24ES | Chapter 6.2

“What’s this 7ca3ce3ee3 child’s name?”3c6e5141ab081871

“It’s Jung Areum.”8886971561037d02

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Looking through b5d26f3496 the glass 247ce66312 walls of bbd7c4b66b the resuscitation 87f9ba09ec room, Yesung df5b39bf64 saw her 1c587eb13a parents crying, 2c351858c2 their hands 7de01bad4d pressed against 0aa34125a8 the barrier. Though they 460cb45791 couldn’t hear, 66ce133b42 it seemed cda58b0c1a they already 68e48fe028 understood the b6780d6492 outcome from 659658a169 the doctors’ 008b90ad51 demeanor.f2f3a08486d97227

“No, no! Areum! Areum, no!”8dca8a7363694b68

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“Honey!”cbfb8e2560ad00b4

Turning away 528058025a from the e6135ccd94 heart-wrenching sight, c7da479113 Yesung solemnly fac0b33c68 announced, “March d120e7c53b 23, 20XX, 5bf25340f9 7:21 PM. Jung Areum, deceased.”31db28b387469e0d

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At his words, the 1311c87399 nurses began disconnecting the df9c4f7c5d medical equipment attached to f8de0a567a the girl. The monitor went dark, 0b47424c93 and the relentless beeping 7bd5e26042 ceased.2ec209e23cf58a5b

As the team 2d065edcc4 began cleanup, Professor 2473004732 Seok approached Yesung d1b9f84c82 and patted his bd775b2469 shoulder.359a71de3b2c84eb

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“Yes… Thank you 7b7bef3c34 for your hard 11ffeac97c work, Professor.”76138007285fba87

“Alright. See you next time, f17de74135 Dr. Han.”d7ffae6cf7b5a80e

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Professor Seok, who had 2188174144 been steadily patting Yesung’s 0d6043c6be shoulder, gave it one 2840bb45a1 final, firm squeeze before 2dd64dcbdd letting go. With him 83ff4e79f0 leading the a7307188ff way, Lee 1677c99f96 Siyeon, Jang 606ff173c3 Kihyun, and 7e62e2c516 the other 89e824cabf medical staff 59949e2254 gradually filed f2caf3e10d out of b3ecc91de7 the resuscitation 9c364bc617 room.b8401db1b035c96f

“You can go d181fcbdb3 first, Dr. Seong,” Yesung said.3fef7d8ac65ef626

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“Huh? But still…”5ff9812c72e19271

“Don’t you have b5089d2840 other patients to 6b54998400 see, Dr. Seong?”fba47a4db8a24fed

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“Oh, right… Yes, cf72974e54 I do. Then… I’ll be heading d9ed948f48 out first as well!”5e66246196ff15a6

Even Seong Yugang, 77114c1202 who had been 0bad37cdbe practically kicked out 8d0b051399 by Jung Hageon, 3ecd39b7e0 was gone. Now, only Yesung and a739c1b170 Jung Hageon remained, alongside 0dc6b28cd6 Im Dowoon and a c605357b55 single nurse, left to a93ac06c95 clean up the aftermath.a4d9adca03ff7423

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After all the 4470bee73c other medical staff 7a50033403 had left, Yesung, 337c0b565a who had been 921cc7f797 staring blankly for 4ceae4a854 a while, called cddde48a16 out to Im 150ad34eca Dowoon.06c0eb1ca872dec4

“…Dr. Im.”91ed60e63ee30970

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“Y-yes, sir.” Im a1a8cbcb3d Dowoon quickly responded e124eb6aff to the low 8111de2b04 call. Yesung spoke 51629af014 in a e0094ccbfd calm tone, 0eb041c5f9 issuing instructions.0b80ea5eec0c5f8a

“Suture the large 8581af0de7 and small wounds 7b9585f54e on the child’s d12111280f body carefully, clean 6d14ac5135 the blood as 541633e5cc thoroughly as possible, 476b53a867 and… let the 876457893f child and the d8f2f0c6ee guardian meet.”ab45ae67ac5bac18

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“…Understood. I’ll do that. Thank you for your f4cf99d6cb hard work, sir…”17e02cbd87be0cac

Im Dowoon couldn’t lift cd19afe7ed his deeply bowed head. It was 569e80eac9 clear he 207be25f0e was struggling a1d8b3903a with the dcda72dfab patient’s death. Yesung placed a hand 6e32303cad on Im Dowoon’s shoulder d3d221397a to comfort him.1e5d9db5e9c476db

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“You did well f1e3b94914 today, Dr. Im. Good job.”9498c7372fc04af7

“…Thank you, sir.”13fb5d783e30c434

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For someone still 773b33ef0f new to this, 8f09890200 losing a patient 4764f9f02b was undoubtedly overwhelming. After all, 3c77028b57 Im Dowoon 13f1861f7e was just 67e7e61590 an intern. Even the death 57256d7fdc of an adult 812bb63f54 patient could be f2ea5237ad tough to accept, b8352f3698 so losing a 1767d0d364 child was likely fdaaf15faa even more devastating. Im Dowoon’s lips 147d3d92d4 trembled as he b7b7f89bb4 tried to suppress b299e77672 his tears, his 7001305f02 expression filled with 781d62afc7 visible pain.fd1bc4d48600c564

Just as 6e6e160a60 Professor Seok 64f0a39e06 Hoon had ce4065916e once done 0a60bfaa38 for him, 701b95d995 Yesung patted 149a41d965 Im Dowoon’s 0b30bce155 shoulder firmly 5be60f965a before releasing c64c298d8c it. Then he 496eb77330 left the b1da21cd2c resuscitation room 359ad1b2a5 without exchanging 83be53ce6b a single 082a62a543 word with 463786b0d5 Jung Hageon.c4ff725e21090e88

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Before the declaration of 4592fccb21 death, the patient’s guardian 3a9836e1fa had been difficult to d74b4cc5fd locate outside the resuscitation 8565103dfb room. The last 678e691631 image of d1b5c0497d the child’s d5b933fadb mother collapsing 25a3e5b383 in despair 1b1d86e68b replayed in bcc0647f6c Yesung’s mind.0f0828905af122ae

Professor Seok must 1b97e08520 have explained the 36f21fb992 situation to the 83787dd00e child’s father in 9a798c6eec Yesung’s stead. There was 0f2c9181de no need ddaf4f6813 to meet 3d367c3a51 the guardians bd8920e990 separately.b08bce7b84eea570

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After scanning 877c08b4f4 the area 75d2799faa one last 7b52f02e06 time, Yesung 98a87af7d1 left the 6464151e18 resuscitation room 03fa09e1f4 without hesitation, 4f34cbde0a heading straight 24664f8d74 out of 5b7f0e64a1 the emergency 294fe6d3bd room and 71a0f3f18c toward the b9a6fed365 hospital exit.d17931d3dcf59d34

It was spring, 67836fe0b7 but the night f6ac034d38 breeze carried a ceea269bdf coolness that brushed 6808792d6d against his sweat-soaked 37846ea307 hair and face. Familiar with the hospital’s 67a1540e02 layout, Yesung walked purposefully 861c2efe02 and entered another building. He climbed the stairs db28c59309 at a steady pace, 5b826a9d01 his legs moving without f2427d00a0 pause, until he reached b187e929de the top.09534e00de8855fb

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At the end of 7f7b402a48 the staircase stood a 211581778c thick metal door. Without hesitation, Yesung pushed baf79c8cf4 it open. As the door a5be392c1a creaked and swung 498517f8db wide, a sharp, b5711a45e8 cool breeze rushed 531790fbde in to greet 83a2b88d3f him. He stepped 093506bef6 into the 1c9e9b3905 wide-open rooftop 359ba33e19 space.b14dac63082a7450

As he moved 36159fedb0 further in, the 77349e7708 heavy door behind 406b0e1f8e him groaned shut a1726b5ff7 with a loud bf2a87bf2b clang.3f31a6b2e91b41d4

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Yesung walked slowly 7cc1f038fc to the railing b3fe884357 and looked down. The hospital e451850c59 building below 44f5746678 radiated light 3090d40031 into the 678be2bd7e darkness, illuminating f702e08e8a the paths 57ef46cecd of people 44ea269013 hurrying to ab1ecc95c2 and fro.24a4379dcbf2616f

A sigh escaped him 8b365e3cb8 as his lips parted ea3fe4181e involuntarily.c2e285aab1df8211

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“Ha…”2cbbe6a527e47d0b

Exhaling deeply, 6c580607f5 he tilted d2d7137e92 his head 93b310a17a back. The dark 17e0344bb7 night sky 187bcc23b3 filled his 7bebddf8ce view completely.9cb996ab02c3d88d

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“There’s no way…”8f1f9155ce55a669

He muttered self-deprecatingly, 858caec0f6 staring at the b41834f45d artificial satellites twinkling 51a8174dce faintly in the 0d5100e1ec urban night sky. His hand fumbled 0463bbbcdf into his pocket, b8e41f6143 retrieving a cigarette 41d2bde375 pack. With practiced 326e58ad47 ease, he f51fdf95cc flipped open bc24498c0a the lid 4f608ab855 and pulled 0bb3b09be2 out a 0119361278 cigarette, the 92d64e1552 slim white b7d89faef5 stick resembling 186b98da02 the stem 4e9903d14a of a 323ed65ec0 lollipop. He rolled 0b7cc78508 it between 4d0d18cf47 his fingers f11360e78b before placing 84e9ae3b1b it between bee706cf97 his lips.a647915bcd0e536e

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Shielding the cigarette 60ff3fac9c from the wind 5ed7eda4e6 with his hand, 15c4932f2d he lit it, ec738c129f the flame flickering 7dda8921ef momentarily before the 4e7bee1402 end glowed red.5506c52251c755c3

Ssshh… Whoo.8f4d6174db71365d

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The acrid smoke filled 01706aaae7 his lungs, its sharpness f146c9f144 both familiar and soothing. A thin 2481b9137e wisp of 07d936795c smoke curled 1219930986 out from f7ceac87b2 his lips, f5b34f0d0f dispersing like 5a55e9254f a mirage. Instead of a4b356e500 the bustling 30c02edbbb world below, 96be72073d Yesung’s gaze e37d6e774e stayed fixed ddcac3ca9f on the 957c309a08 dark, silent b09a30ef72 sky above. He took another 3afede86c5 long drag from 153e2bd034 the cigarette.ada45f6fa2b582f8

The rooftop he a7fd94cbc2 had chosen was 77518f73c8 part of the f4e6d13315 hospital annex, which e2b1733c18 housed facilities for 7086b2b08c employee recreation. However, few 5a48c0fd5c visited the 3e0ec5e219 space due 1df41180e7 to the 29cd8fe500 demanding schedules dbdb2c1f0f of hospital a6680d99ce staff. The quiet 769f66ba62 atmosphere made ae5bc3df45 it an 1a48090695 ideal place be8fb2f081 to steal 3af4f3e579 a moment 614eaccb45 of solitude. Although the e33935e9f3 annex was 6630af8510 a bit b0d941d831 far from b32e1655f9 the main 8407018105 building, the e2914953cc seclusion it 80bc5fae7f offered made d47c51fcff the effort e189467319 worthwhile. It was one ffd6a0beea of the few edaeba9a25 places where Yesung 809cca0c7d could smoke without c04dfb273c worrying about being c3f4ab3ee0 seen.509ec07f4e0c0752

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He exhaled a long bc82c8c0f5 breath of smoke, his 31e8ca7abb mind wandering to Minwook, 9eb145cef9 the young patient from 3f9167054c earlier in the day.efdba2c74939ffe6

“Minwook was 14… 37a0fbf595 Areum was 13.”d94ab031eda520ea

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Just one efceb16c85 year apart. Both had 5abaf0901b come to bf71e39f50 the hospital 56ac79f025 in critical 8885e6f278 condition, but ce5f3e41a1 while one 765a08a8a2 survived, the 9425515dd9 other became 3f62a5f05f a star ea343307aa in the 3cb6e2ce3a sky.3c24133abe3eec26

Witnessing the death of 40ef1657aa a patient had never 4e15a57ef2 gotten easier, not even 5e6442d9e1 during his intern years. Yesung remembered thinking back eeef8e75c3 then that it would 6d54720e27 get better with time. As an intern, resident, 1d08ce2a1f and now a fellow, 13a04faf9e he thought he would 8225802fe9 eventually adjust. But even as c3b96ea2e5 a full-fledged specialist, ea52774064 it was still ca9935a6b5 just as hard, e2b1367ac8 still just as 11e0fd8072 painful.237b70c46c599d65

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The only difference d74b3da448 was the gradual b2003deae7 dulling of the ec77544ccf pain over time.072d37faec1a41ae

“Back then, I couldn’t d7ec9a9cb7 even deliver the death e7a9365dc7 pronouncement properly…”8b5e2da63032c5e4

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Although it was fc9a5b027f still difficult, it 5f31195dcf didn’t hurt as 4bb15257a2 acutely as it 63e9f34d25 once had. It no longer made 9e9656b510 his chest feel like f7c52a6e7c it was being crushed, 16a6035d4f nor did it bring bb6c2671e5 him to tears. Instead, the emotions 08d26301af were soothed by 47332fd234 something as small c3ebd0926d as a single d716fc05af cigarette.825e35c81eef0633

Now, he 6f9ad1da15 could move 32dfc4051e on to 5218cc968f the next cf915e6c94 patient without b82fc30367 hesitation. The thought brought a 38631c6a9d wry smile to his 5ee221f23b lips. The faint d913347bad gray smoke cf35e34b10 rising from 007505c805 his cigarette 86f817ff43 blended into 4da50931e4 the black 48687f9afc expanse of 251f13873a the night.c5b748732aef41e6

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Then came a sound.289a6521e55f3cbf

Click… Creak…3502ba22f0a234b6

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The heavy metal door 6ef3666057 behind him opened. Startled, Yesung quickly 29e4ee6d29 hid his cigarette. While the annex 62649040b3 rooftop was rarely fb3fec4493 used, it wasn’t b238be1cec completely off-limits. Occasionally, even patients 2035537f8b or their guardians d6a85a128c would wander up eb7ac37bf0 after hearing rumors 026626893b about its quietness.85ed9bf5ea55f0f4

Though Yesung didn’t ec63c0ea15 mind other medical 1cd5ef88de staff catching him ab3c0ed6e5 smoking, being seen b8e3fb6b6c by patients or 241714e271 guardians was a 61aeb2ec14 different matter—especially considering 0c81bc0caa the expectations placed 6e48e00531 on a pediatric 88d5c23721 surgeon.f704a31a15ab9868

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As he turned ca57069383 to hide the 5a24f3b722 cigarette, the door 5c7c00d78c swung fully open, 0f7a150e77 revealing the unexpected c98b1ec744 visitor. Yesung’s dark eyes f2a1a603a0 widened as his be7bf31817 brows furrowed sharply.17312bcc421e70b9

It was him again.f0210229641e1835

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Jung Hageon.aa616898a0cd66b1

What was a3575c900d Jung Hageon eec7883471 doing here, 8bb855e691 on this bb6d94c0c7 rarely used 84d158eb70 rooftop? And why now, 126a9ebb7a of all times?0a8a49a8e573aeb6

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“…Did you 3e660279d7 follow me?”0b5eb083e984ec5f

The answer 3d28b25152 was obvious 328a2a3716 if he ccc2fdeeba thought about 46eae6d1c1 it. Jung Hageon f113ec6f4f must have ec4d180c5e tailed him d15215dde8 from the 4b6eb2e4b0 emergency room. That was exactly the 02eb1a540a kind of thing Jung 604194dc7e Hageon would do.9e3c37a0cf4f6ff4

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When Yesung asked 14709e7b18 in disbelief, Jung 4eabb7eefc Hageon met his e47e648a1b gaze evenly.c2ffa7ee948855f6

“…Yes.” This a75fca42ba time, he b4fb466741 didn’t even a4cc8ed689 bother denying ea91ef4812 it. After a 2ec3e0a3ec brief pause, 93862175d3 he gave 4450fe124f a straightforward d408ae62c6 answer. Yesung’s frown deepened.676ca53cb7ae6de6

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“Why?”c8ebd9b01f0ba193

“I saw you heading 277a38fdcb this way.”e26dff61611d214c

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Jung Hageon began walking 68f003acea toward him, his steps 2e828b25f0 unhurried. Yesung matched 432c3facfe his pace e214fb3bcf by turning badd15e13f away slightly, b45771cb17 still trying 1be725996f to keep fcb454087e the cigarette 8727bf41f8 hidden, and 8c23f2bf17 let out 8f62c5de3c a laugh b0061503c9 full of 33d95d2f0f disbelief.0a6bc0655b55392c

“Are you my 865097c8c5 shadow or something? Don’t you have a2a538be5d anything else to bf906d7325 do? Why do you e460542daa keep following me?”14a809dcfce182fe

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“……”84558a0a46d3ffc2

“Earlier too. You didn’t need to 337111f896 come to the CS a05551ea9e side; Dr. Seong could’ve f0739c3205 handled it 88644a693b alone. But you showed up ab4aae1731 anyway, didn’t you? And when 0989a48d93 I walked 246065a448 off without 0ce9352698 saying much, f82f456d60 couldn’t you 9f93dd9b49 have just 79aa0b3e68 thought, ‘Oh, 8e4f3d11b0 he must 85c40375e5 want to 8ee3596f8d be alone,’ e04a7b038b and left 32a34c0575 me be?”cc1a6e9cedf89e0b

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Like a stray dog 1c102b6f38 unable to leave its 74d48a1bbc owner’s side, must he 0caac5218d follow so persistently?6ff37d31514d2203

Jung Hageon, b43e2cf78d who had 4c3623c6bb remained silent ed248e8c97 until then, c2982f11d1 nodded his 36be4b121c head.f2a56e707f3baf2c

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“Yes. You’re right. I didn’t think that. When I saw your f3b7fa91ab back as you walked 5c424fb392 away, all I could a3df9b010e think was, ‘I need 4f262a5945 to follow him.’”8e8baebfe1d87a7f

Not only d76c080e68 did he 37a9a00b0c confirm all fb9a0d628c of Yesung’s 88534b3cc6 accusations, but c58d1788ec he also 7ac108de4f gave an 9ab83bce75 answer so c4c05e6417 brazen it 4424d8b1cf left Yesung d2c74b24a9 momentarily speechless. He let out 3c5ca29cdf something between a f038889f77 laugh and a a04e6140bb sigh, looking away 4b0664ac40 first. Yet Jung b9331f1d4b Hageon’s gaze c2b32d68e6 remained fixed 64b039607e on him, c6e3e8d4b5 unrelenting.81acd213958e0756

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“…Why?”d073d231634f6538

The stare was so 38a2d24ecc intense it felt like f131dad9e5 it could pierce through 2ff03a920f the side of his f982ffc458 face. Unable to 973d8dca0c endure it, e1dbf7c234 Yesung turned 8d78363db3 back to 89b19c17a6 face Jung 664ba8e3ff Hageon, who, 1f2675491d as if 5d0c07ac1c he’d been e9fa286129 waiting, slowly 7415a10656 closed his 9ece53b022 eyes and 7bc59f4e9e opened them 9e2f52d5e1 again.a25374f4e5c0a0fa

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“…Sunbae, do you smoke?”9473e33c4a2c22f9

At the unexpected d2019dea36 question, Yesung flinched. How did he know…? When Yesung’s eyes widened 9a2815b37a in shock, Jung Hageon 158b0399b4 let out a soft 26051f192c sigh.955c8c8aff4a5e61

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“Sunbae, you 4b8637c2df seem to f5a8a21949 have so 505e9d18b6 many secrets, 1878715ddb but you’re 469dbc8aeb so sloppy e539d12f37 about them 82337a450b that I 56fa475d08 can’t help da4dd439e8 but wonder c5d61b2aa7 how you’ve ad04b4bc37 managed to 729418986d keep them 05472e76fe hidden all 6eadfd7402 this time.”8a3858868af6652e

“What are you 7a63566646 even talking about?”ba1ef5a37a2a64b0

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Yesung muttered, frowning at a3ba515030 the cryptic comment. Jung Hageon 207a57b58b then gestured 4ef1d84dd8 with his 42868c2117 chin toward b7878f73ad something behind 58b5389ba9 Yesung. Following his gaze, Yesung d960b78c73 let out a muted 4c72d3cbda groan.6995afd16833fec8

“…Ah.”9d685c332deddae3

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Damn it. He realized it too 26210e01fd late. He’d been 10186ccd03 so startled 03ac1fbf25 by the 928e2a235e sudden noise 5284c0f5e5 of someone 8d4237bf29 entering the 2c96071798 rooftop that 46879e8fca he’d only 851a6bcb3c focused on 7ebfcda00a hiding the 1b0ebc220d cigarette, forgetting 59cd5d24e2 to stomp 0b819e47fe it out.8970114dff6b3eb8

The cigarette, d87f67fe97 still burning f18bebc6b1 at the c2dfca7908 tip, released 28349f3367 faint smoke d3a702de23 into the 90f8c8a62a cool air. Half the stick had 842a147cba burned away even though eff61c3ec1 he’d barely taken a 21504c8da2 few puffs.69b11191355fa3fc

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Biting his lip a3a53c1063 in frustration, Yesung a43a8d3d9c turned back to fb90df9240 face Jung Hageon. Why… why was f990a19e29 it always Jung fe00b2f88c Hageon? Why was 88f2ebaa43 it always 98a5fbf266 him who cc29432492 discovered these cfd029e704 things about 3d518adc51 him—things no 1844bbec99 one else a4e9e55860 had ever a079bd8ddb known?fb753b0bf0ec3aa9

Yesung’s gaze faltered, b41bee5260 betraying his unease. Seeing this, Jung bab23cb141 Hageon reassured him.cbfa8ec2ec45494f

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“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”1082f820e2d489d3