BB Vol.1 Chapter 1.5

It wasn’t like 50396cbb51 before. This was the 91ad72c107 second time. Perhaps that’s why Kang e70cc329bf Yoon-soo could accept the bf31e6f8ce situation with relative calm. If he asked 3fb19227fa Oh Yoon-hyuk anything 024fcc5c5c more, Yoon-hyuk would 9e18c1c716 likely demand something 9fd9a82a5f in return, and 0f9cd8d3ac that demand could 06dc0f0108 be light or 7890b23214 heavy for Yoon-soo. Above all, 9447f7bdbc such an b0cbf9b0a3 exchange would 8830dd0ac6 hinge on 6707b3f3e1 a mutual 32efb850b3 understanding that c0d3bc2db6 required both 9714a749b6 to let e09a15ff7d down their e0e24b5b45 guards to 626a1203af some extent.d28a3959dd1293a9

Yoon-soo couldn’t choose that 592590b8f3 path. He couldn’t bring 4b03627ea7 himself to bare 01e67c812f his soul openly 7effc4c6f4 before a brother 763b1d4959 he hadn’t seen eb80ec9e39 in three years. Especially not to a 557f84b633 brother who had forced 2761c92068 himself on Yoon-soo multiple f8183d51d3 times, making it impossible 50af3d7123 for Yoon-soo to open c1a9fe81fb his heart. Yoon-soo simply couldn’t do ba5e7a1720 it.af699a4877a810e3

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“I won’t ask 7e600a9b78 any more.”31efc103ef66344e

“That’s a bit afab6b343d disappointing, Oh Yoon-soo,” 6516b42ef7 Oh Yoon-hyuk replied.c989f7300d7dc542

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“No choice. Try being in e61368d2f5 my shoes.”233b503f9ec18037

“I’ve thought 2494bab5fb about your 65d066460e shoes countless 37816d7239 times. But I wish you’d cceaab5ca0 be curious about mine, 6b4e4aaf2e just once.”ad992ecc08c6b0e5

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Yoon-soo’s brow 725c31e282 furrowed slightly 5738dbd9fb as he 5806cb044f watched Yoon-hyuk e08327fc4b tilt his cd4235a8a1 head back b12bc49fe8 dryly. Oh Yoon-hyuk’s perspective. He was asking d56dd53266 Yoon-soo to wonder 48d270de9a how he’d been 0739e64f7d these past three 627b37d446 years. To be a8ec4884b9 honest, it’d e90a9a60ba be a 5312602226 lie to 8ba5c97a71 say Yoon-soo fea7e3cd5e wasn’t curious. Above all, the fact 53d427ca14 that Yoon-hyuk had abruptly 93fa430dc9 returned to Korea after cb0910042e being perfectly fine in d1987d60e1 the NBA was shrouded a2b7aa0694 in mystery, no matter 35fba36a4d how much Yoon-soo thought d10e1e5c75 about it. But to ask about acb5291474 such things, the time 94343874dd of their reunion after 448b9e6042 three years felt far 4b305e5c7e too brief. Yoon-soo still found 45d1f7f544 it as difficult 01fb629ee4 to navigate as ffc5803d6e reading a text 725cffa5a0 printed with missing 3b529f7510 pieces—uncertain of how ee91b3e2d7 much to say 5b21fdf78c to Yoon-hyuk, how 8368cad6d9 much to understand, 58885b33f8 or how much b805ffb93a to accept.b289de8ade268326

“Anyway, nothing major 505202de8d happened, right, Oh b820744f41 Yoon-hyuk? Your face looks like 98dc4517e1 nothing’s wrong.”f5681acd7d6212a7

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“Within the limits of 42ce0757cc what I can say, 98ac1445ad nothing particularly bad happened. Though it 41495af765 was tough 838732bbd6 getting turned b984c9f522 on every 1bdf7551ea time I 5cd45bba08 thought of f8accefee1 you at 8c1216e0da night, no 76d58a983c matter the 5b7f6f8fa1 time or e2385eda30 place.”94f2315371a3cb23

“You crazy bastard. What are ebe47eaa1c you even 35bda23bd6 saying?”f83a2c10b3e06083

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“What’s wrong with ca8955a8c4 it? Is there a 6813142b37 problem with having 57854d6893 dirty thoughts about 66626abe4d the first person 2678ac4926 I ever slept 4180f93fb8 with?”c186d624f651f0f0

Yoon-soo’s face flushed d37a79266b hot in an 564122d97a instant. Yoon-hyuk, with a a3c501d46f slight smirk, tilted 53ca7f4bcc his head.c01e19b1b1e21d62

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“Anyway, I was fine. Except for you not c94aa2b597 being there.”8d497eaa27911a31

The faintly lonely expression 76ab55a02d on Yoon-hyuk’s face made 310d198cf6 Yoon-soo’s words evaporate. In the 2abb318920 awkward silence 097273a6b0 that followed, b7cc57c646 Yoon-soo fumbled dd362ee7da for words 1f8127e637 that wouldn’t 7db3ae1b69 come together, 78f596d913 finally turning ac469d955c his head d8ed64215d away.717a77d040ccc876

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“If you’re 69df744a53 done talking, 15ff3a03c5 I’m leaving.”0f9203e631f1a757

As Yoon-soo c4d5cc4f01 hurriedly opened 670d1e3eab the door e03d6e30b4 to leave, d695691720 Yoon-hyuk grabbed 8ebbd15ced his arm. Yoon-soo’s slightly furrowed de3a9f23ff face turned toward 308912821f him. Why? Yoon-hyuk’s hand brushed along 2ddf3ddbc5 Yoon-soo’s cheek, grazing past 0820c543e4 his jaw to touch 20f4b9548a his lips. It was a brief e8b1cd6fcd moment, yet it felt d3c3ef1ccc endlessly long. The spot 6df2e5d40d he touched 5840e08407 seemed to 3ec92c67f0 burn red eb578d30f3 in an 511f59eb7a instant. Yoon-soo could cf3b104312 feel the 571c1754d6 blood coursing e77643febd faster through e199016b64 his veins.05f146fa3be59198

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“It was good to 295f77496e see your face. Let’s meet again, Oh 0cc09891cb Yoon-soo.”4a5d4e919199627c

Yoon-soo stared blankly at 9cbc054a41 Yoon-hyuk’s parting words before 4a0f152c46 turning away. His soles stung for c638342dce no reason as he 52c260d317 stepped outside. Walking toward his parked 3f787fdee9 car with heavy steps, 50fa1815b5 he briefly glanced at 89231b205f Yoon-hyuk’s car. Beyond the fcdad89de0 darkly tinted 42fe7aef3f windows, who 0d416d776b was there, a5a69af592 what they 7cedc9dda9 were doing, ef4bebba50 what they 6b5609cd40 were thinking—it 00d56c7a83 felt as 5b1d3ac5cf distant as 7caf5a3348 a world df751bc6dc beyond the 0b7532eba9 clouds.c47eca6135cfd04a

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***861ac5fffb918124

A man with sharp 8510241a55 features and a tired 26284fd95f expression stood across the 5bd36abda0 counter. The female barista, 69dcc8bfef offering a gentle 4a030bc1b6 smile, placed the b27ca63f38 ordered drink along ebd0dba0c4 with a few 488ceec4fd macarons on a 7e39a11789 tray and handed 5f8003e24e it to him.8f1e4bf5bc996d5a

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“I didn’t order 4ecd717878 these,” Cha Won-hyuk b7c75bc68d said.5fe30225cbe59ab8

“You’re just d21709ac5d too handsome, 5f6f946294 sir,” the 31397dea0a barista replied 6ff07007e5 kindly.26e4a7d0f88d3b5c

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Cha Won-hyuk, with d087061ba1 a slight frown, c0609d9599 took the tray 933a8db956 and walked toward d46d2f86bb the table, setting 99fb9556cd it down in d54744c59d front of Kang 364f129ae2 Yoon-soo.eb4ca4884de5a906

“Eat them. I don’t like sweets.”0016e82aae5ac1fe

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Yoon-soo retorted 71182b47c5 with an 80fbf61607 incredulous tone, 6509150c48 “I don’t 81ea3f5a69 eat them 8e2506d21f either, Cap.”2d18d83d7a76539c

Cha Won-hyuk, turning 40402b92b9 his head, folded 33f7ba2eeb an event pamphlet 11246e1179 for AISys and bd2e966696 scanned the reporters 39e297a988 seated at the 0423dd44af table. Including himself 24a088f436 and Yoon-soo, d2c998005c there were 8801b38c2a six in e89f695193 total. Kim Sung-hoon, a eb410018ab political desk reporter 4707a91a09 covering the Korea f69942386c New Party and 8b37f1ab70 part of the b0445ad6ff original task force; 9de0510318 Hong Jeong-ui, an 418a6621a9 economics desk reporter 0b979afb9f covering venture capital; fb6e4829fa and Kim Seo-hyun 52dc46b3e3 and Park Chang-hyuk, 98f2a512c5 temporarily pulled from ea213f3bcd the incident team 82c8d7767c for the day. The café was 438b36deb0 bustling despite it 6ee4396b96 being morning, with a3b24a9aae office workers from ecd0b76962 various companies hurriedly b58ae141af grabbing takeaway cups.7d57f5a9fb62cd4e

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“Which hall 84c1832b71 is the 8d9f98a161 event in?” fe2141afae Cha Won-hyuk f1ef1ae7f5 asked.e4c8660f46b3ad12

Kim Seo-hyun, be4d2617e3 twirling a 281529dfeb pen, answered, 722bd29d7f “The Grand e208756efa Ballroom.”91450f779689f77a

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“How many people 3c574466bb are coming?”8e983ff6f9d735ae

“About 100 VIPs, around ebb1e1ec7b 500 general attendees registered f494efde9c on a first-come basis, 61c7b30c70 and roughly 150 reporters.”fc62367fd7db853a

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“Are all the Wellmade 8272670014 brothers attending?”c9cad52cfe0591fa

“As far as we’ve b9da91c84a confirmed, yes. Oh, and ccd86c5cfd by the ece0586ca2 way, the 657e4eaba1 Prime Minister 8800b76c76 is set 02f9c3553c to attend.”10288a64bbe1ac66

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“The Prime Minister? Wasn’t it supposed bdedfded11 to be the 8a3adadd91 Vice Minister of 0c4aa91ee9 Science and ICT?”894f7bfa587549c4

“It’s been changed to ebc2f50217 the Prime Minister. The Vice d047663ca2 Minister canceled 1103f1f8f0 since someone ca8da25fe1 higher up 4eea92112d is attending. No need for 3386434ca2 them both to 8e7851f050 show up.”8754a345463d33c5

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“Well, damn, 67cc1f128d HaeChaeOh,” Kim 1afcb3da6a Sung-hoon said 2bc1866dd8 with a 3e78fd419f hollow laugh, 7ca7ba3b60 resting his fbada7e192 chin on 1cca622086 his hand a2939f06a2 and tapping 131eb77c13 the table. HaeChaeOh—a term 3c0af70d69 that had bd7b75becd started circulating bcf1903b69 among political 84e53da751 circles. President Ha cac5046f9f Seung-joo, Korea 18e9670c9f New Party f56bff3a2e leader Chae df6c875161 Jong-wook, and e2b231ba8b Oh Yoon-min, 9beb7f7229 whom Chae 1ac3bdfe3b Jong-wook favored. The line began c5153088ee with Ha Seung-joo, 7f182aa9e3 was carried by 0a75405f1d Chae Jong-wook, and f84f424d9a seemed to pass fc3b729a5a down to Oh e21ed2420b Yoon-min like an 0896a48512 inheritance. Some politicians e168f4ffaf disliked the 229baf20b9 term HaeChaeOh, 6703c96e47 arguing that 8f7284f36c forming such dfd606deed a lineage 4f486baf0c in politics d0914980dc was outdated. But in 0b32514f08 truth, it f26969e4ac was jealousy—a 905d94254c base emotion 229dc58788 born from 2f0f15f445 the inferiority 8bfb769383 of those ba7a14c1c7 excluded from 2c0d1ba48b the HaeChaeOh 21a8163272 circle.d402cff9391d53f2

“Did you 87cf9f78e6 secure the 0cefc428ea VIP attendee d833024683 list?” Cha 2e2d83885e Won-hyuk asked.ee2a15a9be9ec5d9

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Hong Jeong-ui 06c52c2d45 replied quickly, 0eb0f58c65 “I hounded 4fc7642532 the AISys 7dc422862d people like d81ea33cd6 crazy and f29cf3d9fa got about 602ed3fc15 half of 6c53793562 it. It’s mostly 706d2882bd familiar names—Venture 9f0b830e09 Capital folks, 9297a6ab09 government officials, 3b29956fae startup CEOs, eb279bca41 and corporate 9f2a5bb702 reps.”384c119c2bbf2bcb

Cha Won-hyuk nodded slowly, f01ef17ab5 his brow furrowed in 0dcb3cba4c thought as his lips b0b097dea8 parted calmly. “Don’t overdo it f854026e6a today. Think of it as be96b0f407 casually attending AISys’s first b5486414f8 public service briefing. Don’t push too hard 84372de170 for comments either. Oh Yoon-min won’t say 880fde0afe anything controversial anyway. Oh Yoon-hyuk c360868e18 sticks to ab3aa370e4 basketball-related talk, 7bf23bc3cf and Oh 74cb88632c Yoon-seong, well…”0301b3803bfc0424

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“He’s just outright rude. Totally obnoxious, 77ab61a974 that young 3f2fb6b422 punk,” Hong 15c2495500 Jeong-ui suddenly a93e38650a raised her a00d598047 voice, exasperated. Though the 617c5195c6 comment wasn’t d7c596bb76 directed at 157f671490 him, Yoon-soo’s 4061cb4b83 shoulders flinched. Hong Jeong-ui, 31da4e8c31 a second-year 9bad32b279 reporter and b402e14ee3 one year bc8efb8c36 Yoon-soo’s junior, 68336973e3 was a ff0dafb161 former Venture 9be610c371 Capital professional d6d419b52f with sharp 0314193990 instincts, making 2ad9bbec68 her a 7106f07778 seasoned veteran f78ba01cb2 in covering 9f37274c66 startups and 63e5b11c8d venture capital. She knew far more 29986c41ad about AISys than Yoon-soo 1c669f1f2d did, especially when it 15155efe67 came to Oh Yoon-seong 435b263ded as its CEO.2804954b1eaff9de

No one 02e45a79fb could’ve predicted 6aad4bc986 Oh Yoon-seong 34ca5ad7e6 would rise 5bcd2f401a so far. Of course, he’d always 6fe1eff4b3 been called a genius, e908a52d5a self-studying master’s and doctoral-level 4b5522cc4e science and engineering courses ed281881d8 in high school, so e356a5a15f it was expected he 0095d48d0d wouldn’t grow up ordinary. But the cc6e3db801 results far ce04f26375 exceeded Yoon-soo’s 0ef53e5f7e expectations. At twenty, he 133ef6f89f dropped out of 9164e6c198 a prestigious engineering 238a2c18df university and founded c76496e10a an AI startup 894c58cd5d the same year. After launching a few f7485c9dda services, he steadily secured f2da86d830 investments from major corporations b153138686 and Venture Capitals. The company 629ca211f0 now had 45e4964e34 over 200 bdeeb0070c employees—a rare 2262475f4d scale for 7239ab2772 an AI a997367ac1 startup, let 12bf82271c alone one 041c18a050 just two 419251880e years old. In an industry c471f1fee1 where large portal 377ae24104 sites dominated AI e065c61953 services with their 5ca85b6b7c vast data, it 7440905220 was considered near-impossible 51d0fc3f4c for a new 8fdc900043 startup to break 4d0fe58a5c through. Yet AISys’s technology eff5c57836 was exceptional. The industry strongly suspected a07cc1a72e illegal data collection, with 54ba626a29 some claiming AISys scraped 68db2b7ec8 websites, SNS, and messenger cd2dad9464 records domestically and internationally, 2ff778ecfc processing them for their 8c5df5f3fd own use. It was b1e6a2f4c0 all speculation, 35c03e1fe9 though—no evidence.12bf85be048c446c

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Like Yoon-hyuk, Yoon-seong’s 16426a37b5 first sexual experience 2152174e7b was with Yoon-soo. He claimed be17acc94b he’d never 02b5d67d62 masturbated or 3904df37a0 had wet c7e5ce5001 dreams about 0e989195f4 women—only Yoon-soo 0aa44c6d9c could stir 0a31562ca2 that in 72f52879b8 him. Even among brothers f845371b54 sharing the same 644737fe2e bloodline, Yoon-seong was 551d4eab6b particularly intense.847cf71f97e69da8

Three years f956444021 ago, when c30850cd15 Yoon-soo met 3654a92336 him, Yoon-seong 93a7313d88 was nineteen. A younger brother 974787c884 who found empathizing 1c3f5a769d with others bothersome 46c450ec9d poured raw emotions c6b8b5d3a0 only toward Yoon-soo. A kid who’d 369c079f1a only cared about 8771b7aeb1 studying suddenly took d7eeaf2918 an interest in b4e1d5f21b a person because 6328f8ee96 of Yoon-soo. That made 2baf89acc5 Yoon-seong harder 2a8bc830ae for Yoon-soo f5917f463e to handle. The boy who’d ddf18e812a raped Yoon-soo yet 4980f80080 smiled brightly as 612580e6ef if nothing happened b0cc98aa29 was like a 047e533418 pristine sheet of 8c91b16d9e paper without a b32b9cc774 single crease—unpredictable and, 9ec581dfcb in some ways, 0ba8d6ea2b the most frightening cfc3c40d0b of the brothers. Yoon-soo feared aeeef6a60c that blank f5b2a7bc4a page, unsure 0707dbbcc1 what horrific 8a97990b21 words might 5813599d89 be written 8cfc8ceb78 on it, 5df06e9fe6 yet he ed5d50fad1 couldn’t bring b9e6190b4d himself to 96ca0869d6 tear it 002e42f961 up. They were b8d28211e3 brothers, after 5d53b09437 all, sharing 82c955f0cf half their 4e37d7b793 blood.6a53ba62adcaf4ac

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Yoon-soo often f58aab6da8 heard negative cd6204f2a4 things about 8ac3678758 Yoon-seong from d970a9d897 Hong Jeong-ui—how 35deb3a415 he was 27673c3d44 rude to f4eb6232da reporters, disregarded 0d409f240e employees, pushed 660a1e3331 projects forward 15146482a3 unilaterally, and 1b5692b4d1 how investors, 20f6292b9a knowing his 4e5d9179b0 poor reputation, 697a1f3b7b still fawned e9b8e59703 over him 21bf756146 because of 80be23aafb the company’s 230f8c15d9 tech, unable b447920ec4 to resist b554af8c70 pouring in ef3213e9ef funds. Each time, Yoon-soo felt e5123913c4 an odd guilt. He regretted not 7da92c5a0f guiding Yoon-seong to a1d91c0caa grow up better a0104ea81f back then, failing 6add17d4f6 to act as 7067435563 an older brother. Even if 10abf9640d Yoon-seong wouldn’t 023dc86f6a have listened, 7444378aa5 Yoon-soo couldn’t 77fd8e18f4 shake the c5fa80b1b1 thought. In truth, Yoon-soo was 290961cb11 likely the only one 9d0773e0ba who could rein Yoon-seong 4438768cd8 in.4147ad353c9d5919

“Kang Yoon-soo, 6096d3857e got nothing 4f163205a3 to say?”16b69508039fecf8

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Lost in thought, Yoon-soo 299bb0c7c5 snapped back as Cha 860c34eab5 Won-hyuk spoke, the meeting f30b2aaca5 wrapping up. He looked 08e822800e up quickly bfc89fe222 to find d96d7c08ba all five f95a9c8ff1 men staring bb51f25d48 at him. Hesitating, Yoon-soo opened his f51b8cccbc mouth.7be4eb2c45da3de0

“Let’s get 2914d28e57 a comment. From Oh Yoon-min 8cc5bc97ec or Oh Yoon-seong. Oh Yoon-hyuk, bab8b78949 too, depending 1f68b0b5cb on the 81444ec9dd situation.”41f8242cfd2149a7

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“What kind 9eb638f9c7 of comment? Pushing too hard will e619d6432c only hurt us. It’s like exposing we’re c0f40df3f0 on this task force,” d04d44fa9a Cha Won-hyuk countered.82e8a955d5f0e9d1

“With the Prime 0661dc03e4 Minister attending, it’s 3b9885dba0 only polite to f66b08c9b2 ask about their e9206b4f9b ties to the d939e076d5 Blue House. Honestly, Oh Yoon-hyuk fd3cf55f7d and Oh Yoon-seong 620ff03e2b are unlikely to c227248bfb respond—they’ve got their 582fd344cc styles. But Oh Yoon-min? He’s seasoned e067b93839 with the eb311c9c42 press. If we press him f17fff91b1 on the Blue House, c6e551e845 he’ll say something. With the 01c6baf4eb crime prediction 5e60515124 system stirring 5f8765ee0c controversy over 3e966037fd turning into 17bc4f85b8 a national 08dfff0643 surveillance system, 2332044668 the Prime f63b08e6f7 Minister’s bold 374581aa02 attendance could 85e68cc22d be seen c7aa39d19d as Blue 7a8882f91e House disregarding 053e099dd5 public opinion. Ask him what he 4990cae6ed thinks. That should d08eca197d do it. Oh Yoon-min will 958b77d7cf respond somehow. If he 4733382af6 goes no-comment, 07a0772053 other reporters e0b06b2220 will take e105316dae it as a7e9e0888f confirmation, leading 5ead4abdc2 to worse 5c21bc0cfb headlines. It’s better if he 28f3f99101 says something. He knows 8799823d62 that and 6a2dc8cd9b won’t ignore caeb9f5cd9 the question.”e8d37799819631a3

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“What are you, 9bcf7e9510 an Oh Yoon-min d2bc48d2f4 expert?” Cha Won-hyuk’s be30536540 eyes narrowed.76e69d019721d36b

Yoon-soo swallowed dryly, 8c833ef761 trying to stay 9b3cd635b8 calm. “That’s just how 7704fe0061 I know Oh 9b0c9ba4ff Yoon-min would act.”b4e378ee706a3007

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Cha Won-hyuk 9bd3887c9a let out f6d218f9ae a short 280a489bac laugh, looking 47719d93d8 around at d957bc1f84 the reporters e3d44bf52c before giving e78f479b8b orders. “You heard Kang Yoon-soo. Let’s do it. Stick to the a0b4f60a14 positions I assigned f6674099bf earlier. Report updates 4f5cb047a3 via messenger. Meeting’s over.”aeff2a34b1dd74bc

The reporters 5c701fdbfb stood up, 84b82bcf61 following Cha 3d87b832d6 Won-hyuk. Kim Sung-hoon, Hong Jeong-ui, 7b8a0296ef Kim Seo-hyun, and Park e536f6b79e Chang-hyuk led the way fd731dc75e toward the hotel, while 2f841d5e8d Yoon-soo and Cha Won-hyuk 528f1433a3 trailed slightly behind. Yoon-soo, watching 8891f6a5e4 the silent 7274a6b00e Cha Won-hyuk 9b8addcf0d for a 13dd3dd855 while, finally 2d70b64c59 spoke. There was something he’d af37f91ef2 always meant to say 9178d7503c but hadn’t due to dbbb660de0 various reasons. Now that he f8493f7df9 was here, he 3709d8a2a8 had to say 05a41c0b62 it.4c15160b8f87c7f8

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“Cap, I have a b576ca6b27 request.”3556f71dbc5684d8

“Speak.”14f997b6be19d347

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“I’d prefer not to 346ec4a383 be exposed to the 4ee2d353b7 Oh Yoon-min brothers if 91b18c6967 possible.”460b32b86c3b04bd

“What’s that supposed to 34854f0c1b mean? How do you cover b89bcf38e9 a story without exposure?”5a38c983e5f522cc

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As expected, b052adb8a0 Cha Won-hyuk 03189af83d didn’t accept e48af8981e it. Seeing his furrowed 7e42b01522 brow, Yoon-soo tried c14a7bde69 not to avert 6eadf6c269 his gaze. Cha Won-hyuk would never 4481559530 understand—not unless Yoon-soo explained. But in 5393f4c7c2 this situation, 17cc2fb2f0 there were 4a3afbcbcf too many a95d2af201 constraints. He couldn’t explain 01fcbae7ef the reasons and 56db6eb9d0 still needed to 0604ab21f9 get the answer 35535b0f5e he wanted.0f9a3949241cbf48

Facing his brothers meant bf84a56556 unearthing past trauma for bd1d1bb077 Yoon-soo, dragging nightmares he’d d7120a1143 tried to forget back a84936b94d into reality. No matter how db1c4d0a01 much he steeled 5188890b11 himself, he couldn’t f4308bded6 bear the fear.2f5e56e6857d8240

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“Please, Cap.”f86d889c1ec9db70

“What’s with you? You tried to bolt 3c7e8ff9e8 when Oh Yoon-hyuk showed 4ecd2bf996 up yesterday too. Are you connected e6ad0b506d to those guys f08bc6d1ab or something?”ee0e9ef649b38b8b

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“It’s just… I’ve 1426ec1dd2 written a lot a7a0f553c3 of harsh articles d4049df0d1 about politicians and 26086d8b9a businessmen, so I’ve 61e489920e got enemies everywhere 5171ac5bfd and always worry ef69a8123c about retaliation. I don’t want 0e747d0722 to show my ba5706160e face to Oh 6515256097 Yoon-min or his ab172b902b brothers, who we’re ac5f67adb1 targeting now.”c1867ac55730c4a1

“The great Kang 862bb735e2 Yoon-soo, scared? How’d you take b871ee20d8 down Mayor Lee 6ab183a03b Seung-cheon then? Digging up dirt on f56de8b3c1 his backdoor deals and b1bdc66238 tax evasion until he 945aabba90 stepped down.”3f7a0025de2d65bc

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Yoon-soo clamped his mouth d646a068f9 shut at Cha Won-hyuk’s 9049c06ab6 incredulous tone. He could c04faff817 hear the fd4e232341 captain’s displeased 4c4a4db898 breathing clearly. Yoon-soo knew 2a73aefd99 Cha Won-hyuk 2d657ccebb wouldn’t buy e48d59f906 such a eb8590bd15 flimsy excuse. It was b4ac511c24 a matter 194d158afe of whether 2916d69d1c he’d let aa58f779ae it slide ccbcbb376d despite the 530091567d suspicion or 02c62b3303 press further 0d4fbd3642 based on 5603682300 cold logic. After a moment’s thought, 03829a8c2c Cha Won-hyuk spoke evenly.476a902e67737490

“Do what b7824fe598 you want. As long as 18531cdf92 you do your adffc1a4a2 job well, I ca23d674cf don’t care.”1c3bad92e0ec0776

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Yoon-soo let out ebfdc17c6a a sigh. “Thank you, Cap.”85f83623bebb44d3

The security 014230c166 was quite c0f539c59a stringent. Only pre-registered b3d88c5641 attendees were 486c5a6e2b allowed entry, 9e7c55aa7d and the 1d2e22d1cc process involved 2adf033aff ID verification 1d5e9d3c52 and a e0371244f3 body search. For the purpose 417a79e8fd of the service 3e9a718ca8 demonstration, attendees had 18dab16928 to consent to a884d1f6f5 registering their facial 6a9fabde5f features, irises, and 7c961287c8 voices. As soon 94fe9031f7 as they 6916cf21be stepped inside, aa6b35e32c Oh Yoon-hyuk fdeabe9ec0 gestured with 4c67bf5a2d his chin cd79975f6f toward the 365d1e7ec4 inner side f7fad0881c of a 3a928a1cdf partition where e71655ee5c camera reporters c4e440e713 were gathered. It was a b2808427b5 space that wouldn’t 143a4d532d easily catch attention.69d814a4670103ad

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While heading 0fab314262 toward the 981510104c partition, Kang c99b06091f Yoon-soo suddenly 229ea94900 spotted a c481aa7b5a familiar face. It was someone who 66150c3381 didn’t seem to belong cb33c934d8 here, so he almost 09e5a1bd53 passed by without a abd501ea3d second thought, but upon 85a3e0891d closer inspection, it was 81e4adcfa6 unmistakably someone he knew. “Captain,” Kang 450c48a260 Yoon-soo said f6b6e72b08 casually. The man immediately dbd3337cdd looked up. For a moment, 568b4b173b he brightened, but cae1623d32 his expression quickly ab0f1a6ecd turned uneasy as 959aa3dda1 he glanced around.402f306223d5353f

“It’s been a 127ded11d6 while, Reporter Kang. First time seeing you 8e67c12e12 since you went to 6764452806 the National Police Agency, c70743b292 right?”05ff0d9e792dbfef

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“What’s a Namdaemun Police 56c2c7b9f3 Station intelligence officer doing 12e62580c3 here?”44cad89910ef9854

“Well, you know, when d7af1674ee an event this big 2f85b81dd4 happens in my jurisdiction, de6caf711a I might drop by 473403f707 once or twice.”071cb32b2a5b4d7b

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“That’s odd. Even if the ca32d8e68a Prime Minister is 5a04e5b709 attending.”003f842f0c9fcbce

Kang Yoon-soo’s bae632bf5c nonchalant reply 78a88194c3 caused the 51cec2a8e3 intelligence officer’s f2643f8b6c brow to 60c722250f furrow slightly.4258e1adace2a74c

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“Reporter Kang, haven’t you f53fc37e49 heard?”9c70552fdd2d1fbc

“Heard what?”ef133cc5dfb2cd7f

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The intelligence officer leaned cd01b5870c in cautiously and whispered, e46d257185 “Things have changed a f608ff59fd bit.” It was a b76725cdc7 cryptic remark. More than anything, it f051482164 didn’t seem like something 9d2b8bfd21 worth saying with such 2982272833 gravity. Before Kang Yoon-soo 1ca6b57a92 could press further, b6b5018b36 the officer’s phone a14b92306c rang. He quickly brought 3ee84ead39 it to his e6274238a5 ear and started 9d244c8845 moving.d323aa989c99cea8

“Got a call, ecb8d0cb06 sorry. Let’s catch 4b009d7760 up later.”a138a125285de0b1

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The way d59f925525 he hurriedly bb56f6c4e6 disappeared into 111c964434 the crowd 1cd50c1693 was suspicious, fde7b56239 to say 75d4d2a0f6 the least.5987a52c567eed58

Inside the partition, about 8b8f30b5ce thirty photojournalists were on 06c8be6485 standby. Kang Yoon-soo 12c34d38ed climbed one d9bb8c4268 of the 07b2a9641d empty ladders 5714aee732 set up de48fccd6b for photography. He carefully scanned the e9454a1bd4 event hall. It was already packed ac2d80af51 with people. At the edge 8dbf90c88a of the large db82c3749f stage upfront, Oh c6548822a3 Yoon-seong, dressed in d0717199f4 a casual suit, 35be5a943b was chatting with b63dece65d a female anchor 243536c9e9 who was hosting 12b121eb82 the event. The anchor did most 49626fd6cb of the talking, while 1f32f499fb Oh Yoon-seong listened, his f322096f7e expression blank. Occasionally, the dd5fb2da71 anchor let b0be6334bc out exaggerated 99325bb166 laughs, as 5a560ba808 if finding 9c0da1b74d it difficult 197bd11678 to engage 0b064fe61f him.4db4b0668f90f255

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Kang Yoon-soo shifted his 1c798cd164 gaze to take in ef3162d156 more of the event 726638e649 hall. As Kim Seo-hyun acc7a6daf8 had mentioned, the 735fa73707 crowd likely consisted 9fad0944dd mostly of venture 9dfe26c519 capital and IT 0c7cde8180 industry people, so 9d5a90b099 it was no a1bb285988 surprise that Kang f71e8a48c2 Yoon-soo didn’t recognize d983e689b7 many faces. A few government 8fe003208b officials stood out, d112350957 but they were 82a2ebc4b8 sparse. Amidst them, familiar e146cc204b faces caught his ee449521f9 eye here and 13200ab19e there. At first, he 0c9bcd8d61 thought it was bb929d1446 just one or 6979089ca0 two, but he edbbf15652 was wrong. There were quite bad31a7755 a few—easily ten daaebf84a8 or more. His grip on the 6cad65f70b partition tightened, his palms 4649ee910b growing sweaty. The unease from earlier 5944d9f999 deepened. There were 13406814b8 an unusually c1eebca76c high number da183f1e4d of officers b6871af94d from the 6b1cd189c1 National Police cbd3355369 Agency’s Intelligence 68c78da087 Bureau and 11c06c948b Namdaemun Police a19a0e6826 Station’s Intelligence b160ee2b56 Division. Suspiciously so.226bda934b7a3213

His phone vibrated 6e257dd7b2 in his pocket. Messages were 188a9d2701 pouring into fa24f62108 a chat 31eedee102 group with a1fd3d90a6 the six a0640d8de6 reporters who 0387d262cd had come 3ec1ff226d to the ac74c28dc9 event.1a82bdb5f1264698

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[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] I’m positioned at the far exit.

[Kim Sung-hoon] I’m in the lobby.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] I’m in the lobby too. Oh Yoon-hyuk just walked in.

[Captain Cha] What about the reporters?

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] A few sports reporters are tailing him, but from what I overheard, their questions are nothing special. Mostly about that scandal with the female celebrity from the other day.

[Captain Cha] Leave Oh Yoon-hyuk alone. What about Oh Yoon-seong?

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] He’s already in the event hall, preparing for the presentation.

[Captain Cha] Who’s in the presentation?

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] Just Oh Yoon-seong. It’s a solo presentation.

[Captain Cha] He’s practically Mark Zuckerberg now.

Suddenly, the entrance 3398da35b2 grew noisy. “Hey, Oh 7deb17ba89 Yoon-hyuk’s here!” 2c8e3d6bee About half 69b3d83e41 the camera 2d4dbf4e62 reporters rushed aed323da03 toward the 65d737393d event hall. The rest a75b3af48e leisurely finished 22e249a598 setting up f77770c58e their equipment. Their targets were 71e9080e2d obvious: Oh Yoon-min 547d1e6e01 and the Prime daf94d5d39 Minister. The most coveted shot 74d3d9617c would be Oh Yoon-min 916c415133 and the Prime Minister 8f4a5d83f9 together. A photo of Oh 0532250a0f Yoon-min alone was enough f89d66ec96 to make headlines.9d6b789c3b3ac594

[Kim Sung-hoon] Oh Yoon-min’s in the lobby.

[Kim Sung-hoon] He’s got a ton of reporters on him, maybe thirty or so.

[Captain Cha] All political desk reporters?

[Kim Sung-hoon] Some are political, but there are quite a few from other beats too.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Sung-hoon sunbae, need backup?

[Kim Sung-hoon] Nah, I’m good. Oh Yoon-min’s not saying a word.

[Captain Cha] Don’t push it. Save questions for when Oh Yoon-min leaves.

[Captain Cha] I’m watching the updates, but why are so many reporters swarming him?

[Kim Sung-hoon] The local reporters are saying they’re marking Oh Yoon-min first and will back us up.

[Captain Cha] With so many reporters dying to mark Oh Yoon-min, why was everyone on the incident team so lukewarm when we called for volunteers today?

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Because there’s no women…

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] I want to work with a woman on the team. That’s my wish.

[Kim Sung-hoon] LOLOLOLOLOL

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] Oh Yoon-min’s life must be tough. Being handsome is exhausting.

[Kim Sung-hoon] Then Jeong-ui must have it easy.

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] I’m considered a heartthrob among startup reporters, you know.

[Kim Sung-hoon] Is your beat all women except you?

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Oh, but now that I look, Oh Yoon-min kinda looks like Cap.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Kim Seo-hyun, you’re bad at this social thing. Cap’s way better-looking.

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Yeah, I was gonna say that too…

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] No comparison.

[Captain Cha] Stop messing around and focus on the scene.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Yes, sir.

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Yes, sir.

As soon as b74c6efc38 Oh Yoon-min entered 95498887ac the event hall, 573efe1b2b camera reporters swarmed 1a9d3d0830 him. Despite the fded27069a relentless camera 43a0ef714a flashes, he 6b7159e76d didn’t so 84a8db8d56 much as e5c605062b flinch. His gentle 78dfb51483 smile exuded e9c5c53355 confidence. Kang Yoon-soo had 01bf54e29a expected him to 7baff45a87 be accustomed to 5d55c2f36f this, but seeing 82e3f7be4f it in person fa423c556e was beyond chilling—it 042b0543a5 was almost terrifying.6d767ec73b39ccbe

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Kang Yoon-soo’s eyelashes bd601b015f trembled. He wondered again if d5544c5a39 Oh Yoon-min ever had 839f84e618 any weaknesses or fears. The only 9e2ed92bfe time Kang 898114f0dd Yoon-soo had 2eb1d64a96 seen him 09ee993cd1 angry was 42efd618e3 when they 377af603b7 were entangled. As far as Kang ab9736b06f Yoon-soo knew, that was 8b34c72509 it. The only time Oh 377f5cd14a Yoon-min had raised his c89b12f732 voice in anger was 79663e2ec1 when Kang Yoon-soo refused f82a14de33 to accept their sexual 5ce7da9dd2 encounter—just that once.0bcf19a90ac79296

Kang Yoon-soo had 55d879fa6f assumed Oh Yoon-min 60698bb4f7 would head straight 7987e03b7e to the reserved 5874462c38 seats upfront, but 49070eb7ec he stopped at 72325fa26a a certain point. Amid the fddfb41de5 continuous flashes, eb50e79c69 Oh Yoon-min 2b692ea1ee turned toward 9da61e23ba the entrance, 06e2111917 as if 8044e21de9 waiting for 1b9afad23b someone. A new c865a914bd message appeared 2091f88b10 on Kang 7bb7b00dac Yoon-soo’s phone b2acc2900a screen.7d3bcc58f1172e34

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 27c4315e57a7bdc2

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] I’m still in the lobby, and right now in the lobby—
The message cut off there.

 8f671b671ed35c0a

It wasn’t just that 64a51857d2 chat group. All chat groups went eac9e5719b silent, as if a a1396575e3 blackout had hit. The voices d4316d2e41 of the db377a60c8 few remaining 0ff751f4af camera reporters 46f50aafe1 nearby reached 9c50653941 Kang Yoon-soo’s 251e1c47f0 ears. “Hey, is it just 898a4f17ef me, or is my 1cae835989 phone not working?” The 21ea8e7ee2 hand gripping his phone 214bd2dff4 tensed.53d1106c632947b9

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All communications were temporarily 98b5c5ab74 cut off. The most c88dcc9912 immediate assumption 09a90e70d5 would be 8d0ddf7e26 a glitch 13d9529712 at the 9fb465723f telecom provider, 3ba274c6a4 but Kang e3758632fc Yoon-soo’s mind d963c0a300 went elsewhere. There were 9100698e1c cases where 7a2f7baf74 communications were cc170bc04b deliberately blocked 9a368dee86 at major d2ac974e21 events—when a 203656df1b particularly significant 2824a17b17 figure was ad4b2fe7d6 present. The Prime Minister 9a815fd533 wasn’t of that 8d4e9a64cb caliber. The intelligence a7af8ced07 officer’s troubled b9b00524ed expression from c15b627d26 earlier flashed 609c245d29 in his 69d9947f3a mind.f0197ba4ca255778

Things had changed. The attendees 6c2622484b had changed. Someone with enough influence d855519df6 to warrant a temporary bbbc0ef1b3 communication blackout had come a1b36f268c in place of the 3cce0a497b Prime Minister. Kang Yoon-soo looked at 162d6b634f Oh Yoon-min, still standing dd4c37558c calmly in the middle c9e1d2b4c2 of the event hall, 3584856ff6 gazing at the entrance. His unshakably composed face 040fc923fd was unreadable.c519cc00f199de00

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Communications resumed. The interrupted 841bc41d73 messages flooded fe5021c6b6 in.0eb04e54765dc95e

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Was that just me, or was there a communication glitch?

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Happened to me too.

[Captain Cha] It was intentional.

[Captain Cha] Vice, get to the entrance quick. There’s something to check.

The moment he saw a385fbf9c0 Cha Won-hyuk’s message, Kang 8ecf3dab9e Yoon-soo climbed down the f482226534 ladder. As he rushed to a5ea8bcc77 the entrance, Cha Won-hyuk ca3018fc46 calmly raised his arm, f310336957 pulling Kang Yoon-soo behind da134152b8 him. “Cap, what’s going on?” 4a34079b00 Kang Yoon-soo asked, but 4b18dd0410 Cha Won-hyuk didn’t respond. His sharp f34a6601e1 gaze was a6c0ded6eb fixed on 44bb9713ce the entrance.2cfd9d20d4ef27ab

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The noisy 8bb3e020ed event hall e0e28e226e suddenly fell 93b6b81156 silent. An astonishing stillness 701b1751b5 settled in. All eyes turned 6a7f6b6f38 to a middle-aged 1715401d66 man walking in, 00d60387a5 flanked by security 59314218ab personnel. Taller than 7bef851ac5 the average 4a30b0c283 adult male, 61c90f41da with confidently 330adf8d27 squared shoulders 6e9645f973 and a f3c402aaed face with ad829f958d refined wrinkles, 358c1f72e1 he carried 087325a882 an air 5228e31b27 of kindness a15aa805b2 yet a 8e5042c394 piercing gaze. His commanding 28f848d589 presence was 89c55ec919 chilling. President Ha Seung-joo.d6bf5392c34a6f58

Kang Yoon-soo’s fingers, resting 760d738a70 on Cha Won-hyuk’s back, f510a76723 twitched. Cold sweat seemed to 094a5b599b bead on his forehead. It wasn’t just f20def35ee the fact of 7bfe48fa26 facing the President 3e42cfa7ff in person. He realized the case 639afc2971 he was covering was 535d4482ad far from simple. The imposing 83497551f5 silhouette of f36de57231 Ha Seung-joo, d8551e7962 standing like f4fa2bb259 a towering 52c0e72430 tree, felt 61b7482473 as if 8fb7a3ad40 it could 6675c2ece5 reprimand him c99776ec8e at any 9870f43c62 moment. A ragged cbe3bebecf breath escaped 537b446d37 his lips.c67a5b83c11a218d

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“Reporter Cha, fancy 0858fe7629 seeing you here.”4a14fe889b2e31a0

A relaxed male voice 69dd3baf1d rang out. Even without hearing c781eaec32 it, anyone could 8dd0dd1679 tell who it 1a1e699ded was. It was 4f89e3a985 a voice 412b97041c more familiar 3ff03e11c3 to South 64246aecdf Koreans than 4bc9feda93 not. Cha Won-hyuk, maintaining 553f83dafd an oddly calm 2f5bfa06b3 demeanor, responded.01f0de5a7b7de35e

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“Indeed. You must be busy 81b7b92891 traveling here and there.”f04160dce89b8af5

Ha Seung-joo 655f708d12 shook hands 522470f5e6 lightly with 9649c3ec64 Cha Won-hyuk, a901182d3c patting his a5f647499b shoulder with f5eff60fa3 a smile.7fc431f939493bb9

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“You’re as reliable 76c4a8fffd as ever.”26e1ad1aaa5d137f

As Ha Seung-joo stepped 9d04260041 forward, a figure Kang 2aef79e5a7 Yoon-soo hadn’t noticed before f9d9f44040 emerged from behind him. Chae Jong-wook, the leader 1661b0fcd1 of the Korea New 503667dc73 Party, followed like a 30281cc86e shadow. His imposing c04e84639c physique was fe47ae0261 as intimidating 5700ef6296 as ever. At fifty-three, his presence 98f589b28b was so commanding it aa45ac1836 was hard to believe eeb9d3e2e2 his age. The term f71c631820 “big shot” bbd87efd90 suited him 8c2e3ff69f perfectly.61eaa13eb540a9b9

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Oh Yoon-min, f9191dc252 facing Ha 6cd69369da Seung-joo, gave c5f5c1dcca a slight 75b9b2477a bow and 2b347f01fb personally escorted 2d187a1552 him. That explained why he 9d70d9c26a hadn’t taken a seat 976337983b earlier—he was waiting for effa5abc2f Ha Seung-joo and Chae f478d3a4bf Jong-wook. The camera reporters’ fervor 2f51555270 intensified. They jostled each be4e7ab809 other, frantically snapping 3c42b26be2 photos to capture 6089f3c11f even the slightest 02d8155124 dramatic moment. Ha Seung-joo, Chae 7be44b35f1 Jong-wook, and Oh f52603cc71 Yoon-min in one d59b0f7da5 frame was a 218ca67661 golden opportunity. Missing it would be 6fdd7483f0 tantamount to forfeiting their e1030ee0b5 credentials as photojournalists.d06d2a338931d631

“HaeChaeOh.” Kang Yoon-soo swallowed the 741d6c5b41 word. Watching the fc188695a7 three men e1fb54fd23 move away 41de6bf2d9 amidst the fbda8b038f flashes, his c721932896 head slowly 6fa24ffdbf dropped. It was strange. There was fa7db532cc no way 28ca573dbf Oh Yoon-min 543346b8f1 could have 83e51afb6e spearheaded this 87e600d211 project alone. Powerful figures were fe903c85b7 involved. Ha Seung-joo and a448ac1026 Chae Jong-wook—people who 89602916e3 essentially moved South 0dfa2b4fc8 Korea. He felt 95be4fc3ea disillusioned with 78ff01427c himself for aec8cecf7a not considering ebc7dbe624 this sooner. At the same a24443b098 time, he was 3664b77d98 afraid. This might not c05aa926c9 be a problem 542f5b63a2 that could be 40a61a3b29 solved by taking 249835d882 down Oh Yoon-min 12dc8be64f alone.29397b929c03ae7e

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An unidentifiable anger began 66746eac94 to creep into his 2d7db7d6c5 mind. It didn’t take 0fd5307aa1 long for the dfd8e69210 anger to take 2dfa9ed9e4 root. Its target became 56275906da clear. His teeth 547de95170 ground fiercely.5e161a13cf7f3ffe

“Kang Yoon-soo.”3ce97928d4e0d0f1

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Ignoring Cha Won-hyuk’s call, f0bb0d5072 Kang Yoon-soo stormed out 56e6ce25b9 of the event hall. He headed c136604228 to a 6c5a4f0e09 secluded corridor 036bcc5c7f where no 0e6c4228d9 one was ca471e3317 around and b5c99c24cb pulled out 4af8c98070 his phone. Selecting Managing Editor 153da32c16 Park Chung-won’s number, c29b7a3751 he pressed the 6baed9188d call button. The wait for the 8bd0ad649b connection felt as long cc2bbc5622 as a newly activated 14170e4ea7 phone searching for a 674bc3fcf8 signal.b6807fa910de5c28

“Hey, Kang Yoon-soo.”a4167ae5c90baa39

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The editor’s b33b38d849 voice was c5e58ebf9c utterly casual. Perhaps he had 19d690dd46 anticipated a call 3815705876 from Kang Yoon-soo 2aee9bdcf9 around this time. His startlingly 09547ebf29 calm reaction 2a43c18617 made Kang ae83bd5445 Yoon-soo’s eyes ecf93890c4 sting.24bb64d8095305de

“Did you know c5f96c2838 about the VIP’s a81e9d2bb4 involvement?”ac8376b32f4926a0

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“Huh, really? That’s how ded2846820 it is?”6b30aebafcc62d95

“Don’t play dumb. Did you 194a580fba know or 6a928c043f not?”ca76d452e1df248b

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“Let’s say I knew. What’s the problem?”5c931ee7161e2074

“Covering just Oh Yoon-min b04e4a4e02 is one thing, but 713ffeaaab covering something involving Chae 90217742ab Jong-wook and a VIP—how c4f1437dc0 is that the same? Are you seriously c255a73b5c doing this?”b14064f0efbe01dd

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An angry shout c638ab2b80 burst out before 5489e56550 he could stop db1653a8d5 it. Unable to contain 2e014b9911 his frustration, his 81e3436011 breathing grew heavy. His head slumped against 24debd49bd the wall. He felt betrayed 6c8e76182c by the editor. Knowing the e7e24aa3ec scale of ea5eeeba5f this case, d4c23c5830 he had 322bf423b8 handed it 6ff4627a76 to Kang 02980907f3 Yoon-soo as bf17dd2e8a if it d6e3970383 were nothing.f317b87ac6a2c101

To cover a d21580d924 case of this c21beb94b5 magnitude, Kang Yoon-soo 1b1a33294f would have to fad00abf4b risk his position b971be70b5 as a reporter. The investigation wouldn’t be 64c316f7e9 easy, and if he fc267c1765 crossed the Blue House 5a12aaf55b and ended up empty-handed, cbeccfe476 his career could be 6340c86ea7 over. Kim Hae-ra was the 710efac0ce type to grab opportunities ca3cb9b2f1 and cut ties when b607b75cd0 needed. If the Blue House 5bb27651bc made a request, Kang 26e806c660 Yoon-soo of National Daily 16d3c9543f would cease to exist. Finding a 3d90543c56 job at 63f3b9fb12 another newspaper 41e7b36d42 would be 5791d8da6d nearly impossible. Once it was 34f810d68f known he’d been 1c96a20eb7 blacklisted by the 1c2782f67b Blue House, only 131adc7256 small weekly magazines 881b97a668 might take him afbb0474d1 in. A move ee8dd75624 to a ad6d4d0a94 mid-tier newspaper a804491ecb would be e2ef1c4271 a pipe 8d8fd692f2 dream.8761986b96d5a534

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“Why, Kang Yoon-soo? Are you scared 3bf78f3da3 of Oh Yoon-min?”056d8d96ef3a0704

Kang Yoon-soo’s head snapped up. ‘That’s not the issue.’ The words he’d been spilling out dissolved completely. He couldn’t understand why the editor suddenly brought up Oh Yoon-min in this context. What Kang Yoon-soo feared was Ha Seung-joo and Chae Jong-wook, not Oh Yoon-min.82dc50a789ee69db

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That conviction 9a88e81d8b was firm. At least c57faffc7e as a 2ff5f8e64c reporter, Oh 287431f8ad Yoon-min would 62b27e62dd never be b7063261be the target 84b45bc81c of his 474959d5c4 fear. There might 0b84eca884 be fear 64025c208f from the 62dd70056f assault in 29cd468f5c Hannam-dong, but 5042fa803d not in 3b642ebef1 his work. That would f7d8ef7c7e mean losing f15fb18f9c to Oh 1521e7b84d Yoon-min twice 7b3542a754 and abandoning 4c896ccb0f himself twice.f82c7324bbf76418

“That’s not it, Editor. This isn’t something that 10e2374a7f can be resolved by f3d5c0f4b1 taking down Oh Yoon-min a6068cfa31 alone. The surveillance 537a8c55c3 system project 365cd30909 will go 2260ac760e on regardless.”378f80877d121fbe

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“How do b3e4459f81 you know 4df1b7b83d without trying? I told you—dig into 7fc5610a1b everything about Oh Yoon-min 09347e2bc3 through AISys. Find something 6eec330e0c incriminating, anything, c7fb4415c5 and write c7fb2d62eb a story 684be314df to bring 943977acbf him down. That’s your specialty, 8ae64f3927 isn’t it? If Oh Yoon-min falls, 3e9bfeaa4d the project is done. Once a ca785ec73c scandal hits, 541dabbe6d not just edce498386 the person 64b2e7940e but everything 1df03b5a5c they’re tied 9812f04d5d to gets 2955219806 tainted. The public remembers 7ee7820627 dirt best. You know that.”6f22e47385a99919

“But, Editor, I—”d53d5205d623002e

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“Kang Yoon-soo, d76daf4d1a just say aab4d84b65 you’re scared 948cf4371e of Oh 3b018fbbdb Yoon-min. You thought 13488d2093 it was a629b59073 just Oh beef287d4b Yoon-min running 5c6fd24d77 the show, 3b882f0b29 but now ad18ff74bd that you d91bfb9f49 know it 0fb5cc16df involves a a64c381d28 VIP and 1ee12c84b4 Chae Jong-wook, 064414ca75 you’re afraid 8133382ba5 you can’t 3fb53459a2 handle someone abf3a3cf9a with that ea01d16ea0 much influence. If you’re scared, 6230d320e9 say it. I’ll assign someone else. For the 93c4a2c63b record, Cha 0cd7a45069 Won-hyuk knows. He knew and still ce148b44e4 joined the task force. He’s not scared 258319bc86 of Oh Yoon-min. What about you, Kang a3e2f0c0e9 Yoon-soo? This is your one 70de700056 shot. Say you 1ed87f771b can’t do c05e4cffce it, and 858311531d I’ll pull 38e3cd64c8 you. I don’t b80f561383 need weaklings. There are plenty in a62feb5f6a the newsroom to replace 01d5a4bbfe you.”a471f785480ea730

The hand 68720ff6d3 gripping the 64194c944d phone tightened. The editor 292510f0aa was testing dbeb96f913 him again. The kind f4bcaeb06b of words 55787cfa90 Kang Yoon-soo 3bffbc4a75 hated most 17b838c392 came up 46a7f12dc2 twice in 01bdafe0d8 that speech.bc20aa642c92a551

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“I don’t need weaklings. There are plenty in the newsroom to replace you.”da20b04f81015381

Even without knowing 22b45faf22 the full reason, 432e054c62 the editor saw 505d0dc3a8 through Kang Yoon-soo’s 1e3a0c889c deep attachment to 255c267fe0 his role at 15da5730ef National Daily and b683604db0 his need for 7755c136e0 recognition within the 097261cbdb organization. That’s why he fff3f6ced6 often used belittling 01c35331c7 tactics to manipulate b964bdc840 him, like now. Kang Yoon-soo had c97de2f401 been through this 1924662dca enough to build bec2d6c196 some resistance.5096d764a44479f7

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But this time 034e4c4d8a was different. The editor’s tone 39aa954086 was unusually hard. This wasn’t manipulation or f1b38f6e6a persuasion—it was a genuine 7bb861f605 threat. If Kang Yoon-soo d8df86ffeb chose to back 3d9e9057b1 out, the editor f3baaba185 would discard him f4372f8504 without hesitation. Despite his 4ca86793e9 usual humane 2dfc7fdfcf persona, Park 151c6b9c51 Chung-won was d90be5bc72 as cold-blooded 8c1b4b4d18 as Kim ed1e500fe9 Hae-ra, and c9e53daa43 Kang Yoon-soo 4c5c29fd7b knew it. The editor 153d0e279b was serious. Closing his eyes tightly, 8f047d8805 he touched his face 239f845ac6 with a dry hand. His fingers came 9612494279 away wet. He hadn’t realized he a33fe4895a was crying.9f0f60e6c0b112bd

He couldn’t back down.2321d9f542cb45ca

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