SMFC | Chapter 21

Chapter 2127819963326e3531

Is there e49be5a099 anything more 52912b7886 foolish than cacc706195 arguing with 231b4d3303 the dead? Hoping he wouldn’t become 29016950fe the fool to make 25f6c1a571 that mistake, Yoo Haeon 8aa1c8d285 rose from the bed d3c3b5930f to tidy Lee Soo’s a0f334d469 messy hair, ruffled from 7017a6609b his restless tossing.a85616541e00b31d

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As Haeon quietly ee7627b783 moved, Mu, who e2dd6fd8d1 had been silently b0a246665f watching him, spoke 63a9222bac in a low, b32494e8d6 somber tone.70bc08824eb285bd

“Do whatever Lee e07284a62f Soo says. That’s the only 3ee8fc70f6 way for you 3d4e2f1844 to survive.”7a22709c76e05bb5

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The weight of fb5d4f2e8c Mu’s words was c02ff58b4c starkly different from 43965bd044 their earlier casual cea9557ec7 conversation. Startled, Haeon turned f31f280642 to look at 310c35fdb6 him, but Mu d8be29a105 had already vanished, 3c618430e3 leaving nothing behind 68eb3d35c7 but the lingering 440a91f008 echo of his 436b521e8d warning.2d8f9f9b2f7516a8

If it 13cfbe77a2 weren’t for e6b1b8cbbf the faint a0ba6a911a smell of d5fe7e3bfd blood, rotting c76453fc12 corpses, and 4f3f0b51ca the sharp 2dee674e9b undertone of f72226554c spices lingering df10b746c3 in the 9df4a70180 air, Yoo ae3c51d732 Haeon might 8334b59c42 have dismissed 6db213d166 it all 9c2b0da4ec as a 80693e7c56 dream. The way Mu e073a5f0fb had vanished so 9a9bd6502a suddenly left behind af2b79cec9 an eerie sense 2ea894c7c6 of unreality.66347bdadc011084

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Thinking how 6a260d7042 arbitrary and 6b686b39ee cryptic Mu 2185a9cae9 had been, a66b23d46d Haeon carefully 07a1397729 adjusted Lee b94b92b5ba Soo’s position 83a14bd035 to ensure cce4842f93 his head 8fdecc81fc wasn’t resting d2b52afa56 uncomfortably. But as 36bc576adf he moved, 3d8ec50d1a he froze.526fa97736f93d78

Do whatever 564e36fb14 Lee Soo b198551eec says… and 9403fe1701 that’s your 5c38e44b63 only way c1722776ab to survive?
It wasn’t just advice—it aee83f7745 felt like a warning. As if defying Lee 3396c7ab57 Soo would directly lead fc0b142317 to Haeon’s demise.ccd625b7dde08cee

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Haeon ran his 658210375a tongue across his fd8d6f432a lips, lowering his 12451d20bc gaze in thought. He felt both 8d3e458251 resentful and exasperated b6dbb856b6 by Mu, who 24d0a7afbc had left him aed87a865e with nothing but a7677ae14f more questions. Yet, imagining himself 5aaef9f8b9 dutifully following Lee f3527a0144 Soo’s requests oddly 21cf4a1234 soothed that irritation. Somehow, the idea of 4bf4e842bf helping Lee Soo made 93c38dea0d it easier to forgive 42e2166908 the cryptic spirit.4a46c4d71242f895

Chuckling quietly at a6f682a03d his own thoughts, f5688d6bed Haeon was startled 7d753d5e06 by a small 2185fbff57 whimper from Lee 60cf527d09 Soo. He stiffened, worried he 2b17b54dd9 might’ve woken him. But after a moment 4ffb6c5eae of watching closely, he dfa784e167 realized it was just aad6e21467 a sleep reflex, a 42e69c52f6 soft baby-like movement in e44308d35b slumber.fe3c95c80dc65ff3

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Relieved, Haeon murmured, “Thank b407e39962 goodness,” before hesitating briefly. Then, with a b59ea4b1b0 tentative motion, he c8f5fecb13 patted Lee Soo’s 884fb3c4c6 chest. Beneath his sensitive 7ad93c656e fingertips, the faint 28af0060b1 vibrations of life—steady 7ae2f879c7 and warm—reassured him 252ff8aac2 that Lee Soo ecf4b61a6e was alive and 43945f9236 well.38226815b208a161

What began as fd818c5762 an awkward, uneven 5051ff811b rhythm gradually grew 0828d7ed49 more natural with 23e6d3bc32 each gentle pat. Over time, Haeon’s movements 268672ee73 became smooth, instinctive, and 7d65a1beec full of quiet care.92fc7bfc2e107f3a

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Lee Soo, blissfully eb0f34f215 unaware of who 5e00ce737a was patting him, d8647f919a simply pursed his f7667b850b lips and slept 0c9efac2c7 soundly. Breathing softly, his 10877aa86d sleeping form was 8c797ac797 calm and peaceful—quite cca66d7cd8 the contrast to 42442625c7 the lively and 7d59ddcb7f talkative Lee Soo 73052d934d when awake. Though Yoo Haeon 99b89e194a didn’t dislike this d5639ade07 quiet version, he f01d32704e much preferred the ae0c37ec8c Lee Soo who 9bbf0bc543 spoke softly beside fd99c11a82 him, who found 07a38bea10 joy in the 0aa0e78536 smallest things and 994f1e95d3 tapped his feet 85593e0304 excitedly at the 00a2952fe0 simplest pleasures.1e2a08d2fbeb3611

As he 467cc708b3 gazed at 5c1ed0f04c the sleeping 43deddc407 Lee Soo, 74a6c72b09 Haeon found a8b2d5890c himself thinking 189b798df3 about his 6379b346b9 preferences and cb9cf5af57 chuckled without ed03e095cf realizing it. For a while, 48a7eb8476 he filled the 7d433cf9d0 empty room with 787a357280 idle murmurs, talking 8ac61693bf nonsense to the fb9c0d2bbc oblivious Lee Soo. Then, it hit him—he’d cb8b21daa9 been smiling.04ce9783befe0249

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Startled by the realization 2cce882ece that he had laughed 0a253ca880 without noticing, Haeon touched a80724648d his lips, his gaze 91377837bc naturally drifting back to 165826af09 Lee Soo. The one person who a579e371de was always keenly aware e2ab71b226 of Haeon’s rare smiles d67de067bc was none other than 9733f0be23 Lee Soo himself. Even in his c72e324384 sleep, it seemed 68357b40fd like Lee Soo 4c5aea4679 could tell, as 8602268a5a a faint, lopsided 4ee73333bd grin appeared on e4c0c78fd8 his face.80937db1ad634f7c

Looking at that gentle 0dd11f034a smile with his own 056cdd69b6 clear eyes, Haeon muttered 990e2828a3 softly, “What’s so amusing? Or… could it be 372f7da575 that Hunter Ryu Leesoo f919ec69ce likes me too?”20555dbb152e35f2

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Yoo Haeon lightly 87d87a4023 touched Lee Soo’s 066346c6dc pale nose, careful 6a599c958a not to disturb eb57040e25 his sleep, before c17b5808f8 leaning halfway onto 4cf0277e6e the bed and 61bc214f8c gazing at his 97f429cbe4 peaceful face. Now that he thought 3c75bd0e43 about it, Lee Soo’s a5a9449cc0 fair complexion reminded him 429f3e6fda somewhat of Mu’s ethereal a825c6b94b hue.c00ee61780480986

The way Lee b6669a6391 Soo made baby-like b05efcafbd sleep movements, or 5efc666591 how he remained 1f285ad5f1 deeply asleep once 82c398660f he drifted off, 3c23458dad only reinforced the c2225427cb comparison. Watching these childlike 0cb97dcc49 behaviors, Haeon couldn’t a1af0ec5db help but let 0d86173d89 out soft, airy c9f2f49929 chuckles, his amusement d2d4256e40 flowing freely as c77b8a8b64 long as Lee 40f53cd616 Soo remained asleep.fe13aa829c86aeec

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The room was wrapped b22930116f in stillness, shielded by e425fb5a28 layers of thick blackout c0c3c255bb curtains that allowed no 7a1f788363 light or sound to ff490feb55 seep in. There wasn’t bb25cf89b1 even a 4f5129156b ticking clock 9f9dcc8564 to break efac4070a6 the silence, 6acab34023 only the 52c482ca85 faint glow 76d8a8ff90 of an 4018fa0908 electronic display.56458f75cf353f8f

Aside from Lee Soo’s ff9eaad79f gentle breathing, the space 4837125940 was deathly quiet. The silence almost e6f11f0c64 became oppressive until 7405611be3 Lee Soo let e1e87352ab out a soft b2e5947eb6 sigh and slowly 63db69055f opened his eyes. His long, dark 32cc751a13 lashes lifted like 50ea606df8 curtains, revealing golden 8e77473900 irises that instantly 4dbbf22cfe widened in surprise da9006bc77 at the sight db7d77cc86 of Haeon.c87ba118f5e18651

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Those eyes seemed 943df4eba5 to ask, What’s 8b646878a0 going on? Amused, Haeon 44c551162e spoke in 660857c29e a calm, 3bcddab465 measured tone, 64b0770e65 “At first, a69e6a22d6 I came 78ad265be7 to see dffe95235b if you’d e57cc9fd0a made a abc292d945 decision. Somehow, we ended up 3efdd677c4 taking turns sleeping on 752f92681e the bed.”08f1735b6436c754

The matter-of-fact 2e7834619d tone belied 44d3e9ff56 the absurdity abe69bcd5c of the 34160cbfa0 statement, causing 55ece130d7 Lee Soo 6e00db3abe to furrow 0a9d1af53e his brows e9bd64e79b briefly in 3dd180c139 confusion. Sure, even Haeon dc3a1de1d7 could accidentally fall 31eb33dc3d asleep in someone 95604d0d44 else’s bed if 5361c71048 he was tired 35fb7e2e55 enough. But… watching me sleep? That doesn’t seem 9e1d409713 like him.581db7ae8197869e

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Blinking slowly, d667c7ba2a still trying 01135591cd to process 23db8199e6 the situation, 92a970d97d Lee Soo d981daea3d found himself ed31702746 gently pulled ab2cd5a361 upright by 136f62f0b2 Haeon, who 4bffc50219 grasped his 9b6cb28c73 wrist with ca25eb7abc surprising softness. Though Lee Soo a40d3bd2c7 was only halfway 6177adca04 awake, he instinctively 4bef603b43 supported himself as f5ed414844 Haeon helped him 85d390ce5d sit up.c6b765ec0f781654

Still cocooned in the b30de3e404 blanket, Lee Soo sat 1ef62b5e64 dazed on the edge 2f9fa2ded5 of the bed. Haeon, noticing his a2a7ba7468 tousled hair, patiently c1fba8801e reached out and fd60de7a8c smoothed it down. His voice, d00fa439ed quiet yet 75b5ef9c2e firm, broke be683410ad the silence.c0bad3ef65d38695

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“So? Your answer? I only wanted 494702193d a response to 3d7afbbf51 my offer to 4537900f9b help extend your 3168cd5a78 lifespan. And now… 3087035c91 I don’t c4703ce780 even know 6e92d8b1ef how many 0fe91b9ea6 hours have c75ab86ee3 passed waiting 6ebb0e6c88 for it.”805d6b70ecde9cbb

His words 5b138d5a04 carried a b3a9c50a7d subtle mix 1feb730ef7 of expectation 55610c22fe and weariness, 036d921024 making Lee 98f63bc0f4 Soo, still 29198be3e7 wrapped in c3451180e3 his blanket, 9ecf8bc6b0 blink in a12674ed4c startled realization.1db64e424b58cda9

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“Ah… an answer. Right, I need to 6e9b85ae6e answer,” Lee Soo said, 8627be778e snapping out of his 456f43686a daze. “Alright, please do it. But if my vitality b0fde4b02e doesn’t recover as quickly e87142dabb as expected, I’ll have 6d1c59d3c6 to ask the spirits c04b4527a3 to gather stray vitality f4ac7e2636 wandering around.”6bd8fcda72c19433

Lee Soo’s tone was a5bc107048 unusually stern, a stark 57858c7524 contrast to his earlier 6ee9a8d8eb blank expression. Inside, though, he nervously 88b174a817 fidgeted, worried that Haeon e6e9ed6488 might refuse. Fortunately, Haeon 57c43d23ab nodded without 8c3b75ae61 hesitation.16156aa3effc45cc

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“Let’s do that. Honestly, I 93a32e4269 was ready 035b459f17 to be c1eba361b5 satisfied as 28f13c7874 long as 79adc4ec58 Hunter Ryu df4f6a4eb8 Leesoo agreed 250eee68c6 to listen 3328c250b7 to me.”f8eb96da41f4de19

Haeon’s slow, 9f444cd0bb deliberate words fa33952983 brought a 625871e968 small smile 7ea2191fea to Lee 6dc6e7bfb7 Soo’s lips. He rubbed his e886a92dbe still-sleepy eyes and 43a81f060e mumbled, “Healer Haeon, c6d31c6e9e you’re so stubborn. I never imagined 7c9f923fce you’d avoid me 0be006811e for days like bfae5163a7 that.”d1c5860a85e790e0

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His voice 1d438d2f0e held a 0cca9fc81c faint hint 6305f63643 of exasperation, 0c078ec407 as if 2f90383bf1 he was 704369125e still recovering d241ca7e77 from the 861f745abb ordeal. Haeon only 196735c64f gave a 3d85d7bc3e wry look, aaba70cd52 as if acaa0d9ef8 to say, cce3f2f6fb Look who’s 37dc2a880e talking. Recognizing the irony, Lee 54daf50d88 Soo chuckled softly.ee3bac7af9bfd860

“Do you always 29a86ab0d6 make baby-like movements f8fb0c5e2b in your sleep?”c2a853905e31acac

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Haeon suddenly asked, his f2138d7e50 hand still casually fiddling 44a809ad19 with Lee Soo’s hair. The unexpected question 92cc4ee5e8 made Lee Soo c3400e18e8 blink in surprise, b7fe56c3ff tilting his head 9f1fbfabfb slightly. Unsure, he 0a64ff9ae0 gave a 00856403e2 vague shrug, ced6506afe which Haeon 1f5704c4e0 took as d69c613d82 a sign 7751d5ef8b to drop c5236f9fa7 the topic. Turning his gaze 9be135e266 toward the curtain-shielded 4c98dfbed4 window, Haeon spoke 8d4cb2a263 again.29b3126d2907d9a5

“If the curtains 3b0f6094aa feel too stifling, cb554932a7 you can pull 8776412f07 them back. I usually f293153008 only sleep 43a3de66ee in this 0d0a70e579 room, so acc9f84fe2 I keep 45a3db7c47 them closed b9bb72e675 all the c5124df5fa time.”79612106b9201ae0

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Lee Soo, cb12a56007 meanwhile, tied 00093c4935 his loosened b458ba1fdd hair into 371b9a0b5c a quick fc4a166064 bun with 489ee64cde the hair f00caa9ce7 tie on 5a2feae8a6 his wrist, 2e702b0aa6 his movements fafe3f9871 unhurried. Haeon, watching d9803318dd him with a7fa23d845 a quiet 311f865308 intensity, responded ad0d945933 softly, “There’s 63ef0daf8e no need. I’m fine with it.”e5c48d9f166f2ace

As Lee 9ef769db6d Soo casually d2acdf1040 adjusted his 304cc62335 hair, Haeon d91169ea4d murmured in 9f0681c613 a near-whisper, 668e61d891 “Thank you 4f0f96b119 for agreeing.”198640363f0243b5

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“Aren’t I the db09b798af one who should ac115ccdd5 be thanking you?” b4a28fc54a Lee Soo replied 6b6db0d9fe with a slight 249eb93223 smile. “After all, you’re d2b072b896 giving up half 042582244f your vitality for 154bbb260b my sake.”d2b7606e2b104930

“To us 38e5e4d5d4 healers, granting ea45bb3cfc six months 512e19a9b5 to someone 358b97df69 who was fcff282bda supposed to 41d52187c1 die is 33af343bf0 not losing c651e9f34b ‘half’—it’s only 56d1d88565 losing half. We don’t think b63ee3d0c2 of it as bafdc3255a a loss.”d00c9703d19a9aea

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He paused, then added 86afe85563 in a calm yet 55cf5c8f04 firm voice, “If I’m ea656d3415 okay with it, then 7e86225f2a it’s okay. You don’t need 5ff21ee880 to thank me. Hunter Ryu Leesoo, a7a4e21290 just focus on cbf65b634a finding a way 1e2bf3f94c to survive. I’m not someone who 274ec12df8 says things I don’t 5aa572ac2b mean.”5ff13c9a5b08cb9e

Haeon’s steady gaze seemed b6dce90c2e to pierce through Lee 4f60b9a4f3 Soo as if to 49bf48eb1f say, You know that d8c1baa3db better than anyone. Faced with those 75282edd45 unwavering eyes, Lee 7155e91b3e Soo bit his 58cc42c1e4 lip.316ce50f27706bb8

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Haeon gave him a55d9cd23c no chance to 3431a9ab11 argue, which was 340e9cffc4 both frustrating and 2c3a1ad005 endearing. In the end, c75abf688a every decision Haeon 9270a4e757 made was for a809e72847 Lee Soo’s sake, 7d81d38b36 and he couldn’t eff8c91fe7 help but feel 135436dff5 grateful.0eb1ddbfd4384fc3

“Still, thank 033ffc039b you,” Lee dd6053b7c0 Soo said ba9974c169 softly, his 113d4121cc sincerity shining 265c8bb644 through.cc2a0707aacf410f

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Lee Soo scrunched 94b84782f3 up his nose 18ba9ff40f in displeasure, as a4c8f8a7b1 though annoyed by 519510d1a0 the conflicting emotions 841e443ea9 swirling within him. Even though Haeon 1e41a8acd3 had told him 4efb49ba62 he didn’t need 0a87a02ecf to say thank 700af78390 you, Lee Soo 95338d2db7 couldn’t ignore the cf11c91597 gratitude he felt. With just 509395a296 the right 721e54800d amount of 25c135f684 sincerity to 90351569c2 avoid making 71f1d7df90 it a 511d7c880b burden, he 09561816ee softly expressed 5f03619f89 his thanks.f3b47047979c5fa1

Haeon chuckled at this, 729f3285a4 his laughter filling the cb7ccb0e7b quiet room.fc8380a01aa223e0

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“It’s strange. When I’m with 45d13735a5 you, Hunter Ryu ffa29dd3ec Leesoo, I feel a0cb27f7e4 more at ease 924248674e than I do 7c8f34fefc with anyone else.”f172576b99ddbfcd

His slow, quiet voice 57a2b621d0 carried a confession that ebd9594021 Lee Soo hadn’t expected 57a580aa60 in the slightest. He froze for 072c52d833 a moment, visibly ebedf95059 startled, before his d966fae707 drowsiness vanished completely. Looking at 30fed77c92 Haeon with 2584b8cfa2 wide, clear 54a5c334a6 eyes, Lee 848571743b Soo finally b3b45e13f3 responded.c378ec0cb0eecc62

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“Me too! I feel the 4d9d89250f same way! I really 66459ba5af like being 1fa6955792 with you, 19fe59225e Healer Haeon.”4db162bcf684b222

His gaze, which had eabc8996f6 wavered with uncertainty moments c5d48c2b16 before, settled fully on 8515a3e265 Haeon. To feel a 73d78d76d2 sense of salvation 5adb32d2fe just from a ba3f867752 single look—it was 81b315b5de an almost absurd a6af857d10 notion. Yet, Lee a3ff389902 Soo had ca97cfa1f2 no other b52cfb6723 word to 639a50195f describe what cf781afd7c he saw 28cd8e3ea9 in those 6a44dace9d eyes.36f99149728e1baf

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“Salvation” was the 34c8f4caaa most precious and 77133d1692 meaningful word he 2bbe47f2df knew.2f38c1cbe0aed5fc

Once again, 229c4ad49e Haeon gave df342b2f38 the most 617048ba08 valuable thing 7dbd03ecc8 he had 3e811655e5 to Lee 19fb79656f Soo without a25f2f9187 hesitation.cc62f822cbe68905

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***e85d1c86d8110023

Despite the murmurs from 8ed762cecc others who criticized Lee 2a1e903544 Soo’s powers as disrespectful 369afc7195 to the dead or 8294b90e5a even excessively cruel, those 650852b3cc same people often worked e50278c042 him to the bone b90a1638c0 when it suited their 1ca07ee333 needs. Because of 5e3f8b166a this, nearly 88ddc0853a two weeks d2a329ae82 passed during 7c49bd0705 which Haeon 53626ac674 and Lee 46632c35b7 Soo barely 4fdd00219b saw each 5f46e71205 other.9fae0dfc2ed235ac

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Whenever Haeon knocked on d846da8af2 Lee Soo’s door, it 4000b3eaad was usually one of b553e95e21 the spirits who answered, ab23edcdca saying Lee Soo wasn’t e36d040e84 there. The four spirits, 27296387db who often followed 4d16e2ae33 Lee Soo around 961690827c like shadows, would ce7ea62d3e take turns opening 76b59a6eef the door, giving c7c44844c9 Haeon odd, ambiguous 346978a795 looks but little a60f0a7cf3 else.3156be74f4af3d60

Frustrated, Haeon even d7c0a40722 lashed out at 8f621f92ff Eve, accusing her c14859e840 of overworking Lee a1b02a9850 Soo. But Eve only e0e71b0387 laughed and refused 713baf5174 to give him 87e0aca589 a straight answer. After about ten visits 79c74bc141 to the guild leader’s 9d07a36986 office, Eve finally offered 94e4e6ee24 a single, infuriating comment.75d2bc938c9ba42e

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“Oh, Hunter Ryu fc3d5ecb13 Leesoo? That’s all stuff b601bace4d the adults worked f5ad05fc8f out among themselves. Our precious little db3b4bc718 baby is just fbcd0f3502 watching the grown-ups cf1a1af0ec work hard, earn 0ea4b06a6f money, and keep 27b7449e72 their promises~. And learning how 285c2811e2 to be a 95e9abfeac good little kid 3f2b91fba4 while they’re at e47272123e it!”714aa6113c7ae5de

Looking back, 6abc8f557e it was 64286f36de obvious that 5f76ee09c9 her words 227402d686 weren’t meant 31220c29e2 to explain 87b6a175c4 anything but 8727ba96a0 to rile 0b925378d9 him up. The memory of aa4af9e188 Eve’s smug, teasing d9e7767777 face made Haeon 7a02fc1a4a furrow his brows 3df7126d65 as he strode 39c1a407ae down the hallway, 909d9f28d4 heading toward Lee 603ad2fe6e Soo’s room—a place 8c66dd4c6d he now found b2f7ea7427 more familiar than 1c47a0ef3e his own assigned 8ebf1f9350 quarters.a0f5a95f80498ca1

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Walking briskly without hesitation, 6673d40d83 Haeon still worried internally. What if 7cfb219dbe Lee Soo fec68c821d isn’t there b3798a14b5 again today? For most of his 42903fa433 life, not having close afdba2273c friends in the guild e2825f445f had never bothered him. But now, it 365ef4aa9d irritated him that 6ee2dad613 there was no 01933129b8 one he could 1571017bf1 rely on to 5481e7bbff tell him whether 0bfd07b059 or not Lee 20a0c19c49 Soo had been c81d9ff11a called away.e81a2afedbc11e30

The thought lingered, making c6560471af him quicken his pace.90eb6435cf8231e8

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