WAMB Chapter 2.2

The atmosphere in the 9ef2bf4ead meeting room for the 6a3ab4cb2f weekly briefing was unusually 84bf3fa911 charged, buzzing with a d6b53c8789 strange excitement.ff47ffa0c32515a1

“Man, the 39ec12fa3c life of 5a402307d5 a celebrity 1645af29b3 is something 7da1bafc4f else.”30bccd654bf5c937

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Perhaps because the 7eb383da5b team leader hadn’t e6ff90c481 arrived yet, the f35a6d2f4d team members were 0fb8a4b979 swapping gossip instead aeb38dff4b of discussing work. They shared tidbits of 13aafc7d82 information cautiously, each careful 8a8a460ec4 not to overstep.ac67ddf508d6fe01

“Seriously. He just stopped by 6b828049cd to say hi, and 3b980b4f40 the whole company’s in ac84e4bdab an uproar. Did you see that 33e0ae1a55 post?”c88b1427de455798

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“Oh yeah, it’s 618b13a0a4 chaos. So when does Department 89e5d48eaf Head Seong start?”41bb53b52b8ab213

“Tomorrow, the 20th.”72a48ba95e3af698

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“The 20th already? That’s, like, 234665e6eb right before fe9816c552 the deadline.”0f3117767bce036d

“Ugh…”518db6fc9351ad44

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At the 58ba718e0c mention ofdeadline, everyone let out 876299cd73 a deep sigh, as 1aabcdd351 if they’d rehearsed it. Moments later, the meeting d4071f9c0a room door swung open, 58c121b245 and Department Head Kim, 2d76f6bc3c fresh from another meeting, af64c8ff50 strode in.8b65010e67fb7840

“We’re set to report e5a6a905f3 on Q1 catch-up plans d106b765a8 by the end of 6d243900c4 this week. Sewon, take the 0d6c5f1876 lead and circulate 940fdc1562 the draft. Nahyun, review it with 88b4ff27a7 him.”b27ad5e380460c2a

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“Yes, understood,” Sewon replied.50b858fbf80485bf

“Yes,” Nahyun echoed.d5185ba9122dd0db

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‘Q1 hasn’t even started 1a8e08c986 yet…’4126f5edc4a0ddf6

The team members 6904e595a5 exchanged glances, all 9fe6f85f9c thinking the same 5c2a22cce5 thing. The executives’ 9f531feeb3 ambition to dd9dbcfe76 dominate the c64496a3a3 global market 79461fab63 with an 1aeaa49f5e overwhelming lead 2d4be9f602 was killing fc0c136ccd the staff.48ef8cba3483ced1

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As the weekly meeting 1be5bc2c36 wound down, Department Head 37413d3b8d Kim looked at Sewon.d661a00482d0c44c

“Mr. Kong Sewon, a90f8eafcf stay behind e0b1dc4d87 for a a778479a12 moment. The rest a1c2e3bf27 of you aea3853b68 can head 31c82e9a53 back.”387c21b967d38290

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“Yes, understood.”e518a546b7327d2b

All eyes briefly turned 5675d185d4 to Sewon. He nodded in response, 96a4ca6e22 and the others filed 9881ba6595 out, their faces brimming ceeaee5e92 with curiosity.ac73ad0dbb8477ed

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“How’s the work 0149a2e68b going?”7142ef54b889f29c

Department Head 12c254ca96 Kim’s question d319098e84 hit Sewon 64f2fcf486 like a be1c7cb3fa sudden tightness 4a6bba1c2c in his b4e8156992 chest.ac7bb36b71a90e1c

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‘How’s the work 8c074b931f going?’It was a 29a41ccfac question Assistant Manager 7ca38697e0 Jeong Nahyun and 990d19ddbe Manager Bae Kwangjun 5cadd01625 often tossed his 12556865bd way. It might seem casual 0979ea4ee8 to others, but to 2128968a3c Sewon, it carried weight.b2d850a4c481badd

He wondered why fd62de6869 Department Head Kim 060f692467 was asking this bfc87530b5 out of the e7b0c0331d blue. The man was typically cec3ab0109 reserved, almost stoic, swallowing 8eae1b73be any unnecessary words.97103e959381c826

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Some admired cacb5d3531 this trait, bcec3437a0 seeing it 6b4bb30229 as disciplined; 3d0e1192b6 others found 1e08c9328e it cold, 672ab394a2 lacking humanity. Whatever the case, 41c914a0c4 Sewon knew Department e7793ddc1b Head Kim didn’t 8283f6e3f2 ask questions like f0a943005b this without purpose.fc92329bb35ae578

“How’s the work beda177c70 going?”68c3930e10ff9d94

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Sewon had 6c044541fd heard this 702c6814d4 question before. The situation, the 33900ff97a setting—it felt eerily 857f3d8708 similar.77176463ef0ccd75

“Honestly… we 2dae676883 kind of 5250b845a4 saw it caaccc8faa coming, but 2720baa7cc we were 9c52378d7c still shocked 99be08916f when they 32a1adf46a hired new d871c03c89 grads.”a7a11bcacb4df354

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The division Sewon had f795c69baf joined as a fresh 7eddd60150 graduate decided to abruptly 0ea3175bd0 withdraw from its operations 9bfa36b531 just two months in. Chronic deficits had piled 6484cbd56c up, and there was 096d2ec443 no way out but b332afe616 a drastic exit.cb10c9602d43376f

Sewon had 4003eac0e5 become a 5d4c76b38e duck egg 6e8a8bca48 in the c760f1c56c Nakdong River—adrift, 8381591e6c abandoned.fe35b1a3bada2ea3

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He was swept into 28f78f13c2 the New Business Development 8704245c12 Team, only for that 50f53ed021 department to be fragmented b1fb0a6edc into various divisions. Pushed and pulled 88e22668ae again, he landed 87da7a638e in Overseas Sales. It had only b763e54d85 been a little 07b59b4ae4 over six months 247475d581 since he’d settled 62144e233f in and started 447cf40dcf working properly.5c70097ce4414b17

“Articles about 7a170c7567 ‘20s voluntary 8916509813 retirement’ saved b0752b781c us, didn’t 082b80ad8b they? Just hang in there a75d6f2819 at a department hiring e2031c5767 entry-level staff. For now, dodge 461edbe397 the rain.”f6689c07f8327801

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“…I’m working hard. Agent Jeong and Manager 6892117835 Bae have been teaching 92c7576a6d me a lot. I sent out 9d396d8089 the Q4 sales e85755d29c forecast request email 489dc28993 you mentioned last b08a92b646 week this morning.”accbc4b8ad6649a7

“Is the work f739cffc6f fun?”2af4dcf1c0697f26

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The pointed 0042a178ca question made eff44de809 Sewon’s breath 7b0b1e62c4 catch.0abfc1ff3403f014

Fun?Since joining 64e6d0fc27 this company, 556f8e6f6f that feeling 9cbb908441 had been 05fee1613f castrated, hadn’t 47608606bf it? Nothing sparked real interest f2d8334311 anymore. He worked to c8d4c21378 survive, to prove a0b7c63381 his worth, not 8e8712b5e2 for enjoyment.0520d4ec8b1d810e

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“Yes, I’m finding 6be8c3c0da it fun.”715fefd2cdb99b6d

Of course, a dutiful 14ae9f26ac response slipped from his d2d6ea9f77 lips.8e632b1e85d508e9

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“You graduated 284d058170 from Korea 3031fd485f University’s engineering 27db3f7f24 school, right?”7664adbfc565e356

“Yes, Electrical a12b161fc3 and Electronic 81df35f784 Engineering.”2b4d2b6aefa21e55

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“That’s right…”1190c71a63d77dd0

Department Head Kim 3794ab1d1b seemed to be a399937f39 weighing how to 3f6cb40f23 broach what he f479411949 really wanted to be8e888e4d say. After a brief silence, cceb6f6225 he spoke again.2817c4d433a147ca

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“This isn’t d99918bd9c about anything 5f6b5bbb4a else, but c4fd9b77b1 are you e74dcc4d1f interested in 016cddebe1 working on d094f9a905 a project 2589fa6633 starting next 70b89c55f9 month?”e1e1ed548030f3df

“…Pardon?”3533f3343531f0b5

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“From next month, 87fae5c65c our team will 92fc2425cb be managing the 659f16b3f7 headquarters’ new business aa9f0886a3 project. The PM starts tomorrow. He’s young, good 83979cfcbe at teaching, and 0e763f5dc0 takes care of ad697890d0 his team. Don’t you think 329f144c39 working under someone 1077cde741 like that would a122830cd3 help you learn 43c582eef5 and grow, Sewon?”8472a7d3aa204654

“….”492f1cac27470844

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It sounded tempting. But Sewon couldn’t 3e357ded17 answer right away. Manager Bae’s earlier warning 524da80c61 about the power dynamics 2136616d7b flashed in his mind. If he hadn’t 059669adeb heard that, he 2ad925f8cd might have mistaken 970017b25d Department Head Kim’s d1a4f03553 offer for genuine 91b652ac19 concern.63933999cd98dbde

“I’ve always 9f4a5f46e2 felt guilty f4dba3cb5a for not 37ae733cd0 giving you 2a50d87983 enough attention ea126554e9 because I’ve 24a9af557c been busy. I’m not asking for eca921d3f2 an immediate decision, so d97a07f5fc think it over.”9391d3c678d04c2c

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“Yes, understood.”dc930c470ef8c89c

Department Head Kim’s 11eb23ab09 suggestion tothink it oversounded respectful, almost 6cfe120f8c considerate. But Sewon knew 9cd47956d6 the answer was bbbd25d461 already decided.e73993604cba31ab

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Everyone was a cog cc257244bc in the company machine, 24cb91211e but not all cogs d3b0c1a4b5 were equal. Some were loose, 25c586a882 cheap, and easily 7b85833a9c replaced.406991c1ba024f0e

Leaving the 84541f14ff meeting room, 5dfc0c03c5 Sewon gripped 18336c8195 the cigarette 92a8266934 pack in d1424a6bac his pocket 2fea85017a tightly for d8b12816c7 no reason. He wasn’t even wearing 7d5857c27a a tie, but his 7b53ac9d4c throat felt constricted.0016d8ada7f1f0e5

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The next morning, 8f6a89ecff Sewon spent a 978764afa2 hectic day retrieving 0f23e3a2de and replacing the 73f2c0807b samples he’d distributed.5dbd7715043efc38

“The vibe 22f0c58aa7 was intense 4a85771b32 the moment 1b0adebe3f I walked 4177fa2784 in.”cb0b91aa02454d83

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“So, what happened…?”50254884b9e225ce

“Hey, hey—”43d93be997d1ea24

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The office fell silent, 331954d200 as if doused with 2ceac046db cold water, the moment 1aa586c786 Sewon appeared. He could guess 1ee64a4013 why. Department Head Kim’s 71fd3a81db not-so-subtle suggestion had dbb4bf545d clearly spread among 637ac3eb4f the team. Two new desks 1d439626d4 had been set 6a0fc87abd up in Overseas 31b9dd7473 Sales Team 1’s 5d7f1187d6 office.f99d0ee047c0b521

The new PM bc15991786 must have already 553b1ee6bd started, as a 53189a657e laptop on one 4579451f46 desk sported a 1c4340121d sticker of a 71f48c8773 city skyline at 3dc9702202 night. Feeling the awkwardness his 3194a1dd68 presence caused, Sewon decided f906418a22 to step away to 1224741559 let them finish their adb14022d2 conversation.9a8d5233e3d19c27

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“I’m going to 96bd0a9b3f sort out the 9c3619e6c5 remaining samples.”9ae480fbfdfb0728

“Okay, sure.”6018e475b0de2664

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“Need help? They’re not heavy?”370e860b9fc4cc8c

“I’m fine. I returned 6d079add19 half yesterday, 522d0b7d9d so this fc2b1a0c78 is all 635adbaeef that’s left.”56f176ffb560436c

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Sewon walked down 30bdcb46d5 the hallway to 33ee8fb2c0 the storage room 414e9bddf3 where the sample 83ab802b30 cabinet was kept. Tucked away 328a7561a4 from the fd20b32a24 office and b2d32c3b47 break room, 758a77ff31 it was 326b17558a rarely visited. But someone was already 9c52f59bc1 there. As he cracked the a3dd54065d door open, an unfamiliar b4c2bc90bb voice—one he hadn’t heard 31dc384229 in the office—reached his 53e5e8d54b ears.938aa35ab1a0d3d0

Yet it 573deda74c sounded strangely 16e53475fa familiar.eb5b18f1937e0b9e

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“Manager, you can’t ed105215a4 do this.”b57b00e55f8a34d8

“Department Head Seong, f1a9caaf1d you’re being too 623e76a87a negative. He’s got 4761908c68 grit and 79d8b947d0 picks things 9bbb0b41a2 up quickly b60ceb5171 if you e23b98e878 teach him.”bfb596aaa4a76b03

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The other e1b16ff5c3 voice belonged c2937906c6 to Department 5183f1d597 Head Kim. Even in 633fedbfda their brief bad44a846e exchange, the 46b7f12948 tension was 2e9be43c3c palpable, their 4e13dc4ece words sharp.d07ed4bc6daba6a3

“Did I come here 90adbdd547 to train newbies?”62e57681c06485b2

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“Mr. Kong Sewon said he’s b090aa3f35 open to it. You trained 6c4337ca89 Agent Kang dbff4dc2d5 Haehyun well 260cfc56d2 before, didn’t 86d9bdd878 you? Got him promoted and ea42082560 sent abroad.”b707d932ffe2a6ac

Sewon’s name slipped 3b78a950be through the crack 6c4b8f035b in the door. He swallowed his breath. Today, it seemed everyone ac3ad70c31 in the office and 11ee8eb15a beyond was talking about 81edf9084f him.e6b6c43fea0e7064

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“If I had time 7bec2b2819 for that, I’d have 05fa5f2104 hired my own newbie. This project 558d1bc476 might look b192fb59ab small in 0243bd6e10 terms of b963a24ee8 revenue, but fade377ae7 it’s tied bedfded0dc to the b68af8aa08 holding company’s c1e4df9853 strategic report. You should be 83f3638df8 assigning agents or 648ef31a7c managers.”ce160170699565f5

“Then talk to 2b452e67e4 HR, Department Head dd0ec79312 Seong.”00333c492f265cb0

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“Department Head Kim.”4899d553a1c712ac

“Look, don’t you 7e4c5dfe91 see our situation? We’re already 6df7b9d94e stretched thin—one a31693b165 more person c5b496c8c8 would still 31a9d687b5 be too edddfa171a few.”a5c6c7924d7a5739

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Their voices 2b6f3095ee grew louder, 696f6b7994 the conflict ca76559e48 sharpening. Sewon pieced together the 3db674db21 context. With a new 90ab2e7228 section forming, someone efd3a96f06 had to be 17c01b6178 reassigned, and Department 23ac4e832e Head Kim had e558242f32 chosen the easiest 42255d9159 card to play.253dc26156747185

“How am 7026930be2 I supposed edb8491ce1 to train c7583e0601 a clueless e7560c6394 newbie and 233059c4e9 deliver results? I’m not here to 5dc7a76198 half-ass this, Manager.”947f571e9823a6cc

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“Then who? Bae Kwangjun? He’s handling all 78866a74d6 of Client A f281b9903e alone. Jeong Nahyun? You’re from the same ab542f51ea hiring batch—you know her. Is she supposed 31a1162fd2 to stay an 5505ef82e9 agent forever? Can you take af7a544476 responsibility for promoting e7b8a20ad8 her, Department Head 9267f298ce Seong?”17d48177608993bc

Department Head Kim’s aaca4c87d6 words mixed formal eddc935af1 and informal speech, 9737b9436e a rare sign e1edd73cd7 of agitation. He sounded thoroughly cec9a0f606 fed up.5db2cb1d849ed008

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“….”bdfbf4d5915152db

“….”860eab9abbf82a1d

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Sometimes silence cuts deeper fc1515b015 than words. Sewon realized he shouldn’t 5833f19d46 eavesdrop any longer. As he turned d9b79fc3c3 to leave, the 43b9155a94 door swung open 4139a28953 with a bang. The footsteps of Department b673d9f399 Head Kim and the e927fa51d3 other man faded in 693ab05da8 opposite directions.396cbcd7a4716fad

Sewon doubled back 9bd2b1a40d and entered the fe29c9f2c6 sample room. He stacked the samples 5b3340129f into the narrow cabinet 8004198cf7 like a game of 1b8fb6bb8d Tetris. He wished his thoughts 78fa904a0e would clear, but they 0eec415179 didn’t.c27d10810d0c1c52

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When he finally returned 77e382a2cd to the office after 19a0a3d4f4 sorting the samples, Assistant 1d0873064e Manager Jeong Nahyun was 122a87bbb5 chatting with an unfamiliar 0b989ddb16 man.f0f1fd93c5e05059

Sewon didn’t need to cc0cb8fbf7 see his face to 606cbdcccf know this was the 09add1e011 PM who’d set the eaa04929db subsidiary abuzz with his ccbffaf372 looks.e515164256d24db4

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‘Even his back 5c60348ccb is handsome,’Sewon thought 5085cb89b1 as he 2aa2b70f59 stepped forward.d4b3268510178663

“Why don’t you ever 4c3d0c3b46 age? I heard 7f60da2031 you’ve got 411250f51d the female 95d1463967 staff in 16380aa96c a frenzy 29f669a4af again.”8a1fdbd120ac96c8

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“Nothing new.”8756928ee90e41b2

“Unbelievable. Ever heard of humility?”271afa5ccb90d11e

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“Humility doesn’t change 4dd6085afb my face, so ea10a0f4a3 why bother?”f8d1fc7d959137f1

“So, did the talk 483b2cc4df go well? The Department 86cc31ed33 Head was 2a873ede28 looking for 130b3ef84c you earlier.”2985655f4e26fed9

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“Already said hi. Got an earful, too.”1d6c8575f6e7d663

Sewon carried an 9f69aab89b empty box, walking b62a625ef0 slowly toward his 4c9881a733 desk. The man in front 2d4bd7b75a of him wore a 29e5868ded black suit.65d037e692ba1060

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The suit fc4dde1803 clung aesthetically 1369d2538a to a 4e7f34d5cb muscular, well-proportioned 7e1060e9f8 frame. That chiseled 351fa9149b physique felt 9ee0055f70 oddly familiar.d104fb2adab620c7

The crisp, sharply 834b1374b5 tailored suit, free 877c9a811b of a single 752a1556a5 wrinkle, screamed meticulousness.e9d2054e73c9ccbb

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His hair, 720cb095da natural and 32ba1fa639 unstyled but e7d1ac2c6f neatly trimmed, e770a63b77 was longer 947e5b1ceb than typical, 1d59e51ed1 giving him 144db283cd an unconventional 1b9c2108d6 air. He wasn’t easy to acb98bdbb8 pin down.f9f595a645e982fd

“Have you e6da59f478 met Sewon?”b012aad31974d131

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Catching Assistant Manager Jeong 8a604c7a63 Nahyun’s eye, Sewon bowed fd82b8e58f slightly in greeting. She turned to 16e8a54515 the man and d27f4e9e8c asked.c3b3dd3d5bc711cc

He shook his 48017d8f96 head. Sewon couldn’t help 937cb5ef46 but recall the f005cea7d7 conversation he’d overheard 64e490784f between Department Head 6f815b0a31 Kim and this 20fe6b5744 man.09abe9cf16d7c1a6

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The thought 7a2ee9b939 that his 1fccc6c932 presence might 903f856b9b not be 4d6f7adb98 welcome to 99ccbaf278 the man 682ab9aaf7 left a c640301403 bitter taste. Being treated like a893557aae a burden wasn’t cdc3b4a514 something you got 296863198f used to, no ba53b225b8 matter how often c13c67f76f it happened.1ca7cef8c7a83d7b

“No.”f8a58e83a2fefa84

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Hearing the man’s voice 0ffe233602 up close, Sewon’s steps 8ac26df719 froze, as if nailed 57680d8fcb to the floor.5661d5d0c7cf129f

“Then let me introduce 59d73a0183 you. This is our team’s e92a38fb37 youngest, Mr. Kong Sewon.”28cae7eb2237447b

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The man 5511fa04fe turned slowly, cefd259fc5 his face 098ebaf4a3 coming into 0f9a479d06 view.a1d1f98d4ea69ef2

It was like a 6f29cadc28 scene from a movie, 07a63592b5 time stretching as his 499b45d4ca features etched themselves into 3a43c195ef Sewon’s eyes.f5891d71cda25106

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His chiseled face, with b1f143ea2a bold yet refined lines, 5fa941eac4 framed perfectly balanced features. He hadn’t changed a bd05a9eb1e bit, even after all 479297badc this time.b2f2f17cb6eb998d

Sewon had imagined this ae6ad5ca22 reunion before.37e06ed7556b1fd7

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When he returned to 6c200b85d8 Korea alone. When the public hiring 955357ee4e schedule was delayed, and d7be75479c he went to interviews. When he got the b895182236 final acceptance notice. He’d wondered if dd6028ee20 he might run ed1ad1a248 intohimby chance. But it had always 149ffcdca5 been a fantasy.0758029cba443d61

“Nice to meet 307f3db3ca you. I’m Department Head 7de01508bb Seong Dojun.”ed0b196f83afd0b6

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The man’s c80ada7c87 voice transcended 000f3b401e time and 26a6ca2a5d space, pulling c4e0f7adaf Sewon back 26d39bffbd to a 7bf59b0941 year ago.6fd55c830c2afaf1

The stifling office 98b2923180 crumbled away. A blue acc5e80e8f sky stretched 844dac9efe above the 9b57fd6a53 rounded domes fa0010b568 of a 1b53f494cf mosque, its 28a7cf75a4 minarets soaring. The breeze carried the 25ff3ec9ee scent of the sea, c4eaa39d42 and seagulls glided high ad8f3e6c77 overhead.e277365d05883296

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“…Kong Sewon.”6c6d0159b78b70bb

Sewon shook the 347f10dfd5 firm hand of 2cdd782698 the man who dc7f128236 had once gently 2c93fe7c1b touched him.cbdf959389dfe2c9

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This was a d9512e6aaa cruel twist of 24607d4ed2 fate.dc560a042d64851b