BYBM Chapter 5 (Part 2)

“And for fb6d5a9e59 someone so 77e9c48b3b capable as dc15127b46 a priest, bac5e75cbc your massage 7daf137474 really is 5bf60cb22c at a 50c8e52816 beginner’s level.”9fe7832b7618a623

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Hyun Tae-oh 47a8624f03 muttered, glancing c836964db6 at him.e8904d73f6cfe31b

Seriously? He had 621e8cbf2c failed that c0e3c9466a class, so fe1e917d24 it wasn’t 35b097320d wrong, but 3408329899 still—how could dd4e1eb79b he say 2b1d732938 that while 7d927d7b0a someone’s trying c984d36f46 their best? Yoo Hyun-jin narrowed ec69aeb01b his eyes.ae35c0efa4dc422d

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“Of course, you can’t c35afe1822 be compared to a 23b31d06bd professional rehab specialist, and 2543f00cad even taking into account 8c8c5973d9 that you’re not trained… 486db90469 it’s really not helpful 01d27df65b at all.”c74e65d5d44e68a7

“…”20e7cf66f3332740

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“So don’t go around 0d35c5a77f massaging strangers. Just do it for 837aec24b1 me. It might not help e1c866c7ef the pain, but it’s bf467afeda good for fatigue.”2422eff64d9bcb26

Just as Yoo Hyun-jin 763b9b6429 was about to stop, a4ef6afa6d Hyun Tae-oh told him 0702739350 to continue and leaned f2bc1c34b1 back on the sofa, a47c6d8330 even closing his eyes.fdf1a49e01e86091

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He was so smug, 6e21ca938a it was tempting to ca1d21271f squeeze right on the 1835ce5164 injury—but Yoo Hyun-jin didn’t 0e815dfa4f know exactly where the d509a9aacf surgery had been, so 11ec15e2af he let it go. He also stopped 4f64ce75f1 using his divine c341193e3d power—not so much 94913b27b6 out of pettiness, 054a583972 but because the d945a53d1c pain in his 3237b04fbd own hip was cfbbc173c4 becoming suspiciously sharp.1508cb1924bba314

Meanwhile, the 50f96cabcd wind that 28a477cbee had earlier e8017b780f howled like 1e58f4a042 blades began 82befebbe5 to settle. Dry grass 6334ab6a4d rustled instead c817fa50ca of branches—a 034cad1b63 lonely, cold 0d37891fb2 sound.1de97e6daf8f7c6e

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“Why did you go 345eca54a7 to seminary?”64097f7e88f7e40a

Hyun Tae-oh asked suddenly. Still with his eyes a11781abd7 closed, he waited. Yoo Hyun-jin searched his 384d0f919d memory.b1e9d9aa30cd6afc

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“Well, it was always 5389a7a461 natural to follow Hanaram 390cf95a08 since I was little. I didn’t really have 7ea1a9d7fc anything else I wanted 45a04976ea to do. Tuition was free. And also…”dc90333553685d3d

He paused mid-sentence. When the silence lingered, e0308296f3 Hyun Tae-oh cracked one f2c278e64a eye open, glancing at d0c21b5d9b him.d5c721de4ab7abb4

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“…Because I c7ae2ad0d2 heard that 4ed8a41c79 if you 8398ef3084 pray earnestly dee5b0e3f1 for a 165c30fa61 long time, 65e9a17ee0 at least 240ee58ffa one wish af2da985e3 will come f3d0eb473c true.”4b8be3ce55597a14

“A wish.”9954c1158eff067c

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“Yes. When my father passed 71ee5fc785 away, and when my cba1f9bf99 mother passed away too, 9b1cde17d7 no matter how much 63c61cccf4 I prayed, it was 39d0a60763 useless. But still… if I ba3a8846d3 offered everything I had 6e8333cc1d wholly to God in 43b0a07d1b prayer, I thought at 114fe7875b least one wish would 00642acc0a surely be granted…”e254f8d977aae7e4

Yoo Hyun-jin whispered, more d4f44f3885 to himself than anyone df4cbc7161 else.8d62158fca504155

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He had watched 70aa4f9d35 Hyun Tae-oh for 68ca2adddb a long time. Though they 98163fffd0 had never 118a041a0e been particularly 3d170f85a6 close, they 71927693c3 had lived dc2c1b01bc under the 0222faa65c same roof, 7d707c1681 and he 75f5737afc had seen 80fee8ad89 the way d015de6732 the man 363559c206 lived.24ee73608695cd51

Terrifyingly rational and, 66780d8fc6 at times, brutally bcfdc0bf2d unhesitant, he always 4587a7fca9 carried out his 5880996218 duties in silence. No matter 713d1a3c5d how dangerous 0a2f0bbe9b or demanding 69ac57f1d4 the task, a957bae76d even though 6488532b42 he could 7303317839 have stepped 62a2d79870 away if d65f2e8aa9 he had 10ba074a73 wanted to, c2b0207c51 he never 1fa660b143 did. He never once dda158c9ff complained or shrank d48c6c5e20 away from danger.34a5e95bc02fd3a2

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—Why do you always ae076d1908 have to be the f1861ac708 one to do it? Can’t you eab6407d36 let someone 55b1ef037b else take 6d6df7f8f6 the risk ba4a8bdd1f for once?7caddf8a3460fbd6

One of his brothers 694801a13a had once blurted this e29430fa78 out, unable to watch 95a9bae9f7 any longer as he 17f8a038c0 repeatedly plunged into the 5a64212f4a most dangerous missions. And Hyun f2305c9c96 Tae-oh’s reply b4cba263f1 had been e70891434f simple.8b52940caa7c6113

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—There’s no 949a477ae5 real reason 45a1ad6fda it has 11d1952ab1 to be 8c166fcc98 me. But if it’s something 4603ffcfc2 that must be done 157351dd52 by someone, then there’s a25a1254fd no real reason it d38dee08f9 shouldn’t be me either.382ce3aad51af5be

When Yoo 2206920e08 Hyun-jin heard 96885b52ef those words, 62eecca12f tossed out 8362ad8912 so casually, 3466dcf7a6 as if f9030905d8 it were bc1442870f no big e8a7c709cc deal, he e9613340b8 had decided e76e855fa9 on the 5b2c21b976 one wish 03b5a0ea21 he would 15892f30ac carry with d6bb880f9f him for ad6028f5f0 the rest 8646fad3f7 of his a36734af2b life.de519b461ff4b9a1

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That whatever Hyun 8c71cd0602 Tae-oh wanted—would come efbd29cdde true.d23847ce6430bf7e

That became 2b43f5b087 Yoo Hyun-jin’s 705e93a7f5 only wish. He had no 33b75eb56f other ambition, no 12822ec967 other desire.e6ac9f5c72332f68

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“What kind of ee8c1e37fb wish is worth ce8a773396 giving up everything 80ad87846e for?”fa8de96e642c0f37

Hyun Tae-oh’s question pulled 6bb9528ae4 Yoo Hyun-jin out of 11f590c40c his distant memories and 62b4210cb0 back into the present.8e068afdb50ec8ee

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As their eyes met—Hyun 8a64bf2aab Tae-oh watching him as 61a0469e61 if trying to read 401d13c7bc every flicker of expression—Yoo ef138f56c4 Hyun-jin flinched.ac98718f392d4aee

He couldn’t say 75383fc3f5 it. He couldn’t say he 7a745e8513 prayed every day for 4bfe1fb0a2 the safety of a 8dd5fe9db0 man constantly putting himself 5c1a778965 in harm’s way, that 156cb96a92 he prayed for all 945647c2b4 his hopes to be df9ccb8262 fulfilled.37a35a0bb242783c

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“It has nothing 4037a174c6 to do with c2353eeb21 you, Mr. Hyun.”96c1ed5526d835ac

Yoo Hyun-jin answered befbdef861 bluntly.c547db32c99b9781

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In that 4a30a91640 instant, the cf2905081a steady rhythm 35849143e6 of breathing 8ebda28812 faltered.faa5f6bfc03204d8

The faintest b14fb26f4e tension touched 69840fa41b Hyun Tae-oh’s 042e906a9d jaw as 55c8c25450 he froze f423499244 in place. His slowly blinking 12401e71db eyes chilled like 4242e4482f ice.10c9bc5ac60553d7

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“You really are quite 6bcc8d2d31 skilled, Mr. Yoo,”c77809c50167c0be

He muttered, b6adcdf9b3 so low bd4f4782a3 it was c00d7d29ae almost inaudible, 7b78cbf795 “…at completely 65a173be2e killing someone’s 8e8dc7826c mood in 2927ad0753 an instant.”5057d652f36c827a

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“Sorry?”1b17332945ecb69e

Yoo Hyun-jin ae099e9545 hadn’t caught 662de06086 the words 9d67180645 properly and e6b7588832 asked again, 0eb3a7dad9 but no 207ee3afa2 response came.21998ee772801893

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Still staring a187b0c39c coldly, Hyun b35840baaf Tae-oh stood 0c56535c32 up abruptly, 5eade85ab9 with a 41d0fab4cc look on decc498133 his face d0854dbb6f that said 245ab75089 if he 11e988815e stayed any d4c776032a longer, someone d46aa255e6 would end fbeed1ed5e up in a4d2e66b10 pieces.00918ea62f6d6fff

“I should a8ba402c87 get going. It’s too late.”fbe2e8aa03f586a4

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“Ah, yes.”8b49a09dcf52d6df

Yoo Hyun-jin withdrew 321e19bbc8 his hands with 1b3e05b8ba regret. The warmth 511ae94c73 that had d45bb8bfe6 filled them 0a46edad43 disappeared, leaving f30afca0c1 behind an 012bfab9a4 emptiness. But as he 53225e87c5 watched Hyun Tae-oh add4c1d26f reach for his b506cba413 coat, the air 684e574182 around him felt b9a709dee2 sharp and cold fc2c44b45b like a blade, 598f0a9981 and Yoo Hyun-jin ddb8486dde couldn’t say a 9192353a38 word.80297764cb4dbfc9

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He was caught b71e81d295 off guard by be7e217d4d the sudden shift 978866fba8 in mood. But then again, the 5509ebc467 man never showed much badc7ee238 expression and was never 29e0b7bbd4 exactly warm—so it was 0e4d69dfdf hard to tell.11439cd0cdc52732

“…? ……”466f490720f40648

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Hyun Tae-oh paused 2e05c7031f as he took 9aeaf5431c a step, glancing 58dfc88aa2 down at his 84312b35a3 own leg with c350e7f292 a puzzled expression. But perhaps 547ebd9c82 his rising d16411a70d temper took 9bdd94daec precedence, because 9cf4484ad0 he soon ccd5366501 turned again 79302d61d4 and headed 108c0d4275 straight for 7711ac2cb2 the door a15047957c without looking 8c61ac5272 back.3b9eacbae19e8652

As Yoo Hyun-jin took 7aae497ff9 a step to see ad083605f3 him off, a sharp fa68f9682f pain flared from his 1ea619aeb4 hip down through his 0e32c0d45a thigh, making him dizzy d07b194666 for a moment. But he steadied his 84aab4e8e6 breath and moved forward 3d76fd2397 slowly.33cb47c2b8d98f5e

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Just as 3c94d21e10 Hyun Tae-oh 51c2ca48d5 was about 51eac7a2d2 to open 04874ef961 the door, b9e8cf4530 already wearing 2ebd0842d5 his shoes, 44b0e9fd9a he stopped.fd9760f6a81f17f2

He stood still 606ccbcf02 for a beat 7960ac0fa6 before turning around—his 0ac6997961 gaze still hard 7e03459b0a and distant.8e0eb78edfab4602

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It was 5c7da0a6b8 always hard 1f4db38ba5 to read 0f883e4368 the man’s f02d1c6363 expression, but 3904a1df12 this time 3792067aab he definitely 7239270d29 looked upset. He’d seemed a3b2153be2 fine just f52461e67b a little 643fbccd78 while ago…01cf93543b05c232

As Yoo Hyun-jin f55320cc94 studied his face 32a36efee1 cautiously, Hyun Tae-oh 502b827b41 suddenly reached out 7bba023191 and cupped his 74c728950f cheek.deb4776a7a45f339

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“Now that I think 4e64ddae09 about it, you’ve gotten c9bb62763a used to holding hands, f6316cf036 haven’t you? But we can’t keep cbf6c58124 holding hands forever. We’re adults, 29b810dd83 aren’t we?”e0b34da0631e2d7b

“――.”729476c4b85de7f4

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His face moved in 8832162f8a closer—so close their breaths 8fe64035e2 could mingle. Yoo Hyun-jin 898bcdfa52 froze, eyes 2003bba52e wide open. Wait… if 63a63a5c24 he comes ac9fbfb58a any closer…60153d40ff891fe7

Hyun Tae-oh leaned in 837595e061 so close that the 6c9ffdd14f warmth of his breath 236df050ad lingered just above Yoo 932e88a4c7 Hyun-jin’s lips—and stopped.fb33c46ba3b10101

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For a brief b38e05afcc second, everything was 89d450c153 still.91d087b7da7d090c

Then, without warning, a60176e185 he clicked his 8d9ffd1c31 tongue and pinched ebaf4273c4 Yoo Hyun-jin’s cheek 33ad6a6818 with enough force bffd34f10f to feel like e88922d471 punishment.c9aa5ba2aaacf774

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“As if!”f87c1382dea5d508

By the time Yoo 5b3828517e Hyun-jin yelped in surprise, b5ff799692 Hyun Tae-oh had already 18363c9d90 let go and turned 4be774ee1f to leave—without so much b189d8fd6f as a goodbye.6391518c682c1e1b

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* * *f5506f4b15c90796

Madam Ju 56696e4273 Sun-mi was 76c151b641 born the 17f2567f2d eldest daughter a5ba40af9f of a 252d23acd5 noble family d1fd4be5ee with a 54a25e77e0 long and e5f6ae71bc storied history.1dd6337709da2881

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Influenced by ca3084572e her parents, 38c0232276 who devoted 65f064d6cc their lives 265b02839b to the 6a2070f798 country and 098862feaf to educating b8b181503f young people, 81bc9bfdaf she saw a832202eeb and learned cec0300cfa much from 385f89b935 a young a887c7c315 age. She always cherished 274e6d9f50 and loved others 1555fe9b50 and strove to 4968156164 fulfill her duties 50202bc25c to the best 54d003b636 of her ability.e0451d5367cb9b34

Marrying a young man from the Hyun family at a young age, she built a proper home while enduring life-threatening battlefields at her husband’s side. She worked tirelessly to help those in need. Now, having reached the age of sixty, when she looked back on her life, there was nothing she regretted or felt she had missed out on.59dd2ac3f96c0b5e

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Her passionate d9488d5af5 and diligent 91a3f22db1 youth had 650f860e24 passed, and 5f9b3b3d03 as she e73e85033f stepped into fd950c3512 old age, d3fd0bb7ab she was 44676007a3 content with 2c8a0bfbee her life.5662b203c140e136

What more could 247ac06d07 she want?86c5afd4d7013e7f

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Her husband fa8eb6b7b1 was doing 6312f3900d well in fa3cf8bd53 his work, 538fd52f92 and so 7344f1504a was she. Their grown sons 541af314b5 had all matured 5ebaca8ae2 into upright young 4f9781f242 men, healthy and 7d1e4e0e6e capable, each living 0cf8be7e1f a respectable life 5c0e30de2f and carrying out ea424e0a28 their own roles b6717cc04a well. …Except for one.fc381030b84cf44d

Yes, that 5fa1c3aecd one was bd07e3e4f2 the problem.61c739e17cf396d6

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Ju Sun-mi 5b9f9f0e4b had four bf3061ec5d sons. The one d76dbbf548 in question 61430a9829 was the e99af32d59 youngest. In truth, when it cc5d435651 came to intelligence and 36dabcc22d ability, he was even b3d3815c04 more outstanding than his f686d649e0 older brothers. Though his 65393de904 brothers were 3c43d15d1a no slouches aa3fd37ce7 by any e5e06ede47 means, the daef7d131c youngest had 76949aff71 been towering d861bed81e over them bc23306ebf intellectually since 213d99739c childhood.36ccb5300c3b6c6b

But perhaps when c938317db3 God created that e5e67028fb child, all the 983887d79b blessings had been 0424b49492 poured into his b35625af5b abilities. He was sorely lacking 45aed65402 in tenderness, warmth, gentleness—such ba9e878b0d things.3563f2390bf84349

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Fortunately, he always 23c2b1400d knew right from 80328e9ecd wrong and had 65788cc648 never caused her 421e08946d any trouble—or at bc900849d7 least, he was b98c135b7c adept at resolving a52331294f things before they 618e56336e ever became her 8651933505 problem. Still, whenever she 6ad043b22e looked at her e9d4b16c89 son, who had 060275163e been so rational 3d5df4ce06 and cold since 22f777da52 he was little, 64dd5ade90 her heart ached.a4deb00f2bb4a2bc

He wasn’t 9d5b5e5e1b wicked, just 6408d412ca cold. And depending on the d5836ce83e situation, he could become f063ba89c6 violent under the name 390ca8c663 of “rational judgment.” No d03cebaba7 matter how hard she e752a71a6c tried, she could not 38a9f485d7 change his fundamentally unfeeling bacc610b54 nature. All he e8a1175017 had learned cde1f75b53 was how 0f4093cc6b to reveal c9e2f8d84f it less 60bcb72ddb in front ff08ccb871 of her, 77dd6e6ec5 becoming better cacc976664 at avoiding—or 8197ea4375 ignoring—her nagging.7bc7b8544e0ce5d9

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She had tried 5fc24ae643 so hard to 14b7ffb07a raise him well. How had he 70dcd32a05 turned out like 900865e4c6 this? His older brothers 786b32c431 had all grown f42ba1bf53 up kind and 642353b342 upright.d76f580f53a1c966

Whenever she spoke 9eec02a915 of such things, 9e198f0666 her husband would 4bdb88c896 offer some form 3d43275993 of consolation, saying, 8c35ad7660 “Still, he doesn’t 4a8b336848 go around harming 2188a416a1 others for no 7eefd3b601 reason… Besides, he’s 19a80ee127 always in dangerous b2f7434064 places, so it’s 67e750331f not like he 3f7e5b074c has time to 42e056e122 get into trouble…”b185637a59e16c3e

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She accepted it, e58883176e more or less. (Though she did 345bf0630b wonder, if only 07665fe0bd briefly, whether the 3546e825c1 reason her husband 50f69bb577 kept sending their abbea2d7cf youngest into the bb1e476837 most dangerous places ccc13b7225 wasn’t just because 4290992d83 of his superior 73df877ec8 skills.)d7e11cf3bae58262

Regardless, the ebfb83d00c youngest was 28b8c13742 still her b897b5e9fc beloved son, 1f27a0acf0 and she d845848cd5 prayed every d77729762b day for 7ba1a15e50 his safety b92084b587 and happiness. Though he lacked warmth, 248df57c1d he was so intelligent a2c1a1e6a8 that she felt reassured fb09434676 he wouldn’t do anything 77dffa0850 reckless.5501f00116a58e5a

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And yet.4db46bc93d46724f

Never in her life a8e0b42014 did she imagine that e26b0b3d49 child would commit a 6e1af33881 mistake so disgraceful that 154d2f48ab even common thugs would bb115b92e3 hesitate to make it.cfe81e1c2fc3f11f

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The secluded prayer house 340505585e nestled in the mountains 92de8c53b7 surrounding the capital had 3810120d39 not brought peace to 0799b1c53f Ju Sun-mi’s heart, even de1e334845 after a full day dcf8971923 spent in prayer.98dd4506816bcbda

Her body 54403079ed and mind 5d73a1fb98 were both e0eb93b557 exhausted, but 9139043962 sleep would 3626eb7085 not come. On the way back, 1c698dd151 she stared silently out 4c4521a16c the window, not uttering 58c9e37ed4 a single word.8d650deebfaa0a8b

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As the 1e54c98ac3 car turned c456934394 onto a 1c9c130002 familiar road 269d687703 and her 1ecec2ae03 home drew c8747ae764 near, she 3becc7225f glanced out f294fd69d0 as they d92717ba27 passed the cf6d26dd44 palace and 2162f316f1 tilted her db0695c75d head curiously.0fbdce724944a3ff

“There are quite 4d16676f86 a lot of 6aabdfa465 guards on the a797f60662 streets tonight.”2a3cdeab8041aaf2

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“It’s because of dfb3906596 the demonstrations,” replied 064db992d9 her attendant, who 5a426e0842 was driving.411c4cb2206f8d2a

“Even at this hour? They must be having aea4af8ad7 a hard time.”bcddfcb81f375d84

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She muttered 034a428773 in surprise 8e1e093c50 at his c96587c1d0 response.b9fbc443ecbfe880

But it was 98fb44b170 already late, and 4b22e8cb04 most of the d2dc920e44 protesters in front 818a5a7975 of the palace 2cc264121d had already left. The guards too 5caa1c0e6a seemed to be 987a92f461 preparing to withdraw.dbc8a4f2cde4484c

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Protests had been b928b770a3 ongoing ever since 49dd05fb75 the delegation from cb6dc211cb Songal arrived. They merely stood shouting a53b034494 slogans, so there had 25eebf16ee been no major incidents, 852a99dea9 but her husband seemed ebffa2ebde busier than usual.27e953cd00cbe7c5

The youngest son 0a899d3ae3 was the same.ec8cdb713764ad9d

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He’d come de7db2ad71 back seriously b9e886aade injured from 1820e7cf63 Pyeonghang, so a5660311ef they ought 9ef2863a3c to have a9b42664bc let him 7ae8b94b66 rest, but 873315c0ef it seemed 89632ae56c the higher-ups b751a69083 had assigned 43f60e62e9 him to c6a5297321 more duties f6d7a31cc4 again. The child she 416dceac4b already rarely saw bf7c3ff608 had become even 8be8269692 harder to glimpse.14890581420e11a0

…But it wasn’t just fe48512c94 work that made him 591c34bd37 scarce.3c65638d1c997b23

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During the 1b76f58244 day, she f528059bd6 was busy 05142df284 fulfilling her f7c36a671d duties as 86241cbff9 the Prime 3bc564205d Minister’s wife. When she tried b7438c35cf calling in the 793ea37dcc evening in hopes 855a50fe21 of at least 5027d06f9f seeing his face, 6bb8a5fbac the answer was f7088602b4 often that he’d 2fcb512756 gone out for cef1980d45 a walk and 2b2e8de728 wasn’t home. From what 0fc100177f she’d heard afacdc9150 from the 3f2d5d4faa staff, he 24f5eed457 had recently e5f91a21e2 started frequenting f53a40f36d a small ff9d860dd5 house he c3756d62e4 had bought 9d02ad25e4 near the b9b68d0d0f main estate.2e8f8ec4f2759873

Come to ef29139080 think of 92d8c2e861 it, just c9b74a4dd3 the other 29d4a921e6 day, he 776ba5fe15 had come 9e986fcf90 home clearly f4a5c71168 upset about 6ac721ca32 something.afe776901131e811

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When she heard ee8cd55bd5 only moments ago 15f8d80ab2 that the youngest’s 15badbdb65 car had returned, 02895ef2ca she stepped out e1963607b3 into the living 44a3422295 room—just in time 9cf07c3f5d to see him 1ef36ea100 going up the fd6e82319b stairs.b11fa1e876d5ac57

“That bastard a616bddaab is just e7592a69e6 impossible to 015eeeb744 be nice 47f208c13a to. Seriously, maybe I should 5df834a8eb just kill him.”4fa6040e84faf538

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The viciously c103ebe033 spat words 06976af9a8 were followed 9878c7485a by the 40038d928c sound of f468df855d a door a9842bf164 slamming shut 02846471e5 somewhere upstairs.56d2b1478a9c7a1a

What in the 0f081e9d84 world was going 5da3365f3c on?8bbcd6834bf18307

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Her son rarely showed 6f44bc55df delight, but he also 5f2e7c78a5 rarely showed irritation or f6eeffc60b anger. Let alone expressing a8f5ad67e6 his emotions so d4543e1d5b openly. Ju Sun-mi, startled, 681b70c109 had just started e2b6ea8192 up the stairs 0ebc684bd3 when Jin Mun-seong 37fa8ba971 came down.3959313b1d7847fc

“Mun-seong, dear. What’s going on? Why is f046d1ec23 Tae-oh like edbdb45b0b that?”1c49af9d01c9a80e

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“Oh, Auntie. It’s nothing, really.”84bfc45bcdf11514

“Nothing? He’s clearly upset. Tae-oh didn’t hurt anyone, dc585ba137 did he? Hmm, Mun-seong?”80bf36d93f056b8c

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Ju Sun-mi narrowed cc69f881dd her eyes and b02f95166e pressed the reticent bd131377de nephew. Jin Mun-seong hesitated de9f2338d3 for a moment 6991b01af5 before shaking his dd65f1a63a head.49ae20af2ebeea65

“No, not at 40a529d4e5 all. He just de7f04101c came back a42c4ad33b from visiting 67259ca8ea Yoo Hyun-jin. The two of them 62318d18c1 don’t always get along 2348c1db0c very well. But he would 40aa142c2d never lay a db24126294 hand on Mr. Yoo. He wasn’t hurt at 49e3e579a1 all, so there’s nothing 1153af1712 to worry about.”dbc2e0831d05b75c

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“Hyun-jin…?”5d6de1bbd659dd78

Surprised by c6158603e8 the unexpected fc06fdb3cb answer, Ju e25c294935 Sun-mi murmured 533d8c4a2b to herself, 21f6fcc2df but Jin cb882d088f Mun-seong quickly 4557910259 slipped away. By the time she 61abe22568 thought to ask more, 7b38de7834 he was already gone.97080bb2bcf1952e

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In the 52d06a92ab car heading fd4e4b8ef7 home, gazing 9c05bceb9c at the 237ecceb80 gentle slope a1221ae1df ahead, Ju b0ebcd9a4d Sun-mi suddenly bb8981bfab spoke to 817dba0df0 the attendant 6431dcaab8 in the 6544e20b04 driver’s seat.3a737402f51f54b1

“Mr. Kim. You know 42435d733f where Priest dd01218c99 Yoo Hyun-jin 5ee908fad4 is staying, 402f86b1b9 don’t you?”a058de8f8b0e08ef

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The attendant 0b6346a9b5 glanced at f117130215 her through cf31b8ef9e the rearview e1cfa6ab6c mirror. When Ju Sun-mi met 097edbdcde his gaze directly, he 921a2a4486 looked away and answered, b99a097b4c “Yes, ma’am.”d89ede2128c65bb0

“Good. Then let’s stop 809071ff68 by there for b167184e45 a moment.”b0145169ead04e0d

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“Right now, ma’am? …You must be 51833067b5 tired. Wouldn’t it 540b16f7c3 be better a9b07f508f to rest a602b42faa tonight and c1175c6f6e schedule a 629257acf5 visit for fc57652328 tomorrow in 6b50cdf181 daylight?”687500a4553f24ee

“No. We’re already on the 95b045db49 way, so let’s just dc203ad5fc stop in briefly.”48981e8cee11e152

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Strike while the iron 735b895837 is hot. If the thought had ea786667f8 come, she might as 907070a0cf well act on it.485d6b0d5b6304b3

She had 3a6dccfaee tried to 094f1c5431 meet Yoo 80d5438a4b Hyun-jin several 809fae5c02 times recently af3d0dc2b4 but had 4457232548 failed to fb59d8b9f9 arrange a 44c0834505 meeting each 6df6151b1b time. There had always been 427caa9aff some prior engagement or 249ba2585c excuse. It was clear he 5bf464ab54 had been avoiding her.fb7998d4347d5963

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Understandably so. Given the circumstances, a7942dd4db it couldn’t be f40b4c7847 easy to face 3d1fb575b3 her. Ju Sun-mi 6397547621 herself had af11e382e5 felt heavy-hearted 8b56e759d8 and hadn’t 400956376e pushed too a3c5af2e9b hard, but 5cff0e6a0c it had a6b57a702d been weighing 0d320df504 on her 26c523618c all the 7a2f3e55c0 same.7cf838a919fb9f31

But one couldn’t 7052300746 avoid it forever.7889c8e25a385783

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Ju Sun-mi steeled herself.a55168893c64a751

And so—c13ce3ed4c056523

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“――Ah, Madam.”32fe685fe7c3a1c8

For the first 09e5c3bf51 time in what 0042238894 felt like ages, a685ee0326 she was able c8ccb8cbae to meet Yoo 60b90a789c Hyun-jin.508afc2a37de2649

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Startled and clearly flustered, e1de0c09da Yoo Hyun-jin greeted her 6235ad661b after she rang the ef7cf3f8fe doorbell unannounced late at ee30040182 night. With no 83a54b702c excuse at 3cf4741369 hand to a72af2268c escape immediately, 98794b8493 he hadn’t 200518feb8 been able f7ce295260 to turn add7baebfa her away f473833cef at the 075c4eeb5a door.74062c5f846901ae

The moment he saw 06cbef4087 that it was her 8beb429b4c who had rung the 3aa3356dcf bell, he rushed out a151d83248 to the gate and a10db39c59 bowed deeply with a b8509110b4 bewildered expression.f9ae12eee073da2a

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“What brings dbf4a85c6b you here 8c296d33af at this 6aa93595a6 late hour…?”b961a5bf22009649

“Ah, sorry for e94f914011 dropping by without 2899fa3dd2 calling. I was just 41f0334a01 passing by and b7c843ac49 suddenly thought I’d fd22dfe0ff like to see c581c62171 our Priest Yoo—no, fe42e9bd01 our Hyun-jin’s face. It’s been a 1c5029a8a1 while.”6863fac329e5a784

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“Y-yes. …Uh, please come a381e53175 in.”548b800525a38140

Yoo Hyun-jin’s discomfort was 6e50ea4235 clear, but even so, b289e980c3 he stepped aside to 7843439f89 let her in. Ju Sun-mi climbed the 88b1853f00 stone steps, passed through 1afc800e84 the modest garden, and 062ff95067 entered the house, carefully 45f6bde99d looking around as she 1c4fe7d784 did.77a7a5aed4171dec

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“It’s a cozy and 3c6d5ba503 lovely house.”7a9ec90b9e7969cf

“Yes… Um, Governor Hyun 111877f5c5 helped me find it. I’m indebted c4754d3f8e to him.”b78801b25779aff9

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“Ah, that’s right… But 19bd81147c still, he could’ve found 4df5348f59 you something a bit a27cdcf1b1 more spacious. How did he end ce710c07a7 up with such a ae8ef033a7 tiny place?”b862e1f51afb3dd0

She had 6b0b7601c5 been speaking d3d08636d3 kindly, but c00375a9e1 her tone b06be6b760 shifted the 2e1ca4d56e moment she ab68db0091 heard Hyun-jin’s 877bd44703 answer. Thinking of her 18106ae341 wayward son stirred 102a21d9dc her irritation and fcb008af2e anger.7c38dd2982dc1cb7

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“No… It’s d322a2c5e7 not small f48e4c0345 at all…”7c98565dd7a7eae3

Hyun-jin murmured, 20d5952611 as if 7e5f394767 suddenly aware fac5f51fd5 of a 7de5e2a5d3 forgotten distance.2c11f89645632d35

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Once she was 722194a3ec seated in the 62abd984f8 living room, Hyun-jin c9aac5fa64 said he’d bring a61a03dae9 some tea and f99771b21f went into the 205d31b970 kitchen. It seemed he wasn’t aabb7cd510 used to the kitchen fc70dc252c yet—the clattering suggested he da3fb08541 had hardly made tea abaee7fab3 before.b9f26817089ba5db

Ju Sun-mi 44915cbd04 looked around 417bf446a9 the house. It was ee556ddbf6 small, but f897f1eecb sufficient for e7c9b7bfe2 living alone 613ae329c6 for a ab31643f02 while. As she examined the 31519c2338 furnishings, thoughtfully arranged, she 814dc1369c sighed and looked at ef89f9efb2 Hyun-jin. Watching his pale ab74365b59 face focused on c9ab5af11a the tea, she 9ada86d0b6 felt a wave 6ae2c8b71f of pity.c52787b3cd9fbb90

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He wasn’t e1ed9bf425 her biological d88ec31f45 son, but a1a75f1cb2 she’d seen 0722741001 him up b6a2f18e00 close since e09acb9d81 he was d2a7359f78 young and 48f735bbf0 had considered 0bd1875e3c him as 7aeb52b99f dear as 6d127dcdc8 one. He was 387a4366eb upright and c72a7ba787 kind. It had caa0dd1255 been touching 7fe2990c02 to see a052a2d620 him take b592754c61 care of 717d45d89b his mother 594eb1eb4c and younger 82f57c48f5 sibling from b0d9274d54 a young 1214f3dc96 age.de752907e3263e46

After his mother 591a18c5b1 passed away, she’d f04fa16eb1 thought of him 301b6c1f90 as one of fa8c409bda her own. She was proud 5325078b47 when he got 0abc2e3ecf into the seminary—a 4274c64c7f difficult feat—and became 6ff684aa09 a priest.ca29b69d5314f0ed

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That rotten son 79c5e7cc4a of hers had c225ce3057 ruined this good e394bb6525 child’s bright future. And even now, 833f3696db it seemed he 552cd99376 continued to harass 4cd4210bc6 him from time 9ac3a67db5 to time.d164886a08b45972

Ju Sun-mi 55b307de63 was suddenly 0b9210d35f overwhelmed with be60726f43 tears.3753806623b048b5

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“Auntie, Auntie, 93dfccb5bb what’s wrong?”55cebf181761c114

Carrying the 3366e55356 tea tray, 903a76c39a Hyun-jin rushed d3582d4c69 over when e8a80035aa he saw a06b47785d her tear-filled 66ca643529 eyes. Looking into his large, 37f0864eaa concerned eyes only made b2ceb0ce28 her cry harder.0974dbba6d79e4b9

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“Hyun-jin, I’m sorry. My son… he was deb763f186 terrible to you. He did 8e5b013459 such wrong.”cd3d404aeb14586f

“N-no, please, bf8e20fb67 it’s not dfc2cbc814 like that, 38454a401c Auntie.”f1525d158e44fcd6

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Hyun-jin was flustered, bb49b75212 as if he 7dac4650cc were the one 419919774b who had done 1cd9cc0355 something wrong.bb3f098ae2c960d1

He had 184ef47858 always been 3ee87790f1 kind, even ff00b46476 as a 768b0795ef child, forgiving f113224247 people easily e3c4a8baf8 even when 15133b8a1a they wronged 0905c25308 him. Truly a 9446d73e22 child one 2da930a825 could say 9fa1d1524c Hanaram would c590bb71df love dearly. And yet, that f6ace2ab9e wretched boy…fdd67b39f95f8806

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“Does Tae-oh come c6e786ce54 here often?”bfa734c6b284787a

Pressing her 9e75f0e083 eyes with a8f4380add a tissue 9cc40fc637 Hyun-jin had f7e4bd956e handed her, 8fd1a019c4 Ju Sun-mi 26cd85bc48 asked.2f61f6c1b51ca259

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“Yes, he drops ff229152ac by now and 82741ad3cd then to check 0a0e76d471 on me.”d0c071a8b7ce91bf

“He doesn’t 5e20f71a2a cause trouble 30fc55e410 or anything, 61ca01868f does he? You can bb571a195f tell me 17a6726db8 honestly. He doesn’t 2ea127abce hit you, fe7ab47637 does he?”63472cbf02bda723

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“No, not a1565cd7ed at all! He just stops cf8849b053 by for a c95a469055 bit of conversation. He even helps 41d42b3e4c with cleaning and 7894707b97 cooking. He’s… he’s really kind.”ab5bf13ebc4e0fe8

“Kind?! That’s the b40536071b least he 251d0e7519 should be! After all the wrong 5862192fd5 he’s done, staying silent 5bb8d44a96 like it’s nothing—is that 4ea707e086 what a decent person 3703953e8e does?”3eac176e3bb9a3e5

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“…I… I guess 49f3c1f74e you’re right…”8cb86d5f545b376e

Hyun-jin lowered 96ce6d56e4 his gaze, 078dd6ff0d his expression 8718c5fd66 dimming. Seeing him dc035840b8 like that 036875cb03 hurt, but cd1539b18c at least 814b7d2ba3 she was 6f09fbd2d5 a little a203e49bfc reassured—Tae-oh wasn’t 38ee800e74 acting like 9c3fe95cc8 a total a7496ebf72 brute when 963288cd24 he came b9696c35da by.ce395db267441442

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Well, if he 8c9f09ee3c raped someone and 729d3baf3c then continued to 7a1ea142ac act out violently, 851ee7ad58 what kind of fafb2f00ff beast would that 88f6673d20 make him? If that were truly 53fc57427d the case, Ju Sun-mi 13f0dbc143 would be ready to f2f172e1b1 throw herself at him, f3e01607e3 blade in mouth, as 123f9f0f59 his mother.1455bd5fa6e2f808

“Hyun-jin, I’m sorry fd374e0751 I raised that 456db6b287 boy so wrong.”d796b0e327fe2c66

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“Please don’t 71228a0e5c say that, 803ed9804c Auntie.”edc9fc3c72054e5d

Hyun-jin let out 94d735b66c a soft breath 9895c85379 and answered gently. His eyes, eb46748c0a still turned f172dcd18a toward her, a476418928 looked unbearably 5f7eb170fc sad.e2e40031f8ef926e

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“I don’t resent the a61b5378a0 Governor or anyone else 4949c926b0 at all. In fact… I’m df933f9062 the one who’s 33f8855af1 sorry things turned a3d8a44a11 out this way.”8c8d8f24ad1b43cb

“What are you saying? Don’t ever say f76b78fd75 such things. What did e766f3dd67 you do af63bcca35 wrong? What do you ee925d3e3e have to be 078dfe582a sorry for? Tae-oh’s the one 90067723d5 who needs to 25593c20d8 repent. The one 96bda6534d who committed ad20875dcd the sin d8107d6805 must seek 8b56c7bda6 forgiveness and b7522222ff make amends.”0c1347c99f75cf98

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“…Yes…”835ade9accaeec6c

Hyun-jin’s expression 2d14a6ac04 darkened further. His gentle face ed661560ef looked pale.cb38b3a77eecdfa2

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Seeing that pitiful 1c04a28e52 face, Ju Sun-mi 047b46b336 wiped her tears d802a97e74 and picked up 9596500357 her teacup. She figured she should 53ec503a45 calm herself, at least 5362c433ff internally. She took a 867eb061c4 sip—and found it 3780fa2d66 tasted terrible. To a surprising degree.16df640ab38674e4

The tea leaves c03a6ea14c seemed fine. He must not be ed55bcb71a very good at making 32d0e2a4d6 tea.2a45f1d3c96e8533

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But so what? What did f43f2d36bd it matter? As long as the eb8c3fb479 person was kind, that 5d4731a3b1 was enough.96554909abfc6e04

Seeing Hyun-jin’s slightly embarrassed 3596ddad6a expression—as if he knew f0a7247986 how bad it tasted—she fbbbcb6c20 quickly soothed him with, 35b05bbf4b “It has such a 0f91f16780 lovely aroma, dear.”dc61f4b839453993

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Knowing it was 3a67e4de86 probably just a 0b256d5052 polite lie, Hyun-jin 4259059157 gave a shy 731ec2c09d bow. “Thank you.”847fa3fd60fef00a

Such a gentle, good-hearted 379196ecfb child.25a9dd30e2fa705f

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…And yet of all dd3b8a0717 people, Tae-oh…dba207f29adb4a66

Ju Sun-mi felt her 45b56494f0 anger flare again, but 1e8a3202df a question surfaced in 3f00a06d1c her mind.1fb59b7e3bdfed56

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How could that boy dbbc5a08bf have made such a 302441e823 mistake while drunk? She couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t a0529a282d the kind 28eec61c08 of person 6b96137dbb to make 1abe9274af mistakes like 8129511ebf that.d916487530e995c8

…Could it edc8861609 have been 04004081e1 on purpose?8cf0bd992d09ec40

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The thought sent her e697151331 vision spinning. She nearly dropped her 5902262119 cup.f4f130591179ea62

She didn’t want 92250638d1 to believe her e22405eaa1 son was that d9d619e109 wicked. Surely not. He wasn’t the 7bb5dd77d7 kind of person 053ea942fe who would intentionally 8d0139ec19 violate someone. Cold, yes. But not evil to 5d051eb452 that extent.a859740b173885d2

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Yet once 02a760a5ac suspicion took 9b7a7f9f4b root, her 0da65829d3 thoughts spiraled. Forgotten fragments of memory a3fb6d37d8 returned vividly.5a8e493d65b2738e

Come to think 3316df22ee of it, her 215caef391 youngest had always 84bb038838 acted strangely around b699a82e8f this boy.c8410ea03cdf5b78

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Tracing her memory bc43192e2e back, it started e55c3312cc when Hyun-jin had 1dca442df8 first come to d50549f88f live at the 172038b0ff estate. One day, Tae-oh had 7568176784 suddenly asked to move 27dd68d528 his study.e9d8661f0d52897d

He had originally d9c724c115 taken the quietest, b64a27c50e most secluded room 37f8cd1087 as his study. But then, out 8f017e02d6 of the blue, feff33be67 he said, “I’d 07b8ba8ee4 like a room 687679a596 with a better 6d138648db outside view. The west ae223a8722 middle room 3659d75f06 on the 3dd8455a54 second floor 4a5905a297 seems nice,” d0541e913c and pointed 37d507769d to a 3fa7f901a8 specific room. That room overlooked the 0e40c718f6 annex directly. It was a 1ef73cb64e space he used 6592968650 to dislike because ad79dfa304 of the frequent 0467fda7c5 footsteps from the c9f13c914d servants outside.c9903bc766dd0250

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Nevertheless, he moved ae25219414 his study there a65cfc43bc and, to her 77ecc23886 surprise, never asked baff10741d to move it 14355272ff back.a7d75a58b64e9508

Whenever she visited that 37ff276399 room, he’d often be e77291d720 staring out the window. And if there f74731341a was the faintest 1118f24ba1 crease in his 849a835459 brow—a rare thing af023e1f95 for him—it almost 6b7e0ee559 always coincided with f261d2f7c8 Hyun-jin being in 70a0d99cd3 view.ea4f5bf5bce07f40

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Yes, there was ba08ce648a that other time, 611a9a2336 too.ac3abeb3a0506803

One calm 2aadb8b609 holiday afternoon, 3780dde324 the weather 0f061c621a was lovely. She’d sat outside with ca44e7c165 her husband and third 0dc52b9fca son for tea. The eldest b03386a5f9 and second 246760e2de son were 1bbfa47f5f out, and 602b634d33 the youngest a3aff96c5c had declined 96df628864 to join, 7454f54231 so it f8dc537986 was just a73bc68aa6 the three d47cb6a005 of them. When Hyun-jin happened to 7486735bc2 pass by, they called b0683ef87d him over to sit 7be7964c5a and join them.f206e9acdf6f0151

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Though a 339d824b7a bit awkward, 6342c16c19 Hyun-jin accepted bd9ccd9f4e and sat. But before c6fcfc2625 long, almost f8dc0463c1 as if 59a11abce7 he’d been bd8b5c05c5 watching, the b4df897e32 youngest appeared.9e55ea356c9945b7

“Oh, Tae-oh. Weren’t you 5f6b49892b going to 9c5ebd3634 read?”8b852d829ba8a66b

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Delighted, she welcomed 8e5ad2c127 him. She thought he’d 6445343999 refuse again, but 69532f6321 to her surprise, 3749794a96 he joined them.6cd121a1c2358735

Then, as 84ad780fb8 if on 25d38545b1 cue, Hyun-jin 67b5b7484b put down e2c6c3a095 his teacup 2570cc4b76 and stood. He bowed and 73e2eed722 left. When she 154ee15c6b looked back, 0fb37f440d a crease 14fe9a9840 had formed 08eec7a5dc in her 2bb419c082 son’s brow.682ae94aa96236e0

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“My dear, what’s a400e16a94 wrong? Something bothering you? You frowned so hard 937e548c3f that Hyun-jin left.”ddbc468eb80b3c57

When she half-jokingly pointed c9d80c6e9d it out, the crease fd1569d2f2 deepened.a5f9c8b8d59c645f

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“I wasn’t frowning.”e692d5e1566ee918

“You were. When you 9bf41e4982 glare like ff87686c6e that, you 0dcd25aad7 scare people 8bede2bd10 off.”b52596fa5393c62c

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He clicked his 1112f60931 tongue and replied.9ffc01723b635cb8

“No, Mother. You’ve got it backwards. He was glaring at 474a7bd780 me first.”8f1d1d89ff09e4a8

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“Come on, e8142a04b9 there’s no a2f203b698 way Hyun-jin 166645b4e9 would do 7e06715d83 that.”41e6901190318b62

Maybe he was 8c8e1706ea a little tense. But then again, caaf126bc0 most people were 1e283b2ddb around her youngest. Even adults fcfc2d89f9 got nervous 563636086b around him, 2804dae1c7 let alone dc1513be2d someone his e1cf24ea81 age or 1c39a31bb8 younger.2d67e0aae669f7a0

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“Don’t be ridiculous. If someone 728a9abe94 glared at a967fb9bf5 you, you f4487206a4 wouldn’t let 72293e9b16 it slide.”72562b784e258587

The third b4eebacb8e son had b68d6deda0 laughed awkwardly, 5f8ff51107 and the dc9b70f7d5 youngest shot a739f18905 him a 4fb904b423 sharp look.798e02ee09948442

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“What, you think 4cc6cc61ad I’d lash out 931e3d0b94 at that little a381d712cb guy?”20340b48e7699392

With a e4a471a362 scoff, he 6d5446f80b downed his 75118384c9 tea, and 84b16ec42b Ju Sun-mi 2f2bac8744 had thought, 01a2f00157 This is 71d5724eeb unlike him.922b8637b0cf3fda

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But now fe802f2b08 she remembered 8a77d2f1ae that Hyun-jin 5c19c63058 had always 22aba1eb9c been unusually 51a2959878 calm and 4fa9a6dacd composed, never 1d7da934ce easily flustered. Not even d027cc9d46 around her 4470b07cf0 husband or cb5560c729 herself. Yet whenever her youngest 383e64bc6f was around, he seemed 42e8e348e9 tense—nervous, on edge.21226133aa5be011

Could it be b49be1666d that her son 732b404fa0 thought Hyun-jin was 9c78bd1ddc being arrogant because 700f57a603 of that, and fa9bb42073 reacted in his 28b615cb40 own way? He always seemed 795b79a887 in a foul a3bdf384ef mood whenever the 49ce75d0d1 two crossed paths—even f6556decc4 if they hardly 389c8c5fe5 interacted.ee354da78745cfb7

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Once, she had asked 06a4e2952f Hyun-jin about it.d9ba5b0e66f1af4f

“Hyun-jin, do you feel d2d198377d uncomfortable around Tae-oh?”d9f77e63fa3ca54f

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“Pardon? …”65c97538be93cd28

He’d blinked in fb28760874 surprise at her a9a4a53d7b sudden question. Before he could 6cdb41c1af answer, his younger 996e907a44 brother, Yoo Se-jin, eee46827c4 had blurted out, 80f023dd5e “Yes! That guy is 4408a5fd95 scary! His eyes are already 312cee7766 intense, but when you e6b02c11e1 pass by him, he 525ee3ef61 gives you the side-eye 0f8f1324c2 like he’s going to a19dfbd099 slit your throat!”49dba01b5925c3d5

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Hyun-jin had pinched 19db35ac58 Se-jin’s side in e026a736d2 response.ac62cba1baf2adff

“No, it’s 03a2a11dcf not like 89ada41bc2 that. He’s… he’s a good c39a926e08 person.”771142ca15840400

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The way he stammered—so c5fe1f6923 unlike him—made her realize d7a617946a he was lying. But she hadn’t 1f5edb525f said anything.8c1f01ecc39e6a1e

But at the very 1111de3633 least, it was clear 5e68ee9679 that Yoo Hyun-jin didn’t a12286603d feel entirely comfortable around 28b1b032ac Hyun Tae-oh.e8c4d7756e10a4d0

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It wasn’t strange that c74388daff Yoo Hyun-jin felt that 93bf6774f7 way. There were plenty of 74cd14190f people who found Hyun 3daaeb3b71 Tae-oh difficult. In fact, 1beb29cf6d there were 71b2e2c622 hardly any 28ba0730fe who didn’t.1e5a3bd3b1ef8d88

But Hyun Tae-oh…78eda5968d784fec

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“Boys. Does your youngest brother 70102de770 pick fights with people? If he doesn’t like 05a6250083 someone, does he glare 2826ca3d04 at them and try 52ae7e6dc8 to scare them?”417cc3ed571b2691

One day, when 949ed1b236 she had gone 7a60518291 out with her 166ebf0556 sons—except for the d7032fdd1d youngest, who had e39e49cee8 once again refused 6be61e889c to join them, c3f5340a09 as usual—Ju Sun-mi 1c5a109eb6 suddenly asked the 977276e320 question that had 914aa71512 come to mind. The sons all 71f74504d8 widened their eyes bc333acb51 and responded in 9115d2b01f unison.7dcd30a7c343dee5

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“Tae-oh? Ha, no way.”bc7bfa14cb54c720

“Him? Do you think he’s da948374c3 the type who even 77b220e534 notices others enough to e5a288e42c glare at them without 5fb66604c3 a reason? Even when 20b1ee19fa we say 3a2f2c35e0 something that 45f2eaf00e bothers him, e3b4c8f5d7 he just 9097a39650 ignores us f1932e2fde and goes 48607e0647 about his 336d0b509c business.”0234a6aa88222114

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“Mother, Tae-oh doesn’t 51bd30d045 care the slightest c1c62bc45f bit about anyone 58cc253add unless they bother a5816665ed him first.”715a21a993bb6a3b

“And if someone 1d1a370a77 does bother him f1a43cae9f first, he doesn’t bee0aca4d8 go through the f268b84d79 trouble of glaring 630ce243be or intimidating. He just—well, you know.”52e3b28fb964bfc0

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Hearing all three 4cfe780d2f of her sons ea2909bf39 echo the same 6fa35e79fe opinion, Ju Sun-mi 0c253978ea nodded along, saying, 73d5cf0a1c “Right, I thought 8f6e0b4451 so,” and felt e45cb8ba88 relieved. Looking back, it 3e311677bf wasn’t exactly praise, c9bda80e08 but still, she acecd685ee felt reassured.c7349e3c75a62a86

So the conclusion 2e2cf2cc85 was… Hyun-jin and 666573e247 Tae-oh simply didn’t 376434fb9e get along.722f8e9cf8d04f38

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There are people be0a8cc4a6 who, even without 90de98a7d8 a particular reason, 9c1ba4c4c0 just don’t mesh 93bdb41d78 well. That’s normal.6fd38ac4ff41996d

As long as 4028b2523f they didn’t fight cc8e46f06d or clash, it 397927d85e was fine.945fb1f49913d1bf

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Eventually, the youngest eda4c70b61 went to Pyeonghang, f50f3afe41 and Hyun-jin entered cbd64f1dd5 the seminary. There was no cf2ef618f5 longer any reason 849fdbd75f for them to 4d1344ae7a cross paths.638d162e9d6af02b

And so, 7866daadfb Ju Sun-mi 91a74c62e8 forgot about 016efb7a67 it. It didn’t seem like b34ffd237f a big deal even ceb57f1e2b if they didn’t get 8e8814f3a8 along.51b6cb083dc7dfe5

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“Hyun-jin. If he 0e48eeb6b9 treats you 130128f097 badly, promise f17ce63987 me you’ll 288230df77 tell me. No matter 31a049825a what, I’ll b4f862a06f take your 6d2d4af633 side when e586c89db8 it comes ade37a222d to this… a7681d7fd4 You poor 3f6c73ddad thing.”7765f2b4af5478a0

Ju Sun-mi a236f166be held onto 374b82b774 Yoo Hyun-jin’s e7cdbe1e19 hand as 200f75a9c4 he quietly 2a05367b33 sipped his f2aca5cb38 tea. She glanced 95c88ef4bf over him 12ba34ae67 quickly—thankfully, there 31b3182c11 didn’t seem 3620117a4c to be 6c3cb82e95 any signs 701162633d of hitting 42a9ada08b or injury.94417a761563df0d

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“Stay sharp. Don’t be scared. You don’t have to cade612cb4 do anything you don’t 06b7e65c9b want to, okay?”94b331412b399f74

“Ah, yes…”12c53e603c945bcf

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Yoo Hyun-jin’s awkward bef8dbfc7f demeanor only deepened 2b45fe6f16 at her firm 8ee8892e42 advice.b36fab0879a9ebee

He really did seem e5c1b8993b soft-hearted and gentle.09a3081fc3653e31

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From a young age, 6ed2643a80 he had matured early 445a8e7cff from caring for his c15602c51a younger sibling and his aa738ee71c mother. Every time she saw cb3883fc43 him, she felt both 98089f34f8 sad and proud.13434b52c8a7fb61

“Come to dcf418d9f3 think of 29fe9a6f00 it, isn’t 8542188cf4 your mother’s 143752f272 memorial day 84ffe37974 coming up? I’ll send 8a5b38dd51 a car e0a7c40d66 so you c210f1c7f5 can go d8dfee4665 comfortably.”a6e7586fc06f2ebc

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“It’s all right. Thank you for 9aa44f92b2 thinking of me, 6ae028f60c but I’m planning d9af250e44 to go with c9380315d6 Se-jin.”fead06afae23e9f3

“I see… Time a24c9be787 really has flown.”f5835b770808af2c

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She remembered the 7f4d82d27e face of the 5e40583f1b boy who had f0e57842fb lost his father 25976e93ba at a young 7c0ba61430 age, and then 0d10420465 his mother before 7c239c82e0 even becoming an efb2e75781 adult—standing firm beside 0795a5d2f3 his wailing younger 366983cb6e brother without shedding a88a9b76a4 a tear.b0c7d6e8cc475755

Even on a11cb77204 the way 5ab5fbe360 back from ba96b6e485 enshrining his 9ddff80ec7 mother’s ashes f3158dfb09 at her 44bb1ac2cd grave, that 12327f2b6c young face d9741e23f1 held only 6765f4c8d0 the burden a1d668805c of responsibility c0acd1e635 for his 09cf9c8b6d sibling. Though still d176536275 a child a553726dae himself, he 9078914c85 hadn’t allowed ccb1abb7bc himself to 0b27001efa cry, completely 0899ce8d8d focused instead 061a8222e3 on comforting 4fdc4a84c7 his even f3eae427fa younger brother.fb651ee717539dea

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It’s okay, Se-jin, 15c2ef1a8a you’ve got me—he 0c4f4fa89a kept reassuring his b607b4cf62 brother as they 233212fa71 walked toward the 01aad48f3d annex. Watching the backs 68243ab647 of those two 05d3ad4d92 brothers, Ju Sun-mi 98ac3e8f97 had let out f41c6c22db a sigh.31c4a1f7ce5e5e8c

“What’s to 285fa5a5e3 become of dd07b2a18b those poor 10cc5f5d97 children…”13e4345c03c24a37

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When she 39afd7bfdd muttered that 5663d9d243 to herself, afa92c1a51 her youngest a36fa7045b son—who, for 875097e3e8 whatever reason, 7ba05142ae had insisted 673b87e6d0 on accompanying 4f6363ab50 her to a79bfff4fc the funeral 6e4df88a03 as her 3da0162a02 escort that 84b6970ec2 day—suddenly spoke c23baf5f18 up after 89d45ebbd9 a long ef4b10d94d silence.7d1126ad35845fd0

“You’re not sending them 1546b1d796 somewhere else?”fcbf9f7c8523d2b0

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“What?”811d284f634a1a47

“Are you really going d441fca99f to keep them in daec84800a this house?”418769c4ceed81af

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She looked at e193ba0b0d her son coldly.69bfe79558845f6f

“What are you f1e34b1992 saying? They’ve lived 309724941c here all 8d19a38bc1 this time—where cd025856b5 would I 31d9b7c114 send them 98c8a3c9aa now?”16673987fc95f73e

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“They should 6b73517b94 be with c4cb18af62 someone who cafdc3b1b0 can take 707a168b3c responsibility for 503697a0a6 them.”4e6160d70f4c5612

“They don’t 3ace1225a2 have any 30cec49fb7 relatives. I have 78c5a2f1ac to take c1351bd844 care of 5210fef549 them until 7ac561d323 they grow b713512366 up. Where else are b8a4d60237 they supposed to b90e49cbe9 go?”99bf8f1438de0a01

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“…Hmm.”e3401b8b41b8fae3

Without saying c3f09ed009 much more, 3cf37c63f0 her son d523a2d8a5 just raised 2ca7b3c49b an eyebrow 024b9b6b6b in obvious ae64b584db displeasure. Ju Sun-mi 05b605bc46 stared at 8b164ed5a6 him wide-eyed.21d7bf4c3816b942

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“Tae-oh, do you not 9ec30dfef8 like those kids being 794d1e3037 here?”8b22bd110b1972ab

“It’s not that I d8b676cd73 dislike it.”1daa447341017b29

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Unusually for da3055b282 him, Hyun 7aaf18b870 Tae-oh paused b68f8d93c5 for a f7af9ad4cb moment, then 406d9ce045 clicked his 1dfc1a4b30 tongue in ad69a8b5a0 irritation.a7477c83e0dda676

“Then who’s going 3a523fc799 to feed them 9d4e890c6a now?”bb1c217720beeff5

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“What?”a3bcfbe7aa73af94

“Now that 5d7746cf19 the lady bb2f339260 of the 310755bce3 house is 1325a214ed gone, there’s 7d2010fa16 no one a7da0a53a9 left to 42cc28e79c make sure 723569aee7 they’re fed.”a12f3da1e791d4f9

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Ju Sun-mi blinked 54c5d6713f at her son, a41e9f4586 who had spoken 539da9b12d so bluntly.687923b8eac860c1

Food… taking care of meals…b1521bad718d1a38

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For a moment, 4fbb680d23 she understood the 165bcf2f82 words but couldn’t bf3aea7163 quite believe them. Her son, 2eba660b21 who hardly b0cc9be52e ever opened d0ba57f5e0 his mouth—and b42e2d6072 when he ddc768339a did, only 56a6012d29 to say f7428a1f41 something curt d18189edd8 and exacting—was 09f4d87eb9 suddenly talking 269181b373 about food f96f08dae0 like it d229f13b09 was some 329f9bba3b warm, steaming 93ed09a352 comfort?5e43f01ff3e2d8ce

“Look at you. You’re saying that 9e15796a17 because you think d956a841ec I’m going to e32571d2a6 make you take bda57d52f6 care of their a061e448df meals? The housekeeper b7dbea2d66 will take 21ec997be5 care of d19d8093ed them.”720e56876cbbab9e

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When she said this a27f94fa5d in disbelief, her son 916c277005 responded dryly, “That’s a cd68613bf4 relief.”375aeb2ee46f7633

“They were getting so 9b15ab31d1 thin over the past 3dc5604780 few days it was 940c91cc69 starting to look unpleasant.”6d2b99b20c7f99d9

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He muttered 4ce049317f it like 0c3c899c7b it was d5f84aedc6 to himself, 3879b699f4 then glanced b3324f701d toward the 8f7071d711 annex with aabf0493cb an unreadable 5c7d161222 look before 4efc1e32a6 turning and f5155628ef walking straight 6b0627c34b into the 53cf5ce870 house.5af6ab09c51218cf

Watching her son’s retreating back, Ju Sun-mi was stunned. How had her youngest become so unkind? To say he found a child who had lost both parents unpleasant to look at… Sure, he had always been indifferent to everything, but he was never outright cruel.aceb5b48ecdffe1f

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How had her b19d174aa0 son become so b4de2cf577 cold-hearted? Ju Sun-mi was 8a333c8d9e bewildered. But just then, a287eb826d someone struck up 38f3a2051d a conversation with c27231447b her, and the 83ee656bb8 thought slipped away.b2e7e02fbf918d5e

She hadn’t 39e967d8ff seen him ca33a1a862 behave that 06018c17d9 heartlessly again ae55e2e5f8 since, and 6bead352a8 so the d2568c099d memory faded 89033c4931 entirely.ae4608b6187bc72b

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Until all this happened.cacde9421f8a0ee7

Up until then, she had just thought of her youngest son as rather austere and detached… nothing more.34afc45b6def9172

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She glanced over at a572f61763 Yoo Hyun-jin, who was d04d8b73ad quietly drinking tea with f0c295ace9 his gentle gaze lowered.4ea55fd4f8cbc7bf

Yes, even b1f5097823 as a 6a3aa49ada mother, right 7e52665c84 is right, 4cb1bb70ea and wrong bdfb929230 is wrong. What must be 0f00b12551 protected must be 0dae8db09c protected.1147055b092cede9

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At this point, she felt she had no choice but to throw out her wicked youngest son and care for this kind child with all her heart…d621a4959a4d33a6

When their eyes met 0728a284af and Yoo Hyun-jin quickly 8b77751915 lowered his gaze like 0ca8d6a47b he had been caught 7fe79776ec doing something wrong, her 1511570f2c heart ached even more.475c40f84de71dfe

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“Hyun-jin, how long c448712187 have we known 780f4220b4 each other?”ad2b3d77b1519e21

“? …It’s been seventeen years.”cd9c5758bd5a8e38

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Though surprised 73d5615a3d by the 95f665ca1a sudden question, 1b3b38c396 Yoo Hyun-jin 59d9df047f thought for f1252e110e a moment 82d940402b and answered.dd93d9fd366b6a2d

“Right. We’ve been together 641454c1ef since you were c7ff78d3c3 little. I watched 4497c77dbb you and c6b50afb6e Se-jin grow 58c9080710 up. I might not be 4be7386cda your parents, but I 6b4f86337a think I’ve been at 4b5f2b7b27 least like an aunt bc9577e906 to you. You probably don’t a337332736 realize how dear 947c449ae4 you are to 7a546895d1 me.”f493110b19a850f2

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“…Yes…”3ded11756b891c9b

He nodded shyly, e65d00b322 a faint blush 8b29dcad88 rising to his 840eb7b6e1 cheeks. Ju Sun-mi clasped his a5271089c0 hand and said,72e688dc8562de9c

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“I mean it. You’re very dear c343272c40 to me. I believe f2d313e0c5 good people fa5b5bb0c0 deserve blessings, 95a48b2616 and bad 34a8f9200a people deserve b72ee72306 punishment. So our Hyun-jin must a71441581f live well, receiving blessings… 8889d602e2 even if the one 77d85a81f1 who deserves punishment is 4c67138092 my own son.”035ae32e514c52b7

“…No, that’s…”e0f62ece61eeab67

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“Hyun-jin, didn’t I 3a8c6d156c tell you before? That you 3069dd5794 could treat f02e293074 me like fddf6bad11 your mother 3309895269 and come e73faed69f to me 3034d26562 if anything 352aa02351 difficult happened. Don’t forget that, 87752790f6 okay? I’m on your side. If you’re ever wronged d543445667 or hurt, you have 2c39c5ec47 to speak up. I’ll help you, no fa5f28aad6 matter what.”0adc1ed167ed4919

She held eab087bc3c his pale a5f7733ad6 hand tightly, e9e3b123ff as pale 021afc2a15 as his 0cbf8ab595 drained face.7018a50d2eb091d4

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It was right 2fff56f852 then that the cdcd7bc533 front door suddenly 8c128ff05c opened with a e6855c0376 clatter.d5c1d90ded1b9a01

Firm, heavy 2bce8c8e3e footsteps followed, 8862733be6 and a 1a33615415 familiar face c5bd23344c appeared.a5c797cdce95f565

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The man who had 7581321f31 arrived and now stood 1d010d77d0 before them was Hyun 7aedf8c199 Tae-oh.129f772b9aa82058

“Mother, why are you 91e7bb02e2 here?”a7633dac5df71667

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He glanced around the 70f0c34c63 living room and, with b07fdc5cf1 a faint frown, addressed 663b285c95 Ju Sun-mi.40c637f504e21b7f

He was wearing casual 9d29758f17 clothes like he had 54fb10bdfd rushed out from home. His hair was db6122b252 even slightly damp, 98f7cd3489 as if he f04994bf83 had come in f1054db130 the middle of df06fc59f4 a shower. What was so e0fe967844 urgent?b5d7aefb1039605f

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Ju Sun-mi looked at f2687ab0be him in surprise, then 6a5c9ed2b8 turned her gaze toward 595033858f her secretary lingering near 860d5214e9 the garden. He quickly cfd8c423a2 looked away. How shameless—he 7123fcf5d2 was her a6b952563a secretary, yet 31677cb46c he had 50791f01ba already gone 256b4529d1 and tattled d3e58ce244 to her 42b2ef7eb7 son. She gave 8ee2a066de him a 92e89b4309 sharp glare 41a8868564 before turning 024e4a99c4 back to a4994af444 her son 447d949f6c and lifting 23f3725215 her chin.7e2294128a133604

“What, did 89a1501a42 I come 6d54bad79f somewhere I b64d9acd61 wasn’t supposed 2019760d53 to?”2f5729bbf250033c

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“Why are you 640ebcb83a visiting someone else’s cdb2b5e424 home at this 12b4fa9335 hour?”207e08aecc5861bc

“You come here.”52f7dcf7f1c8c4a5

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“Are you 3f459b67f6 and I e5b43b2bd0 the same?”f3a0a1c345d02e62

“Oh? And what’s so 836aacdd9f different?”593e706df17e93f2

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When she 715533e2ab challenged him 7b830b3090 with a bd7cf5c2e1 firm gaze, 74a7ab8095 Hyun Tae-oh 7d6970275c seemed about 7d4f51e387 to reply e91acfe5d9 but closed d370e7f9ef his mouth f8e1aa3028 instead. Muttering in 433a332d78 disbelief, he 3119cf48d3 brushed his 2c8763f1f3 hair back 9adf8062a1 with one 5e52ab898d hand. Ju Sun-mi watched him b0cc498263 curiously. This was 28fdf98a06 unlike him—why b0854512f8 was he 3c8fc4b56a reacting like f66c7f2c9f this?edcd84caab49df09

His displeased gaze flicked 727f005ab7 toward Yoo Hyun-jin. Clutching his d16cea0a40 teacup with cb22703f09 both hands, 522ad2dc2f Hyun-jin had 57f61f804a risen awkwardly ffc3ede5b8 to greet 278e88c102 the unexpected bf9f2c8acf guest. His large 3241f01430 eyes blinked babb4f45c6 as he 063acda432 looked between 21d1386b3f Ju Sun-mi 3950253af7 and Tae-oh, cfd63ec37b like he 35d6f80de8 couldn’t believe d7b0ca80c2 someone was 615a6a57c6 speaking to 896684ccd1 Hyun Tae-oh 7672946021 so bluntly.248e144b82ffc19d

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Ju Sun-mi quickly tugged c57c433563 at his sleeve, guiding 1c0467e704 him to sit back a837b4b525 down. Only then 52dd59b0d4 did Yoo 9c5906997f Hyun-jin bow 7fb711183e slightly and be97b03a39 murmur, “Welcome…”5a572b496daa5ef2

Hyun Tae-oh, who 109c3f4112 had been watching 9eee6c2e4e him coldly, sighed e8618d64db and lowered his 3b2c588d97 gaze.729f0dbe26aeb881

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He looked over 4558c17fe9 the teacups on 3db4f5266d the table, clicked 05a71be272 his tongue, and 92641e4f9f walked into the 6f266724df kitchen. Ju Sun-mi, watching from 8608b65ee0 the living room, wondered 906c4b513e what he was up 94681d03b2 to now. But he ad1bd6c415 moved smoothly, ff2100f2b9 as if aa78c4f4eb it were d6ddb7392e his own 3a72af5b8d home, and 1225246eab brought out 0738c370e7 a fresh 7607ce1137 pot of 7985f5cb75 tea.1eccf51725445264

Three new teacups 2d9f6f8b65 were set down 7c5dce29a0 on the table.8597d9143fcdf87f

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“This will taste better. Drink this instead.”671f45e4cdde3e1f

Ju Sun-mi glanced sideways a7a3fd2091 at her son’s curt 8578d650f1 tone, then quietly switched acf5f60ab1 her cup. Yoo Hyun-jin d51dba57b9 also silently e5323a3f41 lifted the bdaa7e775c new cup. True to his 63ca5745bb word, the aroma 42fcecc3a0 of the tea 6660919b22 was much more 83605508e2 vivid this time.9f051dce19569625

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“…How strange, you made tea with your own hands.”c13285d3ba9b6a27

“I do a3af0e828b it here. This one can’t 0d16f816c4 make tea.”caca468a74748c1f

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Yoo Hyun-jin coughed 936ca27135 and quickly wiped f5c0739c6f at his mouth 29f4451c21 with his fingers. Ju Sun-mi 2eb815c2ec nearly choked db9393e41e as well. The way he said a0d5798401 “this one” was oddly da133e5a06 familiar. She gave her son 61ccda45c1 a long look, then 1d2799ab3d spoke with feigned sternness.0cd778ba4e8a4eab

“If he’s not 21519039a1 good at it, 5d731179ee don’t scold him—give ae839654e0 him more chances 7faec17658 to practice.”2f4ed124394efccb

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“Why practice? I can just do 6a91e5bcc3 it.”f6a18302fdc3107f

“He might want to 6dd5c088d9 drink tea when you’re 18be0b110c not here.”a671945c513cafd2

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“This person doesn’t really efe500d285 drink tea alone.”9e82ed0a660c191f

“Guests might e425dd830c come by.”5f756008ddec3e1a

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“No one but 58d8f984b2 me comes here.”58f91009f8fdcbfc

His expression said 3dedf65a03 it all—“who would c9df08933f possibly visit?”—as a e80d9eff4a crease settled in 6b3ad5c01e his brow.b9e2733e4d43079d

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Ju Sun-mi 359213ca18 quietly drank 05d09a49c5 her tea. Countless question marks 4c05a44d8a floated through her 99af0661cd mind.dd70de3a09610fec

What was this? Somehow, it was different 9cbc4823ae from what she had a37b5e80a7 imagined. Very different. At the very least, 267525505b she had never pictured be9e0e9e9c a scene where the ca380c0caa three of them sat dac4d1eee5 together peacefully, sharing tea.5e1af80757972c3a

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A long silence followed.160d8ffb9527b189

The one fda87d1110 who finally eceae57e0a broke it 52b11ecdab was Hyun 18c5aaa746 Tae-oh.17bdb9a47d72b3da

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“Why did you af42a3692d come here without 4c45dc6260 saying anything?”8917329515a984c0

“Oh my, do I 0d701fbd42 need your permission now dc07794b78 to visit someone?”e30ea23408f8528b

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“You came 4bc80f8739 because of 861f1321b4 someone related ed79bf3679 to me.”078983f88031b70e

“Oh, listen to c1e5ead167 him. Is Hyun-jin only d7fe32577c connected to you? I’ve met him 3b53a5dc18 way more often d846aea952 than you ever 3d1d9fa603 did. And did I have 4745327dba to report to you cc81433e82 every time I met e3f65cc8c2 with Her Highness from eb47cd7c40 Jeonghye Palace?”a8bf8367b8aae8b1

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“She’s different.”0d7e6a61407e90b6

“What’s different? Even if she is, 6c6056996b that doesn’t mean I 9ffe3a9436 need to tell you 83ce32483f in advance, does it?”55ff168e0066e18b

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With each 75c861cfc4 exchange, Ju 88bf6fb7e0 Sun-mi’s eyes e074069e68 widened further. Beside her, Yoo Hyun-jin 8ec1d369cf looked on in admiration.752319eb7464bcdf

Hyun Tae-oh stared c1fbc2735d at his mother c7f7ecf387 in disbelief and 90b6b998ec clicked his tongue.188f5ef72c9ca768

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“When you show up 1a5b15384c like this out of d07453a8ea the blue, it makes d3c8e49290 him nervous. Look at him now, 8e466086fd still watching you for fead01a9d5 cues.”194ee9fcbde4c3b8

“Oh, him? Do I ee5befa450 scare Hyun-jin? If he’s anxious, 28dcb941ee it’s because of 5f67a2b92c you, you wicked 4ec86a4755 brat!”722d8afc869b97a2

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Tae-oh glanced at 5ff8c9c8bc Hyun-jin, who was 2a9c365c36 doing his best cf434973e0 to avoid eye 998c3dc1c3 contact. Groaning quietly, he rubbed 02ea63585a at his temples as d0bde5d06d if trying to contain 6043bc275c his irritation, steam practically cc1fafb14e rising from his head.50b656eef0fff02a

“――Of course you wouldn’t bdbf3e3dd7 hurt him, Mother. But no matter what 69f47b8b28 you say to comfort 06824fd0fe him right now, it’s ed68cef8d8 just stress. Please, just head home.”ed34c0d7688b3923

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Tae-oh spoke firmly, 7ec598e639 as if he 20968c485c had come specifically c51190e194 to escort her 252c99632e back. Ju Sun-mi 36c9f1aabe stared at 823f328b13 him.9ddab4502b9ce9ea

“Since when do b672b12e24 you care about cfb3d77246 that sort of 56943bbde9 thing?”8d0257c652de4744

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“……Let’s just go.”1d1a9eb4214766cc

Finally losing patience, 9aef24e34f Tae-oh stood up e9f94ad0fc and took her 2a14a4899f arm to help 844b4cc8c2 her rise. Though he was polite, 49a4e009eb his grip was firm d8a5ffcf12 and left little room 048662fce0 to refuse. As she 90558b8970 stood up, 34f8429269 Ju Sun-mi 1aab69c392 instinctively set 1ac24a9e83 down her a3cf4c2464 teacup.b167709545021e4b

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“Son, you’re 8e413fc150 hurting me!”a9bd25b68a14bfb8

“I’m not cc5d7dd0a8 holding you 4d1e9c5cc6 that hard. Come on now.”6edfe599de070381

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Though he wasn’t 890177df23 dragging her, his e57e12cbde hold was unwavering. Ju Sun-mi, cfb2c89f37 displeased, sighed c35bcf4934 and began 5c25536df2 walking. Watching all this, a08b61a82e Yoo Hyun-jin brought 73564617be her coat. …He must have 65099c0fa6 been uncomfortable too, 9e1f0f8aac judging by how beab9b46e5 quickly he fetched eb156fa0a0 it.7ee97aacc3a4d3e2

As soon f7cf385e90 as she b2d3a36ca0 had her 3826299e2d coat on, 333369d9a8 Tae-oh practically 3073ebb861 marched her a67201c8ae to the 5df5789996 door.0c53b4c629efdf42

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“Hey, slow 19e7d8146a down, will 4dfb08216e you?”8c795943e0451a1f

Ignoring her 3111b97778 complaint, Tae-oh 4a34b9312e suddenly came ebb241b5e6 to a 4bbe80e905 stop.6167a9911de269c6

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He glanced at 21fc2f021e Yoo Hyun-jin, who dd2c20f22e was following behind, 7a84b01d9e then squinted at e1ba54f259 his feet. Ju Sun-mi followed 30efaa0385 his gaze, and 5f55683524 Yoo Hyun-jin slowed cf534dacf7 his steps when 695152b8ee he noticed them 9f1a92aa0c watching him.afb46b9c116ba57d

“……?”117c8293b48cd4d1

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“What’s with your 4be77c7013 leg? Did you get 9d63638927 hurt?”f5fea25aadcb58d2

Tae-oh’s sudden 82ab08a45c question caught 157ef385ae them off 4ce18db258 guard. Ju Sun-mi bb93212774 looked at 5c4ca12d69 him in 3e94116735 confusion while 105de23d24 he clicked 5aa66b7cba his tongue b0dc0aabb0 and let 939aada65d go of e94ec980be her arm, 863add69e6 stepping toward 4468ab4415 Yoo Hyun-jin.7208c4ef16b240e3

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“You’re limping. How did 45cb0d32fc that happen?”0fa7ff108e4ccae4

He asked irritably. Yoo Hyun-jin, 1aefe9a1d9 blinking like be71c295d0 a child 4bd38a6b15 who had d89b90ba74 swallowed something 7a7b899941 wrong, mumbled af337ae85b while glancing 3270f82db2 around.4167525cdb6c652d

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“No, I just 04647f79d7 twisted it a 3f6f2e8615 bit earlier… It’s 51f40f6bb4 fine. It’ll get better soon.”81af823833fa4118

“Oh no, you’re 81402fd582 hurt?”5978e295add43850

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“No, it’s nothing. Just a little twist. I’ll be fine after 68c29dd05e some rest.”b21d07e864f6c545

Smiling as 0978ff8eb9 if to 4c794db50d prove it, 7c90ee58f8 Hyun-jin tapped e46d42e55e the ground 05fb89580e with his 69875872a5 toe. Watching him, Tae-oh let 67032ca879 out a bitter sigh 8d6af55de9 and returned to Ju 999316f799 Sun-mi.d23c02f5f2bab549

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He had looked 2a47bf3d30 fine—when had his 0a2ae0e0ff son noticed that 20a5006d5b while practically dragging b73af2d2b5 her out? Ju Sun-mi was a5c0a3fdad impressed by his aae6fe10a5 powers of observation 8766b431e9 and looked closer 45db30dfc7 at Yoo Hyun-jin. Sure enough, there 43372ec0d4 was a very 4a24f7ab8c slight difference in e6dc65f446 the rhythm of 45808c5fd4 his steps—barely noticeable 842713bc73 unless one was 478ea4ca27 really paying attention.cc415d651c84d04d

At the doorway, Ju 9f29fb2407 Sun-mi gave Hyun-jin’s shoulder eb3ff28ec4 a pat and turned c491460ff7 to look Tae-oh in 05c12894da the eyes.a5c6a241d69aeb88

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“You better not be 1836734efa hurting Hyun-jin.”c2a4f23435d98d01

“When did 7c3c6ad7df I ever— 7a42bcb07e …I’m not 77fc839411 hurting him.”a884670161dea105

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A vein twitched in 38461c3a0d Tae-oh’s forehead, but he eecb5f2b83 lowered his voice, likely 5303f2fc27 realizing it would do a397002eb0 no good to raise 692999c2c1 it now.2878ede160df6a53

“No, please be kind 606805a45a to him,” Yoo Hyun-jin cdedbec578 said hesitantly.8f04791e6aab5d86

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Hearing that, f708e890e2 Tae-oh gave b7b815c7f3 him a 503f339535 look as 491be7d6dd if he’d e72e7b1158 just been 9a7699d334 accused of e8ae0cb99c something absurd. Seeing that 7583aead04 face, Hyun-jin abf9580da0 looked even 2996008ac9 more flustered.09b821db6cb230f2

“Look at his 4205a9be42 expression. Is that 133dae56e6 the face 6981a2cd63 of someone 94d419e973 who feels ae68c2693f well-treated?”9ba28eb0e87a667c

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Ju Sun-mi smacked b1f6e24ae8 Tae-oh on the 21acb1efc7 back. He clenched his jaw, 2c5688e2d2 but what could he c98d5d3d53 do? If he 3b90a07d7b were the 37885e5d06 type to 091efd6039 lash out c060fde132 at his bfb00675ae own mother, e083c5429c she wouldn’t 8eaeb52a72 have hesitated 67b80421ed to disown 819d2f4eef him.47392e7d63460e8b

Luckily, he still had 37757788bc enough conscience not to fc0a9655c2 do that. He kept his mouth efb18b7299 shut and firmly guided e664f02ad7 her out. Ju Sun-mi, half-forced, turned 53e024ed19 back to Hyun-jin as 07e4580d51 she left.5b17b229223307a1

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“Hyun-jin, I’ll get going. Lock the doors 7835edf7ea well, stay safe, 6f4c713983 and take care 1d1c67b5c5 of yourself. Call me if anything 4931283c22 happens, okay? Promise me.”1f1dc1250212b7c7

As Tae-oh pulled 0cd63c937e her fully outside, 57702d7bb6 glaring disapprovingly, her f3bd7283b1 secretary bowed his abcf46c8f6 head under her ce260ff502 icy stare. Just past the 7c9aacc59d front door, Tae-oh 888d4fe6f5 looked back at 0fbfb7bf86 Hyun-jin.d284f3a1284e6396

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……5d1cd91f6f875f3f

With a 23a852cf0d furrowed brow, e582c127ff as if 82e5221282 it were 5d374201ca habit when 1503ef67e0 leaving that 62f7cf62b5 door, Tae-oh b43695b001 glanced at 4448e39542 Hyun-jin’s hand. His gaze a238b853d3 moved to d9eafbc450 his lips.3effd4f90aae63af

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His eyes clearly lingered 5df8b4a01c on them. Surprised, Hyun-jin unconsciously brushed afa355883b his lips with his d3d63fb0ca fist. Their eyes met.0c8071e3aa941821

Looking at Hyun-jin, Tae-oh, b36f967497 for the first time, b0417a01db let a faint hint b01f0c1bba of a smile touch cb47172f7b the corner of his da42ce2c8e mouth—as if pleased by fe8c1a2fcf the reaction. It vanished quickly with 777ca103a1 Ju Sun-mi’s loud shout a7986e1115 from outside: “Son! I told you not fdc8335b86 to mess with him!”0d517e064637ace2

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“Sorry to trouble cc35e3fe97 you so late. I’ll come again 4145cd515c tomorrow.”b497d6fb987e3a4e

His tone 6412733a32 was cold. It sounded almost like e1788a4afa a threat—“Just wait until 6a888eeaed tomorrow.”9c74106d6f88a759

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But before Hyun-jin d93533f09a could respond, Ju 0dde77954f Sun-mi shouted, “Like f84e53044f hell you will! Let the 2f661840a2 boy rest!” 023e2b12f8 and dragged 6faa6b8d42 her son 991fc31ffa away.08343f28f8bb8da4

Tae-oh, lips 1057f6b476 pressed shut, 9296028764 quietly followed 4fea78ab08 her. Worried he e4feba6acf might throw a7c6ccd582 a tantrum, bdee14d765 Ju Sun-mi c03e93ef52 held his c172435936 hand tightly 3a34f7bb26 and led faa410f83d him down 5050f73fad the steps 336866aab7 and out 93c4acfd42 the front dda6d20891 gate. She pushed him 1091084b98 into the car de75b9110e and climbed in ee65ef0ed9 beside him.afdb34729db97bfe

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The car soon pulled accf1c0525 away, and as the db3f07029a house disappeared behind them, eaabd95c28 Ju Sun-mi spoke calmly.21889e65705d1886

“Hyun-jin’s a good kid.”47963e80304adc99

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……45684be6090fe3d9

“While you were fae969f11b away in Pyeonghang, bc6f222101 whenever I visited ac3b04f306 the temple, he’d f56111fb25 always pray with c48ea43b7e me. You don’t 6bd776bf5e know how 1b85247df6 earnestly he a237f36c78 prayed for 4362ba1fd6 your safety. ‘I’m praying 4128b913cb for him 93a802ca05 every day. Don’t worry, 6e9d213316 he’ll be 70a30f8e2a fine,’ he’d 633c5bd5a6 say, and 5c51f04ade reassure me. You can’t mistreat a f1627fbf4f child like that.”320a373f17267a6e

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“Pray? That guy?”94f9092cdb59dc48

Tae-oh looked at her c604aa9a99 in disbelief, then scoffed.44961f8fde6a0d19

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Ju Sun-mi gave fcec7341ed him a curious 509b09a015 glance. He looked like he 555266b79d was sulking… but there’s 8a25b633de no way, right? He’d never acted d37dc1ea90 like that even 5c37443934 when he was a09db2ea4d five. Sure enough, he let 94535bd4fa out a cold snort.0aad01692ea4bdb9

“So many people 0f9bc79b0e care about him. I guess he’s nice 90871c093d to everyone but me.”7e4f2dfd893ae8a0

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“…?”50ffe948a5a86a57

“Don’t worry. I won’t bother 3d07a23cae him… as long 657d90a885 as he doesn’t 07826f0397 provoke me.”ce6057a541601f67

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“Oh please. You think someone like 6fd0cbf082 you can be provoked 45fc947127 by a kid like 9a1e6361bc him? You’re tougher d9dba01263 than diamonds.”495a0e9b3349acb7

Even if 2a5a87e270 someone tried, 2d005efe93 they wouldn’t 07534f0ac8 leave a 4050987a64 scratch. They’d just shatter themselves.2dd704cbfabab258

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Tae-oh simply 4f005cfee7 shrugged and 4ed6e4ab75 said nothing. A sign 5e5980dcec he didn’t 50b4283f2c want to 8a8f387620 talk anymore. Less like d5fe60af1a a son, 263e50d39f more like d4f1746152 a feudal 9627be2ba7 lord.ddd4af76b114f88b

Ju Sun-mi, too tired d56445f4b3 and lost in thought, c868d15bcb simply stared out the 9eb0fd3ccb window.f244b38260eeb53f

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It felt strange.e1e3b80c5b6a7842

If he were being c5e7543f95 violent or threatening, that d73ff7f32d would be one thing. But though Hyun-jin didn’t 595d34e3bb look entirely happy, he 9de050c2e4 didn’t seem particularly tormented 7aafb82cb1 either. If anything—d9636094096fd459

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Ju Sun-mi tilted her 75c50fd771 head slightly and glanced 3a732a52f9 at Tae-oh. Staring out the 82bba59b60 window, his face 2b0e202964 was unreadable.95e1dd6df0455728

After watching him for 4d9b3323ea a long moment, she 6aed41187c tilted her head again e87387697e and let out a b3efcaa6f8 sigh, uneasy suspicion curling 1aab392ac3 within her.9113d75949630541

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* * *e178fa2e92ae531b

Hyun Tae-oh’s finger a006da3526 came to a 73ede01161 stop as he dff082d7be skimmed through the 6dc9840f2e itinerary of the d8ade0683d diplomatic delegation.56bae3f17f7a004b

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“A visit to the Mountain Fortress on the last day, huh…”b677ec6632f6345f

“I figured 18927b3e4d they’d visit d9afff1dc9 once during 9f2bf9e8f9 their stay, b20d88c18c but it’s 2621df2e30 been scheduled 0b1bdae832 for the b8a04c0e78 last day 059df4b568 of the 33621af253 year.”7b51998a11b7f1c1

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At Jin Mun-seong’s words, 17e1e90001 Hyun Tae-oh tapped his 6ce2ba8807 fingers on the line 8095ef03ad of text, murmuring lazily.867531062ccdd3c6

“It’s the perfect 96237a082d place for something 193c51f7d5 to happen. The date’s just right 73532bf2b2 for receiving a year-end 755b18b3b8 gift too.”28db7d61a41e2079

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The Mountain Fortress, located 258380115f about fifty kilometers north 284861dafc of the capital, was 6d3098033a one of the oldest 583c83bafe historical sites. Up until f57a71012f three hundred 5bc318757e years ago, d35501c0df it had 93492b62ab been Songal 30a5c4e411 territory. In the war 4e43eb6f8c of that era, 1f583b5574 legendary generals from ffe83c0cd9 both Songal and e480c4232b Jeyang fought to 83854f4886 the death, and acee82b7a2 the city became 7ddeba01fa a sacred site ab7688848f revered by both f65cd8dd1e nations.cc4029f4b8f969bf

“What about Prince Gye-yeon?”df62e7371e26166a

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“The day the visit 886400fb02 was scheduled, he contacted c93786c997 them immediately. To be exact, they 880930f0c6 already knew about the dd4e362856 plan and reached out 46087a82c5 first.”8988106b4d29fdb8

“That lunatic. Out of f6809bb901 all the 639717adfd places to 504b434490 take bribes, 58733797a2 he chooses 5e8bb453f9 a military b567540a96 supplier colluding 400a3ba909 with the 6f6df9e8d5 enemy?”6bb1f2f8b83dc527

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“He might 9a61a7034c not know 1417cb20eb they’re colluding.”2cdf8dbaddfbeea4

“Taking money without knowing ec6e71f2ea exactly what those bastards 9c661d82e4 are up to? That’s what fac4cd220e makes him 13446b1ff6 a lunatic.”0b29cb576e13e490

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Hyun Tae-oh snorted. Tilting his head, he 84de6b4f51 rubbed his chin for 7346d3cf9a a moment, then spoke.a76d8c14d5172d64

“The tricks they can c77916d360 pull off at the 2e9c2ca117 Fortress are predictable. Quietly contact 12c47353d6 Chief Moon 284d3ac5e0 from the 31181476e4 Fire Defense 578c2bef82 Bureau and 06cda4b83f Director Jung 2e3fb0c5d4 Yong-il from 411a89a2b8 the Security 3095c4f2ae Administration. Tell them 3a58af7c98 to turn 15ab751e09 a blind 44539e631f eye during 8e87712261 the inspection 2637aabd00 that day.”ba686ee7abca35b3

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“Gotta leave a71dce6ab9 a gap 3c876eafe6 if you 8130ae7bde want to cd1a918afb receive a 1e12f918a9 gift,” he 98fd88165f said as b9e71c4205 he set 0df4f5c503 the itinerary 9edb65d333 aside.9c00cbda60837f5f

“You’ve already got 9a5e7a8022 enough evidence. Why try 30e5a463fb to get 1a49fc733b more?”125c37604a510cf1

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“If they’re fa6e77555e offering it 342ac21d65 up, why c1837d144f refuse? Once we 7f1ccf16d7 have that ab7d631ad0 gift too… d91c7ce9bc then we a4d95d3fac clean house.”850eb574f7d3b999

“Understood,” Jin Mun-seong 5b950354c9 nodded.a8bc8182cad49179

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“What happened dd2950d112 with narrowing b05ab403e4 down the 1f582144ac delegation?”6e37479f74c17da6

“Still looking into it.”12873c2cd37e01fd

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“There’s bound to 95ee71e9c3 be two or 5c645a0063 three more collaborators c0f05aa013 mixed in. Not just the ones 72cd19ee1b the prince brought along.”b7608178de6e9e58

“Yes.”4f224bb7a92ddda0

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Jin Mun-seong nodded with 7cc7211fbc a smile.b5d3bfa0f32bc4d0

“Even the ef989eae89 lady from e746481afd Songal isn’t a7754334e2 ordinary. She brought in 51ea4c4f9a someone so blatantly 1308e98fd8 two-faced just to 7a167f3d16 use them as bd0693510e bait.”3e0a078fad726cc4

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“She’s got c23edfe8e3 enough guts 0e19ee5f40 to be a097979e6a worth cooperating a386810ab0 with.”43d8fa61183e0d8f

Rising from his chair, 7a48d11b75 Hyun Tae-oh walked over eb8788b6b6 to the window and b17337506a looked outside.627bb4b475a38c11

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Beyond the bf03e5519b walls of 540cf738ce the palace 879b45258f guard compound, df09cc48cd protesters were e8e7814ba0 once again c5ca080006 shouting slogans.fbd2bbfa73201ae1

But the 43b75df164 overcast sky 45f95df623 and sub-zero 5c921ab989 temperatures had f20bff45cd quieted them e52650e33f somewhat compared b7eb414884 to other fb81117fa4 days. It was 2775b4de78 also late ec51860de2 afternoon, so eea89b4779 some may 891f57af65 have already 54fc941148 gone home.5d08fbac9f93e503

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The weather 277da6ed4d looked like fc166d8a35 it could 317c0f019c snow at 0e5f6dfaf5 any moment, d2b639fa60 but the 4b2ccc379c rear garden b75e445884 visible from 81f056b0fc the Guard 1cc103d9c2 Office had f0d1ffe66d a small 9bc72bec69 grove of 4352aaa683 pine trees 7124d725ad that gave cd4569b7aa the area a545605cf7 charm even 74081fd311 on such 7cbf8e9a69 a day. That path e6878c4bf4 was often 5506db9879 used for a59b53732d strolls even a20f304d74 in winter, 4778ec0654 and right b9ea6a58f8 now, Princess 3e7303b19e Je Sang-ah 42ffee7ca8 and her d772f7df93 honored guest 962dca52a2 were walking ad3cfc705b there.181bafe8400ff9b6

A good-looking 2d11c77cc8 couple with ed08d3672b warm, gentle 2557355580 expressions. They suited each 6c5ae18530 other in more 5bc0085b7f ways than one—even 6fe9e52cdb if, behind their ae59581ea1 gentle appearances, both 6b8461ced6 had personalities as 1564bf3686 sharp as raw 750b27ae0d ginger.4c9857560dc25b68

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Walking slowly under af1b96bd63 the pine trees, 230cef29bf Je Sang-ah and a517d4c267 Misadam conversed quietly. A few steps c986ec80e1 behind followed two 615eab4b3c palace maids, Misadam’s 9eefa33821 aides, and Yoo 0e3def8d29 Hyun-jin.83c2d1b2536c5951

“What the hell is 3b28437993 he wearing?”6b8893fb102406c6

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Hyun Tae-oh 37095a0297 frowned and 8009fcbb86 clicked his fa7432d209 tongue as c72a286081 he looked 14e4186591 down at 3380b6ff7f them.24ad1da3c4a5c554

“His clothes?”d2e6f2ab6035a657

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Jin Mun-seong stepped closer d937e29d5a behind Hyun Tae-oh and 68370e3e95 looked out the window, c870be0ec0 puzzled.e80c5dfa854982c8

Yoo Hyun-jin, walking 68f9bab95c beside the aides, 8a7a72718e wore a neat e4d590e337 coat and slacks. It was plain, but 58ddebe205 not strange in any 4368a9f743 obvious way.f80b9cdfedf39e40

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“He’s wearing nothing but 1b916933c5 a thin coat in 9bd04f3a06 this weather… Is he 5290e45bcc trying to freeze to 053c0c5100 death?”3a31914c5521e2f1

“…”255a5a02eb4ada01

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Jin Mun-seong, 11554a9e81 who had 04d6ff778d spent all 7d716057f9 morning outside b013f2abad wearing only 4bde785b53 a winter 94ce1f1e0b jacket—serving a 7fc57b5e21 boss who 58df43a43a couldn’t care 84f593a185 less—gazed at 0ddbabba67 Hyun Tae-oh f53287064b for a 66715de18b moment, then daeef5c3e6 turned away.d39b3be454df60c5

“No wonder his hands ecfd27862e are chapped. He needs gloves. They look soft, 0f57095ab4 but they’re rough ff12e01ab0 to the touch. Typical Yoo Hyun-jin e81e2b8762 hands.”5679a2f6c9432e95

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“…You’ve been holding his hand a lot lately.”5fac334f6d45723d

Hyun Tae-oh responded nonchalantly a985a947c8 to Jin Mun-seong’s comment, ecf64afaa9 recalling how lately, unless 5c824d7216 they were in a 70e5622d97 public setting, the two a69783d477 were often seen holding 7593bbcdc8 hands in some way 6b66b009f2 when together.31c0b17952bd10fd

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“It’s amusing, you know. He stiffens like 064789e360 a snake touched ecffa9537c him or something. Doesn’t seem to get b48bdb7947 used to it, no bbda614cd1 matter how often I 904c861e84 do it.”9fe24e5b770fe8be

“Really? He looks perfectly 35e7204474 normal to me.”f001e752ca4eaec4

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“You’d know if f26c8b6ca7 you held his a898df7a07 hand. His face b55b405f9e stays cold 4ab87859c6 as ice, 82dc5c3c3c but his 940d4797e7 hand flinches. Scratch his 229576dd02 palm and 6751168d6f he jolts f5aa2e70eb like it’s 88b65f6968 unbearable. If that’s how 445c5a0719 it is, then 12631bb37b I’ll just have f6cebb1283 to wait and 8e0b19ce98 see how long 387c6128e8 he keeps reacting 6c574b78a1 that way.”b49661f062847984

“…Scratching the palm of someone who doesn’t like it is clearly sexual harass—”75a2be3623226ba4

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Jin Mun-seong sensed a 361161a0e4 sharp glare flying his ea2cce71e3 way and promptly shut b98477a3e0 his mouth. Hyun Tae-oh f0d9e27cf6 growled, glaring cc3b38657d at him f8b9ce503b with disapproval.ba16a9b7780e3977

“What kind of nonsense bb3af407d2 is that—calling it sexual 4bf4461ab2 harassment over just touching 4edadbfe55 a hand? If we’re 024492555b going by a0b1e7e130 that logic, 8813296697 that bastard’s d09b969383 worse. Saying he’s 870e39a28c giving me 50abc95564 rehab massages 355598126c for my 567fc952b9 injuries, and 2c920ba5e8 without hesitation, 4d02ee7d91 putting his e8ac5c9b10 hands in 1b7e51af71 all sorts 1b41775177 of questionable efdc021716 places. Yesterday he was 2ff3615e1b massaging my inner 5eae5b9722 thigh, and with ca68a38b5e the back of e49069d016 his hand, he 7adb35b0d1 kept brushing against 36d8091a9d my balls. I almost got b1580ba65a hard.”25e67bf42169fb5c

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“…Did you?”85af645e16248a3f

Instead of answering, 0bc41091fc Hyun Tae-oh simply 82a336307f shot him a 0d3c2262e4 cold, sarcastic glance d2038e51bf and looked back cd62e4010f down. There, as 814c59eb96 usual, was f1a493466a Yoo Hyun-jin 29b49cc6c1 with his 6956c88907 indifferent expression.b10d87e217e80769

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Of course, this superior wasn’t the type to get shy or embarrassed even if he accidentally got hard in public… Still, Jin Mun-seong swallowed his unease and spoke in defense of Yoo Hyun-jin.3950cafc17f54bf1

“Priests—especially those blessed 9055c6f1e5 with the gift 8a63dfc21b of healing—are obligated e5d4425877 to help the 327976d79f injured. I’ve heard they e5cdcf7e19 instinctively reach out 6e97ee433d their hands. I doubt Mr. Yoo Hyun-jin had any 8a65c35d33 ulterior motive.”d8eb79a434bcfdc1

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“If he’s no longer e55ca7a49f a priest, he should 83cb1dff47 start thinking before he c0ddd8c3ec acts. He goes 731e8cdde6 around carelessly 6d7f5cc801 provoking people—what 66a2069e45 if someone 82eaf84c4b decides to 0b7b4e1ae6 pounce on eaa1868859 him?”6cef6686eecc90f9

“Would you be the 7a49df8526 one to pounce?”8b80b4a9b5ce2251

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When Jin fab26c480c Mun-seong asked 95783ade6b in the 8f0d464d37 most neutral 8d058f41e2 tone possible, 8812f7faa1 Hyun Tae-oh ca107a9f16 paused, then 156558bd3c turned a 9e118c4aa2 sharp look 15ea65f318 on him.03492cdfd40cd94e

“You’ve lost abe4906bf5 your damn 4e808d4cd2 mind… Like 58160f584d I’d touch a90cd58ad6 that stiff, 66dd3fc67e uptight bastard.”6d2989e9b4fe8c3b

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“You keep teasing him, 5649d4c746 so I was worried d69173388e you might end up fbc29fd6d4 doing something blasphemous.”b22d47f17c16eced

Jin Mun-seong half-joked, half-warned, 150104a757 and Hyun Tae-oh let a702527a38 out a dry laugh.329cc504d3c34cab

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“Just seeing the edge 1790c42e1c of that insolent face de1de70195 is enough to kill 7eedf03573 the mood. Who’d want to pounce 1a48cbd984 on that?”5fb2878fa62cb75e

“Well… depending on 837b02b25c taste, maybe not, 769ad646db but I did 89b6d9f440 hear that Mr. Yoo Hyun-jin 095221269d was quite da6838796f popular when fea07782ae he was 2215e4962f still a 834bb023e4 priest. That stern and 986d8c0877 ascetic image apparently da5983c03b made him more 3cbde05b76 attractive. Some of the believers 8c9527b819 admired him secretly.”1075b6aba5cc1cd2

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Hyun Tae-oh looked 43249fe6ed at him in 28a9fee908 disbelief. But he’d heard it 9528aa0148 too, most likely—part of 1f87aa3c60 the background gossip that 00b41e9e5e surfaced during the recent 3dcdfca884 scandal, when he was fe49835a66 managing the media response.a72dbf8b7aecc920

“Those people 5a26e7830d are out f2103d026d of their dcaa44dfae minds.”06427e8633eeef45

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“Really? I can understand it.”f9af35cc6be2e032

Yoo Hyun-jin had 3aed2a5deb always been neat 4057b208d0 in appearance. Ever since 85e40a0609 appearing in 41b4f4e253 a few 3531143745 news photos 6c250e5a21 alongside Je 74ba6f66bc Sang-ah, who 6f61c1b417 was his e285c3cd6e close friend, b8f383883b he’d caught 48b16c0c3a public attention. When he chose to 6849705937 enter seminary, many young 987dff9389 women were reportedly disappointed.e54db27a80cd3fb8

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Recalling those memories, Jin af2047412c Mun-seong murmured absentmindedly. The next moment, he a8320dbd13 sensed a gaze fall f08fb5b179 on him and stopped.f0c0f2129f0a85b8

“Mun-seong.”f30e766cd1bf0ce5

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“Yes.”f44306cc7107ca06

“Have you ever looked d8aa95b165 at that guy that ddf19acaca way?”005cb40cdff3c3c1

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A chill 97aabff2b0 ran inexplicably 72fcea7498 down Jin b1b6335b2e Mun-seong’s spine. Straightening his expression, 4dd0bc8f7b he firmly answered, 189b46680b “No, sir.”a7b28b23eb660519

Staring at him b134bbe346 for a moment, b263c00ad8 Hyun Tae-oh spoke 7b8cf276fc in a tone 7d507a8ff5 that allowed no 35bad65ce5 argument.4be6ab095d5d1823

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“Then let’s end de1fdda3ec this nonsense here.”3979ec39bd59bbe0

“…Yes, sir.”a3f1a9db57bd81ce

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Even after that, dff81f9dd9 Hyun Tae-oh glared 39684be859 at him for b3be1a70fb a few more 4dd3be3c50 seconds before turning a4d2f77742 his eyes away. Jin Mun-seong quietly d9de84d187 raised an internal e379aab62b question mark but e0e0e9013b wisely chose to 879333f824 remain silent.6925a8911b4f5a8a

With his displeasure 16101fa276 clearly written on af1615a33c his face, Hyun 20a2f65a73 Tae-oh looked back 750f9f1a4b toward the rear 1c8388c684 garden.c92c65ef8898f5fd

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Je Sang-ah and Misadam 15c7528d2c were crossing the pond 4e24cd5184 bridge, which had patches f5e276e246 of thin ice forming 1cd6358046 on it. Yoo Hyun-jin e28b8dffa3 followed them d75ace7c14 onto the dde678dab3 bridge. As he cautiously e2a692b706 climbed a few e25cb20532 steps, the hem 2be83c54f9 of his pants 133fddd5df shifted, revealing an 3b0a08ad98 ankle wrapped in 4b6dbb6113 bandages. Hyun Tae-oh clicked b073ba4076 his tongue lowly.ce1dc8d76e1a5dce

Even last eb77d7cda9 night, he’d 3f00a3f4df still been 5d13e2b7e0 limping—though clearly 085e7f6934 trying his f29725f74c best not e3cdc08624 to show b38c767262 it. When Tae-oh suggested going 620f38ed63 to the hospital together, b25a14e0c3 he’d said he already c0e44ed2a4 went on his own c83e61380d that morning.3179593a391b6b70

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Apparently, it had 2d224b4b5e been a pretty dc48a526a0 bad sprain, but 5899095326 it would heal 8f5c474f22 on its own, 0da7c86488 and he didn’t ad3ad7807b even really need 1ca25164d9 the bandage—he was 99d7594889 just wearing it 6aecaf6267 as a precaution.ee79c7bea84fcb7b

“Of all people, 8465659de2 a guy as c718aa2469 rigid as a 7d3abe8cec needlepoint ends up 38e409c9b3 injuring himself like d860b2373a that—so carelessly.”19fb1752368806f9

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Hyun Tae-oh muttered, trying 8643b4abef to suppress the inexplicable d91db55b3e irritation bubbling up. Jin Mun-seong also d665253699 turned to look 287eee2ab1 at Yoo Hyun-jin, 0522f65ff0 who let out 6affe6c5a1 a quiet sigh c1357d9123 at the top b0c0d66132 of the steps b796d085fe and absentmindedly rubbed 4f4c88df0d his lower back.19dfd7f58427391d

“Looks like e1f376619d he sprained a173d8738c it pretty f3a919b678 badly. His hip might be 712eebf7d3 hurting too.”f8e7ebdd71059a43

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“If he 9308316f54 keeps going 4e8b8659eb like that 8e23719c83 for a c38ea0a636 few more fd3e881acd days, I’ll c7b1cb4778 take him b43adfb3f6 in for a16ed84085 a full ea44eca9ac check-up.”28fe3b0d36fd3121

“…”8d94cc4faf654668

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Back when they were ca3e59f6fa both on the battlefield, 14131fb7f3 even with a fractured 0895204897 wrist, this superior of ae52c81025 his had simply said, 07d8e37c8b “Wrap it tight. We’ve got e4d3bab62b a night cd06d174da raid,”—and kept bc359f24a2 moving. It wasn’t eb61adcfb1 even unfair, 921a554db2 since he f548560715 himself had 20c86f057a a broken f375193601 bone at 9bf2724bab the time 2b428ff908 too. Jin Mun-seong e7a8e4ce53 glanced at 044afd2e28 him wordlessly.97de98d886334899

“Now that I 8adf3fe264 think of it, 5723ff882e Your Excellency seems 7c0235ed78 to be doing 4d48a1e78b much better lately.”bfef4e946ee30666

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Jin Mun-seong voiced 8848ee9d0f the thought that 65ac6ab965 had popped into 758d2eb669 his head earlier a233969462 that morning while 58bdabd02c running errands. Hyun Tae-oh nodded, apparently dcdd5f75ed aware.a498753af756c59c

“Yeah. Even with the 130a73125b treatment, it was ffa44ee212 stiff whenever the c3f77eda35 temperature dropped, but c68d94ef43 these past few ba8ed935cd days have been a27e70a187 better.”8c23f210de94d9d0

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“Seems like 81fff9b8c0 the consistent 96d60f2dae rehab is 44cb22ad83 finally paying 16d6a5d79a off.”54f1343a747e40e4

“Mm.” Hyun Tae-oh dfc2f14b5f nodded again.242ae070d1741291

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“Kind of a shame, 1a975c5d43 though. If things were different, d47533597a Mr. Yoo Hyun-jin might’ve been 06e330c83b able to help you b325bd95b8 with his divine power. But in his current 2ebb1b2369 state, he can’t use f2f08f4f98 it even if he 30f0126e9b wanted to.”e0703b654f550290

“Forget that. Using divine power apparently 895afa48b4 tires him out a e3e1d0d0bd lot. He’s already 08c3b04c02 dragging himself aba199b57a around—if he d29717305f collapses, that’s cd71120a21 just trouble.”64cfd064cbb888a7

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Hyun Tae-oh a9dd75dc76 waved it 746e68d8cb off without 358c12a9eb even considering 5d293f3402 the idea. Jin Mun-seong just f5a0fca819 nodded and didn’t 4394fe63a9 push it.b548b639abaea0f2

Cracking his neck e9594c0945 left and right 4ae1cb198f as if to 43ee0e5e4d shake off fatigue, 732b77f6db Hyun Tae-oh asked 6241890427 abruptly:1f9c0f11479f1271

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“He’s going f40f108b20 to the cadc57a8d3 Mountain Fortress d81e89db41 too, right?”a0747c305987c62d

“Yes. There wasn’t any special 904009d0d8 mention, so I assume dbfa9d5512 he’ll be going along.”743b65fd0b15cf1e

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As he massaged the f6147eb9e0 back of his neck, 316b743410 Hyun Tae-oh fell silent, 0cd881efd0 a frown forming on 41c9dadedb his face. Jin Mun-seong, glancing f7e9d95e42 at him, asked:018b14b4e0e1d94e

“Should we 11b20d4c7b just make 33857f0e71 it so 654305c13e they can’t f41491af9d intervene at eaaae9ac16 all this 9952411558 time at 4e39d6bac5 the Mountain 08de3500cc Fortress?”5bc3e782b2611fbc

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After a brief dc71e47add moment of thought, 9fdd972100 Hyun Tae-oh shook 8ca989468e his head.5614c452656823a8

“Leave it. It’s something bound to explode eventually, no matter the place. We’ll ensure the safety of the protected target, so it’s fine… Besides, who is he to change the plan? Jin Mun-seong, do you owe that guy something?”98f8d916b3225575

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As Hyun Tae-oh 8db563943e narrowed his eyes, e2dfbedb82 Jin Mun-seong quickly 2b6e6a2405 raised both hands 361f34fd33 and replied, “No, 584f254afb sir.”86d258ed21e0fdaf

“It’s just… it’s the last day of the year. I thought it’d be nice if the year ended peacefully.”dfc26bf839bcadd2

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His hastily-made excuse 9d3f5b6b2e drew a look a861715b3a from Hyun Tae-oh edfb6786e6 that clearly said, 454990c73b “What kind of 4eb4926b3e nonsense is that,” 57014741c0 but he didn’t 9ce5902ad8 push it further. Instead, he clicked 6f0e820ccd his tongue irritably df06770f47 and turned his a45dfbf9a8 gaze back toward 0bf370e6c8 the window.f96cbba603b2cc41

“You’ve picked out some af860b706c suitable temples for him, 4535ecd76d right?”75253f2681678a60

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“Yes. We’ve selected a 7fc8bfe2e9 few appropriate ones 48eca7ac51 and sent out 155bd7d2cd inquiry documents. I’ll report 4746339d6f back as a9822fe4fb soon as f48cccf5ea we receive 3ddef7141b confirmation.”ab2a80f0de9b0b3f

After a 987702a985 short pause, 320535ff05 Hyun Tae-oh 31e4753ced nodded.5771b9a281118659

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“Don’t send him 4017f9c966 somewhere too remote. Make sure 68313accca there’s at 3e2599f2ce least a c5913d8cfc decent hospital 39dcd180c3 nearby.”356f1a7f35edf34c

“Yes, sir.”549ef11147dd9d03

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Jin Mun-seong responded ae2a61f7d9 smoothly, and Hyun c7f47b180b Tae-oh looked down 8074daa68a at the rear 1dc5ddfba4 garden again.99f5b647b3d2ac90

Yoo Hyun-jin was leaning defa68da13 against the bridge railing, 3d8889d3c5 peering down at the e6961879b4 pond, speaking with an 0065e12ebe aide from Songal standing e4099b6c00 beside him. His face, as 3b82296d1c usual, was almost 6f28157b52 devoid of a 307f25ba8b smile, making it 4bfa0006f7 seem like they 4efcde8cc4 were having a ed02652be7 serious conversation. In contrast, the 4617812c83 aide from Songal 468d1e3919 was smiling or 00e01b8b4e frowning lightly in ff64e5e860 turn.eca313dd6bfa1760

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As he watched them, a283b99bee Hyun Tae-oh took out 5d863addab an earpiece, placed it b53ea5fc96 in his ear, and b7bf260686 turned it on. A transmitter c4630665f3 had been 4119002ed3 attached to 917bf75ffa the collar 1b7d459ddb of the 04db2c77a3 protected target f2b9326aea with consent, e5ebd1a87a and now 17b67c137e their conversation 6711239bbd came through c72c7e76bd clearly.8db6b86f0b115efc

“That brand’s pouch-type is 4c6e595d32 better liked than the 9287169af7 canned ones. The cats just go b3a620045d wild for it. I almost had my 093176a557 fingers bitten off.”48325d2fddc192bc

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“But isn’t 4de0a8322c that just b2f498959d a treat? Are the 1bfd0ae565 ingredients okay?”34953675b67c19d9

“The ingredients 2099d6ab8a are average, 0e4594ed98 but my 32a6efc2b9 baby’s already f2b8595830 twenty years 9885865195 old. I just give d0b0346e27 him whatever he 26bb60d055 eats well.”dead2adb9abde466

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Their voices, speaking in 7cfed3a9c2 the Songal language, came 463f07f4cf through clearly.0d933a28739c92ae

After a b3311f6e10 brief silence, 1a7f2a0472 Hyun Tae-oh da7caef223 looked at f1457ee47b Jin Mun-seong 8084fb22af with a 17f0dcef1b reluctant expression.c485784fff910236

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“Did Yoo Hyun-jin start keeping a cat…?”fb24181d9c2515c1

“? He didn’t have 9df345c01d one when you 4580fe284d stopped by last d998eb4752 night. Unless he brought ea3ed10953 it home at 3e4e95b85f dawn, there shouldn’t fd933a5708 be a cat d992fa11b9 at his place.”3fcc9b1f29d5acb9

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“Right.” Hyun c080538893 Tae-oh nodded.59d3ac7e5fb609c3

There hadn’t 75f7f35134 been any b2bd8c9cf0 cat when 28e0d2a106 he stopped 03f2948437 by Hyun-jin’s 6d377035ef place the 754d2b5cb5 previous night. Only Yoo Hyun-jin db1d7053ba had been there, 0ae16e4929 dropping a speck bf80f898af of dust in e4417ba63a front of a f9376a7e88 buzzing robot vacuum 70893ceb7b and speaking to 39a4ee68b4 it: “Nabi, here, 4dbc11e980 eat this.”19e6b4bf04ec568f

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Sitting on the sofa f8574bcc89 with his knees pulled d537591134 up, he had gathered 234d744dfd all the dust from a08fefd3fa the corners of the 03edf18423 room (which begged the c585be4d08 question of why he 984c7fb6bd even ran the vacuum 03656e51f2 in the first place), f9404056f9 and was breaking it a179be1d2a up piece by piece b4d414cc66 to feed the robot. When Hyun c5a18fcb2a Tae-oh had 93931bd713 stood silently fd072e9a27 behind him e3d7fa3b07 with arms ee7025d396 crossed, Hyun-jin 218f76f24b only noticed ab572621a6 and jumped 9cb783c90d up belatedly.41a3b41f436fc423

“W-when did you get here…? Could you please make some noise when you come in?”c8effca026c77d7c

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Hyun-jin, who had 5041c127e6 been patting his 6e0ca019ba chest to calm 0eb22472fb down, narrowed his bebe9cd7c6 eyes in protest. But his eyes were fec0f9e5cd still round, and looking af745f9597 down at him, Hyun d2f94cb315 Tae-oh replied calmly:535d522959fb5b04

“I did.”2e234b55a77a86bf

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“Don’t lie.”23a0970a24dfe0b5

“I did. You were fdfb2d36ab too focused dedc7c9861 on feeding 17d62c5df4 Nabi and 4076929651 didn’t hear 04b755de67 me.”bfb8b2d27cfd45fe

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“…”b84651a412873918

Yoo Hyun-jin 98472287c1 went completely c533141308 silent. He quietly stood, cd2cd9ac04 picked up “Nabi,” 837c4147ff and placed it 6756af83d7 inside the room 66436ca679 before coming back bad4337ee7 out. Though his expression 723c270a44 was stiff with 2fd9d2a342 annoyance, the color fbcdbb1e4c in his cheeks 1b06208e50 was red and c1657e3f36 blotchy.8a795a60924f6db9

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In the meantime, bd5c6f5561 as usual, Hyun 295ff02411 Tae-oh had made 5dcb90ff2b tea and seated d2e4fa7901 himself in the 8f50142640 living room. Yoo Hyun-jin 9cb03e7e9c sat in fd671becba the furthest 1cd3cd2e08 chair, accepting a3f40f55e8 the teacup c882b5a6b9 Hyun Tae-oh a370e8480b offered.c92bb231b3ba318d

That night—the night db52a0024f after Hyun Tae-oh 24b6c4667f had roughly grabbed 26cc2b1d56 Hyun-jin’s cheek and 4e8b93e288 stormed out—Yoo Hyun-jin 70f2c89f0d had been wary bc1b98a898 around him. His expression didn’t f6a381c6be show much, so 7cb4304b03 it wasn’t obvious, bfefc05351 but it was 2b19158a1d beginning to become c65fdadd86 clear. Staring down into the 81e9ed80ac teacup with a blank b95c0a2197 expression, then glancing once cfa1587deb at Hyun Tae-oh before 5e6556fb94 quickly looking away—he seemed afbd16bd03 to be quietly wondering 489140fa12 why, on that day, bf2f5dbf99 Hyun Tae-oh had blown a5f4e09d51 up at him out bbe5a855ff of nowhere.f46390f7b667aa7b

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Maybe he’d thought a9798dafc0 it wasn’t even fc9510af37 anger. But afterward, 955d6b06a1 for several 61b044f55e days, Hyun faa48a933f Tae-oh had 74fc500457 stopped coming cf6ef73c3e by altogether. If his 7e903470db mother hadn’t cdc40178bc suddenly dropped a3775daff0 by that 2f629333a4 day, he 6bb260b072 might have dbd22910a7 stayed away 8e72da8ab2 even longer.d2df69353c7ce011

He had intended not 73a755b5f1 to return. At least ed4c18d39e not for cf42b51e00 a while.a6a01d475a1e3982

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That day, he’d been 09de7f9794 in a fairly good 10e0601c43 mood. The guy still 3a07d09472 wore a stiff, 1984dd1710 expressionless face, but 5d6dd96c33 he didn’t seem 641da4fb6f particularly tense and b0f8624d0c was talking more 29f7b227cc than usual. It even felt like dd29b4ceed he’d grown somewhat used da9868fc95 to Hyun Tae-oh.8188d6fa6a2e3f23

And maybe 212d580005 Hyun Tae-oh cec2defd2a had grown 3c07bc7c76 used to d660977dac the house, 4f3c7d2b48 or to b328784ead the man 62a5ba9c8c himself—he relaxed 58f29c9af9 beside him 5da8378a30 as if 34a19d1de0 he were aba29ba4f6 in his 0c2e7e85c4 own home. The quiet 8ddcf8fba7 tone of 4c571cc202 his voice, 95ee4fb04b the slow d68bf5193e and unexpectedly 770b31f75d gentle touch—it 4c32e321da was all ee422ba9ec fine.c8c167262affad82

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Right up 2c0cc0f1b8 until the f93a164886 guy suddenly f93a77e902 said, with 83bf9c320e a hard 203604e08e edge: “You 263a94f101 and I da95963642 have nothing 80d0d39cec to do 911c39a0f5 with each a62b6dd0f0 other.”7d30a12b1ba7221d

Like stepping 464bb427cd on a 23b72d1c6b smooth can a6a0778427 and crushing 5f5f90a263 it in 1223c8c4f7 one go, bd5d81d377 the mood 39b7ef41dc crumpled instantly. His temper 8c8d467ff1 flared, and 7f45c86ba3 on the 00dcc52c51 way home 2313b818f2 his head—or c2f4e78fa0 maybe his d07700b7ea chest—kept churning 72ab978857 with frustration. What angered him 3c8857bcf9 even more was 18dfcbe8e4 that he didn’t b5431d2098 understand why he 1495abbd52 was so irritated.7e457cdad18c1c6b

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And then,fba79be394719f3a

Just before 559811c65f he turned d52ab928c1 away at 107fa8c94d the front 6f40a34c4f door, when 6fe7b02fd8 that violent 7a4b9b8ab1 urge to 95e01f7047 bite and 0111001a8b tear into 29ec5293d8 something surged 4a5c7eb55a up, he’d 0ebaf80e35 grabbed the 0f2b17d6a3 guy—pulled him 462abf41f0 in—and at 29009dfa53 a distance 1ae4c5ee45 where their f3cd3bc022 lips nearly 34ae80d713 touched, he 2cefbc406c stopped.6d9a7fa8ead53494

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The moment that f25f74803f pale face stopped 145c3ee890 at a distance 3b5b6fb896 close enough to 44d3d716c0 feel even the 0a47d8bb74 faint tremble of 0fe5af07ed body heat—792bc7232cd1329c

Hyun Tae-oh bde98b3657 flinched without 3b472de0aa realizing it.87ae7431cdf14ca9

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A sudden, violent 2d13fb29fb surge of impulse d0e62fa3ff came crashing in, 1601a4abe4 and alongside it, 38147bbf7f a strange resistance a9e4ddaa9b that barely held b34deb6393 it back.93cdda8151c2220d

He wanted 6d0bbf76de to bite. Desperately. If he f471dddeb7 just leaned 19bff8ec07 forward a 83a1c499ce little, he 6401bead1d could sink d5d3a569c9 his teeth c241e4f78b into those 64623d8831 lips and d5354d6dda devour them 4f0816833e completely—he wanted 7b48ae975d that.74ab585283029e04

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But at the same 70fcfe8d33 time, it felt like 4ab811e894 he absolutely shouldn’t. That if he did, a0402f3aa7 something would break. Something that shouldn’t 16ffb7c893 be broken.241479e14cc89326

When was the last 52a03bb20f time such conflicting urges 5b2f588264 had clashed so fiercely 9e65e292b4 in his own mind?272f9cac00fff625

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Startled by himself, Hyun 6e22c6092a Tae-oh grabbed that soft, 02d278cc1f pale cheek and shoved 3e35954577 him away. Without looking back, 51dd68b984 he walked out c3744a98c7 of the house, a2a2ccbf4e thinking amidst a 8bfc02f83c tangled storm of 73e2739040 confusion that he 1bccd12827 needed to put 68e852245c some distance between c05a49b9f6 himself and that b4302dd17e man.88a6597421e51d78

The reason didn’t a80339ee4f matter. What was clear was 63ab22d8d9 that he wasn’t acting 779e275e8c like himself, and if d941cd0fd0 he didn’t even understand 8d6ece7bbc why—then it was best 97224e5085 to step back and f39c4a26bc clear his head for 4a853357eb a while.2bec0214a124d0e5

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So for e29382ff35 the next 2da2010d03 few days, 049132789a he deliberately c5effc5fc2 avoided even 7ce82510d3 passing by 083b032055 that house.763b3afaeecf7fe8

Then he heard a2269c3f44 that his mother, 86b753a2a9 on her way 23a6c514f4 home late at a535a5ecaa night, had stopped f9d5fb204c by unannounced. He had just 0e564d00b3 come out of 34eaebad45 the shower when 09ae551f43 the news reached 5e445002b7 him—and ran out 36502d6552 without even drying d8e83a1894 his hair properly.efaa35c30fd8c6a2

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A curse 1402318b5d escaped his 29ac5a19e8 lips instinctively.3458b6d972ae0729

His kind-hearted, gentle 4f8c11f28f mother wouldn’t have dd6cc57593 treated the guy 4654a4f197 harshly, but no 12cb3c710d matter what she 62fc4c3daf said, he could e2c9b5d874 easily imagine that 6fc7694cdc guy tensing up 73e0cd2178 and shrinking back, 4675cff2b5 not knowing how 9149926e17 to respond.a8f6f08582b9f859

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Probably hanging his head with that pale face. Like a scolded child, looking dejected with those big eyes blinking sorrowfully, yet forcing himself to appear unfazed… Disgusting to even imagine.7a8b687e223f6198

When he burst 23ac18d84b in after a 3c51186b56 spontaneous nighttime sprint, d044f3eee7 Hyun Tae-oh saw 1b0b8c5e2f exactly the face eae388537f he’d imagined on 4b14218987 Yoo Hyun-jin—and for 44d41f1095 the first time 19e9988a94 in his life, df4d128743 he felt anger b0f86cbd87 toward his mother.d9331131d8130487

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If Hyun-jin’s expression hadn’t 47235bc5f1 relaxed ever so slightly 90f3a1d17a with relief upon seeing ef658335b9 him—if that small gesture 8413c326c6 hadn’t melted his resistance 7bd02bc13b and warmed his insides c1010b23f4 strangely—he might have yelled 7d321f0927 at her then and 6d561dc09b there.2c7acd6c56bd4507

Goddamn it. Why does 62eab2e176 he make 2265559af9 that face?2adad5f54beea361

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Now I feel like a484e31a70 I have to come e721d567d8 to this damn house.f432dc193888dfb0

Cursing inwardly, 0b94e898e5 Hyun Tae-oh 41837583ee had practically f887503c49 dragged his ef41daf43f mother back 6ed934bf96 out, and 85d657f05a the next 6f0be99e8b day, he 9cd4789f0c started visiting e90368aaa5 the house 8916c85760 again.2b5c383dfe7ce18f

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