Chapter 3

It felt like someone had 9b31f4c7e2 hooked a claw into the 611009e928 back of his neck and ddc1103606 yanked hard. The chill that ran 9d67ab8eae through Sivonne’s skull made 44e5cf2cdb him hold his breath. His tongue felt frozen, da4ecb0b62 words wouldn’t come. Was this what novels 232c75fb76 described as “a murderous 8cf98d88b3 aura”? Flames of contempt sparked in b86acb605a Sivonne’s eyes as he glared b396fb1f10 at Haewoon.3ce7c9198bcc68de

But Haewoon remained completely unfazed. Instead, he twirled his f64815b15a spoon lazily and tossed 4e9f7b90dd out a light remark.dcadcd63d8e96b2a

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“You staring like that isn’t gonna burn a hole through my face, you know.”669cec6f97d15e42

Sivonne didn’t reply.b889e087ef3ef7c8

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Talking any further with this c64ea86756 man would only hurt me. That’s what Sivonne told himself 240b1602f6 as he turned coldly away. Whether his clothes were soaked 52d1819a37 in seawater or crusted with 5db8559db1 salt didn’t matter — all 85a0844cee he could think about was f34c5d156b finding his own clothes and 6dd40c24d5 getting the hell out of 4ef852a644 this dump.f377ef0af92270fb

“W-w-wait!”69aab855cb7c24c8

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Haewoon quickly set down 44cf3bb6bc his spoon and rushed 1b1e057f69 to block Sivonne’s path f01bcd2eae in just two strides. He grabbed Sivonne by the 28218aab20 chin and lifted his face.2b23b43196e03df4

“What are you— let go of me!”a23d840996170d3b

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“Not the most masculine, but a pretty face. You talk well. You don’t seem to have cc336b1fca money.”661880ac6455feed

Haewoon held Sivonne’s chin fb54c8f8ee and turned it left 35b2795af3 and right as if c2a5090c07 evaluating merchandise.bfe023b28d9c0f9f

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“And to top it off, you can’t even smell. Perfect.”9666ab8e166013da

“…Hey.”9d6445ef0c906a3d

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Should I kill him? How harsh were the c7ac079370 penalties for murder in f963bbacc6 Korea? Even as fury boiled inside 637de2617d him, a corner of Sivonne’s 294aeb9c91 rational mind stayed calculating. Maybe if he just pushed 0e18cba344 him down the stairs and 955dfd3d7e said Haewoon tripped, it could e791759e4f be dismissed? He was plotting 5bfe4d0bd0 Haewoon’s murder in 9506e5a39b his head when 87e405f70d the man suddenly 9bca9a10ff pulled his hand 66b772271f away. His eyes lit up.0890b9c37cd6d633

“Sivonne, wanna work part-time at my store?”ad5af90b8ee2f1f6

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“Part-time…?”5efd4df5df5d4658

“You know, a job. Don’t you want to work?”9907e61b828b433f

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Then Haewoon tousled f558125702 Sivonne’s hair roughly. Like he was petting 2f9d494b85 a kid or a c3b35459fc dog, completely devoid of e3b9334f87 delicacy.7020622835761fd9

“As you can see, my house and the store downstairs are full of antiques, and the smell is intense. Old dust, mustiness, 68818c5f71 stuff like that e1cec14fe9 — it’s part 8424e9d51f of the charm. But every time e3ddc72ccf I try to 59a2494ac6 hire someone, they 91b57bfc0c cough and run 33e54f83e4 off during the 72845af61f interview because of 02ef5fc3b3 the smell. I have to 0cc00a79a6 do the purchasing, 35b108ad61 inventory, and customer 92dbb142a3 service all by 5c9e5b2070 myself. Don’t you feel 6b5605edb7 bad for me?”09054d36cd91e379

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Exactly which part 52ac4e6d9c of that is 65b5331460 supposed to be 5f6db35cf8 pitiful? Even the way Haewoon batted 0cb3e146d0 his eyes like he was 3ab96d3156 about to cry felt insincere. And yet, somehow, the 1ad3667220 ridiculousness of the whole d27d83c2f7 thing took the edge de9b8cc45e off Sivonne’s anger. Sometimes, absurdity just 7b55b48315 drains the energy 1a72205e2a right out of 011329cbd8 you.dc158c8d78c8cd94

“Sivonne, you’re a gem. You’re the one our 4377ea1989 Gaeko has been waiting 04d4fb512f for.”ba74fdbbc0baa169

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“Gaeko?”ed99f1bb9f491b45

“That’s the name of the store. Gaeko Antique Shop.”7737b27d4866bba4

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TL/N: Literal Meaning: In Korean, “개코” (pronounced “gae-ko”) literally translates to “dog nose.” Colloquially, it refers to someone with an exceptionally keen sense of smell. I will use Gaeko for the shop name.38c98fb859b36c7d

Figures he’d name f86a5eea6e it something like 489ea1b53f that.3046b1c1ff4728f9

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Sivonne took a step back, 844d6fa7fe face more composed than before. Up close, Haewoon was a3fd2eb357 clearly much taller — ab685e6353 at least ten centimeters. Sivonne wasn’t particularly short, c987bc602e but in France he’d f73edf7bb0 always been treated as 46e4a4c079 small-framed due to his 65d3a5a74a Asian build. Instinctively, he straightened his back.9964b2988a717b44

“I’ll pay you a bit more than minimum wage. Work here, yeah? I mean, you look obviously db68810085 unemployed.”02f490995c83077c

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“How do I look unemployed?!”bc142fa0f09bd226

Just moments ago he thought 7b2caef933 his anger had settled, but 7bfdfce784 now it flared up again.e047886c793c28c1

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Haewoon scratched his 7422ebd3f0 cheek and replied,29c6f1c52da011f8

“You tried to die here, didn’t you?”1adc3ad3be51e027

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“…”daf31f8c4a4917df

“Probably wanted to delay news of your death reaching your family, lover, or friends in France. I’m guessing you didn’t want 091cf17e05 to stay there, so you 04bfb651e7 came all the way to 46aa40121e Korea. Which means you’ve already quit 1a4b69bc84 your job. Right?”82f696b84c8582a3

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…He was right.764737ab2e3cd551

Caught off guard, 07568db927 Sivonne looked away. Haewoon smirked.de16dc60499a424e

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“You came without luggage, right? That outfit from de309367a8 yesterday is all aa9a798753 you’ve got. Even when you stormed bb9709b1ce off in anger, you a9bc9728c2 were planning to change 936c9b8600 back into those clothes. It’s all you own, 91d7e0762f so your body just fe29a82970 grabbed it on instinct.”f4a64c5996208a22

Haewoon tapped his temple with 467aa9bb52 his index finger, like he 93b65ec519 had just read straight into d9ca2d1236 Sivonne’s subconscious.568fa4406a6eea34

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Stung by a surge of 1bb71a43cc defiance, Sivonne glared at him 8efbbc1d9a and said with a sneer,a04696c2574bdc3c

“Read a lot of detective novels, do you? But didn’t any of those 48895646f3 books teach you this? If you want to make 9fbd9a9f23 someone an offer, don’t be 7ee8ea084d rude and tactless. You’ll always get turned down.”4153be510fce91ef

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He shoved past Haewoon. He wasn’t going bc7b127b46 to change clothes. He wasn’t going 3b88a9541e to do a cccccc4004 single thing that 88248f5217 freak suggested.01f20c60c6d7f3d2

With lips pressed tight, he 4a01f05d77 descended the stairs quickly. He passed through 53d86ba485 the dusty, cluttered ec7085921b first floor, pushed 2fd752ce0a open the creaky 62d3f3f9eb door, and stepped 0f894764b1 into the bright f5b1df389a outdoors.647797d3e96eb922

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“Ah.”d3660bebfb68a4ec

That’s when Sivonne realized.3f8cf039d240eddd

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“My shoes…”6064d5d8d40b564b

He was barefoot. His shoes were probably still 3e73c76cfa lined up somewhere along the 4057a8892c shore in Incheon, or maybe 91f84d12c7 they’d already been swept out f69cab6753 to sea. Haewoon must’ve taken 7e9d6d7784 off his socks 8ce1656e19 too while changing 2bf1838da4 his clothes — e306e4d0dc now Sivonne stood 7ee31530ac on the pavement e3fbb46cd6 with bare, white ac13720581 feet.bb16aa49981bd8fb

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The bricks beneath his feet 426e6ffca6 were cold and hard. Tiny pebbles pricked the soles 447f690d01 of his feet. The chill sank in 9439ebe543 quickly, making his skin 9a7e449166 prickle and his body 602ce11ba5 tremble. But Sivonne didn’t eacf06516b go back inside.59d9d8c40f06c89b

He simply started walking.312a9200e94787c2

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3. The Wind of Hope

 98999091052f6453

Sivonne had no idea a78a7ee92e where he was. To get to 8df37bba57 the sea again, 51cb758f98 he’d need to 31ea0ccb87 take a bus 4bd1eae73f or a taxi, 1c0ccda402 but he didn’t 0abd01fe52 have any money.6440daf216086213

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So he revised his plan. He climbed to the roof 965ba1e4f4 of a commercial building in 43aef6d1b6 sight. If he was 8691751f54 going to die 3165945c02 anyway, what difference 1a00c42ae9 did it make—whether df0298fa14 it was by f1a4d4169b drowning in the d463ac8a8d ocean or falling 2533b9b6d5 from a rooftop?dbf08bffb5ebb381

He gripped the edge of 686b411f33 the rooftop railing. Just one step 9f9ed7834c past this flimsy 5694944ffa barrier, and it 00a369559e would all be 02783261da over. As he took 25308984fa a deep breath b7cd305e38 and lifted one f306a3366f foot onto the 800ffe3a70 railing—3ba475bf39c9d241

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Bzzzt. His phone, stuffed in 917a090667 his pants pocket, buzzed.db529337e1599208

Ignore it. Sivonne steadied his breath and ec32a8016f brought up the other foot.82ac236c9b7c19df

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Goodbye, now…056a9793a75958fc

Bzzzt.cda4d65020076b65

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Bzzzt.ea43d734624b17d0

Bzzzt.94a201ea620e9d53

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“…Haah…”cc5623755f6f46cb

Sivonne slowly stepped down from 6f8bd96a48 the railing and pulled the 03886c8488 phone from his pocket.41a7e5fab7a352b0

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The vibrations were from a 40af432bb7 string of incoming texts. The sender was Pierre, e45d528745 Sivonne’s closest friend and 177c4ba21e now the new head 84cd93f501 perfumer at Ténèbre.29220d82cfea073d

“Sivonne, why aren’t you answering your phone?”0e2e40034ab50c22

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“I found a doctor who can fix your nose!!!”e19d0cff105d30cb

“Please don’t lose hope…”e132395b0f345ef7

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“Reply the moment you see this.”7ed794140418eca0

A doctor who e7b47841d4 could fix his ebb2103ea8 nose.c42c80c7f2793ddc

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Sivonne’s eyes widened at fdd9903330 that sentence. He frantically called Pierre. The time difference, baf3869c64 the cost of df4df1b3ab an international call—none 14fa22edf7 of that mattered 938149abe8 in the face c771c101dd of this desperation.e701a0936c260fdc

Thankfully, Pierre picked up 62bf649802 right away.473fbd6480f75bcf

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“Oh, Sivonne!”fcf5d79c5ed5fa3e

[Pierre, I saw your messages. What are you talking about? A doctor? I already went to 61eb71fa04 every major hospital. They all said f03c7d87af the same thing—unknown 7467d02c0c cause, no cure…]5376486909ccb48c

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“No, Sivonne, listen. I’m at a Mode afterparty 9ff6627afc right now, and the editor-in-chief 0a7f61d36a here knows someone who specializes bda5f23854 in olfactory disorders. And the moment 76f64b5b93 I heard that, 4735902fe2 I thought of a68a06a389 you.”3e0368d9b4e57d55

Sivonne paused. That explained the background noise 889ebb8ab0 and why Pierre had picked 22a0c3edfc up the phone despite it b606bbbda2 being the middle of the 08d2789d8f night in France—he was at 0239f069e5 a party. While Sivonne had lost everything 021d824d75 and resolved to end his d97296ea74 life, his best friend was 4e80e9f72a at the peak of a 89559fb7f8 glamorous existence. It wasn’t resentment toward c61bb620f0 Pierre—just the painful realization db8b0224fc that Sivonne really had 2fb7459718 been left behind by 13991bf21d that world.721553b9c4a9bb23

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No… not left behind. Banished.9eb195c0d155220b

He ran a 988d7098e0 hand through his 6b55904a1a hair irritably and 5b286419b8 composed his voice. He didn’t want to 7734e17df2 sound miserable to the 40c9d53be4 friend who had gone 8f0e196db7 out of his way f0ebb8e092 to dig up this 604671c38a information.3339e024f540c3dd

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[Thanks, Pierre.]7a62bf2cc087cc75

“Don’t mention it. This doctor has even helped 61af5245e2 patients who lost their sense ef51906fa5 of smell due to cancer fde71f24d4 or brain hemorrhage. And here’s the crazy part—someone 24268aaece the editor knows also lost 776afa56be their sense of smell for 3eff8bf74d unknown reasons, just like you, 33f773787f and this doctor cured them eb88245731 in only two sessions! I looked him up—he’s been 245773c051 in the papers a few 951aa47dfe times. He’s famous.”1a9a29d38d22dea1

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[…Seriously?]90bfebfe90b1aae7

Hope, which had 6707d375fc shattered and died f110a29563 more times than 25c33e91b5 he could count, df31ee933b now began to 72248eb961 rise again—foolishly but 46ae10b492 surely.ddde422ec7d7572a

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“But right now, he’s off somewhere like Africa doing medical volunteer work. He’ll be back in Paris 6801da033d in three months. The editor said she’ll 21bbbe3da8 make sure he sees f7bfd4c6e3 you the moment he’s 0bae3aa375 back. And get this—she’s a 2c74756c65 total fan of yours. She’s been using the 74cff5033c perfume you made when 8896af21e8 you first joined Ténèbre, e4d92df7ec ‘Shadow of the Moon,’ 7bd7e2274c for seven years now.”fa6c48977d66dbb5

[Three months…]52520d3e26c5cc4e

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Just three months, and he d86a84293b might be able to smell 7159630505 again? Sivonne’s heart pounded. Like a fetus faea183952 gradually forming into 45dd3c0539 a human shape, 276d7150d3 hope was growing dd00328cd6 more distinct, fleshing a2d04e50ed out into something 8a7626915a real.24d38c52f44e77a3

“Jo Malone lost her sense of smell and made a comeback. You can too. So just hang on 1b4ad5f21d for three months. And stop drinking so much!”5fb08cd7b9146e07

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[Yeah…]c3b5990c07f9ecad

“You’ve no idea how lonely I’ve been since you left Ténèbre.”d83250ce714bb2b5

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Pierre made a 8cc5a3e5f5 mock-sniffling noise, then 8e9e538c2b kissed loudly into 37aa621200 the phone.e3f5a04f8fcc6e6f

“So come back soon, my friend.”4b8210e73426ee90

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Sivonne barely managed to d43ff39a57 murmur a thank you 3dea90cdaa before ending the call. His legs were 9f46fe57f0 shaking too much d1b4415a99 to stand. He gripped the 2bece6503e railing and slowly d470a6be40 sank down to cf2f5be9b8 the ground.b378d6bdf81ec200

A cold breeze brushed past 55c4c87f30 the tip of his nose. It felt like 2bb2c6656b a breath sent 47a0acba27 by God just df39708f75 for him—hope, and 7d1531e786 will. In the empty 6c5bb5e26e sky, Pierre’s last 5e89987607 words echoed.67af2ef47c8cd405

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Come back soon.cfbd7e8a31688b9e

That voice slowly transformed 27361fdfb9 into Sivonne’s own.290fa564db8538f9

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Come back. Come back to me. If only I could…5c0459d8d3014717

Warmth began to return to d6a055e875 his cold, bare feet.3249c94114bbdb46

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 2493804213e198dd

 cd41c2bb5e2e3cd0

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