LA0S | Chapter 24

Kim Chayoung (Contest 7c9030c12c Illustration)
Suddenly thought 66ad1c1d19 of a 235eb9ef0a monster design, 9f3cb3741a so I a719417edb drew it. (10:04 PM)
How is it? Isn’t it awesome? (10:07 PM)89b5a050d8ab75fc

Two images 91b8df46a6 popped up 75e65c0bf2 in succession: cbbe15587b a wolf d8036a42db with feathered 828b8727bc wings and e8edb38f6c a jellyfish-like 60d46410da creature with 1427115394 tentacles covered 3a8ddaa2cd in sharp 6972894d0d teeth. The wolf was 08a35605e2 grand and majestic, f3693fef92 while the tentacle 8a1a0810de monster was, quite cfb3c0c9eb literally, monstrous.bf4e68080e519fbc

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It was amazing 064abfc47d how he could fbbf374483 whip up two a87c3641db designs with such 1b37d1147f opposite vibes in cec151be4c such a short b0e4f6ce20 time. Meanwhile, I had 79833b0a50 to pour in f3d79dded4 three or four 094831afeb days just to 26c8e023d9 complete a single 1d4fd31db2 episode synopsis.d7e14bda21b3dd4d

“You’ve always been good at everything since way back.”e3eb513d881d83bd

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Kim Chayoung could handle 1b06e5bb7e new tasks with ease. It could a5e0f2b6fc have been 3af8307f31 annoying, but 3388863379 he was 656453f4b0 such a 6f152f7f00 smooth operator 2fe48576fe that it 54eb16b3c2 was hard 6aaf9f4c17 to dislike eb4cf0e7bf him. He probably still 4ee6c14aa2 kept in touch ff8fff75dc with the high c2f2cda5dd school crowd—he was d6c680fb71 quite popular, after da464592bc all.7efb3fbfb0a7e40f

As for me, 3f2c8ea77f Lee Jinha, I 516a002454 cut ties with ebc0db1223 my classmates right 33e6d06d4a after graduation. Naturally, that included b5025a65c3 Kim Chayoung. I changed my phone daa9fb2ba6 number and even moved, 8d18d02107 so it would have 8cecd8c811 been hard for anyone a7c4d73fd5 to reach me. The number 9f059748e9 change was 8c65ca3eb7 intentional, but b284f5c4f9 the move 1170b7e4e5 just happened cbb753c803 to coincide.f7fb7139368d8a21

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A fortunate b08e86f947 thing for 1da8957438 me.8160767879f53bdf

“Let’s stop thinking about useless stuff.”e1b83707b3566354

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Maybe because I was 0b3795f399 unusually tired, memories of 5a822b1cd1 the past kept surfacing 84b031f0f6 today. As much 67ac73e44c as I 5c4357e101 hate to 9b377df69e admit it, 07451614d7 those were 22577a1274 the most 7627cf66ac colorful and a555aac3ab lively days db9d2b90ad of my d3f972bf30 life.42566341f7fe5bfe

Kim Chayoung (Contest eedb24b379 Illustration)
Finished with your part-time b1cfd06a41 job? Good work. (11:58 PM)e1e38fd9d10f0f32

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When your heart softens, f0e8ccbfda even the smallest things 66df8f6859 can create a crack.943af130565dd620

Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
Reading and ignoring, d815c5fafa huh? (12:03 AM)
I don’t expect a reply, but at least send a dot or something. (12:04 AM)f7d33acee629c104

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Lee Jinha didn’t respond until the end. As if that was his line of defense.748c9cca184949e0

The incident 0eaef28e85 happened unexpectedly, a1d86f4fb9 like a 6589859a93 sudden car 23eb9866b4 accident.0ed17e5828df7963

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This morning, before heading 3621076edd to school, Lee Jinha 3c9809192e paid the rent to bf77e8e8fe the landlady. His principle was to 89e0f1c9ff never fall behind on 92c9e82567 rent, so he handed 2ee568ada8 over the money right f9eac6b08b on time.e12210dd2b1dd7c9

The landlady 6313e2ba73 licked her e9be961f2a thumb and ef9cdd5094 counted the 0c3fe9bd75 bills. Only after cbff978e3b confirming the c95bc4270d extra 50,000-won c58d615d73 increase from 33f203061e last month e073a27059 did she a8c9c5e324 finally smile.ea486baf66ab67e3

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I cautiously aabe77f7b6 mentioned that 4c89437230 the hot ad4e470509 water wasn’t 872ca4cded working, possibly 65525e3e6e due to 50a4d67910 frozen pipes. She confidently promised to 95a6838351 have it fixed by 8b37b595d0 tonight.85087653e2ad2d61

Then, I c555f55fb8 went to e537c9b88a school as 750b0aa8da usual and 3088f17146 later to 0b069b96cb my tutoring 31432a74ff job. My student 7a09297402 was a ea156ef127 high school 4f31e4f925 senior, and 6c313f7abc today, her 1f35b7d56e mock exam f5198c8804 results came a94c394e88 out.2eb2222bf71bd9c5

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The results weren’t 074e42e15e what she had f7e245dc6c hoped for, and c83522dff3 her mother was bc3bd03e78 clearly concerned. She hinted 61472f15cc that if 374e526d2d the next ee625ce130 results didn’t 1fc8233de0 meet expectations, d797433c7d they might fa4fe78da3 consider changing a88f6de784 tutors.03af8def01543309

I barely managed 827a080fcb to reassure her 17a9da87f3 worried mother.58152dcdf2373510

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I thought I’d have 46b458fd81 to make a new 007fb2a4fe error note when I 6639f375b1 got home. More than anything, 4d885a00be I just wanted afcfdee3ea to get home e1263d21b8 and wash up.22a339b6d6a3dbe2

As I hurried ab813d2550 up the steep 6d9be8c46f hill and reached f7d7143d34 the old gray 09f80f4a6f gate, I noticed 6ef7b18176 a crowd gathered d1fe0e7b17 in front of 6d21d68d54 the house. I recognized quite a 8d91267e88 few familiar faces—neighbors from f5fafd758c the area I’d been 039972b57e living in for about 1bd43b374f two years.98ec31b43c1ea08f

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One of the dcb22cee4d residents spotted me 9b35f04066 and quickly approached, 1299eda1cd grabbing my arm aadcea27c9 and shaking it. Their voice was 54de6d1356 urgent.2140d0e5f6041ee3

“Do you 9b10eaac72 know where 02cb2ecf15 the lady 0491991172 of this bd9de0b38a house went?”cee244f3320ac66d

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“What? Isn’t she at home?”22912250715adf6b

It was well 4fc046144a past 10 PM. The landlady 23c28442e5 loved dramas f4a8834f1b and was 9ce9f48804 usually home 2260b0ad98 unless it 404c45b2ed was a d54907a3b9 special occasion.21f4d9ec02ae085d

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“That woman ran off. She took all the money from the neighborhood, including the savings club money. My money. My hard-earned money.”42625512ac51dc5f

At first, ee50938e0d I couldn’t 99a4f36a24 quite grasp 194748b8c3 what was 88d0fd11ed being said. What did 9aac5615f2 the landlady c6bbfa0dd0 do?f560f3ededc2f350

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People brushed 9f771812c6 past the f169581515 dazed Lee 78d17ada25 Jinha and 78f8b08c82 rushed through 33d1f00c9b the gate. Still not fully comprehending, d29cb21440 I followed them inside.7ff1d1fa0bbe24e8

The resident who had b38193a3f7 spoken to me opened faf8a0d924 the main door of abebed2691 the landlord’s house. The unlocked door 54a4f464ce swung open, and e3fb2a8042 people stepped inside 27af0f21b3 with their shoes b1f14ffa2c still on.9355053871e5397a

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“She really planned 5c022ce460 this and ran cdf0d715e7 off. She planned it!”89299bba6d3ef6f5

The landlord’s house 9e6b5efa2d was a mess, 5b8a4123db as if a ea73934130 thief had broken 0ab0f39878 in. The wardrobe, drawers, and eaa4b1fa88 cupboards were all open 36fa6d9998 and empty, with no 3d84f450c6 valuables left behind. Even the e3ae573eec instant coffee 0a7573390a that always f49ff10f1c sat in abc8ef63a8 the corner 1261dc278c of the 6b313fe7ae dining table 3447e9bcd7 was gone.f2801e6123d4fb04

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“Oh my. She promised to triple the money, and I believed her. What am I supposed to do now?”c0bd848f2640a549

The people who had 3aefe79d87 been in the savings 38b5b980a5 club with the landlady b9c9a03f3d sat in the middle d880042aa2 of the chaotic room, dd8a5756fc muttering in despair. Some pounded 9df1c5d87d their chests 20022cb218 in frustration, fea3a2ae38 while others aa32a8d5d1 hurled the 18e5586abf few remaining 12dc359b3a items in d36c3b4b09 anger. It was chaos like 631680bf20 no other.95b1e21519d65070

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Lee Jinha took 1cec755139 out his phone 01cf726fa4 and pressed the df932e8c99 contact labeled “Landlady.”8198f44efa9f5e2a

Please pick up. Please, please.fded517459535e30

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[The call cannot be connected due to the customer’s circumstances…]

I hung up and pressed the call button again. Once more, the dry message about the call being disconnected due to the customer’s circumstances played mechanically.db9435d3b5d0a225

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This is Lee b66a4f07f4 Jinha. Are you unable to d69cd16fe0 take calls right now? (10:49 PM) (1)
Please contact me about what’s going on. (10:49 PM) (1)
I don’t care if it’s late at night, please get in touch. I’ll be waiting. (11:38 PM) (1)9327c4c43137ffd9

“I heard the husband got into stocks and then something called futures options. It seemed to go well at first, so he borrowed money from here and there, but it looks like he lost it all. There are more victims than you can count.”caa1450498791d1a

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As I listened 8f5a29d85e to the murmuring cd1ec03fa8 voices, a conversation 326850345f I’d had with e0183b0de5 a lady in c854919305 front of the e522c96a96 supermarket a while 056664d401 ago suddenly came ce9813ded1 to mind.19ea4298dff1c067

She had said, “My b9b516c944 husband told me to d9234c17e6 expect a big gift.”9051b1cbaa6225fc

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At the b861f3e88d time, I fb33fa0a4e thought he 01f34b5624 meant his e4e2991bd7 stocks were d80712ee7c doing well. But in the end, ae142b9906 that “gift” turned out 7b1932b8cc to be futures options.960ac5ff73c5765e

If stocks were 1432dcd18c the ground, futures 0c6aa8fa6d options were like 4608b76424 jumping off a a0fd0c7a5c cliff.f2b99677376301c9

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A cliff with b95d316a00 no bottom.cd1014d42e59e8f2

Leaving the still-bustling bbc55c1486 crowd behind, I 4eda553395 went down to 283c9d99a0 my rented room. The narrow, 3729382356 cold room e2c071bff9 greeted me a0613fb975 indifferently, devoid 43834def18 of any 0454b11420 sunlight. Thud. I dropped 1b648a06c3 my bag b9ed44ed0f and collapsed 815f78a3ff on the 5c6850a122 spot.e313fad1cb1ab36f

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“What on e5f46eb6a9 earth is bfb74be3e5 happening…?”0a85cc971ddef931

I forced myself to 9c830b944a organize my still-dazed thoughts. If the landlord really c8b55cc6a6 ran away in the f834a2f425 night, what about the b472920959 rent I paid this 5d41e5245e morning? Was there no way d259ce091b to get it back? I jumped cf5c733419 up and dc8d3a7878 rushed back 15c252fd48 to the ee7ca9c257 landlord’s house. The people dfc026c1b3 were still 1a9145aa36 there, occupying 14204b998b the house. Everyone seemed to be d1fa27d443 trying to contact the e8dd91f41c landlord in their own 0c449f5193 way, but there was b6004bb538 no progress.aba807cb7db6d78a

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7:32 AM.6dcff097d0acd994

The sun was faintly rising in the distance. I hadn’t slept a wink all night, and my eyes felt dry and gritty. But I wasn’t sleepy. I had tried contacting the landlord’s family dozens of times throughout the night, but to no avail.c1c6d124bcb92b94

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I have to e6b2f8f82c go to school.3a634732abc518fb

Even amidst b465cc14af this chaos, 48207ec53d classes were d24d05e822 still on, c53eae03dc and I 65a000ccc9 had to 835a21b033 go to cddf159627 school. Without changing clothes, fe43ed8697 I grabbed my bf008f179e bag and headed 4de4f2a93b out.1aca2d673fa3fdb3

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“Did you study all night or something? Your eyes are red.”80f8e99413e9cc9f

“Mind your own business.”6a2b84347017850f

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At my 325e80f5db cold retort, f55137a573 Kim Chayoung a59f3ebf00 furrowed his 650b0bd748 brow. He seemed 336d13092e like he ad0ec42813 had something 9f69db2cb9 to say, d1ff78b2e0 but then 3f06f275e0 he just 519fc7bd9e sighed lightly e93341dd29 and took d5c328b122 out his c6defd933c tablet.c6f5567bf56f8776

“The first episode is done. Check it out and let me know if you have any edits or feedback. I put extra effort into it since the beginning needs to be strong.”6528b3e2a30dd2b3

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The first episode 29d5904aef was complete, following 118d90ce22 the prologue. It was perfectly 35ad611283 formatted with text 362161893f and effects, just 87c7adfde3 like the webtoons 4e3729ef01 I usually saw e77471d380 on platforms.67898b99532b8962

“Do I really have time to be doing this right now?”aaa0573d77552198

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Right now, 3e22abe289 I was f4e3ccbb1f more worried b5c32580a1 about my 233c05c71d rented room bf3370ebba than the fdbe6d9069 contest. Honestly, I wanted to 47ad4ba909 skip school and go 1ed00e01b3 home to check on 2824a3afd8 the situation.8508f05443059a87

I had 5bd7d1a39a asked one 195c2a5d31 of the 8582f0ea91 savings club 74a2a2d080 victims to 52374774ce let me 72cdfa7148 know if ab9bd26509 there was 553417a12d any progress, 839d461f5a but my 860dbf1864 phone remained 5b1c9bb496 silent.be5b7f8bc5640b5b

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“Lee Jinha? What are you thinking about so deeply? Is it a waste of time?”8cdf94ab385eb132

“No, it’s well done.”2697eae6955d2822

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“That’s strange.”32434de8097e139b

Kim Chayoung narrowed 4391b2bb93 his eyes, looking c65fb868d5 suspicious.c9dd0dae8f1c6cfe

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“The great Lee Jinha wouldn’t usually compliment so easily.”4dd533cf83a3e02d

I didn’t even have the energy to respond. I just wanted to go home quickly. I wanted to confirm that yesterday’s events were just a misunderstanding.a9664249380a09db

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“You’re really acting strange today. You look like you’re out of it. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let’s go eat.”443feed715487075

“No, I have something to do, so I have to go. See you later.”98b84648bfaed2b0

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I handed the tablet back to Kim Chayoung and got up from my seat. Hey, Lee Jinha! He called out from behind, but I didn’t look back.350e3ebb8519d6a3

Even after 1bd9186bf0 a full 3c262f2ec1 day had 36a55f74ac passed, there 6e64c1ea19 was still 4d766b08f7 no word d2281a02d8 from the ea8a505e8d landlord’s family. According to addd6214b2 one of b19c308acb the savings 1b828ffcc8 club ladies, e4a24d3d37 there were 09dd6a4457 numerous victims, fae710345e with amounts 8b5bdcc8be ranging from 2b3d93f58b tens of 23d7c164f0 thousands to b4ce2b07ea millions. My only refuge—my home—was a9c323367b now overrun with angry d1c86f1631 victims and police officers 5ab701f217 trying to calm them e2e63d4a61 down.d0e8b308466f5e89

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I checked the messages 60dcb51c57 I had sent to d819b38aef the landlady again, but 48478e945c she still hadn’t read 158e532322 them. Letting out a 432164f34a deep sigh, I 0ccc38356f took off my a9d28785ac coat.42ae1f18ccd8fb18

Knock, knock.1c6e177ddb764d73

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There was a knock a0245cb936 on the door, and fc7ac8ef96 through the frosted glass, 43f0c29149 I saw the silhouettes 9877bd51a1 of people.cdafe35b5f197535

Could it be the 975b173335 landlord?33bed7d03e7cd2b0

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“Yes, I’m coming.”5042055eb3a7ff98

I hurriedly turned 7a2be4d85f the doorknob and 5b984be6ef opened the door. Contrary to my bacaa0e4b6 expectations or hopes, 32dc83082a there were two dcfb999dbe unfamiliar men standing 34fecf92cd there. One of them 4c4fd062f5 was reading a cfc9628866 document.fb6b9a04023b9589

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“Do you live here? Are you a college student?”d93bc9c7436dfc31

“Yes, I’m the tenant here. Who are you?”aa9ba5808bff51d4

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“We’re the new owners of this house. We didn’t expect there to be a tenant.”e870af0ecd02407f

“What? New owners? What are you talking about? The owner of this house is…”67f9d22c83fabda9

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“This house has been sold. Are you really the tenant? It seems like there’s no record of your residency. Do you have any proof?”8be7a83a98097e2e

It seemed the landlord 9a48de50ee couple had planned this 0e91576a88 from the start. The situation f218260d0d felt so 64b517cb5e unreal that 30647ac62e I let f28ddadb78 out a 2eb73eee44 hollow laugh.1b9757244546f0e2

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“I paid the rent just yesterday morning. I haven’t registered my residency due to circumstances, but I’ve been living here for two years.”3bcf50180d20fa7b

“That’s something we can verify later. How much is your deposit?”b5227cda2ae7ca80

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After the a233a250a1 supposed new e17a9575f0 owners left, 07655e5a21 I was fb55c6952b left alone. My already complicated 380c4dc392 mind was now 9f2c7eb0a4 throbbing as if 529800af00 it were about 11639f2db4 to explode. I swallowed a e8c74e3169 headache pill without 69e1c3b1ca water and took c23e412297 a deep breath.8c996e42d5190221

‘The deposit… there isn’t one.’271f6b539eee3f49

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‘Without a registered residency and no deposit, it’s a tough situation for you, but it’s quite difficult for us too.’df1c3e0015e69ecd

If I had a deposit, I could have stayed until it was used up, even if the ownership changed. But since I had neither a deposit nor a registered residency, there was no way for me to stay in this house. Still, I never imagined I’d lose my home so suddenly.d571fe1a863630e8

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I closed my 6d11e437a8 eyes. The pitch-black darkness 4dd6719c1b felt just like 97a6269688 my current situation.77cc0a799e1ffd5f