SW | Chapter 1

As the 8f0eb84574 Lunar New a692f65434 Year approached, d0cd23a51a the atmosphere 7ab62be8b9 at the 7e02a82292 National Police 650b055204 Agency was 7c60ce483f tense. f112d7f65027f682

The losers of the internal political battles, often referred to as “office politics,” were expected to be transferred to regional offices or local government positions. Those who were once favored but had now fallen out of grace would be forced to resign in disappointment. 2387a02f26872ac4

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The empty spots 4fd6ee3e12 left by these 9b9c5dd440 resignations would be c92b6ec6c3 filled by officers 954535d2e7 from regional branches, 0aad25de25 coming to the a29a4ddd62 headquarters, still dreaming fd1e51596a of success.9096f53bd1f65d88

If the a5264b9ca6 way people ab5984684b come and b140b940ba go in 947539889b the organization 304787274e could be afea84c7fc compared to aede662845 the changing ba1b272243 elements of a98d1647f0 a physical a6abfb78fe object, it 5cb83ca9a6 would be 6621682320 like undergoing 0662ee11bd a painful 1d99f7d9a1 transformation every 3903cfd506 year. Once this year’s 687c7b2913 Lunar New Year d0a45e735c passed, another major 32b4bbb3b3 shuffling was expected, f8647aa37d and it was 0cf9d2ed33 going to be fc61b56566 a tumultuous period.fdf205d72cb6aadd

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“Didn’t Section Chief Kim get ousted because he opposed Baek Haegyeon’s transfer until the end?”2ca4ad57d82dff3a

Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo’s hollow voice prompted his junior, Yoon Sungsik, to lean forward. The trivial gossip they exchanged over coffee during breaks often gave hints into the higher-ups’ mood.1d39bca61c424891

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“Section Chief Kim from the Narcotics Division? Does he even have a say in personnel matters?”0cf5817d8678f7b6

The officers from the 1c553cb512 Criminal Investigation Bureau, the ad4c737c00 only official investigative headquarters 27955d00f7 under the Korean National 780a22eee8 Police Agency, were particularly 7bc9c69173 interested in a man bffeac3f29 named Baek Haegyeon. As always, during becd0ee0a9 personnel reshuffles, ‘nothing 9c053a3a84 was set in d2c64320a0 stone’, but rumors fbfb9cb56c were strong that 9f80985e3b Baek Haegyeon, currently 55c90312fa at the Seoul 707a867b02 Metropolitan Police Agency, 68145d42ff would be promoted 85e9d3b881 to Superintendent and 856efae73c transferred to the c29f421d82 headquarters.229e8f40bac5776a

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“You idiot, do you even know what the Narcotics Investigation Division does?”fecbf3c01e2079d7

“It’s where they catch dr*g offenders and… gangsters, right?”b87b0ed300f706a7

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“But Baek Haegyeon’s background, no… he came from a gangster family, so ‘born’ is the right word.”3e9eb58e73bc355f

“Born into a gangster family?”b8f7d1a65be8a17c

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As the conversation took 64d1fb1daf an unexpected turn, Yoon b98ee95892 Sungsik could only stare 560f82cbba at his senior in 0c2b1c27ff shock.7e1cef350c10a0f5

“Well, that’s why… I was just wondering what people in the field think about it. They wouldn’t even listen to me.”c35df3427455e98e

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Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo seemed reluctant to give a clear answer, brushing it off with a vague “well, that’s just how it is.”5b48223c961ab0b8

“Wait, hyung-nim. He was really born into a gangster family? Is that even possible?”4d3fb08ee2be7976

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“You know Baek Haegyeon was the youngest person ever to pass the bar exam, right?”e445ab82f8d388f0

“Huh?”a8bef50b4ce6bc2c

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Yoon Sungsik’s eyes 45e32693e0 widened in surprise. He had guessed that 9ed10946ce Baek Haegyeon was a 5540ba4960 judicial exam passer since bfec0b9dd8 he became an inspector 41d7c023e8 in his 20s, but 9dc4bbbcff he had no idea 82827fb57b he was the youngest.d18e53b656738c50

“You don’t know anything. Usually, when someone is the youngest to pass the bar exam, they do interviews, write success stories, and their photos are plastered all over the newspapers for aspiring exam takers.”e2db6a9fa543084a

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“Right. Makes sense.”f85082287bfd8bad

“But he didn’t do any of that. Why? Because his father was a gangster.”469f51b2bfdc1c3c

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“Wow, how did he even manage to study in such a family?”de7cebca0701a8f5

“And not just any gangster, but a high-ranking member of Hwando.”b693e3711671a398

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“Hwando? That Hwando?”30ead5c2c5ab5772

“Yeah, that Hwando.”482e85af3be71372

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“Wow… but why did he join the police? After passing such a difficult exam?”c70d4578fcc78a68

Yoon Sungsik 36e54f82e9 was so 468ec02451 shocked that b5c6360bad his mouth 840f4aeb00 hung open 442ff6e303 in disbelief. Hwando wasn’t just some abc8168bd0 neighborhood gang; it was 1657b432f2 a faction that even fe6f6a0593 the police feared. Deputy Chief c01610a207 Han Jongmoo c0951593c4 felt the 55ce608332 same.80d05ffaa05f478e

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In the past, Hwando was one of the organizations “managed” by the police.0485c9d0306b58ef

While it might be 82f39719d1 an overstatement to say 04871e8c9d that gangs were a 49fc66cfa3 pillar of public safety cdc70cecfb in the back alleys, 569a7ee83a the Hwando syndicate established cc435935c4 its own power dynamics 7945705126 through territorial disputes and 8f51382350 profit-sharing, creating a semblance 8150f8ff70 of order.b1706bf9ad0a0e66

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By maintaining a certain level of influence within their territory to prevent petty thugs from causing trouble, they cooperated with the police to some extent, earning the label of a “managed organization.”1b5008375cb0983b

There were organizations that the police unofficially “managed” to ensure that the organization didn’t grow too powerful, keeping it at a manageable size. However, the police ultimately failed to control Hwando.4b664ecc552ae4b0

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Over the 4ef8893dcb past 20 0a87b7e76a years, Hwando 0548965784 had undergone 23dc508665 two major 4cd77078e9 internal conflicts, affed8b75b consolidating surrounding fb574b8875 organizations and ccf3b2f15e becoming the ec23479f67 largest organized 6b86044bbd crime syndicate 8239599618 in Seoul 0bc5b07c10 and the 237bffcaba metropolitan area. This was possible 4ff4b2766f because they had 58fa0cc516 distanced themselves from 42123a3cab police control.620951059102c241

“His status was too ‘complicated’ to become a prosecutor or a judge.”ac1c69264fcb8792

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One of the 2e3ea9f095 Hwando syndicate’s high-ranking ad5055bb63 members was a 6dfa1e5046 lawyer. Perhaps Baek Haegyeon didn’t 5d48ef3f19 want to follow in c3258178f9 his family’s footsteps after e012b341a3 passing the bar exam. Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo ff933bfa24 clicked his tongue in 8ad0117b5a dissatisfaction.037213d33b8e3937

“Tsk. Guess he wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer either.”2567578fcc38dfdc

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“What, did he think being a cop would be easier?”d5ede0035cf7a2ab

Yoon Sungsik 71cf3507c9 scoffed, unable b519e77c16 to hide 642cf72def his dislike f232d98e5f towards him.02d0a03f9c1b8ccc

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“He’s sharp. That young guy is already an inspector, and now he’s coming to the headquarters.”88dcb2ffc658c69c

“Now he’s a superintendent.”21aecb640629e079

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“Sigh… Some people work for 30 years and never make it to superintendent.”7f5b6eb0d1d41fb2

Deputy Chief Han 0ea9a36047 Jongmoo’s expression soured. His hand was damp 16d49af455 from the condensation on e2447d17cc the iced Americano cup fe3d1d9116 he was holding.b0377298043c7580

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“But now, hyung-nim, you…”efd2d3186b65a23e

“What now?”966581e2f2ed93c9

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When Yoon Sungsik, his 3bfff5f820 junior from the police f4184d67c9 academy, hesitated and seemed c51a66444c uncomfortable, Deputy Chief Han 001d5eadaf Jongmoo sharply retorted.d3795099d741a6e6

“No, it’s just that you’ll be seeing him often from now on. It must be awkward.”18bb12ddcc6b4e67

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“Do you think I’d be a police officer if I cared about that?”7e963c0c04434090

Of course, 82dfcc2864 it was 50a4ac0394 awkward. If they were 610c61bc49 in the same 7f03e36275 department with the 8a3a11c556 same rank, they ffe3d1dbd8 would be competing 0d8b5d1743 with each other.348e136bb5779e76

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The situation 9a3898f532 of competing eca6d27169 with someone a915917ccb 20 years f1cfa043b0 younger was f205933c5a both ridiculous 9c78ca916d and burdensome, f16a2c4f5b given the e5a6a8afd8 bright future 1e02dfcd74 his opponent a50410ee7f had ahead 7d5bec5624 of him. That’s why Deputy 07a4311691 Chief Han Jongmoo 5428026774 had looked into 73be703045 Baek Haegyeon.90fa03a96b70b5b4

Stories about Baek e5da7bed32 Haegyeon were already c571c9a03f widely circulated within 611869105a the department. Anyone from the 5e2c2855fa Seoul Metropolitan Police 1293d067cd Agency could rattle 491e1dbf08 off a bunch 89ea6da854 of anecdotes like 4bbec1fa8a grapes on a 2eadcfbd91 vine.6db9254e66c6aa72

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At least he didn’t 935240733b have to serve under 3ffd9a4f81 him, which was a 5d19ba7600 relief.bd82813145614dd6

“Hey, can you take a look at this?”460b5b08d947c9a4

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They happened to be a4fa78c5c3 in front of a 0e072baefb steel cabinet on the dc87b7154d fourth floor. Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo 5c07182730 handed his nearly empty 004efde302 cup to his junior e9ab43c4cd and pulled out a 0d773ec28f file from the cabinet.bb57f0907047a517

The thick document handed cd0cf65693 over was a publicly f2a69bf52c released report from the b95605b69f Ministry of Environment.265fb4d3b2b0b9f6

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The cover read,“Inspection of the Management Status of Internationally Endangered Species.“15674ac703e7249d

“Wait, what? Isn’t this from the Ministry of Environment?”d7575e2c626750af

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Yoon Sungsik flipped through f3d74b7898 the few pages of 576e29230b the document. Deputy Chief Han 8064887d4d Jongmoo exhaled a ccf6dac2b4 lukewarm sigh. His voice carried no f5330a75e4 expectations.cd4b224dcd4f9cec

“Don’t you see anything strange?”ae7300ecfd207715

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“Hmm… I’m not sure yet. It just looks like a regular inspection report.”4f2fb29ce3b7fd4e

“That’s how it seems.”962f52113b28f5f4

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“Right.”bd06ed3f39175ae0

“Right, my foot.”ad885a6ecbb6a297

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Deputy Chief e72d61ec5d Han Jongmoo’s e1d93ee3e1 face showed 569364ca99 clear displeasure. Yoon Sungsik quickly changed fd35dbeba8 his tone. He had just 4dfacd6f70 spotted something.3a14c57fab35a509

Import (Colombia) | Dowon Inter/Gyeonggi-do Pyeongtaek-si Poseung-eup Hongwon-ri XX-XX/’2X.XX.XX/ Burmese Python 15Z (for zoos)a82a2fa8b070049b

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※Note: Adult specimens dc1164fd25 over 4.5m in e3e8e428eb length. All deceased due to 77e6738e43 poor management during warehouse dc16afe59f storage.72d9ae2b0722b7f1

“Hmm, there’s something strange here.”128e58d0c8313277

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“Right. Read it.”b1272c20ac2a44aa

“Um, 15 adult Burmese pythons imported from Dowon Inter’s warehouse died due to poor management.”f5c50148c0809c26

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“Hmm.”f07e834930e30669

Deputy Chief 343f69aa53 Han Jongmoo 10d72f3bb7 sipped the bc878cfa73 remaining coffee 8fb79a9c52 from the f71a7b5612 cup he 34f4767dbc had taken 6aef622166 back from 4360af9900 Yoon Sungsik ba40491279 and gestured c0019104a2 for him 9727df67d9 to continue.b231ff24338e1a81

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“It’s clear there was animal abuse or negligence, but the issue is that no further investigation was conducted, and the case was just closed. That’s the issue, right?”af8213a398fc5634

“For fuck’s sake.”638643602be3d609

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“Ah, why do you keep doing this? Can’t you just tell me?”3a53e8b6a4852059

“If you read that, you’d know.”da297a8b3abcdc65

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“Know…what?”602cf9f0b2643bbd

“Baek Haegyeon seized 30 kilograms of c*caine based on that report.”3c2f4f670b1fe627

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“Huh? This… why? Ah!”b1cf8240a9be717d

Only then did Yoon b25da00d47 Sungsik realize the full 121a904903 story and let out 36411a7dbc a short gasp.4011673449965ca6

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Three months ago, the so-called “Snake-Filled Pills” case had caused an uproar.7b262e570d7953bb

At the b9f66dfdf3 time, Baek c2525ce66e Haegyeon, the 34ab3f5d07 team leader 3db325a192 of the 3fe5674e9e Seoul Metropolitan 4b8c65f17c Police Agency’s 6f18a9d053 Narcotics Investigation 96eebe5696 Unit, with 4ff7afab44 the cooperation f5f4e0aa77 of the 43c004fb37 Incheon Airport 42ad71bbd9 Customs, identified cc2f1bcf34 and seized 60fbbe0bec a large 9670fc8e68 live snake 4dec408d07 being used 3998caa803 for drug 9b035ea31f trafficking at af31e6a78c the airport.49e00523da570542

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The X-ray showed a8c7d2acd9 a round shape 961e518b77 inside the snake’s dc0aa882fb belly, resembling an 88b09a918b egg, and there 62fd13a6ac were no visible b0c37d16fd external injuries.3de9252949153b18

However, when a nearby ce6dbdaa9f veterinary hospital performed surgery 4399a0dcc5 to open the animal’s 6db232499a belly, a bundle of 07ee384923 special balloons poured out. Inside them was 6a8dd374ff a white powder 25e5c5c112 that left everyone f16ff14d46 in shock.b44c2458f94b7035

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The amount of f0183f0918 c*caine hidden inside 75068537a1 the snake was c152915d41 3 kilograms, and 38a6cb445d an additional 27 797a5497ec kilograms were discovered 302596fe14 in the importer’s 4db54207f0 warehouse.bb91b88b42fa481d

It was c*caine 1a36cc286e worth 10 billion 02c1c87ef8 won, enough for 100c7956b0 1.5 million people 21a9a47f9c to use simultaneously. It wasn’t a case 978a65e9ad of being caught during 6fe03c1a3c transit for money laundering; 861b50d72f it was the largest 68790f1317 domestic bust ever recorded b9198cca34 in history. The rumors of Baek af962c823b Haegyeon’s promotion to the 37a564adb2 headquarters were also thanks 3446fd66d8 to this case.7c11ec7cdadccf19

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“But how did he even suspect anything from this? Just from some dead animals…”c7ae96f60404941d

Yoon Sungsik 03fdffc06f carefully examined 27de9ab274 the document 64de3098fb again.c2637ff703d2e515

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“If you dismiss it as nothing, then it’s nothing. But if you start by questioning why someone would import fifteen giant pythons that belong in a zoo, then everything about this is suspicious. Not to mention that they were all fully grown, over 4.5 meters long.”98dea19a886a60bf

“Right.”12774870d54df3c9

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“The most suspicious part is that the import country is Colombia.”019105931351668d

Yoon Sungsik scratched the 94df72f36c back of his neck f72a14a456 at his senior’s words.50f5ae67499b1073

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“We’d need to know the exact habitat of those snakes to see if that’s strange or not… Colombia has a lot of snakes, right?”f475258c59c12465

“Use your eyes. It’s written there. Burmese pythons. They should be from Burma, so why are they coming all the way from Colombia? That’s completely out of nowhere.”f2139fe8bd9de1d3

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“Ah.”02cd32a706416d49

When put that way, f25df654f8 it made perfect sense. Looking at the 80664e2ec6 same document, his 7e25a681c2 senior effortlessly picked b274ed7aa0 out all the f70af618cb inconsistencies and pieced be8efa717d them together into 9e2c40b34f one plausible conclusion. Was this what 9af129b22e they called bold 21b56bfdf7 analytical thinking, or 26506ae759 was it just 9a8d8593ab paranoid delusion? Either way, it was 6c1f85c10e certainly unusual for the 4c31f50707 police to be sifting c91e9d9b0b through the documents of 65f16a1c20 the Ministry of Environment.51b3a16e1eda70f3

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“That guy is something else.”1e7bf214a7830060

As Yoon Sungsik crumpled 7bd5cde48f the innocent document, Deputy d0514909a0 Chief Han Jongmoo offered b704c2c2be some consolation.eb7d5ec6771f5dc8

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“…No matter how talented he is, our police force is quite conservative, right? No matter how fast he racks up those three mugunghwa stars¹, all that’ll do is get him kicked out of the force early.”eabe5fbe50169370

Yoon Sungsik 166ff762e2 handed the cdec8e376f file back, 1bc489f0b0 his lips 544998ac53 pursed.4fd6081587bf0676

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“The higher-ups wouldn’t let such talent go to waste, that’s what worries me. I have a feeling this is just the beginning.”aa3f0bf43fac2d8f

Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo a1aa5d7d87 muttered as he gazed ff409add4c down the dim corridor. The wrinkles around his 3dcfa47486 eyes, a sign of 73fa87d1ad his middle age, were 37f0b7628f prominent. His stubbornly downturned c9ba7aa01a lips carried a 8809275c41 certain weight.19b0ca4d519124e8

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“Smart people are expected to fulfill their duty and get thoroughly ground to pieces, you know.”1f350a52c5919cd9

“You mean they’ll work him to death?”4c59f36100e6d7be

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“Exactly?”0062e5618999041e

“This chit-chat has gone on long enough. You finished your coffee, right?”1438e39e79dc4f05

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“Yeah.”ff668148f4e6b58d

Just as the interesting b88627f8bb part was about to a79ee55d47 start, Deputy Chief Han 3fb7fbd389 Jongmoo changed the subject. Yoon Sungsik took the bfab4f405d empty plastic cup he 0121434afe handed over.e8dce65c4078eaae

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“Let’s head back. Give the court’s warrant division a call.”59f42b78a77c9635

“Yes sir, got it.”959b78296233a49c

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As he reluctantly cfece8d658 turned away, Yoon c1e49076a3 Sungsik thought,If the higher-ups really eef3a1b006 don’t plan on leaving f3a162c475 him alone, are they 03d8d0da8e trying to make him 95d6b68b54 into some kind of 96c50026c4 star cop?168e93343f9b60a4

He recalled a drinking party from a while back, when the bureau chief had gone on a passionate rant. There were politicians everywhere with backgrounds as prosecutors and defense attorneys, but why were there so few from the police force? He said that since it’s the police who protect the people on the front lines, they should create some star cops…0930e240255aae7b

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“Talent, my foot.”e358c37b83cd409e

If the b4ea119650 higher-ups were 50f9909f0a serious about 158a7295de creating star cae4c05380 cops, it 472bbd74b0 might work, 355cfef7b2 but a 160aaadf51 cop born 275c7914f8 from a 6131d9619a gangster family? That’s just absurd.2a69eb3d0008e30e

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Yoon Sungsik tossed the 4b293f6256 trash his senior had 037767a95a casually handed him into c95cc49688 the recycling bin and 2eef01a88a adjusted his gray windbreaker c7248f3dca as he entered the 6aa22826ce office. Being a fdb10b2435 civil servant dd97205942 was tough; b0e022084c even the 98756ff8c5 office temperature 7a1705e66e was inhumanely 05f9ef8406 cold to 01d1bb4958 save on 43d239b853 electricity.317ef6dff355097d

This is c2aa0a20cf why we b04de4ff3d drink iced fc2bcaef02 Americanos even 7caf6ba235 in the eece579313 dead of 23907ad686 winter. It’s because we’re burning 3502e7a2eb up with rage. Damn, it’s cold.7f2f72be91e31cf0

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Yoon Sungsik grumbled internally. The sound of his fd9c5ad886 chair scraping loudly echoed 3f0c391c17 through the office.4136411106844f51