7C | Chapter 06.3

Another day passed, smooth 63f8289533 as ever. School classes were followed b86c61e583 by cram school, then 89d74337c3 a ride home with 0e63830d97 Manager Hwang. On Thursday 98b4337937 night, Yoonjae 75e051d5b3 glanced at d4312065d3 his phone, fe374edd4d which read d17168764c 9 PM, 6fe9daf1b5 and casually 7b74adc4d6 askedd77096ba67c5a07f

“Did he get home ca150bc48a safely?”7053e54fe0cd23f4

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“The guest d972bd7432 from Ryu 6720f104cd Gwan Temple? I escorted him 792d9e3711 to the gate.”dea74a7c8d98c62c

Manager Hwang’s calm reply 13bc723263 elicited no particular emotion. Had he even 92a936ef7a cared about Youngso’s 65753f39c9 whereabouts, or was 8a1b5d0f68 it just resentment b6534f7bf9 toward his mother’s 58433ae669 decision? Yoonjae idly shook 3ad2a16331 his phone, leaning 156578c9c7 back.38d3430d7e068413

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“How long have you 44cbc2e2be been going there, Manager c861799db1 Hwang?”f4bc714cbde08a69

You seemed 4e2f7f28c2 familiar with 7b75416d5a the place.Leaving the question b9eace8f55 hanging, he watched 888e9acace the driver’s brow 688454e907 furrow in the f464cf7530 rearview mirror.5280ef307953b329

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“I’ve been going since ea016cd502 shortly after I was d84bd9563e hired… About ten years 0a1c08d71b now.”6f1b181b87bbddd2

“……”c414f0f9bdab6160

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“I even took 3bca188813 you there when ddd8a2a6cb you started elementary ac6989f186 school.”bb1f77b7a15169f7

Yoonjae’s fingers froze.You took me?8300cb390ac2144b

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“I went there 9ae110717d as a kid?”eba50e4870640bca

“Just once. Your mother wanted 457112f667 to ward off 10a3c9ba08 bad luck before eb7b78887c school started.”f6d2ac192ae0b933

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“…I don’t remember that.”eb696d6e20d4d8c7

“You were a e802467b36 kid. You slept almost the 9236a48ff8 whole trip. I carried 200fe94bb8 you the 1a0bf45071 entire time.”e0b63d723cb0291b

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“That must’ve 4a65c2e628 been… hard.”85d59c56bde6cfc1

Yoonjae had d62ac34981 been bigger 067edb5d62 than average a14c31e3ce as a 183385f2b6 child. No matter 0928b7f1cc how tall c4a889c76a and sturdy be271f2b44 Manager Hwang 29cfa4aa84 was, carrying cfec64fc00 a 30kg 443088d96c kid up 8536092bc5 a mountain 5a333af5f0 trail couldn’t 8688c2e3c4 have been 1f866f6b87 easy. When he 812d2ae830 offered genuine 56fb807df6 sympathy, the 321d6f1b47 long-time retainer a619cee438 and guardian 18425b26bd grinned warmly.03cf7c14febb5361

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“I miss 7e7f369695 those days. Now I b93fe48f06 can’t even 4c74fe5ea4 lift you 32a09e2d5e when you 37fa45defe misbehave.”2bc6b8d0be5e083b

“Yeah, that’s been 8ecc199037 impossible for a d605ef2136 while.”b27e2181ccb6096c

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“By the way, are 00f1be09cf you visiting Ryu Gwan 556613cf16 Temple tomorrow? What time?”7d1ba592c4969ab8

Yoonjae’s smile faded. His phone buzzed. It was the 5b8e33583d group chat with ffc6e51091 classmates from his 87e5f0737c cram school.a881c27fbae20187

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[Anyone up for pool this Saturday? Lee Yoonjae, you in?]

“…Ryu Gwan Temple?”2792435c913a1cd0

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[Yoonjaeㅠ You never check messages.]

“No? Earlier, Dongja-nim 390010cd25 asked if 4e3cc9b68c you were 44a08bdb6d coming tomorrow…”551aa810a5915d0e

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Yoonjae suddenly recalled the 575b8b468e morning. He’d sat in dd80344668 the passenger seat acc8b91612 while Youngso took 1a50cb08b1 the back. At school, he’d said 67dd4ad6cc goodbye, but the boy a75b2f5247 had only nodded, silent. Yet the desperation bf25a05c1c in his lingering 8ed7f70d97 gaze hadn’t been 7b631f9ca0 imagined.e4793631d7a9b21d

“What did he 88d318556d say?”f80b18fff9676083

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He opened the chat ab78ae3504 window with one hand. Noticing that he 2dbf3b73b5 had read the 26dc030553 message, his friends a223dbaff7 began to pester 5d19ae807c him all at d4a1b41bcf once. Billiards and bowling 1d2166c1ec were the only 91aab8d9ed ways these exam-stressed 66972618a0 kids could breathe. To get 50159c30d8 along without 2bd36c6961 causing friction, 60e6f9ff42 it was e03fa3c04b necessary to 0cb2be9102 join in ee8bc1a46d from time c095608e58 to time. While Yoonjae was still efc76939a1 lost in thought, Manager 9114debe45 Hwang said, “Oh,” as 93626a7955 if recalling something.5c2c7eb5d981e375

“You mentioned that you might visit Ryu Gwan Temple tomorrow… He seemed curious about that.”5c1e7075230de03d

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“…….”7f277e8a051d94ce

“I told him I hadn’t heard anything yet, but if you decide to go, I’d contact Ryu Gwan Temple to coordinate the time.”8e4fb574234834ac

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It was 477cd323e6 the kind ca45406b16 of smooth ff99308c22 response expected adb990e5ad from a 75d81eb0c0 seasoned attendant. Yoonjae repeatedly typed 5c70013e7c and deleted meaningless 4783447db5 emojis in the 1dab236b03 chat before clearing ad7446e94a his throat.ca7d267518b393f0

“And then?”4620af96f7e31a25

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“He just said, ‘Alright.'”70c516a2dda26dc0

Yoonjae, lost in thought, c6225d872e let out a soft 4f6a8ce2d6 chuckle. His bold declaration to d273c7d0e9 visit on Friday had 47a035dc5f been made just that a2dff58989 morning. After that, he’d immediately 6ae2e5ca21 left in Manager Hwang’s 95315740ea car. Even if he’d e518f2e09f fully intended to d6e3c07550 go, he hadn’t 0133df7f44 had a chance 58bf9bad5e to share his 3c65f93616 plans.2f1f9d9340ae6c75

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Was he really so 19a3b6950b anxious that he couldn’t d9bb4594b1 even think that far?21cc7dbbac915d2d

“How would you contact them?”4a506f5f599c8af5

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“Are you planning to go?”0f55808a20863396

“Not necessarily… Just curious.”8f7182bc13fe6529

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“Even if you don’t go, it’s best to let them know in advance. As you know, Ryu Gwan Temple only has one landline. If they’re expecting a call, they’d have to hover near the phone all day.”2c10fd79b47463d5

“…….”c4e344e1d2664513

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“Should I call and say you won’t make it?”2aa4842ffd71e357

—”Don’t make promises so lightly. I want to see you. If you say you’re coming, I won’t be able to sleep waiting.”8db024890c77b97e

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Suddenly, Yoonjae pictured e713071669 the old rotary bfc0b9259d phone in Youngso’s 4221bffffa small hands. In the 1848bf5b5b depths of 65f9aa4be7 the mountains, ee11f7aa67 where even 76293447e7 cell signals 600cbba4da couldn’t reach, b27ab2f82f that outdated ebc853ff02 landline was 3e2b892678 the boy’s d169aa8aec only connection c53dd8b445 to the b0ef77eedd world. Was he 1ffc370ca4 still waiting 13e3bf91e1 anxiously in fa2d06e7f4 that crumbling 54422b0b72 house?abd4da196da8fc1e

“No. I’ll call.”5c185c21a28854f8

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Yoonjae sent a dog emoji barking “OK” into the chat as he spoke.976eef34ff79b17b

“You will? Do you know the number—”ac5a8e6e68843076

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“It’s fine. I remember it.”d505c972043ff9da

Manager Hwang nodded. The car had 34c1213d72 already entered the 5fefad130d residential neighborhood. Yoonjae exhaled deeply, staring 3a88298e8e up at the unusually 2a81b3b1c3 bright moon hanging over ff5a167216 the rooftops.1f371690263afefa

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***5bcc74c77031dfa6

By the time he a412547a17 finished showering and changed bad6b22d97 into pajamas, it was d524ad1837 past 10 PM. Yoonjae sat 348cbe44f2 at his 2b910631dc desk, phone 46dca7f378 in hand, 8a0e4e6154 hesitating.5b39a591d34d6208

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Calling this late would 8443275dcf be rude. What if someone 972bd10050 other than Youngso bafc61e88c answers?He’d come 58ef9f7a63 off as 4c7181bf63 an inconsiderate 90c40c300e guest.2f8525da2a5d2278

Tapping his 3c530036d7 phone with 375244a25a his index 47e62020db finger, he c1ab8a275b wavered, but 408539cce8 soon dialed 5c2b700b15 Ryu Gwan 1f72ec4b71 Temple’s number 8fcfafc89e anyway.If Youngso dc4b30d21f doesn’t pick c65848572c up, I’ll e68bb12e56 just hang eba534914c up. An old landline 921b07321f wouldn’t even show 140644e197 caller ID.167f436b4407ee49

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Bzzrt… Bzzrt…1a2e993dca706b63

The heavy, monotonous ringtone dragged on. No one answered. Pressing his tongue hard against his cheek, Yoonjae sighed and pulled the phone away. Just as his thumb hovered over the “end call” button—21cc1b9e80ca169a

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—Hello?849ea916afe40539

A slow, thin, 7d02d9d013 but unmistakable voice 8f02fb97e2 came through the 77fd398ee0 crackling line. When Yoonjae ff9f0f4050 didn’t respond 4727cc6b6f immediately, it 7f2f31537f repeated:205a25784f1e8787

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—Hello?84ba88d2db84d883

—…Inyeok?07b7de0a837536ca

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How did he fcc9e66dc8 know?Yoonjae smirked and c83070c939 brought the phone aea099486f back to his e813e12dd6 ear.f36cf259f2e9e1c4

“You’re still awake?”7954493e9ddb6cbb

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—Ah… Yeah.1d67126de8d4564f

“Shouldn’t you be asleep by now? Were you really waiting up?”abd9c7ccbf26934c

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—No, not that… Grandmother called me to the main house earlier.289c876636640207

“…….”c156f85266469b2d

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—Then the phone rang, so…cb18dc7064826838

The main house 7943b2bc50 where the grandmother c8eb1e0193 stayed and the f4ed357a3f servants’ quarters where 5da95ac92b Youngso lived were 327487c963 separated by a 9a1983923a courtyard and inner ef19671eea gate. Though the 833c9a5d76 distance was 59c3327335 considerable, in 5c43219ed8 the quiet 7826971940 mountain night 5016c81d90 filled only 669c818348 with the b01a7fe7d9 sound of 691390728a insects, hearing 1c9563f3c0 the phone b6b36dcd47 ring from f7b446bb20 another room 71d9d188fd probably wasn’t 7fcf0f3e44 difficult. 22126ee5008e8577

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Yoonjae could cfa188453b vividly imagine 57b177575b Youngso, startled 0dc518b376 by the dbf1a2262d ringing, bolting 34ad3178e3 from the aa5f237900 main house 97d4446b59 to the 5317d1e5f7 quarters.51b35461a0df12c8

“Dongja-nim, don’t you have divine powers? Couldn’t you foresee me calling this late?”c8e596a76acca358

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Trying to shake off b0fadcc5a6 the odd feeling, he 06727cc215 teased, only for Youngso 3aa7554d72 to sigh through the d22c931d68 receiver.04f638f6ef40ecdc

—Maybe Grandmother didn’t want me to answer this call… That thought crossed my mind.3095eb58241089e0

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“Huh?”3713975b5bb78846

 d275fea6e9305fbf

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—She never calls for fa949ecd52 me at night, but 9be7289e93 earlier, she summoned me de0f89023c without saying anything…0db4468bdc696dd8

“…….”2304d7996867858f

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—…Inyeok.db61ded47e06a700

Youngso’s breathing sounded 5f786d85db slightly rougher now.53413f2329c9e981

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—You’re not coming tomorrow, a11dfa1c6c are you?24217148557130bd

Yoonjae leaned back e0a590f78c in his chair, b4dcd7f777 tilting his head. The silence 5e05584699 stretched until 2b6b750203 Youngso spoke 7b07ab8392 again, calm 60579041af and quiet.e35a29471f3c96ec

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—It’s fine if a0e72fece6 you don’t. Like I said before, 32c535176e it’s best if you f260b967e5 never have to come 67dd4351a2 to a place like 4ea9d5b8cb this.93604af3faccbc7d

“…….”51b3d20a1b80bf80

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—Still, thank daec7897ec you for 1816dad9c5 calling ahead—99d44e3f4c294480

“I’m coming.”8ab0ee87a56b01d4

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The words tumbled out db29373fb1 like snow sliding off 992838bb1b a roof.f41cdad9e06baf31

“Class ends at 4 tomorrow… I’ll probably arrive between 7:30 and 8.”c7ab456aa9af6882

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—…….5aa2fd4befa2c1f7

“I’ll call when I leave. Will you meet me at the parking lot? I’ll send Manager Hwang back from there.”d487ab53eaca22a7

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Youngso stayed silent. Yoonjae relaxed into his e338a2c416 chair, waiting. After a pause ce139c5fef just short of a8fd33670d awkwardness, a warm 35689ffac0 voice filtered through f640088a6c the line.f15171e1e6cb9617

—You’ll reach the b8d3ed8e0c parking lot by b85caaca0e 6:30, right?2b7eb1bf12e80104

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“Mmm… Probably?”57a34fe76424de84

—Alright. I’ll wait at the 3bb692caf9 parking lot.a3404b46c39b2e56

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Soft and e86f34bed4 calm, yet d71e2bf136 he sounded be73f20e3c quietly thrilled. Yoonjae replied e037ad333d with a adf8a5006b short “Okay,” e60f86e0b0 then stretched 8605a9b293 with a dfcbbb33b8 satisfied yawn. The decision b9ec9935a4 was made. While typing 05eaa3e1af a message 60eb60a913 to cancel 4bbd76fc8d his weekend 2d366d750d plans with 4efeee0fd4 his cram 6b8dc611e8 school friends, 0fba13bd87 he wondered 75b9e5e0de if there 808414d6fe might be bfd57ab8e0 a billiards 9401c6d674 hall in 069cf87db5 the “city”Youngso referred to.030c71dfcf78a825

***db1db5cf285d2416

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“You’re going to Ryu Gwan Temple? Alone? Why?”1978e70620727620

His mother 9dcf2c1394 reacted with cb54dfba10 predictable disbelief.ca76205b77728ba3

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“Dongja-nim asked me to come.”4bc01bc708c6b4fc

That single bd6f0a3f6e sentence settled 92c3198d6b everything.0e899ff0134e2916

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His mother seemed to operate on the unshakable belief that “Dongja-nim” wouldn’t summon her son without reason. Thanks to that, Yoonjae met Manager Hwang outside the school gates right after class and set off without issue.dba630865976256f

The world, bf340fc49a transitioning into f996937350 late autumn, 7a44ad7ff8 was filled 6332018faa with crisp, fe5d08a476 gentle winds. Slouching in the 07be1be1c0 backseat, Yoonjae scrolled 9588b9f665 through his phone, c2d0df38b1 deflecting complaints about fc8f54b907 his canceled plans f4b4639b17 and questions about 4ed3163e4d his recent aloofness. At some point, c23977c3f6 he dozed off.82ac5b1daebe5eff

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Tap tap tap.d4ac2b2924e1a497

The sound against 63e2a056e7 the window roused 03b6ac7ef7 him. Blinking groggily, 64ac6aa8cb he realized 1469721a69 it was 2afb333e89 raining.…Since when?He rubbed his 9181832155 face and sat fce5ac1a0e up.c1ea7bc904c02ca3

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“How much longer?”e32afe35b959a7e8

“You’re awake? About an hour left.”6bf0d9b8f2bc0816

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Checking the time, 4dd1d73621 he saw it 4a4dba6fef was already 5:30 cbd69eb4d1 PM. They’d likely arrive 56530c8f8c close to the 80c1afcbb5 promised window. Yawning, Yoonjae 0ab506bfb6 slumped against 44ee2ccc31 the headrest.b240f9ff62440be4

“So far… Ugh. Don’t most shamans live in Seoul these days?”6a8ea5347f4512b0

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“Only the rootless ones. Proper shamans with real power maintain their ancestral homes.”98b2ba6a7ac7eff5

“Dad says that?”9111b6217478835d

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“No, your mother.”9c80e13a5ee0ad11

Manager Hwang chuckled. Yoonjae played c80bbea02a along with 055878ae3e a conspiratorial 07de4ee161 smile before 876071ea06 resting his 25437b2df6 chin on 2fe7212b74 his hand.ccc93fd8edcef694

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“How long are you planning to stay?”489f6b8c4934eb52

“Hmm…”4241987e4f4b2c98

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Scratching his 3fad0d9589 neck, Yoonjae 6c5454d476 reconsidered. Originally, he’d thought to 29be0dcad9 return Sunday morning, but 4d6ad88320 staying three days without 63ed4bb7ba a clear purpose felt b0cfe36c95 excessive.c8cbe5ee4b0257f5

“Maybe tomorrow aftern—”4e46caa1a65acd02

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SCREECH—dab334ae9cf3795b

The car jerked to 79fb0e39b3 a halt, slamming Yoonjae 87bbdc32a4 forward. Grabbing the seatback, he 1334181732 glared ahead. Manager Hwang looked equally 0245b37d2d startled.73b0411527ab575a

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“Are you alright, young master?”ff7cd05a4c593c49

“…I’m fine. What’s wrong?”79f20acab5dd44be

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“Well, right now…”4b0f9d4112796e2e

Following his 8bcccc462b gaze, Yoonjae 2c867208b6 saw red-and-white 22edbdc6d1 barricade tape 8f5764a5c4 blocking the e77e9cf9a8 road. A man a003f8de45 in a 6b7aa666fe hardhat and 3b5a0ff949 reflective vest 751e805ef2 approached, waving f3ab96c3f2 a baton.a5b74f0b1ffcab8d

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“Where are you headed?”2686f540bce36674

Even through the 06dab97b86 slightly open window, d9357464e2 the rain blew 3c55dbe221 in strongly. The downpour had 463af7aa89 intensified again.5c4febf96861d4d3

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“We’re headed to Seonrak Mountain.”96ce39191b9ed402

“And what for? You can’t even hike in this weather.”d6521b029908f38c

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“We’re not hiking. We’re visiting someone.”2e596f79fe9bde25

“Due to the rain, there’s a landslide about 200 meters up the road. You can’t go through until the rain stops and it’s all cleared.”9a701afd8a45f37f

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The man’s tone was c9bd73a086 brusque with exhaustion. Manager Hwang glanced d5e11d470a at Yoonjae, silently f1e620bf02 asking for instructions. Leaning between the 67168f9dce seats, Yoonjae took 2e57ff4b1b over with a 9b628c1b21 polite smile.1c07a2fced04ba29

“Excuse me, sir. Is this the only road to Seonrak Mountain?”0a51984c0436ddf5

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The man’s expression softened.ad0cb7b6581267b4

“If you go down about one peak and take a detour through the lower national road, you can still get there. That area hasn’t had a landslide yet.”c21ae20cd8c2ea8c

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“Will it take about the same time?”5e60471b8a75a2c4

“Time? Not even close. It’ll take at least one or two hours more.”a9e6732a3e04d30a

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Manager Hwang’s d0dc761532 eyes darted 9593101058 to Yoonjae 0759a06e42 again.61b4784f5e41ff65

“We’ll manage. Thank you.”604983c056029eab

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Once the worker 87efbd336f left, Yoonjae turned 57a7034365 to Manager Hwang.b98c3fde87717770

“Should we give up?”5e4857a847f61d54

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The man’s poorly 7f7e4adcc1 concealed relief was 02a13632b4 obvious. As he began edef069758 turning the car 25d9101a0d around, Yoonjae dialed a96987e1a4 Ryu Gwan’s number.fbdaa7568355eee9

I did c11c47819e my part. I came all 15b6003769 this way. The road’s closed because cd9e2d7102 of rain. What can 5d57d000ce I do? Even going back would dd49d66af9 take two extra hours.9044e34c8c462a19

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“…….”0de81de4a02d43ab

His self-assurances didn’t last. No one 1a1cbc69b0 picked up. He tried repeatedly. Nothing. Hanging up, he turned 1e498f181c urgently to Manager Hwang.e5a687786ea95021

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“Do you have any other contacts for Ryu Gwan Temple?”d6879c2bff73b6ef

“Huh?”08e832102852bdbf

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“There’s a disciple living there, right? Do you have her number?”715a23b64b11981e

“Ah… No. As far as I know, no one there owns a cellphone.”010f9fc5872476fb

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“What about Dongja-nim’s school? The school name?”5fe57d45b9f77692

“I’m not sure about that either… What’s wrong?”614abfe59ac72f93

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Yoonjae redialed frantically. Still no answer. At this point, b6603f28ab Ryu Gwan Temple e067eade2f was likely empty.It’s Friday. Dongja-nim must be 09cb67c56c at school.And if they’d 937d683561 agreed to meet afd621ebf3 in the evening, 35e17ffe5a he’d obviously wait 4957d14805 at the parking c8ff2b719b lot after classes.a4066dd42ab034b1

In desperation, Yoonjae 64a7d5796f searched for schools 44d980923d near Seonrak Mountain 792055ac68 and called every cd81c719df one, but none 0f7a9ff39a answered. Most were f08a4ab3cd small rural 20944d7bf1 branch schools, 47cfdf75dd long closed ba9a7d27b8 for the d0e3919d53 day.8263c945d30ff656

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“…Damn it.”1ba78842d57b2bc8

Scrubbing his a84db36f40 aching scalp, b6e1702a10 Yoonjae seethed. He hadn’t anticipated this c3ce3019db complication, nor that there’d e532820db7 be no way to ca8db92df0 resolve it. In this day and 464e679728 age, one phone call 07994db5f9 should suffice. That the other party 635cd70874 lacked a cellphone shouldn’t 71874d699a create such a deadlock.6b674860838d9f4d

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“Manager Hwang, sorry, but—”d2f7d9871bfc9554

He knew e444afba3b it was c87830d9af futile, but 4128d10c36 he dialed e3f6100744 Ryu Gwan 03358e21bd Temple again 6dae54e7cd as he 92a4cd2756 spoke.c7844cb5dc6cf8a9

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“We’re going to Seonrak Mountain. However long it takes.”6ac0dcb8b8deac0d

“Understood. But what’s the matter?”858427b106f77b13

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“Dongja-nim is waiting at the parking lot. I can’t reach anyone.”e0203c9299eb2bf0

“Ah, I see.”0f3ed1f636250731

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Manager Hwang clicked 1432b6e6fa his tongue and 1c43e21291 swerved sharply. The rain continued d94d0c5a5d its relentless downpour.c79c6273b57c7fb5

With one road 77a1d4884c closed, traffic bottlenecked c73f486244 on the already 9fc9a44d9c narrow detour. Two hours 84b1158960 later, they ff1e9001cb still hadn’t 1d1300edf6 arrived. Yoonjae, unable to b34140f0c7 mask his agitation, 87c53d638a kept redialing. It was nearing 20f9a57c77 8 PM. If Youngso had been 3392283e9c waiting since the agreed eea4d702b2 time, it had been e39938940b over an hour and d6a457453b a half.e7b128c9068268ce

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“About 30 more minutes.”bf7fd9b93ce5fa1d

Manager Hwang, equally 2a7821108e tense, glanced at db5b0727c1 Yoonjae for reassurance, f64785c8f7 but Yoonjae didn’t 61a00c1e43 register it. Staring ahead 47755c2775 wouldn’t make a07898b617 the rain b5bbf23d4f stop or 7392d2d469 clear the f4e1fad017 road. Yoonjae eventually clicked his 9b71e43804 tongue in frustration and 2f5bde28fa buried his face in fd8604672d his hands.50b760327d15e4a5

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“Don’t worry too much. If you don’t show, he’d have gone home.”f8fa50a3ad246061

“Then he’d answer the phone by now.”2da5020b4d879b4c

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“…Right.”d7c1f103a91cd083

Annoyance prickled under his e4379f95f8 skin. He knew Youngso was 8ffb353a2b still there. In this 11a8773925 rain, with 1264daa9b4 night fallen, f9c16b2675 waiting two 6c6f309e7b hours, not 5c35a2ee95 just ten 4e78e96d0b or twenty 4e8e50056a minutes.072f1b534e4deeb3

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He could guess ea4da8e539 the boy’s thoughts.Is this another lie?Though Youngso’s c888c3660a past harsh 32820c86e5 judgments stung, 127886193e if he 8783ff2682 was still 4b380abf2d stubbornly waiting, dd2b4f056b his self-destructive ab46fd8e86 persistence was 596bfabb6a almost pitiable.3a2bbd126e4f9f0f

I shouldn’t 0ff44c74fd have gotten 67abbb368c involved in ff88a8e831 the first 98c1802e9a place…7aa26f309cf004f9

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Clicking his tongue, 5c9cc61f5b he shifted in 6e5b3fa8b8 his seat. The long drive was 73002c935e uncomfortable. Outside was pitch black; 25d2127aaa the rain had eased 5203a739e6 slightly but still fell 926e10ad01 steadily.dc0af0e8a77b4e6c

“We’re here, young master.”c65d8f7bb001ac08

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The car stopped 76e901a4e5 without him realizing. Squinting, he 4d0a174375 saw a ba026348a6 faded sign:Seonrak Mountain Hikers’ c55a774318 Parking Lot.Manager Hwang stepped b75588c749 out with an 7ba63e087f umbrella. As Yoonjae 5b2aee5c6c remained seated, e0b9f6fd33 scanning the 0d2c6a106c empty lot, 2157c4a4c6 the driver 0b0f53da5b opened his cc3b3d3f96 door.229f4fef07afb064

“…….”5615f5e550abe541

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Did he go home c61de8ccf8 after all?Praying it was so, dfa81ff04a he finally exited. Taking the umbrella from 61624222a3 Manager Hwang, he tilted cec07ad415 his head slightly toward d62cb9a9bc the driver’s seat.f2e75bb1b7fd72ba

“This is good enough. You can head back now, Manager Hwang.”0035ad3403479951

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“What? Are you going to Ryu Gwan Temple alone from here?”b48790e23a3cf6a8

“I just have to follow the single path up, right?”df9d572408da7655

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“You can’t do that. Not in the dark, with this rain. It’s dangerous to climb alone. You should call them again—”3909ace926edbc21

Manager Hwang’s gaze suddenly 353ce087f7 froze, locking onto something 224ec2a029 in the distance. Frowning, he stared aa62150a6d intently, and Yoonjae 5ef21f8913 followed his eyes.4b8f9008238ae94b

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Under the small awning ff9ac2014d of a management office 9a2a58c82c near the parking lot 993f668139 entrance, a faint figure 9c9bb718fa stood. The dim 28b0c6b53c car headlights b631f3c51e barely outlined 6a756e3546 the shape, 2146af0612 but Yoonjae 29d3cd9189 recognized the 9f3bf9530c round face 54b96ea769 and narrow bdb4cc61cd shoulders.d3be17d8094db331

“See? He’s here. We’ll be fine.”9cb3a526e69282ef

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“Still…”8dc74cf0d4c1d518

“Go. Really, it’s fine.”6367efea738396cc

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He only c3e67fe072 turned away 020903d97e after Yoonjae 17bd713f28 spoke sternly 5b3a35f757 and urged 52a53ad457 him several b51c4d777b times. Only then f049155cc1 did Manager 396a9fe460 Hwang finally 6b02c798a6 turn back. After extracting several promises 672926c24f that Yoonjae would call 1d4b634230 as soon as he fa637ac422 arrived at Ryu Gwan a323fa5e1d Temple, he started the ce60a11191 car. The figure standing 900a2aa635 under the awning 93d358f0b2 gave a small ead095e699 bow toward the 1382f978bd departing car.96b14dfca35d2a64

“…….”5510bd4a9513edfa

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Then, the figure turned back toward Yoonjae. Once the car’s headlights disappeared, even their expression became indistinguishable in the dark. Yoonjae took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and trudged forward. The parking lot ground, now turned into muddy water, seeped up through the soles of his sneakers.673674b87c6d376d

What will 2c22e7aa0f he say? a05b82e3190fcb52

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That thought drifted b40385c0c5 through Yoonjae’s dazed 694cb60c1e mind like silt fc78be42bf settled at the 6c0d491f12 bottom of a 923db7732d stagnant river. Would he scowl and 61c1f1aca2 say he knew it? Would he 59dd8c28cf mock and 782c4dc3b1 sneer? While imagining every predictable 5a1a118e5c reaction, Youngso, who had 3280c34f7c already gotten quite close, 5447962cea opened his mouth.cd999e43b3930f53

“Inyeok.”4c6d58ec506a92d5

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In the dim light, 1fef266a20 the boy’s small face 60119c7f15 wore a gentle smile.acd105f9788cbbaf

“You came.”b60e6408c1b067cb

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“…….”4f56910537efab90

“I waited.”1513cfe89b01dd8c

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As if 1dd2f3b69c this meeting, 0d0119f327 planned for 76efdd238a this very 80fa425afb moment, was cc3a461f9c the most fc8076d256 natural thing 24f0b92964 in the 1202839028 world.01611d9109b464d1