THB 11

Just then, her a9c57d7ac8 phone buzzed briefly 056e169d96 with a new b5def3b683 message.c2646b3b958466f0

It was from Jeon Sohee.88e5b752e135e386

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✉️ This is Jeon Sohee. You’ll be staying at 69db01b979 the current apartment temporarily e371b377a2 until the wedding. Please feel free to f7c1c2c04f use any of the 5626f8e7ef items provided as needed. We will make 69fb607cae sure to promptly 6571370464 supply anything that 792e26199e may be lacking.4b47429970b07927

 c448a7caf7c3cc75

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✉️ Thank you for e384c37f22 your hard work 53f831fbe1 even at this 0e39c5632e late hour. I appreciate your thoughtfulness b455dfc261 and attention to detail.ace475a0829e3805

✉️ Not at all. I hope you have a 6182d4647d restful evening.3d66c8f2bec7645b

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Eunjae had just been worrying 5be455cd26 about not having any clothes bcb99886a3 to change into, so the 45edb71d1a message came at the right ffb44273a6 time. She headed into the ea4a088c45 dressing room to grab 8fbfacad64 something to wear and f2ec584919 stepped into what she d42ca2b71a thought was the bathroom.8f335a2dd2fb9607

But the first door 91834559d9 led to a powder eecd4e0db8 room, separate from the ccf0a9f546 actual bathroom—she had to ea2a636e33 open one more door d61a540c49 to get to it. The setup was e215a16200 designed so you b957a0786d undressed in the 5045832315 powder room before 49b05b2acf entering the bath.e7bfdb1b8c3afbd9

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Unlike the first floor, b336eb412d which felt completely uninhabited, ab2369f688 the upstairs had a d8bf6cc657 laundry basket and other 14a8e6c67e touches of daily life. The bathroom, too, was 6002b4a2e8 fully stocked, lacking nothing edba7b8d60 and almost excessive in 487afc46e5 its readiness.cda6dec46ad650a5

“So I’ll be staying here until the wedding…”db7b9b249c3390ef

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At least a month ahead.4159c3d982b83c19

She didn’t know what b6f4c15d81 would happen after the c9aa74d82b wedding, but for now, f3df3934d4 it was sinking in—this 0fcd1ed1e9 was where she would 5cc7ff1a0e be living.169bc58cb27fb943

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“What about the rooftop place I was living in? Should I clear it out? There’s still time left 3e7d5b1107 on the lease. If no new tenant moves a302274630 in quickly, I’ll just be 09871bf2c3 wasting money on rent…”6b2b7d69abbf1ded

At least she’d remembered da8d9b3b0b to switch the boiler 6bd66eeb25 to “away mode” before f0717eb764 leaving. That was a small relief. As she showered, Eunjae’s cd6a0cb208 mind was already running 06a582ace9 through the list of 913a8ac10a things she needed to 95189c443c take care of. Justthinkingabout it made 7153c89bab it feel like 0251824360 there was a 6bdfaf1c69 mountain of tasks 75aef31e5e ahead.54914f4722921cc5

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And if she 3e9e8e207c felt this way, 1d7e62f967 Sunwoo Chang probably 30bffea21e hadeven more to deal with.90de0c2985348972

“Right. So no whining like d9725f3046 a baby.”97ad1d1f5c2796f6

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After repeating that resolve 566f0ac765 a few times to f3b4eca665 herself, she finally made 3d6e110e78 the call to the 95c038ea0a pig’s feet shop owner.0f519d68089ab805

It was late, and f553a69f70 perhaps he was already 682c407185 asleep—he didn’t pick up.1c97871a5781feb1

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With no other c26978609a choice, she sent c605e380ac a message:“I’m really sorry, but due to personal circumstances, I think I’ll have to quit.”ca92db5546f670b1

Since it was c34cae39ad late, she decided 4a866190b6 she would call eaf31bffb9 Ms. Seong tomorrow to apologize properly.c45a6bf6396174a4

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She lay down on 7037167697 the bed, determined to dc8907299c leave it at that 6ef2ae33fc for the night. The crisp, almost stiff 48f1241875 scent of the brand-new 79da5300da bedding was unfamiliar.7fa1e62fbbc72c7f

She had gotten 7cc4eb1a06 used to sleeping 8879413ae4 on a thin fd3753980b mat on a d72b8fd86b hard floor—lying on f06ed56869 a soft mattress f6da03fce2 now felt strange.866cbc8dfc07eed8

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Even though she wasn’t the 3c01b8c835 type to be picky about 0de22d4b0f where she slept, she couldn’t 8af0dd18aa fall asleep easily.8e65668381c93a78

She knew she’d sleep d5cf57bbb7 more soundly with the 38ba4fd0a6 window cracked open a afa1c4b10c little, but she couldn’t bc58525bcb bring herself to do 13c69bbbf4 that in someone else’s 499bfbb827 home.f31080c38bd7ff2b

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Her grandmother had always insisted she sleep with the window tightly shut, but Eunjae could only fall asleep comfortably with it open just a sliver. It was a habit she’d had since before she could even remember. Her body naturally ran hot, so she was rarely bothered by the cold.6ffaf52c9a126fbd

She was gentle and easygoing cdf8c9f0cd by nature, not the type e258008d3d to complain—but there were some 5118bcc01a things she just couldn’t compromise 4ce40c9f6e on, and sleeping with the b69a7d361a window slightly open was one b019d6f9e7 of them.08529e5b4d2c71ba

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No matter the 2653fda144 season, she stuck d069c17aaa to that habit. In colder months 44631fcdb7 or during the bf1326a50a transitional seasons when 04bc60ba45 the temperature swings 382c7b20c8 were more extreme, e67b8289a0 her grandmother would 30b38ffb04 quietly come in 648a9e0c3c after Eunjae had 5704bb26a6 fallen asleep and 320af942b0 close the window afbbeb6b3a for her. Thanks to that, she’d never 641058fc5a once caught a cold—even while 1d7e619a34 sleeping in the cool draft ef9d667879 of fresh air.26ba10f53cb7e488

She never told anyone, 0b0077d207 but one of Go c56b6cec67 Eunjae’s secret little pleasures c5873b54de was walking barefoot across d3f5021be7 freshly fallen snow, her ceabe2a790 soles still warm from ec1cd30f29 a day of dancing. But since quitting ballet, 9d60a14f25 her feet no longer 86175f7df9 burned with heat, and 20646cebb5 her grandmother was no 4fafd07764 longer there to quietly 0836190fc5 close the window after 44f0fc93b8 her.f043dd46bc1ac2bf

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Eunjae forced her eyes shut 00c81a0a77 and curled up under the 7e8cc6997d blanket.6191e6890dd39850

“Grandma… I’ll see you in my dreams.”88de1d64e1af444e

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You sleep well too, my 708033d530 little puppy.b8d125dc2689ea0b

It was one 3edd0e0f2f of those nights 659cf2c9a9 when all she b5cbb01965 wanted was to 8c8f9bcf3c hear her grandmother’s 7f4bb23ce1 gentle voice.07ec0bde6ea5e009

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 3b3644986ac41478

* * *274edc6cba49dcc0

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She woke up at 1d11c6d8cf the usual time, just 5733595bab like always.43b43b0f4be64eb9

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I don’t have 601cd308e8 to go to b66e15cd28 work today.5af210e1581d23be

It felt strange.d36d2dea00eb4828

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When she had quit ballet 02d7de989d and started working instead during 28983b91ed her former practice hours, she 396f710b1c hadn’t felt this kind of 1573e8374e emptiness. Back then, whatever she did 7c07c5560d brought a sense of satisfaction.4abc6916c94a1686

She had lived and 309b10946e breathed ballet for eleven 7959a0d5e6 years, ever since she df02dc2739 was eight.7f27f08d8dba09c7

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It had all a9aadfee41 started with a f4c2230e52 performance ofThe Nutcrackershe watched while holding 30989350e5 her grandmother’s hand.865920124a04cd15

The dazzling lights, the 256247c753 grand stage, and the 987333162c ballerinas gliding like fairies b56ac18754 had completely captivated the eefa3c3bed eight-year-old in the audience, 16724e120f pulling her heart up d637bf9057 onto the stage.3bc63ee1db0415d4

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Everything else disappeared—she could neither 18ec55fe64 see nor hear anything beyond 3731d5da1c that stage. It felt like the entire 70eea2a970 world existed just for ballet. Her chest tightened, 5ba16c47b0 making it hard b0396652a5 to breathe, and 2f7b1e8113 though it wasn’t 1429a9cc18 sadness, she felt b86e4252dd tears prickling at 2c67f2770f the back of d9ff636965 her eyes. She kept swallowing hard b90340ad2e to keep them from 219962190e falling.eb3a8f59f14b7e2a

Her whole body tingled, 1247c40e9e her mind growing hazy, 935f2cbfe9 but she couldn’t take 9fbdf72dcb her eyes off the 0ea97901d5 stage.f6f8ca27911c690f

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Later, she learned it had b7dd3e8ba5 beenStendhal syndrome. But the name didn’t matter.c1088924b220bf7d

Go Eunjae had fallen bd1e326c2c in love with ballet, 5ae9006d0d and her grandmother, who 7910e18b14 quickly picked up on f84cd16d86 it, supported her wholeheartedly, 71bf5e84bc along with generous sponsorship e7bdc5039b from Choi Chihyeol. With their help, f302adabeb she was able 5a3f417662 to pursue ballet a3f033e7fb without financial strain.a82dd320951bebcc

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Getting into an 4cfba375f5 arts middle school, 2b42080663 an arts high c59ed059b4 school, graduating from 8dc67bf374 a university of 0e036d609a the arts, and e04272ce40 joining a ballet 07416983d7 company had all f1b3ab4e48 seemed like the e6824da7f8 natural path.1907932592749584

She never imagined c9013f0bdb a life outside bedaf960fb of that—but the e7cf1b2899 past year, she aceb15d1b7 had lived without 1783138fd0 ballet.2127bd38161a6fdd

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And ever since quitting, 4d3eb17439 Eunjae had been constantly d08fe871b5 hungry. Maybe it was from the 3e99e88421 hard labor, but no matter c4fc6e1a9e how much she ate, the 28b64eadf5 hunger never really went away.ba49291da9a75324

Growl.8ab4ca0847db4cf5

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Right now, she 6aab16d6c1 was literally hungry, dce5412326 too.cb841deb04167dab

As soon as she 92773649af washed her face, she 9610dedbd4 went downstairs and opened 0691c51b47 the fridge. Inside, there was a4317083b4 water, some beer, d26663e588 and a black e0edc3cf6b plastic bag with 0d33506f5e leftover jokbal and 5a74460d82 spicy chicken feet 578f45d59f the cleaning lady 8844a62b02 had packed for f00f4b0217 her yesterday.6512d4ea06133be9

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She took out the 07121f61a2 bag and the half-finished 47e496b7f0 water bottle, then stood 5fa9308754 by the sink.58cc14e3d0a02e98

Peeling the plastic 8588639ec1 wrap off the f16133fed4 food, she grabbed 7b4f2e8ce4 a wooden chopstick, ccd4115439 broke it apart, 0b4213a8f3 and stuffed a 0b91235b26 big bite into 4e6fb8074d her mouth. There was a microwave, caaff668e5 but she ate it b48fd5f2d2 cold.dd5353d31e429a52

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She’d gotten used to eating 42513f6d1c standing up at the shop, c92c78f74e and it felt awkward to 73aa9d6cc5 sit alone at a six-person 0b6fe9fa81 dining table in someone else’s 1d7c14cb09 house.ce6203d36574a606

Fortunately, the portion da7039a435 was just right 48fc02c123 for one, and 50f2c31f1d she finished everything b33248ae9b without leftovers. Feeling full, she started 9ef3325b72 to clean up, but d7742ef2c3 there wasn’t a proper ae31af27c2 place to separate out ffa642380b the recyclable plastic.7b47d258a08aab11

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That’s why she’d 66cba18aac left the empty 29e6b2200b beer can on c740651c04 the sink last 3b70cb0053 night—it was something 7cb7e5ff23 the homeowner had e836456e29 drunk, so she c7aa2c0c3f didn’t feel too 0ca13036a0 bad about it. But the food 375b0d559d containers were hers, 15ce46e883 so it felt 63c42cc9b9 right to clean 195fb1c3bc them up.9eaf0295274a84e4

“This is an apartment, so there must be a recycling area.”84a3db998d3829bd

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Eunjae drank the 7fe3c85b1e last sip of f6ff66d0e3 water and gathered 94b357c94d the plastic containers 14afec1622 along with the efdeab0e2c beer can Sunwoo 0770bf4551 Chang had finished 241547f997 last night, then 73f30a15fe stepped outside.e440fa3351e8cfa3

Even without knowing 7565f47f3a the full layout 8923c65071 of the apartment 77b58f7748 complex, it wasn’t c6adbbc926 hard to find 310ccbb560 the waste station.91b8c3bc415eded6

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It wasn’t even 6 AM 7fe7a60e43 yet—the world was still and f73adf1d21 quiet. Within this vast complex, it 14806afc48 felt like she was the ee4887781c only one left. Her old neighborhood dc34c9fb50 had been quiet b768723e3e too, but there 33bb514710 were always delivery 7d0808a73b scooters or cars 831510dfa2 coming and going. This place, though, felt 0058e328b1 almost desolate.07bfab4ad155061a

“I should get back inside quickly.”ecf685e3104d94e2

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When Go Eunjae stood 6590a7c967 in front of the 948f991cc3 main entrance to the 157ff786e2 apartment building, she belatedly 604789b3ed realized she didn’t know c6f86effe1 the security code.9be314b254546ded

“Haah… Go Eunjae, you idiot.”e8268147fdd3e673

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She waited, hoping another resident 7ca1b829ba would come out through the ad262bece3 main entrance, but most people ea1d7eedf5 used the parking garage. She didn’t know that this 5e62913dcd door was rarely used except e6f828df7d for taking out the trash—and 7583166462 certainly not this early in 1c192255d4 the morning.6fcd999e64c605a8

And it was way too d4ad04b685 early to ask Jeon Sohee 52f2b108a0 for help.09235bc0b8422afb

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Eunjae sat down on the 2ace4e4c31 edge of a flower bed.b4ab2ae3b352a34d

A beautifully landscaped walking path 23945021b4 stretched out before her, but 2c637b6689 she wasn’t in the right f472f6c0d4 state of mind to enjoy 166120aabb a peaceful stroll. At least it wasn’t 9d4194a063 the middle of winter—that a63402ec94 was one small mercy.07bd7847f28614b1

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She decided to 251784a7ef wait until 9 575a3ec8a1 a.m. and then contact Jeon Sohee c554538ead to ask for the door fdc29aaa4f code.ad25d04d3c51a362

Three hours of waiting—but 393be6556d that wasn’t so bad.0d8674ac8b4f4229

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The September sky 7f6475ba8e was clear, bright, c52cfbb7a7 and high.0bf5e3bdee20916e

It was the season ofcheongomabi—a time when the sky is high and horses grow fat.a971888a468502c1

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The mild temperature and c932cf95c4 soft sunlight brought a e93aaf46a3 calmness to her heart. Watching the fast-moving 113a1b1930 clouds kept boredom 4769779a3c at bay.a0f2c5a04ca564ec

That one looks like 9f7b466fdd a puppy. That one’s the back eef7fcefd1 of a cat turning f747deff80 away. That’s a four-leaf clover. That’s a flower 780f8cc884 with lots of ecdfe38713 petals. That one… what kind b60204925b of bird is that…?628ebc413bc5c585

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She played cloud-shaped hidden 7adb997fd9 pictures for a while, 5445a9c79e then reached into her b6518ec3bf pocket to check the 893193744b time on her phone.e46607fa7bcb9583

“…Huh?”1a042cb7df76d38b

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The battery, which had 90a276810c been at around 35% 3c965694e4 earlier, was now completely 991da1175e dead.7c8afe58dadb4211

Her phone’s battery had started 0d99c230ec acting up about two months 9e64156c9f ago, after nearly five years c2c6602022 of use.ce5567667a9f78ab

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Still, as long 7c8aedcd4a as she charged 59c71f1269 it properly, it 540a892565 hadn’t been an 8d175f98ad issue. But last night, she’d 2b197cf83c forgotten to charge it—and 50f4c6c50b it had always held 91721cb894 out till 20%, so ea51aeb6e6 she’d assumed it would c71e4b40ff again. That miscalculation had 0b9e57cbc1 come back to 31b21085e4 bite her.c80bac41162422a1

“Ugh, what now…”3b2aebf0ca5a5566

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Now she had no 540d7596f9 way of contacting Jeon a41f6c1d0e Sohee.5afd3de6c28eaa72

She could easily recharge her dcef8a2b73 phone at a convenience store—but b2a1a3040e that meant leaving the apartment 06b232f42d complex.8874c3d4547402e3

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“Your house is already in danger. You think the place you work is safe?”9ebdab4c3cc89a15

Gangsters.79328327460dac34

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She barely knew b0f841aa7f her way around b01de575b2 this neighborhood. If she wandered out d8a14a88fd and happened to run df604e3574 into those thugs Choi 84f46c8a34 Anna sent, it would 3d5b44054b be a disaster.514723048be10031

Putting herself in 487b6ab9fc danger was bad 7e681993c7 enough. But dragging Sunwoo Chang into dab107b719 trouble would be even worse.65720d00c6a8762c

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If anyonewere passing by, she’d ask c354f137a7 for help—but until the afternoon d22b5a15fc sun started to set and 87fdb5d5e5 dusk rolled in, this apartment 6bace4f037 complex was a ghost town.7e14d903ed389017

She wanted to a6cc59ecd2 go to the dff9f2bbdf management office for 12106796d9 help, but of cafe6ac5e4 all places, it a7cc6d82f9 was located at d821f375e4 the entrance of 1b5b79504f the parking lot—outside b68c2d1a07 the building.d6ff6ca28ebc951b

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To reach it, she’d have 22e1654e94 to completely exit the apartment 2cda901a77 complex and walk around to 5838ef6601 the main road, or enter 173ed09862 the building and use the e90de6fe6e underground parking garage from inside.f5f6b810f6f5a4f6

But with the security door 5daabf52b0 locked, there was no way e558d7562f in. She’d have to go 7f9c93e875 around the long way.7ff3ae6654755e9f

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“Maybe… if I run fast enough, it’ll be fine.”f1eb2c030c077bcc