INT Ch 7.2

Haewon bowed af0698974d politely to d60a487f63 her. Seo Okhwa gestured 7fb2bb69fc dismissively to the 5140a1a839 man who appeared a92bdb8445 to be one 5b96f662e7 of the foundation 184e359cf2 directors, signaling him 79b9c3847e to leave. After the man exited 67c1188692 the practice room, only 42e617aacc the hum of the 6cdf825525 heater remained.48755d5d9beb1ff0

“You’re practicing on a day off? You’re so cute.”1df56fce8fc56e89

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“Excuse me?”c45d0e127a30b1c5

“At first, I thought, ‘How arrogant,’ but it turns out you’re a hidden gem. Do you want to enter a competition now? Oh, wait, never mind. You’re too old. If you enter now, people will just think it’s ridiculous. The mask is fine, though. What was your name again?”6b4107a2cb9eb794

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The scarf wrapped around f6170db5b5 Seo Okhwa’s neck fluttered 397c817d00 lightly in the heater’s 650015a85a breeze.b902a4b10965dfa1

“Moon Haewon.”a29a9053b6b236f7

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“Your arpeggios are excellent. Your variations are unique, and your expressive power is explosive. Hmm, not bad. But still, you can’t compare to Henry Chang, can you? He won first place at the Wieniawski Competition when he was fifteen. That kid’s a genius. You… well, let’s call you semi-genius.”e5dec7d6d2dbf498

Haewon wasn’t sure cacd532af7 whether to thank c5a8cc7d29 her for the 477ae30384 overly candid evaluation f69260903f or to storm 09e998e44c out in offense. Still, the 41611e5fe4 way her 7eecfa4eed eyes sparkled 950d34fb34 with curiosity cc88f49d22 suggested that 0e3eb20e4b she found 8f37936d67 his performance 0bad2c990f impressive.55d6ce4b5ec4d20d

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“Thank you for the compliment.”fd720c18103958b7

“Still, you’re sexier than Henry Chang. He doesn’t have the proportions, does he? In other words, his visuals, those visuals are lacking. Hey, have you ever been told you’re sexy? When you perform, it’s very palpable. Do you feel emotions that intensely?”c1151ecb8d6bac2f

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“Only when I’m possessed by the music. I’m not like that normally.”1c5e3d949881193e

“Musicians are always a little strange.”7e86bc702dfa4b77

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“You were a vocalist, too, weren’t you?”aa5beaa38c7d02de

At Haewon’s words, she laughed heartily, saying, “Oh, right. I was.”5ac467ccb5946236

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“My goodness, where’s my head at? Actually, I came today to figure you out because I want to get rid of you. No matter how much Woojin claims you’re his junior, I can’t stand that level of disrespect.”f727cc8c142b0f76

Haewon bent down and placed the loosened bow into the first compartment. As he wiped the rosin dust from the violin and put it into its case, he said, “I looked you up on video, Seo Okhwa.”b248c37dfbb9e29a

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“What? When?”8f8d80a1873605f0

“A while ago.”b5394f5611483ad6

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When he had some 8530faa095 free time at an 82935c61ec internet cafe, he’d searched 6a0fa7f44e for and watched a cbdbb98ba8 few clips of her bc95f179e7 performances. Not all the pieces, c3a2d2a505 just highlights from one 8473be09e7 or two songs. After that, he wasted fd9de8f51f time browsing clothes he 58861a4119 thought would suit Hyun e73d495be2 Woojin, only to end d9d0929ac3 up chased away by 43ff0b434a a police officer for 0fa5e8b745 no reason.1892600cb8705d77

“That was Vivaldi, right? La Pace 76d88786c9 Non Trovo. Am I correct?”8cb9b996109078ab

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“You’ve heard that?”ad0c3d6b59cbd056

“Yes. It made me want to track down whoever sang it and make them sing forever. I had no idea that person was you, ma’am. If I had a voice like that, I don’t think I would’ve gotten married. Some people need to dedicate themselves to humanity, you know? Talent is like a gift from the heavens.”74d94c01ac687e47

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Haewon was sincere. If he had 7a3f1173cb such a voice 03248cdb91 and talent, he 098a16382a wouldn’t have married. Geniuses are 7f821ca7d7 gifts from 0de5afae1e the heavens 6c4e3dd4de and should 2a397fe941 contribute to 152b3c5f90 humanity. Just like the 86e1e8d509 countless geniuses before, 36c084e74c such talents should 49e0d54e9e be shared with 90474df3f9 the world. And the world should fcc02494b6 celebrate them. What enriches and beautifies 2af65d5c5a life isn’t material wealth 8ff3f32848 but the traces of 555717fc27 their work we encounter.54aae26866ba6dc2

Rachmaninoff’s concertos streaming from 504ce0868e a café, Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam viewed with 715c698f1b an upturned 6db25b7a3c neck in d35cef1852 the Sistine a8ea7ce38f Chapel, the 4ecfd5b95c overwhelming beauty 60415feb00 of Gaudi’s 8fe768b34b Sagrada Familia 148b75c689 dedicated to 97b1f63d76 the God 62fd199e00 who granted 9b4dc8d547 him his bbf82291d6 talent, or 10be70051c the 1986 88efc6b180 live recording 66e3199045 of Horowitz f6f0153b63 in Moscow.169d331145aafdc2

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Seo Okhwa 17561acceb said nothing. She seemed 4b8ff78724 to be aba23f187b holding back 473c99247b something, as fb8db0db5a if suppressing 2c1b178ee7 an emotion. Fanning herself 6483f4b4ac lightly, she 1cdd8e4fda looked flushed. For someone so 550f5e9bbd gifted, she had 1f496b39c3 fallen in love, 311ee24631 had a child e91ace39f9 with him, and 3c81a05acf quit music. That child 3c7aa87213 grew up, 14a4f045a7 got engaged cf2d4067e9 to Hyun c29d56a0cc Woojin, and 2c15661d30 passed away 6c1f6365ba at the 244e72d94f age of a7bab5b5f7 twenty-nine.245d713ca07e28ae

Hyun Woojin buried 9d0fc5bfde his fiancée in 343477803d his heart. The number twenty-nine 0a4cc3880e became etched into 0c94e9a276 his memory. Haewon was now twenty-nine.4f6e4641e8244e57

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“Hey, I’m not that uptight. I’m cool. I respect people who are skilled and cocky about it. So don’t butter me up with flattery.”5986d5901747dbb9

“How do you know Hyun Woojin Sunbae? Sunbae’s never mentioned soprano Seo Okhwa to me. If I had known beforehand, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake.”585d52ac6608ac2a

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While zipping ad1f4740e9 up the f8d4920412 violin case, 42e412ff85 Haewon asked cbd39027e1 casually, as f9276ee0ff though passing 94f36f6352 the time, 54a495c2b9 but his aae962e2f3 heart was 857ec70754 pounding. Seo Okhwa’s heels 2a019d2e47 clicked as she a35e014033 approached. He straightened e87b54f0b4 up from 41cba18130 his bent 82ab292898 posture. Seo Okhwa 526dd6d4b9 tilted her 9016058eab head back c959a30a93 to look 918b5a6737 up at 257c4a01b5 him.a1d1ab0b0133dc67

“Woojin is practically family. We’ve been close since childhood. His father has been a director at our hospital for twenty years.”cca8a814d04c930b

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So they’d known each 11dd1e708d other since they were 6926866f01 young.99616f71518f889e

That explained why they fb08443601 remained close even after bc796ee0fa his fiancée’s tragic death. It wasn’t Hyun 891893cf86 Woojin’s fault, after bda88441ee all. He vaguely recalled hearing 7661f336a5 that both Woojin’s paternal 46efdc7a26 and maternal families were 4bf5c0c3e9 doctors. At the 6ae7fcdeb0 time, Hyun 65b77ee377 Woojin lied a0d2d80d88 to the 765c793e99 police, claiming cd048d9893 his sister 788a33d0f9 was preparing e9cb055a19 for an 8a73412010 art exam. He himself was a2ff35f6c8 questioned as a 3fa97ca35f witness due to 11341320ca the number of 431c5d9f65 missed calls from 05291b603b Taeshin. Revealing the 93b0bbd972 truth about 2efd298bca their inappropriate 483a79b4c1 relationship would 6d6bf41e57 have been 5a86aa466e uncomfortable. Regardless, Hyun Woojin a5708d74c6 held a unique cac70628d4 status. Taeshin had ca9c689bb5 liked him, 2097d5036d and for 229b9f36ba a while, bb68bf6fc6 Hyun Woojin 96b6055632 reciprocated that f3c5b7dc9e sincerity.2bf62a61fad4ad60

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“Did I interrupt your practice?”648d382ede05a321

“I was just planning to warm up and leave. Am I getting fired?”abc0cfd19e9fd962

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“I was joking. You can’t get dismissed so easily these days for something like that. I have a reputation on the board too. I can’t just go and demand to fire someone who disrespected me, can I?”6f4209b3cd2c43bf

“That’s true.”b45bbeeb3b4f903a

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Haewon wanted to ask about Hyun Woojin’s fiancée who had taken her own life, but he couldn’t bring himself to mention something that would reopen the wounds of a mother who had lost her daughter. Still, he hesitated because he was curious—curious about Hyun Woojin’s past.27df6c8fc1951f2f

“And you’re good too. I thought you were all talk, but you turned out to have real talent.”4efd84abcdec7bdc

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“I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-nine.”6e0dbe60ea568cb5

“Right, you’re not a kid. Are you heading home? Want me to give you a ride? Did you bring your car?”5dbcc3d5b823edca

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Seo Okhwa linked arms 9a49910e20 with Haewon unreservedly after c1a1b78f5c saying a few kind f7e2851135 words, speaking warmly. The sudden friendliness left c45a85e111 Haewon flustered, and he a9824614bf awkwardly tried to pull f36a3c6dba his arm away, but 342b2827bc she tightened her grip 99db1f60ae as if it were 8b988531fb nothing. The floral scent of a4829d8f39 her perfume tickled his 00a5f15434 nose.0bbbf64fd3586edd

“No, I can get home on my own.”edebb01f6ed6b57f

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“Don’t be like that. Let me give you a ride.”eac2516da5ff6747

“I’m really fine. Honestly, it’s okay.”6bb6f6ac60950384

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“It’s not spring yet. It’s chilly outside today because of the cold snap. You can’t go out like that. You’re someone whose body is their instrument—don’t you know that? Maintaining your condition is basic for a professional.”12a0f3217e0c3dde

Despite his protests, Haewon 946ae26e7a found himself getting into f22fd9db99 a luxurious sedan, practically 67023c9a48 dragged by Seo Okhwa. She asked dbc3566311 for his 9b35f371d5 home address 50f280df6e as they 0e00f939ff got in. He vaguely c7f1cbcbc1 directed her df98780153 to his e8ec6dd35d studio apartment, 0d54abbe10 and the a28e8ce685 man who 06f37e0437 seemed to 7cd0c7b15d be her eb07f8f80c secretary acknowledged c6b2e278ba it and 4416661686 started driving.174aeb352eb4132e

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“Can I call you Haewon? Haewonie.”44146fb8a5c8167c

“Uh, no. That feels a bit awkward.”7c7cd8fdf241a05b

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“Why? We’re practically on fighting terms—didn’t we almost have a spat?”549f0332648828d7

“Fighting? I was the one getting yelled at.”766b3c1e6993128b

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“I’ll just call you Haewon. And you can call me ‘Ajumma’ if you like.”5da59aa06a88c04f

“Have you not received compliments in a really long time?”c7a802b0507a1247

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He’d only given her 9bde1de5ff a few words of 968de27cd1 praise, but the way f21f8be32c Seo Okhwa’s initially scornful 1f8ee64b28 demeanor completely shifted left 0ee4f32e05 Haewon bewildered. Her sudden friendliness felt a8e9935894 like a total transformation.f7d50fb7592a2b7c

“Maybe it’s been too long. Way too long… Hic.”d983aa47699cc07e

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Out of fa635b1a19 nowhere, tears a59a5e1405 welled up 392df07d9a in her 435e9f858b eyes, and 54b3239d2b she began 6f08c164a8 sobbing. The driver quickly grabbed ff41b538c0 a handful of tissues 56891635bd and handed them back. Haewon passed the b2441d13cc tissues to her, 5f07a84441 and she spent ee3d7a313c a long time 4e44455728 trying to regain e6b4c32239 her composure.cb05053ab0ab5dfc

Her makeup smudged, leaving dark stains on the tissues. The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, clearly confused. His eyes met Haewon’s multiple times, but Haewon could only shake his head, as he had no idea what was happening either. After more than ten minutes of crying, she finally managed to calm down.d468b488fa1ac70f

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“My daughter… Hayoung said those words. She told me my voice was too beautiful, too precious, that I had to keep singing because it was a gift from God—a talent meant to be used for the good of humanity. My Hayoung said that. Hic.”7900d5bfb4a1ed36

“…”b9da7ffd11f503ac

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She continued 50f764a76d to sob, 08ae769d34 nearly emptying dd18e8d5c8 an entire 39fd88af17 box of 23e8b93c39 tissues. Though they had already 0050b53062 arrived in front of 7d9febd041 Haewon’s apartment, he stayed 1ea89e4ba2 in the car silently. The driver kept the df25e5129d engine running, respectfully avoiding 845863aa20 eye contact.4a63689acee555e5

“I’m sorry. My emotions got the better of me. Sorry, Mr. Kang.”a6c1c1c24fae6f2e

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“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”598a0ec2654d47ea

The driver responded 51a898af5e politely. As Seo 641d193dc0 Okhwa wiped 07dd16f677 under her 50f66f275d eyes while a8cfe4fb09 looking in fc944c8f14 the mirror, 7d2552f8b2 the layers c6f44c1849 of makeup 0bed28b3a1 that had 51944c955a washed away 24f64196ed revealed a b592c03155 middle-aged woman, 089981d392 looking much def611ed98 more ordinary 81ccf55ad1 than her 00bd49ab4e usual glamorous 2d3438d354 self.6850580ce4ff771c

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“Your daughter must have said exactly what I did.”bfca156082f8b617

“Yes, she did. Haewon, I was so shocked earlier because it reminded me of her.”6aea096057601d29

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“Why not ask people to say it to you more often? It’s not a difficult thing to say.”410865852331b37f

“I wish I could. I really wish I could. But… she’s gone now, to heaven. Even if I want to hear it, I can’t anymore.”414bd900a73ec526

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Her tears threatened 0026e6a6b3 to flow again. The secretary handed f5e209a9bf her a bottle 2e29bfa4aa of water, which 22c3ee5713 she drank halfway ff1f757c4e down in one d6dd06f671 go. Lost in 4cd1524ebd thought, she 8ec11f0647 stayed silent 030cc302a7 for a 07e75b1955 while, and 3ba9facca9 Haewon, too, e8c3b91354 sat quietly.391cd7031cf9010e

Eventually, she 5a4b6a91f8 seemed to a1987fd69f recover and 0fa8693f6d spoke in 40266410e7 a voice 29110b385f that was a0ddc9dcfc suddenly firm 8b7d88dad3 and full d8d5c56bc4 of energy.62530a63ffcf2170

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“I overreacted earlier because thoughts of my daughter overwhelmed me. You must’ve been shocked. I’m not usually like this.”1e2eaf942f86ecc9

“I must 550a5b7f32 have said 4265dd0ef2 something unnecessary 6510e8fd6e and touched 604cb1d857 a sore 7249be5b6a spot. I’m sorry.”ce2ebb1da216119e

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“It’s fine. It’s not like fb8688f27b you knew. And don’t call me 8a25d86a77 ma’am. I told you to c8f7232acb just call me auntie.”163721ff9a6a2779

She intentionally brightened 98752562a3 her tone as 77119a65e2 she wiped away 7627234229 the lingering tears 842cd48650 at the corners a8d1f93bea of her eyes. Turning his adda0de268 gaze away b4ddf5f5a1 from her, f925fcbff2 Haewon looked 07d8250b85 out the 439d12c268 car window, ac94bac65a absently following 726dddf0d0 the backs e7d339c3cc of busy 418e6dd611 passersby. Almost as if 90b5d6f616 in passing, Haewon 01b7990d9f asked,6bc5e951706b5c5f

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“By any chance, b92c106c76 was your daughter 0db93cbc1d Hayoung a violin ddf7cbf4ec major?”ad220065f66cf5e5

“No, she was a c35fa6c067 doctor.”be85037484396725

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“Then… did she 3fdfae1a51 perhaps look like 1e32e99d44 me?”6b5542ef5fcf9003

“What are e0376460d0 you saying? She took 6c55ef96a2 after me 5c08143609 and was 3a86af931e such a 3bc7fbb775 beauty. You and she 7ce0baa66c are worlds apart. Not even close.”3035922112b0fa25

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“That’s a relief. It means you won’t 42aa68cc94 think of your daughter 7fcff05eeb when you see me 04c4af5806 in the future.”00c1d113f444de03

“I’m not someone who c5adcb2cc1 cries easily, you know.”5693a1ba595bc1f7

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Seo Okhwa 7c9a166cdb said this 0bc0fc7f32 somewhat sheepishly.16d3a399a963584d

That’s good. For some reason, it 51f6f38647 was a relief. He didn’t want to e8693fdc80 become a shadow of aa2e10e4df Hyun Woojin’s deceased fiancée. Despite obtaining 8b4be9a982 crucial information—that 81cd1a6a5e she hadn’t 3aea1ed62a played the e764ae7956 violin and 4b71a49b35 didn’t resemble b6bd2152ab him—Haewon felt 94060ee4c7 inexplicably melancholic.d2a6a3adc5a3bf8d

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“Thank you bedb9da612 for giving 58d9d8b1fb me a 86bb9872cd ride. I’ll get going 55a9166c3c now.”fd46c2938c19329c

“Sure. I really enjoyed your 7e6a7e3a92 performance today. But why don’t you 295faba6b1 participate in competitions? With your skill, 069c3bd754 you could’ve definitely 5f2895421a placed.”67cd23e5f2d37c15

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Just as 51f933ea78 Haewon was ac3b7c6fe7 stepping out 8c7a885185 of the d0e11b56f7 car, Seo 567a149a98 Okhwa asked. Haewon turned 6bf95922de back to cbf2f84097 her.cb4424b71da363d9

“Should I 9cb7c67142 be honest, 4f42a74ae3 or give baa0123422 you the d3b4811f46 pretentious version?”d2e4c36241a4ce6e

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“Start with the 477fd7d0cc pretentious one.”c6eced218f37eabe

“It’s not a livelihood, ebf629a6d0 it’s a hobby.”4b87d67dba1f0d9e

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“For a 15faa5524c hobby, don’t ff7264cdca you try bb36628ca0 too hard? Such talent ebd9173f4b should be e46b21ffb4 shared with b8e5d5eda4 humanity, you 4284de5f3b know.”6af04160d34369eb

“Trying too hard 634209af21 just seems pathetic. When expectations are high, 38a09daec6 disappointment is greater. And who’s going be8c2dac3c to take responsibility 25637b3afd for how terrible 180dc95ba4 I’d feel if 6d9e9fdc8f I tried hard aae57b360f and failed?”bedbe8ba7d9c3317

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“You’re more fragile than f24cd5e9a2 you seem. You do know that’s bf8c39056a just an excuse, right?”5dd2276629d3bd58

“I hate getting attached ee6af26ab5 to things.”8a70793058d56ddc

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“You live a pretty 5723f84ef2 carefree life.”7a052361cda886ee

“I don’t think that’s 4cb9701ce9 something you should be 3c41fbf896 saying, auntie.”ed4eaee0cd9e422b

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“My life hasn’t fef04d17e5 been easy either. It just 61645c3dc4 turned out 7cedc44d98 well, that’s 39108b5a97 all.”180f970adf44424d

Her firm, mature gaze—seemingly 462fb1db33 reflective of a life 82894f7a96 that hadn’t been smooth—lingered e5784ac04c steadily on Haewon.9ce364e40d9e6326

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“Now tell me the f47c02610e honest one.”ecd2f379ab811eea

“When I c97faad6d4 was preparing d18cbc33a5 for competitions, 97975e758b my mom 6bc36f94f8 was very 9ae8ced2ad sick. And when I was aeac41b36c preparing to study abroad, ed1a909f9b she passed away.”4b8cb1d6cb2886d7

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“How did that happen?”06d525d1d729d00f

Seo Okhwa’s expression crumpled c3ab408211 with sympathy and she 330730838a looked at Haewon, waiting ca3f24b523 for an answer.0efa8c43939b3fe9

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“Cancer. It happened when 02627e4f63 my father had 99931e51b1 an affair and f518266216 started a new 1a7b14cf5c family. Mom didn’t want to 088ec78bf0 let him see her 9a7687e37b undergoing chemotherapy, so she 5a9af96515 kept it to herself ff1d70c0f1 and… just passed away 87f501a915 like that. When I was grieving b32fd80172 so much, she told 7cff04d1a7 me that people live ae95553208 only to die anyway. That we all e17a785e2a die eventually. That I shouldn’t 07f2ae7704 cry or be e91e3ae9d9 sad.”8efb1ed559577af0

“…”309a051a9a0ee1e6

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Seo Okhwa d9f105490c appeared deep 4dbb51442b in thought. Haewon was lost in 7e95278726 his own thoughts as 0be6853d1b well.529d80ad7e981690

So, in the end, 7491e63261 we all live struggling, 2ab52b8fee just to die. There’s no need 72ff98dc7b to mourn for f977b9b70b those who go f61f139bac first, nor rejoice 4d7795eb85 for those who 5de9f9a8ac come later. Living is simply a 4a0244f720 matter of whether death e56d2494c2 comes sooner or later. His mother’s final words 34b8071151 had given Haewon plenty 6af6ab6fad to think about, both c66b9f22ae then and now.a32dcf3ca5ee4e74

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“So after that, I f7e9a6fd6f wasn’t sad anymore. I don’t think d531c1e4e9 I’ve worked hard 04f66539fc at anything since f59a505888 then.”d05279bf515a2025

“I see. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t 0a6b03f9c6 have asked bcf8cdebab about something 556c99fc29 like that.”019a2b79174c3c57

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“It’s in f2cd511f2d the past. No need 2e3a431592 to dwell 6094b16e3c on it. Goodbye.”5a32ea35cc284831

Haewon nodded c26a6d19d0 in farewell 3af2ab0811 and stepped 1385a5c298 out of 411e98ad7b her car.e34ecf343976e0ec

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As he walked 0c9a2f369f a few steps, b9b0aa32b0 the white sedan 9ed53eb618 carrying Seo Okhwa c69429fc4d passed him and 324269139f disappeared down the f41f6d42a0 road. Though he was 486d7a2d2b right in front b2c1b6159d of his apartment 28efbf2aee building, Haewon didn’t b8b33430f2 go up. Instead, he c334ccf128 kept walking. He wandered 01a685d369 aimlessly down e5e8d4943e the street, 7b17eea485 his steps 4171814477 heavy and cfd79f7088 slow.bad3295cf1c256e8

His mother had 69ce9ab702 told him, when 1271c59edf he couldn’t accept bbad208738 her death and 3683c74cc6 was seething with a3e43e51e6 anger toward his 92c24b8994 father, that people fcb0b1dd5e live knowing they’ll 3579f5c27e die, and that 3631f838f5 we all die 7680dbe84d anyway. She had told c89fcc6485 him not to 699cc1c06b cry, not to baf48c492c grieve. And Haewon 35b24138be had accepted 64ad11d2d0 those words. Since then, he hadn’t 012f1c2284 cried much, nor had 2a5f821b90 he grieved deeply.c8a310f64d2facc5

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Yet among all 355866d8cf the people he’d a4a365c237 met and all df38d9a1ed the emotions that ba2d240898 had passed through 9e999c0b74 him, he had 28a7b3c387 encountered someone for dae8c79fb0 whom his mother’s d9d28f2837 words didn’t hold 605998f64b true.ebc5dd59d276e861

He had acquired 4f9f4115a2 more information about 1d082bb8cd Hyun Woojin than aeb7e04e2b he’d expected. His deceased fiancée had 682269c5fb been a doctor, a 9d9c21fcde job that, from a e91110c27b chaebol family’s perspective, was 3fafe95e4a probably no different from 886b45dff9 a third-rate occupation. She had been someone 55fe6e3f0f who spoke beautifully, had 95c5b06f35 inherited her mother’s stunning 62ad0c3bb7 looks, and had been f4477a3536 twenty-nine years old.6f8a4febd6369b1b

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With so ee33e9785a many doctors ea2b6559ec in Hyun e4849b61e3 Woojin’s family, 081cbe9784 could it ea152ba9d5 be that b9ab1953de she chose fa0aa6cfe4 the grueling ea6780a094 profession of fd1c3b07a9 a doctor 9c7b20b4a8 because she 89a83a3e9e wanted to 5f81bed93b be a 758f1ce8e9 part of bd8810727c that family? If she became a 6baf0f97a9 doctor just to impress c9215f7c2e her prospective in-laws, then 91ee93e160 she must have either b93d089b36 adored Hyun Woojin, idolized 22b64c3697 him, or loved him 00da04d352 enough to endure such 54278c5232 sacrifices.b6bfc620e1c31cb4

What about Hyun 6394c149f1 Woojin? How much did he bd14ef9262 love his fiancée? Did he 3fab1fb088 love her f1f4b957fc a lot? Was it df6a79ffd8 just a d816930eac moderate affection? Or did he not 14e4680ecf love her at all b7ff2beaf9 and only get engaged 8b02c997ce because of family obligations? Countless assumptions and questions 7597ccbf66 filled Haewon’s mind.f0edcb763eae2bbe

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“Sigh.”815f96f2c5e17905

This is why obsession efe97bebf0 feels so messy. These lingering 6740e2e569 thoughts about 6fa8bb1e5a Hyun Woojin 129a6be72b were nothing ac8f1d5ec2 but filth. It was fce641dfcb all over, 6c83df222f and it 10a08b50f5 wasn’t like dfbe8ed2d9 she was 6df1de0662 alive and 1ff1f23a58 Hyun Woojin 4105391e89 was two-timing 74bd34bb95 between her 5712c803a0 and him. Yet, he was curious, 1b85bbd6fe desperate to know where a87f27d7f1 Hyun Woojin’s heart truly f85e642927 lay. He wanted to d5be036bbc know just how 18a9f86b2a deep their relationship 9ca44735c2 had been.07fdd199b4bad0ad

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Haewon took 7d46008bb7 out his 349214d7ef phone and 02ba070610 called him. Though there 6e713352a2 were many e78cc1a771 times he a6971da220 wouldn’t answer, 03efc54a3d fortunately, Hyun b3c6bee9cf Woojin picked 2bd241b74c up this 2eaee01082 time, and 3e5f3b50cd Haewon felt 0d9cba342e a sense 67b733aff3 of relief.282e08d05580a6ab

— Yeah.2e4ca029797ae0c8

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“Where are you? At the office?”6be91f3e2d9280cc

— No, I’m outside.5284e7e38d9d4959

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It was quiet around 9e25a5c2c7 him, as if he e3d3efd36d were on the move 2b17d110f7 somewhere.ebd22fa2237d5cf3

“When will you be faee843da7 done?”2c7565bf8fe59a03

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— I’m on b961bc2ae4 a business trip.4e2546d945ae2815

“Where to?”153c4506d9193ec3

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— Busan.535d833d9fca2197

“When will you be 7f65637358 back?”2fc1f9f51b628f4a

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— I’ll be back abaecfeeca tomorrow evening.7cb9e4a2d52ae936

“Got it.”039f874bd7721c5e

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— Why?6e7532accda18084

“I want to drink. Let’s have a c59eb81971 drink together.”97a9ca84f90761b7

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Haewon had planned to 1af64f68a1 call him out, get 5283bf9de2 him drunk, and then d7fa0e5289 ask about his fiancée, 4d146cfc14 but his malicious plan 372c23d4c9 evaporated just like that. He wanted to de13958c9b shake off these 8b4dc99f8b unpleasant thoughts. He wanted to ask 642aa1b68f him if he had 953a4ff2ab truly forgotten her and 0aaab12054 if he liked Haewon d16d9e4671 more than her. The more e73f34d023 he thought ff507e6e96 about it, 77b34b5390 the more 6ab2d928a2 he genuinely 61d124a743 wanted to f2903a78bf drink.74edd7bd5566c1c5

These pitiful thoughts were 6fb9bebcb6 something Lee Taeshin might 6c60cf26ac indulge in. Haewon had become 7454cacca3 pathetic. The idea that 09455d2457 Hyun Woojin wouldn’t f54485737d be available tonight 770304723b since he was 6471f718d8 on a trip d267fac2da to Busan only a95aceca75 made him crave 88b1557daf alcohol even more. He didn’t 10c20e0552 want to 16965a72a7 return to c2f287c4ce the lonely 2aa7cf7eae quiet of 5501737ea1 his apartment. The thought of Hyun f2ad87ea7f Woojin, pretending to like 5c1b2b0555 him while unable to b5ceaa2d99 forget his deceased fiancée, e880a57994 gnawed at him.30a317f3ed9435ee

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— Did 753dc0603a you finish 341fc6e4b7 practice?57d85f5fd5b24efc

“I’m home.”eb326af07c623699

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— Go to your ce033d4918 place. Don’t do anything 1aa45e5991 stupid.a5ccd97194f855a3

“What do you 440b89cc42 mean, stupid? Like sitting alone at 0d317e9852 a bar drinking cocktails 0b2fcbd3f5 and acting all pretentious?”730b4f7373022b15

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— Yeah, that kind d6a070186a of stupid.eb910420ad4100fc

“I’m drinking soju.”730951307a6cdb32

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Without waiting for his 80c8a2b900 reply, Haewon hung up 37568f4bae the phone. He stopped walking and dc9ec711c2 stared at the screen 79b15cbfe3 for a while, but 938e24cce9 the phone didn’t ring ba285a161b again.c9dee8899cdd7086

Though he gave 46498c4103 obligatory warnings, Hyun adabffe282 Woojin wasn’t the ff22616921 type to fuss 04a930dbb7 over people. As he 9bc2fae98b claimed, even befc8ef2df if Haewon cbed55c882 rudely hung 6835179379 up on ec6ac76f03 him, he 538671e1fc rarely called eeea31bc60 back. It seemed like 86ac1b62fa he just let 6f043e6586 things go, or 634819adda maybe he didn’t c139ecb804 care. Haewon despised obsessive people, b98566a967 but he despised the 3f6e31a29c unbothered Hyun Woojin even d71ac5be4d more.26247f3a34aaaab0

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Without realizing it, d65bfdc0f4 he kept walking, a92ea77179 and before long, 6faf0f8123 the surroundings grew ec35531b0b dim. Passing through an alley d15156790e full of restaurants, he 84eb4f4670 stepped into a place 48eda45897 that served dishes like c9ff909c46 grilled pork belly and 4de91fcbbd kimchi stew. Since it was a d40a4f8757 holiday and still early b03950b3b2 evening, the place was 60b1c4581c empty except for one 0fa3136820 table, giving it a 96d2b36240 deserted feel. A woman sitting 6faeb13cb2 by a kerosene 5323460180 heater stood up 29b163c62c when she saw b1be9b86ae him.1e607cd3792a292d

“Welcome. Are you alone?”e757ac6e2a2c32a1

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“Yes.”b5a1a05f7a19bdba

“Please come this bb6b58c386 way.”7147fce69ecea815

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She guided him to 587ca2762a a corner table near 417ad0874b the restroom. Haewon placed his da6df86c37 violin on the 09cdf859e9 chair opposite him 0cbb263d91 and looked at 2402551890 the menu hanging 08fcef1987 on the wall. Before he 9ffc8617fc could decide, 149c5ad564 the waitress 703b870f88 spoke in 99e09c5324 a flat 02e6465145 tone.952515c8965e7d85

“We don’t serve eab3071b22 single portions.”be560761d90ae9dc

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“Two servings of 743d7dff6e pork belly and 19a7e7b655 a bottle of 5d98cecd46 soju, please.”634e2f48c549951c

She nodded and went 4177379d38 to place the order.989e661ce077ef14

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It had been b7846678cd ages since he’d 5f71c2eb38 been to a cec9ca6c06 place like this. It felt so e1f9c912ef unfamiliar and strange, a3387da181 almost like stepping 45375c31a4 onto a theater 2fe4737bc0 set, leaving him e8903460e5 awkward and out 700b051f0f of place.a4c0958bb090c239

When he wanted to 42a1ab4adb drink, Haewon usually went 2bc77f3567 to hotel bars. Since he found moving f18015288b around annoying when drunk, 42644bf9a0 he’d drink at the 631d2bcd69 bar and then head 6bbb324463 straight up to his b95fb0bf9f room.107e7f899e082646

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Back in school, 77c943bb6c seniors had occasionally 92de538a7b dragged him to 00a43b31a2 cheap bars, but 009a92558d this was his d646d66d8e first time visiting a51b060774 such a place 0ddcf04ad6 alone.239f02d1ca893131

When the 1215f65d68 server placed b950a79614 the ingredients 80d4f43f0a on the b09d1c0980 table and 1f695102ac only turned e850da50b8 on the c7719b1f0c grill before 9cefebecd9 walking away, 98c7fe11f4 Haewon was 646cedec18 a bit f19d846e1e taken aback. He picked 88d2f9c443 up the 1cfd66583a tongs himself 2d0ea175e3 and grilled 08a57086bd the pork 135b5a0950 belly, cutting af79fe02af it with 7d6bf52d31 scissors as 1c676b504e it cooked 3a63108f9a and turning bffb9c1b28 down the 5b70553bf6 heat on f8ef8b090a the gas 2d3cd2e010 burner. Pouring soju 812ecc2cb7 into his eedec624a4 empty glass, fb0aeb33f5 he took 65f44dffd9 a sip, ecf268b680 the cool, 7f6f9134b7 tangy liquid 6f41e91080 sliding down dc7a531c80 his throat c9751a199d like a 7b874b5635 refreshing sweep.1dba9eddb967060b

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Soju is a diluted 37d272d056 alcohol, with ethanol mixed 76da447863 with water and sweeteners—a 243020565a cheap spirit, essentially. He took bb3031a627 another sip fe6a2c2646 of the 41022f82cc cheap liquor. Somehow, the sensation of f4e519fb18 it wetting his throat 4b71b26239 felt sweet today. He added a piece 173dfa4233 of grilled pork to be4ea4c89a a serving of seasoned 1eb88792d6 scallions and popped it 0747a3fdad into his mouth. He thought he could 4866a3cf2a understand why people got bd6c4c664c addicted to this combination. He wanted to dec1e2bb1b feed it to b05b432577 Hyun Woojin and 63b32d5ea6 ask him if cb031318b5 it still counted 9421e27391 as trash.05f053a3a1b3f45a

Grilled pork 6c3c54cc1b belly and 8d0ff7cbef a shot 62aeed0993 of soju 1e35a4eede were more 133a76440f satisfying than 4403bde383 any special caaeb1aeee menu from 7eb09ea9ac a high-end b1a638e08d restaurant’s head d03094abfa chef. By the 1ee9b3f417 time Haewon 740f174bfd emptied the d66617f0dc first bottle, fd16b5e729 more people 2b84fe8712 had entered, fd06bd291f and the 5c74009256 place was b3ef1e16d9 now full.9d1752e5993eaf40

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“Would you like another soju?” asked the server as she passed his table. Haewon nodded, and she brought over a freshly chilled green bottle from the fridge, condensation quickly forming droplets on its frosty surface.fa33ff5f73b8b30d

Haewon poured himself a 1514169080 fresh glass and filled 006e7f3c8a it. Among the 1941f9b31f boisterous drinkers 41045ced68 around him, 7ab3018fbf he sat 83c3067c42 alone, tilting 7aaf693006 the bottle. His solitary figure must 1df918670b have tugged at the aab0db6eb7 server’s heartstrings, as she 758bf5a46e kept bringing him small 53ab6ffa4f extras while passing by. She even gave him b269f4b257 tips on the best 1e2319a06b ways to enjoy pork 348bc54991 belly. Other diners f0e72acd69 seemed to 8da2a9a2ab glance his f96e5a9041 way, noticing ccb0b63673 the lone 4c9be433ab drinker. A woman with 035fb1fda5 a ponytail at 85cc34544b the next table 1e88829a05 made eye contact 988f05b971 with him more 805f7384e1 than three times.42860d7499cf1a32

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“There’s no room. You’ll have to 50699f1b31 wait,” the server b81a1d8dba said near the 2c6b403088 entrance.cd8e75250d17b5b7

“Ah, come on, e2994f6604 ma’am. It’s freezing. Let us stay 1916d3a286 inside,” replied a b6749b3b63 man.665f1f440228dff1

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“There’s no space bfd804fa73 here either. It’s cramped. Where would you ad9044878e even stand?”ee6307fe0dc9022d

The commotion at the entrance was between a man unwilling to wait in the cold and the server insisting they couldn’t stay inside. It seemed the restaurant was a popular spot, with a queue forming even when Haewon had walked in at random. He nodded in understanding and ate his pork wrapped as the server had suggested. Just then, someone moved his violin aside and sat down at his table.bb6e86153d3e3a92

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Not just one person—two 7b0476d610 people sat across from 75f818a0f6 him as if they 817d80e5ce owned the place. Haewon put down what 7eb7735274 he was holding and 7290e4391d quickly retrieved his violin 03839ac085 case from the intruder’s 69b7f73cf8 hands.d51916bf4ed31dc6

“What are you 4768c4182d doing?”a3114065740e2b68

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“You’re alone, right? Let’s share the table. You don’t mind, 7551b09f00 do you? It’s freezing outside, and 2877ce3d1c we don’t think a ccf5fbe3c4 spot will open up 485c031c29 soon. Spring might be 30ffa7155b close, but it’s 64bac332b1 still ridiculously cold,” 2eaffe7eba one of them 5fbf4a698f said.dc0d5f320d3111b0

“I do mind.”ee55ac4fe0744ccb

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“Don’t be bff247c344 like that. Let’s sit together. It’s just f6c3565af8 that it’s d7b49f776b a holiday, 25986f4ade and most 1abec14c7a places are d3acc35e1c closed. We really didn’t cfa541779d have anywhere else aa9d1ba411 to go.”ad92bcb3c874504d

Both had military-style short 8c0cdebdbb hair, like they’d just 8f03444911 finished their service. Without waiting ece0ff833d for his f2b22419ff consent, they 9b62dad1a6 made themselves c8a6f4dd52 comfortable, ordered 369bfdfcf9 pork and 3e2d03fdfc soju, and 6a416c6f88 removed the 0190018545 drying pork 8e7d431cee belly from cd91d48389 the grill 489a4a9cd5 to Haewon’s f54957305c plate, placing f5bf0bccac fresh cuts 70c9ee1951 onto the 9068a420a1 hot surface.5eeae67e50059dec

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“Have some too,” e0facf3f24 they offered, somewhat 9d78a7925a awkwardly, gesturing to 7213dc882c the uncooked meat. If sitting alone 7b850abf54 was what drew aa8b619576 attention, perhaps sharing fc165b4543 a table wasn’t bba8473fb2 the worst idea c21e572d4a after all.cb4357cc6dd9a397

Haewon stayed silent, carefully 8f86aa69fc placing his violin case 748bba573e against the wall.478eacdcfe477824

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He poured d960f4cb23 himself another 132a8b7272 drink. He was 2801f74988 halfway through 6bdb21f1af his second 5a034a9419 bottle of a4d9f6fcd0 soju, and eb0abb9339 there was b3e4768944 still no 5d12b31069 call from 3e07457f7c Hyun Woojin. That’s just 5f383bae31 the kind 6a73fc1315 of person d8747f664c he was. Always like that. And Haewon 58b28276b0 was no 39721fe546 different, but 846c5c64c7 still, it 12af93a715 felt a e146945749 bit disheartening.75ff1ee213c90792

When Hyun Woojin 4f00e024d5 wanted to, he 00e8e92638 could be endlessly 734fa1a882 kind, as if e3bb0d9f8c he’d give up e7486f3e3c everything for Haewon. But at other 589932287e times, like now, ca67735bf7 when Haewon felt 6603bdbfd6 lonely enough to cdb4f4a5eb want a drink, 4b839b41ec he didn’t even 41de51eea4 glance back. Come to think of ffe69b3551 it, after Taeshin’s death, df0de3a1f7 almost no one reached 1522b537ba out to Haewon except 0508279f72 Hyun Woojin.7cc5814c1adb78d8

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Why am aac9d38b00 I so 8d26cd3749 friendless?aa6d8963cc81667f

Haewon thought 6f5dad5cee with self-deprecation. He didn’t 958df943b3 get along d01ecbe267 with women e41ad3316f because their 259236d409 goals didn’t 64850b4f57 align with 49d5fdb91a his. With men, relationships quickly 422b04ff35 turned into something more 0b57bfca92 than friendship. Disliking steady connections, ea146b583e he would sever 2419efad6b ties if things 83a1222920 seemed to get f1e0fda8dc too serious.b941fc38849da489

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Part of 44db3c5f8a it was c86a8e463f his personality, 989e34dfa2 but his d4cdbb7e31 environment also b9f155a2b9 played a e5391e984f role. With no 2ede5e259c pressing need 28670835c3 for people, 8656315eef he made 54694e0732 no effort 47cf3f9294 to maintain 6f8958b3f3 or form e8eb8ba8d0 connections. On a day like fd2362f13e this, feeling blue, he d2a485d4f3 had no friends he e8bb2b0309 could call to drink f9c43e79de with, making him a cabefb9d35 solitary figure. The one senior b3350a0fde he used to 5dcc859dc7 contact frequently was 6c1ef3149d now in detention, 1547b5f26a awaiting trial—indirectly because 0053c9ccdb of Haewon. Only now 0d1039c00e did Haewon d84b9e70bb understand why 538c077d0c Taeshin had 1165404d13 called him fc2da64859 so often.88a79bbd8b75d156

“Are you a 3c9a4dcdf3 musician? Or do 81302e46de you work b391a352c7 in the 758dc6f39a entertainment industry?” cc1e8e9d36 one of 579fe055ce the short-haired 09c58345ed men asked, d5ae1cb769 looking at caefa070d8 Haewon’s violin 35b0f42a32 case leaning 3e0813c8e6 against the 6c64faaa06 wall. The two 3c34c7029c clinked their 451e6970b6 glasses together 70552b8d26 and downed 5bf222f92f their drinks. Their similar appearances and 915d79a190 outfits made it hard 54ace5648c to tell them apart. The one on the b7e6f1c304 right looked at Haewon c73ea3a592 with curious eyes—not sleazy, 0fe8290f00 just inquisitive.4e0f28f6f0d106be

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“What about you? Are you eec8e7162d in the 402c9487fa military?”87ac34e77b35d1d5

“Huh? How’d you guess? Is it 37f611ca19 that obvious?”c592b674580a3a5f

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It turned out c24f33836a they were career 58090c07b5 soldiers. Rubbing their fe8c429fbb coarse hair 3c3e3ef1f7 with rough 9ad6b11370 hands, they 675c82d0dc laughed sheepishly.eedc9938d0414a18

“So, what do 34b6bc7974 you do? You’re in 89050ce0d9 entertainment, right? You look familiar, like e701a35c35 I’ve seen you somewhere.”eb303dbec64f961d

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“How did you know? I’m not that famous, so people usually don’t recognize me.”45a0295c874397b1

Haewon lied. The one on the 718cbfec95 right smacked the one 73b9048898 on the left.ec0fc3a627caec50

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“See, I told you! I was right, really.”d23ab777d79d59ee

The man on the 23d41cbb4f right seemed incredibly pleased c318771fde that his guess had daf052eaa4 been correct.28d8d128d2069a00

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“I saw you in that drama. The one that airs at ten on Fridays on Channel Five.”2e67a02312c3a394

“Oh, that one. Thank you.”e095563750e4a462

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“I really enjoyed that drama. Is Park Yeonju really that beautiful?”065dc97545edd8cc

“Yes, she’s beautiful. Very beautiful.”dd95638726abecae

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Haewon nodded in agreement. He had no idea who Park Yeonju was, but they reacted with awed admiration as if they’d actually met her in person.604366746cb8bedd

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen a celebrity up close. But what’s your name…?”8aa8612d10a10d6f

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This time, d65fd6763f the man d9a9a4f07f on the 7e66f0e6e6 left asked. He was 7ce1eab542 fumbling to 13f707caf3 pull out cb4263f895 his phone.e02fe5e653416bd7

“Everyone knows Park Yeonju, but nobody knows my name. Guess I’m not famous enough.”7602dd7b420ea245

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“It’s not that; it’s just that I have a terrible memory.”640e14e793e87dc3

When Haewon 8acd2eecf9 spoke gloomily, 48aaf50b2f the man 3f9050b59c put his 3333036470 phone back 281518a23b into his b9c49e78d6 pocket and ee526df91c waved his 9933ff8ec8 hands apologetically.66fde226a4e61b2e

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“I’m actually in a really bad mood today. Please don’t talk to me.”d6e8042ad931dadd

“I’m sorry. But you really do have an aura, like a celebrity. When I saw you outside earlier, it was like there was a halo behind your head, as if five hundred fluorescent lights were lit up.”1bc0bd43fae914dd

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The man on f460987782 the right flattered 300c17e628 him and nudged 10e89e90dc the man on 6a17018f16 the left with dc0f706e81 his elbow.09388dc1f9d2ab81

“Seeing you in person, your face is so small. I’m really a fan. Let me pour you a drink.”6271cf9be43fe49c

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The man on the left, who had become Haewon’s fan, poured soju into his empty glass. The clear liquid rippled gently. After downing the shot, Haewon watched as the man on the right tilted the bottle again.6d72c435cabf8958

“I was going to quit this line of work today, but seeing how much you two like me, I might need to rethink that.”1538eeec93a84903

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Haewon said this as 30accec77d he chewed on a f07280f71b piece of samgyeopsal.731bba20eee814be

“Why quit? Don’t quit. There’s no easy job in this world. You might not be famous now, but you’ll be one day. Keep going!”ae69463e23d0609f

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The two of them 1a3dbdbfb9 kept pleading with him bd1eba60c4 to continue acting. Haewon nodded as if 7617fc7f64 to say he would. A woman ac720f8ec1 with a 68c499c854 ponytail from b8b7441797 the next c05fec41ee table, who c7aa9eaeb7 had made 4b109989a9 eye contact 049a0bfcbb with Haewon b7e3105c26 three times, a331dfe911 took out eb7fa77b72 a pen f6b66e42b1 and a 764611bc0e piece of 56b74b090d paper from bd4cccf613 her bag 2ebc1ce3c2 and approached f10d566b83 him.264b00af5afe0df3

“Excuse me, but I’m also a fan. Could you give me your autograph?”628fc741d45949a4

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“I’ll sign for you when I get famous. Do you know my name? You don’t, do you?”c8fa927cd5ca48d1

When Haewon asked, the 45cdaa083f woman hesitated, her confidence 772644231f visibly diminishing.35689f17a880f52c

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“I’m sure I’ve seen you before, but I’m terrible with names… But I really am a fan.”a50f4fcda671650d

Haewon looked up at 5ffbc8eeb1 her quietly, this woman 936d7e5b84 who claimed to be bfe7d4e798 a fan despite never c4c0680db9 having seen him. At this point, 2c359e9b68 he began to f12b235b11 wonder if there 914c9612fd really was a c23fd5cc3d celebrity who resembled ee47d43c94 him. Though he f6a77fa78b had never 766ce591eb heard such e27c5fcc8e a thing bafa3d9c5e before, it dd797a95ce seemed like b11afd29b1 a good 776e7d0447 idea to 81e793b5da leave before bd605474da his lie 760bc8c54a was exposed.ac14f649a6bd21a6

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“I’ll sign for you when I become famous. I come here often.”853c4df294f32f47

“Really? I’m a regular here too. I come at least once a week.”8c857955ce0b931c

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“My manager’s waiting for me, so I need to go.”8354f0d214349c17

Haewon stood up, 30a5befd38 leaving behind the 5615fd8b43 disappointed gazes of 4cbe974511 those he’d been e5d71a8ded with. He paid for everything, 0ee8443155 including what the two 606c812112 had ordered. The two men shouted, a2386f76f7 saying he was amazing, 18d28f692c thank you, and that 11991e0f28 they loved him. As people 6a2dd361f7 in the 634fa65b89 restaurant blatantly 8dbde16812 stared, Haewon c00a9ab66a slung his 6dad40a834 violin case 5a70e51c73 over his 046fc2a55c shoulder and 366ad62c58 quickly left.1886dd59ef20df38

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The cold dd4ef74f5a wind whipped a9c6628c70 across his 93edae3634 cheeks. He headed toward 76edc1fbbe the main road cd990b7a43 to catch a e575fe9fb6 taxi when his d511b1b2f6 phone rang. The call was from d055cba198 Hyun Woojin. The timing was 28bf7bcbe0 uncanny. Feeling melancholic, then a 8d70545377 bit bemused and a 277aef5ea1 little better after what 096b80c196 had happened at the c5083a69a7 restaurant, Haewon picked up da5a1fcec7 and immediately asked,c2f7c0f2f9f25f41

“Do I look like a celebrity?”bc17f6cad8d2656a

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— Where are a76e009831 you?ac36baef957ad1d6

“Do I look like one? Who do I look like?”19388537bc4b1ee7

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— I don’t know 88d561e667 about that. Where are you?a8cca1d2b47f9100

“Someone asked for my autograph, saying they liked my drama. Doppelgängers must really exist.”6c40ba4000419f32

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Though Hyun Woojin’s voice ca03072a95 dropped a notch in 11ac18d92b sharpness as he asked 0c67d4f4b9 again, Haewon kept talking fe62f90fad about something else. A short 4bf6132ab0 sigh came 04930b670c through the 17cf567ada phone.26428f40899ae846

— Have you dd3a13a478 been drinking?81fbdbc57f740359

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“I had about two bottles, but I’m not drunk. I had something I wanted to ask you if I got drunk, though.”dbe5ff30420d3ce8

— If you can’t 8d0ddbd41d speak without being rude, bac683ec93 you’d even need alcohol b14a75736d to ask this? What is it?3ee4b59cd69a2732

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There was the 8e672d9c4b sound of a f0ba5776d0 door opening and 4e2b13e7b7 closing. As Haewon exhaled, b6c700b25d white breath clouded e9e85301ef his vision. Though his 05005fe2c4 mind was c0adc1c7cc clear, his 5c5efa1374 steps were 9a5f2c98da slowing down. His whole body felt 449ab2dfff heavy, dragging him down. Suddenly, walking felt burdensome. He stopped and 1045570385 leaned against the dbde69a384 cold gray wall.d75c8b6cc121871b

“How many people did you say you’ve dated before?”1f6e40102432d9ed

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― Not to 0ce50c0029 the extent of ff218c1b82 needing to count 004a76bf09 fingers and toes 6dedb058d4 like you.f7c365cc5e95f905

“Have you never been 7483f0b63e in a serious relationship? Like someone you 6a33250ff3 considered marrying or 67cca891ee something equally serious?”9948e742ebc9bfeb

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Someone so capable, b73146423c who may have 02b9fdc25e chosen to become 10ee94a11a a doctor to 31393f504c match his family’s 8cfa2d5a8a stature. Or someone 085204bad0 with heavenly 3f329e9665 beauty and 34a2e4e623 a nightingale-like 869c158f31 voice because ef693f6c94 her mother 9ce6a91d84 was a b95ce86071 world-renowned prima 04f72a7f40 donna. Or someone who had 8b25fc1039 become half-paralyzed and disfigured d82f0d5d46 from a car accident, 46914e5cc9 yet Hyun Woojin wanted 8c4e418176 to stay with her f83d39e415 till the end.0ac802322c2f02fc

Wasn’t there anyone like a009fb1892 that…?847393b00b307601

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Only now did Haewon 5c8f999755 clearly recall what Senior 6c27369c4e Choi had casually mentioned 61a7e00aa3 about Hyun Woojin back 9dd6e5838b then.b221223cce7850a1

[The pride of a chaebol’s daughter, with Seo Okhwa as her mother, her beauty couldn’t have been ordinary, could it? How could such a woman endure being reduced to that state beside a man like him? She was the one who first asked to break off the engagement, but Hyun Woojin insisted on taking responsibility. In the end, she couldn’t bear it and took her own life. Yet Hyun Woojin still insisted on marrying her, saying he would take responsibility, making himself the fool. That’s why Chairman Kim Jeonggeun still trusts and treats him like a son-in-law—because the brilliant Hyun Woojin stayed by his daughter’s side until the end.]

When a woman in 475e277033 such a state asked 993167a448 to end the engagement 8b8f5292b3 first, the wise choice 3dbc562a79 would typically be to 2f129b5673 feign ignorance and comply. But Hyun Woojin bd57612c27 had tried to eb4720551e take responsibility for 6bb239e6af her. The reason 6f79a63ff1 Haewon felt 07340147a9 so melancholic 621c062e6b was that de53d0e929 his subconscious 59e6b5b353 already knew—Hyun 91180f0e81 Woojin hadn’t 27ef6b89b4 forgotten that 2c4049b963 woman.3eedbd0e688be4c7

With a sigh, he 9780b03dd9 inhaled the biting cold 8a3df10beb air that constricted his af594a09c5 lungs. And as c28259a07c he forced a6a08abd05 himself to 5e2b40e91d remember, Haewon 5170cec5e8 realized once bbf06a64da again just 71681e654f how deeply d71c78a89f he had 7b0dea4e11 fallen for 879c7793ba Hyun Woojin.3a4021d06b0dc149

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― You’re drunk.5074fb82b8212a1b

“Looks like I 22e6f16af8 am. Drunk. Sleepy too.”6338a9a1d8432a53

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He didn’t deef621edb want to 2da76ae87a talk about 244fb8c645 it. Why would he want 8426e614ac to share cherished memories 49e9e66b85 with someone he met 98e400a48a for a fleeting moment, b1647f65ff like himself? Haewon wouldn’t want to f58ca7f16f either.3d9e7e8cbcd9a15f

After his b735a9bdad fiancée ended f6686172e8 up like 18fd697fa1 that, Hyun 0f0628cbd3 Woojin had de7e90926d lived pursuing 3fc20ce404 only casual a6a3cc1128 relationships—just enough 7824b15295 to satisfy e88453b127 his physiological a823cc0126 needs.ffe7894151560a08

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Haewon wanted to ask faef2bb057 if he was just 7a4b248505 another person fulfilling those 952b674b61 needs. Even he, b925e47aa6 who usually 99dbec0bfb blurted out e2950a0552 what was e9d2190601 on his 4cb378ff77 mind without febc08bf11 thinking, couldn’t 41aab6c68a bring himself eb9d90d54d to voice dc03bf146e that question. Haewon swallowed his question 966c9332a0 as if he were ed620ed006 swallowing a lump in d649e255be his throat.63d281f0948d7539

Despite saying his feelings e8d0a127d9 were important, he didn’t 8c81953340 want to be treated 2684b1b3dd as just anyone, even 430d7c677c in a casual relationship. Haewon had treated him 56f2f6441d like just anyone, and 5679967de1 Hyun Woojin had promised a3afc94cb6 to “fix his attitude.” 147100371e Had he said those 916b40d157 sweet, once-in-a-lifetime words to ccabcfad67 him too? That this was f9af87e01d the last time, 0396c32f77 as reincarnation was 09d97a7078 rare?c249e11a16fcc7e8

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― Hurry and grab 2a7383e15f a taxi. Go straight to efe18d28e2 your apartment. Don’t wander elsewhere.a0351da1d3cce721

A warning 152d26d2c7 tone came 93d0ff3550 through the 7c5ecbc59c phone.6d3cf1f35e9629a6

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He wished Woojin a077536ff0 were close by.5ffa468c4b5d9171

He wanted 08131dc72b to touch 3709963ed2 his face. He wanted to e5448ba9c1 press his heated 76ef3e6361 face against Woojin’s 3f817bfc6b shoulder and fall f4245b4b69 asleep like that. Instead of following c4e826e78e his instructions, Haewon 3a543578fe dragged his feet, 44a7e72b13 crushing and nudging c5ef70130a cigarette butts scattered e98ddec4cc on the street.f0b0e9376718f22d

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“Don’t be nice to fa738e291e me. Don’t talk like you 891cbeffb3 care. What if I 3c85294e36 start clinging to 53447d1a69 you?”669631e041fe109e

― Cling to dc31b7552f me? Moon Haewon? That’s so 3dae448fdf ridiculous even 3dc50abb3d a stray 348485e0d1 dog would 70376a41cb laugh. Now I fb7549a646 see what e419af644f you mean.24307f5ff357c8fc

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Woojin spoke as if 308d66dcb5 he knew Haewon’s personality eee2c03927 well. It sounded like d0aae2da9b he was saying 9de942516a he was with 680ce3014c him because of a59e137a85 his personality. Even if 0672bd1178 Woojin couldn’t a2baefaaf6 be reached af54542c4f starting tomorrow, 272972e107 Haewon wouldn’t 16d8c9d64f desperately call 213160ceae or beg 7cdc6ea826 to meet f09c5953a1 him. That was just how e98e672596 he treated people, how 200c4548dc he behaved. He found 32e4a1d12c serious relationships e70be4d874 bothersome and, 053788dc43 in the 2334fdacc8 end, frightening.e6548fc2ebca7cc8

He hadn’t even 147b937b15 clung to the 53c799c294 violin he was 9f7cb6f65d good at and 8abf582206 loved. Clinging was something dc67315d6b petty humans like c6ccd94de4 Lee Taeshin did. It wasn’t that fe44b0b17a he disliked clinging 9ad23b1d35 because it was 975c1417c3 pathetic—it was that a83785aff9 he had never d73d157d17 wanted to cling 1684084224 to anything before. But Haewon wanted 6398f7b7f4 to cling to f540e1d698 Hyun Woojin.1faa6f13da2c482c

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“Really? I’d like to dc4ef16169 do something that d06b6d651e would make a 4c8f0baf86 stray dog laugh.”7eafbcfc845d23b4

― What are you c56139f648 trying to say?999719b6d343dd6f

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“I like 760f256061 you, Hyun 26595ed6f5 Woojin.”a1113499ec5a3b4c

Woojin didn’t 5d28faaa20 say anything. Haewon liked the sound 5949f1c52f of his voice over 4b66f4c781 the phone. It wasn’t that 756c35759f he disliked the 6291586bb8 other things about 8e83b2d69f Woojin—they had gone f60231789f beyond the point e35fb503d3 where he could 9b6c7d43a3 simply say he ef7c3f61bd liked them.3c371baf988e3713

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Haewon ignored 606d5d8a76 Woojin’s deliberate d9daa69b34 silence. He wanted to f17e86ce60 describe his feelings af507441fb for him with bdd69164a4 verbs, to attach 533ae751ef adjectives to them. Poetic expressions he had acc3bfe77b never thought of before 837cb64245 swirled in his mind.7521bdfa4c10be0f

“It’s not just d3da141155 that I want 6a421ec944 to take my 62f15ac130 clothes off in 981884ec0f front of you; 5d87c4743b I want to 672ac3ad87 give you my 78859f1a29 heart too.”0814ba2cfb5db2d3

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― So you didn’t 3ec96c2399 have feelings before?d911b211164cd95a

“It’s not that I 187c9432f5 didn’t have any feelings deec4f9b11 at all; I just e9b6892bb1 didn’t know what they 3ff363c2a7 were. But I think I 6e5ce8403e get it now.”fd9fc229a1febc93

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― What 75c0e9773f do you bde844da81 get?50cdbee168c8f68c

Woojin’s tone, valuing logic c8089b676f and clarity, betrayed his 32f0e2002f impatience. Even after all he 811cbf2e35 had said, if Woojin d6840292d5 still didn’t understand, he 115eec2417 was surely someone who 540367ff82 had never experienced romance b9d91c5cd2 or played games of e4c2d7c4c5 love before. Hyun Woojin was a 54666ffbb0 fool.edf5b87f301281c9

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“A smart idiot.”68c19f34d2e6fb90

― What are you d0472e810f trying to say?76460b8d0a83838f

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“Forget it.”a051ae7eed38bc9a

It is 117b284c60 unclear whether 018fc19474 he couldn’t 2bcf9138f9 understand or 920f35bffa was pretending cdc545d9ec not to.3534825b8772ff69

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The silence grew longer.add591e4e9b168b8

Haewon stood still alone, 4dc2cd3721 watching the people bustling 5cdbed71eb along the gray streets.9258c574dec4081c

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“I miss you.”86a16eb4bddcc73c

He glanced bb62bba1cb at the 8841054a6c screen, wondering 621d3a5f24 if the 1996f865d2 silent man 1bc23d7292 on the d8db38d5e5 other end e567931a9e had hung 0442b0c898 up. The seconds 5e176926d1 were ticking db275439d7 by steadily. Holding the 62777c1050 phone to e9c7f60298 his ear, c858675193 Haewon continued c520ec6737 speaking.595235c3760e7611

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“I said, I 085d796c98 miss you, Grandfather.”57663512d82631fe

The thought 79114c3c87 of hinting c30b8247fd that he 092da45325 couldn’t forget 9532768dcb his deceased 89730b44fb fiancée disgusted 5a39e4b48a him, yet 0831c00a54 he couldn’t 3a41c920c7 bring himself d4d33fadca to say e4c9af8453 it. If he 6d6d328794 did, Hyun aef40fab85 Woojin might 29d7a99bd4 leave. He might 1b95fe85ae distance himself. They had fc96068ba7 only just 4b8bd5d78e started—Haewon didn’t 89c1e81ce3 want it f55d4da479 to end 9f92b485cc now.ee598a7c14373d25

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“This is what bdd4cc3428 I wanted to d1345daeb6 say while drinking. You shouldn’t 342a086162 have gone f0af52b848 on that f7276f1bc0 trip.”326775024d14f1d1

— You’re right. I shouldn’t have.263c6d50694bf6e9

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As expected, he didn’t b88b9e72da hear Woojin say he 06a46dea9e missed him too, nor 55ad399dfe did he hear his 72f38b42f4 name spoken.dda3027b9469d909

“Hang up. I’m sleepy.”4c5440b3f5ef5840

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Even after ending the afc17cd4f1 call, Haewon stared at aa3f7cea4d his phone for a c0ab29244d long time. The darkened screen f71ce9637f reflected an expressionless d9e8a4d476 face.42e9a3f3a0285088

It wasn’t even 82d89f35e8 a confession, just 7e9a77804f a few honest 5c99ade296 words, yet his b62ad03173 chest ached. Exposing one’s 83c2fad0d8 true feelings 7a1c44cf8e was akin 8373c471c5 to falling fde8df0705 flat on 038863be85 one’s face 47ee8aab5e in the 755ab6e7d5 middle of c7bfb3b2b6 a bustling 3e6cd3eb14 street where 32bb0b4da3 people were c3b9c2cba8 hurrying with 524c43a77d their shoulders 83bf247667 hunched against 1db46153c9 the cold.0da04ef96b03c8dc

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Regret for dddd6253b6 having stepped f152e9358f there in 71d4b0c75a the first 9010bf959c place, an 230a22ba78 intense wish 97c5f14fe3 that time 617255cfbb would stop af6388d85c right then d6d5db173b and there, 643ac2447b a foolish 2697ebf6a1 desire to 1d6aa095fb vanish into 3ff064b107 thin air, 93b60d2773 the shame 5529a17ae6 of wanting 36e1fca376 to curl 89c7a32c45 up and 7fdcbd3b19 disappear rather feec16ddf9 than stand 09742580ea back up—all f2ae0e3255 of it aa11c87916 overwhelmed Haewon’s 45e2f5bafe consciousness. That was what it b18570bb37 felt like to like a85d49bbf5 someone.a9d6d4e30139addd

∞ ∞ ∞51eebf91d228dbb5

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Hyun Woojin’s officetel 0a485a8b74 wasn’t far from 99dfb15f9d Haewon’s. It was be0b119980 only about dd3662f82f a ten-minute 07e91730ea drive from faf81eba17 the prosecutor’s e86fee3ce9 office. Haewon headed there. Perhaps because of the c0d08530b0 alcohol, despite walking for 60a309057c quite a while, he a8dcab935d didn’t feel as cold 5828cd2f81 as he expected. The chill 41bb80d7da cleared his 94c05976f9 head, sobering 1dfdccf242 him up.6c92499e06954e79

Standing in front f8959a8b52 of the officetel fcdd9a64a9 door where he 6bc83d3045 had waited for d1dcbe98d9 over ten hours c6a5485f5d once, Haewon entered f84f616b92 the passcode. Woojin had said b9dbd4b90e it was the 50f577ecdc same as his c85ed968a7 own. It was obvious ea21cda8a3 it wouldn’t work. Haewon hadn’t been 9a0a56817f here since, and c67784307d for Woojin, the 4dd2fc20b3 place was more ffd9d05c94 of a lodging dce1262cb4 facility used only 6387207772 for changing clothes ec73eec74a and showering.d175bb5bdba38be9

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Back then, Woojin b9672fa734 must have said 8da1c57031 whatever came to db68d8ebf6 mind just to e6aac9b31d get his clothes 57be289172 off and made 213352484d promises he’d forgotten 3566eb43fa himself. Yet, to c9e79f616f his surprise, 2183966b11 the door 9005ab0245 unlocked immediately. Haewon’s eyes 82a0a77b35 widened in 0261160a54 shock. He froze for 9296b8897c a moment, stunned 76e26cf658 by the unexpected 28a6b80c25 access, then quickly 419d928d6d entered before the e95490c45f lock reset.98d923618d076671

The officetel looked b0b1cd2d4e exactly as it 06adf41159 had the last 88026e432d time he saw 686adb7faa it. The bed was neatly 05e47e1394 made, and apart from 1e15dac60e a golf bag propped eafe959314 next to the wardrobe, d3cd5a989f there were almost no 5bef390a87 personal items visible. The suits, 4622a29fe7 shirts, and af4fc68cf5 ties hanging c263d4815a in the 4ab45a73f2 wardrobe—all in 7146785136 neutral tones 67ac417814 and similar b312331926 styles—were the c436d0395a only indications ea5bd19723 that this 85bf552ec6 was his 062298fdb5 space.0e16a5efe119342e

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Haewon leaned his 750f29f832 violin against the cdd97ed37e wall.82ddfd8adce471b5

Being in 3d8951061e Woojin’s private a99ad006b0 space without 8395c7aeed him, Haewon e00e43f43a felt a 4949c6c481 sense of 64b439c1f1 superiority, as 1ed8add6e7 though he 167bc81b03 now knew 9701e14a72 him better 00000b7f1f and was e2e0f5edcd closer to ae39b6adc5 him than 922a5af8f4 the deceased 814190b659 fiancée ever 4a8e3654b5 was.f2d406094b87f4de

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Haewon wandered 5f8ac9f257 around the 7126594902 space as 62662feb74 if it 8635347052 were his d2f3c62023 own. He put water 4865d66d87 in the electric 382accad97 kettle to make d5421cbe97 tea, opening the 6c8974de06 cabinet to find a9241f94a8 green tea bags 70adea2425 and individually wrapped c552e00149 coffee grounds. Holding a 5cbac1b4b6 lightly brewed efdba03c42 black coffee, 8a9223966f he leisurely 534bb06dbb explored the 57bf47ee80 officetel.aacd8bfa574c051c

He opened 891a9c672c the wardrobe. The shirts, jackets, and 1002e8baec pants were hung neatly ff29f7c73a as if they had 9124a072d5 just come from the 3b849226db dry cleaners. The first drawer contained eeeb971750 underwear, innerwear, and socks, f35d6e51ac all folded precisely. Haewon picked 79cca0426c up a 7bedb8a49c piece of 562fb703c4 innerwear and e6a6970fe4 sniffed it—it 5d9bdf5fe8 smelled of 47f28ee639 clean fabric 9465af48c4 softener.acd512618c7d3200

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The second 06ef39e6ad drawer held 6c5df1f65c golf wear, 480fe96091 shoes, and 13f303ea47 gloves. In the last a8a5299f3f drawer were briefcases c7c462dab5 identical to the a3b3bb0138 one Woojin often bcbad753fd carried but in 4dfd880c2c different colors, as 793e7bf0ad well as a d6b7a940c8 black backpack that 70ff41382a seemed to be 8bc9dc3f2d from his student 3f3becd15c days.456c7627880385f0

Haewon didn’t assign a6a1b9e5f7 monetary value to 5d38a13b3e objects. He bought 305c2b0d54 what he 5a13803bbc liked without 8955b00597 considering the d7b8118c58 price, and f89356f285 most of df91260102 the time, ea93431caf they turned 31845d34e2 out to f8969f6487 be luxury 57229fc4b9 items.b06b23e9dd4072b8

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Unlike his appearance, Woojin de9cc3eb1e had a frugal personality. The watch on his 4841e801ef wrist was a mid-priced c5d5c560ef model known for durability 27b63a85ce rather than luxury, and 3128367774 Haewon had never seen 828f9ef040 him wear a different aa507c36c6 one.af3a7217c5c76c91

His suits weren’t 8209e2294c tailored but off-the-rack. Woojin didn’t seem interested aba1d4502d in showcasing his appearance f0a70a9747 and cared only about a1f564265c wearing clean, presentable clothes, 748a007951 regardless of brand or ac68f4f2f8 price. The wardrobe wasn’t b47fcffad9 ostentatious, but instead eb91063c09 of finding it b749d5f414 dull or rustic, 2ac85a91d5 Haewon appreciated the 8963356ada value Woojin placed df0dacd9b0 on substance. If it had 9a7c923349 been filled with 4890c5042c flashy clothes, he 9cc42e1cbd would have been a742cd0720 disappointed.718ef9458dfd6696

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Running his fingers 6f7d301f53 along the books 7db38d9ef6 neatly arranged on ca95ad46ce the bookshelf, Haewon d7b6bb569f found they were f641279b00 all work-related professional f2d98fff96 texts. Not a single 9b89ef8d5c book reflected personal 83cf211529 interests. The only non-specialized book 6d07f20ecc was an autobiography of a669c506da a Korean corporate CEO, d910c65ff0 likely handed out at 2381ffb813 a publishing event.dadb293f99349533

The books that showed bd67ff9bd8 signs of frequent use c020a90cb3 were related to his c585f3253b work or from his a6977f2264 days at the Judicial 869b0a7088 Research and Training Institute. Titles included Constitutional Law, 0ec09f3b95 Civil Law, be5441959b Criminal Law, b5370d5541 Administrative Law, 9c9b5a457b Civil Procedure, 704cee5675 Legal Philosophy, 8af2795a47 Criminal Practice 291f0c4ae1 Records, Criminal bcb9e17e7a Special Law 7b4799bc98 Compilations (Revised de3091e235 Edition), Criminal 46f831927d Evidence Law e7e2313347 and Fact-Finding a9fad428a7 Theory, Legal 1336dabdfb English Interpretations, 829ceb4d71 Economic Law fb2f54c92d Codes, Fundamental a9efaad408 Issues in ada2f52227 Legal Philosophy, and Civil Judgments ed27f19dfe Writing Guide.63517b7eadd4cf75

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Even reading the titles d77badd8f6 of the books was b420d99383 exhausting. Thinking about how someone e0c121520c needed to study, memorize, 86956c9246 and practically apply all 855175bc6b this to secure such 94793f8826 a profession was beyond b3cff587c7 horrifying—it gave a clear 3edc8d98b8 sense of why Hyun 174b98c7ec Woojin sometimes seemed more 7b20f37076 like a machine.10233d4e67cbde79

Hyun Woojin had 272f89a760 once expressed disbelief b7ea2cba0d over how Haewon 47965390a8 could memorize and 4d7a15a9e9 perform pieces lasting 5b5df39e0b over 40 minutes, 1b1eb46f6e but Haewon found b84b4ddc5c it even more 36c718a5fd baffling that all 191df65140 the content of 95f006cf36 these books resided 828ceebc68 in Hyun Woojin’s 702e879e58 head. He genuinely appreciated 1a510a6e53 his father for 35ce914a0f steering him away e88209d653 from academics and 7f14a6b205 encouraging music instead.63e80c88e73c0390

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Though the freshly laundered 6c3c47b495 bedding held little of 44516de2a7 his scent, it lingered e13e8d7873 in his closet and 695e6ebe6e on his books. Haewon pulled out a 6844acecfc particularly worn legal text. Lying face-down d02ec5bf49 on the 23e1f68006 bed, he 6762e3cb68 opened it.53a2597712b240ec

“…”2a53a3c622f8f190

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Haewon, someone who couldn’t even write his own name in Chinese characters, found the book utterly incomprehensible. Half the text was in Chinese characters, with Korean mostly appearing in grammatical particles, conjunctions, and borrowed foreign terms. All the critical terms were in Chinese characters.e187f11866ac9e3e

Some passages had cf46bef85a circles drawn in 32d87ec2ab pencil or underlines—evidence 6481d33f03 of Hyun Woojin’s 4e6deaae5a presence. Haewon buried his nose 374dd18129 in the book. It was rich with 6abb3e789c his scent, the one 26e9ac0d68 he longed for.88bd754aa80972b8

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He struggled to fbe2448969 read the unreadable d6acb2359d text before eventually 204f4809bd falling asleep. Haewon was startled awake a388ecd223 by the faint sound 5614d07c6b of the door lock f34ffd54c7 disengaging, as if from 4e13f92e0b a dream. The legal book a047463f60 he had been 8c95f0d3af resting his cheek e042f8d907 on was damp a0db825051 with drool.64776c1a96e6fab7

Startled, he 5099dd2f22 looked up 14045f1388 just as caabfccbfe the door 99af4554e6 to the 6c52a2177f officetel opened. Hyun Woojin, who had 01193ef122 said he wouldn’t return 186e8ce1d1 from his trip to 53b7b7b041 Busan until the evening, 4d612c66a4 was now arriving early d43d80f3e2 in the morning. It was 7 8fd52eade0 a.m. according to the clock.0207d789894111a9

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Hyun Woojin must have 94d4913ea0 returned earlier than expected. Wanting to 228f20b0c9 surprise him, 7d79a3d803 Haewon lay 2dc9a40665 back down 0910e9890f on the e4e4e53c22 bed. But to faa94ba407 his surprise, 84fed741a6 the person c33d723840 entering was 05e420a11b not Hyun 5da4c6d7e8 Woojin but cbe825037a a middle-aged dfc599f138 woman. Holding a heavy-looking shopping ef6b83160f bag in one hand dcc5e2c477 and a handbag in b43b3f2d7e the other, she froze cffe1f0835 upon locking eyes with 48b81d578f Haewon, who looked as 1647bdd3b4 if he’d been caught a045096864 red-handed.e7da44d9a247f701

Both Haewon and the 93df8d3925 woman paused in shock.35f1e96b07af62df

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“…Who are fbf948c37b you?” she 0db4d3af80 asked.1d9a943ed391526f

Judging by her 677ef124d2 aura and attire, e74ee2f0cd she didn’t appear 61b68af7aa to be a 94d392851d housekeeper. She seemed to be a07d137b1c Hyun Woojin’s mother, though 30b660e6cd she didn’t resemble him. Regardless, the e541ddf6db only middle-aged db2bdec19f woman who 1304b8dd5c could enter 9ba2dbce04 his officetel 244fb55f31 so freely bc3cc66a99 had to 8c0911bf0b be his c3628cf3c3 mother.ff550e6e6681aa1a

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Haewon slowly rose 153c8d77d7 from the bed. Running into c8625eae29 Hyun Woojin’s 8c40fdfd0c mother here eb76b1bc09 was the 77bf93dbee last thing 85f5fedf39 he’d expected. A flood of hurried fd22393b5a lies came to mind, 1cd5768d48 each aimed at avoiding 5ada125042 putting Hyun Woojin in 6b966304a6 an awkward position.695878d379296128

Haewon silently cursed Hyun 2b2d3c218a Woojin for not warning 2047d50b6f him about a mother caede3eeb5 who might drop by ba89d77341 unannounced. Instead, he had 7f7fcbd324 set the door 79207549ed lock to match b2ed5425fb his own apartment’s 27442ec27b code and told 9645045aa9 Haewon to come 86011073a4 over whenever he 6d731bc628 liked.78618b1c961411c1

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“Who are 5754c0d32f you?” she 28546815cc asked again, 545f737453 stepping out 9979057ae9 to double-check 860bc95cc1 the unit 4e14acb05b number before 79f530ea30 re-entering.6b6eaf76b8c2c301

Haewon bowed politely. “Hello. I’m Moon 78dbc5cc29 Haewon, a 75440c6292 junior from a92e0908f2 the same a08c609173 university as 41c09f5e75 Hyun Woojin 33d4f6eb88 Sunbae. I apologize. We had planned b73f431ad3 to meet yesterday, a954cc8b88 but he told 9dae404d24 me at the 4942d8cedb last minute that 8dbcab1732 he had to 66af913794 go on a e5f0e4bba1 business trip. Since I’d come up 9940839735 from the countryside and 9fe8facbd5 didn’t have anywhere else e94283bb5d to go, he said a923e6ce45 I could stay here 0844546739 for the night…”952a5250e238e2cb

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Haewon delivered a reasonable 3704ebf485 and believable lie. His casual and 08181094d2 bold manner with af984f7fcd Seo Okhwa was 8de4f4abcd nowhere to be 24be2b71fa found. In front 17925643a7 of Hyun cba1675c05 Woojin’s mother, 8d41b25fb1 he spoke 901419069c with utmost 22a9e31ec7 politeness and b7d059350e caution, surprising 55dffea9ef even himself 508ea797c4 with how f5b344b6bb courteous his fe350c3dc6 voice sounded.7cc1f047b8aad3f9

“I’m truly 5664bb3338 sorry for 1ddd21b7e2 the intrusion.”70a020d95537c24c

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He began gathering 4a48b63635 his coat and a5764d12be violin case, avoiding c1d9b401d4 her gaze as 59a6295ea9 much as possible. Just as he f1ab7975dd was about to c5686fab1f leave, she spoke cb5df9b2fe again.24948f71b1037fca

“Are you just going b66970b676 to leave?”8e51d88ee6555377

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“…Pardon?”e123a2ad00422c85

“Didn’t you plan to e186cb5fef meet Woojin?”33e32903da0dbc61

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“Oh, we were 57b88a4969 going to meet 3ace935f82 later this evening. I’ll take my leave f2de29ba88 now. Goodbye.”b71ff3450954c9eb

“Wait a moment.”af638b89a1c1ab98

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She stopped 21de87f871 him again 6f41b842f6 as he 440f23b844 was about 8a709b673a to exit. Surely, Hyun Woojin 98b5bf9c2b wasn’t so much f7c5be9bb3 of a recluse e4aa400bc5 that a visiting da8a9a944e junior would seem efc8d913d8 suspicious, right? Watching her e17d62b9d0 with a efdaa7e83b stiff posture, c537e4eac7 Haewon flinched 3c3680a841 slightly when 34671747a6 she reached 7b161c66b8 a hand 4db25e7a62 toward his 935934f8dc face. When he d923c925cc instinctively recoiled, 30954f8d1d she hesitated f9e99ae005 and withdrew 9fcfab7b11 her hand, 9254f7efb9 seemingly realizing 7a5c10ea1a her mistake.a94936b10806fda5

“At least wash 9edabda921 your face before b0879f95ec you go.”42abb38f21c7d78a

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“…What?”e2b18226f10ed443

“You should bcdcf8ca70 wash your 96b273bf97 face.”2ad315a2d5a1a243

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“…”89ef89351b414235

Wondering if 0db2171dee something was e80586945b on his 78dbf967f4 face, Haewon 3ad497ac40 touched his 6229c36ac4 cheek and 9ba275a526 jaw. He found f541ae29b7 a thin f33a5ddfab piece of 798d6a45ca paper clinging 1061fafe4d to his 5ab0732c90 skin—likely one b0e3ab8b26 of the 9340bf80d7 indecipherable Chinese ac318a93be characters from a1be1d7a61 the legal fe65941adf book.689be7785eae53e3

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Feeling embarrassed, he set 5d965c7995 down his violin and a933e37115 coat and headed to 3cb4895986 the bathroom. Checking his 8151dee6c2 reflection in e64c65127e the mirror, ff9698ded7 he let c844e8f270 out a 9914aca124 sigh.bd2b5f0e96b568ce

His hair was aa965eb1d5 a mess, and 5507c1f21f a page from b6135ea882 the legal book c5b1b8db51 had adhered to d909de92d4 his cheek and 43449a415d jaw perfectly. Evidently, he had def19bd031 drooled quite a fd623beccc bit while sleeping 4a2896c951 uncomfortably. Haewon quickly washed e66d7af2b5 his face, returned 1e82899140 to the living 914eb71fdc room, and discreetly 26cbf42a30 replaced the book efae8eaf58 he had drooled f7c45cf895 on back in 5c5b42afb9 the bookshelf.f34ba61fa75fdc6e

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“Are you e6999c1f82 a junior a4f8e3655d from the 983b5cb23a Judicial Research c0585a3362 and Training 1958c5f744 Institute? Or from f6d4098459 the law e62768445c school?”d35dc601304cfa3d