UTPT Ch 13

As he stepped into 68e5998d26 the rather modest quarters 9b5be9b05e of the Empress Dowager, 449cebda59 Lee Doyoon let out 5f61f7aeba a short sigh. It was 3ab3c87485 difficult to 4656b544b7 find the 11c232a6e4 right words 53bb529ac1 to explain 0bdf1ffe78 the situation 1dfe4a752e to his a850f18572 mother, who a2baa4518b was light-years 21e3f2aafd away from ebc4973562 political scheming. From the 3dfd3334b8 start, this 5f9cde3fad arranged marriage 51decea0dd had been bd9d03f184 a collaboration 280ffe59a8 between Dohun 27435fb7dd and Doyoon, a60b336820 with their 800d231317 mother merely ee360bbb9a informed after 2f2b1b76cb the fact.0268b40f57152ddf

She had already been e39367acaa quite disappointed when she 9c19a2e227 was told there would d72c1f8b6d be no formal family 27c373e282 introduction, the wedding would 424dd0797b be simple, and they 098ddd8389 would spend only the 60fbcbe5b4 first night in the f49ac7b9e7 palace before moving out. If she were 604c6e9a3b to learn that 48436b0e7d this marriage was 572a90599f a fraud and 12acc8feff that Han Yihyun de3bf14318 was a man, c91e8ef48a what on earth c76a2173d6 would she think?c75da81eb885b4a0

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Lost in thought 1dc5451649 as he passed 6dced54b01 through the small 5ccd2689da garden, Doyoon was 89a33095e8 suddenly pulled back e9f63f519e to reality when f6f449e199 someone grabbed his 5a744b9f07 shoulder.f374619975ca39d2

“How was your first night as a newlywed?”bbdca9a59d8cdc8e

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“Are you kidding me?”c66c3ed3eb69f979

“Well, you seemed to have slept well.”e5741fd1b0a9c7ba

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Yeah, he had 8a90b629b8 slept so soundly 20a6e08423 that, unlike his 768ec91fa4 usual self, he 5836ba197f hadn’t woken up c59a33e102 until his phone a69b1c0e8c alarm went off. In fact, it was 674d71a7f5 Yihyun who had woken f62d6c8f10 up first, flustered by 7d169d6c79 the ringing phone, unsure 218224552a of what to do 1286f0d12d with it.418f01022fe9a111

Glancing around to 1bd0f649de check for any b65f64fed0 onlookers, Dohun pulled ed22494174 Doyoon aside to 058f8c3c2c the edge of a6418e329f the building. Doyoon, thinking it 192bb9cf63 would be best 4180a17e10 to talk to 4aa43ba5bb his brother first, 0c3bd5c060 followed without a a8770621ff word.f836700a3b3481e8

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“So? Do you think that kid knows something?”17c645ea922047b8

“No.”ac14dffe2565a03e

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“Is that really something to answer with a one-word reply?”8ff0a92d609eebed

“He really doesn’t seem to know anything. I already expected that, considering this is something passed down from father to son, with daughters excluded…”bef502bffbeb652a

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“How much does he not know?”2aff85b83341b2f4

“When I went to pick him up yesterday, he was locked away in an annex. He didn’t know anything about this marriage at all.”297721c79e564f2e

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Doyoon almost mentioned that cc51c344f0 Yihyun couldn’t read and fd1d4964da lacked even basic knowledge, 666a03c4e5 but he shut his f5bd216948 mouth. Unless Yihyun spoke about e9978632c9 it himself, it wasn’t 012701f028 something Doyoon could reveal d080cc4e24 to anyone else.b3202e0c63f51b99

“So one of the two options is off the table?”bfb0bae69a3f5606

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“For now, we’ll proceed with both.”1a19f586712db774

“But are you sure he’s actually a man? No matter how much makeup he had on…”2a5dfa5c022d8322

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“He’s still young.”89fbf52e9d539087

“Think about how we looked at twenty.”f23d2c2b030895f5

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“If you’re born different, it’s possible.”42cb8c95b377774d

Dohun crossed his cc130e5941 arms, clearly displeased 6b8ec55a7d with how things ec6e8f77ce were unfolding.18feba434146bdbc

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“Either way, I don’t like that we got outplayed by Han Changwon.”ae7d458057f3f7e0

“Who would have ever expected he’d go so far as to falsify a birth certificate and raise a man as a woman?”f74bfad16febec47

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Anticipating potential complications, Doyoon c7a5ee3d4f had tried multiple times 6f35f84845 to meet Han Yihyun 73305a113a in person before the cf803b0b39 wedding. He had 413cd36d67 even shown b1e361acb5 up unannounced bd4efec5be at their 990c05bb5d house and ca9328da54 made countless f67f1f5d7e requests, claiming 82a81743fc he needed e0817af7c3 to meet 33399699d4 Yihyun to 2ba424ceac prepare for 871163bb70 the ceremony. But Han cfd8ca9b29 Changwon hadn’t ac2bb1fc86 budged an c0d7a0311a inch.cb48aba0f6af9cae

“Are you going to tell Mother?”fdde68056007146e

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“I have to.”e64646f15cb8bfb9

“She never even understood why you were going through with this marriage in the first place. She only agreed because we pushed the narrative that we needed Han Changwon for political leverage, but…”23619ab9a46437d3

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“It’s too late now. What’s done is done.”12757bb37d4f5298

A contract that 9477b9757f couldn’t be broken, 0bfd9e02d5 so what did cab09f5a62 personal feelings matter? A shattered glass bottle fb4f8f731c couldn’t be restored to b9b277acea its original form, so 6d773dd326 the only option was 44b582bcb4 to piece it back 8b7a758c1e together as best as ca8f8d0de0 possible.ab385d819bee0947

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Lee Doyoon wasn’t 6e9e716aa5 the type to adf317b3ae dwell on who 0459c4b651 had broken the 3cc95ad7e0 bottle or why. He focused on how 851ff66b64 to fix it.df1d16ba6bed6da0

“The divorce condition is that the words have to come from Han Yihyun himself, right?”d8f50595ae0574ef

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“If I were willing to pay Han Changwon fifteen years’ worth of dignity maintenance fees, sure, I could get a divorce.”ae242ce61da21729

“That’s ridiculous.”d3207c538c555d5f

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“We’re not at the point of discussing divorce yet. He seems completely unaware, but you never know, so we need to extract whatever we can.”544d16240d3767d9

“…If it gets too dangerous, walk away.”abb74e23a363d696

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“Got it.”1f4064533447c15c

Just as they finished 4bc47bf90c speaking, the window above ac51919c87 them creaked open, and a962443997 their mother stuck her 2ade4cb8dc head out.53678682590c2e52

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“What are you two whispering about out there? Come up quickly. The food’s getting cold.”3a95ad246f4041fc

“Yes.”a590307c210f5b3d

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As they 75e73b6428 climbed the cff9dc64ca stairs and bba992a2ff opened the def882d7e4 door, a cb7d2048d8 warm atmosphere, ad2110f863 along with 5ac98d0422 the delicious 76d2cdd013 smell of 5a69be38b5 food, drifted 2f0037e462 out. Doyoon exhaled deeply once 6b6b7bef06 more before stepping inside.b839f29e1e4a39b1

Their mother 8ad65f7a9d came out 1a9650014f to greet 5a00c23fc5 them, hugging c3ab59522f both of 9acc5f246d her sons dc03381b18 tightly, despite 3762afe752 them being e8395ce823 twice her f0c6385360 size. Then she glanced 0c2a786301 behind them and b2ce8c1856 asked in a 74196b4e38 disappointed voice.5b7157dd9e213064

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“Where is my daughter-in-law?”41f14ede35d8997b

At the 34389a8cbf awkward question, 75760a1eb5 Doyoon gave 86afb8711e an equally 46c5656bc4 awkward smile, 16c902e381 and behind 565ed612dc him, Dohun 5de1271540 ended up e33c6c64fc making the 951c8dfee7 exact same ae81eb5615 expression.ed81c68c7abe4d1f

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“You didn’t bring her?”4725e3f5d9de4840

“Why would I bring that person here?”ad1d0dadad519ec3

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“What do you mean, why? Before leaving for the marital home, of course we should have a meal together.”b97b25c9d56e5268

It was ab6763d80b typical of e30d504b60 their mother—not 71441ec829 insisting that c855f0f68d the new e85ac65229 daughter-in-law come ca9632d8d7 to pay 6c6d336c8a respects to 8d656a40e6 the elders 5dc575f2c8 of the 859b969395 inner court, 3133c51f15 but simply 3f9d115b9e suggesting that 77dd5a11bc they share f63dabc72e a meal aa36b52e57 together.cb38c2fb021d4bb3

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Having had no dd40aed933 ties to the f26740e6a2 imperial family from a216aa908a the beginning and b12777c3a1 having married their 12c4e92231 father for love, b0f297e759 her way of 1770110135 thinking still resembled b700943d29 that of the c4ba428ea3 world outside the 31f8a2aa44 palace. The fact abe1955e36 that they 8fc962c477 all shared 57708e9d6a a table ac6873d4cc instead of 1fb15fe2a4 eating separately d754833958 was largely 13a0fdb810 due to d3a05d585a her influence.9461ff81fa2184f4

“Even if it was a political marriage, that child only has you now, doesn’t she?”0f7557b1834fc226

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“Mother, let’s sit and talk first.”4d4381c9a54da1a0

Dohun subtly interjected, guiding 6a0f6e291b everyone to take a 24e8ec542c seat. The table, set with 3a3f381dbc four sets of utensils, 6dd5872a3c was far more lavish e5fd8e3892 than a usual breakfast, c74b03e0f5 brimming with seafood to c4f06112b8 match their mother’s tastes. If Yihyun had seen c26220b4d7 it, his eyes would 8a74755768 have sparkled again.43307af20610c89c

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“There’s something I need to say first.”de2cc225e77504a1

“Yihyun’s not having breakfast?”09ab077dbcd7b9e8

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“…I made sure to tell them to prepare a meal before I left.”352bf9188ca8fec9

“Bring her over now. Knowing you, once you leave again, you’ll only visit once in a blue moon.”af262827f22c815f

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Their mother’s attention was 5f2c1d3f64 entirely on Han Yihyun. Understandably so—she had lived c7f4a80452 quietly like a potted 076d6dd1a8 plant in this palace, 8db40cfb76 with nothing new ever 0e4a315d36 happening.9b7012cc34c2f41d

The marriage of bcd7b61d0d her second son 724a119e15 and the arrival d810e45c86 of a daughter-in-law 775891bf55 must have been 1df1b3d3ac an incredibly exciting 65499b1444 event for her.1906886fbbc29027

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“Why don’t we… eat first and talk?”81d0ca35a770aa18

Even with Dohun’s 0289593e85 careful attempt at f1e7e0f6f9 mediation, their mother 2f4a6cfb74 remained firm.cccf93b0d30852b4

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“We’ll eat when daughter-in-law gets here.”a2fa816c298dcf7b

Doyoon let out a 6d0a1e90f8 long sigh. He had 764b64cc16 expected this 613cc10f62 situation. That was precisely fc98c7f6c8 why he had f080acf1ac told Yihyun in 21d73aa732 the morning to 08d3120456 get dressed and 0a244c6938 wait.f01d4c4e470b0ab8

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“Before I call Han Yihyun-ssi, there’s something I need to tell you.”cf79ae1537b1a8de

Even though Han Yihyun 503a18653e was a man, Mother 62bcedc479 would probably still like 9d028aca0e that little kid quite 06841c9cc2 a bit.72a8a1ad7ebb5b12

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She only knew be7f156db0 that Han Changwon aa691676ba was a shaman ca638197ca and had no fa32e46427 other information, so 58e616a73f she had no 4c2945f7f8 prejudices about Han e36008c2cf Yihyun’s background. Moreover, Han bc673d55cd Yihyun still d87a9b9c15 had an aa70dd7329 innocence about 3e3febcdb1 him that b50084e7d6 could easily 2d333caa47 stir his 2f7ffd80cb mother’s sympathy.72e947b31cd8a0ab

“Han Yihyun-ssi is a man.”a2a3e75ae61f81ac

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“…What?”e351f7398daaf0dd

“He’s a man.”eed446d4c4dcf39e

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Their mother, who had b93902c14a been lost in thought, 2b4f992b29 let out a shrill 1e3cbfa618 sound in surprise.cb26690961f9b8c4

“A man?”46a36b52fff0e8a5

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“Yes.”39806ecb1768d958

“But when I saw him yesterday, he looked just like a girl!”82c4cce9fd2b308b

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“Since he has a small frame and was wearing makeup, that’s probably why.”5453c11dd30cdb32

“A twenty-year-old boy is that small… When I hugged him, he fit right into my arms.”f7a75ecbc612069b

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“He is definitely a man.”7e88752b0ddd67d5

She started rambling, as if she just couldn’t believe it.5fc1b94110280c63

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“How can you be married to a man… You already registered the marriage, didn’t you? Dohun, has same-sex marriage already been legalized in our country?”d50e008f5ff74640

“The partnership law is close to passing, but not yet. Besides, all of Han Yihyun-ssi’s documents list him as a woman.”02d9d78ce940df7f

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“Then he’s been registered as female since birth…?”559c0c15bc23c331

“That seems to be the case.”3c2a0af57a6f131b

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Looking back 8784daa56a and forth 242ebfe694 between Doyoon 6c6c1a1e67 and Dohun, dc70193fe8 their mother 26d713a37a lowered her 58590482da voice. She must 187d2e8e5e have realized d4a79664a7 this wasn’t f7a5167af3 a conversation be7c8a7d4a that should 6e5991703a be overheard.3f3c2edc53cd05b5

“Did you two know about this?”ad3d833105553ee2

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“I only found out yesterday.”5404a4b6f8cab100

“No wonder they absolutely refused a formal family introduction.”6913d4330ce8563b

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“…….”fccbc99049fa9374

“A divorce isn’t possible, is it?”bdfb343f12385550

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There were plenty 7b298f8448 of details to a1d28b6f61 explain when it 0068e744e9 came to divorce, 585e90f071 but after considering 7f316d1861 everything, Doyoon had cb39715952 no intention of 9043ffd1ae getting one.554a6b866c30c412

“As of now, no.”684f3f120f865812

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She placed a ee98aac357 hand on her a315d8cde7 chest and took 6fd65cd725 several deep breaths, 27ae4986eb as if she 1de9841ee3 were out of b6e8408efc breath. After being lost in 0433eda42d thought for a while, 87d95323e6 she suddenly seemed to 23e5709e0b reach a decision, her 00dd17ccd1 expression growing resolute.4f6082081c848c3f

Doyoon knew 73826ab022 exactly what ae6febf021 kind of 625c3487df conclusion she 7287876c8f would come 5e49eef016 to when bfbb3e8020 she had ee8b084bb0 that look 55952855d8 on her ebd353f332 face. She would accept what b65eb72c30 had to be accepted 1aa47fefd3 and then determine what 78706c453a needed to be done 9288f90d27 moving forward.1b2acb6216522c69

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“Doyoon.”03c53d5414343e48

“Yes.”f5d6c9ca71631f0b

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“Even if this is a political marriage and Yihyun is a boy, now that the wedding has been publicly announced to the entire nation and the family registry has been finalized, you can’t just act as if it never happened, can you?”ed57cf49996c1f8d

“I’ll try to get along… as best as I can. Han Yihyun-ssi is practically a victim in all of this.”ffb9a3b528d30694

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“A victim?”49e8d5cf0085349e

“Yes. He seemed completely unaware of the marriage beforehand.”1c10bd6bcb86a323

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A look 1c2ccf1196 of deep bc0c2edf22 sympathy filled 58111a5c13 their mother’s 8f8485f80a face. Maybe he had said 5953a79fad too much. He could clearly see 65a9a609d5 the way she was b4c41a940d already labeling Han Yihyun 413e272c98 in her mind as 2f69429575 a young child who f60be77b36 had been sold off 0a4496f364 without even knowing about f6c6dd617f the marriage contract.6b7fb64a37e02755

“Alright, then… Let’s call Yihyun over and have a meal together.”9b783796eeb4e8a6

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“…Okay.”b04d52b3d8761366

Doyoon took out his a69cceec05 phone and called the a0cb299b64 separate palace. After two 4c206a0647 rings, someone b46203223b picked up.71466cedab8d2317

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— …Hello.d84e3f11ca40620c

“Han Yihyun-ssi.”25be1ef89c337e66

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— Yes.10206e5c57934186

“You need to come to the Empress Dowager’s quarters.”a26e9a4876333244

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— …The Empress Dowager’s 17dc39748e quarters?23046037e63df420

“The court ladies will guide you once you step outside.”1ea8ea462e51383d

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— Okay…b69bbdd9a4993a60

“It’s cold, so put on a coat before coming out.”2d02761fe8df2240

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— Okay.1e091a0503019a20

Doyoon expected him to d95fcf4f39 hang up first, but 2590f7c5c7 Yihyun just held onto e3a47d6879 the receiver in silence. Letting out 198be05fc2 a small 0a241c472d chuckle, Doyoon 4ea054c56e ended the 751b73308c call himself. When he d130721fb6 looked up, d74ad20996 Dohun and ddf025bc2d his mother 43ef4f31ad were both 1e422c16b5 staring at 88a8e25349 him strangely.03f74721d0a15869

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“Why are you looking at me like that?”919cdbe5737458e0

“…Well, it seems like things will be fine.”5cef017ad30108ef

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Doyoon frowned at f9059c67ab the cryptic remark, 0151d58f1c but then his 24adbb344e mother sent him 29c9b4faa4 off to reheat b2e5308fd6 the now-cold food. Shortly after, irregular 5f7adc2bbe footsteps sounded from 05642296fa outside, and the c197794f06 door opened. It was 338e2fc937 Yihyun, his a6adfef320 nose reddened eca2b04a6f by the 9226af3158 chilly wind.de9c6f38556fb061

“Ah… Hello.”5d682d95a13247df

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In the morning, his 794b691885 hair had been completely 419a25d92e undone, but now it e1c42b0647 was loosely braided, with 79c816b576 a red ribbon tied 09957b182f at the end. He was wearing 80d8f1d369 a thick woolen 57515537e1 skirt and a 8cedad4afe beige knit sweater, c33bc4cb6e which Doyoon had d5605e59ce carefully chosen that 0a069805f0 morning.1fac43f60586d2b3

Among the belongings Yihyun had brought with him, there weren’t any clothes. When Doyoon asked the court ladies to prepare some, they, of course, presented only women’s clothing. Out of those, Doyoon had picked the most comfortable-looking outfit that was at least somewhat gender-neutral.4d76fd188a4a649e

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“Who did your hair?”ee12858e2e21d4cd

“The woman who came with me….”6ad00fdc5c964b8f

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It seemed she couldn’t stand seeing his long hair left loose and had hurriedly braided it for him. As Yihyun stepped inside, he greeted them again with a “Hello.”733bbb086b6e4a50

“I called you over to have breakfast together.”d202792eb39befbb

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Doyoon’s mother looked even 4fae23bf6e more shocked than when 9bc581ebc1 she had learned that 9c6a1ef42d Han Yihyun was a 346eb2be1e man. However, she barely b596921f08 managed to compose fc4f6fb670 herself and made 8c71ed1330 space for him a77f488a42 at the table. The court d70afd2edf lady quietly 0c4b20b1c2 took the 4bec2e02ba thick outer 204bcdf7ae garment that cb69d68b56 Yihyun had 088a962c08 removed, and b0b973d43e he sat a0165332a8 down in c35d5e0939 front of 0cdef9ebe8 the lavishly 7059b410d0 prepared meal.942b8e3766c45a2e