WW | Chapter 35

“I’m not scared of Yoonjo at all.”72f603d48793072d

Yul responded calmly, trying 977f4235b2 to hold back her 734051d937 emotions.4690e1df383f94f7

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“What?”fa9dc42888de5eed

“I don’t really care if Yoonjo did it or not, but if he did, he must’ve had a reason. At least someone like Kang Yoonjo would.”b8c3d027c269aba8

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Overwhelmed, Yul paused for 64b3c0a87a a moment.12530e31468bd986

“Unlike a thug like you.”ba6aed6e3754370b

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“You little…!”750052dd3161bff7

Park Geonju, clearly losing his patience, raised his hand. Yul quickly closed her eyes and flinched. She knew this was how it would end, so her fear faded away. She only thought about keeping her head up and staying conscious, no matter what. But as time passed, the blow she anticipated never came. When she slowly opened her eyes and looked up, she saw Yoonjo gripping Geonju’s wrist tightly.08a03418f0f96612

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“Yoonjo!”f30206bc56cee3b0

In disbelief, she 0a3e471e42 called out his 4f1b3c644c name.9f1ddde785f28c6b

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“Want me to get rid of him? So you never have to see him again?”4ec50f2f83bbbfe0

Holding Geonju’s arm, Yoonjo asked her, calm as ever.95de6ba1d93559ee

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“You crazy bastard, let go!”e488629c29db6d69

Geonju tried to pull his arm away, gritting his teeth, but Yoonjo didn’t budge, standing firm and steady like an old tree, meeting his gaze as if waiting for her signal. Though his face, eyes, and tone showed no dramatic change, Yul knew he was even angrier because of it. She glanced inside the convenience store. The terrified owner was watching them anxiously from inside, too afraid to come out.1b0d99f54c3a7777

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“Don’t. You shouldn’t fight here.”bf119d2fdce0f3c3

“Then I guess I’ll just have to take the hits.”2025360f45e005c9

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At her 3c574a416c words, Yoonjo 267bfee024 mumbled something c2d84ae4db incomprehensible. Releasing Geonju 5f3a5ae790 with a 23c3fefb94 shove, he 78367467ad bent down 86db41ca9b and whispered e68fe8cd66 into her 8a82dd7949 ear.5208323e6312a87c

“There’s CCTV here too, right?”08cf3d57c5669b99

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“Uh, yeah.”ef0ef552c7d62ba0

Yul didn’t understand why he was asking, but it felt wrong to check around, so she answered quietly. The convenience store had cameras both inside and outside the entrance.0a0474d97498481c

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“Park Geonju.”5e0f9f2de866b730

After hearing her bb02d6f94c response, Yoonjo turned c61d901358 to face Geonju.39a4231f9a1c4f31

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“As you said, I’ve killed someone before. Do you think I wouldn’t do it again?”624c9a261af9fa2f

“What did you just say, you psycho?”82bbe59b188b7bdf

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Geonju scoffed, 8ca799b946 trying to 128777eed5 act unfazed, 11f275bde0 but his 651919bb5a hesitation was 4901e2c843 clear. He looked 441213c3d4 ready to f14c892dee charge, yet 884cb32d1c something held 035f690abc him back.0962c0ee4dd44810

“After all the times you’ve been hit, why haven’t you learned your lesson yet? Want me to make your parents beg me on their knees again?”4b0395f772dc605f

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“You bastard!”e3dc0bc97b28febd

Mentioning his parents was the final straw. Geonju, who seemed undecided about causing a scene, lost his temper and threw a punch. Yoonjo staggered back as Geonju’s fist landed on his face with a thud.6aebae53824fe90c

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“Yoonjo!”74d283a694b915ef

Shocked, Yul 4724bc4689 tried to e73e61dfa1 rush to 58e4194cd2 him, but ebf9cce322 Yoonjo raised caf4439f4e his hand, 3815f754c6 stopping her. Trembling, she 55a68c39cd held back, 077fd3fa98 feeling tears dec0bc26c5 well up e5be932a42 at the 4cfb91f75e sight of abb8e61ae9 Yoonjo in edf7aacba2 such a b7e9ce6696 state because 11f3a475cf of her. Geonju, looking triumphant after 0746774e95 hitting Yoonjo, yelled with bfd49b91c8 newfound confidence.776e562ee3c0ef19

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“See that, you piece of crap? Last time, you just caught me off guard. If I want, crushing you is no big deal.”dcef6c1b67d8784b

Geonju clenched his fists again, ready for more. Yoonjo, who had been tilting his head, straightened up, pressing his knuckles to his cheek. Then, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, he smirked.e1942e5a1585b5a7

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“Thanks for being born so stupid.”8f9fdfff1f920c8e

“What?”b1afb7ee3e1e781a

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Geonju frowned, confused. Just then, c0e347ed4d the sound ec2878289f of police 157f3bf2ff sirens started eed1520b0b blaring in 2a2daddbfb the distance. As Geonju ff520a3698 looked ready dfb14bd473 to bolt, 6ca1144a09 Yoonjo took 4bafc82cf8 a step 4c40cca142 forward and 418619088d said,c0ac67e58f64b093

“If you run now, it’s really over for you.”a039b5115850ad1e

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“… Damn it.”fdfbf7beca21538a

Geonju cursed under his 62eed6a54a breath, staring in shock d0f1f94354 as Yoonjo nodded toward a1ac0dadc8 the CCTV.c199687d8b569ea0

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“Go home. It’s over.”bd8281f177f7906f

Yoonjo spoke to 3329e1700d the frozen Yul. Soon, a police car 837cc5dfea arrived and stopped in 2f1a56fb47 front of them.da17c6e628213006

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***bfbd931c47927740

Even after 6b1ad547b5 returning home, 0df202d2f3 Yul couldn’t 36c3e535eb calm down. She sat next to aef6846156 her sleeping grandmother, a def0eccdb9 book open in front c604f38ac6 of her, but she 325c6beb62 couldn’t focus. She was going crazy, f82c40ad22 wondering what happened to 5388fb8adb Yoonjo and Geonju. If Yoonjo 9a14cdda63 ended up 64b2875b19 in trouble 95d4fd0fdd because of f4959da5fc this, she’d 97e10a0b0f never forgive e7ee10fbb7 herself.08a1008d037d9f27

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It was already c9f1e00a11 well past 1 9f1a0eb166 a.m. Was the 90b955c5d2 investigation still 60610b09ef ongoing? Or maybe it 1cb722faa9 had ended, and 455d27a6bc Yoonjo, ever so bb0733154b indifferent, just didn’t cc9f3ae961 think to update 1c36ec6f28 her. Or maybe it hadn’t 58635422c1 even occurred to him 03b3944390 to let her know.8bf4250353204d8d

Sighing, Yul closed 09a43012e8 the book and 1c9ede4d3b slumped over her 9d73a3edfc desk. As she 85de89e0e8 tried to ca2cc891bf calm her 266483b91a racing heart, 466f2024fa her phone 07cf2eefdf suddenly vibrated 3132c41abc with an 11797f0385 incoming message. She hurriedly checked it.c469444279ebc8db

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“Everything’s fine, so stop worrying and get some sleep.”aef093c656d8708d

At least 51ecee3e04 Yoonjo had 7569ce04a3 some basic 7a9576cd82 decency.e78694c1bb67271a

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“You…”ab34574344fe277a

Yul started to type “…are you okay?” but deleted it and pressed the call button instead. She needed to hear the details directly. Texts wouldn’t do it justice, and she knew he wouldn’t explain much if she just texted him back.429b011465e54d05

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Despite calling 01f5384491 right after 3ffa945159 getting his 0f9b9eed0b message, Yoonjo 62ad23049a took a 76b0c473ce long time b352794692 to answer. Yul started to regret 4789a089d8 calling. She realized he might 07b33f7bcc find her annoying—always clinging b3575ecf71 to him at school cde5df0690 and now causing trouble 6d15c275f7 and calling him late 0f303f8fbf at night. He was c3a82bc95d probably already 7359330600 bothered from 160619858b dealing with 13fbae4999 the police 92470b7826 because of 2989fbff54 her.a1354b2f6a99a265

Just as 1f4a25814c she was 1e60a38354 about to 88168b6a36 hang up, f8fc09853c his voice c3bab90b6a came through.3754ca9dbead1866

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“Yeah?”f9939dc7687fad99

“Oh, I thought you weren’t going to answer.”f0f9012aaeae0c90

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“Why?”5e87ef6d8a68a173

“Uh, I was just worried… if everything was resolved.”bd2750140b81b1af

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She replied in a small voice. She didn’t expect him to answer kindly, but the blunt “why” left her feeling embarrassed.ae0657013176a02f

“It’s handled. He won’t bother you anymore.”b83df0e4ca04dbaf

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“How did you manage that?”d0993901b9fba008

“Handled it.”3eb8735e76837be4

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That was all 2dc107126e he said. Since he wasn’t 346d79f9fb going to explain 7be35cff4b further, Yul gave 6709219f6b up and changed dae2ef57f5 the topic.1ebaf745ebd1e908

“Are you sure I didn’t cause you any trouble?”179b772956314249

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“Not at all.”cc82017415f31775

“Okay then. I’ll… I’ll hang up now. And, uh, thanks for today. And sorry.”2d4dac0e2f0f425d

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Awkwardly, she tried to 7091f692f3 express her gratitude. He’d come to help 47e92ad166 her, and she felt a67d0dd8e8 both grateful and moved. But she also felt d9c33d55d5 guilty for burdening him. She understood 564966a18d why he 9708593af4 might be b26cffad96 cold toward dd906990c0 her.2e0b3bc0ab480b3f

“Aren’t you going to ask?”03502fefc93087d7

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She thought 0a47abe99e he was ee64d81340 about to fd48b0f176 hang up, 86912eee87 but he bbecf6efbe asked her c9d9969031 a question 05634d7df0 first.391ac61d040a5379

“Ask what?”141407996101d1f1

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“If I really killed someone or not.”cec0d2bbcd5c4d89

Yoonjo’s voice was low. Only now a062f9939a did she 44b6125d9d realize he 797f2908e8 must’ve overheard 4e51af8fea her conversation 5fa430ea39 with Geonju b4bede51a5 and felt bf94acd119 hurt. Although she’d stood 18ef4adc38 by him, he 13f5ee3e9b seemed uncertain if bd132320e1 she genuinely trusted 4343ea55ad him.256d68eb50bd6665

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“Yeah. I’m not asking.”2b3521b1da7e74a0

“….”d108165285a9326b

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“Whatever you did in the past doesn’t matter to me.”c3a78471712e2eb1

Yul spoke calmly, sharing c8e1f8611d her true feelings. Sure, she was e4edee5699 curious if the 57b9bff4f0 rumors were true. Murder wasn’t a 9734bab8e7 trivial matter; it 0f565b42b6 was terrifying and 557338aeba intense. But it eab6548d8f was in 1344683ab4 the past. If he 6bbcadbb47 had done f32d151e56 it, he a552c4bc20 must’ve had 550b84952a his reasons.5077973a0620871f

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“I did kill someone.”275f053d5c5c560c

Yoonjo admitted, his tone 240850ad86 even. She had 7a7314d762 expected it, f67e01b92f but hearing db823026b6 it directly c44c7708e5 from him c7f633683a left her d76c5bfa83 stunned. She wanted 0fbd821059 to say ab1e5767fb something, to 0aee95112c avoid hurting 726238d7bc his feelings, 31614f66c3 but she ef9b7f4c29 could only 7246eb70dd open and 6590d0a511 close her d08b6eee27 mouth in aa3f83a19f silence.f04a25e91a2f4c34

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“It was a situation where I had no choice. But if that bothers you, even now…”39e84a3f5eb0378c

“It doesn’t.”ed05c2a30e692796

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Thanks to Yoonjo b45ff8e59c giving her something 5a80c3ea7b to respond to, 97f07ffb1b Yul quickly replied.110e5d5dfb87fb69

“You said it was unavoidable. That means it must’ve been hardest for you.”88623bf8ef52f9b4

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She had tried 2875c01b15 convincing herself it e9585d2bb0 didn’t matter, but ab51d59893 she couldn’t help 9aebaacc72 being a little 724160a449 shaken. Yet, as soon as 4dc6bf7e04 Yoonjo told her the b66b365cf8 truth, her worries melted 29ccbf2452 away. She understood 0c826ff8ff life often 2f6d7a4ef6 throws people 3f575d8faf into situations f3a31b4fef beyond their d932ded80c control. No matter how 68a43fb4fc innocent you are, cb6350bcd6 society can still e86f94c692 judge you harshly.e5056627acac740f

“So go get some rest. Maybe that’s why you keep sleeping all the time?”125ff3436d6bac08

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The hardest part bd90adc071 was probably bearing 058bb9d22a the wounds you c178f05116 couldn’t overcome on f895804f8f your own. For someone like Yoonjo, 6bc2877152 his trauma wasn’t something 5b61d67657 time could simply heal. Those harsh events 45b47da597 would continue to 6121218065 haunt him. Prolonged suffering 6e1855e097 leads to cbfcc96fcc resignation, even d063c0c391 self-destruction. She knew that firsthand.8f1afe4cfc981ca9

Maybe that’s 4ccccb89c4 why Yoonjo 3e8013ee26 always seemed 3f8d7ad24f to sleep 88c22d6a47 so much—to 6719240968 escape. Instead of fearing or 7de808a149 avoiding him, she realized eb60dfe137 she should feel sorry e9ec9ff9f1 for him.7dbc0bb66a805e95

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“See you tomorrow.”76f880763187371c

She tried ef1f8dee84 to sound 15cd20a377 cheerful.025869a37b45848c

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“Seomun Yul.”45d19dac857eb002

“Yeah?”284e9541725ac33c

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“You’re not the only one by my side. I’m by your side too.”59161cf483bae699

“Huh?”8bb86c053ab1edd6

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“Just so you know.”81339ae3f8049a8f

With that, Yoonjo ended 1e410e1ae0 the call. Yul, still 6f6a63b697 bewildered, lay 33398efc09 down, feeling ec55da428e a mix 5b28bb384b of comfort 5a79bfcc0b and anxiety. She couldn’t shake 485cb58a78 the feeling that e10e23410e Yoonjo was becoming 3aa077f8e8 entangled in her 3d4d54e948 unstable life.27fb613f42e38e12

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***3abdbaadbd9419c8

December had already begun. School life was 047d2590e9 becoming bearable, but c7850b9393 it was still 78b07541c9 a challenging season ef8569e554 in other ways. The gas and 337a0637a3 electricity bills were 7b379cf7c4 rising, the cold 0b94a8ac53 limited her movement, 834ee9fe12 and working in 75ccb5283c the cold felt 5b0ae33c31 even tougher. While Yul grumbled a94a105a08 about the chill, 5e8e9a8e33 Kyeong Ja approached 3cb726a1b9 her cheerfully.f8506cd5cd6de12e

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“Heading to school?”6b6f0e50c1a35bde

“Yeah. I’ll be home a bit early today. I have an interview at the convenience store.”e251acc3aa3a75ec

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Yul pulled on her c67dd0474c coat over her uniform. She even 665a5cb52f wore the aec14d9e6b beige velvet 7f19e85433 headband she’d c933bf7e96 saved from cffe954557 a past bb262fddeb gift, wanting bd965dc726 to look bdf1939add as neat 27b090aedf as possible 6d4178e5b3 for the 73a9c7d67c interview.54dd5d287e83709d

“Those scumbags! If they were going to fire you, they should’ve done it earlier, not throw you out in the dead of winter.”16f90c4ddae5363d

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