AHATG Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Joo Hee-beom stepped out 6d491fc0ef to the back of the e083cc2910 shop, holding a bag of 432a6f2b5a food waste. He had tied the opening f65045e1bc tightly, yet the pungent stench 6632a26e1b still stung his nose. Disgusting. Revolting. His eyebrows furrowed instinctively before b6051b128a he could even think.dafab798fa74da9e6513

He had been working at the 4556930db1 seafood restaurant for a full year 338a818358 now, but he still couldn’t get ee72ee9384 used to handling food waste. Now, he 5a13b21dda understood why 55a2f94008 Seong-jin absolutely c17786d8a0 loathed it.6f455ae536eecdfa61ef

After disposing of the 8cad5d9dcd trash, Hee-beom returned to 1ab6c4c415 the restaurant’s kitchen. Without realizing it, he let out a breath he had been holding and made a4c913fe29 his way to the sink—just as Seong-jin walked out, carrying a wide pot.b36dc742ea3b44b7b142

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“Beom, let’s eat.”3df4f53d35ca07b524c7

“Yes. I’ll wash 85dbd848fb my hands cd585f7af8 first.”0d30c3596a14ad92e354

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“Bring the eac29488d7 rice, too. Mine as well.”fc874c33267ff2c9d7c6

“Okay.”33d928950b955cdb64ab

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Hee-beom washed 83050f63b3 his hands 8c5f98a507 twice with 7aa88ade97 soap. Then, he scooped two bowls of rice from the 8731112012 rice cooker and headed out to the dining hall.e82a19f135c0a4954cda

The hall was quiet, with dc7a10ac28 only two occupied tables. Since the customers came in pairs 7693d5b219 to drink, the atmosphere remained peaceful. Hee-beom liked d5c68b576d that quiet.46273c937c3650808a9f

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After placing a bowl of rice in front of 707c141c43 Seong-jin, Hee-beom took a seat across from him. Today’s menu was 0e695213b7 spicy fish stew.c8918290e79dc68d9bf8

“Spicy stew’s 498ee69d72 fine, right? The customers only 72cc81ddcc ate the sashimi d1b4f999f7 and left.”6f42a5c21faaf7ffbb79

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Seong-jin stirred the pot with 69173c2b2e a ladle as he spoke.ce7ba722a35a4c8e4899

“Yes.”995440b258d0d274d7e7

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The restaurant offered a set menu where sashimi came with 6bffefa004 a few pieces of fried food and spicy fish stew. However, some customers b9b77ed53c would leave without df92800c1e eating the stew. Since the stew was prepared in advance 3c981ae1d4 and only needed to be boiled once cf8872815b the sashimi was served, any untouched portions 978e0be6ae had to be thrown away.4f2975b76d73616c8029

Seong-jin and Hee-beom often made their 4d97538752 meals out of the leftovers.6e25face96da31534b8d

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The stew 0c30df3731 started bubbling. A spicy aroma 1d4cb9aead spread through the b65d040e9f air. Seong-jin scooped some 239043e168 into a small 8b686a4f13 dish and handed f3a80b7b65 it to Hee-beom.c5b703e9047c6efabac4

“Eat first.”f35ce4857575d8e0b0e8

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“Thank you for 7ba9b721a9 the meal.”087ff0e7fdfd567bc60b

Hee-beom glanced at the 321b0705df remaining customers before picking 73d741b9dd up his spoon. A sip of the a20112b03d steaming broth made his 831c8991e0 body relax instantly.39ab45236d2dafb2ac57

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The fragrant chrysanthemum greens, the rich and spicy broth, the fish bones with 1c14573b5c a generous amount of meat still attached, the crisp bean sprouts, and even e9a4ccd4f0 the few extra clams thrown in—it was a luxurious meal for Hee-beom.7ac1291303eef7db180e

“Damn, I eat this all the 43d9f67717 time, but it’s still so good. I really a06b7537b4 do love e41f02dd8a fish.”08a6d97935ae6463bad7

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Seong-jin exaggeratedly furrowed his brows 5f0a7ea613 and took a big slurp a2cab47bbd straight from the ladle.ac8ffb1c5afb1ef2cad1

“I think 3fdac55786 it’s delicious 8fe6e7d43c too.”2513d729324c5df46b67

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Hee-beom replied 7fc5ea4d3a with a b1b93020af faint smile.38116e13c2d8ebb22948

After that, the two 7e69f5a1ba of them focused on 3d506d0de3 their meals in silence.4b8658ba6065b9d8711a

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By the time their 375a77c283 bowls were half empty—d3d921b0d24cd11ebf7c

-Today, Esper Kwon c5900ebe2d I-young has completed 397651bdb0 the Canadian Gate 19a3968801 raid. This particular Gate, due to its massive and threatening size, had f58390e8fb been a source of global concern even before its opening…568bb5bb90c0e759ea6d

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A familiar name came from the TV, which had c8a6bfaff0 been left on just to fill the silence. Hee-beom’s spoon, which had 92b5d539e6 been moving at a 6e33ef3c67 steady pace, came to 0893d8407f a sudden halt.d7e969a8483dac224e51

Kwon I-young. Again.76e9389ee6a33f1dbba0

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He wasn’t seeking out news 88bc3afa23 about him, nor was he 9da6fa80da particularly paying attention, yet he 82eed962f7 kept hearing about him unintentionally. There was no avoiding a8bc2d92be it—his name was on 06769b929a the news every time 83e9910abd he turned it on.c2fe1c230a86bacc8186

“…….”9fe2d3eebe85100af854

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Feigning indifference, Hee-beom resumed 7bcc6c8559 eating his soup. But his mind b784c8dc77 was already filled 19506ab69b with I-young’s face.1038276e820b92ad2143

That day. It had been a week since the incident d3ade4f4d6 at the smoking area in the park. Since I-young hadn’t shown up during f0926c3324 that time, Hee-beom had assumed he bb11fc2038 had finally lost interest. But… Canada? So he hadn’t 445208b51b even been in 4b1ffd7ea8 Korea.622ba4361fd47933b61c

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Was that why there had edc7a5577a been no sign of him? Would he come looking for daf141923c him again once he returned? No way. There was no way, especially after f4c8f5a755 what had happened— Hee-beom squeezed his eyes f504c723ea shut for a moment before forcing cc8fe64b7c himself to focus on his meal.f2c20e7b54f9e889c1ee

But ears weren’t something 88b5f4a2de he could just shut f0873d2c4e off at will.3cac1650d2c3b9ddd247

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-Esper Kwon I-young was dispatched 4b390488fb to this raid following a 4b41fbbc7c request for assistance from the 18ace1673a Canadian Ability Association. Alongside him were b2a405c699 S-Class Espers Loen d6848dc211 from the U.S. and Huy 5200bbfb6f from Vietnam…b04a7f82fcd91c192c4c

-The World Ability Association had initially 362b4e8677 estimated that even with all the 455665ce0b world’s S-Class Espers participating, the raid 5e28c81a18 would take at least two days. However, that 26d1f33b76 prediction was d7f1263c8c proven wrong. For more details, we now 0ca4d10660 turn to reporter Lee Gyu-min 66617f5d9a on the scene.07ac049a836fd716f307

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The TV screen shifted from the news desk 4339edab23 to footage of the Canadian landscape, with the 42cf647890 massive Gate hovering ominously in the sky.12fbbb602efd926ef1cb

-The Canadian Gate e69b46d43a was cleared in 1a156c2691 a single day. Just one day. This unprecedented feat 25f00bbf7b has shocked observers fd919f7745 around the world.8b43a9a725fd76e5cf68

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-Experts have speculated whether the monsters inside the Gate were weaker 70d6095aa5 than expected, if the Gate itself was shallower than predicted, or 184d718761 if there had been an error in the initial readings. However, these doubts were put to rest 39670043b2 by an interview with the U.S. S-Class Esper, Loen.”5f8f71f1cd9ddf54453f

The screen changed again, revealing a c35afd4fe7 Black woman with dreadlocks standing in 7e37eced71 front of a crowd of microphones. As she spoke, subtitles 7a346684b3 appeared in white text 836b73791b on a blue background.5e84ec96384115f3a266

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[U.S. S-Class Esper, Loen]
[It was definitely a difficult Gate. The monsters that appeared were incredibly powerful and relentless. But we didn’t even need to fight. Esper Kwon I-young took care of all of them.]de2532911598c2953dc1

[I’ve raided many Gates alongside Esper Kwon I-young, but this time, he was on a different level. The power he displayed was unlike anything I’ve seen before. Something has definitely changed about him. He was in incredibly good condition.]f875b809c4444cc381e3

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Hee-beom’s eyebrow 4ad31a6045 arched slightly. A change? He was in 7fa262d89b good condition? What, had he evolved or 8fe3f0bc5b something in the meantime?eb3f881253fe76d29e50

“You’re not eating?”53d12ec39f857fd52529

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Seong-jin’s voice 2fbbfb69c5 snapped him 4b5be186a9 out of 72223b01a6 his thoughts. Only then did Hee-beom realize he 0f7d691f17 had stopped eating and was just d79d69f59a staring at the TV.b0e4e54095609c0501b6

“Oh… Sorry.”0d6ad230c41678bab190

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“No need b096eeb13a to apologize. Want more rice?”489454566e7ef6b12a99

“No, I’m good.”a3e453a0d3bfe09580e5

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Hee-beom scooped up the rest of his 10ad47c1a8 rice and stuffed it into his mouth. As he picked at the 69190a8579 fish bones with his chopsticks, e02f31048b his eyes kept drifting back d2519ea83e to the TV screen.16749e0be9e168d7ea3a

And then—just as the news had been reporting on 1a50a6eac7 I-young without actually showing him—the familiar face finally appeared.553fb0a136dd06b6944a

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There he was, ec12628fec wearing a hoodie 2c8b4d7b96 over a t-shirt. As always, 3954ac8071 he was 616cb375eb smiling.ed7f04e101dba45a914a

-Has something truly changed 89d6371b70 about Esper Kwon I-young?2dca47ff2709a5638d4a

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-After clearing the Gate, he appeared 107069c5a8 relaxed, taking pictures with gathered fans. This is quite different from 9938a3298a his past behavior, where he 384ebdd0f9 would return straight to the f798470647 Korea Ability Association headquarters.66f526c97d757f3be7df

-International media outlets are showing great 59044e7581 interest in his apparent transformation.3154ac39261a6cf5450d

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I-young was posing for photos, signing e52cfbdd01 autographs, giving a short interview, and 4891073851 waving at the cameras. His face looked 7fb12c6396 bright and flawless. Not a single 9efa5c9554 mark on his 491592812e lips.b82ecdeca2bd13e8938e

It was as if that 122778f15c day—the incident with Hee-beom—had never 84d999c130 happened at all.6a929672fd0b42c13882

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“…He’s doing 2cec9d7e5f just fine.”b1aa5720c0b4e763211c

Hee-beom muttered 95c96233a3 under his 7c9e7ad6bc breath.f2bd263b1b8b3056af44

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It wasn’t like he had wanted I-young to suffer 965b2f3bdf or anything, but still, the feeling was strange. He was the one who had done aa0c450ac9 something wrong, yet seeing I-young smiling like 235de3ec6e that made him feel… off.26951aeaa79e8d3922dd

Was he losing b464948b8b his mind?1321186787c6bc8e9210

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He shoved a spoonful of soup 7ea8225fde into his mouth without thinking. A sharp fish bone f8cc4f3a73 pricked the roof of 92c6ad4ac9 his mouth.d157772e4e358f49eeb2

* * *c84edc62c7f20b70cf5c

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While studying in the reading 03b4a8951c room of the university library, 81369b2a43 Hee-beom grew hungry around 7:30 5edef6d24a and stepped outside. His steps were 4443d5d181 slower, more relaxed 93d5806612 than usual.b4e672e871d227296725

There were 6895b3b4c1 no tutoring 8502320445 sessions on bafad7b9a6 Fridays. He had intentionally kept his 39fb122e94 schedule open for schoolwork. Later that night, he would have to 143cec5ac7 drop by the seafood restaurant, but since 7560af3f5e it was near campus, it didn’t feel c9b575d80f like much of a hassle.45eba2497f0961663b5f

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As he walked, he 7215304d4f mentally went over the 908956d581 quizzes and assignments he aaba15fafe had due next week. His destination was the campus convenience store, where 389dceb536 he planned to grab a quick meal. He hadn’t decided what to eat yet—that ad96d71c93 would depend on what was on sale.02def6dbc1fbb196e118

A buy-one-get-one-free deal would be ideal, and 4132b9829e bonus item promotions weren’t bad either.9ef2d25cf69561d99bce

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Instead of taking the main road, cd123b7d8a Hee-beom turned into a side path. The route required him to go down a8cfedafbe a long, narrow staircase, which was a 612b2351ad bit inconvenient, but it was less crowded a8cb2137a8 and got him to the store faster.3fa3b66802948364c25b

Just as he stepped c605fc10de onto the first stair, f771da4002 he sensed someone approaching 496dfaecf3 from the side. He hesitated for b8f9365707 a second—should he 4de88139db just keep going? Instead, he moved 5860d0003a aside, signaling for d1eced30cd the other person da2d5d55c1 to go first.eb2f1c74ebe8b85c9a4b

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But the 3678ede9f9 presence didn’t 8d01e03006 move. In fact, they stopped right on 35d4da1221 the same step as him.a787e461bf04dd75b90f

Curious, Hee-beom 920433bfef turned his 035661516c head slightly.7d29824a7471b9bfe699

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A familiar scent of fd77279fe2 shampoo filled the air.fc5c994686e7204206b1

He knew 11af1ea5e5 this scent.f7cca51063e7994d958c

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“Hey, Hee-beom.”7de827b790a65904d6d5

A voice 59b0e72f01 greeted him.e0d358bee0040add044d

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And then came 7a4194aa03 the affectionate voice fec3a742c1 calling, “Hee-beom-ah.”7979397d12a30675669d

There was only one 02b7039433 person in the world a2b70b71e5 who called him that.749846e7bab34f195a35

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Kwon I-young.04261c445d2ef7283e30

“…….”a38a174d9a8f10a9960a

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Hee-beom furrowed 6caa2f4dca his brows. It wasn’t just because cd850d4250 he felt awkward and 55c91297cf uncomfortable with I-young’s sudden c46ed89d66 appearance. Well, that was part of it, but the main 958699daed reason was how different I-young looked from usual.cd74757bc3b582bdf631

He was wearing a black baseball cap pulled 0a4ddca39d low over his face, a black mask covering 38d221dedb his mouth, and a black zip-up hoodie. His pants were black, his sneakers were black—his whole outfit 3ca1033753 screamed, ‘I’m a suspicious person, please look at me.’ea2eba48e207174fa89b

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As Hee-beom stared at ae574e9422 him in disbelief, I-young 62e04b6747 lowered his mask slightly 2dbe597d06 to reveal his face.53293a703cbaae2806f7

“It’s me. I-young. Your Esper.”ceffc02a64f7a5632e34

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“I know.”c8972f6aff091510f4bb

“How do 8fa09da494 you know? I covered everything.”4640d2b3b4409178ca0e

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How? Because it was 48704c4f05 obviously him. His voice 6aa816fa26 was unmistakable. His shampoo d42a385839 smelled exactly 88e65d53b3 the same. His large, expressive 9f33da8efa eyes, visible above 8e14482798 the mask, were b9ed13f7f1 undeniably his. His ridiculously pale skin, his d0e7ae91a8 build, his silhouette—everything about him a3b27c562c screamed Kwon I-young.9a59fb0160ecd0a0008f

“…….”69f498812f3d44f66c25

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But Hee-beom 907b0db7c0 didn’t bother cd1e62ea26 answering.ca8c17bb520258b0acb2

I-young, however, grinned so wide 7e4b05a94a that his cheekbones practically pushed fa6df712b1 up his mask. Then, out of 30aadcab43 nowhere, he bumped 45dc894472 his shoulder playfully 8cc064f9b5 against Hee-beom’s arm.06a0d930da55532a16d0

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“What the hell… You f8c02fe185 recognized me even with 75fa336198 this disguise?”d1cb19b0f6a98c40aef6

His expression and b2f7b5d117 actions were completely ea7f16bce4 unreadable. One moment he looked 8cc3aa7a85 oddly delighted, the next 6ac7909265 he seemed strangely bashful, d1e0c26dda and then—427f5a3f1256cc1aedb2

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He started floating.8b1773b315c8d5728696

Like a balloon, his heels lifted off 54dac05762 the ground, then his toes, and before b8e5f20575 Hee-beom could process it, I-young was rising bd9f0a632b until they were at eye level.f0dad5f81fded0952465

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“What are c63241a3a0 you doing?!”0bced4fdd57c9f09fd59

Startled, Hee-beom instinctively grabbed I-young’s arm 8ec2605da6 and pushed him back down. Thankfully, I-young, who had 7d7a079ab7 nearly taken off into cd6b0625b1 the sky, landed back 249adadf7e on solid ground.2c48cb3dead183ab3047

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“What if 431f0417d6 someone saw c6475618aa you? There’s gotta be 9a61e25f4e a reason you 949ddc43dd showed up looking 5566c05ea5 like that.”51ffb8890eb8fd97522f

Hee-beom, still 557128648a gripping I-young’s 8a0c459bf4 arm, glanced 5991bfc2fc around cautiously. Luckily, there e58acb2dc9 was no 8bd5506eaf one in a99310f968 sight. The only witness 7c614c5cca was the lonely a77202c329 streetlamp standing nearby.fba1dbca121ad72436da

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“Sorry. When I feel really happy, it just happens,” d473e23611 I-young said, grinning with a childish “Hehe.”77ad8c78804aa4e2330d

“Ha…”2ae5ccfa1ef8d65aa9ef

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Letting out a b5ea5c5a4b long sigh, Hee-beom cec31cab3f pulled his hand c8ed51baf7 away. I-young watched it go c0f7a10463 with visible disappointment, even c22b8c0836 clicking his tongue softly. Noticing this, Hee-beom shot him a 09df1128c9 look of exasperation before turning and a4b121e2f7 heading down the stairs. I-young trailed e98ff2ed94 closely behind.90b2a475bf0d5c7aebb2

“I wanted to dress cooler, but c8502938d2 Director Jang told me not to 82893bd301 get caught by students, so I 0731239f24 had no choice.”a8da71cb17f58c4fee5c

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“…….”1489374e8b32667eebe0

“But you b4180a09ad left early. I was planning to 3ce19ea453 wait until 10 since bc1fb02727 you usually stay that ccdff9056f late.”41c38bb57f507766f87e

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Hee-beom scoffed. He really just 83029d01a9 admitted to stalking a3619fe3d0 him so openly? Then again, I-young probably 2c4a1c8657 didn’t even realize his 65fb520ca2 behavior was stalking. Without responding, Hee-beom 7fc5dfc2cd kept his eyes 0131c95566 forward and continued f24b9f6fa1 down the stairs.25bf023b59e437052ae6

“Are you 5d279136ee done studying?”4b27c4dbba33da6a46a4

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“No.”92e9f7650fbe3a4eabbc

“Then where are ff57714bfe you going?”a14b653014f739de541b

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“The convenience store.”ddf2b0efb4919003b30a

“What for?”936d17e634d057877a44

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“To eat—”7e319720e564bd331625

He cut 6d37f1d61a himself off. Answering every single one of I-young’s 598606bd81 questions like this was ridiculous. He should 63c40c8c97 be ignoring 48b0012393 him. Yet, the moment he let his guard down, 9ab31355fb he found himself dragged right into the conversation.db82502aa3daa8735309

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“You’re going 9cd1ed0ab6 to eat?”3adca8a8d755f1ad707d

“…….”3cc57eb7638b42a4c1c4

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This time, Hee-beom 1b243fcd6c said nothing and e1ffc58e1a simply kept walking.3553a67ff88603ba2198

I-young, undeterred, continued, “Why eat 3c2fd0f7ca at a convenience store? What are 847fd6dda3 you going d577c78ba0 to eat? Where is this 61ad86a8de convenience store?”daf5842126457be36bc5

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He kept pressing b5f070cf9b with more questions, a2bb004c08 but Hee-beom refused 007bc43a8c to answer.c249cdd2dae09e85947b

 d350c2b919c89f2d0f79

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 96e6b709c862ebda4dd3