AHATG Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Joo Hee-beom stepped out to 9fbb874658 the back of the shop, holding 211a6960bf a bag of food waste. He had tied the opening c900fdce55 tightly, yet the pungent stench 902536dd83 still stung his nose. Disgusting. Revolting. His eyebrows furrowed 38e212798d instinctively before he e2b383a66c could even think.713c178f9ed33deabeea

He had been working at the 13f8b8fd78 seafood restaurant for a full year 588eda23d3 now, but he still couldn’t get 0eaf9c29aa used to handling food waste. Now, he 5f81643bb4 understood why ee7d7aab5c Seong-jin absolutely 935d6cf239 loathed it.e6d3fcaf448b127efc7b

After disposing of the 4cbff6aef2 trash, Hee-beom returned to 0a22f67fec the restaurant’s kitchen. Without realizing it, he let out a f4529e4b92 breath he had been holding and made 8e377db9a0 his way to the sink—just as Seong-jin 733bb25cde walked out, carrying a wide pot.1a6e9f3d2d738b8964d7

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“Beom, let’s eat.”eb38ea80acfe7ca607bd

“Yes. I’ll wash fbf9d948a2 my hands 7b21818fe0 first.”b16b639955c10669948d

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“Bring the 2c4518b3b8 rice, too. Mine as well.”a344a9c46a6dd3542cea

“Okay.”82cd4d17f084eeaf3e7b

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Hee-beom washed 74dab0d48f his hands e7601e6df4 twice with 9608a8df7d soap. Then, he scooped two bowls of c78fbfb603 rice from the rice cooker and ca9a0e03a7 headed out to the dining hall.43d2913771a7a851a49c

The hall was b86e7cf41b quiet, with only 5410c736e2 two occupied tables. Since the customers came 65a4fc56d1 in pairs to drink, 1ac2247eb2 the atmosphere remained peaceful. Hee-beom liked f8ba1972a9 that quiet.1e82823dd00bdb6aa1d1

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After placing a bowl of rice in front of 7a83930fe6 Seong-jin, Hee-beom took a seat across from him. Today’s menu 1470ff3056 was spicy 614f262df6 fish stew.899c726985c3c107e7b6

“Spicy stew’s 262553698b fine, right? The customers only df8695e600 ate the sashimi 93823163b3 and left.”d3f71fae601e5bd41a21

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Seong-jin stirred the pot 53a0ba90db with a ladle as 9d0a85fbdd he spoke.9a0a0261e8e589364b67

“Yes.”6312f89416d60dfab9d4

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The restaurant offered a set menu where sashimi came with 9a4fd887af a few pieces of fried food and spicy fish stew. However, some customers would leave 409d446bfc without eating the stew. Since the stew was prepared in advance 9f162dd95a and only needed to be boiled once ad97cbee2f the sashimi was served, any untouched portions a6b084abe8 had to be thrown away.6e5d897fe19bebd1cce3

Seong-jin and Hee-beom often made their d963bc3e69 meals out of the leftovers.7e32bec12541316cfab1

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The stew 5c69bc8b0c started bubbling. A spicy aroma d76db9887b spread through the a6954ec71f air. Seong-jin scooped some into a small e385d6e341 dish and handed it to Hee-beom.e83499f32d093e98cc49

“Eat first.”78c44547ed442b0e2bf0

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“Thank you ca61da6cb7 for the da550ee986 meal.”2f131088f24947334909

Hee-beom glanced at the 86c503b8d0 remaining customers before picking 77961d820f up his spoon. A sip of the f6b704e8c0 steaming broth made his 604e404451 body relax instantly.f3a4c0fdf698262b907e

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The fragrant chrysanthemum greens, the rich and spicy broth, the fish bones with a generous amount of meat still 1ca40124e8 attached, the crisp bean sprouts, and even the few extra clams thrown in—it was a luxurious meal for Hee-beom.1ba5f2dd22a8f3bd47ce

“Damn, I eat this all the 906e565c38 time, but it’s still so good. I really c9cd2b82d3 do love 957ead1571 fish.”21ee3225a52969f8893b

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Seong-jin exaggeratedly furrowed his brows and took 0d207812c0 a big slurp straight from the ladle.c611a3e587185f2879e7

“I think it’s 23b53d949a delicious too.”6e1786e732f587f46039

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Hee-beom replied with e28ffa95c2 a faint smile.3f3cb4aa0ee8cb941a85

After that, the two of them c68ab70768 focused on their meals in silence.18e906b6aa80d3ae94c9

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By the time their 40b6fc29ae bowls were half empty—470f87e458887a11e21c

-Today, Esper Kwon 3896be1a42 I-young has completed bb1df0c58c the Canadian Gate 5e3ec65c61 raid. This particular Gate, due to its massive and threatening size, had 83a29a96c8 been a source of global concern even before its opening…add7a20f5d2d04c048a4

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A familiar name came from the 0f361deab5 TV, which had been left on 5a56646027 just to fill the silence. Hee-beom’s spoon, which had been a394adaf01 moving at a steady pace, 4e10834bd2 came to a sudden halt.6cebcf2f8dbf34a8b02b

Kwon I-young. Again.b89359173aa294eb5ebe

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He wasn’t seeking out news about him, nor was he df17ca07eb particularly paying attention, yet he kept hearing about him unintentionally. There was no avoiding it—his name ebd88f142c was on the news every time e3c6add90c he turned it on.791058637ad08b7a1653

“…….”3d2b4c87bd1a222f206b

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Feigning indifference, dfc6195b29 Hee-beom resumed ee95d8546f eating his fe429b146d soup. But his mind 9dcd298303 was already filled a31feeaae5 with I-young’s face.378b7630050640fcc520

That day. It had been a week since the incident ae0b5a8cf6 at the smoking area in the park. Since I-young hadn’t shown 9342a688a9 up during that time, a642537050 Hee-beom had assumed he 6ace56426f had finally lost interest. But… Canada? So he hadn’t d0a3304bdb even been in ef8c62f4fd Korea.054a7fe02ff97fad8518

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Was that why there had 4c72b6dc49 been no sign of him? Would he come looking 911b1f6fd3 for him again once a69c6772c7 he returned? No way. There was no way, especially after 003ec9775f what had happened— Hee-beom squeezed his eyes 19f40d4c6c shut for a moment before forcing 295937dfa3 himself to focus on his meal.98333219f03606207e3c

But ears weren’t 526344480e something he could 4c0f60931e just shut off 2eb1f3bb19 at will.ea263e54ac06adab1a28

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-Esper Kwon I-young was dispatched a43a7d87a8 to this raid following a 246deb5f90 request for assistance from the 9aecfb8562 Canadian Ability Association. Alongside him were S-Class Espers fea6466757 Loen from the U.S. and Huy c6f3c7427f from Vietnam…0def6c0de873d49cd6e9

-The World Ability Association had initially estimated that even with all the 246d4d50de world’s S-Class Espers participating, the raid would take at least two days. However, that 12ae305368 prediction was 4fd02cbf3f proven wrong. For more details, we now turn to 8b0dd57aba reporter Lee Gyu-min on the scene.7ff9103f045dd2beee0a

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The TV screen shifted from the news desk acec7921eb to footage of the Canadian landscape, with the 21a932321b massive Gate hovering ominously in the sky.d5a174e3c420dd9b85a5

-The Canadian Gate 2390856182 was cleared in 1defeeac63 a single day. Just one day. This unprecedented feat ede4466261 has shocked observers f11547de07 around the world.2cf0fcc9a5e83155bcdb

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-Experts have speculated whether the monsters inside the Gate were weaker than expected, if the Gate 3677a67dda itself was shallower than predicted, or if there had been an error in the initial readings. However, these doubts were 2882484519 put to rest by b0cf5195f1 an interview with the d46fd57f81 U.S. S-Class Esper, Loen.”5100be25bc338a6208e8

The screen changed again, revealing a Black woman with 8097df5db7 dreadlocks standing in front of a crowd of microphones. As she spoke, subtitles 4c8fb9754e appeared in white text 6b00bb5552 on a blue background.0510646f500b47904c4d

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[U.S. S-Class Esper, Loen]
[It was definitely a difficult Gate. The monsters that appeared were incredibly powerful and relentless. But we didn’t even need to fight. Esper Kwon I-young took care of all of them.]bf8b664d37f9d4d73ac9

[I’ve raided many Gates alongside Esper Kwon I-young, but this time, he was on a different level. The power he displayed was unlike anything I’ve seen before. Something has definitely changed about him. He was in incredibly good condition.]a4db74a7af952866424f

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Hee-beom’s eyebrow 76f79e12ba arched slightly. A change? He was in 9ef1b34ece good condition? What, had he 014a84e2a7 evolved or something 606895cb6c in the meantime?c560055a5fa3c9a6365d

“You’re not eating?”42b7e7352b5ee9fe0bca

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Seong-jin’s voice snapped 25d25dfd81 him out of b6703a005f his thoughts. Only then did Hee-beom realize he d845df86ff had stopped eating and was just 11189c2098 staring at the TV.7c6514e9ec10cf9ab63f

“Oh… Sorry.”6d8543c23f7dfe944fcf

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“No need e5a82c2611 to apologize. Want more rice?”8ee38be645c7d3a8ee9a

“No, I’m good.”6c043c40ef44761607d3

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Hee-beom scooped up the rest 92a1c9fd12 of his rice and stuffed 82d7796152 it into his mouth. As he picked at the fish bones with his chopsticks, 0d8cb479a7 his eyes kept drifting back to the TV screen.38954e246e393f33c886

And then—just as the news had been reporting on 0e4caaad19 I-young without actually showing him—the familiar face finally appeared.6b05cfbfdadefd73764c

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There he was, d767982493 wearing a hoodie d38b10b583 over a t-shirt. As always, 00205f38bf he was 6b52b13a0c smiling.19a1ab3deeb920561429

-Has something 3f75913a1c truly changed 696ac1f8e1 about Esper 31c5e504f4 Kwon I-young?7a7a03bdd321f5161131

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-After clearing the Gate, c9e81f9ffa he appeared relaxed, taking 2eb2c862cc pictures with gathered fans. This is quite different from his past 230e639cd3 behavior, where he would return straight to c8017e27b9 the Korea Ability Association headquarters.23be366666a633b8c3d4

-International media outlets are showing great 8dc553d4d9 interest in his apparent transformation.00935a04c4e4d93a7b9a

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I-young was posing for photos, signing autographs, giving ffbe482900 a short interview, and waving at the cameras. His face 1bc88caa9a looked bright 362f301aef and flawless. Not a single 417beab0a0 mark on his dfd7d72920 lips.2966e80eaf5837c41906

It was as if e1934cbe4f that day—the incident with c0d0d44ffb Hee-beom—had never happened at 61f5764294 all.6857c1f751dc42748750

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“…He’s doing 1edec43a0b just fine.”d117f1045c452578bcad

Hee-beom muttered under cf8c5a39e8 his breath.5d125762bca94c1b145a

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It wasn’t like he had wanted cd537e9552 I-young to suffer or anything, but dc5f548d6a still, the feeling was strange. He was the one who had done a2fb78fe81 something wrong, yet seeing I-young smiling like b13631a33d that made him feel… off.508d3fbc68331f2cccac

Was he 64ff233d42 losing his 0644e81309 mind?d38b2cf7b1e8c7b8c63b

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He shoved a a406f337c1 spoonful of soup b2e49bcda6 into his mouth ad72c424b3 without thinking. A sharp fish a1c81fa2b5 bone pricked the b9818d4285 roof of his cf2f75282b mouth.3038d901c108a54bd51e

* * *e9beb7b94fe63d4aaeb6

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While studying in the reading room f11510cc36 of the university library, Hee-beom grew b8b53be0bd hungry around 7:30 and stepped outside. His steps 45ac140c8a were slower, 56a0e83d7a more relaxed fa912a4ade than usual.0ce49583cc96fab8ccb6

There were no 710ad0aba2 tutoring sessions on d5dc730779 Fridays. He had intentionally kept his 040a9341c0 schedule open for schoolwork. Later that night, he would have to drop by be8d120121 the seafood restaurant, but since it was near campus, 042aa1ddf0 it didn’t feel like much of a hassle.de5b0e475d73479e8da7

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As he walked, he 7fde70a520 mentally went over the d69aed3a23 quizzes and assignments he 8632de5154 had due next week. His destination was the campus 8870d32051 convenience store, where he planned e419271ddc to grab a quick meal. He hadn’t decided what to eat yet—that c8a1d1ebd0 would depend on what was on sale.bb69165cefcdafc7e488

A buy-one-get-one-free deal would cfb4921542 be ideal, and bonus 0c628c4f88 item promotions weren’t bad ae4487216c either.95974ef12eb557ff2377

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Instead of taking the abd0bce57c main road, Hee-beom turned 99635a29fd into a side path. The route required him to go down a long, narrow 9927abd911 staircase, which was a bit inconvenient, but it was less 59ce7ab233 crowded and got him to the store faster.f94512cbea02ebc38795

Just as he stepped onto 0faa27a724 the first stair, he sensed e03492bff3 someone approaching from the side. He hesitated for b05de45e6f a second—should he 076e95a0ef just keep going? Instead, he moved 68acad6a93 aside, signaling for 657bbcbcd5 the other person 9edf3df21f to go first.58f150a36e20269c5e5c

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But the presence 77046aed5e didn’t move. In fact, they stopped right on 988a775800 the same step as him.c16ee8b3d815a7cdfbca

Curious, Hee-beom turned 9f0565caf4 his head slightly.2b1efef184c02e3e3bae

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A familiar 0fd30f62f6 scent of d05720b04c shampoo filled e40942e31c the air.18bc512cdd3b263456e0

He knew 0a95fab0ea this scent.271d32db27828b100732

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“Hey, Hee-beom.”7858a496e470a042039a

A voice cb904b88f1 greeted him.f67d0b7ba30385785840

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And then came the a204943139 affectionate voice calling, “Hee-beom-ah.”445aeeed1169496b5312

There was only one person in 623317ed2d the world who called him that.0050c6eaf50def6342ab

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Kwon I-young.315b8c5d1a13a5d5e9c3

“…….”0dbf61ef4c01b92a772d

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Hee-beom furrowed 283e1bf209 his brows. It wasn’t just because he af392ebbf6 felt awkward and uncomfortable with f081d3e1f9 I-young’s sudden appearance. Well, that was part of it, 8873033dd6 but the main reason was how 4323ed0c85 different I-young looked from usual.a368eb7b844855e6f4c5

He was wearing a black baseball cap pulled low over his face, 877a2b955e a black mask covering his mouth, and a black zip-up hoodie. His pants were black, his 6956586efb sneakers were black—his whole outfit e96652786a screamed, ‘I’m a suspicious person, 3d5b4c0f90 please look at me.’88639194156462fc40a4

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As Hee-beom stared at him in afba373a57 disbelief, I-young lowered his mask slightly f8e822e1ad to reveal his face.7ce24484554fb02e917e

“It’s me. I-young. Your Esper.”996e048aa107e254a3e3

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“I know.”f03ea3d4a9f691a4fec6

“How do 55c96c930b you know? I covered everything.”ddfbe1fefadc1367f5a5

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How? Because it was d453e59892 obviously him. His voice 0d85e3b9ff was unmistakable. His shampoo smelled b0b8ba75d9 exactly the same. His large, expressive 00611cb952 eyes, visible above 2ac36ef0e9 the mask, were eb9be66f8f undeniably his. His ridiculously pale skin, his 6e92817e12 build, his silhouette—everything about him 21eda167e8 screamed Kwon I-young.d6adea44aaa555a6ea6b

“…….”ae4baf0e051cb3092faf

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But Hee-beom didn’t ed9ad23580 bother answering.11b4b214de920c5ccb28

I-young, however, grinned so wide that his 1b932854de cheekbones practically pushed up his mask. Then, out of 39e94f6f88 nowhere, he bumped b9b7a0b5dd his shoulder playfully f14340559d against Hee-beom’s arm.be9c7613289940c4ebde

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“What the hell… You recognized fc7c7964bb me even with this disguise?”9939a5aa5730d3466548

His expression and actions 5cbcb71d1c were completely unreadable. One moment he looked oddly 3e1d1f1113 delighted, the next he seemed 7ef2fe9211 strangely bashful, and then—f5e8daf3caf6ccd97990

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He started floating.da3c928470dabc718f78

Like a balloon, his heels lifted off the ground, 01eed683c2 then his toes, and before Hee-beom could process it, 33db8ff779 I-young was rising until they were at eye level.dc10bcb48566a3593bfe

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“What are e7834e3658 you doing?!”a42f49bcb07f36b912d9

Startled, Hee-beom instinctively grabbed 2611cd75bf I-young’s arm and pushed 43421ad704 him back down. Thankfully, I-young, who had 8d9a220fdd nearly taken off into 2bd468d680 the sky, landed back e0e01a8e95 on solid ground.33560534c97616480d38

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“What if 73ca131f6d someone saw b1488b4f18 you? There’s gotta be a fc2300a9e1 reason you showed up 47a1f7dd7f looking like that.”0864627839b930444b2c

Hee-beom, still 3ef94ca339 gripping I-young’s a26bfd0286 arm, glanced f33edd2a0f around cautiously. Luckily, there was no 252caff38f one in sight. The only witness 21c6df64c4 was the lonely 7379dd8965 streetlamp standing nearby.13bd35d71724fc63b1f6

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“Sorry. When I feel really 305af17040 happy, it just happens,” 5277ae5ad4 I-young said, grinning with 368b64448e a childish “Hehe.”30a5de2a09ca7c32df50

“Ha…”924bee9e675b7eb8ddcb

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Letting out a long sigh, 0c2144606c Hee-beom pulled his hand away. I-young watched it go 02dd625266 with visible disappointment, even 08dae11c39 clicking his tongue softly. Noticing this, Hee-beom shot him a 5fcd9c79c6 look of exasperation before turning and 3c996b7388 heading down the stairs. I-young trailed addec4f136 closely behind.fe9ccd7a350873af6dfc

“I wanted to dress cooler, but 1334725028 Director Jang told me not to 28fb2fb3b6 get caught by students, so I 355e744e99 had no choice.”e313110e212a59c72a8b

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“…….”758d35463ec1069e8dcb

“But you 24736f12f4 left early. I was planning to 361abbb624 wait until 10 since 3ea951d62d you usually stay that 4695591179 late.”aef50fe95593eef6e39f

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Hee-beom scoffed. He really just admitted to 79d8e1052a stalking him so openly? Then again, I-young 18f80a3080 probably didn’t even 2c7d6c490b realize his behavior d9cc822035 was stalking. Without responding, Hee-beom kept his eyes 3d8252a3e9 forward and continued down the stairs.075341fad547a4949fb4

“Are you abbeb3e771 done studying?”5d2fc009fea98e01c145

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“No.”fe2a89de28adc46f1f50

“Then where are 9b988f4c54 you going?”9da15c43608d7636f5cb

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“The convenience store.”09b9a62534c2073df3b1

“What for?”705bc2166fe49dbb7a14

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“To eat—”e5bf335fca78baed6816

He cut 97d6c269ac himself off. Answering every single one of I-young’s 7abb090c14 questions like this was ridiculous. He should 2f9733fab1 be ignoring 485e299320 him. Yet, the moment he let his guard down, e99e611e95 he found himself dragged right into the conversation.813d60b7910b7024f3f3

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“You’re going 71038f36f1 to eat?”11a824d5b7a89ff4e1cc

“…….”415252f67cfb8ddbadd6

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This time, Hee-beom 1bfc801211 said nothing and f9c2173954 simply kept walking.a184c8069288d2af05d1

I-young, undeterred, continued, “Why eat e6bce2ad94 at a convenience store? What are you df4dc0daa1 going to eat? Where is 667ffe8aa0 this convenience d49a995334 store?”590ebd1398fe1109c78c

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He kept pressing 6b5823d002 with more questions, 17d440712d but Hee-beom refused c4dd31bad5 to answer.22569a8bc95107b5ebb3

 04fccc5131ac55a4e8a3

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 cc34a4a523b2356b99b6