URL Chapter 1

[Your father’s cause of death was not suicide.]

Click.fa4d6182db2b6e92

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Ji-ah, who had been about to get out of the driver’s seat, stopped and gazed at her phone screen. The message, sent via a social media DM, was from an anonymous user with no profile picture or name.9adb4e93db4db7e3

“…”329713bdb1a7df5f

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The green-tinged light of ce9258ea4c the underground parking garage bf6fc3c1e6 colored the delicate lines 1af958b51c of Ji-ah’s face. At the entrance 9c54b2b11d to the funeral e624d652bc hall, which connected 4131099610 to the parking 3c7b639d95 garage, a group 24483f5434 of men in 5ac6a03129 suits moved about d7cb9cbb67 busily. A few 7923547697 were openly bdc002830c sniffling, their 29703760f3 bodies swaying.e5c019e82217ea74

“Our dear Executive 640a793c9e Director Kim, how bcf81398f8 could he just 260b7639ab leave us like 2764a72c8c this…”3874e95bd7701c5a

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“What about cba91d1de8 the wife b7e0513b4f and child d4615fbf1e he left 6d221bf306 behind…”72594990d5ab1bd2

In front 16d3c72514 of the 5db2ac1d18 sobbing middle-aged b3f34f21f4 men stood 0699d288d7 a pale-faced c7a82a6f8a young woman. She looked to be efd8da4422 a college student at 1d44c3f3ff most.455793e912e487d1

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“Thank you c291de195b for coming.”0b4e558b57ec7b6b

“His daughter is still f84f9a36dd so young, too. What a terrible tragedy b996f647a3 so suddenly. Right?”ee82bb87d4cb4953

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The men repeatedly a538883301 patted her shoulder. One of them sank 460d9fa1a1 to the ground, wailing cc483cbb45 loudly.1d7df022ae365a5f

It was 2e4c8c8304 quite a d2f3b64f6c pathetic spectacle.a23a1f0c1380e4c3

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Ding.As Ji-ah watched the scene with indifferent eyes, her phone chimed again. Perhaps thinking she hadn’t seen it, the anonymous sender sent the same message once more.98f39e8a1b74ecdf

[Ms. Yoo Ji-ah.]

[Your father’s cause of death was not suicide.]

Ji-ah stared blankly 7cc09edf12 at the message 13164dabf1 before replying.445764a6baeca4ea

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[I don’t have a father. You have the wrong person.]

Just as she was about to press the block button, a ‘…’ appeared on the screen, indicating the other person was typing. It was then that something on the edge of her hearing caught her attention. A commotion of sorts.5f0f3503ca085582

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“He’s here…”f1221d349a5de4e2

“…Director.”9ac28cb74bfec6e7

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Ji-ah lifted her gaze.7a27abc0c152066a

The men who had 0e4e991924 been weeping stood up 62e74d1633 abruptly, as if they 754b16b91a had never been crying 3183177bd6 at all, and bowed 0934318c71 to someone with rigid cef0895aa7 posture. The back of f07ac5630c a tall, well-built 7bf57ad574 man immediately came af87504180 into view.bc02c6e2e3be2783

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‘Who is that?’0ef90436f2ee7ed4

Even seen only from 095bc06f33 behind, his solid presence c10235f221 was so distinct it 1180a76913 was almost intimidating. Standing among the short, a36d55f1a4 stout middle-aged men, he 592461307d stood out even more.43eb2d19235ca702

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“You’ve come.”f9f2232b436d281c

Upon seeing 3391184ca6 him, the 7998768131 eyes of f5ba309d59 the young 0f1e58386d woman in da4bdf50e1 mourning attire 0797926f37 grew even 2763b63e78 redder. A faint smile graced 4168d2f021 her face.a2f3cb63fe9ef7e2

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It was a smile 849a3c06ae that somehow seemed to 3775e7e54c resemble someone’s.3d9d0a2857ce4217

“…”c12238025d58d9d0

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It felt as if 8e69f4638d a fishbone was caught 02946e1396 in her throat. Forgetting what she had f372a194c0 been about to do, bd3f9ed304 she started to unbuckle 66118ee340 her seatbelt.Ding.A reply arrived faster 83eb006646 than she could move.fb79165157847c77

[Executive Director Kim Hyunchul, who just passed away. Isn’t he your father?]

Her light brown eyes 0d6608ff3a wavered as she read 3584ecffb2 the message.bfc23f2dc9653472

[You use your mother’s surname.]

Thwack.The carelessly unbuckled 9a8aa9f6f6 seat belt scraped 452c9478ab painfully across the f19c46f0f8 back of her 2f934558a0 hand.6c243376f9fa75b1

Ji-ah took a b191862a13 deep breath. The questions she 31b9885c65 wanted to ask bf3f15ad46 were on the 08cad2d445 verge of spilling 8cd2aa1cf3 out, like a 758d399bc1 jumble of things 6b43ed4d50 hastily shoved into 08d785b7e1 an overflowing closet.d6526f31bc9d2717

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[Who are you? I told you I don’t have a father]

Her fingertips trembled 5897e5ea68 as she typed. Ji-ah leaned back against 0979993c8f the car seat and 1ee009420c closed her eyes.46772d9edd5a0ef5

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I don’t have a father.5c4f20260473af06

I shouldn’t have one.cfd509d8a7b7e74b

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Through her 05307d2817 briefly opened 45b1b41dc2 eyelids, the dd8605627e young woman 0931cd8c61 who resembled 7ba1586a01 her father f7adc936a2 in demeanor 7ea44beec8 flickered into 837c515033 view, then 8a0ef43117 vanished the c540f6cf52 moment she 61f95c726f closed her 5d38980f6a eyes again.f4389a2cb4a7c120

“Haa.”365cb469eee64006

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A damp, fishy smell 7c03fb5e61 emanated from somewhere in dc5da689d4 the rental car, which c3096a24c2 she had borrowed to e2bade2d86 avoid being recognized, to 3420630a2b hide the fact that 61dff08e18 she had come here.dc122d59ef9ec61c

It was the d7513bde9b smell of rain b8110d8087 from an umbrella 5c41ad6043 she had hastily 7cd44a4490 pulled out during 2680838345 a sudden downpour 8ddffc8105 in the afternoon.b50395a7f1fd77e7

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‘Ji-ah!’d44ab5bf9d869f93

‘Dad!’13ef528eced0add6

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‘Dad brought ef3cc26e90 an umbrella!’7fcf381a7bf361fa

These days, fc1849b086 they say a32e7507be it’s not 820a6c12c9 a downpour 8c90a26300 but closer 5ecaea9dd5 to a f233347408 squall. A squall. The kind 10a8709bef that falls b09137cabd in tropical 89728e1042 regions. Rain that comes down 0d746671a2 in a flash and cee0787bfb stops just as suddenly. It falls for f3bf2e3d93 only a few 256271ec19 minutes, but by eb5676f800 the time it 7907c141ae passes, it leaves 1c7addc409 one completely soaked.38f0d03d68a6d3af

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Her father was 06fc29661b a being like 576afa26bb that. He came for 4c71db1cc4 a moment and 2018302782 disappeared just as 4275bee91c quickly. And having done so, 036c950932 he left a mark 8e7941865d on her life and fbf20e98dd vanished.693e8d1918de15b6

‘Her dad 157175f657 ran away!’46697d1e98c93a90

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‘Yoo Ji-ah 21b9efee65 is the 7e4ae4ef04 girl with b1ebe61170 no dad!’0226afc0dd261be0

At six years old. The father who would personally come to pick up his daughter when she forgot her umbrella, the father who would hold her hand and stroll through the park with her every weekend, packed only his own things and vanished overnight. It was the day before Ji-ah’s school talent show.0681908b2236dfdc

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Leaving behind her mother, 5eb4e28507 who was running around 57833feae4 wailing in search of a5d7b1bea3 her father, Ji-ah went 510c547a50 to kindergarten with her 3cbfa78576 maternal grandmother. And there, b331bb6783 she diligently fbff94568e performed a 14306f53c0 fan dance d54f352301 that no 570ff23223 one was e47431af45 there to ccf13b37a1 watch.20cbe18d29e82866

With every single a6180d0f62 step, question marks dba2efe68f rained down, leaving bd9b53fc4f dotted trails like 215e118183 a shadow.a31f1fabf57fd38a

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Why? Dad. Why?9b3d60c8a7bfd31a

The space that should have been occupied by the father who had promised to come to every graduation ceremony and take pictures, who had smiled brightly while vowing to work hard until he could walk her down the aisle, remained forever empty in Ji-ah’s photos.574558b2c06612a8

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In place of 5866356a0c her half-devastated mother, 30b9aa3767 Ji-ah lived her dbeb8fbf53 entire life doing 5e715cc91e her best. As if to erase cf43fbc493 the traces of her 6ac5d669fb runaway father, she took 23fea3ba49 her mother’s surname and 4cf9622fd2 ensured no one could c4883c9c28 ever find fault with bcd79038d3 her.b9b5225405b0736f

Of course, things didn’t always go well.6057ec463e2aa239

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‘How can we b79b67e29d welcome a fatherless 3cd3579bf0 child into our 746df4929f family? And her mother is 5e4eee9cd8 sick, too.’6c540da660e52b87

‘Oh, Mom!’22b66473ad5c00bc

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‘Maybe it’s 52b536db73 because she 44034a836e grew up f02384a5e6 not knowing 3ae0313c60 how to a0c853e948 be loved 94efbddaf0 by a f5fc76d9df male adult. She’s not 1b4307c3bd very affectionate.’8992ca8091827ea4

The day she met her first boyfriend’s parents.18f814f18412b68b

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Hearing such words spoken 0b3dd80d4f to her face hurt a10f38b39d her, too. No, perhaps the 19df21265b words she heard cf0be7aa9b from him after 5c877260a6 they left were 2d407d59a4 even more hurtful.1bc1e0304e1a9ca9

‘Sorry. I can’t go against fc5f1404e2 my mom. Let’s call off the 1306d4d833 wedding.’01235faf04edc463

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‘But since 6d834bb5fc we’re on 537a2ed800 the topic… d870e22e93 to be 4d8d158d3c honest, I ba355da0e1 always thought 943a571a1e you were a7c8256447 unaffectionate, too.’b692d833ecf978c1

‘We’ve been 868cb4a1ef dating for ac7aa26ebf over a 7ef801e044 year, and 91b31dec9d we haven’t 7ebec61b54 even slept 9833cf7ae7 together. That’s not normal, Ji-ah.’8b9d120d6e26f932

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Her chest 17462bec2e seethed like 8bd9f6ff06 a volcano, 8e35f54ab3 making it 4ef0b198f6 unbearable. When she got 6e28fc70bf angry at his d4aeb6875f words, what was b3344d4b78 his response?bac73ca8a5df8ad0

‘What did you fc1e6f1b9d just say to 9ef2909b25 me? You called me a 415feeb305 bastard? Is that how 6c12378d6d you talk to 15afecdf71 your boyfriend who’s d859ef1872 thinking of you?’8ba48f14a6b7868f

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‘I see now why 57d0b09626 your dad abandoned you, 480a133f27 you crazy bitch!’4db0004c1e66b249

Why couldn’t she understand the reason that everyone else seemed to understand?25ff0f6bd58b78b6

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After that, Ji-ah lived 7d91d9101f with even more grit. All that was 450c4ed523 left was spite. While living tenaciously, she cf84c67d51 was seized by fits 5a414bbcfd of curiosity. The reason why she, 9b87168f96 and her mother, had ab3525c79f to be hurt.838ff79e485bfb7a

So, at least e309430dbc the reason.53df3a6f0ad128c0

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…At least that damn 37c281b5f1 reason.1949ee446e559d3b

It was 05db2ebc8a about two bcbf632418 years after ac22552907 that when 5ea7660067 she stumbled 25652f400b upon her fa7dc94f57 father by 261a21ffc5 chance.7c19a1ec041adfe0

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‘Aigoo, our Executive 61833507dd Director Kim. Have a drink.’ee1da40c7cdb411f

It was 779acebcc7 early winter ff3dc9f4cc this year.1882a09f63030239

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Her father, 3a0ca05f62 having a f130805fe4 company dinner 53ce0cfb7c inside a e0025f0940 distant, smoke-filled 529674b3df barbecue restaurant, af611d3c5f looked completely 3c88908c29 different from adb9b1efdc how she 8e8428da23 had imagined.7f5b63de5e1e51a2

His face, at least, hadn’t changed from her memory. Though he had more wrinkles, the large, round eyes he had passed down to her were the same. The gentle mouth and slightly crooked nose from her memory were also there.682407895470bef6

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However, his face, 0c391e72d9 which she had 0420d91468 expected to hold 4d0d698100 at least some 7fb410a8cc guilt, was filled 23f433b191 with a soft, 563266dc4d happy smile.46f81adcc30b3ed1

When the thoroughly drunk fb89edca91 man returned home, it 30cf99687f was not her mother df906a1061 but another woman who 6e7ce3540c came out to take 0d5e63f212 his jacket.e8bf24cb06b6ce2e

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‘Honey, you’re late.’64bfd4e882273a64

‘Aigoo, you were waiting d7485fa1a7 up?’5057116f89fa772f

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‘Dad, you drank again?’22b28dd564e77329

‘Our daughter is a705230d16 here, too!’0bd3edc1e519da4b

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‘How much did you faaf55499c drink?’c1b64e84b6abc73c

‘Should Dad have 8d4c4f5283 a drinking match 98cb9c9938 with you next 00393ee372 time? Huh? Our daughter’s d5e849bb63 an adult 6fe6856a65 now.’bdae446d69f57e84

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‘What do you ee7a20e2c1 mean, now? I turned twenty two 4816579a4b years ago!’61cc15117374463e

And his college-student ba9acb5162 daughter, exactly six 71846953c8 years younger than 8884c97607 her own twenty-eight-year-old 0436441187 self.fc2ea303e1d06b26

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It was then 47e480d05b that she decided c0dcf82b98 to join Sekyung a8fcd1443b Group, the company a5334dd96f her father worked fe4953ef1f for.a729fdda88f6803a

The corporate 6fd1c74bd6 giant, which 0002503bd6 had started 73ede14211 in construction af0b3c2951 and now 5f547c0968 had its 5db2d83ee2 hands in ea9d8ed8ee all sorts 516780cfd6 of businesses, 1a536cbb9d was not 5fc86dff97 an easy 69db90c057 place to f893394ece get into.0bde20418e7cef74

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The fact that d99359bf97 she had never 06896ddf27 neglected her studies 483a452114 throughout her life 18e0659792 was a small 33db748728 help. While she lacked experiences ba74633106 like extracurricular activities or de4167630f studying abroad compared to a8b61d2a3a others, Ji-ah managed to 7d3b72c341 cover for that with c0e729c9d3 various contract jobs and 3d7763d406 barely scraped her way 9e4322e808 into Sekyung.82f4778dcfb2ea1b

It wasn’t that she wanted revenge or anything of the sort. She still just wanted to know the reason. She wanted to at least be able to ask.034d7b423ac6db2d

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‘But he had c417cb39a4 to go and 0faca56403 die before I 4532edecee could.’b71a11b513e25095

Suicide.bc72f41c46168a94

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Only the hollow cause 9aec930d60 of death circulated among c4716cc776 the company employees.811e78f68b0c2835

Did you 4f4336cde6 hear Executive d43f2036b7 Director Kim 17d233407f died? They say it 2322cf9108 was because of 315af5b864 debt. I heard he had 97e16fa55b depression? No, actually, he was 024f894b6e caught for embezzlement and 123044330e killed himself.d8a4d47a25531cdd

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While worthless speculations flew 0df403d5aa around, only Ji-ah was 0c963745d8 left behind, unable to e8d1b5b999 find a reason.b497403ba6c07a78

‘And now, a45d96e11d of all 73671b2bb7 times.’d7372eedd6cdc53d

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To say it wasn’t a suicide.194c0db0b88342a1

‘If it wasn’t?’99f54ea1644e14f4

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Did that a35b134c0d mean someone 6901668565 had stolen 193590e49b her reason, 806e9b7234 the very 1d4ef1598d thing she a7693ff7de needed to ae630bdf87 know?8c467ab2d5dcc606

Flinch.Ji-ah forced her closed b3a774925a eyelids open.Hooo. As she let 37802a2127 out a long 16082903e3 breath, the surrounding 22969fc3fc scenery had changed 56ff6ac8ef slightly.42b46af715440737

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“…”3341fc71117fcad7

It was eerily quiet 609b1329ad all around. Everyone had vanished. It seemed a564ecc7c8 they had 4a5910da53 all gone d6248e8ebd inside.a9239e9ff7a6feb1

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An unsettling feeling 5370a9e970 floated in the 706a2141f0 damp air of e9c6af354f the empty underground 74e48e1c3e parking garage.f067352a38bc08c4

And yet in 6ca5282ef6 the midst of 84c86a4a52 all this, her 3fad96bef8 phone screen was 7c0375c7b8 still brightly lit. As if it a6f35088ad were waiting for 4961bc597f her answer. Ji-ah let out a 2a9e2ee7b1 sigh.018a8bec17eaf9e0

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[Proof.]

The many questions 48c418e019 she wanted to c96e23629b ask instantly disappeared 26b9161b9e into the empty c506cb6b24 space of the e4dcf62101 backspace key. In the end, 76cfe8514b that was the 86b1621d01 only word she 31aa077b7e sent.189255417fecbd86

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[What proof?]

[Proof that it wasn’t a suicide.]

The icon 0077daa99d indicating the 3e1cc1560a other person 517af80bc6 was typing 8fdfb0dd10 filled her cb62a65164 vision.406cc1e4a48b2236

The persistent, damp smell 13237ba158 kept awakening her memories.112324356971797b

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Ji-ah! Dad brought an umbrella!c9f71a741421bcf4

It was the 720ed616cf moment she hastily 4b11df6a27 got out of 2309a19549 the car and b32a61dba1 began to walk, bbebac0a0f as if to d4c7bcda81 flee from that dd7eaeb193 shout.3a3dbafae80248ec

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Ding. 312df7606c07ab23

A reply arrived.a65bf3f20817fe9e

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[The culprit…]

CRASH!24c5406f0c5e567e

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Before she could finish 58afea2598 reading the screen, an 36bc2573f4 explosive sound erupted from 1b3df9e2b0 not too far away.3b4692959719e831

Startled, Ji-ah’s body 9a5d4eff3c stumbled and fell 48e68f6ee4 between the parked 4c55b2d96d cars. In that moment of 898f733b78 carelessness, she dropped her afda04a6d6 phone, and it slid 7bce4234dc somewhere out of sight. As the flustered ad61ad2907 Ji-ah used her 45f1e54ec3 hands to brace 0fe189b21e herself on the f595be3428 ground and search 879064015c for her phone, 3ea3d3a4c8 a voice spoke.4a1e3a4dfd684bfd

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“So, fuck, do I 3a24df881f have to come all 0959a09a11 the way to a d045187786 funeral parlor just to 7543ad7c8c clean up two corpses?”ee1713c0ca7783a6

A refined, beautiful 920a37675f voice, utterly mismatched 8d9a0f96fd with the vulgar 84a65c597c words, drifted through 2acfa02d51 the air.00f90b461d4634bc

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Ji-ah lifted her head. She saw a back 7f631ff417 not far away.24285024f0e4a95f

It was the back of the same man who had been consoling her father’s daughter just moments before. The heavy scent of cologne mixed with the musty air of the underground parking garage.97fb75dbc95058ca

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Ji-ah saw another man ee5f307ece kneeling before him. A man whose face bb6c0c276e was covered by a 6dc92a62fa motorcycle helmet. A moment 603381cc7b later, something 75932cbbbb red trickled 5d2e581d5e down from 82116e8930 beneath the 50ca44bd2f helmet.9d0e85868dc5da88

The figure very e1794cbefe slowly, collapsed.a78a8a9b3eaba9ec

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