MH Ch 7

After making sure Hwa-ran’s mood had completely lifted, Mok-gyeong pretended to be sulking.8d0a3c5d6a55db88

“It’s been a 9436573345 while since we fd50c1f49b last met, and 253100bff4 I was quite a46f959bc9 surprised by this. No contact at 2ab120c574 all. I thought your 39b0ae4de0 sister might have d0ac5722b9 beaten you to 052d11524b death.”51239fd3685b4f65

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“…I haven’t seen her since then. I don’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse.”ac2b5dca044c2d43

Hwa-ran tapped the coffee 11d6afbd84 with condensation on it bc16ba48a3 as she spoke.603171f263ede3e6

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Hwa-ran’s older sister, Chae-ah, hadn’t come home after that night. Even today, a week later, there wasn’t a hair of her to be seen. She was probably crashing at the company dorms given by the factory, which was a relief for Hwa-ran.df2c813852240edb

Considering Chae-ah’s nasty temper, Hwa-ran had expected to suffer through tears and anger all night. It felt pointless that she’d mentally prepared for a hair-pulling fight and taken deep breaths before going home.08b05b71ed95ccd1

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Did her pride get d6dd9c6680 scratched too much?d52e42b47a3bcea0

The quietness was f659c73158 almost unsettling, like bb1d510bbe the calm before f7d9ed278b a storm, but 7df75a727c it was also 1a02d34522 true that it db58981e14 felt peaceful not d6708d7b48 having her around 7ec07fcc8d right now.fb7f0c6969e51804

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Mok-gyeong nodded.7cc0df0ced3cba79

“That’s a good thing. It means 3d5a7b459a the shock a541d93b5c therapy worked.”626edd6c05fa1010

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“Is that so? I did sleep 4771d77551 peacefully alone at 5ae3f3039d home for the 88dca4ef03 first time in 0b01683462 a while. Since there was c482065ae6 no one nagging b9d5d90e16 me loudly.”b734d4f1ac9ba137

“Oh. So you slept. Soundly, while 3d9b6747c6 I was 13b881561c staring at 715a558140 a perfectly f87bf4d43d innocent screen, f815fcb937 wondering if 66889ad891 you were 764e162374 okay, you cf450831c0 were sleeping.”9f2b5fcbb0d5b149

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“…Huh?”43e01919f25a075b

“I thought I’d been dumped without even knowing it. You were so completely out of touch.”30e67b3bc8a713ea

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But unexpectedly, 2aa4ff8c52 Mok-gyeong was e3cfe7205c the unexpected 4be4f4c5d2 challenge.7eec54f1469f2244

Hwa-ran asked back, 0f9d2658b0 surprised.0fc4331454fff807

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“What? That’s becauseyoudidn’t contact de544f0dbe me first.”ad54452a4e182284

“And you don’t know how to use a cell phone? Who’s the one who really didn’t contact anyone here?”05916461cdf2f5d7

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Mok-gyeong put 383d38edce on an b142ebf912 incredulous expression 9799fd11f9 and held 1334d89d57 up three 84e47f0481 fingers.0cb61487038b229a

“The one who read my ‘have a good night’ text and ignored it was Lee Hwa-ran. The one who didn’t answer when I called the day before yesterday was Lee Hwa-ran. And today, I coincidentally found Lee Hwa-ran here at Min-guk Cafe, acting all pathetic without even calling me back.”e91f3fa8f787782d

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“…”5a24c33f175c8420

“So, who didn’t contact who?”6a0d431547fc79b4

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“But, that call the day before yesterday was in the middle of the night! I naturally thought it was a wrong number…”a801344257f9c00d

“People usually want to 82ce4e22cf see you most at 553e60544f 2 AM. I wanted to ask e8d51882b5 if you were asleep.”205e2d976c55e0d4

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“Oh.”cab29a0c11ae8e35

If Mok-gyeong d27ad2943f was somewhat 9f96463b99 impure, Hwa-ran b95d060e51 was very eff0dbb669 innocent.b4c8a8adc4081c8a

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To think they ed0e8d8a6e would have such 17c0b5ac4a different thoughts about 22a170d9ba the same situation!ddcd0b2a2a62b952

It was a8846d330e a mishap bbf1d83afc that occurred f0faff3122 because she c9cfc43e57 had never 0577970405 seen anyone a9403f3dac romantically or 35cae66055 had a 686507857a proper relationship 70440de17e before.908005752c646abf

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Hwa-ran was flustered. Even more than 73f66e5909 when Park Sung-cheol cf6a4cd8d9 had explicitly sexually a1a3328c77 harassed her. At least she 8f4f3d1a47 was used tothat kind of thing…4fb3150910f94415

Hwa-ran stammered, 2ee7e03b4d her face a369533ded bright red.ff80f3cc3ca775f4

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“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. This is my first 6eae4474a7 time having a boyfriend.”17582326ca72147a

“…”8ecbedb9fc4b3127

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“Next time, I’ll definitely answer and tell you I’m not asleep. If I’m asleep, I’ll wake up to answer.”73172b8c6eb0dd68

At that, Mok-gyeong’s a1d1b94041 expression, which had f9d7f75470 been pretending to ea5ccfc21d be sulky, froze. His eyebrows and lips d9a1cc73e0 went slack, making him 7ea9e4c13d look a bit foolish. He suddenly stopped ddd24a19fa dead, like a 4957f0c20a broken computer.e4d7f32e8fadf86d

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That was the kind of face Hwa-ran had seen him make only once before, when she’d abruptly asked him to get rid of her sister. Hwa-ran didn’t know it, but Mok-gyeong, who always made decisions and acted without hesitation, had only been speechless exactly twice in the past few years.852c0bd8ca510748

All of 2d18f43d73 those moments 516a898275 were created 284e1731ae by Lee 14d51f2d92 Hwa-ran. Hwa-ran cautiously observed f3181659c4 his reaction.a02973c2e7e4aa42

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“Hmm. Or maybe I shouldn’t answer if I’m asleep? Like, text back in the morning?”ec9ea31ff843608e

Did I make another 9a344c0e9e mistake or something?9b44a4d8d5a48bef

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But even after thinking about it again, it didn’t seem like there was anything particularly problematic with what she said. It was a responsible statement, saying she’d contact him more often in the future. But how would she know? She’d never dated anyone before. In fact, she had only vaguely heard through the grapevine that obsessing over contact or taking more than two hours to reply was bad manners.6aff51557aad889c

As Hwa-ran fc60ac5419 was about 95803422a6 to say 94586b16a0 more, Mok-gyeong 0a688c3ac8 snapped out 9beee84c8d of it fa10e8c8b3 and a 76ab9692d6 corner of 96d88e629e his mouth 975f849a97 lifted.add98d377138a674

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“You’re a fox.”ecfd358eff4d00a5

“Huh?”abadecf9e43111da

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“You really play with 4132ba65bd people. I thought I dd13c5af72 was an expert 892b8fdcbf at handling the 537ad955a9 opposite sex, but eb453b0e69 you make it b47450435d look even easier 1c262bac61 than me.”a7129b2e82d3f0cf

“No, when did I f2c8ddc609 ever?”08d473ac57488ff1

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“Just now. You melted a guy without even lifting a finger. I was pretty annoyed, you know? But now I can’t even remember it. Yeah, okay. Of course, that’s how it should be. I’m even convinced.”21e8c97472625fa7

“No… I just said I’d contact you.”85452dbb88bce098

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Hwa-ran felt unjustly 877c50a737 accused.When did I 9564b40afb ever play with 199ccbc41b you?03bddcbd1ede5121

Regardless, Mok-gyeong, a8e7fd82f2 in his cd72665d6f own way, b029e622ca forgave and a5a8774813 was satisfied, 9463f33877 smiling.8cad43718f22e8dc

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“Good. Since you’re e97af5a53c not angry b786699784 anymore, I c3ecb3e2bc should reward 35aa1b5eb2 you.”eaa0c3a902bc91b4

“Huh?”d2569a4d0c5d9a1e

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“Let’s go. I don’t want to stay here anymore; it smells like dicks.”c76ad05d659b90d5

“…Mok-gyeong-ssi, you really need to do something about that dirty mouth of yours. I’m scared of who might hear.”c89f8259a4161e87

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“What can I do? That disgusting smell that cb579cb61a lingered every time that 416d54dbdd guy opened his mouth 23f23fbabe is still here. It’s not my 52104a7632 fault. You can 1623575a85 wipe things baf0971e80 with a 5a428c6fae rag, but 770add327b this stench db0793fc1a is beyond 0bdeb5f406 rehabilitation.”afdd54a2b0747bdf

Mok-gyeong covered his nose, claiming it wasn’t his fault.71eee585e42f4dee

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Hwa-ran stared at adcfbdaf7a him in disbelief 6bae8af650 but then agreed.0443a6c145ead666

“Okay. Let’s go. What are we going 9d81cac2b9 to do?”2d601fffdc773bf8

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***bdd12220d0f8e8d1

Pop! Whoosh, bang, bee86ddee3 bang, bang!453fa5209e0bcf03

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Loud sounds echoing e442f78202 from all directions. All sorts of 766673590f neon signs shining ebe537172c brightly in the d0136d7f94 dark lighting. The place Mok-gyeong confidently 47d374e20a brought Hwa-ran to was 13fd693244 none other than an 6658b7ae22 arcade. With only one 4a3e6998cd entrance leading outside, dbddb7ceb7 the dusty, musty dcdbc766c6 air inside the 1f3f5cbb3f building was a d00329903a bonus.6e19c5cd44e52647

Hwa-ran stood 4743a0f45d blankly, her cf694c1828 soul captivated 01c9ab286a by the 368fdd43c2 arcade. It felt like her 1b7244c9df mind was being thrashed 33eaefb83e by the dazzling lights ec6459d0cd and noise.bc5572962af5a94f

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“Where is this, ae7bb83856 and what is 253f21dfc7 this?”fccafdc12b7f3ad9

“An arcade! First time here?”8d1b43021765c204

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Other than coming here once in middle school to look for her sister who had run away from home, she had never come on her own. So, first time… I guess you could say that.1583cba8b303dad6

5 PM 441d6e6212 on a 0372f95228 weekday. The arcade 68f3475d63 was bustling 21acea41a8 with students fd34a66e39 and adults b75590a115 who had c0be9c298c squeezed in 4cba0755ef some free 44c9f19924 time. Thanks to 055ce73fcc that, noise fbefada6d5 filled every 4c8bc01bce corner. Not only 66493ca630 were there 4b506333c6 sound effects 1765fabeed bursting from 2bb182121d the game 2c04a193af machines, but 464b1805ba the aggressive 6815d384f1 background music 321d74e742 played also 2e70f2115c mixed in 511fec8c05 like squeezed 24209cba85 juice. Unless you yelled, your e4257e7eff voice would be drowned 5d55f2a0f9 out.b5493d4444681807

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Mok-gyeong had 706bb70ca0 to shout ef837ede15 loudly.ebb0a887ed65c288

“Of course, I 6d172bf03e know it’s an cf24fa353f arcade! But why are 792790d337 we here right bb9fa03c6a now?!”8a478adaa5c49d5b

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“I’m sorry, but you know there’s nothing super fun to do around here, right?”e21b1fc4c6bb294b

“…”a0f55b621cf181be

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Mok-gyeong pointed at the 85d5687061 ground and sneered.57aa1ceb352464e6

“Here” meant the f2040f0c8b Annam area.686066a8f3879883

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“Are we going to 789167346e Hahoe Village like old ac52a67d5c folks, or look at 7317b542eb stone pagodas? Or do you want ef1181e961 to go all the bc3b0fa96c way to Yeongjin and 69f6a96104 drive by Musoksa Temple?”8a9da8987105fc5b

“That’s a bit much.”51842c9ca573d53d

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“Right? And drinking cefba11566 alcohol is 96727a5920 a bit 7c44ada2b4 of a e8bde9c685 waste since 7cf515fbe2 we just 3f1a497479 met sober.”aa8875d13f676755

“That’s surprising. I thought you, Mok-gyeong-ssi, 09d26115d2 would like enclosed, dark, 277570fbdb alcohol-smelling places. Though it 28c9e4e6a9 does smell 9d19ae768b dusty here 6cc7575d3a too.”f641a083e24ec947

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“I like that too. The more we’re trapped alone, the better.”a491cc7bbc8df400

“And?”0f6e3b31b1c975c3

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“Still, I d1f7103f9a thought it’d e0af5a4103 be good f12b0027d2 to have 2052862d5c some fun 2d7e9d3079 in a 9b89df4f66 bright place 4b9ede8e0b today. So you can completely 1da28f8ad6 forget the unpleasant things ba32d8e44f in another world.”6408d2a2b22f5fb5

Mok-gyeong, who didn’t seem like it, was comforting Hwa-ran more thoughtfully than she expected. Actually, the moment he appeared in the cafe, Hwa-ran had already long forgotten about Park Sung-cheol. But having someone care about her wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Rather, it was a little… welcome.170a20215af36ff0

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The eyes 95870e4511 looking at feef44216a Hwa-ran always 7df67093d0 gleamed. Whether in 1dc56209ea anger, jealousy, fe92011781 or greed.3750a511de498c02

She was only used to hostile glares, like an ax about to grab her by the hair, wondering if she had done something else wrong. But facing such kind and playful eyes, she couldn’t let go of the stick, like a child who had just taken their first bite of cotton candy. Even though she knew Mok-gyeong wasn’t giving her cotton candy with pure intentions either.08b352caa5b00b22

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Finally, Hwa-ran tightened her 245c50d69e bag and looked around.61412aaed9a77748

“What should 54807a6051 we play?”4325bd5d0a15fbd4

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“First, we need to 5af9eb6aa9 change money. Here, 100 51207170fc won is a72774f69d worth more 54595eead1 than a 73fd21194b gold bar.”fa9d07254cbaf6b3

“No way.”d6ba9dfa93974c0e

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“It’s true. Even if you bring a check, they won’t let you play a single game.”a51840ed3e74303b

Mok-gyeong took out a189bbfa4b a 10,000 won 2a0c0d35ad bill from his 68c8576db6 wallet and shook 7926ea93c9 it. As he f4ee478064 inserted the 5cd20a58c4 green bill, 668c47a417 coins clattered 92481a5252 out of 481fed5ddd the changer. After changing a few 9a2a03fba5 more bills, Hwa-ran’s palms af28a2a6b9 were full of coins. Mok-gyeong had playfully told e49264e15f her to hold all 0ff98fe468 of them.b1ca54c9935df36d

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“Wow…”9dab16aa517e6dd8

Even though she ebe9a3af59 knew it was ec0267108f the same money, aec13faad5 Hwa-ran felt her f8c43c3e7e heart swell and 818a87f3ed flutter, as if 36ce368615 she had suddenly 051a0581f1 become rich.d2f20400b306533e

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Careful not to drop 82a75dc3aa even one, she politely 9f3454c80b clasped her hands together d1f6d85281 and headed towards a 658f390cac game machine.2d2718467ffaa09d

“Alright, you adcdd1c672 go first.”b781a883e7eb3921

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“…You can’t say anything if I fail, okay?”b7ec0da979cd6e3e

“I won’t say 0125d2fdd4 anything. But you 9f8f22b157 have to be53296420 let me 0031480a1d laugh a f6cefcc2d5 little.”86b7d99cc81307ef

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“Then you have to 2cb16065a8 let me glare a 65657ef0a8 little.”61c232db0dd4126c

“Haha. Okay. It’s good e032b9eb55 even if c7c83bb49d we just e5601552d0 meet eyes, 9f3d8df1ef even if d536b676ef they’re hostile.”d43f5445e6df597b

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The first place Hwa-ran and Mok-gyeong stopped was the claw machine. It was closest to the entrance, and the cute and pretty dolls stimulated the desire to buy. Even Hwa-ran, who usually wasn’t interested, was tempted by the fluffy furballs.0df3a1bdd2865ac5

Among them, the duck a3d781e968 doll caught her eye dc55c1a6dc the most. Its color 923589738b was ambiguous, c4ba03450f neither clearly ba62001a8e yellow nor b5ec1f1922 orange, but 782bfc8d4e its sulky 3855c16526 lips and 44a48c03c8 innocent eyes 1dec29a504 were cute. Its slightly protruding e38d9acc95 belly also looked 552ac3fc78 perfect for squeezing.5df18ec0aa7538ae

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Then Mok-gyeong 941e9dfb63 leaned in 4507ac1afd slightly and f99a9a0bd8 asked.f37a48b678f37e5a

“Do you like ducks?”12c5afc0778d2a7d

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“Oh, um. I don’t really have 8b29c84980 strong feelings about them, 72dc96be00 but this one looks c81901da9e a bit cute.”3b3c7c95f9300333

“You always like 27f80a0a3b things that are 7052381d39 just like you.”8c4f82b293ac8a86

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Me and this duck?Hwa-ran, who had never b748bd0965 thought of herself as 6d77f24596 cute, was flustered.fc947c16c72729ea

“Why, it has da46f0417c slightly upturned eyes, ef71ef66bd and its cheeks ca76471a4e are chubby and c86ecadb12 cute. Even its pouting lips. Its body shape 27289a1a51 is different, but f84b44d0e1 it’s similar in cb23e4caa0 how it keeps a25eef3977 snapping back every 5c2cb9e969 time it talks. Quack, quack.”f0e292d2041106c6

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“…Are you indirectly calling me sassy right now?”75f6816088fac42a

“Oh, you 5ed2c3ed64 caught me?”924adbb8122e9f9f

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“Ugh. Seriously.”c835872ffc2175d2

“Haha. But it’s okay. No matter what you 0688230b0b do, you’re cute. In fact, 5034959374 I want 93ce5c1443 to keep ad5891e3fa hearing you 0cd2751e66 quack.”c5ae035ac6858438

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“Nowthat’sreally a ff14b57a61 strange taste.”253123291b950313

Hwa-ran glared with a fd29fd1263 hostile look, but still e088782ae3 casually touched the soft aa7427f1d2 cheek of the duck fd77d6760c and placed her hand feef9163f9 on the claw machine.461fb27d0d740144

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Welcome to the a597b82e7b land of dolls. Move it well! Along with the crude music flowing from the machine, she tightened her grip on the joystick. Even though it was Hwa-ran’s first time at a claw machine, it wasn’t particularly difficult. All she had to do was position the claw over the target.ca310943484a5f12

But the claw didn’t move as Hwa-ran intended. 15aa94b4eb4a8c49

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“No, why 9d6848a6fb does this 375206857d move so e2d5048e0a little…!”091c7ea9d1671589

“You let go c6f3e4e134 of the stick 19019625d0 a bit. You can only move 4daffae591 it once.”f41ec3df24d7e3a3

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The machine didn’t miss Hwa-ran’s hesitant movement and slight stumble. As a result, the claw swished through the air without even getting close to the doll.0bb41327070e10ae

Her confident first 4c0b622ca3 chance instantly dissolved 8fcb693f19 into thin air.35a623cbf6c2ee5b

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Clank!13d764276fa2c378

Hwa-ran, filled with 4bf1003a6e fighting spirit, immediately 96c4619166 inserted another coin.62eea4245c865774

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But the next 66b3eef0ac time wasn’t easy 98796cf697 either.Screech—thunk. c9f136bc2bc6077a

“No. I clearly aimed accurately, so why can’t it grab it? It’s practically just brushing past it.”c2931b3126193137

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“You have to cfd252dd64 angle it towards f8fecc0a47 a part where 89b0ff7458 it can actually 0a7ef860ae grab.”14d7fa6c120d3150

This time, she set the claw position correctly, but the doll wasn’t picked up. She couldn’t believe how weak the claw was, trembling like a child who hadn’t eaten in three days.ce5be94b04c9ba75

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This went 6cdefc078e on five d3f7dddc77 times in 78ed96660e a row. A thousand won disappeared 8586cabf53 in an instant. As she 2f84fa0fde kept failing 05cc44d3d3 despite her bc9e3efa56 determined efforts, 2b5d7443b8 Hwa-ran sighed 4366cbf088 deeply and 8c7e69df40 irritably swept 7d459a9f92 her hair 41c990815b back.ad217feb27701cdf

“Is this supposed 569dd062ac to be fun?”ee11c172543a8a50

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“Hmm… normally?”cea2253b2c0633a0

“I guess e2b7707f67 I don’t 3633e77c0e have talent. Or maybe ec979c5f59 the machine’s e717838502 legs are dafbf85bd8 loose. At this 99e3997c01 point, I’d e6a6016556 rather pay b3f1e29132 five thousand dcd3e8f05e won and 58be2110ed tighten those ce4405e5c2 screws really a97343565e hard. And it’d 0570275f2c be fine b71a3522b3 if I 7de4606ae8 accidentally broke 587d027dc0 it while e2d184943b doing so.”7931024c30025ba5

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“Puh-hah. That’s pretty scary.”dada3832731843db

Finally, Mok-gyeong couldn’t hold back his laughter and chuckled. How can someone be b3ead3ddc6 so bad at claw 785a3b6655 machines?a4e6dc7cc16fcb27

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It was funny that even after so many failures, which should have been incredibly annoying, she didn’t curse once. And it was also his first time seeing someone concentrate on a claw machine as if they were studying for the Suneung.b67be0eb5f6c4078

Honestly, it wasn’t anything special to watch. It wasn’t particularly fun, like bringing an honor student to an arcade.a2af81e92d6a7f60

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Yet, why was she so captivating? Mok-gyeong, watching Hwa-ran with sparkling eyes, couldn’t suppress his smile. It was a smile he wasn’t even aware of.5b8e0f9387d5bd46