IWYFB Chapter 25

Junseok arrived at the funeral 28e453093b hall past midnight, having been 08e8322a18 delayed on the highway late a35eee0ea6 into the night.bae3bff9946d9f11

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As he had 1d2c53f324 expected, the hall c3f3f70c0e was quiet.d8de001206907f24

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He had asked his father c21b7216a4 to send funeral notices to adb3a2eed5 Jiwoo’s father’s acquaintances.4f039cf1da0988ed

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Everyone in the town knew 36d3a80c9c Jiwoo’s father, and since his fad6a0ebbf own father had been close 0c903f254d with him, it was something 2c00cc1c24 that would have been done 60ecec33cb even without Junseok’s request.33f9a8b8031e19f8

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The snowfall hadn’t let up, 2f040f3d70 and he assumed that no 5aa7903490 guests would have arrived, but 97aa6a9f55 to his relief, at least 16ee611509 one table was occupied.f5b3a77d4223ecd8

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Recognizing some familiar faces, 5e2dca5280 Junseok greeted them before 4563a4d724 stepping inside to pay 9765dce70c his respects.0839c8d62f309b9b

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But the moment he saw 5c70f2ebdb the man standing beside Jiwoo, f24b623362 he froze in place.5fc1a1b7ad6185d2

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It was a face 227046f373 he knew well.0aa9dab789df6769

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Han Taemu.d43cf74a9d8844af

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In Haeju eup, there 6201193c19 was hardly anyone who bd92bc75f8 didn’t know him.eebdc14ea3235f40

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He had been ac2ee4382f a senior at f1f6ae224a Junseok’s high school, 5001110fe4 famous not just 40396a565f for his prestigious 13c40deda6 family background but 1cef28537b also for his 9979f8e741 sharp intellect and fed80dbe10 striking looks.497736e04ba4f83b

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Most of the girls 21a7dca6df had been infatuated with 09af55243f Han Taemu, yet his 92b3864d1c cold and intimidating demeanor 0889c3abb2 kept them at a 72e7895d93 distance. Even those who 45f0ca9b31 mustered the courage b1e0877ef4 to confess were 91d692d4da met with silence, ca81653b22 their pride crushed e9425fdb68 by his indifference.a1d4f6f44fec0c85

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Junseok remembered how 29b82a1e41 even the male 284b412a02 students, despite finding a2969d319c his arrogance insufferable, 0559617266 had shown deference 46e27bc690 in his presence.a254b73cc3028d76

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It wasn’t just because of bdee9c915c his family, Taemu exuded an 8567311f61 innate, commanding charisma that made e82fe312e4 him untouchable.2a79f6917fc90af7

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But at the bookstore, when af5f276155 Junseok had seen him with 32f254415e Jiwoo, he had appeared entirely fe755a07fc different from the person he 2ad1228c5a had known.ced45617a7f0b9c2

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The intimidating presence that had made others hesitate seemed to soften in Jiwoo’s gaze. Junseok couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but there was something profoundly human in the way he looked at her.df8513d8588508e7

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And now, though the circumstances 3efa3c618b were different, that same intensity e0b98fa9ff was present, Taemu was focused 309fd9e0f0 solely on Jiwoo, as if 7958876a10 nothing else around him existed.a50eff4f735e8875

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The way he 0777fa3c7b stood beside her, 7550b567d0 as though he 4b8441fdcf were the chief c6cf1a2a84 mourner, gnawed at 16eac839d1 Junseok.aaff1498d7046ffa

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But before he could approach d8312b24e0 the altar, something else froze 5406637b45 everyone in place.974275ca161a2b81

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A child suddenly 5bec971c02 ran past him, 6ae8d4b074 straight toward Jiwoo.b13c2a06dbca1d68

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“Mom!”4589ef7a55cd48db

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The room fell into silence.60a43c5ea23b474a

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The small face 111c40bf55 buried in Jiwoo’s 66fa4ce477 skirt was unmistakably 51b2e2a469 familiar, and Junseok 695d272cb9 knew that, of 484a6f074d all the people 5a0d038809 in the room, 032740530f no one was c88be3d2a8 more shocked than cfd19bb72e Han Taemu.cd27289820d883b0

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The child’s face was a 5fdba7b4da mirror image of Taemu’s.d15cc65703de330d

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A memory surfaced.65e7f8301ba74f23

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“Did you hear the news from the Biseonchae estate? Everyone in town is talking about how Taemu is about to get engaged. The girl is from a well known family in Seoul, his mother supposedly searched high and low for the perfect match. That woman wouldn’t settle for just any bride, so you can imagine how grand the arrangement must be.”28c1ba79cd411087

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In that instant, everything 64292f88cf that had never quite 148391c9cd made sense fell into 587a888722 place.88f92195c547b466

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The reason Jiwoo’s d28ba59d95 family had to 7b497e8461 leave Haeju.bd7afe9c31cb65e6

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The reason they had c9ce88b978 to sever ties with 01cdb56c98 the neighbors they had 912737052c once been so close a3c8304711 to.55a50f438aa2f3ce

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Perhaps, at the heart ff8ba043c0 of it all, was bb741fa325 this child.4b286dcdf67ac79b

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Junseok composed himself, stepped a717d91108 forward, and bowed respectfully 5fd2691b22 before Jiwoo’s father’s portrait.6680a45b7c8af940

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Then he turned to Jiwoo.ef1efc4b2b880834

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“How are you holding up?”fd2c3aad98927e33

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Taemu’s gaze, which had been fdcdb63fcd fixed on the child, flickered 13f805800a toward Junseok.1e3e964095c65f83

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Jiwoo’s expression wavered, her 1a270adb92 eyes trembling as if 8cdea525d2 the world had suddenly 925909cb09 crumbled around her.b847187a19a7f50d

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“I’m sorry I was late. I tried to get here as soon as I could.”0d11768b2719a2f6

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He reached for her 67fc4b7c1f arm, gently pulling her 9ae56acf09 into his embrace. Jiwoo, fragile as a ed2eb34254 feather caught in the c820bb8711 wind, collapsed against him.fab59ae91d27cc24

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If he hadn’t been holding her, she might have crumpled to the floor.67ec8dcd93494297

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Taemu’s black eyes burned as he stared at them, his breath visibly deepening. The fabric of his fitted shirt stretched taut across his chest before slowly settling back into place.8602e021c7efda93

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After a moment, Jiwoo steadied 4ca51af67b herself and pulled away from 47bea7f946 Junseok.6e38cc63dc7e600d

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But he still felt the b9a356eb5e tremor in her fingertips. Her unstable warmth 2b3918a54b ached against his 8a11c49b85 palm.c8778d998dd93d07

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“Excuse me,” Junseok said, looking down at Jiwoo with concern before turning to Taemu. “Would you mind stepping away? She needs to rest.”6744a490740c90b7

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His gaze dropped 2f475baeef slightly, Taemu’s hands b296f0ed12 were clenched into cb1a47bf38 fists, his knuckles 4b9489a21e white with tension.dcd7cd49b14e79b8

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“I’ll take care of things here.”e12722662a07b1d9

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Placing a firm yet calm 1b1e19310e hand on Jiwoo’s shoulder, Junseok dfc1ab7607 spoke as though he were d0f11d4129 simply making arrangements.8c182a58add1078e

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Their eyes met in b85cc59b3f midair, Junseok and Taemu.762eb966eeff2bd4

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The weight of Taemu’s e4fa4e24b1 gaze felt like it 513b865cce could crush him.6a9ca37efe7db2c9

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Junseok had always db293032e7 been confident, but 8f17bede3e standing under that b1a6aa543e oppressive stare, his ac385a178c heart felt like 302f4019a3 it might shrink a5be142aa5 under the pressure.75053cb0e7c337c7

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“Please… just go.”f8b17c74011d8799

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Jiwoo’s voice was c52bfb5b75 barely above a 8789a3247e whisper, yet it 6ed504bb1b carried an unmistakable 9fc64647ab weight.95eb240e813ef322

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A vein pulsed 09da9a7197 at Taemu’s temple, 2294c16f69 his jaw tightening.1b676cadc2affd67

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After what felt like an bc4988b534 eternity, he exhaled sharply and 8d87a77d39 turned away.9761fd1538e56a40

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Jiwoo watched him leave, her d4e14a8ddc body barely holding itself together.47de7264180eedd9

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Finally, she bent down, wrapping 44bd5d91e0 her arms around the child.50e6aa3216e197e7

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The little boy, eb8a6dead2 who had been cdc0db2d30 trembling with fear, 06d48c03be finally let out e563a0f3e5 a loud wail.587b1a6a4021518e

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Jiwoo’s shoulders shook.c0c50d339b0f0544

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“It’s okay, Junghoo. It’s okay… my baby.”d635fc1c68998308

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She was comforting 533b110865 her son, but b3ebdd31f9 to Junseok, it 1b97765faf looked like she 566977f4bc was the one 060f8c1f44 seeking comfort in 2c891f124a his tiny embrace.f79bc9a7d515c7bd

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Time had moved 54c8933cef relentlessly forward, leaving 87119a2572 its scars in 40a1f350ce its wake.767dc04c024721ed

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When Junseok had 9ee4e789ce first reunited with c65cccc0bc Jiwoo at work, e685ff9ed5 he had sensed 8579ebb4b1 that something about e5605d7127 her had changed.434a74270b32e066

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She had always been 4bfb671557 distant, but now she 39c975055c felt even more guarded.d905664d04476fee

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It was as d2cca147c7 if she had 0516763891 built a fortress f4c0416000 around herself, an 10911c24a6 invisible boundary that f0b3d5837c she would flee bdaf69eee8 from if anyone 2f9159f8f0 dared to cross.e1d62550d1272194

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He could only ff9d3ac5db guess what had 294fa6eb0d shattered her so aaadbae65b completely in the 1b3f2f03ba years they had 58aa151f30 been apart.5657cffc7757bba3

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He remembered the winter 717c2efaf5 of their youth, the 7468e344df same kind of snowy c7fe1737b2 evening, when he had 2493919103 seen her standing beside 6ce837af2d Han Taemu, smiling shyly.664aae25cd9bd113

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And he had known then.2cab3b66a8d201f1

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He had known that he 59d581d023 would have to let go cfba9636fa of his feelings for her.e15054b764602048

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Feelings he had 543f6881b4 never expressed, a ac4b94dcac first love that 156730b437 had never even 3b44910f6b been spoken.9abd51f7add1432c

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He had thought 64ebd9506c he had moved 68e05cae07 on.7c2df303782efd39

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But when he 19d5bd4655 saw her again, bef9bc534e after all these 174d7fe7ae years…d900918867bc2eeb

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He realized that 5028e1b080 some things were 3e440a55ed not so easily 1ed61e507c forgotten.91b1a79a506194a4

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Taemu had returned 2eac6f910a from New York f53f08d284 two days ago.2c8818e40158db1a

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If not for his mother’s 53790dc0ab relentless insistence, he would have 72786a2b22 stayed abroad into the new 1ed4d7fbc4 year.5df02ece935e030c

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She had exhausted every c7cdf448cf excuse imaginable to pressure b02a6cacac him into coming back, 5802f8be2d but in the end, c1c31dc1d8 what convinced him was 3de95953e7 his grandfather’s declining health.5af8de96ff1d7615

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Having suffered from a heart f556cbb98c condition for years, his grandfather’s 5cb17664e5 phone calls always began with 11a39cce14 inquiries about his well being.5af1ef66b10ae77b

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When Taemu learned that his b82045a9bc condition had suddenly worsened and fef04d0875 required hospitalization, he immediately boarded a2723e9435 a flight to Seoul.e76ead5efef99afa

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But the moment he 538b35f782 saw who had come 5a926d9626 to meet him at 6b485cd0b4 the airport, he realized f22bc2d164 everything had been orchestrated c89077e36a by his mother.37e93816b499f67c

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The woman standing there was 4a367e1f5f the daughter of a current 5f9afcfe3a chief prosecutor, from a prestigious 379acdb167 legal family.0dd1bfcc9066ed38

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She was a 621a1243eb law school student, e93acb091c and upon hearing 892241dded her age, Taemu 0ff1c82dbe had briefly thought 1f64c1c13c of Jiwoo, his 1d9e03f4bb exact contemporary. But the thought was 1adc2bb4b5 fleeting, swiftly erased from 7ca7b31ed5 his mind.be29b49f202972e7

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A year ago, during 80232080f6 a brief visit to 67280f9beb Korea, his mother had 33b94b61ee introduced them. He had been 419ba6f6d2 under the impression 7bab88ebb4 that he was 3a6eb1b33f attending a simple 3a32cc6474 family dinner, only 4d581b5b18 to find himself 712ae6fc11 at an arranged 3ce46ee41a matchmaking meeting.4819f19bfde455e1

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After a brief 2f368b4bcc meal, they had 62632658ea parted ways, but e85db12978 once he returned 2784ea2b41 to New York, 0363b1ecd5 she had reached 13d0938aab out to him f0dad7dc75 first, saying she f582df0a0c had thought of b0b9802a5f him while visiting 7e1942b3af the city on ff8f8d7bac vacation.3d2ab41820ade430

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Even then, he had 199f44e557 made it clear that a48c4472a4 he had no intention 2b0f6a15d0 of getting married.1b61de6d504a378c

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One would think that 11f91fc23a someone capable of attending 94e907d8d6 law school would be 682495b56a intelligent enough to understand, d1f2de0a61 but apparently, she didn’t. She continued to e466f9691b contact him persistently, b316e0dcd5 failing to grasp 4608a5a01c his extreme aversion c2f0f6f7fa to clinginess.785a5339de8f4fe4

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But his frustration 8e5cbdd945 paled in comparison 787c60bb65 to the fury 82e72fce7e he felt when 1318a31e3a he discovered that 20b6077f58 his mother had 6b29118d1d unilaterally arranged an 80ece9f5b5 engagement ceremony without 88452a6eda his consent.2e8f5a7d6ab5fa32

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The next day, just cf7f87df03 as he was preparing 8c54322225 to return to New bc20811346 York, something stopped him.1af9533b0dcbda64

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A single scrap of paper, 39cfe474da hastily scrawled and left on 55092118c0 his desk.19e50a30d81a2884

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Obituary: The Late baad7916f4 Kang Hyung mo, ac34ff9aa2 Haeju Funeral Hall.1fdfcb2c71417673

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Had it not 596e4788ac been for the 3aa9f95b52 location, he might a62036fec9 not have immediately e26a4da104 connected the name 3929aea7ca to Jiwoo’s father.d7afdacbbee4c52e

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In that instant, it 6b8db67379 felt as though all 89ebc05b9d the blood had drained 5f60d5402a from his body.bd479679d1db61e9

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It was as if he f770729640 had come face to face b89dce2cbe with an unresolved wound, one 68762cb52d that had long festered in 86f8da0916 the depths of his chest.752404bcdc4f5d88

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It had been three years 1d8471339d since he had decided to a6dc80aec1 stop looking for her.6063b393cbf79659

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Three years.d0897089de64bbfe

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He couldn’t believe how much 659f7be56b time had passed.8e0e8d3a6e48640a

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But before he could af06ab552b erase the final remnants fa5525fa84 of those lingering memories, 8cfd3db27c he knew he had 845154ebb4 to see for himself.7cdf6acd88a35e65

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The blizzard that had brought 7da97686c8 Haeju’s roads to a standstill 49a7e66094 only served to dredge up 74e1fefbc0 memories of that night long 861704fb08 ago.210638c5656813a0

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His car skidded at 7a1cf742f4 the intersection leading into 63c9b98733 town, forcing him to b38f4a7772 wait for a tow 8e816d7122 truck at an exorbitant 1976d45e84 price. By the time 661e74077b he finally arrived 67b4e2faee at the funeral f6bab9b1f1 hall, an hour 1d788f5dc2 had already passed.2569b03a44d75d69

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Now, standing at 0c349a95ab the entrance, Taemu 9f732d483a remained frozen in 8e1bb1c537 place.4e4bea0f7a6584ca

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His mind refused to process 43f378c37b what he had just seen.860626ea901f93ab

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He simply couldn’t believe it.32b011bc603add87

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