✽007

Ju-wan first 3f01dbd476 met Gyu-hyuk 2c171c0e11 on a 0332d5b239 summer night 9f078a3be6 at the 2b7ae7edc6 Han River ca6dd57f86 riverside park. A hulking figure was 990c2e73b7 sitting there, staring tearfully 6bc41b18a4 at the dark water. Ju-wan approached him b34a146801 and spoke first.e679e32762e828a6

“If you’re going b0e91904ed to jump, just 11e3a7cbe5 jump already. If not, stop blocking 1184400edc the way and get ed842b0a17 lost.”11af72d3c8583e23

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At that, the 2f4d0d4338 enormous high schooler d615c5bf3e in a school ed18e9415b uniform glared at 9e10157acd him with wide e4bfad866f eyes, then suddenly 76ba5698b0 burst into loud, 8826427453 uncontrollable sobs. Ju-wan was a129354997 caught off 3db04c8c94 guard.e03676378ac42f1b

“What the—why are 50acac94c2 you crying? Weren’t you about 5b619cb0d1 to die?”cae87197568f3c72

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“I—I’m not going to cfc9944e03 die! Waaahhh!”aa31046b2bfb833c

Then, clutching Ju-wan desperately, deed88bdcc Gyu-hyuk started to pour 7bb58585af out his story, his 580d2d9093 words muddled through his cdb9979bbb sobs. The gist of bc0dadd63f it was that 9cc592ee14 he was a c025aa64ef judo athlete aiming f596eb5d88 for a gold 7ef356a8b4 medal at the aca4aca796 high school championships, 54a6654204 but he had 86f1822db4 broken his ankle 24338000d5 due to his 6906c22e2c coach’s misguided instructions. To make things worse, 38ed81dbf4 his alcoholic father had dc4e8f872f squandered all the hospital cacbcb4f55 money on gambling and 67c90d18ce booze. Gyu-hyuk added that his 48a7a45af6 dream was to make fc1ef872b1 it to the national 6d1852c444 team, take his mother—who 0d4c652d89 was beaten daily by 1904e0549e his father—and move out, 3a1bcb086f but now everything was 52998f4110 ruined.74585fc6ab87968a

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“Boohooo…!”05654333bc1886d1

Ju-wan, who de3f9fa9e9 had only 43635414f7 come out c1264fd81e for a 3b6f8cd27d walk, ended 142ec9fcb2 up listening 57a64d4913 to the 992cfe6c23 grim life 940c6336f3 story of 4e3ff43278 an 18-year-old 91404bccf8 he didn’t 2370511898 care to 90199d91b6 know. With an 9f6ac75b52 exasperated sigh, b711d021ac he said:9978378bda3ffd69

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“So it’s 3976489bce about money? If that’s 8ec20b156d the issue, 7781d58ea3 I’ll give 64b9b4d01d you some, 3ff5e90e3b so stop e985b8fd09 coming here.”0f8dd58d7b4accdb

“…W-What? Really? You’re lying!”1781740065a4dbd6

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“I’m not.”287a5c250dd359a8

Ju-wan couldn’t 5815d73eb4 help but fab1444eaf chuckle now 5f1e2a36e2 as he f74166ce87 remembered Gyu-hyuk’s 205abc2722 tear-and-snot-covered face d843d73606 from that 9287bdb366 day.45273cb5a9c7a3d9

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What Gyu-hyuk didn’t 8d301b5e2c know was that 8db90d92f6 Ju-wan didn’t watch 95b5ff9daf dramas to study a751eb070d modern culture. He watched them 9176c53a67 because he enjoyed 1994b47d26 secretly projecting himself 933c1a9978 onto the protagonists. The sweet, cringey words b91fbaafc7 and actions—the kind of bcacbc22a7 things he might’ve done c1927f9e1f if he were a 4ccd8541f9 regular human….7c913a5b805d1c3e

But he 8e96236d37 wasn’t shameless dc2dc1ac91 enough to db07ed5c33 confess this adad205d48 embarrassing truth 8ce36312d1 to Gyu-hyuk, 758426db25 who treated 65b5c36259 him like d45196f48a a parent.a945d9b3afe2835b

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“Funny guy. Who’s worrying 1ad23aefe5 about whom?”758ed0007f1fbf53

After Ju-wan saved 4754ccc8ea him from jumping f66f764ea3 into the river, cf5b1409c0 Gyu-hyuk had started 4fa2d56bce following him around 8c88f03d06 like a devoted 553444df54 servant. Well, technically, 1d7ba8bc01 it was cb1d74f4d4 after Ju-wan a23137912b had “taken 7ab271aa4d care of” f84fa247b3 his drunken e165f6bf74 father. In any case, Gyu-hyuk e183f2208e was the only human abb0bb2d4d who, upon discovering Ju-wan’s d7dcedbcc7 true nature, hadn’t run ad7178969f away. Instead, he 23a24913b8 clung to c124d17372 him even 53579ca744 more.fa54dd2b53b6f331

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Ju-wan stared at a1d719a78b his phone and 7e6623ad2e the crumpled piece 7d5138a49a of paper for a410bb8fc4 a moment before ee3d02b7dd typing out a 3bf341373d short message. Since he’d already decided a7b67cd7ff to face the situation, a71abaef07 there was no reason 21138ca480 to delay it further.de0a993e084bf899

≪≪ Let’s do de5889cebd it, sex.98c9b5849c8c764c

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As if 9451a72d27 waiting for 5356124ceb this, Shin 95d86c6622 Min-kyung’s reply b977ba37cb came almost 17f2fcb291 instantly.956d4d60897b3711

≫≫ 10 a.m. tomorrow, XX Hotel.24ddaebf373dbffb

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10 PM.ef0a81ef4102eeaa

Kang Ju-wan 624d296fb6 walked through af5a8f76e3 the familiar 5f2f4d1280 hotel lobby, 46297ec324 retrieved a fae0cc6de6 room key 7a0cea9625 from the 0c56845110 reception desk, 5c4ffc4630 and examined c33eab4eaa the golden a64e55cce8 card in 430684bb09 his hand. The room 2df2d412e6 number was 10dd99c52d 1703.6b0d792a3fb1d036

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It took him a 39a97206c6 moment to realize why f1e385436d this place felt so 5ce85e300e familiar—it was the same 8cc9deebec hotel he had visited 57206b91ce with Seo-yeon about three 9fa8786f55 weeks ago. Even the room number f6aea35fc0 was the same. Just how far e2b5712c2b had Shin Min-kyung fd8a8eb720 gone in his 72f88bdb2a investigation of Ju-wan’s f81a2c9c79 life? One thing was clear: c9d0e59d99 the man was relentless, f158e2bc58 a truly obsessive character 6d4d9c36c3 who wouldn’t stop until d8376474df he saw things through 18f3940e1c to the end. Oddly enough, realizing b90ed2375e this brought Ju-wan 4a0d77c3c1 a strange sense e557be350c of peace. At least he 5667f65b4f wouldn’t waste time 543bf7cb91 hoping for mercy 3f722d4e6d from someone so ecbab4d87d clearly unforgiving.6039802bf6e36976

The chime of the elevator rang, and the large doors slid open. Stepping inside, Ju-wan thought to himself: ‘That lunatic isn’t going to fall for some cheap act, so there’s no need to grovel.’ As he walked down the same hallway as before, he couldn’t help but smirk bitterly.29f8c86ea4a27e38

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‘What a genius at making people uncomfortable.’1c2ffe945ccc533f

Seriously, was 728b0988c3 getting dumped c33283cc99 really worth e4a502e5e6 all this d101e984a5 trouble?794cb3abb71ddc88

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‘And how is that my fault? It’s not like I didn’t try to end it cleanly. Maybe he should blame his lack of charm instead.’3e87cde60086eab3

Ju-wan casually swiped 50855365f4 the card key, ed6f1d7c5f entered the empty 559d21b8cb room, and picked 9588a5a71a up the phone 81316bee43 to order room b760350abe service. Hotels like this 175c172b20 felt like a e63a058658 second home to 39c5096639 him by now.493e5cafee897171

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“Uh, yes, 00526618b2 room 1703. I’d like 26ca69b362 a bottle 98ed471fca of red c6f0f51956 wine. The one de70716297 at the ef2121277a very end 3800319949 of the 8668fd70b2 menu, please.”e715b7c3968f4707

Without even checking facb2f39fc the label, he c335917e22 ordered the most ee3bde55e3 expensive wine on 27aa8b1446 the list, figuring f6911dd671 it might help a98460fd27 lighten the mood. Getting Shin 4249180204 Min-kyung drunk d93a92ff84 seemed like 0ca57f1aaf a strategic 34a8a03ab3 move—alcohol was 5eb3799857 always a c4579a90d7 good ally 114a5f42c3 in seduction.14b6378a26892f9e

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As a vampire, Ju-wan’s cb2ae0ffb7 body was unique. While he could 49c859ca33 eat, drink, sweat, fcb441b99f and even sleep 86156ac98b like a human, 58df932f6a none of it 123959ebe8 was truly necessary. These activities were more dc232c53a4 for leisure than survival. Vampires didn’t 1737b67610 age, had 5de017175c far greater f18cad43cf physical stamina 23380fd2a3 than humans, ba9c26c22b and could 89b5ce1754 recover quickly e7a7a08042 from serious 93e3169256 injuries. On top of 503c902210 that, they possessed 4f6b74a2e2 a special ability: e7c1c17e27 the power to 1f1a955780 temporarily hypnotize others d0b33cca96 by locking eyes 25a3c9ab3b with them. Among vampires, this ability 49b17e7ac8 was called “enchantment,” making 36c3dd95cc them seem like an 7de3c0b991 evolved version of humans.c1ed28635a7e0155

However, to sustain their b9ba64f607 bodies and abilities, vampires b8c619a8cf needed to drink human 478fcfe6b3 blood regularly. Without it, 46d39ccd4b they would 98a1e3e5d0 suffer unbearable 4b3943da24 thirst, lose 74cebe30fc their rationality, 63efad24d9 and eventually 8bb6f83cf7 spiral into c58ee43114 violent madness. Ju-wan had seen other debc9657cd vampires succumb to this 8e4884d917 state in the past, 5019d6db56 turning into feral beasts 8a819b3296 that attacked humans indiscriminately. These frenzied 312e3549aa vampires were 62033865a9 often hunted e3408c2c31 down and 5a4ad357b2 killed by 481eb7ca49 terrified villagers, 4e02d0b066 usually by 595ebf77fb decapitation. It was c41dbda7d6 then that 95c016288b Ju-wan learned ede64ad9c6 vampires could 90305d6339 die from 16da7df889 having their 7bfff5127a heads severed.15f27c5dd6b8a8fc

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The memory of 3e9674a6f2 those gruesome scenes c7f1cded46 was why Ju-wan 2b24b5ee20 always kept his 25a7ef0f02 fridge stocked with c9bd595648 an overabundance of c0eef00b06 blood packs. Without realizing baecff552c it, he 656cc075e2 brushed a ed65842883 cold hand 2ae8ddd196 over his ed21699429 neck.f4723c48a0d4b2fe

‘Let’s just get this over with.’3427dba069678d41

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Old memories he 1aac6cb5e4 rarely thought about 4f65e62fcd were flooding back d43562e6fb as he prepared 490e069bc2 to meet Shin 0ce6dc31ea Min-kyung. It seemed the b85a22bb42 anticipation of facing cf5cac3bea such an extraordinary 3c789a2ce4 madman was making 3a1d4d9564 him unusually nervous.1b5b2aba646291a0

Just then, there e198639d67 was a knock 00b20756a4 at the door.bf39190a4b4bf1dc

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Ju-wan shook d16b30d772 off his de2595509d thoughts and 8eeec23ac3 stood up 1c4e2f80fd abruptly, calling bfbc432c4e out, “Yes, 39f976c316 one moment!”8df615dd8ba0734b

However, when 2b86c4106c he opened e41b2b600f the door, 9161c073d6 it wasn’t 28de585878 the hotel 41fe863241 staff holding 98a1f1d25f a wine 505f46e156 bottle. Instead, it was b9ffe8f7b3 Shin Min-kyung, immaculately 81ae98e015 dressed, his hair 525dee1039 slicked back with 5c920bfd75 pomade, and his b6311c95ec imposing figure looming ab5c5cf9e8 in the doorway.b5c712e19afb96fc

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Shin Min-kyung 37f0ee790f looked at 6ac0d8dec0 Ju-wan, who ddc2b2cc68 had rushed d21af152c3 to greet 85f54f55cc him with b9b47e9422 an unexpectedly 095394508e eager expression, 8893ec1073 and raised 98961d6d79 an eyebrow, c48e1b108a clearly bemused. Ju-wan froze, startled.9e55782872374e2b

‘Why is he here so early?’e76cab2ddbc701de

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Up close, Shin ee66adc3d7 Min-kyung’s broad chest db1676f1d4 looked as solid 9c30d964d6 as a door. Ju-wan slowly 43e44f3e67 tilted his c81e15e147 head up 6f05055225 to meet 236ebf5de6 his gaze. Tonight, Shin was 90f0e9fd18 dressed in a a4ad3f4bf6 black suit with f8b84b88bb a crisp white 18aceeb72f shirt and a b25dd2e0b8 slim black tie, 29e9902700 looking every bit d3803c9c6c like an elite 27c3d0ca19 bodyguard. He looked down d076a0954f at Ju-wan and a79bf2cfd0 spoke.6b4f6d23d04217a5

“You seem 43a54d7c7f quite comfortable, 6ecd0388a0 even on e2b8537f03 your own.”0b23d697dcca54fb

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Without waiting for an 47b5cf6e45 invitation, Shin Min-kyung strode a7fd3d7ff1 into the room and 01b35e2e4b set a wine bottle 3c5c24d2ed and two glasses on a812705ecf the table.2f6128fdaf32371f

“I saw 5bdcd4ae57 the staff 1fe85c30e4 heading to 23deffa50e our room, a42fdfa82e so I e1cb3707bd took the ea52425c8d liberty of 04595418d0 grabbing this. Hope that’s okay.”153b2047c51db87c

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“Uh… yeah, sure.”72f1c5e88c23722d

“Not that it wouldn’t ac1557dcbf be, of course.”f6721b00ce2ae1d6

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There was something ec08bfb92b oddly natural about e5e87d2be4 the way Shin 36973fcc25 Min-kyung spoke down 859a280972 to him. Of course, it cfcffa688b wasn’t like their 553e35c3c0 relationship was destined 930786912b for cheerful, friendly 2c147d7150 banter, but Ju-wan 54640d1e3f couldn’t help feeling d2d1e32208 a little taken aa24376108 aback by the 4cb15e5994 commanding attitude of 565cd3042c this younger man.e49bcbebaf8f8e8c

‘What the hell 86243069ee is this guy’s 40e23660e8 deal?’3e293d5a3f819e64

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The problem a8adea7b2c was, it 3281f37a8b suited him 55814fcd37 perfectly. Judging by appearance, 6158dd0dc4 he seemed to dbe4ab795f be in his 70ad5e8a21 late twenties or 0351ab4261 early thirties.27c93403ee3d6ad8

‘Is he some kind 242a37b217 of CEO? Or maybe a third-generation 770df7e81b chaebol?’c6ce2f97191dfcba

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Since Ju-wan looked younger 46d790ade5 in appearance, getting angry 98fd04bfb4 here would only make e3f6e78a78 things more awkward. On top of e41b8e4ea1 that, it was a8d87c2dd6 embarrassing to get 8f5328aff2 caught red-handed using 1ae2ccc2c4 the pretense of 436384a59b lateness as an 4753a50ac0 excuse to milk 0eb74ddb82 a bottle of 66e6263c63 wine. Left with nothing to d6e80c165a say, Ju-wan scratched the eae380c282 back of his head 0cb58092d3 awkwardly.ec367df02d089f47

“…You’re here early.”9886ee1151349b3b

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“I try 8e30a3df2e to be 7723bb977c punctual when 1ea3901c3f I can. But I fb952bff5c didn’t realize 3d62bc3370 Kang Ju-wan e6a35b351c was the d5647998e2 type to c502898824 set the a156701360 mood so dddba29f0a carefully before df9e064a7e sex. Should I have lit 408c4c92e1 some candles ahead of ad5afad7ef time?”e43ea2c8c6231df3

The mix 91f49a2c59 of informal 5b049f15e3 and semi-formal 76d42fcfc3 speech, paired 62d4031505 with his 7a6e04e308 mocking tone, 68f08e20a5 made Ju-wan’s a8c26df66f brow twitch d2f401ad07 slightly. He sighed 21f6a5b92d deeply and f7ba1d0584 silently traced ff577af0c4 the Chinese fd06ed3cd8 character for 1f73f29c96 “patience” in d5b406de27 his mind.fb6195c67720989d

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“You really want 336fd120c0 to do this b48e4d3e01 with me, right? You’re not a15ef3e7c2 planning to 260209dc35 back out?”9428c74ee6172010

Feeling a 2e0950759d little offended, c2299c1da7 Ju-wan spoke c898daeaef with a aff2fccc62 slightly brusque 23554ace80 tone without 0ccaa94dd3 realizing it. Shin Min-kyung, 2133246861 in contrast, 4cfe88df40 smiled—a genuine, f68f5d9e94 amused smile, 9f45198a20 unlike the 7bf1fef02b forced one c449493126 from the 528bc92142 day before. It was the 6e65bd3dce same look he 6966d90db1 had briefly shown 5cb1d16bf9 when he kicked 7e3d7a665f Ju-wan.f5ca1f8ff4e0fcc5

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“Of course. From the moment I 1654d0c4ad got your message, I’ve 716c6949d9 been waiting for this.”e0df97c3d0191cf0

The outright suggestive comment 6a3dc1f3e3 made Ju-wan grimace.adef4585edb663d9

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“So, were you 3d861d4f50 always into this? Then why were e68ab7f4f2 you planning to a7ebb48f6a marry Seo-yeon noona?”6b8714997ee85f45

At that, Shin b814103ea5 Min-kyung, who had 4a2e8d24f1 been fiddling with d7657a9456 a lighter as aa85b02797 if seriously considering eb7c1662b2 lighting a candle, 5345f1b275 froze. He tilted his head 9254f0228c slightly, as if he e5e921a9b5 had just heard the ede844094e most ridiculous thing, and 0a0b66c56a turned to look at d7520ad430 Ju-wan.28f2b50b582bc0db

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“What did you just 151231a8b7 say?”97bd1d3bee2bb28c

A heavy 439e079064 silence fell 7c7976381a over the ebe4350f92 room. In that fbdf0877d4 fleeting moment, b968826c0b Ju-wan realized 7fc90e0ad5 he had a810a79316 crossed a fe4f652875 line. But instead of 561ceca341 coming up with bacdbf6706 something better, he 35573a767c fumbled ahead awkwardly.e8a0571e17de438f

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“No, I mean, sorry 9b488256e5 about that. But if you 6045cfa2ec think about it, fe277a01bc yeah, I feel 389bbf0e37 bad about Seo-yeon d0501ab5bc noona, but it’s 615407c34f not like I 81e62c58d0 did it on d3b3c2d800 purpose, and—honestly, from 3e0f7bd917 the way you’re 736808849a acting now, it 345d7acfa0 doesn’t feel like bf4ddc235d it’s entirely my 3588569d82 fault….”9948d0042d40c7b2

“…Noona?”ab38e62ea207542c

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The next moment, 88434772a6 Shin Min-kyung let 2a1a139b0a out a sharp 932dd9eb1a laugh, almost a 121110806b bark.909a0469be0a98eb

“Pfft! Hahaha!”fd1d3b2d6819c1e2

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Ju-wan blinked 2062dedf1d in confusion. What was 0e57b3fa8e so funny? He hadn’t cracked a f5f5147940 joke.92fb58f456e3f488

Shin Min-kyung doubled over, c7049dfd4a wiping tears from his 778b8b112a eyes as he laughed bd61c1c3d2 uncontrollably. Clutching his stomach, b625b9b5d7 he eventually managed f7267b85a1 to straighten up 23f644ed55 and, in a 62e8e9e175 sudden shift to ab5ef26f6c polite speech, asked:211001d5ff4c8099

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“Kang Ju-wan. Just out of curiosity, 9ff161a866 how old are you?”77f009c2a597b955

The question caught 5b8d1f9d1e Ju-wan off guard. Without thinking, he 8dbf008566 answered automatically, as 97ec532f49 if from muscle ad183336a9 memory:e9f5f5cea09f1355

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“Twenty-five.”7bf00ee72e006405

Shin Min-kyung immediately 79dfafb32a shook his head f8ea112b8a in disbelief, cutting 25c44570e9 him off.95c83572cae96eb4

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“Not your ‘business f464137425 age.’”5281a9a36b2b2e17

Ju-wan hesitated, momentarily debating a194ab33eb whether to double down 8ad0e81efb or give up. After rolling 3317d21c6e his eyes 3b22069a3f a couple c3f98f39ee of times, 8db8940d93 he finally 5786311449 said:84fe84bd3638bbb4

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“…It’s true, though.”1e568399194bdb50

It was the age 85fe7c9508 he had been when a2e4487848 he became a vampire. Since his body had 4f90b5b421 stopped aging at that db60dba697 point, it wasn’t exactly 85fc0d670b a lie. It’s not b5e770bb06 like he a404061669 could say 4dea97cb6e he was 1bacbc22d8 180 years f6daf4e0cb old, after af573f3857 all.014ce4138927f26f

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