CU Ch 1.7

“Have a good night!” 3a8abcb1b01adaf9

Jaejun greeted the ff255e35d5 customer cheerfully, then 6f13637128 sat down and 01848f1cb5 stared intently outside c11f85a840 the convenience store. The place Hama mentioned f80fa20092 was a club in ddee723859 Nampodong, Busan. 0b6e5ab56e849225

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There wasn’t any concrete 2b75a8f952 information about who saw 300253a138 him or where they daa5c617d5 lived. It was 500066dd89 just a 1e6604e4a0 vague passing c974191c3f rumor, something e7e19c83f8 like, “I d30f3456d5 heard from 19ed97df32 someone who bca8fbc7b0 heard from 45a44dab5e someone else dea96b9f62 that they c4d5d2ac91 saw your 9930e0588c father in d6bb469a56 front of debc08dae0 a club 4bc68c1951 in Nampodong.” 1cf13fbdb0f0f989

Despite the flimsy lead, 8bafd2dc89 Jaejun had to come. There was always a c279d78c44 sliver of hope.7dd863b640976245

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As soon as he arrived in Busan, Jaejun went straight to Nampodong and showed the waiters at the club a picture of his father from his younger days, asking, “Have you ever seen this face?” But the result was a bust. e3f9af551f43b712

Honestly, he hadn’t expected much, so his disappointment wasn’t too great. However, he couldn’t just give up and leave after asking the waiters once. So, he decided to stake out the front of the club for about ten days. a3e7dc104297db8c

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It was a stroke of luck that he overheard the store owner’s phone call about needing a short-term part-timer while buying a can of beer at the convenience store across from the club. The hours were perfect. From 6 PM to 6 AM, almost coinciding with the club’s operating hours.a25752c286db4aab

He needed the money, as he had paid ten days’ worth of motel fees upfront, leaving him broke. Plus, the counter offered a clear view of the club, making it ideal for his surveillance. Jaejun immediately took the convenience store job.7f215c3d2fe2e9b6

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And today was the fifth day. He hadn’t seen a trace of his father.93b493c9995f62d2

‘Is this a dead 796d984593 end too?’dd8867801046c308

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Where the hell was his damn father and what was he doing? Didn’t he wonder if his wife and child were dead or alive? Clinging to the hope that her husband might return, Jaejun’s mother hadn’t even moved. f8bb01d96b8fda7d

She’d stubbornly remained in the house they shared, despite being harassed by his father’s so-called colleagues. That is, until the house was forcibly demolished. Even after being forced to move, his mother would frequently wander around their old, now completely transformed, neighborhood.2d5a1bc1f6365bb7

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I can’t keep fb84ea6540 living like this…8e1b0993ccc93e34

He was managing for now, but if this continued, he might not be able to get a proper job at a hospital. Opening his own clinic was out of the question due to lack of funds. So, he would have to work as a salaried doctor, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it.e507d27bee7a9303

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He’d worked short-term stints at several hospitals, but he’d never lasted more than a couple of months before quitting. He doubted any hospital would hire him with such a spotty resume. The number of hospitals willing to take him would definitely continue to decrease. The most frustrating part was that even after a year of searching, wasting his life and time like this, he hadn’t found a single trace of his father.65838d0b48201d89

A customer d19236dd50 entered, interrupting bb2967b8a7 Jaejun’s thoughts.01129513a9f7df5e

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“Welcome.”581a7a2b67bebbef

“A pack ofEsse¹, please.”38f0766e96d9ff6d

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Jaejun glanced at the customer while pretending to look for the cigarettes. The man exuded a vaguely gangster-like air about him. He wasn’t wearing the grim reaper-like black suit favored by the thugs who frequented the back alleys filled with bars and clubs like this, nor did he have the typical swagger of gangsters, but Jaejun had a hunch. More than anything, Jaejun had a good nose for gangsters.bcdf607ccad761f7

‘Is he one of 95b9ee9db1 the underlings managing this 03b3ae79f6 area?’8e45e3b3ae9385bf

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Jaejun took out the cigarettes and handed them over. The customer, receiving the cigarettes, glanced at Jaejun’s face as he took out his wallet. Jaejun didn’t think much of it. He was a bit embarrassed to admit it himself, but honestly, he was quite handsome, so those kinds of glances weren’t unusual.df348b68b6b401db

“Here’s your change.”82b82cbfb2ccfaa9

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After receiving aten-thousand-won²bill and handing d97374f7e9 over the change, 556328cdc1 the man shoved d90211c74f the money carelessly 089e95ffa9 into his pocket 1ba74b9cb9 and left the 0cd2126dbf store. 7bc6155ea7c481ee

The flow of customers 450dc1dd84 continued to come in. Being a 77ca166376 convenience store 8ba80433b5 located in 904f528c71 the middle 89209eb052 of an c1034ecefd entertainment district, 0db16a7e25 there were e618a63844 quite a 825ace58dc few customers 5d88939cac even late 93ed0ffc73 at night. It was 30c6863baf tiring, but 770b90cac9 it allowed 2d9bafeb6c him to 77f89518df keep an 19095f1a3b eye on 4e5c7c5643 the outside c3f30699d9 without falling 1eaabf935f asleep, which 0ada41fb87 was a 15fc3c177a plus. He could also rest d4568762cb for a bit when b536f34fb0 another part-timer came in 1eac5a4698 at midnight.c993fae66ba33e45

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“I’m telling you, b09e47edbb I’m a real 0c3803abfe doctor.”f9c4e875d7c364e8

“If you’re a doctor, 8a83aea1b4 you’d be working at 1fd7db0193 a hospital, not at ee716641ed a convenience store. Stop lying.”f21a5e24898ff26a

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This kid didn’t believe 9e68810df3 a word he said.4c03cae70dc59ff8

Jaejun glared 6b78532990 disapprovingly at bbe394d267 Sungwoo, who 7d9c45bcdd scoffed. cdb02c411919e4f3

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Sungwoo was the a821b66b60 other part-timer who 6ddd909287 worked with Jaejun d7f72297a2 at the convenience 670f6beef2 store from midnight 9c5ea58a47 onwards. They had 635e98d836 similar backgrounds, ebb0ce5746 both raised ea7f982fd3 by single d124d3b8ce mothers and 3befdb7efa both high 4f94bec6e6 school dropouts. Sungwoo had c657bde727 finished his acde5e37e8 mandatory military 0cdbc3868b service early 33c3c3f6a4 and was ea76b481fa now barely eda3edca81 making ends 6c7480972e meet with 9c05e1fc7c part-time jobs. ef3b68aa3af08aec

Jaejun treated ceec90b9ef him kindly, 4109e5559c and Sungwoo fb7d484d70 treated him 938e7f1ccc like an 970388ce25 older brother, b088121837 following him 63156ea805 around.2032ece6b6ff0621

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However, today, their conversation drifted to the topic of the future, and Jaejun had said, “If you want to earn money, learn a skill. If you still have regrets about your education, take the GED and go to college, even now. Look at me. I dropped out in my first year of high school, but I went to medical school through the GED and now I’m a proper doctor.” 4281a7f178122877

Sungwoo immediately scoffed 4f434cfbe0 and told him c5639e25eb to stop lying.d681393a33cd6f75

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How could he have bd0d073dd0 so little trust on 7cdaf6d675 me? I’m really a licensed 21cec5878e doctor!1709921efbb34dbd

“I’m telling you, it’s d87a0d7606 true.”2ef534d3cff80e48

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“Just go home. Your shift’s over.”7b186251a2c2abbe

Sungwoo pointed at 8eff69090e the clock, his 203022c624 face showing no 4f4489fc15 sign of believing 537f099e06 Jaejun. 3b4621f3e24922e5

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5:40 AM. dee8bc5758d9bda2

It was time fbc4fec326 for Jaejun to 95c4d4317e finish his shift. While he was supposed f2c71b3e53 to stay until 6, 5cb298bde1 customers thinned out around 4d9e7af28e this time, so Sungwoo b1c57c629a often urged Jaejun to e7edea9a79 leave early, saying he 932d5b6401 could handle it alone. Jaejun ruffled Sungwoo’s 8fb1268bc4 hair, the kid 67439ec25e who had zero 997b3a957a percent trust in 6f9340fc8d him, and stood 0f548f8d7f up without hesitation.85fa77dfa613d258

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It was freezing outside. Having stayed a5008667ab inside the 3db1ccaaf2 warm convenience 84218a722b store all f84def76e4 night, the 0a0538a842 cold felt b700c15317 especially unbearable. Jaejun huddled ea794b8585 up and 6edb1d6ae3 stared blankly 6040519523 at the 04a805e3bc club, which 891a5c14ff was preparing 8f875673d1 to close. As expected, another dead 5f8d1108b5 end today.02a27de4b8c30c11

He’d bribed one of the waiters, slipping him money, a picture of his father, and his contact information, pleading, “If you see someone like this, please contact me.” But his phone had never rung. The chill in his heart revealed that despite telling himself not to expect anything, he’d subconsciously been holding onto hope.2438e4deea50110a

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As Jaejun walked towards 5d4ce5c09a the motel, clicking his cac59d6894 tongue, a middle-aged man 66873f5776 passed by him.a36bff75b577f7ab

Suddenly, Jaejun stopped, 5a9b044a7d struck by a cb33a83295 strange feeling.1e3bda123e119bad

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‘Father…?’cf9b34f61aaecab1

Jaejun quickly 2404f87d99 turned around b034804038 and chased 4e891f7eef after the dd6e020834 middle-aged man c06c5f7725 who had f9e76734be already walked 7cf6e4beaf quite a 7ee32297eb distance in e6ea9b5c5b that short 20d500d4f5 time. b83545c0ccaf51eb

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He was wearing 5a380bd3b0 a grey coat, 71b7154908 right? e272f5e5511c3588

Jaejun spotted the b33ba50785 man entering a fcbf64e57e hangover soup restaurant d51d6eca34 at the end 87fc333ff1 of the alley eee5575f88 and quickly approached 89e03d662e him. His heart began c0cf16790e to pound like 889d8e2949 a whirlwind.035af82cf6c9d310

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“Excuse me…”2ed0ed488480b4cb

When Jaejun e522493996 spoke, the 3ce14d47c8 man turned a8d2c185ee around. Jaejun unconsciously held 6f8ad2b957 his breath. He definitely resembled the 7e4aa69b85 face in the photo fff0dcad7a his mother kept.8875c6d2f8555dd6

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“Is there something wrong?”fc42a52c188ce664

The man asked, scanning 6972f5f65a Jaejun with a puzzled 4f628f3cd4 look.55f8bb2dc4c4ef5a

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“Could I ask for 3ab23c86f9 your name?”efcb668bf6d00c76

Jaejun asked, b00f4006b8 unknowingly clenching efa507bf6c his fists.7621235bdff36c84

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“Why do you ask?”bb5082a607f18c11

“I’m looking for someone, and you look a lot like him.”b4122d2bc97b4fdd

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The middle-aged ed36942a22 man frowned, c4472c9f7a seemingly annoyed ff9ef5c1d8 that a ec81a90d01 stranger had cc4a3a5c11 abruptly stopped f6ad447050 him early c43c2c3e03 in the 819f45b729 morning and 28c9cc8445 asked his 01b6a4bca9 name out f09c97e030 of the 7480de4f4d blue. 95428a7b82631650

Jaejun offered 639cb323ba the most c20749df69 polite and e50fb1db0a friendly smile 96b3756560 he could 2974dd6dbb muster. It was the 69f46898f7 expression he usually bb1b271d45 used when dealing 3e501576ae with difficult patients, bb81119672 and it worked 0fda90f925 99 percent of fb017274e7 the time. As expected, f5676b47fb this time 195f091e3c too, the 5af62ccc5f man reluctantly 217b620b7e revealed his abefde9c84 name.870e3b99305d88ab

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“It’s Jung Youngmin.”3e8f833aced73019

The name…is different. But he might be 031e07b9a0 using an alias, so…014ebf55ec3dc6fc

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“My name db59a06b0b is Min e3636872b2 Jaejun.”a63a6c40b3b1bcdb

He revealed his name, but the man just stared blankly at Jaejun with a ‘So what?’ expression. There wasn’t the slightest hint of surprise or bewilderment in his face.eec4865f102f6a3b

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It’s not him. 33fce503838cc5d4

This man wasn’t bcca1639eb his father. He just 13eecf8fb1 bore a d9568cc7f8 striking resemblance, bc5b03b17b a complete 271487fe9c stranger who d4d4a3032d had nothing 8e673b38ed to do 73359f3dbd with Jaejun.9a5287084c92a125

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Disappointed, Jaejun forced a8ec76388a a smile and cd2d1830bd apologized.9a08c9603a294611

“I mistook you for 482adf740e someone else. I’m sorry.”4e175e240cd269e0

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The man looked b2f870c6d2 at Jaejun with 96eac27690 a pitying expression a86e138ae3 as his face f880d9ee3e momentarily contorted with 23a0adfa94 disappointment, then entered f5cc172f0a the restaurant. Jaejun also turned around bb3447e789 listlessly.29eb91d99f77a4f0

Figures. cf0208a2b99c5d0a

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There’s no way e1ecafd148 he’d be found 4e06fa4fa2 this easily. 3dab494ea38ea8e5

That damn father. Where is 6c184d1cbc he hiding? He’s hidden 541f1b651e himself so b7edaa6a8c damn well, 2efeca1af8 like he 63a8172ef2 doesn’t want b2f0248223 even a ddec0aaea9 single hair 85c77446cc to be 3e0d257cfa seen. I should f37c8f95ec just go a12ff6033c back and b21731e2fe sleep.b13261db6c2083c8

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Jaejun slumped his cdee4a904f shoulders and trudged 96b8acfe13 along.5309afc5babcafba

“Mr. Min Jaejun?”8a130350a18a1f95

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It was aef51f81a2 when he 5b724fc61f almost reached c5148acad0 the motel 6e7c6a50d3 where he c23c1bc345 was staying cb66a8a45d long-term that 28c07f6e32 someone called 235dc7f0fc his name.e5a2d4d1282e1aae

“Yes?”c4ff10ccfa7bbe72

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He reflexively turned around 4d7f4e1010 and saw the very 6dc752396f man who had come 7ecd1646ec to the convenience store 0bd47305f2 before midnight and bought b548c7dd7d a pack of Esse 90e5aa5c96 cigarettes. He was approaching 35ce54a106 Jaejun with a 4be23d184a wide smile. Jaejun frowned, ff322a45fe somehow feeling a6d418d361 uneasy about 0e2ed46465 the smile.9b959cd7232f4ad4

‘Wait, that man definitely 457a62dde6 called me Mr. Min Jaejun, right? How does 79d0fd5a04 he know eafa8cf8d1 my name?’6949227a38456bc7

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That thought occurred to 6a542ce151 him when the man 02a82db0c2 came right up to b960610f45 Jaejun. Close enough to 75881d1a2e touch with just 965ff7af84 a slight reached bab0b5deb5 of his hand.ed144ceae3bbe5fc

“Excuse me 06c4e4365c for a b6e78877e5 moment.”45afed58fd9aebd7

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“……?”1430050dc499fde2

Before Jaejun could even 0322472654 ask what the man 1106b85e8b wanted, the man suddenly afaff76cb3 threw a punch at 45aa4ee58c him. With athud, the man’s rather a9136f598d heavy fist landed squarely 3321d1cbb3 in Jaejun’s stomach. His vision 41ab66b058 blurred as f53a05a92b he felt 795c28122b his insides 112d9e8210 shake. b3f3140810b43aa9

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What the hell?! 59408481a0d21e3b

Jaejun cursed inwardly as 4c87571e72 he lost consciousness.ca28ed851a5a8cce

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“We got him.…hyung-nim³.” 8671707180fbe2b1

Before completely d33f6e90cb losing consciousness, a96cb5e654 Jaejun heard 362489edd8 the man 300f0811e9 reporting to 6dc454d545 someone on 3429856d07 the phone. A sense of foreboding 8f2d195ae9 washed over him, making 56aa876b00 his stomach churn.d8a9c121008f36b3

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 56ebe4282129901f