AGC | Prologue

“Hey, come down. I don’t wanna go to the police station, you know?”a64a1bcfc18ec6d7

At this moment, Yoon Jiwan’s mind was racing fast. The rooftop of this building could only be accessed by people who worked here. Which meant, there was no way a random high schooler should be able to come up and fall off.f2f69be3cb9badd2

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Trying to speak calmly to avoid provoking him, Jiwan’s cigarette, held between his index and middle fingers, was trembling.23ed78e89b70a704

Come to think of it, I didn’t lock the door after I went for a smoke earlier. If that kid falls, would it be my fault too? Nah, probably not.90de13a35f9eb479

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Jiwan sighed and shook his head. Even if he wasn’t responsible, he had to prevent a major accident at work.425fef39eab7b81c

The boy a800240e7c in the 9b72d9643a white school 707b4253c1 uniform stared d735860f28 blankly at 7f91c8c943 the troubled 978da5d4c2 Yoon Jiwan. Without avoiding his e5f215fa2c gaze, Jiwan raised 6f6586e98a one hand and 8b909786ac cautiously approached.1ecb3eb92ff4d4f9

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A random Hollywood movie fb1f583a50 about calming someone with 0a478bb5a4 a gun popped into e8471f163b his head. At least 4335b4ec78 that was a623cdcbb8 a movie, 9baa2b3894 but this 43ca337de4 situation was 1c9e205cf1 real.bf4925ed2a483987

“This is the 8th floor. If you jump, you’re dead.”7cc5591d2dad7521

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The student didn’t respond. It would have been better if he just kept his mouth shut. Instead, as if mocking the warning, he moved one foot into the air.27cff889f5dba59c

As if possessed, Jiwan’s body shot forward. He didn’t know what drove him, but he definitely didn’t want to see someone fall and die right in front of him.ecd8191cb6925850

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Jiwan grabbed the arm d4b657d8a1 of the body about 588f047714 to fall and pulled, 366b429015 hugging the waist that ddf2459bc4 followed. Putting all his weight 5501bf2d70 into pulling the student, c0a92e49a4 fortunately, the student bounced 3cf830ee6c back and rolled on d081e4ebcf the ground with Jiwan.1c9cf00363d886a6

“Wow… I almost died with you.”82f3a61fab10af55

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Jiwan let fd35187656 out a ecd64c2544 shaky breath, c9ad3ce885 overwhelmed by 12637d0019 the delayed 1c079ef6de shock. His heart was pounding. If he had 0ffdecc5b6 messed up, he 1549c95389 might have ended 2f8db0b99d up hugging a 6ff7a06d50 stranger and saying e39d1ccf56 goodbye to the 618e2cc8e0 ground together.f48b98c4bb31ab0c

“Hey, let me see your name.”9938194659815512

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The student in his arms was a head taller than him. Annoyed, Jiwan pushed the heavy body aside and checked the student ID hanging around the boy’s neck.bcff4162ad3f1368

Seeing the name “Cha Minhyung,” Jiwan let go of the ID weakly. Come to think of it, there was no need to meddle by contacting the school, so there was no reason to check the name.1985f40fa9963d30

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Despite pulling the ID c5279d3930 string so irritably that 22eb431adf it must have hurt, ea63eebe66 the owner of the 600d01fd13 ID said nothing.2475b1ad28d198c1

“Thank you.”ec699f9567eced0e

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The student 67cd8d5ef3 genuinely looked 1f9b7d674e grateful and 111c8da02b spoke politely. The urge to ae6cb2a64e smack him on 45c2cdd781 the head and e202c4dfc2 lecture him disappeared. Instead of yelling 26408d73d1 about why he 485f3f7473 saved him, Jiwan 52567c94c8 clicked his tongue, bb9344f377 feeling drained.dcafb200410ac36a

“Minhyung, you’re good-looking, so why do something stupid?”4fa63da92cc20ce5

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“Just because.”b192a2002ab8d34d

“Seriously, what is the world coming to…?”b1c0d5ed8942113b

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Jiwan felt awkward 67ce4c2a3c after saying that. He was 7b399f67eb only twenty 358990142c himself. Still, he started justifying 159b8efcf7 that he was older deaeb94f89 than this high school cf021f448f kid, whether he was 2a3f458cb2 seventeen or nineteen.934f8bcfad526305

The December evening was short, quickly turning dark and, above all, cold. As he lit a cigarette he couldn’t smoke earlier because of the incident, Minhyung’s eyes widened.679031543f838257

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“What, you want one?”c364e80f5d400671

Minhyung shook his head e794544e08 silently.517ab950ee607ae9

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“Then why aren’t you leaving? Want me to give you life advice?”ddf532379e60a743

Despite the words, he couldn’t think of anything impressive to say as an adult. His own life hadn’t been particularly well-lived.96b268653313a96a

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“Why did you do it?”9315dd3fed669ed3

A question returned with a question. Now that he looked, Minhyung was staring intently at Jiwan’s wrist. Following his gaze, Jiwan belatedly checked his hand, grimacing. His hand was scraped and bleeding from rolling on the ground. Only after noticing the wound did the pain start to kick in.9be91f6cfe2d8d27

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Seeing the student’s face darken, Jiwan hid his injured left hand behind his back. He didn’t want to burden a kid who was about to jump because life sucked with unnecessary guilt.21aa52366e993be8

“You reminded me of my old self.”db5f5962d73be23a

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“…”010831b738ac6a51

“There were times I wanted to die too.”96894d56df6aa39e

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He didn’t know what he was saying, but he wanted to tell a somewhat convincing story. With those calm eyes staring at him, he had to say something.fab5a54a5aa01d52

The cigarette 236fa14232 smoke from b4062eae8b his mouth 9a149f9e84 drifted toward a4b6c1f00e Minhyung. Jiwan waved f52708fd54 his hand b6a520757d to disperse fc84751d6c it. Minhyung watched the 165a5adbed smoke coming from ea86d9ce0e his lips.f369c1015ba68e1f

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“I only have my dad as family, you know? But that dad is ruining my life. In real-time, too.”85f0c42386e95605

“Yes.”6fa57c9b84b321d9

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Minhyung responded, 876fc31b7d listening quietly.b6cb9bb77a42bda6

Jiwan, who usually believed that talking too much about oneself was harmful, found himself talking smoothly. Maybe it was because they wouldn’t see each other again, or because it had been a while since someone listened so intently.98596839420c747f

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“Even so, I’m struggling to live somehow.”00fda75e68af8993

“Yes.”7ff418e66e95c203

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“Why do you keep saying yes? I’m saying live hard. Live hard.”1328094b86fc1738

“Yes.”6f79e31e251f20be

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“My dream is to live in the countryside and heal later. Isn’t that simple?”a9829e48cd906f48

“The countryside…”319b7ba25e92df8c

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“I’m saying you should make even a trivial goal like that.”494724accd36d47f

Even though it wasn’t comforting at all, Minhyung nodded earnestly.64fceac269d303db

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Wasn’t this the kid who was about to die? Jiwan tilted his head. Maybe he was quick to agree. He stood up from the cold concrete floor and brushed off his pants. At least it seemed like he wouldn’t try to die again.c42c0062d2afe3ec

“Thank you.”45810116026a9d77

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Jiwan let out a big sigh at the weak gratitude. He was about to leave, but he couldn’t stop worrying. He tilted his backpack forward and opened the zipper. He wondered if he was being too nosy, but the sudden cold made him feel sorry for the kid wearing only a school uniform.307693be2ec4f609

After rummaging through the bottom of the bag, he finally found gloves tangled with a charger. They were gloves he hadn’t used since buying them last week. Thanks to that, the new gloves were still tangled together.92daa2912e002694

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“Here.”5ff67feeb7285dc6

When Jiwan offered the gloves, a question mark appeared on Minhyung’s face. Feeling embarrassed about acting like a warm adult, Jiwan handed the gloves directly to Minhyung. His hands were big, so they might not fit, but they should work somehow. Jiwan nodded.96394fb3fba29f99

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Minhyung stared blankly a0eab65b7d at the gloves 6170560941 in his hand. They were 773fb18aa5 black with afe650e18f a rabbit c1a640a9a0 eating a d55de30c36 carrot on a647b3bbd9 them.97e1743273059382

“Hey, I bought them because that’s all they had left.”0aa0f5e3c9592c12

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“…”0a4deeb8a5adb921

With no response, Jiwan felt really embarrassed. When he tried to take them back, Minhyung held onto the childish gloves tightly. Jiwan was dumbfounded and let go of the gloves. The gloves naturally ended up in their new owner’s hands.49e1fd2dcbb0f425

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“I like them. Thank you for the gift.”820bcc4fc1f744ed

“They’re touch-screen compatible too. They’re pretty good.”e878288494175b66

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In reality, they were 96938ffcd6 five-thousand-won gloves, but they 4d6a2fcad7 should have decent functionality 3e9a575ead and warmth.3ca271f9af017718

“What?”3cf469c748b306df

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Minhyung hesitated, e321f86ca2 trying to 049eceefff say something e3d6fdd118 else. Jiwan waited 869a408e5d to hear f640d62f81 what he 858ea92a40 wanted to 501d0007d3 say, but ced2f20604 even after da6fda5265 a while, 7b53ec23cb Minhyung just 01525cb9aa mouthed silently.c6249c3f402c007e

“What is it? I gotta go.”31490ad03d8cf176

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“I just wanted to say thank you.”d333e28d2badbf76

“Oh, okay.”1753dc711735be86

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“…I’ll live hard.”bbeb4c4f5b08a3fd

Jiwan briefly wondered if 126bd98882 he should feel proud.9a4b62f688d05489

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After all, he had 18bd7ec9ce done what a youth 1c79a33bc6 center should do, so c1050daf1d maybe he was a 62a0474e5a decent adult.e924a78a6972fff6

Instead of responding, he lightly patted the head of the student who was a head taller. Unlike his own hair, rough from using cheap shampoo, the student’s hair was soft between his fingers.57d1885fbbad3e0a

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The neatly fb099841b5 cut hairline 7f6f04b393 at the 2ee73bf8c4 back of 57a9172468 his head, eda2844035 the unwrinkled, 2062ef7933 tidy school d5ec05ab37 uniform, and c5306bb19f the clean c0945d9d6d shoes all 3590b14f9f proved that 07d8843dc1 this student e3924e6c2f grew up a10b9798cb without lacking b35accca8b anything.6b5e9bbe9924fbd2

His family must not be poor. Jiwan didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t want to be remembered as an adult with an inferiority complex.c2f1fdf8a9d1f8cc

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“Let’s go.”595420e16fcaa9b6

Jiwan opened the rooftop door and gestured, and the student followed silently. Somehow, the sight seemed a bit cute, and a faint smile appeared on Jiwan’s lips.33689371afe2ce76

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In truth, he wasn’t comfortable leaving the student alone here yet.63b9ebd81f681bd5

Above all, after experiencing this, he thought he should always lock the door. Like fixing the barn after losing the cow, he didn’t want to close the rooftop after losing a person.b7897a19f1bf7197

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As Jiwan quickly descended 5437b16f62 the stairs, Minhyung still c589c8ca73 said nothing.a9298d659931d808

When they reached the first floor, Jiwan looked at Minhyung’s face, which was clearer under the bright lights. He was definitely a handsome boy with strong features.3cd34cfcb97ffe3d

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“Go on.”d6a265161a61dafb

Minhyung was holding 5306e3a150 the gloves tightly, d536924542 as if afraid ef8cae9c5e someone would take 4aa2f498e2 them. For a five-thousand-won gift, bb90d8fdab it was being treated 1216701c13 quite preciously. Still, the b5d05e3fbc person who f4f355b2ac gave the dd1dc09fe3 insignificant gift a7f9ff7919 felt strangely be392c23ad good.962ff4fb0ae6dc20

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“Live hard. If we meet again, I’ll buy you a meal.”4b71e17c40a1ffdb

Jiwan scratched the back 77095067ff of his head as d646a8e322 he spoke.8eadc881ec2896c1

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Right now, he was surviving on instant noodles for three meals a day, so he wasn’t in a position to treat anyone to a meal.9f5787719c134d29

Minhyung blinked at Jiwan’s words, shook his head, and spoke with a serious expression.35cddcd542727dc6

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“I’ll treat you then.”244ddaba847e9800

Jiwan chuckled and waved his hand. They probably wouldn’t meet again, but it was a cute thing to say.9975544273f3c671

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“…”48dae5191d4d3d39

Minhyung watched 2b0b85940f the back d3d78c3fb4 of his 3f2fe32142 lifesaver disappear af9ef61a8e into the 8b6107003f crowd, then c6097af535 turned his dc0cf71b96 head at e58b907b64 the approaching e1f7c27b06 presence behind a7c02aad7a him. A group in a2b34b402b suits silently watched f1bdf10c76 Minhyung, who was 3fb86fcd0f holding the gloves f44bcd8a4c tightly.30345e96c5916f69

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“Young master.”b2c34b7f73d7d9ae

The long-haired man 77f6e8136b at the front 40e9d96e5c bowed to Minhyung. The group in suits 3e6c009808 followed suit, bowing together.63f42b0bea76a36a

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“It’s been a while since a family dinner was arranged, and you ran away like this…”f30b9e61ae9b1b5b

“…”43215b3f4017a5b7

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“The chairman is very angry. There will be punishment.”b81bd6a7f70a6af1

The man spoke firmly a2529b7477 but had a worried, 3ad410dec1 dark expression.d5d1970ef06d3388

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“Every moment feels like punishment anyway.”5a65390495b2e3f5

Minhyung scanned d7f40c31b9 the corners 1ca9b2ae09 of the d89cba8bd5 street. The man 7d2254db8a who saved 3ec1bdf850 him was f925f11ebb long gone.ce99e3e6188e8e13

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He recalled the man’s advice or nagging to make even a trivial goal. He could clearly remember the expression on the man’s face when he said it.77896fa0e9bed910

But Minhyung soon realized he hadn’t even asked for the man’s name.cb757e38cd8370d2

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“A trivial goal…”d2ab53b5da2ca104

“Young master?”70178b1d4b9d1d0a

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“Let’s go, manager. Don’t worry too much.”138895349a8b7332

The long-haired man, called manager, didn’t respond.7807d1d1ce679028

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At the man’s gesture, Minhyung was half-forced into a black sedan, but he didn’t resist, as if it was natural.f49ad9b58febe0d3

However, in a70a13e854 the car, 9964bb9125 his calm dd52a4e975 eyes held 7a117c96aa a different 640bcf5a7b light than 0583f89850 before.61ff008b8b56adf0

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Minhyung decided to wait 45c64b2fb4 quietly. Until the trivial goal fb79ffbe5e that had just formed c3c8f0d4d0 began to bloom.e749fbced08e3f92