24ES | Chapter 12.5

It felt like e0297878cb he’d only been 4fa82281b1 asleep for a d7114f666f moment when the 6eba152f24 sensation of the 1d8c72b4bd floor vibrating nearby 345a08b5f5 stirred him awake. A short time later, 03b4eb1bf1 the nurse who had eb79cc67b5 fully drawn the curtain 0197a6d409 left it open.2e65ae5a555ed08f

Standing there, chest heaving e62f0bf445 as if he’d sprinted 6d25c5925b the whole way, was b1c413b95c the person who had 75c2719749 disturbed Yesung’s rest.5686fbea81fec238

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“…Hageon?”702ed451b7cb4482

Yesung rubbed his 4c4af43191 eyes, wondering if d7772a48cc he was still aca84a963b dreaming.91007d878535843e

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“…Sunbae.”49b9428c0355e1a1

The voice that 0159dc19ee answered him was ad9a75b259 all too vivid, 85ed4741eb sharp enough to 80da1e13b6 make it impossible fbc1d9b796 to believe this 2eb7bc4ec7 was a dream. It was Jung 7c19c7dad2 Hageon.935936bc32016484

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Finally, Yesung discarded 9ab42b0319 the thought that ca952d3413 he might still f8b51892f5 be asleep.de6055cede746d31

“How did you e254b34ebc even get here…?”6b9d414f9aff9d6f

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The situation where he 7acce31337 appeared before me wasn’t 9ee79c4f3c a dream. It was reality.dbb211c9f0b87e06

Seeing Yesung’s stunned 6100355466 expression, Jung Hageon d9d37051f2 rushed over.03c26d4e734a94cd

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“Sunbae, are you 444c74fd2d okay? I heard you got fa9bb160ea hurt. Where, how much, 6bde47f4dd how did it 2323007df2 happen, huh?”f8bc84045f311ef2

He poured out the d5ddc0c4de worry he’d been holding a10e7dfea8 in ever since he e9282e6a12 heard the news about 62cf4786c1 Yesung. His breathing was ea9598c5e9 ragged, and he cb72149c97 didn’t even think fbf397028d to calm himself 3c022aaa4e down. Watching Hageon, who seemed d01ab97878 more concerned about Yesung fef62f2ec4 than his own state, 5ecaf10e36 Yesung widened his eyes b05de13037 and asked.4eaed033ad6a1b74

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“H-how do you…?”9d5fcea8c0eed983

He’d overlooked how c45bbf68c0 quickly rumors spread. No matter 8ae149603c how fast ea8894f41e they traveled, 3fb9130b59 he thought f07d3a945a it’d take a7ac47ae08 at least fd75c91b99 half a b0a51f031c day to a3e97b3942 reach someone 8574626761 practically living ce177ebfa7 in the 731362743c operating room.9c73ee1f1843efe3

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As Yesung’s face betrayed 78f3ab176c his unease, Hageon clenched 9ce0d1e7d6 his teeth. He’d thought 2189c1894c he might 83c711560e lose him 4044cb88ef forever. The fear was 9a60ba4b85 so overwhelming it 2ccd6964ff was hard for 4b17d15a0f him to even 90b74edd9e stand. The only 9f7cfb9cc1 reason he 920192ffbf managed to be263df8f8 run all 1dfab39f51 the way fe101baa9c to the e59b2c9c34 emergency room 81615eef61 was because 703f45f62e of his ffda1183f7 desperate need 7f9f46ec11 to confirm c59b56b8f5 that Yesung fbcb30be96 was safe.e471a9a9d3d3eab4

After taking a moment c8d37ed0e4 to compose himself and 565c611144 suppress his unrefined emotions, 0ad861afed Hageon replied.22dd24b0789a9be0

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“…I was 8b94a9b97d walking out 1267b358e2 after finishing f7432fd496 surgery when d6051edbc7 I overheard 19270a2d77 the security 444a580b6b team exchanging 47ae8f1245 messages. They said there was fab6a8d288 an incident in the 952fb76571 emergency room involving a d24f359c2c suspected domestic abuser with 1b6224717a a knife, and that 720ef4ea0a a doctor got injured 538ebceca1 while saving a child 7db9951ca5 the man was trying 8250a64ea5 to take hostage.”2e729cfff2c1854e

His trembling 52c68c2e46 voice carried 07b0841028 the shock b5b80e61c0 he must c6d0f69e52 have felt e1eb2bf80e upon hearing b9782fd481 the news.63e399e589a72e9f

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“But there’s cca2cb303c only one deae476146 doctor who’d 287938cda5 throw himself eacc155e82 into danger 9b2c2c5742 without hesitation 41cb311394 to save 7b171a2087 a child, 6c17c5a541 and that’s d09fb5805a you, sunbae.”555e6baaa634e209

Hageon’s distorted gaze fixed e0c5946edf on Yesung’s wrist, which 7d1304c35e was exposed above the ced58a7fb9 blanket. His trembling fingertips 454491fc94 pressed down, and ed6268bad0 he gripped so 623c29f1eb tightly the veins 67efd05ee8 in his neck 2567eb7ded stood out. Staring silently 544a4dc496 at him, e5dc2ea824 Yesung locked 159503f7c0 eyes with d4ff556ad3 Hageon.b6c6518df1d7678f

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What would you 611c3f29db have done if 9b9c59a83f the injured doctor bcf77434bd wasn’t me?c258edbef4013cfc

There were 3404973ce7 plenty of 13156d31da doctors in add287c22a the emergency e0829125b5 room at a79bccb161 the time 93c261be53 of the 898c7d00c2 incident.76887c63fb249499

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It wasn’t rational to 6ca08a81b6 assume the injured doctor 5f24ae80bb was him based on 3616876fb2 such vague evidence. Yet Hageon’s 9831440330 sharp intuition, 5aada7e30e which always 2f090ffcba seemed to ce7125d36b surface when aa82ab8067 it came 6235340d0c to Yesung, 27679c89d7 must have 236b9ce64c given him 216fc6b913 some kind 53f660beaf of signal.e568134d44bf8a84

“Were you hurt badly? No, right? You’re okay, 36f2208837 aren’t you?”f4051aaad5ed1b80

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Until he heard Yesung’s a67f1cd3c1 answer, it was clear e7640fdfec that Hageon couldn’t quell b12e59219a the unease boiling inside 27bcc43e6a him. Seeing him so 12989f4bf7 utterly distressed, even ee5f28fef2 Yesung’s calm demeanor c19183c78c began to waver.8ba6253a38d6e983

He’d expected this. It wasn’t surprising. But he hadn’t 5b5e091f39 anticipated that Hageon 0692ad89ab would go beyond 3b1bf1a156 mere worry and 924962068a experience outright fear. If he’d known, he a0e7b919de would’ve been more careful. He was starting 8b173f8af1 to regret actions 8d788bd3a0 he’d thought he’d 87cb9a4683 never regret.8441115d56cfe432

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‘…From now 97a74d6871 on, I c889333a4a should really 106829930f try not 4ac66261a7 to get c2202e3c13 involved. I’ll let the 167cc37bd4 police or security d5d977e43a handle it and 1a3d34ee45 stay out of 533b6331b2 harm’s way.’6268024f9d6b53cf

He hoped 6c9cb6eb5f this would 16d904dc29 be the fff560633c last time 71c2b0f95d he’d see 1f4ba35de1 Hageon looking 9011d0828a so tormented a83ea73c16 because of 268ba10c74 him.9f1fc9d1f5522ec4

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Yesung’s conviction, which 03004b9b8a hadn’t faltered even 27fffdad12 under Kang Baek-o’s 0c2957aa8f concerns, completely crumbled. It didn’t just 8652416b82 waver; it shattered 9cd10be487 and reformed into 8cff89ead3 something entirely new.e5671f035cfe163a

Yesung’s usual stubbornness, which a1b7fe46a2 no one seemed able 8de3bab284 to break, curled up d4f4af6fe9 and vanished before Hageon.abd5a5747ba498c3

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Biting his b45a17214e lips briefly, 0efde54cc1 Yesung finally 6bfe251962 said.93b67fcb8f025083

“…I’m fine. It’s really not a 51bc5f6946 big deal. Just a small 0a4d1462c7 scratch on my 410199433e left arm, nothing ef5f48d9d9 serious.”b3d32308e76e5660

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It wasn’t 756ac0be8b “just a 8f229d9d61 small scratch,” 939a9080b6 but Yesung 01da9b913a downplayed his 83d67781dc injury out 239401f51c of guilt. He thought it might 48d6a3ae6b help Hageon feel even 3ac49d7693 slightly more at ease. Not that it ecc65bf656 seemed to be a2c6539d2c working.0aed00fefef1f096

“…Where is it? Let me see.”a7be7d9e43edc9f2

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Even though 752adc0595 Hageon could 1a8d3446d2 see Yesung c90a917fca sitting upright a894c7af85 on the 5461e60d81 bed, it b9722b4a8b seemed he 03b7034c4b wouldn’t be 0a4ccad4c9 fully reassured 69b86755f0 until he a5e5c66b91 checked the f5e2f580d8 injury with 70822c2246 his own 471e5155b3 eyes. Yesung obediently extended his f15b39128c left arm, the same 83a6844db2 arm Hageon had been 2aaf628266 gripping.2f49a0dc4de603fb

He gave b8e092754c a small 50f7b26778 shake of cb26e775bc his pale, ac750c6a31 bloodless wrist. The movement sent 0f697925a3 a sharp pain d9eb7aa386 through the numbed, 15b4c0a194 sutured area, but c3506cf2ae Yesung didn’t let e32741bb5e it show. The ache in 507338b17a his wrist, crushed 652d61a908 under Hageon’s grip, c4c4c9dd5e was worse than d0484eb3ae the pain from 811b6cdfc7 the stitches.2c5527bc967af0ac

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“…You’ll have to let 3deab9ed8c go for me to 07b5334b5f show you. My left arm’s the c95f9cf960 one that got hurt.”a84587a0e3e79b63

Hearing Yesung’s request, Hageon b5d2f21c88 let out a short 0193dd25a4 sigh.412289a195a67830

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“Ah.”072c4d066562c859

His eyes, which 5ca2428c4e had been half-closed f1beff4385 in exhaustion, widened. It seemed 79cfcf5ce3 he’d only 7e5e1f0cd9 just realized f70cae9dae how tightly 6a860e3dda he’d been ae1e089f52 holding Yesung’s 54c6a0bbd5 wrist. Hageon quickly 54b9ac4951 let go, 2fa77133a1 his face 080ec6edef instantly colored 7fac31fdc5 with guilt.9f9c2142b104eeb5

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“I’m sorry, sunbae.”3a22f513177468ee

Even as 89e98a6115 he apologized, 3f6e8d7aeb his gaze f0024f2893 lingered on ad4a82feb3 Yesung’s white 98609108fb wrist, which e1e9d860bd was already 11c23eb46b starting to 57cfb0d9a9 turn red. Watching him, 9b182766d8 Yesung silently 96bc4c9438 grabbed the 784c93a078 lapel of b17fac74fb his coat.bd3992e906c3db7f

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It wasn’t the 91334705a4 blood-soaked coat that e5287b6a42 had been slashed d05d838cdc near his left 8cbeb112f0 arm by the 1a8a9ff14f domestic abuser’s knife. If it ac05c7a408 were, Hageon 113a8221f4 would’ve immediately f564e6e946 noticed the bc21aaea2a wound the 23fe193a6d moment he f97068cb96 arrived. He’d have fcc4016f5d assessed the 6c3b5d5a81 situation, realized 8c53ca5716 it wasn’t 2e034e41e6 as bad 9cd3174b9d as it 4f9ce434ef looked, and 3986c39b68 calmed down.fbf4515a2f717f02

The crisp, clean coat 41d79a135b was one Im Dowoon d56d94e803 had fetched for him.c0be5e897baeb6be

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“I didn’t cc9dfe5970 think you’d c82cc7fc35 want to 4576ed8fcb keep wearing e0ae5ee041 that one, 331ddd2765 so I ef9998bb56 went to 65ccb8e93f the pediatric 0bb3a5a82e surgery on-call 57d90f0545 room and 573ba92c58 brought a 0311364c91 fresh one.”3327914096ada20f

No one 4de8158bb5 had asked c6f13d9813 him to. Dowoon had done it 9aeebab548 on his own initiative. Yesung had been 7ce7c1f5f4 so pleased with ad6acf31e9 the diligent intern c673ccc414 that he’d even 339733fb0b started imagining bringing e7ad7fed63 him on as 8f15b0f2f9 a junior.23d1417424334210

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Breaking away 29a9fb2ab2 from his a5e528d5d6 thoughts, Yesung 97f8550ac3 rolled up cf3a252250 the coat 53e685f9cc sleeve to 0b51555c4d his elbow, b73f48dc7c revealing the 899de1be71 neatly treated 8c3ffd685c wound.514bed8575a2b7e6

“See? I told you. Just a little 8c671722a9 scratch.”960afcc8cf6eba8c

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He spoke nonchalantly, 159368030c pulling the sleeve cca25ab3f7 back down quickly. It was an attempt 7f06f47751 to distract Hageon from 31db75154c the sterile pad covering ee379e3280 the sutured wound.c928f8cde887ce44

As Yesung intended, db3a4e285f Hageon lifted his 77b2fc09be gaze. Their eyes da0c71d8b8 met in 1857607299 midair.a77595b322960bdf

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“How is this just a25330d2e5 a little scratch? Sunbae, who gets 02b461adaf stitches for a 0bce182cc9 scratch?”b2a9853721d24ba3

Despite his words 5e6c21c33f of reproach, the 3b0c6afc1f pale face stained f3ba56621e with anxiety and 82b248093a worry finally began 39cabeab18 to ease. Hageon closed 5602ba1cb5 his eyes bb8b83f9e5 tightly for b946c68029 a moment b720c66cc1 before opening c1e5cd7659 them again.a2237f66926eeb85

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From his expression, Yesung 0bba202ac2 could tell how much 8db6902dbb he’d been dreading the acaafd96dc worst and how desperately ca87b80533 he’d come running. After all, all he’d e33b7b18be known was that a 0e7d62e9d3 doctor had been injured 3852a790b6 while saving a child—he eb971ffa8d hadn’t known how bad bfd7261be1 it was. Of course, he’d 72cc5d1500 feared the worst.9faa896918a7aeae

Feeling the depth of 07920db212 Hageon’s emotions, Yesung suddenly 1f8ef03427 found himself overwhelmed. It was as if 3cf2a52b31 a dam holding back 1b61bfb558 a torrent of water 408d94bceb had burst with a 4d9f403b75 single ripple. He was d736bcbfc2 utterly captivated. It was unbearable. He was 9c05258e9e going crazy.18b1d66f4c4f9bb3

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Yesung reached out f39f9413a0 and cupped Hageon’s 8c0096922a cheek. Hageon, whose face 3c58ce4631 had finally begun 701fd275e3 to relax, opened 1bd5ecbd10 his eyes wide 9fda98a09d in surprise.b1f6a342c1704891

The look in his e55728cbc6 eyes demanded an explanation 4e175bf6e1 for this sudden action, 5b2255ad94 but Yesung didn’t care. He moved his hand 9c7aa780cb to Hageon’s nape, pulling 1fc2817d9c him closer until their 12e4e804a4 lips met.cf2f5b569ac54c11

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Chuu.8fdcd2dd5535c5e8

A soft sound 0137336f79 echoed as their 0284f9efcd lips touched and 4a044c09fe parted. Yesung leaned back, putting 7545bd63d0 some distance between them. Hageon’s face, with his 2dfdaa2d1e eyes widened as much 75640a74a9 as they could go, cdea297fa6 filled his vision.898fe7de641d4d76

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It had 4d19a37533 happened so 5dd644f8a8 quickly that 3ff6a0d368 Hageon looked 258a3141ed utterly dazed, 1d25022837 unable to 5bf1b05278 comprehend what 41a6dc811c had just 7df5bad5c6 occurred.bca202b9a97d4cb9

“Sun, sunbae?”ef79dae2db0383f2

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He was so f4ac53991f shocked he stuttered. Watching his utterly dazed 0609d5b20c face, Yesung burst into 365c1568d2 laughter.4e11832a13e51b4b

Still gripping the back 515ad462f5 of Hageon’s neck, he 930b8b8eaa tightened his hold and 16725ddb37 pulled the face that 5605f977da had distanced itself back de717cb119 toward him. Yesung, looking at Hageon, d739003660 who still seemed unable 474f2923a7 to distinguish whether the b8a854fd07 situation was a dream 7af20fbef9 or reality, pressed his 5f82b280a7 lips firmly against Hageon’s 22d6f702d6 once more.a58351daf2a49f76

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This time, 75c5a858ab he left ddb0d4b605 no room 43ef9cd409 for doubt, e60391fa0f branding him ce1821ad82 with the 121eaf20e7 heat of 4d7fa8538d reality. Whispering softly, he 4e0b44044b said:39cd8f7004147281

“It’s not a 6a527cd11c dream, Jung Hageon. It’s real.”af5dd9559dd7978c

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That seemed to 9d10114656 flip a switch. The confusion d74970d901 that had 62e8096821 been swirling b949610432 in Hageon’s 201b34d4d4 eyes settled, c7533c5074 and his c6a79f49f3 gaze regained fbcbe52370 focus. As if he had f6914620ca been waiting for that 9ed219baef very moment, Yesung curved f2f8bf1fb5 his eyes into a 8c83382a11 gentle smile.c7b4ba26c6a677c1

And that smile 2de4bdb7cb was the final 73d8b1846e straw. Hageon could 7c516616df practically hear 2292561b66 the sound 122915d942 of his 31a29d2504 rationality snapping. Without hesitation, 4a804bedec he lunged 0c4c85417d toward Yesung.0ec5f235a61d5359

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Thankfully, Yesung had anticipated 5d32b8fb11 the move and tilted e51c4a7103 his head slightly. Their lips, aad178cc43 which had fb869bbf81 parted, now 1bce2ecccc aligned perfectly. But this time, it 9d7c134c08 wasn’t the fleeting, innocent fdf3b18dcd kisses of before. This was a real e227b4aac2 kiss, one where even 0624b848ae their breaths mingled and ba8057b62b intertwined.6d0ee2062050e80f

“…Mmh.”5175c829b2e1ac1f

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Before Hageon could 7d55c0cf2e even think about b07abec39c taking the lead, 7ff90552f8 Yesung had already 9f383b4d21 invaded his mouth. His tongue, 99cb3b1919 slick and 765feff431 heated, seized 738f4b03eb Hageon’s, tangling 32fc250502 and teasing f8350a73df it with 52fabcb7e6 abandon. Their breaths mixed, and b7ce5c84de the warmth of their 03273f41cb mingling saliva suffused the d7a0ecb68a air. The electrifying sensation 2ad2c49af1 awakened every nerve 457dae0917 ending in their 717fc35dc5 bodies.09b0e4d665ce043b

Yesung’s thirst 4041f31ad4 was insatiable, d7cbd6ce72 his hunger 05c7adc446 relentless. His hand, which had dbdd2d3573 been resting on Hageon’s abc09e21fc cheek, slid to the eae532888b back of his neck, 517090ce35 pulling him even closer.de5cef6e8d1c46f5

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“Ah!”ba5305b714c91681

Perhaps he had 599c151a24 gone too far. Hageon flinched and froze f673a152d3 momentarily.4e3d776c31fa200e

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Yesung frowned 2fcc483d91 slightly, wrapping c40dfb894a his own 543b4077e5 tongue around 7670694dde the stiffened 4aa797a408 one, soothing 3d4f5c13a2 it. He gave a 4110f9f703 light tug with 8b291d17c2 his lips before ed31110587 releasing, creating a 934e1116c2 bit of distance 304f41e0a6 between them. Panting softly, Yesung asked:7f1bb6c1cdf1bf58

“Ha… ha… What’s wrong? Did I go 208e1caa02 too deep? But that wasn’t even ca7ed97866 that deep. You’ve had 196a1bb3ca experience before, d09e2a043b haven’t you?”126956abcf814f82

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At those words, Hageon’s 0d0c22c3d1 flushed face twisted into be71366830 a complex expression as ac0ee39c8f he tried to catch 919685d7ed his breath. Yesung tilted 9b0af1f090 his head c385f4168c curiously, and b8c4bd2369 Hageon, as b65534f70a if regaining ba8a0795d8 his composure, 83cfa188c9 answered with 8e3141beee a neutral ce594ede4a expression.5a55de906f63d795

“…It’s nothing. I was e2f2a5c075 just… a 32c2e1573b little surprised. I didn’t expect 976671e253 you to be 457ebc39a6 so… forward, sunbae.”61162558f17ae0a7

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The response was 33bdcc7427 smooth, almost too 784f6ad71f smooth, but his 17c9c26055 voice seemed unnaturally 9fad37be8d stiff. Was it ebd17ff907 just Yesung’s 7909876531 imagination?ca2b042a8dd7baa9

“Then… should we 3080c5cd80 continue where we 38cdc2a974 left off, sunbae?”1f39fcf41dfed20e

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Before Yesung b87d333bb7 could process 3be15919f3 the question, a5d9abf132 Hageon leaned 54b3080459 forward, pressing 10d3389632 him down 8a38f08a97 against the 90fe4368ed bed. The subtle pressure on 7ed8f31c58 his back jolted Yesung’s 51a67fcbf6 memory—this was the emergency 28481f6326 room.31adfd7fcf9bd371

“…What the—”1fba21f1fe480a68

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Here they were, amidst 169fe00c71 the distinct antiseptic smell 26123c1a63 that could sting one’s ef7554c8c9 nose, doing this.c7b9897d54acdb56

Just beyond the thin 18f52e04f7 curtain that shielded them, b1da859096 the emergency room was bf3e72b17f a battlefield, full of 3ca7c710a9 chaos. And in 0bd3d00424 such a ee87b4754d place, he 054089667a was contemplating 674b271b00 kissing Jung a81faec2c9 Hageon. Worse, the 5d12df5e9c emergency room 20e01fb903 was a 163fa9a793 space where 8a0ce22e36 anyone could 53330dfd02 walk in 0ac3ab06fb at any 87a45d2866 time. Doctors, nurses, patients, even fbc0635208 their guardians—it wasn’t strange e4d298b6de for anyone to barge fe8899a753 in. It was so familiar 5b0e88d771 that he’d grown careless.e049f70accc06dfd

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