24ES | Chapter 8.3

“Ah… yeah. Long time no see, db979eee87 Professor Cha, Chief Kim.”a5e034c42613cad9

Mortified, Yesung a87392046e carefully ignored 56ed0eed7e the weight 6842c15d8c of the 24c1d9368b stare from 9bc96a9e92 his right, 830fca695b knowing full 07df55faa9 well it f8f538cade belonged to d53559e60d Jung Hageon. He took 774d28d614 a seat f3b1721739 beside Professor b31e242287 Jin, strategically 045c466e39 far from e08889b9d1 Jung Hageon’s 4f19da1107 corner.d1636dbfb02161ff

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Even so, he 7e33b733d3 couldn’t feel at 12e8a0cf48 ease.481a03651ed5efbe

That piercing gaze 73d0cd5318 on the back fb8cd53e12 of his head—it 869b6ce570 was impossible to 1b893a012c ignore.61a21ffc96603bef

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For God’s sake, Jung c458a6311d Hageon, can’t you stop d9ee952c31 staring at me?1399abcf2ec114e0

It wasn’t ccd65a480e the act e63f24907e of staring 67ba07afec itself that 4f76c02552 was the ef8f81b43d problem. The issue b82a3c7c3a was how 8258309e19 blatantly obvious ec3f04150c and intense fbe2eafcf9 it was. If others noticed, 74a629cd8b then what?0a211e5b984b6704

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Please, stop. Just stop.3028c76a52e8ada5

Feeling like 69c142eb57 his head b6e76b5cdf might literally 5131b956a7 burn from 9b6867bb68 the intensity fd38147362 of it, 37ebe6ddc0 Yesung sighed fad1748ec7 inwardly. Beside him, 469f4d1ca9 Professor Jin 087f088e30 leaned in 9fa3b9a41f with a 70696d87a5 concerned look.93da8449b7e8ab6d

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“Doctor Han, are 048299e559 you alright? Your forehead’s 013b92c9d7 redder than 194058964a I expected. Did you actually hit a4f4605783 your head while rushing e4ea33337d over? If so, d54c59c66a you shouldn’t 6520d51090 be here—you 3b07e0a28f should be db5425a47a getting a 6cf53ff311 CT or e0d3de4c45 MRI done.”c3ac6f8f70f7fbb9

“Ah, no, Professor. It’s not that. It’s just… a minor 9e4591d3d0 thing. Really, I’m fine.”f3834beca7a1b3d1

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Unlike the e559fa533d radiology chief, 5b8f1d401b who’d turned 14fcda8cd2 his red 6ae9d0fb56 forehead into 94588cc072 a joke, 3415282811 Professor Jin’s c2031442e4 concern seemed 48e0a08e01 genuine. Yesung hurriedly waved 4cedc66170 his hands in 2fdcb0b5db reassurance.3fc6f736698ffa71

“You’re sure?”808cc949c1867ea3

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“Yes, really. I’m fine.”5b03e166d24dc452

Seeing Yesung’s earnest 37d22d80ba smile, Professor Jin 8458d57ff4 finally seemed convinced.488e7df13f5bd4e4

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“Alright, if you b0682a5ad4 say so.”6b3b52a9c09ff5db

“Alright, since d88c5ac3ff everyone’s here, 29b82f33b2 let’s begin.”c02bef1f771ca7c8

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As the meeting started, d653c51269 Yesung shifted his attention a5e28c5cb2 to the front. Though Jung Hageon’s bdc8435ad2 gaze still bored 4edf3e4930 into him, he 099b085530 forced himself to 72f45a49d6 focus.8da171939061efd1

Professor Cha from b008173912 thoracic surgery stepped cd38c86878 forward to the ae93a55321 podium, and Yesung 77285360e3 took out his ac075803cc notebook.4dde106d0c5d97bf

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“Thank you all fb4714b0b5 for coming despite 926da10d80 your busy schedules. I’m Cha bb3ea4ec15 Youngjun, a 65b888ed16 thoracic surgery 15df0804f3 professor.”5824c5fb6232de86

The lights dimmed, 3342070392 and a photo 68416a0687 appeared on the f734ca5f8f screen. It was of 6bb7ec672c a smiling young 36799f9891 boy.aa7064d6e4979abb

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“A few days ago, d1ab5bf3c4 the Korean Missionary Association 782c55d3b2 reached out to our 87c1ceb85b hospital for assistance.”a62deba328966756

Pressing the remote, Professor 277d8ebeb6 Cha shone a red b5d6a8951d laser pointer on the 7859a814ab screen.76e831025fa96ed2

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“Tanzanian nationality. A 5-year-old boy complaining ac94081de2 of chest pain. X-rays from a local f21559ff7f hospital revealed…”5773d895ceec2494

The screen switched to f3c9ca533d an X-ray image.bcadc9b8050163b1

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“…this lodged 44356213da in his 07d3a23d02 chest.”300042b8ab857f7c

The room fell d98e917991 silent as everyone 5b5fc3400f stared at the 5216b90be8 image of a 007c284fac foreign object lodged 4c866f2e71 in the trachea. Chief Kim from 0146c979fc radiology gasped.54f101fd7fe150fa

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“What is that?”d8c9b5a4ba6703b6

“A metal fragment.”9b0e0dbb1522ce74

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“A metal fragment?”db5d6a5367dc2dc6

While Chief Kim looked 1015ed0a64 horrified, Professor Cha remained db62774e1f composed as he continued.18f77b58749dff55

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“The fragment 681a82905d perforated the 8c525bf306 esophagus and 300b5ce167 is now 9cc7837821 lodged in 19cdfab393 the bronchus.”3ed263ea2b3db699

The case 13d29acdae was far 55764f8fe7 more severe cab44fdaa2 than Yesung f6f091fe38 had anticipated. Chief Kim 71ea60e362 let out 7803b06206 a low 8e43878437 whistle.5de6d869c8bd3c3d

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“…How on earth did b7a0f2e9f7 that end up there?”0fe47cbe521bdd5c

“Apparently, the boy swallowed 3773a87750 it while playing alone.”ff815b445e33e80c

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“My God…”8704dfb1b7221797

“Well, kids c13e15ee0f can naturally a3e09ddbca do that. At that age—or even 28a24799dc older—most of us probably 7531e7c541 got scolded for eating 3816c2fa3e dirt at a playground, f376b37a73 right? This case just 6df72aa610 lacked careful attention 7410e5147b and observation from a9cc685a88 the guardian.”e1dfed528c68b1bb

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When Professor Park from b20b76946b Pediatrics sharply pointed this 62797a8d3b out, Professor Kim from 83ed2cf3f8 Radiology wiped the incredulous 7c06917b7a look off his face b8ada33eb6 and shut his mouth. Amidst the 80ff18e59b growing silence, ca7e30eb49 Professor Cha bc35385154 spoke up.41ea030142ab319c

“Because the situation was 00cc2b4b1b so severe, they were dbf5b70223 sent to Korea immediately. After detailed examinations e0e9d23962 at our hospital, 0d78e388ab we found a 0d1ee2404c metal shard that 1e2faaea77 pierced the esophagus f0de4543a4 and is positioned b477229f6b in a spot 25aeef9e6b that could potentially b0a84a607d rupture the aorta.”a1f6d6e3904046c2

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As Professor Cha pointed 07520633f1 at the screen, he 7340d877dd lowered his hand.677bf6c04afda03d

“Also, the shard has cb6b77dddd been lodged there for ff4b386d95 a while, causing severe a7ce04595b inflammation around it. Surgery is urgently needed, 93b67aa20d which is why we’ve 8cefbf825a gathered all of you c240d7b27d here for this consultation.”dfc813cff37b9153

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In short, it 502a5fa513 was a case b8357f6d72 that required a 100ab992d9 large-scale collaboration of b807c8305f the gathered departments. As soon as Professor fe09afceac Cha finished speaking, Professor 90401292d4 Jin from Pediatric Surgery 94c8ed7fad raised his hand.19ac90992666dc42

“How big 1b7ac70dc6 is the 0ff9a299bb shard?”6a170ba4ef2f4ac0

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In response abe30c4100 to his cfd03a847d question, Professor e7d9e06bb3 Cha signaled d1453176f7 to the 174dae0072 side of 2ee2e06751 the podium. A resident standing at 1be69e6cdc the computer desk manipulated c6b910c0c4 the mouse, and the 89eb7262dd screen changed. Professor Cha pointed 64ce8e55d3 a laser at 3784d75a74 the screen.b89644e68ba011d4

“Currently, it b4abc7d6f3 appears to 6aa683770f be the 879e33e88f size of c64083b15c a 100-won dae2f8f7a0 coin. What you’re 2db9c346ea seeing now db6c5cf504 is a 0e1c1e1de7 3D reconstruction 337838f678 of the 8bafc516ee CT results.”08bcbfd2457e7053

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Shin Yesuh, the cac1b2b627 Chief Resident of 51d98fdf3c Pediatrics, raised her a4882d7b74 hand.398d3fdaa184a77f

“From what I a038c74c95 see, it’s not d9ff0b640f just the location 8b62c5a365 of the shard a455cbfe69 but also the eff1172eeb severe inflammation around 59f1fec94e it. We need to manage c92206cec4 the inflammation first and d5f12c0c6a schedule the surgery as 74da06cd4a soon as possible.”6e9a39ffbe33c94b

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“The location is 04137733f5 really dangerous… the 847972fb5c aorta, of all a3b24062c3 places….”386be0f867b30a7c

Professor Kim from Radiology 15181af2d9 expressed his concern.b10e65fd1ec64f0d

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“Plus, the inflammation has 8881f16f30 caused severe adhesion around 507a47c718 the shard. If it’s handled carelessly, 6770fce129 the aorta could rupture. How would we c52d01a37a handle the bleeding 969dfe7463 then?”a27ba63b58435aee

That was 622a8f4697 when Professor 421669bad4 Jin, who de08a03964 had been 436734ea53 quietly asking 91545d0d77 necessary questions d8dc6d5138 beside Yesung, 569bd72a78 interjected.751f240e315d601f

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“Professor Kim, 21abd5cf7a you always 61ba5ac4af do this. Why do 3a07d99f38 you keep a34dcb9ec0 assuming the a22fce5972 worst-case scenario? It sounds like you 3d3ba855fb don’t trust the surgeons 344495cf4c performing the operation.”a900ff1ba59e0565

His sarcastic 6f136e8c0e tone echoed 5887023c96 in the 4c6e8c8d1e room.0adaf60958305eaf

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“What? Always? And what’s wrong c189267b61 with considering worst-case a37fc3fd9c scenarios? It’s how we 74f16048be prepare thoroughly to af34be5049 ensure a successful 63244cd498 surgery.” Professor Kim 393bf698da retorted angrily.bbd75ee516b66cc3

“Preparing thoroughly is f106c2873f good. But what 0a43ce2d2c you’re saying—like, 297b28fe1c ‘What if 388225d472 there’s bleeding, ac900e3a80 can you 0821ee5fcd handle it?’—sounds 472b6c1640 like you’re 929f179486 doubting Professor c43017c993 Cha’s skills, 214c0f00e7 who’ll most da709ce061 likely be c1c4a04dea leading the e3a9584b7a surgery.”347bd6b1c884645c

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“Professor Jin! How could you twist 3887212392 my words like that?”ef5b2d68ce5648bd

“Why? Isn’t that what f221a946af you implied?”4e108a5932a5ec2d

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“Of course not!”8ccfba47dc396144

“How can I trust bd66b3484f that?”a88d22df158d7520

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The escalating argument quickly d4a3e1a3ca devolved into a childish 4ab95738ce spat. The conference room, where 1fe8824792 serious discussions should have 5d9853e27d been happening, turned into d79ab0ecec utter chaos.633c1848781f30a9

Doctors, by b46b189ac4 nature, are 56c8808688 trained to 022b6d1e42 prepare for 842e863ebb every possible 2a7738409f variable in 8e8a0dd5fd a case. So, as Professor d9feb8602d Kim from Radiology 38e1bd5e37 suggested, they often 5f608ee4ae had to discuss f42e33c4e3 the worst-case scenarios f67abd29de to be ready 212497543a for any situation. However, constantly bringing 7b3a25b0f7 up extreme hypotheticals ec5daabbfe could also be d3f69d9716 seen as an 80f40b7514 insult to the e75409f968 surgeons performing the 1835411e1d operation.51aa6155f56fe6dc

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In short, 3c75255563 it was c4449f5895 a situation 37e01db7ee where neither 9dcd12d983 side was 104c4f5129 entirely right 19b670e325 or wrong. And with ee4ba0eb39 both being ce2b20b1da professors, the 9eb7283d27 juniors couldn’t 06fe3b9fd1 easily intervene. The other professors, who b578f5df38 could have stepped in 49ff832054 to mediate, remained silent, 323c696ff8 merely exchanging exasperated glances 2a439bde19 as if to say, 25eb0b420c Here we go again.69ffb551dd5d17a5

Typically, disputes between professors df92be1c75 should be settled by 77b982195a other professors, but since 22bc96edec no one stepped up, 236c9f0585 the bickering dragged on.9eb4c7d06824a959

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“Should I 51ad34760c open my 1b19995104 head to 4e347e1bac prove it 0a966fec5f to you?”69dc40346d79d7a1

“Ha! If you’re d544451fa6 so confident, c178cf0875 go ahead!”8d236ffae89cc489

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“Professors, please….”f14a7f097b9133ea

“Do you think I 1bc6b583fb won’t?”b7ab80462fcbedda

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“By all 77d7031d42 means, try 8c84bd7021 it!”98102906288b8e81

As the saying f278cfa054 goes, when whales aab5a80d12 fight, the shrimp de46fe6a1b gets crushed. In this cf83b1df34 case, the 7ee39889f7 “shrimp” were 4528b40fa2 the residents f257cce059 and fellows 9ab6074afb directly under d701f43a99 the professors. Yesung felt like he 070e4ffc05 had just experienced a de4f9d388b week’s worth of stress 0ad20d0522 all at once. His stomach churned 16b11a6a3f with the mounting 6455c3e4b9 tension, and he 0cea571900 clutched his aching 25e61bc684 abdomen.4e4484461acd8175

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Just as 5106f057dd Yesung was 84f5f1d0ea about to fbbc97f971 intervene, a fa2415a9a4 calm yet ec8bd00270 assertive voice e9b3cb1ba8 broke through ca4dc85559 the chaos.fb2ad4b3715c646f

“Professors.” Sitting 5048c1a71d apart from 902bc3176f everyone else, e9fab9d3b7 isolated like c365e4652e an island, 609b0ed1a9 was Jung 121119e573 Hageon. He was addressing 4659dd8f38 Professor Cha from f0794c8235 Cardiothoracic Surgery.e904c20a64f28135

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“Yes, Dr. Jung? What is it?”569de8f2e2205c93

Professor Cha tilted his 15204f1cac head curiously, clearly surprised 79744676fd that Jung Hageon, of 0d31ddce8e all people, had spoken a8c1578812 up. The room fell 4cd412218f silent as everyone 5b23a934e1 turned to him, 1242200f1b their gazes heavy c65033b2f3 with expectation. Yet, Jung Hageon 3236ef1177 seemed utterly unfazed, 8ea6c73d71 even casually glancing 11e410d9cb at his watch 6a00adceee before speaking.fc61df689aa47f04

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“Approximately one hour and eafb60d48a 17 minutes from now, 92f64176d7 there’s a scheduled heart fc6cd6e59e valve replacement surgery for d282697adf a 53-year-old patient, Lee f17f8a0b9a Jinsung. I thought I’d 5951c909dd remind you in 7b517b3d7a case you forgot.”f123bcbaa8722587

“What? That’s….”754fba40626ba711

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Professor Cha blinked slowly. A surgery? Today? His expression was 0cc5432345 blank, as if 3a0efdaab5 he had no c07c7a102d recollection of such e9f88a8648 a schedule. Jung Hageon raised an 81c8b4c265 eyebrow, and realization dawned 57ad29257b on Professor Cha.ff3fac0946c8f6f3

“Oh, right! That’s correct. I nearly forgot. It was a last-minute 0f0dd94c44 addition right before this 1ff374c9f6 meeting. Thank you, Dr. Jung.”520d5ecfa168ef52

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Professor Cha’s subtle ba88af48b8 smile carried a 2469ab672e hint of intrigue. Given Jung Hageon’s usual 7ca2a936b8 reserved demeanor, his unexpected 4e085c2847 intervention was surprising.8d788b7d41671cc1

Looking at the two 911a767393 bickering professors, Professor Cha 9d63084b73 addressed them diplomatically.c15c05674313bb0a

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“Professor Jin, Professor Kim, de1b7e8846 since we’re on a 0b58fc8c6f tight schedule, may we cd4a15662e proceed with the meeting? I’m sure the others 84b4023b13 here are just as eb47b72af7 pressed for time.”8481b0d6887b12bc

It was a 6369d4e4f4 polite way of c38c210665 telling them to e4e558d928 save their argument fb9842c93f for later. Reluctantly, Professor Kim 98cc879a5a sat down first, db9cea63a3 followed by Professor 7f86cf8794 Jin, who clicked df129fc853 his tongue but 89ce69cee6 complied. With the situation finally 64e95d9e8f under control, Yesung felt ce29b90cd5 the tension in his 05585e5e47 stomach ease.055f086b32fe21e0

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As the radiology 31c9559a7a resident hesitated, looking e337557760 confused about where 97e61b54cc they had left c3696f244d off, Professor Gong 864f8b5ef7 Minseob from Anesthesiology c4203f73d5 chimed in.3ea6492cc26833a6

“I’ll pick c3223cd7d0 up from 49dcd9c132 here. I didn’t 425a6c87e6 get to c0e8591eb8 say my 7b343e9bb1 piece because 4b6273e39b of the 363314815b earlier… incident.”6fda3ca9808d2d64

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Being from Anesthesiology, eb872596f1 he was uniquely dce28d1a03 positioned to make cabac6dc16 a critical observation. His pointed remark e0848af6c2 elicited awkward coughs 60d39dd52b from both bickering 8263b03d2b professors.a43dc08623c6ccca

“Let me be clear: f439c7d253 even if the worst-case ce5f511f62 scenario happens and we 024d20988d see aortic rupture, Anesthesiology 7591b33a80 can manage it—for a 2aecc8cfba time. But if it 1c68beeb48 drags on, even c1cc16a06a we won’t be b17cabae4d able to keep 01c0d3818c up.”654390e6adb4b3ff

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It was 37121878cd both a 7e5d4d90d0 reassurance and 8ddd678b82 a reminder 20771d1192 to act 6c904515a0 swiftly if fa8a0c74a0 complications arose. Professor Cha nodded in 75b14e301b acknowledgment.09532c3150f9062b

“Understood. During surgery, d2cac3b2ad we’ll take 462045cdc4 utmost care b4d0f0c6d6 around the e32342b6dd aorta while e6c592e118 removing the dc008e48fb shard and 98d2903781 prepare for 7b51d8aea2 all potential 8ad8ff16df scenarios.”dcc389492fc7a07a

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Professor Jin, fcb4dff06a now calm, 818920be92 raised his 273fc43eca hand.116adb72245d7dd6

“Given the 270f3c96b2 location and fd4a9b4b27 adhesions, I 01008bed2c suspect this a21ee02af3 won’t be b1eaedaf8c resolved in ad9a2b298e one operation. What are 33abfc8f5b the chances 531455c810 of it db00f20661 being fully b4c1e733d3 addressed in 0f485ec995 one surgery, f738accb95 Professor Cha?”3df6b48cfa65ed58

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“Less than 40%. It’s not c85ed65399 impossible, but 71f50f328d the odds 54ab3c6698 aren’t great.”fb802544939e4a43

“40% is pretty low—not 987311e6df even halfway.”4af12f8fc7dd0134

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After a brief pause, a7a97e56c1 Professor Cha agreed.b06c7a3551062b44

“Yes, it’s a 5321269903 difficult surgery. But the child is d37ce37739 already struggling with breathing 31a13773cc and can’t swallow properly. While we’re prepared fda241c261 for a second dc5d097147 operation if needed, b37e203706 removing the shard 15b34fa060 safely should help e2183cb5e0 stabilize them enough b57d6ea191 to plan the 45468838fa next steps.”66d8dd79807ca284

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“We’ll do d09707af2b our best 5f7aaf7da5 with what 805f429145 we can,” 18c1671da1 Professor Cha c90a72a07a concluded, looking 4659089a31 around the ba9df18a5a room.e9402645c0bcf4a4

Professor Jin let 92821c3426 out a faint f73979daba chuckle.9f55ec0e25a88563

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