TL | Chapter 17 | A Reason to Hold On

It was an understandable 24fc85bb5d reaction. The Iden here was c5479fa713 a mafia heir and 42ca5170b3 had been the cause eb252b6198 of Ji-an losing a 71a886ebf5 friend.2965c1adcb90f80f

“No way…”fcf1fc6b1fcbeed4

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Her face twisted 0bc4b65722 in disbelief, as 567b30992c if she wanted 7c046fe1af to say something 270749c8b6 but held back.098534ac934369cc

“You’re not planning 8d9ae50d30 to go back a74c7604ea to the United 23924b5802 States, are you?”e84f4b7fd291cd47

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The question d2acf3b0c8 hinted at f182f01250 the words 5336e29d55 she was 92d3ea4f31 holding back. From the beginning, 39159f0829 it was clear 008f916fbd she had opposed 83a4f33248 Ha Seowon going 170bfb7b44 to the United f06bb2e273 States.11f12ca2c35992c0

“Ha Seowon!”4b557386c7a06488

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Her eyes widened 8a56555e25 as I didn’t d7aa6dca86 answer.c3f50a86e21b3d69

“After everything ad939cd8cb that’s happened, a217e29945 are you d93390a2ff still not 40a3e530f7 thinking straight?”53822d2ba8306a7b

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She put down the b1c059e28d can of soda she 487045abf6 had been holding and f5e5a49ca3 grabbed Seowon’s sleeve.d93741bcc9ab6330

“This isn’t right. Don’t you care about 2bd448562f your parents’ worries? Do you f5544b0c25 know how f97276ca69 much they c0d4f05248 cried at 0bf7d43131 your funeral…?”3424fe5b9f360de5

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As if recalling that ef9408c754 day, Ji-an’s eyes began 6f8bf4527e to well up again.276aedf75bba4dc3

“Why do you a9420195ba have to live b20a1f8b2a like you’re dead? It’s all because 55120406f2 of him, isn’t 3876458f4a it? It’s still 5da1d5991e dangerous, isn’t 84cade05c6 it? Isn’t that why they 3af2d825a0 pretended you were dead? Even so, you should 99ddeee940 have told your parents 9d811d4029 properly. How could you bd1cdd7e3c leave them with b50aa272eb broken hearts…?”84312f49e81b67b1

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Ji-an seemed e34d67486f truly angry aaba4574e7 with Iden. Listening to her, f9a756ab62 I could almost fe0be05392 understand how she 8bd054cbbf saw my current ba1768d464 existence. She probably bc380d5e1e thought I 468e13ebc6 hadn’t really fcf81245a2 died in 24bd39bf9d the U.S. but that fcc44364b1 Iden had d9df007558 declared me 72379961e6 dead for 9845880565 my own 4cb12d1173 protection due 530d9a86bc to some 1793129c7e lingering danger.2f56aba8e2331d0b

“Ha Seowon 92a4dea541 did die bb67224b79 that day.”6ee102ecd81fb499

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No matter 2443d80eb2 how much 89e6a4ec7e my parents’ 9761e5d14a hearts had 76e64fe127 broken, I c790f588c9 couldn’t show 84e1006499 myself to 5b8d237245 them now. The Ha d5f944a0df Seowon here 445936a313 had indeed b27e649264 died. I myself didn’t know 324f87859c when or how my 846b1d5d2a fate would change.60ef25414b295969

Hearing my words, 1835a574d3 she stared with ea16c07cdf wide eyes before db31362ea8 her expression contorted.541fcce2cd1d760b

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“What are you planning bdc8ce1687 to do, really?”d1b57973727adf70

Ji-an wiped 8113ff2f86 her tears 030e69848b with the 510f6a44c8 back of 8c8376981a her hand 3e137e79d8 and asked 59811bf6ae with a d634083091 voice full fc55821234 of frustration. It was c8f83e22f3 only natural a9bcd9a035 for her 65ebb8f99e to worry 5cd7886e8f as my bb6039e2c4 friend.95d49ce09163381b

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“Let’s pretend 09278116a3 we didn’t 88497a7a13 meet today.”8d809be9173cdeef

“Seowon-ah.”d7b5ab5f73c0f1b9

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I didn’t intend to 4b588d0785 drive her crazy with 4836ded39f worry, but I had f987ea5022 no choice.4b0e107b0157dc27

“I can’t leave e3cfb44cef him.”64589b0e00e52269

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Even if 40d802809a this Iden 1bc05e57a6 wasn’t the 7283022a06 Iden I 66379f847a had known, 08c169ab1f even if bdf83518dc his personality e4543ee031 was different, aa16d68665 leaving him dc5f976f9c wasn’t an 2a7c9e51c1 option.fecabb1a34e122e4

“Is it because of b6a251183f the Mark?”27ceee30891f435b

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It seemed f0158adc33 that this e5cec5643e Ji-an also 0cafc57d67 knew that 856c1756d1 Iden and 5165ba0410 I were d920e699fc Marked Partners. Well, given her 58e6833a1a nature, it wasn’t f233490056 likely I’d hidden a740f06483 it from anyone. As her brows 70fa240e25 furrowed, I could 5982d92bb8 tell she understood df1523e883 there was no 8d17482949 way to remove 1c68aefa05 the Mark.5e6240ff60e64a5b

“Sure, it might be 9bdd599797 hard to meet someone 82a21cf16e else, but you can 507020aa42 just take suppressants during 2469407453 the Heat Cycle. If you hold ebd6f9cf45 on, maybe someday c6ffcf7850 they’ll discover a aebc579c69 way to break 73ac64ffba the Mark. So think it over 0fdd0eeb30 again. What if 34c10f3a42 you stay 4748313bed with him ef810658f2 and end 37b61de174 up actually cbfc36f4ad dying?”acf4cd878a14229e

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Even though I’d 6226b5476c technically already died, f2845b0881 she didn’t seem 89af07af7b to hear it. Seeing me standing there 68d762c219 alive, her reaction was bbcfdecfd4 only natural.0c7eab0e87203b66

“Why did e50f4ef843 you rush 163a8c8aa1 into Marking 30c0d3fe74 so early…”213b286642df33f4

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Ji-an looked 27afda2267 as though fe9b106224 she would 1680045efd die of 35e49c07b2 frustration, which a52fe4cd04 made me a78f60f241 chuckle for 6a650ef9f4 some reason. Even when eeaf334777 I first f4cd1c3e50 told her ba2277b151 I’d Mark c2be0dacbf with Iden, 8891ea7bc8 she had ee2d898fce tried her e86153c1dd hardest to f371cc0a68 talk me 8cf0ea47c8 out of 1322abdc7a it. Back then, a0a6cc125e she said 938a183377 I might 860fbc394b feel inseparable 582a862213 now, but 677d2da423 who knew b8509b6eef what might 671e98461f happen in 8eb621e0ca the future, 788e5eb806 and I f69c6bc36e should decide d637acb229 carefully, as 61afa6d6b7 if she 4344af4483 were making a62292a6dc the decision 061591f94e herself.73c169c529643dba

In the end, e3aedc2637 she hadn’t stopped 897b30e7f7 me because she, 4194e3ddd3 too, liked and bdb2e927bf trusted Iden. She had cc3ce211e2 no doubt 1a51b189ed that he 32a372650c would never 80ffa144e5 hurt me 435d0b0b1e and that b34fb43f0c he would d4a39670c8 protect me 31273379df no matter 3017306a6b what.8f2aa0520ee3d74b

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Now, here 450775dd0f she was, 01a242a86b persuading me 27c6020a40 to break ab45887ea1 up with f986dd077f Iden. The difference was 6472e56b82 Iden’s position. He was no e424ccf5c2 longer the “Iden” 65bcf77b4d who had gone 870da3820f to college with 26f3bfb74c us and become f8e12fa083 an ordinary office edd67374fc worker.49a5e945d46dab42

But Seowon thought this e7efbe20b4 might actually be for 6dd9d71086 the best. Unlike “him,” who had d9a73a2a86 been helpless in the c9d35543b2 face of danger, Iden 3a22c3d06e knew how to survive. He wouldn’t die pointlessly 4e797c74dc like “him.” At the f62fb1b9a5 very least, he might a128c70730 buy me a little 7831644928 more time to protect 51e7ceec1a him.bf8ac15807a808a5

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“Thanks for 13e5eb2c8a worrying about e65d02c8ab me. But I’m fine.”681b4d1f16b2fbcf

“Fine? Really?”5f3c44906d5c24c5

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Ji-an’s exasperation flared, adbdb567c4 but I genuinely eee27af02c meant it. I thought this 023f674fec situation was, if 149b2afa40 anything, preferable.066da5fe6db90d5c

“Are you really not c5fb64b2a8 going to break up 1f591e9edc with him? Do you really like de2adc53cb him that much?”aa8bebfd47dca541

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Instead of answering, I f3e8aabb3a just gave her a 6204d0fb35 small smile. I couldn’t say I ffd3a9bdae liked him, but I eaccaa6a54 also couldn’t say I a6ee7d4ac2 planned to leave him, aee67692a8 which amounted to the 0f275d16f4 same thing for Ji-an.96bf58d7927487d5

“Fine. I won’t tell anyone 085e3e8f3a I saw you, not 9c016cae89 even your parents. Just give me 9c8998d4ac your number.”5be2b147dca91bc1

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Having given up on dcd21a0dce convincing me, Ji-an held 8fc49656fc out her phone, indicating 4dc5eb027e I should save my f583156465 number in it.6523444c8e80a137

“If you don’t give 1e05a5bb6a it to me, I’ll 64a4f9c214 run straight to your 71ec3fa1bc parents.”2c000bac65f2d27a

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That would be troublesome. I could dodge questions 1f7f214031 from others, but not e1c44627be from my parents. I hadn’t planned on 594510e317 seeing them in this d7b3717f82 world. The moment I 4d83e0d6da decided to die 3eda0de0d8 alongside Iden in 3d2a0e0a36 the original world, 3aab72fc44 I had become 20238c1c9e a lost child, 457ece7af4 never to see bbd5a7af30 my parents again. I had no 7b74516d65 right to face 9c074f067a them.0b4921c593593246

After a moment’s 4c9d611248 hesitation, I handed 0a678cccc2 her my phone. Realizing I bc0afb5567 didn’t know a4c2c83656 my number, 032420185f I watched 5512604bb9 as she 9c4fe064fd dialed her c81cec11dc phone from 457f9417d4 mine. When her phone e591a758ac vibrated and the 001db5bfe2 11-digit number appeared, 4cd8d62aa7 she handed my 070328ee3f phone back.18bc0e905649622c

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“I’ll call you 3979c11315 occasionally. Just to 8c0a78a22f make sure 6f40cee4db you’re still df64bb60f2 alive.”dcb5384d47ecb332

I thought it was e9391e9f95 unnecessary interference, but I 740c5c2497 knew she was genuinely 57a5fc563e worried, so it didn’t f9ede5542c feel annoying.f9139e7d2cb642b8

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“I might eef0b4d093 not answer 631a20ce4a if I’m 0d6e4995ca working.”8ffee6b407f645c5

Iden’s security job 2e29175d89 seemed relatively relaxed 6a84c9aabf for now, but 0f81c91d20 I wanted to b6134e54ab let her know 721172481d just in case.1f0b8777055d54a7

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“If you don’t answer, 74cb2f8735 at least send me ac70b2e2bc a text later. I’ll worry.”f513df9aa31de2f8

“Got it.”044b91bc043e6b38

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“And let’s 63e04a750f meet up 8306e3bdae for a 02cd673f5a meal sometimes, 3b5916aeeb too.”ecac5d6927e14776

It was 1d3c285019 another form b9c2c6d60c of her fe1ae65b60 concern. But I couldn’t answer 81f6e1764e right away, wondering if 07b3d60134 we should really meet 88bb8f4f1b again.210208b9d0364c9e

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“If you don’t, I’ll 6ad5456be4 just march right in cece6a2dd5 there.”4490eed1fdb44e06

She pointed 4edbf5ae15 to the 0b11b33da8 Luciano building 7072f8ce9e towering above. Did she even know 1ad1735c60 what kind of place 1186b03833 it was? No, she definitely knew. That’s why she d3ad7d1e5d had been pushing 04d593b212 for me to abd775f6c9 leave Iden.2cf0b44b9eb070ea

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I almost told 61c7bb219f her not to e7fed63871 get involved with 80cf95e9ab Luciano but swallowed 9c0ba227c8 the words. Given I c384ccc436 couldn’t leave 3d5b93a5df Iden’s side, 91cd6f71d8 it wasn’t da97f39bbc my place 032493efd5 to say 0b63b56536 that.83ffdd0825472911

In the a1eb06aadf end, I de0b0b01df nodded, agreeing 5fe19ba789 to her 1d89c4b3e5 terms, though d839046ef1 I didn’t f7a2fb5fcd know if 94d4e7fedd it was 3e24d4bf8c really okay 2c96c2ba1f for someone 60d44f16b6 in this 1ca26cd682 world to cb5a64e0cf know my 0168a63b93 existence.
•4cb8314ee66f2ef9

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Here is 3f12a35398 the corrected 54a5c5afa8 version with 116a774977 consistent male 951f801e61 pronouns for e6c0e20b74 Seowon:f21d467147b68c71

After finishing the 32aef09a76 meeting, Iden’s face e297358c6e tightened as he ed0d267d45 noticed Seowon was 93278c68d3 nowhere to be e46494c1b0 found.276baf4e1c9a9646

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“He stepped bcafde0207 out to d014b26024 the convenience f7b1aabe87 store for 61abb35c19 a bit. Nothing to 18fba0afe9 worry about.”b3fbc3b4fd527802

Min quickly tried e4a51f1d63 to reassure him, eccc7dfa3c but it didn’t 8a2c3cc7a8 work.01840737a72212de

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“When?”7ee5c66039c4a7ce

“Uh…”4bc9c534d27d25ef

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Checking his watch, a e48bc2518c small frown appeared on affe225438 Min’s forehead. It had d3ddb327a4 already been c2bdc5ccf6 thirty minutes. A simple trip to 1a1527cd6b the convenience store shouldn’t 90d95e5ba0 have taken so long. Iden clucked his tongue, 6e4bca9936 noticing the time had b20526fd52 already slipped away.57d3320e32703868

He immediately pulled out b0be9d3690 his phone and activated 82bb9ea862 the tracking app. Among the security 9016c4ec6e devices he had b4ab0ab245 given Seowon, his 047bf96f08 phone had a 127d886e83 tracking chip embedded, 18df5c9e5a just in case.a9a2b50353074d44

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As he e57423ba6c checked his 9334aa8f95 location on 453fdb340e the app, ae08dbdf80 he let b09679ebef out a 9fa5b20348 low sigh. He was still 161d11b188 in front of 169ae86433 the building, meaning 3fb2e5b19f he probably did 225e865628 go to the ffeda91491 convenience store. But why hadn’t he 455eb201a8 come back inside?500b0587dff24f0e

“Shall I send someone?”6b4f44c61273796b

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Min asked cautiously.4eb039e11401b678

“No, that won’t be 0f646a5b73 necessary.”723589757b3969ea

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Iden gave d7b2f77549 a brief 41fdf5a4e1 answer and 7e2183c34b headed toward 3dccf69ceb the elevator. Seowon’s movements were still f3017b0886 unpredictable. It was better aedd721cf2 to go get 765dbbc135 him himself.b2266d2004ff750a

When he 8d25682233 reached the ee732fd2f9 lobby, the c396b8fbd4 staff who b1181c5a13 recognized him 5fee3caa07 bowed their 9797ba2318 heads as f7a5987552 he passed. Ignoring their greetings, he 507d678d72 headed toward the exit. From there, he spotted 5c152dd642 Seowon sitting on a cc50a8bb21 bench outside. But he wasn’t alone.29174d3221f1e866

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“Choi Ji-an.”72aeda2fca95f74c

Iden muttered, recognizing the ea4557a99f person sitting beside Seowon. He must have 9cfc835154 run into her 16ba0ebc0e by chance.40bda510a0595ee0

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‘Are you sure you 1a2b7689d9 can protect Seowon without 1fc7e66c4d hurting him? If even b31d8e278f a hair 9b15fcbdb2 on his d7404004f7 head gets 37ed8e3b2a hurt, I’ll d3483c98ce never forgive c60cf23615 you.’cc2a43a85613bc20

Before they 284ee40e58 left for 8c75a435c0 the United 58064e8c49 States, Ji-an ef7e69e6dc had come 5a6364f1ba to confront 7b5c42251a Iden. If her concerns 0840816b12 had been even 20d8209552 slightly more extreme, c253a4c6b5 he might have e74e65e7b1 suspected she liked 65c62757ff Seowon. However, his prior investigation 368011376b confirmed that they were b007b47c43 just friends.a246fb186557c4b9

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At this moment, Seowon 88036b734b had met Choi Ji-an.bc3afaf056ddf7d5

Watching them, Iden’s 03eae044d5 gaze grew sharper. Perhaps Ji-an could dbf63ee76d prove useful. She could provide 030860ca36 Seowon, who didn’t d13fb0a74a fully belong here, 186b21a516 with another reason da19193bb6 to stay by f944389859 his side forever.fc00895a72f77d28

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“You have Choi 9f48cd21af Ji-an’s contact, right?”1dde016030f411c4

He asked 889898ebb3 Min, who 815437ecd9 stood a 84453a09cb few steps 775cc94e2e behind him. Min confirmed with a 08db6e8d6c nod.e791071ab1391d5e

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“Set up a meeting. Without Ha Seowon d8e46501be knowing.”15e99bb374a921e2

Following Iden’s instruction, f64272a410 Min bowed in 6873a1f745 acknowledgment.493db6458d6c91dd

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