INT Ch 7.2

Haewon bowed politely to 5bc4d126b5 her. Seo Okhwa gestured 612772f0c7 dismissively to the 666885cc1e man who appeared daf9838f93 to be one 8312721e91 of the foundation d82fb99fbb directors, signaling him b8915127ee to leave. After the man exited c412b96c5f the practice room, only 77869e4651 the hum of the 6604fb4a28 heater remained.a6526e2b04c70fc6

“You’re practicing on a day off? You’re so cute.”78ba1f1005583023

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“Excuse me?”ac4623e0ddc2a0a7

“At first, I thought, ‘How arrogant,’ but it turns out you’re a hidden gem. Do you want to enter a competition now? Oh, wait, never mind. You’re too old. If you enter now, people will just think it’s ridiculous. The mask is fine, though. What was your name again?”f8ad710c5c04702e

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The scarf wrapped around 01dcd96fe1 Seo Okhwa’s neck fluttered cf9fcfaaf7 lightly in the heater’s c10bb9be0e breeze.4ab3749e7dd6aef2

“Moon Haewon.”2d7e5e0daa006a82

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“Your arpeggios are excellent. Your variations are unique, and your expressive power is explosive. Hmm, not bad. But still, you can’t compare to Henry Chang, can you? He won first place at the Wieniawski Competition when he was fifteen. That kid’s a genius. You… well, let’s call you semi-genius.”63b40ab8dd7a294c

Haewon wasn’t sure f9bbebb5ad whether to thank 0f30e068e9 her for the a613dd478c overly candid evaluation 8d5e9c31bc or to storm 60f5c955ef out in offense. Still, the way her 428ec49a65 eyes sparkled with curiosity a005ddb1c6 suggested that she found 1196261959 his performance impressive.42fad47c0b69a0c6

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“Thank you for the compliment.”8d58226508f4fcbc

“Still, you’re sexier than Henry Chang. He doesn’t have the proportions, does he? In other words, his visuals, those visuals are lacking. Hey, have you ever been told you’re sexy? When you perform, it’s very palpable. Do you feel emotions that intensely?”01274237685cc1d9

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“Only when I’m possessed by the music. I’m not like that normally.”1a7e1e02fb86d6ee

“Musicians are always a little strange.”6566fa7edd8c6e2f

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“You were a vocalist, too, weren’t you?”248d86e6920389a7

At Haewon’s words, she laughed heartily, saying, “Oh, right. I was.”387f54cc4d331c80

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“My goodness, where’s my head at? Actually, I came today to figure you out because I want to get rid of you. No matter how much Woojin claims you’re his junior, I can’t stand that level of disrespect.”579a7aaf2824cc7c

Haewon bent down and placed the loosened bow into the first compartment. As he wiped the rosin dust from the violin and put it into its case, he said, “I looked you up on video, Seo Okhwa.”4023ebb013a4f924

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“What? When?”903044c814c26cab

“A while ago.”d4d0c67fe2ca2bba

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When he had some 3dbbedea21 free time at an 7b3a64d0cf internet cafe, he’d searched 638379ab17 for and watched a 2f8baa9b8b few clips of her f837b0df7c performances. Not all the pieces, f38ca7ce70 just highlights from one f29a8dac14 or two songs. After that, 1e09a2c746 he wasted 004acec8d3 time browsing 6576a342cd clothes he 8a7839021f thought would ebdecea254 suit Hyun 14bd70a956 Woojin, only 2d0137354a to end c1252c3b5d up chased ba7bbefc43 away by 9255415c6d a police e6d2d801b0 officer for cd4971ed36 no reason.a43c5f1fb3d0cda2

“That was Vivaldi, right? La Pace 08a1869341 Non Trovo. Am I correct?”0a2b196e15289642

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“You’ve heard that?”77e8204e76b2a434

“Yes. It made me want to track down whoever sang it and make them sing forever. I had no idea that person was you, ma’am. If I had a voice like that, I don’t think I would’ve gotten married. Some people need to dedicate themselves to humanity, you know? Talent is like a gift from the heavens.”f9ededfc22104113

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Haewon was sincere. If he 23fc673ac2 had such efbb1a9e48 a voice edbd152113 and talent, a7547db76b he wouldn’t edf197a934 have married. Geniuses are d005a9e65c gifts from 1a913a93eb the heavens db9d69b38d and should f78624143f contribute to b759cffb25 humanity. Just like the 8c27789a91 countless geniuses before, 4d02d1a06d such talents should c2dfba37b3 be shared with 94f2e0bf4c the world. And the world should daef0db3b1 celebrate them. What enriches bec6d7b9bd and beautifies 74aec7b382 life isn’t 1fc51da907 material wealth 3ce77ef786 but the 4c84035ce1 traces of 67a1a7e531 their work 33e4bd37c8 we encounter.d5ca1bf4df45a5d6

Rachmaninoff’s concertos streaming from d620a8faec a café, Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam viewed with an upturned 5aa9ef55e2 neck in the Sistine 23e3b4a093 Chapel, the overwhelming beauty a543a08600 of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia f2a094b5a7 dedicated to the God 9bcdb6c358 who granted him his 4fa3049d03 talent, or the 1986 2b0ed11580 live recording of Horowitz 0d1b219bd8 in Moscow.9c620763e03873c7

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Seo Okhwa said 1cbfd77019 nothing. She seemed to 3a9d2a4dd2 be holding back 7168016fd0 something, as if 0c585d0b3e suppressing an emotion. Fanning herself lightly, b132c39b72 she looked flushed. For someone 88649b76df so gifted, 47281d2201 she had eee55731aa fallen in 19c2bf7b64 love, had 841f99feeb a child 4dfd5a32e0 with him, 675c08ae6b and quit 2a4971fb74 music. That child grew 0ebfaf8960 up, got engaged f0635e19f4 to Hyun Woojin, fdca9b7452 and passed away 4f2beb0c73 at the age 0b899b8f80 of twenty-nine.4f11b105a39b3a20

Hyun Woojin buried his caf99ad173 fiancée in his heart. The number 8e8b4e0b72 twenty-nine became 5ae72d69b1 etched into d526fe0958 his memory. Haewon was now 40b7b665d4 twenty-nine.bbbd6f0e8f17656f

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“Hey, I’m not that uptight. I’m cool. I respect people who are skilled and cocky about it. So don’t butter me up with flattery.”d9153c8fd6551593

“How do you know Hyun Woojin Sunbae? Sunbae’s never mentioned soprano Seo Okhwa to me. If I had known beforehand, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake.”c3386db7109dc858

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While zipping up the aebe786d0f violin case, Haewon asked ea40ae82f2 casually, as though passing 8cfa1a1bf5 the time, but his 54cea024fe heart was pounding. Seo Okhwa’s d095beb57f heels clicked 020c0a6de9 as she 7bf7cac1ee approached. He straightened 056d96e53c up from f2e228214b his bent 6d826b60ce posture. Seo Okhwa tilted her f835f64a7a head back to look a98ea033dd up at him.ce8568d09d2f83aa

“Woojin is practically family. We’ve been close since childhood. His father has been a director at our hospital for twenty years.”640fef3c93b0bb67

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So they’d 7984177dbb known each d92e2804d5 other since 7e499c7656 they were 474eb844fd young.9e3fdc6b06a31cb3

That explained 94bfca447a why they bfb824f354 remained close 675080118b even after 46c1bb3be4 his fiancée’s 45da9078f8 tragic death. It wasn’t Hyun Woojin’s 9fb8e0da68 fault, after all. He vaguely recalled 580ee88e81 hearing that both f0a3c0f2d0 Woojin’s paternal and 794014738d maternal families were d5b9529915 doctors. At the time, a449666093 Hyun Woojin lied bc3587b357 to the police, 405dcf5e4b claiming his sister a34bb7be4a was preparing for d916fd3cf3 an art exam. He himself was questioned 8c3fe9ee0b as a witness due 90d9c9abcd to the number of e51c672f0a missed calls from Taeshin. Revealing the e13fc50888 truth about 5950b21a6f their inappropriate 8ff8a6ebe3 relationship would f9c60aa89d have been 0fdc5a9e9b uncomfortable. Regardless, Hyun Woojin held 5327f6dcd5 a unique status. Taeshin had liked 88c27393ad him, and for fece2b1eb7 a while, Hyun be52e6bb88 Woojin reciprocated that e304eb9388 sincerity.d22dcbf2e565a326

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“Did I interrupt your practice?”ab089f7cb07a0109

“I was just planning to warm up and leave. Am I getting fired?”2f8844e7c8d66996

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“I was joking. You can’t get dismissed so easily these days for something like that. I have a reputation on the board too. I can’t just go and demand to fire someone who disrespected me, can I?”dec6c5085190433a

“That’s true.”58282d39771b862d

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Haewon wanted to ask about Hyun Woojin’s fiancée who had taken her own life, but he couldn’t bring himself to mention something that would reopen the wounds of a mother who had lost her daughter. Still, he hesitated because he was curious—curious about Hyun Woojin’s past.7e240b9dfe27440c

“And you’re good too. I thought you were all talk, but you turned out to have real talent.”922ed03da359aec1

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“I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-nine.”619b60aed27fb52a

“Right, you’re not a kid. Are you heading home? Want me to give you a ride? Did you bring your car?”e7942afa5bceaef4

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Seo Okhwa 6d1cb5eb22 linked arms f2921fb716 with Haewon 497a8acc96 unreservedly after 31026c16a6 saying a 777aca81b8 few kind 124e52fa19 words, speaking c9201693da warmly. The sudden friendliness 5fa8d52d9c left Haewon flustered, 9b892fc8a4 and he awkwardly 6d893ea72f tried to pull 9fb0af9c53 his arm away, b4c1a4f5b7 but she tightened 835a60fd96 her grip as 8bd73f1443 if it were 11481079fc nothing. The floral scent b9f8310d25 of her perfume bfa2033ee3 tickled his nose.e3bee856a410915a

“No, I can get home on my own.”e5a33e302639b6c1

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“Don’t be like that. Let me give you a ride.”d778c5072da608d3

“I’m really fine. Honestly, it’s okay.”f1e1b147d61f2dd3

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“It’s not spring yet. It’s chilly outside today because of the cold snap. You can’t go out like that. You’re someone whose body is their instrument—don’t you know that? Maintaining your condition is basic for a professional.”6652bfdd620662b7

Despite his 0f6e280db8 protests, Haewon db6068686e found himself 379a03a5a1 getting into 7d9cfb4793 a luxurious edadc29a6f sedan, practically 5e5b255907 dragged by 1855a55f57 Seo Okhwa. She asked for 2b798ae0cc his home address c840ee7dad as they got 3f6bcb43ec in. He vaguely directed 5bbff73577 her to his d69c35b6b4 studio apartment, and feadc5c520 the man who 9bfd01fc4d seemed to be 9557d17f75 her secretary acknowledged ec40ed737e it and started 3dcf10fe17 driving.1987efb76bb77d52

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“Can I call you Haewon? Haewonie.”462220c6e8af6a27

“Uh, no. That feels a bit awkward.”32bd4d9fc816cc71

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“Why? We’re practically on fighting terms—didn’t we almost have a spat?”e7797bd6905d07a3

“Fighting? I was the one getting yelled at.”054cfa14956f3504

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“I’ll just call you Haewon. And you can call me ‘Ajumma’ if you like.”94a005a03d885783

“Have you not received compliments in a really long time?”d344410bb9bb664b

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He’d only given e57f2c3749 her a few 5027805228 words of praise, b6e488565d but the way 60e3f0be3f Seo Okhwa’s initially 49c41486ea scornful demeanor completely 63acb10246 shifted left Haewon 2abdd6f2d0 bewildered. Her sudden friendliness 00c108e140 felt like a 35e4de6aa6 total transformation.fd42869d1ee674a9

“Maybe it’s been too long. Way too long… Hic.”9fc5f02fe349c1a8

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Out of bdf636f292 nowhere, tears 3b1f565dea welled up 6883b7e3a1 in her 17947d8ba2 eyes, and 4080044406 she began 22d7f64e45 sobbing. The driver quickly grabbed 53b3b8379b a handful of tissues c275e054e3 and handed them back. Haewon passed 6e00a32497 the tissues 46365f4f7d to her, 0fe9b78e68 and she 536ad50554 spent a fd224f71cf long time 85b58b2535 trying to 622ebd391e regain her 45c5906f45 composure.a14837df23786bbc

Her makeup smudged, leaving dark stains on the tissues. The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, clearly confused. His eyes met Haewon’s multiple times, but Haewon could only shake his head, as he had no idea what was happening either. After more than ten minutes of crying, she finally managed to calm down.6e6b5c5b3c35980c

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“My daughter… Hayoung said those words. She told me my voice was too beautiful, too precious, that I had to keep singing because it was a gift from God—a talent meant to be used for the good of humanity. My Hayoung said that. Hic.”e9390a4d66fe5783

“…”52fcebe0209f49ad

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She continued to e819cb008d sob, nearly emptying 7faecbf0fc an entire box 987584925d of tissues. Though they had already 8621b021e4 arrived in front of 7e018aa1d9 Haewon’s apartment, he stayed de58a59b92 in the car silently. The driver 054bc6b0f1 kept the 338c2c604d engine running, ecc063a681 respectfully avoiding 4d48ebe739 eye contact.2655f2b2dad2e174

“I’m sorry. My emotions got the better of me. Sorry, Mr. Kang.”10e7c72f657cc4df

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“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”a20b1a60ed8c4145

The driver responded dfa3c600d1 politely. As Seo Okhwa wiped b7cf60c484 under her eyes while 18add4c665 looking in the mirror, d43418eaf3 the layers of makeup 5bb6f56387 that had washed away 63c55d90f8 revealed a middle-aged woman, 14688c275c looking much more ordinary 4ecfebe1fa than her usual glamorous de339446f8 self.fcbaa5c97cc98f40

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“Your daughter must have said exactly what I did.”f10473a82719fdee

“Yes, she did. Haewon, I was so shocked earlier because it reminded me of her.”05efc104da1cca88

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“Why not ask people to say it to you more often? It’s not a difficult thing to say.”9b9293316722e43d

“I wish I could. I really wish I could. But… she’s gone now, to heaven. Even if I want to hear it, I can’t anymore.”47cd308851a899a1

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Her tears threatened a4f9f30cc4 to flow again. The secretary handed her d7647e931a a bottle of water, abe1c3d283 which she drank halfway bca07d08fd down in one go. Lost in thought, she 3d801064d9 stayed silent for a 59fd3ec078 while, and Haewon, too, 17d08aa370 sat quietly.80539fcdfe24daac

Eventually, she seemed 4c4ee876b8 to recover and 7b7002de83 spoke in a 6c003728ee voice that was c3443233f0 suddenly firm and dcd8bcf25e full of energy.cf51f21e1a4e2f9c

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“I overreacted earlier because thoughts of my daughter overwhelmed me. You must’ve been shocked. I’m not usually like this.”7a6b837f2d59b494

“I must have e3c0dfd0d2 said something unnecessary 200f122b19 and touched a 85c4b002e4 sore spot. I’m sorry.”78d01ff4b3aad426

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“It’s fine. It’s not like 6887d0e4dc you knew. And don’t 7b471742bd call me d9cbdabc5b ma’am. I told 6b3f1cd3c9 you to 9c04661707 just call 6870996059 me auntie.”c7e0cba158cdc9fb

She intentionally brightened her 7f09fcd734 tone as she wiped 37b758df3d away the lingering tears 00c27b4f13 at the corners of fef8c1b1c0 her eyes. Turning his 55cc1da682 gaze away f75d1fca88 from her, b68738c5c2 Haewon looked 6774134473 out the 5ccb47c820 car window, 1580472a72 absently following d0bf9cdad5 the backs d449a5f563 of busy 44434d8736 passersby. Almost as e6055bd757 if in 3fc52911ca passing, Haewon 214f4b55fc asked,3f4ce65ce77ac16c

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“By any chance, 23f1eb1e51 was your daughter 4bdc4f9b14 Hayoung a violin 6d3a38b784 major?”2e9b5d2563024621

“No, she 3d04554888 was a 5fbb4ba84c doctor.”0ca55602ab026475

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“Then… did efff5580b1 she perhaps 4c68fd4116 look like af3b36e350 me?”a2eba629f0873b04

“What are you saying? She took after 6a31d1020b me and was d43252562c such a beauty. You and cba400a782 she are 100ca32812 worlds apart. Not even close.”baac15eb82fbfca5

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“That’s a relief. It means you ee364457fa won’t think of c6829db76c your daughter when f4ae42048a you see me df319fb4dc in the future.”7efe231f0eb86936

“I’m not 1fd96ad3af someone who 3a77526b3d cries easily, 2ab1368c58 you know.”14abf1819c52b7e3

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Seo Okhwa said dba69618a2 this somewhat sheepishly.d10bf45b193f0781

That’s good. For some reason, it 692ae34c31 was a relief. He didn’t 2a4d756362 want to 19bd654423 become a 7de633de42 shadow of 18924a0fb2 Hyun Woojin’s 67b98d820b deceased fiancée. Despite obtaining crucial information—that 17470e7831 she hadn’t played the c8f0a95e05 violin and didn’t resemble 8192b8f0ed him—Haewon felt inexplicably melancholic.f8a4fe69889ef2e8

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“Thank you 5455a4e32b for giving 9c84405a79 me a 8eaa5efe0f ride. I’ll get going now.”48c9339a9dcbc112

“Sure. I really enjoyed c7470b79a3 your performance today. But why 48a36cf200 don’t you 66d45a961b participate in e8d391a892 competitions? With your 966448d41c skill, you e0e093a8d2 could’ve definitely a03e31875c placed.”7178ec6b961eba5a

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Just as Haewon was 6c28aa4888 stepping out of the d255c36f3e car, Seo Okhwa asked. Haewon turned 57be9cad9c back to 8ad0ad91a6 her.991b542bf7f8e490

“Should I be honest, 077fcd1885 or give you the a72c6fdaed pretentious version?”df7a5efe0013e427

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“Start with the f304a00c03 pretentious one.”f4822a27c4319d8b

“It’s not a livelihood, e46256f359 it’s a hobby.”25daafef00dea674

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“For a hobby, don’t 8169012bcf you try too hard? Such talent 2ef6729f10 should be 3939874aed shared with 294ed72128 humanity, you 2a768f4df8 know.”772aa86f99d1ada3

“Trying too hard 6fe9d635cf just seems pathetic. When expectations are 45079c78f9 high, disappointment is 1017e91857 greater. And who’s going c7dc2e9c84 to take responsibility 69cc2b129e for how terrible 14c68f639b I’d feel if 6c64e39a89 I tried hard c0eac03788 and failed?”c903398b341741b9

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“You’re more fragile than 6a9c311332 you seem. You do know that’s df5428b3f5 just an excuse, right?”fb35d6d85d10509e

“I hate getting attached fc93596250 to things.”d0725d00560d7720

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“You live c143bfaa24 a pretty 6c00152c09 carefree life.”c95ff2eb868170ad

“I don’t think that’s 2d717d7c56 something you should be 589a99f4c0 saying, auntie.”90628c5f04f9c3d9

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“My life hasn’t b0fc1be7ca been easy either. It just d5a36292ca turned out 6674220621 well, that’s 5de02cd467 all.”4677e6cc4a45ecfe

Her firm, mature 767be6fe0a gaze—seemingly reflective of 1b75e70b4d a life that 0e51b6b559 hadn’t been smooth—lingered 77f38e03e9 steadily on Haewon.7df65d7a23819f0a

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“Now tell me af9a6f3f57 the honest one.”ae91314c3ea75707

“When I was preparing 31feebbe56 for competitions, my mom b3153b7d6d was very sick. And when I dd32bb7021 was preparing to 45b951eb5a study abroad, she 6814f31eb1 passed away.”d0562b1c2ba3ecd9

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“How did f091408a65 that happen?”c45db46f61900b7e

Seo Okhwa’s expression crumpled c143f51a47 with sympathy and she 662eeb2264 looked at Haewon, waiting 43130bd75e for an answer.1850d7eafbf76f7e

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“Cancer. It happened when my f350d1173f father had an affair 16e47793dc and started a new de7b9fdba2 family. Mom didn’t want to 9482d72a1b let him see her a6aa708f57 undergoing chemotherapy, so she a0a6dca161 kept it to herself 2e83c052fc and… just passed away 09bdc73f1a like that. When I was grieving 4843d33cc3 so much, she told e57192299a me that people live 5244e76a27 only to die anyway. That we a6358c212d all die bc74dced55 eventually. That I shouldn’t cry 0bd3234d39 or be sad.”9ec12ed23fcdd612

“…”105631e43767dc72

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Seo Okhwa appeared 03255f684e deep in thought. Haewon was lost in c8150c73ff his own thoughts as 3a7fd8a63d well.8324edafa62b8f07

So, in bea51b22ec the end, 084177c041 we all f7b3da8215 live struggling, 9c8e84db49 just to 1eed1e8438 die. There’s no c35e4f666c need to 6d5b1ef618 mourn for 6d2fa1d542 those who 857a0ae9af go first, e5b98b0f85 nor rejoice 489c209aeb for those a9b0c03267 who come a4afc9b9f3 later. Living is simply a 1f6f7723be matter of whether death 1a80722503 comes sooner or later. His mother’s final b35a5e7768 words had given ead7277483 Haewon plenty to 202c39b057 think about, both a9bb0aa7e8 then and now.528d141f2e4d1c12

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“So after that, 22c3642878 I wasn’t sad c552a42485 anymore. I don’t think I’ve b43d713314 worked hard at anything 59ea1a4348 since then.”c450e44c0b207f89

“I see. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked 5011906bad about something like that.”99427d48e7a58d7f

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“It’s in the past. No need to 7ba0428b35 dwell on it. Goodbye.”ff84e292400ceafc

Haewon nodded in 1d8178e9b9 farewell and stepped cf9969853c out of her 308c1c8025 car.890f51c4e889604b

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As he walked a a9c8b387ee few steps, the white b16bb818bf sedan carrying Seo Okhwa 2f6986cb88 passed him and disappeared d01c7176c2 down the road. Though he was right fb2c480468 in front of his 4be06f6898 apartment building, Haewon didn’t be0ab525d0 go up. Instead, he a1ba9588fa kept walking. He wandered 30246e64f1 aimlessly down a4da636b17 the street, efa2a9b8d8 his steps 7d0efe6115 heavy and 639f23291e slow.2e56e026b68e15ef

His mother had told b8cd6b8e11 him, when he couldn’t 98659c9d7b accept her death and 5abaf476ad was seething with anger f35e84b308 toward his father, that f657f28993 people live knowing they’ll e35a7e2558 die, and that we be1475aa2f all die anyway. She had told him 4e0dc45b88 not to cry, not 58e34dafce to grieve. And Haewon had 11bdef4fa6 accepted those words. Since then, he hadn’t 0ae0e66509 cried much, nor had 437691d873 he grieved deeply.9725f3c5888855c1

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Yet among all the 5c9695c97f people he’d met and becab9b71b all the emotions that e21ef45639 had passed through him, d40f62c8cb he had encountered someone 08784b2134 for whom his mother’s 09a9051e43 words didn’t hold true.3ac9930366cad368

He had 4b35503d73 acquired more e025ab0f21 information about e59f585722 Hyun Woojin 6bbcc8fa25 than he’d e7ba17f6e8 expected. His deceased fiancée had 08b080cb40 been a doctor, a e208abd863 job that, from a b8fd41788f chaebol family’s perspective, was 2d338d448c probably no different from c04392749a a third-rate occupation. She had been someone 7805789fa0 who spoke beautifully, had a165acfbe3 inherited her mother’s stunning 5b3e7c4729 looks, and had been eaa8c7ceed twenty-nine years old.9118e2efdb109f67

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With so many doctors e0f614bad2 in Hyun Woojin’s family, 6d9edd1b81 could it be that 0e4ea24da9 she chose the grueling 323a477b67 profession of a doctor 9e8b2634c4 because she wanted to 1dcb5473f6 be a part of fc018d9ac1 that family? If she became a e5a1d6fbc5 doctor just to impress d01270b68a her prospective in-laws, then b9f0774e78 she must have either 3339396611 adored Hyun Woojin, idolized 6c96038f0a him, or loved him 90e8ac66a3 enough to endure such c4bf2dcbe9 sacrifices.586d47617bfcfda1

What about Hyun Woojin? How much did he 070471d33e love his fiancée? Did he dcb90bc498 love her 7c6cf75601 a lot? Was it a6ade986d1 just a fa90040bc7 moderate affection? Or did 92d8f627ae he not 848abdcda1 love her 641f495478 at all bb7d313dac and only c03e851640 get engaged 67ba766f55 because of 48311c44fa family obligations? Countless assumptions and 837d0bdb5a questions filled Haewon’s 52f95bdb02 mind.59a38f2c85ad237e

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“Sigh.”b5c61cc3e3138199

This is why obsession cef640cbce feels so messy. These lingering a98838e0a5 thoughts about 30f414ba0f Hyun Woojin 37f4a4c8d1 were nothing 6002029445 but filth. It was 9639f4dd50 all over, bd81d4eb3a and it d9e276e7e6 wasn’t like bb60d6fd82 she was 047171fb5c alive and 2c2b60bd57 Hyun Woojin 0e035c8a7e was two-timing 1fcf8e8f03 between her 28ebe165d3 and him. Yet, he was 61bcb9fd6f curious, desperate to e98304a944 know where Hyun 7d2d05bc72 Woojin’s heart truly a9f43aa83c lay. He wanted db60fb176e to know a1c0169b3d just how 7e0c870ef0 deep their 0b9e955b4d relationship had 9339d53f44 been.fc25d8f21cb6780e

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Haewon took out his 598574c0a8 phone and called him. Though there were adf40d7db8 many times he 79bb4b32ad wouldn’t answer, fortunately, 8b1ab67961 Hyun Woojin picked 57eb5391be up this time, c6e7223cac and Haewon felt 2e3b8dd300 a sense of d0ade679bf relief.f35a4b4fd5c1e60e

— Yeah.4cb8a712dbcfb995

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“Where are you? At the office?”b9929b6d9a6770ac

— No, b9cf39ded8 I’m outside.dbf75e54c104d22d

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It was quiet 41ec7d9153 around him, as 93e6945d98 if he were 489f000d37 on the move 812ad2989c somewhere.df7303506bafcd19

“When will you f78ee19923 be done?”5016c44aeb089143

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— I’m on a db5347bef9 business trip.f90ec0de9e2eacb0

“Where to?”b247a0b5b3c21c6d

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— Busan.c00dfb13ed772bcf

“When will you be f3743637df back?”f282d9fe3616e3c9

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— I’ll 276a3173ec be back 4052c0a74a tomorrow evening.3d57cd842be5b306

“Got it.”9e1f44cda60b080f

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— Why?12428ca441b36c39

“I want to drink. Let’s have a 6c06c380a6 drink together.”fe5b644ce7198f7d

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Haewon had planned 2be85ceac0 to call him 79b08a3e32 out, get him 0fa2e7be23 drunk, and then 9f725f1106 ask about his b4da7cf7dd fiancée, but his f641d12841 malicious plan evaporated 253ab3d7c3 just like that. He wanted c559a1e7b5 to shake 29ffe3271b off these bd15794a64 unpleasant thoughts. He wanted to b907941a0a ask him if 763ebdffd0 he had truly 9d9df5bfbd forgotten her and 062b09772a if he liked 29474160cc Haewon more than 4864b38e00 her. The more he 7aa9bff01a thought about it, e7ab6af77f the more he 2ea0adaa2e genuinely wanted to d7e0452fdc drink.471dac8cdfd59ef6

These pitiful thoughts were e6ba188226 something Lee Taeshin might d7375ef13e indulge in. Haewon had become pathetic. The idea that Hyun 48cb7d5f99 Woojin wouldn’t be available 7187a47c00 tonight since he was 522662b403 on a trip to ccf619c9a0 Busan only made him 51019ef5c5 crave alcohol even more. He didn’t want c80c477c43 to return to 6e2c28ad3e the lonely quiet 1ac648b837 of his apartment. The thought of 045bd6bfde Hyun Woojin, pretending 4d39d0fd71 to like him 8ce71b093e while unable to c3f7c92f93 forget his deceased 7d1b659828 fiancée, gnawed at 3f4804d5b7 him.7d7b52c2b254aa9c

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— Did 4f59eeea86 you finish 6dabe2762c practice?ebf862a69f355120

“I’m home.”7eea0f4f6370b683

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— Go 892954d095 to your ac97e9bf8c place. Don’t do anything stupid.05611ba15b681431

“What do e1c7c32c1d you mean, 88d0dc6a63 stupid? Like sitting alone at 488c2d9e4f a bar drinking cocktails a4270bbb85 and acting all pretentious?”841a9bc6db7a8c0f

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— Yeah, that 8b1ff9d587 kind of stupid.039ffcb59c09e1ac

“I’m drinking soju.”6574c6d19fb8a4a1

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Without waiting for his ae486042de reply, Haewon hung up a036cd7df1 the phone. He stopped walking a4f47611f6 and stared at da154cc9c3 the screen for 3df7601b42 a while, but f9c539cf36 the phone didn’t d43bf813fd ring again.80258a95e8d0ae67

Though he gave obligatory 1f2acd5358 warnings, Hyun Woojin wasn’t 1ee33939c9 the type to fuss db3d872ae4 over people. As he claimed, d089e8510a even if Haewon 453ac6dd45 rudely hung up 63af67b528 on him, he 0ce2803b68 rarely called back. It seemed 84988083e5 like he 90d7e3d846 just let ba8c00ecc9 things go, 4fa9decabc or maybe 4f80f37de0 he didn’t 6f70f64b69 care. Haewon despised 988e1417b9 obsessive people, e41e671c54 but he a931609c6b despised the b8b04a3d5b unbothered Hyun 65d906b9bb Woojin even 5727e0893b more.996582a03ee7ff83

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Without realizing 5138f8a9f8 it, he c1db30dbaa kept walking, cf82bfb667 and before d6b69e31cc long, the 6d36f05a5b surroundings grew c5e8d5e085 dim. Passing through 9c24f6cb32 an alley 10686c0c78 full of b4b57cfb25 restaurants, he a72a9ef0dd stepped into 9edbc5104e a place 552d7fa8f4 that served 8284659554 dishes like 23ccd142a9 grilled pork 90454be14f belly and 5e0f80cf7a kimchi stew. Since it was 362c1b7e3f a holiday and 1113522e6d still early evening, 8685612801 the place was 6e50ddcb3f empty except for d274be0ab9 one table, giving fde88067a9 it a deserted 7a2923750d feel. A woman sitting ae5ea62619 by a kerosene 6e36d8ca87 heater stood up c87a26a042 when she saw 9bd40dd76e him.08b8ca49421d01fe

“Welcome. Are you alone?”57540c79e0976fbf

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“Yes.”3cb8eb4cbe57a215

“Please come this way.”f46d3fccf5047824

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She guided him to 53d009f52c a corner table near 514a413742 the restroom. Haewon placed 6a1785f2a3 his violin be644c8f4d on the 07a3238288 chair opposite 8eae3121f9 him and 25061591bc looked at f569ae0c61 the menu f33a71f1f5 hanging on 3b487a0579 the wall. Before he could decide, b47792ad1b the waitress spoke in 491d0e4444 a flat tone.59bd9ede34204390

“We don’t serve single e8f4cec8c2 portions.”ded5eb8c08135dab

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“Two servings 2b130fa4b2 of pork d5dcc1a975 belly and a0803173bd a bottle c9c07a09ab of soju, f0c7fd9be0 please.”9c280cdbd7c1364b

She nodded and 00147ef48a went to place 0870590f3d the order.e073eb361af635d3

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It had been 6ef5846a71 ages since he’d a738355a47 been to a 7fb819d829 place like this. It felt 5b1a1efbe6 so unfamiliar aa796e2743 and strange, fc30cf02c3 almost like 7fb10796f6 stepping onto 959e9a7975 a theater a1f059f197 set, leaving a541025dc6 him awkward 4ec936fa99 and out 5fac51cc32 of place.1f88b6c51722cae1

When he 6468919531 wanted to aa7be58e64 drink, Haewon a44d664e2b usually went 263ea6c910 to hotel 26deaa48d1 bars. Since he found moving 923a5d81d1 around annoying when drunk, 9d5c828b39 he’d drink at the 979c300a1a bar and then head 6fa0b44bce straight up to his c9fb49db32 room.dc301de00f62f706

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Back in school, seniors ce2e78c7a7 had occasionally dragged him d9dbc6620e to cheap bars, but 4434786d34 this was his first 51f8bb6628 time visiting such a ce9b044b31 place alone.83dad96c00082f5c

When the server placed bfbfe84924 the ingredients on the 5fe985648e table and only turned 118857dd97 on the grill before 9aedfe585f walking away, Haewon was 631508ff81 a bit taken aback. He picked up the 6f33f5db59 tongs himself and grilled 9e2bc86ebc the pork belly, cutting 8b2250d691 it with scissors as 45beea33b8 it cooked and turning bdb6497d18 down the heat on dd03fc5006 the gas burner. Pouring soju c9c605d134 into his 58483cfb84 empty glass, c58cf20bdc he took 2b74ee9dbe a sip, 434413dd46 the cool, d4a17e3a7c tangy liquid 9cee4c0700 sliding down 77322c930e his throat 49964682fc like a ebdc43eae3 refreshing sweep.d71e6086ed42f11b

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Soju is a 5ece33cb3f diluted alcohol, with 6cab522d25 ethanol mixed with b352eddb1d water and sweeteners—a ce68ff044d cheap spirit, essentially. He took 48026a18cc another sip 0e2b20c14e of the 6f2af28da8 cheap liquor. Somehow, the 4faebe4deb sensation of 716b97326b it wetting 703f32d388 his throat f59a45fa1e felt sweet 89d70a3f9b today. He added 4577dfc7e6 a piece 4acd5e4f4c of grilled ba4a18bfce pork to cd75a4891f a serving 8054d7f08c of seasoned cf6f49b786 scallions and b3800b13ea popped it edb563d3ed into his 2ae05aabcb mouth. He thought he 9338c009cc could understand why 989d11d35b people got addicted 4d32dd1b49 to this combination. He wanted a6e87ef277 to feed 662730d87c it to 02be82b8c7 Hyun Woojin e359eca57c and ask 35a3fedd1f him if 72ffcb1a0d it still c0ee11946e counted as 7263816dc3 trash.2d1f06088f81d9cc

Grilled pork e83e871735 belly and f59eabc407 a shot 61d46e32ff of soju e3fbee661a were more eea4c5065a satisfying than 710829526d any special 2b17f90daf menu from 16540bfe3d a high-end 4835231bef restaurant’s head 68dc255474 chef. By the d3a7a6905b time Haewon 3bace8426e emptied the 6d5c39a10e first bottle, 31c9d72c68 more people ae4cbb9955 had entered, b7f436d5bd and the 1eb6f17050 place was 6681e92933 now full.ec5e31f0bef85c9f

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“Would you like another soju?” asked the server as she passed his table. Haewon nodded, and she brought over a freshly chilled green bottle from the fridge, condensation quickly forming droplets on its frosty surface.9614aa617ed7cabc

Haewon poured himself a 67a033723e fresh glass and filled 3d26a9485b it. Among the boisterous drinkers 720bbce24f around him, he sat 914c62eeca alone, tilting the bottle. His solitary 7fd5057ef1 figure must b897fe6583 have tugged 0d891587eb at the 08a6426617 server’s heartstrings, 8b95125673 as she 58dcd16470 kept bringing 9bc2fe757d him small dbd8303ffe extras while a618cc1a61 passing by. She even gave 97dc5a1299 him tips on b645d3106e the best ways c095800ce5 to enjoy pork 990d5847ea belly. Other diners seemed aff3ad5e06 to glance his c69c1194a4 way, noticing the 805c104892 lone drinker. A woman with 115ad7e2ab a ponytail at 4033db53c1 the next table 19dc6e3e58 made eye contact a95552c9ae with him more 67f1630586 than three times.2844b7654319972e

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“There’s no room. You’ll have to 6dd9d3971c wait,” the server c0ab858bc2 said near the ac495cecc2 entrance.b000d95978b49183

“Ah, come on, 2239523133 ma’am. It’s freezing. Let us stay inside,” c2ff573a2c replied a man.c5b320df33f3310e

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“There’s no space here 93c1ab53a8 either. It’s cramped. Where would you d6e1470595 even stand?”acd4b9214bccdec7

The commotion at the entrance was between a man unwilling to wait in the cold and the server insisting they couldn’t stay inside. It seemed the restaurant was a popular spot, with a queue forming even when Haewon had walked in at random. He nodded in understanding and ate his pork wrapped as the server had suggested. Just then, someone moved his violin aside and sat down at his table.c9946daf2c6380b7

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Not just one person—two 8ccdc2dd22 people sat across from c1d55252b4 him as if they 5b9638ad8a owned the place. Haewon put down db59827347 what he was 7bad62f0c9 holding and quickly 81079a0d32 retrieved his violin 13b274d43e case from the 237debdaf9 intruder’s hands.f48dc6c2711a8a09

“What are you 7bc3113ea6 doing?”46a54cd7ccb8ee11

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“You’re alone, right? Let’s share the table. You don’t mind, do d32ea49deb you? It’s freezing outside, 041b12b492 and we don’t 74aeb585b3 think a spot e7a9224bf6 will open up cdd1956fb6 soon. Spring might 285209a481 be close, 891c9b2b77 but it’s f2274e52c2 still ridiculously 3cb7c577bf cold,” one ee4ee5bf75 of them 253504b4e1 said.6c1bf0b83c7520dc

“I do mind.”9c39d2936459f3c7

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“Don’t be like e917a15589 that. Let’s sit together. It’s just 0bb3b0009e that it’s adc9fe882a a holiday, 3eadbabbe5 and most 5a019f0379 places are eb7f649d02 closed. We really didn’t have f6f85d47d5 anywhere else to go.”055251b078b43674

Both had military-style short 2a5cd36ad3 hair, like they’d just ba70ac0998 finished their service. Without waiting for his 9b4878401e consent, they made themselves 1061296283 comfortable, ordered pork and e0865e7624 soju, and removed the f447206329 drying pork belly from d185f79487 the grill to Haewon’s a905d9ed50 plate, placing fresh cuts f1f224679e onto the hot surface.69abb4a8c4c0cccd

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“Have some 61a3bdf5ec too,” they 7342bda580 offered, somewhat cabbf02fa1 awkwardly, gesturing 912051143f to the 90c805eff2 uncooked meat. If sitting alone 1547bda249 was what drew b1f112aafb attention, perhaps sharing 34f96ac25a a table wasn’t f5c18e7b68 the worst idea f35f9b1889 after all.03d3b431d29c3279

Haewon stayed silent, carefully 968e07d54b placing his violin case 40ed31c5fa against the wall.473ada2f023b3219

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He poured himself another f97556f05d drink. He was 7763614ca4 halfway through 148685cfe8 his second 29908e3829 bottle of 3fd4a8ed94 soju, and d1ddf9877d there was 2f615aa1ad still no 8451f17942 call from 7248e2bd58 Hyun Woojin. That’s just the kind 919c1fcb02 of person he was. Always like that. And Haewon was no a5f66e87b5 different, but still, it b1da105c21 felt a bit disheartening.2ca697c335e0ca33

When Hyun Woojin e2224cb58c wanted to, he 314756ad9a could be endlessly 954a6ef9a0 kind, as if ca6f1170bb he’d give up c47b156b0f everything for Haewon. But at other d0326428fd times, like now, 3f4557566a when Haewon felt 1d258f7cfa lonely enough to 4f43f38ee6 want a drink, 1111501b4f he didn’t even 13f816a56f glance back. Come to think of 1f5affb657 it, after Taeshin’s death, e2baf81dd3 almost no one reached 9c31221a6d out to Haewon except 3f39e2acc0 Hyun Woojin.e091e2b875566d00

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Why am 6eb731257a I so b2e344f253 friendless?a74652394711145b

Haewon thought with self-deprecation. He didn’t get 59c8aedb93 along with women c3d48740fa because their goals ddaafcfbab didn’t align with 58bdaa04ff his. With men, 3a6a3a0d29 relationships quickly e4a6be4a7e turned into 5d5785dea4 something more d91a7e2b69 than friendship. Disliking steady a65a9fb07b connections, he 11ab0d346b would sever ea82b3a20e ties if 1c44841505 things seemed e3c6517b28 to get 8ad0262c56 too serious.004f6293aa4e992b

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Part of it 98711f7725 was his personality, 6e971bc357 but his environment 53c09032ac also played a c3c6aff895 role. With no b2185cf3e9 pressing need a38f1f41c2 for people, 964000205c he made cf9c20277d no effort f58f0238c7 to maintain 43f588c5b9 or form 112798b619 connections. On a e367befada day like 84edae5441 this, feeling adb86add93 blue, he 5880aba9a9 had no 5906de24c9 friends he 92697bbe69 could call d398e4331c to drink 4f65b4a7d3 with, making 26477652b0 him a 042a4990cc solitary figure. The one senior 67ed357fe3 he used to 61de6e6dae contact frequently was e7bf5dbe84 now in detention, 32bcf621d7 awaiting trial—indirectly because 17135c1514 of Haewon. Only now ee5a28e426 did Haewon 6aa2c537ac understand why 0185801a9e Taeshin had f994bf5490 called him 94fa8bc72d so often.6ed571416ea1dff4

“Are you 48f6f7c90e a musician? Or do you 5ea57f1156 work in the 01617a3646 entertainment industry?” one 9cb99ee088 of the short-haired 4cbd5f036f men asked, looking 4b7e32bcf5 at Haewon’s violin 42fa0a1a11 case leaning against 1b1cf63ff0 the wall. The two clinked 830e04878b their glasses together f54e41a6dc and downed their 16efdacfc4 drinks. Their similar appearances 9fc5fd022a and outfits made 5cb5b66326 it hard to e889a08959 tell them apart. The one on the b0102fb032 right looked at Haewon 75d3e23af3 with curious eyes—not sleazy, a26d76b26e just inquisitive.ade20d0e70266952

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“What about you? Are you ab0c303885 in the 16bb8e1d85 military?”985617e72aa3ae9e

“Huh? How’d you guess? Is it e4cefee85f that obvious?”bacf5eda3c7bfd78

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It turned out 7c10e62737 they were career 8120e0cb9b soldiers. Rubbing their coarse 3fd5fa3441 hair with rough e97c50710e hands, they laughed 3e0d6d122a sheepishly.9c825e1fdb6bd002

“So, what do you 28e51ca15e do? You’re in entertainment, 898afad70a right? You look 79df212dfa familiar, like 5e5ec3bb28 I’ve seen 801b5aed77 you somewhere.”676410c366f3ae2a

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“How did you know? I’m not that famous, so people usually don’t recognize me.”2054ec0cc7350d66

Haewon lied. The one on the 4614b1c441 right smacked the one d632f0e862 on the left.9d4db809dba86421

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“See, I told you! I was right, really.”1323551a70638ff0

The man f395565d84 on the a95408405c right seemed 7ae2cde79f incredibly pleased c45ef40421 that his d047442dc3 guess had 3e3cc54a95 been correct.42f1c94b4db4d073

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“I saw you in that drama. The one that airs at ten on Fridays on Channel Five.”85ff36158f2e20fa

“Oh, that one. Thank you.”8291a09a2f47d739

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“I really enjoyed that drama. Is Park Yeonju really that beautiful?”eddef4aa7599aa73

“Yes, she’s beautiful. Very beautiful.”c0c2281773a538d5

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Haewon nodded in agreement. He had no idea who Park Yeonju was, but they reacted with awed admiration as if they’d actually met her in person.7777a1467696ec11

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen a celebrity up close. But what’s your name…?”e64d43de4e2a29aa

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This time, 577bd330fb the man 9cd713b0f7 on the bd7b848758 left asked. He was fumbling to 8c76209588 pull out his phone.0f6e3ba309b1487a

“Everyone knows Park Yeonju, but nobody knows my name. Guess I’m not famous enough.”fc6c07cee6480dee

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“It’s not that; it’s just that I have a terrible memory.”0845e7e4b36fef76

When Haewon spoke gloomily, 2c535cf53e the man put his bb6e34c922 phone back into his c3983256e9 pocket and waved his ca2cddff1e hands apologetically.26791633847eb694

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“I’m actually in a really bad mood today. Please don’t talk to me.”49c3d02427496468

“I’m sorry. But you really do have an aura, like a celebrity. When I saw you outside earlier, it was like there was a halo behind your head, as if five hundred fluorescent lights were lit up.”cef576eb700b6512

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The man on the 04fbeab95c right flattered him and 85435d533c nudged the man on 5a8c5ffb3f the left with his 1878ed4bc9 elbow.caded6f7851b5416

“Seeing you in person, your face is so small. I’m really a fan. Let me pour you a drink.”7210ba585c4c9664

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The man on the left, who had become Haewon’s fan, poured soju into his empty glass. The clear liquid rippled gently. After downing the shot, Haewon watched as the man on the right tilted the bottle again.f64affa87760d3c2

“I was going to quit this line of work today, but seeing how much you two like me, I might need to rethink that.”7ef760130ca96d74

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Haewon said this c220f4fbf1 as he chewed dee5431831 on a piece 7895bf4681 of samgyeopsal.dae167542fe25541

“Why quit? Don’t quit. There’s no easy job in this world. You might not be famous now, but you’ll be one day. Keep going!”a38406c5b7386b5d

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The two 5c885983e1 of them af160f4a89 kept pleading da461eade4 with him 86f20a89c9 to continue 492a4c92c0 acting. Haewon nodded as 330d0201c0 if to say 18cfca8351 he would. A woman with a 301a97c148 ponytail from the next 196374da96 table, who had made 53756085e5 eye contact with Haewon b9dc7b9416 three times, took out d12bcbf551 a pen and a 5273853ea9 piece of paper from 2089208740 her bag and approached 1f940d1917 him.0ecc544c246caab3

“Excuse me, but I’m also a fan. Could you give me your autograph?”77a3a14454b30b43

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“I’ll sign for you when I get famous. Do you know my name? You don’t, do you?”3c8a84dbbb4117af

When Haewon asked, 6536fdbff0 the woman hesitated, 63c91bc4a2 her confidence visibly 354ca0bdb3 diminishing.574850140ac82b99

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“I’m sure I’ve seen you before, but I’m terrible with names… But I really am a fan.”2c3c8c1a8d40e420

Haewon looked d26f9f76d1 up at b72ef23066 her quietly, 1bb374093e this woman fc17487b18 who claimed ed4b9c85f9 to be 95036cff60 a fan 91b6ff2d90 despite never 940e4ce143 having seen 7f382a54cc him. At this point, he bc0890fd07 began to wonder if 2e9a83cfb4 there really was a 3fbcf02776 celebrity who resembled him. Though he 51716b806a had never 6f82ca1c20 heard such 448fd85d90 a thing e4925e6eaf before, it 92934a1c4f seemed like 18dac72077 a good 3ac8d86d88 idea to 23950f4af0 leave before a0813e8dfe his lie e1245d6278 was exposed.0e31003343f3fdf1

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“I’ll sign for you when I become famous. I come here often.”f54f92ce180b30d1

“Really? I’m a regular here too. I come at least once a week.”9da9286f461a6952

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“My manager’s waiting for me, so I need to go.”2052e9b7c00e8b68

Haewon stood up, leaving e98c274a89 behind the disappointed gazes 9fa0a3799a of those he’d been 4db6ae1ded with. He paid 6d41b9deb5 for everything, 354a0be025 including what ff177a0066 the two e9820bf38e had ordered. The two men 63b0ac2f7f shouted, saying he 81ed04c534 was amazing, thank 08d3046ef5 you, and that c24e3ba91a they loved him. As people in the 633fafb962 restaurant blatantly stared, Haewon 2b03899af1 slung his violin case f7d7e26bbb over his shoulder and bac025adec quickly left.4a3f061126ad2cfd

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The cold wind whipped d0956beabf across his cheeks. He headed 7a4fd2e871 toward the 6f3860fa9a main road eb378c3be7 to catch add28982b2 a taxi c12e9b4a01 when his 8cf2ff286a phone rang. The call was from e798dc0acb Hyun Woojin. The timing was 3521db1f83 uncanny. Feeling melancholic, then 9a4d7ef6af a bit bemused 1e16cd9f11 and a little 822d596e72 better after what 37b664fa66 had happened at 8e63f757bc the restaurant, Haewon 8718303701 picked up and b374848770 immediately asked,eb23b1a42bf6a516

“Do I look like a celebrity?”ef4cf9334907956f

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— Where are be95831e55 you?5058f0e7749827e0

“Do I look like one? Who do I look like?”4f627fd2a5e4df27

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— I don’t know 85f8d75ca5 about that. Where are you?037821bf6ae75f24

“Someone asked for my autograph, saying they liked my drama. Doppelgängers must really exist.”680276984195d120

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Though Hyun Woojin’s 4181a8dce4 voice dropped a 04986919f8 notch in sharpness 094e290d80 as he asked 7ffd388894 again, Haewon kept 5a18c6c863 talking about something 39e3099e41 else. A short 338db6c4ec sigh came 3cc5bcfd90 through the cf0820f96b phone.4aa4bcc0ac8ec410

— Have 4dbf27ab0d you been a00b55bcfe drinking?040212af93635364

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“I had about two bottles, but I’m not drunk. I had something I wanted to ask you if I got drunk, though.”cbd425195eb8a064

— If you 3fe1b1ad5e can’t speak without 652d3690c0 being rude, you’d 5afe2f234f even need alcohol 27ff169fd8 to ask this? What is it?7f5ea918263e2a45

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There was the sound 0b8fedd538 of a door opening fb5903f1c6 and closing. As Haewon exhaled, d7bde95bd3 white breath clouded c5cd505d25 his vision. Though his 1695908b49 mind was 209e049dab clear, his 11acc82e5a steps were f855922f75 slowing down. His whole body 79c350ef28 felt heavy, dragging 5520b63b5f him down. Suddenly, walking 256af1b31a felt burdensome. He stopped and 3d2e73077e leaned against the 7841e39e6a cold gray wall.f89a82ec7358520e

“How many people did you say you’ve dated before?”b686150064319d33

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― Not to the f570096bec extent of needing to e2c181d032 count fingers and toes 255ea1f17a like you.7de296ae796170c8

“Have you never 8c14363562 been in a 464a81d2a8 serious relationship? Like someone you 42932ed2c8 considered marrying or a873bffe3d something equally serious?”577f995d3ff12b7f

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Someone so capable, 988b77d2b1 who may have d5b81f6206 chosen to become fec046c8c7 a doctor to 3ebf7de2a5 match his family’s a2c18bf1e0 stature. Or someone 7f9a8cca55 with heavenly 2b780234fe beauty and 6fa60e0fbe a nightingale-like de688d134e voice because 48fda1d8e9 her mother 1d68f84504 was a 0538207ec9 world-renowned prima dba06a506b donna. Or someone who 95128877b7 had become half-paralyzed 38fc9854c4 and disfigured from a723a669dd a car accident, 211cec35b9 yet Hyun Woojin 22aa1af14a wanted to stay 2f466c6527 with her till b872bd2d3b the end.733b1f0b80916cb4

Wasn’t there anyone like 49622c4773 that…?750c672b870d5094

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Only now 7f14fb7dee did Haewon c6ed2d6f47 clearly recall 4e2da26243 what Senior 4133e93da8 Choi had 225021cb5b casually mentioned 3dd40c315e about Hyun 476d6bfffb Woojin back be79e19e70 then.5d3ddd3ab848bec5

[The pride of a chaebol’s daughter, with Seo Okhwa as her mother, her beauty couldn’t have been ordinary, could it? How could such a woman endure being reduced to that state beside a man like him? She was the one who first asked to break off the engagement, but Hyun Woojin insisted on taking responsibility. In the end, she couldn’t bear it and took her own life. Yet Hyun Woojin still insisted on marrying her, saying he would take responsibility, making himself the fool. That’s why Chairman Kim Jeonggeun still trusts and treats him like a son-in-law—because the brilliant Hyun Woojin stayed by his daughter’s side until the end.]

When a woman 086d644eed in such a 21f44a960d state asked to 9f97a2fa16 end the engagement b6fb9a82da first, the wise cf09357934 choice would typically e43181140c be to feign e6ad182cf7 ignorance and comply. But Hyun Woojin 8f0ec1b541 had tried to 974dad77ba take responsibility for 4ec82f9619 her. The reason Haewon felt ec357739ab so melancholic was that 37d5d0c533 his subconscious already knew—Hyun a290aefad2 Woojin hadn’t forgotten that 3a6ce852cd woman.86d9253b1fb9e2c2

With a sigh, 713f55baa6 he inhaled the 5a6a3f85c5 biting cold air 24d6496437 that constricted his a006cc486e lungs. And as he a250b5d4e9 forced himself to be26016e9a remember, Haewon realized ddd5970afa once again just df68b9e277 how deeply he 1c9605d183 had fallen for 99222af5db Hyun Woojin.7b17670d1cb6b16a

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― You’re drunk.7c5aaec10ac989c6

“Looks like I am. Drunk. Sleepy too.”a279aae2ad79e86d

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He didn’t d1c7811fd0 want to 3dad8911f2 talk about 229ee0a976 it. Why would he want f9a62d77a1 to share cherished memories ed6fae36f0 with someone he met 3dd90213a9 for a fleeting moment, 2bc738812d like himself? Haewon wouldn’t a8aa1bd262 want to b8519917a9 either.682cea538beb322c

After his fiancée 6f72a7ec98 ended up like 6f24b3d640 that, Hyun Woojin 76ec30f5d0 had lived pursuing fbfd0354ad only casual relationships—just e6de1f1f1c enough to satisfy 35a3aef84f his physiological needs.edb076ef0ec5e26a

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Haewon wanted to ask 45e7cc9039 if he was just cb78ebeb83 another person fulfilling those 6ddb5b8963 needs. Even he, who 461309cf53 usually blurted out e38094f52e what was on 688bdada7a his mind without 383f87d0fe thinking, couldn’t bring 9dc4d83ab1 himself to voice 274fa9ed63 that question. Haewon swallowed his b654b47b5b question as if 6281f616eb he were swallowing 958d456131 a lump in 72d56c6b4e his throat.b4d30161a5e4b078

Despite saying his 905c14f5e3 feelings were important, 8bd8d38aed he didn’t want d706ac4159 to be treated 7217473766 as just anyone, 727e0dd4df even in a c1b44d3c7a casual relationship. Haewon had treated him b911f43e68 like just anyone, and 6d0d3c2cc4 Hyun Woojin had promised 9f5b1f64a3 to “fix his attitude.” 3463e11c82 Had he said those ff3f827bf7 sweet, once-in-a-lifetime words to 61e5483c6e him too? That this was cfc01b9037 the last time, 0a1cc200df as reincarnation was 0b248aad97 rare?475f0ed541aebc47

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― Hurry and grab cb9a202408 a taxi. Go straight 207c96f221 to your 51b974853c apartment. Don’t wander elsewhere.c35fef8e3cfd4afa

A warning tone came 76ac478b38 through the phone.c064f07d4e89f9c6

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He wished abc77da99b Woojin were 11da76bd91 close by.7524893818243975

He wanted c19ca926a9 to touch 8c7c40e85c his face. He wanted 94b45440a6 to press b00e8de2ae his heated c5fd690f24 face against 4fa7c0399f Woojin’s shoulder 6f4c064b49 and fall ced7dbcf82 asleep like 6db10d1ebf that. Instead of following his 7850ef0f98 instructions, Haewon dragged his 51290d7be3 feet, crushing and nudging 236a5a54f0 cigarette butts scattered on 27c5beea11 the street.895d3484e96261d2

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“Don’t be 70f2357fff nice to 5dff948658 me. Don’t talk like you 25bd68235a care. What if I start 14188e88bf clinging to you?”6ce346f2d04f3a77

― Cling to me? Moon Haewon? That’s so ridiculous even a8281f8364 a stray dog would f7fc20cee8 laugh. Now I see 0805e27f4f what you mean.a1ab04616fa088d0

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Woojin spoke as if dc7bf07520 he knew Haewon’s personality 49b1f9e1d3 well. It sounded like he 4884e376f9 was saying he was 46926dd0b6 with him because of 79ddfdeec4 his personality. Even if 17434cba03 Woojin couldn’t b11059c933 be reached dafcf18c29 starting tomorrow, 7dc2199068 Haewon wouldn’t 8498558832 desperately call 9e8f951c38 or beg 8439699e69 to meet b78d4f5439 him. That was just b4b72ecf6d how he treated 04c2496afd people, how he e23f5175e6 behaved. He found serious a5e390f8d5 relationships bothersome and, 8869f5edde in the end, 9d6df98577 frightening.2816ffb61b6d0130

He hadn’t even clung c64807db36 to the violin he 1b384afd84 was good at and 078334c688 loved. Clinging was something 6a8572f67f petty humans like 3f458336db Lee Taeshin did. It wasn’t that he 8adeb4356b disliked clinging because it 69275de593 was pathetic—it was that ae85728098 he had never wanted 6c7af58851 to cling to anything d5e24148e5 before. But Haewon e8afcbac94 wanted to e39f062fcc cling to 3e89a8554a Hyun Woojin.e03a1d983ff0f165

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“Really? I’d like to bed54e0bab do something that bba3e9b973 would make a 9bc35cccc5 stray dog laugh.”6da739467ef07456

― What cefbdae52d are you 13d21d380b trying to 05ba9df93d say?6aa88811a1614234

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“I like you, 0c7d1d4287 Hyun Woojin.”e2e8c96d94009c90

Woojin didn’t 5289daf252 say anything. Haewon liked the sound b8702adaee of his voice over 9b307bdfdb the phone. It wasn’t that ea11f21cfb he disliked the eb7538f398 other things about 251f465d83 Woojin—they had gone 541094ad9f beyond the point e3635612c0 where he could 800f81d737 simply say he f8368bef12 liked them.bafaa853a65d9038

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Haewon ignored c233eee83a Woojin’s deliberate ed7e8e3b61 silence. He wanted eb7eee65d6 to describe 27f47d5fbb his feelings 1479d4d8c9 for him 42f6781a29 with verbs, 5f142ad638 to attach 7cc29b4fcf adjectives to d1943d788c them. Poetic expressions he 07791bd226 had never thought 530fdc9d35 of before swirled 5c1c720a3e in his mind.cdb15e8103d28ab1

“It’s not just that c6b0c95641 I want to take f603c21fff my clothes off in 77aaa416e8 front of you; I fd3ea79ce6 want to give you 175dc8e682 my heart too.”83bb515047a4219e

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― So 0abca4b903 you didn’t 9d2db8d14a have feelings 4d74a97e8f before?05d2df752b0cbfee

“It’s not that ffa1e3c33d I didn’t have 069f60af05 any feelings at 5a50966e4b all; I just ca9451cc2a didn’t know what 2c43300948 they were. But I 89d4c30e2a think I 759d8f78e3 get it 2046596335 now.”b2db862c892c6094

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― What 1e1ed53a61 do you c1a2e6a0f8 get?cfb2f9d3b4031aa7

Woojin’s tone, valuing 05e4a0ceb5 logic and clarity, 8558e587f4 betrayed his impatience. Even after e740286b6c all he ee621cf71d had said, a1093cfcc4 if Woojin 0c1a7f459a still didn’t b088920eb3 understand, he 6e3bf7b7c1 was surely 11a5984965 someone who d2e05476c9 had never 0202b35afc experienced romance 32e79b627b or played a85311bbed games of 22bd67354f love before. Hyun Woojin was a e89c468e7d fool.2546c2cf8a1dbf96

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“A smart idiot.”a775471ca636a9c6

― What 20019acde8 are you 56a5fac9a0 trying to ead9a51714 say?9d57690ec9fd51f6

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“Forget it.”1821b2239406ed0b

It is a7a53fddf7 unclear whether 7aa28cea09 he couldn’t 58824e3124 understand or 7aba6553ba was pretending d2cf31b779 not to.935e442f7488bac7

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The silence grew longer.3b694c8efe7c1d77

Haewon stood afef26b882 still alone, aa30b07ede watching the d3b4570ff7 people bustling 835ad2b5d3 along the 30bda08af4 gray streets.c5078db3ea7d7b6c

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“I miss you.”360653c7a30aa8e3

He glanced at ad8bcb6e07 the screen, wondering 4a51abe426 if the silent 7ca477e48a man on the c8f35b861b other end had b8970d0343 hung up. The seconds were ticking 5e9c36e263 by steadily. Holding the phone to a0235deafe his ear, Haewon continued e4f88505bb speaking.6dfaad6d60fe9d03

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“I said, I ec7f7d6be8 miss you, Grandfather.”896b4f9e0e73b15e

The thought of hinting b9500285d3 that he couldn’t forget 8027a26f81 his deceased fiancée disgusted 5fa2b49f6f him, yet he couldn’t 9772c29304 bring himself to say a3279abd32 it. If he did, Hyun 0e76423f82 Woojin might leave. He might 3100cd9095 distance himself. They had 34eeb14ba8 only just cc3dd83aa1 started—Haewon didn’t 1008d2f57b want it a2afc91f55 to end 77f621b177 now.064cfa7da2c6dd4a

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“This is what I 6e38c4b5ca wanted to say while a9ed4905cf drinking. You shouldn’t have gone dd62f768d5 on that trip.”58bc394a1894227b

— You’re right. I shouldn’t have.27cd5430179dfda1

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As expected, 942a0cc812 he didn’t 1d567d79ec hear Woojin 954a220041 say he cc5b761bc1 missed him 4321a5026c too, nor 23343406c0 did he 3b11e39863 hear his cfdf5f1a83 name spoken.95311fd7ce79e462

“Hang up. I’m sleepy.”c987872634677367

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Even after d729fbd892 ending the 97ad24f4ea call, Haewon 3a3c08585a stared at 8f0b7c5a01 his phone c6a752c5e2 for a 72af73c5b8 long time. The darkened screen reflected 712504b87a an expressionless face.ef06fa1e2d84929a

It wasn’t 49fcf40487 even a c04d2b3c98 confession, just ddc3706e64 a few 3272a1aa75 honest words, 9ced587409 yet his 6f9ecb4a73 chest ached. Exposing one’s true 7a6f333e06 feelings was akin 45b6a827fa to falling flat 39a624730e on one’s face e6ee679916 in the middle b2069330d7 of a bustling 1d1ca9633f street where people ba29716384 were hurrying with b7d2a9be91 their shoulders hunched 8ba9d11c7b against the cold.4ec467904791111e

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Regret for d7aaf43bc0 having stepped dbc1b79c49 there in 0fff2fb0a9 the first 10c2ee9eca place, an e43c054a30 intense wish afddac822e that time 7d8175b734 would stop 88e9c6d85b right then 3b1cd5c77e and there, 7ec86c788e a foolish b77fa02cfd desire to a75b2417df vanish into 4f8f081627 thin air, bef6b3f4f7 the shame 7adcfe4f70 of wanting b5ea95c85a to curl b05136bf2a up and c66228c8ad disappear rather bbbd67feb0 than stand 84d62eb15f back up—all 393ea2476a of it 30e18d02d7 overwhelmed Haewon’s e69332da47 consciousness. That was what 06809a9cf8 it felt like 21e2068f3e to like someone.ed438dad0f01c69a

∞ ∞ ∞cf53dcfac3b883e9

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Hyun Woojin’s 01a096e6d6 officetel wasn’t 383b89da55 far from 85a929033a Haewon’s. It was only about d53f3840ef a ten-minute drive from cd0a516271 the prosecutor’s office. Haewon headed there. Perhaps because fad86a71b8 of the 6f8525d524 alcohol, despite d8ec1da42b walking for d2ee169dec quite a bb52c003da while, he ed4db10bc7 didn’t feel 0493895f68 as cold 80a76cbe55 as he a73212666a expected. The chill cleared 67ca10ff9a his head, sobering 5262175c5a him up.fdb71a4f4b23b61e

Standing in front of 3288b151a9 the officetel door where 09025f76da he had waited for d0bd208eeb over ten hours once, c0c4602c7e Haewon entered the passcode. Woojin had 91bb14861a said it 9eff791f41 was the 4a6edef400 same as 45d79e4065 his own. It was obvious 290643a26b it wouldn’t work. Haewon hadn’t been here 2c12a6902b since, and for Woojin, e38f9971d0 the place was more 03b6f5dd5e of a lodging facility 2f0361f9dd used only for changing 41660fe233 clothes and showering.ddbce0f932e87643

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Back then, Woojin b1db4f52e1 must have said a6bcca1a50 whatever came to 83403650e9 mind just to 472e7ff0fc get his clothes a72a277e4c off and made 79f9596fa4 promises he’d forgotten 018e0e0f65 himself. Yet, to his surprise, f31a805e49 the door unlocked immediately. Haewon’s eyes 5131144ec8 widened in fb3d1aa03a shock. He froze 86f617d9f4 for a 87f355cbf3 moment, stunned b3323703d4 by the e20cdd2a09 unexpected access, 964a6c9c2e then quickly 82c1caa902 entered before bf340a02ca the lock 71ad79d710 reset.bfb634fa0662c19e

The officetel looked 273eda8560 exactly as it ded0c7b9d5 had the last c7a82d1abe time he saw 16f9df0279 it. The bed 8705c3b0d7 was neatly 1e300743ef made, and cebc7ee72a apart from 4c43955677 a golf aef6db7afc bag propped 907573546b next to c330e0bba4 the wardrobe, 9470abee5d there were facfc953bd almost no 52ac172d1b personal items 8e7976386e visible. The suits, shirts, e013c57cfc and ties hanging a66d82d431 in the wardrobe—all 690b24533b in neutral tones 782716cac4 and similar styles—were a7d27e660a the only indications ec4e1afe7a that this was fd7a4d41ed his space.87e8d7f25cdb9d65

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Haewon leaned his violin 168f0a76ec against the wall.9294ab922925284a

Being in Woojin’s private 5585a51023 space without him, Haewon 1573c78aed felt a sense of 8e7d203676 superiority, as though he a91186e74b now knew him better 1fd80f84df and was closer to 57ff901f42 him than the deceased b21c788534 fiancée ever was.ce348adc4a9fafd4

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Haewon wandered around the 5c46df8497 space as if it c70823eeca were his own. He put water 7d21f07919 in the electric 739b068bb6 kettle to make 7f402f853f tea, opening the 36b292cd4c cabinet to find 5b1af12d41 green tea bags f27de09788 and individually wrapped 95a653f603 coffee grounds. Holding a lightly c9441a9a3d brewed black coffee, 387c8b16db he leisurely explored 0ce1684dca the officetel.2ffc6536ac5e1e74

He opened the 7960cc6f93 wardrobe. The shirts, jackets, 38cc1240f6 and pants were 9b3e00e48e hung neatly as 43107dbb1c if they had ac1de4de0d just come from dc266e2ca7 the dry cleaners. The first drawer contained 2983a9e8f8 underwear, innerwear, and socks, 781bd5bcab all folded precisely. Haewon picked fc72062272 up a 0e4486934f piece of 94268e4bd1 innerwear and 663463098c sniffed it—it 19e31b24c8 smelled of 71aa95a6af clean fabric 276c3f3913 softener.4ae604e009e08d27

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The second drawer held fd9ae742e1 golf wear, shoes, and 9f5039d853 gloves. In the last 85b04617c6 drawer were briefcases 483ca8460c identical to the c9f0b4bb3c one Woojin often d69ad38c21 carried but in 146edfec2b different colors, as 8a6feda325 well as a 6dd42a932a black backpack that 3e58dbfd3d seemed to be 9b3c342730 from his student 681e9568dc days.b6a8e01fab5b79e0

Haewon didn’t assign df147edca3 monetary value to fe5d1005ab objects. He bought b0428df117 what he 735289f83a liked without 44ea6767f9 considering the 36eb266b0b price, and ae8d41f115 most of 4f14a0f4cf the time, 88cb0015a4 they turned abe3aafe10 out to 67f9b99d8b be luxury fc22c6109d items.a1da4b0acb4f428d

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Unlike his aaa63c7768 appearance, Woojin b52c1bcd9f had a 74b4c3c147 frugal personality. The watch on his 9112431d71 wrist was a mid-priced dc8befbcd4 model known for durability bcc0c8fe3c rather than luxury, and 800d6d251a Haewon had never seen 7f8d501bb4 him wear a different 0e912b82c7 one.76deeda9a97d52af

His suits weren’t tailored adc3fcd185 but off-the-rack. Woojin didn’t 4fc52c2268 seem interested 01add63d80 in showcasing 7071872cb4 his appearance c9ff83dbaa and cared 1545852073 only about 69debfc8a8 wearing clean, f66e833d06 presentable clothes, 206870004d regardless of f4f53fc5c3 brand or c158491941 price. The wardrobe wasn’t fbf183755a ostentatious, but instead 6004761a29 of finding it 607601e926 dull or rustic, 14307cf99c Haewon appreciated the 5f7ec94c60 value Woojin placed 46fea206bf on substance. If it had 7a39aa9117 been filled with 56c83a32fc flashy clothes, he efc8a825c2 would have been 01de846f24 disappointed.960714138b698380

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Running his fingers along 543fa42136 the books neatly arranged 8b672e9e90 on the bookshelf, Haewon 937aebc029 found they were all 12604dcfc4 work-related professional texts. Not a e2e8e1b0c7 single book 84734c170e reflected personal d1caf85909 interests. The only 88f1b7808a non-specialized book 9dd943bae2 was an a2d0565a8c autobiography of 9fdf866516 a Korean 53356275c2 corporate CEO, 172d2acffe likely handed 4e3a1d6abb out at bd06542620 a publishing a4bc4c6b1e event.b9cee8b78f0db44e

The books that showed 17e9bccac9 signs of frequent use 3c1f0ca0bd were related to his 2f3fd20fc8 work or from his ac350bf3bf days at the Judicial 48556fb6af Research and Training Institute. Titles included Constitutional Law, Civil 32087a7284 Law, Criminal Law, f908e7cfef Administrative Law, Civil 6d853b4c20 Procedure, Legal Philosophy, 5e2f74efd6 Criminal Practice Records, 708c99f59a Criminal Special Law f6e644c1f2 Compilations (Revised Edition), 77e6da554f Criminal Evidence Law 2776262e03 and Fact-Finding Theory, 101dda4c5a Legal English Interpretations, c393c8d7a6 Economic Law Codes, ed316cc096 Fundamental Issues in 1af8d15092 Legal Philosophy, and Civil Judgments Writing d17e5295f3 Guide.4ddaf60ea0ed09b1

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Even reading b799c83da0 the titles aba8f76df2 of the 65d4ade3bb books was f6b5dbabe4 exhausting. Thinking about a2633ee320 how someone 3973d5aaa8 needed to e788150bc8 study, memorize, fb60ea9f86 and practically 34162af3c2 apply all df4ebfcf6b this to 3f1a16a3e6 secure such f9a5b438ef a profession 22d800bb2d was beyond a2cb3ff2be horrifying—it gave e308c4deb8 a clear 3553f8f53b sense of c54f8f73ec why Hyun daf03ff324 Woojin sometimes d53dfe8074 seemed more 51f5dccb24 like a 2946cdcc36 machine.cdbe37a318f45aa8

Hyun Woojin 5ffca0be53 had once 62510bebd7 expressed disbelief 49e65de530 over how a2f2956c6b Haewon could a85adeb41f memorize and de37449eb6 perform pieces 9c312df913 lasting over c3e712f3df 40 minutes, de48483433 but Haewon 157f7d2182 found it df77cdf3ec even more 8cfb0cd6f5 baffling that 8ca5cb1a96 all the ddcb8573e1 content of e134284604 these books 08d01d59aa resided in 19b040225c Hyun Woojin’s 7ffa96739b head. He genuinely appreciated his 423bc3cf47 father for steering him ef8e051217 away from academics and cf90ba713a encouraging music instead.a7d76080638c9449

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Though the f4b2a3aa9f freshly laundered e7cd85a405 bedding held 1e42857960 little of 3ca489572e his scent, f3c4aaeb28 it lingered 1d197ad4ef in his 72d4bad3f6 closet and 7aa7ceefcc on his 37280bc006 books. Haewon pulled f5fd1db693 out a 9f012154ac particularly worn be3f5a8740 legal text. Lying face-down eff583baf5 on the fed1523e0d bed, he 0b37e02f6d opened it.e3647cdaa156ccb9

“…”95838357d37e9a8c

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Haewon, someone who couldn’t even write his own name in Chinese characters, found the book utterly incomprehensible. Half the text was in Chinese characters, with Korean mostly appearing in grammatical particles, conjunctions, and borrowed foreign terms. All the critical terms were in Chinese characters.149ebe5f7ab7f19d

Some passages had 18530f4430 circles drawn in f2618d04b7 pencil or underlines—evidence d4cda2c913 of Hyun Woojin’s 8ca8a11df2 presence. Haewon buried c69be86548 his nose 51bcef203b in the dbcce42352 book. It was 23c6f9ea19 rich with d8144b631e his scent, 3fc66482f5 the one 8efa78a760 he longed c7803b31a8 for.cb2981a545c79105

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He struggled 0da0ca1523 to read 1282bd7e91 the unreadable 46fadb4a32 text before a2a80aadce eventually falling 455211a72d asleep. Haewon was startled awake 99f0d51e80 by the faint sound 9a13072a4e of the door lock b169128261 disengaging, as if from 36cc56f561 a dream. The legal 56eaff2b30 book he 7956bfb7c5 had been 580fb580cb resting his 7862c39799 cheek on b3542fc0dc was damp 53b050cc3a with drool.0ed2bfd206d5d6ee

Startled, he 2c324e7cde looked up f878ae5b4c just as 770c620552 the door 1333a9eab6 to the f53b99d1dd officetel opened. Hyun Woojin, who had 7e8589d76b said he wouldn’t return 37388b724f from his trip to e87c0c4714 Busan until the evening, 4328c767c9 was now arriving early 08d475bf32 in the morning. It was 7 a.m. according to f05ab2adc5 the clock.94e1945740236a5c

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Hyun Woojin must have e423908df6 returned earlier than expected. Wanting to f7977cd840 surprise him, e87f18ef3f Haewon lay 8c8c8b47d6 back down cc30f3a1e0 on the a98d360015 bed. But to his ae91e17ae3 surprise, the person 1ea06eae60 entering was not ce7eb7e6ee Hyun Woojin but f9e97abea6 a middle-aged woman. Holding a 0bc706206d heavy-looking shopping a364225e1d bag in b4578ee6d1 one hand dec1bd0ad8 and a c9f244f683 handbag in 195eda2d85 the other, 791301f370 she froze c572715837 upon locking 15443342ca eyes with 851186edf6 Haewon, who 38fd611e54 looked as 11934d651f if he’d ce7a1d02cd been caught 1c39afe304 red-handed.0b491e7a32a8b5f1

Both Haewon and 54e476cab3 the woman paused b4df743375 in shock.f529cf77383dd957

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“…Who are you?” she 03769dc72b asked.f6ea8bd7e955d365

Judging by her aura 8a3ee4455f and attire, she didn’t 9fe6d529f4 appear to be a 24f47e5013 housekeeper. She seemed to be 82112a5a62 Hyun Woojin’s mother, though 4f6aff2e0f she didn’t resemble him. Regardless, the 04d85a173c only middle-aged db49efdf98 woman who fc5e357bc8 could enter 59782694d7 his officetel 848a268153 so freely 99df5e79d8 had to bf5f51f5a2 be his 8f745508b2 mother.cbbbecda9985dfd3

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Haewon slowly rose from 025ea72ca2 the bed. Running into Hyun Woojin’s 08a6d26330 mother here was the 7297b98c2e last thing he’d expected. A flood of hurried 3e68896551 lies came to mind, 30abbb7cf0 each aimed at avoiding 1d5a136aa6 putting Hyun Woojin in d88cbe63ba an awkward position.874a1ae9c122ca3f

Haewon silently cursed Hyun edd37299b5 Woojin for not warning 18e3356e30 him about a mother 6a96c80365 who might drop by be93a8e4a9 unannounced. Instead, he had set a35b51ca3e the door lock to f4fa393103 match his own apartment’s 225e62956e code and told Haewon 9bd42e0161 to come over whenever 871aa6d2a0 he liked.72dd70073f92538b

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“Who are 666666d704 you?” she 4778f06fa1 asked again, edf26a5bee stepping out b792c978c6 to double-check bed8f69c94 the unit f2f91cfcf2 number before 0de05bf0be re-entering.3798f53d0059bb48

Haewon bowed politely. “Hello. I’m Moon Haewon, 17a06c3329 a junior from 1127c16262 the same university 57d59b689e as Hyun Woojin b9a5c3ac9a Sunbae. I apologize. We had 708006292c planned to bf69eb0ed0 meet yesterday, 756bea058a but he 26a1c55009 told me 629076531e at the 883f7ce2c6 last minute 5581d5f96e that he 8aa009a22e had to fe449dee24 go on 1eac059fc8 a business f42b177aac trip. Since I’d come 07be0af728 up from the 9ad93ff815 countryside and didn’t 82f469a98e have anywhere else fc6b5bf9b5 to go, he 2f1bfebf8d said I could 3e0388a5a6 stay here for e84742b36e the night…”e1939de2fb687e81

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Haewon delivered a reasonable 7fa17e64b4 and believable lie. His casual and 3177bb40f8 bold manner with 517a702b04 Seo Okhwa was 3ebdab55cd nowhere to be ed95b83330 found. In front of Hyun 43681557c2 Woojin’s mother, he spoke 2b953e4983 with utmost politeness and 27ba255663 caution, surprising even himself 717f632f4c with how courteous his 2b9bce1b88 voice sounded.cc4f4d9af2142a30

“I’m truly 099ebd33f0 sorry for 3eacb65745 the intrusion.”95d767a1a69b801e

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He began gathering b0bd09bf03 his coat and 2c31a2f74d violin case, avoiding ac6f3c3e9a her gaze as cbb86660ea much as possible. Just as he was f996004e1a about to leave, she 272b5febc4 spoke again.72234bbf209b76fe

“Are you just b1b360460b going to leave?”a2760cf3723a8864

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“…Pardon?”0aba6e8a5a9ed3e7

“Didn’t you plan to d257a7533b meet Woojin?”f880cdd18a172330

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“Oh, we 02e8565df9 were going 414d172d33 to meet 2123311bc9 later this 7edbbf19ec evening. I’ll take my leave 0e4137d7fd now. Goodbye.”068c04d2805cb8c0

“Wait a moment.”926108fb88fae6b2

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She stopped c86b05f25c him again 51f819934a as he 0d2c26ade1 was about f388a30bcc to exit. Surely, Hyun c2ae7dbd7a Woojin wasn’t 2dc9ab19e4 so much 7f43cfbfa4 of a a4d51c8c0b recluse that 68880f9bb8 a visiting 045208df34 junior would cb1c1446ab seem suspicious, 7aa7808fa1 right? Watching her with a 419f237b13 stiff posture, Haewon flinched 7ac552640f slightly when she reached fbfa12c90a a hand toward his 8f0d1900bd face. When he f7c3d9d3a3 instinctively recoiled, 8bea36ba91 she hesitated 1077dc36de and withdrew 33e5732735 her hand, 0f366e6b26 seemingly realizing e2859398ed her mistake.88aa481e2451eb1c

“At least wash c1e5feb6ac your face before c1cc2625ce you go.”926bf11448198d75

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“…What?”3197ef000d117d89

“You should wash e29fd0721d your face.”bc9214b1d34136ea

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“…”849ec3558736e05d

Wondering if something was 1ede81fd11 on his face, Haewon 81aa320f25 touched his cheek and 67a22e6e96 jaw. He found a 0b81f23ebf thin piece of 47660dba5f paper clinging to 0c1015e93c his skin—likely one bdd0699981 of the indecipherable 7061ee771a Chinese characters from 1119391949 the legal book.be5926df10c05dcc

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Feeling embarrassed, he set 22210e7eb4 down his violin and ab08767a2c coat and headed to 5c37118785 the bathroom. Checking his reflection 07e211130b in the mirror, 28f2695304 he let out 234ad6ff1f a sigh.5a835d3d7d56b54d

His hair 4c181df0c5 was a 6c4b92cc81 mess, and e4e453cb1c a page fd58523cb5 from the b41107007f legal book 714c9363ac had adhered a1acc5b8ce to his 1da0822151 cheek and 93732d7ba2 jaw perfectly. Evidently, he had eca3ca6ddb drooled quite a 4affbc3eb4 bit while sleeping ef850bfbe8 uncomfortably. Haewon quickly washed his 30af935e26 face, returned to the 3a5bc3cebe living room, and discreetly e7ad22493f replaced the book he ed31b6ee10 had drooled on back 74f44cdd4b in the bookshelf.69fb7f051194f17f

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“Are you a junior 46f35b3a85 from the Judicial Research d00a5a5f09 and Training Institute? Or from the 53cacf8c6f law school?”7e1134f5fd9dbd80