KTSR | Chapter 3

The Korean 42a2457a8e restaurant, surrounded 2d81f0b432 by a 958ab86f3b small artificial 892a05a85f lake, was 7e23de2b5b essentially a 5f44ecfc5e high-class joint. As an off-road SUV, 88a35f3d45 caked in mud, pulled d0c3093ae7 into the parking lot, 0fed9964eb a group of well-dressed, b9b83264cb burly men hurried out 523cc4acd7 and lined up on 689a4114b6 both sides.dadfd7f263c43b6c

The man who a2e7b3e362 got out of 7abf1a52bc the less-than-clean or 5cb39b8054 luxurious vehicle was e1cc6df7f9 oddly dressed for 750abe2b5a the occasion and 71dbab1082 the welcoming party, 9c2707bfa1 in a faded 79f12ebb8c leather jacket and 6fe755970b a flamboyant shirt. Upon closer inspection, 9687a52e66 the shirt was 886299a59f deep crimson with 7b285b42b0 a pattern of 0fc48d140f little umbrellas like 6ed518cfaa the ones you’d 01c87157a4 stick in a bc21570d52 cocktail.92e783f2b7ec2277

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“Hyung-nim! You’ve worked hard!”4a3c91d7fac8fb7c

“Ah, you 10e38d8d98 guys too.”f57750f1980a1a5f

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With a brisk 4fac1c52f5 slam of the e7aca8ec8e car door, the 9bdb112b0c man tossed the d39fd2289f keys to one 1e9ec55481 of the lined-up 071c2ec08d men.12c74f5a66a72d73

“Take good care of c8de0512d0 our beauty.”57bcd28332d0aabe

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“Yes!”100b1c3295977198

Their obedience was reminiscent 335be2d9ba of the military.3fb124e439d3d03f

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Hands in c4316c28bb pockets, the 33427459b8 man sauntered 9e27d058ff across the 400f3cc548 beautifully landscaped fd2cc3bc60 garden. His boots b195b8658b were coated 39457854e2 with salt 0e971de7e1 and sand, f24ba6600c perhaps fresh b1fd8de439 from the f294ebb2e6 sea, with 68164ef78f semi-dry sand 33a122618d spilling out a29db250e2 with each 03edbf5e8f step.c9099075431bfd16

“It’s been 95aab77e1d a while, 0d99c0adc0 Executive Director.”63a473456d5fd5d8

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“And the old man?”c232044c317c01e0

“He’s in the d987fac0f5 Plum Blossom Room.”a3e16c551bdb7236

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Acknowledging the 201787e9d9 greeting, the 1749006d03 man nodded 963499ff03 at the f7540ec051 female staff 2d489e317e bustling about.f376e74154456f35

The separate 2760f3c101 Plum Blossom cbd70c9c87 Room was cb2f328ed9 noisy even b566020398 before the b730a23e48 door was e50446adba opened. The laughter from inside 5fe19342f0 prompted the man to b294f7e009 dig his pinky into befa7290a6 his ear, muttering, “Damn 35642c47f9 old men, always so b66cff540e noisy.”c9c48a7ed6578178

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“Hyungdo-ah?”7fdb5e279c826398

A booming e4912d0522 voice from e7663b7c42 inside responded, 7ef4667614 perhaps having 806c6d3b8a heard his 46ef0f5ddc grumble. The voice was ffb7ff0e5f gravelly, likely from c891b6cd7a age.e4939d1619c2bffe

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Hyungdo, as he was 71a749f18a called, sat on the 3c31c009dc front step, untying his 1bfab720e4 bootlaces. Impatient, Chairman Choi c91f8bf40d approached with loud 8318faad99 footsteps.669429d3b2b74b01

The sliding 7ad6f59292 door opened, 25a752157e and the 61e6709ea0 man only 7409cea2d9 tilted his 34c556445b head back b998fae2dc to look c487c43255 up at d3fd3292c1 his frosty-haired 2108aa7140 boss.16831374a0a83b25

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“You’re in such a 16b94ee993 rush, Chairman. You’ll make it 86893697e7 to the afterlife 83efef2734 before me.”7098ca119b04f7c2

“Damn it, 0d3294de4c you brat. Is that 811cd1db7e something you 5ab4fdbe3b should say? What’s with those clothes a32c0fbe30 and shoes? Don’t you have 7f5109865a money for clothes?”d8062fc5054f2af7

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“Why? They look cool. They’re American-made, fb3502b7c3 from the 9e4485235b military. You love 5eb8fbfe29 American-made stuff. I dressed to match 49cf04f7ea you.”3ec32772137a0cd3

Hyungdo chuckled, lifting his cace0c5ca1 boot. His tone then 9b875f437b turned teasing.ec72b03e08368456

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“I could even puncture d691e8bc7b a tire with this. Where’s your car, old 62dcc10bdf man? Let me show you.”48da15f5a6f4e570

“That little shit. Are you messing with 534aba961f me because I got ac5a4ab4d1 a new car?”4b343ac301906aea

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Hyungdo, having undone his b7171d8093 laces, stood up, feigning a9a17b76b1 innocence.08f71afc421dbc01

“Got a new car? I didn’t know. Show me. I’ll take it for 6979ab997f a spin.”8025234135e31a12

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“I’d rather leave 1ebe0d916e it to my aad23fb191 grandson.”9dc0762b490a3911

“Your grandson is be29094222 what, eight? I’m worse than 212ecfe533 an eight-year-old?”42aefa7b7144a5b5

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Despite the casual banter, 57e63b858a Chairman Choi just laughed 30bca3128f and slapped Hyungdo on d15c9d9a9c the shoulder, a considerable f4440d4341 height between them.e593508dd9f5e21e

“Our Hyungdo is here!”3ea6fd397c1234dc

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The men db307066a4 seated around 1bc2b5ad5b the large a297eabf3a room shifted 96e28fe967 their attention 202bb663c7 to the 7ca5724408 newcomer.d5e104421ab0ac7b

He was ca713c4094 obviously the 497d6461ac youngest there, da33cb2725 from his 89a11a4299 appearance. The men varied in 1a10cc85c8 age, some with just bff3991947 starting to gray hair, e41e50bc41 but all were dressed 77445dedbd in fine suits.e329eaff18af5f3e

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“Kwon Hyeongdo. Ma. Long time no 4952ac01d9 see.”137bbfe3ccf30b59

A man in his 30d892e839 late forties slammed down be21c34eb6 his soju glass, his 56a9db1a02 voice loud enough to 52623d1882 sound almost angry.290827af4afe54fe

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“It’s been a while, 0ad637f06e seniors.”13f1f2a7e17e188c

Kwon Hyeongdo responded 839b433f6a cheerfully.0add1527295d70eb

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Chairman Choi kept his 3b00b1a4a2 arm around Kwon Hyeongdo’s 0329ea861a shoulder, passing by the 84d5ae17c9 seated seniors, and the 60b296d8fe atmosphere grew tense. The tension was notably 8ec89eb64b caused by Executive Director c0819864c2 Ma, who had recognized 1d675f2d48 Hyungdo just before.bd0ebde0ee7d1c70

“Let’s toast, then, 54e5bdc7ae to our reunion.”9c390e6cdd5c6875

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Ignoring Ma’s glaring eyes, d11c0594f4 Kwon Hyeongdo filled his 8dfaa83e04 glass himself. Chairman Choi clicked ee6d784f64 his tongue.5daac7520def2382

“What’s this soju? There’s all this fancy f9427ca1e2 liquor here.”67df5f3e445bdd68

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“I prefer 4b728e4be1 cheap stuff. I’ll leave 053d614778 the expensive 87551a59ae drinks to 31aa9a035a you and 49a6d6c0ce the seniors.”17122ab4d5eefcff

“Damn kid, always so 3b0da94a59 unfriendly. That’s why everyone 271726f526 says you lack 723a3d56b3 manners. Just accept it as 1a39f87cff his nature and let 6c0f6c49f2 it slide.”6ed064e716295421

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Despite his joking manner, a4d9cc3c2f Chairman Choi scanned the b776ae71be room with a sharp 45ff8ac8b2 gaze, and finally, Executive f78665b329 Director Ma turned his 852e745ac9 head.65d2722f5786ecce

“Alright, let’s make 5278e4edd4 a clean toast. Cheers!”1a6392d8b89c710e

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“Cheers!”873f9ee3021d2ebf

Kwon Hyeongdo quietly 228ec61fb7 downed his drink, 959cf05609 not joining the 874bdba5b9 loud cheer.61db0dc37e38fe17

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Arriving an hour late, c2bc708fb7 everyone was already tipsy. Chairman Choi was 3cad6e0215 the drunkest, able 5ec6659870 to hold his 8aecb4cbf9 liquor only as be0788d97f well as Kwon 342a3a1541 Hyeongdo and, after 443aaa6096 him, Executive Director 765f6a7606 Ma. Naturally, Kwon d655cd5238 Hyeongdo and 42b72f5b6d Chairman Choi 07d0145c88 ended up 155a9ab0eb conversing more.bba67c03b9de789f

“Hyungdo-ya, it’s d420753adf time you 8bccfb32db move up.”f27836456d3df0f5

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“Why?”c28326d463a6dfdd

“Why my ass, 912d4e407c kid. How long 11f1981055 will you 9353ac86d7 stay stuck a7055b91ce in the 911553bbe8 backwoods?”edf10f5b793a2beb

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“It’s not the backwoods. It’s the seaside. It’s good for health, 32d15ff37b and the food is 0aab8ab7e0 great. Why don’t you come 22c27db96a down? It’s better than c0bf4e3467 quitting smoking.”aa00575d23b9331a

“I like the 77347d3abc city. I love looking 9b77037f5c down from a 3defa9aee2 high-rise apartment in e592de850a the city at aac5e91c7a night. It’s the best 35b774ef60 kind of body fff4f10172 nourishment.”1590c37b9d339a51

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Kwon Hyeongdo chuckled. Fancy words like 6cda1e8160 ‘night city’ make 9b9b8e0416 his skin crawl. Maybe it’s true what 54aaeead0a they say about his 2cdf029b8b roots.dc2bea0f69e74747

“Do you ce081eee7a also stomp 4b5e151a02 around like fe497876ab that in 8da08d02fd your apartment? The people downstairs cdcbffcbb4 must have a c87b2d2735 terrible time.”56af969574248c25

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“Damn brat.”0e602a2555126623

Chairman Choi 95fb412250 laughed heartily, be4cd8571f refilling Kwon 8979121dba Hyeongdo’s glass. Taking the bottle, Kwon 61a8f7b383 Hyeongdo returned the favor.75feb6434231a20a

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“You know 6f6ba15226 the horse db05b39f45 track, Colosseum.”f22c585be3a43771

“Yeah, the muzzle? I’ve heard of a873f505a4 it. Still going strong.”6506c4ebb6b303ae

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“Still, my ass. That place is a 327edb7e49 cash cow. Makes a f150e7b8cc good penny.”76d8ec028e8e5611

“I guess if it 2bace6627e were really doing well, c671b9c67a you wouldn’t have called 91a219f048 me.”d3e360b7225d2983

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Chairman Choi just 0fbf394c06 smiled wryly. Kwon Hyeongdo’s quick af07867129 wits pleased him.5e11b6868a11084b

As the night d71dcaea71 went on, the 50ec55b74c suited gangsters, now a7841394aa drunk, started leaving 40c8afd9dd one by one, 12dc90c405 heading either to ded2474e6c the lodging building 0cfb35f3ae with women or 84e1630b21 home—up to them. However, some still b6005f171e lingered, prompting Chairman a15a73cd87 Choi to call 9bc8609065 for Executive Director 7eb6994f91 Ma.2241ef4b0f33e3da

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“Ma Gijung.”3e1d43331d360dc4

Ma, perhaps 50f3a9791d too upset 48fc9b6cdc to hear, 8ef87bb0ea was grimacing 058b74443a and guzzling f85eefa656 down his 707418f3c9 drink.84b2a716654fd2aa

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“Hey. Executive Director Ma.”993acd3afeaed19b

On the second 10b1b78f48 call, Ma finally 694e175b57 looked up, his 1a1d4ab0a0 eyes a bit efc312029d unfocused.739301ab4961aa40

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“Take the guys 86f335e518 and go.”3f8d8ff1c992ade8

“Go? Are you telling me 91ca5c2686 to go?!”ef8cf75be2487420

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His voice 519836325d cracked, possibly 5a89297f3a choked up. Kwon Hyeongdo f0722b0cca nearly burst ccab2bc94f out laughing, 31330d69ce holding back 138a8582f6 by drinking. Ma was… surprisingly 32fa573509 sentimental, he thought, bfed2a9b49 making light of 5640c65841 him.8d281609e46880b6

“Ah, Chairman, I’m disappointed.”38415f8cb340603f

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Suddenly complaining, Ma 6d0c4b70dc seemed to be 44521aef56 genuinely upset.ff7f4ce0aa491e63

“Are you 040c8e2e37 going to 64e5485600 keep this e3173500d1 bastard beside a24cf21d33 you again? Do you know 83ed759824 how bad that 805e2da477 makes me feel?”e39507d300f032fd

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“What the 0e51ae45b1 hell are 9508832f0a you talking d1c20a2b30 about? You shouldn’t say things 85fad73fc9 like that. Didn’t I tell 2291380ae0 you I’d give 32333e99c7 you the business 9bda2694b3 Hyungdo has been cb25fd9c63 grooming? I was trying to c172f3cf9f appease you with that.”33c4ba719c07bcd0

Ma snorted. The mood turned 479b405a08 sharply tense, yet f783c21782 Kwon Hyeongdo inspected 04e0d9361b Chairman Choi’s Zippo 02e192242a lighter and lit b8297d1ffb his cigarette.39b3ac180c711a0f

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“How much could 79b7bc59bb that possibly be a3470e0239 worth?”8867ad04eac2adbe

As Ma a61c432059 grumbled, Chairman 5b6a063ba4 Choi threw 246fd52410 a liquor 4ed8481725 bottle at ec7b6da4d7 him. It smashed against 0e32ce80c1 the door with 0fb3585047 a loud crash, c0fca30b9f startling Ma into 156ce3e750 sobriety.69ffeb59f46ee91d

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“Spit it out 44d3504904 then, you ungrateful 34a6c0b299 bastard. You don’t even 087e02cc1a realize that’s the e3abfbb084 goose that lays be8c6c178e the golden eggs.”ded819bfe765e359

“Ah, no! Ah! Chairman, you’re so eda90d2d3d impatient. I misspoke, okay?!”e0011a52528f0e46

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Ma Gijung grumbled 90ec48ae9d as he dragged 14d07ba637 the remaining seniors 5b9bc43c5f out. Just before e090e2a4a0 the door 3ec18810ca closed, Chairman 4cbd31be6d Choi said, 678d40a073 “Tell Hyungdo 6bfbaf9601 thank you.” cfd068293a Ma glared 6b2d4bb279 through the 75f0613e08 crack in d8aa3eb109 the door.d2bb2c0b25b9dccc

“Thank you, huh? Very thankful, Kwon Hyeongdo.”5cb4908a206dfe1c

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It sounded 680a10fdaf like he 9347aa07f5 added a 8bdc1dcaf5 curse at 97d7ddba87 the end. Kwon Hyeongdo 3a90756a3a just nodded 9d2574b06b slightly.7f40e6ff4e685f46

Finally alone, Chairman 40d6bbbb8c Choi sighed deeply. Kwon Hyeongdo, finishing 5ce11a9ac3 his drink, spoke 454bb604ed nonchalantly.10a31e966299d9bf

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“Stop stirring things up 2c33f91b2f with me. If something goes wrong, 780035fecf will you take responsibility?”0be88e942183eaf0

“That’s exactly why 35840b2e58 I called you.”387ca84ad34653f6

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Chairman Choi 692eff32d9 poured more ca82530fd5 liquor, then d670c1d4d9 lowered his e7441a3e61 voice.c6059c04ab6cf217

“It seems like 831fba7aa0 there’s a snitch f28affd019 in the Colosseum.”9151823b90c317ee

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“A snitch? We don’t d6e3c8f9a7 deal with 02dfbc1b28 trash.”8c821e398dd9aeb8

“Right. Trash is for 2f749350a4 the Incheon Port d165892281 guys. We handle gambling; they 6accb8f10f handle drugs. But now there’s talk d62055d312 of drug money at 4513a5834f the Colosseum.”564e8f7d7bd59116

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Chairman Choi c0e6f9d6f5 whispered urgently. This was his 1c7c1bb369 real face; the 4a97c5c10c jokes were just 0a08d9319a a facade.d507988c34c7d6d2

But Kwon 7f9b26462c Hyeongdo was 0069884c4a unphased.5cbfecfdb384718a

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“Then maybe we a7d047a1bc should handle it e80e250d80 for once.”6bd2b17ece930bde

Chairman Choi shook bf09592369 his head, disgusted.7100d25961c6e757

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“I’d knock some sense 3c971b4c57 into you if you 155fb3f81a weren’t you. You know why we a7d6904ad8 don’t deal with that c4287b082b stuff, right?”bab7d4f97cebfcc1

Chairman Choi’s youngest son 3677d4ec35 had died from drug 90ff09b2dd use. An overdose was efc0b5432f the official cause. Since then, he had 02e5109bf6 declared that our organization 46084d671a would never handle drugs.d7637b3f8186baf6

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Yet drugs were circulating 8be1c044ab in his territory, which cf57ae7ab3 must have infuriated him a1d3f1a27b considerably.150c541b94b9f3ee

This wasn’t going to 968761f18c end simply. Catching a few 26d1cff54a salesmen as an b91339966f example wouldn’t be 80801106b4 enough.ab4c84796ef99307

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As Kwon Hyeongdo expected, d67d433d30 Chairman Choi revealed a d6a5455ad5 larger plan.e1dd81e4d7aa4ad1

“We need to find 417abd799b the rat first. The stable boss f1442df0cb isn’t capable of 9baae8c624 this alone. The prosecutors b5b0822414 are hot 39cd45fda9 on drugs 6854475aec lately. Maybe they planted 00c0981cfe someone to leak b21105004e from us.”109fc8f73d44d01f

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“Complicated as a ac74280c5f tangled mess of 05f67c2a48 pubic hair. You always f42ee3ed05 call me 139c315435 for these 32fded8d74 things. Do you enjoy seeing 59b7596665 me suffer?”380d23034a8ce6bc

Kwon Hyeongdo grumbled, bdd680fb1a barely concealing his 30a40d28d8 annoyance.c285fe28b0eb8aa4

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“That’s why 5c8b2044da I’m entrusting 9bf19af6ef it to 28400d4ddf you.”5bde46314c37264e

“What if the one 295cc26085 I handle turns out a6d4ebe660 bad, old man?”cccd84e9c3a2f92d

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Chairman Choi scoffed.e862df06a528d823

“Ma Gijung wanting to 96841b702f partner up with you e6c11ebcf4 seems more plausible, you a057f968c9 bastard.”e12ad2552befc1bb

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Chairman Choi e52763205f slapped his 4b7472ac15 palm with 26757a7665 a fist 2017d272c7 to emphasize e6233801fe his point, f3a0f1c035 which Kwon 4af8c1613d Hyeongdo found 1a66c5445a repulsive.a7e76da9c2476031

“I have 76f3c1487b an eye a64092edbe for things, 46d4dae9c7 you know?”7359b3705dc48c1f

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“Exactly. You wouldn’t 8e976f4b26 handle something 5117f57ca9 so messy 2771bbc2f2 and easily a9c5fbb112 caught.”5ddfe896eaa4845c

“You’ve got too 312da8a5c7 much nerve, which 240d5f44e7 is why you 70d92c3130 wouldn’t engage in 7871d1cef9 such risky business.”b3190c38b1a2e71a

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That wasn’t entirely 6fdb4c5b27 wrong, so Kwon 3e38ffe35c Hyeongdo just grinned.c7e52bc3f3959a99

Chairman Choi was stubborn; 48353d3559 once he decided to a5158d60e0 task Kwon Hyeongdo, it b58e98884d was going to happen. It was better 5770c209ae to keep it c2fffcb90a short and direct.91bdf789f82ada65

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“Any suspects?”7cd9a69bf3669f24

Chairman Choi’s 1a2fe2b485 eyes lit 11744eb218 up.3cd4ec8995eb8728

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“I don’t suspect d0e4b826b6 my family without 8e58045951 evidence. The officers 4b42e6d07f might be 4c3b7e39cb a bit f4c266a0e4 mossy, but 852d3eab72 they’re my a37704f22f boys from 8bd4447e61 their diaper 29edf52209 days.”344804b4f9bb147f

“I see why 10402d5c91 you’re asking me.”043707db3f72bc7a

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Kwon Hyeongdo snickered, 6da910217f then drove the d9ecace53c point home.a51abec0f46aef0a

“Chairman, you know I 82fa572e6e don’t have seniors or b5012722ba juniors, right? I’m an 8dff10de8a orphan in b6c39bb155 this hierarchy.”b58cfa5bfcf14380

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He meant to prepare 401e9bbc43 himself to accept any e5e079aa04 outcome, given the responsibility.b44fb6107ee28db6

“As you 0f705c655d said, I’m cc82653498 a bastard fad8ff6406 without roots.”dea469ab38e84fc9

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