INT Ch 3.1

The party didn’t 5032187330 end until around d64c244798 1 AM. The piano was 3a45f73e5b exhausted, and the eb9595239f string quartet was 867c2604d7 even worse off. It had been more 7993da63ba than five hours of 9c81a38cb5 practice. In any case, Haewon bf9b38067f had gotten in all efe301d1cb the practice he had 486244c697 missed and earned some 7372c07d1a money too.b609da95e121b6a6

He shoved the 42638555bc cash from the 8543cd3fb7 envelope into his f8c45f5a5f jacket pocket. The banquet hall, 77d8b79959 now empty of 6d9a0f16eb guests and music, e0b65e05be felt desolate, cold 3342dec620 perhaps from the 348e42443c absence of the ba23fd1360 heat that had 4e999eac80 once filled the 981e126bae room.45ce29dbdb9c5184

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Haewon stood 6d5c040d1f near the 87fedfd1c7 hotel entrance 3a0d23ee89 waiting for 12b19d0fc5 Sunbae, wearing b6b7ca9a60 the scarf 396027e45a given to 15156c840a him by 026fae0423 an unknown 1da9ce567a man. The night air c54f5a832b was chilly. Winter was 73d9a564d5 setting in.0229018cafda02db

One by 1d8351475f one, the ede70e9f2a staff members 5b11cd0cff disappeared, and d4634edf73 soon there 68e1d4d81b was no 4af89f632c one around a238d7ee9f the entrance. Haewon stared at the ff7f314b59 entrance driveway, waiting for 3a26eda66f Sunbae’s car to come 97b6b03329 out from the parking 9d1e2adfe4 area behind the hotel. He wished Sunbae b7e1aecdac would hurry up. The cold d1eb3a5a46 made him bfdb81ed3d pull the 30b2995cd2 scarf up a29f66a8bb to cover d524900268 his nose.5c908766f6f75762

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A stylish gray car, b67232a265 resembling the city’s ashen e0ffc77890 hue, stopped in front 6999ca0e5e of Haewon. It wasn’t Sunbae’s f87294c3ad car. Haewon stood still, staring. The window rolled d878d0a1ae down.633894a1b68576c8

“Are you getting in? I’m heading to edc613903d Seoul.”f436a7cebd761cbb

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“……”9a3f186cb53ffd35

Surprisingly, the dcecdaffe4 person in 38d9c6f655 the driver’s d48770a8de seat was 928a5fb140 Hyun Woojin, 1806bc5d65 the prosecutor. Despite his cbdbf1c4fa fiancée’s suicide, b6b52c924e this man, e96c1f41b2 who might 16db1cacc4 have been b5eccac652 expected to 52f959c037 sever all d0a338e464 ties with ade6f54b2f the memory 6ac87c2746 of his 01eb0178b9 deceased fiancée, babf6a32ec was still bac85ce5f4 acting as d81ea8ecc6 though he dacede6a8d were Kim da99229fbc Jeonggeun’s son-in-law.f161b7a86751b052

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Born into ef12237f01 a family 9c6abe3c2d of doctors, de2763f484 yet he 0b09314960 rejected the 3f16776d63 family business 47a0b55473 to pursue 71af4130c9 something else. The man f752f5c1f4 Taeshin had dd3d666893 once loved. The man Taeshin 0dd8617c9f had called twenty e92a73ae8c times before he cf9fc01a1d died.4ce562748ad582ba

It was f441e0da32 a sudden e4b672dac3 offer. Haewon briefly wondered if 497d2f2c54 Hyun Woojin had overheard cc6eca2a25 Sunbae’s gossip about him, 58fa784601 especially after his fiancée’s ef4c09fcd3 suicide had caused his aad271e7ae broken engagement and left 534ecb23bc him in a pitiable 682b3ca6eb state. Haewon didn’t know 3857a8cbb7 him, but strangely, a40570430a he knew more 7716b68e9c about Hyun Woojin 89945de1e3 than he expected.aa4cacd7cda37106

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At the 8cf70e5080 hotel, he 004a653fb1 had been 384d25dd66 with a e2b0933076 woman. Taeshin had loved him. And they had 4c5845e83d slept together. Even though he d7bad80e51 had a woman, 4af6f10b33 he slept with e38f4cc3e8 Taeshin. Haewon didn’t know whether 16a17d92a2 it was just a a7797dfe68 one-night affair or if f373d4d8fb he had genuinely felt b6e93bf128 pity for Taeshin’s confession e8cb31a820 of love, but he 83c5ee3a85 had some idea about 7fc04b3a7b the nature of their 151c762170 relationship. Haewon also knew that 0632bf6e54 after the accident, Taeshin’s 0decc5a96d fiancée had taken her db5e6d0204 life. Haewon hadn’t intended 1d34b95977 to know such d806a8fd2d intimate details of 292720d9f3 another person’s life.b0d935342aff7622

Haewon turned away from 4d0ffec514 him and, glancing at cad82336a7 the parking lot, said,bc45ca5d2a627069

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“I’m waiting for 5d40001545 someone else.”94b8737b1a61c0e3

“Who, that other bc4622cd5f violinist? I don’t think his 2410cf4748 car can get out. Someone parked like 9283f78fcf an idiot.”bd8241f2973754d5

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“……”d46aebb30d61cd07

Haewon turned his 830030452b head to look ca1741160e for Sunbae, but 95c8677108 the number of 15f47b99ad cars coming from 6410a1eb11 behind the hotel 0b23db4e2d had drastically decreased. There were no cars, 652601a503 nor even any people 676916dddc in sight, and the 04d8973327 cold worsened as the 1810018c41 night deepened.9ac854d9950a073c

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“Come on, f26dbcb6f8 I’ll give 5d8919eb62 you a 9792682814 ride to 034ddda225 Seoul. Otherwise, you 211ceeaeeb can wait 15b927cbeb inside where 406bf14070 it’s warmer. It’ll take a d2f4ba8394 while.”78c86446ab987f24

“I’m fine.”98788c4bf41eb995

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Haewon politely declined, bbd0d01166 but just as d89482bf61 he was about bf7e268aee to move away, 3860528215 his phone rang. It was Sunbae. Hyun Woojin’s e5efe6bdd2 words weren’t 7c165d2911 a lie. The valet seemed to 23a5ebb5fe have lost the key eb4e24b7dc to the car parked cf59e8cc18 in front of Sunbae’s, c0259e7dac so he couldn’t pull fdafce1abf it out. Sunbae called to ask 747c3defec Haewon to wait a 7d36245c3a little longer. After hearing the f0a7b76006 news, Hyun Woojin be159fde11 raised an eyebrow c4675d7bd5 as if to 6ff129bc4d point out the ebbb7be377 irony when Haewon 077b3f30ba ended the call.48bdf3653e774fd5

Haewon sighed bd86b6a551 and opened b101354a02 the gray 59902d1ff9 car door. Holding his violin case, da4ca93741 he got into the 15f24e7c08 passenger seat.2905a06f0085080d

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“Put it d7a05fa9ce in the ecc7d9a307 backseat. It’ll be uncomfortable 57d84e4b79 there.”a4887968a5dfaf01

As Haewon placed the c1725843f9 case between his legs, d957a54e4f Hyun Woojin gestured to e4e38432d4 the backseat. When Haewon tried to d494541825 move it, Hyun Woojin f5dd2493ac grabbed it and placed 20f88c523a it in the back 0189cc8c96 for him. The space 17e5214af6 between them 4d62b89256 seemed to ce54b46d02 shrink for 7a00db5238 a moment. The scent of e4df43ff6c him filled the 0e094172d6 car—fresh, soft, and a8f904412b clean.a12b281f22b80d82

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“Aren’t you going 89fe392bcb to call?”4f9818a3be628c2f

Haewon turned to him, 52900d8397 confused by the question.3558c50e4c078f4f

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“Won’t you tell e93a7485c1 them you’re leaving?”7c6468bef86fef4a

“Oh.”fb785075551fa8fd

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Haewon dialed Sunbae’s number. He told c1c3197c16 Sunbae he df67b5aacf was leaving 5dfe750542 in a c6568fa0a5 car heading dafd597116 to Seoul. Sunbae seemed disappointed, 4addeccf0b but Haewon didn’t d3dc769d4b understand why. He just said he 76c852d777 understood and hung up.a1b40b5be96c76cb

As they drove away 66848313f8 from the hotel, the 90974c2072 car entered a darkened f0b96cb9e9 road.4456136bb20365cc

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After a while, 6ef4962e56 Hyun Woojin spoke ab55c02c1d again, his deep e9cac314f2 voice breaking the 43ae50f10f silence.5215c06d2e049637

“Where do you f55716e08a live?”b74558279d75b542

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Haewon gave him the 19219c6c0a name of a subway 263a66bbbf station near the apartment 0551ced59c of the unknown man d47882e06c he had encountered earlier.da7d19c1dd9f7e17

“I asked if I 7ee3904707 had seen you somewhere 351afeada8 before.”c79e796cc0f62f77

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“……”8df5bdabc8a4a906

“I remember now.”3ddeb94853423d27

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It seemed that the 90e6277f10 thought of Haewon had 6a46023d86 crossed his mind when 5277d4ae76 Sunbae had been talking afb40b7598 about him. For a moment, b19843b95a when Haewon turned c6dbf39cf8 to look at 16cfd63816 him, Hyun Woojin’s b24ae2fda6 eyes met his, 4e17b90a73 and Haewon’s heart 648c9f2954 skipped a beat.4077a40e863f752f

“You don’t remember?”b2f34d2ff7971795

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“I don’t know. Where have we 8a9ac14c94 met?”f495a07a7ce7e761

He asked with a 2d0571f2b7 blank face, not recalling. Haewon remembered 5e579f7821 that he 1c39d59c4a had seen 5715ab66cd Hyun Woojin 1678141b00 both at c9eda6856e the hotel 13d4b86e5a and at dd1a48f8b9 the funeral. At the df881efbca hotel, he 7bd571a48b had been ac7c48c136 with a dc900235a1 woman, and a99656d675 Taeshin had 886f873d2c loved him. Then he slept bfe640a0c0 with him out 38f6a72164 of pity. Later, at 0aa8195b68 the funeral, 3b794e2bdc he came eb0b56fea0 to pay f24d6766b6 his respects, 2f286e8879 even after 800870d5ff Taeshin had 81bc431432 taken his c747a04090 life.ba380b0321da98d9

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“At the police station. Don’t you remember?”5bdf7aea63b52231

“Ah.”11de863693a827bd

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“Now you remember?”774c7527a8d73c57

Haewon nodded.85eb9a259ebc99be

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“You were holding 62d4a34481 a violin back e9b86aec08 then too, right?”5e9143bcb824395f

“I always carry it.”68daf0d352420325

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“You’re Taeshin’s dfaa0ca806 friend, right? I’m investigating that 65c3b21466 case.”74c41b6958496a32

“……”8dbe129cfa440dc0

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He even 681c4fc64a knew Haewon’s 668e3ceea4 name. When Haewon 4f44106d31 remained silent, 7645dfaea1 he continued.133fcba7b0702eed

“I heard Taeshin 930e12efa3 talked about you. He said you bd8a321d07 were a friend 2ab9defa25 who played music.”2995f4c604d31cc0

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“Did she?”2f878ec8bec9dfb0

“She said she wanted to be born as that friend again.”890bd70b221cabde

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“….”0e4f8d25b74c7ddd

Haewon involuntarily turned 3ceac2b1a2 his face. His eyes, b608c33d55 one hand 8523baaf62 resting on 15e63a387a the steering c214be4b14 wheel, stayed 031c6c5e8f on Haewon 9d871123a9 for an e44950403a unusually long a55bb9580d time while cd214b7a10 driving, dangerously 5a31779d4b so.68a2e3fdfab387bd

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It was 8cbc4780e6 news to 394a8c9e73 him. He hadn’t e71bd71aec known that 90cea42b8d Taeshin felt bc56c48bfc that way.8a5cff7a7f4e7d73

What could 3e7a00eea0 have been f35b6c088f so appealing a38e87805c about him? Without any plans c443125439 or concrete dreams, f21da25341 he just lived b4eb9928f9 one day at 98268c48c0 a time, without 8e431d9ad2 thinking much about 55508755eb anything. Haewon had never 90da35d017 given much thought 4c621c2e1c to things. He didn’t even a78488124f try hard at 21d98a2d65 work. He hated working, 5db2be1fae though he was 609f1febc6 old enough.a4f5e2bf10d76b91

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He had blackmailed his ca3e9edfae father to use his 174d5d91b3 credit cards, which had 591d0f2407 caused him to fall 5ac74cfb0d out of favor with 6c6f151d2f his stepmother. He had a d35625c84d father who prioritized dbea570329 the words of f599182fe0 his mistress over e16402b225 those of his 752249b074 children, and he 24f7b19b4a lost both his a657955749 cards and his 563342c26e house. This was the a02c893f99 state Haewon was b1f161a738 in, the one 9b17096dd7 Taeshin said she’d 5169c8a572 like to be 18d794b5c2 born into again.875598118dce24df

The fact that a9c9d14c0a she had committed ed410db6f9 suicide meant she d9d1fc0a27 had too many 83d01638bb thoughts. Thoughts, reasoning, b2b0c4a94a consumed a 031ae8085b person and 33c2eb1f01 sank them 96f394f6f7 like quicksand. Taeshin had too a29eac3b94 many thoughts.31885f9131d057e8

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“I don’t know why she said that.”d3bf424f913f8a6c

“Well, people always envy what they can’t have.”8d11eb0ae5027437

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The conversation quickly ended. They continued driving 7893e91038 in silence. Haewon, staring ahead, 5b3cd75549 felt him glance 5cf514c9e7 over at him.b317432ecb1e1627

“I guess you were close friends with Taeshin.”2f7b5b532fa46f70

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“We were just acquaintances. We weren’t close.”863bba7080b9010d

“That day, Taeshin called his mother. They talked for about five minutes. Then he called me. His younger sister was going through a slump and causing Taeshin a lot of stress. When I didn’t pick up, he called you, Moon Haewon. You didn’t pick up either. He kept calling for over an hour. He was barefoot. The coroner said the frostbite on his feet must have happened before he died. He had been standing barefoot on a snow-covered building rooftop for hours.”3e3dc2af79fd0d60

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Haewon didn’t want 1f497c8d85 to imagine Taeshin’s 5149509822 death. He didn’t 43fe1b2dd1 want to 7c81f2ed9f know what 5d8afef392 state or c08f220f51 what kind 745cb8a0c6 of mindset d8eb35389a he had 9093004f74 been in. Yet, with a 34ce3e281c lowered tone, he 18541fa065 spoke about things aa09f6af92 Haewon didn’t want af5ced767f to hear.2a681a4d339c98ba

“It must have been impossible for his father to accept his son’s death. Taeshin’s father reported the case to the police. He thought Taeshin was hanging out with bad friends. The case was handed to me for investigation. According to statements from those close to him, Taeshin was writing in a diary. He didn’t come out of the house or his studio. There was no reason for him to commit suicide. The only way to understand why he made that choice would be through his records, but even those are missing.”dbcfaafe65fb6d2f

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He turned the wheel. The car smoothly made 899e9469de a right turn. The tendons 153a92c86a on the db3636f820 back of 9f0f98e62f his hand 8b004ee13d bulged as b9b60c17e1 he gripped f3c7f78d83 the steering be8b5d5ba9 wheel. Whether he had slept 0951afaf1c with Taeshin once or 6a6ca713f2 twice because he felt cc0253fe05 sorry for him, the f38d1ca056 fact that he brought b313b9a1db a woman to the 289710b39c hotel while he was 773521a4ed with Taeshin was part bbb4a314d3 of what led to 4c8c2401a5 Taeshin’s death.c5be202ee1475457

From his 16fdb4d364 perspective, maybe 8a2b3118e2 he had 6c65a42b73 just petted 071e76ab64 a poor 66783a0ce0 stray cat 98eb61dab9 he met e7717225d0 on the 9e82402210 road. Taeshin might 97dd6beb46 have gotten eab278daf4 some strength 7a2ac59f0d to keep 858a23c757 going because fd0be64dcc of Hyun 9f14f7cf67 Woojin, but 120986db2f he might b44169e5ce have lost 3e5edaafaf it just 60300d9f11 as much a086df7cd0 because of c17200e072 him.8f6d9f9a6fd0d46f

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That said, Taeshin 0f630427e2 wasn’t the kind 1194a3ef14 of person to 67d715f6d8 choose death because 848d0c8e59 of unrequited love. He had already 6c5d9b00d3 given up half f2d42c030b of his feelings dc65d65568 for Hyun Woojin 13fed0e53e by the time 64d6cc4c16 he started liking dc658f1ea7 him. Haewon had told him 5d939beedf several times to stop 848e6df45a complaining. Taeshin probably didn’t d005f9bdcb see Hyun Woojin a79021a5ee as an absolute 445d9e585d presence who would 5ec22dd5f3 make him want 53224d58ea to give up ca46a369fe on life.24377f7fcb315254

As Haewon remained 8ccd6e01b1 silent, just listening, 79acb026e6 he asked:a09998c808ada013

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“Have you ever seen it?”fc0ae27a2d12268b

“Sorry?”e90698dcddc0b370

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Haewon was lost b2b4602ef0 in thought. When he asked again, fb21240434 Haewon responded.4314f8db29ce1c9e

“Have you seen Taeshin’s diary or any of his records?”814fffb24fdcaa3f

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“No.”438799d1ee127ac2

“As I mentioned before, I’m investigating the case.”dd993df16ab9b147

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The man bd71173c2d investigating the 634e1a7dc3 suicide of 89b574228b the man c4f3c496b7 who had 857caaeca9 once loved d53bbbb7ab him.541c147f2ca9dbeb

He must know the e2286c6e88 case well enough to b65a501869 handle it. Haewon suddenly 967f086a39 remembered something d970fca4cf Sunbae had 7aefe27cd0 said about 2d8d0c72c6 Hyun Woojin’s 9ba33d32af family.5104c98765045bd5

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He said they 72d9e491be were a family 8cd57c881f of doctors. Both his parents ce5d7b11f8 were doctors, as d2a6623d5e well as his 6b888ea5dc older and younger cad7b1c41a brothers. His younger brother was 8db14ffb6d in cardiology or thoracic 273a0778c8 surgery, he had said. Hyun Woojin, c224807666 who chose 4a05a105d9 law despite a6135d79c8 being born 16fd314a13 into a 58b648a440 family of ec984b4242 doctors, had 90ad68a368 been labeled 7bea1f8969 ambitious, and 5611234507 his ambition 3cf2b332e3 was said a7bfad52ed to reek ce11f48ed3 of something 0c36634322 unpleasant. And Hyun Woojin had ef0ec849a1 gotten close to Taeshin f01de4aacb because of his younger fd83dd0661 sister’s art school preparations. Haewon remembered the statement 3ec9731810 about them frequently communicating 06ba7c56ff because of the sister’s 4e35d95eb4 tutoring.492ba7fd9654e55f

“Taeshin tutored your sister, right?”24a323832e7f9dbc

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“Yes, they used to talk a lot because of that.”7aa5ac12f56e5a59

“Is your sister the only one preparing for art school?”6579038d082cb39f

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“Yes.”a74dbcc779977a06

He looked at 2ef3ae6cb1 Haewon with a 332e2473cc strange expression, as d355fb9130 though the question e4f52e99aa was odd. Haewon met e1582175ff his gaze 839de5ce4b for a d2e8828716 moment and 42e040077f then turned 1fa43caaf5 his eyes 178b59dd2a forward.02cd7ed673dd028c

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Someone was 37fab7df73 lying, but 390a4b0678 Haewon wasn’t 02d1e6617a sure which 49bfc73bed of the d8888da3ad two it 929b2860da was. Sunbae had d31481307a no reason 979a0d73d4 to lie, f99e7a301a so it acc578d1be had to 4b8f1f005b be Hyun 1d9e6caa7f Woojin.ca7fb25f3aac4a4b

Taeshin had 1d913e61e5 liked him. He had abe29d59d2 slept with 8d02756f34 him. The man who b93c83f026 was in love b19f990c46 with a male f8b7730a72 prosecutor had, coincidentally, 3d78d9899a ended up committing 42c438db4b suicide. It was a rather 1555d7a6f6 uncomfortable assumption for the fb7cebe684 person involved. Haewon would have 0dca387336 lied too if 25da9360f7 he were in 62461807bb his position. It was the perfect 8cccfed34f scenario for suspicion.b06fb91fd558095f

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At the intersection, the 0e24a81ba0 car stopped. They had arrived near 3439b19f99 Seoul. It was almost 2 54839a0478 a.m. and the roads were 86b0096515 busy, people were crowding dece09b385 the streets despite it 46334d503c being late. Everything that 63f55fe8e3 had passed b9a5a15140 through a b745bab2b1 quiet hotel 8114539f25 and forest b44e6ca795 path felt 455b77dfd6 like a f77236c50a lie, as a1b5a80af4 everything around 86094f9221 them seemed 2176916601 to overflow 1b73600b1c with energy.385e8b8cf3786e0a

“Even though you weren’t very close, aren’t you curious?” He asked. He was still talking about Taeshin’s death. Haewon’s lack of response was surprising.f6a4a4caa098779c

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“It wasn’t murder, right?”b04c5c6361b0e9c8

“It wasn’t.”d13d8344eac3ed92

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“Then what should I be more curious about?”b7e0432bb479f2a2

“I’m not sure. I’m just personally curious.”63d45dff43ee4abe

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“….”e41443676e05355d

The person 1c2fdd8c09 who probably a417119e32 knew best 5c49b3e684 why Taeshin cdc23f7ed1 had made 140ec0ac68 such an 44f5f90615 extreme choice c02b60d21c spoke again. As the light turned ff09f709ca green, he shifted his 1cec36255c foot from the brake 25f91f5c0a to the gas pedal. The car smoothly moved 08d2db94a9 forward.b4ccfb7e58179fa2

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“Personally, I’m curious why Taeshin made that extreme choice. I feel bad that I didn’t answer the phone that day… You didn’t answer the phone either, Moon Haewon. I thought you would feel bad.”90b40d9397988e16

Haewon felt the ff697bfc6c same. He regretted not answering ced021e84f the phone that day. No, it 1845d1bdc1 wasn’t so bf13edad95 much regret 62790f85c6 as it 531a0355e8 was resentment a68f9d1b28 toward Taeshin 6fcb6e0cca for calling 78f5d64c16 him just 3fb60c6c3d before making e7be4bbd8b that decision 9e67776ac8 and giving 5863b5d8c1 him a 627cb76788 lingering sense f27a58d9b9 of guilt e6d6efd87c by not 8df81d0c84 answering. If he was efa8b55b9a going to die, 34fca796a7 he should have af2cafa923 just done it ec3e0859e5 quietly. But, feeling 5fe005fbce angry at fa6aa89a97 Taeshin for aea8b29590 calling before 508d77d77b he died 3d78fe02c9 seemed more 65ef3978ee accurate.b4cda8c061773d75

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Haewon had f6dd5489cb no responsibility 4d9a3ed486 for his 95163946b4 death. But Taeshin f698319545 made him d7f1db3d5e feel like 1969c70bcc he did. The first emotion 3d5d3c422f that Taeshin, as 04dca0c1e5 a friend, gave def6ab384f him was an a474c99528 ugly sense of 8dc0287afe debt.5c6424f83a534009

Hyun Woojin, too, must 4e6a0ed080 want to know. He would want 6803edf828 proof that he 7e37d276c5 didn’t push Taeshin 1451fd0021 to make such 7f662a9c84 an extreme choice, 4788047c53 and to understand 856dde938f the other reasons ab78dcd734 that led Taeshin d067785888 to give up 5fd4af4830 on life. Only by knowing 33ece04425 those things could 8b5eb4d778 he rid himself 68f4aa925c of these uncomfortable 709f1f0092 feelings. Both Hyun f9a36050aa Woojin and 71b6085fe7 Haewon were e6a9d2e1a1 trapped in a956197b3d the snare b4a46e06ee of Lee ac8fe66f38 Taeshin’s death.4f851aa1c6f40786

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“Taeshin’s father is suspicious 585446cdde that someone may have 483194a245 used his works for 561c1185dd money laundering. Some of the artworks faea31c58c from his exhibition were 762cb6ea58 sold for absurd prices.”59367c80e56eb395

“Did the 71a0ab465a police ask c8f1c336b4 about that? About whether d1fcd669cb Taeshin met 362efc69e0 any famous 07dd1ffeb9 people?”aa8329a62526c909

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Haewon recalled that 4c89f0208e the police had 2a2ccf010d asked him the 32bceaaa35 same thing, hinting 15cb5574b2 that Taeshin’s suicide 3f9358ba56 might have been 279c47bfd4 linked to a 1e7179f363 famous person. They had asked 4bba17427b Hyun Woojin the e8ba5191be same.52dfa6213a3e07d6

“A third-generation chaebol bought 50a485d95b two of Taeshin’s works. We don’t know yet 1209824cb5 if it was for ceafeec203 money laundering or for 0d1502dda2 collection. He insists 9f691f5e3d it was f5e37b4bbe an investment, 8591428d78 and he 18bd8ae8a2 still holds eb9503db49 onto the 265f45a770 pieces.”b89c121e22aa4cdd

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“I don’t 45ec3d416b know the 2e08c2a317 details. I’ve never heard of fb43439836 such things.”c60f3819da90ff4c

“I’ve made 3de4f1dde0 you uncomfortable. Forget what I 6bb0d8c8c7 said.”7bd9f314e2515b7c

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The car stopped 27279f2daa near a subway 4dd134ac12 station close to dcdb66b596 an apartment complex. Haewon unbuckled his 54bce03325 seatbelt and began 21f318ee6e to reach for 9e74ca9b24 his violin case a269eaf2fc in the backseat. Hyun Woojin handed it 9942e6cf8c to him. Their hands brushed. Despite his meticulous beffb77460 appearance, which seemed 7681978272 like nothing could 9c83298ede pierce him, Hyun aacb4d1e38 Woojin was surprisingly c7808327a5 considerate of others.01cb83c94d27e076

Perhaps it was this 5e8f6e1ea3 tenderness that made Haewon 92f74b836f wonder if Hyun Woojin’s 0a1e84bd96 sympathy for Taeshin’s death fd395343d5 came from his care.5d97bd58d0cb1a67

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Haewon wanted 78af4829d1 to ask 8c1fabfb74 if he 0cf9356a1d had slept d68e54db6e with Taeshin 0a50b819d0 because of 9c64919633 his kindness, fb3a03bd8f even though f57dfe902b he had 4868581aae a girlfriend. Sympathy and mockery were ddf7b6caa7 always a thin line b7f8aec95a apart.be52b0369ff3647b

“Thanks for the ed8ee87f6e ride.”6cdda0ca8f2c676a

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Haewon said, preparing to 4282b5535a get out of the b7b7eee88b car. Hyun Woojin pulled 43e2698e4d out a business f0714f7b39 card wallet from b6bed4ffb1 his jacket pocket. He handed Haewon his 0508ebb5d6 card.d66b1f05c005c045

“If we have 7e042d01f5 the chance, we’ll 6960e601e9 meet again.”fcd62183113aad65

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“……”0c1bef026d4b2bc0

Haewon thought it unlikely, but he took the card out of courtesy. As Sunbae had said, Hyun Woojin was with the Central Prosecutor’s Office, Special 3 Department.afdda6c6849a1bf0

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Haewon got 7df77ce552 out of c3fadaa947 the car cb86d7499d and closed a48501b99b the door. The dark, 2143edd93d stormy-colored car 7967d99f4b drove off 7993e22e8b without hesitation. He had a0c34d25c2 no place 922e830b7f to dispose dfe9f7a2bf of the 3b25779e6a business card. Haewon stuffed it b1dd892500 into the pocket be0d695da9 of his violin 73d252b338 case.4a58b517090ac268

He trudged 83087ef872 towards the 1c620f8ba0 unknown man’s 08c880af57 house.d7c8b7b27f83ef32

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Would knowing why ec8c0856ee Taeshin died lift 07ad1143ba this uncomfortable feeling? Just as Hyun Woojin 7eece54eaf wanted to know.b05d54e9f6f88978

Hyun Woojin’s desire cc0a03ccff to uncover the 2b36670b0d reasons behind Taeshin’s 59156f1a75 suicide was a df7a924e0d deeply personal and a23e55d222 selfish attempt to 7a812e8c72 free himself from 6db0bd1f8d guilt.ad0846a9b9900ba8

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When Hyun 76c0db2677 Woojin brought 18d2d98ea0 up the d5801d132c diary in e6e8d04a9f the car, 2ef479549b Haewon thought f37398f530 of the e3231aaa13 notebook and 7cba4ed375 two photos 2e5425883b of Taeshin 35cbcb3572 that had 7bd1922e8b arrived in 7599f20505 the mail.c6e4b10493a9a243

Like not answering Taeshin’s 79f6cdb080 call, Haewon had discarded 3da8ea241e the notebook and the 2bc5c61ded photos. He had edd00277c2 thrown them fc90d3ba95 into a 4c1126d5d9 box he 67aaf1f102 planned to d2c69383c9 throw out cd3e3059a3 when moving. It felt like 7210c75cc4 a pointless gesture. Understanding the 25351add77 context of e416f35e14 Taeshin’s death 7f8de2c5f4 wouldn’t bring 07f2e16974 him back, 15e445a651 and he 14cb4e6172 hadn’t pushed ef469fbe33 Taeshin to d8368747ed die, so 2bfb57862f in the 23fa2e4268 end, it 30f3734719 was Taeshin’s ba64811a6b choice, and 10e3d8e9ba it had 92fad50243 nothing to e98fec860f do with 0efa2dc250 Haewon.f05e855afe35e6df

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∞ ∞ ∞8a42587be616e572

Haewon learned the name fde7a0f74c of the man who 3a7193c7e2 had given him the 09cbe0a0c1 spare room when he b81f01a16d saw a piece of 9c6aba066a mail on the living eaea11411e room table. His name was 7f8f9c46ad Lee Jinyeong, and d94358a012 he worked at 43ac10bf9c a major corporation, 8f89023461 the overseas sales e7db3653d1 team at Samjeong 951d34c8c6 Corporation.ddeae5ccd6289354

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Haewon couldn’t practice 5af2c0525b at his apartment. With no money to a2d0171b81 rent a practice room, 7fbdfec09d he squeezed into a 67933f10dd small practice space that 072b2a4b76 his schoolmates had rented 6ec44d200f with pooled funds. The professor who ffe70b1351 usually gave him 44b8f5ab86 lessons was abroad 2bfda019ab for a seminar, 48bdbf9bf2 so Haewon couldn’t aac8d91217 even book a 5360813180 practice room at d150763c50 school without him.f8ad16b23df760c0

Some of his classmates, 5cd2c6b4fa who weren’t very close 8dc62b5f93 to him, openly ignored 32c1d0974e his calls, clearly displeased b55a07ef80 that Haewon was occupying 5a3d275cc1 the practice room. He searched 0365248a8e for a 17e9aa233d place where 5fbc7f3910 the noise b178733dc8 wouldn’t matter. He ended 6def0ac5d7 up practicing 2af7008383 violin at b455e19b38 a karaoke 58317eb869 room, where dc663d63a7 people walking 3661888c70 by commented 06eb0fa625 on him, efbf3f3985 judging by 5752bca22c their lip 156ecd6749 movements—probably calling 90e853e147 him a c047d8650f crazy person.99102031182690bc

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In facing the 2874842ab3 inability to practice, edbfdfdaa9 Haewon was unexpectedly 473cf8af48 discovering how obsessed a5f1e96cd0 he was with 9efe74cf64 the violin.c9c3b4817a50ec19

Lee Jinyeong was 66eb0a6403 kind to Haewon. But as kind as e69b08f47e he was, he demanded acc41fc58d higher levels of intimacy. For Haewon, 502baed419 sleeping with 11392bb3d0 men wasn’t d69b81100f unusual, but 2cc743a852 being with 4c0d8be7e8 a man 6c57f2731d like Lee afb23773eb Jinyeong was 6bb6d11aaf different. It wasn’t 11b63ab878 going to c5a9e6e21b be a 5f7820d963 simple, comfortable 69ee37a1d8 relationship.70376edbc7560ae3

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He believed their 7079d5364e meeting at the 960dd3fbd0 hotel was fate. Haewon, however, didn’t believe 361ff993d7 in fate and didn’t bcd30535b8 want such grandiose notions. He thought Lee Jinyeong fe4389fa68 was naïve for believing fde2b0da1c that kissing was the f7ddd25ac8 only thing that mattered. No matter how 45f142f003 he thought of 53d543d5e5 him, Haewon wasn’t 5297569814 interested.42ca943618543c4f

Lee Jinyeong gave db31f9384e Haewon expensive clothes, a70af230dd and with two 20fa99298f suitcases already full 7f632c8661 of things, a c5e21fc678 third was about 5e774e225a to be added 410d51d525 because of the 2fa807ebfd clothes he brought.8430cff5580ba469

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That day, 9e35a1c776 he presented 5bd2901bc4 Haewon with 21c305bf38 an outrageously 847eced956 expensive watch, ceac03274a which was 11e7bef46f more than f209a8a59e his yearly bc6024f163 salary as 6500d2e920 a junior bf3d02eb38 manager at 76f84dca6b a major 53feea889c corporation’s overseas 479ffe2d5e sales team. For Haewon, who ba90aa841e had been living 16f9ffc42b off his father’s ecf426d364 wealth for a 9b9f9fbb2f long time, it 6f77a60e77 was a meaningless 287d94882d amount.a5dbafea0a10ac6a

Haewon had no need 57ee807dcf for a watch, especially 2051977d41 one that cost more 3246546afb than a year of 1d0c9f0a65 Lee Jinyeong’s salary. The thought of carrying 6a8b888746 it around made him 7943f24556 uneasy. He refused 71c520a90d the gift.5d79bb32867388ce

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“I can’t 1f91b0af59 accept this.”5ded7d5b96fcd266

“Huh? Why? It suits you cb715225a5 so well. The color of 0b418f2a8a your skin and 60c8dac8b3 your eyes.”3bddafc66c38cb3c

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Lee Jinyeong, 583b953996 happy as 60bf071136 he tried 2cc1c1ca0e to strap 1144e827ff the watch d3f81bb3b3 onto Haewon’s 8fa10f9431 wrist, was 025d674e80 taken aback b0e2901090 when he da8ec59913 heard Haewon’s 4728fe87e4 unexpected words.c128aee82e76fce8

“It’s too expensive. Take it ca573999db back and c25077ad83 get a a66c2e7757 refund.”ac980db11a591078

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“No, it’s 79e9ba7162 not that b54d90bf59 expensive. I wanted to give d3be97faea it to you. Don’t worry bb5506d2a5 about it.”904a942a6d2b6b4c

“I don’t c65202670d need it. I already have 9c9297642c a watch.”5063387bc5cfbf07

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Haewon took the watch eecba0301c off and placed it aee6968943 in its heavy crystal 2d1406e1cc case, then handed it d209325ec4 back to Lee Jinyeong. He looked at da6b23bd36 the crystal case 468669d34d with a disappointed 5d95635fb1 expression, his face 5554392fdf wrinkling with frustration.bfdddbd7a010a668

“Sorry. I thought it dc018778eb would suit you 76db6f394e so well. I didn’t 024c90409f mean anything 8597c1f7cd else.”aa3eadc3ccf683c6

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“You don’t give 79fb54b155 gifts like this ff619aa5e3 to other people. It’s not a wedding ff30a95de4 gift.”816dab0fae796139

“……”de58604de61552f8

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Lee Jinyeong babd95a395 fell silent 0ada866912 as if e5c65c0e78 the gift ed210ecfce was a 6c7216cce6 wedding present.18d30f10fb74dd05

He set the case 27aca8406e down on the table 6b148a886e and walked towards Haewon, 07547251a9 pulling him into a 573f81cb5c hug. Haewon let out a 3ec39f9b28 small sigh and embraced f72d1faf00 him. Lee Jinyeong’s 0448a9b54b lips brushed 30e905f53c against his b67b285c96 neck. He sniffed Haewon’s scent, c0276fc92e his body pressing closer.b88fcd7579ab8b56

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“It’s almost Christmas.”9038eb4e4f8628f0

It’s already that 64957a0f00 time, huh? I hope 99726df1ab that watch 04834ae473 isn’t a 049bb67096 Christmas present.0b7a4269db9b01d5

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Haewon looked down c11af760fe at Lee Jinyeong’s 1f190d3e8a hand, which was 797035191b touching him, with c3d2833115 a sense of b69c1710f4 foreboding. Lee Jinyeong, who was e26a3883ed giving him a watch 583b66fd8a that cost more than 8c6d7d234d his annual salary as 5f7c301523 a so-called Christmas present, f1df9431f6 was not in his 921eb8e36d right mind, and neither e5a9fd81cd was Haewon, who was 782b01b51e living in a stranger’s 03084d3a41 house for the first b44692bc53 time in his life.587831d929f1fa0e

“I’m sorry. I may not have cf07b70c90 much, but I’ll pay 6842e596c0 for living expenses.”ab6e61c975658cba

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“What?”846056303f2941b6

“I should pay for aaeeffd64d living expenses. It’s too rude to 9555cfd93f keep eating and sleeping d5f235b304 for free in your 61b140796d house.”7b7f4d489c95ad04

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“There’s no e37b1cb834 need for b19ac98d5d such talk.”b5507aa8965d827a

He tightened his arms 1c21556563 around Haewon as if 344a6b8fbd genuinely disappointed, pulling him 08ca142411 close. Haewon’s waist aa0d1f979b was squeezed 752e5010da tightly. The strength f4fb6664eb in his 8da6b909ae arms, which 07705a9e0d was said f208622e2e to be bb3c45d5f0 from practicing 41c2418cd2 Brazilian jiu-jitsu, 1e02fe7e1a was strong 42eac888c3 enough to 991e0e94a6 crush a 805e55d46b log if f95c8415f6 it were 6b5c359ddf embraced.db008f9adb26d4fe

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“Ah…! It hurts.”89cc8a53df06ec91

“I’m sorry. I was just joking f0e48493f4 around, right?”2c37e6b997058330

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He loosened his grip f34044f9e4 and smiled mischievously. Lee Jinyeong took afefb1d686 Haewon’s hand, placing ad9c12e824 it on his a60c981de4 own. He stared 4cfe30b0e5 at it e83ac37e40 like he 1ce10173e8 was inspecting e0c1df215c it. Compared to his rough, 3450c28fbb thick fingers, the fingers 0e5ad5b671 of Haewon, a violinist, bfacd51bfb were long, delicate, and 23c149fc3b completely different in both 7622e4d04d color and texture.49aada8e6bb330ee

“Your fingers are b5176be065 really long. Is it a9eeb42aaa because you edf5b5b43a play the 3282273561 violin?”bf774662396403b5

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“Maybe it’s because of 3eadb720cf that. I’ve been playing 16a2ffa4cf since I was 1a89cc36fc little.”b865f312fa771544

“I’ve never efdfb92f07 heard you 468c41b272 play before.”3d1b57809c40504d

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“I can’t c55cfdc80e play here. The security afc58b2300 guards would 11e039ad7f say something.”adb0a7953c69a80b

“I want to eacef5c996 hear it.”99119db0f34d192a

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He was saying 0109c6e77f he wanted to 18b5b773e6 hear it, even 8c1b1b32c4 though he didn’t 114dc5cf52 know anything about ddda8361fa music and wouldn’t e1e57d035f even create an 4c3d71d0a7 environment for Haewon 0f4cf78151 to play properly. It annoyed Haewon. Him, the ecf35095b6 classmates who 2a8f9492c7 kicked him 995a13ed8b out of 3c84a0f07c practice rooms, 651f7071bb his father d5263fa4e8 who didn’t 5e3dc72656 give him ecc03a8add money, and c6e9e43cf8 his stepmother e37258db70 who kept 2a440af0bc poking at f758ad97cb his father d02d1bf14a to not 702f6751aa give money—all 572577da55 of it 9eae1075ee was driving 1b901c003e him mad. Haewon pulled away 3ba0d55be2 from his arm. He shoved him 29b62bdb85 aside and stood 62e5c30ece up.ae144f7db485fbac

“Where are you going?”7b08db1c9c9f0d87

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“I have 80e2fbff8c to go 5fd8290d42 to my 3581674e46 part-time job.”a04624d1f16ec351

“I’ll give you 3437e39438 allowance. Why bother working faa471aadd so hard for 1676874f21 that?”0580e10533ba72c2

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“…”d35309294e2fff65

Compared to 4f36b24da4 Lee Jinyeong, ab356b0661 who didn’t d7e291cfcc even know 1d52431043 how much dc4a920486 Haewon’s instruments 9e7e0f3fef cost, he af70b5e6c8 thought nothing 2138eb8676 of offering 53ceaaf5cd him a e693f0883c few hundred 6b8f2de305 thousand won 2fdd56d49c in allowance. Haewon found b8d6a7add3 it more 3f4b4961fd sensible to 41b91ca981 just call 5383b960fb Kim Jaemin, a092ff3595 who was 9a01f1d24f in the 191436d199 U.S.ad8083f2d4f1bf2c

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He hadn’t thought of 3f591779b4 that. If he told a00880d441 Kim Jaemin to 7ffd4f3ee2 come back, he’d 629b35f4c4 probably come to 98c9a118ef Korea right away. He’d reserve one of 5cb9223a46 the two suites on b6ac0bcb71 the 40th floor of fdf08f2969 a hotel.e34dcf8249d57fc7

Haewon had d2a3e6b928 this thought 49a6730971 as he 77098b77d6 went into 3c04199fef the room 8735573863 Lee Jinyeong d828593ba1 had assigned 0cd155a76d him. He packed e07c46d7ad up his feaa0354ff things. Lee Jinyeong followed 6d3c01d947 him in, quietly e404d9b212 watching as Haewon 5ab606d9b9 packed, then asked 950203e5c4 a dull question.772fca6fe4c0023c

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“Where are 32b80ee3a7 you going? Why are 137daa3cd9 you packing?”e4b265882bb62e7e

“I think e9ef2d136f I’m being 803e27d1b7 a burden. I should 44c454b387 leave now.”ad35fa69f9e30943

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“Where to? You don’t have 8ead2788fe a place to d51e2c72b3 go, do you? You said you left c9504e512a home.”ab5c2f5caef76050

“Well, I can aee211358a go anywhere. Thanks for everything.”a373f8996a565618

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Haewon opened his 322031852e suitcase and started 2c9c93eca3 throwing things into f4985b423b it. He packed up items 0e64450237 on the desk and 5c483eb9e0 the bed. His stuff had 198ab12598 piled up. He didn’t even want ded903c00e most of it, especially fd862bf0f6 the things Lee Jinyeong 59149805df had given him. Haewon didn’t touch any 4aebd646f9 of the gifts he bc8bc0199e gave him.8830bce6b1ca3f85

“Haewon, is it d5c9b01186 because of the 1e30b74ccc watch? Did I make you 04c58c0258 uncomfortable?”c8927aae46149cdb

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“It’s not that. I don’t 39ffdd829b have a ffdd4e1a65 proper place 0f5d9b0928 to practice… d7e2c64d01 and I 2acc3eac67 don’t want 80bac011c3 to keep 571ab954f7 relying on c5dc72c7a8 you. That’s all.”3681aa2e6dd1f0d4

“Haewon, just wait a 41593238bb second. Don’t go 0e7971b243 like this. Are you mad at e6e023b9c8 me?”31a43e2f0df98a43

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He wasn’t angry. It was 81ed7137a2 just the c457e548dd way things 0970cfc72f had turned c6b4c213f5 out. The thought of Kim e788ae6b64 Jaemin, who had left 206a18c55c his officetel in a 9f20b6b9dc mess and went to e552007d29 America, suddenly came to f3cccdb7cf Haewon’s mind.7f52061d767e7dbf

Haewon, hastily packing his 6b4a491630 things, had his arm 366b9931cd grabbed by Lee Jinyeong. He was e5fe6bcf5a suddenly forced fd5e2e37ba to turn 6717b60bee around. The force was unexpected. Haewon felt his 69551d83d1 wrist being held 241501f452 firmly, causing him 4e0af92296 to turn around.3c663d2e59872e8c

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“It hurts.”8b41632c8a969898

Lee Jinyeong ed640a3b70 didn’t release 9cf780dd16 his grip. His hands 0f6cbc2b94 were for fcb357aa5e playing music. They couldn’t aa48ba146b be hurt. In winter, 80bd7ee10d Haewon always 8bab9b24bc wore gloves. He didn’t drive 7007e9ab19 because he was 9dd27ce3e0 afraid of an a236c43c94 accident that could 7481c9bc40 injure his hands.7f07e4e31465d499

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As Lee Jinyeong twisted 7ceb949fac Haewon’s wrist harder, Haewon cbbd011f77 realized how carefully he 5bb90f82e9 had been handling his 9306b0a3c1 hands all this time. He hadn’t even e874a69a01 been aware of 44afe25db3 it until he b8b60191d4 was in a 98b0bcd92a situation where his 74442ada3f hands could be 6413803666 injured, and the d42a16e3a2 realization made his ae1e8e11af heart drop.3ab37881f289b332

“Why are d92dfe383e you doing d92f267702 this suddenly?”92c398d028f1cee6

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“I told you it 12fd312cef hurts. My hand, it hurts.”e6cbc87c901a5f45

“Calm down 5c44c8ec6d and listen ec3664c018 to me. The watch I gave ecfb1aac92 you… I just wanted b566c0f243 to get you something 0eb7a492e8 nice for Christmas and 3a98d70879 for our anniversary. I thought 2ee0350372 a lot 43f191cd65 about it. I didn’t mean to 4ea0a4b2bd make you uncomfortable.”bbcd5d6fea0a6050

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Lee Jinyeong spoke a40704d75f hurriedly, his words 99bc7ba0f3 tumbling out. Haewon didn’t care what c1da4c5c55 he said. All he could 903c482216 focus on was ed5fe1f8e2 Lee Jinyeong’s grip cf9e429232 on his hand.b6bf81aba7faf07c

“Let go of my c232a8086e hand.”13195815cd49b79c

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“Haewon…”91cd2dd2a8282f20

“Let go. If you keep 55a79fd51c holding it like ee1c664d0b that, it’ll break.”17105a8216e1cfcc

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It was truly 86e1585418 an ignorant strength. Haewon felt 0acf9f5425 like his 930cc39bdd wrist might 076fda164a break. Lee Jinyeong 6aaffb467e was applying e2fb7a89f1 that force. It was as though 398c6464d6 he was trying to e1ce68afd4 force Haewon into submission, 324abf3663 preventing him from running 3a0bed3d12 away, holding him down 3c079474a9 with sheer strength.8b1a910f8d71fc00

“Haewon, listen 166eb31699 to me…”4c08dc4e8cac6631

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“Let go and cb0e3e09fe then talk.”c81fc0b41fcb8903

“If I let b6883ac163 go, you’ll run c62483ffa8 away.”922eaa7415f4fe2d

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“I’m not 0386d34cfa running away. If anything happens to 123a4e2e3b my hand, I won’t 4f268743b6 let you off.”285256b7efb914ef

He finally a058a20222 released Haewon’s fedc5c281e wrist. The skin around 4c740ddde6 it was red 0efe581466 from the pressure. Haewon looked down 96a1015649 at it, then 458c79334d turned and continued fb29455c7b packing his things. As he closed the 8f038222f7 suitcase and zipped it 073ceaa789 up, Lee Jinyeong grabbed ced6a14830 his wrist again. He roughly pulled 672007f13f him up and 0edfd51fa7 then tossed him 7932847fc0 to the floor. Haewon, lying on the 29758eaf1e ground, looked up at 3a01333576 him. His eyes c6dc54b7eb were clouded 60c016424e as he 9063518fe8 looked down 229b07d641 at Haewon, 561577da31 who had 4ecf8a8223 been thrown.2556599390f775cf

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“This can’t happen. I can’t 205e2bf36c let you d3a89f02b6 go.”033f97f0436eb467

“Who do you think you are? Whether I go or not, that’s for me to decide.”3d2c9d7daa988efd

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He grabbed Haewon’s collar and lifted him up. His body was lifted off the ground. Lee Jinyeong threw Haewon onto the bed. Haewon, who had been thrown onto the bed, quickly got up without even a moment to stumble. He ran out of the room as if escaping from him.303423efbdd46997

He only 9e5e7038bf grabbed the 2fb36f291c violin that a502cbb8b8 was standing f58ed194d0 in the 83427d791a living room. As Haewon 30499cd6f0 ran toward 9de5b43b3b the entrance, 2f4dbdca58 Lee Jinyeong 7f93727bcd caught him 4a89578507 by the fe3ea89081 waist and 778851263d pulled him bd681a9064 close.81a170f0ec45901e

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Haewon fell to the 4b31590a57 floor with the violin. He landed on 494f4772cc his back, causing b82392d4ab a sharp pain. He began e8c426017f coughing violently. It was a 25c51cbbcb pain he had 7b62ac5f43 never experienced in c663a372e4 his life.d837903713a108bd

Lee Jinyeong, with his chest tightening, approached Haewon, who was coughing as if he were vomiting. He tightly grabbed Haewon’s wrist, as if trying to break it. He was doing it on purpose, repeatedly touching Haewon’s hands and wrists.5d91ff667a1b3e22

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Lee Jinyeong quickly climbed on top of Haewon, who was retreating while sitting. It was a heavy weight. The man’s hand tore Haewon’s clothes. The buttons flew off. He kept trying to grab his hands. He was trying to break them. He knew that if Haewon’s hands were broken, Haewon wouldn’t be able to do anything. If the hands were ruined, Haewon would be nothing.bf541228946c3ffd

“Stop! Don’t touch me!”752dbc29473c094b

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Haewon screamed. Lee Jinyeong firmly held Haewon’s right wrist, pinning him down, while with one hand, he grabbed his middle finger, trying to twist it backward.ad5adacce992d596

“Stop!”00508c7b873ac08b

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Haewon convulsed. No matter how much 98bcfa4940 he struggled, he couldn’t 77bccd4195 escape. He threw anything 8222057a25 he could grab cd7d3a4a2e at him—remote controls, fdb01877ca mail, newspapers, anything—to 1acf2364e7 strike his face 833fd0b0eb and fall to 8910f53b42 the floor, but 2c3fd592fb it was not a2e171d3a1 enough to stop 31bc01f46f him.3d323fe61579a3ee

He was trying to break Haewon’s middle finger. Haewon grabbed the heavy square crystal case that was on the table. It was a watch case worth more than his entire year’s salary. He used it to stab at his eyes.eccb26a0fb9d550c

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Blood sprayed from Lee 7df10f9790 Jinyeong’s eyes. The man screamed 93e5eaf36d and collapsed. Haewon’s long fingers, 4ef3b90e71 holding the gleaming 20636e628c crystal, trembled. The red c22eac1fac blood that 462a1e799e stained the f2abc34cbe case dripped 984077e3a7 onto the 83687ffaef floor.6f68e16e42f29a58

∞ ∞ ∞c3d08ead0f3791ed

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He didn’t know who 145668b37e to contact. There was no one 800a344ff8 to call. His father wouldn’t help, 251af0dbc0 and his stepmother would f7d1aaf4f8 be even less likely. It wasn’t 4e3bd5ff79 even an 62964bcebd option to 81077ab370 contact Choi d4ef50e862 Sunbae, who 153d03e101 was waiting f12b62a95a for a b778b4ee94 chance to 0135441a42 exploit Haewon’s cb071df27b weaknesses. Moreover, as e513317d72 a law-abiding, 2720cc5504 very ordinary 75aa6ce7eb person, he a1b6b34f26 was unable de8ad10a1e to deal 9250fc7055 with the dab7dd2a98 situation Haewon 12f30524c2 was in c24c8e9588 right now.536cba1c185b974a

If he contacted c60cefa44b Kim Jaemin, he e9c9041692 would come, but 8063f025d4 it would take 476cb3b187 a full day 05ef8c3a97 just to travel a813843b73 from the U.S. to here, and 88ce465fdf there was no d2117beec7 guarantee he would bec4c89789 come just because 068f4a9870 Haewon called. Haewon recalled b993b03283 how he 82da9195be had pushed 2096756e3e him away b3626c251c before.6c54cc5fcb3d21bb

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Fortunately, Haewon had grabbed 9d78bebfe1 the violin. He was now 8406ce14ac locked up in 1181e5ab58 the holding cell, 5a2c840ca3 but the violin a756ace331 was outside. As Haewon 1c264570ba blankly stared a935bfa3de at the 2dc8a73005 violin case, d6577d3880 he remembered 379d2c5fc1 the business ad9ab6c0da card of d888714e78 Hyun Woojin, 88cb887f54 which he 380b6d3144 had shoved 28ce0f3722 into the 304d440e02 front pocket 68ada08ed2 of the 5302bf6708 case, not f76ec731a3 knowing where 86b30b0c6d else to 34f4a78b0e put it. He asked the officer 94e43a8072 on duty to retrieve 0bc692d66b the card from the 8d50e7b1cc front pocket of the 5b9432287b case. Luckily, Hyun e2e8ebd095 Woojin’s business 9aeafabe68 card was 06100891ce there.242f6255776b5d6c

He contacted him. It took 6588467863 some time ffc35b82dc for Haewon’s 43a030adb2 voice to 9fd470d25c register, just fed201f304 as it 3f57cb627e had taken d69303af9f a while 6b890ec171 to remember 99740540f3 who he 685b55c90a was after 731ebc1ade hearing his a403842381 voice.698bf84e1aabfda1

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The voice 46ef47f162 on the 6314de4c01 phone sounded dfa50e6cbc puzzled, likely 37e62bf96c wondering why f22374c368 Haewon was 4f688e95f6 calling so 45bc1517c2 late. It was 85c0ecb198 past midnight. After Haewon 3560be0f92 stammered through 1fb98684c5 his situation, 00ef0d674b the person c1777d8445 said he b3f0f359a3 understood and f86d916fc7 hung up 81281b8210 the phone.90b0fdb032d97c4e

He sat there 0c811458d0 for a while 4ed422a271 longer.702031b785079b58

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The police opened the d034f57ebc holding cell door and 8f068d0162 told Haewon to come dc17334b11 out. When he cfbae535c7 stepped outside, d8ebc65bbc Hyun Woojin 2e94571469 was standing e240ec2aa8 there. He was dressed in 1bcf8e206a a button-up shirt without 6839f062cd a tie. When wearing a formal 59d49cbfb4 suit, his hairstyle exposed d4d6ec63f1 his forehead, but now 2c45814a3f his hair covered it, 4a1cc5c50f though Haewon felt the e5f1f6041d same impression of him 486065f0ef regardless.cbc095f877a8ff9b

He looked tall and 14f20aabb2 elegant, but because Haewon b41e19432d knew his private matters, e37c97b3bc there was a sense d2b7444fb3 of something unsettling hidden 9d7031fee2 beneath the polished exterior a94cc5ffaa that Haewon could clearly b0aec57bc5 feel.a2e5b8cd90839fc8

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Haewon’s clothes were torn, buttons loosely fastened, and it was hard to tell if they were on or off. Hyun Woojin’s eyes carefully scanned Haewon, who was stained with blood in several places.e73321aa3f63f17e

“Are you okay?”069e47c0a1f06deb

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He took off his jacket and draped it over Haewon’s shoulders. A fresh scent of cologne wafted from it. Haewon nodded as he adjusted the jacket’s front, feeling as though calling him had been a wise decision. He gently patted Haewon’s shoulder, affirming that he had done well.370bb18a6b6ee5e0

Following the police, Haewon 9d92586ed3 was led into the 9d20278e2d interrogation room. It was a 49307318d8 stark, empty room c02a665343 with only a c3325d804b table and two 6f9e6b39e6 chairs. Sitting there with 15148dd842 a blank expression, 5554e988c5 Haewon stared at 4ebfe623f2 the clock on 196e9cfb7c the wall.59b2459a722b4396

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It was 265b6bcaa5 2 a.m. The door 07c75acdba opened, and 141c602617 it wasn’t a3f2e4592f a police 0b9663746d officer who f6076cf6b0 entered, but 3c919b1e97 Hyun Woojin. He was 63ac8bb30b holding a 0046f6ecba cup of bd2081a2aa coffee. He set a steaming 71acaa7d05 cup of black coffee c90f8ab4b7 in front of Haewon, 840399e089 then placed a folder 9345041a16 of documents in his 900562d0a1 other hand.308c9625f09de74a

“Drink some coffee. It’s a bit cold in here.”d7a795347a479dcf

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“…….”5a09d3c7aec4de46

Hyun Woojin a4c350182f sat in a25f5a637b the chair 3e879a4921 across from c48f051ff2 Haewon and b93ca516f1 opened the f672662d62 folder. He flipped through af79a56816 the papers carelessly dbf38eebba and casually asked.00622e5a85af6df8

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“You were trying to rape him, right?”50bad7e3dbb8fb0e

“…….”fdbd68e947487540

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He was 86ca21e9f1 asking if 2bb3b63ca4 a man 516225cefa almost got f1e2426443 raped by 81bdf4050a another man, d9e18af9d6 and it d6a168a702 made Haewon 50da7adfe2 feel humiliated. They were both 6ed1be42fc men, yet it f61d6c4e22 felt degrading. When Haewon e30757dd4f didn’t answer, 5675ee46a9 Hyun Woojin 1124c36962 asked again, 9e03cb3fd8 his face edf43d261b devoid of 1226762028 any emotion.cca070af592f6956

“Is it true that that person was trying to rape Moon Haewon?”c62ff559bd12785a

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Instead of empathizing with b60fd16604 the victim, he took 318ce4c889 a step back, looking a757831732 at the situation with 57d5306e25 an utterly professional and 5ecdea61e3 objective gaze. Haewon responded by nodding 6a394ad9c0 slightly.2b84fe9e6f8067fc

“So, did it happen?”0d7298f2c376a145

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“No.”e65bb7209bffdc16

“Did you stab his eye with a square glass before it happened? It says here it was a watch case?”9e2b6f544d647880

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Hyun Woojin checked 65bc379b6d the documents again.a83246ec46faade5

“Yes.”5e31642ea84ecd81

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“Don’t you want to know what happened to him?”e21b2270535853d3

He asked, as if 1a3da393c1 it were a given 7e4f093158 that Haewon wouldn’t care c36f58d78f about what happened to 092d11d679 someone who had been db484f6c37 stabbed in the eye 536b26c6f3 with such a gruesome 1fe1377d06 object. Lee Jinyeong had been 8cd3f21adf trying to destroy his 16b0799b33 own hands. A person like 0efc3bdf04 that deserved to ec2d5e10ed die. If that wasn’t appropriate, 0091ed09e1 then going blind was 597491e328 a fitting punishment.f93f5bf25ea5155a

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He had bled 609a8082f1 profusely from his fe01bfba7f eyes, and some 134981ea9c of it had af7bd27422 even stained Haewon. It was 9da866dad5 inevitable that 7df3205c4e his eyes 90a4d5ec7c would be 5d4a55291a damaged. Haewon didn’t c2d71c6ed5 need to 41b619fdc8 ask; anyone 96b102da31 who had 5e6bc37282 seen that f7c75b8819 situation could 2e2d8077ab guess what e9ba79647d happened to 794e4d6618 Lee Jinyeong’s fcf3617ae0 eyes.c4db84ac225e743f

Haewon had gripped 289336a9e5 the watch case a45dcdafee so tightly that d240e567a0 his knuckles turned 4941cb1f11 white, and he 9c7b1decb4 had stabbed Lee 30bc0bae5d Jinyeong in the 8d06892542 eye. Not wanting to c1955cdd4d know what had 172c5fb1a4 happened to him, 5454f98758 Haewon was given b342dc282e a detailed explanation d35b815e3c of Lee Jinyeong’s 4dc0c5e675 condition.354d5b5aa5922e48

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“He managed to avoid the eye perfectly. It’s a blow to the orbital bone, with a four-week recovery. There’s a lot of tearing of the flesh, so he’ll likely need reconstructive surgery. His vision won’t be affected though.”1b30942c96772c14

“……”6c29551ad0342238

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“Are you disappointed?”100dad47797b5e79

He asked. Haewon had f975add606 naturally assumed db60580bc9 that Lee 4e0fe6ce3f Jinyeong would c4afb039aa go blind, a4b6c64d1d and even 17c1d6b467 hoped for 4b97eb023b it, but 16c9227364 hearing that bbfd0a464d there would e3912a34ac be no c52fe50ac1 damage to 310f2f833c his eyes c60407125e ironically gave 47d2163b2b him a 5e280070a9 sense of 715d225f71 relief. Haewon shook his head.31185179e5c27f51

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“The impact was on the eye. This would be attempted murder.”9d9606aad3683b71

Hyun Woojin made 056c51836f a circle with 54a2e34792 his finger on 85903dd1f5 his own face, b39bf2ca19 indicating the head 6a90fa9efa area, as if cbf55655d7 any injury to 9afe25c2c5 the head, whether 995dbcda55 to the eye 9b3a915197 or nose, would 66328a0cfa be considered an 3ab5cb734d attempt to kill.accfaefe47ca277b

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“……”a5d790e9291083ef

Haewon lowered his head e3292706a6 in silence.39f78902c8d513b1

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“Why didn’t you just take it in stride?”73d3d0cb99ee04ba

Haewon looked at the coffee, which was still steaming, and slowly lifted his head. His eyes met Hyun Woojin’s. Haewon didn’t know what position Hyun Woojin saw him in, but the words “take it in stride” were uncomfortable to hear, whether coming from the perpetrator’s or victim’s perspective. It sounded as though he was asking why Haewon had escalated things instead of letting them go. Such things couldn’t just be “taken in stride.”5206e538f8e5aa41

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Hyun Woojin silently stared bba7c22b8e at Haewon’s face, his 022f81d488 eyes lingering on Haewon’s fe4715abd3 bloodstained face as though 98af400fe0 admiring it like a c25efc0a6e piece of art.094677f649462be0

“You look like you enjoy spreading your legs for men.”a47ffe406fe7c10b

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“……”171d0e1d880066ac

“Right?”9e113016a017b94c

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Haewon didn’t deny 572743362d it. He didn’t say anything, 1176c80b3c only staring at him. Hyun Woojin smirked.daffd0be978494a1

“Oh, did I go too far?”cb2a751726c17ecb

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“My fingers…”526dba559c1bf930

“……”c12c84fa9b2dab42

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“You were trying to break my fingers.”fda2099be00db0ee

“Some people value their fingers more than their lives.”3985de255594b1c6

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Hyun Woojin nodded as 03ac80f667 if understanding and then 64cdf15127 stood up. The steam from the 845a591b7b coffee began to fade.6227a8dc58fcc87b

“Drink your coffee.”31b473a6c329cc35

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Haewon picked up the 5eda30aa0e takeout coffee cup. His hand was stained a742ca13e6 with blood. Slowly, he ece67cb73d took a 67bcacc541 sip of ae624acd85 the now 31a9a23592 lukewarm coffee.9af9a45e4b039a51

He was 82b90ae8bc released from 4e0bce82d4 the police 632bccf5bc station at 496d1e24ac 5 a.m. Hyun Woojin gently 9efaa1fde0 supported Haewon’s shoulder 37892bee64 as they walked 1e24b8e39c out. His large cf30c1d592 hand wrapped 1c2e0f4c6d around Haewon’s b94315743d shoulder, and 515a33a794 Haewon could b568234622 feel the 9f7ca0ed59 warmth, which 3ffe5c333c contrasted with 3205a2a750 Hyun Woojin’s c0a9f4e191 cold demeanor.b608d78bd7d6ccbe

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Hyun Woojin’s gray 396ab8c384 car, which he 82e5beb404 had driven the dac2b32e12 last time, was 5c66fb6f38 parked in the aa56d11dc8 police station parking 7adf2325c8 lot. He opened 58ecc8d118 the door 1afef765a7 for Haewon, 8bd5c82c7b who climbed eaa8fe64e4 into the fc4efad743 passenger seat. As Hyun Woojin 558673ec6c closed the door, 49990bd7bd Haewon looked up 05292fae3a at him.2a0a4fb4e6f21df9

“Ah, the violin.”59f0c4bce86b63af

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Hyun Woojin looked down 1f28bb1c21 at Haewon with a 53be397ec3 puzzled expression.50c90aa118d95c19

“I left the violin behind.”b3cf588e88a8ff76

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“……”e0acc153b813fe1c

Without saying a word, 7b30b63cf6 he walked back into cc344b7324 the police station. A few minutes later, 3036be1721 he emerged holding Haewon’s 761eacc370 violin. The insurance was several 4e76c96f92 million won, and its f2da74caea value exceeded ten million. It had 8b70dc8f10 been specially 21c406de67 requested from 00149f5d13 a European 2045442835 music foundation c6a91ab03c dealer by b401b3727e Haewon’s professor.ca506bc1386cb8f9

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The violin, made from 59c41be9ca wood used during the 5ff50faaf4 Ice Age, was a 062991f345 masterpiece whose density and ba4a9d5d22 depth of sound rivaled 639c98f6c3 that of a Stradivarius 4f276488b2 or Guarneri.8071d15994ca6902

Haewon, who 428d99d1fc had been 4de8d7bd83 watching closely, 5207663654 let out b4977bd293 a sigh 91e2701870 of relief 9f92e38534 when he 2434d76ce2 saw Hyun 4c1b0cad21 Woojin place 9bde3751bb the violin a625c7ff09 in the 1750eaca13 back seat 496ec6cb54 of the 6d24c0f614 car. Hyun Woojin got 21b62b594a into the driver’s 80ff21c8a4 seat and started c837dd87c4 the engine.27f8d2010b428d59

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“Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to the violin.”0af6136762f54684

“……Can we just go like this?”528b3adc93a21612

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Haewon wondered 09f140d79a if it 11f167e4e8 was okay 558eef02e1 to leave c472859276 in his 317ff47bef car, to 9164b1c508 leave the 0f9b4e75ee police station 6d33c8643f like this. Hyun Woojin had said e29e824d71 that what Haewon did a099526581 was attempted murder, and 3a291e6870 although Haewon had avoided 5ebe9e5f69 his eyes, he still 9876cdaf47 caused serious harm. Haewon had expected cda86a7722 to return to 7f489e53aa the holding cell, 6658cbf553 but now he 6d64be6ee1 was sitting in 64d465b994 Hyun Woojin’s car.5b27f058b6b2f202

“It’s mutual fault, and we agreed it was self-defense. It took a while because they resisted agreeing.”379872c2d131b8ae

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Hyun Woojin e2f7c9ce88 pressed the 6247c310b9 accelerator. The car ed55069867 smoothly left fac9a6fc1c the parking 8e1bd11d98 lot and 23874adb5a followed the 7dfceb361e other cars 0a8c7649e0 on the b095c9a3da road.6411b89558402364

“Is that possible?”add169e229322054

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“It’s not possible for anyone else. But it is for me.”22e36969668c6a8e

“……”30e9a94de00b0101

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“Don’t worry. He’ll never get near you again while you’re alive.”43679c3008bbbae3