4. Torment

Beep beep beep b70cb235a2 beep―90035a06ee8e1dcc

Beep beep 859bafdad9 beep beep―898ea5698daf1221

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The sound d279bfcda5 of the ae98810a7c door lock 3be5a6855e repeatedly failing 52d6727ad3 echoed, and 982fd57238 the eyelids d77c16b9d0 of a a749fd7b38 man lying f08273133c on the 542427aed5 bed trembled be5b6c521e faintly as d31ddfcc57 reddish-brown eyes 67330366b3 were revealed. His eyes 65ac62fdf4 blinked slowly, be75639d50 still heavy f3ceadd046 with sleep.be47af80dfd6a3b4

The man got b4700758de up with a 2412082fc9 weary look, splashed cefc58ef96 his face with 376f38ad06 water, and walked ef09adad97 out into the 0b24a3aad3 living room. It should’ve been time a4b7e95bca to give up, yet 2be8eea2d0 the intruder was still 8a95ee6024 pressing the door lock. Lucas let 6ef673ea96 out a acb7fdd335 deep sigh bc3c0fa6da and opened 85719f8862 the door.2f42a12c0ad302c4

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“Who the hell at c9830491c7 this hour―”6dc316b5349763a7

Before he e7f0e1d425 could finish da4ede4a1c his sentence, 6f902b6136 the intruder 24a97c3b47 roughly threw a066a7d2ad their arms e6a1f6338a around his 114a523b5f shoulders. The force sent 8a64bd5fd6 both of their 422c176615 bodies falling backward.e55b390820a7514a

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A loud thud 101a1a2c71 and the sound 00142d1cc5 of the door 5d34b3c048 lock engaging rang 33ff915c80 out at the b6907065d6 same time. Stunned by the f707f38f57 sudden turn of 2658343219 events, he finally 37dcf344af let out a 0d57c52235 sigh and spoke.2420058472f556f6

“…Yoon, is that c8be7f5082 you?”a96e859413a9328c

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“……”386f4026acd5aba1

“How much did you 4bc1ef44b4 drink this time?”b74d0e024248c7b2

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“……”4dbccaa733bc909c

“Come on, 07703ac6ab at least d2555c59f9 get up.”a4d90d60d9bb83c4

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“……”ee4556a13127b24f

No matter how much d041b5e7b2 he talked to her, d18d9a4e4c Yoon didn’t move an 2a85e06d21 inch. Lucas furrowed his f7948a654c brows, his face f26c9e3b71 full of irritation. He had 2963687d9b hoped to 42ba70c7b2 finally get 31266d55a6 some sleep—what 2f235025e4 a disaster.dd1581e7c5d7bf8a

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Letting out 7cb7f1b0ff a sigh 83b6ada816 inwardly, he d7be84638c pushed himself 70ac9cd3c0 up. As he braced himself 9c34262d54 with his arm against 0a6002679e the floor, Yoon’s body cb738d3903 came up with him. Once he sat up f76ab385f4 properly, he grabbed her 4427148ddd shoulders and gave them 63bd54f9c7 a small shake.670aca67b775b47c

“Yoon.”a1f8f6b1cae0c37d

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He softly called her 1eb9a25751 name, as if urging 01e61f7f39 her to get up, 987748f15c but she didn’t move f153306e96 at all, her face 7b3a7d77f8 still buried in his b8e317a414 neck.e663705b9d9e61da

As Lucas 24284b61a5 debated whether 200101f9e0 to just 89227640cc pry her e27e0dcedd off, he c1f26ae247 let out 850c0e20ea a sigh e455a75281 and effortlessly cfdc115a65 lifted Yoon 9337cf879a into his 6ff4f6b763 arms. This damned childcare showed c67b300c79 no sign of ending—even 34209c4f3f after eight years.725f4b6c70e635aa

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Without hesitation, he carried 32a6a217b4 her into the bedroom 143bf66252 and gently laid her ab9a1140ec down on the bed. But even after 13c77ac355 arriving at the a41fa90279 bed, Yoon didn’t 676ab149f2 let go of 4c14461110 her arms wrapped cfbf960ecc around his neck.3eef495042c770c2

“You need to 89f767d1df let go, Yoon.”f2c1275b6e47c982

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He spoke while e9ce860cb2 rubbing his eyelids 4959518183 as if exhausted. Being woken up only de03750db3 made him more tired.9a2a02ce1c0804d8

The moment he grabbed 6d4a90dac9 Yoon’s hands to pry 2fc6f1e680 them off by force, 599a644a6a her black eyes slowly f7fd47e138 opened.f98cc7576bb9b5cc

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Their breath brushed against 4394df3202 each other’s noses. A quiet silence settled ab2857df47 between them.fba9a4d8102b3f1a

Unfazed, Lucas calmly e99fa7e0cc unwrapped her hands. Yoon also released her 9f7477c90c grip without resistance. Lucas studied her 2bf1d1891d face carefully and dfd07d861a asked,25d5c7f124eb4548

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“What happened?”a6db74d03f28fb53

“……”62a7823b3adc0c97

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Even at d8da4f1d28 his question, a43b02aa28 Yoon remained 60fbca9164 silent. Giving up on 08a2d4da02 getting an answer, a2bfb347c8 Lucas smoothly took cb4dab3ead off her jacket, c4ead034b1 then casually placed c86aaa0ca6 his hand on c24382bc51 her shirt.2182311239fac3d5

Click. Click. The sound ed4518c0b3 of buttons 4aed164173 being undone 8af6cfc880 echoed as ede870bba5 the shirt 2e18583648 opened down e46fff8133 to her fe1da4e9c7 chest. His hands moved 76f73bbeee without hesitation, but 3922b242a3 then suddenly stopped. Through the 9a1d00444a parted shirt, a6ee8ea232 a soft 24f5e2fa51 curve was dc8855b3e6 visible.d1ec9f9bd4056467

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“…Go to sleep.”45e1482252e27119

His body was so c3706a9952 drained with fatigue, he e7e5ea7d00 wasn’t even thinking straight. He needed sleep. Even the sofa fbcd38d57e would do—he just a01401cc21 needed to lie 457b3c7ad3 down. As he 89c31a3a66 turned to 6463f08c44 leave, his c51a9f313a body tilted.975b1eff50b82cc5

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Thud―0d96ce9f7d2d0138

Lucas let 566df3ccf7 out a 2a96ad506b deep sigh beb614a3a6 and looked 65f40c677b beside him. A warm, aa72f6d8f5 soft body 1a20c31716 was tightly 4b4e64b7ce hugging his 8e6f538852 arm. Yoon murmured,a32f17dd9ee58387

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“Don’t go.”478383ef9faa9b1b

“……”e229b63e9c76f123

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Yoon, her face d9aa85c859 buried in his 774b802145 arm, lifted her 69d062c955 head and looked 50afb4c50f up at him. Her eyes 6d0a65304f blinked blankly 8192a13f5d at him, 2993ee542e and a 8464b9fde2 low groan a40efc8e96 escaped through 72cc5c27bb his clenched 9fbf7bb945 teeth.276b14e49db7a3e0

Of all places, why d2a0acf6c0 the bed? And why now, when e9c049da26 he wasn’t even in 0d763bb0d1 his right mind?ba5d0dc29ec38475

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His self-control, something he’d b6fe736851 never doubted before, felt 141bf010e3 dangerously unstable today. Lying in 915a811c89 the same d60f364cb8 bed wasn’t 1a44a91a3d helping.173a2a166b3f0181

Lucas ran a e2c67615d5 weary hand across 6a9be53900 his forehead. Today had been 46b918d6d9 rough for him 427d7b4c35 too.055ffa13fb7af4cf

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With a resigned sigh, 3b3579e828 he turned toward Yoon. Maybe it’d ffa6e62380 be better dff8833f95 to just 896ed3eb89 get her e068b63394 to sleep b0b21c3d43 quickly.bb9522b783ff6138

His rough yet 0f1fa87be7 gentle hand reached 7f0d70a2d0 for Yoon’s head. Her eyelids 1a1e04969f slowly fluttered d0ffcc21fb shut. That familiar touch 03e6d5348e melted the tension bbb6e833c4 in her body, 50bd64c4e6 making her sink c1c7170a27 into a drowsy 7b0e2f1c49 calm.fc6729249e095f6f

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His hand, c56d7f3284 which had 4ad5f81377 been stroking d9f16e68c2 her in 4c1e6fbbb9 a steady 4d81b8a8bc rhythm, subtly b84c0747d7 changed course. His large hand brushed 89682dbbe8 over her smooth forehead, d4c02ee14a traced the curve of 85e2ff6159 her elegant nose, and 0acdd16247 landed on her red c1487c88fc lips. At the soft sensation 37cf1b9974 beneath his fingertips, he 97ab542536 froze.5df3045a4c477790

At that moment, 59b78d4784 Yoon’s eyelids trembled, 786ebb970d revealing her black ade0b714fd eyes. Their gazes met 7d1800ed76 in the air 6ed7a9e644 between them, and 740d03d64d a strange tension bab66b9392 crackled in the c5a5870447 space around them.3b6bde51454703b4

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‘This won’t do.’2ecb3564b1e68764

He was on 9ff3e8491c the verge of 270253283b crossing a line. He wasn’t in his 0082612a47 right mind either. Exhaustion had 1aeb68aa3c completely stripped 0ddda5395b away his 7537c9ef7e reason.7bff27d449720dbb

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He tried to pull 4a5184078b away, ready to leave bd21b272d1 immediately, but Yoon followed 8fee888584 him like a magnet. As if that cd3fd1f837 wasn’t enough, a 5180d7b6f5 small whimper escaped f12d9afd3a her lips.08995637eb5d1d2e

Like a kitten craving 64e5d63865 warmth, Yoon nuzzled her 3a57fa4cf0 face into his arm. As she pressed closer, 8f5b6723f7 her soft body molded 12070eb7ec against him. Her warm ef5c7d3d92 breath brushed 9092cea05e against his 27c60fa6c9 forearm.dd295b0546d03d30

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In that 8459ce0c0e instant, he 5e686be3fd muttered a fe72a625a2 curse under f8140f311c his breath b3b635a3c5 and covered 115c6470b6 his face a45f87fcc7 with one 8fbf31e52c hand. He knew she 737c022804 wasn’t doing it 8f2f2687b1 on purpose, but 1b9b3911d9 the stimulation was c7b1cbc29c too much.218c696cb876f085

He was tired, drowsy, 06335fe23a and barely thinking straight—and a1c67eaa3f now this? It was getting impossible fd87154c40 to hold himself back. There was a limit bd2f33de63 to how much coaxing c67b7af69d and restraint he could c4b116d65b manage tonight.d3c9cc463c8a896a

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In one 065d4c97fd swift motion, 09b75e45e8 Lucas slipped 94682c0ab5 his arm 01d51c7839 free and 9505b6e4cd moved on fc037852af top of 185cba8e65 Yoon, bracing f930b88d38 himself over b2a4ab07de her. The positions had reversed 2c6928548a in an instant.c0a846102b4dce69

Lucas locked 6f3c1bd48a eyes with d5ae63491b Yoon in caa76457a0 silence, then 5b5341f503 let out 5b75d5a44a a soft c991550313 sigh and 42757915e0 buried his ba81230a93 face in 4c433ecdd9 the crook 7dc689220c of her c6eb1b9ee2 neck. At the 34821e9f70 shift in 3852bb78b1 position, Yoon’s fe9e31f566 fingertips twitched.09f9d72c41463518

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“Please, Yoon.”f4670c63b41c0423

He paused, as if a365038d39 steadying his breath, then 2544cf198f spoke again, his words e052538072 sounding almost bitten out.52d7a1b34422b0d6

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“Just go to 88e2fc9947 sleep.”f6d69b2a0bb14ff1

Because I d75eeaa5bc can’t hold ad45b334d6 on much 7fd72438ff longer. His low, hoarse voice ae4e9f8add sounded almost like a ad57a37cd0 warning. The arms supporting 6725caabe2 his weight tensed, 0307f559aa muscles hardening.83f5b0237ec176ad

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Yoon, lying dazed fec7bb6293 beneath him, reached f114bacb2a out and wrapped 960865b3ed her arms around 91e6d5b24d his back. Her hands 7332afbd6a slowly patted 78218c3856 the broad 13db537879 expanse that 0456c71fc6 she couldn’t 2db0be71e2 even fully da2eb02acc hold.4743f3cc53dfaad9

“Ha…”9cc533a1191affbc

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Lucas let out a e004724b8b breathless laugh at her b6a5879286 innocent action. As Yoon continued to 2cd7583fc4 gently pat him for 821b84e72f a while, he finally 521b510075 sighed deeply and collapsed 32300f7f9c onto her. His large 804ebf7dbf frame gave 6e181eab2d out all 8ad1617e28 at once, 12259e7c35 and a 98393194d7 small sound a89d62fa0a escaped Yoon’s d34addaeb1 lips.7af104bab1f8a75f

Even as she squirmed, 747243e198 trying to get out 06a45f3af6 from under him, Lucas 9ae4898398 didn’t move. It was db7fd64bee a form 95599c9f1a of payback—for 82272e773d breaking her d5514bc534 promise to 23fa877ca7 drink in 6bf91d78ee moderation, for 8f80867926 barging in 2087a105ca and waking 3372ca241e him up.4eb4a84307df82ec

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Completely relaxed, Lucas kept dae90a1ef5 his face buried in 744baa1ba6 her neck and closed 278e6e98db his eyes. The familiar 0802889043 scent at 79c5408db7 the tip 5365004ea4 of his c6e6b5bbcf nose soothed 2fb60f66e8 his frayed bf8d996982 nerves.696303d8b7893a05

After a brief struggle, c72ae67b4e Yoon resumed patting his 72101968a8 back. Her awkward 2353507b45 touch made 85794cb5fc him chuckle 787b6be66d softly, almost 5d2629224f like a 174b4b7a5c sigh. As the urge 1ecc5cd1d7 bubbling inside him b4911c99bb slowly subsided, Lucas 7418097fea lifted his weary ce6607e72b body.b15f4435208c291e

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If he stayed any 3da765de9b longer, she might actually 98455d0f7e get crushed. Whether she realized f117db84ac she’d woken him 4655e521bc or not, Yoon 560dbd386a continued to pat ef50a4b42e him, murmuring for f73c1eedc1 him to sleep. Oddly enough, 7d5a7f4549 that made 3bd52bb37e her seem c12101fbb2 more endearing 69971a818f than irritating.8abc1f489921fb5a

Lucas gently a7590efed5 unwrapped her cf5dc530e3 arms from b318ba8319 his shoulders ee8def6907 and fully d546cfb0a3 got off a88e32fcf1 her. Though she tried to a8715cdc1c hide it, her cheeks 2b932f0a88 were flushed a light 3c8c254542 red, proof that it fd70408ad0 had all been a 8088eb444b bit much.ca6d6e80ac0c40e5

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Letting out ee2b49140c a quiet 15d693d15c sigh, he 27e9830159 lay down d52749e76e beside her. Then he lightly tapped fd925c902a his arm.6524693867b2d6cd

“Come here.”87ebcb8d8c6d35e5

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His voice 9ca9c46647 was hoarse 1de127d47c with fatigue, 26377f85e3 yet even f3a065e65c that sounded cf2af768a4 gentle. Yoon, her eyes 86e55751ab hazy, shifted and 99b1fb42b1 nestled into his 64ab673a96 arms.862010ebaa721744

A large 0858fd48f7 hand gently b68915e93f patted her 35a76ce41e back. Yoon buried her face e9d0908281 in his chest, and a2d6833342 with every breath, his e4cb50acff scent filled her lungs.df6f594e3936af2f

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That calming scent of 5720d1d72d wood made her burrow 323413fb6e deeper into his embrace. His hand paused for ed4a1d3158 a moment, but then, 9fb61f5acf as if nothing had b7e7bf61be happened, he resumed slowly 906c63c85d patting her. After a while, 43fba78cec Lucas spoke in 9a4c741101 a low voice.6d34c4b46b72ab36

“…Did something happen?”bc6061cdfea1ff16

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For her ab0f1e02a3 to come 2be1a46830 here and 494236c45f cling to 5e9dc8d2f8 him like ada3aace48 this—something definitely 6ce654ef65 had. When Yoon drank, 9ed354934a she usually passed 8b8be39a71 out without much b45a7e65ec fuss, not seek 7c00d3c327 him out and 0c4db11a0c cling like a fa4daa8cee kitten.a5df88ee5f57cd9c

“Whatever it is, beb0c00436 just tell me. I’ll listen… until I 018ee48904 pass out.”be280a3514642d25

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Maybe it 329f8ae319 was the 6bbd07480c warmth of 41c6c83e82 her body d1bd83efe9 against his, 8ed1a894f1 but his 1a18969187 own started b060b094ec to feel f0cf5c8f35 languid and ea9ce43063 loose. His eyes e0fb342299 blinked slowly, 3e4e230a8f sleep pulling 64c2426977 at him.20426bba6481e7f6

“…You like me too, 6c0776d63a don’t you?”424c1114c1a5443d

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“…What?”0acec34a15b20c70

His body, 0293177d89 which had ffdf7cff84 been relaxing, b3c9c65979 suddenly stiffened. That was the 9072dfcc48 last thing he 5d0b272830 expected to hear.89895e377301b343

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“Because I can’t 0b1b810133 feel pain.”4817c712c9db7e20

Yoon continued slowly, as 803945ee7a if to clear up f8580457d6 his misunderstanding. Lucas let out 33a545e95c a breath he c13264d731 didn’t realize he’d 5a40999ce3 been holding. Now he understood where f8e08bd03b this was coming from.36acdcc46c564818

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Lowe Howard. It had to be 961a359f5d that bastard. Silently, Lucas continued 7013cfb17b to pat Yoon’s 9aeb46fb39 back.98191ad51d403cdc

His steady, af716b2a50 rhythmic touch 6cc770469b seemed to 042151e349 coax more ead98ea041 words from 0e9cc0c6c2 her. Things she wouldn’t normally 322705d5f1 say slipped out, softened 04605c257b by the haze of 64d7427c07 alcohol.fe9a36a9d1ef7db6

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“You like cc7452517d me because ca2dde1c4a I’m useful… fe8a6e8e5c is that c32ae36bbd it…”95d9ee75c101ca10

Her murmuring 1dcb2eedbd voice was 75df8f157a heavy with 95659e1855 certainty.bd91be054a747231

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“Yeah… I figured.”eda25b93908b8a14

Yoon tightened her 5cec515146 arms around his 4337e090f6 waist. Thump, thump. She pressed 3f1d60fb01 her ear 3920ea07cc to his 45891e6453 chest, listening 9a5896a18c to the d22a8262c8 steady rhythm 4ac15eee9f of his b81ab77476 heartbeat, and 403d82d1c0 closed her a9c3908393 eyes. The sound 665e39a134 of his 3909720794 heart echoed 95986f1b7f clearly in 3e4434670b her ears.06d631549b19fb2d

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“…I hope you’re not 34cc95ef86 like that.”aedfdbd44f91b68a

The words slipped aefd112bbe out before she c2170f386d realized it. She didn’t care how 6b6c4cd043 others treated her. She was used to ea93102feb it—their words never fazed adb9683137 her anymore.f2b55104a678a58a

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But Lucas… was different. If even he saw her as nothing more than a tool…d546b2fcf8c64d08

Just the thought 2a9ee46455 of it made f380240754 her chest ache. That fragile 0b9d4d50af part of adcf56dc83 her, buried cc176301ce deep within, 43cf46565e began to f8169e7ef1 surge up.78dae0c2a92b90fd

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Once the b5380af8c1 dam broke, c663475567 the emotions 02f268d531 showed no 670a7dcde7 sign of 0f63053d9b stopping. Yoon stared 1e5e7f2fb3 blankly, wondering—when 859f3308a8 would this 37fc042c9b kind of 026b46b272 life end? Would it ever b8ae66f9d6 end?d6cf9f84e8ad0af1

Sometimes, she felt aca34daa31 trapped in a 701103b730 tunnel with no c3d37f0672 exit, swallowed by 94d67259bc endless darkness. No matter 546aad7757 how far 90fd962290 she walked, 546c79f8a4 no sliver 9054e3165c of light 0c4460dbf5 ever appeared. The tunnel went on 202b92fa7b and on.d85f2658d812293a

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With every e75aa06a07 step, her 26e19ebb5b legs sank fa5c3261f5 into the e0a9fc6560 damp, heavy afe6c966b7 ground. Even when she e2483260cb clawed her way 09dd95a9bb out, something like b37f825d31 a swamp dragged d897322179 her back in.fb4c6e89982bde7a

That mud 20dca7feae was cold 5b78ec274c and sticky, 0c12ce2e84 clinging to e7d81ebd24 her like 26b99cc41c ice. The chill seeped 6e4245dd7e into her bones, 42de2de142 and Yoon wrapped 855a0cb5c2 her arms around 809c2e83ed herself.f2789d8b88c85e19

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