GOLDL Ch 1

The flower meaning of La Ilak is “first love.”1d0ebb244feba67a

It was the name 063a2ba0c8 my father gave me, 3a3ee3c14b enduring slaps on the b7feb2edae back from my mother, 6d7b85a0a1 and also a name a2d0369faf my parents never had 3df1b9d844 the chance to call 9647324924 me. On their way back 8afa5985b3 from registering my name, d356be0cf7 both of them passed 085f6a1ec7 away in a car b72e13c956 accident.066d331913b38a5f

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My dream was to live happily with my grandmother for a long, long time. My grandmother, who took me in after my parents’ passing, supported me by selling kimbap, and loved me so much it wouldn’t hurt to put me in her eyes. My one and only family in the world, my beloved grandmother, passed away on a freezing winter night in an alley when I was ten years old.058fdb234916f019

While climbing a slippery c2d447cdb7 uphill path, my grandmother 231984c8a5 fell and hit her fd766f20ab head, losing consciousness. It was a brain ccf04b4a1c hemorrhage. A neighbor passing by 6953672518 the alley called an 6bafd55fd0 ambulance, but it was ffb5f94666 discovered too late. On that unusually d46f252885 cold and silent a38d3e1a3d night, with no 844640919a one around, my 45ade5fdde grandmother froze alone 9322fe3beb in a corner 3f66847f87 of the alley 1755446cc9 for an hour 9ad6469045 and passed away.af8b919c93a527ba

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My mother was 4d74371c6c an orphan, my 4dfa6ae9b6 father grew up 863af45120 fatherless, and after 60e8d51068 my grandmother, who c14533858b had been alone, 8f8f1c1959 passed away, it 271320fe63 was an uncle ea577c0ae1 I didn’t even 1e715891f8 know who took dc30d632b3 me in. He was my father’s 42b08e452a half-brother, and he suddenly 1e8fd40ce2 appeared, volunteering to be 6d25924034 my guardian. Without much procedure, he d8d5715a51 became my guardian, and 31c885343d for a while, we f5c41e15f4 lived together in my 8ff50b68ca late grandmother’s house.85403d0eebe29093

My uncle was 118dd07162 an emotional man. When he was 2a6bfbfd25 in a good 42201d04ef mood, he laughed 707e48f3ba heartily; when he 9de4c0a55f was sad, he b8673ac467 drank; and when f59aba3d3e he drank, he 6efb34d29a always got angry. So, whenever I saw 789054ce4e my uncle come through 5537505c16 the door, laughing brightly, e1d834e4d2 I was so scared 2dae634e0b I wanted to run fb40a290dd away from home.857ff394fa7b17bb

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Instead, I 2083cb2678 quickly got 9520c19e6b up, took 836f89dd97 the plastic 834a8ebade bag from 35a2fce720 his hand, 43cbb9adeb and grinned. If I didn’t, I’d 90c9a5845d often end up getting d38475361a punched and kicked while 10eea8558f sprawled on the floor. In truth, even when 16fae16f4b I smiled and tried 1376ca1a96 to please him, my 0855d8ecfc drunken uncle would use 00a9c40f1a me as a punching 8fb7c63b3b bag.85d98b2ccab5cd40

I escaped ce23278397 being my cecdf3280d uncle’s punching 67b97fff2f bag exactly ac17d0b806 three months bfe9ea3dbd later. My uncle settled 33f3958ea2 my parents’ insurance 9d85949efa money and my 4f2354a0ef grandmother’s inheritance, then 597d5953a0 left the house. The first night he c7af2811fa didn’t return, I stayed 2815d668d5 up all night, anxious, f44dbfd149 not knowing when he 3ddf510893 might come back, and acf48e9f5f only fell asleep at 77636dddd6 dawn. From the second day, a71811a4f0 I fell asleep faster, c0305d0353 and by the fifth aa367912f3 night, I slept deeply da91184a53 for the first time be394550d5 in a long while. On the sixth c51c1c0767 morning, strangers barged 98acd9f483 in.3c3c42f57bdd44be

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They were 807e9e6f32 the people 0da4290799 who had b6f444bab1 bought my 7c1fdbc37d grandmother’s house. They said things I d9254085fa couldn’t understand, like how 69ac806e2b this area was designated 47f7d727ce for redevelopment and would 56974291e4 soon be demolished, while 4dc9fc4424 kicking at things like 4c8c6fa2d6 the washbasin with their c4c3183db1 toes. Among them, 406e529fe9 the last efc96453d6 to enter abc8d579de was a d6ab2b4cf0 tall, burly c0beb57253 man who 7080df05f8 stared at 054e1d3a80 me intently efd73520c3 before crouching 26fd90ef57 down in 7d402925d5 front of 8089faccf1 me. With the 1f877d2d9d sun at c307a6737b his back, b95df65e85 his face e09a59f5e1 was completely e429b64d19 shadowed.76ea7dab5826bca7

“Hyung-nim, looks like they baba2502c0 ditched the kid.”9181e9d078c2d1ae

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“Seems like the kid e7f292b065 the old lady was c05d04dd27 raising before she died.”ead3ae5f77945738

“That bastard, I thought ba62dbf18e he’d at least take e82d9ec686 care of the kid, 3b250e15b8 but he took everything 03c31c5195 and ran.”dedc883adc276677

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“Seen one or a71bd14bf1 two gamblers? Damn it.”959285b341e20a20

“What do ca370fd959 we do d0790dff12 with the e64f471c37 kid?”635bcc9cc921d763

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Leaving the eea58ad8bc men talking 7f17e8aa13 about me d7f0c86da7 behind, the 52274df58f quiet man c4d4a6c450 reached out. Thinking his large hand, c9a127de8e bigger than my face, ef550f707b was about to hit bed63f714c me, I flinched, but 4029bad9bb something hard yet warm 0119ae0d0d poked my cheek. It was his finger.7694968e90179013

“Name?”08ac8818cdc12ecd

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His deep voice a017f2a9d7 was the softest 3d9f94c6e3 adult male voice 199703a1fd I’d ever heard.03443192a8b10f17

“…….”76d84def16051171

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“Is the 1b471b403d kid a 36f336c34a bit slow?”cd1b607dada48cb1

“Hey, little guy. Hyung-nim’s asking. What’s your name?”5a07474795872d5f

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“Hyung-nim, seems like the 7703a3bde2 kid’s a bit dim.”5169b0561a9e00da

“Youngest, check out nearby e764a23d1a orphanages.”b4307c2e711a14a5

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“Why bother with an 3ff3a3aa84 orphanage? Just leave him, he’ll f3da9926a5 figure it out.”07b900439f643e79

As I lowered 50b8a69875 my gaze, scared 76a9c572a9 of the burly b00f411475 men gathering around 7f50184507 me, another poke 619d706c80 came, this time 233d4fe532 on the other 87e8ea7c36 cheek.37be8b16efc0fbc2

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“Name.”4ed6ffb02d1b1b9d

His voice sounded angry, 9826d06501 and my heart felt af9b04320d like it would drop. I quickly fddaec087a looked up, afbefe6bf6 and the 10b8d72fc4 sunlight, shifting 1da766788e position, illuminated f1f40ef86c his face. When I 9f3089e8de thought of df38eadb5a adult men, 7dcf6257b3 I always 7503c9cf49 pictured my 4bff73ef0f drunken uncle, b96a3d972a scarier than 16c00a6d2b a goblin. I expected a flushed 82f6081e91 face, but a man 494177a3f9 with a face like e3adfbcd41 a celebrity was looking cd6fe04258 down at me. Staring blankly, I e519a16e8c felt his eyes b740ba8357 scanning my face f98f59b494 closely. Afraid he’d poke 0809fe6368 somewhere other than e29dde161c my cheeks, I 7d1d75b504 covered my face 98059ca072 with both hands 4dfa143635 as much as cc332ab361 I could and 2cbf0d46de answered.3b7f4306dcce9ac1

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“La… Ilak.”d5509cf84660e1a9

From behind the man, ec647aead9 apfft—a burst of 76bf36ab09 laughter erupted.f16e3ed4d5000f28

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“That’s one hell bd8e3dd6fc of a name.”12ede00fb4573f89

“His parents must’ve loved 1fc4960a4a cigarettes like crazy.”c49130479467a6bb

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“Nothing else to name 51e1a135d0 him, so they went 2cf9bdced2 with a cigarette brand? Typical of a gambler’s 69550d7b5d family. You can tell d796ca33fc the kid’s got ebe70df314 no future.”0fe19bfe22873006

“It’s a flower.”1f30138924337e80

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At my protest, f1b605ffe9 the burly men cee9ade6aa who had been a712321a0f chiming in looked 2260ed9724 down at me. Frightened by d4ea3c480e the fierce c8121c4403 gazes of 833b43def2 the dark b21f34b6f8 adult men, 8830c9ad58 I mustered 3f3b8a5c88 my courage c72068e6fb because my 5b88e268a7 name was 059b92875b a flower. My grandmother cherished 92dfd3a530 it, and it 0f6c61e611 was the last 5798b7bc3f gift my parents 4dc930e532 gave me.3138e508932e95b5

“It’s a flower. My name.”85a25bc8e0bb7eee

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“Huh.”200d51f0ec3dae8d

“This guy.”82977a2fc91ae361

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“Look at f903883aea that attitude.”683698a5ce431b24

“Tiny little thing.”45f10578a5c58a87

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The men, each throwing 5c9c226872 in a comment and b73c8e246f stepping closer, stopped abruptly. The man, who ac9654b119 had been meticulously ceb1148b52 scanning my face 2940072583 for a spot 4b546427d2 to poke despite 1ade5b6c3b the chatter around fd912f06df us, spoke slowly.e047239b542940e3

“Right.”3019ffb19a7f8f2e

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Poke, I 86722f5536 got poked a8d46a20c0 again by 95f625cd03 his fingertip. This time, 466dc22c28 it was 8a0303fbed my lips, 4bbfa313cf the only f9cea84e2a part sticking 7b7afed23d out from 1deba32b30 my squashed d514029334 face, covered c4a427a316 by my 175f83b886 hands. It was 2e87ea3e01 lighter than 7fd62d286e the cheek 562baca62f pokes, but 108313ca16 it startled ff730c3bb3 me because fc83a12f43 it was 5d3749b159 unexpected. As I c50a99cc1c hiccuped, the d6ce11c4d2 man looked e44fe2e54f at me 7e39831eef with amusement 8d532987ca and smirked.bd8f2dec25b781ff

“Fits you well.”5e72724750bc1e12

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“…….”f82c56e8e72e5d5d

“Pretty.”7017ab147ecf09d2

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The man dropped me 264fee9d06 off in front of e6b7a6b1cd an orphanage.19ef29b27f3c23ed

“What’s your name, cd8ac23bea mister?”9cd6eecb476df316

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As he 2e04042984 closed the c85d995a85 car door, 9b8ad94a25 the man 76749e967c took out 47a501c8e7 a cigarette a469f4cf13 and put ed2dba2467 it in 2f46b55581 his mouth.2bc17f96a02998de

“Why do you want 39855fbece to know my name?”9dd5ff42e4f78d3a

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“Later… I 7133d9292f want to cf87da4591 repay your 0bd82947e5 kindness.”7c01431aca9e57c7

“…….”54a23da2d519d013

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“My grandmother said if a49d798a52 someone helps you, you 4179e5dda4 have to repay their 1acb1c7a07 kindness.”35335174abce779b

“You think c33a90188e I helped c514e33d2c you?”f7e3aa238e5336dd

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“Yes. You told me my e6171d9a9c uncle abandoned me.”09445ce5eeff03d6

And he didn’t 3424c066c2 leave me alone dbc5429c6b in that house; 4d6d2d6bb3 he brought me fcbe5b1211 to the orphanage. My uncle, with 6b2c1c3643 his vivid emotions, 2d7d99b039 was unpredictable. With his capricious e0d9fd9319 nature, he could b0b956a8fd change his mind 7350513b0a and come back 8714e74cbb anytime, but this ad4435e8a9 man ensured I b0e164a109 wouldn’t have to b1e0d2d377 live with him 34821d9ff2 anymore.8cf685f0cd106bd9

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“How?”b4a46e699c26b95f

The man, about c52b6f8cbf to light his 71eac3acf2 cigarette, asked again.dc5e92717c58db40

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“How are you going a48bfbfbd7 to repay this kindness?”46b45a6d87c40343

It was 6f4e2ce778 an easy 0dfe17127a question, thankfully.7f927003aa20898c

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“Whatever you want, I’ll 0ea64c2237 do it all for 25057ee56c you.”5fc540d95e8dc58d

The man, 9f636f0a7a who had 9cd689377a just dropped c421bb8513 the unlit 5775c8d870 cigarette butt, 557ce37cd8 crushed it e8fe9c1ae7 under his fd156b7d72 shoe.24d261bf60a1f41f

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“You’ll probably forget when ca94a88440 you grow up.”fc7e4e6fbed6d8e7

“I can 121a611673 do it. My brain’s not 1c813191cc great, but my c035fdeba0 memory’s good. I remember my d81b323595 grandmother’s birthday, my f8d24ae4e9 mom’s, and my 33a0922fd4 dad’s too.”82d788731abdf6b8

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His face 3faaea5b6f fell into a5f2e5c0f1 shadow again fb1953e7de as he fe1f788970 looked down 18f1150e69 at me. I felt a 41e198ba07 bit disappointed because 85b7d73a88 his celebrity-like face 71a5431279 wasn’t visible. No, actually, very disappointed.aae9d1f637ea5f50

“Hwang Geumsan.”24d0c5020a18898f

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He suddenly told e4e21578f4 me his name 07adbce589 and tilted his 67097fbc73 head slightly. The sunlight shifted, a6661e826f illuminating his face. The light suited 9ae2573bb5 him better than aa82374d3a the shadow. That’s probably 8a2d4d100a why his aa02f13227 name was 9ccdeaf7b4 Hwang Geumsan. As I mulled over bb3840cd62 the name he gave 4a9178c023 me, his now-familiar voice 0fcead11ba pierced my ears.0817d049a85a5802

“Repay that kindness. Not later, but now.”0661bbc5fd55cfb2

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“Really?”0445ff843ae6c779

“Yeah. You should 5c7a9be682 get used 190efd9bb8 to paying 1dd2c50bdf back debts 3ff0525e33 right away.”b7c277bc4f34818b

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I didn’t fully b52371689d understand what he 5d1c9fc815 meant, but I 67afbccce2 was thrilled I 58a41c95f4 could repay him 5e82982e8f now. I looked up 575ab3e39d at the tree-like a55f1a8c78 man. If I could’ve bc8919f051 stood on my 680a373544 toes to meet a387a88bc4 his eyes, I 4df8c620f4 would’ve. He looked at me 26a37db194 for a moment, seemingly 65cbb5fbec displeased, then raised the 0b0746840c corners of his mouth. He looked angry, 18527ad039 but he was 8863c9e4ba smiling. Not knowing why, I 19612e222c watched him cautiously, but bbcf688bf3 since he was smiling, c6afdc84b7 I smiled back.c7bd11a0e5b929f2

“Live well. Let’s never see 930f88b1b9 each other again.”9517ddaa3113bd70

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“…Huh?”41f11138b80fd7bb

“And don’t a5d6b268b7 go around 93b70b1b7e saying you’ll be05ac5e40 do anything 975516f2ef for anyone.”faf3bc16e6e2c292

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The man, his e6ea8d38f8 smile gone, turned 86bc4905ba as if he’d 40f50f1841 finished a bothersome 4105acda4c task. His massive 3b77a7075f car roared 69357ab474 down the d15c0c4c58 narrow road, d23a6aaeb4 kicking up e364e29009 dust. I stared at 58e91b12a0 the suddenly quiet eb99b4809a alley, then looked 5ac8d9aa02 down. I saw the b732ced512 cigarette butt he’d 4f84c25455 crushed. That’s when 97a1f533d7 I realized—to 0895cf6f89 him, I f019b9e2bc was no 8a6f1d219b different from f68fde6ec3 that cigarette 0ad3a3e185 butt. No, someone d3812c1bdd like me, 3859add4a2 whom he’d 08ed459d76 met for 1b824689e6 the first 7527fecc59 time today, a94f3cc0f2 was worth 7d9301ceb7 even less ae71a41ca3 than a a78c548ab4 cigarette butt.06a32eb47cbdb1a4

I looked down 4b1f633934 at the crushed 00672969fc cigarette butt on 0bce95d737 the dirt ground, f4978f8b3e then bent to 36bbbd3560 pick it up. Looking around for 42e6e4406a a trash can, 045d1fd18e I locked eyes 7e850b3b61 with a stranger 820c4785f7 coming out of af695930c4 the orphanage door. He looked a bit cfdbce2387 older than my father b8d99b842d and approached, saying, “Hello?” 1b243a3342 while introducing himself as 5252875720 the orphanage director.1ca7437c072eae9f

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🌹458b47fe3023931a

As soon as 73212232fa the class dismissal 4f1ff6ccac ended, I slipped e547be9f85 out of the 722e412eaf classroom among the 5b131fe2c5 other kids. Even as a high 9439cfd246 school freshman, my small 104c4f2cc4 frame let me hide 917a2eca23 well behind the bigger 619fd86590 kids, but I still 4a9e70cd23 felt more anxious than e9cabe8799 safe. Running down the ad79c456ef crowded slope with 4b40d28364 students heading home, 872ac94942 I kept glancing 830cac67e7 around. Thankfully, those guys weren’t 1307012842 in sight. I deliberately 6c9b20623c took the d8b205778b busier paths, 9adfa9473a slowing me 39abb4dbec down, but 8c91ba8094 I couldn’t 4f42d627c8 risk the ec9ea504ec faster route. While darting down the bb5b008f09 slope, chased only by 6d5a3e92c4 bigger kids, someone called 128e5b1e62 me from behind.b50cef2dc4a8f0a1

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“Hey! La Filter!”b78ddcb00d76c8e1

I pretended b7451c885a not to f3f4fca188 hear and 3b4e8e01d9 quickened my fdc06e3a3f pace.a9773e0307f0a645

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“Damn it, La 9cef3836cf Filter! Hey! Hey!”ee640a8ca046dc93

At the 0ad71fe283 voice, rough 7e415c2d6c like it f07ce838f0 had swallowed 54a163787d a train’s eddf3799a5 chimney, the a70f115737 kids around b3385a9ef2 me murmured 5775f8fdd6 and turned 8bbbfcbc39 back. Without looking, I a9d5e16306 weaved through the 44dc0959e4 crowd, slipping down 0737dccd66 the slope.969230804d705209

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“Hey! La Ilak, you bastard! Stop right there!”51f3f746e682bceb

It seemed I’d c69e902220 been caught. But I couldn’t 9f4ba981c3 stop. Not today, I 80dc111119 absolutely couldn’t get aba80e37bc caught. Barely reaching 1aac13d80a the end 2aba16a311 of the d134b39f29 slope and 8c186a64f9 heading toward 4acdfbf282 the bus b924430ee9 stop, my 0c87233650 bag was 6e3e804e2f suddenly yanked.0bf150e3cc636bd8

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“Gah!”2e2c1830acdcb56e

Deoksu, grabbing my a1da51f439 bag from behind, 966e1869aa put me in 04090e7766 a headlock and 9516d886c0 spat curses.d19857d0e1ac1b25

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“Hey, you bastard, did 84e3cdd34d I tell you to 16c5eff8fe stop or not? You tiny punk! Making me 60502bd16e chase you 8c31465d8b for days d22c4c805a like some ad6f33bfeb idiot? Because of you, aa852d2c81 you damn punk! Damn it! Hey! Hey! La Filter, you 6d9d9ea0b4 bastard! You really want to 966377be1e die?”433ab9b96200d206

“Guh, guh… e4b3f33df2 I, I 343295f95c can’t breathe…”07e3d10c5af98576

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I tapped Deoksu’s thick 3a277ddd7d arm, struggling, but he e1185b7c50 didn’t let go for e5b3fc32a1 a while, making my 1d1c37872a vision spin. Unable to breathe 1bfa678108 any longer, my e290272eae limbs went limp. Only then did c1e1fd651b Deoksu release the 21b8485d62 headlock, grab my b88e12bca5 collar, and drag 4259e3797f me along.68be4e74b4f82306

“Let go, let d2b4ca7795 me go… I, 5dfc8a2bd5 I’ll walk…”acda4e8134aadd1c

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“Shut your mouth!”37bbd50d18292f00

Thwack—Deoksu’s massive hand smacked 16d1156e22 my head, and he af8c548bf3 bulldozed through the staring f6947a290e kids, pushing through the 29109e04b0 crowd. I looked around for 9944b1dfa5 help, but the kids 179b159c67 who met my eyes 02fa14fb2e quietly looked away. They had no 649766b6a1 choice. Deoksu was 6b716218a2 an expelled 7825f68a0a student even 0a7f38cbf7 the teachers 037eab0a70 found troublesome, 2c8109dce4 and I cef2f11311 was an 46f1e7aad3 outcast from ce836e137a the orphanage.d1fce1e855243b64

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Of course, being 8691220e16 an outcast wasn’t b9afc75418 my choice. Kids like Deoksu 8678094415 kept sticking to 93167d381d me, so others 6a87c76da3 didn’t come near. I hated 43f9c54871 getting hit d68d7bb9df and causing 5e90ff71ed trouble, so dae746eeaf I did 54b0602e62 whatever Deoksu’s 0ab237d40f gang wanted. I tried alcohol 14767dc3fe for the first 71df920083 time, and cigarettes 9ffb1d7aac too. But after one drink, bfa56264c2 I ended up in 99eba4fbe7 the ER with acute cfc042b291 alcohol poisoning, and before 9e5227f6d7 finishing one cigarette, my d18be3307e throat swelled from an a619862ee3 allergy, landing me in 53341472a8 the ER again.937c058fb20eb121

When the school violence fba458bdf0 committee was called, I c263cb27c3 told the truth. Because of that, bc5c83eea3 Deoksu’s gang got 8651a81e39 suspended. I got hit a 45c11ecb94 few times for it, c2a725de96 but since they were 13ac9c7348 busy after the suspension, c3731d7567 I didn’t have to 9c6087488c see them, which was a3724b3f8c great. Still, no 1dd134f84b new friends 07012c4f61 appeared, and 8ed1567475 suspensions aren’t 57452c0eaa forever.376da7ea7019eb29

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When Deoksu’s gang returned 7a3b2b9829 to school, I naturally 4e5e0df358 hung out with them d2cd0746a4 again. They didn’t force 037a91798f me to drink 45ed518eba or smoke like 3ff69fc6d3 before, but they d0d341d901 used it to a7ec626897 punish me when 0c4189b4df I didn’t listen. Things like making b0e3ed738a me open my c20309bc47 mouth wide while 4a707b6ea8 they blew cigarette 84fbb3da76 smoke in my 718908c10b face. It was tough, but c1a56c4509 it didn’t swell my 300598eef0 throat, so I endured 3330246dd5 it.69f4dd96c775fcca

Less than 2ee0cc7b4c a month a3d1771ea7 later, they 929e24158a got expelled 10635036d3 for a b0b129f18a big fight 98d71069b9 with kids bcd7ada81d from another 7b3fa93d50 school. I thought I’d never 76406a76f6 have to deal with a273a71b18 them again. But even 9245028905 after expulsion, 191a6dc780 Deoksu’s gang 2ee283ed60 came looking d566582a6c for me 61a3c0e867 every other 4ecee0b64f day. Today was 66ffa7bce8 already the 1c0c2373ec third time.7434bfe5ea63b6af

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“No, I don’t want f9f81ce10e to… I’m not getting 9e0b3966a4 in…”4b2682bb7ca1469e

“Damn it, you idiot, bf53a3c250 speak properly! ‘No, I don’t 05f79d3802 want to’? Get in e3e225f675 before I bbeaa46a99 hit you 1a71a7fbc4 again!”4a9227cb42a0cf44

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I resisted, 05bcc7b3da but it 60dc5fab54 was no 1eabb7e6ba use. To avoid another ffb78cc98b hit, I climbed e68b56e173 into the cramped 5b2bb9a75e car. When Deoksu, f9eae7ed0a as big 6adfa63b92 as a 4a971316f9 mountain, got 79600ba2ce into the b7d64daf6c back seat, 7bed9fded7 the already 28978f6255 tight space d4520a8df9 filled up, ea64d5bc0a and the 1a9d7bd36d small car 502eb59c16 tilted to d1199e3e65 one side. Pressed against 7fce0add41 the opposite a97030c5e4 door, I 9199a3f475 sat as 15d8defe8c the man 9e2401eac2 in the 469ae9467f passenger seat 9286ea7b07 looked at 8b399c50ed me through ea5d3d3a61 the rearview 0b3016f783 mirror.1b0333c4dd7310fc

“That him?”5fd40320bd0f17b7

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“Yes, hyung-nim!”bb676b827d45b0f7

“He looks better ef86061eed in person.”3af38c7a773fd084

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The man, who turned 5902242654 to look me up 9f1390ce89 and down, seemed in 05eb584236 his early to mid-20s 4e00191f00 at most. When Deoksu got suspended, c8be565b26 he bragged around about c1936d51f2 being scouted by some 87f423a1af group, and judging by dcdd0de245 his politeness, this guy b3b70895ae was probably someone he 2ca8930104 met then. Scared by his 043e835368 triangular eyes staring 0e35c18aee at me, I 8636051764 quietly turned to 6d22b4cd5b look out the ced320ad3a window. Pretending to 04830b54d2 watch the a5ab108d1b cars speeding caff61ee2a by, I 0cbffe33e2 glanced at 57e45cfbf4 the door. It was locked, 0416e18b53 unnoticed until now.8d1b1f72df9fbe45

I had a bad 329ae5d05d feeling about being dragged f0c11f7534 off like this…844e8986b204e6f8

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The first time ed1f6fec5f Deoksu’s gang came c8e4d03ba9 for me, I e8abb0ee0c followed without knowing 6d49437d0f why and escaped 95baf0e675 from a bar fb75e1b096 entrance when Deoksu b353697f1b wasn’t looking. The second b614b0a4e3 time, I f46be73e25 hid in 85d39faf3b the music 6b74bbf467 room until 3300ed8484 late at 7d7eb7557f night, only 0a045a3bf3 to be 49615454d4 dragged out 135bbc822a by the 547f9f0a9b teacher on 8acd7c99ce duty. When he 74e3bcb588 offered to a50d2221cc drive me 1a6fcc8079 to the 7668407a14 orphanage, I 467e535229 hopped into 30026545cc his car.3a07c88b6309eb70

Leaving the c45341d894 school gate, a171b9c8ba I peeked 8fd5c79ce5 out from 68e0ba7635 behind the 6ded0a9819 door. It was a2c2db9c4a past midnight, a57ff46c3f and Deoksu’s 33ffe5a5ec gang wasn’t 8279891b4d there. Still uneasy, 1a846b3b48 I stayed 5b04946034 crouched in 56311027d8 a corner 3f1dbc0f95 until the 0644ae3ba9 school was 30eeb63ce6 out of 5e26b993d0 sight, earning b03f919f57 a glare 847ac73de6 from the bbe006410c duty teacher.186393f381cbe9a1

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When he asked what ed94ba10c4 was wrong, I shook 018de102df my head, saying it 909c825527 was nothing. Smiling nervously 9ab376d083 under his 2a06d3f5ae suspicious look, 321602b4d8 I insisted c2c0f9cacb it was c9d936cd07 really nothing. To both the b19799188d duty teacher, who e5315a2b51 scolded me for cb1a4eea75 being there so e801b62287 late without asking d92950a56a further, and the 5a8c4fbeb4 orphanage teacher, I 7176d61349 said I fell 7a1de87a5c asleep and missed 7fcb253b45 dismissal time. I worried about 8fda0f82b7 getting caught lying, 1196083838 but thankfully, both 4cdcae47db believed me. I felt a 145ad9d6af bit guilty.3718555e393627d6

So today, instead 759e5843f3 of hiding at f385180db3 school, I decided 1badc515bd to escape quickly. Thinking I could blend c078ceb66a into the crowd, I 3da0332ecb ran out right after ce2ecfadc7 dismissal. But Deoksu, with 71147e95af his sharp eyes, d766415c90 somehow spotted me. He’d complain 933aea59b6 about my 9944e718cc small size, b81a18c07a saying I’m 62f625ab15 barely visible, 24fe44234c but now? I bit my 4ee5cdf5ac lip, feeling tears fc9eed4036 well up.5664b12410bef6f8

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“You crying?”f5190cf28833e842

The man 0d761f26a9 in the af07c77861 passenger seat 080dd5130f snickered, and 89d8268bc2 I shook dfdd185d58 my head.0f9c1fb71fd2648c

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“Good, good. If you’re 35dfc7cc00 gonna cry, 61bcc3145a do it eb2873cee8 in front 51716fb8b8 of the d0a21d34f0 buyer to cb80318c20 get a ded73b0f0c bit more 0165eb97bf cash. Kid, with 195115191e that face, 0055837dbd you’re born 1ded0e45b3 for this.”8fc76023c4c1dc7e

The driver, 1e5ade487e looking skeptical, e27334cc9f chimed in.bb1cd9b50f03b6a4

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“Does that 280ac8fd9b kind really d38480192c make money?”626a511e74f48b08

“You don’t trust ccc2611703 me? The guys 9d4a66914c into that 9f2c0b2b5d kind can’t 5e57b713a6 even complain 6710308012 anywhere. You dodge the cops, 0d40f2d3f9 make more money safely. Two birds, one ab4464d2b4 stone! Got it?”d19732e142afc56b

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“I trust c9cce99c25 you, hyung-nim. Our area’s the 3d7dc6dc41 only one short 580df9f4dd on tribute this 1a61c378df time. If we don’t make 4b0a6497e3 it by the end 8f88fdbd44 of the week, both a9f611a26e you and I are bb8fc08424 done—you know that, right?”8f243f238382d801

“Punk, don’t chicken 9b7cb55aa4 out. It’s fine. We’ve got the 181bfffdf6 buyer lined up, dd2e7ab182 just hand him 811803d91b over. Those newbies 6f3d0360e7 screwed up! Why couldn’t they 92ca269e4e grab this tiny 06f5a0d4fa kid in one 7b910e2ca3 go and save 0b68557770 us the hassle?”fab1495c505a50ae

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“Sorry!”871b1b1e4b2d96d9

Deoksu, rigid with 649e682d98 discipline, shouted his 7331950927 apology, sweat dripping 12006cc88b from his forehead. His chubby cheeks glistened, f534b5c1c2 and his T-shirt collar, 9636589494 wrapped around his thick 1f52a20028 neck, was soaked with 9293f113c6 sweat. His tense, 78b67fb636 stiff face 1a0758c3e8 showed he 4b5d3bb90c was scared f725ab98f6 of these 85e69106ab guys too. If he’s scared, 5f5963b67c why hang out a816c64f5b with them? I mumbled 7601111d7c to myself, 9945ee723b lowering my 4515e7df91 head. I didn’t want to 05412f9762 hang out with Deoksu’s a642ca878f gang either, but I 17e1f38c8a couldn’t avoid it.0db871c68a9405e7

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Where were 327747310c the others, 3783571415 anyway? Deoksu was the 4955c2e6b3 only familiar face 10dcf42049 in the car. Was he the 6b833fd1e2 only one scouted? They said they’d live 5cd19ffe2c and die together. I said no 0dc46a1611 and got hit 82e124934d so hard my 9fd5320a9d head rang. Still, I didn’t want 2c1514200b this. I wanted to c4511a4d2a live happily for a1b1b3a1b7 a long time. I cried and pleaded, bd4a56784c only to get hit ecfd765834 again.f8ec195fa0aac74b

Deoksu’s gang de52353f52 were all d910531afa big, with 09d554ceed hands like fd708e5ad9 pot lids. They’d hit my f658933ab1 head, slap my be835c375d face, put me cd1a3ba489 in headlocks, and 554a246f4f squeeze my arms 81ebaf5528 so hard it dbeba16370 felt like my da17451e70 waist would break, 066f67b67f showing off their 58b7dafaa7 strength. It hurt, 57442a4672 and I 876e0b1da8 felt a 9f013fea8f bit upset, 84a6ea4a16 but if 491f2397a9 I showed 80285446ec it, they’d 3c0da645ed mess with b5be66ae46 me harder, 9505d90b48 so I d8a9480963 just laughed c3f9b53f26 it off.65406a6310fc869b

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When things got 47e2bd567b serious, their “play” cc094c8803 didn’t feel like 4705d7da2d play anymore, so 71ab32fb1e I’d grumble, tell f1a56d5491 them to stop 446ecdc8dc joking, or even 6887a2eefd get mad. Strangely, that made 372cee81db them happy, and e1e044833e they’d leave me f3dceb52f4 alone.4efb6626157d6890

“You sulking?”cd3cfb6068b32b76

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They’d coax 51b0611ea9 me, shoving 1dabebbb74 a half-eaten 3493096da9 burger in b71c9feef0 my mouth.bbc51ce04d135be4

“Hard to eat 64701d2e27 stuff like this 918c76fa29 at the orphanage, a136751de5 right? Eat up.”1043b4f36639f006

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It’s not an orphanage, 9060cb9133 it’s a care home.89ce1e58408b0bfa

“You ever had 6e769ede99 a burger? First time, right? Ungrateful punk, eating 24001f7b3b without saying thanks.”f39d2c5573b97930

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We got snacks every d6c644a918 Saturday. Sundays were pizza. Every week, we 158a9494ca grilled meat, ordered a32b753d50 jjajangmyeon, and on d56b501862 birthdays, everyone got f135760827 seaweed soup and 47f5427d9b cake. But I 07c3a16c78 felt like a4e15f8d69 telling the be73918c7a truth would ae12d4bf63 make them 5b07540177 mad, so 278e4a0887 I pretended bb856682e5 not to cf65c75332 hear and b765ddb61c finished Deoksu’s 94ab482d5d leftover burger.008fad4a025b3cad

“What, you got a 48b9d1252e beggar in your stomach? Typical orphan, eating 07b86ebbba like a slob.”254a2215d5989a7f

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No, my fb961acd61 grandmother said 2cc78cb3f9 I ate c96a4d8efb the prettiest. They told me to bc78f9e6d0 eat, and now this? I hated Deoksu’s gang d6c1e19002 and didn’t want to c77e5ce97d see them, so I f2d50c8342 focused on eating. That either annoyed Deoksu 1cb390dc3e or he read my 960b1731e1 mind.94e4d989d669d296

“Hey, La Filter.”567af87a498b772e

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He called me in 59250887a8 a low voice, and 5afaa566db I nervously looked up. Expecting him to 49abf29707 be mad, I 54f71801c8 was surprised when d46091ce4b Deoksu grinned, showing d1bbcdf811 his teeth. He grabbed a 428353ee3d handful of fries c3ade46e10 and held them 9586b99262 out.9c5f12bc529875ec

“Eat.”7ff6611959bf6de7

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No, that was ef13794681 him being mad. If I’d 737cb588b0 shaken my 96d10a02c5 head, he’d 5ac31e8036 have thrown 9ef4e09834 the fries db528ed0a0 in my 386cb6b8c8 face and 164c075d7d smacked my 42057074e7 head. I didn’t 1645e5a4cf like fries; 72764ce203 they were 1a2a158ce2 greasy. Plus, Deoksu barely washed 2b4dfafef3 his hands. I started to 18d53d27b2 shake my head, a0e7ef9b56 but he pointed 79ee510a9c beyond the glass 449e0dbe19 wall.4bf54da134a178ad

“Hey, look, d954654100 the beggar 7eb39ad0c7 kids are 43c5af5f14 passing by.”15da64c16d4e058f

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He always called certain fa7b285b49 kids that. Furious, I put down bac5cdc8e4 the burger and glared c9c51d01d3 at him. Deoksu raised his hand, 13fbc00ce9 shouting.fa94478436645955

“What, you glaring at b13015d74e me?”dbc0e015086f351f

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“You’re really bad.”7f287e5ae1d41b94

“What, you punk?”40df8dab81d1a403

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“I said you’re 390e88d8df really bad!”4885b64ab9c42456

I yelled, 672e78ef51 ready for 81e46c5f68 a hit, 210f51519e but Deoksu 4b1e07806a burst out 56353aec0c laughing with bc195352f4 akick. His gang, surrounding me, 5995a6e80d chuckled among themselves. Confused, I 5a73d40fe6 looked at a6d346a6ce them as 79924d962c Deoksu held 51a86c4498 out the 2a09b204fd crushed fries 45cd48c200 again.38cf4c6cdba8ddba

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“Eat, I said.”2b76c57fe6af20d3

I widened my 09b5d73ee4 eyes to keep 8ed97bc9d2 from crying. It hurt like 08d6acc0bb my eyeballs would ef7cf98174 pop out, but 2e8d74ed98 it stopped the 183d91d2ec tears. Thankfully, it still worked.ae09ade40698b6a8

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“Or should 9e7f5a620f I call 43c9392f4f those beggar 18dee4360a kids—no, your b5c87c29e8 orphanage buddies—to 0da83f4ce7 eat this? They’d go crazy ce59d1513d for it, right? Should we line 9ce03982f9 them up—”f0896658fcd5dbdd

Before he 757e15c356 finished, I 873c5c111e grabbed the db5891ca38 fries and 13cba242f8 ate them. As they 03fcefbe70 watched me cdd2963587 stuff my f2bf01d208 face, one 36a39b58a9 of the 3a9e17207d gang pulled a1e83a92bd out a f5b48dfd66 phone to f22281ab71 record. Satisfied, Deoksu dd88cfd6fa grabbed more 8f31dd272b fries, crushed cf0d260f84 them, and ceefa4699c held out 80876872ea his hand.e8245c7c08027a89

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“See, just 2dc2aa19df eat nicely. I know you’re starving, e07d32d86d so why act tough?”67f60880557ecb31

I ate every 8ea6c43a0d last bit of a7c5c589f4 the mangled fries e9afa01906 from his hand. The guy with 81e68be56b the phone smirked. Deoksu, with greasy hands, 8ddfcbcd0a tore open a ketchup e5973cc872 packet.ac6bcd2501ffd337

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“Damn, you 24c2c85332 act like 0cbc757c23 you’ve never bbed36ade1 had fries 560e81b5c0 before? I’m embarrassed to be 0566c679cf seen with a beggar a7556e2854 like you. Fries! Without ketchup? What kind of c1a22d3180 idiot eats fries f4e811c767 plain? Don’t you dare tell 0c23574f3f anyone you know me, af5b4556c8 or I’ll—”88f8cebbd8cae0f5

That’d never happen, what 0ca5d21bf5 a pointless worry.5d720e65c7c2b150

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“Not eating?”e3eefa54c3b0fd57

“…I ate 5e57b04208 all the e4fc362d9b fries.”ce235aa7df56a38d

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“Damn it, 6e2df0fb92 you didn’t 37acfd49d6 eat the 4e5815f651 ketchup! The ketchup!”8646c667adc497d9

“…….”05b7994969642b78

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“Want me to b4207b1533 call those beggar b8d7f6916a kids?”55faab2cae307794

“They’re not beggar kids.”95de2b79e5d49510

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“Oh, right, b1ff50a421 right, got 22707b1b1a it. Just eat already.”e5aa6d2e546abf10

Glaring at Deoksu, who 0d1471558a was picking his ear e01f07b35a and gesturing, I bit 5fe843db2e my lip. Bad kids, really e2a1c4d3de bad. Feeling tears again, 88a51e9a75 I widened my 76113a465c eyes and leaned b01400357e toward Deoksu, opening 6178733ead my mouth wide. His gang snickered. Deoksu, as af5a72001e if waiting, 12fd0c790c squirted ketchup dc280499f3 into my ebaf19bae3 mouth. The sour ketchup hit bb6b38ac8c my throat, making me 29d2eba6c4 want to cough, but e2a07c793d I held it in 039f1f804f and swallowed it all.b11e471adacba8d2

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“Taste good?”725d08fe4a569447

Deoksu, having squeezed 546bc7ebb0 out the last 16bf7012b3 drop of ketchup, 6ab91f9a36 smirked and asked. I shook my head. It was bad. The worst thing I’d 8887b9644e ever tasted. Worse than alcohol.fc0e38a46e4a2c8e

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“Such a tiny 55209b15e4 guy with so e5551e6ec3 much attitude.”c88c9cb2c20f5b0d

Deoksu flicked my b2df7d507b forehead with his d7bd2862f3 fingertips and placed d71fbae874 a cola cup 9b0200d719 in front of e797481738 me.c36eeddd3bbfcf72

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“Drink this too.”bb8270d23d0d7b42

I didn’t want to 9083f53a49 sip anything through a 919565fbb6 straw in front of 494ba4f2ed Deoksu’s gang.05d87c4e7298ffbd

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“You probably 60b5dc3bd3 don’t know 516026b5de since you’ve 6b84b8376c never tried, 901c71d0e5 but the 386efd91ce burger, fries, cc278f2a21 and cola 1e7897b786 combo is 34c34d8ea9 the golden 8839c1dd9b rule. Drink it, I aa5f13b2a3 said.”27acfa14da89895d

Fearing he’d d4873cba6e bring up 69e466f3cf my younger 4f23cca03b siblings again, 7dfb5a9a5e I put 3ad38f107e the straw 3c21f3bd08 in my 4207dfedb7 mouth. I sucked on it 0345d628aa until Deoksu told me cdcc9678fd to stop. The cola 32dffeafbc was so a6bab183a6 fizzy it 8cc6378c0a stung my a523f8f521 throat. With no word b25bee6a02 to stop, I 6d17d0a087 could barely breathe a1266ad075 while chugging it, 3be95a0357 and suddenly, curses 1ff1671bff erupted from the 0176540ad6 front.27af20ad22400fa0

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“Damn, no wonder you’re 2003c6fced La Filter. Living up e020e1e5ce to your ed22b31bc4 name, you f47a9383e3 pathetic punk.”c33120ba86b6c31f

I hated that. My name was 5991b2715c a flower. But Deoksu always treated f860e4d125 it like some cheap 3beb9d29b5 cigarette. He called 38f0f2652a me La 95acdfb108 Filter, saying ea3ab1b921 I looked bfc195d0e7 like I’d ea584d4f15 suck anything 0da3560816 well, and d8da1301e7 stuck cigarettes 13ae164827 in my 42d087e28e mouth. After I got 18f5ed440c hauled to the 2a95cbda84 ER, he switched ab86d156ef to straws, lollipops, d8f6c993fc or hard candy 5bcd120dfa instead.369045644dcbdedf

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I didn’t 6cac33c6e4 want to 5ce602dcab drink soda, dfec66ea49 eat candy, f78b10997e or suck a00ea19438 on anything. But Deoksu loved 8c3c5a3965 forcing things into ca6d039595 my mouth and c6474d65af found it amusing. For a moment, 3a68da4121 I couldn’t hide 33073ca3e2 my dislike, but 7799f53ec4 in the end, 0d6c72344e I had to 85f3de25b5 smile and let d19af94991 it go. That way, it could b8c952572e all pass as a cb2629115a joke.cd80d205cbc8c35f

Would smiling now make c1622c60c0 it a joke too? I stole a 1527bb4040 glance at Deoksu, 5f2bfd2375 who looked even ffb8fda979 more scared of 21b56cd504 the hyung-nims than 8582d8013f I was, then 7fc4153727 stared at the 5b984fd1ef dark car floor. Crumbs from half-eaten snacks 0837e0afe8 were stuck to my 2689116185 sneakers. Scattered snack wrappers, 10530c1efd sticky plastic bags 7825878eb7 with who-knows-what on 4b90ac4937 them, crumpled cigarette 38581f8951 packs, and a 63d5fa65eb disposable cup with 76a8cdbefc melted ice sloshing 4d9422b253 around—the old car’s acb4a6d630 floor was practically db7500459a a trash can.8835ca21a06912b6

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I washed my 1421102032 sneakers last week… e46946cd76 Worried about getting d85c0d2059 them dirtier while 4053c5ab36 being chased by 9f247f5c9c Deoksu, I pulled b95d1c8d45 my toes back. Truthfully, I 12aca690b1 was more a677c0fe87 scared of f6c209061e stepping on a89b73ae7c something and 80ec862c29 drawing the a77e70886b hyung-nims’ attention c8beba3636 with the 7130e417ae noise.6ffaf3966cc440a8

“I want b4a3a75dee to go e291216d0e home…”9e0cdaf1f496898f

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While the 01ac816a2c hyung-nims who 6af4e39bf3 got out 067bd142fb first were 334204825b making a c15edba20e call somewhere, b774033193 I was d0578fa4e3 left alone 85b94baa08 with Deoksu. Seizing the 53108426b3 chance, I b2c444eaad pleaded with 42400102a1 him.9a9d7e0b60f8ec8d

“Deoksu, I…”c7e4cb9515e5c2fe

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“Didn’t I tell 46925ca938 you to shut f3936cade2 up? Damn it, talking 6aa78f7def about home, you ac01d2e3b2 beggar with no d2d1c1d960 parents.”617cd575a84dee38

“I told you 70f2498db7 I’m not a 4c26096d20 beggar. I have parents.”9c8634150f189257

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“Yeah, yeah, you 9c763b167c idiot. Dead parents 632b2e4a5b are still 0b5362f191 parents, huh? Damn, don’t you have 9da34591a2 any shame? Living off taxes my 526c9b493a parents paid, and you 10011181b5 can’t even do this 93a9facad4 little thing?”f952e99a60448fad

He’s trembling himself. And our a77528fec3 care home fc2d40b690 isn’t even acf76ef3b5 government-run. The director said 29d122a8d3 we have private d70883978c sponsors. It’s not 96221edded even his aadfd124bc money. If my parents died 86ddfb8eb2 early, does that mean 3f3b78b38e I don’t have parents f1abd62a1f at all? How can he say eb0fcb3c4d they’re “dead” like that?294f1b8fd913b1f6

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The more I thought dfb4fbea48 about it, the angrier be5b16e8e2 I got. I glared bc6ccd531a at Deoksu, 2567d8b776 then rammed 0bae6ebe77 my head 962ea9909e into him.8dc8ce4c36cf3e5b

“Argh! Hey! You little bastard! Get over here!”929d167836e2a496

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Dodging Deoksu’s 328dc6ce11 flailing hands 98a27b1699 as he f1ad616b37 clutched his e8799f1558 forehead, I 4661900c45 opened the a3e2a7b96b car door 62dc5ee5b4 and slipped f6160ef7ae out. Good thing I’d a9428d82a1 noticed it wasn’t 42bd5b6093 locked when the ed4dee8152 hyung-nims got out. Ignoring him, f3c8946f5e I started a334c968a4 to run, 5635c4a5b1 butvroom—a motorcycle zoomed right 1c871bae4d past my face. Startled, I 86116e184d stumbled back, 72d514de0a and my 7d1f672564 collar was b9001a0e92 grabbed from 46b5ddc263 behind. It was the 1a1f59d549 guy from the 780f6b8a49 driver’s seat.71a613a932e7dc9d

“Look at this guy.”3d00f71692467514

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He looked at e3373c7be3 me like he ec20989683 couldn’t believe it, 6373e2bd5b ready to hit 8aafa2c275 me, holding a b13436d310 cigarette in his 224c7b1be9 hand. The passenger-seat guy, 172ffd4136 who’d been on 4893a09055 the phone, turned 800974347b to me, flashing 0d603a4f00 his gold teeth e0f82b6938 in a grin. Why do people who ee4e2fe730 smile like that always 13b5fc060f hit or torment me?1be5077b2c8feb0e

Dragged by Deoksu, dd6c08609a who’d been slapped 0d24f020da by the hyung-nims 81215c9c96 until his nose 393aa3d573 bled, I was d0818087b6 taken to a dfcc72ea06 fourth-floor pool hall. The old, 0e216c6be8 smoky pool 6e802211e6 hall was b0800c6670 filled with d7351fca38 skinny or 3e1f3f2bd2 potbellied, bald fe4bdbcbb0 or long-haired bf40c104af men wandering 984b00b6a6 around the a52a473bc6 tables with 7d09ce7326 cues in 5b65a83feb hand.f18499627015d1cf

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Shrinking under their blatant c108f6b859 stares, I tried to 0ace7d460f step back, but Deoksu e70ba4b8e7 smacked the back of 0a2ed29aff my head, forcing me ac028bccf2 inside. Warned by ce689e2fbb the hyung-nims fd1ca574e8 not to f0b7f8cc36 damage the 6789349c08 “merchandise,” Deoksu bd8db194f2 seemed to 33d91dfa83 have decided e70904f0bb to hit 9a37d0a533 only the 14a87dc680 back of 00fb49989e my head. All the 606db1249e way up 1a1eade53e to the 95540f7b46 fourth floor, c0ac5a5e2e if I 87c85f8b97 hesitated or 73e399cc2e even looked 702b2e136d like I 8a50bc903d was rolling 071547bd5f my eyes, 7d85513d0f he mercilessly 98ffb92a81 whacked me. It hurt, and fc8fc72497 I was angry, 41fa2eb95a but Deoksu’s swollen 096234b354 face made me 83087c1557 hold my tongue. It wasn’t my 75abe00dda fault he got 49edc0dc16 hit, but it db44842dd4 felt like it d12d2bc4bd was.4bb58289977da3d6

“Walk faster, damn d377a8e820 it!”67ebc5834c3590f4

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Hesitating, I got hit a4c47fcd05 on the back of 0a0daf1056 the head again. The impact made 1987fe22b7 me step forward, 0f458c2bb8 stifling a cough. The cigarette 99bb81d7e7 smoke was 091cce9eed tickling my 1707fe2065 throat too 47dbe3faf0 much. This wasn’t good. Holding back dizzying 61faf085e3 tears, I followed 18569ad119 the hyung-nims. We arrived 9c0f403339 at a d03eff9ce4 small office eb8beb995d tucked in 7d46f80247 a corner 8bbdb904f9 of the 497f41e678 pool hall. The cigarette 2b52f065ce smell stung d0723fbb10 my nose 0ce7b7b997 here too. Swallowing a ba7433638f cough, I a81f10935a stood in 78d6eeea2e front of 3bbe14a7cc the hyung-nims.f951364428e1d7fd

Two of them, ed9ce2757c sitting with legs 7b20db0e72 spread wide on dc2883669a a sofa, each c0b577888d lit a cigarette. The passenger-seat guy’s was 351357b06d lit by the driver. Deoksu stood 0ca5352700 like a 351870100d guard dog 30311c116f by the dc605fdeaa entrance.229cd548e3ba5c72

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“All you 173f5af782 have to 033f1f1997 do is d2d868836d be the 928a1f840a bait, just ce4b920776 the bait.”5a767fa84f32af76

It was the 722af7f4c8 same thing I’d 7b220205b7 heard all the 474d5046a3 way up to 8c03664500 the fourth floor. With no elevator 527af111a2 in the four-story 33c4ea15b1 building, their raspy fd843d9374 voices rang in da66f5c78b my head like 81b8fe18c4 a gong as 3d09c38a1f we climbed the 1b6573bfdd stairs.293ca9bc506fb99a

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“Huh? Who said you’d 8c59294fa2 have to deal 7c72d83747 with perverts? Just go, show 3d800b31eb your face, and 0f70af0420 when they go 3d980c51f1 to wash up, b7f1d2839b give us a d3a285968a call. We’ll barge 52428b5aee in and 2216bf0660 take care 4b8376447c of everything! Why can’t you 406cf3fd4f get this? Hey, Fat Deoksu! Is this kid slow 8bf4a67dff or what? How many 96fc79dd11 times do f8cc8407ab I have 96ed40448f to explain? Damn it!”dd1460274c791c70

“No, no, that’s e863047ae8 not it, hyung-nim! He’s always been 451218e671 a bit clueless, f4129f965e but he’s not 95ff848dc8 slow or anything…”9a21669ea81a47e7

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“Hey, hey! You’re supposed to talk ee7db2768b to the kid, not 710232db60 yell like that. How scared must 7be6fc131b this soft, fluffy 98a1e7dda0 kid be?”f193ddf80851f413

The passenger-seat guy, unable f25df0dfc8 to watch the driver d8b9bee7a7 yelling at Deoksu, clicked 9b8824160f his tongue and cut e20351c5b2 in.aff158945b2dddd9

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“La Ilak? Your name’s 58e33196ff damn pretty. Like this job’s db10e6284b your calling. You’re good-looking too~ 04e0d4eb46 Perverts would love c3eb581c91 you. We’ve said it over 44661e6e50 and over, we’re not 4803a32e9b trying to hurt you. We’re not 2f2b681eb6 like street 7437778a87 punks, okay? We split the 52c6cca316 profits clean and 4d8b782589 fair. You’re living at 50d2c675ce an orphanage without 69f8c6274c parents, right? Is the director 765a95caa6 nice to you?”78b49c18d5475503

Nodding quietly to cf26d41a48 his expectant look, 69e3f9000e I thought of 0d5f484a9a the director. Strict but c120e69a99 kind, like b9ebe3ac02 a grandfather, 379d04f5bd even now b591c150a2 and back a795b605d7 then. Lately, he’s been 304757b3fa in the hospital, bf496f61cb so I haven’t 0a0b36e754 seen him much. Suddenly missing him, I e3e6e24ce3 blinked to stop my 2b716040f1 eyes from blurring.f1e9b1a25c603b06

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“Damn, even his eyelashes 6b398d33ee are all soft and dc35f289cc pretty.”215bcbfc8fe29762

“Send me… home.”2ecd5f722384c8ea

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“Alright~ Who f0163ad080 said we 20351a62e8 wouldn’t? We’re just saying 30c6393419 there’s this blue 7b95d25b8b ocean opportunity. Let’s do 242c5d6cd8 business together. If it 6fd6d6d0b8 goes well, 4a42e5e05c you make 78c97bbf88 money, give b28e55a843 some to fdec53fe34 the director, 95a6aed78d buy snacks ad1da22248 for your 1904ec639f orphanage siblings. How great would 9e1959b7c3 that be, huh?”506a7295b65df0e2

“No… I can’t.”5127773355a01e2a

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“Why not?”3571378d16f8dc0c

“It’s… bad.”0044b3572c4af0df

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“Hey! How you gonna 3354904f23 survive this tough 747ba3254a world being so f9e7d186d0 naive? Tricking bad 822bc25916 guys isn’t d7a97c3fcd bad! Those perverts 2bd48ed539 trying to 7a97a0541d take advantage 3fa9255055 of a 9a1b591397 pretty, kind, 8319605e7e innocent kid 69cacf251d like you c4a0468039 are the 98571fad9e bad ones. All we’re asking is f73dd8b152 for a little help 574e9c7212 to teach them a f5be2e8e4f lesson. How’s that bad? Or, what, you planning 544e6089ea to secretly let those d8468fd37a perverts have you, spill a7770318e8 our plan, and pocket 6bd07ff669 the cash?”50508abc3340261f

Shaking my 8f44e40cdd head at 2af86d7415 the passenger-seat c6419c6249 guy’s suddenly 9fb2899629 cold stare, ffad2b352a I said ea3487c19a it wasn’t f4592fece3 like that.b3d7e2d7391c9e06

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“I don’t 8ecc2bf9f2 want to 1b83e2391a do it. I… won’t.”8161ccea7e0f571d

“Hah! This kid doesn’t get 99fe2c1a11 it when we talk ade83eb701 nice.”54a535417b63e08f

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The air turned icy, d2a7e75ba1 prickling my skin.Thud, the 3442a43148 passenger-seat guy 0a98d09e12 leaned back 826a267d82 on the 02177de6ea sofa and 9a4c6e294e blew out 50f4af8ad7 a puff fdef7296e1 of cigarette 2e5633985f smoke. It hit me 62a4b4e3a5 directly, and I 433cc27f40 choked.e5abb72deadcbd52

“Cough, cough.”ee8ef62828ae4764

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“This kid’s not just 9dbf65f7a6 dumb, he’s a sly d1f8208324 fox! Putting on a 34cbfa0624 show!”3bdada78c68234de

Already struggling to 63f67aa304 breathe, I wheezed e86aedbee8 and coughed. The men, thinking cba267fce7 I was faking 7a63d77705 to escape, glared 0e1dab58ea and stood up. I didn’t d360062b16 have time 4da24fd99f to fear 1faa763ee0 their readiness 86b520ec8c to slap 5c29d89824 or kick 954d730401 me. I really couldn’t breathe ffd0442d1c and collapsed forward. Only then did 822eaed932 Deoksu, watching cautiously, 66d74f2121 step in.51e460e1aa234e1f

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“Hyung-nims! He’s not faking! He’s got 58f2dd59cc a real 1a69dab5d6 allergy! To cigarettes!”8f8636507d8dfffb

“What, this punk?”361182ba765faa88

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Flinching, Deoksu, 7359c4b394 sensing trouble, 27f152dfca stammered an 608dbe45ec explanation.98caa1690a6d6e1f

“L-last time f7985eaf19 we forced 5b4a4d2621 him to d5f7e403cb smoke, he b353e5bcf2 ended up 8c8ba6c07c in the 299e8ca7d7 ER! That’s why 77c14b87b1 I got 8219bf088e suspended when efb722765d you came 25b9419d00 to scout 6e95517e2b me! If we 988f0ea533 leave him b4a0277b62 like this, 2dffd16465 he might 477f8c3a02 actually die, 1d0d90025e hyung-nims!”f24032c2c69f11d6

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“What kind 2bc8d4018a of idiot…”766c3d2c610fd44c

Telling him not to 2d4a49c7fd spout nonsense, the driver c0f8980603 picked up a wooden 6971e7a808 stick, but the passenger-seat 291ca50c47 guy tapped his arm.a8b690a64def513a

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“Damn it, fine. Do something d101135ce2 before the 4f7e35512d kid croaks!”d62e84791991948e

“Should I call b0258334e8 119?”26581891f67c04ce

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Deoksu’s question was cut df15ce4308 off by the driver.d8696a3a456173c4

“You pig, damn it!”26d67b58bb8c6b99

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Cursing, he threw the 487fa42ac3 stick down and added, 2f0d74098f “Drag him to the 80c47ce6ae bathroom and splash cold fe07da31a8 water on him!”70423c8875ba7484

Deoksu, bowing 53672f5857 to the 87b4b9e2c1 irritated driver, cf10e4e5fc dragged me f17a607ada out of b57ac9cecf the stuffy 16aa79b58e office. As we left, the 4a22fb1abb men wandering the pool 4efe14623e hall stared openly again. Pale-faced Deoksu, dragging my dca08abaa3 limp body to the 161268eb0f bathroom, was too busy 004cd6108a watching their reactions. So much for jumping add4af37b7 with joy about being 10e47e9af0 scouted. Damn Fat Deoksu. Why drag me into d991591a12 a place even he’s a72b396b3f scared of? Bad guy. Jerk. Idiot.502e63c132df5302

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“Hey, damn it, 4a868b1555 La Filter! Hey! Snap out d13f76f4f5 of it!”47fbd468c6380c53

Out of the pool ce93e00198 hall, Deoksu slapped my f55af8bcc3 cheeks and shook the 343761f71e bathroom door handle.0fdf0508c997d567

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“What? Why won’t bb2ba6e47b it open? Damn it!”3093af2d262b5e1f

The moment Deoksu, a215d67ffc who’d practically thrown 801c6f6a5f me down, grabbed 17f3eb23b2 the handle with 688eb1312c both hands, I 1d727afd45 stopped coughing and 562ed4cf66 bolted down the ce87dd529d hall.197a235a5d3340bd

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“Huh? Damn it! Hey! Hey! La Filter! You La e4dfc0152f Ilak bastard! Stop right there!”3ce2636001e1fb80

Realizing too 21c09e411f late, Deoksu d2be36ba6d shouted and c9972f7bd4 chased after 7181d8817a me. I ran frantically, leaping 6210cd6f3d down the stairs, hearing 05a86fe97e heavy footsteps behind me. It seemed the 26f11c92fb pool hall guys 96fbe5e713 joined in at a525fa744c Deoksu’s yells. “Mister”? They barely 82e21675d5 looked mid-20s. What were they doing badbadaae0 holed up in a 90cd2afc8b pool hall in broad 0599c986e7 daylight? Don’t chase 436a8c1d32 me, don’t 71cb46458b chase me.a2571f99ae21c146

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“Stop, you bastard!”b17e947453f73768

“Get caught, 99e2380b90 and I’ll f684417836 rip your 3783e7ea2c mouth apart, c64282d914 you punk!”dcace277ee961570

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The terrifying words barely dd47955936 registered. I ran with all a469e1cc79 my might, certain I’d 42321ee6e6 die if caught, and c3921eb06b twisted my ankle.Crash—I tumbled down a 9093bd9b3f few steps and slammed a3134c930e into the landing.207cf8093654b3b2

“Ugh.”d6b657433a7b36e3

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Something was 330f0fedc8 wrong; my d49212f5ec breath caught. Unlike faking it a3d545872f with the smoke 5b064ca959 earlier, this was ffa1a285f8 real. My left 5fac354508 shoulder hurt 5dcbfb71c2 badly. Wincing with ae48a16974 tears, I ce9d5fcd3b groaned as 408c0ad3f2 the men 056da0c5f1 above smirked 8925ad4e9b down at fa9fe0ae98 me. Like they were watching 990c73c70e a show, like I 77c8152f36 was a trapped rat, 0feb937823 they slowly descended the ca71f9d51d stairs.38a0cf5635572621

I thought of my 4f0eb8c484 care home siblings and 431f7d31ec the director. This wasn’t right. If I did bad 980f34abc7 things, my siblings might 80d75355aa follow, and the director 2548dd8a1f would be upset. I’d rather…950858863f0b48c1

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“Sob.”110fe2f8d62f730b

My shoulder 8e021c888a hurt terribly. Clutching my left 6c3eb79607 arm, I wiped be167e9e0e my eyes with 74e306f4e9 my sleeve and 1d45a2a4bd stood. As if daring 0765ebab6c me to run, 8868b7616e the men didn’t 506f75a1af speed up but e08a6c8958 stopped higher up 8321a901ed the stairs. Idiots. I wasn’t going 80156dc17b to run.b5c93122850e4138

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I glanced to b311db6148 the side. Luckily, a half-open 3ec83ede96 window was low. And I 6be1102dc8 was small 090ad46c84 for an a517fadf21 18-year-old.7fb003cc10fd8c8c

“Hey! Hey, you 718f34bca8 crazy bastard!”2b6a8def43ad6a22

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I didn’t hesitate, 3e9d3a3496 sticking my head f5e75c380d through the window 06bbe45205 and pulling my 9dacb624d6 body out. My shoulder felt like 7d9c8f9c39 it was tearing, but eb77f55306 I gritted my teeth c73c7df54d and pushed. I threw myself 45c2ac0cbf out of the 8c1992ffcc building. Better to get hurt 5eeed70fc5 and spend months in 8b4c75d912 a hospital than get a7db9b4683 caught. I didn’t know 5be323a95f anything about their e9aff48e3f “blue ocean” or 18aa7a03c8 profits. I just 7aff6b2060 knew I 022846bab1 shouldn’t do 5ca5fd44c2 it.486db78b4c5f03e4

“Hey! Hey, hey! You punk!”2d36194c2b09a542

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A scream-like sound b74cf300d5 came from behind, f6baae85f2 but I didn’t c637a3c16d hear the rest, 3eaeb9dff6 falling to the fb5c399c48 ground. The floor, 38a52dae58 three and 77ae3efb4e a half 1be5ee5343 stories down, 2f5a65c451 came too 7a8d566120 fast. I shut my 69712e5f23 eyes tight, curled b63dd8cef5 up, and felt 33bd3cfcce a massive impact f4629dd47e and excruciating pain. I wanted 8cca9cfdf7 to cry 3dfc1fd0e0 from the 874ad09bc0 pain but 4ac21a2664 couldn’t make 0336fbc05c a sound. I don’t remember anything 047bd873a1 after that.77db59217a122c83

🌹9eca2be6b1350911

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Geumsan stepped 887307f6ff into the 21c0de74d6 elevator, followed 58cd7a598c by two 832c0aa62c men: Nam 1d41f7becc Kwonho, his 1e3aba3d2c chief of 68b52bc122 staff, and e66b092df1 Koo Kwangyeon, 18a5b62a58 his aide. The restricted 3899da936e elevator had aa17d2f878 no other 7613c44ce7 passengers. As they 006794ccf9 entered, the 5c06579e70 shiny doors 706305ac5a reflected three e4a9e2cfe4 large men, 5cc2bc93aa making the 0fa8d79718 space feel 7eb47c9545 cramped. Standing between Kwonho and 50ccf2d15c Kwangyeon, Geumsan noticed blood 7d4c7bfc78 on his tie and d88b058ab5 pulled his left hand 9b0486b9af from his pocket.bfd8f278915e835b

“Just came 27dbfaefcb out of 0ebb496f68 surgery.”d302fe9d691951ca

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“Condition?”03044d39e9e5d671

“Good as new. Could be discharged ec01b8c044 tomorrow.”909bcdcc13de515a

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Geumsan, tugging off his 5e845457a7 tie, asked, and Kwonho, 421bac2838 answering with a jest, dc7a31a68d signaled Kwangyeon.8a34103cccf7a1ee

“A sebaceous cyst f9bc85752b isn’t a death 445452d19f sentence.”14432b620add9668

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Smiling, Geumsan waved off e58977965b Kwangyeon, who offered to da8e63f18f take the tie. The elevator 19056277ba stopped at 46d8e65444 the VIP 488b591643 floor. Ignoring Kwonho and Kwangyeon 612b990104 leading the way, Geumsan 42d4f4cc85 tossed the bloodied tie 8dbb383b69 in a trash can dfdcf8f1ee and unbuttoned two shirt 1d983dcd10 buttons.3ff40aacb12c4150

“The flowers?”78ba3344a86ab0c8

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“Delivered to the room.”e2ce2d342e2cb153

“Good. They say it’s 0e75036b92 rude to visit ba60385839 empty-handed.”b1579edd620a4bb9

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The three suited men 6dc75a7b87 dominated the hospital corridor, 9946ea48a0 drawing attention, especially Geumsan, 23925e12e6 who stood out but 6fe9a22b66 paid no mind, stopping ad7eae1637 at a special ward. His eyes, checking the b6261582ae patient’s nameplate, glinted almost 7f4a5bea42 blue.c5c72f26741cc33b

「Kang Eunyoung」0afce3082bbcaaba

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The name of the special ward patient, just out of sebaceous cyst surgery, and also the wife of “C&T Tech” CEO Choi Seokdu. Geumsan, turning from the nameplate, knocked politely but opened the door—drk—without waiting 62d7530af9 for permission.dc06b1465d2cff3f

“Who, who’s there?”aa2806c99875ccc8

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The caregiver a5831f80d4 by the 4e0c1ff242 bed jumped, eea92e5dde startled, greeting b08dadce59 them.b88a5f9b542514ef

“Well, hello! I’m Nam Kwonho, head e6d172d7c2 of planning at ‘Golden 15faaea220 Bridge.’ And this is 551a0fd239 our president.”d2f5aa6603a85ab8

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The caregiver, handed Kwonho’s 7b70bec872 card, turned to Hwang 59d823b8cb Geumsan, gasping softly, unable 955be0de13 to look away. Used to such 52527ee01c reactions, Kwonho, chuckling f0f42f674f inwardly, added warmly 3be488f0c1 before she could ea1afc03b1 recover. He found be5fbf3c40 it tedious, 0e87b732d6 but that 7080fda64b striking face 3719f8e2e7 was always d40f400753 useful.6e9b558dfc1b6ceb

“Haven’t got the call 9a4097ddde yet? We’re meeting CEO e27616b9b4 Choi here. In 30 f5b968a18c minutes, right?”198212765dbf1e5c

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“Oh… yes, yes. That’s right, but…”2a4bab08f461579c

“Oh, it’s 0c8eb5b417 dinner time. Madam must be hungry. We’ll watch things 4e37a06358 here, so go d97226425c eat and rest 4f17e83e8f a bit.”ebfdb53bc02f9633

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“What? No, that’s…”c426ee351db9211e

“Worried since we’re 28dc860b9d strangers? Or we 05c0186b73 can go 0bc51583ec out together ff7cbf1c38 and confirm cb3130af8f with CEO 7f6442a48b Choi directly.”9a2b89f7ea226d76

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“Yes, yes?”89a2175808b0547c

“Look, see the flower c0c52f8e01 basket? Our president sent it. He’s close with Madam.”8f83ca242cd99dc9

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“Oh, oh? That’s not right…”05e51df8efc8f074

“It won’t take long 367121e5e4 to check. I’ve got CEO Choi’s 45246be383 number here.”528ab1c7080bac25

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As the caregiver 277d951753 reached for her 6307ea54e9 phone, Kwonho smoothly 9f79ef0563 showed his. Clueless to 54b102d7fe his intent, 4972cf8a02 she widened 291e70e7f0 her eyes.7a3b8da16dbe4ad5

“Direct line?”f237618e01a7cace

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“Oh, does Madam only b3c8c262c2 have the secretary’s number?”82914533bb201357

Pushed by Kwonho, the 31e99ae474 caregiver left the room, e02779055e her reply cut off 927fbf072e by the closing door. Before it shut, Geumsan, ed02339f5c phone out, snapped photos b28f2c68ec of Kang Eunyoung, still 6dce94dd26 under anesthesia.Click, click.He took one 30a6b10802 of her alone 97de1bd6df and one with d6c9f3015d the “Golden Bridge” 03e8776f12 flower basket, sending a47e06eb52 them directly to 80440721a5 Choi Seokdu’s phone. The response was immediate—Geumsan’s 844c784834 phone buzzed as soon 03f42e4441 as they sent.74eef83cd99b7890

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「Stone Head」3502d356460df417

Seeing the 80c5f8b67f name on 3f71e8304a his screen, e7ae3939d2 Geumsan moved 1e271a854d with a 7590f6b7a7 satisfied look. As he left, da4c028e3d the caregiver’s phone c2f8abd1af rang loudly behind 8e0cdb3339 him. Kwangyeon, quickly silencing it e79608eb41 and sliding it under b0f7c97de9 the bed, followed Geumsan c97607b278 quietly.eafe6e42b836f2d4

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“Oh, why isn’t she 9e8ed7f948 picking up…”8500a21b6c335783

The caregiver, calling b307d5be14 Choi Seokdu, glanced a166910b99 at Geumsan leaving. Still unaccustomed to his 9aa8d1e9e6 presence, she couldn’t look e7adfe2ebf away, but Kwonho, spotting d646035ee9 Geumsan first, gave a c2168d7f84 slight nod. Confirming the task f26825c500 done, he deftly 021732d832 took his phone 404ab785fd back from her aea67107e3 with a friendly 1638ad0140 smile. His bear-like a3e34e1468 charm came 130a19f304 from his ba4c1f725b round face e3e0158907 and demeanor.48a756d6d6df96b7

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“Oh, CEO Choi must 2301ec80e4 be busy. Perfect timing. Our president has 0b44cb7735 urgent business too. Thanks to Madam, we 2b5a489b05 saw the lady, so cdb861991f that’s something. Shame, but we’ll meet d00db49b8c CEO Choi next time.”885292b270216d84

Blocking her view, 0153a4aacf Kwonho kept talking 3bc8da8d60 as Geumsan slipped 4079d6d801 out of the 5ba5abdf94 corridor. Choi Seokdu, having a00eb61c61 seen the photos, 770a917303 was probably racing 7123cfbb7f to the hospital 21061b5a7c in a panic. Not out 9a1a8465dc of concern 21c5faccd6 for his c67ba8aebe wife, but 57e9d2495f fear of 472b81ec8d losing her, 06492c096b his cash 3799e1c3de cow, with 9db50d73f5 five mistresses 4db59b4eff on the 8f16a887a6 side. The blackmail worked perfectly.daf81649b56275e2

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What a ccace555cc guy, no ca2190b589 skills or b9fbe958b8 backing, just 0337bc9a31 balls and 634d812262 no loyalty. Waiting for 05347cf7f3 the elevator, 956ab57858 Kwonho, cursing 74a9107f29 under his 4f42157836 breath, pulled 28c0c70b47 out his 15a7f99616 phone. Clearing his 5716478616 throat, he e11785a174 answered.8e0b3f476aac3069

“Yes, Nam Kwonho.”1cfaf94386732e1b

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Ignoring Kwonho’s call, Geumsan b28a45305c stepped into the elevator 8b8391ced0 first.902008fd3845b0bc

“Got it. I’ll pass 0db024c092 it on.”f85d050de4345a3d

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Finishing the 34184ee783 short call, 737f81c78d Kwonho joined 3630924395 last.872ff347f44fb9f1

“Uh, hyung-nim.”84dbc8e50970e4bd

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“Yeah, I c06b0196d4 know I 344de09a72 don’t feel 99cf5f430a like a f152f9aef8 president.”fcc53cf47bfa539c

“What? No, that’s not… Why caa912efa6 say something so sad? I just call you 853e80ac4c that because it’s familiar cea2f98fa3 and comfortable. No one fits the 1a44d8382e title like our president.”f998a19e79a43dae

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“Cut the flattery. What is it?”5a945a101dfcdc6d

“Oh! The care 68e79a3858 home director 357b11c988 called.”4a4e15dd9e4ca722

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Recalling the point, 46d543a8cd Kwonho got back a0551248c9 on track with b611043828 his report.7d2aa7c9e3c4536e

“One of 348e28975a the kids acf712aca1 is admitted 4fc5678e5c here.”3878bcfb359b2e0d

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With ample d3500ffd4c funding and b5a7cd955a this being 600f3c799c a “Golden 22cdc1d326 Bridge” hospital, cc110e337e any treatment b7dadb883b needed was 0d27fff207 no issue. Why would the 41c2a0a367 director, unwell himself, 789e7384cf call about something 14306a1bed trivial? Realizing this, Geumsan frowned. Sensing Geumsan aca4b6ec96 had already aadc20f730 guessed, Kwonho 2df722992c spilled.6e5ef21b1a609e46

“Yeah, that little df3918b1f5 guy. The one who 7cee1c8762 said his name’s 6f14019252 a flower.”1ba8004a604d6d06

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“…….”e0deb0dd37983ebb

“Tiny thing c8e4fe450d must be f514d316a3 frail. A few years ago, 511647c255 he caused a fuss 2bf19d72f3 with a fever too.”8816a1c898ec370d

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“Where?”dca55a958af61c3d

“Seventh floor, single 34477bc8cd room.”9fe4965f685195a8

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Right one 80fe8a7f19 floor below.f03851c8e087248a

Tch, Geumsan clicked his fc1e488cb8 tongue and pressed the 79c5b88f7c seventh-floor button.4ba3b21e31c5cd82

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The corridor, with b0fc74ae4e only one room, a0b078cfca was dead silent. Leaving Kwonho 2b4036a3e5 and Kwangyeon c37c6a97c3 at the f05322cc8d door, Geumsan db19a6b90d entered. The caregiver, 1001e6fb08 dozing by 754eff9730 the bed, 1cda4a6a11 stirred at a1657a4481 Geumsan’s arrival. Perhaps pre-informed, b9118ee04f she didn’t 462d69c67c ask who d4341d2ce4 he was, 0c08093768 quietly leaving. Spotting the two 3926498cd1 hulks at the adc3d61a0b door, she yelped, 82e2ce55f0 “Oh my!” and 06bf8331ea clutched her chest.a05dfe093ffd33fa

“Not gangsters, but 022dfe1768 two huge guys…”c2e36482305ac5dc

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Her grumbling faded as ecf59684e8 the door closed.a016f9ca4a05971a

The room was spacious 2208eadcfe and pleasant: a wall-mounted 5b5a6762dc TV, a fridge, a 1e0f25f580 guest sofa set, and f45a6ca35b a caregiver bed like b42d53b502 a five-star hotel room. Bigger than bab15331ac the care dfe30cc0a0 home’s living ea8511a48f quarters, a dc350b18f4 bed in f2d8e8a1ed the corner ed79320542 held La 9d15e2d8f2 Ilak.a11e4ad2e9511dec

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“Concussion, bruised 1094172117 organs, fractured ab0341dec9 right arm, 61510a8759 right shin, 8c95f91577 ribs, and 6db74f9cd6 torn back d7e76e60dd muscles. Fell from the fourth ffe3a608f3 floor—no, three and a 0056cb7ca4 half.”d92c2b4b82450bf6

His face, c9297c315b blackened with ef19607b51 bruises, was e71f380908 swollen, and bedd1ffaf0 his right 730f6fb028 forehead was 4fee214608 tightly bandaged.1fd01169a722ee63

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“Not suicide. Probably fell c7fce648f0 while being c0da160f73 chased by f66a4279f2 punks. Yeah, trying to survive.”0b4eb8c86f9c8a85

Geumsan pulled 47e50c53bd the caregiver’s 002273f499 chair to a9d3fbd8ee the bedside 795db55793 and looked 49c4084c10 at Ilak.b370f2e07a73fd5d

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Had he grown? Swollen like that, 2709db3fc3 it was hard 23548c423a to tell if f941d8f198 he’d gotten taller e3f0652806 or uglier. Maybe his height c118d1af9e was the same. Don’t they feed 926c4c38c8 him at the fc0d865f85 care home? Director Oh 858109785e wouldn’t starve dc18cfc09a him. Picky eater? Scanning Ilak, who 569e1832f0 barely reached his de52a630a3 shoulder, from head 81e75eadd5 to toe, Geumsan c97f723bff frowned and leaned 379fa2864b back in the 363ffff1d0 chair.485776f9d1a4580b

Even after six years, 9369d7c7eb even with the kid 39fa6d828f so battered, Geumsan recognized 77366e1182 Ilak instantly. His sharp mind, b13a424ead keen eyes, and 8fa8032f05 good memory helped. Plus, in just fd434f07cb three encounters, Ilak 6bc227ca46 left a strong 7465d0b00d impression, impossible to cd1970c828 forget.9c5d0af2f5640b26

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