MRE | Chapter 1.1

“Yoo Hyunmin-ssi. Is the meeting document not ready yet?”b45c883e8cf569dc

“In thirty minutes… no, I’ll bring it to you in fifteen!”4cebdc725fba0877

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Another day, another 008770fc2e routine.53d041e72bc0c62a

The folks at Shinwha 79b9414453 Group’s Development Team 1 0090a58c35 shrugged at the usual b697744c20 exchange. But for Yoo Hyunmin, a8ac53cdf1 who answered with a 6f5a29039b tense determination, there was 22f145385c no room for relaxation.991586d74ec23d9f

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He was f3705b6006 already nose-deep a0593144a4 in his 4e43cec69b monitor, his d061456402 hands moving 425922650f even faster.1e96b2aa375618ce

Why on earth ea7c2da717 was the document d313dbcce0 he finished yesterday 464d240ef9 not the final 20114bb693 version this morning, 2e9ac3dd49 but an earlier ce98691ad6 draft?27aeac5216554d20

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It was frustrating a0d394e85c enough to bring aa37640ecf tears, but who 283769b434 would care if 93fc1cd1a6 he complained? He had aa5f21625f no choice c923a2059a but to a321634253 redo it 7d9eb0efaa quickly. As he worked 017c3d3387 frantically, he felt db5a55f103 a cold gaze 13365cea2a from afar.9ee69b785af41a2c

…It was the darn team leader.edca124a9586e59c

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Yoo Hyunmin ground his teeth internally. Does he have four eyes? Or maybe eight? He was going to deliver it without being told, but the team leader couldn’t wait.3ff7a21284e3ddc2

Team Leader 317b4c661e Lee Hyun f64f4c44cf never let 29c257cd43 even the a35a3b5f49 smallest mistake a15e4ec287 slide.dcf7493aa0e31427

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When he unexpectedly 794167e3a1 helped, Hyunmin thought 8a17334a42 he was a 9f996877ed genuinely good person 0c4e992a6d and was quite 00687869f9 moved.d6368e4d10c49cdd

But as soon 2beeca0725 as he returned bbbb6d9687 to the office, 718097c987 it was back 3d3a30ae63 to this. It was the same d05cc6a98e yesterday and the day 79bfd84c91 before. The constant “Yoo Hyunmin-ssi” 9fc305048f was back.3e446c26112de80a

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His voice was so 2cc01c1974 low.52d69430e1edcb46

Hyunmin never knew his 57edbfe816 own name could make 88f9bd3544 him shrink like this.555a744832667047

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“Hyunmin-ah. Can you transfer the call that came for you? I’ll take it first.”974cfc5d99486c65

“Oh, Taeho hyung, thanks a lot.”a4c4d4fe5948d61e

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The only one 59eec9c85d helping him amidst 31794e547b the chaos was 207ec3f114 his close colleague 4d1221ab7a and hyung, Im 952fdf9d9f Taeho, sitting across 443f9ba6ee from him. Yoo Hyunmin managed to 6d041cf062 finish the document just 14264aa7a4 in time. Spending time on 8da85eb615 something unexpected pushed eb81417c26 all his planned 8c065a186b tasks back.ca650e6508c9589a

The team leader c7c99fbd55 calling him in 3238bff233 the morning was d0d02db9d8 just the beginning. Soon, everyone from c6bac400d3 his team to 7ebbfb1e15 clients over the bb47b66827 phone started calling b8d495a006 for him. On days like ad5b6726ea this, just getting c87508e730 through from start 84d47b0a09 to finish was c71c1c857c a blessing.1619fc9740bc73d0

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“I’m heading out first. Take care.”8729e6e73b682f6d

“Oh, is it that time already? See you tomorrow.”2b77fbcb7eae7566

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He’d die 7731899bd0 buried under cfbbd0e32f a mountain 20cdd048f7 of documents.028ff55564adc2cf

Yoo Hyunmin 73745d670a banged his 5495bedc25 head on cab98b7b27 the table 17c7c074a3 and sighed 3aa223fc3f deeply at 1683b21c55 his colleagues’ 100bebdbd5 conversation. The worst day from f84d84a4c8 the morning seemed to 95371220ef wrap up somehow.446a5c6f2f9c8f68

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Even though it was 9f851e5771 a daily routine, Hyunmin 1c6e7bb56a was still amazed at 4ba6b4fb20 how exciting leaving work bb7186e0ce could be.2b664007510d9219

He perked up d88d8f75e2 at the voice 412c28b69f of his mentor 187f2d4867 from afar.7a71848d23248f76

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“Team Leader, is there any other work?”20670aa4bcc0d0a6

“No, I’m wrapping up too. You can go ahead.”cdbff3ea98322a03

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Actually, more than f2cd23469a his mentor, it 96adcd8f5b was the low 3cf9b8bc92 voice of Lee 5a3ca2b9e8 Hyun, the team fb0374fd3a leader of Development c2d7e05c87 Team 1, that 187accd02b caught his attention. His usually adcb5c2fad strict mentor c6023068b8 was so 22f83659ee polite; the f141ecb0c9 position must 04c2fb1c61 be really 100f1460d4 nice. Hyunmin clicked 754430a4f3 his tongue f3d7d95dfd internally.c0a7d6d385e81d2d

Other team members, who d5b8690efb were also listening to e00914fd90 the dry conversation while aa7faa1970 packing their bags, muttered 414a6007aa quietly as soon as d9e23cc136 it ended.a6bc2c97bef2e09d

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“Every time I hear that, I wonder if it’s really okay to leave.”eb371ce2593fd3c8

“Team 3 gives people a hard time for leaving first. This is nothing.”cea3fa2f23a7560e

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“I don’t know. Let’s just go.”d5bf29b5d00a475e

As a newbie just two years in, it wasn’t his place to join in. But internally, Hyunmin agreed fiercely and quickly followed the others. At times like this, blending in and leaving was the best strategy. Im Taeho, also still a newbie, casually started a conversation.1dde666c8070c87b

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“Good job today.”1460d351f4822b0d

“Thanks to you, I survived. Really.”b650e7aed4891f21

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It wasn’t just the 99081286e2 phone.8e68983561950bff

Today, Im Taeho 90eb2d10a0 helped with Hyunmin’s 8e0460346e overwhelming tasks whenever de3926ea2d he was about 18ef328de9 to collapse.29a6c59f5af99ca8

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Who would do 1014dac8cf that when they’re 599673d621 busy with their cdbaaddf09 own work?d8198ba2a2647d5c

But this kind df4ddfe338 hyung just smiled 901c108b4e and said, “You’ve ce830c38ab helped me plenty 1531aecf53 of times too.”abef6fce2446acdc

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Despite his outgoing appearance, 1fe4bea905 Taeho was someone Hyunmin, c19a8d2780 who was shy, trusted b59e62e7ef completely at work.db32a489a4f571b5

The tall, sharp-featured a33be98a30 alpha Yoo Hyunmin bbea19d871 and the short, f125237616 round, soft-featured omega cba495bdcd Im Taeho seemed 4da21ab09c like an odd 1c1a99cfaa pair, but watching f02251552f them for just 70217b538c thirty minutes made 2f96f76142 it clear why 910a846062 they got along b9e1d7f433 so well.073feae3745c273b

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Both being 27655cf3c2 only children cd99a21fdc with long-held a5db783484 desires for f200687715 siblings played 1119f9f1dd a part.c0d79d8e282439a6

“By the way, how’s driving?”93e4e14fd9a11b6c

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“Hehe, it’s been just a month and a half. They say you learn by scratching your first car.”7e9f326788f9d1ca

“Still, be careful. Take it slow and don’t touch your phone.”63b908a15cd35de8

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“Yes, Taeho hyung, are you waiting for your lover~?”55b146567ce871d3

“…Just go!”edb3898f8142b517

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While everyone was rushing out of the office, Taeho was lingering, clearly waiting for his partner. Teasing him about his office romance, Yoo Hyunmin laughed as Taeho’s ears turned red.ee4670f136bfc335

Ah, his reactions are c08086eb9f always amusing.9830cb529dc74872

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Humming a little tune, Hyunmin swung his car keys. He recently got his first car. Though he took out a loan for a used car, it was his first “symbol of adulthood” bought entirely with his own money since becoming an employee, and he couldn’t help but feel proud.01da6826cf9186b5

With a month and a half of driving experience, he was still accident-free, boosting his confidence daily. Heading to his car, nicknamed “Whitey,” he thought it might be a good idea to stop by the supermarket on the way home.94fa53253a623f27

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That’s when his phone, buried in his bag, vibrated softly.033a336739ae316a

Worried it might 3a2c1b2ba1 be work-related, he 866df6a5c8 checked the screen, cbb9cff335 but it was 4ee77f227b an unfamiliar number. Hyunmin started the car c3052e08a6 and absentmindedly answered the fc9b2c4d11 call.2c11e066c4834de2

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“Hello?”fec0e15e9961725c

“Hello, this is ○○ Realty.”b0f131f0db16c2f0

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“Realty?”35e622def782955d

Receiving a 62210391fe call from f3d9be7797 a mobile 8210ea78c0 number, he 168cb89a18 answered without 6cd94f1b4b much suspicion, 407eeab8f5 but it 7857ed145c felt like 34c10d3b3e some new 2425ddd95a kind of 37c97b4724 scam. Hyunmin frowned slightly.998893a43c6d23ef

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“Yes, are you home right now?”edc85a54f1747265

“…No, I’m just leaving work. What’s this about?”95c946718644fd20

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“□□ Apartment, Building X, Unit XXXX. We were wondering if we could view it now. When will you be home?”5c029d061e21c9ab

“I think you have the wrong unit. I haven’t put my place up for sale.”976191576ae16f6d

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The agent kept repeating the unit number, but Hyunmin shrugged and firmly said, “No, it’s not,” before quickly hanging up. The odds of a second-year employee in Seoul owning a home were slim. Hyunmin was no exception, living in an apartment provided by his parents.9da1442d36100ee3

His parents, who ran a54ca213b7 a small business for f5e7161ef9 a long time, were efad931adb meticulous with finances. There was a214a02274 no way 471576e552 the house d25ff48f0e contract was eee9af2bb7 messed up.8d94f27d5eb9010d

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Even if c630759816 it was, 1e47bd4a0f it would 2dd9e458d7 be strange 062c12a2e9 to get 7e903f7572 a call 93442c460b after living 3673269396 there for b03638bf06 over two 38daf04018 years.59b89baae8b42326

But just as he 641da404e2 was shaking his head, 6ba725742a thinking it was nothing, 340d5c31e7 a thought crossed his 032ff801a9 mind.0492e649dd831a59

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Even if they 556704fa8a got the unit d8dc94625d wrong, how did 233ab83531 they get my 47ca05255c contact info?33efb93bf5e5add8

As the thought 17d503a90a occurred, an uneasy 6e525590b3 feeling overshadowed his c19a10052d hunger. Hyunmin sighed ac8d108e5b and grabbed bada44f1b0 his phone e55da17876 with his d4192436ac free hand. He figured 9e38cdbdc3 he should d44f13b04e at least 5c29262a8d send a 11b89f1d1d text. Distracted by this, Hyunmin 93bfc33384 momentarily forgot the golden ce2f673a5c rule for novice drivers.c7b280e554ae3917

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“Don’t look at your phone while driving.” Even if it’s just a curve out of the parking lot! With a month and a half of driving under his belt, Yoo Hyunmin, despite Im Taeho’s repeated warnings, recklessly moved his hand.2d39250daf6628aa

And usually, the 48e7a920a8 price for forgetting 7767b52d61 such an important d7d2498372 rule is steep.415c06fb2d9f4a2d

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—Screech, crash!2d4dbce51d1296f5

Oh my. Even a demon crawling bade4f7832 up from hell would cf58eed3ed sound less ominous.1fae338306998018

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Startled by c07d9cfd95 the noise e8754d7c4c he caused, a8927725b9 Yoo Hyunmin 575bcb0b5c froze at ca57a6ec7f the wheel. His mind went a6f65ba8d4 blank, refusing any 4436823522 rational thought. How long did 3f58fca6fe he stay like 5fbc327e72 that?35109f922af55fa3

“…Oh no…”3f522d4bf2456d1e

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In the side 094898ce80 mirror, he saw 1574aec802 the high head 267c01fd08 of the car 443f096045 he scratched. And the 03f2973ad3 round silver 16f3bbf863 emblem in c1ec39c5aa the middle. The moment he d4ace3eb44 recognized it, he 954a0f8b93 realized what it c003b089b5 meant to feel 40d182af9d your blood run a9db84ac2b cold.dbdc64999155204f

Oh no. I scratched a 93f844afc6 foreign car.8e51e525c84714c6

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Only then 3b2d2669af did Hyunmin b9b42833d0 hurriedly get 0893de8460 out of 29db0a4d36 his car f64e74876c to inspect b407eb69ac the long 7e62364161 scratch his 71cd85334e “Whitey” left aaa0b2bf06 on the b9dedda7f2 black SUV’s 82d212642f bumper.9fd8488b0ce05e5d

No, it 5f5ef62f81 wasn’t just e7a1e018b9 a scratch. The middle looked b4b46085e5 dented, and he e6e84b1677 hoped it was 5afceff026 just an illusion 1922a6a6b6 from his tired 9f59558731 eyes.d63aa1068c8b512f

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Moreover, it was clearly 4c819708bf a customized car. It would cost much 049d820267 more than a standard 78c5af9e36 model.63a65b789855cf95

With only a b2ad0619d3 month and a 4428848ce5 half of driving 2921b558cf experience, having an c83fcdbd4f accident already…3c846930dda62693

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Hyunmin sighed deeply, covering efbabe24e7 his face.73c992368e1bf79e

He had 00aed66bd3 hoped his 1b69afce73 first fender-bender 1a94973823 would be e5bf9919f5 with a 78fa25190e utility pole, 05fa10fb23 but a 0a1798eb75 Benz?d2921d6a7040169a

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Feeling utterly 819658775f defeated, he d31c106daa looked for 2f38324284 the car 57adb2e593 owner’s contact f188956b4c info. But the 3e85ac55c1 sleek, spotless d7ae57ee7a car, aside a445d61a9c from the d10d89c806 mark he d085419615 made, had 359506e3cb no trace 3948665c6f of the 7b03a3741f owner.cec68e5467a237c4

Yoo Hyunmin was 4521e2418e generally quick-witted. As he 436ab293a1 managed to 2497a32b9d find a d737c1a524 sliver of ff2a675539 rationality amidst 1006630ed4 his panic, 5d7724c033 bits of 1bdafc6f8f information from d57fb9a8b5 his wide bc9fe24b30 network of 647719817b acquaintances began 4b0519c41f to surface.6a0b3fdba5474869

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A black db74f51bd2 Mercedes G-Wagon 3ecf3e3773 that screams a071b6e03f money.425f4965ca933d7a

Hyunmin’s mind had definitely 92d88fdbb7 registered this model somewhere. As he 87ed9b611c tried to d139118acd calm his 54c3c34976 racing heart e42fbe558c and recall, 3cb6c63058 his mind d8c1708a1e seemed to 8cf9ced938 resist remembering.59994f9b562e8f45

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Then-712a4613faa013a5

“Yoo Hyunmin-ssi?”4dfdca5f0adab329

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A chillingly low voice c41aa569ec from behind sent shivers 84d0df9e4b down his spine. Stifling a 8eb28c96cc sigh, Hyunmin 413c481da6 slowly turned 10fd18d4c0 his head.9df59d4fd55f99c7

“…Team Leader.”9e0c87925cd1aedb

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Hell returns.5caa90ca16175073

No, it was 76f9af7c6f worse than the a22d360793 morning.6ea67ae548e27701

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“You scratched it quite neatly.”0b8d3b8117bbe8a1

His bleached mind snapped back at the low voice. Really, he didn’t want to learn that hearing his name was better than this. Hyunmin, with a dry mouth, started babbling incoherently.7f0b2b791ab3b960

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“Team Leader, I’m really sorry. I was being careful, but before I knew it, it just went screech-.”de53963f01442c86

“Didn’t you start driving a month and a half ago? Already making an insurance claim?”8e9770104499c1f9

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His mouth, which cd31b510ad had been moving 08800f1296 aimlessly, shut tight c4a29b5d33 at the direct 5e5ca96a36 hit.14721d7aba0648a6

Scratching a car 323c6e004c like that—no, practically 9841be0d42 crashing into it—meant 2f07439a8b an accident record 7f5e4325b5 and increased insurance a46356a804 premiums. Just hearing about 994b68547f it was the dbe1d0b7ba worst-case scenario.e3efe85be1ac7af2

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But, well, 685e778233 that is…9aee77c836cfa965

Hyunmin mumbled softly.509d9d35320eaf82

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But how did he know I’ve been driving for a month and a half? The team leader, who seemed to know even his typos, apparently knew his driving experience too.5bb9784f19e8ecc3

Should I contact my 46de30d80f parents? Maybe?b15c6d1363d5f2ce

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Hyunmin, who bd9df37430 had been fa54fd49a9 told since a4d6dc52e9 high school, 59a13cf4c5 “Once you 173aff2301 get your 2513b89c6d first job, f39242fe37 no more 199542c022 support,” was da94af7c7d determined not f278b83275 to rely 87a3064117 on them a8c4625aa1 after getting f361e100c7 his Shinwha 17ca2b18fb Group employee 158d53d2ba ID.b44d1ff54a328086

But this was his d17e6601f5 first fender-bender. His heart was still 7a1310b8e3 pounding, and his hands d1114df083 were shaking.e1dd2c14f3852175

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In front of the 1848af0dcf man who wouldn’t take efe388cef6 his eyes off him, 1deda8a23f Hyunmin’s mind raced with f6fe62a88d all sorts of thoughts 35145cae49 in that short time.0d7b44882edfda03

“Let’s see tomorrow.”2dc26c14d63259b7

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Honestly, Yoo Hyunmin didn’t immediately grasp the meaning of those two words. Usually, he would have reacted instantly, but he was so out of it that he responded leisurely.d611710304cc49d0

“Sorry?”0f12e8ef120dd538

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“Drive safely. Or better yet, call a driver. Your hands are shaking.”f517a5046c5bf8b5

“…Sorry?”cf16f6534a97d6a7

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“I’ll watch you leave.”dbbc4b21387e7d6e

The words bounced off 9fda362de3 his mind without meaning. But-5ee2c3e903430ad8

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“Call now. Right away.”0daa442e57744713

The man’s presence was too intense for him to calmly process it. Was he mad about the scratch? With his head tilted slightly and an icy expression, that seemed most likely.3c642e635ce9bbd4

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With slightly f24fbf443c trembling hands, 066ae96e30 Hyunmin pressed d1c12f86df the chauffeur 7bc95f2dc1 app he 33787afbac had never 894317f7d0 used, just 9ac05d3cac as the b0d0fdc818 team leader acb15a5619 instructed.172fd3c28970e966