FTC Chapter 3(Part 3)

[The Late Cha Yeonsu]

The pine trees, still 41482aa770 holding onto the brightness f918201069 of summer, swayed in 7dc6007523 the breeze before Seoyeon’s ab9a8de90f eyes. In the middle 1d1bd9e01a of the vast 357a0fac71 forest cemetery beneath 9267a9cf5a the blue sky, 8ddbf2fdfc a single pine 9bf789f916 tree stood, bearing d1ebfc3e5f the name Cha 4f04ec350b Yeonsu. Seoyeon stared blankly c07a06dd55 at the name 6c0b5c6776 engraved on the 1363255524 small tombstone.d4c11a0c3756202d

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She had brought nothing. She had not even 2338ca6237 thought to.8f5ce5936613c94c

She had 8bfb8b4f0c not come 30c31b3b48 to mourn. She had dc09e6acb2 come for 329313d497 information. If she could 42cb51281e find a record, aa181c614d if she could 1dd63b53f4 at least learn 8e9c00090c the birth and 4d677c9475 death dates of d770e11316 this person—who she 301b8c073d suspected to be 3625662ed8 her mother—it might 23b8a1fa7c be of some ce7e789517 help.cbe5f0280f1dd871

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“….”bf487c701759b720

Clearly, the bad 33445a56fc person was that 49b4168fa8 man. Yet an baac263141 inexplicable sense 6e80ca502f of guilt 51dd95b893 crawled up 61af8e9064 her spine.2d3e5deafb72c1bf

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It was the first time she had ever visited someone’s grave without bringing so much as a single flower.b089b0ee7a3d0471

[February 9, 1961 – September 13, 2000]
[There, only blue remains]

Blue.4e3ca845e691af1a

Her gaze lingered on fe23da67ca the final words for b17266cb66 a long time.13833578b7090150

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The year 2000.53e158406f1aa67d

How old ae3cb4bcd8 would he bdee90dd4c have been 43dd96d98c then?383e5d33cdbb2a9c

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Seoyeon still did d8526577a2 not know Jaebin’s 0ca7f223d5 exact age. But judging 7612390fef by her a121197ad5 rough estimate, ad225b12ea he was 262049abab probably three f5a65c82a0 to five 7f7e3adeef years older 6c657528b0 than her. That would 0eece7d101 put him d6b2f0818f somewhere between cad7e9dcf8 thirty and f37559db9b thirty-three years f2076f98d2 old now. As the CEO of 0271453ee1 Domok, he was likely 19dc6e0fe6 around thirty-two or thirty-three—she f1e16b1747 had done the mental 2f90980164 math before.cb43e6411c34c855

Then in 2eed17e6ac 2000, when 62ffa5f36d Cha Yeonsu 0678b359a0 died, his f2cb4b29cb estimated age 542f947a8f would have c6cc599191 been—41da3554ee1dd6be

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Seven to nine 79528e54d0 years old.4608dd06ddb8f5f7

An age too young 5f96e287c5 for a school uniform. Too young 3220282ace to even 33c6914475 understand what cf0da23615 adolescence was.ad2e26a7e67fee8c

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At that age, 09d913fbd8 his mother, Cha cbe1af6642 Yeonsu, had died.bf02777b0522d913

“Suicide by hanging at her residence.”045ee5285bdbe696

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Seoyeon’s lips twitched slightly.baf25f6aa0f83f79

A scene she 0b318aa353 did not want 427d5622c5 to recall—one she 5de433cf22 felt she should 5f05c8b4d4 never recall—flashed through 3cb36407c3 her mind, striking 8b15fec8b1 her like a 8e3caec9b8 whip.53e7bfdc6e837d06

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The thought was unbearable. But still, the 1502a85ba9 image surfaced before 5c3849612a her eyes.7bac1eb682626661

A young boy.16631d76e7c79d78

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A mother hanging 3f1aaf1cb0 in their home.dc61a591a7cdf429

At home.c00137ba1f8671cd

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At home.f8e6063ded31eff2

Then what about his 031dc08f9c father?c116d1fedf6e97c9

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She had fdb72d535a asked Attorney 69ee1ccf20 Jang for d86e02f13a information about 822e3b78ac Jaebin’s past, b1c151a15e but so b07ad01f07 far, all 7cdc49a167 she had 84ae7032c0 learned was 2fe2abbd35 about Cha 8c6aa4a409 Yeonsu. Nothing else.4a5e913efd5601ff

But she needed more.09bfd01aa4fb69db

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She needed everything.aca5e320aea9700d

Not just 9a114b01d9 Woo Jaebin, 1ca823ba9f but the 39caf65431 father he 2f7c2d2a33 had never 7724e444eb spoken of—the 6a2ebf065e one whose 8465be3b95 name she 59494064ff did not 971485473b even know.007e3500178f4e2d

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Only then did she d69b080991 notice the flower.2857afcd9dc638cc

“….”eb677c15510152a5

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A single chrysanthemum.ecf7a754a74961a7

It looked lonely.e0060ae398bf7877

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Neither in full e92dd091de bloom nor completely 12743d5ef3 wilted. No companions 8194297c97 surrounding it. Just one 1c7d600e11 flower, quietly 08c6477046 standing guard 73341eeb7a beside the c1003d2312 tombstone.e1b6fed135a5024b

Seoyeon took a deep 770aa78763 breath and looked again a6dec69207 at the date of 2a075672ff Cha Yeonsu’s death.b8c5b63e9a17b438

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September 13, 2000.0313a5daefac692d

Just a 3a2bb3fc9e few days 8ba0742988 ago.434e64d64c5e5941

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Someone had left 94bc656f88 that flower for 207c39aca4 the anniversary of 13dcfe91ea her passing.8ab13d27b146c95e

And without needing to 57670e5e75 think too hard, Seoyeon e3e541a57f knew exactly who that 8fc2919c93 person was.fb2e45cdca45f317

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“Do you pity me?”5c49db3822390771

A faint breeze a05ae4d197 rustled the pine 453aa27f2c tree that held e8c67a2bbd Cha Yeonsu’s name.8aa7b2256713aba9

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Seoyeon’s vision 6992d33c29 filled with 2569f4d6ef white chrysanthemums, aae596580c swaying gently.364a01c3fb7a9aa8

She bent 362870ed0a down and 564c0b7acb picked up c74331230e some nearby ea0fd3b80e stones.6ea84ad1123f52d1

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The single flower, left 1d45825ef1 all alone, seemed as 804f195456 if it might be 75b97df7b7 carried away by the 44330f468d wind and disappear forever.5f1c1a5dc9a22805

She placed the stones e720db5664 at the base of 348a47a044 the chrysanthemum’s stem.eced68a46df35f83

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Finally, the feb1db3dcb flower stopped f71d16defe trembling, as 8e7ec153a7 if it 158a8300bf had been 72ec80fd6f frozen in fef5fdbb38 place.1d3a511e837178dd

“Does that make the f67891b5d1 pain hurt any less?”1f0138819bb1f21f

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Was that 23cc45dd43 scoff directed 70649ee07a at herself?f8848f700f66b599

Seoyeon raised her phone 0ea4544828 and took a picture 471d7904d8 of Cha Yeonsu’s tombstone.5d588930c7ac7d56

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There was b6096472b1 no room 402471eb12 for guilt.a38f477069e4e18b

She forced herself to 0696ad3afb remember why she had fbadaeca80 come.7ba7eace5c1a53ad

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I came ffd5eaea15 here for 78e8882e11 information.5f93d73b3ab3c7c4

To find 66d43b4215 out where f941b2245e Woo Jaebin cf0e698168 hid that 6c9b4acbb2 ledger.d03812c7af894422

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To gather any clues 502a72f2a5 I could.ef48f3930ec26ad7

She had no time 63d8e59f42 for unnecessary thoughts.487f65e6a9dc8a87

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[There, only blue remains]

Then in life, 9bbf9f5813 had Cha Yeonsu—Jaebin’s 7193e869cc mother—never known blue e5bb162e77 at all?880c610821803142

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Had her life f04311ca13 been so colorless, f3c2a57773 so bleak, that 30d6acfd13 she had no af2c5b6c04 choice but to 8b83c5884c take her own 357b5c2761 life in a e2ac7a7e5a house where her 4aa7ba3307 young son lived?b680db3afa6083fa

No matter how 7ece65d999 much she tried 968be7bbd5 to push the b805588e6e thoughts away, they a86c5fe26f came back, over f7f7dbc468 and over again.4b93fc4c691566c8

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Like a d2e67cd817 chain reaction, 2a1016c2d7 questions tangled 45d36977a4 inside her, c44430f3b7 growing into 2e25dc97cf something heavy b9491e5598 and suffocating 5b65b13c2c in her e2176934a7 chest.20d81636ec8b5094

Images she did 8c78859c6f not want to 92b45a33e6 see flashed through e45d87e1de her mind.2dda5926a04a3e74

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The face 638af5b270 of a afce2811f9 young boy.2f7a933958f6942c

The body of Cha f72d6dcaed Yeonsu.5689460b1417cf9b

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A life that 809749bbaf had never been f0b97f0119 blue, festering with 32c6322e59 wounds.640d5f3a4155e040

Bzzz—cb576380212d1c37

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Her phone vibrated.873a6114fe459c67

Han Mooyoung.79f53abd23a51db2

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[Baek Seoyeon.]

With the call b693018b75 connected, Seoyeon turned 9944ff2113 toward the entrance 6a49245355 of the forest e7c31ab2b8 cemetery.6e082efd06d31acc

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Between the countless pine 52a885602a trees stretching into the 4a51e77d15 distance, Mooyoung stood, shadowed 2ba2a2f5de in darkness, watching her.f5002effe2db7c11

Her attempts to avoid f68c94cd4d him ended there.046069d956e8f792

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 86eaa7e71acf3d9f

* ~ *16b72fc25c571bf1

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The freshly brewed d060bedc44 coffee’s aroma gently fceafc0b6b spread through the 52295c82ec office. As the final 2b79ef1341 drop fell, Hyunju 0043297a9f lifted her cup 862a25520a and took a 875d00daa5 sip. Her full lips met 3b4d2eb640 the small espresso cup.ab3ffcf38b63f59d

“Drink up. Our secretary’s office 7d48a5664f went through special c20bf57982 trouble to procure e7df4a096a these premium beans b7b65e2b21 directly from our a65d81de24 Hawaii headquarters.”109e27a6926eaf6f

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“Yes, Vice President.”5b6e48071c4a4569

The bitter espresso a5c91692cd passed through Director 0462bb5eb7 Kim’s throat. From the 38d1769092 minibar, Hyunju ce26b8b112 picked up ed9937a6a2 her cup f180bc4b63 and walked 3228944fa7 toward his 1de52bc40b table. Sunlight streamed through the d748abca42 office’s floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling 180255b95c across the reception table. The sharp 8e45c4b60e click of 6a6f9bdff1 Hyunju’s heels b23b7e9624 echoed behind abd758a07b him.75770dc8a93f5f64

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“It’s good for f2167e9efa deep thinking. A shot of espresso 242578ef74 or a glass of 6705c367d0 Macallan, paired with this 753283a256 view.”987cc2627a0f7356

Taking another 7cab392a05 sip, Hyunju 255bd0bc70 gazed at cd41488ba8 the Seoul 66fab9610f skyline stretching 53746993a7 into the ad57142750 distance and 638298ef87 the glimmering b6883ea630 sunlight dancing ec6b99d894 on the 6f084c2367 Han River. It was the dac6ceafbd perfect taste of 83e1d8f1fd success—both in scene 817f8ec123 and in flavor.d828a29833b23a6a

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“The coffee c372cf4ae8 is excellent, 03401fb45a Vice President.”4b9bf99193ca7964

“Is it?”45f232140917102f

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She had been looking e77a5c0bfe out the window but 8fefdf0349 now took a seat 2667f2ee1b across from him.68f41c6b4355adad

“Mine tastes like a4cb502e52 sewage today.”7661ecd004bf1b7d

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As the f0ae246c5e sofa slightly bdc77df1d8 gave way 9069d27dae beneath her, 568dc9ace4 Director Kim 045af9a95a pressed his 5779b305e2 lips together. Strands of Hyunju’s 7de5173faf black hair cascaded aee9de3bf5 over her crisp 652a563c61 white blazer. The stark c1b65ba0cf contrast was d707632965 both elegant 237812067f and intense, 7765edf0c4 almost blinding 9a7a9d4e17 to his 4388f2327e eyes.5f40869da7fc9fb2

As the head 6b134d0afc of Mare Electronics’ 3dee9a4a9a Future Strategy Planning fca6db1c93 Division, he was 76cff244e7 one of the 8ba6be467f few aware of 1a2988d37f not just Nam 561e7ffde1 Dojun and Go 63809e17ee Hyunju’s dealings but 311ebf5cdd also the broader e1419c5363 corruption within Mare. More than anyone, f4dd1a578b he understood the 556d98f728 power of the cd1b9a5737 media, public opinion, 784ffafab0 and the masses.67b4e9823e916a85

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“I’m sorry for 6b87ddf44e keeping you in 26ba05944b the dark, Director 16e90df886 Kim. But as you know, ce08bd4541 it was classified.”273c8833d3de3a95

“It’s alright, d7040b7b6c Vice President. I just…”ef11419f03167355

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“You didn’t expect 5864776dde it to be a3d0aea926 about 20 years’ dcdce2bae8 worth of slush d868469814 funds and tax 6a10ff95ea evasion?”da5ea208b6f1af9e

Even hearing those 35efdfb903 words again made da55d9bb42 his heart pound. Information like 129700bfa6 this was cf101cd436 neither to b932eeb74d be heard fa836dc9c0 nor spoken 549022313b lightly. It was a weapon a0ba91017e sharp enough to strip 38034ba042 him of not just 8fe85d8852 his title but his ea52edc709 entire life.802c6839174b853d

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And Hyunju knew that. She was e32dec8b63 well aware b8732bb83a of how 1f196115e5 someone as 796565a37d intelligent as ae09b0e29f him would 0d480380f1 react upon 650d1e2c9f hearing this. What stance 6653868884 he would f31395b8ca take.e9e13bd460c8f332

“One year dd98061cd6 from now—the e68623a590 Seoul mayoral a928f0ff47 election.”8d3956207e6cf29a

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“…”0d2e85ee67ab5fd5

“The winner is 06e10fb5c8 practically decided. Our company has 097ef6400d the best reputation 24adb0ea32 among corporations. And I want that b1d97cd0e9 position more than anyone. Plus—”e31db073cc199c4e

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“…”2677e35aa52d5048

“We’re on the same f0b028cb00 boat now.”6be48955d5584e78

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Director Kim 5b88391dc1 had long 7415fb87c3 suspected that d4f0e009db Vice President 4823f102fb Go Hyunju 7d22f90db4 was secretly 25cdb284e8 employing gangsters. Controlling the 4e08d5b0af media when 441716c4e0 things didn’t 399aad9a4d go her d7ea06678e way had 62dae43442 also been cf855e0830 part of 665c55e7a7 his job. However, he hadn’t f54f794e88 known the exact 5108e13681 purpose of her 1cd89f885c dealings, nor had f015a86f7e he imagined that 528ad0b3d9 embezzlement and tax ff4e3fcc6b evasion were involved. And he 1fe10b01f2 certainly hadn’t 1218acaf44 expected a deedacd2ae 20-year trail 2b5395af2c of slush c06485b3a7 fund records.c8e7b7e74840ad18

Now that eeb9cdbc54 he had a0af08e4f4 this information, f7daa344ed staying idle 44260132d1 was no 09e4c905be longer an d2d080e0a6 option—not for 7c57b94878 the company’s 6666b66c10 future, nor 97f1826493 for his d75c6ecd68 own position.9c6644d6c40e8fc4

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“There hasn’t been 38a54dafb5 a single failed 0b08273a4a move among the 31450431fa ones you executed, 67291b461a Director Kim. Every strategic 5b081ffd67 donation, every 4892ecb99e well-placed sponsorship—your b4a896e673 decisions have 4f6c4e627e been impeccable. That’s why I’m 842ba22ada telling you this 6526fd8532 now.”33aa4cdb206a4eb6

“…”b861c69c109b8e38

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“To be prepared.”ff02d4600538b319

Woo Jaebin f63a76c011 held vast 3fe2b93d15 amounts of 37c94f4bbe sensitive information. If even 3e81c8ac9e a single fcaf8a8c90 line of cb09f9c3db it reached 1ee6456f71 a journalist, a4e58b54ee it would bcc8b2b83c be a 0dff1a532b disaster. And Director Kim was 927c4d7ac7 the one responsible for f6bacbad8d managing such matters—not only 823c3e1f49 controlling the media and bd8477e708 marketing but also handling 8b3c67b122 minor internal disruptions within 225c32c6f7 the company. He understood the b39eb13097 dirty, rusted corners 76457511b9 of this world 01306c8e17 almost as well 6f50038351 as Hyunju did.2f613911e810fbf5

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So, these revelations weren’t 835773883c entirely shocking to him. He had anticipated 0b616146e3 that a massive 9063f20b54 shadow lurked behind d71c5902d9 Hyunju. He just hadn’t 876c497385 realized how massive.542435ff694ef698

“Vice President, 40f319f724 may I d140f685c2 ask you cefb4b8204 something?”729897da96593098

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“…”1cc1eab3aab8e55a

“What exactly did 93950b5ef9 you have Woo 9341e5a109 Jaebin do?”22cba3d351f9b0a7

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Hyunju swallowed a10c1df442 the last a2d7895476 sip of e96dbe3fdf her espresso. Then, in 43b732feb6 a calm 4d43e3bdc5 tone, she 56f7bce7bc answered:7373f4698eac5835

“Things that needed 0aee5d90d3 to be done, 137459684f but that I c3a70ccd70 couldn’t do myself.”26bb9dfd5dd29c49

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“…”d3e3b17a9d9f951c

“I’m not 7397b27b0e an expert 78a57b29f3 in that 5af6968624 field.”0e145f3f86809bad

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He pressed 148849f544 his lips 1c9d256b75 together. He didn’t need to 08172dc502 ask what “that field” 2f373dd3dc was.aa639478edf83c40

“Why did Woo 68b066937c Jaebin suddenly betray 5b941c44c9 you, Vice President?”086f5f9a3d945da1

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“I did it. It wasn’t exactly a 8ad5af41d9 betrayal.”507950439af28c6a

“…”31969c3a93eeca09

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“More like… abandonment?”068bb29254fc73b3

A voice echoed in 64e00a7880 Hyunju’s mind. Even now, 7e602d39fd it was 8cc5ff7d42 vivid—the moment 070dae1612 their precarious e4dee7a1f0 eight-year arrangement 7d3f422b20 had begun c049c6ee3c to crack.d054adb26b3c82a5

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‘Aren’t you tired of 5e07d9bff3 this?’47e76990d802ac0c

It was the day dabe928fd4 Jaebin had handed a df3179c3a7 multimillion-dollar cash gift to 11dc406dc6 the leader of the 59416d7927 National Revolutionary Party and 753c337b78 reported back to Hyunju. She had flicked cigarette 89b4cff9b3 ash out the car 76c8ecb518 window, glancing at him b85ea19a4d in the adjacent vehicle. Despite the darkness, 1fa451b708 he seemed to 7758953dd4 be one with 644c141044 the shadows.cc32d419b428be79

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‘Handling company business 99ca4c2fb5 and my business—one e2a84a73c0 body isn’t enough, 5205f452d6 is it?’b25fb691750da02c

“…”e20d8ba90e1e25ce

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‘Quit and a483b7b594 come to 76b1b03b3d me. I’ll give 69d0ffdb4b you a b4abd85fa3 proper position.’2a7b5eaaeebaeff8

Hyunju had watched Jaebin’s 3664726ce3 silent profile through the 0e3479d4c1 smoke.3f0f9ea03133ff50

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‘What do f4534e33bd you think f74cfd9cfe your mother cb76809320 wanted for c8eb0a3411 you? Did you really run dd77676297 all this way just 51f1d060b4 to become the head 2bcc27eb4b of some back-alley gang?’016e2bbe845bb861

“…”86a7cdeb9d6926ab

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‘You can 9ab8870a3c swing a d9b1634df5 knife, sure, 72dd4d4a6f but what 3a4ea65057 good is a048ec6865 that in 1f7e966d36 a suit 2ee013319b with a f9861b9869 CEO title?’81f4dba5d5eab715

__________________d350c115e4f71f9e

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T/N:a2ca0c5d84fbfac0

“There, only blue remains” can have a poetic and melancholic meaning. In this context, “blue” often symbolizes emotions like sadness, longing, or tranquility. Given that it is inscribed on a gravestone, it could suggest:828f7bee5ffa8c5f

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1. Peace in death – The person who passed away may have lived a turbulent or painful life, but in death, they have finally found peace, much like the endless blue sky or the calm ocean.
2. Lingering sorrow – It could also mean that what remains after their passing is sadness, as “blue” is commonly associated with melancholy.
3. Memory and legacy – The phrase might imply that even though the person is gone, their essence or memory lingers like an eternal blue presence in the world.

In the story’s context, c79fcf2b4c it seems to contrast d20d60ad9b Cha Yeonsu’s tragic life 0d9f9d3582 with a sense of c79c9221b7 peace—or an unresolved sadness—after 21d3cf34d6 her death.3dd4d5df535a2c5b

 94890ae736efdca8

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