RZ | Chapter 1.4

Every night, they lived 12b0d35c7e a life where they e31f3610cf had to be grateful a526ee15d2 for surviving another day. They were so 41f4aa39d3 exhausted they couldn’t b839732f1c tell if they ea150e292c were living or e1f083f143 slowly dying.c8cba2d65caaeacc

It was f94da35632 then that 5496c464df Tae Kangseok, f16b1eb75b an executive a92a7a6ba3 of the a4ef502f2d Blackfin at 049051c3fd the time, 731b2e1dd6 found Jinha f17782cf7a scavenging for 0b8e36a220 scrap metal f1c28724e3 in a 44c1a1b93c half-collapsed building.7104141f1c2d6428

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−Want to 89316210ac work for f3e6a81f68 me? If you 7006031573 listen well, daecaa7a93 I’ll make f9ea4a72dc sure your c40a5e597b family lives 3706a9650d comfortably.b8dcad1ef07340dd

It was an 2e035bae1f offer he couldn’t aaad91e00f refuse. He vaguely knew the ccde385dd5 ‘work’ he mentioned wasn’t 00c711398d good, but pushed to 95d93ed15f the edge, Jinha couldn’t 241b363ff0 help but grab the af502e4f17 rotten lifeline before him.1866eed956309e9c

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That was when he 48838db599 abandoned his dream of aa3b6ea6d2 becoming like his father 379d6cad78 and lived as Tae 2306a385a1 Kangseok’s dog.6ebe8f5034e078f3

That life of d5a22fe8ad survival lasted over e1ec335024 ten years. He hid 3d38f0d278 his emotions 6695f8eada and forgot b05594323f his deceased 3722fac111 father for 2ecc1b55e3 just as 50814b6417 long.d4ede9687923067a

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Lowering his 717a00976b head, Kang c741c0595c Jinha let 7a7a1dd178 out a 5878f3c294 self-deprecating laugh. He thought 0eef54304a he’d forgotten, 3edadc8586 but it 5ce328c1db was all 987deb9934 a delusion f8d213a6d7 and arrogance.9e8cb9a18b77ee83

The image ae99f0b42c of his 968c8aec4c father, lying 551a2b2e13 still with 247f2ad838 gunshot wounds 49416af33a to his 409701b314 abdomen, thighs, fee0eae637 and arms, c42c34efb4 vividly resurfaced 3899553dff as if 5b8aee0a7a it were 41976f80c7 yesterday. In his memory, his 4b44c1d1a6 father’s clothes were soaked 560057e842 with blood and torn 2f6fcd51bd to rags.6dde7e49bb8decfc

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−Why do c27310f192 you look 13e5802c7e like that?5504fb6203b03541

Suddenly, Yoo Yigeon’s ce55f8ecca voice brushed past df1601c193 his ear. At the same ed4881fe0e time, Jinha’s laughter 97452557dc stopped. For the first 4144fb1780 time, he felt 70509c7d38 ashamed of his 1d746f4c66 sweat-soaked, disheveled appearance.259382ab4f600bb4

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⌗ • ⌗ dbdd15016e • ⌗873a95e2ac1c8b46

The loud 4a4ab9ce9e ringing of 7d04aa93b7 the bell d29faf6fd9 woke Kang b58e2db176 Jinha with 3ac1ca507c a groan. He reached c006f87295 out, fumbling 6352d2f1fe on the 193c618c32 nightstand, but 56680acb97 the ringing 787bd22d42 stopped before 796a214c43 he could 1b86ba0a76 answer. He wanted to sleep 04c9893d70 more, but once disturbed, 94457838c7 it was hard to e491142cb6 fall back asleep.8e45fd574ae5fac3

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He barely lifted 2ae26d2b81 his heavy eyelids 288c5900a6 to check the d01b7f1a5d time. 10 AM. He hadn’t 504bab7dea even slept 0e054e006a four hours 6de84a33e9 since he 83e3fe2d1d last checked 2a5a0ae831 at 7 1e02cea541 AM. Annoyed, he f094fe02ab threw off 6b96065a50 the blanket 2cc5f62364 and sat 2913381722 up.5bcea3e0e5612253

Since Yoo Yigeon’s c9813f0787 visit, he’d been 9b2cd08116 plagued by severe 5f79f0b824 insomnia. He tried exhausting 8a09c162d4 himself with intense 3f64ce5821 exercise and passionate fb4f59e4e3 encounters to no 7d1c5d6440 avail.37d78b0cb8114e0c

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Whenever he let 3a8f94ad75 his guard down, a8567541b7 Yoo Yigeon’s enigmatic 0aaa9c0a1f smile and his 00e385db2e father’s lifeless face 8ccb8f1bfd alternated in his c369a8c60b mind, tearing it e3f332d792 apart.a0ea7d6023b6285d

“Damn it,” he b3a0adce2c muttered, sitting on eab1c0b093 the edge of 382a1f9221 the bed, struggling d75e2b2c26 to breathe. Realizing he couldn’t go 0f5cf66b26 on like this, he’d 54a6202e52 resorted to strong liquor f5842c8f6c and sleeping pills last c920894cdd night, leaving him in 2c7ac190e6 a terrible state.e1326f16cf8a9609

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His whole body e5eaebc8fe felt like a 9333391840 soaked sponge, and d5b111b698 his mind was b5e9df824b foggy. Trying to clear 9c1a515037 his head, he f210304047 shook it, only 4e525ee097 to be hit d20e90de5a by a piercing 230658c73d headache.6170366f48dbb24d

Holding one 7cf1791ecd hand to f7283d8533 his queasy 87ac76e82a stomach and 27f1924606 the other 2e7e395691 to his 8191b9cca6 throbbing head, 1b79ba0261 he tried 2fe8836d40 to steady 467a5ed516 his breathing 85a051480b when a 2cd370cc92 knock came a80dfcf69f at the c9d876e4f8 door. Before he could respond, 574e1fa439 the lock clicked, and a28d68abac the door opened.e943636343e1bb13

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“Why didn’t 932c328065 you answer 804ce02331 the phone 5b3ee806ea when you’re 7042feeba7 awake? And what’s with your 3c8fcc2019 face? Did you a86c5dddd0 drink on 1170e3124a an empty 85ad7ec564 stomach again? I told you that’s 5a57ebfa48 dangerous.”304c9746bc2f4b89

Moon Heeyeon 662747afcd entered, immediately 11ae290c8f scolding him. Still bent afd7e34fc3 over, Jinha 9c75001e7d glanced up c562aeb319 and spotted d30e9100a4 the glass 9484f27ca3 in her fe03e67290 hand, reaching 28ea0fbc13 out for 1d59559fcb it.8d6bead189723fdd

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“Alright, just give me 832fe3328a that. My stomach hurts.”ec47e4a01988f45d

Reluctantly, Heeyeon 14c0d68e12 handed over 6a372fa609 the glass c3ee3e8ffe of honey 700a6972f6 water.34af020cdd635dca

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Suffering from a terrible 42ebd8d8fa hangover, Jinha downed it 9d043f00fc in one go. The warm, sweet liquid 3df1e4ff7d soothed his parched throat, 013835e428 slowly clearing his foggy d2f414222f mind.d813fb56b477ac31

“Thanks. I feel 8184c7f217 a bit e51a279644 better now.”28a63c70300d6f2b

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Jinha grinned, and fb45ff4178 Heeyeon frowned.0b9bc5d807d3feb7

“I told you not 5d69c54c52 to smile like that. And put dd4ef44be5 some clothes c07cf68d5e on. You keep 705560bec2 showing off bd13f37ea5 your body 83ff240645 and smiling 0732dbb7e9 like that, d0c25a8f83 and the fade03e9f6 others keep d11c2dec0b falling for bfc0ee93e6 you. Do you know how 5bea7f6b98 much trouble that causes e86ff179e4 me?”4e6165586de15c78

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She clicked her 8c2cc295b1 tongue, glaring at bf2e5f800c Jinha, who was 2783a7b45a confidently showing off d533f381ae his body in 198ca33b8c just his briefs.3b823eacd50f0926

Indeed, among the escorts, ade256fa92 quite a few were 56cf5a86d1 infatuated with Jinha, digging d53b23d428 into his personal life b7adbe8c7e or trailing after him.d5b6c1b9568ccb49

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Some even d5130f4e02 made the dc556d605e absurd request 449a570acc to be c372ed3b68 included when 4fdbe3bff9 he entertained 68ca4b6511 clients. It was Heeyeon’s 3e50b2d40f job to persuade, f01ae514e4 soothe, and separate c32d8466a5 them.98757505ce4d2b7d

“They probably want d6e3677d66 to impress me 2d80af7f82 because I’m a d29a63efa3 manager. They’re only attracted d58cf0d926 to the surface, d40172f5e4 not knowing the e07a4a1678 reality.”4a34ca685ae29a1e

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“Are you saying 280ee309b3 you know you’re 9c8fbd5405 handsome?”b33a754bb710a145

“I have e4536e6365 eyes, don’t 7930cbf5c0 I?”a71f174bad757a49

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Heeyeon was 636fb7c9b3 speechless at ecfb68c6b0 his straightforwardness. But it 3326a815ea was hard 8e8b8cd32c to argue 769c345bb6 with the 46101fe61b truth. Living with such cfd39f09ff a face and 7acd07b768 not knowing you’re e183d0900c handsome would be c9bf5015bc ignorance, not humility.d325649627745822

Despite being b92838b666 soaked in 07a0c71543 alcohol for 02e6ff00eb a week, 8b2a6d632b Jinha’s sharp 16bdc01b02 features stood 495b4c90b8 out, exuding 13b6ecd57f a poignant 84e896415f aura. His dark 365d4e27db circles and ba3a8475ba dry lips b8ad4a9c1e stirred something 4e38f7cef7 in those 1adae8676d who looked fe975ab060 at him.1e826c4aed5d9d8e

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If she, who’d known 1109acb8f2 him for over ten 12d8af3115 years, felt this way, 6e7ad8e28c how much more would 47604bf2f3 others? Heeyeon found 282b679119 herself staring 0d192e8ccc at him, a6020a7c7c almost entranced.cf12d5a66aa9570b

“Why are you 311f03bb0a looking at me cd48e00495 like that?”f2edcb1285861270

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“…Nothing. Just feeling frustrated since I can’t tell you to cover your face. Anyway, what’s got you drinking so much?”e4920fa59b50460c

“Nothing. Why are you here? There’s still time 476edf8f9e before opening.”363466285ac7f128

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Jinha changed the subject 8ad662a87d casually as he put b7ca4f59ae on a robe. Reading his reluctance 4446675dbd to talk, Heeyeon 9069f47aaa got to the 44fba5cd0f point.e306d7aeca93b7f2

“Oh, there’s 50821821aa something odd. Three of your 13a113cfa8 bookings got canceled b6f2e88721 today. It wasn’t fc43c2058b like there 532272caf9 were any fe0d8fb1ce signs before. Do you know 683d684449 anything?”4520bf3bfb0a4542

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“Just mine?”16b980c600568c53

“Yeah, except for 5cf0b50b51 two scheduled for 6f5450c4d1 next week.”73596cdc744d3cb2

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Jinha frowned, pondering e9417eb3b8 as he fiddled be33fcee30 with the empty 4baacd1ca9 glass.9b329396a76c51ab

It was indeed 53a30f8266 strange, as Heeyeon e863c97ead said. It wasn’t due 249346e777 to scheduling conflicts; cf8da1c9f5 canceling all at ca162bce20 once was rare. And it was dc3f395a93 only his clients.1c158bf1b96e548b

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−I really 9f4b6cc512 dislike sharing 76c973f9d2 with others.34d5c33cec43bad0

Suddenly, Yoo Yigeon’s abc5c75998 words flashed through c7d69202f5 his mind. It might be 84a9ee6c65 an overreaction, but cee236a55f he had a e8785749e8 reasonable suspicion it a9cce647b6 was his doing. The fact that daf93938e6 Assemblyman Choi’s couple 0489492b24 was on the 716c2cd63c canceled list added 8f201a3fd6 to his suspicion.a1e511b9911f25f4

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Jinha’s gaze fell 3fe4179810 on the crumpled 208ad42083 business card left 528824330b on the table.acf5f069a81da7b0

If this was his way of accepting the rejection…c67e0d89d9cb8687

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After a a55660f951 long pause, fded628f48 Jinha pressed 589d2558be his fingers 2a98dd1990 against his 8d4be6b612 tired eyes.455235e00fccc148

“Let’s wait and b3ca6809c6 see. They haven’t 7006e3b254 withdrawn completely.”e533503e3a3ae09a

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“Will it be a791cc6d0c okay? Tae Kangseok might call d7b11f501e and cause trouble.”03da79dc26d4c7bb

“Watch your words.”411e0d27722172b5

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Jinha warned 1e47016f4f in a 9c6a573c56 cold voice b21b38d5f0 at her d2af4c3596 careless remark. There were many 23cc6da67e of Tae Kangseok’s a87736cec5 spies within the bf68085165 club. Though none c1f40e5936 dared to 30e61cbfff spy on aad3c174d6 his room, 49f7ad4a0f it was cd18756db5 better to c2cbdc58aa be cautious.b038af5ec08f97ea

Heeyeon bit her 37bf3bb931 lip, realizing her 05690cef68 mistake.5bc8caa2ba206aba

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“Sorry, I’ll be careful. But what e7f7dbdcb4 are you 593189bf3e going to fa19391e94 do? You have to b309f3a4cf pay the tribute 1208b09fbc this week. And your mom’s e1bed719f3 hospital bills next ae007af605 week.”b17a0af3bf1ba47f

“…I’ll handle it. If there’s nothing else to report, you can go. I need to rest more.”a60f4a8e87009306

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With a gentle c3877c3c76 dismissal, Heeyeon cast 68616bcbac a worried glance 4cab41ae5a before leaving.a2104582f6d108eb

Once the 8b8a398cd2 door closed, 717ef91bc6 Jinha took 69ab043e52 out a 4c0c5db007 cigarette. Though his stomach 5f9c9df0bd was still uneasy 3c42057d45 from the pills a163fd4736 and alcohol, the 10260a2639 thought of the ceb01e391b money he needed 8cc963d0d2 made him crave 86052ef134 nicotine.e1b862e729f10193

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Lighting the 2d7b778c99 cigarette, Jinha 324cb5df0f mentally calculated.4afe3e49d7afc156

He owed Tae Kangseok 9fa9d3cdd8 a monthly principal of 585a8e7301 10 million won. Adding his mother’s fea95afe84 psychiatric hospital fees 4d1c25ae0b and the money ffb4b64acd slipped to the d144d2b64d staff, he needed 4bc979e508 about 20 million d634c6fcd4 won.72beb3037322ae9e

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His manager’s salary went a7c6a67d3f directly to Tae Kangseok c640f76d75 as interest, so Jinha c3d67766bf had been covering the 0a7b5c56b1 large sum with tips f80483d5c5 from selling his body.d83db601bfb5c75c

Since he only dealt 1a11bbfe35 with VVIPs, it wasn’t 12759d82b9 too difficult. On lucky 90c2a4f410 nights, he 23834e3563 earned even be115a511c more than d07d8f2dcb that.630affc74139bd1a

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But he 93053d8ef8 had no c0cc76ac8e savings. He’d given everything 2b1249472a he earned to 00491dcee0 Tae Kangseok to e8d54b24c8 quickly free his 27eee8d6e8 brother, held as d66c2d5a08 collateral.8ca0e99afd83409c

3,762,375 won. The balance on his b45ad7d5c0 phone screen wasn’t even 9b742b3a00 half of what he 43b547614d needed to pay this 3316ac8cd8 week. Jinha let out b6128bb84c a dry laugh.f189556b6ae2e59e

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As the smoke 31decf6963 escaped his dry aa1f27d9ea lips, the shadow 07c22a6be8 of his deceased 4f31fb96f7 father dispersed into 34b68349c4 the air. The haunting cab5595f87 past that c0166cffea had tormented 721eaee9d6 him day 5bb579695e and night db0aad8d48 for a ebff7a1c6e week vanished 79e8031c42 too easily f1c0971a96 in the 6359170770 face of 93ff6e7cc9 harsh reality.b81c9406b55ee18e

Snuffing out the 4b51011c42 cigarette, Jinha got 6d4603402d up and cracked 99e962a61d his neck. More worry and 59e2fbedde anguish were luxuries 515ee763b0 he couldn’t afford. Just like c7746f1691 when he 38644129d8 took Tae 4fb28cddf9 Kangseok’s hand, cde9488926 it was 7c893ac835 time to 6ffd5e0c4d leave the 5a862aa8b6 useless past 977ba03928 behind and 085f6ba94a return to 1029efc724 reality.dfa09c82022c75e4

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⌗ • 3759ad5bbe ⌗ • 1ad686ec28 ⌗1fff2742058ae02d

11:30 PM. Though darkness had fully cbdf98e4c1 settled outside, the club 6309debdf9 was at its peak 50d91e0a14 inside. On the first and ed1d3cae95 second basement floors, regular fcdce362a0 members, VIPs on the f2e6e96300 second floor, and VVIPs db42c01afd on the fourth floor f0283fde8e were all indulging in e999389ce1 their desires.1a1b54cdb6bfb95d

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In a large special 29e2ae63b4 room on the fourth e10e499488 floor, with one wall 40c6bb0b63 made of bulletproof glass, 17956918a0 about twenty clients and e0413ee79f escorts were entangled.018bba224c9cc8b4

Though not naked, 19b5813657 their explicit gestures 84b2dffac3 and the sultry bb2d79d328 atmosphere felt more 7a1a496c30 obscene than rolling e5c52c4d66 around naked.dd7789d3b1317481

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The air grew 0d06be6f80 denser. Some, already ed633ea8dc heated, moved 9daf9745eb to the 9ae4640fea bedroom next f6c7104375 door, while 3b8cd2f8b4 others explored 86f49b2e81 each other 8175085f11 with teasing ec313211c4 foreplay.5d2fe915d9631641

Standing in a corner, 6ae230f9f2 watching, Jinha picked up 54366e84c2 a glass from the b3850f2b6e table and took a 587d2fe2e6 sip.b0f946fa4825dec7

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It wasn’t 85b57e27ff thirst from db3a8559c7 excitement like 99dd1a589e the others. The longer 99eafddc77 he waited, b9faf00198 the more 86cfab0bbb anxious he 810c88b309 became. He took out 54fcccd409 his phone and b441050312 checked the messages e72361ddd2 exchanged with Yoo c250e2314c Yigeon around lunchtime.bc5c9f93e5df111d

「This is 5a81895633 Kang Jinha. I’d like to ee15c825a6 see you today 674eb67db5 if you’re available.」f8b2725a054eef8d

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「Yoo Yigeon: So b0fe0d9136 you finally want 62e4a36c21 to see me? I’ve been cc97237505 thinking about 9c1f9c71d1 you all e99010578b week.」74befa21e1f032ae

「…If your previous offer still stands, I’d like to discuss it.」19289e9486bc29bd

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「Yoo Yigeon: I d397e30863 like that you’re 1dcfedd0c8 cute when you 127b4ae625 change the subject 7e56eb937f and that you 329a29da83 contacted me first, 52b15da0d0 but what to 175892a8c1 do? I have e6f175978d plans today.」2c14d2cb175ebef9

「Then I’ll contact cee179765c you again next 07f4834e59 time.」60af3269acad647d

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「Yoo Yigeon: You’re 9f4ec64a2b too much, not b8cd67f992 even trying to d3123c94f8 hold me back. I’ll come a060224308 by late, 0e3f91ead4 so wait 2fff55d7be for me.」a2be92f87e27c228

「Okay.」52cd89524611d63a

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Yoo Yigeon hadn’t replied e3ff9fa230 since. There was no word bfa5b4e9f1 on when he’d come. His finger hovered over 27bcdcfed1 the call button but f1871d0f69 didn’t press it. Staring at b64c853505 the screen 31438d0df0 until it e01e9b0340 went black, 37c6d200d1 Jinha finally b0390c457e looked away.1832f3edf412e972

Though he’d 4fd5b2a1b7 contacted him 6456f577ea out of 490f357698 financial urgency, 4d9642550d his mind d71048f7cf was tangled 0ffb002b70 after doing 5fb0a7f5e2 so. No matter how ee7497a7bd many times he b4d54724f0 replayed their first ab24ca80d7 meeting, he couldn’t 55f752064a figure out what 331b43036d Yoo Yigeon wanted 903f99a1a2 from him. After long 9a9a87379b contemplation, all b490eace01 that remained ac115a0fab was the 6f95fc01fc question, “Why?”fbd28ef3bd366774

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Was it the 12d55ae8b7 right move? Jinha cut 1cbd35e913 off his c36651e63e spiraling thoughts. Regret was pointless d88889e4f4 now.f6c1318d9d7221ec

Just like 5e47e607ae when he 8f4781a31b took Tae dd9caadeff Kangseok’s hand, 3370d6a7c4 knowing it a652f005a8 was a dacc966e17 rotten lifeline, 7ba7ef1e8b he had d700722089 to think ef585fd2b4 simply to fe61b32b96 survive. Though joining hands with e7607d59d1 Yoo Yigeon felt like b3c90be728 sticking his head into 620836db8e a beast’s mouth.a694bb4ca809202d

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Putting his 9365f2a32f phone back ff0e7d3b59 in his 6c63613fa2 pocket, Jinha 1207438e73 looked ahead 1e1594f25e again. The room, now 322ef326a6 emptied by a c554f17f18 third as people 915b1f1675 left to mix f1e1ebcf04 bodies, was filled 62a4bc90f8 with heat. The way they d7581c057d explored each other d645a93709 with only instincts 3e7a72895c left felt like 4fc99aa739 animal mating today.81401f0120f42029

Should he join in 5640729392 and become a beast 635cf52346 too, or hope for 5f272b3dc9 the last 30 minutes 2c60e311ce of the “today” Yoo 186e866e5d Yigeon mentioned? As he pondered, cc2bf14cab a woman with 2fbae9018b Western features and 1b57c63804 a voluptuous figure 480caac69d approached him with 14a6370575 a drink in 1db9a7d9fc hand.bfb2606498edb83d

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“Manager Kang, 8c2f0927a1 what brings cc327e337d you here? You don’t usually attend 4e53ba307a these gatherings.”4f938806077d6bee

“It’s been a while.”a368a453e05eb462

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Despite seeing her 76280277b3 for the first 54f1873ab3 time in half d90580668b a year, his 6318e1bdf0 greeting was stiff 2e62f6aac0 as ever, making 7985f69e3d her burst into cb3fdbec6d her characteristic cheerful 5bf8a27c0a laughter.cc914d0bfff7fc7b