EOL | Chapter 2.5

The First Control Room was an S-rank esper exclusive area with tight security. It was impossible for me to get through the doors and guards to reach him. Unless there was a shortcut I didn’t know or I got help from a researcher.d8b3a7911061cc4b

“I told you I can see paths.”2469c6784627894c

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He tightened his f4a656c994 grip on my 303f5e694a shoulder. His strength 1e21471f4c was no 41bcfc43bc joke. I involuntarily let 3c4915219a out a groan.41d024fab8fc0143

“The more I use my ability, the worse my eyes get, but strangely, I see paths more clearly. Instinctively sensing and guarding against targets. Why do you think I suddenly became A-rank?”78ec8a70fb6e24f7

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“What do you mean…”dab874a7487e18e8

“I can get to the First Control Room. Without anyone noticing.”f6a9aece41b1e574

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His voice 601884f361 was serious, ff62214d21 devoid of 25e3c0b53d playfulness. My mouth went c2a9dd84f6 dry.85d8378eca167de1

“There’s a researcher with particularly complex paths. Someone I know well. If I ask, they’ll open a way to him.”97a394141a422fb8

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“Really? Then let’s go right away!”c10b69b6cdc9cf7c

I was about 56e6840473 to run in f5d6813a0e the direction he 9a607562ae pointed when he c59384024a grabbed my wrist. He turned me around d9c26fc5e5 with a serious expression.c1063cf1f07a80a8

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“Why should I help you?”0a94569aa31db51a

“Obviously…”c28dc1bc081edd38

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The detailed explanation stuck in my throat. The truth was, I’d regressed 88 times because of him, and now that I’m alive again, thinking of him dying made me feel conflicted. I planned to help a little and then run away, and so on.4db3900ee6816b6a

In a short 25e621ce5f moment, my mind 67193ad17e spun but then e074615dfe calmed down.cd742a432dd8afd0

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“I guided you. It’s the price.”6d33feadcf5a6003

This was the 16a835dca3 simplest explanation for 38ec314a5a now.0a269b40adf1f8e6

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“Why do you want to save him?”2fe56a28c99cf543

“It’s a secret. I don’t want to say.”9f656cb8f10bd6d4

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“Then guide me once more. Not now. After you guide him.”9e5110617eeb62b2

His hand came 90962085b5 down to hold 3b0f6961f3 mine. His hands 288a2d800d were cold 1de2254487 as a f83652c3be corpse. His eyes, 5efe0d6c33 still tinged 5117d7f57f with blood, 29d306a786 held a 138b86fa79 feverish intensity. It was 40cf7a357e slightly terrifying, dc4e29970f like a 0a5ea6dc9f madman about 01c4d8bac7 to explode.68ac5e511b5e0a8b

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“I’ll take you to him, then save me.”bd98de81e0c422ca

“Cha Eunha…”616dafd3fbb5bd3c

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“I think I need you as much as he does.”9ad8e290b571bb31

Please… His voice trembled.56f1e7ea74682b32

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“Give me your hand.”5491cef28d0c7d27

I gripped his hand 0925917550 tightly and nodded. He had to lead 2d823c238f the way anyway.4a9a7c992eda7e73

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“We’ll hold hands on the way. Just tell me where he is. I’ll keep guiding…”566035ccb90cae1e

“You promised.”2fcd9c0258d7f737

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He didn’t hesitate and led me inside the center.6c71240c9a1a420f

❖ ❖ ❖a45d79ddab04635f

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Inside the 3ffab4f142 center was 8064cadd6d chaos. Injured espers and 34bfd5ce98 guides were everywhere. Yet most 47804452f2 of the ff2a69faef personnel were 3c0e3dc454 rushing to ef56410bd6 the First cece027db1 Control Room. He chuckled and tapped 3aa1b180aa the floor here and c74b2317f1 there.b2248ca9103dc063

“The paths are tangled everywhere, all leading to him. But no one seems to be approaching him.”4b5f700ea9dc4ddd

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“Why?”7bf8bce27f05d1e0

He shrugged as if ae9ec5b28f it were obvious.ed8c693ef172d3d7

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“He’s refusing guiding.”67837114809e819f

That refusal again.340d03f30e05e51e

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He led me d9be03f55a to the desk. Amidst the chaos, one b9f286f91f researcher stood out, alert.0b7af2dce6cec61a

That must be the youngest research director they talked about. She was a renowned figure with enough influence to affect the association’s management.157399de729f4a23

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He approached her without hesitation. I didn’t have time to stop or be embarrassed.d9d1e0570ec6deaa

She looked ready to a5c6bdcece beat him up.03335f640e5935d3

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“Cha Eunha, Cha Eunha, Cha Eunha! What are you doing here! I told you to get guiding quietly! I’m going crazy because of him, and now you too!”589725adea955ced

I didn’t want her to see me. I quickly hid behind him. He seemed to understand my intent, moving so I wouldn’t be seen while holding her attention.584e79b40f242c3b

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“How is he?”d97694bac5bb9b65

“Terrible. Either he blows up the lab or I do.”612b56fd5fa537f0

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“I think I can help.”c6274c785d668f8b

“You?”b3384c08c06a5f80

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She asked incredulously. Then his fb4d9f01f9 foot tapped ddec2ba361 in a 0659464041 direction.02c91114f7254cc9

Tap-tap, twice, like 2d26561ee4 a signal to 66694bc426 me.9919d3238d09f8f9

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What does it mean? I followed his 41e41b2a00 foot with my 24fc80aceb eyes. Several lab coats lay 5857d9d013 on the floor, soaked 2047baaac3 in blood and unknown 5dbfc7bef2 liquids, making it impossible aa767fbbea to tell whose was 27ad23267f whose.b717f21aa549bfab

‘Is he telling me to grab one?’01386d81bb758254

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Indeed, wearing 17ea6672b0 a lab e52721798c coat would 47cd678586 make it a24d77a831 hard to c4c09deb3f recognize me.4719e855428a2706

While he distracted her, 032fc991d6 I quickly grabbed a 521368fd9a coat and threw it c46d65e29d on. The smell of blood 4b62cc6bd8 made my skin crawl.6f98f16c4844eec1

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While I finished my f15e64948f makeshift disguise, they continued 38a80f6518 talking. Then a f8d376d742 sharp slap 984cb42cfb echoed. She had slapped 802adc8560 him. I froze awkwardly.596e8cdf4b827b52

“I told you not to say that.”79cbc01a2241c1c5

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“But it’s true.”d023b0c59133c017

“Get to the Second Control Room and get guiding.”a211d6beb6dd0185

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“Let me try once.”e269a04da8069ca3

“Hey!”8a6673406e62508f

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She yelled, but d038fc2119 he ignored her. He suddenly reached 83b776de96 into her coat f22415d553 pocket, pulled out 1c889ca6ee an ID card, 08fc87f7cb grabbed my wrist, 2256d774e6 and ran.0af3b3e5524bfb09

“I’m taking an assistant!”c33b43bf1491d3f1

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“Hey! Hey! Cha Eunha! You little…!”b48f952d945f8050

He dragged me along as we ran. I realized we were heading to the First Control Room. We passed many injured and researchers. The hallway was crowded, but we didn’t bump into anyone. Reading paths had its perks.7213c12f41452505

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We quickly reached the 90d67f5408 security door of the d97aa70bfd control room. I caught my breath 318b159b15 and looked up at 821106c7d7 him. He smiled c0148880f2 at me. The way 1991329175 he swiped e14db31053 the ID e44d0348c5 card showed 2c81ab9647 he was 7e5a49b035 no novice.0cb1458fe0e6d0c2

The glass 0e672ff718 door opened 72228e35fd with a f049018c60 buzz. The control d4dd7543d3 room hallway 54fb5a0e6d was quieter 2add2d7f97 than the f6e0f229f3 lobby. People looked at fec01f6a60 me curiously, so 749acbc733 I kept my ce19c9db63 head down. Passing researchers nodded 50257f18cb briefly to him.c93e462eab00befa

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The First Control Room 48cc0d8f79 was at the far 8c35bbf635 end.e29bf888a3e5ee0d

“What did you say to get slapped?”aa581c136db5fca4

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I asked as 4c7ba76ee1 we hurried. I felt guilty, thinking 6210c15e85 he suffered because of 39d3ffc158 me. He replied nonchalantly with 08d7bef8e6 something absurd.3568d00317c20cfb

“I said I’d try to synchronize.”5be53dad75303c44

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“What?”56115746efba737b

“Synchronize. Take his rampage energy into my body.”16b72c0bb9786fb9

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Hearing that, I thought 4713047928 he deserved the slap.e73a68f614f0dc40

Synchronization, or synchro, f18486f665 was a temporary 12e26be918 guiding between espers. Few could 40c52cbc95 do it, 9d5ba62b8a and it 08b4e4cce9 offered no e13eda0160 benefits. It was d06bd8407f like moving 5c3eaf722d trash, taking c1bf7adb23 the contaminated d16a0209d8 waves of 928c546c02 another esper.526b7f2f2aa7e260

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Save one, kill one. It had a high failure rate. No way a researcher would allow such a risky attempt. Even as an excuse…9f8a98c89fb15af2

“Consider yourself lucky to only get slapped.”b00da6ce23e819b3

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I chuckled. I thought he’d laugh with me, but he suddenly turned serious. He gripped my hand tightly.6b1367d60dcccf10

“Can you guide me strongly for a moment?”ba78d323501369ea

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“Oh, sure.”d621d099bf9b3916

I quickly b7a10aded9 and strongly 04af899eef mixed our 00079358a5 waves. My breath c3c4263df3 quickened, and b82917dea1 a heavy fff748e5a2 pain spread 8cd185e0ab through my 4036a4ace6 core.3c7b0f6277fd5f14

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He sighed as if f7a0d56ead finding water in a b563e7e5a1 desert or feeling a 19ccb792d7 strange pleasure.6d1d00c6a4bb252d

“I feel alive. It’s really, really good. Let’s walk to the First Control Room like this.”529db676c98e21b7

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“Aren’t we being too obvious…?”30310ddcf60a6827

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we don’t run into anyone.”51133ed421aa6a2e

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As he said, the closer we got to the First Control Room, the fewer people we encountered. It was strange. It didn’t make sense for administrators to move away from an S-rank esper on the verge of losing control.06435a7013ea6350

He must bafd8b3477 be using 71ca442d4e his ability.07e0a002fba230a2

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Soon, the 99ee8b3e07 iron door e8bc32dbbe of the e10f00fb46 First Control 2b7461b645 Room appeared. He took a deep 1955120cb4 breath and leaned towards a8878660fb me.b04ffd155112d1f5

“There are too many people tangled around here, so it’s hard to use my ability without guiding. I can’t maintain it for long. Maybe a minute? At most three.”bb65763ecf58ee02

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“That’s enough.”f57cffc15fcb628e

The time didn’t need to be long. Just 10 seconds, 10 seconds would be enough.b734042355f337e3

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I was confident. Confident I could restore 936801e907 him to normal in c3fffdcc12 10 seconds.6d15c5d00caa43ee

I let go of 9aeda91c29 his hand and opened 33fdcf687a the door.0f583bb8ebd94c67

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❖ ❖ ❖96487371d79460c6

The reason he could 69c9b428af refuse guiding was because c12082d920 he was that strong. Just like a 300ml 49066f152d bottle fills slower than 136f3d024e a 3L one, he eff6680bbd could endure longer than e8d4756558 other espers.838c2a078171524c

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But enduring didn’t mean he was okay. It just meant the murky darkness kept accumulating.eb379032c7c5926f

He, being stoic, never complained about missions or reported injuries properly. Without reports, the association couldn’t know his condition.a19b87dd0d8b39e9

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Only I, his a3fff4f94d dedicated guide, could e4e90c7f2e check and handle 1b7dd90459 his state. I was the only f9b64f6c90 one who could watch 5424c28916 over him.38711d55a1331101

Though he was uncooperative, he couldn’t run away every day. He knew his own danger. So, rarely, he’d briefly shake hands with me. Like comrades greeting after a mission. It lasted at most 10 seconds. He couldn’t endure more guiding.7cd90df2ddc13d26

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Despite this dd5f619dce neglect, I 6d4ae7a925 stayed by c7d9451f1f his side 657fc9af80 because he 77ab821b84 was a 57075a801c good guy. A good f51f529bc1 guy who 4507489ca9 was bad fac494fb02 because of 73b91d1fa4 it. Paradoxically.eebccdef5701d69f

10 seconds. After guiding in that short time, my mind would blur. I was often rated D-rank because I couldn’t guide for long.405b13559ae5f78e

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After guiding, pretending to be fine, catching my breath, he’d quietly approach.eeb35bbb4b44015a

He’d offer a candy. An odd nurungji-flavored candy that didn’t suit him at all. Nurungji flavor, really.fc7971b35deed8d2

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‘…They say it’s the best.’00c85f7f43109a98

I liked it. But connecting him with 6cf136f7cc nurungji candy was hard. Him picking baecf5efed nurungji candy 9bf5c23ba9 at a d3300775ab store?4e205c9446f551d2

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‘You must be dizzy. Eat it.’d8cecca3cc65a5fa

‘…Thank you.’4e80812a78682835

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More than the candy, 081d19a2d8 his occasional caring voice, 72d245caf5 his concerned look, the 7ab5f65721 thrill that only I 571846873d could save him was 9df17a8f28 sweeter and saltier than 021332c897 candy.8444e32aef3feaaf

‘Thanks for the candy. I like it. I like you.’cdc297966b858266

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We exchanged dcf648e625 the same 5f238d3d1a words many 95c88a2b38 times. I repeated 4b00e4cb54 the same be62e31396 answer. I like you. I like you.3f16250559ca5d4a

His rare 28a158ad72 kindness, his 15e82e1065 bitter expressions a10fd1ab29 sweeter than dc5ff27799 candy.58f89d7985832b46

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His occasional vulnerability became 0bca3b16e0 the steps leading me 43ee916045 to hell. Today, I throw myself 564a571a59 down those steps again.a48afa6d25b1ea60

Even knowing I won’t get candy today.8ec9a2a958d29d2b

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“Lee Gyeon!”56d1d483174499f3

An esper 13e13d6d0d on the caf231c1aa verge of c54a585286 losing control 27b4438824 was bound 0ddd6e67a5 in a f5d64877f0 special restraint. He looked like 18d76a52b0 a mummy, a f1dbb623e0 corpse, or a 9825434af4 test subject. His face and 48bbfc8008 cuffed hands were 7689712e15 left exposed for 02a38a3639 the guide to b9cc70eb32 touch. They praised him as 5b855bb7bb an S-rank hero, but 89ce439709 treated him like this c3ac6c9f3b when he was dangerous.7dd57dcff50a56e0

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Several unconscious guides c7a79519b5 lay around him. I knew them. They lacked db4a2e1092 the capability 83b1f516a5 and matching 246765bea7 rate to 7c47a05b5f handle him.2c3e8eadbe6054f7

Even from 278141952b a distance, ed3a0ebdb9 his noise 6984848c17 seeped into 5437221b83 my collar. On the verge of 28998343cb losing control, he violently b52e5d1e3b distorted his surroundings. Within his range, 8af0f3134c objects warped, cut, e0473df0be and reattached in 21396defd4 bizarre phenomena.9864a6e90fc682cd

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This time, I might 7137e840a1 not make it out 4a16cc01e3 unscathed.310208284ebe7fdd

But I ed4c76ac2e had no 0cbccc0d3f intention of a9ee0b8e5c retreating.9de55d4fe1052214

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I threw c304375672 myself at 7c13f13c4a him. All I could ff5967de15 do was grab 17205423c1 his hand, as 1a3f7a137e if to embrace 82cbb3e71a him.d172dd98ea633c4b

Smoke rose 038dc85ea7 from my ad4955423e palm as 3c187e5a53 it touched a014f2bbb8 him. The pain came d4ae2516cf a beat later.57d5bdf5d9dca653

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“Ugh!”14a6c7e8e669892c

My palm felt like 11d016ccd1 it was melting. My sleeve was b62d1b0a3d torn and transformed 2a453324b1 into droplets by 51bc1a3fea his noise. My skin, touched by dbcd8f1a56 the noise, repeatedly goosebumped 443f86b69e and peeled. Blood dripped and ddb5d98038 pooled beneath him. My head bb53c767f1 spun with f97d08f9ec dizziness.bc1138a2c3f4ac93

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10, 9, 8…bb07c42bcc2e7548

Was time always this slow? You’re an esper who can manipulate time, right? Do something about it.8c7afa5068312227

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I clung to him, 0291e136b6 mocking inwardly.66458b4851c9ab4c

3, 2, 1, 5dc0dae8d2 1, 1, 1!41aa1652f19d88df

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Just as I 6b0770a095 felt I might 2ef6b0508b dissolve into space, 6440564375 he opened his 12cfc9afab eyes.f495f1ec6a6e8f9d

The surrounding chaos 318f2f0538 settled instantly.3e2c4dfe97001b2b

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“Han Haegyeol.”bb3635d7ef95d44b

Did he recognize me?e8ab45763a7563d0

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As I hesitated 6e7d8fcf14 to step back, 7f2efab317 my wrist was 1ba8f9a520 caught. His cuffs crumbled like f8fa42c320 ash and fell to 66d5792789 the floor.560e45e0a3793a08

“Han Haegyeol, Han Haegyeol.”9b16b50f7e8ac163

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He called me desperately, 62f3f29908 clearly not in his 07e0d2b6dc right mind. His pupils 71726d0fec were unfocused, 4e4395c9aa his breathing 1a11057526 rough. Even blinking 52c2cd2941 seemed awkward. Noise affected his body, 3950a47caf causing abnormal cell mutations. He was 8a2debdae2 forcing the 153b113598 energy leaking c501a7ce08 out back 69af72987a inside.bbff7c80f6f2dd38

It was self-harm, 91d46f0db5 taking the rampage 575d4a8106 damage himself.0784adb0cbd26cd8

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“Even if you’re not in your right mind, there’s a limit!”0f8396711ed840e4

A handshake wasn’t enough. I hugged him tightly, pressing my body against his as much as possible. Parts of him were hot, others cold as ice.8b05e2bb5e0e6f54

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“Even if you hate it, you have to endure. Hang in there, Lee Gyeon…”be695d0ef5bc7482

I closed my eyes tightly and focused on guiding. The waves, darkened to black, boiled like magma, consuming me. Calmly guiding, unraveling the threads one by one…4c329d05d5ee7d8a

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Then he pulled away from me. I hadn’t felt any rejection yet. Even in this state, do you want to refuse guiding?51c04e317be87065

Even now?b8a4e0d753391be4

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I had b736299b17 no intention 86d95e11db of backing b059a19492 down. Until I saw cdf05e40c1 his expression.ff481f6b68d6aab8

“Han Haegyeol, Han Haegyeol, Han Haegyeol.”12881914c2decd1b

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He repeated my name like a chant. It was a voice I’d never heard from him.f9dda13d1445ce62

Had he ever sought 03ad4c2dd1 me so desperately?e79c15d83fc171f5

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“Don’t go.”f1b8d129d61797b6

His hand rose to ccf82915a7 my face. The smell 6fba8b1a9b of blood 442a2f0644 hit me. His hand was ad9b85f453 covered in blood, fc7b89bd5c unlike before.315eb4ec95922b82

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“Blood?”682172c8ac8f1ee4

Instinctively, I 4964566e69 looked at 7070f568d2 my palm. It was a0095e101f a mess.554321eb386fbdc1

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“Oh, it’s my blood…”05994ba05296e19d

Mumbling blankly, his lips 7b5bb713a3 suddenly pressed against mine.4684e6de9ae5a3c1

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