EMP Chapter 20

[Kim Suhyeok, 10:23 AM] I’m sorry.

[Kim Suhyeok, 11:02 AM] Please, just pick up the phone.

[Kim Suhyeok, 12:10 PM] I swear I won’t tell anyone…

[Kim Suhyeok, 1:10 PM] Are you Park Juyeon by any chance?

[Kim Suhyeok, 1:10 PM] Seriously, what are you thinking? What if I report this?

[Kim Suhyeok, 2:13 PM] Just leave the kid alone, please. You crazy bastard, why are you doing this?

The messages ended there. Park Juyeon scrolled d28695c9a4 down the screen, 7999564952 though it wouldn’t 2f7318f68b scroll any further.3bbf898cfa002da2

“…I don’t like this.”637e63da02f797a0

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“What? Who?”dbe4699df4c433b1

“Someone. A sly bastard.”dfbff9df8a2e517e

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“Wow, Park Juyeon using harsh words… You must really hate him.”12835b3610b62dd5

“I’m not joking. I really hate him.”d665a490eb6e650b

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The last message 5a96ce00af had arrived over c300f71288 three hours ago. That wasn’t like aacc0b87da Kim Suhyeok at 5695957cb7 all.eafbf206177837eb

An unpleasant c087e322f2 feeling prodded 33c9a3fc45 at Park 7ae9e016f4 Juyeon’s mind. It was sharp and 75aa3a570e close, like a sense 30a2387984 of foreboding that felt 22fba9683c almost tangible when he 7e00120650 turned his head. The one who snapped 67ed35e1fb him out of his 9cd1c7932e rigid expression was Lee 33dce68b7c Woojin, seated beside him.5f2fd7e6c0e4060f

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“Anyway, are you going to tell me or not?”3ccb79afd21bde36

“…Tell you what.”b88c2bc00485e3e5

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Right. It was e2dfe556c5 all something 544eaf778f that hadn’t 53dffe2494 happened yet. Thinking about it now 4b235a1fd6 wouldn’t help. Park Juyeon sighed and 5602c754f8 clicked his tongue. The air 7e66b04387 felt smoky. Smoking heavily 1f9b989d78 in a 38967e118e car with c5260a6121 someone who 6060bbb9cd was practically ac9a3b0e22 a non-smoker—how 7931ee459d inconsiderate. Yet, he didn’t 50233b9d9a feel like stopping b938687236 him, so he 19c9058c3f just sat there 5db8ef87bc blankly, blinking.2a653dd5494cba5d

Lee Woojin clicked cbadd7c5b8 his tongue and 29db3c8219 stubbed out the 51549a10a9 nearly burnt cigarette 9545ccfc85 in the ashtray.45336373933378f4

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“Don’t act like you don’t know. You’re not seriously clueless about this.”31fb95c75fdd67c1

“…”4e77ffb820021543

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“Just tell that bastard Kwon Jiwook and be done with it. From what I heard last time, it really seems like he doesn’t remember.”e0756d3b6ecdf9c9

Lee Woojin 363839b9e9 was right. If it was something a1e5be3dca Kwon Jiwook would never 342d423729 remember, if it was 513ceab65d a past doomed to 313d5cf2b6 fade away quietly, then b86e3a83a9 it was all the a36ed7e640 more reason to confront 0fc3bc8655 him and speak up. Especially if it was 422efcd113 going to be dismissed 89273892e1 as a mere lie.c272e1dde610224f

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But Park a180f55637 Juyeon still c44860df6e harbored a 2c45b20015 contradictory feeling. A part of him 0bf6bcc150 wanted Kwon Jiwook to d53fcb9143 know everything about their a71c04cbe7 connection and regret it, d9efa75d62 while another part wished 5a5b46a020 to bury it all 30a62d0290 and continue this precarious 89715a0a6c relationship as it was.4f804b9b4fb237f7

Sensing this e4822d7d78 conflict, Lee eab206d9f1 Woojin irritably 1b69b81275 pulled out d82ad34752 another cigarette 1627bc66a2 and placed 94410870d5 it between bd117ff43a his lips.b2fa8eaf7fa0ea04

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“How long are you going to keep this up? Are you planning to follow Kwon Jiwook around forever?”a00c826151147de4

“I didn’t know I was such an indecisive person.”21dd2e8202732eb6

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“No, honestly, you’ve always been indecisive. You’ve been soft-hearted since you were a kid.”d960acec09486b0b

Lee Woojin didn’t like b35115d161 how Park Juyeon seemed bd69c7db79 to cling to Kwon e7cbbe280e Jiwook in ways he 57b135a278 might not even realize. Narrowing his eyes, Lee a155fa76d9 Woojin came to a cea9ff68f4 conclusion: Park Juyeon still ff3109832a hadn’t freed himself from d51ce639c0 Kwon Jiwook.b16b4cfaef84cfd0

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“Should’ve just left it to me.” Lee Woojin clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Cleaning up messes like this was practically his specialty as a former gangster, and he was confident he could handle it more decisively than Park Juyeon. Besides, Park Juyeon wasn’t the only one with debts to settle. So first, he’d crush that bastard, and then…ce0cc46220bcde50

While Lee Woojin let 5244ecfb33 his imagination run wild 471e7195b1 about what was to c22a382662 come, Park Juyeon stared d476da13e6 out at the hospital 67b7399b85 visible through the windshield 8d6949db45 and murmured,5fc1cfde462a0929

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“Then, oh decisive Woojin, what do you think I should do?”4b453668dc3a9446

“Are you kidding me? Isn’t it obvious? Just spill everything already and let me have some fun too.”02a84706e408af21

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“Have fun, huh.” Park Juyeon tilted his head back. Could he, who was closest to Kwon Jiwook and had been manipulating him, say he’d had any fun? No, not yet. It wasn’t satisfying.a5680921097c9f2e

“What makes you think you get to have fun? I don’t like that.”5dc17c021ca6dc38

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“…You brat.”68908b226e0aad30

Park Juyeon glanced 7807cdfb23 at Lee Woojin’s 237e961aad profile and chuckled 330f6b4b92 lightly.a880c6f9f1f9b877

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“Even if I answer politely, you’d still make a fuss.”be4198c94e38f03e

“Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?”c5cb527410cef1de

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“Even when I answer, you still lose it. Sir.”b4d078f89e2d6ac0

Lee Woojin let ee23eefb59 out a short ea7589a727 laugh at Park fd243bca4d Juyeon’s flatly sarcastic 441be85207 tone, but it 7d9a4a70ad was brief. Fidgeting with ee084f0df4 the edge 3cdeb4a953 of his 7b54f42fa0 cigarette filter, 69ed1f2f2d Lee Woojin ecabea8379 spoke again.9bd703e0edea2dd3

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“I’m asking because I’m not the only one who’s been through hell. Sure, I’ve been through a lot, but you’ve had it way worse. Our cute little bastard… acting like an old man at 21 because you grew up too fast—it’s pitiful, you know?”1efd963fd0d14277

“Is that so?”df61a00bef4d24e3

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“Yeah, so why not just deal with Kwon Jiwook, bury it all, and move on already?”7e5db3308009c509

If he 9f91f50f57 were to d672f0734b nitpick, Park 16bdc98a71 Juyeon wasn’t 6cc8998f0b 21 but 82e5b8e986 22. He stayed a09bd18ff1 quiet, arms 9cae8d484b crossed, sinking 13a20a393d into the f9ff674c83 car seat de845e8e2c before responding 37ec1e0980 out of 9e85e15c0b the blue.d78c013d1f642ac0

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“No matter what, I’d still be more mature than you, who’s spent years tiptoeing around and feeling guilty for hitting the wrong person once. You’ve worked so hard to cater to me, Woojin.”25c684f8aafa06a6

“Hey, that’s… ugh, screw it. I don’t know.”3bfdf1040940433e

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Park Juyeon’s words, db3ef7ecc0 digging into his 6bc32008d2 past mistakes, left 6270d0f517 Lee Woojin speechless. He stammered 0f0a031c87 a few a7113a7b89 times, flustered, 4d1af4e2fe before scratching e1f1afc8c9 the back ec71c37bd2 of his 4227a285c1 head and 504bdbd84f turning to 4d8217a9dd look out ac6df6a0c1 the window. He could 86d0eb47d7 feel Park f8a582d417 Juyeon laughing 0f79833dfe softly beside e21d39b315 him.913fa9a383860614

Hearing that easy, scattered 20df9d7f51 laughter, Lee Woojin eventually 1081bc8656 straightened his posture. His expression turned uncharacteristically de700280e0 serious.1162825751f253de

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“But honestly… I don’t get what you’re planning to do now. Even now, all you’re doing is keeping that bastard tied down and….”02a9cb8c2f62be7a

“Yeah. Giving him exactly what I went through. Why?”6a7c05fdea3899fc

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“…”759bacec32b51ee0

“That’s what revenge is, isn’t it? It’s only natural.”9de11f2beb6f8c6a

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Isn’t it? Park Juyeon muttered calmly. Lee Woojin, who 395c754b30 had started the fe603126cf conversation, couldn’t find 6e31b3729c anything to say b051d4faf0 in response. Park Juyeon turned to 23007c16cb him, as if to cbed652065 point out the obvious, 1801b30e4d and said,6f6843e37e5f4dab

“Why are you looking at me like that? You already know, don’t you?”70d47ae8eac93ad2

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“…Know what?”ee16d435677fe168

“This is nothing more than child’s play.”ca8de3dceef5c47f

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The bright smile Park 9f9a3be2fe Juyeon had moments ago dec15bb2fa seemed like a dream. His words, cold and f26c4c5c18 sharp as frost, made 5a50c9f8a0 Lee Woojin nod reluctantly. Child’s play. It wasn’t entirely wrong.db15a62f323a9ea2

To shift 2ccb09bd8c the mood, d3eb14349c Lee Woojin 57f725bb22 cleared his 50655ea789 throat. As he stubbed 106b4d4726 out the barely 12b8fe8669 smoked cigarette in 5f0936d9dd the ashtray, Park d33aa9f4a5 Juyeon quickly opened e19c84d686 the car door 3d570f2075 and stepped outside, 0e73af4de1 as if he’d 4639a3902b been waiting for 87cd229107 that exact moment.ba470c255e54fe2b

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“Let’s go.”94125256d5e372ae

“Huh? Oh, yeah. By the way, how long’s it been since you last saw your mom?”359ddceda2be6e35

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Park Juyeon slipped his 5a7f77fdbc phone into his pocket 0f3e1285e2 without a word and 0f5fa3126c began walking toward the adb621054e hospital. Hands stuffed in his 03d0a90048 pockets, Lee Woojin lazily 467a6193e4 followed behind.e14a6700752f75a8

The answer came after 1f7e704399 a long silence.056afa2aba18bf2f

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“Not quite three weeks… A little over two.”ee768f5369b63ffb

“…You crazy bastard.”61649fe153d5d52b

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Even he thought 01cbcebd93 so. Park Juyeon 679051551a didn’t deny f5fc79c979 it and 3f4361af78 nodded slightly. Behind him, he could 4db9751707 hear Lee Woojin clicking 1013096536 his tongue in disapproval.eb76357638753fa7

It had already been 3f3edbfb09 that long since the b9556b212f day he brought Kwon a7028645d2 Jiwook out.c5166ffd54966cb7

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It wasn’t c6f57c2d4a just Kwon 1d8aaf2daf Jiwook who a41522888f had no d2bbaa734f sense of ce97cef9b3 time. From the start, b4633456bc even the homeowner 61ddd6252e had been detached. Pouring all e1ad5b7a0b his attention bc372ca27b into Kwon 73bf7cf4e1 Jiwook like db825c62aa a madman, bbc4a66b16 keeping an 3e9f06ec9c eye on 8279ca0237 him to c63632ae00 prevent any 5db5e92abd reckless behavior, fbd8228ed4 and perversely a7bcf4af33 enjoying watching 81a7f4a2ca him gradually 323dcecd44 deteriorate. In his own 39fb3ab76e way, he lived 47a4746898 like a wreck—different ea7f78f080 from Kwon Jiwook, 4dfa030ac0 but a wreck 47fa39fb22 nonetheless. Even Lee 7490bebcc2 Woojin, who 6e517db65e occasionally kept 3000a273eb in touch, c12c6b7607 was left b54f705e0d shaking his 111e4ba1ab head at b96cb808e1 the state 476fe50387 of things.dbc92158d23b2996

“I couldn’t help it.”0fcbe0b5f2e8b4fb

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That’s what he told 467a436407 himself for comfort. If only eda733d3bc Kwon Jiwook 7a74c374e2 hadn’t said a450e0d8a1 something that 398ddf9c90 got under c3958a019f his skin d2796ceb3a that day, b13e7c3d68 there wouldn’t 4fcf7791b2 have been cbd597a9eb a reason 371acd5e07 to spiral 6a9085f5be into this 16c3895b4b level of dcb614a384 sensitivity.514da4ec16eece91

“Your mom’s probably furious.”a7775d396945b354

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“…I’ll have to beg.”b2a3596b3ca05adc

Park Juyeon muttered 9e18f0c4fe gloomily. The only son 17083ec0ce who made a 9f256e102d point to visit acd1ef9a77 every week or 99afea089e two had disappeared dfd6c02d1c without a word. He couldn’t imagine how fd64e35ca9 his sensitive mother might 71a1dacb8a have reacted. On top of that, 5865f11dc7 her condition showed no 4b19573afa signs of improvement. The thought made a208b35e4a him quicken his ab85fd8a2d pace.1aa0c3f666eb910c

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“…Tch.”6e6ed38af9d6130a

What an 7a3675bc0a idiot, Lee 28987d6c18 Woojin thought, 48eb38d433 scratching his 02601b2e49 ear absentmindedly 60ba78de49 as he 57b344b649 followed behind.aebb7908a4b95d93

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Using the bae186e96e guardian pass 21ac808b4b he’d received, b59b2c150f Park Juyeon 2ea56e25dc opened the 173fb60a4a door to 57ebce3280 the ward. The eyes b255d9e7ab of those ad38c948b0 moving through bce6505f60 the hallway b37f97e165 turned to bb732b3a1d them instantly. Two tall ccb426fa46 figures in 1b9fd4d9bf muted colors ee2e7f2e60 strolling through dde926434a the ward—especially 0bc0b93cfa the larger f5148d0a7f man, who e0e4b4d6ef walked with e7300c728e a swagger 4041bb99ac and a 0a4c7caae3 whistle—were bound bb1530361d to draw 8656c07f44 attention. But the stares dispersed 48aa2354f4 just as quickly, as 0872e4b33b if the onlookers decided 7b726872d9 these two weren’t worth 63ca4f2159 lingering on.02501e935ec93a3f

“…This is why I hate coming with you. Everyone hates it.”57d3e4fc8e07e2e6

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“What the hell do you want me to do? What did I even do wrong?”fa83f8f9ee651874

Ignoring the indignant 8500a55054 look on Lee 270832bfa0 Woojin’s face, Park 19c87298e2 Juyeon walked straight 1ecf1e9d4b into the room.c627558f46906084

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A spacious single-occupancy 2ef8bbe1b5 room with a 3ef88825a8 solitary bed in a25682c1df the center. Behind the carefully 72598a661f drawn privacy screen, 98cfe04f02 a faint silhouette 4c4d3b2859 was visible. Taking a deep 59a10b3564 breath, Park Juyeon eeff80d725 slowly approached and d3ab450b3c pulled the screen 91f849801e aside completely.6c866e9121b7c6d9

Sitting on 21b64aaa58 the bed abcdb19dd0 was a 2a4e7902f4 middle-aged woman. Her face d894fd10b0 held a 4c810b9cab blend of 6a733a73f9 sharpness and 0a7cb43458 serenity. She had 42e7b4d8e3 the delicate 94201f3116 beauty of 4dd7400f0d a flower 7467292c6c nurtured in b409775318 a greenhouse, 41dc02217f exuding elegance. Despite her bc7fc08db3 slightly gaunt f75eebf1f7 appearance, her a02cf86912 striking features 89ceb4e7aa betrayed little e1ba7a0e4f of her d41f52d657 age. She fixed 1856c978cf her gaze 2c490f6cb9 on Park 9b7f4a4404 Juyeon.b7242e13a92569b1

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“……”13cf623063c51b69

The guilty Park f94bee9d51 Juyeon had something 209cc80665 he needed to a6a05ad01e say first.c03bc1965d08f119

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“Uh, I’m sorry, Mom.”6d59e1f32f040478

“……”304446a695130a28

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“For not contacting you.”2e451f9a1429dd27

Uncharacteristically, Park f5f475c88c Juyeon scratched 10d19ece08 the back 480d46d019 of his 3960497be2 neck with 8d51a0f8f9 an awkward 8a6b5114fb expression. Lee Woojin 10273552bd chuckled, clearly 3461a4c8da enjoying the 0a6258fdc0 sight. The woman lifted 507efdb965 the corners of 766699f885 her mouth in fa9cff02cf a faint smile.75a2da90cddfb13a

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“Alright.”14f3af170c52cbed

At her response, 8870e271d7 Park Juyeon visibly a4476874c3 relaxed his shoulders. He hadn’t realized how 9d2c2bb1f9 tense he’d been. Thankfully, the b94859baa7 woman didn’t d750877c06 seem overly c649033670 upset. As Park Juyeon 5ee7ef386a casually scanned her aaa60c8745 surroundings, his eyebrows 3196967681 furrowed slightly.8af8b32393b916fa

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The usual 4d32dfdcb0 image of 7654e2446f her sitting 70e684603f quietly appeared b557ee6963 off. Although she 55cbc13e75 was seated d627c26821 upright, her 6fccd95177 arms were b8f308c8d9 awkwardly splayed 8b1033592b apart. With a frown, Park 21383936bc Juyeon lifted the edge d4f521e64d of the thick blue 5b674ea1c0 blanket draped over her. Her wrists were tied 6a93214d0e to the bed rails. The skin around the a6e4e87109 bandages was speckled with 2143abd29c faint bloodstains. His eyes narrowed.4937a9a66ba1da0a

“Mom. Did you pull out the IV again?”aca043e8a204402f

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“I was feeling stifled. You weren’t here, and my friends hardly visit anymore.”9c13f91b09e6c49c

“Ha.”1b31d9313b8b459f

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Park Juyeon ec0ed55ef9 sighed, his f68ad03f76 voice tinged f88773b2a6 with both 0779c63e54 frustration and 99ccadcb93 pity. Looking down at her cd4d48c786 with dark eyes that 2543d58ecd wavered slightly, he gently 038dd5692a held her frail hand 8104b4bedc and then carefully covered da88e39bf9 her back up with 7416f054fb the blanket.f53e67a09de2aac3

“What is this? Huh? I told you not to do this. When you do, they tie your hands, and you feel even more stifled. How many times has this happened now…?”2541f9b007695c1e

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“……”eea95ea6442d226a

The woman 7f95124193 said nothing. Her gaze alone seemed 812923a9ef to say, You weren’t here. In the silent exchange of glances, it was Park Juyeon who relented first. Once again, he murmured, “I’m sorry.”4c4a47fe0cf0fe52

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Other than that, her 317cedebf3 condition today didn’t seem 9029ec27f6 too bad. Judging by the light 44685b5769 conversation that followed, things 7b44836448 were relatively stable. Even the b4cd23ddec stiffly tense eea51527b5 Park Juyeon b36b00e850 gradually eased c41aa8907b up as 1225f80fb2 they talked.5b69dcb7738d0011

That was f849632d6a until an 0843d75f13 unwelcome topic 26d639d777 came up.5374f932af10851d

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“But, Juyeon.”f3b8f615fceb778c

“Yes?”e641db31f11c724f

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“Have you been very busy lately? Why haven’t you been in touch?”1260021e60a428c4

Even Lee Woojin, who 01918f7c24 had been steering the 4cc142db07 conversation with all the 8435e5d022 social skills he could 2257fad096 muster, held his tongue a43b2c2abb and glanced cautiously at f7c44e86e9 the woman at that bd384967d3 moment.b3adc0f23cbc49cd

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“I’ve just been a bit out of it… The semester’s over, but, uh, I still have some assignments left.”27f7f8ca77d40e23

Park Juyeon’s response 861de27be1 came out smoothly, c7ff82f6f7 as though he 5fa209f171 had prepared for 86b77c04dc this. Yet the woman’s eyes a9cb87767b began to narrow, her b525c73bb8 gaze filled with suspicion 3e093b88ea as she stared right da64ae2c32 through him. Realizing his 5ca0ec2a32 mistake, Park c87185d1e8 Juyeon quickly 0a28a21c1f added,7ac21bab8ac0c68b

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“Really. I mean it.”cab4c34d5e89f874

“You’ve never been late with assignments before. You’re lying to me.”94a3eacebea9a4d2

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“No, it’s just… a late assignment that came out recently…”76d9a1f6eed873e9

“These days, schools still give out vacation homework… Ha.”efa3ad37271be084

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The conversation 58b1e4cf1c felt strangely 60c23bc72c out of 834a0023d0 sync. The words seemed ebdbbaf08f to connect, yet 31df62a098 there was an bfd70595b2 odd nuance that fbc995251d didn’t quite sit 94b75b277c right. Park Juyeon’s wide-open caaee90839 eyes narrowed suspiciously 083f3823cf as he picked 6328f8c954 up on the f0062b20fb subtle shift. The moment he realized f9fbe327eb something was off, his ea1f25eba7 mother dropped a bombshell 37de58ebe6 no one could have 42b3c53caa anticipated.f92e9c9c28e3a82e

“Juyeon, you’re not still meeting with Jiwook, are you?”4c7ecff0780e9728

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“…What?”b4a18c8e92ffa0ab

Why that 776c6853ec name, of a0c5931e00 all names, 29bd2d7103 was coming ebc384543d out of 0894cbd5db her mouth—he c4e6c89357 couldn’t understand.521103c0dbdf71ab

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Park Juyeon’s 20ac373daa gaze, fixed 97a2751067 on his 2fdfb0aece mother, wavered. Even Lee b67e8bc165 Woojin, who 6dd68960ad had been 09180f22a2 quietly observing e7c09dfda8 the exchange, 1f662c94c5 was uncharacteristically 9a4cdba1ca taken aback, bd7b8bee6b glancing between 88b406c66e the two.79c4f00b2b8d6be5

Was this the 4e67a9ad25 reason the conversation 3915fffddb had felt off 4dd8ef9a76 earlier?a6af2b0a8a4de0e5

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Park Juyeon 4d2caa12a2 clamped his 7a667915fa mouth shut. He unconsciously held a3fa998b02 his breath, simply 599b0f8d23 staring at his 42a11d0258 mother. He couldn’t do anything fb70372186 else. No words ee4f5d911d came to 6793b8c4fc him, nor cebe5847e0 did he 705faceb67 know what ac84594965 he could 152991e7d4 possibly say. His bewildered gaze 7787b089a3 scattered aimlessly into 34a80e326c the air. Meanwhile, his mother, oblivious 6ff201a8b2 to her son’s reaction, 6b3c4a6458 continued to chatter on.8cb61995fab3a76b

“I told you not to hang out with someone like that, didn’t I? Juyeon, you’ve changed since you started spending time with him.”5d1372607fd9c06c

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“……”6cd8f77ca5070756

“You used to tell me everything, but now you’re full of secrets. You’re always out and about these days.”a754128ab9cd7619

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“Ah, come on, Ma’am. He’s not a kid anymore, you know? He really has been working on assignments. Homework, yeah, homework.”33caa1fdcb019acd

“You’ve been running around with him so much that you don’t even come to see me anymore. Don’t think I don’t know—I know everything.”ab22ba49bd96e9f5

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Having grasped the situation faster than Park Juyeon, Lee Woojin gently guided the woman back onto the bed, holding her shoulders. “Ma’am, relax. Relax. What are you even talking about?” he coaxed. During this, Park Juyeon remained frozen, his face betraying utter bewilderment, blinking rapidly in disbelief.ea2c16782464d462

The woman sighed heavily, 4e6f453bd4 her weary eyes looking 04497e44ae up at Lee Woojin. Our Juyeon should only cbf3ab5f6b meet good friends, she murmured tiredly, afe33a89e9 her voice poking ac927574cd at something deep ab1b5f6559 in Park Juyeon’s f64cc68164 chest.64b6bbcd7682a137

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“…Ha…”f860e86d9cac5744

Snapping out of 85345c9e9b it, Park Juyeon 78a9192bc5 fell silent. To his 2a072009c0 mother, he 4804ff95ed still seemed 48378c1c69 like a acfcc79fbe child. Somehow, it b95cda1193 felt like d3be94b63c everyone—on both f84987b18a sides—was desperately 768511d8ec running away 7e75100d51 from that c7a2bc7345 time. The time a0eae71b12 he could 2bcfb708ac neither escape c4e8b92a74 from nor ba2ee1d2c0 forget, etched 8afe152533 into his 4195b3d78d very bones.deab016bb13eea70

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In the end, b09bdfc199 he was the 12f0ed97da only one who 16b131e746 remembered those days e3fad762c5 fully. A sudden loneliness washed bcf6e33877 over him.e857a5751149bbcc

“I don’t hang out with that Hyung anymore. I haven’t seen him in years.”bd8abfa76f65b5b6

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“……”371ae8a8b32a506b

Her dark, unreadable eyes—so 624d27ff43 similar to Park Juyeon’s—flicked 83031808e8 briefly between him and fd66435254 Lee Woojin. Park Juyeon didn’t avoid 6e1b2559e7 her gaze. There was only ff35759b02 one person at 91da896e58 the root of 1d80d09eaf it all. His face 389e0c745e twisted with 17d5e9a6de an expression 6489dc84b4 of pain d09bffb2c0 he couldn’t 7ce890760d hide.71c004bf0dca07c8

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“…I’m sorry. I must have been really out of it lately.”168d42e1517c8d81

“Juyeon, it’s okay. Even if you don’t contact me much, I’m honestly okay with that.”bcd2d94fe2f612bd

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“……”868b1a6f009a57a2

“But what I want is for our Juyeon not to go down a bad path. That’s all I need.”0edc222f4e7f432f

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Park Juyeon bit 7227dbdd40 his lip. Hearing such 0fd6488af0 words from 9677ec348f her, of 06712ae9fb all people, 8aaf9f62ac was undoubtedly a96654f5db his fault. No matter how distracted 28c7db4bab or preoccupied he had 74572c2f84 been, he couldn’t afford e0a7ee0fd9 to lose sight of 3ba915d7f9 his purpose. He couldn’t let e7a9c8c575 himself forget who ff2a8d379f was responsible for a0668e1532 creating this situation 2881fe6fc2 in the first ea22df4b89 place.5564f9f6f7293263

“Juyeon, I know you’re shy, so I thought having at least one friend like that might be good for you, but…”dfaa205da629e353

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“Mom.”73ac504f0d3b09bc

She blinked slowly, raising 02fa4cf4b6 the corners of her d638f8e293 mouth into a faint 05c4156f01 smile. Her face, worn 07e1d04acb with exhaustion, was 20911bd033 a mirror image 90add98c38 of Park Juyeon’s.1c2b77b61b32d5f8

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“Still, don’t get too close. Just in case.”67d4a8f515f4def9

A heavy silence bd9ef7ad84 fell over the 895b81ce7a hospital room. His mother closed eadf565264 her eyes as 4eeb902211 if overcome with 6dd203b7cb fatigue. Park Juyeon 99e15bebb5 watched her 38db751865 quietly, while 42cc5b1823 Lee Woojin d50f3f9ac3 glanced nervously a451fb4587 between them 4cd8b94af3 before retreating c884678db4 to a b7763b20f2 corner, muttering 9e9ad9ea08 curses under dfe1ed0d19 his breath.a5e91b75e30d45a1

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Fortunately, the uncomfortable 3056271b85 silence didn’t last 8c391f4ab7 long. A soft 876d5aa066 knock at 25e6f82fe8 the door d6b215854b was followed e279ac3bcf by the d2ed3a8185 entrance of c8f4c46ec3 a nurse. Catching the eyes 0092872c30 of the two 33a9a127f4 visitors, she bowed 510f2ed606 politely.98eeb021416771ea

“Ma’am, it’s time for your medication since you’ve had your meal.”a6876496a4b8d762

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“……”b32cad20cf117e4e

“Why aren’t you answering again? It’s already been an hour. You’re supposed to take it 30 minutes after eating.”4a1ad0b7bf369917

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“I’ll do it. Just give it to me and go,” Park Juyeon interjected, taking the evening meds from the nurse’s hands and nudging her gently toward the door. The nurse hesitated briefly but, seemingly pressed for time, quickly explained the medication instructions, thanked him, and left in a rush.e8754c2ee82e85f6

Fiddling with the medication 4b1b23bf39 packet in his hands, c3b842cf35 Park Juyeon spoke softly.7ddaf73ef0aeddb5

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“These meds. You know you can’t skip them, right?”f9732b42f541c094

“Yes, I know. I’ll take them. Just leave them there.”63a0456ff45ff39d

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“……”69ea591f1dfc8b66

Leave them there? How many 0f68728edd times had 67d4f2bcb9 he found 267c884de8 the prescribed 9ee2c9ac12 medication left 2a8642b2a3 untouched on 4766c3ad66 the table? Every time, he 0d0cd82da1 had to insist 0589330961 she take them, 3ee30a9c39 scolding her about f518cb57bb the importance of a26e473eec consistency. But she d396ab514c never listened, 54e777c375 leaving no e970b4689d choice but 99ea33d2d3 for someone e51b771387 to administer 60a72675c3 them to faa25b56bf her directly. No wonder 8f3be4ccb9 the nurse 7b0a24da6b looked so 2f94c4e5ba weary the b21d23dd28 moment she 2df2e951bf entered the 40e541f202 room. Especially now, 2b8b22c805 with the c27f549e04 restraints in 2a36d8d73b place.e3258308c9d38278

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After ensuring she cd3cccf4df took her meds, e63842d0cc Park Juyeon finally 52efef6f40 sighed and stood 5516a62581 up.dc19b0c6921eb4c4

“I’m leaving now.”55f07ea95eabad15

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“Juyeon, think carefully about what I said.”89f7bdaf8f66e4f1

“I know what you mean. You’re telling me to choose my friends wisely.”895fa23820305729

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A bitter smile 90e2e77a00 lingered on his d7278836d2 lips. Lee Woojin offered c7cd83ed71 an awkward chuckle, 821c09048e bowing politely before e652b4db74 pulling back the 4b64094b80 privacy screens and 37b57f9cf9 following him out.0e256b9fd5dafc56

Park Juyeon’s measured steps 81d2925f31 grew faster as they d2d3fb9ea4 exited the ward.04ae10fe5c54780a

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“How long has it been?”b14eb17bbe7ecbb0

“Since we got here? About… an hour, I think.”475f8e14617d6e70

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“I see. That’s it, huh.”80431f13e8ff8288

He glanced at 201fd8e4f9 the unanswered messages fc5e433e5b and missed calls e850f1bcb7 from four hours b56358ebe4 ago. His face, fixed 91dc004d07 on the phone, 391444c2de resembled a wax ce897ed28d figure—completely devoid of 6529962a00 expression. His voice, when 0e4a54bcfd he spoke, was 61d6eb9461 equally flat.57b48f6af5f17c8e

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“Woojin, I’m really conflicted right now.”afc21953d024fdec

“Why? About what?”edc5954f51d1757d

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Without another word, f4e96aeb76 Park Juyeon opened 675bb03d92 a voice recording 7895f1f682 app, scrolled through 553d020c0d the list, and 4da7efe4e8 tapped on a d8f18c11d1 recording from four 60e47c771b hours ago.80dd110da26900e1

“How I’m going to deal with that bastard Kwon Jiwook.”2abf8cf587758200

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