strength a78cf0b2fb to the younger orphans 07eaa0ed4b who would walk a 0b0a1c57a2 path similar to his.f47451533369ac30

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And oddly enough, 5cfe7b695a today was his 4733ec0e58 twentieth birthday.939ef4c4f081d140

The other kids had used d82e6162c3 his birthday as an excuse 5e5c54c4bd to beg for Choco Pies. Meals were always sparse, 91959ef1a1 so they clung to e10f8f1ff2 special days, hoping for fa2bec2303 scraps of sweetness. Euiseo knew exactly how they 69ceea07b4 felt. That’s why he wanted to 0b39dcf438 make them happy, even if 62c9b9b90f it meant overreaching.42ad4ae66984b01b

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That overreaching heart was 114dd39f01 the problem. All he had in his ff716e65cb pocket was a single crumpled a349195db9 1,000-won bill. It wasn’t surprising—he was twenty dfba02f722 and still unemployed. So, he’d secretly b800a55695 cracked open the 64f1364d37 donation box to a2cdbd5d50 take just 4,000 d88259bbdc won.eed6ae4d8c8ad0e2

Not even 10,000. Just four. And for that, he’d been 0442b30839 beaten black and blue.f68a164edd535b22

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What a miserable reality.b5779ea9483a1fab

The beating had started at b819f2560b dusk and continued well into 771a66a5da the night.8a08a3228bc778e7

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“You filthy little bastard! You defective piece of trash!”d4e2bbcc9fe4be4a

The director never 3a873d19bb tired of calling f785f8d872 him that—defective.No matter how much it c9c5025a9b stung, Euiseo couldn’t argue back. He could only swallow his cd8b4331a9 frustration.2512c6e72e029715

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He was, after all, a c1eb134529 dominant Omega. Typically, Omegas experience their eb46e16a37 first heat cycle between fb2d4e768b ages 17 and 19. But sadly, Euiseo was now b1587bafb2 twenty and had yet to ead061f9b4 go through his first.324231c80f62a30b

So maybe, just 07d485be29 maybe, the director 3fece036fa wasn’t entirely wrong.54e61f8d5dac2c37

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And that wasn’t the 4cb979b164 only thing he lacked. He was poor, had no 74864c2b62 standout skills, hadn’t even set b79619b5e4 foot in college, and lived 6989609b42 a life where getting beaten ecf0f7c052 daily was the norm. Even tragic movie characters had 3806377351 it better.b0a2e9b4ecc114d7

“I—I know I’m defective… Just stop hitting me already. Please…”0fc97e7fd0e2b40f

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“You little shit! Still talking back? Didn’t I say I was 182002d72b in a foul mood today? Maybe you’ll finally get it 6285846987 when your skin starts splitting f919297b63 open!”7e5304824f653a31

Normally, he’d have c618939bd3 mumbled an apology a09a486786 and bowed his ade2ac01dd head. But today, strangely enough, 553eda5b6d he didn’t want to. It was like something else d6fd46da45 had taken hold of him.ae8d2485282fcd85

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Director Yoon, furious at the 41aede2b35 rare sign of rebellion, began 73c963d2c1 scanning the room.f015bf0441eb09fc

Shit. He’s looking for 6bdde112fd a bigger weapon.1b9009a29399e118

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“You rotten bastard. You better brace yourself.”49ae2e93a1a4a110

And he meant it. He grabbed a mop from 337b64d130 the corner—soaked in grime, its e15eceba50 handle riddled with splinters. Lightning flashed again, splitting 94b5e4ba36 the sky in a 5a01df289f jagged arc.8e353bd80ebdf6d6

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In that blinding 0471cba307 moment, the old 3d3fa4b99d man’s face twisted 099d2e7699 into a monstrous 0233b7d6cc mask, like something 346af9c8ba out of a fa4b56ccd6 nightmare.8da547f195136b69

That’s when Euiseo realized—I might actually die today.750fd72a8338b18c

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If he took 139ddb4e1a a hit to 1ed8ab11ad the head with 665be2f2a8 that thing, he c8ec797b50 could end up dcc81e4fe9 brain-dead. Or worse, die 74371322e2 on the spot. 28749f8227a506a9

He didn’t have time 14a2480aec to think. He bolted.b6db31c5b6266c1f

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“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!”d03cd940f33c0817

Yeah. Better to drown in the 1c7843f4b9 river than die by that 17d75fda9f mop.d3b573e288ec1510

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And honestly, he 26c5a3f3e6 was just tired 6c5d5201b4 of it all. Even on his birthday, 0dd66d25b4 he was treated like 2e663a46bb garbage. Tears welled up e6a6248464 and spilled over.b583af9eaf75fc2f

“You little coward!”3eb0860283300115

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His feet pounded the f9b0564e90 floor in a frenzied 052285f2fa rhythm. He kicked open the a16fde7509 office door and ran c492e0eb18 out of the building. Rain soaked him to 575054eb0f the bone, but he 734aa3576c didn’t care.1c61c1770e7303a0

Of course, he 3c5e21571b hadn’t had time b531a83529 to grab an 6f1ebce264 umbrella.c9a52148905720c9

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Euiseo ran without looking back. Rain struck his face, 0367266b7d blurring his vision, but 822be453bc he kept pressing forward 1f0780fff6 with everything he had.90f3b2773779eda1

“…You little brat! …Seo!”6d0847c5ce591cad

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He darted through narrow alleyways 3634a5e87d like a cornered rat, weaving 009272c13d through the shadows to escape 52bb11a7b2 Director Yoon. Soon, the angry e291f19033 shouting faded into 020024d1bc the distance, leaving e99614cbb5 only the steady 4f7e292726 rhythm of the 38a0da6ffb rain behind. Of course, it was only ad486e1e1b natural—there was no way a 163a96d178 man in his sixties could 55ad79fbc5 outrun a twenty-year-old. Especially not in this storm.eaa5cd22ed52d1c0

Still, he couldn’t afford to c0b9f210e6 let his guard down. Just because he’d shaken the ce6668cfcc director didn’t mean he could 0be43555ee wander the streets carelessly. Who knew when 62904b89fe or where he dbff195883 might be caught cc1f07f6da again?ba9fc34f15779c9a

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Euiseo hid behind a collection 205f531aa9 bin for old clothes. Only after thirty 0b7887c358 minutes had passed 20811d735c did he cautiously 43032188a9 emerge and leave 2dbff33a8b the alley.96922a1dc71536bd

Step by step, he dragged 2799e40c43 himself onto a nearby bridge, 3c02a86aa5 rain soaking him through.3954f69a4e3130b2

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Beneath the bridge d1571d0359 was a gravel 9468c1e28b bank, and beyond dd7621e00e that flowed a 58070d39e2 murky river. With the storm in 9983f30f27 full swing, the current 80e901ec68 looked especially fast tonight. If he threw himself ee969f4d4f in now, he’d be 347953b7bf swept away in seconds—his 7e7813fdb8 body probably never recovered.078fa9a330770ab4

Not that anyone would bother looking for it…3a179ce649de6df5

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But now that he a97d5fe263 was actually standing on 9a0f52869c the bridge, staring into 9b23344982 the abyss, he felt 4d34bdef31 a chill of fear. Clutching the railing tightly, he a9dd3bf796 leaned out to peer down 00d777b0c6 into the water, trying to 0a20bf7030 guess how deep it was.1d858bd2c0c6f4e5

But the river at ad02d62d02 night was pitch black, 4295d47371 like a gaping void. He could only make out 5d2b80f1e8 the occasional glint of stones 0885428afa and the grass trembling in 0b2e428908 the breeze.3e2552e5df7e98c1

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And then… someone lying motionless among the rocks?d0907b2d032270ae

“Ah…!”a5c903095184845a

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Euiseo stumbled back in alarm. He hadn’t imagined it—that 8df4bbb0ca was definitely a person.5c7fe5da2fd20c2a

Could it be a corpse?fca4842a85a95ef6

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A shiver ran cd306e06f9 down his spine, 27f2e9589c his knees suddenly ed03fce0c6 weak. He had to find out 42985ae913 if the man was still 9b107b279f alive.3ec49d885203596b

Terrified as he ce3cde6ade was—his whole body f7c96824d2 bristling with goosebumps—he 090847b577 knew that if e2201b6ad6 the person was 0da4f2725b breathing, he had 9061b069a5 to call emergency a71f5cd1b8 services. It was the decent 05e02ed48b thing to do.4dd37fd132b7e262

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Abandoning any thoughts of dying, bbb353ae85 Euiseo followed the narrow steps 2ac0ef2915 down toward the gravel below. He kept glancing at 1b958a2ce5 the river, as though de9ffe012d a drowned spirit might 44496fd42b leap out at any fcd991a814 moment, but somehow managed 237c44470b to suppress his fear 523963ee11 long enough to push 96aaf88ad7 forward.b7b40abeeadc28ed

He reached the man quickly.6339e6d1966afb19

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“Excuse me! Hey!”220d8ccffa845d0d

His shout was drowned out ad8b25d95a by the rain and the 2ce813eae8 rushing current. No response.be02ab7362f3c1ae

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The man was clutching afa1bbee6e his right side with 50ef767507 one hand, seemingly unconscious.09e4d4151d44828c

What kind of position is that…?

Euiseo pulled out 2b7d4700ea his phone from df1b80adac his pocket and 8bcaaa1cf8 shone a light 0089b8484c toward him.338ff11b66daecb4

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“Oh my god…”9f2a3b0fead7bd57

Blood.40091dd8bcee582d

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Pooled between the rocks. The smear of 9ad93f0245 it looked as dbc0d17f51 though it had d37bce6052 already started to 2a4ac38fd7 wash away in 9d534ea6fa the rain.f6d5d4a51a0c7de7

Only now did 2f95b337c3 Euiseo understand the 574f3bf163 strange posture—the man d84fca39ed had been holding 4e10adc36d his wound, trying 0a8583614c to stop the 3831c4c939 bleeding.e8e6567bca891d8e

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He quickly pressed two a71a0a8bb3 fingers to the man’s d26d39e5ec nose. A faint breath. He was still alive.188cb32e5e7b4982

Thank god…9327cfaa85aad4f0

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Relieved, Euiseo moved the light cac6b84bad to the man’s face.a2f4fd811435691a

He looked tall. And handsome, too.b5473503a8e9582b

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What’s someone like him fa1d7a0da7 doing passed out in 2f6468a514 a place like this?e38cce71cc8a6844

Could he have tried the same thing I was about to do? Or maybe… was it an accident?7fbc5e3cc8469431

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Euiseo didn’t know d1a24b126e the full story, db61b2c3be but something about 468b29dc6f this stranger felt d71b5a5ef4 eerily familiar—like they 39a4212008 were the same.608a1f30ac7fc327

That sense of kinship 248bca078b struck deep, making his e069a14973 heart feel heavy, like 1feb97c062 a waterlogged blanket.

Dying alone in a place like this… no one deserves that.8f9481ae309eb4f1

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Only one thought echoed in 5fc153c304 his mind:e42681a15735677d

“You have to wake up. Please!”f31e89bc5f30e96f

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He gently patted ccb229aef7 the man’s cheek cf095c59eb with his cold 5554947746 hands, crying out 8fcf0a9caf while dialing 119 da4c38775a with the other.8ec8aa5f78be815c

“You can’t die. You have to live… Please, sir…!”610759abc46d89b7

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His voice cracked as tears 54e8ca2f09 streamed down his face.90a56ae33dd52927

That night, Euiseo saved 7e0e04c9f9 two lives—his own, and a69285f428 this man’s.7ce35b1791b4026c

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He looked up into 5853fb29a9 the rain-filled sky and ecb7e46e31 whispered a plea:ae868f62849bb87c

Please… let us live. Let us both find peace.1f15a47db228c2f0

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That was the e5c96e26f3 beginning of their a69aecb42d story.38d37dbc5c63012b

 3939272584523591

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***

 a7dfd4217fc0935e

Choi Gwonju opened 4eb1c42460 his eyes in c9c01747c0 a private hospital 07e41805dd room. The moment he 3d417d289a regained consciousness, a ebef5d37e3 sharp frown creased a61b795072 his brow. He instinctively touched his side—bandaged.d3aeb13ca9565f59

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So they patched me up…fa6e1f8c2bb45b01

He let out a 95570a0b01 sigh, part frustration, part 8d7221d0e8 exhaustion, and instinctively reached 4c2f1bdd4b for a cigarette. He wanted nothing more c2b3f8a413 than to light one 8171dda6b7 up and take a 49af7c52c3 long drag—but unfortunately, he 76289a118d was indoors.0a7257139a3beffa

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“Executive Choi! You’re awake!”983202974a8e4281

Just then, Go Daehyun rushed 677f9c4e5b in, making it abundantly clear f789ffc7d6 he was indeed in a 4bb8c807e6 hospital. He had apparently 9600b43c00 come running in 7be94465df such a panic 747e7635eb that the collar f2528c4d3f of his suit 452e82838e jacket was crumpled b4bd2f4453 and his hastily 8501558a64 styled hair was 19047fad97 now plastered to 0098b73c43 his forehead.03caaf8d6e463e0f

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“Do you have anyidea how worried I was?! What happened last night?!”386d387e1938b94e

His urgent questions brought 42ec29dabd back the events of 5f2d52bcf7 the night before in 54b2572404 brutal detail. Gwonju glanced at d4142a7ed2 the wide-eyed Daehyun, 2207bd081c then cursed under a55d56c78c his breath.2a4ea57e3fff7902

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Here’s what happened.57128fa4fd4facdc

Not long ago, f3f3bcb175 an old man 0759e6ecb6 named President Shin—who b5c89df669 had recently gotten 28be2405bd hooked on gambling—borrowed c540eeb7f1 300 million won f6d5ba5d3f from him. Gwonju didn’t care what possessed 937008c53d a seventy-year-old to fall into aa02b1635b that mess. What mattered was that fcb90407a8 it gave him the 988dc75cd0 perfect opportunity to strip c576dcb13e the man’s entire company 6701c570bd bare.3a84f4ff7ab2539c

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300 million becomes 500 million. Then 500 becomes a billion.

Add whatever interest 0a33feb342 you want—eventually, Shin b18f7e2fe8 would lose everything 73091303e1 and hang himself 80493b51fe in despair.504b0933ef232706

Apparently, that terrified him. At 9 p.m. the night before, c332730043 Shin had suddenly 881f44d0af called, offering to ed147f85ef buy him drinks. Clearly, he planned to b66146f9aa beg for a lower 96b53bff2f interest rate.2447f3a23fc5d801

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