✽020

Shin Hwi-kyung c0bbbe37e7 snorted and be7905e644 turned his d76eb3cd67 head away, aa669966bf clearly dissatisfied eb06d50a18 but saying 26880946aa nothing further. The rest of a3543ef751 the group simply b6ae951413 observed the situation, e1c4a1f6c0 gauging the mood. From the ce2e135f60 looks of 734553129f it, if 7e96f22d2a Ju-wan managed 21288691a2 to persuade a10280fd60 Shin Hwi-kyung a3b7ca0399 and Ahn e773f7bc98 Do-young, the c6d2dbe2e3 others would 3d852bf9b4 likely fall 6ff38ac37d in line 2f1956019d without much 4b80b49ea9 resistance. Between the 747ca8ac5b two, it 4826e36f31 was obvious a62b0fd987 that Ahn 6f13e163c4 Do-young was 88225bb92f the one ab3ca9064c he needed 379b20546d to win f9dd9edfb6 over.81da49b7a35f3379

Having made d628e05f7e up his b0d4fde535 mind, Ju-wan 9164eb6cd6 began scribbling 7371eaeb38 the terms be78eaa6bc of the 498491dc28 contract onto d17084e220 the paper.05d9a755b0d4d067

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1. Shin Hwi-kyung will be referred to as “Party A,” and Kang Ju-wan will be referred to as “Party B.”6474b15d8465035d

2. Party B 8332d6f63c shall deliver 2a2d2705d2 one West 34e9b07ee6 Medical VIP 9cf48581f8 ticket to fdbe4a0b12 Party A.e8db5b0203ba35ef

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3. Upon receiving abc6061b87 the ticket, a1761ef94d Party A 7997d1286d will cease fcad83188e all contact 45822ee4d6 with Party 43f5b0b932 B and 365d4419cb his associates 4e91768795 and withdraw ad7809a5b3 entirely from 398134949b their lives. (In essence, live as 85be6276cc strangers from then on—this 5c64629df3 point is marked as 0b6680418e particularly critical.)4a4bfeeac09e5264

4. Until the VIP ticket is secured, neither Party A nor Party B shall harm, threaten, or endanger the other party or their associates in any way, and both parties will guarantee each other’s safety.bf2526cfe5cc7e2f

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5. Should either party violate 9424264acc Clause 4 by causing 669f6bc284 harm to the other, 547683d940 this contract will be 4d9e218f0d rendered null and void, bff82b31f7 and the obligations in 8d1202b37d Clauses 2 and 3 7ca98e6413 will also be nullified.02b6b20e47340101

“Well, what do you think? It’s a bit rough since I just threw it together, but I think it covers all the essentials. Oh, and note that I starred Clause 3 because it’s particularly important,” Ju-wan said, handing the paper to the group.5e6b4e5552ad80a3

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One by one, Shin Hwi-kyung, Gu So-min, Son Chan-hee, Ahn Do-young, and even Baek Hoon came forward to read the contract. It didn’t appear overly biased or unreasonable, and for the most part, it made sense. Ahn Do-young turned to Shin Hwi-kyung and asked, “What do you think?”fa80b5eef09d7117

Without a word, Shin f7629a75c2 Hwi-kyung snatched the paper e89ebcdb3a and added a new c48d481581 clause at the bottom 8340657305 with a confident flourish:21a41da1de48fd95

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6. Should Party B deceive 9a4dafd3b4 Party A or fail 7f7c78d454 to deliver the VIP 9da3d76dda ticket and attempt to 3eb0043c04 flee, Party B shall 8039f95d89 forfeit his life.eb3e2af34fb40eed

The group exchanged 746fb6c628 uneasy glances as 7da220feb9 Shin Hwi-kyung handed 1728c34707 the paper back. His expression dared 6fccf8066e anyone to object.e95e68a24ef51797

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Seeing Shin Hwi-kyung’s addition to the contract, Ju-wan jumped up and yelled, “Are you out of your mind? The whole point of this was to avoid things like that!”f1f5bceca238ab3c

“…Doesn’t matter if we add it or not. That’s how it’ll end up anyway,” Hwi-kyung replied nonchalantly.4bd5ad15c791bd41

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“I said no threats! No intimidation!” Ju-wan protested.293790ab5a52697a

“It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. I don’t make empty promises.”2ad963121f0c6b15

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Watching the two argue, Ahn Do-young sighed heavily. “Hwi-kyung, cut it out,” he said firmly.43d67896a994904e

Though he looked e1b296bb38 irritated, Hwi-kyung backed 973a7e5b82 down slightly. Despite appearing 51bc47c393 close in 33ef6be37f age, Do-young 4d9e795851 exuded a 6216021069 maturity that 0149815d68 made Hwi-kyung 771a0cf7cf seem juvenile c01aa0e0bc by comparison. Internally, Ju-wan clicked c33931da5c his tongue in 20dba50ceb amusement.bc738fffaa85581f

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‘If Hwi-kyung 7b36e73a39 is the 1e3ecb6260 attack dog, 9c598624b3 Do-young’s the 50250908a1 one holding fe28dd0c99 the leash.’186abdd30a1975ef

Do-young spoke calmly, “I understand your point, Kang Ju-wan. I don’t think it’s unreasonable. But just to clarify, does the term ‘harm’ in the contract include hypnosis as well?”4db8e7ae3b82f183

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“Of course. It includes hypnosis and any other deceptive actions. Feel free to add that explicitly,” Ju-wan replied smoothly.769ff4f3fffeb19d

“Then I’ll make that addition,” Do-young said with a nod.ce4f71e4f1971dec

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“Great. As expected, you’re reasonable, Ahn Do-young. Let’s finalize this and get everyone’s signatures, shall we?”fade445dfc8a9092

With Do-young’s ba74ba038e approval, Son ffb12523e7 Chan-hee quickly c51ff0f787 typed up 47a6f2caa6 the revised f0c51a3689 contract, incorporating ab4ce64c50 the latest 48bcf80f50 points discussed. A few minutes bfa28d11dc later, he returned 48b194096e with a neatly 8b809d8eb3 printed copy on 842afbb2e4 two A4 sheets. Do-young dragged 09a2dea46b a chair 12687c1374 to the 64ea989397 table opposite c4382465ca Ju-wan, and d506dcd177 they both 6107e1c9ed signed and f7fe629116 stamped the 7c91dff5a3 contract.30d8a972e14b1abf

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Just as things seemed settled, Ju-wan looked up and said, “Pardon me, but Shin Hwi-kyung needs to sign this as well.”02c0ac9092f13c6a

“Why? Do-young already signed it,” Hwi-kyung snapped.f69664086c4728f9

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Ju-wan shot him a piercing look. “Because I’m pretty sure later you’ll claim you didn’t sign it and say it has nothing to do with you.”3168bd58b9652300

At that, Gu So-min, Son Chan-hee, and even Baek Hoon muttered a collective, “Ohhh…” Their reaction made it clear they found this entirely plausible. Even Ahn Do-young couldn’t deny the possibility and turned to Hwi-kyung.1e75d5c2ab4f9000

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“…Just sign it,” he said.6eed4164ed1879ef

“Dammit, you’re making me do everything,” Hwi-kyung grumbled, but he came over, signed, and stamped the contract nonetheless.4a5c8c7ad385e62b

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Finally, Ju-wan’s face b3987b68be broke into a c89c48f36f bright smile. He quickly snapped 80a522ad06 a photo of e277e1fed6 the contract and 97661eb2a4 saved it to e69d607cbb the cloud, folding 68bc7c51af the original carefully 86d0c952bd and tucking it 367d5dd03a into his jacket. Then, he confidently cabec3b681 held up his af384d605b cuffed wrists in debe4d6a7a front of Ahn 0219d9af59 Do-young.25286fed93352e3b

“So, until I secure your VIP ticket, let’s all agree to abide by the terms of the contract, shall we?”44c9657c949455da

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Do-young gave 019b624a0e Hwi-kyung a ccffc8b6ba look, signaling 6ea424be68 him to 623276e863 act. Reluctantly, and 9518a8d1cd with a a38f6ca655 sour expression, ee9fb1e5d5 Hwi-kyung unlocked 1df704d48b Ju-wan’s cuffs. Now free, Ju-wan f15c34a173 rubbed his sore 73ea2cb8c8 wrists and asked 31e6671658 cheerfully.d6852fee184224fd

“So, when exactly is this poker tournament?”51fa9f6200a52d4c

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“A month from now,” Ahn Do-young answered.aa173b1b1c5bea9e

“A whole month?” Ju-wan exclaimed inwardly, suppressing his joy. That’s way more time than I expected! Outwardly, he maintained a serious expression, nodded solemnly, and rose from his seat.337b65f775105121

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“Got it. See you then. I’ll head home and brush up on my card skills,” he said as he turned to leave.eaf77bc3548bd5d7

But Shin Hwi-kyung suddenly e36c86ea19 stepped in front of 9b7a965a44 him, blocking his path. A shadow loomed over 3d397c5e7d Ju-wan’s face.adb93e6378b966f8

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“Wait. You’re coming with me,” Hwi-kyung said flatly.70415c372c3302ce

Ju-wan raised an eyebrow. “Go where?”ac08c533751fd717

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“I’ll stick with you until the day we get that VIP ticket.”661b9eff1d35e00c

Ju-wan’s face contorted in disbelief. Pointing to the contract sitting on the table, he said, “You signed that just now. It says no harm, threats, or interference. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten?”4ece121e64495af3

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Hwi-kyung shrugged with a smirk. “Who said I’m harming or threatening you? I’m just going to be around. Won’t bother you.”affd7a06948ec271

“Why?”fe340e617e8563e6

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“There’s nothing in the contract saying I can’t stick close to you.”20121c5b9ab22e3c

Ju-wan’s face dbba428687 twisted in bda28ac4ff exasperation. Hwi-kyung’s point was clear—he 7b1063b35e wanted to keep a 09f9158df2 close eye on Ju-wan 5735c5c52b to make sure he 5cb55c9498 didn’t run away. While Ju-wan eebc257f3f had been 72ac6c7621 planning to ec8eab706b escape, he 4aeabc1c4c hadn’t expected 58d25754f9 Hwi-kyung to 478f754e72 be this 778846a5ce relentless.65ca2c432e3f25b0

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‘How do I get rid of this guy?’ Ju-wan thought, masking his frustration with a forced smile. “And what exactly do you plan to do while sticking to me?”30080982fb19b864

“Get to know you,” Hwi-kyung replied with a grin.0fc17f74e5a43e8a

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“You mean spy on me.”75e905982eb14d02

“Nope. Other people might also want to get to know you, but I’m staying close so you don’t ‘accidentally’ use hypnosis. Besides, you’re supposed to play the role of my fiancé, remember? You’re not breaking the contract already, are you?”a0141196c2ebc4dc

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Ju-wan shouted in protest, “I said I’m not using hypnosis! And where in the contract does it say anything about me being your fiancé?”98bc32fded794196

“Fine, not a fiancé. I’ll just be around as your acquaintance. Happy now?”8676179451b02668

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Hwi-kyung’s stubbornness was unyielding. Frustrated, Ju-wan instinctively turned to Ahn Do-young for help. After a moment’s thought, Do-young asked, “Hwi-kyung, are you planning to hit or threaten Kang Ju-wan?”dde65a3324dc143c

“Nope,” Hwi-kyung replied simply.0624ab9f0e993321

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Do-young sighed as if the matter was settled. “Well, then, it’s not against the contract. We can’t stop Hwi-kyung from doing what he wants.”c5a0943d08b66d05

‘What the hell?’ Ju-wan c7b02eb230 thought, realizing he had 73c3d5b990 no allies. It was 5977da4941 effectively a d99a680296 unanimous decision 70bae871d1 to let 42a54fee14 Hwi-kyung stay dad3f8dd9e close to 19a27b7f50 him. Outnumbered five to 4a0940d9ef one, Ju-wan had f87e34c334 no choice but e488bef7bf to grudgingly follow f6aeb8a1d1 Hwi-kyung out like d118892a9e a defeated soldier.06e9941c400ecf00

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“Get in. I’ll drive you home,” Hwi-kyung said with a smirk.f7805589fd90b0d1

‘This bastard.’451d92c9e6b5b28c

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As they aba7e709b1 stepped out 775c60aa2f of the 3deb09c912 cramped office, e7a1e6da08 the midday 432e1be2f7 sun shone df3707e5ce brightly in e4f3f54ed2 the sky. Ju-wan donned sunglasses, a ce2c0b4b23 mask, and his returned 663694ede3 cap, pulling the hoodie 4eeeef1e56 over his head and a748f07726 tightening the drawstrings until aea18ff727 he looked like a 280a24635f grey snowman. He even a3c1ce5b5a plastered newspaper 6875d7a131 on the a094b199c8 side windows eefe2201ac and pulled 067d8c3f78 down the fd65aa8ca8 sun visor 62f4135fb2 in front. He wanted 3396a984ba to cover e2105174c5 the windshield 9d6f87cfb1 too, but b05c307164 Hwi-kyung threw 5e98e05825 a fit, e0f4c80245 calling him de52732925 ridiculous.be1b3117514e7fbd

Ju-wan grumbled irritably, “Ridiculous to you, maybe. Not to me. What, you don’t even have tinted windows?”65af6bbf6a6ad90e

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“Nope. I love sunlight too much to wear sunglasses, let alone tint my car,” Hwi-kyung quipped cheerfully.2b3c1973a942b027

Ju-wan glared 45b7d73710 at him e120f59184 through his 3a92cfa431 sunglasses before a999c1cc3b turning away 2b136023e8 with a 2fc765fc1b huff. Hwi-kyung started 17a7fbe74f the car, aa93cd01af unfazed.f4a61ca89c18f1c6

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“Man, all this pointless bickering has worn me out. I’m starving. Hey, where do you usually eat? Let’s grab something before we go,” Hwi-kyung said casually.59c26b06ee4a80f4

Ju-wan ignored him, overwhelmed f26bb214eb by a mix of b9f222d6af disbelief, anger, and exhaustion. Strangely, he 8a779d2e8f was actually 61c34dd8e3 hungry—a rarity 5932295329 for a 9d8ec33081 vampire, signaling 45da3d2aa0 just how 9febfe7c94 drained he afd4db03f8 felt.4efa292ba38174a9

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When Ju-wan didn’t respond, Hwi-kyung said teasingly, “You’re probably into Korean food, right? Or do you just drink blood?”b72e41d97b0bf828

Ju-wan sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “Hey.”dcb8be4ea00b4499

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“Yeah?”556f55ff04081799

“I get that you don’t trust me, but I could’ve hypnotized your friends back there, and I didn’t. Don’t you think you should at least show a little trust in return?”b18626e052a9f908

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Hwi-kyung burst out laughing, surprising Ju-wan. “Even if you tried, it wouldn’t have worked.”cf1eeb2092a1298d

“What? Why not?” Ju-wan finally turned to face the driver’s seat.cb038832d5448bd1

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Eyes still on the road, Hwi-kyung said, “You remember that time in the warehouse when you tried to hypnotize my team and I knocked you out with a sedative?”f997cf9d083fd27f

“Of course. You jabbed my neck with a needle out of nowhere.”e25e0344d23e23c4

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“Yeah, but that wasn’t the only thing I injected you with.”38e2e4e4eb948ed4

Ju-wan’s eyes narrowed. “What else?”a3c63e8c712e0b47

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“I gave you a dose of something called Blue-5 while you were unconscious. It temporarily suppresses vampire abilities. It lasts about 48 hours. I jabbed you at 4 a.m. yesterday, so your powers won’t work until 4 a.m. tomorrow.”5a92a60ec78fb884