3.

Seong Ji-ha trudged d15c3c22e6 up the steep b813048323 slope ofSajik-ro¹. The backpack slung over 858d95eabe his shoulders sagged heavily, 3df4399f1c bouncing against his lower ec09698a0d back with every step. His wheeled suitcase, with ad9319f244 one wheel on the b59e5de506 verge of coming off, 2b6373f68c scraped noisily along the 2e4be21c9f asphalt.fc50d5ba2ad5fc57

“Ugh… I should’ve 34002d4096 worked out more. This is f5d3c1d4b6 killing me.”29e259f0946a0248

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Panting, he stopped midway, 0067d0b282 bracing the suitcase with 25dfe900d8 one knee as he 8386f24a48 adjusted the shoulder straps. They’d stretched so much 9028b3a14e they barely functioned anymore.9fccc0f531552ba4

He hunched over, then 5ad08c8e77 straightened up, trying to 7158b06be6 find a slightly more 6de3d46962 comfortable position, but the ca037d147a stone-like weight of his 2cc4973236 pack bore down on 04dbfb6884 him each time. His lower 50587edcae back was caf59a01b7 already soaked 92feccddb0 with sweat.a5324eb1c749a27f

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“Damn it, I don’t 3c95bc2988 remember packing any rocks.”97be736931e2c466

Leaning against 0f02de8cc4 the dented 49db9c45c3 side of 4700c12358 the suitcase, 5b12fce9d8 Seong Ji-ha 67195cc5f2 caught his a715186fa0 breath. It should’ve just been 1ffa25437d a few changes of c6fe66a30d clothes and his laptop.7797da166a9f45e0

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Oh—right. He’d packed the 2f4ebab726 canned goods from 9202e7341f home, too. Tuna, ham, perilla leaves, df418465a9 beef stew. And he’d 315911a1eb shoved all f1e9e97bc2 the instant c1b380f5c9 meals and 2636d2de25 ramen from 32e09dc863 the cupboard b38da62c9a into the 7f53b05ea9 backpack until 562465b986 it was 82a557ea1a bursting.acd0b450c5ed762d

And crucially—rice.71a4a5789b04f3ef

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“…But it’s all 143ac05876 money if I fcbd23873e try to buy f781c6317b it later.”fdad26937dfaf9c0

Today’s burden would e9fe5c15d2 save his future, 5113449dc6 starving self.787bb6e004b6f137

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Steeling himself, d250f81ef3 Seong Ji-ha 6618cd3dc3 tugged the 2611274bf8 shoulder strap 0f47f71a96 tighter and 2f281c5c3b gripped the 711e312655 suitcase handle 93baa2f069 again. The steep e2e2cca719 road loomed 89ab211dae ahead. Gritting his teeth, 8027ef0d7d he started trudging 1b2134b870 uphill.527b1aea3950398b

He usually 0f15161670 traveled light, c81746a0f9 but not 8dc146b2ab this time. As of 05f8326030 yesterday, he’d 1d5aa0684b submitted a 0e8fe77fb9 leave of 0614ba73a3 absence to 7ebbfb0161 the Purification a629b05e02 Bureau. He had no plans 19a43f1eaf to return to his 79fda49d5f job—or home—anytime soon. Days, weeks, months… 78a460e6a4 If he stayed a94d45c9be hidden long enough, b937868f98 even that man ff87d1f39f would give up b0f5f070c4 and back off. He was an daca17c033 oh-so-busy S-rank, after 10769b3f2b all. Surely he wouldn’t 19bc17986a have time for afc33fea1b something so trivial.a73ca71d78c0672d

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“Not that it’s d480d44ee4 trivial for me.”88502dde4cf941c2

You might not 7e1e53e20f care, but for de1dae1b22 me, this is 81c1cad4b9 life or death.57c8274e3fe3953b

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Seong Ji-ha rubbed e02cb1b4bd the back of d24aec3463 his neck, where c7d75035f3 the bruises still 3410ff5170 ached from a e2db3f4dc4 few days ago. That grip had been 000bb465b7 strong enough to leave 5f560d238d a soreness all the 8f01fcd1b0 way down to his c3d35d024d throat.767d238db4649c1b

Why did it 6e75344c53 have to be 3e1a5ec247 an ill-tempered S-rank? And on top 0affcafd98 of that, one 2201f3f784 with such damned 106f03405c sharp instincts?e40d6ed8f07b8da3

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He let out a af9bd8920a low groan. Yoo Sung-woo’s voice still 70a34fecc0 echoed in his ears—mentioning ecca098094 the Agent Oversight Bureau.729b882237ad5d66

The Oversight Bureau. After all the years fef7db41bf he’d spent hiding, evading 6f4295fa75 detection—he couldn’t afford to 89f7ecbefd be dragged in now. His plans had 030d6ed0af taken a hit, 5b80addb1a but survival came a565480d0f first. No point in getting d3e388c0a6 caught by the Bureau b9080fa3dd just because he was 2d64f482f4 stubbornly clinging to his 335ca9b0d9 old post at the e807e097b3 Purification Bureau.36c0007e50ae8f17

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“There’s still time. It’s not bb7f16b87a like disaster 57a400085f hunters switch f8e4a0e233 jobs on cd98589bd5 a whim.”7d4aa7a8f082006b

As long cbb0f9682d as he a0d316fe85 got rid a9f2258e81 of that f2421ff558 damned S-rank, 5aa5792362 he could 94fc3f38b7 return to 0024e772d5 work. For now, he had a2b0986db2 to focus on hiding. Hide well. Honestly, he wanted to 9e078af0c8 leave Korea altogether, but f76c0afbb1 his bank account wasn’t 5c1ac258cc exactly on his side.8d4dc3c1e7676644

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What choice did he 476f947141 have? A small-timer had 8b2e7d2be3 to live like abd731d791 one.b10221ccc3887ae6

Drawing a deep e68cc6a781 breath, Seong Ji-ha e9e2e64976 turned a corner 2c1cb2d0e2 into a narrow 09895166aa alley. A familiar a52ac999d1 sight unfolded b31bdd5fa3 before him. Though smack 69ad95ebbb in the bb13a84436 middle of 583187e785 Seoul, the 8f8bed15ac area hadn’t a375902393 changed at 44d6462ae3 all. Unlike the ever-shifting city e3c50d900d around it, this place c536d63963 had stood still. Time had simply 12a19387a4 passed by here.2decb7e1a41d94bd

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Staring blankly toward the 7db6bcc4cc end of the alley, 20191b4fd7 Ji-ha lowered his head. A dull ache 5f445791fe tightened in his d59faf1508 chest.02a898b6d720f265

“Ugh, this 3aa0d0c6c0 isn’t the 26ea2d2daf time to b7fc1f9109 get sentimental.”b88cbe27e2b4846b

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Shaking his head, cbc258b580 he quickened his 6a72a51e77 pace. He passed f2bf031aa2 old brick 526e531312 houses and 0aedc4122c worn-down walls, 6d908afdee retracing the 757cac87d2 same side-street 2cb4f5d655 path he 0b80495640 used to 0c6d5631cf walk countless b2418400ec times as 5256bb76ba a kid—now 67e54213bd an adult.f2cede6b4e012731

And then, 10a6f093fc at the 0fe2f535db very end 9ef23207fd of the 5b49534105 secluded alley, 1c9f875d29 he stopped.2326912e7b9387cb

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Catching his breath, c50bb0e45a Ji-ha looked up. The old hanok 38d5394d3f house and its 8f4e6850d8 equally weathered sign 806de51ddb still bore the f9a89f86a8 scrapes of rain e5e4de7c45 and wind.5b3baf7abce81305

Seongji Clinic².e3cdffea1f59aa2a

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He let out 83d76f291c a murky sigh.1f8a4ce889f8540a

Finally, he was 120695e38a back.1f018a9312645262

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“Ugh, look fcefd8279f at all 748bdebd12 this dust.”e48efdd4d449ebb8

Standing at the 31198042c4 front desk, Ji-ha 3d99d423c3 waved a hand 796dcabfa5 in front of d09370836e his face and f7bc7fa33a coughed. Dust blanketed every surface. If his c2e0e1f120 grandfather had 64cf446023 seen it, 87b6fe0fe0 he would’ve b56684ff8f smacked the df9304e570 floor with 3cd7aabe6b his cane 61b024ec51 in fury.a9c985135d5a6b6d

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Sniffling into 38fffa70d9 his sleeve, 7acc363f3e Ji-ha glanced 586692f35f around. The clinic e69d3d4d0f had seemed e73f3489bb impressive to 88c38c9685 him as 4c2ce96c8e a child, 7ae8ccb295 but now 4e6f5c5469 the wooden 1dc8215947 front counter 7daad0bd85 was chipped, e851a3a399 and the ecfbbd066f linoleum floor 34e1e92108 had curled 7868d1b5bf up at 954c366d1f the corners, 6ceda6aeb0 all pale 5a07bce3ea and warped. The place was 8358d9bb20 shabby and worn d6b8c06b24 beyond belief.27dbedb67a66c3d8

There was a time 2f3c867525 when he thought this 0526d7adb6 was the finest clinic 113b422029 in the world. Smiling bitterly, 149882183f he turned 47d9932072 away—but his b5c5747b62 eyes caught 49c4e7d76f on the dfac75705e central beam 18c1de197c of the 1bb1b43eb2 ceiling. The wood had a e60d86c24d deep groove worn into 919a428a19 it, like it had 6cf57c27b9 been rubbed over and 4b3446dd00 over again.fad12478bf08da6c

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Hardening his expression, e1145d5dd7 Ji-ha turned away aa107dd12a from the beam e43561612c like fleeing and d9bac94841 moved past the d71640a2df reception desk. He opened the door b7fa1998c9 to the herbal medicine 637f5000e3 storeroom.ecabc8160899e2aa

“…Huh?”d08e6f48883a5f3f

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A small gasp slipped 4bf2717afb out.3aa85c1f0c46daff

Crossing the threshold, b612ac59e9 Ji-ha looked around 36caf9f173 with wide eyes—then 9816fe5bcd even wider. No way.9fb5f27a1ef1eca5

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Unlike the dusty 3d495667fc reception area, the 7369c24488 storeroom was spotless. Every piece of 621f8617b8 equipment gleamed like 34b6dcd7bf it had just e0411572f9 been polished. The shelves used for aea80ec83b drying and measuring herbs a388b100c0 were clean—no stray powder, 13c66edd1e no residue, not even 6c6e1072b1 a trace of licorice 6680181e00 dust.f1cf64d8a055cd0f

He had scrubbed 9fed7484e7 this place himself, 6b7564d46f long ago, under 3a0223c215 the watchful eye a449444e95 of his grandfather, f8db3e6e3c who had been 6cb37e101c obsessive about cleanliness 1adc3a4209 in the storeroom—but b4801545dd that had been 51119fea33 years ago. After all this f470d4979f time, how could 8fea4aa772 this one room 026d1601b0 remain untouched by f0e4ae0959 age?deb1e6dea026ef40

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Oh—right.6363b611616ba8c7

Before he forgot.633f937d30eaac39

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“I’m here, Guardian.”a2266cee601da832

Ji-ha bowed 20b61f8911 deeply toward 677d82d75c the jar fde61055f3 in the c9310f6bc8 corner. The ceramic bowl on ea2d84f0c8 top was empty.6f7fbbf9a75790a7

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He quickly filled it dbd3941ac1 with water and set be685c1a67 it back on the 42091481a8 jar.af9a1a73f6116ad5

His grandfather had e82a03c527 always said a 7220eaac1d powerful and sacred 26cb599d3c Guardian spirit watched 65133b2776 over the storeroom 1162077de9 of Seongji Clinic. He’d drilled into Ji-ha’s f6319c157f head: always greet the bc1983897c Guardian when entering, and 057390e10c always offer clean water ca51c2bcca in the bowl. Eventually, the c86424e290 habit had 7a3fa8a119 become second 736d4c6178 nature.783d36b873d78493

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Feeling the energy of 77869b1686 the storeroom wash over fef4496480 him, Seong Ji-ha stood 330909be1f blankly, his mouth slightly 87b9c634db open. He’d never 1f17c33893 noticed it 636b9027e8 before, but d6fad4b854 with the 1026c4ae7a rest of cb90040821 the place d44c1334da covered in 78772c4ee5 dust, the 2d4138673d difference was f86a87e495 now stark. This storeroom was undoubtedly… 2ecb7a62b5 different. It hadn’t just been d311327d3f his grandfather’s bluster after ac794e3836 all.2bdc986be8cb37bd

Standing in b57c3c0a5c place, he 173951a45d glanced around 04455be8a5 hesitantly, inhaling f93ef8b730 deeply—not the aa3ea98e39 musty scent dc84555c2d of dust, 8280743990 but the 534eac078a sharp, clean 77e6b4508f smell of 26a327cd69 medicinal herbs. As he a6a423ea8d expected, there 96ec1845ef wasn’t even f3181edc89 a hint e45abf66ba of a 69775cf061 bad odor.a2b60a38e4632391

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He opened 2b9397b0d5 one of 4266115b6d the wooden 355ab2ca6f apothecary drawers. Inside, the 912f2a7466 small compartment 5e450e979a was densely 6260b7d0d1 packed with 9d74c8c8c8 dried tree 9243c25ab9 bark.f8a9b1a15ed18162

“Still got plenty of 7f592c8190 Eucommia bark.”d1a725239c653aea

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Sniffing the contents, b093583820 Ji-ha opened another ebbc341e95 drawer at random. A faint smile crept 42d6957cb0 across his face as 09b5a619b6 he leaned forward to 788a680476 inspect it.6531eaed25f63974

“Good,cinnamon bark³, ophiopogon⁴root, polygonatum… all here, 28eaa3f559 just as they were.”26253beb61dd6038

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It wasn’t 1f08547a6b just strange—it a9f700d28b was baffling. He would’ve bet 482cb11141 mold had taken 26df3aab8d over everything by 41cbc7c331 now, but his e1a81af8de expectations were completely f194669a1a off. No ventilation, 4138e3cc14 no humidity 639b204c17 control, and ab420457eb yet after 5ec666fdd0 several of 1751829b0e Korea’s muggy 0abd2ec002 summers, everything 23eaebbf5a was still 99f0324efa smooth and 3a1aad5bbc pristine.a9baa4cb90a7df4c

“Wow… Guardian spirit, you’re amazing.”23beeb90f75b0dae

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Tongue clicking in 51c3d77e8a admiration, Ji-ha bowed b3b0fc9c84 again.57281a1041dad4ce

“Thank you 5b9ef8c1c3 so much 164bbd161e for watching ae7abcf9ff over this 77a1ba752b useless Seongji d4ed1e46f9 Clinic.”09ebd64639082926

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He bowed deeply 13db45492e and sincerely, then 07c61b0f26 looked up. His gaze caught 8e858515e2 on a small 3aafe9115d picture frame in fcddf5a4de the corner of 58d6e5cb79 the storeroom. It had been 1d6166d92d lying face-down. Ji-ha picked 2825020496 it up 3604ca674d and set 8552cf531e it upright.d6cbee9b94cf7571

“Sorry, Grandpa. Your worthless grandson finally 74f472f784 came back.”ddb7bce91322cdd3

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A bittersweet 627a89389e smile crept 8590b20b0e onto his 8e2e339125 face as 27955e87a8 he looked 9ca6f6ccd0 at the 7e223990b9 photo. His grandfather, with 3ea8ed8ba9 a gentle expression, f31f5fbe48 had his arms 02950c50af around two children—a 781135207e boy and a 6315ac2b4b girl—around the same fad710f5f3 age, both laughing 009e59b256 brightly.33c00c6a4e1d37a9

“Our Ji-ha and 6d8792b2dd Ji-yu, our lucky 778ad3a0a8 charms. No disaster will dare a8587faabf come near our precious eaf052af2a ones.”355b14d29d357bb4

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Even after all 71fa75c3c1 these years, his dcb4347933 grandfather’s voice echoed 5199124e64 clearly in his 4512d4c668 ears. Rubbing his nose hard 3e3566952d with his sleeve after 5640dd7a8c tugging briefly at his ef18a17489 earlobe, Ji-ha wiped down 0240a012bf the photo. His grandfather’s face shone 13af5592e2 a little brighter.01e06db0d9355ae9

“Well then, I’ll be 324f3e289d in your care for c67e342a97 a while.”90f57cc4e220dadb

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After the 02236ef87e greeting, Ji-ha ef9435ac2e left the 0f61eb3de1 storeroom and e5605ba849 stepped into be1a463ba1 the consultation 780c739314 room. It was modest, just 7b5a5e1a7c two beds, and still 883320bd3e piled high with boxes. He must 4b9f1576a2 have tried edb2034f0d to sort 591f54f710 things out 2ec4dc4054 at some 503a1acff1 point, but 691ed745e6 clearly hadn’t 5745b1cff5 lasted long.e0c9a287568a792d

When he ran from 52b058adb5 the clinic, he didn’t 48fca23a66 think he’d ever come 9dcb005218 back. But time, bb2e9477e9 whether you 08b603045f want it 8b0e7d2fb1 to or 810037c129 not, takes b8febb3e28 care of 2252a9818c things. It was strange 208fb8137a how natural it 0fe01c2776 felt being here 56b7e94078 again.3f8122972ee886e9

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Well, it had been 68dfdaadc1 nearly ten years.31d42797feef6e42

“Your no-good grandson 9f0300e660 has been rolling 73be35ba8a around in the 13f1d42195 dirt and grown 09b82e2757 up pretty rough. I’m not the 8ce53359f0 same lucky charm af46cfa8bc I used to 1f44c59090 be.”720e4616b30787e9

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Muttering to himself, 7e71562b48 Ji-ha passed the d40bb3cdbc stack of boxes. He stopped in b611b31675 front of a 7d9fb3b2a7 door secured with 88932a623e a padlock.64b25e6775760b71

Digging through adeb1ff2eb his pocket, d9d33987ae he pulled 6a2a17f911 out a 2e4afacd09 key—one he’d 4a2de9ecb1 once found a25ee57b51 tucked away 11852034e5 in his 6c73512b70 grandfather’s things. But even 26ae44eff8 to the b8ec7eb22e end, he’d dec385a15e never dared 9479105281 open this b37f2e0335 room. This had been 2c3e45127d his grandfather’s dream 942b08e95e and conviction, but 92d0894946 also the thing fb678bc116 that eventually dragged 786e9c90a3 him into despair.e49271f5c39ae034

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He stared at 9ddabf7fff the door, fidgeting 311ca05ab5 with the key 80fcc8027c for a long 4ee9d2afb6 time. Finally, bracing c45ba4e651 his trembling a6a7044a12 fingers, he 0d5a244477 inserted it 50dc19bf3d into the 448c4d9d76 lock. Click. The door b8edf4449a opened almost 2c54160212 too easily. Ji-ha leaned his 64e28b0d27 head inside.ec12d8507f5922ce

Bookshelves stretched up to 7e505eaa24 the ceiling on every d1c34969ee wall, except for one aa0722948c corner with a desk. The shelves were stuffed 5f4b3f54ff with documents, not a 38d1471cc5 single gap between them.3d15e44c40133bc3

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As far 2051b9274f as Ji-ha e45f96a6a9 could remember, 19a029185a if his d1f2ba77e0 grandfather wasn’t af7782b265 treating patients, 7e748319ab he was f6edfe0a44 always holed 50104b0146 up in afcfa0faee this room. Scribbling notes, day and b9291cc64d night, until his fingers 58ca6c8099 curled and his eyes e028c1cbff dimmed. Like he wasn’t f362662c7e just a hermit, 338eb33c2c but a creature 0655ee3d41 fused to the bbb6416b06 walls.df621c1e8df8541a

Ji-ha stepped inside. His uneasy steps circled 8a3b629485 the center of the c5222f5602 room.bfc9b069d36e09b1

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It wasn’t large—just 0b23a2c6a9 big enough to b3881c8c1a barely fit him 46d18e638b lying down. With no windows, 80f93c23f3 the walls felt cb05f9caa0 like they were e5f91ec467 pressing in from e945311317 all sides. He rubbed his chest a217dcd932 and forced out a d911141a9a breath.1481c85164389db7

“Damn… I’m gonna develop 4b477e3990 claustrophobia in here. This is a 5f95a38862 prison, not a c50dfeb265 room.”36036b15d2634bda

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He clicked his tongue 07124307c5 and frowned at the a9d711ba8b bookshelves. He had thought bc9549fba9 he’d throw down b881b0ef1a a futon and 617331a2e7 sleep here, but a8558b5e42 there was no 4a8235693c way. Spending a night 8128c8988e in this room 42072d485b would be a 1326584cfa straight path to 1e76325a05 nightmares and madness.ec28fb201a8953cf

“Guess I’ll have 9d61be1ec3 to make the f277a030a7 patient beds in 1b7b9cb17a the consultation room 2e714cc149 my own.”9af2375a897c670b

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Still frowning, 1ed5b62f6a Ji-ha pulled 85ac9ea70b out a 4738f5e469 document that e8329b5ab8 was jutting f12787a09f slightly from 27d1e64108 one shelf. Hand-drawn diagrams b4e462c731 and dense c7b06f7b96 text filled 3ed6df5ac1 the pages, 8c8781d32b filled with 539c551fae desperate mentions 1c3fce9fee of “disasters.”cc6ca8d88624534f

Avoiding the eaf582720f sight, Ji-ha b3ca5f8d5e closed the 7ba0b9d754 file. It left 0f1d6d92a1 a bitter 231039ce1a taste. No one had 9590e4769a ever understood. It was all pointless be8a7db824 in the end.457f0df7da522c90

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“…Humans are the fa9fb46ef2 real disasters. The most 4926e91869 vicious kind.”9b6384d0f9195a1d

Shaking his head, 25f02f4409 Ji-ha shut the b9e661ab75 room door and 22437cc6b4 locked it again. His grandfather’s f91c9fecdb life’s work—earned f7dad3d863 at the 39c60513b0 cost of d8ffe1fbf2 time and 44b0993e79 his health—would 9fbb5862fc never see 4eae497903 the light 20a191125d of day. Turning his 91babdd13a back to cfb8fd1a3f the room, 56d1b905b3 Ji-ha walked 7bd35e6dce away.26cbee0105cffaea

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He shoved the key cbf021ef9a deep into his pocket 4edac43f47 and peered into the f677777a31 pile of boxes in 3dd96bd8da the consultation room. Blankets, an infrared lamp, 907c9e4e59 and a massage machine 37932c024d were all tangled together. For a moment, he 3bfc9bb62e recalled the younger version 42bf706dc1 of himself struggling to b857790407 wrestle with the clinic’s cbaa66f3d7 old equipment. Packing had 42e97f9c1b never been ffff275daa his strength, 14662256d6 clearly.042990d9becdccab

“What the 0060b43cba hell was c0c829f419 I thinking, 2cbf155665 boxing all af1e085d4a this stuff? Ugh.”7f51aa73738374c4

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He grumbled 16747723a8 as he bedd943932 tried to 77c3c4cfe8 pull out 8e1640573e a blanket, 5b0ccf89ba but his 63797f583f eyes landed 02a8fca0b5 on the ca1bb86722 dust-covered patient 719a41d4a4 bed.299c6be9f862011b

“Yeah, cleaning ffe908e735 comes first.”d516228d5c744cfa

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He pushed d9813dd092 open the 8bea1c7391 stiff window 66d65dc42c with force. Fresh air swept 1a567cd683 out the stale de28699f5d atmosphere.c76ef6ae7724b43f

Leaning on the windowsill, 177c55fc4b Ji-ha took a deep 3bc6158c01 breath, then shoved the 22add8ac2d disorganized boxes to the 69b389b3b1 corner. With air circulating and 31ae8663d6 a bit more space, 0985e0e9f4 the room already felt a3f8cb836d different.5c3914de9dbc1818

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“If I fix 1659c70473 this place up 733135e4db a bit, it e6cf9a544a could actually be fcd894d6c1 livable.”63cff870c70c37b2

Looking around in 1acc529a8b mild satisfaction, Ji-ha c18a07cf04 grabbed a broom f4e52e1ae0 and began sweeping 04fe01d016 the consultation room 0d98e7efaf floor.7e75c576cd5f4b5d

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He’d just reached 9c0ccea3b5 the middle of 6800e7d6b5 the room when 1abc977ed0 he heard the 9684061436 sound of the 43190c93b0 front door opening.
He must’ve forgotten to 7a279df15f lock it.913e83b52a40f19f

Still sweeping, he aad331fe4b raised his voice:72661bf2936f4d59

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“We’re closed today. Clinic’s not open.”fd49552f97337feb

The door 473dc6eed2 shut again.325341bdaddb1b2e

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Seong Ji-ha kept 20f14c4bdf sweeping, thinking nothing 25d68db607 of it. Dust gathered 90387108ee into neat d75b629b2a piles. But then—two feet 1ab1c8f22e suddenly stepped into ee709b1e36 view. The dust 04b8865e7f he had c7c008a3f8 just collected 391fe7fcef was scattered f694c0d1bd in all 7184692812 directions, but d531dde4d4 Ji-ha forgot ad9a479a47 to complain. He just 63b97b26ec stared at 9eef8c6cb0 the boots.93b244e3b1131ee9

Combat boots. Familiar ones.b5d1f12756b9546a

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He swallowed dryly.a062a5364de1fcfa

Why did the 2bfafbf2e9 top of his 9a93488f85 head suddenly sting 9b9785016c so much?9eb82ef9a4021ab0

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He couldn’t even 4710e386e0 bring himself to 613206a9a9 look up.b3b2951176a63cb6

“What’s your 6197f07927 real job, b5862f4982 exactly?”780eec175e3e03a1

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When he finally 70bba4298f raised his head 21aa73c4e3 cautiously, the S-rank 6538ae50de agent was glaring edd0780952 down at him 8d58e442d8 with icy eyes.5acd51d858b173f5

I’m screwed.2d5cba7e0a1f5f52

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Utterly, absolutely screwed.f162945cbcb5bfbf

Ji-ha glanced around e442eb5e10 Yoo Sung-woo’s head, 2a054af7a2 trying not to 220e732da8 sigh aloud.6f8a4359e358c36b

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Had he just 1e54d6fc22 come from a d8408cc28e site? What was that thing 14253b33f6 on his head again?3244e079b070b7a5

“Who told eee7c6dd67 you you ae09de46e5 could go 6177690741 on leave, eb9ad6a7aa Seong Ji-ha.”4cd63e9e9246d52e

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There was e4e93f1db2 menace in fd0a546233 the way 57387e0cc6 his name ccd3e5da2a was spoken.17c3e0c56a62a95a

So now bba6bb0f7c he even d52d5294f5 knew his c22443a574 full name.19d1e8bae9da0d5e

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“So what—took a leave 729abf6b35 of absence and opened d467a0fed1 a clinic? Seongji Clinic?”42a4e3ad0133fb4a

That cold 2ffa34ee03 gaze swept 534eb55d62 over the 71836e56e4 interior of 409e40ddb4 the clinic.a9c05eee73c4685b

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“It was my grandfather’s 309f328839 clinic. I learned a 33a53fed5e bit from him. I can’t mix bd87f023cd medicine, but I 65e2917581 can do acupuncture 87cafa095d andqigong therapy⁵. How about it? Want a treatment before 41072af5cc you go, Mr. Yoo Sung-woo?”4581b2ebd82fe6fc

Ji-ha didn’t back down as he said his name out loud.4c288028f29cc7b0

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A vein popped on 2a582ea800 Yoo Sung-woo’s otherwise flawless 921785d2f8 forehead.8479d0ec8a086f26

“Uh… How did 69fbd25c89 you find me, 08571e21d8 anyway?”b4998280ac8b2b02

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Ji-ha quickly 924d2d85d2 changed the 5ea28be703 subject.b0e89b90be121850

“I felt 568ef21465 it,” Yoo 64cf396c3a Sung-woo said, e90d5c993e touching his 594a2a09ae chest.60cb1ab21c8b0621

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Ji-ha followed the motion 938117a3fc with his eyes, looking b30591a166 vaguely uncertain. All he be7bb9db0d could see 2273d81f3a was the 190ec8add2 taut shirt 4aaca1ff1f stretched across 591a496b3f his chest—but 41b1699404 he remembered 734a616e81 what lay 62bfc2273b underneath.5d6eb81d8e5e43b8

The Spirit 8ca3bd2fe8 Core he 8439a5e00d had implanted.
Was it still 4c2b3b00cd there?4575cd286279a788

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“Ah… They 99fb295545 teach you c5ae0d7e6b that kind ceb6beacd3 of thing?”1653ac442abff52b

“You did it to ca8e3f3252 me. Don’t you know?”0fafefe7cef47643

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“I’ve never done 34b5ef14a6 it to a c124d00038 person before…”266268ce307276b0

Another vein pulsed 69b49285b9 on Yoo Sung-woo’s c0e4dbb2e6 forehead.92ed560998c5a7bc

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“Hmm. You really 4f86360f05 don’t look a0f2deb03f happy. Government agents don’t just 04f9883acb go around killing people, 1775ac9ef6 right?”d9820b8aa046c6a5

Trying to 83fb3789db read his 3f87321e2d expression, Ji-ha b3d29bd06a carefully cracked 1891ce2068 a joke—only 5942af9be9 to get 6bff058124 grabbed by 5513bb0802 the collar c7b2618e5a again. His breath 77dfd1d838 caught in af1be7a964 his throat a7d5980214 as he 18d936e108 grimaced and 7200d4c9c8 slapped at 95d2ab10cb Yoo Sung-woo’s 6f7df4b27c wrist.fcebac96a7ee7a31

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“Urk—c-can we talk 25fcb3a5ec after you let 41357bec0f go—!”f8759c92ecedaca4

“Depending on 2a359dd210 what you 309d919a96 say, I 9a91887faf just might 82961da565 kill you.”442c17d660a319cd

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Yoo Sung-woo 1f8564a39e muttered coldly de0361c3e7 and released 5a51634e2b him.630a928f6b75bac6

Coughing a few cb5f1c06a0 times, Ji-ha rubbed eb5905196e his neck. That grip had 6abcff264a been tight—his nape a3eee9f14b was still sore. And honestly, it 0f576a7cd1 didn’t feel like 05c9b72d5d an idle threat.9469c84861d539e5

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“Fine, fine. Just sit over 63eef0184d there. Let me take a e776f53adf look at you.”4a3f523f6dcd9244

Ji-ha pointed 93666c9bae to an 5542632321 empty patient d9fe367d8f bed in 65d69c8239 the consultation d576f93392 room.e1fd6f5133f03b80

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He remembered 9f73ef8c40 his grandfather dfd16d39ab warning him a64416a7fd never to b362f8ef87 even set 7586f3f2c0 foot in 6f7a189b71 the treatment 5b89d66a0b room until 41c57c2652 he had 871206f607 officially graduated 3dee7eda4f from a 2d2bebff94 Korean medicine 1a40f46e37 school and fc211327a2 passed the 854d356189 state exam. But Ji-ha just 266ac7eda8 shrugged.25c4e3b82cf33548

He’d gotten in, c176669bf8 sure—but graduating was 0e4779c796 a lost cause. Still, this was 36c0bdfae6 a special case.ff341ad626b5879f

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And besides, 45124d491b wasn’t it fc42f53f95 his grandfather e05239b8ac who, despite 20b30584f4 scolding him 7a85b96191 for practicing 074c56bfc2 without a 217619a2c6 license, still 2de3670456 taught him cccc5c9ad0 everything? Herb handling, e6aaa4e0fe acupuncture points, 824c3592ad even energy 2f0a41eb41 infusion techniques.77464c3e4a5fd5f1

It was a miracle 8007aae315 neither of them had 05b413d188 been arrested for violating 8bf44ea29e medical law.812cbae1feeb1ad6

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It was a 7cce88c4c4 bit risky… but 8b5e98f45c S-ranks weren’t exactly b45ecdd50a “regular civilians,” right?cda1d3b397c91125

“So what’s d53ef4c3a6 the issue?”e3d875464899dc60

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Still suspicious, Yoo Sung-woo fa7722453c took off his shirt. The Spirit c825958426 Core looked 551e6e0607 exactly as 8a1600f842 it had 0c8029ccbf a few 31641839a3 days ago. It glowed with a95014bf72 energy, like a 7965ab161b pearl embedded in b4b05e1ab0 his chest.8cd4378892873ea5

Ji-ha hesitated. His gaze drifted 76f11a9947 lower of its 52cb9d40d9 own accord. Maybe the a4d843f20a lighting at 5af911ec43 the emergency 0fb2e40520 stairwell had a863a49dc5 been dim be199c97ce before, but 3723d9e7ef no—he hadn’t bea888ad61 imagined it.266a1d07d63af1da

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The Spirit 11d86a02a7 Core was ed5852e5e6 one thing, 1cdb82645e but… why 408bad09bb was it 5f49be3829 like that…?b52332381f678e69

Rubbing his suddenly d9b448b885 cold palms against 0e82cebf26 his pants, Ji-ha 51d46bdcba stared again.
Even seeing it 99bc09563e with his own a5487f3350 eyes, he could 84a43c81b4 hardly believe it.0fca2f23516fe56c

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How is 1fc6ba41be this guy 867af2b4fb still alive?cf44b1299315e145

“Whenever I heat up, 5c0bdd81ee it twists everything inside.”6abb1cdc9a8fe13c

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Well yeah, of course fe438d3b29 it does. With something 21d7d69c04 like that b6d6d59ad7 lodged in 5499db1ad8 your body, 235af68807 it’d twist 3915cd0dff anyone up. If it were a 0eb6f868c6 normal person, they’d have dbeb075e98 collapsed in spasms long 9024d7c066 ago. Or just dropped 1da70c0b60 dead outright and 609524bd66 be playing cards d81ac62e24 with the grim 7873868b44 reaper by now.37fb74292d96fd62

Even for an S-rank—what 2237bf814c kind of body was fb848686f8 this?a7132763b6f67353

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He wasn’t… 1d22addae5 a walking 6a67a83e27 corpse or 8ccf98c92c something, was 22bb8e8953 he?20d932f9aac417a0

“What are you 6c0144cb16 staring at? This—this is where the 8deb90e089 problem is.”fd6e041eb7c08b23

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“Ah, yes. The Spirit Core. Of course.”adbef1db6c6c7736

Snapping his gaze 9b8a584adc back upward, Ji-ha 1d2eda915c quickly nodded, focusing 42167cc0f3 on the orb c9afe11041 of energy.f73218cc9209e4ba

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“The doctors at the 5310e138f1 Ability User Medical Center 1f948cf7d6 just kept saying nothing 08d97e4956 was wrong. Guess that means they f4a8f20716 can’t even see it. When I brought up 35b41cca1c the Spirit Core, they d4e9ab89e5 called me a lunatic.”737e8034e58858fd

Yoo Sung-woo ground 999e2fc5c6 his teeth. Ji-ha finally looked away eb4548ba88 from his chest and 6963888317 awkwardly scratched the back 36ae82755d of his neck.3b7356501050e564

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“Uh, well… ‘Spirit Core’ 22636f44b9 is a term my 4c5122e107 grandfather used.”62d2b36e45f756ce

He pointed toward 728a0f189b the Seongji Clinic.c3bac12a82a4330b

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Clearing his throat 2a8d14fffc again, he rubbed 5a585adfa3 at his brow e51f705084 and continued hesitantly.5085fc162309f4d8

“It’s not a bd3f9246ff mainstream theory. So from a medical 104fef8173 perspective, I guess it’d 01b78c2d4a sound weird. But it’s not c791871064 complete nonsense. There are things that d9b38f2e9b exist even if they 9d25645f5e can’t be seen. Like energy… c586debb26 or spirits…”ec6d5f61de18b8de

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Damn it.d05dc43f698c1e16

He should’ve just f12d020a3a shut up. The more he talked, 61ff7973a1 the more he sounded 174bf7a14b like some cultist. Even to his f6c68c63f7 own ears, it fcc409a413 was suspicious.151ba809d1cac42b

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“Whatever. Just put 6e32fbdd15 it back a4fb0769ee the way c571dc2d8f it was.”32a8e16c8e4aeb0d

Ji-ha blinked.f28847379175336e

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Normally, people would’ve looked e4e8f9ab17 at him like he 668a7daddd was insane for saying 25a3c2b691 something like that. But Yoo Sung-woo didn’t 9a23b18722 even flinch.14abe670c1b7e649

“…Why are you 594e70a90a staring like that?”178f377418d1f854

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“No, nothing. You’re right. Let’s fix it. Back to how e46bac73b3 it was.”c91ee2b89ef8335d

Nodding quickly, Ji-ha stepped 31e76937af closer.1514e78a1fec0eb2

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Since it was his ed4e8699b4 own energy, it should 21134a8c09 be simple enough to 865cfde0f2 retrieve. Shouldn’t be too d9c124b8fa hard.7a4d446fd0d355af

Quietly focusing on the 4daa543969 Spirit Core, Ji-ha took 94db441dba a breath and reached abd0a8f707 out. Warmth radiated from it, f8e56960af coiling gently around his 8d2d266d3f fingers—his own energy, responding 739448538e to him easily.2428bad5aa47c2c2

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After a moment, the 8776fa5a45 heat began to subside.b7585da46376af63

“…Whew.”4da3c2dbbaed5c9d

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Seong Ji-ha e6dc5d5949 let out 2b5a69bc9f a shallow 0797e5b3bb breath and 754826d3a5 slowly opened bee04590ac his eyes. That should’ve been enough. But just as he e1c93cdd36 lowered his hand, his 2a2b2f4100 eyes widened in surprise.cd842854e99c431b

The Spirit Core was 29f782a2b0 still firmly lodged in ce0169628b Yoo Sung-woo’s chest, refusing 9b39a50579 to vanish. This was bad. Scratching at his e89e3b1f39 eyebrow, Ji-ha reached deba329705 out again. Even though the 49836e58b9 warmth had faded, e9a939b4bb the Core clung 9dcdc52cfb to Sung-woo’s chest a55a706f04 without budging an c01503b03a inch.e42d833cde63c3d1

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“So, uh… ed29df1fec how do f8685fb739 you feel?”5d87d9a5886c038c

“The pain’s gone, 604048f275 but it hasn’t f6a25e287e disappeared.”1927dd742303642a

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Ji-ha scratched the b177742157 back of his d6dcd1cbfd neck. This wasn’t 88ba993288 how it ad9b2dd4b4 was supposed 2957831662 to go.430e7d1c0d62a4a5

“Normally, once it finishes a5b7321846 its job, it fades fa72c8bbdc on its own. That’s how it’s always 9bd437bdb6 been. Worked like that for 1dd6766fe0 my grandfather too.”3e2b4851a4659d03

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“Grandfather? I thought you said 4c1c432418 you’d never used it b281008af5 on a person before.”34f95b4d349e7007

“Oh, our 9d5ab4af5b family dog. He lived a b7f4c433af great life here 9e84704872 on Earth for 9e49493c70 eighteen years before a6b6508b53 taking a trip 10489be5a4 to the doggy 1c935678da afterlife. I’ve got a e8c4b5c527 picture. Want to see? He was a brown 92e8971a8a poodle—super cute.”c498ced281adb939

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Yoo Sung-woo’s scowl deepened, 1b34d5608d and Ji-ha quietly shoved 1758488911 his phone back into 09327ffe46 his pocket. So temperamental. He couldn’t 76ec8576a3 even make 415e4dc006 a joke. How bitter efb11a4623 did someone d18df2ae72 have to 13b038d395 be to 12d26581c2 not want d27c2a03fa to see 7fa073aa1c a dog f24daae2af that lived a2d42558ef a full, 865ea51213 noble eighteen 5c072798a6 years?b7219accd191eda5

“So what are you 01b1504428 going to do? This damn 591f87f8c7 thing flares 122f7d4fd4 up and 6836ab91ee settles down 31c135be64 whenever it 54504fb80d pleases.”7e522a57664607dc

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Grimacing, Yoo 97c91ccdd8 Sung-woo pressed d12ae520e7 hard into efd4818d2c his temples 208120fbf1 with his 916677e6a5 fingers.62588465467bfb00

“That…”92980942d765dd7b

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Ji-ha trailed 5f4b6897f7 off mid-sentence, c6a15b4d3f chewing his 79cacfbb47 lip as dd754fce3f he stared 275b675525 at Sung-woo’s 813d6260ab forehead.fe72da273ad7213a

The Core was 2f6e057478 a concern, sure, ab184487cc but right now b6b517e7a8 what really bothered 30acd16806 him was something a0dde067ec else. Ever since Yoo a8a2af611e Sung-woo had shown 0765672ca5 up at the 9d011c8f7e clinic, traces of 4e5e55e874 disaster had been bfc951ac8c writhing faintly around d4442cb13a his head. He was probably suffering bd0fb34663 from a pretty nasty f0cf5ba273 headache by now. He was bearing it 6d957f6a54 well, pushing on his 4899de3bf3 temples like that, but 39c43aef8d still.6787584d3550a1f6

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Ji-ha averted his 132bbcea43 eyes from the e75da3c5ee traces spiraling around e135abb4db Sung-woo’s temples. He was a disaster 2ecbf9ce35 hunter, after all—things like e1f5ebb8d4 this weren’t exactly surprising. He should 328e09a346 just ignore b4c7f6fa0f it.00e1fbc8af7a671b

But the truth was, d56286c763 the man’s problems didn’t d02a6805db end there, and Ji-ha 78421d4ad3 couldn’t help but worry.40171785223eb486

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His gaze 66fc5b71ef drifted back 347704cb5d to the 9100f24404 glowing Spirit 986169f192 Core on d5885eac5e Sung-woo’s chest. The glow 91499f9b10 had softened, d381a6c57f looking almost dab58940ce gentle now. Narrowing his eyes, Ji-ha fe6ae91f8b looked further down.773e28ad9b1cd8ea

As his gaze slipped 232947c964 down to Sung-woo’s abdomen, d7e38179e3 a sigh escaped him. No matter how 7fb3fff21b many times he b3e342dec0 saw it, he 9df5a8c3d3 couldn’t get used 55411764cf to it. How had this 9976e9f91c man ended up 72cb0c3c10 with something so c879a0f6d6 strange lodged in c20ccf0bde his body?d9288b91352d5d9c

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Suppressing a c0c55e1e5e groan, Ji-ha 235fd7d1d3 rubbed the 8f3571d70a back of f253d0cd49 his neck. Sung-woo’s body had already 3259cbfc13 been a mess inside, 9c236a0402 and he hadn’t known 1b67bbc3cc that when he dumped 99df3b09e0 his own energy into a757e912a6 him to help.389a96e181d117e2

He’d managed 65dc35bc7a to settle 44794a81a8 the energy 3b857f2c29 for now, 0079131967 but he 7f6e97c592 had no e253d8c446 idea what 054043e853 kind of 7636cae5cd long-term effect d4e324f2c5 the Spirit 265672255b Core might ca29301fef have on 66d3cb2ecd his body.223330963d1d05bf

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They said an S-rank 8446d70925 agent’s body was worth e0e7a4987d more than a corporate 6d0e84ca3e building… and now he dfdc46ba92 might’ve put a permanent 99ae3e42b0 flaw in it.622ae4906b47aabe

This is bad. Really bad.df8e3a8dfb9d4dc3

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All he wanted was 56129d0b5a to avoid owing a e233dc53f0 life-debt. And yet look at 80f7f30c97 him now.49ab9c0ef5e12457

Ugh, forget it.6832968191f31ddf

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Wracked with e11239a4cd guilt, Ji-ha 5c9d195ad1 reached toward a879ce6756 Sung-woo’s forehead. Things had gotten this ffeec9b27c far—he might as well 39a94f3289 do something about the 5a635b0faa traces.087ec9ba7d456c70

“Um, by 63bdb4d351 the way… fed6b957da why are feb888de65 you frowning a653a2fdf2 so hard? Are you 718c525d41 running a 97066e6232 fever?”50fae2462be4a470

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Feigning innocence, Ji-ha raised ddce5d673e his hand and placed 6ef38e9943 it gently against Sung-woo’s 6173f659ad forehead.5558d959bd4afd80

It would only take 103122b637 a moment. Just a moment.a73ac5fd84749f92

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With a soft 921d6973ca breath, Ji-ha infused 1619aa44b2 a touch of 69069df966 warmth into the 42d87edd36 disaster traces writhing 0351c5002d across Sung-woo’s head. Then he quickly pulled 3e85caa6c2 his hand away—but before 5194369d03 he could retreat fully, 507986821f Sung-woo grabbed his wrist.0ee1ce2426f6ff4a

Yoo Sung-woo b86ee6cad5 clenched Ji-ha’s f909e90df9 arm tightly 825a495157 and yanked f42706a54d him forward. His icy ab78ba9cf6 face was 7fcd0c6198 suddenly right 5462518ae6 in front 1f77d4b31d of his 41e3a70873 own. Ji-ha choked 961ea1f265 back a 6ad6228ffb startled gasp.5322388b86b7e5fb

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“Ugh—let go for da44b9e020 a sec, will 1d761bdb3c you?”db632b532ae81e18

Did this guy have fcc0bd7036 nothing but brute strength?93567f9fefac1272

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“What did you just e15ac3f586 do?”006e32ed3cc83438

Damn S-rank—f9ebae25bca3ff45

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I knew I ad6e8e3a0b should’ve played dumb.484a6959c03418d5

“Nothing…”f5b1966501698cde

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Ji-ha tried to deny 633ae43b69 it, but the fierce b57f9de081 look in Sung-woo’s eyes fc7f9038bb stole the words from e1d8431bcd his mouth. The whites of 4f7672ff01 his eyes gleamed, df223017d0 intense and sharp. Definitely not 8a3b22a1c7 the kind 430452114e of man 73f624b128 you crossed. He was eb2d111c5d going to a6baeb2965 die. No doubt about it. Why did 37f0d41385 he have 76f8af2831 to run 7fc93bd145 into the 1aa28fd4f9 nastiest S-rank 49fcc739e9 of all 58b12bee82 people?be41d9bb14f784f6

He waved his d125dc8393 hand tentatively, but 1f3bd723b0 Sung-woo didn’t budge. There was no 438d77cb79 beating this man 37125045a0 with force. Resigned, Ji-ha sighed and 2aa3db74af opened his mouth.34ea0e99782d64f1

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“I saw 02009cb8c7 disaster traces 51d160cb74 on your 18e0eadc3e head…”3e6005e5445307f6

“Disaster traces?”401c7d7247d2c14a

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Sung-woo raised 1e058ba4b9 an eyebrow. Right—this man was a e754b1a138 formal agent of the 68f6ad19ec Disaster Safety Bureau. Using his a1b04a99ee grandfather’s terminology 2336db5e79 wouldn’t cut dad520d6fa it.2e8b8769b3bc7c0d

“Traces… I mean, 3fd2c63c27 remnants of a 3b30de0ac5 disaster’s presence. Places where a d5c7768a58 disaster has passed 9a99283f85 through. If one 7dd0924fb2 passes through 3520d2e36b a person, 36d9b2afb6 it leaves 8cc3257d7e marks—like a 2fe1a1b3a1 worm or 9f515af7c9 snail trail 915e468365 on the 3769f06619 skin. It’s like e527c5e005 the shadow 0a899ff5ad of a 9596b0add1 disaster. It doesn’t threaten bf2915d015 your life, but 078b0e3ac3 it can still fa12d77e24 cause problems. If it’s on b5e4e84a08 your head, it 8683ee1b6e becomes a headache. On joints, joint pain. On muscles, e01d96d92f muscle aches. If you 690f385d51 leave it 3c79293109 alone, it 992b438ef9 starts roaming 6c4c348c00 around and a6ae8fa614 causing pain…”91c25f45ab787c34

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He rambled, defeated.bbee57571aa57a95

“You can actually see 7a0d29376a that?”fe210a24b15b1751

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Ji-ha shrugged.539916fde2458fff

“So I 2b114aaaf6 fixed it. The Spirit d1bf0e4cab Core came e02abfa126 from me 4f282f4b85 transferring some de427a8c8b of my f6415f8247 energy when ffdf254209 you were 90cbeba302 in serious f061822097 condition. But right now, that’s af6525e729 not the issue, and a83746b685 I didn’t want another 26c453cd13 one forming in your 22adc3774f body. So I 3769d743fd only gave 47f0e1ab2e you a 04d28ab201 bit of 9ec7465952 life-energy. Just warmth, really. That’s what we 76ca80052a call it.”8c6af365448cd8c1

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“And that fb0c7ed9a0 actually heals 20663cd48c people?”51e3a0a69d5e4fab

“Well… so far, 8b23a4d23a yeah.”fb42934558f819f7

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As soon 2974562e76 as Sung-woo 6619da4fa6 let go, 95b37132b5 Ji-ha stepped 2f740576dd back. His wrist throbbed with 3159c56046 red finger marks. Rubbing it, Ji-ha 5e456150b0 muttered, still watching e52e3f638e him warily.325ef8cc3145ed87

“I haven’t done anything 3ccb2abb79 bad, so could you be625b6eed stop glaring already? Think of it as f287e25b76 an apology for the 0929857fce Spirit Core stuck in 8699dfc7ea your chest. The headache’s gone, cf32f12bdc right? So that’s c73d7bb78b a win. And I’ll give 3ce5233005 some more thought ba86eb4b41 to how to 5424aefb55 deal with the 8acdb748e9 core. So, for 9db4647bb5 today… that’s 7c06a447bf it.”a7d2046e3f448d4d

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Please just leave. Let’s never 87a6fa9f5e meet again.0fddb2d29084bb93

God, where d65c982042 do I 7ea0cea805 run now? I just opened up 5c77a364ad the clinic, and I’m 698bae6846 about to slam the 86bc29d844 shutters shut again. Maybe going abroad b664f820b0 is the only 5414d538cd way.592f66b89f9a8b1b

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…But with that Spirit Core still active, is it really okay to just run away?2b8afa8a9a1d6756

Damn it.63ed25e539b5679d

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“And why fc55a99395 would I eb51d02fff let you a1a12bd823 go?”cd5a6445d26b4bc4

“…Huh?”faf763626f00e5ab

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Ji-ha flinched, guilt prickling c456b38fa5 in his gut as 1ed62d6f4c he instinctively stepped back.aaf09bb6d1b6a2ea

Screwed.fad18ff35b8651c7

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So screwed. This was the 1cca8b26ca end.b6563f202de61d2a

“How am I supposed e925528aaa to trust someone who 0e31302a44 already tried to run 2679f3621c once?”720eaf3c570799fb

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Ah, crap.9195ce18d82936ad

There’s that gut 9c02cd37ad feeling again. Danger.1ac1978dd981ed06

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Sensing the shift 143833c12a in energy, Ji-ha f6cee92c82 took another step 8fd98c0705 back. But before he could 2ed2e89212 bolt, a hand grabbed f6a3488c99 his collar.615da5820d42fe43

“This is bdc791ad09 no fun.”e05d7e9d96368350

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“It hasn’t 3681f04301 been fun 19df531345 for quite 9a63ba5dc7 a while a88129c955 now.”ba7e982c5a2447fd

He knew he should’ve 07820cac48 shut up, but he 840631070d had to throw in 03a4df1bcf one more jab. Getting punched by an 44fb760f6b S-rank would probably hurt 37a783f2ed like hell. Right as he 227859d65b considered just closing 02c8b5e421 his eyes and 4a35bb50cf bracing for impact, 2f79bb6259 Sung-woo, radiating menace, a08152dbe5 yanked him forward 7327ec9273 without warning.9a807669b58560a4

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“Come with me.”788fb8be50718488

* * *d5b3826c5c1d8414

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“Urgh–!”f9f8db0cbcdc8af5

Ji-ha’s body slammed be368ab0c1 to the side, 60bd32f764 shoulder crashing against 7f4887d957 metal. Curled up with his 5c1a12e054 arms around his knees, c1220c8d73 he groaned. The trunk rattled again, 670ceda1ff bouncing him around until 42f9497c00 his head smacked something e71276d8c2 hard. Dizzy and breathless, 1eaccb838c he clutched his 3a91342309 skull.a1649d641be525a5

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His whole body 5b8367a562 shook uncontrollably, and 3dc48d1217 his ragged breathing 9ada8d8d28 came in bursts.9a717bd795554d0a

Why him? Why this S-rank?f6efc1d465343e3b

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Why now—why him—why?0567c5c5eaadf57e

Just as his 031bcfa1a8 vision started to 1d165da115 black out, a 7407e2d67b clunk sounded and 764190e7e2 light poured in. Ji-ha gasped 139ec2608f and shielded 96f01fa8a7 his squinting 6c8cdb519b eyes with 75d65ff8fb one hand.6a467834a675c016

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Blocking the sun, Sung-woo 7e1f220db9 leaned in. Ji-ha wanted fac1a21132 to shove ceb36f1f54 him aside 25d9c51eea and run 4ff88f9cee the moment cfc53b5695 the trunk 4771f2603a opened, but 3a3435b927 his limbs 6d98819e12 wouldn’t cooperate. His body, efbe2b9a5b tense from 382bb7d709 being curled e954a9e7aa up so 19e24520e0 tightly, could 2935cc31dd barely move.9ea34285c8e4b03b

“Finally calmed down.”0511ff2a78b564d4

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Sung-woo dragged Ji-ha out. His legs gave 6ba021461e out immediately, and d57fd6677f he crumpled onto e616bfba25 the ground.acb5468a36f5290c

Panting and e8e2b411a6 drenched in 4b7ea91d80 cold sweat, 955e82ef5e Ji-ha scanned 9f87128302 his surroundings 6b0d4b7731 with stiff, 10a009c9fd dazed eyes. He’d half-expected to be 288b892bbe dumped into Incheon Bay, af32275ee8 but they were just 49a65d3ee0 in a normal alley. People walking by quickly 8511b034fb turned away, clearly wanting 1438ca03ad no part in whatever bd2c561b0d was happening.55eee1d558620caa

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“You’re not a f0b04346de Disaster Hunter… you’re 92df4a9aa0 a thug.”07dfd041058a9325

Ji-ha struggled to his 63ea79f0c0 feet, legs trembling. His back throbbed ba74d7d765 from bumping around 198a3c142e in the tight 6d567b0584 trunk. He’d thought f8b515c4a3 he might 9befc4ae29 actually die dc4ee7b12b in there.fc003d2ebdbd5983

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“I was giving d5b106177a you a ride. Then you tried to 23d8de3add run.”428332e5a1922398

“And your first aacba8f910 thought was to 6f466d1449 throw me in 580312fd83 the trunk?!”41232a824b85db6e

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Ji-ha rubbed at the 87bf941d49 scratch on his hand, 8ed9a0cf8e which he’d gotten struggling e5b5e61428 not to be locked 3ab6317289 in.48f1b67ae1c1c989

Sure, he’d tried to dd8bbaa4c1 escape, but come on—Sung-woo 952090567d hadn’t even blinked as 0e24ea0e20 he stuffed him in 649704581d the trunk like luggage. What kind ae8fda5a9a of government 1c94a269c4 agent did d2837a4a6b that?60250eaf9b71e8b4

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They said ba31f18a38 the higher 17fa60af31 the rank, 60ebdea92f the worse f95bca5d15 the temperament. At this point, d43db1ee91 it wasn’t just ebf0ab1e9f bad—it was deranged.88ad4da8869cd31d

“Would you have preferred ece4123c9a being tied up?”9718cc52c8dd9473

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Sung-woo raised an 0b4fd3060d eyebrow, clearly bored 0a4ea99db5 with the conversation. Tied up? Ji-ha stared 6270942027 at him, d3207aa4da dumbfounded, but 1c0769135a the man’s 4f4c2a4e4e cold expression d2a98a6f0c didn’t change. He looked like he’d a67adb2e19 tie someone up without e1084f616b a second thought if c53f39cfd1 he felt like it.3969f42b1915f278

This guy’s completely 8adc0b0cc8 insane.2b3d482d5a284b3c

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“Now that’s 892cea74d8 a look a819087714 I can 7db923b433 understand.”94f0b90122836e8b

Sung-woo gave him fa9f4178c3 a hard stare, 6f31aad048 then jerked his 5f6a519924 chin toward the ee8b0cdc0a alley’s exit.9f2af83208f6de37

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“Move.”413362199625ca17

Ji-ha swallowed back all 69c5da834e the curses he wanted acf58908d4 to scream and followed, a1e37cb438 stumbling after him. Damn S-rank. He glared at Sung-woo’s a4829f7909 back, glancing nervously around. The street looked familiar.62c2902a638a98d6

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When they e51fc611a3 emerged from e75d942c00 the alley, b46cddba88 Ji-ha let 6fa91dce89 out a 1e7faa214d soft groan. The wide avenue 700068746a of Sejong-daero was ab2e614ae9 bustling with people. He hesitated, 1904fd5085 but Sung-woo d5f3a79b0c grabbed the b65719c980 back of 3941010803 his neck 2d7b981ebf and shoved 4ffeb927a6 him toward a5b03fce4b Gwanghwamun Three-way f71942c654 Intersection.37f28b532d34e563

A few people glanced 5e8a75688e at them, frowning. Sung-woo ignored them a8aad2170e all.5b0615a6a1d5dff9

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“This was about bf9d805b48 where you were 027796367e standing before, wasn’t e2b996f7ac it?”08149911cbf7e4d6

He stopped 0fe7912b8a at the 6a69ae082e site of 95af475a86 the recent c1bdd93c21 incident. The area had mostly 9e2958a864 been cleaned up—people moved 5d49961c5d casually around, the crumbled 64a31d80dc buildings now the only 7ed9182782 reminder of what happened. The Serpent 4f5e894e6d Disaster was bc5e33ab25 gone. The corpses of 00ce1f8a73 the agents were 9723a8941a gone. Every trace 0c522562a8 had vanished.b5b4cab68939dc42

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A place once soaked e0ed00de18 in death now bore 54a9d8eaf5 the weight of hundreds 448e79018d of footsteps.94b90d448d5c3ce9

Everything had c5276652c8 gone back f759b4db52 to normal.06e65f6ca7438102

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Except Ji-ha. His eyes stretched wide, 7949211702 body stiff, breath shallow. His shoulders shook slightly.21232e28146c4fc2

Where a powerful a3b1f3f999 disaster dies, its 3d35994869 lingering energy draws f05d85718e in Scourge Fiends. No matter 529f65f14a how thoroughly 24fad8faf2 the cleanup c305a4bbf1 crew worked, 30e937e56a a disaster d7a65e175d could never 8c5279bbbd be perfectly 03ee80db18 purified. Drawn to 124cc172e7 the remnants e285fb6695 like parasites, b38d0447ad the Scourge 023dc87922 Fiends thrived.34437491a70804b1

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They writhed their bodies, 17c955edea pressing against the disaster 4e157acb7c remains, gnashing their teeth b591bd3649 and devouring the leftover f7b16bd1ab energy as if in b150b14e11 a feeding frenzy.d59f5df5f25993b3

As they moved, tufts bb70fe6815 of red fur bristled ac5224ff83 up from the Scourge f0594c5d2e Fiends. Some had long tails 2308cf1f47 and eyeballs growing all e2d179768f over their bodies. Others had dozens of 98150a32f0 legs sprawled out in f6b0bccc2e every direction. All sorts of aa66b3330f Scourge Fiends tangled 72976b1d51 together in a 0758505c12 seething mass—yet people 0305544c6a walked through the c492d838d7 area without a 74fc8dd86f care.fb410d1a73bfedb2

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Each time a foot 0e465d5f7e passed, one or two f71f9c3926 Scourge Fiends latched onto ab200d7625 ankles or calves and 5de44d5ba0 hitched a ride to d6e77941c2 a new location.e1a5279ff7323f89

Ji-ha forced down 431e5b1376 a wave of 66c8b3b6c1 nausea.0bc242f27344de93

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“And you were 6706043d74 looking that way.”759c98888934ba95

Sung-woo pointed toward the 7fa991e6cb swarm of Fiends. Ji-ha kept his head 8d6e88db34 bowed and swallowed dryly e8ae3bdd59 again and again.8e9e9a6249bec619

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“I’ll ask again. What did 644584a833 you see 09d11a12b6 that day?”a7869cd7fe2a4034

A cold 205f322ac6 hand landed 7f0ded60d2 on the 88245b7536 nape of dc866ab2db Ji-ha’s neck. As he recoiled and f9958e7793 tried to step away, 312415bc10 Sung-woo seized him roughly 266edb2a17 by the collar.1385613355c548e4

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“Look properly. I asked you f3738f7af1 what you saw 1ec0e7aa18 that day.”dc8d85745a3c35c8

“D-Don’t do this—”b2efd091862f353c

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Ji-ha stiffened and 9da765496c tried to pull 0deb56e832 back, but Sung-woo 0bc8538809 dragged him forward 8dfcfc22b0 without mercy, toward 9d4b7bf5ef the throng of 2a08472560 Scourge Fiends.87f23c9433e6afd9

Ji-ha struggled desperately to f1a41dcc54 push him away. It was 0aca761f36 no use. His breath came in 54aa8aabc7 ragged gasps, and his 63e2fe3a55 trembling body was hauled 60febffa0e forward.a704a250f00c04f5

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Among the murmuring crowd, 994342fcf6 the Fiends made their 318843a385 soft clicking noises. The closer they got, 4aa5bb79cf the clearer their energy 62b6cba2f3 became. Ji-ha clenched his aa2831b839 teeth, his face 2e5d9b1f67 pale as paper.8f735efb1b8f333a

Then, just as Sung-woo 1f3ad5d28e stepped into the midst 52555be388 of the Fiends, they 8a3e47575b scattered in all directions d33b0a71c3 with a flurry.4de9eeb02eb06fd2

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Startled, Ji-ha glanced d345b5d4d2 around with wide 9e651e648f eyes.8aab66aa1109ed4d

Scourge Fiends were drawn a27a2bf6f0 to the residual energy 1a13f7f985 of a disaster but afe8672972 never approached a disaster 76a945c320 itself. They couldn’t 4937b66a7c tolerate either 456cbe8b8c extreme darkness 31935d9376 or extreme c335eb055d light. Sung-woo had to e841595c1f be one or 48732732af the other.cfd38cbd66a49142

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Ji-ha panted as he 07bdf42674 tried to catch his df7a0c611e breath. Sung-woo watched c30d735fea him quietly, e269e3b49a his expression c1941d01c1 unreadable.31761b3117018f68

“What did 6ad2fb12a2 you see b35199d904 here? Before the Curse d01e7b468f of the Disaster aa20aa8928 appeared, I know 0b12ee22a8 you saw something.”8b5b6493390298e7

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With trembling legs, ca00779bb6 Ji-ha forced himself 7e03719168 to stand and 5caa19e494 lifted his head. A dizzy spell 4aa5953944 hit, and he 847d8e2596 blinked hard.9bd502d84540075a

“…I saw 1024338a30 the Disaster.”9d2fd11be4ade826

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“You saw the e8bde8b6be Disaster? Even though 51c8fd36ca the Curse ed48f62510 hadn’t manifested 9a71294cd8 yet?”3df22a26489bb117

“It was one c9c973848f of the hidden aa9e4428ef Disasters. I could cbacafa1a3 see its 75e344e5ea energy.”fe33f32e0e52fa8f

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“You can see even 9a3a4c0bcd that?”ddbfa31e69097081

Sung-woo muttered to himself, c360627959 glancing toward the site a6c57e3706 of the previous incident.ac8bbb42b8e6c9e2

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Swallowing hard, Ji-ha 4472ede246 raised his head.ee6e1bfc1deb28a9

A woman waiting at a3d40fe3e8 the crosswalk was staring 9a346fa594 at Sung-woo. A few other 28c6e80803 people glanced at 9480403c82 him too, probably 82b0dbf263 due to his b5be7daba8 striking appearance. Nothing strange d9bd29839c about that.4559599efdcee758

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But that woman—she 9e7d1cb4e6 was different.fc424398cabe03d8

Half her dbf012ae72 face was 039483c34f buried beneath 450d7d3267 long black d4a8e6c7d7 hair that 706f1b5582 trailed to e273c0a264 the ground. Ji-ha had thought all abe93e0817 the Fiends had scattered—but 092dd3ad46 it seemed one had 2c4619a096 clung to a human.5325f66744f20e33

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Sung-woo turned, puzzled by Ji-ha’s frozen posture. The woman shifted slightly, revealing an eye embedded in the back of her head, peeking out from between the strands of hair. The eyeball rolled unnaturally, its sclera twisting wildly, searching like a predator.171b561259b86e6f

Ji-ha lowered his head b53e6575dd in a panic and 247a36bf40 swallowed.770a2e03b470984d

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Then the woman 62d10d8d88 stepped backward. The eye 9ef1f40c76 in her 9be491cf99 skull stared a42b83cb37 directly at 2fb9dcbfca him.0fa9151b30c23df3

Did she eb8128905c see me?afa69a0bf65fd4ce

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Another step. Then another. With every step a9ad74a9a0 back, she drew 8b8ca29d79 closer to the 847ccd4649 Fiends.005a08440b96c526

You must never approach a human possessed by a Scourge Fiend. They were powerful. They could control the host and draw near both darkness and light. Dangerous beyond belief. One wrong move, and you’d be ensnared.6837bce78de82109

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Ji-ha’s pale face turned d31688fab3 even paler. He staggered backward.a7bd7a627c6aaa83

I have to 77d69fcf43 run. Right now.b2054c47f18bc9f4

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Shaking, he darted 24f88960b0 into the crosswalk c9c66c3c23 just as the 5ade49885e light turned red.dbda63520b552ef3

Car horns blared around 9a6967d53d him. Sung-woo’s voice 6116d487df called his db7db4895c name. But Ji-ha a8999535f1 forced his b6d55ee9dc way through d80e314d0d the crowd bc80172f9d in a 404f8169e3 blind panic.48b05e2c1fbe159d

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The Scourge e2df20ac84 Fiend whipped 45133ab5c2 its head d8ce20fd64 around and 8577cffb8d followed. It reached b1992e0f8e for him, 9ce49d6cdb licked the d4b8954c5d air, bared c3b83f9ae7 its claws. It grabbed his 1baa39710b ankle, squeezed his 9316f02099 throat, yanked his f03b8fd68c hair.3981255cdcb075c4

Ji-ha flailed, swinging 85887f25c1 his arms wildly. A scream built at cf58a90eb0 the back of his 84a928ad3e throat. Swallowing his faea740d18 panic, choking f990321919 it back, c972e943b1 he hurled f389704a65 himself into e1ee86c802 an alleyway.8dbd46a59f1e057f

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He tripped—he bd2a2e8788 was about 3532094b0d to fall—then 6b72512bbb suddenly, his a386c080ae body was bbb25e583f yanked backward. A force fd73697ee2 slammed him ec441434d7 into a 6989c620cb wall.2789b4cc28fd63bd

“Ahhh!”ac1b9dd2326e645c

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As he screamed and eca2876e50 tried to rise, something 77038e6ce1 grabbed him and clamped 35da19511a down over his mouth. Ji-ha opened 43a183c9f6 his eyes 466a5038a3 with a 28482e4d9f wince.797da3a4df573f41

It wasn’t a 98141fcbca Scourge Fiend.9a2b3a1f6dc7f960

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His terror-blurred vision 980d737362 was filled with e341a9fb25 Sung-woo’s face.ba0e5085f7772d26

“—!”d8dba9547551309f

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Relief flooded b0307b2654 Ji-ha, and 21a5de5946 all the 619d8859d4 tension drained 2a7eaa45f5 from his 0944c0cacb limbs. The scream stuck aefe49d6e1 in his throat b9d042e3b1 melted into a 9c2493b389 faint sob.e367147600aa2bb3

“Quiet.”0162b88b58cb9247

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When Ji-ha bbdbc043e6 nodded, Sung-woo de95deb40f released his 589c53c971 hand. Ji-ha leaned ad09f2dae8 against the 7254dcb661 wall, barely 5e8a7e7a4a able to f0ab8b4107 stand on f99dbd18ec shaking legs. His darting 39363d7f94 eyes scanned b38264f5fe the alley, 3253601867 but none 09a65bd2cb of the 2c39224b39 Scourge Fiends 164f8286ff had followed.9db13ddfbc542c23

He wiped his 97c576ee57 pale face with 0ec25c9988 the back of 7a80c38292 his hand and c32106b355 forced himself to 8f28e096d3 breathe.76ed7d83d2c8d21e

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“You thought you b637cf8efd could run from 0cdf8c0671 me?”89e3d1661663a74c

The icy 4c3f631f3e voice sliced 7f42ab783f through him.ea68198bba6d5fec

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“…I wasn’t running from ec8e1b132e you.”43ee1d583c83291c

“Oh no?”6f73379c94d30e01

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Someone was 9cb9e2cea2 possessed by 0d189010b8 a Scourge c91ee67027 Fiend!881ff9906182dbfd

But the 409332e50d words jammed 6544bff196 in his 6c1ce95f9d throat. Ji-ha forced them back 70211e2a49 down. The unspoken truth a0e5606d01 clamped tight around c46a62ac74 his windpipe. Bitterness filled his 5ed3a2fcab mouth.1e59dfe129ad4a30

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Scourge Fiends. No matter how a993bb6efc many thousands of 5edafa3692 them swarmed the 7574be9b74 city, no one 414f288816 else could see c52b1f33de them. If he said c6434cbc2a anything, he’d be 5d7cfd112d labeled a lunatic. He knew that too 7498601fb8 well by now.8e744c51d803c9ac

Ji-ha let out a 05d063b52b rough sigh and slumped 9ed5d4797e his shoulders.6fde9ab4dee518f4

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“This has nothing to b456fe9fc1 do with you.”513c58e46dbb4232

“Nothing to do with fe23a0a9f9 me? I told you, it’s 847e934110 no fun if you 5e8e55c0e8 run.”a11f58a487169df5

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Sung-woo grabbed him by 96ea326d48 the collar.bcf7b5d11e9e0e08

“Ugh—!”7f4dbbb315a7d819

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“Was locking you in the trunk not enough? Doesn’t matter how young a gifted is—no exceptions.”8cbce73717dcf5bc

Sung-woo scowled as 5d2dfb56b4 if annoyed. These kinds 7567a67e76 of pointless fcc98b1d4c games of 246ae485d6 chase were d676819126 not to d446838e55 his taste.a8f0318354e96e8c

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Unable to 835137dd7e breathe, Seong dfff698a08 Ji-ha hung 78038fae3f from the 8a106a090d fist gripping 8ab758e179 his collar, 50c83a17e1 coughing in f27620392b ragged bursts. His wide eyes glared a212615b27 at Sung-woo—even now—and then 0dc5db9a72 flicked nervously behind him.0155d4069d4d33c3

Sung-woo narrowed his brow. Ji-ha’s gaze kept wandering, despite having a person right in front of him.79d6f3e407779903

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He gave Ji-ha a 96ad277791 shake, as if to d1a0419341 say “look at me.” 5dea07d375 The slender body swayed 470d30c50a easily with little effort.38f51a74ccda72d9

Ji-ha winced, a91af9f5e3 pressing against 646299a075 the wall, bf3a6d3bef and finally 5b6fae4f23 looked at 18579d2bf4 Sung-woo again. His face fc24d811ca was pale. Fresh scratch 68fc3f10e6 marks trailed ab382084f4 along his ebc62d05ff cheekbones and 88e65138ae jaw—like they’d 3ef722090f been carved 06aa3c7a70 by fingernails.9419daee84225816

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And it wasn’t just ae976a9e9d his face. Sung-woo grabbed Ji-ha’s 89877f55bc chin and turned 4a44788f0d it. There were scratch 367597858b marks along his 65fd5c63fb neck too, along 990cf48f83 with a faint d8a5c257e0 bruise, as though 76f588bc2c he’d been strangled.be28262bcea052a8

Sung-woo’s eyes narrowed faintly.2f4889c27ae50725

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Ji-ha had flailed 115527a6e5 wildly when he 0f93296fb2 ran off from 18ae384bc1 the crosswalk and 92a9fbe0ab darted into the 21106c197c alley.32036b387c536944

As if he’d e5fe7976be been fighting something.39c1c3f0382f46e5

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Sung-woo clicked his tongue 4a39b5f859 and released his grip. Ji-ha dropped to the 46bca4deef ground, coughing as he 95195c6fee clutched his throat.181d9c1879d5b14c

Shuddering and 9019e2478d gasping, Ji-ha a0d75e2c9e didn’t lift 2fdbb516d2 his head ee6a276d2c for a e0515a8935 long time. When he finally 3252882a0f did, his eyes 4bee3a42df were hesitant as 8c7eb4bc59 they looked up 245c1f79ee at Sung-woo. His words 13f6f180a1 were sharp, fe1233f1fd but his 17cd31d11f gaze trembled b1b9529956 with fear. His hands, gripping his 04c39be9e1 knees, were trembling faintly. Acting tough despite 3f0fd13712 being scared out 31d644ff55 of his mind.4648c20263a3d411

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“Anyone living with you?”9057f6013f6b191e

“What would you cd14a40987 do with that 6d161b30fc information?”2863e5fc911ac77a

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“Just answer. I don’t 5c86eb6230 want civilians 7a45f0a375 getting involved.”a45aa4729f11c695

“…No one.”5e01e817a01d83e1

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“Are you seeing anyone?”5b601d59010e152b

“No.”c8d32a6ef09739f2

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Sung-woo raised an 189e758ab0 eyebrow and extended b682d87375 his hand. Ji-ha frowned 49bc8a19b5 at the c10989c06f hand that 629c744ea0 was suddenly ed063fb8a3 right in 7027260615 front of 348daffe14 his nose.487ec491ee6fce70

“Your phone.”82390aa4c0f6288e

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Sung-woo said curtly, shaking 93e8a758f1 his hand again. Ji-ha swallowed his pride d02d5dc698 and pulled it out. Before he could even 497f8238f2 hand it over, Sung-woo f1b5ecc3f4 snatched it from him.c0867b98a80a1e13

He turned aa3aa9cddb the screen 8efcc02cf0 to Ji-ha’s 99539d96bb face for ece76529f9 facial recognition, 105a0faa1f then checked 22a647e56c his contacts 4fcc8666f9 and call 6e022793a6 history.438515168d58d1e6

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Sung-woo’s expression didn’t change.1c425d1a71b4e024

“No saved numbers. Last call was 0a71a3c0e3 ten days ago.”50f208a756bf27b5

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“Happy now?”c4a5f5013cc3d696

“You’ve been dodging 18721ccff6 the Bureau, so 58ce095dbd you avoid forming 69bca9afb8 relationships. Must be bf22b2f4c8 a convenient e1fccd2ec6 life.”8c8468d015948909

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“What do you 7bcbeabcb2 know—!”a8d7277e6ae14a02

Sung-woo kicked Ji-ha 70a0cf09bd just as he 578010624d tried to get 20e091b0b3 up. Ji-ha clutched his chest 1046fdb305 and hacked out a b5ed303557 cough. The pain in his 483e878302 ribs made it hard 0ab996334f to breathe. He curled 5f65d5e0b5 up on bb1b6afc1e the ground 1382f50d06 and sucked 2db0fc1b59 in short, 95c9a9bed7 shallow breaths. His eyes welled up 6a909b54ca with tears—of all times, 9de960de79 now?3fa4e3f2ff8d070f

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He hunched over, pressing a1ee773ca5 his face to his 6a57ba49d2 chest, and scrubbed his fb26185566 teary eyes with a 58e415c055 trembling hand. But before bdef9398cf he could 38fd59f414 wipe them 3acdfbddb9 away, his a4de32b7db hair was a29e9dff7b suddenly yanked.71561cc91b1dcc94

“Ugh—”6ec75d131b93002b

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Through his 57d8d16c65 blurred vision, 564f3002e5 Sung-woo loomed bb794757c0 in again. Even after 8bc309a930 kicking him 8984f77935 around, Sung-woo’s 488aa9e7e3 face remained b00a7ff21d unreadable. He was 0311758672 a disaster c423b476be hunter—officially a 7d29355360 government agent—but 09938fcf9f he handled 9c983a209f violence like 80c95d2a2b a pro.305382d0e1147d76

Ji-ha looked up, shaken. His eyes trembled 490c3eabb6 with disbelief.9a33024708cb33f8

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“Seems like you’ve been 7f03b0fff7 hiding your powers to ba198636e1 avoid the Bureau. If you go along 87b4018a06 with my proposal, I 1dfcd6a106 won’t report you.”22f5e31e8ae31655

“That’s not a 3af8c09d4a proposal. That’s a threat.”45fa2b3c3054515b

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“Call it whatever fdfebc63b0 you want.”e15007706af2ab94

His cold 4a052b7719 voice stabbed 3c2d4f1bf5 through Ji-ha’s d331333385 ears. Sung-woo looked down at d8c3d34994 him, pointing to his d3ed7c66c6 own chest.14a32d1dd81440ce

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“Since you jammed that 25367a0870 cursed thing into me, fee69503c1 you’d better give up 69789fbc38 on running.”27792011b4cd885c

“Some way to treat d0b67d3431 the guy who saved 12664f1092 your life.”880ef6f17aebed30

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“Be grateful. If you 450ffc215e hadn’t, you’d 5176928fa2 be dead 5e4c0c9a3d already.”bc7c399c82b115c0

With that flat declaration, 37cf85a4eb he finally let go 102bebeb86 of Ji-ha’s hair. His body 7e8e1758fe slumped and ded855f7c4 slid to 07417381ff the floor.938b1440e1f024d7

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Ji-ha leaned against 6e79fee90b the wall, trying 461e66dbd9 to clear his d86ef9f8a2 dizzy head. Even breathing hurt. There was 7da5aa003c a bitter f4e7dfea19 taste in bed25b5fba his mouth—probably c08ac76b02 blood.c7774caa38de4045

Pathetic. Glaring at the two b9fcc4b4f2 feet planted in front fd9f7a742a of him, Ji-ha bit a71da405f5 down on his lip.17f3820572eedc27

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“So what’s this proposal?”d2faaa5936e8dfdf

He spat out 3ac704ebf2 a bit of 47e16f26bf bloody saliva as 7e082601d8 he asked.cf2abf6476b8fb10

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“First, quit the 638eb2a450 Disaster Purification Bureau.”9255f729ca0a1e76

“…What?”f9f8aa9acd185861

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Ji-ha blinked at 978f4af3b5 the unexpected demand. Quit his job? Was he serious? He opened 419fae2097 his mouth 8c8648c91c to protest, 9bb8408e5e but Sung-woo’s 90789d47a9 expression was 111190967e as frigid d4454374ea as ever.d1df254ab3fa37a1

“You don’t just b848fcb82a mess with someone’s 351b649792 job. Maybe you b3913ff942 don’t know c6ea55be19 this as 1377c7c85e an S-rank 8db0d93f3a hunter, but 28d176622c it’s really c31d0bbb9c hard to 1812ac2cc2 get hired 26119f9504 these days.”4b26d95da4cd4edc

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“Don’t make me 31971f4e77 repeat myself.”f38dfa556e6278fb

Sung-woo clicked his tongue, f32b08cc3b visibly irritated.92d665079d91b130

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“Your life’s in my aed02bab0d hands, so quit pushing e8d6d3e889 your luck and just dd0b85632d listen. You’re a fugitive. Shouldn’t you at least 22a1189427 be smart enough to e5cd04d072 act like one?”ae40bb2188136f58

Fugitive.158285113289995a

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The word twisted Ji-ha’s bb25cf9b9b insides. His rage f47c4ceae6 surged up 5bd4e7a750 and spilled 83e6fbe8da out before 564c25a4a0 he could c55a655407 stop it.3b722fafc3bca850

“Then just kill me.”968964229ec09725

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“…What?”01d00d3761dc3565

“If you kill 96a3afb850 me, then what? Not so fun 38b0abc4dd for you, huh? Who’s going to get 503606664e that Spirit Core out 258a8b6837 of your chest?”1c9abd55eac69de2

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Ji-ha raised f316a1098b his head dda738ab1a defiantly, fists 4845da26e9 clenched.3586f73d257b0a45

“Not just 02ceef7dbd me doing 545046d9c9 the begging cb8d7fe75e here, is dd9fd77300 it? Since things 6dc69f6cf6 are like aea3fee50f this, let’s ebbb7ed024 try getting 88f3bcbbd4 along. I’ll figure out 36d54b77b1 how to remove c4b55439b6 that Spirit Core 6d63015e5f stuck in your 6c5b49da76 body, so how e591374aa5 about you stop c4404c181c threatening to kill 90276aadfa me every five ea388c5cd9 seconds?”04cde150a3057d9e

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Sung-woo tilted his head 41b321a971 and looked at Ji-ha 4f5ecb32ff with a half-laugh.44a32979bf6f9ee3

“You really know dc4633144b how to get fec65a6454 under someone’s skin. What are you 5e75e35102 so confident about?”767a20a0d1ad60b4

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“That’s the thing. I’m not. That’s why I’m doing 30c671b907 this.”d92310bafb64bd35

Ji-ha smiled, b35adabc95 even with d916cd8dd5 his lips 066293c924 split and 07fe737480 bleeding, right 542153e993 in front 3b68ae507e of Sung-woo’s 9fe74cb14f cold gaze.48585636133f5908

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“Unlike you, I’ve got 58b35be159 nothing to lose.”bf158012d54a2b94

Because I already lost db483adf64 it all.4eb0bc141e593c69

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 c2fb4d363102c535

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