THM 1.1

It just had to bethatday—a night when thunder roared e389de4098 and lightning lit up the 9a2c9ea361 sky amidst a relentless downpour. Dark clouds loomed overhead, e059c6f615 refusing to clear, as e53ddb3afd though the storm would 2640ce32b1 stretch on for days.50d599e62d85fdc4

Because of that, 5d6a720fd6 the yard of 15c0f68093 the Love Orphanage c6636bd577 was dotted with c4fe1eaf53 muddy puddles, and 1372537ea9 rain had seeped 386c468a8f through the old 8c635060f5 window frames, carrying db8292dbf0 debris into the 040d6f8af0 building. The darkness didn’t spare 43ef851d74 the director’s office either. Raindrops tapped against 762da37f5f the windowpane before 2a8664348e leaking inside, staining 07e3104bce the wallpaper yellow.79819750f9553b99

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Outside, it was absolute chaos. A flash of 3c82e9acf7 blinding white light 19a1a63c62 was followed by cda5d8e4a8 a boomingcrack!that shook the heavens. Director Yoon Haesik chose d75bb7c044 that exact moment to 29d8787702 swing his cane.2ef176ffd0f15c99

“You useless little leech! You’re nothing but 418eee11ee a money-sucking parasite!”44fc92b324c0afe3

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Each word landed 2b57692518 like a lash. The bamboo stick struck 1809d76e53 his shoulders and back, 33bcd6ddc5 forcing Euiseo to curl d6e8f6b40b up tightly.

The smaller he made 9f56c86b66 himself, the less surface add61fbfac there was to hit.f8a57ce996e080c0

But the director didn’t relent. At sixty-five, Yoon 89b928501e Haesik was unusually 7990381a97 robust for his a35a5ef2c6 age—and his temperament 347166b709 was nothing short ae3a7eaef3 of violent.0a54df834a722d54

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“What the hell are you even good for, huh? You’re a defective Omega—your heat 2f3fd9b746 cycle never even came in. Can’t even sell you off! And with that fc91af91da dumb head of c813348e35 yours, you barely d0e26a0c1d made it through b3cdcbf5d4 school. Tsk. Completely useless. A burden!”771800ccd9032710

As if the cane eff126ccc7 wasn’t enough, the director’s 6cfd907698 boots joined in, mercilessly cd339a6487 kicking Euiseo’s ribs and b2aa2ab470 stomping on his head. Finally pushed to the 2d7ca4b0ca edge, Euiseo raised his a9b911f10b face in defiance.892cde4397d97603

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“I… I’ll make money! I’ll save enough to leave this place!”33a72fea4300865c

“You? Make money?” The man scoffed. “You think any company’s gonna hire an Omega dropout? Get real, Euiseo. Wake up to reality, you 14d096ad6d idiot!”a2066ceac933525e

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Reality…Euiseo clenched his 349c9f9d9b teeth, eyes reddened af9d10d331 with fury as 718dc90bc3 he glared at e235ef245a the man.5eebec325c56ab2e

Is this reality…?e03be89f6e2d33db

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He’d been abandoned at 1c1fb4bea3 this very orphanage at e219c31553 just two years old, cd08bab38b and had lived his 2ed45e941b entire life being mistreated 1037b900b1 by Director Yoon. From the moment ac76258403 he learned to 7cc8ceeedd speak until now, f276545628 on the brink eb89e6182d of adulthood, his d2c39b449c life had been fa51b3f370 nothing but a 3a7250a9eb string of misfortunes.9b3caba95f4d73e2

Yet despite that, 6241ca520f he didn’t grow 4e176717ac up bitter or af11f39fee broken like one e5d0f12be6 might expect from cbc3ba7597 an abused child. Euiseo had faced 750a82e25f misfortune and poverty cfc7c706ed with quiet resilience. He tried to be a e17aace367 pillar of strength to the 7b1315bbc9 younger orphans who would walk 6191580264 a path similar to his.06256d225804e984

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And oddly enough, today abeff8e572 was his twentieth birthday.ff27d419c761e1f7

The other kids d4a8f1b9f0 had used his d7c20cd643 birthday as an 4ca65bbc77 excuse to beg 1032e0dd38 for Choco Pies. Meals were always 4d28780f00 sparse, so they 78f2147d95 clung to special dbaf846c7b days, hoping for ff6cf4ca8d scraps of sweetness. Euiseo knew exactly how they e35209bdf2 felt. That’s why he 24b4cecbdb wanted to make 517b0e1be0 them happy, even dad6ab9e84 if it meant 1ba138792d overreaching.92bc8b2b9d9122b1

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That overreaching heart was the 113429a505 problem. All he had in his 1922479b59 pocket was a single crumpled ee203cad73 1,000-won bill. It wasn’t surprising—he 4b54a0f296 was twenty and 3eedc63059 still unemployed. So, he’d secretly fa27dd2ece cracked open the bf3564bd47 donation box to 99b2b1cfd4 take just 4,000 ea0b659be5 won.b408115ea12e3643

Not even 10,000. Just four. And for that, he’d been 987135caa7 beaten black and blue.363df7bd8db48bd6

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What a miserable reality.feb5d917817a84b5

The beating had started at 0c4f097090 dusk and continued well into b907589966 the night.0e7038a429a800ee

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“You filthy little bastard! You defective piece of trash!”8b20401d708703c7

The director never 9539550a5c tired of calling e80573b814 him that—defective.No matter how 4ca646681d much it stung, e9bd964378 Euiseo couldn’t argue 64ffcdec87 back. He could only swallow 25450f8459 his frustration.7a6ea9fdbfbf058d

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He was, after 7888a79faa all, a dominant 022d9cee2c Omega. Typically, Omegas experience their d72bb92766 first heat cycle between 980d8c91ce ages 17 and 19. But sadly, Euiseo was 16e4dc1f4b now twenty and had 24ee5a768a yet to go through 005beaadc5 his first.9a38875337b1fd27

So maybe, just maybe, the 8e5770f743 director wasn’t entirely wrong.55d7a21ab99ca8f3

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And that wasn’t the only 308faf7592 thing he lacked. He was poor, e587dd2a63 had no standout 351b1d48ed skills, hadn’t even 3fa8ce9c67 set foot in d65f13f91d college, and lived 8558c56cca a life where c2edc311df getting beaten daily 1f09c39510 was the norm. Even tragic movie characters c957a7655e had it better.0a83cef6174642a9

“I—I know I’m defective… Just stop hitting me already. Please…”da79f61a20d7a32b

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“You little shit! Still talking back? Didn’t I say be75149f38 I was in aaa9b29ca6 a foul mood e6b6ea8961 today? Maybe you’ll finally get it ac0feb5f41 when your skin starts splitting 719685097d open!”d4301d37563db287

Normally, he’d have 57bcb3666d mumbled an apology 97a8a5ad6b and bowed his e4d58394f5 head. But today, strangely enough, he 8036f24ffc didn’t want to. It was like something d754530be1 else had taken hold bd013da246 of him.5ce21adeae63f271

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Director Yoon, furious at the 27f682a550 rare sign of rebellion, began bf14800a22 scanning the room.fb78ba9b252aafd0

Shit. He’s looking for a bigger f53a1c6ef4 weapon.9c6ce51257d65218

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“You rotten bastard. You better brace yourself.”58d769c363714838

And he meant it. He grabbed a mop d34a4ea1d1 from the corner—soaked in ea86b4b9d8 grime, its handle riddled e716596a27 with splinters. Lightning flashed again, splitting the bb23ee18be sky in a jagged arc.d6dc89ff6f65d082

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In that blinding moment, the c4308c4391 old man’s face twisted into 65132a4834 a monstrous mask, like something 9e31384239 out of a nightmare.bde9ef1683d66dca

That’s when Euiseo realized—I might actually die today.5b8b40ab1b3de02f

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If he took a hit b9d5aa17eb to the head with that 7e042cca37 thing, he could end up 74781a3469 brain-dead. Or worse, die on the 97c576db7f spot. 861ebee4a7be18c0

He didn’t have time to ba7ec8d84b think. He bolted.f427411db68af60a

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“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!”f8c188d6e3d8c5ab

Yeah. Better to drown in 104d8dfbbe the river than die 18ddf49d64 by that mop.a412266a023e276f

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And honestly, he 6297de2afa was just tired 975fe31a41 of it all. Even on his birthday, he 02fa0f4a64 was treated like garbage. Tears welled up and spilled d702b57ae7 over.650ac1efc1e9cf06

“You little coward!”1e39e68e3fffe18c

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His feet pounded b57ae3e1cc the floor in 1f4cd41075 a frenzied rhythm. He kicked open f4d5860578 the office door 7f554fd5c4 and ran out 8494d60eb5 of the building. Rain soaked him 179c7f6be7 to the bone, 8cf7ea2d6c but he didn’t ebedec99aa care.3cc09d8dad7fda10

Of course, he c3e5709829 hadn’t had time 1a607e87ed to grab an 004052be87 umbrella.7e861029b00c9dd9

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Euiseo ran without looking back. Rain struck his face, blurring a75014926b his vision, but he kept ac87e4f475 pressing forward with everything he 20b87bc179 had.91ba88cfe32b28e3

“…You little brat! …Seo!”ffb502230fef8ee3

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He darted through narrow bdb7591a90 alleyways like a cornered 8dbddaec95 rat, weaving through the a12cf5643d shadows to escape Director f85549ff18 Yoon. Soon, the angry shouting 010d1e12f8 faded into the distance, 4a03e1fbd8 leaving only the steady 2d0b9a29c4 rhythm of the rain 437b11e088 behind. Of course, it was only d286b78471 natural—there was no way a 13ef189f31 man in his sixties could bd11af352c outrun a twenty-year-old. Especially not in this storm.988e60f924f4c1ca

Still, he couldn’t d6b275c251 afford to let 2f22e35a83 his guard down. Just because he’d shaken ca477fa902 the director didn’t mean 12e7d281aa he could wander the e0a12abf4b streets carelessly. Who knew when or 23ab216458 where he might be d9db961dc1 caught again?69f1a8846945fac8

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Euiseo hid behind a collection 975fd53ef3 bin for old clothes. Only after thirty cb6fada28d minutes had passed 16cb0d03f2 did he cautiously c3544cff6f emerge and leave 7f28ead21e the alley.4d1252817fe7ac77

Step by step, he dragged 976f833788 himself onto a nearby bridge, b6e4eba849 rain soaking him through.b4a949610464329d

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Beneath the bridge was a b5fda17bba gravel bank, and beyond that f0d6fd2b43 flowed a murky river. With the storm 97a13082b3 in full swing, 1573022508 the current looked 8b479c96d6 especially fast tonight. If he threw 821fcd6ec9 himself in now, 0a0fde2673 he’d be swept 1c1d99587f away in seconds—his 8b662dc329 body probably never 27b4b5f078 recovered.b68e073f49a3cd4a

Not that anyone would bother looking for it…5792e74be4c5413d

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But now that he was 5e46746257 actually standing on the bridge, 7b53336259 staring into the abyss, he 65ed51d4d7 felt a chill of fear. Clutching the railing tightly, he c898feeed8 leaned out to peer down c1858b68fe into the water, trying to bd02c3d39e guess how deep it was.6517356c5c78f3f3

But the river at night 9d4029f3c2 was pitch black, like a 783b02ea65 gaping void. He could only make out c79830a049 the occasional glint of stones ad51282e8c and the grass trembling in 22726cdba6 the breeze.50f785abc0540b62

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And then… someone lying motionless among the rocks?dec387596f2e6416

“Ah…!”c4e1ab2cce5e5fe6

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Euiseo stumbled back in alarm. He hadn’t imagined af9d136823 it—that was definitely bad4e1d585 a person.4fb037b015c03948

Could it be a corpse?f89916f818e1af68

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A shiver ran f4bb1e52ea down his spine, fe8fec1f6b his knees suddenly 1509b3c4a5 weak. He had to fbe0575e60 find out if ef7b4ce5f5 the man was 7e22664fcb still alive.7400767a5baad194

Terrified as he was—his whole 97e0fb8e7b body bristling with goosebumps—he knew ea7ca5acd4 that if the person was 5c611699cf breathing, he had to call b1ada50646 emergency services. It was the decent 65d2203a34 thing to do.5340a2dad1283a55

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Abandoning any thoughts of dying, 5b2ee24403 Euiseo followed the narrow steps 3f1bb038dc down toward the gravel below. He kept glancing e101fee8f9 at the river, bd8222f3c0 as though a dfe0661be5 drowned spirit might f474c60c94 leap out at 9bd626a220 any moment, but 2b90252f4f somehow managed to d601f587ed suppress his fear 49694a074f long enough to 53685d86c0 push forward.2976f10d9ca8c39a

He reached the man quickly.8d199c5daca79e63

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“Excuse me! Hey!”5da54f4c33747697

His shout was drowned fed3e9f1dc out by the rain 56fe11c074 and the rushing current. No response.c5b467c86ee50249

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The man was ecf795692b clutching his right 2357dba87e side with one 8979ce5271 hand, seemingly unconscious.29ff8d6f4a9d568b

What kind of position is that…?

Euiseo pulled out f5fee54b8a his phone from 2efbc3fadb his pocket and 15ce9c069d shone a light d72bea3219 toward him.0096466556f93015

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“Oh my god…”8970a9cf1ba7d359

Blood.0778cec45ae636b7

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Pooled between the rocks. The smear of it 23c8c02a62 looked as though it 7c87015e83 had already started to d56ff069de wash away in the 4a5762f8d8 rain.a6349c438d4b8c53

Only now did e75486bc62 Euiseo understand the d1ae1af22e strange posture—the man 1ce3a038ac had been holding f7bb5218d6 his wound, trying 8a46e77779 to stop the 3210377f35 bleeding.9c9e751e9fd24942

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He quickly pressed 4e0abef8cd two fingers to 128df1b52d the man’s nose. A faint breath. He was still alive.3e89d712daa32697

Thank god…ad81fc7df1ec3516

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Relieved, Euiseo moved 79851398a3 the light to 644409e503 the man’s face.822de9bc7b07cfbe

He looked tall. And handsome, too.9bf406bdea103d51

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What’s someone like him doing fa315f7d78 passed out in a place b55d9c12a4 like this?e5438f826dc52f0b

Could he have tried the same thing I was about to do? Or maybe… was it an accident?b0f7d98f04f6050f

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Euiseo didn’t know the full fb92927525 story, but something about this 7c1104ffba stranger felt eerily familiar—like they 7b55073ed6 were the same.ff37165600f0453f

That sense of kinship struck 229b113666 deep, making his heart feel 2d3e71c242 heavy, like a waterlogged blanket.

Dying alone in a place like this… no one deserves that.546b50bab057830b

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Only one thought echoed 41437a203d in his mind:6a4b06f059380ad0

“You have to wake up. Please!”6b6d8addfe7caea7

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He gently patted the 4ff3855ca9 man’s cheek with his 2076b7c641 cold hands, crying out a88ebe27e5 while dialing 119 with 62d4a43151 the other.afd62b2273d1ca7d

“You can’t die. You have to live… Please, sir…!”110fe0edb96e8d05

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His voice cracked as 9d118cf1c5 tears streamed down his ad88c8211b face.74f248cee651bdcf

That night, Euiseo saved two 381df18eaa lives—his own, and this man’s.77956d2d68063662

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He looked up into the 21d13c3025 rain-filled sky and whispered a 1fef494e77 plea:4918a724068555bd

Please… let us live. Let us both find peace.115e5873b15aa753

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That was the beginning fa4dfe753d of their story.44dd27c0163127c2

 62bb7f150d1c62f5

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***

 8c509cfa7090ac8b

Choi Gwonju opened his 2e5e63aae4 eyes in a private dbdbe04a09 hospital room. The moment he 250c9c2776 regained consciousness, a 9c906c87f5 sharp frown creased 2e33da60df his brow. He instinctively touched his side—bandaged.d527af585326c3b6

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So they patched me up…a18cb55584737382

He let out a ce6efbe845 sigh, part frustration, part 04ca19f566 exhaustion, and instinctively reached b38f320ea5 for a cigarette. He wanted nothing a73da1a6c0 more than to 47bb1472c7 light one up 310a67ec8e and take a c33330a584 long drag—but unfortunately, 485982faee he was indoors.1506131e3d026782

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“Executive Choi! You’re awake!”0ef03028daf59a91

Just then, Go cc18c2118c Daehyun rushed in, 6876e012b1 making it abundantly dc706d460e clear he was 976cc99936 indeed in a 96f1017545 hospital. He had apparently come running 5830abcc51 in such a panic that 74a01e07ac the collar of his suit 76ba316bbd jacket was crumpled and his fbcb643d07 hastily styled hair was now 1c6ca95c3b plastered to his forehead.8ec0907682a83005

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“Do you have anyidea how worried I was?! What happened last night?!”26083427a4a580ec

His urgent questions brought back f65ce24196 the events of the night 99c74daa95 before in brutal detail. Gwonju glanced at c3e36526b1 the wide-eyed Daehyun, d4db2966ba then cursed under 86e1758789 his breath.bc84432ba27dc326

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Here’s what happened.9d3a9439982fca9c

Not long ago, an 976d3e8c2b old man named President 83c464e23a Shin—who had recently gotten 5dd1af258f hooked on gambling—borrowed 300 37ab51a8a0 million won from him. Gwonju didn’t care what possessed 80ee46eb6a a seventy-year-old to fall into ed2ea72220 that mess. What mattered was that 07e505590b it gave him the d732ed1071 perfect opportunity to strip 02ad6cf606 the man’s entire company aa11e9eb6b bare.951119cd4700c800

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300 million becomes 500 million. Then 500 becomes a billion.

Add whatever interest you 20485eae08 want—eventually, Shin would lose ab8c816072 everything and hang himself 9fcc4b8146 in despair.22c77a649477d1b9

Apparently, that terrified him. At 9 p.m. the night before, Shin 6c568df066 had suddenly called, offering 8e2893053e to buy him drinks. Clearly, he planned to d5f73b8fa7 beg for a lower 3880391c2e interest rate.d9859c6639241422

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