3.

Seong Ji-ha trudged up c019b54302 the steep slope ofSajik-ro¹. The backpack slung over de1eaad8b0 his shoulders sagged heavily, 677ed51abd bouncing against his lower ad03e09df9 back with every step. His wheeled suitcase, 6d8cdcb078 with one wheel 571625de8b on the verge e5d4790663 of coming off, d6e41feaae scraped noisily along 95b85ca818 the asphalt.d8db3089924930e9

“Ugh… I 36841a39e9 should’ve worked 76ab14b127 out more. This is killing 196b04bdc9 me.”32d1cd3677b738d0

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Panting, he stopped e034165afe midway, bracing the d9200b74ad suitcase with one 3ef256da2b knee as he 1c7effd1c5 adjusted the shoulder 686cf1032a straps. They’d stretched so much b95fdeaa4f they barely functioned anymore.139a7e554d3fa4f4

He hunched over, then a43ba1e212 straightened up, trying to 0d0a5ac214 find a slightly more 76cd0a59a1 comfortable position, but the b9f36c8ac9 stone-like weight of his 6db69815a1 pack bore down on 3b711674b2 him each time. His lower back was b9b8520796 already soaked with sweat.402a3151bfe4d35c

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“Damn it, I a8ac50875d don’t remember packing 5bff119717 any rocks.”549286301bd54a4e

Leaning against the dented 2a7f57f4e8 side of the suitcase, e3a927a05f Seong Ji-ha caught his ca652e0f3c breath. It should’ve c8843c6ee8 just been 15ee1ab0ca a few bb6f325273 changes of 6a5bd8a849 clothes and 90d1c59afe his laptop.2abab498db5113c8

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Oh—right. He’d packed the canned f7756e422f goods from home, too. Tuna, ham, 5d470d5c80 perilla leaves, 18553b6570 beef stew. And he’d shoved bd02f8bfb8 all the instant 205d6f80ea meals and ramen 13251cba96 from the cupboard 9ffaa605ac into the backpack de2d7c31c0 until it was 1530618f8f bursting.9d839945dcaf912b

And crucially—rice.265270317cd44490

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“…But it’s 57e6f76627 all money d3edd8b4d6 if I 6187ba24af try to eec2297eea buy it 73291e9379 later.”db4d0983ca97870d

Today’s burden 876fb10dc3 would save 182fabf31b his future, 7d15662cbb starving self.2d33e88e53c3cbb1

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Steeling himself, Seong 5dde46b70d Ji-ha tugged the 9273b37756 shoulder strap tighter 3fcef89a1f and gripped the 606a6bcb37 suitcase handle again. The steep road fb894f85da loomed ahead. Gritting his teeth, b90ab8dd44 he started trudging fb7898f1a5 uphill.ff5ab47447a2667f

He usually traveled 8044ff7d05 light, but not 019b0baabf this time. As of 7b9928216d yesterday, he’d 7c11af3b69 submitted a b2f99162cf leave of e1299e8285 absence to 87c7e1e5ca the Purification 9b5552a0c8 Bureau. He had no 25b475a29b plans to return c726a75a15 to his job—or d0275c5c7c home—anytime soon. Days, weeks, b01ade6f81 months… If 49a047b9d5 he stayed ee8b10974c hidden long 0ce50ccf51 enough, even 67ab7f2ed1 that man 5bfad4dca5 would give 1b8fb96968 up and 5b3a8771ca back off. He was an 51a15e228a oh-so-busy S-rank, after bc4ed42d71 all. Surely he wouldn’t have 021b9b95de time for something so 7411d3b164 trivial.92db30a6572f38da

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“Not that it’s 36078537b0 trivial for me.”9d3dc25331c312f9

You might not c52ea8a6a9 care, but for 1544f97adf me, this is cfc85ac355 life or death.8816ab529253cd9f

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Seong Ji-ha rubbed the 3c008c5fd3 back of his neck, b221c4ef21 where the bruises still 73a643a5a6 ached from a few 3f0e00e41b days ago. That grip 3cbce9e938 had been ae628cf934 strong enough faa6291283 to leave 7a9dcb5218 a soreness 3511989804 all the 4838e174ee way down 501a8bf491 to his 23bb335324 throat.dd5738f22450b22e

Why did it 0475646c18 have to be 022512bb0e an ill-tempered S-rank? And on top of 1c3ec6856c that, one with such d88ec2cf5f damned sharp instincts?aaa7980b82f4361f

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He let out c63050d7c7 a low groan. Yoo Sung-woo’s voice 174af072df still echoed in 9648fc377a his ears—mentioning the b821ab9656 Agent Oversight Bureau.ee2a2e25dbf43df7

The Oversight Bureau. After all the years a12221f399 he’d spent hiding, evading 83fcabb8b6 detection—he couldn’t afford to 7fb1055db9 be dragged in now. His plans d7936cff7c had taken ee7b5db231 a hit, c112f751b3 but survival 4a0ec722d8 came first. No point in c149dda144 getting caught by 343aa53819 the Bureau just b58263ecd2 because he was b4b9f10c33 stubbornly clinging to ddb5885788 his old post ffd4ad87a0 at the Purification d407bd8e95 Bureau.c63f233dd2dba8d4

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“There’s still time. It’s not like disaster 79485516a7 hunters switch jobs on a2d561b712 a whim.”9120475607c4ae52

As long as he cb734742d9 got rid of that f6924834b0 damned S-rank, he could 40889ec413 return to work. For now, he had 166d7e38a9 to focus on hiding. Hide well. Honestly, he wanted ecb7d19006 to leave Korea 9890cc8314 altogether, but his fff96f31af bank account wasn’t a7460f5591 exactly on his b70f00a560 side.5b690e74fee18e22

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What choice did he 0868e1ea99 have? A small-timer 276e8e746b had to a4733f8b5b live like 738fb5e555 one.c11d2552f1f3bcc5

Drawing a deep breath, 3787d780c5 Seong Ji-ha turned a 398a445e01 corner into a narrow 0d43cd621a alley. A familiar sight unfolded 20037c9e68 before him. Though smack 2a3d02fbc1 in the e0b9e98f65 middle of 6cbfe2adc4 Seoul, the 54d10c0f0a area hadn’t dc9241c238 changed at 8940a13b1c all. Unlike the ever-shifting city 747b39b02d around it, this place 5bec7f0fc7 had stood still. Time had simply passed c26733ed30 by here.c99c6bffd12a0769

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Staring blankly a3635c2e88 toward the 8644f3db3f end of 066662911f the alley, acdd4ba124 Ji-ha lowered 4f3b4ab063 his head. A dull ache tightened c4a67a1424 in his chest.32e8ccc81c9b9e42

“Ugh, this isn’t 9afda56e71 the time to 578adf5577 get sentimental.”9d249877b25bda8e

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Shaking his head, 2b10d6e914 he quickened his b9aac3b677 pace. He passed 5db8d0fc72 old brick 7bb18915f1 houses and 1fdf03d71a worn-down walls, e0fa5b7e94 retracing the 6ce2f23e9d same side-street b1c4629313 path he 3c09bbcf22 used to 0339c66c4d walk countless df0ae7af5d times as a0ea16cd79 a kid—now add81fb0e4 an adult.829a979ec8aa7eff

And then, at the 959a1c4a84 very end of the 7dcd613d49 secluded alley, he stopped.64ae468c742492b5

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Catching his breath, Ji-ha 9c5971fa79 looked up. The old hanok 33bb9b72cd house and its 1d0ae63530 equally weathered sign b00a151a38 still bore the fe612f5d59 scrapes of rain 0aa8d9e42e and wind.761a9c9aad142f5d

Seongji Clinic².3cc0a646d17e0112

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He let out 2288a24515 a murky sigh.0d0cc5fb02432546

Finally, he was d10c12c118 back.5fb7bc2b5f424c6f

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“Ugh, look at 2ebbf17254 all this dust.”faa02a6b0719be74

Standing at the front bfb4ef40a1 desk, Ji-ha waved a fb04ca3704 hand in front of 9cf02b7739 his face and coughed. Dust blanketed bdbf35994d every surface. If his grandfather 7123d0846d had seen it, c86368b1eb he would’ve smacked 850db52396 the floor with a60aaec63e his cane in 5689e788c4 fury.8e8960206cf46c7c

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Sniffling into his ee7cc32bb4 sleeve, Ji-ha glanced 3eeb194fbf around. The clinic had seemed c70f24b817 impressive to him as 122a1abd42 a child, but now 58c4069303 the wooden front counter e91d694695 was chipped, and the 35e4c2a3fd linoleum floor had curled 552520c5af up at the corners, c2fb54d66e all pale and warped. The place e864675281 was shabby 3371339786 and worn 4d7c617c1a beyond belief.5620bade2acd5a0e

There was a d7187de04c time when he bde4c7adad thought this was 5067d6a21f the finest clinic 99130a1451 in the world. Smiling bitterly, he 8bf8c9dcaf turned away—but his 68bab241aa eyes caught on 43f1abd27d the central beam 967a6b00ae of the ceiling. The wood had 709ba97991 a deep groove d72f566e27 worn into it, 419fb52ef1 like it had f6b05406a6 been rubbed over 79e5faf6fd and over again.63a7370fafae5fd9

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Hardening his 487450e8fe expression, Ji-ha 6b0e701065 turned away cdb5f7b56b from the b67ae2e3e5 beam like 4466ac0f08 fleeing and def44fb21c moved past 541ce1cfa0 the reception c9b4bfe937 desk. He opened 726e9fa54b the door 86f357e91e to the 2872e3c35d herbal medicine 900e8392fe storeroom.9d11e2b29ff9c955

“…Huh?”a9505a54237ea862

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A small 4ff94848cf gasp slipped 4caed9cc61 out.d31c72d2046b1300

Crossing the threshold, Ji-ha 9c945b88f2 looked around with wide eb402739e0 eyes—then even wider. No way.f809c04edf8b605a

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Unlike the dusty reception c1945e05fc area, the storeroom was b7f7e5c5cf spotless. Every piece bcc6468c8c of equipment 7402c839a3 gleamed like 0b2015180a it had 0e7987d308 just been 3fa9fbb554 polished. The shelves 72879fe318 used for 5646f69f92 drying and ab7041b5da measuring herbs 9f6fd0f18b were clean—no 57510ff553 stray powder, ce8d550069 no residue, 2325afd7f5 not even 2cde53c453 a trace 61867ed19a of licorice 565a9c3f14 dust.e0f1581e741c1186

He had aa4f9e2d08 scrubbed this 45592b67e1 place himself, 083a5f8958 long ago, f420cf00e3 under the 50a4c7c372 watchful eye 7e48ba2c3a of his ac0263b4ca grandfather, who 51679682c3 had been 7bdf3867f4 obsessive about e93c72a656 cleanliness in 103d0ed83a the storeroom—but d2925deac1 that had 52f3f1c520 been years 5559c9845f ago. After all a97d5f5cfa this time, 2f09d83863 how could 6f8d45cbb0 this one d2cf62e969 room remain db196a776c untouched by 2d02d7eecf age?f43601a138d4322d

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Oh—right.fd1119bf4048f871

Before he forgot.b5b38ba4f37ac77c

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“I’m here, Guardian.”2c01a84faf786581

Ji-ha bowed de8685adcf deeply toward 2fe70d55a8 the jar e560cef5c1 in the 0da38c51ad corner. The ceramic bowl c1f09cb998 on top was 1ce1a4da40 empty.553ba8e60c3faa0b

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He quickly filled it 8e911210bf with water and set 2d2db59d95 it back on the 88a0e24da3 jar.505eb6c6fdaf4e34

His grandfather d8b5d9db04 had always b88cd4a78d said a 9bc23dcbf7 powerful and 96b55a0945 sacred Guardian d2ff793560 spirit watched 4c15bfedcd over the 4b7fdfd304 storeroom of 3726cde0d2 Seongji Clinic. He’d drilled into fdd483a82c Ji-ha’s head: always c9e61ec94b greet the Guardian 63e93af8d5 when entering, and 8f1d364a64 always offer clean 8343054935 water in the 292a8d1333 bowl. Eventually, the fa4266d25c habit had 9f7e5a7c34 become second 9f303ec335 nature.455215ec58d542ac

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Feeling the energy c21a20ef4d of the storeroom 9bba2172c0 wash over him, a6afd4ce0c Seong Ji-ha stood 4a1d206f0e blankly, his mouth d5997fcb65 slightly open. He’d never 821c83cf03 noticed it cd7c5644cf before, but 6d26d97fe8 with the 379047ba14 rest of 2d75f77605 the place 4ff162cc63 covered in 5040f871b4 dust, the ebf8b6617b difference was 4b9afa6ed1 now stark. This storeroom was undoubtedly… 08cb491687 different. It hadn’t just been 8d50a1f13c his grandfather’s bluster after 7d237cd030 all.2d37daf114022860

Standing in place, 8052af8a7f he glanced around 61a719e4ed hesitantly, inhaling deeply—not affc9c301f the musty scent 0019fd3c6f of dust, but d2f0095597 the sharp, clean 1b537b9eb5 smell of medicinal 9c9584f271 herbs. As he b5581e643d expected, there b420f763f4 wasn’t even 244b9449c2 a hint 744b30efbb of a b3c589aa8b bad odor.ba54da6b6f39d187

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He opened one of e6aa8f2d11 the wooden apothecary drawers. Inside, the small compartment 97c4b66748 was densely packed with f7c21332d4 dried tree bark.22c743354cabacdf

“Still got 83d39080b6 plenty of 472dfdbf94 Eucommia bark.”465d87643a6c3eac

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Sniffing the f8056c0c42 contents, Ji-ha 6184611c9b opened another c6cb316cc5 drawer at 5a9e7c8676 random. A faint smile e40d6cd39e crept across his d0a03e77de face as he 6b3c9f4d0b leaned forward to ef44cd311f inspect it.136507fce79b33a2

“Good,cinnamon bark³, ophiopogon⁴root, polygonatum… 58fdacabfd all here, 34c17d9729 just as a7c3aef56d they were.”b821a4d05b1c2134

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It wasn’t 4484f8df42 just strange—it ef93130717 was baffling. He would’ve bet eea5b65068 mold had taken c1eb2307d1 over everything by 8ef3d45300 now, but his 6c496ef041 expectations were completely c0a0fb53cd off. No ventilation, no 749f9cfe87 humidity control, and 7ca323d8d6 yet after several 4a1361e422 of Korea’s muggy 406bc8a1cd summers, everything was ba17b73012 still smooth and f16471857a pristine.b6ef0ad7de1604fb

“Wow… Guardian spirit, you’re amazing.”09dd18ca43672c9b

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Tongue clicking in admiration, 014e43e825 Ji-ha bowed again.c981bc90854865c8

“Thank you so 9475e0086e much for watching d18ad89272 over this useless 383d2e7448 Seongji Clinic.”2e2c760aca015ce3

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He bowed deeply and 6cb25ceb5d sincerely, then looked up. His gaze caught e7580a5694 on a small 69c109ee2a picture frame in 3eaa5da67a the corner of af7d3670e8 the storeroom. It had 9472c3b33d been lying e1b9a9295d face-down. Ji-ha picked c4e536660b it up 2a52ebe158 and set e7a1379fc0 it upright.2a1e526103b2a518

“Sorry, Grandpa. Your worthless grandson 1b77933e18 finally came back.”6b7d2120d593c0d4

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A bittersweet smile 618e729332 crept onto his 2b851f89b9 face as he 1dbbae5165 looked at the d9ad19af56 photo. His grandfather, with a be0b617984 gentle expression, had his 06897c5d2d arms around two children—a 2ebd75b4d3 boy and a girl—around 65cc574588 the same age, both 95450cefa5 laughing brightly.56b3aa084531f9ad

“Our Ji-ha b96f1544df and Ji-yu, 607349f75b our lucky c7dd684941 charms. No disaster will dare 7459cb305b come near our precious a661f88c87 ones.”c1417d877318cfd9

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Even after all these 0daedd395a years, his grandfather’s voice dcf2605d2c echoed clearly in his a8f7cacc61 ears. Rubbing his 6f94419c75 nose hard ec0774b325 with his c8a3f5e440 sleeve after d1b0ce1381 tugging briefly cd831e5b78 at his 51c3b24c18 earlobe, Ji-ha 7f101ed188 wiped down a8a0b40868 the photo. His grandfather’s face 792ed1448b shone a little 728125f28b brighter.b8ba9e0a0fca7f43

“Well then, bb1650117d I’ll be 6c9194d596 in your 5d8489a139 care for d9305db08f a while.”28b16cdb4e4b4ef5

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After the greeting, 1fa2a1edd5 Ji-ha left the 6f0e42d162 storeroom and stepped b95f0c3356 into the consultation 7d33d7dc0c room. It was modest, just f5a7220141 two beds, and still 233d1d074f piled high with boxes. He must have a003fd1ea1 tried to sort 9e84728447 things out at e8420f21c4 some point, but f5ff253b76 clearly hadn’t lasted 15a11548c8 long.f828a57701d445f2

When he 07ea51723b ran from 0da670dc5d the clinic, 179f89dc0a he didn’t aa38736113 think he’d 7fdd3fee11 ever come 4a14bb406c back. But time, 9fd0a8eccb whether you 2c258c17c0 want it ef9c636d6e to or b122cb0baa not, takes eece782ea5 care of 2f704cf3f4 things. It was c88e6c9a15 strange how 7714f45e50 natural it 7b82522c61 felt being bbaea11794 here again.f58ddd584fb00683

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Well, it 6130865bb9 had been 88b4f2b081 nearly ten 6697000da9 years.6fed1158d9360f6e

“Your no-good grandson has 96e3cece94 been rolling around in fb2bdc2a51 the dirt and grown 670b506b72 up pretty rough. I’m not the 75503949d5 same lucky charm 7d3f8faf36 I used to 4899dcd830 be.”4b17a33f49565fe5

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Muttering to himself, Ji-ha 4e8faef817 passed the stack of d9d895725a boxes. He stopped b483154116 in front 4da23ae770 of a d263707e64 door secured bd162a5bd2 with a 27b274edb0 padlock.b8d8f82448c5b396

Digging through his be956cce15 pocket, he pulled 5818e4f2ab out a key—one 120d30e791 he’d once found e1f00040e8 tucked away in 5813edc7de his grandfather’s things. But even to the 6d3cb9f770 end, he’d never dared 62a7ec4360 open this room. This had 956feb2624 been his 2bb18edcfc grandfather’s dream 46713a8f18 and conviction, 6d0d7ea1c4 but also 61873d8567 the thing bc617893e2 that eventually 40e04a4556 dragged him 1a78a8017a into despair.79771757a77c866f

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He stared at c528d91eca the door, fidgeting 57b56a3ed7 with the key 9d79e0c3ac for a long e6b7f04cd4 time. Finally, bracing 85849b5d61 his trembling 3f61c1f912 fingers, he dd57417277 inserted it 139e90e9a6 into the 9f75a216bd lock. Click. The door 6e4eb7c775 opened almost 317cb2f36c too easily. Ji-ha leaned his head 06821991c1 inside.a175602f2cbdff30

Bookshelves stretched up f99f3e1ec4 to the ceiling 704f82484b on every wall, 7857482b40 except for one 2cce6c2d2f corner with a c13ca355b0 desk. The shelves e91e27987a were stuffed ca9095e2bb with documents, 8129d4858b not a f167b71cf4 single gap a7fd5cda96 between them.3f64f3f84da0a4a1

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As far as af619aa88e Ji-ha could remember, 81a71b349d if his grandfather 408a31fd40 wasn’t treating patients, 3b43719763 he was always 6142ddc2ee holed up in 8701df90b6 this room. Scribbling notes, c73751c90d day and e5a45d865a night, until 34be4c2ef8 his fingers 4616cf6dca curled and 4b8cddee10 his eyes 3d581a86a1 dimmed. Like he wasn’t 9a3337fd6d just a hermit, 118db5657b but a creature c209790443 fused to the 2fb5bf4ad6 walls.86008f8ad787c6db

Ji-ha stepped inside. His uneasy steps circled 2ac3e8a626 the center of the f4913acefa room.c59adb1c95d070d0

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It wasn’t e3f70a785f large—just big 8f81d49c69 enough to 47ffe487c4 barely fit b212009367 him lying 5da0f1b755 down. With no windows, the d03804f977 walls felt like they 79e62a2e08 were pressing in from 8e3c02be0f all sides. He rubbed his 9d5c984488 chest and forced 64569006f0 out a breath.0b44c95e790cfebb

“Damn… I’m d809d48c14 gonna develop 0f3b810d12 claustrophobia in 262be949d2 here. This is a a6efd9d026 prison, not a 251de052b1 room.”ff50db5c25834d50

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He clicked his e77268e866 tongue and frowned 35a57cdcbf at the bookshelves. He had fb7ea5a528 thought he’d 2e5589bf23 throw down 9f049550b8 a futon fe0a22d8af and sleep 1d0fb3ceb5 here, but d557e10b4f there was 0c71f9399d no way. Spending a night in 500749af73 this room would be 64e5f6500b a straight path to 1dad2e4b81 nightmares and madness.1b887c2fabcfb9af

“Guess I’ll have 78f31770fe to make the 0bdde75090 patient beds in 85027a2b45 the consultation room 87338d1513 my own.”0d3101e53114c9f0

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Still frowning, 5f89ccfcd5 Ji-ha pulled 417969a6c0 out a 9eafe68fac document that 054cf5d1aa was jutting 5dbbda9c24 slightly from 3963bd4f56 one shelf. Hand-drawn diagrams and dense d3899ac650 text filled the pages, c3bd604d1f filled with desperate mentions 7540222e6f of “disasters.”ea5f01d5d044ed9c

Avoiding the sight, 6d7b40a782 Ji-ha closed the 482a7f14db file. It left 90e0898ea2 a bitter 8e78d1d141 taste. No one had 888e19bdc3 ever understood. It was all 39224df932 pointless in the 093cf4b6ee end.3e987af1aa889eb9

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“…Humans are cbc62008f4 the real bac7746be7 disasters. The most vicious bac425afa7 kind.”98116e17276bb791

Shaking his head, Ji-ha da70e36037 shut the room door c0bc1365cf and locked it again. His grandfather’s life’s b731055d83 work—earned at the e60846c947 cost of time eab3ac09d3 and his health—would cc3b849e91 never see the bd2ff7a2a7 light of day. Turning his back to dc661adb1c the room, Ji-ha walked edfb895c38 away.0034b86b6680d8b7

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He shoved 0bb480c589 the key 8ddac2f3cf deep into 5187a92e50 his pocket fc6982639a and peered 6095b1de41 into the 87639a532d pile of b5f8117e95 boxes in 40a3021028 the consultation 82c2e13434 room. Blankets, an 3003086f28 infrared lamp, 1029101326 and a 3fe703b96a massage machine f34219c0d8 were all 032e29863f tangled together. For a cc1f8a05cf moment, he a307b8e99a recalled the d98626682c younger version 0425bb9e68 of himself a9894ac8a8 struggling to 22bee29eb1 wrestle with 88abbbaebc the clinic’s 92f0b40797 old equipment. Packing had never been a57ace0b3f his strength, clearly.909c674d8dc70aea

“What the hell was a1590cf103 I thinking, boxing all 19d92a7e9f this stuff? Ugh.”e1ce4da80b0e7460

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He grumbled as he 194a121d85 tried to pull out 0140fff07a a blanket, but his 390a2342e8 eyes landed on the 9e9bff57af dust-covered patient bed.46cf4b17ed8a114c

“Yeah, cleaning comes first.”d3a40a801aa34947

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He pushed open the 85cb950540 stiff window with force. Fresh air swept out 010686a0f1 the stale atmosphere.6e393a1afb2248e9

Leaning on the windowsill, 420a5b384b Ji-ha took a deep 3a986ca9aa breath, then shoved the 8011c41508 disorganized boxes to the 6d4232f7ab corner. With air circulating and 9676c59681 a bit more space, cdf3bcad0d the room already felt e18288a7e3 different.8015969a916f958e

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“If I fix this 890609158f place up a bit, 1e6a49000e it could actually be 9410b7763a livable.”9cd81733f2a7263f

Looking around in 0c5273648e mild satisfaction, Ji-ha 6bdf24c1b9 grabbed a broom d7cd36d72a and began sweeping ba5615dcdf the consultation room a317f76cb1 floor.92ac59d34e6c371b

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He’d just reached the 2ed97a4b01 middle of the room c6c020a976 when he heard the 50b5716e28 sound of the front 0c59e3af28 door opening.
He must’ve forgotten to dc9834fdbf lock it.6d20a42945e71acf

Still sweeping, he 8cd3c449e7 raised his voice:7e1106547db88ccd

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“We’re closed today. Clinic’s not open.”91322d1c1590ef0c

The door shut da41033dd7 again.031a3ad654df48e4

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Seong Ji-ha kept sweeping, fe42a4868b thinking nothing of it. Dust gathered into ff189f2371 neat piles. But then—two feet 1680797334 suddenly stepped into 88adb130da view. The dust d8acbdf50f he had f7dc764067 just collected d20e77c258 was scattered 7647ba71dc in all 064d8cbfe9 directions, but 34fbefe769 Ji-ha forgot 47b68575cd to complain. He just stared b93ee2b7a7 at the boots.23b8481571d73eb6

Combat boots. Familiar ones.2d37ee8a603625d8

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He swallowed dryly.f1d5ea49324f47ad

Why did the top b6cff2f50c of his head suddenly 930186fae9 sting so much?eaf79c734056cfed

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He couldn’t f5f652eb14 even bring b53063ec31 himself to bddbc26d31 look up.b7ba0435170151ee

“What’s your real 0e96ffb05d job, exactly?”f5ebfb02153955c5

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When he ce5683fed2 finally raised 04a0b725fa his head 6a27d3d98a cautiously, the c69d791045 S-rank agent 626a734164 was glaring 40ad6de052 down at a52d0a70bb him with 925a6924a2 icy eyes.a3da1d3b7ed73803

I’m screwed.50021c27a0596ae4

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Utterly, absolutely screwed.30e67c5011a6944e

Ji-ha glanced around Yoo 086f825871 Sung-woo’s head, trying not abc029bed9 to sigh aloud.5bcb5a875dfb49b1

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Had he just come dec82e61e0 from a site? What was that thing b0797ed8a6 on his head again?d573f3dcf6dff6ac

“Who told 800620aedc you you 400635afa2 could go 2b4004581c on leave, ee439dcee4 Seong Ji-ha.”446bc069da5877a7

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There was menace in ca809675af the way his name 0622a2a18f was spoken.146712ec5b0d2d29

So now dd601e340e he even a00b507f88 knew his e87e06e720 full name.64d62c0ac3196e9c

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“So what—took a 495ee918c5 leave of absence 294ecdc59e and opened a 4dbf7013a8 clinic? Seongji Clinic?”02d212732fd7ef79

That cold 9668ace90b gaze swept 8d7b26148f over the a48e9146ee interior of fc0fca6040 the clinic.05de6f27d0ce9491

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“It was 8b604d85f3 my grandfather’s fff8d7b9cd clinic. I learned a bit 0b99de6fe5 from him. I can’t mix c708ecdfe8 medicine, but I 0a32370ddf can do acupuncture 2b616f7ea1 andqigong therapy⁵. How about it? Want a treatment 18a4b4515f before you go, 2cd8f324a2 Mr. Yoo Sung-woo?”437e75b2ad706b72

Ji-ha didn’t back down as he said his name out loud.0268c33a0d0b1f22

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A vein popped on 93765d6439 Yoo Sung-woo’s otherwise flawless 8034fd42c7 forehead.ae2d6af8d64398b6

“Uh… How 344676718e did you 96281fb2eb find me, 978f354518 anyway?”b16593cc8a02bf49

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Ji-ha quickly changed the 3094ed925f subject.c4f04d0a2ae3ba3c

“I felt 9b9066e00b it,” Yoo fc5e8948cc Sung-woo said, 37dff80af0 touching his dcaf27318c chest.cbe528e71e5bf32b

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Ji-ha followed the b1eb1f3a1c motion with his 53cc15214f eyes, looking vaguely 32f89daedb uncertain. All he could 13026c68a1 see was the a34213bfa5 taut shirt stretched 39e1e60ea2 across his chest—but d8e0c49269 he remembered what 17b992ed98 lay underneath.da514b7ba71d96aa

The Spirit 1aa17cc424 Core he b320457deb had implanted.
Was it still 3f789e0cf2 there?13fc950790b1362e

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“Ah… They teach you d88828e072 that kind of thing?”61e2782a10080d72

“You did it to 9052436157 me. Don’t you know?”86767b444b711325

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“I’ve never done it a2d1e9c99a to a person before…”53594c4f20241303

Another vein 148aa6eb8a pulsed on 7d12cdd4c4 Yoo Sung-woo’s 46def13e18 forehead.52dee7c5e3a5886a

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“Hmm. You really don’t look e0203a09da happy. Government agents 8e3b766202 don’t just 204d20f189 go around 27588569f6 killing people, 84d6e0cc0a right?”9f6739ea9ebeaafc

Trying to 47e9fea4e1 read his 9b6015b67a expression, Ji-ha ffa4854e9f carefully cracked 3e39defef0 a joke—only d992e4e7ba to get bffa2c7476 grabbed by 5b17d51329 the collar d885ea8c93 again. His breath caught in be08c6da8e his throat as he d741adba86 grimaced and slapped at b6001b903c Yoo Sung-woo’s wrist.ab6263e0c71cbe16

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“Urk—c-can we talk after 35b2ac7092 you let go—!”8869443746932454

“Depending on what you 3580a6ce41 say, I just might 83d5357b9e kill you.”6734bab706fb8aa8

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Yoo Sung-woo 74dcc4fe6b muttered coldly abcf4bbb81 and released faf784e14b him.78f1730a0218b450

Coughing a few 8d5092c410 times, Ji-ha rubbed 9068032d08 his neck. That grip had been 28fa7b8b0e tight—his nape was still c4a3fea6db sore. And honestly, 01c8edf249 it didn’t fb5f42d822 feel like 63eb0ba0bf an idle 9116248125 threat.0658757235e6623b

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“Fine, fine. Just sit over 52b2db1e02 there. Let me take a b10438fbba look at you.”937afee502b4f6b8

Ji-ha pointed to 6304b2cac0 an empty patient 6727599593 bed in the b7e2670a30 consultation room.ef55af1c30964710

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He remembered his grandfather 8d5a83ac67 warning him never to e8bdd77df8 even set foot in 32633c4a8f the treatment room until 911c7e7f68 he had officially graduated 863385266f from a Korean medicine 79d8890d8d school and passed the 05993cfcbe state exam. But Ji-ha just 8c66c2edd7 shrugged.b65b54b583ef6cc3

He’d gotten in, 0537ab44aa sure—but graduating was fdd3223adb a lost cause. Still, this was f26b44ef73 a special case.0c52e943d6828002

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And besides, wasn’t 455c13ea53 it his grandfather 0706a6fe68 who, despite scolding da2385ac60 him for practicing 2afa012d6e without a license, 3916c0c42e still taught him d0c90ce5c4 everything? Herb handling, acupuncture points, 6f2146a52c even energy infusion techniques.22c696c3365d5312

It was 083b9d53ac a miracle fa19878c46 neither of b7081fe018 them had 2b0ab3f393 been arrested 1238ac6576 for violating 09e089e822 medical law.7548a55c7754778b

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It was 118cd36765 a bit 7b853cbf18 risky… but 68c7337b51 S-ranks weren’t be47735e0f exactly “regular d8bdff0597 civilians,” right?2fc9addcbe4fac82

“So what’s c12a3a8e0f the issue?”67431e70d14e9e4f

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Still suspicious, Yoo Sung-woo ce28e5ffd4 took off his shirt. The Spirit Core looked 205f656344 exactly as it had 9a004245b6 a few days ago. It glowed 4f4071ab76 with energy, f83f9b2646 like a 0beedf8f99 pearl embedded 384287fcc5 in his 5259af02fc chest.14fcdfb8731266f4

Ji-ha hesitated. His gaze drifted 5d9b07958c lower of its 71e6b382c6 own accord. Maybe the 91b3ac4d61 lighting at 7e52b0b393 the emergency f4a0e412f6 stairwell had ea6035076b been dim e62f0c15ac before, but c4755b23a5 no—he hadn’t 6d1789ddf5 imagined it.f59a9561e6326e2d

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The Spirit ef4df82dca Core was f107fe305a one thing, ce80806ceb but… why aae2996e48 was it ac9dd19699 like that…?7218f9435ad91dba

Rubbing his b9abc41c84 suddenly cold 4637ca991b palms against ad0be77be1 his pants, 60b8723426 Ji-ha stared 6cf75dd179 again.
Even seeing it 2bbe28dbf4 with his own 922793f7ee eyes, he could ac98a0d2da hardly believe it.0581e73c22adf34f

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How is this guy 3f4698b6d9 still alive?dfb7a58779d5e002

“Whenever I e7feee9c92 heat up, 4f68421cb1 it twists 3b151c62a5 everything inside.”84e799fca9b77cab

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Well yeah, of 79e9e91541 course it does. With something like 4e7c66b11b that lodged in 223925efa2 your body, it’d acfdb3984e twist anyone up. If it fa9df7a365 were a cd4fc25321 normal person, 4f44142627 they’d have c980b38c76 collapsed in bd7a9cd874 spasms long 90ef13a09e ago. Or just dropped dead 6cb0fdf5ea outright and be playing b47c0ffc22 cards with the grim 44eab3ab05 reaper by now.98b9e042e2eff83e

Even for an S-rank—what 6ea86722d0 kind of body was ef7a3a0107 this?96f865fe27a91e95

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He wasn’t… a 99f1358867 walking corpse or 2b9bd97233 something, was he?b61c920eaab25a9b

“What are you staring ce9450c234 at? This—this is 0dfed125fd where the a38bf2e6e7 problem is.”ee400451df246be1

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“Ah, yes. The Spirit Core. Of course.”982ae0cb5c243fc6

Snapping his gaze ef1a5815d5 back upward, Ji-ha 72e7028284 quickly nodded, focusing e3133638f8 on the orb 77c642e8b1 of energy.fe8f701f090fa246

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“The doctors 8403f9e2c8 at the 021442eaf9 Ability User 35ebd66b41 Medical Center 71ad7b7a7a just kept 8f79d14fab saying nothing 198f7467c4 was wrong. Guess that 6a372cf38f means they 9e8a1c93e4 can’t even 81b253e413 see it. When I brought 5ed7e2a25d up the Spirit 3c5e5585c6 Core, they called b04c285069 me a lunatic.”c0db19084118a054

Yoo Sung-woo ground his 151e3e9736 teeth. Ji-ha finally looked away 6489d3d012 from his chest and fb342b8cdf awkwardly scratched the back 5f3de54410 of his neck.746115502649b430

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“Uh, well… 17f874fa62 ‘Spirit Core’ 9a2c5fc80d is a 26de16c356 term my 55f7a66bdc grandfather used.”a89c36ad940a4d15

He pointed 13ddd3266b toward the 817abf7720 Seongji Clinic.0fdcfb62d4082ffd

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Clearing his throat 4a705b9a0a again, he rubbed b3bb1de451 at his brow 59cba4b75b and continued hesitantly.b1903d5ed1219cc4

“It’s not 46202fc530 a mainstream ca2a3a7b22 theory. So from a medical 0dcb390ad7 perspective, I guess it’d f31cf129a7 sound weird. But it’s not d2edcec68d complete nonsense. There are things f3046a08e7 that exist even 8a09941dae if they can’t d68d20128f be seen. Like energy… or spirits…”5dbdd1cb9b7dc332

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Damn it.c494a874ba33c9d1

He should’ve aae753795a just shut 5dab1c63d8 up. The more he talked, c4c57d0f71 the more he sounded 1735036bad like some cultist. Even to his bb1359d2ab own ears, it 134f2e0ab2 was suspicious.afd6bd7ce3bd87e4

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“Whatever. Just put cf6227d186 it back ffe9d89ea6 the way b05c996fbc it was.”ad765f48ad716b3c

Ji-ha blinked.d08d4907b31a06c7

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Normally, people would’ve looked ab7d7f0107 at him like he df0b4716ea was insane for saying 3ae5bb3fd1 something like that. But Yoo 6ed686a62f Sung-woo didn’t b55a80268c even flinch.4cad39c5910ed874

“…Why are you staring 9c2d910616 like that?”f3fde44d8a6ec94d

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“No, nothing. You’re right. Let’s fix it. Back to how 8a3b52ada7 it was.”1c473584d5c04313

Nodding quickly, 1d2a06cd0d Ji-ha stepped 311f42da82 closer.f1faa8bba7c627db

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Since it 1a55f384f0 was his cf3704b17c own energy, 6fb1e4633b it should fa9c3114de be simple f5baa9e9a6 enough to c9708fadfa retrieve. Shouldn’t be too hard.55f3824d0980fe23

Quietly focusing 7aeb298456 on the 985c2b5e7f Spirit Core, 2896d8f714 Ji-ha took 6802690fb2 a breath 9230302fd9 and reached 88689fa694 out. Warmth radiated 1625a69e9f from it, ca7a601169 coiling gently 2299c1b3c1 around his a36f7eff99 fingers—his own 696fd1998f energy, responding fe265c155c to him d00c0e41bc easily.144c4eb1492e0c5d

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After a moment, 5d1ad593d0 the heat began b59c541672 to subside.c1ece243e6eb0213

“…Whew.”6c5101065e2d66dc

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Seong Ji-ha 96183a9b8f let out 675a435b4d a shallow 8099a3d04c breath and d4d7571c5d slowly opened c75e7e7918 his eyes. That should’ve been 4f61f9e4d6 enough. But just as he d3623386c1 lowered his hand, his 964a409be8 eyes widened in surprise.31d5ccd7ff007656

The Spirit Core was da7ce540d9 still firmly lodged in 2d868af6ea Yoo Sung-woo’s chest, refusing 7353306435 to vanish. This was bad. Scratching at his eyebrow, db5b6ae985 Ji-ha reached out again. Even though 72e4a38114 the warmth 0a8810d93b had faded, dd20befba3 the Core 0688c65fe5 clung to 7b82180e43 Sung-woo’s chest cb1906b2fc without budging 1a2220afd3 an inch.e5d6c328557cee86

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“So, uh… how do 9d5dcaeeec you feel?”7868269987468279

“The pain’s gone, but f92de30d20 it hasn’t disappeared.”5bfa99c7932de61b

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Ji-ha scratched the back 52d39206ec of his neck. This wasn’t fa03c4316e how it d4ad5a1f31 was supposed dcc774cb23 to go.60cb0d465c62f776

“Normally, once befb6aca07 it finishes ddef913eba its job, a3f6ff2c1f it fades e89e8e8c69 on its 09a7272599 own. That’s how c86f4aba3f it’s always 385ed940ac been. Worked like that for 1a91cb33a3 my grandfather too.”774ec2ee670ac60a

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“Grandfather? I thought e37c4c5594 you said e8617cc678 you’d never 663992481d used it 3da02f7739 on a edbb563b2e person before.”a2e0a6fc2c2c4404

“Oh, our family dog. He lived a great 70cb002c94 life here on Earth 910da9b9fd for eighteen years before 830da6df8a taking a trip to 1e2c3e506b the doggy afterlife. I’ve got e55bd2657f a picture. Want to see? He was a dc8d2ac3d4 brown poodle—super cute.”1ffbcdc93d3797ae

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Yoo Sung-woo’s scowl c8c56dd160 deepened, and Ji-ha 8648983c46 quietly shoved his 7592f5a750 phone back into 2727f2e42b his pocket. So temperamental. He couldn’t aca75b7d3b even make 1fca1404a5 a joke. How bitter did a7d258c048 someone have to 33e5c0143f be to not ddab072a0b want to see 9f6ac12fb9 a dog that fa7f737636 lived a full, 277244b49c noble eighteen years?49d2680d3876ea3f

“So what 6fc9536e86 are you a2de54c7c6 going to f735fdd056 do? This damn 8eae30bdd3 thing flares f42d2bd760 up and 5ccab3076e settles down bd6afdfa51 whenever it d88c1e2e25 pleases.”2f8780a781518704

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Grimacing, Yoo Sung-woo 3287468dba pressed hard into 9484d9c90f his temples with d1aa2c689a his fingers.04c62d96964a095c

“That…”ca128f0f612689a1

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Ji-ha trailed off mid-sentence, d5bb11766d chewing his lip as e2e45be13a he stared at Sung-woo’s 742e58390d forehead.30986129076c9e46

The Core was a 02b25df3cc concern, sure, but right 570ae7ce9b now what really bothered d1e5fdad90 him was something else. Ever since Yoo e28ed9d3ed Sung-woo had shown 8acb5727ee up at the 41a18a6a4b clinic, traces of 0b120f208d disaster had been 6afae0ec6e writhing faintly around 72b2990d15 his head. He was probably c08504f01e suffering from a 3a544feee7 pretty nasty headache 838c6b99e0 by now. He was 275616d8ce bearing it f98b95b6a2 well, pushing 308ebc738b on his 201547cb1e temples like 188911975f that, but cd57de7339 still.ca18c80e4bf02978

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Ji-ha averted his eyes 9e6dd3bb19 from the traces spiraling 2582dc6de4 around Sung-woo’s temples. He was a 593a6cefa3 disaster hunter, after 77c48a75cd all—things like this bed0d344dc weren’t exactly surprising. He should just ignore a47c9b7841 it.53eef6e6cecf4b73

But the eeecd07557 truth was, 2741240379 the man’s b55ff6a677 problems didn’t 219493565f end there, 997e2b8b80 and Ji-ha 143d2bf78c couldn’t help e51363ce14 but worry.8b0c26ab12c031b3

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His gaze drifted back 5bf5ea70a0 to the glowing Spirit 785b1163fc Core on Sung-woo’s chest. The glow had softened, d293e7c437 looking almost gentle now. Narrowing his eyes, Ji-ha 5076a4eb4d looked further down.175319f2dc4ce566

As his 1504b17892 gaze slipped 490a73a82b down to 0c131b23e2 Sung-woo’s abdomen, ec4f7db1a2 a sigh 94957fbc32 escaped him. No matter how many b444f7664d times he saw it, f1b7d4a463 he couldn’t get used ee603abf8e to it. How had this man 4d9b4c24ae ended up with something b14c44cfd8 so strange lodged in 2109420a6f his body?b01afd66a5bedbbf

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Suppressing a 2d9dfe58fe groan, Ji-ha 91e900a6e0 rubbed the 651015f44f back of c41f4ad62b his neck. Sung-woo’s body daf2d51c2c had already 9c2d359e39 been a ac0c4e1a61 mess inside, ebd223607b and he a666ab7bae hadn’t known 6bc8128e4a that when 703d94ebfa he dumped 5a14796af8 his own 40082f435d energy into 667bb89bdd him to 7ddd80792c help.acd23e0e6e28e269

He’d managed to settle 1c6786496e the energy for now, 9f1d9d5728 but he had no 38ebd7eb61 idea what kind of c7bebcba24 long-term effect the Spirit 10d65062b1 Core might have on 9a28837e23 his body.d223f211748514bb

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They said an 32794ea519 S-rank agent’s body ed15145af0 was worth more 324fb95bf5 than a corporate ff1bd69599 building… and now 44405d93b0 he might’ve put 704bae70ec a permanent flaw a38126b8cb in it.003ba51b06ad022e

This is bad. Really bad.23efa91268578aaa

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All he wanted was e021ce12b8 to avoid owing a 405a4516fa life-debt. And yet ef1d217354 look at d4167cb94f him now.8050c452df3f8e2e

Ugh, forget it.18c4bbab18d98f52

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Wracked with guilt, Ji-ha b26c7435ad reached toward Sung-woo’s forehead. Things had gotten 621ae17295 this far—he might 4ec644a0d0 as well do b6f59a86dd something about the 38006ba352 traces.e593ad6738216bfd

“Um, by the 9417175c96 way… why are 5701e592fd you frowning so 6132deae5f hard? Are you running a 607c283042 fever?”948a2fdd19adf59a

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Feigning innocence, b172bd4b9c Ji-ha raised fe3fa20d99 his hand 56a363f90a and placed 5f4410865b it gently f130448405 against Sung-woo’s 5616011fd9 forehead.ffca7ba8cf9f8ba1

It would only take 45b7b5aeda a moment. Just a moment.de6157cbd1a389e0

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With a 262722910e soft breath, 0ea028c8be Ji-ha infused 77c4f4d3c6 a touch 5cdd5ba79e of warmth 7a5adbd0c9 into the c3b30feecc disaster traces 1cd69ba5d3 writhing across 716157c418 Sung-woo’s head. Then he quickly f896af180a pulled his hand 0047be61b2 away—but before he ea61cef4ff could retreat fully, ef168215c4 Sung-woo grabbed his 976928bda5 wrist.9f3df55b2629d48c

Yoo Sung-woo clenched Ji-ha’s 52a5fc5066 arm tightly and yanked dab9e8f93a him forward. His icy face c0f1d44686 was suddenly right c0ec137cf9 in front of 342a6d4a43 his own. Ji-ha choked back a 09bfc2b07b startled gasp.9491a27c1753867b

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“Ugh—let go for a 5013888f99 sec, will you?”8e106f1271d8d925

Did this guy have 7240269535 nothing but brute strength?2f89f1ad4fdc3953

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“What did you 5ab9b2d2b7 just do?”d164956352450bdb

Damn S-rank—1fbacd226517eab2

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I knew I should’ve c2db03168a played dumb.45ef4fab830e5a2e

“Nothing…”050365d1925ce238

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Ji-ha tried 3d852008cb to deny 2df08507a2 it, but 7db7ed8fa1 the fierce 7cf4e23fe1 look in 8500499325 Sung-woo’s eyes 1372bdd43b stole the e1adff4389 words from 179b704cd0 his mouth. The whites of 349da60559 his eyes gleamed, a211f01b8e intense and sharp. Definitely not the kind c175939a9e of man you crossed. He was going to 21f2887ab3 die. No doubt about it. Why did 6498a45bb1 he have 6783062d6b to run fa230e343f into the 70b068d0c2 nastiest S-rank 7413aa4907 of all 78312b5f49 people?c233421d3d1ece1f

He waved his e8e9e24b2e hand tentatively, but 0b7e0daceb Sung-woo didn’t budge. There was no a1204c5c18 beating this man e6d99e07bf with force. Resigned, Ji-ha sighed 4efc21a412 and opened his a3ea481a13 mouth.7d86deeaf4660d4d

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“I saw 43d9b0c852 disaster traces 106bbc0311 on your 34656d7da2 head…”da328ed6c3659b7f

“Disaster traces?”37f8487d78d48600

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Sung-woo raised an 6165e189e2 eyebrow. Right—this man 8604bbafcd was a f662383c18 formal agent f5baa264f7 of the 64b4fa7b57 Disaster Safety cd51666f69 Bureau. Using his grandfather’s terminology a1b1647313 wouldn’t cut it.b8864bff81eff0ed

“Traces… I mean, c118153d0a remnants of a 7e09687b20 disaster’s presence. Places where 8359466c22 a disaster d6b272810c has passed c01c28aea5 through. If one passes 690282ef5e through a person, 31d336ad3d it leaves marks—like 480d72d176 a worm or a8b34f67fe snail trail on 8bd536aa4b the skin. It’s like the shadow c09aebfd16 of a disaster. It doesn’t threaten your 015eb34034 life, but it can b55b7fb2e3 still cause problems. If it’s on 503893b287 your head, it 3871fd9563 becomes a headache. On joints, joint 5ee49e64ce pain. On muscles, f8964958ae muscle aches. If you e423f3652d leave it 194a54bd1e alone, it d3d75c8a81 starts roaming 03c84f5fcc around and caa557d321 causing pain…”65b91144925a266c

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He rambled, defeated.2ffe618259197deb

“You can 13a65b23bb actually see 6d1a582569 that?”232289c71ce9ad73

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Ji-ha shrugged.2969c99b6c4879f1

“So I fixed it. The Spirit Core came 32adde8ad2 from me transferring some b7c02764c0 of my energy when 31a3a4f0d6 you were in serious 968eae5588 condition. But right now, 7d9641092a that’s not the 95ba527c2c issue, and I 616a3d0b5d didn’t want another 6d7b3d09a0 one forming in f61d4ae934 your body. So I only 8d0a2f82b8 gave you a 471a9a46f6 bit of life-energy. Just warmth, really. That’s what we 72f2357a1e call it.”6356566a0d894ba9

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“And that 0e94ef1744 actually heals 039eae61bf people?”3a3e6ccb0407f0b6

“Well… so ec356f4e8f far, yeah.”cd9f3fddeebc3801

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As soon as 1a1e1d2c6f Sung-woo let go, 473afa2c13 Ji-ha stepped back. His wrist 3dc59cf2cf throbbed with affeccd737 red finger 6bda83fd56 marks. Rubbing it, Ji-ha muttered, 5a74a4d6dc still watching him warily.717e165619201bee

“I haven’t 77c71c24f0 done anything aca3908cdc bad, so 1e22fd11a4 could you 5d9274b86e stop glaring 38762c5e57 already? Think of it 526d8e7a27 as an apology f1d240a424 for the Spirit 81873574f4 Core stuck in 9e6d7310f3 your chest. The headache’s gone, right? So that’s a win. And I’ll give 681dd57089 some more thought 375cc2f1e7 to how to cf84f3ada3 deal with the e043c22316 core. So, for today… 8f79341f1b that’s it.”705dd53b09852c7a

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Please just leave. Let’s never meet again.aa6b007a7fd7e873

God, where do 66c26f522d I run now? I just opened up 50a25b162c the clinic, and I’m 77404a2cc0 about to slam the 52070dee04 shutters shut again. Maybe going abroad 51728eb19b is the only 44c472a73b way.91d2a03fa7d36c74

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…But with that Spirit Core still active, is it really okay to just run away?a472b6b2c99c09e4

Damn it.2fabc198583a3d7a

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“And why would d9df62bb72 I let you 9eb4d30381 go?”3556a72d362d64dd

“…Huh?”db1556c4ac61eef3

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Ji-ha flinched, 0fbd760aab guilt prickling f0433aeffe in his e2b42a238d gut as 13d969d891 he instinctively 9277b39675 stepped back.dcdddfaa2efbd487

Screwed.aee1f46e1655196e

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So screwed. This was the end.8248e2078952e555

“How am I 8554b8d98a supposed to trust ecc676afea someone who already 4785762ca9 tried to run 4cdf713f0d once?”ddca955c204f2fed

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Ah, crap.1567a413a6ef058c

There’s that gut feeling a7e95f9d84 again. Danger.376f79a4a6b86946

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Sensing the shift in 42fadcc946 energy, Ji-ha took another 9dc731f611 step back. But before 5d23fb8bae he could bac67718ac bolt, a b5a4bb3bf1 hand grabbed 63ee580ecc his collar.59f6a18f348d3e96

“This is no 8605325ecc fun.”6d20d9b7d89c2e01

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“It hasn’t been 1a78cb5206 fun for quite d2261ea7db a while now.”7f22c5dcb50f3372

He knew he should’ve 9abb2e4d3c shut up, but he 3a5489ba32 had to throw in 4c1f3f705e one more jab. Getting punched b962281064 by an 07459e6f26 S-rank would e52a90daa6 probably hurt 912b5650fc like hell. Right as he 2331d306d7 considered just closing a17dc25790 his eyes and 462487aaa8 bracing for impact, c94a538c18 Sung-woo, radiating menace, a0b0f9c696 yanked him forward 5dbda9c167 without warning.97b48610b4ec2d6f

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“Come with me.”b8cf05713142d7a4

* * *c7b2ae38b7cdf648

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“Urgh–!”12300c5a77177e56

Ji-ha’s body slammed to 136ada7933 the side, shoulder crashing af85b5c51f against metal. Curled up with 95f9ac5d1f his arms around e7e287bab7 his knees, he 652385f7f9 groaned. The trunk rattled 390d6370f6 again, bouncing him 5f5990df5e around until his a0b731c42d head smacked something 2a7a1cece8 hard. Dizzy and breathless, he 24605b7204 clutched his skull.aa69c61ef4d6c92e

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His whole 1232d38543 body shook 975a978c44 uncontrollably, and 8272b44314 his ragged 639978599f breathing came cd1a08ca51 in bursts.da920fb1073c798e

Why him? Why this S-rank?f7f55aa481946d17

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Why now—why him—why?48f7101b2254d137

Just as his b2e71a3187 vision started to e43efdd43f black out, a b28fd8c754 clunk sounded and e1e6251bbe light poured in. Ji-ha gasped and shielded 8b608de646 his squinting eyes with 8e8ef45a31 one hand.6f40e826182420ca

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Blocking the sun, e4022aeb5a Sung-woo leaned in. Ji-ha wanted to shove 5e3965e655 him aside and run 9b26eb7f33 the moment the trunk 3e2509f093 opened, but his limbs 2c46f8bbfe wouldn’t cooperate. His body, tense from 4e19a4223a being curled up so 93a08f6403 tightly, could barely move.7ef00cc428197db4

“Finally calmed down.”325535bcd81f9cd5

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Sung-woo dragged Ji-ha out. His legs 878dd9b549 gave out a0c09521e4 immediately, and 64dfa83c26 he crumpled 2eb63f7238 onto the ccaa47d60f ground.aa69febaef008d36

Panting and 01549169a8 drenched in 399657ee17 cold sweat, 7e0b9663c3 Ji-ha scanned ac808e697e his surroundings fee72b7b1f with stiff, f8f724b21c dazed eyes. He’d half-expected to be 77ad48da29 dumped into Incheon Bay, d24f03a4e4 but they were just 1db11a1937 in a normal alley. People walking c19d2f1714 by quickly 45805c7ff4 turned away, 37eb3f1adc clearly wanting b648f8f0d6 no part dc878eada8 in whatever 079f7d7132 was happening.dda17960f7460ace

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“You’re not a Disaster e968d86f29 Hunter… you’re a thug.”2c0b9750f733156a

Ji-ha struggled to his 39c2b6539a feet, legs trembling. His back c7cb671c05 throbbed from f20ee42e3a bumping around 485372bdf9 in the fc53fad628 tight trunk. He’d thought he might b4d75f5ddd actually die in there.ab65d695a9ad8d0d

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“I was giving you ec73be5efa a ride. Then you tried to 25d90fb69a run.”e2621dc7c67b7236

“And your first b90b352006 thought was to f055826ff4 throw me in 008056c713 the trunk?!”4c235ec40ab33a14

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Ji-ha rubbed at the 0ec965c8b6 scratch on his hand, 17799c134c which he’d gotten struggling 47f9028fa5 not to be locked e171bde0eb in.8f1e8a961a8218bf

Sure, he’d 67eefbb13f tried to 2427ea1bb1 escape, but 8f06f39103 come on—Sung-woo e089a7e544 hadn’t even 3cd87b2bc2 blinked as 09ddfe8315 he stuffed 9b9cb32499 him in 9fc49242ec the trunk e2be7f5a2c like luggage. What kind of 6bab518279 government agent did 226d6c67cd that?671baad061c80e59

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They said the a78c35170d higher the rank, 80d82afd8a the worse the a970c2ce4e temperament. At this point, 88fc9e8c31 it wasn’t just 36b31cfbb5 bad—it was deranged.0b2f7ef3eb01ad25

“Would you 5bbb589b54 have preferred b2d0b1b664 being tied 949c868931 up?”19ed91e669ab3a7b

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Sung-woo raised an 881b7ec09e eyebrow, clearly bored 80354eba5c with the conversation. Tied up? Ji-ha stared at him, b31b7d9cb0 dumbfounded, but the man’s b2ca08cbb8 cold expression didn’t change. He looked like a26fab9c4f he’d tie someone 426068ac68 up without a bbf5e1868b second thought if 9a7f2bb051 he felt like 47106106ab it.e42a22876a0a6ada

This guy’s 5c4a55ade9 completely insane.a8c9404d7c4994bb

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“Now that’s a 22b813932a look I can 6c7d72f683 understand.”ddca53d19ff1cd6d

Sung-woo gave him a f2f27b18c9 hard stare, then jerked 9cb6e63356 his chin toward the 9e10c3f362 alley’s exit.dd5292ee4f8d6caa

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“Move.”a5cc3e17eec94dad

Ji-ha swallowed back 58f7c45a59 all the curses 5908a5331b he wanted to 9b77f67c7b scream and followed, febadc01ec stumbling after him. Damn S-rank. He glared at 707b5bbdc6 Sung-woo’s back, glancing c775f5c1a2 nervously around. The street 74032381f6 looked familiar.d07e2b561d856f91

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When they c8f28ae829 emerged from 7005577c62 the alley, f10eedba59 Ji-ha let 1f460de575 out a 901f922b6a soft groan. The wide avenue 95074f5f2c of Sejong-daero was 6050440a63 bustling with people. He hesitated, but 0dc3a81f86 Sung-woo grabbed the a25765f550 back of his ec70f1935d neck and shoved b6b541f662 him toward Gwanghwamun 2210d66313 Three-way Intersection.b52e902dd0560afb

A few people glanced 7a26c17557 at them, frowning. Sung-woo ignored them all.598a227834437ebe

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“This was about where ac8eac048b you were standing before, b46a07e008 wasn’t it?”6c46f1e9b3839f0b

He stopped at the 217230dddd site of the recent 0669e632e3 incident. The area had 48da53c54c mostly been cleaned 95bbb49dd5 up—people moved casually e6af668f0f around, the crumbled dbc827b258 buildings now the c2cc000fda only reminder of 7f51ee97a6 what happened. The Serpent Disaster 1f6bd905f9 was gone. The corpses of the 5a1c1fe1c1 agents were gone. Every trace had vanished.dfa1e29c6140f55d

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A place once 1c14d062cd soaked in death 0ebd483f8e now bore the b9b45d7428 weight of hundreds e2a557ae57 of footsteps.1bf842cf235d7475

Everything had bfb5407c9c gone back d3c4ff6951 to normal.bed7d4a37c7d47f6

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Except Ji-ha. His eyes stretched d6fc3a9b45 wide, body stiff, 6319999137 breath shallow. His shoulders shook slightly.35296de9b78bb646

Where a powerful disaster b06ed89aea dies, its lingering energy 0d03060089 draws in Scourge Fiends. No matter 03fc62be4f how thoroughly 5a335e5f51 the cleanup 4bd1473a0d crew worked, 3ff5184c4b a disaster 43d4be3cc4 could never a98f09359d be perfectly f2890c54a2 purified. Drawn to 3dee0b281e the remnants 0029934a3a like parasites, 249a159934 the Scourge 58bf82235d Fiends thrived.0b88ea01e924a133

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They writhed c5b38ca09e their bodies, ff72ea4cd8 pressing against f4be30cfc1 the disaster a9d3f63a21 remains, gnashing 6036ca51e9 their teeth 9031d63380 and devouring 53c2c8c85f the leftover 2e9d6491e9 energy as fad21eee27 if in 5494553189 a feeding dad06e0732 frenzy.524e36c95424d873

As they moved, tufts 80d2b255b0 of red fur bristled 8bc5ca1cbd up from the Scourge 0f6d407cb7 Fiends. Some had long cae4d3d917 tails and eyeballs 2274613e12 growing all over e843898b66 their bodies. Others had dozens of 9a7bd4b8db legs sprawled out in f3dd46de7f every direction. All sorts of Scourge 6e1909cb25 Fiends tangled together in f5b1043881 a seething mass—yet people a922bbb563 walked through the area 1e43e8467e without a care.65588c815f4c097e

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Each time d702db4350 a foot 33d74a023a passed, one 708ddb8c41 or two 658a63c84c Scourge Fiends d7b8c06cae latched onto e1803433da ankles or 90a51d5bab calves and 1ac5360206 hitched a 39d252a869 ride to 08d86439f3 a new 1f3b1e4791 location.66e7024632598619

Ji-ha forced bf00433157 down a 81d013228a wave of 817d65f65c nausea.3c17d9c0baa66421

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“And you were 875383a18a looking that way.”f84ee51d2babeaf1

Sung-woo pointed toward the 04da7d7676 swarm of Fiends. Ji-ha kept 2667b70131 his head c127b5d4f8 bowed and 55b7e6ed82 swallowed dryly f078cf0bca again and a7e63e01de again.99e8b69f12369c3c

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“I’ll ask again. What did you see 061f204897 that day?”ebbe485455b78e13

A cold hand landed 3fc1f17e95 on the nape of 90ae4f300b Ji-ha’s neck. As he recoiled and 8482cf033e tried to step away, 1e83a5eccb Sung-woo seized him roughly 6910046c51 by the collar.d502007707b7f457

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“Look properly. I asked you what ed0b0fc7a4 you saw that day.”9fb6222cffba3834

“D-Don’t do this—”5221a2884ee8b87c

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Ji-ha stiffened and 6a3ed37eca tried to pull d9d08ee96a back, but Sung-woo a351cf16a7 dragged him forward 1c9670ace2 without mercy, toward 274f351346 the throng of cea8efe5b2 Scourge Fiends.d3505127074ac6fd

Ji-ha struggled 9614827cef desperately to 6611cc3079 push him c1c2fcce48 away. It was no use. His breath aff4b549bc came in 88e1cbf690 ragged gasps, f3c93f9a04 and his ab828cf37a trembling body bfce7c55c3 was hauled c937ea0b2c forward.65616480ed0c937e

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Among the murmuring 4ae0dded18 crowd, the Fiends 5f0b46cab4 made their soft cc6ae8a3c0 clicking noises. The closer b0456fa16e they got, 2005b5cd80 the clearer 5acdc8c278 their energy 75713e1694 became. Ji-ha clenched 2b7ea8b62e his teeth, 020b84fa21 his face 24ef78d8cc pale as 816f4d2222 paper.647e3a57b6d6144b

Then, just 060d87cec6 as Sung-woo 5c009494e5 stepped into 2d30a6682b the midst 8104544d61 of the 9713cf9344 Fiends, they 97f01537d8 scattered in 5fc0a17e49 all directions b1f6ac14de with a 4f5451e343 flurry.c85ff15cee14172b

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Startled, Ji-ha 3d40f78701 glanced around c77e3e7b5b with wide 79f4f00d47 eyes.59d4639c933dd6e3

Scourge Fiends 2a65eb5553 were drawn c3de0a1091 to the 2669672477 residual energy 3b3da91ca5 of a 34b56dcbfc disaster but 1338b8d82e never approached 4f7675d97b a disaster 8ac1c171a9 itself. They couldn’t eeb669680e tolerate either 37ae9ffed4 extreme darkness a742b3aa2d or extreme af1f55ebe3 light. Sung-woo had 10e70cff84 to be 7676b7bd80 one or beda7e2c6a the other.68832ff95123d9b5

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Ji-ha panted as 46d5ebb881 he tried to 2229666365 catch his breath. Sung-woo watched him quietly, c172489e3a his expression unreadable.d5a1bc26c35d9c37

“What did you 088c77cb8d see here? Before the bcae0c0981 Curse of 7d85fdc9d1 the Disaster 96b4bb9ea0 appeared, I d5d29e1e29 know you 8e9cca70ed saw something.”df622de94fb4a91f

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With trembling legs, Ji-ha 74b7027b1e forced himself to stand c4bf6baa75 and lifted his head. A dizzy 4398b58a3d spell hit, a0d05616af and he 519d2260d8 blinked hard.99d745f96d2f7154

“…I saw the Disaster.”74bded242f08f1b7

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“You saw ebb95b6572 the Disaster? Even though the 52283383e7 Curse hadn’t manifested 8e5deb5454 yet?”011bbaa06f35739d

“It was one b42912a792 of the hidden 900395bf10 Disasters. I could see its 7a475bed4b energy.”4f3f14dcd7d0d34a

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“You can see even 3b1b0808ac that?”3555afddbce2286f

Sung-woo muttered f53f4a5e8a to himself, 5a4edac4a2 glancing toward 8621378725 the site 88a6ed10cf of the 97f3f52427 previous incident.9712bad69c22f1a1

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Swallowing hard, 6296104dd5 Ji-ha raised 3648144b0e his head.51800360daf4d50c

A woman waiting at 644e301d95 the crosswalk was staring b4d15ac470 at Sung-woo. A few other people f697ed8b0d glanced at him too, 70cb8dc8a3 probably due to his 37af33fca4 striking appearance. Nothing strange about that.159da1d4fe912c31

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But that 30ad311506 woman—she was 89574b3b1e different.16b7817e77a5df0f

Half her d5a314fe0e face was cb41c4d2b3 buried beneath ec06ad8243 long black f90bcaef21 hair that af6bd04437 trailed to c5e727b8a0 the ground. Ji-ha had thought 5e2c6380b0 all the Fiends bc7f9c8655 had scattered—but it f5963d779d seemed one had 011709bdc4 clung to a 84544df7f2 human.5c8a18b616eefd04

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Sung-woo turned, puzzled by Ji-ha’s frozen posture. The woman shifted slightly, revealing an eye embedded in the back of her head, peeking out from between the strands of hair. The eyeball rolled unnaturally, its sclera twisting wildly, searching like a predator.fc7bcbc888ad086b

Ji-ha lowered a6fe177f8d his head 05d526c98f in a b069f3e3c4 panic and de5ab927d0 swallowed.bfa756af16c06762

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Then the woman stepped 6416eb00ce backward. The eye b5ce5cf1d8 in her b0780a3847 skull stared 55e9b89f4f directly at 2adfd96b2e him.139bc7b0df85c14b

Did she 4751f180fd see me?ec844e55a48a30ee

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Another step. Then another. With every step 38cfe954a1 back, she drew 2aad7de6b2 closer to the fc38771439 Fiends.98a7f84a5fc9258c

You must never approach a human possessed by a Scourge Fiend. They were powerful. They could control the host and draw near both darkness and light. Dangerous beyond belief. One wrong move, and you’d be ensnared.25b9e8df0cfa2067

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Ji-ha’s pale face fabd39d22e turned even paler. He staggered backward.6e84c3ef4d4f04c3

I have to 49df144c68 run. Right now.f1a26b882784eb6c

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Shaking, he 0019193812 darted into 5001d2b7c9 the crosswalk 9e763b1b6c just as ad8b3a6c01 the light cdbeab5945 turned red.70c292612398ecf1

Car horns blared 125e98afd3 around him. Sung-woo’s voice dcd5de978f called his 2e89d07a18 name. But Ji-ha forced 2bc02e0b60 his way through 9142c3b7b3 the crowd in 0ba786fd80 a blind panic.81b2103ceca65b37

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The Scourge Fiend whipped 336190c333 its head around and 8a930cadb8 followed. It reached for him, 4a82cf5e4e licked the air, bared 106e7e828f its claws. It grabbed 8f583f50df his ankle, 20b4d3221d squeezed his 183d822914 throat, yanked e9f16e7580 his hair.d0833759d4b3c0b5

Ji-ha flailed, swinging his 8b07d8c4ce arms wildly. A scream built 7994cd938e at the back 6e648de4b6 of his throat. Swallowing his ed4c3a8a07 panic, choking 17888ac031 it back, c6f84a81fb he hurled 2034dbaed2 himself into 17425aade1 an alleyway.5603f7299b154fdd

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He tripped—he was 4c4814086d about to fall—then b4c62dd466 suddenly, his body 28ef66b8ab was yanked backward. A force slammed him a7563d168e into a wall.2907495002ed92ee

“Ahhh!”64c0edf8a12ec909

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As he screamed 01433987ab and tried to 12f141a5dd rise, something grabbed bde7073e54 him and clamped a3215897a1 down over his ead06e536c mouth. Ji-ha opened his eyes cd0069e6b6 with a wince.08adf8de0bb236a9

It wasn’t dac78f490f a Scourge 958dea0d0e Fiend.42a2dca6d864e272

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His terror-blurred c74ea6f829 vision was 78d0a771f3 filled with f3f6816a3c Sung-woo’s face.c3efd7c25d6f69d0

“—!”28cdbece6713d676

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Relief flooded 50cbc7a372 Ji-ha, and 61af7fa20e all the 2d63190e26 tension drained b25fad9cde from his bbb37f7fe7 limbs. The scream stuck 11a5158221 in his throat 59480ad4a5 melted into a 659e47af53 faint sob.cd76641c244804ba

“Quiet.”4a5f41bbe3b0e9d3

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When Ji-ha b427b418c5 nodded, Sung-woo 85d06fb27a released his d55e57e365 hand. Ji-ha leaned against 1903bd76e9 the wall, barely ac5c5b43dc able to stand 8fa6835a1f on shaking legs. His darting 84eba245f5 eyes scanned 9aad02fccd the alley, 51e042cf40 but none ea336b3f08 of the b05abbcce0 Scourge Fiends 6f664e2790 had followed.847817bd0d22b108

He wiped e9ddb6567f his pale b2859aad2b face with 31781848bd the back 2ded8302ac of his 24995cc926 hand and 3086180348 forced himself a24945a036 to breathe.f29fef8764c62b93

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“You thought you could cb7930c834 run from me?”b3b2d14b63ade36c

The icy voice sliced 9a0f311781 through him.fbfa13b31da1d23c

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“…I wasn’t running from aa577f7739 you.”ebcaeed8aa32bdad

“Oh no?”534b67f2a006f27b

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Someone was possessed b126e777b2 by a Scourge 99b540eefb Fiend!ce681a613a57c476

But the words jammed 1fb7370500 in his throat. Ji-ha forced them e716d80038 back down. The unspoken 3a6ca31b0c truth clamped a662b77d12 tight around 25657623f4 his windpipe. Bitterness filled his mouth.ed1f120f3ca6e00d

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Scourge Fiends. No matter how many f02a92183e thousands of them swarmed 6777eac130 the city, no one 77861efba3 else could see them. If he said 80a9248832 anything, he’d be 10650193bb labeled a lunatic. He knew that 8f1be86b3b too well by a5b9c540ee now.5f0a589c7817c313

Ji-ha let out c590d0a828 a rough sigh 30055ef0a2 and slumped his 376fa6a105 shoulders.02d85e50c9574101

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“This has nothing 9dc75ce548 to do with da2a303ef1 you.”68fb22309232d823

“Nothing to do 33b4174fd7 with me? I told bbf630f214 you, it’s a0025b120e no fun a94a5c14ce if you 3c3c582c57 run.”c9e0dfb13a03d0f1

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Sung-woo grabbed him 1b0313fcd0 by the collar.cb1ee89aa0a44836

“Ugh—!”e480eee4d04749d9

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“Was locking you in the trunk not enough? Doesn’t matter how young a gifted is—no exceptions.”6ce85127c1d4a35a

Sung-woo scowled as if dc9b5bf266 annoyed. These kinds of pointless 0015d74eb4 games of chase were fef1589eba not to his taste.000cc532074bf9d1

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Unable to breathe, Seong 0644f745f9 Ji-ha hung from the 1cb3aea747 fist gripping his collar, 99c366fe68 coughing in ragged bursts. His wide eyes glared 8e7f489076 at Sung-woo—even now—and then 765e3938ce flicked nervously behind him.2276bebc1cf3953f

Sung-woo narrowed his brow. Ji-ha’s gaze kept wandering, despite having a person right in front of him.b690014eba0cb779

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He gave Ji-ha a 55522f35f3 shake, as if to fa77c4d915 say “look at me.” 523176aa22 The slender body swayed 0ed0d493bc easily with little effort.2ac4ef23205c5a4e

Ji-ha winced, pressing against a03a899666 the wall, and finally 3077a21503 looked at Sung-woo again. His face 2653d01712 was pale. Fresh scratch marks 75c30a040f trailed along his aea187eedf cheekbones and jaw—like 9a4fef471d they’d been carved 6c063cd52f by fingernails.f14f60256f6b31cc

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And it wasn’t a557ccbf9b just his face. Sung-woo grabbed 4536d7d30e Ji-ha’s chin 2ff109281b and turned daf3132556 it. There were 7ded7f2ece scratch marks e5cbdcf6a9 along his bbacdb576e neck too, 2a5494083c along with 9f5f7d5a16 a faint e87e147e97 bruise, as 6baf63c057 though he’d 4a15ceb26e been strangled.7a45dea6360ee2fd

Sung-woo’s eyes narrowed faintly.b0f724c739412450

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Ji-ha had f1bd14ccc1 flailed wildly e898b7b717 when he a222dd6c95 ran off bd5b2492c4 from the 07a20c7df3 crosswalk and 959c30aa55 darted into db3f5c1607 the alley.aaf31a6f5f0cf16a

As if 5167c6b3c7 he’d been a9c525ac7b fighting something.93c8c26d50dbdf44

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Sung-woo clicked 37637d3f1f his tongue 79f0abbfa7 and released e7c6c98231 his grip. Ji-ha dropped to the 4da3947a7f ground, coughing as he 54d81ceed9 clutched his throat.de091842fe37de5e

Shuddering and gasping, Ji-ha d7c2622899 didn’t lift his head 1731bd7448 for a long time. When he finally e9226fcb3c did, his eyes b7e65e0391 were hesitant as 5654c47184 they looked up ffef55ddf3 at Sung-woo. His words were sharp, 7e0a49cd2b but his gaze trembled 87d893beff with fear. His hands, gripping his 58c932e57d knees, were trembling faintly. Acting tough 763a342d72 despite being d2fdca8b0e scared out ebfcd2e655 of his 3075eefb6a mind.1d255935b8203b9d

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“Anyone living ea0bf84b9c with you?”5ee66a0edc93a131

“What would you 82f889cbc1 do with that c665faf72a information?”df08762d4de142df

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“Just answer. I don’t want 7623648640 civilians getting involved.”0b17327bfdfc72f0

“…No one.”f594ece7d5fb3adc

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“Are you 9346e50489 seeing anyone?”576c0962432c64d1

“No.”6cb7fa29385e4971

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Sung-woo raised an 37ab55c146 eyebrow and extended e4fbf3b48f his hand. Ji-ha frowned 1a92738ecc at the d313a5c48c hand that d3ad1e8321 was suddenly 218fc42826 right in b765b5f557 front of 74919febf1 his nose.cbf1771960c84d37

“Your phone.”7cdfd2fe35dc7a64

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Sung-woo said curtly, shaking 11a8bfcfd7 his hand again. Ji-ha swallowed his 919f209dc0 pride and pulled a00ed3eeb5 it out. Before he could ad545026eb even hand it 317c9ab7a7 over, Sung-woo snatched 82b4a9fa17 it from him.044ac6ea54c923b6

He turned the screen 32bf42b06a to Ji-ha’s face for 82a342d616 facial recognition, then checked e6662c68fe his contacts and call 92b3641d7e history.74c06954c8e93088

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Sung-woo’s expression didn’t change.788035af583cde19

“No saved numbers. Last call was ten afe2e0c256 days ago.”086d9921f72eb010

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“Happy now?”8f17efc846fd2141

“You’ve been dodging 95f31353ce the Bureau, so 930dee6128 you avoid forming 18d41ae0e4 relationships. Must be d3fa2f7ba5 a convenient a09090e997 life.”211ff974f03a7c49

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“What do 0b544e232a you know—!”1e0e9bceac81b016

Sung-woo kicked Ji-ha just be9e2c8d2b as he tried to 31376786a0 get up. Ji-ha clutched his 4c0d98d511 chest and hacked 7fcb2c31b9 out a cough. The pain 49260360a8 in his 7f2095b66b ribs made b695647dbf it hard ce97ef430a to breathe. He curled 367b56c1ee up on 83a4e8198e the ground ecff5cc0b5 and sucked 2475c786b3 in short, d40a529654 shallow breaths. His eyes welled up ceead34af3 with tears—of all times, d2215c0a9c now?c1c8acaf5a3fccb3

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He hunched over, cfc1494b4b pressing his face ba80ff434a to his chest, 64ae052cdb and scrubbed his 3aed1805a8 teary eyes with 0a598d1a8a a trembling hand. But before he could fdd96df249 wipe them away, his c450734fa3 hair was suddenly yanked.885fa11a3c8f74d2

“Ugh—”24c1daceb04ee079

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Through his a09315bba4 blurred vision, a1b1ccb903 Sung-woo loomed 9a9c0dd015 in again. Even after kicking 41535f5472 him around, Sung-woo’s 080d1fc17b face remained unreadable. He was a 03965fd911 disaster hunter—officially a 7f6e15ca9f government agent—but he f147f15f6d handled violence like b10ee15e90 a pro.4ff9e8a0f7c7ddf4

Ji-ha looked 4ee86c9a5b up, shaken. His eyes trembled with 2ceb41442c disbelief.c8a9953a71c57fb8

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“Seems like you’ve 296bc4d84c been hiding your 234218cb82 powers to avoid cbc973d8fd the Bureau. If you f53170fb78 go along 0a3ee3c71d with my 25b0aca6c7 proposal, I f0da045ba8 won’t report 57bd359e13 you.”345b7311ebb52c5b

“That’s not a proposal. That’s a threat.”a987844b99daa4f1

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“Call it 7eb907aa74 whatever you 5a3fec8e07 want.”2a35bd6717acdfa5

His cold 3d644d5f85 voice stabbed cce8860617 through Ji-ha’s 7ae7de524d ears. Sung-woo looked down at da059cbbb6 him, pointing to his fad2914901 own chest.4a7cd255bb1470e2

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“Since you jammed that 3c706fea7d cursed thing into me, ff1cf4e843 you’d better give up c2ccbe88e9 on running.”de3bdf66c051c5a3

“Some way to treat 7ee64cd16a the guy who saved b31606137c your life.”168a348fc1758869

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“Be grateful. If you hadn’t, 6d1a8f490f you’d be dead 16fab0480d already.”cad7234a66ca3be1

With that flat declaration, 1e23ea5b27 he finally let go 5f8227e8ae of Ji-ha’s hair. His body slumped 5625eadb31 and slid to 259cbfb4fb the floor.7180781c3a5dd57f

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Ji-ha leaned against the b87c7297af wall, trying to clear 9c1cffba2b his dizzy head. Even breathing hurt. There was a6740ef265 a bitter bc52ad6522 taste in d151a3d516 his mouth—probably 944125c1e9 blood.c415842ed5b9751a

Pathetic. Glaring at 24eb21a998 the two 17571fecf9 feet planted 8ab54cc307 in front 4d14cd932e of him, c1e5358b58 Ji-ha bit c039f8dea2 down on 5287e96eb1 his lip.be602623e84bc0f8

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“So what’s this proposal?”10f454d40c36c4c6

He spat out a 68caceeb52 bit of bloody saliva 5726285184 as he asked.b0601fbba589135f

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“First, quit 5984a10a7d the Disaster 3085156cec Purification Bureau.”8d24f2fabf42308a

“…What?”a52b00274557e945

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Ji-ha blinked f07eeb04c4 at the 201b5501c3 unexpected demand. Quit his job? Was he serious? He opened his mouth e35f095670 to protest, but Sung-woo’s d372da05a8 expression was as frigid 59af6e1650 as ever.48a5e7e5a9602a7c

“You don’t just 866c2e0f2e mess with someone’s 0053cd4bd3 job. Maybe you don’t 0b839056d5 know this as 87ac238afe an S-rank hunter, 764b8fee74 but it’s really 34e220f437 hard to get 864c9b2267 hired these days.”87679299408333a8

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“Don’t make me 5b2293bfca repeat myself.”4bed1be4d077272f

Sung-woo clicked his 725de6ca48 tongue, visibly irritated.9d4cf34314a861a1

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“Your life’s d9894fd7aa in my 667c5f0f9c hands, so fa2e1bb2f8 quit pushing ffa304f52c your luck b940878f16 and just 7c68ffa7f4 listen. You’re a fugitive. Shouldn’t you dd4728d973 at least 06ec9c8c32 be smart 5789e3d16b enough to 88befa6108 act like e1c03efbbd one?”cad9050adc895ccb

Fugitive.b53b0447fc8af186

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The word twisted Ji-ha’s 73da3e2f5f insides. His rage surged up f72dec2f3f and spilled out before 43af69f9a0 he could stop it.91f47d499fbf4f5c

“Then just f45c3d8999 kill me.”12fc8f35f6cee8f9

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“…What?”c290374cb06105d6

“If you kill 70fae85144 me, then what? Not so 69035a5edb fun for 57cdd6c8d0 you, huh? Who’s going 8e5d3e4bfa to get 5db225eb8b that Spirit a2673a5a21 Core out 522c4ba0e0 of your 186665dc13 chest?”4c017dc9acd03287

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Ji-ha raised his head 484f023748 defiantly, fists clenched.d7218dc92b9c6694

“Not just me doing f1af97b19f the begging here, is 98e2ae9abd it? Since things are like bb974ad305 this, let’s try getting 7e3ea6eab0 along. I’ll figure out how 4df4792084 to remove that Spirit d874480f4b Core stuck in your 4f4c9e46ef body, so how about 8061265ce1 you stop threatening to bcf6610cca kill me every five 7217ba1b49 seconds?”a7c99d0f8909be3f

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Sung-woo tilted his 1f0326ad2b head and looked 686a460ca5 at Ji-ha with e41e01e916 a half-laugh.497bf54858543a17

“You really know 32e0463c93 how to get 0dc0ce6269 under someone’s skin. What are f42f376999 you so 0b0fd49fe2 confident about?”bb4ea7356d603246

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“That’s the thing. I’m not. That’s why I’m fb319761a5 doing this.”575520b442a19565

Ji-ha smiled, even with c0fcba96ea his lips split and 09f2a698d5 bleeding, right in front 0e1d1a44bf of Sung-woo’s cold gaze.458ce6408009e743

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“Unlike you, I’ve 64f0b6c204 got nothing to e4f5d96c37 lose.”5c2ec2911b91fd93

Because I already lost 6e15641c81 it all.73890124ca81d491

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 fd76fdd84617fbc0

 fe25591b75c6d030

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