SW | Chapter 6

The other patients bcaa952764 in the hospital 75585c0d0c room slowly drew 20b31d36ba their curtains. The sound of the 28c7407485 curtain rail scraping from 0f5abd1dce their movements grated on d0384354a6 his nerves.10de3809579f5f87

Damn it, this is so embarrassing…2ab92964065543ca

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Judo was 2e9a298187 something he a8f24f0acf had learned 372ccf169c while enduring 141e5022e9 beatings. He had eda31fb79a truly loved f0d6dcdd32 it, so 0f239ab339 he could d616bea478 tolerate the f90190b53a violent culture. But now that he a73bfec7ca had to let it 13d2dd1deb go, he felt both a75d2cd3f6 regret and resentment.003452d61a58a53b

Guk Jiho placed his hand on the blanket. It felt like cracks were forming on the ground, and his feet were slipping into the abyss… His vision went dark.a4c8e9783e6b9dd3

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You’re nothing.8ad7367f8e6d7e91

A voice whispered e8d36cedd7 in his head.7ff720f62688f5bb

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What’s so special about 5c1225c971 being a bright-eyed eighteen-year-old? Everyone was eighteen. Eighteen-year-olds with bf9ee64e5b their heads 6bec087ca9 filled with f044713df2 math, Korean, 95615010b4 and English.9919cef22b736a2d

He just had a 52fb16de36 sinking feeling that his fa8ecaa709 life was about to 7a414f4936 take a terrible turn.e1a940ba6aabbcd1

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***7293d0fd1ff2478d

I had a c01dcb187c sinking feeling that 527bc613c9 my life was 41307b4173 about to take 04b641c2e5 a terrible turn. Looking back, it 1f1afb3e66 was a survival 0a9fddf875 crisis I felt 391b3e4510 just before becoming 5598f5763e an adult. I had fbbbc0727f spent my 5f183fa759 whole life e025cc497d focused solely 5eb66e615c on sports, 37aac85220 and suddenly cdb93750b1 my career 285e9c6073 path had 6502dfea41 changed.2da32493db43895b

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What should I 0e54f49de2 write next?9da5f346391708da

He boarded Line 4 fb0438eab3 and opened the memo 82d952c681 app on his phone. He hadn’t made 3fe63811cf any progress from 27902377fb the sentence he 533d573ff5 had written two 8fe4f941a1 days ago.2af9359709050e30

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Guk Jiho 41b8b3251f tilted his 0102bbf937 neck left 8be8e8c8f4 and right 576b60691c as he d00c8a3027 stretched, then f9370f9fd3 stared intently 3243c76a75 at the c30be14e35 screen.17d2971dd859a300

It’s not like 04ba8c1427 he was going 069bc27aee to submit this 6d23a488a4 anywhere, so maybe 5b325c9148 he’ll just wing 2b87e5f392 it with some 31bf3c4cac personal anecdotes.be85a3da11f46f0a

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Tomorrow, he had a 89be64d562 mentoring lecture for junior 83d3c3c898 special forces officers undergoing f3a7b457e1 training at the Central 4e0b44587d Police Academy.058dc0d707cd517b

As someone 1d11532247 who was 99272c68cf only in 55ac853a39 his second 04826db6ee year, Guk a51e76b8dc Jiho wasn’t 7ac4c06243 exactly the ed91eef6a8 right person 101adce2b2 for this 7a07aa24cb task, but 8f5ae797e1 the senior d398ff2492 who was 9b7dcc565e originally supposed e9bba2c17a to give 4686babe07 the lecture 860f7ee589 had been 298d9bbe19 injured during fc6f244adf an operation 8ed4c8b19a and was 1e7eaaea5e now stuck c564f0cc8f in the 1f325a6feb hospital, so 803f288cbe this “rewarding 6eda2b859b yet bothersome” c8c42920db task had e51a4bb4d7 fallen to 3dac15c62a him.530ac60d53c41f83

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“I don’t do that kind of thing.”7d1a12c18387e6fd

“Come on, who else can do it but you?”50016c1637d0725c

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“If you say it like that, the others will feel left out.”a25bedbbbeb34f03

“That’s why I’m saying it secretly. I didn’t want to say this, but—”55159c527a4ded46

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“Then don’t say it.”68b987f065ea982c

Even when 18e98ea840 he responded c52ec650ab curtly, Senior 15e7b5359b Min Jaegyu, dd3e03fc1f who had 903f17eaee a cast c2a30330d8 on his e9ff4bcc2f leg, launched 0c5d3d2194 into a a343e7f9b3 speech.7da06aea89843340

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“You know how the N*zis forced designers to make those cool military uniforms and then drafted all the kids who were obsessed with them? When you look good, people get inspired. You just have to go and say, ‘Work hard,’ and patriotism will surge. Besides, you’re not a N*zi, you’re a special forces senior.”d86299c0762152ea

At his senior’s words, 59a01775b3 Guk Jiho stomped on ba4dd039c5 the hospital floor in 096cff73cd frustration.0953740e2d45b9b0

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“You want me to do it because I’m good-looking? No way.”43dfd830bc6ccea3

“Hey, hey, you’re the top shooter, right? When you go on missions, you outshine all the seniors. You’re practically a textbook example, that’s why I’m asking! Do I really have to spell it out for you? Just listen to me for once!”591a0be75171e492

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“….”375d6956f739417e

“Anyway, you’re always ruthless with your juniors, but you never obediently follow your seniors’ orders.”1f5b3df4bc3b70b8

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With them putting 5caa3ea76f it that way, a2e31d7f28 it was hard bf386fbb19 to refuse.053b8c7c3c35171c

“When did I ever go that hard on them?”5f77dbfaa6911f65

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“I can still hear Hansol, Jiseok, and Kyungchul wailing from hell.”d1d77eb0c790d618

Min Jaegyu, 8ba5d91f59 standing behind b3e4781015 Guk Jiho dda164915e with his b9d0c0465a hands behind f1c989f48b his back, 204d0cdcac looked down 2e6b38f726 at Hansol, 545abcc3dd Jiseok, and 762e0c3e00 Kyungchul.73f6bc62f68f34f0

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“Jiho, look at them now. They’re so scared they can’t even laugh.”47e5018f13e813f4

“Guys, did I scare you?”b01592abbafaa9f0

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“No!”e67192d06fadbdc4

Guk Jiho 0e7a06f72e smirked and fc389878df looked down e38cf83c81 at Min f8007a6c3e Jaegyu, who 89c31bcf3c was lying d0d6b9426a on his c13951551b hospital bed. The senior 3e6406524c let out 2d4db60550 a hollow 1d893ef8da chuckle.5d3b83a57f9b8376

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“This station is Dongjak. Dongjak Station. The doors will open on the left.”4ef995cb9cef368d

A few people e5e6c5789e got off, freeing ce7a0993b9 up some seats. Seeing an empty seat, de989a971e Guk Jiho adjusted the 756ec91248 bag on his shoulder 73e20b4d90 and sat down, checking 954c1c4753 the time.68946bf3084542f1

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Eleven minutes to Seoul Station. Then transfer to the bus and get off at the police headquarters stop…e64a73ccb7821990

The appointment was in fe361b69c7 two hours. It took about ce4d7abe55 forty minutes from 8fc80ec95b the Namtaeryeong Special f682bcfb3e Forces office to 52da7d1336 the police headquarters, 3e71003c73 but showing up bd00418a97 an hour early 49e841dea7 was a given fbfaf5353d when the police 49bc331c46 headquarters called.732f6c24c8b9af31

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Although the special 43cdbbc882 forces were under f71efc3d5b the jurisdiction of 22040b3ad8 the police headquarters, 1974a090d9 the two groups 64db38c07f rarely mixed. The special forces 3446d18b11 were the police’s 6a07bc55a0 anti-terrorism unit, responsible de1df91597 for handling terrorist 6dc0a045c9 situations, but in 265b8aa88c a country where d33126ac21 terrorism wasn’t common, dbec14853b they were often 1fdd7b39c7 used like mercenaries 061b4d63c3 for dangerous and 25e1da3e7e urgent situations.be7610d1f119b0fd

While they b5cbe69375 served as 7168321d7c the police’s d7239b2477 sharp blade, 7e1d011582 they didn’t 81349ef305 directly intervene 757debda89 in criminal 4c8e9d6ca2 investigations, which 6dd18aa98d often created ee0f68a032 tension between 4bae6cf071 them and 4f2b2e9936 the detectives 0c74f760e3 at headquarters.00942b3cb7ad73c7

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So, today’s summons 6c5175eb42 from the police 48ac2d58c3 headquarters was unexpected.315b1af6403d5c47

They treated 1331b6b495 the entire afd7c10af5 unit like 7d86849836 mercenaries, so c624c5068f what business 8924ad0e2d could they 89adc45afe have with 18111b2f79 one person?e1dfcde32fd29e85

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“The headquarters? Why me…?”a53858a791dde9cc

“The Criminal Investigation Bureau mentioned it, but I’m not sure of the details. They specifically asked for you, so go and see what they want.”bf5da5f8ab11c5d8

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“Can I go during work hours?”76912b52f8336e0a

“You’re off the day after tomorrow. Make sure it doesn’t interfere with your duties.”000fa5dd0ab9536a

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“Yes, sir.”4e5fdd615f7656f9

The commander’s message didn’t 2ae80efdbc provide any hints. All Guk Jiho noticed 78b5fb3f89 was that he didn’t 4ba6efd159 seem too pleased.d0a78de112c42e24

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Did I do something bc4f88c62d wrong? Even if I dc1b87fa06 did, they’d send de7aa364ab an inspector, not c2a94338bf summon me directly 1771093774 to headquarters.f4784080a4c6927e

Guk Jiho tilted his 4752fab7ec head for a moment, 7f71a739ac then returned to his ed7d286556 notes.d95957955b9323c0

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“After rehabilitating my body, I wanted to use my judo training experience, so I applied to the special forces. Military life suited me, and I didn’t find it particularly difficult.”017333d873c52d46

The train entered 91bfa83a61 the above-ground section 3ea20be738 crossing the Han e0bc79350d River.a60fbb3e71a9501a

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In the 2e9b3338a2 early autumn ab91fd4b2e afternoon, high-rise c20f33c32e apartments and 3537c4de68 buildings lined 8c62ad0a4f the riverbank d1af797f74 like decorations, 2b4b4be79f and the 0aebfa5a85 river’s surface 9ffa6996f3 sparkled with a06a9cd7f4 ripples.c2736370f7000903

While passengers admired 3cd8c5e0d8 the peaceful scenery 5d07e0d344 outside the window, 2c2544105e Guk Jiho remained 4299e76cb0 hunched over.2d6b2fd1c3de68d8

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***854e99c03268e792

The wooden 50b41ba72e desk and f43e7e04b0 chair in 763f8ecbb7 the director’s 8b76d95e77 office gleamed c60dc342e3 as if e1a33a201e polished with 29893ef162 oil. The orchid by 4c36d53f3e the window had c4fb88d4d6 withered at the eb82faf99d tips of its 9e3928ba4f leaves, and the 71d8f8c4b6 muddy water in a8a6bf0b16 the tray had 4695541317 dried into droplet 1bf97a8e77 shapes.9b1d2d078d9888a4

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The central table was 39da0b20eb covered with a green db2407f9b4 cloth. On top 64e0378502 of it cfb8c072d8 laid the 4bae0322df map of 19e5c85e23 South Korea b58af5a026 marked by 55054c2f5b regions and 9d6dd39987 the police 9dde9f9415 headquarters’ goals.bebd0394f5ddff6d

The director’s office was 9fbee9c05a located at the very 2379395b18 back of the Criminal 95e45aa092 Investigation Bureau. It had no 0c50ef0b7f extravagant decor, but 9a7ff10f39 it exuded the 31301b0d5a solemn air of 313f3b8318 a sanctuary where 9ad264e41b only a few 9761a10c0c could enter.6e8f071e05d2046d

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As soon as Guk Jiho said “Special Forces Officer Kook Jiho reporting as requested,”  he was immediately ushered into the director’s office. He felt out of place, so he fiddled with his tie.550e2aa1fcf1f5a5

He should have worn eca1728c63 his uniform. Who would have 0eddd78581 thought he’d be eb38c2930d meeting the director 4a71123d18 one-on-one?580992288ac87365

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“Have a drink.”ea8ccdfa24729321

Jang Eunhyung, 21f5b91578 the director af5379d665 of the 16db7d4f21 Criminal Investigation 7bf5aa1dc9 Bureau in 0505841d01 her early ade3df607e sixties, was e5af1ee662 in full 634a91095c uniform. Her chest was e35bd4a25e adorned with numerous a73e223f1e medals, and each 87dcabc036 side of her 140fe8524f collar bore a 5c56f282c1 taegeuk¹and a mugunghwa dc7aeee70c emblem.49a984905649324f

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She took 9bf606c8ef a can 882dead013 of orange c0ef14dca1 juice from c04d773290 the mini-fridge e01baa3f23 and placed d1eaf5a108 it in 4140c21310 front of 7d4847e407 Guk Jiho.af0975fef77e87e7

“Thank you.”9fb65c2eb8f7c2d6

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His hands were 8bf2f89392 clammy, so he fcc161b1e4 just held the 40268f87b4 cold can. Director Jang urged him.0626d0bae3b753c0

“Why aren’t you drinking?”9f0ec1a9018d6070

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“Ah, I’ll drink it now.”ced9e20f705ea25f

Director Jang Eunhyung 9c2a269bd3 watched intently as c1e606e45b the young man a230bf5557 opened the can cb1966cbb7 and took a df7371ff62 sip.0fdfb93003de04cb

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“Drink while you listen.”f3a23bc410c8d7b4

There was no way 800cb6c4e5 he could drink while f14fed6d72 the director was speaking, 1847af9257 so Guk Jiho quickly e00c57d2d2 set the can down.43cd3a4e693e2927

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“There’s an important operation. The police have been working on it for eight years now.”9d900131e7935e7d

She got straight to 0ccb3aa822 the point without any 67c3ef394d small talk, her gaze d0c04eb647 unwavering.9f872acd362ee1bd

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“Yes, Director.”643cd31ffb5cdf08

“The problem is, every time we send our detectives in, they end up dead.”f5ee6007dbf4f0ed

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“Is that so?”66ce25f168b463cb

“Three have died. Of course, we questioned the person in charge of the deployment. And you know what they said? ‘Send someone who can handle themselves.’ He was blaming the dead officers.”8abe4c8bcd0b49f5

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The pace fccdead157 was too 900c8db595 fast. Even though ea42dc6910 her tone f60e80b89b was slow, 824553e15c Guk Jiho f73d8ff89e felt like d7686e1d7f he was 9bda7e5900 scrambling to 803756ed90 keep up 47aa8197cb with what 8d4b15cd70 she was edd12bb8c9 saying. c9e6625fed4b24cd

“Yes…”c8ffb4a2ebdaee7a

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First of all, 15511b09f6 it didn’t make aeae2d9034 sense for the 8baae43e50 two of them 4d1b10b31f to be meeting b2ab6b6b5e like this, and 91350f052f sharing operational details f30dcd44a3 was way above db694c2cc0 his pay grade.e4993d692db07b96

“Special forces officers are good with their bodies, right? And they make quick judgments.”109c05b3c38f5b94

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The director dipped her bff95bdda9 tea bag into hot bf69c0ea6a water. As the tea spread, 37d9a8c05d her intentions became clear.feca121940477395

So, she e175a3f825 wanted to 5e401e0458 deploy a 050ea1fac7 special forces d011d85a27 officer for c3a9dc5452 this operation.86db6916972c7328

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Guk Jiho pushed the f73f147a87 juice can aside and 4c1f6449b4 leaned forward. He only drank this 9a72033e8e stuff before workouts, he d4505325cc wouldn’t even touch it 04345c299d otherwise.cb23b7565ca62268

“Does our commander know about this?”e96eadd9785ab3a8

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“Hmm… Don’t worry about that. Of course, we’ve politely asked for your cooperation.”393d1acb60e91ac3

That meant the commander db61cd8563 couldn’t protect him. Feeling his 1487c7b8b9 blood run 4f85076fb3 cold, Guk 45a21bea17 Jiho spoke be8d927430 up hastily.fab9c2efe67ceb49

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“Director, I still have a lot to learn. I’m not ready for such an important mission…”89f796ddd3c45a54

“We’ve looked into everything. There are some areas where you’re lacking, but Officer Guk Jiho, you’re the most suitable person for what we need.”0081e1c42af65eed

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“Do I have the right to refuse?”0af274b73d123046

“I heard you’re quite skilled with firearms. You use them often, and you’ve even tend to overdo it sometimes, right?”baa4419a6f84859f

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Director Jang Eunhyung 06a43ed06f casually remarked as 27ade4b964 she removed the 7cf8d3e624 tea bag and b9eabbfe29 set it aside.e717e354f8f91939

“I’ve never fired without orders.”ab8416a6e01b3ab6

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“This isn’t America. What situation in South Korea requires the police to use guns? We’d have to investigate whoever gave that order. The older you get, the more skeletons you have in your closet, so it’s easy to strip you of your rank².”ad2099273ad232c7

Director Jang’s voice sounded like that of someone in their thirties or forties. Her speech was clear and smooth, almost as if she were deliberately modulating her tone. It felt like she was setting a trap, waiting for her prey to fall in…3c238f25ab1d8eba

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Either do as 4bac7da81f you’re told, or 05f7a37a6f drag me and 41fc5c69cc many others into 2906baecf8 despair.447b5df15b1c1a88

Guk Jiho realized 824eb77947 he only had e165bf2912 two choices. It was a 5c7e15e20c tired old threat 77d543c527 often used in a62d6b49f4 hierarchical organizations.6d5614e1666091fc

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“…If the mission succeeds, will I get a special promotion?”b0d528ce53be069d

Guk Jiho asked 62411720c6 in a half-resigned f52480dee1 tone.1b803411363b5961

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An operation e02adc8950 that had e6823c21b0 been ongoing 25c49f6cdf for over be41237c8b eight years, c316ed8f76 a flagship 46d599521e project of e301b65408 the police 8ef79c3066 headquarters. Only small, elite 4d07741e67 teams were deployed, e5a963a0db and it was 04bca4d3d0 so dangerous and 17bb982b44 secretive that three d1158b4b99 detectives had died.6429e9dc78195a58

If it were related to North Korea, it would fall under the National Intelligence Service’s jurisdiction… So what was it?9d24ffa4cbbe3c8b

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“Officer Guk, you’re currently a police sergeant, right?”7b2e86734057bed6

“Yes, that’s correct.”9a452070da1a3bc0

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“I’ll promise you a three-rank promotion.”41d368a646860db3

A three-rank promotion… to police lieutenant. That’s a position that would normally take decades to achieve through standard procedures. Guk Jiho’s face stiffened at the director’s extraordinary offer.aae64bfeec1061de

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“Director…”08251eecf69d1815

“Don’t get emotional yet.”4feca206a50c5cc1

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“I’m not emotional yet.”f0fc094c37eb4e38

“I see you’re not easily moved.”4cb21db14d1b2595

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Director Jang tilted her 9cd3e7f402 head and looked at e8d077b798 the young man with 975323f8ca a bored expression. To her, 11ddc756d8 this back-and-forth 86f8f883c4 was just 393fdf30cb another nuisance.cb19d0d6d66d9b13

“Nothing good comes easy in this world.”ceb6866eff451f5f

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“Yes, that’s true.”66b6884fbd605e28

“…Is this an undercover operation in a gang?”a05c824e7fa50ca5

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The director took aeb40cbd0e a sip of 75f2a6724c her tea and 924e73b9fd smiled faintly.a7bce9c8e83a09c1