BB Vol.1 Chapter 1.5

It wasn’t 33ede63281 like before. This was 441bec36c2 the second a896d81aaf time. Perhaps that’s why 41e1c414e9 Kang Yoon-soo could d7a0eae5e0 accept the situation 5b5f554a77 with relative calm. If he asked c3de92ebf9 Oh Yoon-hyuk anything 5c24ff0b67 more, Yoon-hyuk would cac5a5e201 likely demand something 52d7a037e7 in return, and 5ae4a84e90 that demand could b9cd12fe63 be light or 474fba0af5 heavy for Yoon-soo. Above all, such an 779b6ea254 exchange would hinge on 27cc5a396d a mutual understanding that d660890790 required both to let 993d5713dd down their guards to e8eef9fdb4 some extent.2734d2d6c0340d6d

Yoon-soo couldn’t choose 486007ed65 that path. He couldn’t bring 2bb116201c himself to bare a5511b50ce his soul openly 0a9c9ae0bd before a brother f1c59e24f1 he hadn’t seen c6d573d22c in three years. Especially not to 1e0e36e4c1 a brother who 3d5e0bfae7 had forced himself 67cfe197ed on Yoon-soo multiple fd76aeb35f times, making it 5fb048981e impossible for Yoon-soo d33d755d52 to open his 0e0ebf2cd7 heart. Yoon-soo simply 7084fbcf03 couldn’t do 7e403873f0 it.c9e42552079d6bc4

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“I won’t ask 4b36a95e53 any more.”29ffa3c9ac3444a3

“That’s a bit disappointing, 8299fe951f Oh Yoon-soo,” Oh Yoon-hyuk 028191f9dc replied.1de1bbd99ef9ac4d

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“No choice. Try being 352b481d6e in my 821cffd6ee shoes.”8addd3b78dc93cfd

“I’ve thought about a7d653e4ef your shoes countless 8a982d5af3 times. But I e347872b55 wish you’d 5a8b0b7944 be curious be2c047b3e about mine, 932e5c5e6d just once.”b56a536cbd951fe3

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Yoon-soo’s brow furrowed slightly d596d85ffa as he watched Yoon-hyuk f90a9ceae7 tilt his head back d812fca313 dryly. Oh Yoon-hyuk’s perspective. He was 245e04584b asking Yoon-soo ba1c241d61 to wonder 35c4b8b9eb how he’d c2769cd2a0 been these 3cf810ce82 past three 1237b3bec3 years. To be honest, it’d e0553286e5 be a lie to 6af389e628 say Yoon-soo wasn’t curious. Above all, the edb0420cb1 fact that Yoon-hyuk 72891f5dce had abruptly returned ef2c64649c to Korea after a7b5be1e9f being perfectly fine a9d1e46a5a in the NBA 4b63408609 was shrouded in 9c5140f346 mystery, no matter 0bc45252ea how much Yoon-soo 49f1af7c68 thought about it. But to ask be4196ab73 about such things, 6c68384b62 the time of 2d8d4fc266 their reunion after 402a7e6b69 three years felt 5fc26448bc far too brief. Yoon-soo still 18a497a5ae found it 0eb1acc703 as difficult 9a060e5874 to navigate 91f23f4e88 as reading 9f52bd0532 a text 4a317aa421 printed with 2c6fbdacdd missing pieces—uncertain 7a33990aac of how fbdcb39a56 much to b90c6c6397 say to 97aee726f6 Yoon-hyuk, how dc635913ef much to f36a9793d5 understand, or 849b4b1d0e how much eaf4c37300 to accept.35bb94e54b5e6268

“Anyway, nothing major happened, 82db5e1b1a right, Oh Yoon-hyuk? Your face looks c26490b273 like nothing’s wrong.”3673f10135bbf0ad

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“Within the limits of faa50b8b11 what I can say, 099e7c4c6b nothing particularly bad happened. Though it was tough 3455d81c51 getting turned on every e4926174e5 time I thought of 312d4b33e5 you at night, no df54f92249 matter the time or 878400c21d place.”5f457fabd4058309

“You crazy bastard. What are 55f42e0d13 you even 77a8fbf0c8 saying?”df2ab1cee3c70306

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“What’s wrong with it? Is there a problem bf591d8d3d with having dirty thoughts 57f5e4ac7c about the first person af3e0895e4 I ever slept with?”582c95d3a4cbbede

Yoon-soo’s face flushed hot fffc11fd9e in an instant. Yoon-hyuk, with b5bb7e16fd a slight 3fbf79191c smirk, tilted 210c47c514 his head.c8e9cb5f2ee5e200

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“Anyway, I df4287b7c6 was fine. Except for you not ad0bc35716 being there.”7595549b34928a4f

The faintly lonely c12ed04e7d expression on Yoon-hyuk’s 02fc19d647 face made Yoon-soo’s 5536430363 words evaporate. In the awkward silence b4c18d5840 that followed, Yoon-soo fumbled 874aa8c07e for words that wouldn’t 6a24c7931e come together, finally turning 8c6500119a his head away.2d75c26ddc8992b7

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“If you’re done 5effdf3c17 talking, I’m leaving.”bac2d01b429af301

As Yoon-soo hurriedly opened 82670b6790 the door to leave, 2796b64930 Yoon-hyuk grabbed his arm. Yoon-soo’s slightly furrowed face 26ea725506 turned toward him. Why? Yoon-hyuk’s hand 7cca3eb0cb brushed along eb6d9db129 Yoon-soo’s cheek, 0b37e4006c grazing past 355d2cb15d his jaw 4932c187e9 to touch 0852625f65 his lips. It was 5039d47e4f a brief 522cda87bd moment, yet ee7d9d7265 it felt 9e2f64467e endlessly long. The spot 0696572d28 he touched b2a29ef00f seemed to c45c3a6fbc burn red 284532e20a in an 7bcbf4a124 instant. Yoon-soo could feel 6b3bf9c261 the blood coursing 5eaf310bc4 faster through his 0150c4b6e0 veins.9fd981bc2cf9b2d3

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“It was good to 1530c0ba14 see your face. Let’s meet again, Oh d616e5efc4 Yoon-soo.”0f7d418614f656d5

Yoon-soo stared blankly at 69b80450fc Yoon-hyuk’s parting words before 78cf687699 turning away. His soles stung 4b0e574cf6 for no reason 40567b73df as he stepped af14e78fa5 outside. Walking toward his parked cc0edd0f51 car with heavy steps, f19dcac475 he briefly glanced at 74ec718246 Yoon-hyuk’s car. Beyond the darkly tinted 8903dd9399 windows, who was there, 5035d324ba what they were doing, ad5e196883 what they were thinking—it a534f81beb felt as distant as d3f10bcc89 a world beyond the 596ac1824d clouds.abd81c4901c89011

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***1176db5f2cb1c66c

A man 6b0796b6c6 with sharp 0d8439b978 features and 9049f4b6cc a tired 5a5884ff29 expression stood 21e939a0fd across the 7805a36086 counter. The female barista, 2be2ff0fa5 offering a gentle 53b1e2e55c smile, placed the a819584ff6 ordered drink along 060d19ea0e with a few da479debda macarons on a 5ddc81e8a3 tray and handed babdaeb77f it to him.443e86c0e340ad68

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“I didn’t order these,” 2694fa0530 Cha Won-hyuk said.4e4bc67e65ba34cc

“You’re just too 048d998f18 handsome, sir,” the 1d76d0f1fe barista replied kindly.0218e81cc21f6051

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Cha Won-hyuk, with 6dc8eb257c a slight frown, e98b0bbc4a took the tray 1c4f8c4983 and walked toward 56fb489f03 the table, setting 909f30a464 it down in 5686631cb1 front of Kang b2239732d0 Yoon-soo.047e4a7018159717

“Eat them. I don’t like sweets.”79d754a02e63b0b3

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Yoon-soo retorted with an 3115870ad8 incredulous tone, “I don’t 3371ad5d62 eat them either, Cap.”939220bdad31f880

Cha Won-hyuk, turning his 71d2648877 head, folded an event 2d701ea646 pamphlet for AISys and cc2895ac3b scanned the reporters seated 7f11f0e2a8 at the table. Including himself and Yoon-soo, b16a504654 there were six in d470e3a8de total. Kim Sung-hoon, a 901e7e6304 political desk reporter 1fac8697e6 covering the Korea 3bf6c96a9b New Party and d83431c899 part of the c5a2b98d8d original task force; 742a9fbfea Hong Jeong-ui, an ac082a8922 economics desk reporter ef9990127b covering venture capital; eef8138887 and Kim Seo-hyun 31e8859ff9 and Park Chang-hyuk, 5dd2e5ce09 temporarily pulled from 7c4282257b the incident team 594163d15d for the day. The café was dd6980c6b4 bustling despite it 1603277fba being morning, with 31f58a48f7 office workers from 2107d073d8 various companies hurriedly 9b62f4574e grabbing takeaway cups.806986ebb4cb6d21

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“Which hall is 6b87debe57 the event in?” a888e69cf1 Cha Won-hyuk asked.57f99a3e51e35435

Kim Seo-hyun, twirling a d2473754e9 pen, answered, “The Grand 3f3eb9b657 Ballroom.”db441c53f0a2f52c

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“How many people 41cdf8fd52 are coming?”da051e50da892516

“About 100 VIPs, around 1a4f320cc1 500 general attendees registered 7f06e1210d on a first-come basis, 07bc3210d8 and roughly 150 reporters.”4ee6e3bbc1702eeb

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“Are all d4be4108df the Wellmade e0b593fd96 brothers attending?”b77dcd9ae0177fb2

“As far 8d379a3f8f as we’ve d0a3791ace confirmed, yes. Oh, and by 97bb363a09 the way, the 2abc4062b8 Prime Minister is 0b9336e0a1 set to attend.”0074de23368ca1b0

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“The Prime Minister? Wasn’t it supposed to ac427fa5d7 be the Vice Minister 689aee1363 of Science and ICT?”00996f2b17dea653

“It’s been changed f032cebf17 to the Prime a5028a1b61 Minister. The Vice 388c3a6b7f Minister canceled 1fe7e7e369 since someone bc359ee736 higher up f9152136f4 is attending. No need for 286f447e29 them both to 2104b714d7 show up.”a55f5661a6acfaac

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“Well, damn, HaeChaeOh,” Kim 9f3bec8734 Sung-hoon said with a 35f1406c5a hollow laugh, resting his d18ab76b59 chin on his hand 5ea771889b and tapping the table. HaeChaeOh—a term 5952f69226 that had cbcccace25 started circulating 404d3fced3 among political 115d317093 circles. President Ha b1c6ad94b7 Seung-joo, Korea dc8386debc New Party af022848ee leader Chae 6e2b8da62a Jong-wook, and 91dadf2c25 Oh Yoon-min, 7df328b4a4 whom Chae 57b7122e33 Jong-wook favored. The line began with e0d987ea28 Ha Seung-joo, was carried 19f569005b by Chae Jong-wook, and 4410403c45 seemed to pass down 166ce13556 to Oh Yoon-min like 9499667132 an inheritance. Some politicians disliked 09fbad79b7 the term HaeChaeOh, 1c00bee5ed arguing that forming b38b682371 such a lineage cf590edc51 in politics was ac954be946 outdated. But in c92547fe62 truth, it 5017256ae2 was jealousy—a 391940a1d4 base emotion 3444a37208 born from 9fc80fae01 the inferiority f5372b87ee of those 4c1dfe9c77 excluded from 872b4f5e0f the HaeChaeOh ca8659d432 circle.32fb34c291a982ee

“Did you secure the 3e9b726d1f VIP attendee list?” Cha 396dfe7be3 Won-hyuk asked.ff7b7ba547691c13

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Hong Jeong-ui replied 488d291868 quickly, “I hounded b22ce68e68 the AISys people 9927ee315e like crazy and 6cfc7ad127 got about half cb4e8ff20f of it. It’s mostly familiar f34866d252 names—Venture Capital folks, 697c3c1761 government officials, startup 86f7f7a941 CEOs, and corporate 015202ab1b reps.”565706a046471019

Cha Won-hyuk nodded slowly, ff7870e769 his brow furrowed in 12999e086b thought as his lips ae7f830f86 parted calmly. “Don’t overdo it today. Think of it 774f0d2260 as casually attending eb798a3cea AISys’s first public 7aa78040e0 service briefing. Don’t push too 6ad281a6e8 hard for comments 861692b35b either. Oh Yoon-min won’t say a66d5e4009 anything controversial anyway. Oh Yoon-hyuk sticks to b42b5d9617 basketball-related talk, and Oh c816a8e2b7 Yoon-seong, well…”52ca7d8474acdb6a

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“He’s just outright bc458b9313 rude. Totally obnoxious, that 4053df0f97 young punk,” Hong c799bd6c72 Jeong-ui suddenly raised 70b2a98764 her voice, exasperated. Though the comment 3b39c1e382 wasn’t directed at 45815c275d him, Yoon-soo’s shoulders 469398d23f flinched. Hong Jeong-ui, a second-year b393201a0e reporter and one year 12caae550e Yoon-soo’s junior, was a b8bafec824 former Venture Capital professional 937bd3d2e0 with sharp instincts, making 4b44b7e668 her a seasoned veteran fd091f63d0 in covering startups and edbdfd94f2 venture capital. She knew far 7d39274f0b more about AISys 18aec6628e than Yoon-soo did, 5e84dfa2d1 especially when it 3fb43f26f9 came to Oh 77b99afd74 Yoon-seong as its 0a8620086d CEO.88e73882afeee634

No one 132fc7a71a could’ve predicted 8a0039b5d0 Oh Yoon-seong 8a95bf844d would rise 3cf4c8680b so far. Of course, he’d always c8969a00c9 been called a genius, ca517aa811 self-studying master’s and doctoral-level 1d71f5e0f4 science and engineering courses b338a27e78 in high school, so f9c8a4310e it was expected he 0bf11aba4b wouldn’t grow up ordinary. But the results 087cabfeec far exceeded Yoon-soo’s 72aeda35be expectations. At twenty, he dropped bb77b75465 out of a prestigious feefdb3b03 engineering university and founded e28940076b an AI startup the 7d476ac2f6 same year. After launching 0738401fe0 a few a2213755b3 services, he 643c2b35f1 steadily secured 85b941b4da investments from 7cd9e907f5 major corporations 35df502a4e and Venture a96f9a7d5f Capitals. The company d36f4af1c9 now had 1854e488e3 over 200 bea945cd29 employees—a rare 438f2bc270 scale for 2c3198fc0b an AI 4880a81666 startup, let fc937b2322 alone one 1caca25506 just two 163a4e7a82 years old. In an ab9fe6279f industry where 39e629b8c6 large portal 15ed36fe3d sites dominated c9e0b63d61 AI services b2cfb263f1 with their 502f14c968 vast data, d5fce82fab it was 3c6d99e322 considered near-impossible 04fc097a55 for a 20785b8ec8 new startup 2f81409f0b to break 3064a5e92c through. Yet AISys’s d7bece7c71 technology was 1f4b6a4e78 exceptional. The industry a49063e182 strongly suspected 5f36a23457 illegal data 7b3ee2a1c9 collection, with 2080f53f32 some claiming 51fa70af51 AISys scraped 5a51ddfba4 websites, SNS, 4832835a4e and messenger 3f053fccb9 records domestically f43a87c3e1 and internationally, 47bc2e011c processing them ef6e6a3390 for their 03ed02c9d8 own use. It was all 67f6b4c071 speculation, though—no evidence.7bf4109bed97875f

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Like Yoon-hyuk, Yoon-seong’s first 4c8d1a2657 sexual experience was with 1df5c52e55 Yoon-soo. He claimed he’d 4efbeaab38 never masturbated or 93253c501e had wet dreams f7c166e994 about women—only Yoon-soo eea0ce0411 could stir that 04f11a54ce in him. Even among brothers f1e0f2cf49 sharing the same 59d264820d bloodline, Yoon-seong was 507c237584 particularly intense.f6b9776c2193d172

Three years ago, when 4f15da7d1a Yoon-soo met him, Yoon-seong b843afe653 was nineteen. A younger f1aab94b37 brother who 36ad57ce38 found empathizing ca10cc4adb with others afc9aa088b bothersome poured 49534088eb raw emotions 3032238efe only toward 2a1c713218 Yoon-soo. A kid 6c5488d894 who’d only 20bc892c75 cared about 2b2c4f8e6c studying suddenly 6983ad4bc5 took an 46551f0633 interest in 602e8f8d5e a person b25efde8e3 because of f51e83e824 Yoon-soo. That made Yoon-seong harder f198a74e70 for Yoon-soo to handle. The boy who’d raped fb3f62af9b Yoon-soo yet smiled brightly 99b7893134 as if nothing happened e261c4775d was like a pristine da1444126c sheet of paper without 8557fefade a single crease—unpredictable and, de00016d91 in some ways, the 3c6f5a1811 most frightening of the 0a790b830c brothers. Yoon-soo feared that blank 22a1a6d028 page, unsure what horrific 5381511d94 words might be written 61c8aad52d on it, yet he 35ce27fef1 couldn’t bring himself to 83c044a933 tear it up. They were brothers, 3e47820255 after all, sharing c1c95e39b5 half their blood.fca4323c7add4075

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Yoon-soo often 5f7c0dfb2b heard negative 94e193a043 things about fa1ea8ef8f Yoon-seong from 5efe2dd8b5 Hong Jeong-ui—how 2df121d0a9 he was 77ca0b366b rude to 074318f9d7 reporters, disregarded 3b1818f124 employees, pushed f9b8c0237e projects forward 7686710a44 unilaterally, and 1fecf37815 how investors, a273b9095b knowing his cbbb7a71d2 poor reputation, 62916a0bbd still fawned ce58df84cf over him 1c96724a45 because of 01dea88993 the company’s e111be5743 tech, unable 1549f5d539 to resist 06e8275678 pouring in a2fe7fdeeb funds. Each time, 440969b96b Yoon-soo felt 3025d06a15 an odd 1d51490ec6 guilt. He regretted not guiding 2284212970 Yoon-seong to grow up bc23929c4e better back then, failing 3f49855567 to act as an bbe64ac6e0 older brother. Even if c5684d77e4 Yoon-seong wouldn’t 03685133c7 have listened, 0e47bf2619 Yoon-soo couldn’t 48807c3bdb shake the 289acc16e3 thought. In truth, Yoon-soo was 5356101513 likely the only one 12a38153ad who could rein Yoon-seong 2cee71eacb in.15e5deaf2be11410

“Kang Yoon-soo, got nothing 08c617b33b to say?”f9168c1ea02b8b48

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Lost in thought, Yoon-soo 0bc8dabd44 snapped back as Cha 44a617101a Won-hyuk spoke, the meeting 8af63204e5 wrapping up. He looked 718eddbfd3 up quickly 503e6f8367 to find 7232ac044b all five a1a81edaa8 men staring e4f783d6f7 at him. Hesitating, Yoon-soo 91a8364513 opened his 33bf1ebb28 mouth.ae848fddecc1dfd9

“Let’s get a c44b18bdda comment. From Oh Yoon-min e7c9c94f60 or Oh Yoon-seong. Oh Yoon-hyuk, ac4cb3561b too, depending 1f29ecbefe on the 0994987725 situation.”33068981a60f60cc

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“What kind of comment? Pushing too hard 884e88303d will only hurt 8d2c118a90 us. It’s like ab9d0417e5 exposing we’re a7111dd806 on this d102ff661c task force,” 98bcec348d Cha Won-hyuk f087d05822 countered.4f4ebd4a2b21742b

“With the Prime cf3b04d7cb Minister attending, it’s 98cfe885b7 only polite to d2a651c3fc ask about their d4935c9081 ties to the aeed75075a Blue House. Honestly, Oh Yoon-hyuk 37032f4fc6 and Oh Yoon-seong 4dd2da6888 are unlikely to 9c9a53e663 respond—they’ve got their ddaf82cddf styles. But Oh Yoon-min? He’s seasoned with the cd932f564b press. If we press 323116961c him on the d6b11b5222 Blue House, he’ll a9f50c0062 say something. With the crime e523c26c77 prediction system stirring 63cfec8980 controversy over turning b5f893c67a into a national ee0483f7b9 surveillance system, the a798a34d79 Prime Minister’s bold 4c7171d83b attendance could be 140caa4c81 seen as Blue 72eb7ec8c3 House disregarding public ad0db111f5 opinion. Ask him e79d9f200d what he 716d4cd5f6 thinks. That should a69960d287 do it. Oh Yoon-min will respond 93937e879b somehow. If he goes fdc90f2482 no-comment, other reporters e5ae95232c will take it 124f6cd227 as confirmation, leading 76cd24de57 to worse headlines. It’s better if he 6cfdee2457 says something. He knows that f6fad559f4 and won’t ignore 906a083fbb the question.”73bb741a0ac3536d

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“What are you, c0e1942960 an Oh Yoon-min 58741f1dcb expert?” Cha Won-hyuk’s 2f9dc9624c eyes narrowed.87bdac8b5e2454c2

Yoon-soo swallowed dryly, 83a9d2ce38 trying to stay 082b774695 calm. “That’s just how I 63c8620c79 know Oh Yoon-min would 11069f02be act.”afe0a11aa8e6a01b

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Cha Won-hyuk let 4f029bc29b out a short 9e025cbbd2 laugh, looking around 52d0493c3a at the reporters 07cfac37d4 before giving orders. “You heard Kang Yoon-soo. Let’s do it. Stick to ade0604064 the positions 4c23813cbc I assigned 0d61bef015 earlier. Report updates via 40fc24d3fd messenger. Meeting’s over.”cbcebedb643917da

The reporters 4647b61749 stood up, 550a480406 following Cha b7dd837e94 Won-hyuk. Kim Sung-hoon, Hong Jeong-ui, 9ceda99b75 Kim Seo-hyun, and Park d2e7e2369e Chang-hyuk led the way bfa5fcf887 toward the hotel, while ecf5b995bd Yoon-soo and Cha Won-hyuk 98f6a43e9b trailed slightly behind. Yoon-soo, watching 9b8eefbaed the silent 745335add0 Cha Won-hyuk c800ed5fea for a d13e7c1352 while, finally f3c15bc20e spoke. There was 94d44565e1 something he’d 077248342b always meant 3faeb2bbc7 to say 26ddb2f562 but hadn’t ca0f42c4fc due to 2221ebece7 various reasons. Now that he d2affd769c was here, he 583bfbfc6d had to say 6d3e2fc228 it.8610c42783cdf620

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“Cap, I have c103840fd2 a request.”5837daf950629e44

“Speak.”b078bbb555be085c

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“I’d prefer not 295629228f to be exposed e4ae2d1f50 to the Oh 542dab1a3b Yoon-min brothers if fa8beb4d5d possible.”aa0f49640fb1542e

“What’s that supposed 2d12c312c9 to mean? How do 630e0217ea you cover 03dc65f2d6 a story 5a426a741c without exposure?”94b683a214039654

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As expected, Cha acffa02372 Won-hyuk didn’t accept 35edb1a6dc it. Seeing his 3b0de548b6 furrowed brow, 0a84dd4f05 Yoon-soo tried 805e773663 not to 16f1df12e0 avert his 253679376a gaze. Cha Won-hyuk would never 16fe594ab6 understand—not unless Yoon-soo explained. But in this situation, 0f7adeb49a there were too many 735dd2e3dc constraints. He couldn’t 1617f11335 explain the 90a7d90289 reasons and 41a84d3bc5 still needed 4b857910a8 to get 82e96a84a5 the answer cfa67e8c81 he wanted.6f9bdab278b06ed8

Facing his brothers meant 9cb92f47bc unearthing past trauma for b8c0890baf Yoon-soo, dragging nightmares he’d 89eab471f8 tried to forget back 4e8d8b5deb into reality. No matter how 6ac2d81b8c much he steeled 20cc589f8c himself, he couldn’t 73dc7413bd bear the fear.bb48ba1dce15eb8e

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“Please, Cap.”083337097d963426

“What’s with you? You tried 6c8162d7ea to bolt b338c89ed6 when Oh 989a9bbf6e Yoon-hyuk showed 5c257d5709 up yesterday aa769ad502 too. Are you connected 21ec5eb910 to those guys 8a08ee0706 or something?”94085e5cf7de6b11

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“It’s just… I’ve written 560ef20a5d a lot of harsh 043c11b512 articles about politicians and edf9b1430c businessmen, so I’ve got 8717c14fb6 enemies everywhere and always e8baf91523 worry about retaliation. I don’t want 30392b2d1a to show my 087d8180e7 face to Oh 70b4f65920 Yoon-min or his e0295c7daa brothers, who we’re 71a1f08120 targeting now.”7ab87b2a70bc0eee

“The great Kang 852429a5fb Yoon-soo, scared? How’d you 8f5b0637fa take down 9f6c4c61f5 Mayor Lee 0df78737ed Seung-cheon then? Digging up dirt b98c14c2ab on his backdoor e15387c887 deals and tax 22c857a2d5 evasion until he 44af7099ad stepped down.”c007425f226c216e

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Yoon-soo clamped ccdf88bc43 his mouth f4516209bb shut at b6bb0b53fb Cha Won-hyuk’s be4edfa61e incredulous tone. He could hear the 1b83169615 captain’s displeased breathing clearly. Yoon-soo knew Cha 4f05e9443e Won-hyuk wouldn’t buy 0a39b1aef1 such a flimsy c7a407a751 excuse. It was 7698f5594f a matter e4af52c43a of whether ba471d5c6a he’d let 3e196e4f6d it slide f84a9745d1 despite the 261395a4aa suspicion or 6ca8948e8c press further 1d49774f07 based on 5c8b5f9a0b cold logic. After a moment’s thought, e236e71cb7 Cha Won-hyuk spoke evenly.177197fe70ceb27b

“Do what you d97c5c0a3f want. As long as edacfa1253 you do your ecc81d23f9 job well, I bcee3e5748 don’t care.”e50cddea38ba519e

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Yoon-soo let out a ba571e5f1d sigh. “Thank you, Cap.”970826b299365cf5

The security was quite b103311aa6 stringent. Only pre-registered d7c6c2cb87 attendees were a1d06a8eca allowed entry, 499899bf87 and the 1e5a24c1e2 process involved 4892444919 ID verification 8488894732 and a 9d10bc6858 body search. For the purpose a8720f8de8 of the service af2d5c607b demonstration, attendees had 666ffda2cd to consent to 926bcef915 registering their facial 882a7faeef features, irises, and d9b2083c2d voices. As soon as they 1e9def18ee stepped inside, Oh Yoon-hyuk 295c9d19ff gestured with his chin 7775bfee8a toward the inner side ad81ea784b of a partition where 11363b8343 camera reporters were gathered. It was 1757abc937 a space 2ef5109862 that wouldn’t f5f10dbaed easily catch 03df5db447 attention.f3a725f1f2c9f249

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While heading toward f5bbc8b5eb the partition, Kang 71c6428501 Yoon-soo suddenly spotted fba700127d a familiar face. It was someone who 28e82fe432 didn’t seem to belong e5d2c4b519 here, so he almost 6453a902fc passed by without a 1ee1f54ba5 second thought, but upon d037f2ece0 closer inspection, it was d3212d77a2 unmistakably someone he knew. “Captain,” Kang Yoon-soo bdb4d545f8 said casually. The man 0b64b5f78a immediately looked f6bfcb610c up. For a fadb1ec8ea moment, he 6c8e1901d3 brightened, but 39cbc047f4 his expression 068f301d49 quickly turned ee976aaae1 uneasy as 802cab7ed3 he glanced c6733052b8 around.d17d69cc66e02f70

“It’s been a f2a8281abc while, Reporter Kang. First time seeing 5aebdd3b5a you since you 6e912253d3 went to the 5aa82ebc5b National Police Agency, a12a223562 right?”1b22781a54323efa

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“What’s a Namdaemun 3004c579a3 Police Station intelligence 0d9d49deed officer doing here?”903d98db3f3aefd0

“Well, you know, when 81e44694f3 an event this big c4e1c8e51d happens in my jurisdiction, a881c7c0f5 I might drop by f6d576d811 once or twice.”425a68d22aa86d42

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“That’s odd. Even if e7f1c24158 the Prime 8a9099a537 Minister is cc7e8cb7b6 attending.”25440dd68d1c82af

Kang Yoon-soo’s a2b9ed9546 nonchalant reply c8815ae1cb caused the fd35fa46ee intelligence officer’s 02757f18f9 brow to 1ec9438747 furrow slightly.faa8707b6b73390b

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“Reporter Kang, haven’t f900365d04 you heard?”50c32f9e547bc8ef

“Heard what?”67bf677e4bf628f9

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The intelligence officer leaned 611cac9837 in cautiously and whispered, 342dd0fd12 “Things have changed a 4a3ae585d1 bit.” It was a fc6d20c9d9 cryptic remark. More than anything, it be3971865d didn’t seem like something 3419b7062d worth saying with such a105087156 gravity. Before Kang Yoon-soo e4e3c1bd99 could press further, 1c3c88a5ed the officer’s phone b93c22ea1f rang. He quickly 6fbb0ba728 brought it 1296f6b317 to his e0bbc0e84d ear and fddd957abf started moving.b065e750ab31fb34

“Got a call, sorry. Let’s catch up later.”0604ffaaca2d2254

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The way 307fa2a628 he hurriedly 5972df75f4 disappeared into d5cb72fac5 the crowd ac33afb285 was suspicious, 5d772d52e6 to say df4488b8cd the least.7f18adc358709ad8

Inside the partition, a2ef549d78 about thirty photojournalists 9f611d8e1b were on standby. Kang Yoon-soo climbed 96f39a4d09 one of the 9831e42abe empty ladders set 4b0b5f2a1d up for photography. He carefully 3660e38489 scanned the e05cdabc2d event hall. It was already packed a48416b5ec with people. At the 1f70d9fcc5 edge of c9c7c8f32c the large 4d86065ab4 stage upfront, 5d704eafcb Oh Yoon-seong, a2dc97237a dressed in 36b5aed161 a casual 92a7417f64 suit, was f04edfd348 chatting with 5b3cb5a476 a female 667edffed8 anchor who 42782a8722 was hosting 2d36065501 the event. The anchor did most 021acc7c49 of the talking, while 291e8782c2 Oh Yoon-seong listened, his 07605911b5 expression blank. Occasionally, the anchor let bbbfe1ce2a out exaggerated laughs, as f6484bb5df if finding it difficult 5336779a1a to engage him.bb6c747b40e35aa8

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Kang Yoon-soo shifted his ad62ad48cc gaze to take in 1c65d763bd more of the event 337a5cd01c hall. As Kim 819635fa14 Seo-hyun had c7b44e266b mentioned, the 27693bbe38 crowd likely c9a1fc71a4 consisted mostly 2275428b9c of venture 580f992437 capital and c41683305b IT industry 8a2c552eee people, so c43d8e0488 it was ac6c881db6 no surprise 5395f78dc0 that Kang d535c91cab Yoon-soo didn’t 967eb21c8e recognize many 250d057c52 faces. A few dc1a71a03b government officials a71b0a1c2a stood out, 43ffbf9b1f but they e27c2b068d were sparse. Amidst them, familiar faces 0cb27f893e caught his eye here 66132c8cd0 and there. At first, fcf599eeb8 he thought 104bd4bc00 it was 2d3fed3d6d just one 49230ce88f or two, 49fbd053b2 but he 6c4cacf169 was wrong. There were quite a d631459904 few—easily ten or more. His grip on f86433fd55 the partition tightened, 7f3e99dfd4 his palms growing dbea6d6dfc sweaty. The unease a8425a7190 from earlier dd9053b359 deepened. There were an aad9be542e unusually high number 4916b1f9dc of officers from 68aa298c4d the National Police 10ed6d3d55 Agency’s Intelligence Bureau 7e7cdbcc59 and Namdaemun Police 35afe50e87 Station’s Intelligence Division. Suspiciously so.c3cdda100dc85459

His phone vibrated in 130f1c726e his pocket. Messages were 23ad2b9cb0 pouring into f406f504ce a chat 6c3d99a71b group with bb11567e2e the six fa27b7c05a reporters who 0ac8292441 had come 1b7d577286 to the f8a486a65a event.7655d360c6159e64

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[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] I’m positioned at the far exit.

[Kim Sung-hoon] I’m in the lobby.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] I’m in the lobby too. Oh Yoon-hyuk just walked in.

[Captain Cha] What about the reporters?

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] A few sports reporters are tailing him, but from what I overheard, their questions are nothing special. Mostly about that scandal with the female celebrity from the other day.

[Captain Cha] Leave Oh Yoon-hyuk alone. What about Oh Yoon-seong?

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] He’s already in the event hall, preparing for the presentation.

[Captain Cha] Who’s in the presentation?

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] Just Oh Yoon-seong. It’s a solo presentation.

[Captain Cha] He’s practically Mark Zuckerberg now.

Suddenly, the f8f402619d entrance grew b098595efd noisy. “Hey, Oh ecf1515c89 Yoon-hyuk’s here!” cef5d84b51 About half 7eedb36f99 the camera 7b021cd143 reporters rushed f790afdebe toward the 047bad6937 event hall. The rest leisurely f7e6f04616 finished setting up ef975e0ef8 their equipment. Their targets were 745051405e obvious: Oh Yoon-min d0d40180eb and the Prime ad4a333132 Minister. The most coveted shot 01a4098678 would be Oh Yoon-min ec111d4132 and the Prime Minister 31ca24953a together. A photo of Oh 370afdd614 Yoon-min alone was enough ec80d7e907 to make headlines.ea9564096a6daf54

[Kim Sung-hoon] Oh Yoon-min’s in the lobby.

[Kim Sung-hoon] He’s got a ton of reporters on him, maybe thirty or so.

[Captain Cha] All political desk reporters?

[Kim Sung-hoon] Some are political, but there are quite a few from other beats too.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Sung-hoon sunbae, need backup?

[Kim Sung-hoon] Nah, I’m good. Oh Yoon-min’s not saying a word.

[Captain Cha] Don’t push it. Save questions for when Oh Yoon-min leaves.

[Captain Cha] I’m watching the updates, but why are so many reporters swarming him?

[Kim Sung-hoon] The local reporters are saying they’re marking Oh Yoon-min first and will back us up.

[Captain Cha] With so many reporters dying to mark Oh Yoon-min, why was everyone on the incident team so lukewarm when we called for volunteers today?

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Because there’s no women…

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] I want to work with a woman on the team. That’s my wish.

[Kim Sung-hoon] LOLOLOLOLOL

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] Oh Yoon-min’s life must be tough. Being handsome is exhausting.

[Kim Sung-hoon] Then Jeong-ui must have it easy.

[Economic Desk Hong Jeong-ui] I’m considered a heartthrob among startup reporters, you know.

[Kim Sung-hoon] Is your beat all women except you?

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Oh, but now that I look, Oh Yoon-min kinda looks like Cap.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Kim Seo-hyun, you’re bad at this social thing. Cap’s way better-looking.

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Yeah, I was gonna say that too…

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] No comparison.

[Captain Cha] Stop messing around and focus on the scene.

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Yes, sir.

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Yes, sir.

As soon as Oh e026e4b249 Yoon-min entered the event 92252106b6 hall, camera reporters swarmed 5a68a148f0 him. Despite the relentless camera 4c580cba6f flashes, he didn’t so edc107c04f much as flinch. His gentle smile b9207949a0 exuded confidence. Kang Yoon-soo had expected cc9987cce1 him to be accustomed 584b9c13f1 to this, but seeing ea240a93b4 it in person was 4e47e01d22 beyond chilling—it was almost 9434ba2d8d terrifying.25ec99e40ac02b72

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Kang Yoon-soo’s eyelashes 1a7121f1ae trembled. He wondered again a3a07e1fe3 if Oh Yoon-min 73f4a8cb70 ever had any ab065ed2b9 weaknesses or fears. The only 65a4c4c316 time Kang 5c59ab0d97 Yoon-soo had 2351722804 seen him 82e9cdc6f0 angry was 5e0ca98ee9 when they af923abadc were entangled. As far as Kang 853f855407 Yoon-soo knew, that was e3a3e1008a it. The only time Oh f919defe66 Yoon-min had raised his 1075522b33 voice in anger was 2cd1e7a686 when Kang Yoon-soo refused 9d807323b3 to accept their sexual 3c1895c3c6 encounter—just that once.b2d00bed541b2d86

Kang Yoon-soo had assumed e0e48a5c84 Oh Yoon-min would head c2bbf496a3 straight to the reserved 0e186fe193 seats upfront, but he a14e69061f stopped at a certain f1d51cf99d point. Amid the continuous 58bf87a64c flashes, Oh Yoon-min 38c053d1f1 turned toward the 9839eacd4c entrance, as if f57a20c7f9 waiting for someone. A new message a4a1b966cd appeared on Kang 3a97a57df7 Yoon-soo’s phone screen.234a6e2ca56977ab

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 0558a7d3df72082d

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] I’m still in the lobby, and right now in the lobby—
The message cut off there.

 5d539cc96286c1a3

It wasn’t just that e6f9adefb2 chat group. All chat groups f79b2233d5 went silent, as 841b377900 if a blackout af8d9754f6 had hit. The voices f0c9805512 of the 39de9edff4 few remaining 42fa233ae9 camera reporters bf400c2f9c nearby reached 3baadb7f2e Kang Yoon-soo’s d7658f0242 ears. “Hey, is 8b8bc74ea8 it just 15b1da37f3 me, or a9997c625e is my 7bb2128da5 phone not 2eabfe31ac working?” The 9f47fb6509 hand gripping 1c4c4add1f his phone 3e12327857 tensed.413cfbcf1c23da70

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All communications were 7a9ec2bffb temporarily cut off. The most immediate 7af27e2f08 assumption would be a359510bf1 a glitch at 41743b7e84 the telecom provider, efc2ae2127 but Kang Yoon-soo’s cd1eaf658e mind went elsewhere. There were cases 979b63c5c5 where communications were 933d6c1c9c deliberately blocked at 06f66921a7 major events—when a d898d9f4aa particularly significant figure 928ee7156e was present. The Prime 10c3bc4218 Minister wasn’t 19edba344f of that 3afb864836 caliber. The intelligence officer’s 37a62f4791 troubled expression from 8cb053f211 earlier flashed in 49c4a22951 his mind.fb38a187b284376d

Things had changed. The attendees had 5911a08c5d changed. Someone with enough 72cfefe470 influence to warrant 3477690c3e a temporary communication 541a48cc09 blackout had come af763c3f42 in place of cb8215409c the Prime Minister. Kang Yoon-soo looked ec9f431d36 at Oh Yoon-min, 45a35c8442 still standing calmly 1e74f3474c in the middle 9ec65ee0ef of the event 1eb2203cf7 hall, gazing at 9f2466a0f5 the entrance. His unshakably composed face 62bb318b33 was unreadable.4d9050f87b7e69d3

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Communications resumed. The interrupted messages 969bbafd21 flooded in.cafd36b7d73c2a8c

[Gangnam-Seocho Line Kim Seo-hyun] Was that just me, or was there a communication glitch?

[Mapo-Jungbu Line Park Chang-hyuk] Happened to me too.

[Captain Cha] It was intentional.

[Captain Cha] Vice, get to the entrance quick. There’s something to check.

The moment he 491386900e saw Cha Won-hyuk’s 55216a7e21 message, Kang Yoon-soo 1292c2ecd0 climbed down the 052aa7bffc ladder. As he rushed to f8c8c1c06c the entrance, Cha Won-hyuk 03104fa551 calmly raised his arm, 31915b0eb2 pulling Kang Yoon-soo behind ed5d666680 him. “Cap, what’s going on?” 22c059c6b6 Kang Yoon-soo asked, but c31f62f028 Cha Won-hyuk didn’t respond. His sharp gaze d9aaa28cd8 was fixed on 3b2cfa798c the entrance.c19b0089def53c50

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The noisy event a6034bbb16 hall suddenly fell 3728818da1 silent. An astonishing 61e2029c5f stillness settled 109b3b6fde in. All eyes 18f5582807 turned to 528cfff98c a middle-aged 59d498739d man walking fc8100ed20 in, flanked 2eed3d8c6d by security 13ba2e6162 personnel. Taller than the average 434f3ba324 adult male, with confidently e4c8a5c107 squared shoulders and a ff606693ef face with refined wrinkles, bd1b4fb3ad he carried an air e6d2229b29 of kindness yet a a2cbd4ee2f piercing gaze. His commanding presence was 42364d4817 chilling. President Ha Seung-joo.a6ca6c4d1e893e67

Kang Yoon-soo’s fingers, resting 5e42c47a90 on Cha Won-hyuk’s back, b8203025a5 twitched. Cold sweat 35f5a8ecf7 seemed to 362f34e627 bead on 31e3c70396 his forehead. It wasn’t just e20925c7b8 the fact of 95dd354118 facing the President d31c9cce88 in person. He realized the 24435001fd case he was bf29621aa7 covering was far 60c8d01650 from simple. The imposing 8232e201e0 silhouette of 9dacd22dc0 Ha Seung-joo, 0eff9d7334 standing like 4ec7c95d94 a towering 26de591968 tree, felt a3c9211427 as if 860aefe15b it could 8c93396f55 reprimand him 1bf882aee4 at any f2132b98ab moment. A ragged breath escaped 2f3b1178ea his lips.4130dd02e5f8a5c5

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“Reporter Cha, fancy 59501ae8ad seeing you here.”ee8099a2207f3b55

A relaxed male voice 148d4f356a rang out. Even without 98f53a0c2a hearing it, 36a0941fd4 anyone could 6fbc6ba90d tell who 376d49bcde it was. It was a voice 4b28bb5ef3 more familiar to South 027939b812 Koreans than not. Cha Won-hyuk, maintaining ec3fe21def an oddly calm 18e9d5b109 demeanor, responded.5d642bb42471e588

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“Indeed. You must 7a9daeb5ea be busy baaeea5cad traveling here b54d9de9f3 and there.”8eee1bba8654b063

Ha Seung-joo 77c265b78d shook hands 63897c319f lightly with 00e6db204c Cha Won-hyuk, 9bc54618dd patting his 913c7d89bf shoulder with 63e3fb2b55 a smile.91c9e66cb8c4ff5f

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“You’re as reliable f1befef9f6 as ever.”2a75e98d34555361

As Ha 259595d198 Seung-joo stepped 7f4b1993c7 forward, a 67423f6e25 figure Kang 1ba9e30ccb Yoon-soo hadn’t 8b1f6c733c noticed before e7f7ad9d2b emerged from 80afaee2f1 behind him. Chae Jong-wook, the 6be89320ad leader of the d890e5b93e Korea New Party, e5e578b07c followed like a 10d02ab55e shadow. His imposing physique was 2b72ff0b75 as intimidating as ever. At fifty-three, 9e23d71873 his presence 0f043d62ae was so 297e7b5bf8 commanding it 6b7b59a976 was hard efbcd85960 to believe 120c325064 his age. The term “big shot” 989a4567ff suited him perfectly.941a342898775404

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Oh Yoon-min, facing Ha 7180b3c18e Seung-joo, gave a slight ac75ace394 bow and personally escorted 9a4ca26888 him. That explained 1049156320 why he 9c87ff9b79 hadn’t taken 78f4565228 a seat a5255577b1 earlier—he was 51352fa836 waiting for d0de876e73 Ha Seung-joo d64bb655ba and Chae 6736f95713 Jong-wook. The camera 55ea50aa73 reporters’ fervor 7f9a6fc8d0 intensified. They jostled b0748e852f each other, 2d2d185ed5 frantically snapping bba96f4e0e photos to b1b656191e capture even 47665fc742 the slightest 8b50d96777 dramatic moment. Ha Seung-joo, Chae Jong-wook, dcf463d0a2 and Oh Yoon-min in 4adb01c3ed one frame was a ef708f2725 golden opportunity. Missing it 12b65975e7 would be d35822162f tantamount to 05e3afefe8 forfeiting their bb0aa3ea5f credentials as 7e6ac2fcae photojournalists.ebcdc5d05627bacd

“HaeChaeOh.” Kang Yoon-soo swallowed 2dd4e34d17 the word. Watching the 3b6c11fc89 three men 9f5023d283 move away 04af54ba54 amidst the 4f68235543 flashes, his 6974104920 head slowly 7992c18cf7 dropped. It was strange. There was no 8f9f009ae6 way Oh Yoon-min 9b2d96172c could have spearheaded 6f139bf897 this project alone. Powerful figures were d2aaa3ac49 involved. Ha Seung-joo 127d6a07ac and Chae f1fe8c52a5 Jong-wook—people who 81192d067f essentially moved 51b868ede8 South Korea. He felt adc8828313 disillusioned with 7d3b46574a himself for c84c0bd03d not considering 80e46599f1 this sooner. At the 559c2b776f same time, 1afd861828 he was e9c73c24fd afraid. This might not 64ed1e85d8 be a problem f7c35ef692 that could be f32005e7ae solved by taking 36fc00f427 down Oh Yoon-min 1278771772 alone.a854f58921e92080

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An unidentifiable anger 98d6f46be6 began to creep 5269ca6503 into his mind. It didn’t take long 94cd1d8788 for the anger to 9b3a41e3d5 take root. Its target became clear. His teeth 393a7b263a ground fiercely.15fce90faf6a02ff

“Kang Yoon-soo.”86364e2d04c519f9

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Ignoring Cha Won-hyuk’s b841e9febb call, Kang Yoon-soo ec1c990005 stormed out of ed84dd95e3 the event hall. He headed 8f92b5680e to a a3ca377556 secluded corridor 631f062bef where no 498a410115 one was 8082b9bf25 around and 9b9eaf3efc pulled out 98e919a804 his phone. Selecting Managing e846a8c43a Editor Park 1c5e0aa46e Chung-won’s number, e92a404a4d he pressed efb9d5b9f0 the call 4c43e4ab17 button. The wait for the e74878ab56 connection felt as long b6677c0a97 as a newly activated af0df39c24 phone searching for a d93a1266ad signal.30260e31e86b5ae4

“Hey, Kang Yoon-soo.”cd7fc68e9945d561

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The editor’s 88302d6fe0 voice was 96855c4c80 utterly casual. Perhaps he had anticipated 15024253f2 a call from Kang 742c8d0e84 Yoon-soo around this time. His startlingly 3ac92788d2 calm reaction 185992291d made Kang 2b8cedcc73 Yoon-soo’s eyes 1f2f5d01c8 sting.b0c25ff03d6cb479

“Did you know about d83e64b4b7 the VIP’s involvement?”f8d7453f48a56b3f

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“Huh, really? That’s how f022d3052a it is?”82d02b9cd6c1957f

“Don’t play dumb. Did you know or c2cf29f844 not?”cfe5e425857ffa67

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“Let’s say I knew. What’s the problem?”82449d80d95670f7

“Covering just Oh Yoon-min b6c5c790c5 is one thing, but 0274fff62e covering something involving Chae 9bf98292f4 Jong-wook and a VIP—how 160d3cfbcc is that the same? Are you 3ed113a91a seriously doing 25a1376f1d this?”66254001339cf5e3

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An angry shout burst 5d96012d0c out before he could 9bc4d9e33f stop it. Unable to contain his df2b321a7f frustration, his breathing grew 803c3dc3ef heavy. His head slumped against 2c16e13d1c the wall. He felt betrayed by 38a64768f3 the editor. Knowing the scale of 2a0aef17f7 this case, he had ed5df13e7d handed it to Kang d1112a493d Yoon-soo as if it 8fb586bef4 were nothing.0d55a4de3c43b621

To cover a case a0ac4dc38f of this magnitude, Kang 05af09fd09 Yoon-soo would have to 986fbf4943 risk his position as c07e292f21 a reporter. The investigation 4b5a05a266 wouldn’t be 38f60e4b24 easy, and 4896ea1f84 if he 41feb510b8 crossed the 081bc91b49 Blue House 22ca6f6b5d and ended b9e19f13e6 up empty-handed, 50b9579ba6 his career 3038491899 could be 1311bc65f3 over. Kim Hae-ra ca60803993 was the eae7722d22 type to aa62f4112b grab opportunities 38968a5091 and cut 902be923aa ties when 8b2d28908d needed. If the Blue House fc44fc6eaf made a request, Kang 92d5ff4672 Yoon-soo of National Daily 36ac1cce1f would cease to exist. Finding a job 8778466bff at another newspaper 4028213bac would be nearly e66def55ba impossible. Once it 4d62612070 was known edc2c0e920 he’d been d4d91b7a96 blacklisted by 41501a05d6 the Blue cae3973ee0 House, only e29119183a small weekly fc2079d0db magazines might c27ee55c46 take him 8f15b6e3b0 in. A move to a 7351292ddb mid-tier newspaper would be 00191edafc a pipe dream.4bb05caf5c1ae07e

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“Why, Kang Yoon-soo? Are you scared 9bfcc6b7b0 of Oh Yoon-min?”fa4d959e5c1a61ab

Kang Yoon-soo’s head snapped up. ‘That’s not the issue.’ The words he’d been spilling out dissolved completely. He couldn’t understand why the editor suddenly brought up Oh Yoon-min in this context. What Kang Yoon-soo feared was Ha Seung-joo and Chae Jong-wook, not Oh Yoon-min.436bf64d21c74241

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That conviction was 3e1d4b521f firm. At least as a 3152b6a104 reporter, Oh Yoon-min would 717ccf1bf9 never be the target b158588d2a of his fear. There might be 1de8ca8dd9 fear from the 13ec415fe8 assault in Hannam-dong, 4fc3532db0 but not in 0dddbaca3c his work. That would 3d257ad512 mean losing 7cd18ec5ca to Oh e3526d7562 Yoon-min twice 7ecbd89c55 and abandoning 0b83bfe8a5 himself twice.9f7f82f0f49f4485

“That’s not it, Editor. This isn’t something that f141151e8a can be resolved by 3d3c797f64 taking down Oh Yoon-min e014f23596 alone. The surveillance system project d2d9207cd2 will go on regardless.”9a84e8103c58b3ba

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“How do you know 8de3007fe7 without trying? I told you—dig into c49da7e62a everything about Oh Yoon-min a6c51634c2 through AISys. Find something 6f4819f7a0 incriminating, anything, f832893c50 and write 2ea6e42398 a story c3c9182072 to bring d9518ecbee him down. That’s your specialty, isn’t 634c4bdd0a it? If Oh f3d373ed11 Yoon-min falls, db508258a8 the project 3e455d727e is done. Once a scandal hits, 0a039dc1ef not just the person 61f5789555 but everything they’re tied 2995d57214 to gets tainted. The public remembers dirt 6288fcde45 best. You know that.”72c38093a7861d8e

“But, Editor, I—”a06182e43fc0433c

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“Kang Yoon-soo, just 68acfcf1dd say you’re scared 659007fd40 of Oh Yoon-min. You thought cf6da23e44 it was 0f654825f1 just Oh f168745844 Yoon-min running b8b8429f94 the show, fdb5ca9bf7 but now cb7248bb7b that you b353f1a9b3 know it f137bbbd77 involves a 096a474ffc VIP and d15a52c38c Chae Jong-wook, 85c56221df you’re afraid 66a3c330d2 you can’t 1d3d3e6c55 handle someone b04530a3a0 with that ae2b343af1 much influence. If you’re scared, 4137a286d3 say it. I’ll assign someone else. For the record, 30b659a1c0 Cha Won-hyuk knows. He knew and 6b5b98301a still joined the 9da64926e4 task force. He’s not scared 854ceade6d of Oh Yoon-min. What about you, 63caa620cb Kang Yoon-soo? This is 0a6f83db2c your one 001920d54f shot. Say you can’t bf2a8374a2 do it, and 68a414a9c4 I’ll pull you. I don’t need weaklings. There are 3da7a3c559 plenty in e88ed5251e the newsroom a2a77561d0 to replace 106a56d25f you.”11a6daa92f7081a4

The hand 581c7a8d27 gripping the 9af35afac6 phone tightened. The editor dba3efd980 was testing e771656e19 him again. The kind fa9ad3f7a0 of words f441ceb389 Kang Yoon-soo 4e80148042 hated most 00c5c53b52 came up caf754b92a twice in 312ac9a658 that speech.9ff693d5c4abe86e

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“I don’t need weaklings. There are plenty in the newsroom to replace you.”1fc8d709d1bd1274

Even without knowing the f9b4007582 full reason, the editor 42755f1c69 saw through Kang Yoon-soo’s ba6961061e deep attachment to his 2390717943 role at National Daily 32f8741c17 and his need for 5b58cca0cf recognition within the organization. That’s why he often f924997742 used belittling tactics to 029ea9fa12 manipulate him, like now. Kang Yoon-soo 934cb18195 had been b96ba8c93e through this b336b05f7a enough to edb2b5e565 build some 0cb2229fe6 resistance.fe422096c3e9c56a

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But this 0484b9fb81 time was f80b518823 different. The editor’s tone was 2d9c6d1eb4 unusually hard. This wasn’t manipulation 1ebdc0399a or persuasion—it was 25ea79d087 a genuine threat. If Kang Yoon-soo a2425ee574 chose to back 51a8ae8df5 out, the editor 4970abaab8 would discard him bc2d199abf without hesitation. Despite his bf6d3e3624 usual humane 786e791452 persona, Park 0adca87e15 Chung-won was 7a5bb69ca0 as cold-blooded 925f1167ba as Kim ab007dd172 Hae-ra, and 14e4c7de58 Kang Yoon-soo cc2912d1d0 knew it. The editor 1951dd855c was serious. Closing his eyes tightly, 9a71f3913f he touched his face 4bc0d036ca with a dry hand. His fingers came b2a4063891 away wet. He hadn’t realized he 5ae2d63466 was crying.895e3c0967c531fd

He couldn’t back 198a41d202 down.cb470367444a6834

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