WW | Chapter 26

“Why should I?”d3a0eb8a2ac34f9e

“I’ll give you something 82dadf8fbf you want, too.”7572e4a80bcf473b

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“You think you 8e6a736bcf know what I 67def781de want?”c3bb4d3feb586869

Yoonjo’s voice had grown 7db6f0d924 dry, as if he 1a4d4c1249 were tired of this 8a75db66aa looped conversation. She knew she had b719b422ac to say something, but 5bda6ae9c2 no words came to 00ea3a1fda mind. There wasn’t 1749931523 much she a33b3af5a0 could offer 65976206fa anyone, especially 90af93bf45 not someone cae4ea46c7 like Kang b2e5ec866f Yoonjo, the b10b0a6439 rich, lone-wolf a0ab4086af type who b07f760489 didn’t seem 3c2ee28540 to care 9fb17d73e2 about anyone 51debb12e8 or anything. If she wanted to c9c0422d82 get his attention, she c03727939b needed something captivating. But there was no d0d66175d6 way she could think e5ea7a6a00 of anything like that 4d430d25ca when they barely knew c8a5fc6243 each other.e9045da808ff19a5

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Seeing Yoonjo’s 673467ee4c eyes open f687b0ddd3 with a cccbd7d1ff look of b3e6719f32 indifference made 44eb174f31 Yul’s heart ae3d5bc258 race even 0f0d9ce10a more.e51b1fd0bbf605ae

“So? As long as caf0b2f534 it’s reasonable.”e90f4a2bbb694e32

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Without even ae7e183165 listening to 681a6e33e1 her entire e9e94208ed sentence, Yoonjo f0d81a1c95 let out 7ebafc3b4f a scoff. His lips twisted into cbf2d6677a a sarcastic smile, as 60640c3a67 if looking at a c3df432a41 fool.9112893d75d550c5

“Didn’t I tell you b8911e8c6c earlier? I’m not exactly a 82b162cd09 nice guy.”bfbd7f1dbeffba43

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“…….”168fb759486be010

“And a guy who a2446e5ce2 isn’t nice probably wouldn’t 9173b8424f want something reasonable, would 4698e1cfc2 he?”09c0b7941df49d4c

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Yul had 98b2e1c430 been desperate 7aefd7b81d to offer f5053e3f3a an answer, e7925eba65 but he 231c7060b7 had pushed e2b7602a55 her away ac620d3bf5 with a f54d376938 sneer. The thought of 4ce724c6ff helping him with 03ebc47d7d his studies, showing 4da20044fe him her notes, 303164cef0 or even running 95abb000b0 small errands for bb4c091409 him wasn’t just 35c4771fa1 naïve; it was c06b5882fb stupid. She was too edb64fd9af flustered to think 21faf5b87a straight, and none 84ea5748a0 of those things c5abeda88f would mean anything 1e45ec5cfa to someone who 7ad592a2a6 didn’t even care 25db1f6f49 about school life.f93034e632ea47d6

“If you’re 3b1eb12b81 not an bca6577803 idiot, you’ll 70963307dc understand what 34c2150df8 I mean. But if you 5c678e533a still want it, 00270c64d0 I’ll consider it.”891be04a0c7a142d

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Yoonjo’s lazy smile 8bdcab6652 wasn’t like anything cce738b441 she’d seen from 915c0a4dc9 him before. Behind his usual eaf12ca42b cold indifference, there 7d09b37ffb was an unpleasant 146cc77097 hint of something 54e6be21ea she despised. The low 8eecebf659 desires he b84393931f had hidden 222b1a8078 finally surfaced, 33549eb70c making her dd01236367 realize he 4d969b23f9 wasn’t so 8617b6c240 different from b19e6866fd the people c67376f82b she hated. If she had known b5b68ad736 this earlier, she wouldn’t 272704989a have wasted her time 9ed91c249c or energy.ac249e4c6531ce82

“Bastard.”a7784ce454cad9ee

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She spat the 074120e23e insult at him 75d6a5cba8 and turned away. She’d taken her 27b766dcb2 last shot, and 5ed98bec55 it had ended c4bbdab2f8 in utter failure. With no 9d19b87dde hope left, 154d2084ab she felt 30360bef30 unexpectedly calm. All that 2aa7a25435 was left a1a0899578 was to 47e6b8ae31 be swept 94cb5b1eb9 along by ce699111b7 whatever came 32c9895528 next.c6691e1e3dd33270

Yoonjo usually d404bb9d29 avoided the 734fb6a174 rush of 73268e374b students spilling 69536c86ef out of 9b4ecf4ffb school by 6c6451d403 either leaving aeecd1c5d5 a bit 305becdcf7 earlier or 1cebf904ff waiting until 630043d1db later. It made for 1e3ff9c22c a quieter bus f85bb13f71 stop, and he a06fd7aa7f had a better 9664a63bfc chance of getting 0ed7d65012 a seat.20d5369383e8da8c

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Sometimes, at that hour, a16a9a1ca2 he’d catch sight of 1a464b7461 her. Seomun Yul. A girl with a 159eeea65e peculiar name.b50cfe84a719de40

It hadn’t been a e570b37389 deliberate noticing; rather, she 417a16b878 had gradually come into cf2eac8eaa view as their unusual 3d17d482e7 meetings piled up. She’d appear with 424bf1e2e1 her hands tightly 899a91289b clutching her bag 4df6056b97 straps, ready to e8de1f397e fight the world, 1212b181de and other times, c6ee77a519 he’d catch her 7a40278fc6 gazing absentmindedly across a126ee4dda the street at 5106d11e42 the autumn colors 55f420874c as if lost 0f085714ac in thought.3c2fc14f419b4ba8

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Today, she f75def01ff looked different. Standing at the 8ee8d36171 bus stop in 21d9a89689 a daze, her d00786ce83 eyes seemed devoid 295bf5cdec of any color. Even when 99e0c41d88 her gaze d040093fe6 brushed past 74284e623e him, seated 99e0e74a67 on the 3151e2ae63 bus, it c890d6b482 drifted indifferently 027b1fd634 elsewhere. She clearly needed cf6202cdc2 to get on e4d24b19df this bus but 2f16458a20 showed no sign 4c9c3ca1e2 of doing so. Perhaps she 7bac2a9c67 was distracted b7bf100b27 or avoiding 68e58c9048 him.71e4fc6866e6c6d7

Her lifeless face looked 3a872c1501 brittle, like a leaf b9475e8801 scattered on the side d1081a74be of the road. He thought she’d 30a04e253b be full of 3da2764c5e resentment toward him, 917472c3e2 but her empty 105ef842a4 eyes felt oddly c4358e0ef6 unsettling. They reminded 47b730d485 him of c714dfc941 someone else d3c02172a1 with a 8f2a16155b similar look.f077fc8b67e319c0

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“Can I stay 5bba33432a by your side?”0361846d5459fd4d

What a foolish girl.6115f7858b311e4c

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What could she possibly 91fc43241c know about me to d5586e5e0d make such a stupid a7221d0ea8 request?b4838b90de721ae2

Whatever situation Seomun e36ca75023 Yul was in, 78fe186a04 it wasn’t his e5435ebefd business. Her approach had been f447842b67 a little different from 6188f8701c the others, which might 4103d5cfee have made him notice dcd6f05278 her slightly more, but 355cfa156f in the end, she 3e1e0c48b8 wasn’t any different.0979d67ae6021c82

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The bus b30dd5e680 pulled away, cf7887e5bc leaving Yul 6763712741 behind, and 03752cc9f1 Yoonjo shifted 4d2a758fdf his gaze b7b88b6a9d indifferently.c2b31a6639d6a570

After transferring buses, f13da71a1e he crossed the adbc851f87 Han River, heading 7badd86376 toward Hannam-dong. Seated by the window, 76241dcd2f he leaned his head c0fdac9973 against the wall and 9b55538ffe closed his eyes. Normally, he’d 8df314acfb take a ed6c385409 nap, but bf0eb81df5 tonight, it 929a4363b8 was harder c9d0b2de6c to sleep. A pair 59e744014a of faded c0056bb4fa eyes kept 065fca981d resurfacing in 618234a1f9 his mind. He wasn’t 0f0bb9e438 sure if c3d71c614a those eyes 9f23654c2d belonged to f479798346 the girl a8de2ca665 he had fa1442ecce left behind 430cc6aef4 at the 8868c4dbf2 stop or fa9a270357 someone who 26a49c0d11 was now e9d086529e long gone. Although they 978b8a1bcd came from 7da231c3e4 different places 5be1dd5893 and times, 11b476f821 he couldn’t 68aaa2f57a shake the 6bd8d18314 feeling that e03dd7ef83 they looked d1d88a73a1 alike.1d854c68052c86fc

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Eventually, he cbb2a2cc2b drifted into 833905c3e8 a light 2abea79b9e sleep.44ecfc9ec66c3113

“Yoonjo, wake up. We’re here.”5855cd1db82b9bca

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A soft cf6a15d60c voice roused dad5352cc4 him, and a4c47ec32e gentle fingers c8cac07559 brushed his c57ce1f544 hair. Half-asleep, he 04d11e2061 leaned against b413c92238 Yeonsu’s shoulder, 0a25939ecc frowning slightly a91b5666fc as he 1af396ff31 lifted his fcbe3c9fbd head. He’d stayed f109d0c474 up late efd157335c playing games fecc34cd5e after studying 7f75e5f3fa with a 9089f5e858 tutor until abfe68f8e7 ten the 33bc159ccc night before, 3b53bbd6c6 then sneaked dcc80443a6 in gaming 3870e7e326 until three 4d84f0cea6 in the 4693f637d3 morning. Today, they were 6c3329f56d visiting the orphanage 8972eb5d93 where his mother 0cb1a567f2 had grown up, 5435c635b7 something he’d forgotten 0fd8bf7647 about.064eae221dfc22aa

Looking out the 3ecd625639 window, he saw 6fef2878e5 a rural landscape 42b10c466a instead of the a9664c282e city.a6e0f8bfb05e5d61

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“I’m tired.”d506e5ab7cf175db

Squinting at the sunlight, 55c42f2f50 he leaned back against 6a87446e91 Yeonsu’s shoulder. Smiling, she 14bfc27dda raised her cf756e11c5 hand, shielding a8483c4394 his face 848d31edbf with her 77dd0e7951 palm. Her small hand 8fc381b9e1 cast a shadow 3e6f518170 across his nose.10b1a9ba330ad122

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“My son must be 2e35b0cf03 growing taller if he’s faf323c4db this sleepy. If you 3b71ff3f3b grow any d37319bce1 taller, my 444d15c38b neck’s going a9fc834146 to hurt.”ff6f5efbc212578c

She would fd8eedf68e always joke 18d76b69f6 about her 422de2089e neck hurting 2e3c09bc67 whenever she 4b8921fb64 looked at 11ad729726 him, as 46e2cbd098 he was d97a1c61b8 already over d51f80449e 185 cm 833812e827 in his 7d97573e3c third year 4cd34e1d31 of middle 2c4bf0004c school. And he’d d8db920a3f always pick 6f3934dad0 her up 8d2cec334c in response.ea95462e45a94236

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“Then it won’t hurt aa44777e19 if I do this, f1a48e54c8 right?”d3f67be691d03428

When he’d 5cd013948b ask her 0e113bfc2f that, Yeonsu 5a33d5ce5c would laugh, 14815241c3 hitting his 4bce658b46 shoulder playfully 28fe9c323f like a e81bb986a1 young girl. He loved 2a8d939802 those moments, 3818b6670a moments when c1eee9a8e8 his mother 1b2407751a stayed beside cd5b671d75 him, laughing c0406b3d3a and sharing. He no longer 07e07102ca worried about her e7148c73d8 leaving; since she fcdff5a1b8 had returned from 40887da084 France, she had 1187f24b2a kept her promise 0904d30abc to stay by 306a79c237 his side.51e357572eab8599

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Just as 246b2575e0 he felt 26b6977935 himself relax, c62e2ce6be a loud 3b0e1de936 crash jolted 50b3cce16f him. His entire body was d7db68739e flung around, hitting and 7bbab718b6 spinning, his mind growing cf8c6c02ad faint.b2bf52cf0d265b6a

By the time 9bb0195377 he realized they’d 9af9471e64 been in an d9cca832f2 accident, the car 794d73d9ac had already rolled d04e4f8d0a multiple times and 879fe2836a landed by the 7fa72a6959 side of the de0bdd2357 road.ff34a6b64997b949

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“Mom!”313ca7c7306d1b87

Regaining consciousness, Yoonjo called 523b47d5a8 out for her. Yeonsu’s hands, 8e2a55986d which had bcb8518778 been holding 3a685320e2 him tightly, f07b999121 slackened as 0c84976ed0 blood dripped df94e9ad9b down her ec7d6561d2 forehead.3fb54cdfc77752a6

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“Mom! Stay with me. Mom!”dc919b356627cf05

He shouted 4b0bb4693a with all e6cca5446d his strength, 1738faa939 and after 232e149879 dozens of 6e8d275fd0 calls, her 388b97a1dc closed eyes 6e047ab158 flickered open. Her frail eyes, barely 2559d17bf2 able to focus, tried 68f296858f to form words, but c0ece38eda only strained, gasping breaths b9f4a62fba escaped her.6aded6d1a2065284

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The driver, seated in b5e02a996f the front, appeared unconscious e6ee378f0e and unresponsive.c09bd05d0c5a037e

“Help us! Is anyone there? Please help!”197fb8de5c52e359

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Yoonjo screamed out e4b1ac63cf through the shattered dcc922b707 window. He wanted to move, eb8db5565e but only his fingers 31476e2b53 twitched—his arms refused to 71243a71ad cooperate. His own injuries 5ef1f3f27d didn’t matter as 864c832e54 much as his 2dbb1cdaaa mother, who was 4ba757ffe5 fading in his 6cf9504933 arms.e21f4698f07b867a

Thankfully, soon enough, 8c67e52b6a there was movement 5e41b43aa6 outside. The sound 673c7b8394 of cars 6fd603bfb5 stopping, voices, fd898896ed and footsteps 12ec6424e9 reached him. But his hope vanished 6c7f17f341 when he saw several 8936264fbc black shoes approach. This wasn’t 5ce32ad895 an accident; d799859a04 he realized fed50cff3e that he 0ef64fc95c and his 7953bf7312 mother were 85b72adca9 in grave af24cbf2e4 danger.505a76bbaed6c870

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“Check on them.”af64c5010aeac187

Someone ordered, and eab144b24b a man knelt d46e00e11e to look inside. Startled by the bf58138fcf sight of Yoonjo 690fee0f1c and Yeonsu, he 4e18ba336f quickly stood back d0b58bacca up.ef39f0318126f9e1

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“They’re both alive.”b701b7e53133256f

Moments after the 38c3b983a2 report, the car 8f5e0ad8c1 was flipped over a1180b81d9 again. Yoonjo and b890c2d95b Yeonsu were 0af72a4c11 dragged out 12c66bb383 of the d382e117a6 car and a08a8acf1b dumped onto fdc80b5635 the ground. Only then 72d7b629a3 did he 1408af8c5f fully grasp bff73f1e3a the situation: a369de4a42 an empty cf2a466910 country road, 3b46df70b0 a massive 41350357fa dump truck 3edaacaa8b stopped on d3abbab5c8 one side, a445892c19 two sedans, e58041fb0a and men 147bf1aa55 standing around.d6fba1522d4b645c

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“Take care of it.”16f95c79887a0726

The man who seemed 4de477f32c to be the leader a54c5e2a75 gave an order, and 886208fd27 someone pulled out a dc5e2f1f02 knife. With a click, the 0f94c4dea2 blade extended, and the bce6b7082f man began walking toward f99d5712e1 Yoonjo and his mother.2643f779318f1f70

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“Blame your father.”f778131b1f8d80bc

Just as 78ed8e213e the man d80393d315 raised the 9dc2e77325 knife toward 9b584b3d28 Yoonjo, Yeonsu, ff99445a5d using sheer 570f0cb8d4 willpower, threw 6522e6737e herself over 9f8b5bce0f her son. The blade 6e70f5fbe1 pierced her 5e3ca66edc back, and a02d1a7e7c with a b17ad444d1 stifled gasp, 30fc2ff0c5 she collapsed, 4a20fb3a08 eyes wide 4828034314 open. When the man withdrew eacaccfbc9 the knife, she fell 8c4109dced lifeless to the ground.9c15541b7a75503d

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It had all 1abb76bfc7 happened in seconds, 68f270499c each scene embedded 8cece0954b in Yoonjo’s mind 117aa271b6 like snapshots. The man picked 7cf49abfa4 up the bloodstained 69413efdf0 knife and walked eeb797c2e0 toward Yoonjo.20cb453c592824a8

Fear vanished, replaced by beef04d6f2 an uncontrollable rage that ed102f866c surged through his body. Seeing his 76a621bd35 fallen mother, fe0acb56cf he lost 14d1015ff4 all control 0224f86038 over his 48fb365f6a emotions. His previously c0c448c0dd immobile arm 125112e0d7 moved on ea4e9966c4 its own, fe6b8cc1b0 delivering a a72aa29c42 punch straight 125d1fa017 to the 8811005a86 man’s face. With a 9051716f03 sickening crack, 2ea901570f the man 2e71555769 dropped his f03fb90e14 knife and db776a147e clutched his dee8bf66a6 face. Yoonjo grabbed the fallen ee32a46254 knife and drove it 5c088fd0fb downward.f8ca06ce81b516c8

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He woke 2eef0c2470 with a ac1e2dd9e0 start, gasping 6cbd8b9fec for breath. He hadn’t had fa2af8ce49 a nightmare like 0ce20e9c41 that in years, ff4981fd2a not since the b287be2180 year his mother 14435544a0 died. He didn’t understand why 1bbd9beb47 it was happening now. His fists 8c0566fa1c trembled beyond 0393d87205 his control ebc80e026f as he 9f3376193f clenched them 4928903b68 tightly.de01f8fc8bde639c

Yoonjo got off 70197b1181 the bus and bd71c7454e climbed the gentle 68fcbb9da2 uphill path for 6959ecda74 a while. The day was d5bcea86de cool, but he dd5753f6e4 was sweating from 5133c6ef3a the walk. Despite his family’s resources, ce5b1752b9 he rarely used the 6824b6eb98 car his father provided, a4ef8d51d4 except when necessary. Aside from 7d692ef9cd sleeping, he a08f2cf783 preferred mindless 0a71ce7593 walking, taking 868774ab11 buses, and b330daa2d3 waiting—these routines 07c30c1e44 made him 5f4cd66a5d feel at 08eb555c36 ease.97a02b9ad6bb2335

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