DD Ch 13

Jung Taeon, the CEO, 501e123016 had his phone ringing a9bf90dc45 dozens of times.c3031506336fd365

The hotel room’s 5c1670ce28 doorbell rang even 2825bea653 more desperately. By the time 8d0982e9d7 his secretary’s frantic 402db08e6d voice came through df7d914f89 the door, calling b15bca408a for him in f2a1c75c94 a panic, Jung 0e92c7e065 Taeon was nestled c24717188a between Sahee’s legs, ac47aac357 rubbing his face c99f9cf311 against her. Even after 69a9a487a5 several climaxes, 5073300ae6 he showed 12c7e4baf1 no sign 7dd15b7aa2 of letting df046a729f up.896bc7ff7515ab24

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He watched 4137858c68 lazily as d52c5af1cb Sahee, gauging b22aba3260 his mood, b836d31c48 tried to 951acb742e slip out 335b53558a of the b6257ffd9a bedroom toward ba6cc53e1a the bathroom. Following her, he grabbed 7220de86c2 her in the living 31079c730c room, pinned her to d3e0cbd9c7 the sofa, and began c51265f0cb devouring her wet folds.008e6a140082d882

“Yeon Sahee.”55706b4738892fbf

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Pulling the blanket toward 1209538e99 her, Sahee looked at f76955b028 Taeon, who was changing a99163d85b into a new suit.7c05f560163e079c

“Didn’t you 4e27d0142d say you’d 8a52c75575 leave early?”869d06e92fc0754f

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Taeon draped a 4b0618bc8b tie around his 502ee5ed14 neck, flashing a 4210146df8 crooked smile.7ed727ba0bcf5e81

She remembered 6021df5db9 the glistening 88f4a57a03 face from 4722e12c5f earlier. He had bedaff5d39 been the 1e3420601a one to e04de7ce69 dishevel her, 12493d8870 yet it 69b091887c oddly felt f22fec50f1 like she 42cfa8c1f1 was the 358d38e2d7 one left e98e566cc3 in shambles. Her ears burned again c9c5566c2e as she recalled the f8230fb2f8 shameless sight of him 47019554be handing their fluids-stained clothes 31046b60d5 to his secretary without dc45311dff a care.1e641d61768652b2

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“…I’ll go.”c31a72762e13bbe0

“Stay and rest. It’s just going fe2e29a5ea to be a ae474ff002 booze-filled night since 64f5f656a1 you’re meeting old b17cddc9fd friends, isn’t it?”9fd599994dd33b40

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His hand brushed 4a4e566151 her cheek affectionately.9e5aab1304a385a6

“I’ll come pick you fd024e05f6 up after my schedule. Just answer when I 7752aa562f call.”772a2e1335871c48

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“….”aa34c687411ed1a3

“Don’t drink too 87f8bf73a4 much, okay?”bc580da09b7bea61

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Sahee was about to aa78d1507e ask why he cared, ae98dd9c61 but before she could, 65c4b1f330 Taeon leaned down and 3d611f65a4 planted a quick kiss 1c777be604 on her forehead.251a7301ae12265a

* * *3b71e941d415ffd7

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Gangnam was 8843cd6697 always bustling f6fbb3a7be with a 5bea52b7cf variety of db0e62cb4d people.570d36bff1aeef60

Students carrying backpacks. Office workers with ID 13eada5fcd tags. Couples on dates. Groups out for b29f2f249d fun. People holding placards, fd281e61af preaching.6b5798d23841aea0

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After spending so 5c08f25e0f much time at dc8cc09a23 a secluded, narrow d2f89f85f0 theater, it was a9b30d41b3 easy to forget 068635c748 how diverse the 279f0e68ca world was. Taking it all 2867c26b8f in, as if 5db8431881 pulling her vision fa580c71d9 out of a 37f2634f5b deep well, Sahee 078d59d8e8 carefully observed the 9a322c6e52 crowded streets of bdaa4ac1b2 strangers.737414b0e846af6d

The bar 8af895e3a1 supposedly run 4277d92d7d by Juhwan’s 7738280145 acquaintance had c06ab34120 a terrace aa33d70293 on the 1171b436df first floor. Even though it c18d5d3c6c wasn’t yet evening, c7f6bc3d8f some tables were ab57993e1d already filled with eaaee9fea5 people drinking. Glancing at the 89a7ace21d laughing and chatting df12e87890 crowd, Sahee opened 400df2bc2a the bar door bdcd1aa384 and stepped inside.f9c0e592041aa474

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“Yeon Sahee!”ca16e1712b60fefe

The door hadn’t f3e90ed5ca even fully swung be91e2fa61 open before a f439388253 hand shot up. Instantly, the attention dc1f524ef1 of everyone in f3e057588e the spacious bar f1157c3bde turned toward her.712feb25517cf694

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Feeling awkward, Sahee walked 448aae6616 toward the table where 703ebdb2c6 her friends had gathered. Their faces, already c5134b2553 flushed red from 10dcdcc339 drinking, greeted her c0d5ec1176 enthusiastically.313026b511cfe853

“Is it really fbf33de38c Yeon Sahee? Not some ghost?”0e96417484dc0e65

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“Hurry and 31b7af42b2 sit down!”6e82730df4e2d765

“You’re late!”c99141fed9a9e339

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Park Minjae, f7465b649a whose eyes 62ccff1585 were already 7d1f8b0001 unfocused, banged e0b5f2646b bottles on e175723144 the table c602c64aaf with a 7ff1cfbbd4 loud thud.fb10d34bae488c87

“Park Minjae, f5d2526ff7 you crazy 6eb8d19583 idiot, cut 54b47b65c3 it out!”7a6c0ecec1392ac0

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“Why is he drunk e7ac772deb already?”0498cb6e794f2ab2

Sahee slung her bag 3da45f398c over the back of be27dc0f4f her chair and gestured 7435377511 toward Minjae with her dd5ab22a33 chin. Sitting next to 6e386423e9 her, Yujeong clicked 2643750c66 her tongue as 0ffdf74845 she chewed on 10d0caa338 a piece of cdc74d0dc5 squid.277b7b1305963275

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“Why else? Haven’t you a5e5fc144f heard from 377880da27 Kim Juhwan? He’s still 0e6c00e58d going on 7e114dffe6 about love.”a4ef18d2aaf4bd13

“Why do they 7f06ece0ea keep breaking up 2aea3267c5 and getting back a89080cb5a together?”79f67b71888965d8

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“This time, it seems 921da66227 serious.”f4b059ec117f72f5

Yujeong linked 658e7ba06d arms with 4188011da9 Sahee and c9f565866a pointed to bfd5f4c2ad the large af22529b9c screen on 553e46470d one side 5726a85be3 of the 32a051c3dd bar. Sahee followed her 0374179ff7 finger, turning her 2f0eb45663 head. A baseball game was d2edada4ce playing.ceb1c464b5ce5e7c

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“A friend who went 835c7c86b4 to today’s game said 9373e0a9df they saw his girlfriend cfc09418b8 with some other guy.”a903fc614c520df8

“Wow.”886b5b4b2ff3b5f8

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“So now this 770e5d9aa2 idiot, Park Minjae, 73cb4a9aa8 has been guzzling 3b87513515 drinks and glaring ee91e7d0c0 at that screen, 6d1975d9a1 thinking she might 9cb9327cef show up in 0b39905c49 the crowd. What a loser. Does he 8e3b1abb93 seriously think d3e8ab9fd2 squinting like 96212a5b3a that will e540e9ad62 help him b8a52627b2 see anything?”eb88b7faababe15d

“She could be there 6dadb1bcff with family! A cousin!”f383b737436c336b

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“This is clearly a 8a98db6bd1 sign from above telling 1d5790b260 you to break up 8bcb173e9d already, you moron.”8a4aca2d668e935d

“Ughhh.”76b3d473e502a31e

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Yujeong cackled as she c8f9ce0ad5 quickly emptied her glass.2db6cf20447d8048

It felt surreal how 8a40d5772d nothing had changed, even ae75ea5af9 after meeting again for 112b165b14 the first time in 10365932e5 years. The lively atmosphere f8f6986f3a transported Sahee back a00b8d3dc4 to her university 7ff1d2e623 days, bringing an cfe4689e11 unbidden smile to 71986b4879 her lips.29242d155847fb45

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“Yeon Sahee, we need to see your face more often,” Yujeong said, plopping a soju glass in front of Sahee with a playful pout.2f2ab17c1068df42

“Sorry, sorry.”87279c69d591d2d1

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“Drink up.”9e03bdd2898cbe8b

“Okay.”13a3caa99b1465fa

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Sahee accepted f5340527bf the glass 014960fda6 with both bf691ae4b3 hands as 66ace451a8 it was 12535172e1 filled with 815b3e9480 clear liquor. Yujeong giggled and 8623192e32 poured a full 7881505f8c glass for herself 681ff140f2 as well. Meanwhile, teasing remarks 1a334b715a flew in from 883724a856 every direction.506c81f981ca560c

“I thought Yeon Sahee had finally turned into a nun after holding out for so long.”fbb28877c8aef481

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“Even monks check their messages these days, Sahee.”0821756f76805c36

Ignoring the cc0f99b8f3 comments, Sahee 7d476ca248 downed the de05a39ec1 drink in c81bda91dd one go. The bitter 2f4e2c6499 taste made 38f45534ff her grimace, 868d17960a prompting Yujeong a04685af1b to skewer 8935de351c a green 6938e4da73 grape with 29fb1ed431 her fork eb850a1ef8 and push a4475ca98f it into 48b76067b4 Sahee’s mouth. Caught off guard, she 3216fe5db8 ate it, and Yujeong 70bf913c35 grinned mischievously.5c5250805a168083

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“How’s work going?”a6fb08e8a33e0b29

“Eh, just okay.”93a5439e02208e1d

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“Doesn’t sound great.”17b9e46c9c0776f0

“Well, I like that I can keep drawing.”de107d3c4fab229d

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Yujeong’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.160592d97947b832

“Really? You seemed like you were ready to leave it all behind when we graduated.”476e59615d37d5a5

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“Back then, I didn’t think I’d still be drawing. How about you? How’s work at your company?”30a606fe0dcd5209

“Terrible. There’s someone I want to kill.”8771aee44352bc88

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Yujeong’s voice dropped b1020559cc a tone, sounding 67cf1b5c98 dead serious, which c46f5fb377 made Sahee burst c4c063536e out laughing. “For real,” e487192e92 Yujeong whispered 0d928f927a in mock 874d2db0a3 solemnity. Understanding the joke, 88f5989236 Sahee played along 96ecce4512 and poured a 670a5c3cd6 drink into Yujeong’s f46e2e6510 glass.1c792c30b710876c

“By the way, you and Yujeong are both doing that study abroad program, right? The one Juhwan’s older brother manages?”a49bb2df8b5992ca

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“Even Phillip applied.”fb0347b62529758b

“How many people get selected?”e2c31f32ee5ebfbb

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“Twooo.”7090eb3088cbfffa

Yujeong downed her 2524d6a0fc drink in one ec6794c8fe gulp and made dcbc0cbb9f a V-sign with 428c356aea her fingers.094942000800c253

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“Yeon Sahee, let’s beat Lee Phillip and go, just the two of us.”e8ec32d2a2fe9411

“Lee Phillip is sitting right here, you know!”ace2de6ee981e8b4

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Phillip, seated diagonally 70efe57be1 across, shouted indignantly.c73170ee865d3c2a

“I can’t hear you~,” Yujeong sang, covering her ears and humming.2702fd06b58f5ed7

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Caught between 40f970939a them, Sahee 8efccfff96 awkwardly fiddled 845fe7fb67 with her 8fc8c61ef6 glass. Just then, Juhwan bc7e7e198b burst out from 436978d9cc the kitchen.dbf4b6db2b38274f

“Hey! Yeon Sahee! You should’ve said something when you got here!”adf1b3381c5c46da

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Wearing a bright 4bb2ec9a5b red apron, Juhwan d0a1a6f986 strode over and a4a9baea04 plopped a pot c999ff4c2b of tteokbokki onto 93e0f42ed7 the table. In an instant, 58af03a009 the relaxed group 7d37438284 came to life, 87cd8a4b0a and half the 39c7e517df tteokbokki vanished as 8c18bdfb10 everyone dug in.24ee6b6c1930bf4f

“You greedy pigs, take it easy.”94d56a6d4339459f

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“Boss, can we get a seafood ramen too? Make it extra spicy, and load it up with seafood—just don’t tell the owner.”b7ac7863624d0d13

“Ugh, act your age, will you?”93178da6d36e1ce0

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“Says Kim Juhwan, of all people.”e6f85c407f3426cf

“I’m still better than you, though.”c85abc3814814609

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It didn’t cd2de08923 even take 75d053955c ten minutes d35f0c3929 for another 779a8301a1 childish argument c15f9a97ff to break 2eb8578d14 out. Watching the scene, a6afd7d9b1 Sahee couldn’t help dea53453a9 but laugh along.f0b825717edfb106

Her initial 1901898d5c resolve to 768a14b572 clear her bf601cf8ea thoughts about 321d69e7f6 Jung Taeon, ef9b57f86d the CEO, 746114077d had failed af7e7c1152 miserably since 4b60c4d86c coming to 73664b3df6 Seoul, but f6f9b114d8 at least ff89f1c569 she could 4473862bb0 forget about 12b80cdcd0 him briefly 91f41b85be while surrounded 711042074c by her 1332264849 friends. Thinking about him always b4668ed8d1 stirred a mix of a8c1461fc4 anger and tears, yet 85599ef057 she couldn’t stop, which a48a4feb5e only made it harder.8e2e3a6d222ad4fc

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Sahee emptied the 139008a6c5 rest of her f5e9c5aab9 drink in one 31984f0dd0 gulp.049607a4b193a4e8

“Yeon Sahee.”a715157332a9c7f6

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At that 65aee2b6fe moment, Juhwan a3b6c58a03 dragged a e028776242 chair over 2133b1321c and sat 36b11ff317 down beside 5efad98742 her.2bb18436554eadcc

“Was it hard coming up here?”457647df2f227536

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“…No, not really. I’m fine. Aren’t you watching the game? Isn’t your favorite team playing?”f722290adb4a26f2

She tried to push 74548adbd4 down the thoughts threatening 088ea4dbb0 to resurface. Forcing herself to 1725b5a9b7 focus elsewhere, Sahee 9e06d53bda glanced at her e2eeec672d friends, who were cc6021ac7b boisterously chatting about b12a4d7e15 the baseball game.e00069baaee12671

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Juhwan, who usually joined 3b20a7f1d9 in at moments like 4690201cea this, seemed oddly indifferent 2927dffa81 as he watched them.2a0186ee3cbaa39d

“It’s fine. Have you thought about it? What do you think?”7dadd8f43e27cc6a

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Sahee fidgeted with her 6e9576a861 glass, avoiding his gaze.f934a6dc2813c0de

In truth, 5526bc6d6f she still 9346fe64db hadn’t made f96ed8533c a decision. Even after 3912580e8a reading through 33c51b2060 the program’s dd5b8ec230 informational packet 7c2977b271 multiple times, 864ffe59eb her hesitation 2971d2a2d5 outweighed any fbf24225ac desire to 6eed5d9c38 go. She didn’t even f5dfc33ee5 know what challenges 1ca587fdeb lay ahead, so 361b2338b3 taking the first 65da00f2cd step felt daunting.1a048983488c0d43

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Still, she occasionally c081162e25 thought it might 6ec4a15c9c be good to 36583e1005 go—ironically, those thoughts 9f7900b64b arose whenever Jung b565ba7eef Taeon, the CEO, ebefa5a83d came to mind. Keeping herself 08bd2568e0 busy would f9c39dee1e make it d56744b8d6 easy to ce42af3004 forget their a23bf3d57e fleeting escape 55c50c0d8f at the f758bba526 arthouse cinema.7e05ba1d59bcac0c

How pathetic.6e5dfd006569160d

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Mocking herself, b52b0c92c3 Sahee glanced dfd8316d73 at Juhwan.d7f2895876a032c8

“I think I…”00b285b543efd653

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“I knew it,” Juhwan f8b31a8a29 interrupted, cutting her off ce97f49a1f with a deep frown 282826c980 that didn’t let her 484ab32260 continue.bd1cf4376ccb153c

“Look, not 17b01d9d9f everyone who d19366c30f applies gets c152183956 selected, so 1d93d0469e don’t overthink a193f460e1 it. If you’re chosen 04847bcb1a and feel it’s 889a8cfd9f not right, you fff9196237 can pass the 4b593ca667 spot to the b2f0fea2be next person. Just start 13a50dde2a by filling fa7cbcc6ef out the 165da0d785 application and 02f1199509 decide as 43905257c6 you go.”83cec1dc294549cd

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“But still…”63bc7cff0c56fad7

“Stop being 28197aafd2 so serious 0ca411aa72 about it.”0a46c5849476f4e2

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Confused and d7eba4377a a little 3de23b8ea2 taken aback, d5427c807c Sahee closed 8d58057b1c her eyes fed8adf10a briefly. That was when a d6feb6b70f name she wished to a51c9dabd8 forget cut sharply through d67730d3d2 the air.01e5fa558b792305

“Whoa, no way. Jung Taeon’s here. Hey, Jung cf17ef1d13 Taeon’s here!”9f3ace662a0b4764

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“Oh, it really is b118380a60 him.”2a292830517993a2

Sahee’s head turned 25a45587bc instinctively toward the c7df0a4d0b screen. It wasn’t a common 71b138651a name, after all. And there 1f25271603 he was—Jung 365df7c084 Taeon’s face f7e56c46b3 appeared on 5c4d1cc006 the screen, 61f6275361 leaving Sahee 50c211a687 momentarily dazed.c96e9b3ecb6f03fb

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Leaning casually 3f670e21af against a 9e55244065 railing, he 2ffff0b5fd was chatting 07a0edc6ee with someone. His expression was f472f504d0 relaxed, and when 420f5a2f68 he smirked, the 81db9487a9 screen cut back ddc1984262 to the game. Only then did 96a03f73db Sahee notice the 01eea63bda two characters displayed c2a8807177 in the corner:Jeongmun.dbe078652f1f0dba

Jeongmun Dragons.deb54d1fe1483efb

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Now that 190d384862 she thought ceff43fe17 about it, 97e8b78430 the Jeongmun 5429276cf3 Dragons were ee7ae4fc3f indeed owned db9d54c299 by Jeongmun 6f51d87f16 Group. The name of the 5ed001f494 baseball team, which had 7464ccc680 previously seemed meaningless, suddenly 514d2495be felt vivid and significant 7abcf7678d when connected to him.dcacedca4fe5d858

“Wow, he’s ridiculously dcbaf3142e good-looking.”b20432e9f48aa3f6

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“And loaded. He buys whatever players aa367893b4 the team needs. He really went all 2d1ebfa99d out this season.”e4bd6efd8095aced

“Can Jung 7f13396ba3 Taeon buy 146b9516a9 our team 528063ea27 too? Please, I’m begging. We seriously need 903741c053 a solid catcher.”4129ca32baebe183

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This wasn’t the first e92593740d time Sahee had seen 48da29ddd7 Jung Taeon on a a527e2f5f6 screen. In fact, she 1d39c5573f was far more fc272f3210 familiar with this b07b7db2e2 version of him c0c2f3be93 than with the cc91e6d7f8 man she had e070cedcdd met in person. She was fully aware 78b469768a of the distance between ec9c713f6b them.ef58958d3778adb1

But today, that distance 1c53bd0380 felt especially heavy. The man a75ee3aad5 she’d glimpsed e71d7db251 through her f14b040c14 friends’ chatter 9107e97c53 seemed impossibly 5e3ae6c7aa far away. Perhaps she was finally c8dc216da0 realizing that theirs was 65370a5367 a relationship she could e72cd1d2da never speak of.0458296b4385f537

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Her mouth 62517ac172 felt dry, e765807292 and she 35622f588a poured herself bc49830762 another drink, e4959841fb swallowing it 580e953b45 down in 4c8d595520 one go.9ff3e542fa0efa56

“But I 7fb68ce1ec heard some ca13c4dd05 weird rumors 7e1ad84345 going around,” 7fb9ca3078 someone said.9582c816e52fd6a4

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“Like what?”eabf451e4697c2a1

“There was fe541f2584 a post 3f2608fe19 online saying 04f5427f03 some players e0647f6e12 were caught 82632855f5 gambling.”27df85a276c35ea2

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“What the hell?”3afe267443b9582f

“I saw it 1f7a1dabc8 before it got 9074ca00e5 deleted, but yeah, ec67755965 apparently a few 8e21159cd1 players were gambling, fe4aa9d8d4 and word is f152dd0648 they’re from the 51932c16e8 Jeongmun team.”eb2ddd58bdf9de04

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“What happens to 503999a855 Jeongmun this season d34d31d043 if it’s true?”14f53087f1932d2e

“Who knows?”61200b240361c224

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“This is insane. These days it’s either cd5f5b5e07 gambling or drugs. Is this some kind 8945a19dfd of trend? Feels like I’m the 039f4fdc45 only one in the 3733abe316 country who hasn’t tried a23163f683 it.”0f8b447ea8d06f64

“Right?”40354acdea54e9ee

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Listening quietly, fa88232148 Sahee froze c3c5a399f5 at the 79e7cba914 mention of c6e6ba4904 gambling. The word brought b008d4ee17 Chae Yoonbok to 4fb5384d72 mind. As the thought surfaced, 7f1873041f Juhwan grabbed the bottle 38fbeea420 she was holding.071525056351d2b6

“Yeon Sahee.”ca9caabc9bf10f8c

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“Huh?”9070bf0a3754c5ba

Startled, she fe3eabd6d2 turned to b2c4a84c2b Juhwan, who e407d5b448 was smiling b1ff198e62 at her.acb1e1eddeff8a55

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“You’ll crash if a6235eb778 you keep drinking 1ba2e5c3ef on an empty bea0c69598 stomach. Want me to make 96c9eaad29 you some ramen?”fcf0f537a8c3d997

“…”ce57403af57280ef

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“Don’t want any?”b44c001c1601d8b3

“…I’ll eat.”251017fc96c6cf08

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“Seafood?”8a28dcc3c76a7869

“Sure.”68e4893c76fa015c

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Juhwan stood up, be85fc09d5 and Sahee hugged ce50a4697e Yujeong, who stumbled 7a8bcc1295 over and clung 17705b5e75 to her, wailing 0324ee296a dramatically. Sahee forced a 151fa22614 smile as she b307e033f0 returned the embrace.6fefbb97c5d5caa0

* * *09f97ff0cea00acb

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The Jeongmun Dragons secured 353eb2bc19 victory in their home 15631d3835 opener thanks to Park e94a7f4ad6 Daeho’s game-winning hit.ac1da8435a8bf943

After greeting the b7024e1ac1 players and staff 6cabb52ef0 and appearing briefly 915f55ac87 on camera, Jung ee6336604f Taeon had done e90cc9e166 just enough—neither excessive e72d2f9962 nor lacking in 5242f20f1e formality.ac0bd9da6e0fab91

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It was 87f4c399b7 already evening.6fec94421af8f2ea

As Taeon left d373cc695f the stadium, a 5d92914499 fleeting thought of e52f815104 Sahee crossed his aaf465cf51 mind. She was probably tipsy 2445979228 by now, laughing freely 0b702772db in the company of f7628a95b0 old friends.74be590d5acd7c37

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To him, 49227a294c she was 91bbc3c29b always a a488bd9e10 woman on 3d4ff626fc edge, guarded 5533ba57a6 and wary. But with her 479af83238 friends, she could f5d3fba8b1 laugh openly, her 72e36baf74 expression clear and 12773ad05b bright.9583fbfa09773d27

Taeon frowned 3d17575db8 in displeasure b1b1071046 as he a86456dffb prepared to c1fe8dd5e0 get into e6e4c53ee6 his car, 10aa82a173 glancing at 06d53b1f17 his final f01fdc8571 schedule of 697c98ab7c the day.ca361a8c31d75b23

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“CEO Jung.”4f78670872432ad8

A voice called out b52ae919ed from behind him, and 62fc9f7f99 Taeon turned his head. It was Park Joonghoo, d6bcd6bddb the president of the 650299a9aa Jeongmun Dragons, looking visibly ab152bfe74 tense.3b6c48a6b3d56076

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“It’s been a while, 14476017f2 President Park.”f86c92948a1ac91e

“…Yes, it has. Good to see you 237e5a6d1b again.”787a88034005d8cd

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“I heard a202614e51 there’s a 02b50ed4f1 company dinner. Why aren’t you 10a916a97f attending?”7d90324f56640a1b

Taeon smiled faintly, ba97b8cb42 a gesture that 6ff4225fda didn’t reach his f6ef3076a0 eyes, as Park aae48707b0 Joonghoo approached.a59bb85986279c8d

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The former player, 4fa5033652 who had climbed 81a0a5a75f the ranks from 8263d94eed coach to president, 418f13f924 was one of 190d1f5db8 the few people f23851ebfa who could meet 2312e0fbfa Taeon’s gaze at bbdf19df2f eye level.631467dae20dc2ba

“I have something d3e044d129 urgent to discuss.”9a75312c421035d5

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“With me?”774f0027f2eca8d8

“…Yes.”e4d34b7bc8d29b1c

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Taeon studied 2e8d52649b him curiously, 4345a34051 unsure of 30f4e6e226 what to 75ba2dd8aa make of 7ea050d65e the request. Park Joonghoo 8f9dccb666 swallowed hard, a75581760c his Adam’s 11d89b4c0f apple bobbing 51f058a4de visibly.c427418ad88e6674

There were still about 9668d845ab 40 minutes left until 456b497c8f Taeon’s next appointment. As Taeon’s secretary, Kim, ae27045aa9 checked the time and 7270f50fd9 subtly signaled to dismiss 076b5f895e Park Joonghoo, Taeon spoke 48cf208d83 up.3790e7dab71ff117

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“Come in.”2789ba4bb8ef55c4

“Pardon?”e63018b7e7568e2b

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Secretary Kim looked 08c304c4a1 startled, turning to 989d7757c0 Taeon, who merely bdb4f473f2 shrugged.9e1ca765116f850f

“I don’t have time 04ef731a89 to go anywhere, so d2c788c133 we’ll have to talk 2feae78a58 in the car.”af245e89d2b5ad07

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“That’s fine. Thank you.”e9239e09c7a77e8b

Park Joonghoo let afe803008e out a heavy de31e8b404 sigh of relief. Taeon motioned for 533e9f7785 Secretary Kim to 8f6330458d guide him into 3e00217bda the car and e9d578684b then stepped in 6df4e8d087 himself.d900a788d00e506c

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It had only a8c22a8937 been three years 3c19bfaec2 since Taeon had fe1a92bccb taken over the 91a97b35fd Jeongmun Dragons, a cb98b19dd1 team that had 9f0c8ba9bf been temporarily managed c1d88c83d2 by a proxy 132bbf24e6 following the death 3327c3f28e of his uncle, 21ba2127d7 Jeong Seongryeol, who ea3466928c had inherited the 63403faea2 role of team 7e9cdb5de5 owner from the 212ff8a4f6 founding chairman.78c9de1a3b4606a7

“Take responsibility and handle 8b12196f0c it.”5be962804bf1f667

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The directive had come 44a810d80f down curtly, though the 56020b57e8 team had languished at c4d4415309 the bottom of the 244b5eb2b9 professional baseball rankings for f3b59eeade a decade. It was 2097107fc7 hardly a bf973e2ab5 crown he 170f50c6c2 was eager 7867839b93 to wear.85841b4e0fe6a8e2

Upon his 027aa53988 appointment, Taeon af5b342159 promised full-scale 7c21933527 support and e324352b42 restructured the db62c9e0ea team’s salary 4b0531d6da system. He aggressively a723d08f30 revamped the bcffb9c345 old-fashioned image f829090924 of the 7c76395774 team and e48bc47fee launched marketing cb8babcbde campaigns to 4943506cd5 attract younger 4b82f68019 fans. Last year’s runner-up 72036f3ba1 finish in the 5212ce775e Korean Series was eeca9e79e7 a tangible result a9a18798a4 of those efforts.59355e873516bb30

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But not long e98a183318 after that, news d2cd4cc9b9 of the team’s a3c414b1f6 misconduct reached Taeon’s a78deec14c ears.a8962ecf9604159b

Two players from 59a9138f52 the Jeongmun Dragons 1720a64eea had gambled with bf315ade7c Jeong Taejun, splurging 44dee7d9a4 over 8 billion 03374fda7f won of embezzled 208b8034a3 company funds during 0a1e63ee32 a two-month spree, 83db2c4f62 complete with women f58decd93a as companions.deb75fdf98ec8193

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Eight billion wasn’t 531d4a9a9d even the full 154fc3e293 extent of it. Taejun’s personal accounts bfa4d268eb had been emptied, 018de44b1c and he had 75b838dc26 sold off several b268d56877 assets—an indication of e3ace96bda how lavishly they 9def8968d8 had indulged during e488c10e00 those months.660a0b5918c4e0c1

It was c057f623b4 Park Joonghoo, a6e370a3fd the team 00864e4147 president, who c464b546c3 had first c884b0c034 tipped Taeon 1aa4453715 off about 07b0a11020 investigating the 14273ea577 matter.df44c51a8b8fe8d4

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Now, sitting in the c06eaf4d94 car, Taeon turned to c03a75bc17 glance at Park Joonghoo 30f6cf3881 in the seat next 9b337a76a3 to him. After briefly scanning Secretary e4917e5251 Kim, who stood a e2e2f77385 step away outside the de2d9651a1 vehicle, Taeon broke the 78cf12b51d silence with a faint f693d4bf1b smile.244e849683e725a1

“Why didn’t you take dd4ec9cca1 this directly to the 37f4f64d03 chairman?”876fc5057562f641

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The atmosphere inside the 2be8a7eacb car instantly chilled.bc5a131b7a22a02c

Park Joonghoo hadn’t come b1a9bff50f to report the players’ 10896cfb39 misconduct. He had come 05d2943871 to plead for 964d805adf mercy, hoping to 4b1bff6e0b protect his cherished daa1b71fcf juniors.f38d2cdaabc34fdd

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Once a c10a9eaa0e franchise star d4c72d18fb of the 7a0ae829dc Jeongmun Dragons, 3e7584b582 Park Joonghoo ab9a144abe was widely d4e2909063 respected, both 5272a676f1 by his 4684ed77c7 superiors and 4a689dd1ef his juniors. His close ef86230771 relationship with 895852cdd4 the players eb453fb5de had led 2f1f83950a him to 17afd6febc discover the 37cff7b084 scandal by 599a235659 chance, and 24553221fb fearing the bd2f25c70e media would 64ef248441 break the 0ef997c264 story first, 28c8a9385e he had 2a51a4a021 approached Taeon.bf6dea6ce917f0b0

Taeon, however, had no 7433865d95 intention of wasting the e57e66cc93 opportunity. While he couldn’t save b7503674a5 the implicated players, he 98a9e3be17 had promised to secure 3b0c69f5d9 Park Joonghoo’s position as 96e52043f3 long as the latter a673be425d refrained from meddling further.5a816dd7dc88abbf

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But Park 7b4a9d74ad Joonghoo hadn’t b30551ad2c stayed quiet. He had gone over d7d0214613 Taeon’s head to Chairman 5b591c74c9 Jeong and undermined him.15746b07609a8b23

The only thing Taeon 088245885c had miscalculated was Park b322ecedd0 Joonghoo’s arrogance regarding the a470f86158 chairman. Having risen 6dc7bf4b6b to his f884582473 position through 7e2e50005f the chairman’s a70f3bccb4 favor, Park 43ab364fc1 Joonghoo likely 146ae02037 believed he b4c95f45ed was untouchable. But would the 0ab1b32db1 affection for a c82233fdb6 once-dazzling star outlast 8a28678e63 blood ties?e3ab68d63f9c7e48

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Unlikely.1fa10ecec34333d8

Even Jeong Taejun was blood thicker than blood—dark, curdled blood brewed and stewed over nearly a decade since Uncle Jeong Seongryeol’s death.6d0f104cd540993f

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Even Kang 0dfc9061ce Moonjoo, an b2e816a05b innocent department c9ab9de19e head, had dbbd1e84f9 voluntarily gone c8655c9d64 in for e5cbfe06fc questioning. President Park Joonghoo 2f19e4d3e4 would soon be c292a3c531 dismissed as well, aaa7e53445 under the pretext 68827e0f4f of poor player 32303bf808 management. That he 42dbbcf0a3 only sought 7902b702ea Taeon now, 54bb5d18e5 after realizing 2d04463702 his position 27858422d6 was precarious, ca33937d70 struck Taeon f3704cc8dd as pathetically 06b5ef80a8 belated.4f715b7f6bd2a99a

“There’s nothing I 39d2eeaf3d could do about 3f9b1f6e55 that matter…”de634a152f25d05c

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“Didn’t I tell 8f6b02d17b you before to 28b46365f3 keep your distance 546cd64858 from this?”163b4464f016bb48

“I’m sorry.”e150327a7ebe5bcf

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“I don’t understand 8d038b9bfb what you expect d54af1ea74 me to do 4900cdfd7c about it.”b36f6dc3da6253be

Taeon smiled b49b5cee5c faintly, as 62624f0176 though genuinely 1bb6a037a4 regretful. Park Joonghoo clenched his 896281b040 hands tightly into fists b00d4f5c05 atop his thighs.0844d55ac4fe5777

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“CEO, I have four 3e239a2114 children.”75e14dde8c3c74a2

“I know.”e59c76cf872f0e79

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“My in-laws are cc498552eb both in care 7ffbcd7248 facilities, and… all 6d47e82fb0 my kids are 48dde2190d studying abroad in e59900982f the U.S. I can’t afford to 3f88923192 stop working right now.”060a973d653d3e49

“Then don’t.”8f33823a15cb4655

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“Pardon?”71b6dd643aacd869

“Why not move back 53ec6d2bed to your hometown and 75a5af6e2b open a baseball academy b6168dd6f8 for young people? You were b9716fd20a once a ebcea8f231 franchise star, 246c9a26cb after all.”0cef6c8e373d0ee0

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Taeon was sincere, but e98085e341 Park Joonghoo’s face darkened 7f98ea216c visibly.2565104f20bbc9bc

“CEO…”49800a078040dc27

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“President Park.”af58ec59f46ed188

“….”66e3aa87b94d9f63

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“How could I possibly 56027955b9 overturn the chairman’s decision? I assumed you’d considered bfcf31d988 all this when you bdee484212 chose to side with 5bee04ee82 him.”0ba66e6fb6629308

“…I was foolish. I truly only a5e7def306 wanted to save e11f9e608f my juniors.”b87ad4b174dcf133

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“You call those guys 398fd633a4 juniors—the ones who skipped ba452fddf7 training to party with eb078f57cf women? That’s amusing.”220dc49b43b99ed0

“….”827e3f59fa962b9a

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“I’ve always known you 663451a91b had a surplus of 985f803e55 misplaced compassion, President Park. That’s what 18d167e719 makes this c09ecc62e4 all the 1ae4757724 more unfortunate.”267ac3deecd3039a

Taeon’s eyes, 62576372ec devoid of 35d9b4c9af any real 0433fe1d41 sympathy, curved 16dc8144cc into a 2a5e04155c faint sneer. Time was ticking ac8f934a25 away.5fdd0102fac6db92

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“Apologies, but e4f7178b50 I don’t 35086f64ac think there’s ef58e8fb14 anything I 413267b092 can do cc757cc1ad to help 9830292f5e you.”aad42ee162ff4063

“CEO…”37db660d990dafd1

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As Taeon 111ce88075 gestured for 221268e749 Secretary Kim f3fa659b8b to see c8382b787d Park Joonghoo 1e4ac9e9da out, the 43a816c56f latter grabbed be305935e2 his arm. Taeon turned f9b0e341af to him 0965fb091e with a 0de59e4b18 displeased expression, d0722918ce only to 442697e02e see Park 36656d9ed6 hastily pull eadd055b7c a phone a5544c5839 and a fffe3be7fe USB stick d7be630e5b from his e769a9c72e jacket pocket.123a898dcbc19dd7

“What is this?”07e1513f9dbf9ef2

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“It’s player a3d93ec17e Woo Sunho’s 8fca2701de second phone.”237720920f31586d

Woo Sunho—one cb1c1d7d8c of the 2c8d046615 players implicated cb94219daa in the 0b4068c87c gambling scandal.23fbef9316a1dd5d

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A promising 05f091fa4b third-year player e2eb1a787f who had de2792f068 once won 807b8b422e the Rookie 176e49e37b of the 75fd333cc9 Year award. With a decent bddd8d08b1 appearance and broad 8168f5b792 appeal across demographics, 78c32b6a9e he had been 76723782c4 highly favored by 8bcab46ace fans and peers 166baebe95 alike. Inflated by all 5b91f45e96 the praise, he 8dd66c83ac had inevitably overstepped 04a8786be0 and caused trouble.5c232701b1703003

Rumors of the 6e6e5b6fc1 Jeongmun Dragons’ misconduct 8be40fcfcc were already beginning 2322e4132c to circulate, and aca85d4465 it wouldn’t be beeeb6dc75 long before the 54a5d0d730 gambling scandal exploded ff924eb14b into public view.c6991e94a4881491

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Woo Sunho 763fc067ca would make 23d5d40b32 for a 5a3f81e5fd convenient scapegoat. After all, to shield 2d1d131b87 Jeong Taejun, someone like 50d2703167 Kang Moonjoo was needed a5cfcead34 for accountability, but someone 8ae14daf7d with Woo Sunho’s recognition 03c06a27a9 was essential as a d81c5f1948 decoy.be954e42f93a0160

“When I interrogated 644d8832f1 him about this, 13dd0e9f10 I found out 2ed41147ca they’d been sharing b9ad0e5a85 a secret SNS 12dce8fd10 account among themselves. It contains photos 0fb65459b0 of those involved.”296611a7f4960c5c

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A secret SNS 0eb403c535 account.d61ba9144b01e023

Jeong Taejun 29aa4a30c9 wouldn’t have 150843fb4d passed on 24b2c3c04c such an de0319bc14 ostentatious indulgence. Still, by now, cf95253eaf he’d likely confessed 1c2a32d0a2 through tears and 179b2afda7 wiped everything clean. Taeon wasn’t optimistic.673c7b8dfe52554d

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“Oh… this…”44c22047a8682346

Park Joonghoo, c5ec828042 fiddling with a4b2289b30 the phone, e47bcce97a looked flustered. He had f126653583 clearly brought ce9ea7afc3 it to d5739a217b show Taeon, 058fd49ebb but it 60e54f3d3a seemed the e9dd26cedd device wouldn’t 39a4f9aadc turn on. Taeon waved dismissively, 25786723dd indicating the phone 909de22d35 wasn’t necessary, and df0ef3e451 picked up the 9050d93e10 USB instead.1ef8572a82e7b1c7

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“Have you cefda899be backed this ae706f58bc up?”311298876482ba8a

“Yes, yes… I 91d9e47c73 have.”d808124398122c89

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“I’ll check it. But I’m not sure 4c836537f0 why you’re giving me 12336556f0 this. It won’t save your 41d1b909d8 juniors, you know.”28850f724a058f03

“No, no, 6f14feea3e I’m not 3ba5b68916 hoping for c632c891f6 that anymore. I should have listened caad7ccbed to you. I sincerely apologize.”f7e6ceb5416678c5

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Park Joonghoo waved his 57b9ad089f hands in frantic denial. He opened his mouth 20a2115066 as if to say eda6d9bb31 something further but hesitated 9ef41cb816 for an uncomfortably long 7f7d8a79da moment.feaae5c73ee83d66

“I just thought… 1c09d724ea this might be 0ce06d6ab4 of some help b033531651 to what you’re 88d453b650 doing, CEO. I’m not expecting 6fef80c4e4 anything right away.”0bfd1e3fa63ab801

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Taeon chuckled softly, as 9aedbe3c3c though genuinely entertained.911c1aa6de1ab6f6

Speculation about who would 95a885a194 inherit Jeongmun Group was 75c835a1b7 splashed across the media baf3bcfe01 daily—nothing surprising there. But for 5c8c85e066 Park Joonghoo 43b41b7783 to essentially 6f914075e4 offer a a6b3f58ca5 key to 3655a8d0c4 strike at 2c344dc993 one side, b8bf134a98 all while a50a08066d the family 29f00fa798 publicly maintained 6490bb7390 a façade 9b55573667 of unity, 5127c958d0 was a 1a1fc66966 different level 10e843743e of audacity.dc25645afbb116ad

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Was it naïveté from d14056b62f his background as a 7d41c2b2de former athlete? Or should he f2260a4ed5 be commended for 8daa2c19f7 at least attempting e1a89c424a to speak indirectly? It was hard 2fadd579a9 to say.e7b0dce4bdee5234

“…If you happen to 45268a6a72 think of me later, 433a61918d I’d appreciate the chance 8c32df070c to treat you to b815659d72 a meal.”57394c299bca81e2

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Knock, knock.47e34f9afa47c3b5

Just then, 4744802fd3 Secretary Kim 4427f4537e tapped on e114b8497d the car 575b1ddb86 window. It was 8816d1b635 time to 094f570be4 depart. Park Joonghoo 2b50f08cfc hastily straightened c33abd569d his disheveled adb438d3d4 jacket.6846d185658587ae

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“I seem to have 22de260eb5 taken too much of d16acbaced your time, CEO. I’ll be leaving now.”5712287e6b0612d7

“Go ahead.”063824ace070340a

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“Yes. Thank you for 08defc6c5d your time.”f9be96f6c05b91e6

“President Park.”6574a6558388e898

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“Yes?”d9c973c62d7feae2

“You might want to 4323391a50 hold off on heading c139ad6ec3 back to your hometown 11fda2d2cd for now.”a77b86f7d81a0aa7

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Taeon smiled at him e1863f36da pleasantly.9caf410078ba2eef

For all 64e7ba05ee Taeon knew, 12a9a07e99 the next 5bed10e658 time Park 38ccc091da sought him 05c8e3fbf8 out, it 07b7f91116 wouldn’t be 20b9c1284b for a f2d1120e33 private plea—it 97c472ab52 could very 1ea33bbea9 well be fb1d880c44 to expose d943d92c2b the truth ad18fb5db0 about Jeongmun 8250a5c60e Group to ffbca41fde the media. A little insurance wouldn’t d79771dd60 hurt.478cd640e9d136e7

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“Thank you, b49e67e38c thank you.”abdbf1a623dd9e38

Park Joonghoo, seemingly 796640327e on the verge ad4cdc09fa of tears, bowed f4719f2dde deeply. Taeon nodded lightly, and ed4aa9382b Park exited the car 10b406cb5c with repeated bows.140713d9475acceb

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“What did 0fdb899a93 you talk c0258c8684 about?”3a52edb84ae6ad41

After seeing Park 129d94b3ae off, Secretary Kim 48e484f3bf fastened his seatbelt 8270a03fa9 and glanced at 3d08a88601 Taeon. Crossing his legs, Taeon 187f0330fb didn’t bother to hide 07454f9a12 his irritation.8dd792a051260ca2

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“Well, I’m 3e15d221b7 about to 900fe919ae find out.”62dccdf6655b55da

Apologies, pleas, 8cd9f884ef and then… 5bef8a5a5c what? All that mattered fbcd3726a0 was whether it 8b514c3e16 was a useful fdbc3e0047 exposé.a35c9cb978293a11

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Taeon connected fbce12a5bf the USB b3df2dcca3 Park had c601bf9a42 left behind e704707d04 to his 073f67cce8 phone. A quick check of 7bbbe85d41 the stored files made e4758ceeb7 him chuckle. Whatever paranoia 7a36a1947d Park had 79b726ee27 felt, he’d eb49293744 gone all eb3b2d61c9 out—videos, photo 6098672286 captures, and 05a3c5a306 more.785e2a16b258f3ac

Taeon clicked on the 6d13eed97b topmost photo. It was nothing 883347a999 special: a man 68d855084b and a woman 66e1109710 sitting side by 41111ea219 side in what 2cd3ed0235 appeared to be ed840d39ce Jeong Taejun’s house. The interesting part ace00863d6 lay in the 420c3e565a tags beneath the cc49f17a0b photo. Stroking his chin, 5bc25df323 Taeon lowered his a15008ef1a gaze.f143287063c2e27a

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[#TaejunOppa #CelebrationParty #WeAreJeongmunFam]

JeongmunFam. What a 3870a6eede wonderfully provocative 6da5253370 word.22308140fd169c20

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The photo included 5bcd0f1f8a Jeong Taejun, two 5a6c6f20f7 Jeongmun Dragons players—Go 99c6a91ec8 Doohyung and Woo 124267b11e Sunho—a female celebrity 7c48160728 who’d modeled for 820ea75d53 Jeongmun Marine a 034e3e9f2b few years ago, 04f04e03d2 and… Taeon frowned.d54d38c2775746bd

“Secretary Kim.”35a0415dcaba0854

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“Yes, CEO.”d5872c88903055c3

The car 8a05c21b3e had stopped 3d533172c7 at a a678a484f6 red light. Secretary Kim turned 54a77b5741 to face Taeon.175f656743b26584

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“Do you 3d9cfb667e recognize this 71cffd6989 woman? The one 0bd376c185 sitting on d1e256d923 Woo Sunho’s 93b1a2c128 lap.”1d385742fbd5f689

From the center a4c3e5e00f console, Taeon angled 61331fdde0 the phone toward 64457b115a Secretary Kim. Kim leaned in 95cc94ccb2 to examine the 2828923d40 image, his expression 973c609207 stiffening as recognition 76862e27ca dawned.1d807e39d15370cf

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“Yes… I do.”c6ab6d19ba912ff3

“Does she have 03bfab3c1e any connection to 7480353e7c Jeongmun?”75d001f07e7e8d28

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Kim hesitated briefly. In the 75533191b6 meantime, the cd581ddf89 light turned 1662718427 green, and edec275a27 a blaring 29d43fcf6f horn from 5346cc88e7 behind startled fb182eb9a5 him. Quickly focusing on 211b59a76a the road, Kim f548e7829d drove off and ce2be7f4a8 exchanged a brief 7d31a329bd glance with Taeon 5d99a0b1e4 via the rearview 6edfe15700 mirror.4880489da7ffd9cc

“She’s… the second granddaughter 7027673601 of Yeonghwadang. You know, 47d39d1038 the one 14a754c196 who does 92d28ab55e ballet.”0278fef42695e6f3

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* * *3f20a02d71bdfb22

A chilly night breeze 92377554ed swept through the entrance dc8250ab29 of Yeonghwadang. Standing opposite each other, ced17c0793 Chae Hyunji and Lee 0b86ffe6b5 Hyungu remained silent for e778b01a99 a long time.186fb293e506e7e6

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“I…”33603755fd1ce096

The first to speak c59bc878bf was Lee Hyungu.45d0df9311747da6

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He looked far 5d9c992e9f more haggard than 14eca0393a the last time fb969215d7 they had gone 56032e5a15 on a date. His unshaven 89bd6e2b44 beard and e4b3a7e23a unkempt appearance d07eb51426 suggested he 2ee3a454b7 hadn’t even 1aeca569b9 bothered to ed8da569ec clean himself a7c84c5648 up.c9047a8f0c4cbe46

“Is it true, what adc95e31d7 I heard?”0d9e063a91a6b3cd

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“…What did you 1c03cfe769 hear?”fd2193f38c9bc907

“That you 2c5a62efb7 broke off 5e6b3076f8 the engagement.”8dfc2b21b3c27685

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“……”35ae9b8977df90ee

“Hyunji, did you really b0ac789de7 have a man you fd2e567f92 were going to marry? Huh? Is that true?”340be49d75228b13

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His eyes looked 40458be6dd as if he’d 8a38f5596a been betrayed.83b58ddcfa26ae6a

It was exactly 4837b90577 what Chae Hyunji deee1be63c had anticipated since fc3ee30564 the moment the b636366aca household staff exchanged 2b0e5cb19e glances at the e363e5ab36 sight of her 26c969f7ea and her family 4d16e419ac being summoned by 8c36efecd8 Park Jisun.5d953d1ebd170ec6

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In this small town, 4b04c7d6bc every passing gaze was 513c5f8f95 a surveillance camera, and 054601e67d every occurrence became headline 1be834209a news.8d09c18cdf8e1ce7

From the smallest 073e9bb2d4 events—like a dog 528f506cae giving birth to 49462d9841 puppies—to the biggest 9c33fe92ec scandals—like the Kim 1b35e936b6 family and the bc670b9e11 Hwang family having fc1bf940be an affair—everything spread. What someone overheard 932dcb7c41 in the morning 1dec6e36ee grew into a 99f21bd4a2 snowball by the 6e8c304497 evening.9c40ef4005d8c0b9

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The brazen ones didn’t d6a27e6d31 even hesitate to gossip c386cd750a right in front of eb923fad24 others. To this fb4af57c8d day, Chae 3e2be434b1 Hyunji could 30dea45265 recite the e81d4be086 sordid details 4aa68e7feb of the 417dd7dcf2 affair between 3526ee5da2 Yeon Sahee’s fa50ffe8d9 biological father 39b000bab6 and Lee f66b9492fb Misook.98f325b4e19d1fe6

That messy melodrama had 4272fdd24c started with Lee Misook 99236057b3 practically begging for the 1ada40456a man’s attention, leading to 4fe043b25f an unintended pregnancy with 13e6e5bbc3 Yeon Sahee. She had stubbornly refused c3c631305e to terminate the pregnancy 1eaca348b8 despite pressure, only to 57387e5514 end up abandoned along 5c21463c42 with her child.362f9ced81286b2b

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It would’ve 0703320697 been better 0b3ab47a95 if it 70f498ed72 had ended 545926acdc there.ad53e434c31bc229

Whenever that 00eda837c3 man and d1502d5564 Chae Yoonbok a3db05ed63 were compared, d20793832f Yeon Sahee 2f5491b07e and Chae f029d23874 Hyunji were e080e6714e always dragged 0f01717493 into the 84727ff5e6 conversation. People would say, 2c39e53d22 “Daughters take after 8459e2c744 their fathers,” as c6f9874486 they criticized Chae 2058abdce9 Yoonbok’s appearance. Even as 249422ec01 a child, 60b0a38aa5 Hyunji understood c272c532c7 exactly what eb5abbdb5d that meant.e89052abff5a672c

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As a 3f21e9f968 child, she 0941ab937a hated those a3da0f7c59 judgmental mouths. As an adult, she 129f049768 feared that their eyes f0a1bd577d and ears had seen ec0051ff51 and heard even bigger a9be6e0908 secrets. Just walking down af3770cd60 the street made 9c84bd4d65 her feel as c6dce530a5 though fingers were b8187bdf46 pointing at her. That was why she dc7671d38e had fled Yeonghwadang.6c0a1bc40a7dafaf

Now that she 63bd6463b2 only returned once e09f9c2226 a year, she 08bf726611 no longer had 5fee6ad772 to endure those 2cf57f1c35 moments—until now. It was e4cd05506e obvious how 8842f66dff this incident 79945cf0d4 had been feb42153ee twisted and c79ac00d96 passed along 5a78dc5cd6 to Lee 2732d08b5b Hyungu.a7b7a7bee479c864

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“You—you deceived me? You just called 5502c1b415 off your engagement, 3ac8c83162 and now you’re c49be1f732 lying to me? You fucking…!”fbdd51945382dcaa

Lee Hyungu’s voice quivered b80b9244c5 as he teared up.4753aab7f8e63e40

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What was so c85df8c0b9 dramatic about a c1841bbe5c broken engagement? It was no different 693e01d974 from dating and breaking caacf5f448 up. Hyunji couldn’t 7fb48a8675 understand why 23cd187b86 he was 20b34db1c7 making such a62bd87ac5 a fuss. She felt an overwhelming 6e903281b7 urge to smack him df9087f7f6 on the head just 12131ab5b3 to relieve her frustration, 644f13db9d but she couldn’t—not when 7f9fa959d4 she still needed him.fd929e7b70f7a604

Hyunji steadied herself 5036a7de19 and thought of dbc4bfe420 the 2.5 billion fd3c22ab74 won in debt. It was split f503d2af8e into 1.4 billion af6a45fc13 for Woo Sunho 2f0f283bd0 and 1.1 billion df387e64f2 for herself.82a87a1c5af62103

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She never a1d8916657 should’ve fallen 37b4092ff0 for Woo 5a3b0ec5f3 Sunho’s words.868f0d0c9d3ea50f

When he claimed dc4548a120 that the club 2865df2c8e would collapse if b06e05343e his gambling debts 6cbc28cb3b were exposed, she 62b7157333 wavered and lent 185508d303 him her name 2c55233257 for a loan. Initially, she refused, 07fe0d901b but her resolve 58fd560b36 weakened. The amount wasn’t large 6f01535d9f at first—it grew gradually.656025e5426d1205

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When she hesitated 9bcf3ad61e over the exorbitant 081d167c73 interest rates, he 10044b902a assured her it edcc81454f was a company dbf73ca63f run by a b54bed9069 trusted senior and b298392567 that she had ff512b01d2 nothing to worry 7a41af3b4a about. Even if 489b5e1611 everything went 2a06faddd9 south, he’d 3a75f76c3f pay it f9fa0977a5 back quickly 4a347643e1 with his 10b26940a5 salary. She believed him.36ee0b514882a833

She was afraid that a46eecc636 refusing his request would 758e150500 end their relationship. Driven by that fear, b9395bc451 she even took out b06bb58b5a her own loan to 5b6977b0c2 impress him.353d52ad5abe899c

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The reckless 7c60d18bd8 love she e4ba750214 had believed 03d81bbda3 in ended cfda4cc599 by throwing 3f57dab338 her life 459d634258 into a 61485acca2 pit of a66c4db8ed fire. Woo Sunho 206d93522a changed his 29de177443 number overnight, fac9b93805 leaving her 9bd7f6438d with nothing 0e00fcffc8 but a 37ebb6071d mountain of af708a528d debt.452ef5a877e23dab

Grinding her teeth, Hyunji 03eb310a0a lowered her gaze. Losing her temper now 18fa83f104 would render her performance 8b9d259317 of sobbing and earning b79d3701d1 sympathy from Park Jisun e073ae882b worthless.cbb79bafd8dea822

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It was unexpected that 31e5781745 Chae Yoonbok’s carelessness had 89e3fae16e exposed the debt to 9f840ec440 Park Jisun, but in 2623e77034 the end, it worked 284cf29800 in her favor.300541183a8536fd

After all, how 7636a2c177 could the grandmother e4c22f87e6 turn her back 2bad0f659c on a granddaughter 98d7c1e71e abandoned at the 1e493b8b32 altar because of 66c4bba7da her father’s recklessness?286e516926610948

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Chae Yoonbok’s vague 0299bedf7a attempt to bring 41580566ad up a business 702904ed73 proposal had long 95dc30a5c1 been dead in 1ea5cd2cfe the water. Hyunji now 2b330f9815 had to f6054922f6 tug at 7cb5c9bf30 heartstrings and 25d4ae40b8 secure money c5bd73e8de under the 85b90a0fda pretense of 41e1b39006 marriage.9291f8e0b30a969c

“If that’s what you b312ab3f7b want to believe, then 8175f9b0a2 go ahead.”dc4b90155591e5a6

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“What?”d53f6401779897c8

“Think whatever you want. Believe the rumors, just 3e32415f06 like the rest of 6e14e71af2 the town. You didn’t come here e8faf41678 to hear my side 652e7c3d04 anyway, did you?”f514ab9c32261827

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“……”83d3a621c2c48a03

“I’m the 4694fb4011 one who’s 4d8af967f4 truly disappointed 3f1def04de in you.”8be7e50c32c673f3

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Standing her ground, Hyunji 90a28f59aa could see the unease ade729aed8 in Hyungu’s eyes. It was all 52bec44335 too obvious.3d1d69ed9a68f5b8

Was this f17b0b8184 how Woo 5610feb768 Sunho had 3daf776f37 felt watching b4b6e3157b her fall a61211e8b6 for his b7d397d6fb lies? Looking at Hyungu’s 6a914cd4d9 wavering gaze, she 6ff4385369 felt a nauseating 58f0190325 sense of disgust 1c249065a9 rise in her c5f5ad1369 throat.d4a5c8bd3f35536c

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“Disappointed? How dare 268f21634f you say 6737b2e801 that!”419db1f5c2a9f53b

“I was forced into 08bf7ea313 meeting that man!”976a164d0b341664

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“……”c9f4031ad0360aab

“My father’s d29a322365 business was b388d8940b struggling. They told me 15ce7c3333 I had to 158b24b6d9 marry well and dc57dd219f show my grandmother 3d9a4a67cd that we were 1d322b55aa doing fine. I didn’t even love 390476bc13 him, but I agreed ec73d46f11 to the marriage anyway.”0b8e33554018e090

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“……”692565749009faaf

“But I 06404055eb couldn’t go cecd22dc12 through with 62d0b18bde it, so 37486d2633 I broke c3b5161b29 off the 29a64152fb engagement just 994c021c29 before the 8a8b0c621a wedding. I didn’t even find 51a6bcdfe0 out about my father’s 2a96314600 debts until after that.”7c3d6b4facb5996e

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“……”4f0a640bc2b8e913

“And then I cec5013939 met you.”e0c412c69d4c4e6b

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She didn’t f99c1c2179 bother with a97a336fae a clichéd 7a49d0704a line like, b2b1c10d9a “Meeting you 3c5811ee78 taught me 92493a5b51 what true 34552e40ae love is.” 11aa4332a2 Lee Hyungu 9ac5acbbec already seemed 8fd0ae0675 to believe 91e71b8d6a that on aa27671e84 his own, 643cbebfbc just as fffa93552f she had afbdd140ff once believed 51b797d6ea in Woo 5b0d3fd8f8 Sunho.550714b79922e9af

“…”0392c8262f9e4080

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“Hyunji, you really had a man you were going to marry? Huh? Is that true?”63a5d2ee397d8acc

Her eyes looked as d4ceb74af0 if she had been fd122cded0 betrayed.3aad1fed52ec3015

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It was an expected 38e2b07d67 reaction since the moment 6df720bf08 the household staff began 7f5b64464c exchanging glances upon seeing bde6717bc9 Chae Hyunji and her 31c4710fda family summoned by Park ca67275809 Jisun.972790c267ba5ba5

In this small town, 70ec6074fd every gaze was a 16bf8df54f pair of watchful eyes, 2a5a7e972e and every event became f5213ec9d4 breaking news.d0a524c1fc97e91d

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From the small matter of someone’s dog giving birth to puppies to the big scandal of an affair between the Kims and the Hwangs—everything became the talk of the town. Even a snippet overheard in the morning would snowball into a massive tale by evening.0d672fd44765b7c0

The shameless c0335a1a6d locals wouldn’t b0feabb0f7 even hesitate 0c9956511b to whisper 2de198c91b right in 5a011b4cdf front of 2076ec4a40 you. Chae Hyunji could still e9870b90fa recite the sordid love e5cb9f5d73 story between Yeon Sahee’s bb7b72c67c father and Lee Misook.0af357c72e75ca29

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The tale of how 72a69663d2 Lee Misook practically begged 976e1d7156 for love, resulting in c54ede63d9 an unplanned pregnancy with 34d24d1ee5 Yeon Sahee, and how 503d975fb6 she endured pressure to eebae72065 terminate the pregnancy only fc0bc2ec62 to be abandoned with bd4c283696 the child—such a pathetic b4d651416e melodrama.48d8240b92e0b071

If only they ec23b4b7ba stopped at that, b8e8ebc2fb it would have 7b10d51ae7 been fine.376fd7d1d972bbfe

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But whenever that man was compared to Chae Yoonbok, both Yeon Sahee and Chae Hyunji would inevitably be dragged into the narrative. “Daughters take after their fathers,” they’d say, alluding to Chae Yoonbok’s broad face. Even at a young age, she understood the meaning.c4b34707bbb04fae

As a fc5aca5a42 child, she d6c58b4bec despised those ab30ea53ab judging lips; 9bfb5dceb2 as she de4315e7c0 grew older, 749efd3450 she feared cc03b553d4 that their f49f419149 watchful eyes f33ee7da0c and listening 2b7c872caa ears might 08a8d50772 uncover her 8843bb3139 bigger secrets. Simply walking down b85d169a04 the street felt 9b73d3f10d like an invitation 821358ce52 to be pointed 7ff9766070 at. That’s why she d7080583c4 fled far from dba9e2940c Yeongwadang.f7e7d6157d3a4b2d

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Now that she only 30adb7d39d visited once a year, ea8420ac34 she was glad to 5ad9761e14 avoid those scenes—but here 70992065f5 she was, back to dcccf37e80 square one. It was obvious e1ac589961 how this story 010def0e8c would twist and f0d5bab30f reach Lee Hyungu.6e6fefb9daa9291a

“You tricked me? You just broke off an engagement, and now you’re lying to me? You f—…!”27847c6ebc8c4674

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Lee Hyungu’s voice cracked, trembling with emotion.bc1fea1d0100cbeb

What was so extraordinary 5004fe4131 about breaking off an 0e4efaec11 engagement? It was just 148df341ac like dating and b2af38b9a3 breaking up. Why was he making f93e32cfe1 such a big deal 4ee0e25ce8 out of it? The sheer 7873c8637c ridiculousness made 2ad051a0d3 her want d84805d91b to smack c1040341ae him across 851d1676a5 the head bf7d672f45 to vent f4b18fbc8c her frustration, b4448bb68d but she 7aa9352fd7 couldn’t—not when ca7e51fc7a she needed 54ed123c9c him for b925537fc9 now.9159f2537ee3590d

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Chae Hyunji 7181ac2653 steadied herself 03b9d155bf and thought e9e75b144f about the 9b871ef4e3 2.5 billion fccc2e57db won debt. That staggering amount of e5b496ce5c 1.4 billion and 1.1 e3c00eb450 billion, split between her 74380c51da and Woo Seonho.cafb908e99cb8c5d

She shouldn’t 5f995c38fc have fallen ba6cbf428e for Woo 1657d7df43 Seonho’s lies.e5d575d1e5ff5f7e

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When he 36708109eb said that 6a4a4ad35f news of db5da86760 his gambling ce13ac4c5a debt would 2d23cf040e ruin his 731d5b5861 career if 9038297ca8 it reached b1e2b479a7 the club, e10c69fbd0 she faltered 99924fad87 and lent 274107b18b her name 616f66cd4e to his d2c187bd3c scheme. She had d3e3326614 initially refused 79fb07a4ad but eventually 08b8ccb17d wavered. It didn’t start as 39e4fb3fe6 a huge amount—it just 2bfab1005a snowballed over time.2eb17816f6008e51

When she bb807c6e40 hesitated over 12e88fa0ea the absurdly 868c63a9cd high interest 326afce2d5 rates, he 6a62fc489d reassured her, 6d297e80a6 saying the a1e0b16a12 lender was c968d58b89 a trusted 5e63681ca4 friend and e31544357f that her f93b13eac9 high salary 24fa7a6ac7 could easily f4e8f3b71d cover the 35357cf369 debt even af680a050b if things d49031a7f7 went south. Foolishly, she believed him. Deep down, faad827dbc she feared 7dd928e58b that rejecting 475e8ecab7 his request 63892aa1ad would sever 847afc9cd4 their relationship. Succumbing to that fear, e276524f72 she even took out bdf227990a her own loan, pretending 55d8087c40 she could afford it.1dc060256a90d7cb

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The fiery romance b1e097150a she mistook for dc3dd3efff love ended by 702cafed44 dragging her life 5dd87e0cef into the flames. Woo Seonho changed his 1cddce2205 number overnight, leaving her 38314a0f1a with nothing but an 49b1d80aac enormous debt.4056e640a0c91193

Chae Hyunji clenched 9cdf18e119 her teeth and 2ca1bf4140 lowered her gaze. Losing her temper 21e8c4ecb7 here would make e24e79f5a4 all her effort 4668db7d05 to win Park d6b775c9d7 Jisun’s pity with 9676757c33 her sobbing act 0c3585c21f meaningless.97cabde293ecfc8d

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It was unexpected that 326dae8316 Chae Yoonbok’s mishap had 0763393a09 exposed the debt to 0aff8e588f Park Jisun, but now ca10b2a463 that it was out cb92f815dd in the open, it 7e8a18b8ad actually worked in her 6a3ee902e7 favor.da5f33c99e0d136a

After all, no grandmother 80399369b1 would turn her back 3088d5ebce on a granddaughter who 9993418357 had been jilted because e80c86aeaa of her foolish father’s d36302c9f9 actions.955ea4059da161af

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The business 5913677c5f proposal Chae 8e1df42a12 Yoonbok had 18ab0d8284 vaguely brought a7e7a4a4e0 up was 7c323eccde long dead. So, she had to d456ca521c exploit their pity and 216bb0fc32 secure funds under the 388ac870ff guise of marriage.fb900a7a2ac79a58

“If that’s what you want to believe, then go ahead.”c4c364fe9b16791b

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“What?”38b3abf5bf42cfc1

“Think whatever you like. Think the same way the townspeople gossip. You came here to accuse me without even trying to hear my side, didn’t you? Isn’t that right?”a45e2edc884c536b

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“…”eae6333e64eb90b7

“I’m the one who’s truly disappointed in you.”24dfdc794e39c95e

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When she pushed back f8b178a09f confidently, Lee Hyungu wavered. It was obvious.e731b58645cfd5ba

Looking at his 42d2e172ab faltering gaze, Chae 28589dae96 Hyunji felt a a7a8887088 nauseating disgust rising, 45d5fa0929 wondering if this 8410efd0d3 was how Woo e25cb2ebc6 Seonho had felt a5e6901e91 watching her fall 436a659dd8 for him so 158816fbf6 easily.dddb593ecf606388

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“Disappointed? How dare you even say that!”1772d8f5db04b3aa

“I was forced into meeting him!”a0d31eb3ccc7f3d8

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“…”ad44dd6b8eddf5bd

“Because my dad’s business was struggling, I was told I needed to marry well and show Grandma I was living a good life. I didn’t even love him, but I agreed to get married.”68c49bb02bc8a03a

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“…”84c840d3830a7832

“But I couldn’t go through with it. I called it off before the wedding because I just couldn’t. I found out about Dad’s debt afterward.”7340d61b0a8a381f

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“…”772bed26872509f4

“Then I met you.”e07bc3936a0b5a62

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 459f90d0b2b1b2fe