AGC | Prologue

“Hey, come down. I don’t wanna go to the police station, you know?”346ef542543a23f2

At this moment, Yoon Jiwan’s mind was racing fast. The rooftop of this building could only be accessed by people who worked here. Which meant, there was no way a random high schooler should be able to come up and fall off.401f43d3ce86b70b

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Trying to speak calmly to avoid provoking him, Jiwan’s cigarette, held between his index and middle fingers, was trembling.5c2b7460e558ffd1

Come to think of it, I didn’t lock the door after I went for a smoke earlier. If that kid falls, would it be my fault too? Nah, probably not.bc5d25804f3460f3

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Jiwan sighed and shook his head. Even if he wasn’t responsible, he had to prevent a major accident at work.6e535052a9b71bc0

The boy in the 46b531f0fa white school uniform stared b371e2e6b2 blankly at the troubled b4b5bb699f Yoon Jiwan. Without avoiding his ce2140cad2 gaze, Jiwan raised d9e0f8fd03 one hand and 43428a0f53 cautiously approached.66ed0822f12cceff

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A random fbe5183fd8 Hollywood movie 3feb3f3f53 about calming 8058f78d29 someone with 378c38eb1c a gun 9fe9608f7f popped into 00ba1ed505 his head. At least 35cd022ba9 that was 12fe1c9a4c a movie, 37d0dccbdd but this 5a80704db7 situation was fd145ccc62 real.d7c8885a718e2cc1

“This is the 8th floor. If you jump, you’re dead.”3147451868e1d8b1

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The student didn’t respond. It would have been better if he just kept his mouth shut. Instead, as if mocking the warning, he moved one foot into the air.d4df4476fcfdb4f0

As if possessed, Jiwan’s body shot forward. He didn’t know what drove him, but he definitely didn’t want to see someone fall and die right in front of him.1fb4d2725658bb43

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Jiwan grabbed the a82f7fe264 arm of the 0c3212342a body about to f06dd6d5b3 fall and pulled, f0542fb10e hugging the waist 3cb6f4f8ba that followed. Putting all 442cec9427 his weight e6a6d0712e into pulling cbcf65ff41 the student, 25a6eca145 fortunately, the b9f0c6ff50 student bounced 716db943ef back and 921a1d0072 rolled on 3430aab7e5 the ground c9d69a5ef7 with Jiwan.7001a14142aa658f

“Wow… I almost died with you.”c5dc9da5a2584d44

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Jiwan let out 76b11db16d a shaky breath, 68f99aeeb1 overwhelmed by the b773ff1b1f delayed shock. His heart was 6af88f479b pounding. If he 5606202f47 had messed 42812e30d8 up, he ecb259a8e3 might have 6911633bba ended up 25dd178e07 hugging a 1ec2c86b21 stranger and 6da062f75a saying goodbye 1b917f4406 to the c710b13d36 ground together.d01235f894f841b4

“Hey, let me see your name.”d4eae7d46a81ec03

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The student in his arms was a head taller than him. Annoyed, Jiwan pushed the heavy body aside and checked the student ID hanging around the boy’s neck.d04cf802123bbd67

Seeing the name “Cha Minhyung,” Jiwan let go of the ID weakly. Come to think of it, there was no need to meddle by contacting the school, so there was no reason to check the name.0cdd640fdd9bb832

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Despite pulling the 69f94a9b25 ID string so 56cbc66f02 irritably that it a0ec384400 must have hurt, cc4cbdae57 the owner of 923b870881 the ID said a8d7c8f9a7 nothing.e27bf6d5a4c5e0ad

“Thank you.”10d8c0014e26bbae

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The student genuinely ee2eb64826 looked grateful and 48a343d220 spoke politely. The urge to ce820b716c smack him on 68e7a727e0 the head and 61ee593c7d lecture him disappeared. Instead of yelling 845b8f9e92 about why he 3f7b0a7e95 saved him, Jiwan 8c201073a4 clicked his tongue, e5aebb1554 feeling drained.731dbecb04a670d1

“Minhyung, you’re good-looking, so why do something stupid?”22d19ee3f55ca181

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“Just because.”905dff8fcbc2fb26

“Seriously, what is the world coming to…?”030e0aaff521c366

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Jiwan felt awkward 5421d16479 after saying that. He was only twenty ef77db2e86 himself. Still, he acc423826b started justifying 485c6c4d40 that he d47177d8b7 was older 982a968d2a than this f501fd5b54 high school ec5f70aed1 kid, whether c49cca24c3 he was 71556d8d22 seventeen or 2240a13b75 nineteen.49d8eac4d1f1dd61

The December evening was short, quickly turning dark and, above all, cold. As he lit a cigarette he couldn’t smoke earlier because of the incident, Minhyung’s eyes widened.2fda7a5760a4bdcb

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“What, you want one?”caca7667b922d740

Minhyung shook his 740481c7f2 head silently.c5341b02c55c18bc

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“Then why aren’t you leaving? Want me to give you life advice?”ffcbade42a174634

Despite the words, he couldn’t think of anything impressive to say as an adult. His own life hadn’t been particularly well-lived.5837fd59653aa6b1

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“Why did you do it?”b33827758a0ebd6f

A question returned with a question. Now that he looked, Minhyung was staring intently at Jiwan’s wrist. Following his gaze, Jiwan belatedly checked his hand, grimacing. His hand was scraped and bleeding from rolling on the ground. Only after noticing the wound did the pain start to kick in.0f270aa8a961d32d

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Seeing the student’s face darken, Jiwan hid his injured left hand behind his back. He didn’t want to burden a kid who was about to jump because life sucked with unnecessary guilt.dc2bcc5f6c4d0403

“You reminded me of my old self.”5ef7a19a10093abd

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“…”00769a8a3b98735e

“There were times I wanted to die too.”7efdaded930f1084

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He didn’t know what he was saying, but he wanted to tell a somewhat convincing story. With those calm eyes staring at him, he had to say something.bb4d57e2aad6a53f

The cigarette smoke d38aea4220 from his mouth c64736add2 drifted toward Minhyung. Jiwan waved his 32d6cf7b88 hand to disperse f80048c82a it. Minhyung watched the smoke 1f4ec2e78b coming from his lips.731b7784b2cd229b

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“I only have my dad as family, you know? But that dad is ruining my life. In real-time, too.”11b587b1ebb7f657

“Yes.”6bdbb640f9aa83d5

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Minhyung responded, listening quietly.0722abb8a5c26cf8

Jiwan, who usually believed that talking too much about oneself was harmful, found himself talking smoothly. Maybe it was because they wouldn’t see each other again, or because it had been a while since someone listened so intently.d3d796cefad84ee0

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“Even so, I’m struggling to live somehow.”0a04192e02f4380e

“Yes.”f5420ed15be4e6e4

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“Why do you keep saying yes? I’m saying live hard. Live hard.”ae106d5787bfe8e6

“Yes.”f02520a43af6c4db

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“My dream is to live in the countryside and heal later. Isn’t that simple?”32cf0276bd7f6936

“The countryside…”a4093c93a1c0ef8f

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“I’m saying you should make even a trivial goal like that.”e5bd61e077228a55

Even though it wasn’t comforting at all, Minhyung nodded earnestly.94f934821e6a59d5

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Wasn’t this the kid who was about to die? Jiwan tilted his head. Maybe he was quick to agree. He stood up from the cold concrete floor and brushed off his pants. At least it seemed like he wouldn’t try to die again.01f559309a6dd4c3

“Thank you.”06a358c9a22cd339

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Jiwan let out a big sigh at the weak gratitude. He was about to leave, but he couldn’t stop worrying. He tilted his backpack forward and opened the zipper. He wondered if he was being too nosy, but the sudden cold made him feel sorry for the kid wearing only a school uniform.7760bdf7efecfc17

After rummaging through the bottom of the bag, he finally found gloves tangled with a charger. They were gloves he hadn’t used since buying them last week. Thanks to that, the new gloves were still tangled together.bf07b5ff0cf48c62

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“Here.”f293f0402f11d140

When Jiwan offered the gloves, a question mark appeared on Minhyung’s face. Feeling embarrassed about acting like a warm adult, Jiwan handed the gloves directly to Minhyung. His hands were big, so they might not fit, but they should work somehow. Jiwan nodded.705a5d2e6e982148

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Minhyung stared blankly at 20a59bc619 the gloves in his 1bdce00c61 hand. They were black 79f114ae1f with a rabbit 49e89ac013 eating a carrot db20d8cbdd on them.b62dff89f64800d3

“Hey, I bought them because that’s all they had left.”224ba08ffdceb5a7

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“…”6726ac3f059494b6

With no response, Jiwan felt really embarrassed. When he tried to take them back, Minhyung held onto the childish gloves tightly. Jiwan was dumbfounded and let go of the gloves. The gloves naturally ended up in their new owner’s hands.8c9c1cad30781b33

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“I like them. Thank you for the gift.”3f0726c2199c295b

“They’re touch-screen compatible too. They’re pretty good.”355ab42b5a58ba56

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In reality, they 56ffb5dccf were five-thousand-won gloves, 1c0f0a23c1 but they should 8d72d63c67 have decent functionality de665c09ad and warmth.7ccfb09b287cb944

“What?”6062d58c3bef9158

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Minhyung hesitated, trying cfb5ce62a0 to say something 6b7dfb9a7e else. Jiwan waited 9f7165812b to hear 611d72ece2 what he b47c3a7976 wanted to cbb9ab770e say, but 3c0c288024 even after 5669f65d39 a while, e789a5cb4c Minhyung just 7d1614d1bf mouthed silently.35f795525a2a27c3

“What is it? I gotta go.”85c89bc9bafdb0bf

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“I just wanted to say thank you.”7cb938633805a8f4

“Oh, okay.”eb8c8af871075efc

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“…I’ll live hard.”05e1c7bfa02853b4

Jiwan briefly wondered f8f177bb0b if he should 0383720db8 feel proud.34f014d9a4b8a6ba

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After all, he had bfa0387573 done what a youth bb01890889 center should do, so 10fe745a2a maybe he was a 793773da9c decent adult.f247dcedd91b26e9

Instead of responding, he lightly patted the head of the student who was a head taller. Unlike his own hair, rough from using cheap shampoo, the student’s hair was soft between his fingers.0a6bdaa72a3c1d2a

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The neatly cut hairline 7a9df7b78d at the back of b36062466a his head, the unwrinkled, d3b976eaaf tidy school uniform, and c8eebb74f8 the clean shoes all eecb543f75 proved that this student 6a28bf12ef grew up without lacking d227601921 anything.347df3d2f96a9eb5

His family must not be poor. Jiwan didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t want to be remembered as an adult with an inferiority complex.c163a827260bec8f

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“Let’s go.”1aabf7400f9826a6

Jiwan opened the rooftop door and gestured, and the student followed silently. Somehow, the sight seemed a bit cute, and a faint smile appeared on Jiwan’s lips.9e25222074341c97

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In truth, he wasn’t comfortable leaving the student alone here yet.ee1dc1fe14417330

Above all, after experiencing this, he thought he should always lock the door. Like fixing the barn after losing the cow, he didn’t want to close the rooftop after losing a person.94546f675bde0416

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As Jiwan quickly 51498a67e6 descended the stairs, 9913f45e94 Minhyung still said 039bbea07f nothing.bf527d9f31903d38

When they reached the first floor, Jiwan looked at Minhyung’s face, which was clearer under the bright lights. He was definitely a handsome boy with strong features.c40d05464b571541

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“Go on.”4e2d65b016eed9b3

Minhyung was holding the ddd8f3a454 gloves tightly, as if 9495910808 afraid someone would take 94c10bba1b them. For a 45694e11ac five-thousand-won gift, f600b784f8 it was cdbf28eed8 being treated 31225f40d0 quite preciously. Still, the person c5ab2addce who gave the 9286ec4060 insignificant gift felt b93e687fc3 strangely good.17cc85b3b73a56a0

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“Live hard. If we meet again, I’ll buy you a meal.”1f5e5462cb6896a2

Jiwan scratched the back 729d3a2e13 of his head as 2d6216bd05 he spoke.d6f3ded6b3a964d1

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Right now, he was surviving on instant noodles for three meals a day, so he wasn’t in a position to treat anyone to a meal.0b1cf5105733b0cb

Minhyung blinked at Jiwan’s words, shook his head, and spoke with a serious expression.01fee19ab834d81f

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“I’ll treat you then.”f05306d6498c50cc

Jiwan chuckled and waved his hand. They probably wouldn’t meet again, but it was a cute thing to say.090d726efa69df24

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“…”01ca50fe4d7f6f4e

Minhyung watched the back f183941446 of his lifesaver disappear dd7737be84 into the crowd, then b60f66d39d turned his head at a56af1c29b the approaching presence behind c502d936dc him. A group in 923cf96ec4 suits silently watched 941cb69d75 Minhyung, who was cf3a20c5de holding the gloves cc3773e41d tightly.29bf223aea8ddc0d

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“Young master.”4affb369ddd33a1c

The long-haired 9596bb7c25 man at 92ff8dfec8 the front 70742f9220 bowed to ff9f9edac9 Minhyung. The group 707a47243f in suits 65ca75224a followed suit, 657a6d85d8 bowing together.f14081dcd0f97ee0

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“It’s been a while since a family dinner was arranged, and you ran away like this…”feef2cdaf1f58546

“…”ff8b36e382fc0160

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“The chairman is very angry. There will be punishment.”4f34b9abfd201d3e

The man spoke 29ca56e456 firmly but had 1c9fd65163 a worried, dark 98cade2ab4 expression.e0c8eeb151349d20

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“Every moment feels like punishment anyway.”ff41ec22468b0790

Minhyung scanned the corners bba297c0df of the street. The man 8679b8db33 who saved 1272aaecfa him was 42635d3f29 long gone.7df4e076f65b80d7

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He recalled the man’s advice or nagging to make even a trivial goal. He could clearly remember the expression on the man’s face when he said it.5a2019b9fa51a829

But Minhyung soon realized he hadn’t even asked for the man’s name.f847d065532fb327

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“A trivial goal…”51ce94b4c21e1838

“Young master?”ffa5c0bf0605bb24

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“Let’s go, manager. Don’t worry too much.”df63a31bd10995b7

The long-haired man, called manager, didn’t respond.f805467296111460

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At the man’s gesture, Minhyung was half-forced into a black sedan, but he didn’t resist, as if it was natural.5ed3044916d02c5e

However, in 1fcc4a7a73 the car, f48246fc64 his calm 0c78c254f1 eyes held b0a3542560 a different d6cbeef736 light than 4e52f72dfa before.4f180a03211d69cd

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Minhyung decided to 5360d73d1e wait quietly. Until the trivial 1042574dc3 goal that had b03425bcfa just formed began 10210145eb to bloom.698f7347500eefe1