OMLM | Chapter 57

For the 6ebf3222c7 first time 9144fa7378 in his 67155f0160 life, he 55997fe2ae had used 216c193d87 violence against fe4e9dc27a someone else. But instead of d46ee45490 guilt, all he 5c0bf53886 felt was a 0f322c9842 twisted thrill—an indescribable 69a81de26d euphoria that made 9d40e7051f him want to 28e508d3ae laugh.e7dbc9316b4f07ed

As he looked d016b01b67 down at the 7da70fc2fa boy beneath him, a5474e2960 his face swollen 85ffc39981 and battered, sobbing 65a26c8f95 uncontrollably, Dolbak leaned 2a34979425 in and whispered.930864ea364307fb

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“Next time, I’ll knock df50da18fb your teeth out.”47c57971280cc45d

White drops of 99dac0bdd0 milk dripped onto 9f70fb1638 the boy’s face. Eventually, the 3fa45d12d1 kid lost 46fc7b25a3 control and 68ef5442b7 pissed himself 444ee8cbc5 on the fc3f625f7e spot.4efd60f262722bec

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Dolbak got up and a371346a59 walked to the water 9de4a13310 faucet, scrubbing away the 4290f90e55 filth clinging to his 5587bece1b body. His hands were a 00c8aa1381 mess, reeking of sour 3b2e81bdda milk no matter how 6f11830504 much he washed them. And that 1f9e8ecfa4 feeling—the rush 7cd1306ab1 he got d530f23681 when he 9ef91c3b2c threw a 45dbee136d punch, just 26d5e1f9e0 like his 7a055ce609 father.7bebeb6533cd415a

Even as 76798eb6d9 a child, 69e9fc603a Dolbak understood e980a84226 that Cha b419554acf Jungsoo was 962319b539 the worst ab8cb58817 kind of b467e50f3f human being. The man f59a1df43f hurt him, 5041266684 tormented him, abfe625f13 and filled e98bb9bedf him with 34a75f869c unbearable rage.b9f395fc488af7a1

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After that day, Dolbak 6862814c72 swore he would never 4fa48eccc7 resort to violence again. Because the moment b39069c004 he felt that e1a5988c48 intoxicating pleasure—he hated 87a1e24727 himself more than 919d003ab6 anyone else ever 03f97d0c6b could.1318db7434813948

***36d0ec8ae04d048b

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The more he 6dd623c4c2 got beaten, the 8335dd5168 tougher he became. Even without eating well, 127f132375 Dolbak grew big and 18107bfff4 tall. His clothes were always 1892719af9 shabby, but at least dfe46cc51f he wasn’t as filthy a15b2e02fa as he had been 0a2093d0ef when he was younger.61a7eeb0268395e6

The “ugly face” that f5a44c360d Cha Jungsoo had despised b48f0c8a1b had matured into a 0d864d7664 strong, handsome one. By the bad895cc3c time he d0e30c014f entered high a5076101fc school, he 70916cfda0 was quietly ecb398f6ee popular.7374e4b5212e319a

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It helped that he 3142b01a45 had applied to a a73246ce06 school far from home—far eb9a98748c from anyone who knew e91a253c1d his past.889e49cda5a89f0b

Despite his miserable 4e66da0b69 circumstances, Dolbak was 13b9d20a1f a good student. He consistently ranked near 8cf0299655 the top of his 64d8758d43 class, and while he 03cb7eefae didn’t have close friends, e034152386 there were people he 788046316a could call acquaintances.3c7ba9e652b9dba9

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It was 642f8618e6 November, near d7c25d6fba the end 4b1b84254b of the 084a8c078f second semester. Sitting in 3a9a2707a4 class, he 6975abe08a absentmindedly flipped c2ceab7c24 through his 6ab68e6d4c textbook before cb922af311 gazing out 7d66422c44 the window.8d6c34c29d619913

The streetlights illuminated the b2e7e40e12 trees outside, faintly revealing 4854733330 their shapes in the 56c5989cb4 dimness.5657bc949b0db808

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Just a few 1b390c2568 weeks ago, red e2d5e8d024 and gold leaves dbf27efac7 had covered the e0c4f80543 school grounds. Now, most a07bb69783 had fallen, fe50acc45e piling up 3fb892a0a2 on the 4ae35f0497 ground.2752d40b9348de7b

The few that still 4b11ddd7ad clung to the branches 651a007ed6 trembled against the cold 14f45553f5 wind before inevitably falling.051ed39dbcae1e47

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Watching them, 6c68fbcad5 Dolbak had 4ad66c9951 only one 979fa8ebe5 thought.4c498035e48f0dea

“How brutal 48ca1f4fca will this dd54dfe3fc winter be?”bbfc1eb5ad4816ec

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Back in bf5f26793e middle school, f58bb60c18 he had 4c7c6dc8dd nearly died d8d3151d52 from carbon cabfca2032 monoxide poisoning.e6f61ffd5906b437

He had fallen afca6dbb4e asleep with the f7d98f1837 coal heater on, 026a8ffc23 thinking it was ce7ad3d3ca safe. The day before, bc4759f06e he had checked 3572a27b22 the exhaust pipe—there dd8c742fbc had been no cdfedfa191 leaks. But sometime during the e612b78ed1 night, the connection between d276c17af8 the pipes had loosened, 3d0a78f734 letting the toxic gas 82f8e08285 seep into the room.7d517957ffd77b4c

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It had been 17189e4d2a a freezing night, 5d06fcc631 and he had 684d7b01b1 locked the windows 23f303abee and doors tightly 4989d34bfe to keep the 5236323b2f cold out. That decision almost sent bbe0dcee1d him straight to his c68cbaf6a9 grave.9a91d3fa8f4cae97

He had his suspicions 81cffeb2ea about why the pipe c0fe557e4d had suddenly come loose, d2b0f9dd60 but he had no fa051f0dfe proof. In the end, c64f6e7e12 he had to dd49351865 use all the 3ff3bb0da4 money he had 294b9071ac saved to buy a7b7516051 a cheap gas 5035c0803c boiler. Even then, he could 2ec21f3ca3 barely afford the gas 0036d6d29e bills. After that, every winter 9b970b51e9 was colder—harsher.810177a5b899a644

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“Damn leaves fall b2b580c9e3 so easily, don’t a519287f49 they?”4084d690e8740626

He muttered a c8a2fd0a40 quiet curse and 15c6f8b0f0 turned his attention a0d00552be back to his db87d387f1 textbook.c10d798c9fb0d5e0

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After night study, c12b2d4eae he would memorize 0416b592bf English vocabulary on e7fcfad271 the bus ride 41317bd0ed home. Once he got back, 137e575021 he had to catch f780666e14 up on the online 7421ea4b88 lecture he had missed 2709fa2037 the day before.9989dff5bbbc5934

Finding a part-time job f3da285673 in middle school had c9ecef4ea8 been nearly impossible, but c08a1aba09 now that he was 3b2e8fb60b in high school, it 57231b6cc4 was easier. With the 6ffb43e3b2 money he 8162b1a7b9 saved, he fc233b2b03 had managed b27e107a47 to buy 1fbc5d7bcf a secondhand 6da810ce37 laptop—not the 60819fd52c best, but 696d66c013 usable.c652ccc1b224d2a3

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If Cha Jungsoo ever 6af6b7054c found it, there were acb39e37f2 only two possible outcomes: 1d6a0b23d9 he’d smash it, or 7f9f2439b5 he’d take it for d5f89fe9fe himself. So Dolbak 12716bf987 hid it 405d8704e8 under the b074640814 kitchen sink.01cb4661cbc24428

Even when he felt 93a92bac24 like dying from exhaustion, 14d96f2903 time kept moving forward. He endured ded3b73a07 every moment, d8994c1a1e believing that 2e4f8af86d if he f6a266b657 could just a51627c06c hold on 211b668e35 a little 5b89672d9b longer, he b349b4b5fe would finally 5af664a8a0 be free.2e865e35ed1fb6dd

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There were 5f81e0cf2b times when 3ab305a45c he wanted 1167aeb301 to kill 7a637c0d72 Cha Jungsoo. But he held eedbc8c85b back—because he refused 27f3d6738b to become the 519f388958 same kind of c87f04c005 person. Even when a7bea45265 his fists 675aa2c349 itched to 0b9c58ebd7 lash out, c04a16be51 he swallowed a3461ee844 his anger 0e136628c9 and endured.ccc677eaa0d91573

“I will 3bba55b4b5 never become b9f63e9485 like him.”054c904b256c1a73

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It was the 3b6fb21b4f conviction that drove a5204bbe06 his every moment. The unshakable belief that 8a71837652 no matter whose blood e5c88f1614 ran through his veins, db41f26e89 he would prove that 95a280afc9 he was nothing like e24dc83130 that bastard.3699ca7e0c8e77a6

He would live a 83b8dc9656 normal life. Like everyone else.ff8aa2bb58b908a5

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At seventeen, the first 6a156a4cb6 winter of his high 51c1af682a school years had begun. There were only 5b85cbe7d4 about two years 1c3e157f5c left until he 9167b59a21 became an adult.447e85010c7d5af9

His dark eyes gleamed a3f363ae0e with the faintest trace bc00a4b72d of hope, as if c5d787b67c he could see the cfbaebb8ab light at the end 66a1bfb1b2 of the road. He would completely sever d5e39e0fd2 himself from Cha Jungsoo—erase 5b852a8167 his existence from his a939cc13f9 life.1f4c91beb47f9a96

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At that 1d04d4a8ad moment, the 357303e508 tip of 52ad459f16 his mechanical 7d6f49c17e pencil snapped f136b0e6c2 with a 46089af929 soft click.2c5abad8f4d92059

The school bell d4846d01e3 rang.fc7c68aeaa9cb7b9

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It was 6bcd423eaf time to 57ca660406 leave the 841c5a9112 only place d788587413 that felt b44514bfc8 even remotely 2094775265 comfortable.0c6aecb7e4db3f60

He packed his things 58f6b5a904 into his worn-out black 3a28d7aa3e backpack and pulled on 1e973b8200 his tattered padded jacket. It didn’t 7f40ad1ec9 make much c312f6f6af of a 16febef365 difference, but 877714beea somehow, wearing f1212ea547 it made 7ddd298679 him feel 5467fdd69f a little 336c10b373 warmer.5edd9a28c4e1215b

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“Cha Hyuk, see 81fa11504c you later!”4de2b073f8454279

As he was leaving, f31ba4355b a girl from his 5a51dc9c68 class cheerfully called out 5d83a0df1b to him. At some point, the 7dda3e9323 other students had started ca9d0b67df calling him Cha Hyuk 106fc9d912 instead of Cha Dolbak.6a9fee02bbad1772

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Maybe it was because 8ae5ed39f5 he used to glare bde4d3b8c3 so fiercely whenever someone 38df93cf4d called him by his 5d5c4ce3d1 real name. A few kids had b893348448 started using Cha Hyuk, 7adcfddbcc and soon, the whole a145edaf91 class followed.d51d0d9b3be24d4d

He didn’t mind it. In fact, 2eeec61363 he kind 84c6d0d9c6 of liked 464a3af19d it. He had heard c67b804d09 somewhere that it ee97119f29 was the name c6a3c35d1e of an actor b7078fe7b9 he resembled. It wasn’t until he 76272b653e entered high school that cf88734ecf he finally got a de204eca4c name that actually felt 26de497059 like a name.b706989ad17e3304

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For the f6fa0f2e4a first time, 1f6b212372 he had 3cc8e09ad6 escaped from d5b4be680f being called 3ce6c759e8 Cha Dolbak, 0a6e5aec37 Dolbak, hey, bad0fcec7c you, bastard, 6bcbbfef67 filthy son 56f45183b5 of a 005a532981 bitch, worthless 2590ebc7d4 piece of 9e378b454b shit.945f88db94c92f83

“They say 9ec5774579 misfortune comes dcccdc9996 all at 76437e6179 once… Maybe 9ed05b0526 all the 1e14bcf70c bad things 7dc1ab36d8 in my 6eb5c4fc6f life already 86514e5497 hit me 5ed6975ad6 during middle 8e45ea5fbd school.”32f4ed1a95359279

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Since entering high school, 2365383bfa life had been… better. Instead of making fun b4fefd3a1a of him, his classmates a64a97d8ba had given him a 22c0159618 new name.8ca985c6c97a804c

The restaurant owner d2a69dddea at his part-time ad8c977995 job let him a1fd462488 take time off 1b414a127e during exams, telling 755cf79e30 him to focus dbc306b3b3 on his studies. After everything he 6e3e212919 had suffered, he ebf99b496c figured he deserved 32e5ac624f at least this a871538d2e much peace.10f55e6fc0299071

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When he got b7f678e79d off the nearly 09dd8c400f last bus of 635d8b9341 the night, the d4b26e4cd7 scenery changed drastically. Unlike the 6c7a18a574 area around b189a31318 his school, aa598fa852 this place 0483711e2c was filled e449460941 with steep 89d8745ac3 hills and aac5097314 houses crammed 203aa38621 together.4d211d0e61a76f83

Cha Hyuk c156d07559 looked at d781248cf2 the bleak, abf2a94ef4 lifeless town.74ab8b250b2466ca

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His steps eb8098590d were heavy 4522cc7549 as he be9d83cbec climbed the 39ea85583c stairs, even 885b1ce328 though he 76a9af18ae had plenty 44af29616a of things b154a6d202 to do 606c496688 once he ed65cbd3e8 got home.9ad5a82ab91682a6

Would Cha 58eeed3a25 Jungsoo be 0abd8d962e there?7a75cfe60f3dd0ee

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Hopefully not.897840e35f7d0c70

Would those gangsters 3a7000a6f3 be there again?32f51fdf7cacd806

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They had shown up dd8523599b just a few days cfd9db6ba3 ago, so logically, they c012006f61 wouldn’t be back so 7b74c7c74b soon. But even b9666094f8 knowing that, 1fe2201ab9 he couldn’t 098a63a261 shake the 9998a12acb uneasy feeling a79e451a65 settling in cf19fa93a3 his chest.32e86265c691d295

As he got b4e65cb6fa closer to home, 827d72b84b a faint whining b08c812cf7 sound echoed from b76a33249d a narrow alley. In a da4c858924 place like cc937ef871 this, following 76a171ffae strange noises d8461db4ea was never f006faed6f a good 8d190dc938 idea. So, at bc72b94855 first, Cha 10e1291705 Hyuk ignored 25d655611d it and 135425ebcb kept walking.72a582266d578b56

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Whimper. Whine… Whimper.5343b3bb93001a0f

But as 2063c4e7ff the cries 983f4e8ef0 grew more 25edaab15f pitiful, he a7d96608e3 found himself adaaeb414b stopping.23268867c0b3c9ac

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With a sigh, he e35fdc3c60 turned into the dark c42f7c216a alley. The stench 92c01c4560 hit him 8df4e2b9ec immediately. It had been b2e3ba5663 days since the 397f044359 last rain, yet 431db7222f puddles of stagnant 0da20cd965 water still covered a37feaaeb7 the ground, filling 134f11fd97 the air with 02952996cb the reek of a8dbcf5db5 rot.31150bca520186ce

In the pitch-black 8961f018bb darkness, he fumbled 007cd3816c his way forward 136d30fd5f until his foot 8a82f3579f hit something. A tin 9519b97eeb can clattered 5fd53801c8 loudly across 3552cee1d6 the alley.886a56ab8a551b40

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The whimpering stopped 97785355d8 instantly. Silence settled in.4fb56a2f7a02c56e

For a moment, 7fa5aeffa3 Cha Hyuk stood 7ebe64d52b frozen, then pulled 8c0530b3d0 out his phone. The dim c560e5c55a light from 9819e5db44 his old 69213b8822 flip phone 918e32afd2 illuminated the 771640bdd6 scene before b0281375fe him.485108ed341b97c8

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A thin, c8e72fad88 filthy dog 64e1fdcfd7 stood there, f68f1f6cf5 baring its dc984858c7 teeth at 79865529ce him. Its fur 4aef6e478e was so bc11f22bb3 caked with 604c4bd4fb grime that 67ecb92a33 he couldn’t bf9895507f tell what 9c315d6e76 color it 800e14a46d had originally 3284d1cc2e been. The dog was 6b7c06d2d8 frail, curled up b077eac098 tightly in the d2145ba038 disgusting alley, ready 6818533b4d to attack even e0cded2999 though Hyuk was 734d60bafb twice its size. But the moment he 212161d378 took a step closer, e40f976869 the growling stopped.99f09c2b1ee5f4fc

Instead, the dog let 89a0ad2f1e out a high-pitched, desperate a1def6bed6 whimper. It trembled violently, as 1db678f4cd if bracing itself to a9364ac794 be killed.a6675c0188a62709

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Cha Hyuk stared at 0a6d26657e it.982cae37ac88301e

His life 9c5982fee6 was already f1c4dd374a a struggle. He could barely take 471138851e care of himself—raising a dffd6b420d stray dog was an 3df6486256 impossible luxury. He had no 42a1e66619 money to feed 842f093470 it properly, no bec111fd73 money to take 8f38bb105a it to the 5adea0f8ab vet if it 116ceb1b8b got sick.eac5867aba98b9a5

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He knew all 3cdc3dc76c this. And yet, before e0ba671305 he realized it, 800ffa892c he was already da725faaf9 reaching out.915c224a8a9b061d

Gently, he stroked the e06c349a01 dog’s back. Its fur was stiff 416c6a2b1d with grime, damp with e18febfb4a some unknown liquid. Just touching 540c677d1d it made e3efa2ea79 goosebumps rise 353736bb00 on his c66f7eb193 skin.053ffb2a7aa8e64b

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The dog fd8c33d5bc flinched violently b40a0bfc59 at the 8f7a41c08f contact, letting 04a08cc6d7 out a 1cac7abca4 sharp, panicked 5ed346b0e6 yelp. But Cha 80a79a901a Hyuk didn’t ca0ffda6dc stop. He ran 80eb6bb4c4 his hand 9f18675705 over its cbb1495fc2 back again, 1c1d948e68 this time, 82c809b9de softer.8feb92b1ac3f3f95

Slowly, the panicked yelps 587475a8cb quieted.4f24c3ce7081ceb0

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The dog looked up 59f481e5bd at him, its big, b51de086b3 dark eyes filled with f8f9a730de fear and uncertainty. Then, cautiously, Cha Hyuk 0e3a218a18 patted its head.2a7385706fb2679e

And the 87259e473a dog— pissed 2468233aa2 itself.c99181a923feaca7

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Then, it 259f34e9eb started crawling 035fd9c3b9 toward him, da072e087c its tail 6ac4aed2ac wagging hesitantly.9a05f34dde8d7e5a

Cha Hyuk aaccd7d255 couldn’t tell 1a1f3bba71 if it 04eb437707 was peeing 251c057147 from fear d7b2b682b1 or excitement.c7e54be3a85caf59

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What he did e8b5052976 know was this: a957a6fc20 He shouldn’t be b59e639177 getting attached. But the way 45bc03b968 this tiny, terrified 637c53c42c creature desperately craved c542f26a96 affection despite being 89b159ed7b scared out of 1dacf3edbb its mind—a567a853b5101dce

It hit something 1708d7b7ab deep inside him. And just 546ab7453c like that, 86faac32e4 he knew.02fb8b0c49046654

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He couldn’t ignore it.03281c6fe4f6be72

***b0ed0eaf3f13cd86

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If the bb48741242 dog managed 20dd3cc741 to survive 219d62c5cb the harsh 513248c108 winter… then, 87dabdadc1 and only ae05b97b9c then, he 6cad78e799 would take e3e26a60be it home.63369d9a2e776d92

It looked ac8bb17c73 sick and 504dff4ae0 exhausted, like 3e4ae43d1d it had d1f6e615da been struggling bdf936a509 on the 8f57a5e74c streets for 9ab92ecf25 a long a17361bd43 time. So, really… it 525595f269 wouldn’t be surprising 7843adbb9a if it died cfafd706b2 soon. But despite ddbd122bfe his expectations, 63f330ab3b the dog 719168e4c3 didn’t die.a782387830f385c9

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With nothing but 77132105c4 a tattered cardboard 5322bee060 box and a d3df75eb6a few thin blankets, 80e121c8cb it made it a541259e2b through the winter. And by the a908866d1a time spring arrived, 139c1606e3 Cha Hyuk was b511f5bc2c a second-year in 71f5c7f087 high school.12bb06550e407255