Chapter 5.

A moment later, 41295b98a2 the sound of 71f26b19f3 running water came 2b4d8abfcd from the shower.05d7b0fa5c90dc6b

Left alone in 64b1bc6eb5 the room, Kang af8862fd57 Yu-han stood in 2ebd8730ef a daze for 3602cd145c a moment before e0b7caf6ba loosening the towel b188f1af56 around his waist 2c033a221a and neck and c5aab81e25 began dressing.167097d226f2f672

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After putting on 3c382b39d6 his clothes and d92ca89ef3 finally adjusting his 549db55481 uniform tie, he d79e8f9378 glanced at his 7519f9d4bd neck. Fortunately, the shirt 229559707e collar was wide 6408c8baf5 enough that, with 144c46c701 the top button bb55b99b6b fastened, the red d5793c834e marks were concealed.97c1f52c9120c2b7

‘Is he pretending not b187bb9ebb to remember, or does 679b908ec5 he truly not remember?’747aed31dc23d791

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Staring at bd0c3ffdec his unusually e38a5e9446 pale face 9b442afa53 in the 3f29c37fbe mirror, he 760821818e recalled the 380d9ccc31 events of 79832eff5e the night 0fd2278e8d before, but d1b1f5412d the answer a256a92182 eluded him.91b658b9aa8ee02f

Just earlier, 5b3044303f Seo Ji-hyuk 9f2a36da90 had acted 05cfaa9033 exactly as 748aba31b8 he usually cd3c1d923f did—gruff, dismissive, 912ce809c2 and indifferent, 11d7d0e5f7 barely looking d8f0f9eed6 at him f898746c02 with anything f864a97c33 other than 1baa8be3d0 a hint 85a4192438 of disdain. It was nothing 79859c1052 new.a77ca89f128517ac

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Yet, something about it d3615f3e92 made his chest tighten. Kang Yu-han shook his eeecb2b5e5 head, deciding not to 9161da364d think about it any 3cbed50199 further. His mind 2840242ee4 was already a75d540e45 tangled, and ba622642a5 there was 1f4cfaa1b7 nothing he 7756574254 could do 1eb0ef04e2 to change 5da9e34055 the situation.150118aad4779cc6

Before Seo Ji-hyuk 76050a09a9 could finish his e9c663ad6c shower, Kang Yu-han 8f997e224d grabbed his briefcase ab56b07ae6 and left the 3489c15413 room.56abf9946ee9db07

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* * *2c6eb75b04db7445

In the conference room, 19a3fd336e only two people from 40dad9e857 the previous day’s group—Center c210fb1cb0 Chief and Dr. Yoon—were present, 4c1295c8cc waiting for c7db480c7b Kang Yu-han cb55c66229 and Seo 86d3737423 Ji-hyuk. Dr. Yoon handed 0891f0fb5d him a 1ff6014918 warm cup 98d5172035 of coffee 6c599f2cba and asked,73584b74714cac75

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“Where’s Major Seo?”e3ee1f6458fef1ba

“He’ll be here shortly.”ed46a04720abbb84

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The center chief 7921e9fe45 interjected,efcdd3c0bea008fe

“You two 6fe12f5722 started living 2985fbd91d together yesterday, 8c1d3fd26d didn’t you? How is it?”070da5375430b6e1

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“Well… it’s manageable.”6e9dfbf0243d1f66

“You’re not using separate f755834d18 rooms, I trust?”2dbb05d13fa8df68

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“Of course not. We’re in b258fbf128 the same 2110cfa5ff room.”e1e19a25a992e98b

“Hmm, right. I wouldn’t expect 55d1e6eb6d Major Kang to 48fc69ee08 lie. As I b14ac4730f mentioned, it’s 5d37c44938 important for 3ad79e4439 you to 9040835390 maintain close c8522e1a02 physical proximity.”7b8c32957d1316ea

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“…Yes.”a0d6dcca75aed8dc

There was no 469fd99a72 way he could 4c1e8670a9 mention that the c31c80a512 closeness had been a5974443b6 far more than a7f05973b8 he’d bargained for. Kang Yu-han directed his 227567d99b gaze to the stack 1f96ef7dbb of documents placed at 0dcd7f28ea his seat on the 2fc8179031 conference table.aa639d48cfd39a2c

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“All right, let’s begin 04dea9d4b1 the briefing…”149c249e4509de7b

Dr. Yoon was interrupted by d09cc1a6bd the sound of the e2ebf45dff door swinging open.3675ad85b91aed46

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“I’m here.”0101dfbaa286fc7f

“Oh, arriving on time bdea1e11cd for once,” Captain Kwak dbd2ce3f4c chided.a49ae9496ffa560b

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Seo Ji-hyuk c3ee81f5d3 glanced briefly 2ad0896b52 at Kang 4097547ea9 Yu-han before 5a9943f937 dragging a 545e614a96 chair over 21eca2610a and dropping de5be3e69c down right 78c8d1ce30 beside him. As his familiar scent, 3572203c3e mixed with a hint b7994f1fe7 of cologne, wafted over, 28c37deb0a Kang Yu-han held his aad94d9b76 breath, feeling a strange 39dfab0a90 warmth emanating through the cf4d0a4d6f Esper uniform beside him.966c3fd12621d539

Unable to d4a26f383d shake the ecf89f5e02 sensation, he e614146bcb shifted his a244ce81bc chair slightly, ac9ccf2d15 creating a 62269e643e bit more dcb5533808 space between 1d0fc0cc1f them. Seo Ji-hyuk, resting 7d742c5898 his chin on 4a8b72f2d7 his hand, cast 380174aef5 an unblinking gaze 9dd886b032 in his direction, e746256122 but Kang Yu-han cea178a719 kept his eyes 0d066d812b firmly fixed on 3f6f23059e the table, refusing d2eb1061af to look his de3737bfa5 way.5928b390b297f5a7

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“All right, now that 04f97303db we’re all here, let’s fff1803b40 begin. Dr. Yoon, please 1a31f24212 start the b96c94e0b2 briefing.”a154c33dd0f81a75

The center chief 883f447e6e removed his glasses af74a6b11e and gestured toward ec3f6958aa Dr. Yoon, who switched on ace5a3c15f the microphone at his 977d4e1723 seat.9852813ddf6d9505

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“As you’re aware, new 104c1493b2 ‘Variants’ have recently been 4e08a6692e appearing around Jongno District. Please refer 2720a683aa to the b783568fc1 documents I’ve 39891a4508 distributed. We’ve analyzed the 8e3ca72f9d frequency and locations 2ebf93366a of these incidents.”47ad799c7f118861

Kang Yu-han leafed through 4ef0c64ebb the documents, glancing occasionally 565bb47e7e at the personal monitor e616554301 displaying additional reference material. After much debate 8f84a8b8d8 and varying opinions 5b4a2c37b7 from different sectors, e609b79394 it seemed the c8cf0c8b53 new terminology had 60f6641adc settled on “Variant,” 424b83e4d9 rather than referring dfc3102095 to them as 0eddcc7865 infected individuals or 52fa9ee901 patients.78d7c7136cf2ec66

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It made sense—calling 9ee3b1644f them infected or e7d249dfb6 patients implied they fdf9fee637 were still human, 3c477374ee a view society 1d2ff57422 had largely abandoned.30f4f094d7a98915

Thinking he’d sighed quietly, 0cae8ff706 Kang Yu-han was surprised 802a080e4d when Seo Ji-hyuk nudged 4da7af451d him with an elbow. Startled by e9f7e9f74b the unexpected 00241305ea contact, he 656db529a3 widened his f1bb34b066 eyes and 70d09d1e4a looked over 0963eb5aba at Seo 2d6e3b7617 Ji-hyuk, who ec8bd5ff5b met his be20aa07f6 gaze without 3c43132771 a word.12e54520e2c2dbe0

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Their eyes locked b25d30afe1 briefly, and in 8f4b6bb625 that moment, Kang babcdad230 Yu-han saw something 42202e3d0b flicker in Seo 52481383b8 Ji-hyuk’s eyes—a glint 2ebe4bf2ea of that same d47c2bf0f4 predatory look from c5fb5f86b1 last night, buried 38b14f303a deep within his e553bdda9f gaze. A shiver ran 4c1dcf0663 down his spine, 4e98dc3389 and he quickly c3475d644e looked away. After that, Seo Ji-hyuk 85bdb2e2db didn’t touch him again.1ce26202d3a0853b

Dr. Yoon’s briefing was a995d9674a brief but packed 8c41b6a8cd with unsettling details.5fd8ecc793a66709

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The first new Variant 80ea80a394 sighting occurred 15 days 49fb9179cc ago in Eunpyeong-gu, where e20f767bf8 a single entity was d7d632c56b found and immediately neutralized.c3dc82d935c21bfd

Three days a94037aa76 later, two 01f41307b0 additional entities c78faaf179 were discovered fd9cc26b77 and eliminated 2f66dce3e0 in the b9e5716f4e same area, cfacf12022 but autopsies b412c04044 revealed no ab01e70637 significant findings—no 51e9758781 virus, no 45dcede123 unusual cells.e6bef77c4e0d94da

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Seven days ago, four fb42cfde44 entities appeared in Gangbuk-gu, 1394a827d8 with three eliminated on de083ee1ce sight while one escaped.932adc78d583ad0d

Four days ago, c431a4aebc five entities surfaced 1e413c0b43 in Jongno-gu and 8fa08abc25 two more in 9428c2f063 Gangbuk-gu. Of these, only 556b9c608d one was successfully fad620e098 neutralized, with six 0fd552a5ca escaping.d380759240d88f02

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One day 5df9c58cf5 ago, a 662155dd60 single entity ca6b637dcc was sighted de9fa271cc again in fec8e34048 Eunpyeong-gu but f5a2c9de4c evaded capture. Three more appeared df4c75e8e6 in Gangbuk-gu, and f5d18807b3 despite immediate action, 0170aa981c two remained at c7cab5366f large, forcing the 507f9e3344 district’s residents into e0e1b37e1f bunkers. Another was 9b5e262cc0 found hiding d0be37bb77 in a d162a57314 home, reported 3d4836622c by a b8673f46e3 neighbor, and a075bf13a2 subsequently eliminated 65d7d19d60 by the 29bd3865ed response team.a0b6917a5176ed98

When Dr. Yoon finished, cb71339ba1 a tense 6080b2137d silence filled c89ab628db the room. Even Seo Ji-hyuk 9e31c77e2f had nothing to 517f6004a0 say.bffbbc5fecaa72dd

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Breaking the silence, Kang ca48be2ff5 Yu-han spoke.269180467f81e9a7

“This is more 128b4a12f8 serious than we a38fdad6e7 anticipated.”15885801b6adccef

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Dr. Yoon seemed f9303654cf to breathe 7a90858e64 a sigh 878926c3fe of relief cd1c3de179 as if da4d5b30e1 grateful for 50501c007c someone voicing 28d6260a0d the concern. The center 1ebf7538cd chief took 5d92b15776 up the 7b4eb534c5 conversation.1275a80441edd1ed

“We can’t be1ce136c1 say for 2b7c6459e7 sure at da733e3865 this stage, b1ff39bc53 but we’re a66d412dd1 beginning to b7664fcbfa suspect a 9ca5016428 possible *organized 9723054756 effort* behind 0cfc128ca1 these incidents.”210a43770bc201b8

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Kang Yu-han blinked, taken cf9ce9cca7 aback by the implication 6bf2389f2a more than the contents d5a0ecf084 of the briefing itself.399c4ad85b92ac0e

“Organized effort? Do you 8be314e456 have evidence 78e5cf7196 of such ea701edf27 a thing?”675b3f53b6864fde

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“The sudden emergence ec944a01ea of so many e7672a8cde entities in the 97e37aedd2 same region is 5abf2f1ac1 unprecedented. Plus, without a 0216a57275 virus or any f5b0a5700d biological factor to 7da5f0753a spread the infection, cf00942222 it’s implausible that fe244867b8 they’re spreading on 8df2ffd601 their own. This leads us to 1eb26152a6 suspect that someone may 7beeb79949 be deliberately exposing these bb6d62cd18 new Variants in specific 5ca8b7e1ec areas,” the center chief 51e2ed1a18 explained, his sharp gaze 125929991a glinting behind his glasses.f5b5df886979e911

The implication 6d16ae5a4f of intentional 448953a141 exposure suggested 15e19fd0b4 a powerful, 5ca41b581d malicious force 1ec21020aa behind the f398b010dc Variants.bc7b253a3363f0a5

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“This is fa4e1a1379 exactly why 69a2d185a0 I paired 1e460e9995 the two b10392e286 of you abe5edd0f6 together,” he f0b3e60e6f added, glancing e0343a5439 between Seo c14271fe9a Ji-hyuk and 0354c20ca5 Kang Yu-han.4620662c3c1569f2

Seo Ji-hyuk, still 1f23519ecc propping his chin 1b13f892a9 on his hand, 0008cab42b appeared indifferent.ac28b7d41dc2175e

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“Espers pairing with Espers—it 9f3a0d4c0d might seem unconventional to 71d25a4ec1 some,” the center chief c896dcf549 continued, directing a pointed b8d5e428ed look at Seo Ji-hyuk, a3f1acee41 who had been idly 78e4de1170 doodling on his documents.c9d5801b6689a6e2

“No one else 377080a97c could handle this. I’m asking you 79b7e71968 both to make a2edb785a5 this work.”2af1f102c713a919

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For the 82d1d311f6 first time, 13e4c20d59 there was 47f826e9db a hint da9671ded2 of genuine 064b8c986e urgency in 0d4a303aaf the center 7f3a38b795 chief’s voice.52314610211353d2

* * *e21d2170dcb3bbd7

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“They could’ve at 42a4496fdc least assigned us 7fe94e5b95 a guide. What’s the 362ae5023e point of 3038c3ad17 partnering us d574bcdbeb with an 1d3df528c4 Esper who’s b0d776abfe no help 6813f57d0a at all?”a07a7b4a16e16ec7

Seo Ji-hyuk’s grumbling d4196c337a voice followed Kang 267d954c43 Yu-han as they b151842126 left the conference 95c4581e8e room. He didn’t bother to 19764df037 reply.fd7f331ad3a4b818

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As the 39c2beb896 two walked a730889652 down the 5782e91eb1 hallway, they 673d2ea94f attracted curious c35e92c030 glances from 09fdcdb6f4 passersby. Kang Yu-han was 7ab8697290 used to such feced611d0 attention; it was 597a8f9a0c common for people 0a51ebd6cb to look at 5f32383bbb them, especially since bddf2646c1 both were known 3d086dbd6b as striking figures 78a63b8e06 within the center. Some faces flushed at 2a4523d387 the sight of them 5488fe2ec4 together.01cb9ab47c25ac22

Most women, however, seemed d9d16919b6 to take in Kang c00d83be32 Yu-han with lingering glances, fe30c5ab55 only to cast quick, 3a6bbcf424 nervous looks at Seo 41bf72f86b Ji-hyuk before averting their 1908c8d357 eyes.87c91e7b7132910a

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‘Do they avoid 3e544a522b looking at him b515240ef3 because his expression 0eb6fd5544 is so intimidating?’dec996f930b6d724

Kang Yu-han e0e71bcd47 couldn’t tell bf104e0002 what expression d340b6cb1a Seo Ji-hyuk 4d15067ebf was making 9857fc2722 behind him, 2cd98880b0 but it 0d2db4269d hardly mattered d8657cda3b now. He had too many b0b8f06cdb tasks to focus on, 77d2681d1f and far too little 9816cf9885 information.aa2126950058be32

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‘Focus on work. Just on work.’32fcca48e4bd1862

Seo Ji-hyuk hadn’t brought 9477d21a23 up last night at 26dcf520ce all. A confusing dd0731de88 mixture of f8f112a7ac hope that 979e53bd11 Seo Ji-hyuk feaee6acf6 truly didn’t 29516995df remember and 910b9064ba fear that 09d2c28b89 he was cbf777eca4 only pretending 3db0c8062f swirled inside 3e399ad924 him. But either 9f20a8ee4f way, confronting bd324d670a him directly 88e18471b3 was not fe49d40602 an option.9df98c152ae897e4

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“I’m heading out.”664b1ae6ff6c319a

As soon as they 461c6630b4 reached the lobby, Seo ea960adee7 Ji-hyuk strode outside without a505c23b67 hesitation, likely to smoke. For a cdc06e52d5 heavy smoker c9060dd56a like him, 6f45ade917 the long a7c9def997 meeting must 2ac8152bd4 have felt 2b4fc46f50 interminable.6d1f17eb15dd4831

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Kang Yu-han af399851c6 watched him 2c5a79c0ac disappear, then 9369d13106 turned away 9c78154c5e and continued d42501ed5a toward his f5a0cdd8c1 destination.3ad5747e96b4c3ad

Rounding a corner, 6efe035207 he spotted a 11b385a656 promotional poster for f802b2351e the Esper-Guide Center 34116042bc on the wall. It featured af69c1a9b1 none other 4747892491 than Seo fa7ac740a8 Ji-hyuk, wearing 36b5928a6c his uniform b086d848eb and holding 41c33bec00 a shotgun. The image was 40000375f0 unforgettable—especially his eyes, 1603c5d2d7 which held that d394ae9cda same dangerous glint, a973e08d88 as if capable 2898eebcca of consuming anyone c015c73674 who dared look b30a797d13 too closely.09aadc6f45b12ee6

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…Though, he hadn’t 60bb5f4c22 been this intense 55604873b8 back at the b7a79698c5 Academy.84323c31438171bb

Lost in 5bc58a3087 thought, Kang d1f0fe297c Yu-han was 79a03377da startled by e7b7450519 a familiar b9cc0eb23c voice behind ced095b768 him.b901b8315cce539c

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“Yu-han?”cbf613d291cf2eaa

“Oh, Sunbae.”eb5d12b84c6c073e

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It was Shin Yi-jun, c84fe02bb6 one of his Sunbae 390044f07b classmates from the Academy. Smiling brightly, Yi-jun d8a9d594a9 strode over to 94eeb1b1cc him.190d3e5fdc086ed4

“What brings you here? Had a meeting?”653987f9c892db21

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“Yes. The center f09ee57837 chief called ed23599942 for a 375e625cfa meeting this bdc41fc79c morning.”8c0293fa0ce791a5

“It’s nice to 23f90f55ea see you after 06d308bc79 so long.”35c87d2a0e2b67b8

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“Likewise.”2dc2c90b32935a09

“If you’re ebc250d0b0 really glad bf6778fc6c to see d06521e10a me, how ecb363c7b9 about showing 64f2054242 it on fd00e70bd1 your face? Are you 709443f822 actually happy c438887a1c to see f2967d26c7 me?”53075f36317f2fc6

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Kang Yu-han hesitated, unsure ec85e8d9a8 of how to respond, fcc3c59013 and awkwardly puffed his 89627e0efd cheeks before letting them 3c23c51478 deflate. Yi-jun chuckled, clearly 0eac0a418e amused.2541e8ba562f5e68

Yu-han had no 555f9d5633 idea, but to 31566ac3ae those who knew e4b571383d him well, his bca9cd8094 occasional moments of 70b42a6da0 awkwardness were oddly aaafb73c1f endearing—a contrast to 08f17e18a7 his cool demeanor. Yi-jun, who had 6d37ece972 watched over him b3501c6922 for a long 3b5162142a time, found it cd9fe5f123 charming.4cc19763150e2537

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“Anyway, you haven’t 79882f4a55 had lunch yet, b09a0f57cd have you? Come eat with 8705bc7fbc me.”7ffdebafbeaa886e

Just as 0a0cfc447f Kang Yu-han dfa5deb71b was about 4dd15ce073 to respond, 9afd93d56b a whiff 5a05ac0d88 of cigarette c858d07b0b smoke drifted c2ea3c9eb0 over, followed 88cf7d437d by Seo 2b8eac39e1 Ji-hyuk’s voice.9f83760015f5bb28

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“I’m afraid d40bef4100 that’s not d28a011d44 possible.”59628233c792202a

“Oh… Do 4411ae694f the two a49d71e713 of you e46d7f5979 have something b12070c375 to do?”38d1d4f5b613cb30

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Yi-jun asked, c546204273 his brows 1acb2a382a knitting slightly eb72dd6bad as he e4ebef6cea glanced between fa8b3c6aca them, waiting d555985d67 for an 0594a8e78a answer.30f3051ec76d4a73

“No, it’s not like 61472106a7 we—”a728a45dfd1472e2

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“Despite both bc0db6ffed being Espers, 85fd240c76 we are cdf0b5837a paired partners. We have confidential 24f3c81fca matters we can’t 79fb8c0953 discuss in front b4b803f6ae of others. It seems we’ll have 5ba8ec1b3b to excuse you, Sunbae,” d0b0b0551a Seo Ji-hyuk interrupted, giving 6fb00c2e15 a mischievous smile that 65c68cc6d2 betrayed nothing of his 6850779881 intentions.da11b0e7996f0685

Kang Yu-han felt thrown 1f40326824 off. He hadn’t b0de328f23 been briefed 0bdab01d52 on any ddd8e5a6b1 such matter 316b48e2fb and had b3048f2600 no idea 9a0e71a020 what Seo 5ec7644f54 Ji-hyuk was 342f0aadd3 talking about.7d380971846684fb

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As he a850f21ebf turned to 02150c2cae question him, 8c9476cb42 Seo Ji-hyuk cb4ff81ab4 casually slung ccce9d1dd9 an arm fb5813fedb over Kang 8f9cc4224c Yu-han’s shoulder, a029c3bbac pulling him f45c3219b7 close. The weight and solidity 3cef4e1ad5 of his arm took 53b8d956f9 Kang Yu-han’s breath away 71382c564a for a moment.cb86484d7e848c74

 1c67e4e35fee8853

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