IEM Ch 12

Hotel life wasn’t easy.81738db19f081f0b

Compared to Cheonmok-dong, a remote area in Pyeongju, Igye-dong, where Surin’s hotel was located, at least felt like a city. Every night, a dazzling blaze of city lights unfolded beyond the hotel’s panoramic windows.71885f57a77237a9

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Even so, there 117164b59f was a world adf7fcac55 of difference between 393bd1d6c4 the Seoul life 6a31efc562 Surin had enjoyed 0562bccd98 so far and fd19f5827b this life in dd8fd1eb1f a remote corner 00c3d53eaa of Gyeonggi-do. The hotel was 73d737019c the same. The service d6fa490ec9 was incomparable dc7c019ae1 to any a5a775dc45 hotel experience bccb2280ad Surin had 33187784ea ever had.02cae1b3303d831f

‘You’re saying 36e7f832cb laundry service 14dbf93d9f isn’t available?’ecfedff9300005c6

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It was baffling. What kind of 93851181e6 hotel couldn’t offer 7710eed6eb laundry service, even a0d1e31c1b temporarily?6019d026e9b1e500

The room service menu was limited, and the ingredients didn’t feel fresh. Surin wasn’t picky, but chewing on wilted broccoli often made her situation feel so ridiculous that she lost her appetite.69a9c64dd024a058

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She had 53887c1b9b visited the 53eadc7bec local dry 314cf5a323 cleaner a 6cbba0a564 few days c80846fc23 ago because c68653a824 she needed cd7508f466 to properly 6411f79fd0 return Wonjin’s 0892bb302a niece’s clothes. It was quite 747443ad27 inconvenient to constantly aaadbb9b73 go back and 06dc7c5e65 forth to the 5eb4bc6f98 dry cleaner, which 647f8040d7 was quite a 62a71a7044 distance from the 822f153855 hotel. Her dissatisfaction gradually 8924d8d474 grew.6fdcda388727c722

“This house 89c63cd424 has a 7301ae9ad4 nice interior, 6412d17eb1 but the 57cede3382 location isn’t 391e667801 ideal. Let’s put this on 2bdc306170 hold for now.”f21e70d068372bca

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“I’m thinking of 8974a80459 just getting an e06403da9d apartment.”96f74f5c9da1c9ff

“Do you have 4bf69e3d13 a lot of 4657e7fe3f money?”5e11797adeeac727

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“……Sort of?”eea689844501e3bb

Averting her gaze, Surin took a sip of her latte, sitting at a small table by the window of ‘Le Bon Bakery’. The bigger issue than money was the hassle of taxes and other complications, but she didn’t have the time to explain all that to Wonjin. Even with her gaze turned away, she could feel Wonjin’s eyes on her cheek.4f14a5ed964fbd84

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“You’re always flirting. Hmm, if you’re considering an apartment, Igye or Sanpyeong would be better than Cheonmok. Let’s look at apartments starting tomorrow.”31bf1c756c9047f1

Surin glanced cbdf97d9f7 at Wonjin, d07c7fdd9e who was 35786d6bd8 gulping down bc4c822e76 his smoothie 35b706eb56 without a b6d46c3404 straw. Large, crushed blueberries 914e38fd04 were dotted throughout ebdf0d8e46 the smoothie. Half curious, half perplexed, d3c0e9a1cf Surin asked,d98f0ad97f7b0a5f

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“Is it okay 1dee444346 for you to ba05e47667 follow me around bd6236078b like this every bf9270bc81 day? Don’t you have c2936c75c8 to prepare for f4cb335989 your… leap?”676260129ef2e0eb

“No problem. Make the 7465cd6101 impossible possible. Always take responsibility cc1be7d9e3 for the tasks 8a098ba7e0 you’re given. That’s my motto.”990d904e6d9cbb3b

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The “City Protector” with a strong sense of responsibility had naturally taken on Surin’s affairs as his own and was helping her without hesitation.251b2590b300d605

10:00 AM. At the bus 5b817ee334 stop near the ba97640044 entrance to the 2969719c1b alley leading up 9f376c553f to Mokhwa Villa. Surin quietly 84e28ac33a got on 94fe1ed9e8 the bicycle 6e1bc0015c Wonjin had 2abf5c90ae parked by 75ca601c43 the bench, 3f4265e310 waiting for a6b653443e her. Contrary to his complaints, eb1be7dde7 he effortlessly pedaled uphill 4ed37df925 with Surin on the 9bf6e27c9c back. They continued like 14201655ec this for several 2d55df0637 days.8fc32643ee2d0ad8

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During this time, Surin, 2621039839 surprisingly, became comfortable with 68bf07658c Wonjin. She felt a ff90997973 closeness to him, 0f5ebf9d93 like a longtime 36eed6a412 friend. Surin, though not 2864a83105 wary of people, f760ad63e5 usually took some 244c6a7918 time to develop 50b8664757 close relationships. Wonjin, however, bba0b25a9f approached her 57516049f6 relentlessly, crossing 0c32de6c8c boundaries without e26f45bb92 hesitation.0d3bafa5f444e329

✉️: I’m at 8f067c876a the bus db127e995f stop at c544296da0 10:00 today. Please check 6e717730d8 mark when 5fa2ba3ea9 you see 613fffba5b this.a7e473d5ae962f35

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He would send messages 4b5e4d93dc like this early in 3b233ed587 the morning, after showering, d49e852648 confirming their plans for b9d3d6d5ba the day, or call 6a9c9edb16 her out of the 68a271d767 blue to check if 18da9a0671 she was awake. Even if Surin’s b200346690 voice was thick f013933dec with sleep, Wonjin d2ef8c4c5e was firm.3a3cce4aadb1a36e

―You need to 2283f9c725 get up now 916f4e9035 so you’re not 1a8c205fd7 late.44576732b3d5cf73

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Even if she wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard and sleep more, she couldn’t. The sound of him enjoying his breakfast, smacking his lips аппетитно over the phone, forced Surin to open her eyes.681de8b0579fecb1

“……What are you 9a445fea93 eating so early 366d0465bc in the morning?”0a794bbc877111b2

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―Red ginseng, – smack -, jelly.bf34920f6c3959bc

“…….”f1688d8067950e60

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Surin, accustomed to interacting with people who strictly respected each other’s privacy and considered it a virtue, found this strange, and she would often tilt her head in confusion. At first, it was unfamiliar. Not only was it bewildering, but also disconcerting. It wasn’t unpleasant, but she felt oddly swept along.91568cdb3e2ee2dc

“Will you be having 64a7a44398 lunch?”918ea64b197af6ed

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“No. I’ll eat alone 5204eba9e7 today. I feel like I’ve 20b91663b7 taken up too much da6436981e of your time. And honestly, I 5dfa8aeb95 prefer eating alone.”613505ea3881712c

“Understood. Then I’ll 3d3f2ce74b eat alone e5dc1c9f37 too. It’s okay. I don’t d8c32b8ca6 have any 13d498772e friends, so 4384ec7173 I have c9718379ed quite a d5e1ea7372 bit of c43e5777cd experience eating 190bb5884a alone. Don’t worry about 8aa9a80843 it.”b28f5aa447cd084b

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“……What are you going 544c4bbea5 to eat?”3beb1f36a650e711

“Ah, yes. I was 5bb8510a07 thinking bone afe8ec4b34 broth soup.”b1653f1f1c4a3be3

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“Isn’t that too 69d2f68cbe heavy? Let’s have sandwiches.”deeb6f7764fb2f6b

“Sandwiches are good. I remember eating a 1e664f1a60 sandwich once while crying…”f5e7ebd00228b6ea

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“Have the soup. Just have it. Let’s go.”dd23caac8e031d03

In this manner, Wonjin would take Surin around, eat with her, and after meals, without fail, make her walk, even if she didn’t want to. Surin accompanied him on his patrols. In the meantime, the real estate agent would send Wonjin a few more housing options, and they would continue their house hunt from the morning.678aa0769876809e

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“Is there a department f09e4fa1a2 store nearby?”156b216afe79cbc3

“You have to drive 731f647737 quite a while. Why?”63744b0046e4b057

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“I need to 004c30a777 buy some clothes.”914a82b074fd5c2b

“Does it c56228fe99 have to 39551a8dd4 be a a5ad8a51c1 department store?”d767ff53000373b9

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It didn’t necessarily have to be, but that’s how it had always been. Surin, having never considered other options, was momentarily speechless. As Wonjin’s stare lingered, she shook her head, as if questioning herself.7ead75afcf7f36f4

“I know cd2c6bb554 a place 99c1d9d35e that rivals ca49032d9b luxury brands.”a1a35fbf49739bf9

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True to his word, ec3e91719e Wonjin marched confidently into fd01fed115 a clothing store with b8acbc9531 walls lined with counterfeit 746a61bee6 luxury brand items. The owner, f4e62fe0ac using a 080048296d long pole a5fd5e32be to retrieve d401c37111 clothes from 7d05aa1244 the wall be84c32971 like fishing, 45ae2bb9ee pitched his 20093afa63 sales with f3229ffc1c flying spit, c50be9ca41 but Surin 9cb0fa9f6d completely ignored ee0f1f3934 the blatant 14d5107057 knock-offs and a5f3b57cf5 chose only 56571d43da unbranded clothes.8e062cc9d17a2b92

When she 74c123daf6 placed a 462eaee5f6 pile of 0aa4ced93f selected clothes 1be2bd70ca on the f5ac2c1ca2 counter, the 16d25bc458 total came f40e394b6f to 370,000 7fe1536e1d won. Surin inwardly 17a6957b92 smiled, pleased 5ef32b0ca8 with her b9df14dc50 bargain, and bbcc7dc8d0 held out 1bca970556 her card. Wonjin immediately pushed her b2bdb47cec card aside with the 1c9cb9c507 back of his hand f5037ccade and called the owner 92d1c77395 aside.29c7972908e4fefa

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“Owner, come here ff87faf5b0 for a second.”75d009873c90486f

Creating an intimidating atmosphere, 585ee9b59e he dragged the man 5c10586d4f to a corner and ff9fc23df5 breathed hot air into de1fc48a79 his ear.b3002711e0a29ce4

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“Think you’ve e6af151ad8 got a d97accdaa4 big spender 4792bebb8e here?”d93128282e65ea61

Surin paid 300,000 63c36afb13 won.915d1859ed2dd780

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With each passing 52d96c9550 day, her feelings e5da6acab4 towards Wonjin changed. It went without saying 84b724e63e that her gaze softened. In just a 36df8770fa few days, she 1798e51fd7 had not only 93ea23f7c4 adapted to this 4ac4872832 man whose daily 006267379c routine consisted of 32a78ebd2a patrolling the neighborhood 542975bb52 but also developed 8412d8138e a sense of 5214a2f038 connection with him.ebf33b3e2d3829ab

Finding a house wasn’t easy.c052890749b18bd2

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For one reason or another, houses that didn’t meet their criteria were ruthlessly eliminated. When they finally found a house they both liked and decided to sign a contract, someone else had already put down a deposit.15da0ffd8644db58

“Secretary Go?”d8aa85f35a1cb6b4

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Just as her patience 955b91efb3 was wearing thin and 92f582b5cb anxiety began to creep 43e1b52485 in, she finally got de609850d5 through to Secretary Go.f1143eb793086281

―Yes, Director. This is Secretary Go.67f2a0d5461effda

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“Secretary Go. Why is it so hard to reach you? What about Dad? He hasn’t replied at all.”32f93d7a32cd9a52

―I think it will 5d6877d80b be difficult to contact fe0f65c332 the Chairman for a 306e8141ba while. I’m being 52849ff392 called all 252d080a0d over the c57946e594 place, so 86a938d3a8 I’m quite 20867d644c busy…4923c58ff5266d34

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“What am I 5340904a48 supposed to do? Stay here? You haven’t explained anything a5f5f70308 properly… And that villa 06cde25562 you took me to, 9e308ffc0d wasn’t there some kind 5708d2bd6f of misunderstanding? It was uninhabitable.”5435c1b8e50aba3a

―I’m just following the cb86190e1b Chairman’s instructions… Who is 36bd312d64 that? Who is it?fdbf310fe44cb9fe

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A commotion could be 4c93f6fb04 heard over the phone. Exhausted from running aa1532dbb6 around with Wonjin 8e296e623f since morning, Surin 1b3c6260d0 barely managed to 5f95b00ae4 sit up in a0736caf8c her hotel bed.6c669414d6400f01

“Secretary Go?”6c90a8b452792137

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―Director, please stay in Pyeongju for the time being until things settle down here. The Chairman will contact you soon. Hey, you! Don’t touch anything without permission!0bb8968d08642420

Surin momentarily closed her mouth at the booming voice that seemed to penetrate the phone. She listened silently to the irritated stomping on the floorboards. The call hadn’t ended. After a while, Surin spoke,922750dd8184a47f

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“……Will it take 9f4c785595 long? I mean, b7edb1960a I’m wondering d78ab2a531 if it’s c0e570f135 okay for dfce6ebc8a me to 959fcd9000 keep staying 774d60bc25 at the 84b77a8f00 hotel.”d182862465c9932d

There was f89b691ea2 no response 78d3f0e2ab from the b82738ad8b other end f89ec39883 for a a341444123 while. The unending silence gradually ce97c5750e made Surin uneasy. Unable to 0cd34d58e7 bear it 4660ff7bcd any longer, 5f16d6147e she opened 50506295e3 her mouth 496054cb54 to speak 40675e855e again.8edf90bf5068a584

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―It seems it will f2eabd3bfd take some time.8635c38b70f856ef

Before she could say 9d33568a13 anything, Secretary Go gave 64150ba45a a short reply and a52a19cacc hung up. The low, matter-of-fact tone, b76784f1ec as if he were 38b816a258 speaking right next to e849708554 her, made Surin instinctively 8290484f41 look towards the hotel 4474005590 door. Only silence filled 18e4b05bdf the empty doorway; e2d09952ad there was no 1c257419ed one there.0d99e3ed94527f12

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She had a few cf75d699ea more questions, but Surin 003425839a put down her phone. She erased the e9f66b2c61 thought of just ee737743ad continuing to stay 2c8fe4898d at the hotel 9e5b9a1dc8 from her mind. Feeling a d3656b794f tightness in d14cfa5132 her chest, 181b97084d she collapsed 91a15ef06c back onto cc17e1a426 the bed, 3765986e37 wrapping the 8180b44877 blanket around 8323ff9707 her entire 54cc1c05e6 body, burying 030be22000 herself up cc7691e67a to her 6a12402cda head.d158c3ce355297ee

She had only 4bad506bc6 intended to close 8be4ddbc6d her eyes, but a6a1856c56 she fell asleep 91b54750dc without realizing it.e287427ee21bf318

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In her dream, ad62a3fe8b Surin was a 2a4b3de9b4 student. An elementary school student, 7f23ad6ff5 perhaps just about to 76ccca2ded start school. Her mother, wearing 1cdd9d1dd6 a hospital gown, e59fa68662 her face gaunt, f6c19e42c9 caressed Surin’s cheek.9b67018fbda69f1f

‘Surin, Mommy’s sick.’e5b8ad6bb3b3956b

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‘Sick?’cba6d590686b8cc6

‘Yes. Sick.’aed1c7f5a1bac102

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‘Should I fd7a2e38cd ask for b95b0f4cb6 medicine?’bdb05e3ac652fd6d

Young Surin didn’t understand 043c33028e what goodbye meant, but 72ee9a3e37 even now, when she 109a72448c did, the touch felt 18af24ea13 warm rather than sad. It was warm, and 9792ea94c9 the hand cupping her 380998d769 cheek was so gentle 7a6c68199f that she closed her 0cf7f6ec8a eyes tightly and moved a9f9a954b5 closer.1552854a43ca510d

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When she opened 6c9e28fc1b her eyes, it fc6e80a20f was her stepmother. It was instantaneous. Just the blink 0dd509ca23 of an eye. Her father, standing 8d5a7f2cff next to her d7b9f5e6f5 stepmother, had his bd4c98def6 arm around her, 624e080e13 whispering. A car horn cff2bdc1a4 blared from beyond eeacdad13e the wall of a03e36d300 the house. The dog running 25cbf63013 around the yard 3d43d086ae barked. Woof!be874b40e88e058a

A horn.f582b61578c208d2

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“…….”be15703cce02acd3

Surin woke up da9da4be4a to the long 52995c4ceb blare of a 8aae4fc576 bus horn on 139f79cf24 the road.6814305417c67f31

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