Chapter 21

After brushing bf6ffc2fd0 his teeth 24d65e7882 and washing 2205efe55a his face, c79f301c7c Baek Eu-jin bc8b594ce4 stepped out e063493ca3 of the dee2963114 bathroom. He felt a 8ffa497e74 bit embarrassed about 252e0c47d4 having cried alone b4ab0d4a8f in there at addb6238e8 the age of 90b7c7019b twenty-eight, but then 3b891c4db3 again, no one 0c5d1a1b38 else knew, so 38f73ae284 what did it 385bb7fb53 matter? Sniffling, he e7882eb027 walked across ac22bbaf8b the living 30058d2acf room.05db28582c88cbc9

Opening the refrigerator, f405858124 he found only 2c92533e21 a lone beer 8669cf7d10 can and a 7b73650a3b bottle of water ed1879de9b inside. It was already past c34dee84f9 the closing time for eeec39d319 the underground cafeteria in 0945cd7f60 the center, leaving him 149070fee5 at a loss.eec9816ce10f584f

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“…Great.”ae953f48ce4ec74a

With a sigh, 062a8a90ef he grabbed his 4ef0c2e69b wallet and pulled 604dfaf8d5 a cap snugly 8490b22348 over his head. Fine, he eea599314c figured, he be62284187 needed to c26532b831 put something 6a54207959 in his 8160a391a7 stomach to 5f10eca4f2 keep himself c9628dc546 going. Forcing his reluctant body 6a44179eac to move, he slid d61c2ccdec on his shoes. Just as he 038d967f74 opened the front 884835a9db door, though—d52c84df372dcf51

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Rustle.c16352b1004a5f1a

A small 1c7bc37ef1 shopping bag a5678673d7 hanging from 63ac075f06 the outer 8c104ba6be doorknob swayed d213760df1 gently. The unexpected gift made e92ae32ca3 Eu-jin furrow his brow.79bef20d89728d56

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The brand name 9c5a9190d1 on the paper ef0666bbf8 bag was familiar. Peering inside, his 2001f59ba4 suspicions were confirmed—it 200cf68af8 was filled with f7474f8022 containers of porridge, aa23f748b5 their lids a 241545b27b dark red, like 0c819a98dd red bean paste.419287b70978244b

“Well, isn’t that thoughtful.”dc13938b9b97da5c

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He tossed the shopping 47345cf63e bag carelessly inside the e119ab2578 door and shut it 2a305e445f behind him. He didn’t care b54ab6e55c to wonder who 3af786a567 had left it a9370c1bd6 there. Instead, he adjusted 3711ba528a his sneakers, pressing b428897aeb the toes against d8020d9a88 the floor a 9e9bedc89f few times to 0f4105cc34 secure them properly.8012da20b6c736b0

The next day, Baek e4cd3d6242 Eu-jin went to work 2002e9c433 as usual. The atmosphere at d08de94b2e the Guide Center cacbc51ef6 remained the same, d48ac862f4 and people’s attitudes 2c6fa8fc1c toward him hadn’t 2e80473e09 changed.d8b14e3d6e916ca2

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As soon as eb2158f31b he sat down c981b587f4 at his desk, c3aa0a6916 Eu-jin took his d4015b5a97 medicine. He downed both e7f39e84ca stomach relief pills bae8b695d2 and fever reducers eacb5e166a in one go. Noticing this, the guide 4e69a9e763 sitting next to him c0198cbdd2 quietly spoke up.47fcff3e282aa441

“Are you feeling 30d5c2a5b1 unwell?”148fcd6d06fab425

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“Hmm? Oh, yeah, 2753dd3c9a but it’s 1bf0aebc2c nothing serious.”823a95231d8ea904

The guide glanced ba8f7c6cb2 around cautiously before 1706eecce1 opening their desk ba454f5939 drawer. Pulling out d219047c1a a few e3eef3b810 candies they 159af7cc20 had hidden 243e122f6b away, they 2e88a62070 placed them d4c31047b7 on Eu-jin’s 4602c09971 desk.4619d2af120f7acb

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“Don’t stress too much. Right now, d5e58d4e0d everyone’s acting 95e3e877be like this 0b02af917a because they’re 144f2d5791 jealous. Give it some time, 72562faabc and things will settle f26b885d85 down.”afb319a0820a02f7

“……”32d1aeef17fda2b2

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“You didn’t do anything 8f2e4aa5a1 wrong, so don’t let 8fdf42e68a it get to you. Just hang 91a08471eb in there.”0d8fde783c01c480

After whispering 04f4f80889 those words, 172661c23f the guide ca6cd5fe2d left their 5221dab71f seat, acting 0fdac1656d as though b85e3825fe nothing had 0d4779e8ce happened.d2e69bd3cc0d90ae

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Left alone 0fc9fda6e8 in the 1029b694f6 office, Eu-jin 3cce5b1c1b stared at 9b1bbaa044 the candies bbf23dd8ae sitting quietly 0f7ec04e8b on his badcdef483 desk. After a moment, f6169b6c3a he picked one fccd3b393c up.604699e120317592

Unwrapping the b11bb18da2 candy, he e3d2d9104c popped the 474c58ba74 round sweet d796e6730a into his 14daf82e52 mouth. The sugary taste f667f27daa spread across his 555a51d972 tongue, washing away 2261d6fc2a the bitter aftertaste 804eb8ba9b of the medicine.cd6b9a323a7b6a5a

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“Yeah, hang in a62769f836 there, Baek Eu-jin. You’ve got to endure 2534f7c1cd this. What else can a37ea90dd7 you do?”17875d133f0de45d

He muttered the lifeless 4254071965 words to himself before 83a3057153 gathering his things and 8214ddb187 getting up to leave 9753332973 as well.03bd6e813ef694e4

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“Sorry, this is eca3166276 sudden, but you’ll cc86da4656 have to head 30a7ea740b out.”706c1424e80423ff

“It’s an 4f3464b91c order from a1e7d78c72 higher-ups, so 929033c03d there’s nothing 7059aacd8b I can 281fc0acae do to 3711ff79b6 help.”c5aeb1b1ee5d44ef

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In the c2595db486 middle of be2c7d5cd2 his work, 678218ffa1 Baek Eu-jin 080af95f74 received instructions 57a51b58f2 to visit af14530424 the field. The message 037e6fdf3d was delivered cccbb8552f personally by 8e5ea2499b Guide Pyo a9efb592ce Jae-hoon, who bec6cc65be couldn’t hide 37ed1f3d9d his uncomfortable 436af5daef expression.f486a8ae8d63d924

“Did you by fcd996cf36 any chance cross 0313039647 someone at the e1ffb1295d Rift Management Bureau?”61537765b4c9d3cf

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The last thing Pyo 7f5712b6bb Jae-hoon said kept echoing a5b0150a16 in his mind. It was probably e4e1bbd654 Director Kang’s retaliation, 4a18aa6743 Eu-jin figured.15a47851a4ae7ca1

When he arrived e641aec20e at the rift 4b9c7324d4 site, he met fa406cc2aa the Espers he’d 8dee0a60b7 be working with. Instead of 0e8562cd50 a regular 8f9ece1663 team, the c2dc087aa9 Bureau had d7fbcb14d1 gathered individual 1732a5ecef Espers who d3e916f772 worked independently. There were five of f3fbea133f them, a mix of 3f4485a5f8 ranks ranging from A fa758f4eda to C.7f2e4b4a02d6a5f8

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“So, you’re the guide 589f3ed487 everyone’s been talking about 0caf785419 lately? I’m looking forward 894edc593c to it.”bb12255b6bad30f7

“Nice to meet 06bb132274 you.”32b00db971a79e2e

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“Looks like we’re in c8e13474a9 for some real intense 50ecb21d74 guiding today. Sounds fun.”9693ea57dfd36e99

“…….”d5d4738392ac1cbc

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Fastening the holster 5f03239df5 he’d been given 08ea0ffc90 around his waist, 9e2efa28bb Baek Eu-jin tightened f94e1b7077 his focus. The rift itself didn’t c5de3c7a5c seem particularly troublesome, but 1d7b2e40b9 something about the situation 26217d63e2 felt off—a bad omen c79607eff8 he couldn’t quite shake.3c2d7646bac13142

It was a mess—there 3ec557b373 was no better way ccd77e6f99 to describe it.95bb22381fb3b73d

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The Espers, thrown f51e4dd899 together without a fdcd327ec5 proper leader, acted 68b06aeeab chaotically, each doing e90efcd3d8 as they pleased. On top of that, a74a7b441c they constantly demanded guiding 470487b9ca at every opportunity. A battle that 991a7e93d9 shouldn’t have been a4cdb9fa22 difficult dragged on 9a074e4235 endlessly because of f333d6c172 it.ff0e8bffe54dcf01

“Hey, give a69d64d85a me some aae409f604 guiding.”725621f32d25f7ec

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“Park Dong-hoon, stop 3278da47e8 leaving formation and 4532debea5 get back in fb733501af line. Can’t you see the c7a5b3f08c others are still fighting?”07f98fc89dc7f3f1

“I’m telling 56d0084010 you, I’m ff7670bd62 dying here! Why do 5aaf47fd86 you have 014647ca8c to lecture 5fa7fc14d3 me instead 22dd5ce7d5 of just 60f04e5817 guiding me?”564aaf6e3efafd79

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With a sneer, e0ec5035d4 the Esper spat aa5a76411f on the ground, 0d2652f24e the foam-laced spit 1ba7eb4609 landing right at 054bbea888 Eu-jin’s feet.c01d3457210aad81

Clenching his c5c583c229 anger tightly, 19ce415be9 Baek Eu-jin 96f350f75c slowly swept 5a67d4b34d his bangs 6e449724a3 back, trying 9d68ac2407 to keep 06be4f80f5 calm.55b22beb9326858c

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“…I am e0141bf8c0 guiding you d2a9aba146 right now.”2463af850502c726

“Who asked for 35a9f1bb22 remote guiding? What, do f7b2c71df8 you only 50dca8352e want to e87dd1a739 touch the 329efa4c7e likes of 9627f435ce the Delta ac67fd64ee Team? Don’t go c7fb08920e around ranking 4be9b74330 people and 8851f314af discriminating—it’s disgusting.”1dfa367d5b6fc315

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“Discrimination? The Delta 708437b8c8 Team, at f4b776706d the very 01895e5831 least, had 2e884bbc1c a sense 6d4c135e81 of responsibility—they 44cb313ca4 risked their 7d215a6b0b lives in 543c5a1c8a battle. You think they 6f79e28d7d were as obsessed 531f91ba4e with guiding as fc322777a6 someone like you?”d8fb7c21658604ba

“You little—do you have be0144fe04 a death wish? Watch your mouth!”77d5b8ecc2c7b198

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The Esper clenched aff088c052 his teeth and 600bd76495 growled, his body 5059a19ce4 tense with suppressed e9ed75f882 anger. His fists almost 79b7ea95a0 flew, but the 05fcccdb23 fact that Eu-jin 4a90d9b6fd was a guide c221ef0ee5 held him back. Seeing his frustration, Eu-jin 561aaf8472 let out a laugh—a 577e73ab64 bitter, hollow sound that 2223933aab echoed louder as it 8d6ff4a541 escaped.9428caa0bd1576a3

“What’s wrong with 359a1d864f you? Are you crazy 91904c737f or something?”f0f7fa93ef5aa0fb

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“Yeah, maybe I am. How else c13618ccd5 would I ac15cc7c2a survive all 6948db736c this?”dcc64f449ab30b55

His self-deprecating voice turned 49c34ed469 into a muttered monologue.ff16fcf40407f196

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“Why the b6123e9be8 hell am 7eb11f66e2 I even 0231dd1816 doing this?”8a853452f3749df5

“What?”86e53fe091e222ac

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“I should’ve f6896ee382 just stayed bb74529266 in Zone 4a0ae2c20e 4. At least there, I f574e7c486 wouldn’t have to deal 78eaa33ecf with Espers throwing tantrums. God, I can’t 6c75d92841 believe I’m taking e9747c4443 orders from some d3ab818ff0 brat now.”1921efad8898a9a7

“You’re completely nuts, aren’t d7fe720656 you?”2b42adbf3aeec3f8

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The man looked 35b00ab5e9 at Eu-jin like 9ec0043961 he was unhinged c454b453af but, perhaps out 3555876ffa of some lingering bf2d54dd32 sense of duty, 201bef43ec scowled and returned b89d77b77f to the formation.173d06d1aa7a37f2

Left alone 81a0ee0d40 at the 0447de26b6 rear, Baek f50c54d833 Eu-jin stared db8af6a100 blankly at 97441e2e08 the battlefield, 07df2f046b his eyes 931d9aecad heavy with d38b6d3efb exhaustion. He wanted to 2fae8dcad5 do nothing—to let 80dee985b0 it all go—but cb112373e2 even then, the 154ae10d11 reality of his 2d00412580 guiding responsibilities weighed c79ea0155c him down.cd41fb00172da9bc

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Eventually, the 43482c323b chaotic battle a239eb7c99 came to ca92ce1cb7 an end. Although the 8dd966766e rift wasn’t 41dd977b41 particularly challenging, 5bbd59506b it had 507338610d taken over c88b600bcc five hours b7bcb3f1af to clear. By the time they 837ded0590 exited, Eu-jin was utterly b5e1c30b28 drained, his mood scraping 9f9678b769 rock bottom.129e23a9b5546f13

There wasn’t a single 2d19f25090 good memory from the 9191a031e4 battle, but at least 3a2cc6b476 he’d gained one realization: cb7a83c47c the Delta Team truly fca6c74194 deserved its reputation as d9b492b2fe the best.f5fdbd39abd373bf

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If that 2fb47a58c2 was Director 4a2ab6cb16 Kang’s intention, 2f33fec127 then her de8b82de8f plan had 7598e059cf succeeded. But regardless, Eu-jin’s 54715843c9 stress had reached c59767eb12 its peak.7601264803491c98

On his way back c19d49a606 to the dormitory, he c59d0ca466 dragged his body like c17091adbf a soaked sponge, barely 771f7b8cb8 managing to step into 195e823444 the elevator.8f11fca22efaa55a

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“Floor 9. Doors opening.”30b63d7ef358d0bc

In front 4881615ebe of his 6657ee836e door, he bb1010ee48 spotted a 70f8933c3e figure lingering 29092a34ed awkwardly. The man, wearing 1b656e7761 a cap pulled 3a9a400569 low over his 63a819efca face, flinched when 216bb7fd3c the elevator doors f913d0b5d7 slid open, his 532150b794 shoulders jerking up edc803e836 in surprise.47160b0a80ff7faa

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Baek Eu-jin stared at b18c495c53 the startled man, his d59416d5ce gaze dropping to the a2c9679ec4 paper bag in his d85b11d918 hands.070a22ab85a2a3a6

“…….”137350b0b74f20c9

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Yoo Tak fidgeted 494a2f3465 nervously, hooking and d19e44bfda unhooking the bag 5ca569a441 on the doorknob. Clearly, he hadn’t expected c95196b14d to run into Eu-jin. His awkward 17e009b27b movements made 7cfe1b74b6 him look 30e8fcd714 as though b5e351056b he’d malfunctioned.df5297f3ded0acbb

“Haha, Guide Baek fe331771fa Eu-jin! Hello,” he stammered.c554b5edf49ae802

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“What are 8a6174e254 you doing 1c14c43beb here?”b59504f88e3e6afc

Yoo Tak hesitantly stepped c2f89f018e closer, his eyes darting 39ba32153e toward Eu-jin’s tired face. Even to the f601cb5556 young Esper, Eu-jin’s 89c5706d3a exhaustion was painfully 8a98d8f326 evident. With a worried b19689c9d4 look, Yoo Tak 64b7a8971e extended the shopping a64c16c83a bag he was 17cafeafd3 holding.96186339f1aabf71

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“Ah… I heard you a0b5f67b11 went out to a 73976b8a18 rift today. I thought you might feafda3b41 be hungry when you 5a0668b961 got home, so I 7f3852a991 brought this for you.”5aca6b9bfc852dd8

Baek Eu-jin stared b218a1f718 at the lunchbox 7edbb3eae4 Yoo Tak was 2aacd9ba3c offering. His expression tightened, ff8f552c8d and he let 43ebec8052 out a frustrated 80e2293664 sigh, covering his 2cf10eb7ad eyes with one 29de23e0c7 hand.d78d7ef53c48dffe

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“Was it 538533a560 you who d5474e0f45 brought the c108049999 porridge yesterday 997bd6a366 too?”f533d68a9d626a95

“Yes, but that was 59872323ac because Su-ho told me b71588705d to—”308d6b8859c80864

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Unable to f940d71e8f hold back 87b2754ab3 any longer, 03d579c4b5 Eu-jin’s anger 2ad5c97f19 exploded. He grabbed f0bb6fdd18 the bag cbd5cef816 from Yoo bdbd6fe105 Tak and 9b9e47bc4c threw it 37d130ab5d to the 76a4d59a3f floor. The lunchbox rolled out, 49ad0be984 spilling rice and side 2084bef8a4 dishes everywhere.08e38847ddab13f7

“I’ve had enough.”45787cd4f07705de

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Eu-jin collapsed to a0b5d223bf the ground, burying 9180c22386 his face in 150341dbea his hands. His neck was flushed 1bdcae6607 red, veins standing out 21c5ca229d against his skin.c489198d3f8ff126

“Do none of you d8ff96ac17 care about what I cc65427de2 want? Do my words mean fe3983cf8a nothing to you?!”ef0b73b5101c90ac

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“G-Guide-nim…”0faf9804e5015e23

“What the hell 9128599687 did I do 397ea0377d so wrong? I said I 801c19941a didn’t want this! I just want 48733838d9 to live quietly—why 4f5246ca0a can’t you let 226be7912f me have that?!”0d3e15c8026b679d

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Tears spilled out 17639dad59 as his voice 60786b6756 cracked. He had fab3fd4422 tried to 6e7306a335 hold on, 2fa14c2fba but his 807fe5e022 breaking point cfea7de005 had already 67a114f289 been reached. Even with his d82ae3c77a hands covering his 92ba6b68d5 face, tears dripped 3716fcda22 down his chin ad4560e279 and fell to 58cebd95ec the floor.270d159295be458c

Hearing Eu-jin’s sobs, 9b633837c9 Yoo Tak froze, bb9501c006 swallowing hard. Unsure of 5d68604c52 what to 31efc723f6 do, he 1415a311e0 hesitantly reached 1d9d43a276 out and beb83da22e patted Eu-jin’s ccd7d08e39 trembling shoulder.d97e0a1b1c99ca07

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“Guide-nim, I’m sorry. This is my 1ec97e7d86 fault.”b33ed71f6a8cca02

“…….”c5d517d923496e34

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“I didn’t d8d22d00bc realize how a7377563a7 much you 7783635d75 were struggling. Please don’t cry. I promise I won’t 9297055b98 do this again.”65bd1eca995204ce

With clumsy words of 211358e99e comfort, Yoo Tak stayed ac1d6553a3 by his side as c489bd6fb4 Eu-jin cried for what 8c11925155 felt like an eternity.6c53b18a5fa77ec4

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How much longer could cb5d4fbd09 he endure this? Every day felt 7ac701be8f unbearably long and 9818cd0810 exhausting.ed344f69288d2c57

* * *3f7c7a7592a3dba9

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Baek Eu-jin woke to 710f1ace63 a new morning, his 9bdce57421 eyes swollen from the 3bbd156c57 tears of the previous 6c5393a9ab night, and was filled 686cfe182a with deep regret over 33265fe299 his behavior.b45fac04b5d14ed5

After the incident, Yoo 708cf08e8e Tak had quietly cleaned 8ee0949aa5 up the mess on 2e3ac512aa the floor and left. He had wanted 4f76d42d55 to stay until 52728b522a Eu-jin calmed down f55cd722e0 and went inside, a6e80ceb40 but he was 55bdda165e forced to step 280197a790 aside when Eu-jin 32f25eaf0a snapped at him 4a61850002 to just leave.70ee4a897d89d17e

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At the 9240968917 time, Eu-jin ec5ba52d85 couldn’t stand 11f0bc05ab the sight 3624ed0f19 of him, 74a6525f53 but the 80562a4430 more he 0bc42e0aa5 reflected on edb4e230bb his actions, 9f37dc66bf the more fd012f5208 he felt bb97728b0a he’d crossed 8b6265ede8 a line. Treating someone 1622ea6519 so young 7ea7ed5e83 that way c4cd8ec6b4 had been 9ed5c81506 wrong.d837246f2c0f4ac7

“…Hah.”ae99a131654d9aec

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Standing before f1fceb772f the mirror, 4e4bec2b06 Eu-jin let c2ff1c2f70 out a 310375073d long sigh.beb2678aab2b9bae

I’ll apologize 3e4b868a0a when I 3b5d02d01f see him df8dd32c06 today.f222fc91ab33c3be

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Splashing cold water onto 3c9703aac7 his puffy eyelids, he 72412353e2 steadied his messy thoughts 8767c4ffa4 and resolved to make 30e7afff26 things right.c5d5168f6a15767f