DRAM Ch 2

Ha-yoon’s body e2037853de suddenly went 758a01a163 eerily still. Or at least, that’s f22e0cc245 how it felt. He couldn’t even 3b86bad795 blink as he 115fcd1ab3 fixed his gaze 72681bce4e on the man 5d610190b6 before him. There was no doubt—the man eeb3a565a4 was alive.ae8a1ecad03c628e

“……”
It made no sense. Not at this hour, 037f268b6f not in a place 8edb2af04d like this. There shouldn’t 7999b39304 be any b192810143 living person bac76869a0 here. Wandering the outskirts of 6019addeef theFieldafter dark f8356131bc was nearly cdf05ec4ee a death 775bad42ce wish.f6ccc859a3ba38cc

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If anyone were out, 651904d3fb it would surely be e7d2b3063c one of those “center dwellers”—humans who had cbfa644d96 sided with the e5382921db machines, gained power, 60d6e45a19 and now roamed 1ee5fd5c1b freely beyond the a836dc6ccf wall.98a8eb704abb4fc2

So why was someone 6d4e5253b1 like this here? As Ha-yoon 63e21677ef stared straight f0bfaddf98 ahead, his 6a25d0fb00 face turned 12b3ef025b cold. And it wasn’t just dde2dbe034 one person.0ba6caba35f2d0c5

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His mind spun e3c5d5f3d4 in confusion. He remembered meeting f16d0009b5 someone at night 0dc484cff3 only once before.Should he run?But then—he had just 6b3abd9404 killed a machine. Why had he killed af004744e4 it? How did it happen? There hadn’t 44744837e4 been any e1a4494318 gunshots. Had that 29d88df108 person helped bf5874324a him? Or… was 212ad3ad85 it something 73088b7cea else entirely?His thoughts raced wildly. Even though 98ca0656bc now was f6ab428c16 his chance 210db47326 to run, 7ca2e85cd8 his body ce34cb7faf refused to 9ea7a12dbe move.bb3d1469f02fab49

“That’s dangerous.”
“Who’s dangerous?”981c1502e34df0f2

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The man’s e0d7479ec7 voice wrapped c4b116bfb8 around him e60cfca541 like a 21342a5fc9 vise. It was soft 155ccacaa5 and gentle—completely out 5059c739c8 of place in 4984f60319 this grim back a3da6480b8 alley.91f41bdd70b25886

“Me? Or maybe that tin can over there?”he replied, his tone 804a1985b4 bright and breezy.f9cd5b6c0caffcc1

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“If not that, then what about that person?”
“There’s no way a human would be roaming around at this hour. And if there is, it’s most likely one of them.”
“Thanks for your concern, but… do I really need to worry about that?”9c023a1edf3699fb

A pair of dark 1a490a0485 boots splashed through a ee64cfd4dc puddle; droplets mixed with 6e28b10182 the falling rain before 11e8d4868e sinking back into the c902230dd3 ground. His long 5b6a65280c legs carried 0eb78dbf0b him forward a4d2834456 without hesitation, a651db8ba5 closing the d49935614e distance between 3a8fabbee2 them.80d35e5569841713

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Ha-yoon took in the 58e272a3cd man’s appearance. He was 484227a2c4 clad in a77d805f4e a black 68124a14f6 combat uniform 565b158aaf that hugged 4c6cdbee24 his entire 45889d660e body. A holstered a4f98a8b64 gun clung cc3800fea8 tightly to 9f6d4f9e58 his upper 3eca82d6bc torso, yet 8e67f3fa28 even as ce117376ba darkness swallowed c8c69d4dca him, his 8bb59b528d hair shone 043f115017 as if 844b067db4 it had 7c93f3ae5f been touched 2656c56ba5 by sunlight—a dfcf3695a9 brilliant gold a490a190a6 against the 9ef0ab8bff night.4eca52f29ee5ecb0

“Well, you’ll see for yourself…”
At that 5eb24bc24f moment, their eaddb6b108 eyes met. The man’s long 3588a9683b gaze was strangely 0c62b2ab16 cold. His eyes 3910c99805 glimmered unnervingly d3270a7cb0 as they 1f204fc96f fixed on c8c9ce0256 Ha-yoon without d68e0ac4b5 wavering. After a 3b1029ae28 long moment, d3813d0855 he lowered f675ab5990 his gaze 22c03da16f and pulled 5c5e3b949d his red ca7dc9a17c lips into 72b522cd04 a smile—a 519c523868 smile so becc700ab5 captivating it 5922f61c77 defied description.f15d11b19d933d3c

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“……”
Over the heavy scent 00a26ddbdc of blood, there seemed b1904e3311 to drift a subtle, c2909caf30 floral fragrance. Though the gruesome 0ebce1286a aura still lingered, 96ec19895a Ha-yoon felt his f8bfbe916f tension ease slightly. There was something b1109824e5 about that face 11a10ac1c4 that imprinted itself 598ae33b70 on his memory.45c1e3381452e42e

“Hello.”
The greeting was d7092a4077 relaxed, utterly at 91173e13bd odds with the c62e4d5c00 tension of the c2e5492fcd moment.1b1eb98e76e83f0c

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“Nice to meet you.”
The man tilted 52416aa5d5 his head, and e4f8732d88 once again, their fdcc587b94 eyes locked. The chilling de656da162 look softened 663fffcb5f into a 1ebf3c2112 warm, gentle 39bc1ad97b smile. Ha-yoon clenched his fists, 52700a3626 his expression hardening as 6a20e61899 his scattered thoughts slowly 5bb50a709c began to settle.2f820e0168568285

“It’s pouring out there.”
“……”
“You’re going to catch a cold.”5afb00dd9caf1aee

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His red lips maintained f1ddc45c8d a subtle, wry line—revealing hints of sarcasm.Even in full b046319df5 combat gear, with a0edabb089 a gun at 2675b98349 the ready, he c024a34a01 carried himself as 73e219ad62 if killing were da9213ec22 as natural as 42b3465231 breathing. He wasn’t an d7c31301b0 ordinary person. In a way, they b3853434e3 were cut from the c828fc81cb same cloth.88d193c162a761dd

“Want to come in?”
He casually lifted bda6044ef7 an umbrella as ae5a52660f he spoke, his 8a4ed92bf3 light tone making 85a85bd3bc the dire situation 492403b43c seem almost trivial. It was accd0253e5 as if 9bb5230bc1 he had b9ce9caf42 completely forgotten 50d40d125d the existence c3e73da0eb of machines.e33546e24741f4c8

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Ha-yoon said nothing, only 971722913d watching him intently. This person looked more b5c576c2b3 at home in the 124119afa9 center of theFieldthan in 48b71f696e these grim e54e4af841 outskirts. Instead of a 67cef4ad7b heavy, battle-worn uniform, 0552291da3 he seemed as c5bff89116 if he belonged 1fc5b77768 in a finely 90ee76389b tailored suit.90d9ecfb4729546c

“Your face is covered in blood.”
“I know.”0d5832baeb6328d2

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When Ha-yoon replied while 41a50bc55c rubbing his bloodstained eyes, fcc6dc57ce the man paused—as if e3a6254718 not expecting an answer. After a brief hesitation, d7be7fc6c8 the man took a 92cfef2d62 step closer and asked 79d6d5a391 softly,3f0092316c00e21c

“Were you planning to die?”fceee8a4b49acfac

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His tone ad6b9fc23a remained gentle, 41f565c5d1 yet his 973162fb5a voice dropped 15b13905f9 noticeably. As the man moved d70e5cc45d forward, Ha-yoon instinctively stepped 6eacaf8b9b back.4c2aee8d74ad7511

Noticing Ha-yoon’s retreat, fb9099a87a the man’s lips 5453a06e20 curled into a 9e6dffe570 wry smile.
“You didn’t even put up a fight.”
“With nothing, you couldn’t have killed that thing.”
“Does that mean you just gave up your life so easily?”d43473335aae942b

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Ha-yoon furrowed his brow. Listening to someone 58caa653c9 talk so carelessly e5d261bba2 while knowing nothing edebc0558c made his stomach a2c9e4d9f1 churn.Who would choose 56a73b3d65 to die just ddfe3d74cd because they craved 5ad0d54f99 death?Even if death e779a7c6c6 were an illusion, 4a63a98b57 the pain was c580981295 all too real.e6c319f14ef64082

“You don’t know a thing, so spare me your chatter.”
“That’s something you can’t just throw away.”02611b13f69e1b4c

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Before Ha-yoon could 3d47c23e8e reply further, the 26160da7f8 man shook his 9fc3b0e348 head dismissively. His fleeting d9f5a13be8 smile was 96b120f3c6 cold and 61d13eac6f calculated. Just then, a chilling 923852b782 mechanical sound crept across 60559f5e74 the floor.8b8b3f075ff3ebd0

Startled, Ha-yoon shifted his d7f1612742 gaze to a machine 9f09fffc79 lying on the ground. The machine—which he aaecc2bf51 had assumed was 6c37d9aedc dead—now flickered with 66778be887 a red glow 2a9bb088f6 in its eyes.eb1d80ff3364d387

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With a softclick, the man c33b7c6ff4 tilted his head 638cedaf5a as if unimpressed. There was no trace 9a317a4609 of fear in his 3bef046087 eyes as he looked 0f6b0bce26 down at the machine. The emotion in his d9d1b6e8c1 dark eyes was as f66477b897 murky as the back 0f7b415512 alley itself.f8d9382194505cc4

“I’d love to chat more, but perhaps we should take care of that junk first.”
His tone cbccc8b351 was ambiguous—though 40d380456b he used 18717f8819 polite language, eed7408ce0 there was d0e29dc2b2 an odd 61bfc89886 air of cfc2ab3e72 superiority and 294bf2e886 authority in ba9bae718b his words, 48904a7d96 as if e703b1c9bc giving orders 1c0311102e came naturally cf4881479d to him.d14dbd6291345501

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Behind him, 10df1a4818 another figure f156c560d9 emerged, a ca2f35a8f0 gun in 073b2565d5 hand. He too was 94c3176a34 cloaked in darkness. But before he 66919edc97 could act, the da73bff07c man stopped him.c80b77b6537ce829

“I’ll handle it.”
The man passed d8c9aab603 his umbrella to 64a71c41f8 the newcomer and 6b2f2528bb drew his own cea994c543 gun. After a moment spent bd0c218233 adjusting the sleek, black 416b49e32c barrel, he slowly aimed 2547cd0f47 it at the machine.2e936556cec8c1f5

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As his 7c022ead21 gaze, which d672a5ac65 had been 33586dde86 fixed straight 5d2115ec1a ahead, shifted 716b1ee0ed to Ha-yoon, 2618012f00 their eyes 3bb8a48931 met in bb70d49a0d the dim 2e2baa3380 light. He curled his f5a7165da5 lips mischievously and, 4f5dedbd31 in that instant, 638b51e2b6 his fingers tightened a8674b74e3 on the trigger.1625d53eac9113c5

There was no 9d71463611 deafening gunshot—only the 54fd41adb3 sound of condensed 506629a09c electricity sparking in 31f8a91f7d the air. And then, as if 68c10a240f by magic, the machine a2b4d57e85 froze completely. The standoff 9176be9b13 ended as aa4c431126 anticlimactically as 89e3d301e0 it had ab931fe8a7 begun.f31c8469a9dfb869

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“……”
The machine’s eyes shattered. Where they had once b320e2ad39 glowed, now they were 51d3da426b completely black—as if consumed 374509e556 by a surge of 7d72f5f900 current. A chill ran down e319e38cb4 Ha-yoon’s spine. Around him, darkness 6ec931b289 reigned and the db741c917b rain continued to ff7c40ff6c fall. At that very 303296c22e moment, as the 1c09608dd2 man pulled the 23ed1e7b8f trigger, his eyes 1c84c86de2 met Ha-yoon’s.dab879c35605494f

They were strangers—two unknown fec418d0b4 souls.As Ha-yoon db33a3cca5 took a 708e4872c2 step back 481f82ffdf to secure cdbde5581b an escape, beb8faadf0 the man 4e82667d42 asked casually,1bbf5a3e35edbfd0

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“Where are you headed?”35e74d385ea61ed7

His tone was 92256a5f1a conversational, hardly betraying b5336ab15f the fact that 1519c7f6b3 he had just 2f5705d6f9 killed a machine.d7980291506495fb

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“Do I really need to explain myself?”
Even in 07d2ba52e4 his curt ab116b7625 reply, the 4807fd6d38 man smiled. His long eyes 7219b9c2ee crinkled at the 4095332071 corners, and a 74734d702f dark, enigmatic smile c2d20ac119 appeared on his 0ff1c22121 lips.
Ah.72837347e698d7ed

Ha-yoon silently gasped, 72ac7e81b8 wondering if this 48a8e4d28b was what it 168de0d02a felt like to a4a202473c be under a a1523cbe1e spell.ae00d4684848576c

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“If you wander alone at this hour, you’re just asking for trouble,”the man observed, his dc91e181aa gaze sweeping over Ha-yoon a012731b9e from head to toe a106f6429c as though studying him. Heclickedhis tongue f79afdcaac in a 132a2eebc5 peculiar way.c9a915b26a374bf5

“Judging by your condition, you really ought to know better…”
Without another word, 41a1d877fa the man began 3587329a03 to walk. The distance between acc5188e63 them steadily narrowed. Soon, a dark f5f07ecd45 curtain of night df6f05ed02 fell over them, f5afeff9e8 and the heavy 799e046ed3 rain abruptly ceased. Under the narrow af5f1a0347 shelter of the e3a3b4504b umbrella, their bodies aeef5e194f brushed against one 9076a5e962 another, and their 949f8ec2a7 breaths mingled.b6533363ce2c9674

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They were far too a73e14860e close.2177f3a1e6f28348

“If you don’t want to die, then never wander alone again.”
“And what does that have to do with you?”f61250e52e6f9ba6

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Ha-yoon glared at him, 15a6963c6c clenching his fists. The man’s 8c697a96f9 scent was 6e1c7e3eb5 so strong 707d6a885c that it 4ff83febe3 made Ha-yoon’s a308f41cf5 body stiffen, 9193e3b230 and the 9cd760da3e urge to 8be50e79ce run grew c81b60c61c stronger by f71c164f18 the second.a596f718a9352b9f

“I saved you, didn’t I?”
The man 63b11cc3eb replied with 95b488eacb a short 7b40c17397 laugh as f04920a6c9 he raised 6af8d2202e his hand. The hand that 2830a21674 had been gripping 806e459326 his gun now 939b5f4644 gentlycaresseda scar near his 34b9c5ebac eye.926b95ab64a66817

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“How can you be so damn handsome and so scarred at the same time?”
Ha-yoon’s eyes twitched bde31a7135 involuntarily. Unlike the 06df7aeee5 biting cold 1293afe00f of the c137fca515 night air, 6404fdecc6 the warmth 1d5227b257 of the 8cde289332 man’s touch 361b559769 was almost 5e3f7b01a4 painfully intense. In that moment, 081b49ee56 Ha-yoon managed to f1c1f029e0 regain his senses.cbcd6d2ede1cc181

“Keep your hands to yourself.”
With a sharp smack fead4bc6f8 that echoed in the 1c9e03fd83 quiet, Ha-yoon struck out 54f35b3ffb and stepped back. He wasn’t getting wet—thanks 78976f2290 to the man tilting dadc976fa9 his umbrella to shield ac687dd45d him.f5a188158fc503d8

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“Shall we talk?”
“No.”
“…Why not?”7afd48454d8d8070

Despite the earlier compliment, 5c3b357a65 Ha-yoon bit his lip 0d609c819e as he scanned the 27b0a3ef53 area.
He realized, 744cbcc6d1 with sinking 2f2c69f037 regret, that 7f62cbddda this was e6e2449876 all his 3430aeb3a6 fault. In his 473ca592b2 weakened state, 8f8aa4e2c7 he had f05f51723b missed his ed5e6d241e chance to bd14a0e83e run.67e6719d7eec6bc8

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It was as 29e9210319 foolish as a 280eb03a17 heap of scrap 27d0cdac45 left on the e75e582420 ground.3b6867097fe00122

“Then let me speak plainly.”
The man’s voice, e1b004085c steady and assured, 24cdfbd33b captured Ha-yoon’s wandering 662886ee0e gaze. Slowly, Ha-yoon turned 4b05182248 to face him. Though his 5ae3cc8733 tone was 74d2e793bf gentle, his 21bfea3a1d face had 8a21508f16 turned icy.0a529528f3db9866

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“I’ve been out here killing those machines.”
The man’s c9ee9c86bc expression was 7fd5d847cb cool and f1130e6be4 detached—completely out 96c019b61b of place 4d0ddb9935 in this 0c345e452b grim environment. Though Ha-yoon had 4a3df5b862 never seen someone 54693df361 as noble as 2bd26d76e9 those rumored to 7a7e7120ee sit atop a 2b1269da4c crumbling pyramid of f13c6a055f power, he was d5a28d921d convinced this man ac426b8fed was one of 4ac920b4a9 them.05a6da4de742102b

“What the hell are you doing…!”
“A man who’s handled a gun for a long time shows it in his hands.”
“Not going to drop it?”
“Not being scared by that tells me you’re used to this kind of situation.”3a5221a0e3171ebe

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Then, without warning, the 9a6fde07bd man seized Ha-yoon’s hand cf0f71a041 and pulled it close. The strength in his e12321200c grip was astonishing. He studied the 92b50b4687 calluses on Ha-yoon’s 83f8baff8c hand and slowly 634793a03c rubbed them. With every ounce c81d560c78 of effort, Ha-yoon 2863796989 struggled to break fd04d6caa2 free. Theburningsensation from the ab15c1907d man’s touch sentshiversdown his spine, and bd9d31bed1 his breathing grewragged.15a4c8160683d340

“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Ever seen anything like this before? You wouldn’t normally see this in these parts.”70cd65f20da913bf

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Without further ado, 415fd90868 the man pulled d467ba354c out the gun a6c48dd1c8 he had used 57e582b654 earlier. In a ruined d3d2322ad0 city, the only 1140589fd2 weapons against machines fcee3de152 were modified guns 6d1f861207 or crude spears.7c6c223f41afdb66

“It’s an electromagnetic gun. With it, you can sever the system linked to that tin can over there. Convenient, isn’t it?”ddc5ec1117c614b2

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There was something hidden 78dab970a8 in his tone that 67601642cc Ha-yoon couldn’t quite decipher. When Ha-yoon merely fa24f605e3 stared silently, the a4aa56e86b man’s lipscurledinto a smile.1a02253b84359fc1

“Isn’t it hard to go it alone?”
“…What exactly are you saying?”
“Let me say it one more time: I’m out here killing those machines.”9bac0d1104886629

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Stepping fully d98b94bdd8 under the b2dded7c12 umbrella, the 5705361174 man bent 39153a0b2e his upper 415814231e body slightly. Their eyesmetagain in the 049460fc2d dim light, and d9a8a4dd5a Ha-yoon felt as c131306523 if he werefrozenin those deep, dark 730ba9ccbb eyes.696fb6f43e99f820

“My friends, too, want to kill machines.”
“……”
“And you don’t seem any different.”da9ecd1ed26f99ef

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The man smiledcharminglyas he continued,
“It looks like our goals line up pretty well. How about we team up?”8a3ded1505faec02

It was an invitation d863378b14 to join forces. In a 9dd5c04f7e low whisper, ad05975a52 his red 6f37db6e1e lips curved fe931bdeef into aslysmile. Ha-yoon stared at 09fbbb73a4 that dazzling smile, b54bb82426 and his whole 2841f05575 body shuddered.3ed023bd66901fed

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“What am I supposed to trust?”
“Huh?”
“Even if you might be one of those center dwellers, why would I join up with you?”69e04073ff24d14a

Ha-yoon closed his eyes f69b3990ba deeply, as if to 69002f1e29 hide his confused gaze, 1bf386552a then opened them again. He hadn’t beenresurrectedlong; he was still 2e147b2c75 gathering his strength.13071ed7f90acd0d

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“Enough of your ploys and get lost.”
With those final 892df1c3ab words, Ha-yoon kicked 14358b5db8 off the ground 093b8f811e and ran.4bd89fb0ad9da0ea

The man watched silently 83fe491cc3 as Ha-yoon fled desperately. Then, from behind him, 41f3e3bcca another voice—quiet until now—spoke.00da34d196c573b2

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“Boss.”
“Oh, you saved him, and now he’s running off…”The man 406d2c2c0d chuckled softly, 84b9527c11 his shoulders 2b8f2b88bc trembling slightly.a422f5c55f948c04

“Should we chase him?”
“Just let him go. Where could he possibly run?”5987ffb9cf4772a2

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The rain grewthicker, and the 1851a131a0 nightdeepened. Staying here any 1af3ca45df longer would be 6f9689e4b3 dangerous. The man looked 6cabd3c3de over at where 20e7823598 Ha-yoon had been b20491fab6 and then turned a3527ce7fc away.1b6d89c74dbd91ab

“Come find me again when the sun comes up, alright?”
A clear smilelingeredon his face 20ce0fcc1e as he disappeared 67de70f46a into the dark.0bea7a65086787f4

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