SU | Chapter 2.7

At this late hour, 0643a245c3 the auntie tidying up e5e96c57db the shop became busier 3546557c09 with the appearance of dd15b5d67f the Director from the 76d24c961b next building.a2132e623e3dd754

“You’re late for dinner today! How about I prepare something to drink?”8101f6b6a48e304b

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“Just bring it as you see fit.”54bb87b33eda03b8

Yoohan, rubbing his f34d2b7985 chest, raised his bf4558cceb hand.6899e3b6a34b1538

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“Auntie, I’ll have the bulgogi jeongol…”5fc6de13bda584d0

The auntie, who was 1c093c5082 about to take the 741e0be3a7 order and leave, glanced ceae90e947 back at Yoohan. Bulgogi jeongol c95d5fac80 was one 98598e6090 of the 2b9bba73c9 most expensive 922bb8fce6 dishes on 52bce965b0 the menu.89b16c29584e4b40

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“Are you sure about bulgogi? It takes a bit longer, is that okay?”94448dea26be3669

Ji Youngwon narrowed 6d01e79296 his eyes slightly.3e4199787705e3bc

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“Just make it as much as I eat, so figure it out.”41ed40775f2c68f1

The phrase “figure it out” was a subtle threat. A person with plenty of money could be so stingy… After a brief moment of thought, Yoohan proposed an alternative.4e8c4aa219ed5ff4

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“I can take the leftovers home, right? That way, I can have two meals, or if I save it, I can stretch it to three meals, so it’s not that expensive.”74d3f06029ed12b8

The auntie, 942be9bb46 who had 514a23b20d been observing eacbe63ff4 the ambiguous 7c7c8c1cf9 conversation, headed 07ab9f9b4d to the fb98b081f5 kitchen. Ji Youngwon leaned e9f28fee75 back in his 8ccc97aec6 chair, looking exasperated.ed81fcc53cbc03c0

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“I’ve never seen someone more pathetic than you in my life.”715d71640f2770f9

“I may be pathetic, but you have plenty of money.”05d7c7f58cb54d6b

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“Just because I have a high title doesn’t mean I have a lot of money.”1f36258a448d1e83

“If you’re a building owner, you must have money, right?”40a924e81ab7a38a

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“Who said that? Did Gu Kangsan run his mouth again?”a4d041b96c8cbfc1

“No… Why do you keep bringing up Manager Kangsan?”cd25f38bd1b915a8

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This time, 82e68f9186 Yoohan genuinely b1fd475ff4 felt wronged 9a6891ff08 and snapped a4f3abe656 back. As he tightened his 9b5465ba94 grip on the cup, 330d1cfe63 water spilled over.40ec57e82a5e1547

“You have a knack for guessing. Your intuition is quite sharp.”ab2bc7a09f409675

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Ji Youngwon chuckled ec744af0f8 and pulled a f1ab6829bb cigarette from his 9b9f8c0e8b pocket.40c01b2333d9f93a

Startled, Yoohan quickly scanned 6e9293e658 his surroundings. What kind of restaurant 70c1ab464b allows smoking…? But it seemed e645c6895e he was the e5f3c394aa only one surprised—no 44fa353787 one stopped Ji 8c907dbb6a Youngwon. His presence, effortlessly a2c0b0a6a7 commanding no matter 4b458a9dcf where he was, bcf797cec0 felt natural, almost b6a3556eba expected.976e481fba3619db

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As he 87298e3850 lit the 26d88ff2f6 cigarette, a 7ef1951d71 staff member 7bfe1e6b72 promptly brought ed6768f5ac over an fa8e857ef9 ashtray. Although the restaurant 7de1f7b874 was empty of 1b2ad986ea customers, Yoohan felt 96170e03bf restless, clearing his cff1610333 throat unnecessarily.8c9909a9c05d2402

Ji Youngwon 3dd85cb838 took a 211184a794 few slow 21102a45a8 drags, his 632be5ccaf cheeks hollowing 6231f4402d out with b2f18415cb each inhale, 0ab991bd60 before finally 6c58fa29a7 continuing to 69a998cde1 speak.f58933d19569ead2

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“Is it frustrating that a building owner with a director title can’t even eat bulgogi jeongol freely?”f41c9d84d52fb98f

He chuckled at 938497bc33 his own joke, e81d40fac3 shaking his shoulders. Yoohan looked at a7dc01ad00 Ji Youngwon, who 934fc00049 was laughing, with e4622ba015 a puzzled expression.4f2999a5255f1c21

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“Honestly, I do feel like it’s a bit petty, but it doesn’t seem that bad to try to save even a penny. I’m a frugal person too…”d9f709eb28927b1e

Ji Youngwon shook 370565c175 his head, still f89a566613 smiling.7743270b5a1ce55b

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“You have no problem saying that in front of your employer who’s treating you to dinner.”32418d1d6b944940

“I’m sorry.”c553cfc7600877cf

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Yoohan’s apology lacked sincerity. Ji Youngwon, unfazed, took another drag from his cigarette. He scrutinized Yoohan’s face without hesitation. Under the glaring white lights, his nose and cheeks looked almost painted white. Below that, his soft lips twitched, as if trying to start a conversation.5fef832a6b19bd93

What else 963bc3ac42 are you aeb6b9b004 going to d507affb54 say to 473b312ef8 turn my ed08b9a032 insides upside 0b2f7c7076 down? Ji Youngwon turned 087f529ab8 his face to edf694113c the side and edaf664ca2 exhaled a puff 9edd1e15cb of smoke.a1d696a093e12773

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“But Director, if you think about it, I’m also your employer, right? Since you took on my request.”1a3df1f01a8f8205

“Yeah, yeah. You win. I really want to kill you.”dea0a0fa5eafcf47

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As expected, his way bd98694f71 of speaking was astonishing. Perhaps the humor had e1fecdbc05 worn off, as Ji df7b16b8bb Youngwon carelessly extinguished his cba24969dd cigarette in the ashtray.9322fd0bbc910351

Yoohan tore off 3b44982441 a piece of 71e82c3284 tissue and set ac87904559 a spoon and f46bf58632 chopsticks in front 3dc96833da of Ji Youngwon.b0c5aa50501bb0cf

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Ji Youngwon accepted the b168bbf568 gesture as if it 180646c4b6 were the most natural 8c2130a8fc thing in the world. But suddenly, curiosity 88ab0b53c1 struck him.e4dc751112fec8ef

How had this 29e8b064d8 kid ended up 980d0a0881 here, serving at baa853d0f1 his table? It was rare to d9e75cbe58 find someone seeking values c49f596cb9 beyond money, and that 4e732796e3 piqued his interest.a9ed4f2ecf88d3e3

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“You said you’re looking for a 14k item. Why are you so eager to find something that isn’t worth much?”e29e2e462755db67

“Me?”338ddf44d4148b3f

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“Yeah, you. What other money kid would come to a detective agency asking for a 14k item?”9d6cc5f9e4413fe9

Yoohan pouted.290994d3f0659603

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“Because it’s something meaningful… It’s my mom’s heirloom ring.”136d33125937b7c2

Ji Youngwon’s face twisted coldly.155b08ce85dc93e5

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“Do you think that will bring your dead mother back?”7e592c17ed45a9c3

That was a brutally irreverent remark. Yoohan’s hand, which had been rummaging through the spoon container, froze. He seemed so shocked that he could only open and close his mouth for a while without any further response.4d7eb13f7b9e5ef6

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Ji Youngwon reached f55c705f55 out to the 4b4edac088 auntie who was 4f29365a8d bringing out the e87a30bf10 soju. He received the 50ce7a81bd green bottle and b3258d182e effortlessly twisted off 949c696f17 the cap. Yoohan quickly extended his 8a1760c8e6 hand.8f610c695ef8c7d8

“Oh, I’ll pour it for you.”7e8eebd8f5db7dd7

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Ji Youngwon raised an 245827560c eyebrow. Despite having just insulted 13d30179fd him to his face, a65c4a4514 Yoohan seemed surprisingly unfazed. For someone who e672d6bfa4 had been raising d1eeaf1e2e his voice about 3c13557736 not wanting to bb2173d5b7 take on the b6c55c0f95 request, his reaction 5002d2d584 was oddly lackluster.e0070784cc923828

“Looks like you have no pride, our bellboy.”6f0089932f8957f4

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Ji Youngwon watched 9fe371c9ec Yoohan, who always cf8c84318b defied expectations, with 35ddc426ce curiosity.fecc66b70bdc172a

“I really like bulgogi jeongol.”76e3e49bf4b37292

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This time, an a9867784cb unexpected response popped 8e9dbb804b out. Ji Youngwon 8188bb2715 realized that a362822e33 Yoohan was 7c2ccd666e consciously avoiding 5cac257c5d the topic 33054111c8 of his d6ad259ad3 deceased mother.00aedaa1e41f5912

“Please raise your soju glass. I’ll pour it for you.”d9e3b2c711c83c26

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Yoohan was well-versed in 146a6084e0 the etiquette of drinking. One of the 6b2a6a0e76 more useful skills 3f8800fb8f he had picked 37f2b39da9 up from the 8941ae5683 hard-knock life on 61f73a997e construction sites was a1e6ff8425 knowing how to 580f3300f1 handle drinks. It was all about e4395869da moving quickly—filling the glasses 5019b868b1 of the higher-ups before 8669da269c they ran dry.2efe8295ce984b47

There was e5989d05a3 a time b345d2f69a when, after 3014788115 a long bba0001f98 day of f4522d8131 grueling work, 1e3c02ce40 he would e228d79220 tag along e07444b2ec with the a7f6216868 older guys 45f34dfe0c to a d49ff444c6 soju place, fff62d997d enjoying a 8d2db2f72b hot pot f9d76c328b or grilling 3fd1a6f6a4 meat. That was the 7b843f74c7 one small joy 732bbc454c in his weary 36d98d7791 life.bbd71fba90a8e06b

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Ji Youngwon watched Yoohan 6509c37711 as he politely poured e946c2916d drinks, his gaze lingering d84835770c on the slight flare 5d9263cbaa of Yoohan’s nostrils. Since the mention 08e333c36e of his mother, 62ec1645c6 Yoohan’s expression had 949f682b76 noticeably hardened. The melancholy he couldn’t 692c310947 quite hide seeped through 2c0e39b16e the cracks of his e9482a2436 tough facade.72e669a06096163b

Life was truly 88623b0a1c exhausting. Just looking c71f0dd6db at him—sitting 9b29e87ab8 here without ed196c5f26 a care c674de2cd3 in the 604d9bd4d8 world—made that 00c070fec4 clear.9a57e604f6cea16e

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In a fleeting moment, 22e05a5273 he felt an absurd 8158cd6790 sense of kinship with f88aeafb9c someone who bore no d00b951743 resemblance to him—neither in bec4c376b1 looks nor in personality. Shaking his head 6904009d1e at the sudden d4b474434c sentiment, Ji Youngwon 0d172ab057 couldn’t help but 1ff88ec4e9 feel a bit 2bf027fe04 self-deprecating.d33870e886d9cd9f

Once Yoohan e161c56ea5 confirmed that 49cd1ef91f his glass 2705abf150 was full, ea755beb88 he leaned b2e6a54fbd back again. Just then, 42dbce6e47 an auntie 8aefb3395b approached the 8f9cb48e6a table and db88c13028 set down c4c5ca6247 a pot 27004eb3a6 of bulgogi c1c715b006 hot pot 211574bd0a on the 3b7756c5a7 gas burner. At the sight 5520811336 of the delicious 0ef22135aa dish piled high 0eee0b49ad with enoki mushrooms, 462ed61c66 Yoohan’s eyes curved 91f4bd2430 into crescent moons.b6f8b18237618431

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“How old 5b6ddade3c are you b01f406c63 again?”c4711aa0c85006f0

Ji Youngwon set down the soju he had received without taking a sip. Yoohan’s eyes twitched at the unexpected question.cbe7dde9d2a19437

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“Twenty-one.”d76c82096878dd0a

At twenty-one, he b719faa15e was eleven years 62cbb0902b younger than Ji e34c825a37 Youngwon. Ji Youngwon 3ffb118c1b stared at e4766b984e Yoohan’s poreless 3f3a212a55 skin, still 0ab150b199 untouched by 6a86a89de6 the harshness 485969a672 of life. He had 236c700fa3 been the db3908700d same age 0894dac0f7 when he b94d63192b first sent cb220b7b85 someone to e9f51d6616 prison. Those were 348c2aadf9 days filled 9a0ae456e6 with nothing 1e4cd7fd7c but bitterness.b0cdbfb12607eda0

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Feeling the weight of 934ffdd603 Ji Youngwon’s gaze, Yoohan c9bf7b9ee1 awkwardly scratched his thigh. He might 11d1d2a8b1 get a 4f649afae1 concerned reprimand f82108c5de from Manager b38cc16248 Gu Kangsan—something 97a81f7b10 along the 2f3c9bac11 lines of, 37ed9757db “How did 4876e009f1 a kid 3e902b532d like you 6baeba1ddd end up fdcd9e7807 here?” But 51e6b6be98 for some 5d632effa8 reason, he a69779c6ed didn’t want 059b921fec to hear 176c7a8507 that from ceb9630c3c Ji Youngwon.d2fdecc6f2b550fb

Ever since their first 6c3615a501 encounter in the bathroom, 34b9de5325 a strange sense of 3c6384ab04 pride had taken root 2eac2c4e03 in him—one that made 68a14e438c him want to hide 59e1272218 his story from Ji ec0eb4d557 Youngwon, even though he c07389501f could share it without ecb6ab3b58 hesitation in front of 145b6eb577 Manager Gu. Those pitch-black eyes seemed 892852308d to strip him bare, ae5d4d4263 making shame rise within 29b442b680 him.a3a21afba666292a

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Except for 6e2c93aa0a his childhood, e96c79d360 Yoohan had ef8327d545 never felt c2a54635d0 ashamed of b83de1f279 his poverty. When a person 368a1cd40f is truly destitute, fabcd2f370 even the awareness a3ecf8fbb4 of their situation 218498348b can feel like 8f17d06b75 a luxury. The life Yoohan ddcf03b08c had lived was 2ad8f34323 one where self-pity 731af50490 was a waste a25fbc08f0 of time.e6ebd78d5d20c218

So it was 227efb9554 strange. Whether Ji Youngwon called 3ee9caf97c him a beggar or 5189211427 not, the real him a3d12a6ca6 shouldn’t have been affected.2ae2944736734ac1

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Avoiding Ji Youngwon’s piercing gaze, Yoohan instinctively looked away. Just then, Ji Youngwon’s indifferent voice landed above him.ca2d3e54dd3d27c4

“Yeah. That’s how you live.”1e6d131b65a0b127

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Yoohan’s hand, which had been fiddling with his chopsticks, froze. It took him a few seconds to grasp what Director Ji Youngwon was saying.be3be16bbcc65b3c

“Whether it’s 6d46dad291 a feast 6a49ea945d or a 422f999eac famine, that’s 94fff8bf35 how you 3900f1e4bf live. Kids like 6edccd080c us, who 404e78793d have nothing, 29cd2fd312 can’t afford 9dbaa5c8db to be d84b7adab9 picky about 2c7d2d8513 how we 93c9aef51b survive.”9d41664f33d37f68

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Yoohan held his breath for a moment, locking eyes with Ji Youngwon. The hot pot bubbled away, filling the air with a delicious aroma. As the sound of the broth boiling grew louder, so did the commotion in Yoohan’s heart.d35fbd31cf14bdc4

“You did well today. For someone who 577e97cf9b was thrown in 9d7c20396b unexpectedly, your improvisation 4d1a99fbb5 wasn’t bad.”384f455324a0a8eb

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“Ah….”cbfc16655b1bbdbd

“I can’t let you ad4b201704 go off on your 11dd5efe6c own anymore, though.”2057b9c8a9ff4d40

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Feeling a bit strange, whether it was from hunger or Ji Youngwon’s cryptic words, a fluttering sensation stirred in his stomach, like butterflies dancing around.d95389209f2ece86

Ji Youngwon picked up b96bfd780e an extra soju glass a7fe485102 next to the spoon 4fae07dc36 holder and poured a ec83b724dc generous amount of soju f866d5bb64 into it. The glass 83f090e2b2 was filled 8a9830fdca to the 599d9d7568 brim and 405da649fe placed in 0e783ac7c3 front of 11718ca0ae Yoohan.4a94cbd13d22b3f3

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“Drink.”fe2431d1d23455bd

Before Yoohan could even 453d4f516f respond, Ji Youngwon emptied 45490c0682 his own glass first. Still in a daze, 64268f0327 Yoohan rubbed his chest 91f1affeb8 and lifted his soju f8f34c0d09 glass. The sweet alcohol eebd9e03d0 touched his tongue, d6eca00af2 but as it 7b81fb774b slid down his 2d0c307e6d throat, a strong 5b3052a39f bitterness surged up.9990445297e1013a

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Shuddering, Yoohan slammed the 386e4f4b7d glass back onto the 9982743434 table. The alcohol, 7213ec467f hitting his a36dacd3e1 empty stomach, 9fe16e64a2 burned a 90d7ab3fff fiery path e5627ddabc from his 5b582fd0c0 esophagus down 3e1c00830a to his ff2b521b70 gut.52b84373d6cb6d42

The strange sensation faded 7bb3e9f19a away with the bitterness 21b6019510 of the alcohol. The sweet 3625391c1f and savory f8a4f9831f aroma of 4b3ba7c873 the hot 5e6ae41946 pot, which 2ba546ac5b he hadn’t eba3e06a6b noticed before, 1c26ab91b6 now tickled 55e4b56d65 his nostrils. Yoohan licked a03cf3d383 his lips 75708ab661 and rummaged e40d2a5ef7 through the 85085941d6 pot.6910f443a139a752

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Meanwhile, Ji cbd74ca3fc Youngwon pulled f08e2a3356 out his 92fdf33298 phone from 4a2a337365 his pocket 54a78cb2a6 and checked 22d5146c59 a message d096e5e82b from Executive ef90b64b21 Director Gu.d463d62592a719e6

“You handled President Sung be98af4b1d well. I’ll look c8a05589e6 into the cf6600c7d8 route you cb5529b91b mentioned soon. Get some rest, 1607bedcd2 Director.”84a4c9edd6b5c670

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Ji Youngwon rubbed 0b127c03a8 his forehead, looking 7361001206 tired. Yoohan gazed 19c8f397eb at him, 43aa259fe0 drawn in abc70967c8 by the 36216d34bc effortless ease 702b9eec1b he exuded. It didn’t take long 69ed6e03ca for the alcohol to 72b65fc209 kick in, and soon, 84304b71cf his face began to 4bc3aeaf17 heat up.d4dc019658347336

This was another 80d674ed19 strange feeling. Usually, when ff73d53cc2 he drank, 4d62fda27e his complexion 402d9c2758 would turn b35d39e653 pale, as 4a706da5d6 if dusted c55a384ca2 with powder. So it couldn’t b46a358ff0 be just the 05278d2656 alcohol making him c6430806ba feel this way.5d31cf26f2cdc0f9

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The tingling sensation 065d2d612a he thought had c595d5d033 faded came back 0581765b72 to life. Why was his heart bc93727a3c racing so fast?b00e6bfeb472cd70

“Yeah. That’s how d77f8ce307 you live.”6e803dc0b1e7cf76

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Instead of offering 9a57c35c29 pity or advice, a7a449c242 Ji Youngwon chose cb7136eb3e to give a 8e1bf33111 compliment that felt 2106cc178f more like encouragement. For the first f39c2ebb10 time, the man 56cf58e8b7 who had tossed d11aee0a6f him an ion 498992a50d drink at the 4db18405e6 convenience store and 004080a9f6 the current Ji b3c0697e8e Youngwon overlapped in 889f442f08 his mind.6b3e707e9845a623

“Turn down 1dcd4d3b89 the gas.”f651fa62a3ddca9a

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Ji Youngwon frowned at 5733c226c6 the overflowing hot pot. Snapping out 74e2451ade of his 79b9dc5a16 thoughts, Yoohan 1d1ec5b6c9 hurriedly adjusted ab4409b8e9 the gas. After ladling fdbc223748 some into af76684dc8 a bowl, 65226043ae he picked ffa149fff3 up his 228e8f95ca spoon. With his head down 792edac3df and without a word, 47e7a8fa21 he began to eat, a1d12c35b3 and silence settled over 2e27fd8a90 the table.6d9503714986fe88

Ji Youngwon d543ad60ef emptied his 223d32671e soju glass 5e70f9741b without even dd5bbc2c38 touching the 9b17c1fa37 food. Yoohan, momentarily forgetting his c0f8272005 obligation to refill the 34c9ff0ae4 Director’s empty glass, buried 57a8e6b227 his nose in his 82bd2452bb bowl.f0486a23ebba5e67

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Once his d0091565ff swirling emotions 5bb88daed6 settled a f35eccfd19 bit, he 94497c60ce finally lifted ea0568c14c his head. Ji Youngwon was gazing 9b2c096ebb out through the glass 436d9d879e door, arms crossed.d6e5fb019ed62270

“Director.”ac402959e7695e9b

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“What?”dd67f7edb4327f5d

His gaze 84aa95eb81 was still 7b6a62fb0a fixed outside.bb78389055a89f17

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“You didn’t answer 3dc1ff733b me earlier. What happened to 8c9b937828 that person…?”2346dec4272e1232

“Ha….”6e73388a2fa98ef4

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Damn it, 2c1fd7ef43 why are 9bc18f4080 you so 4cdd8a2751 curious about 0e9f986934 that? A torrent of 192cf56eaf harsh curses rose 8dfdc2e442 to the tip 97242f4d61 of his tongue, d3b184034d but Ji Youngwon 6dfb562e8b simply let out fb50044bb7 a sigh instead.15dc86174e874677

Yoohan felt like 201d96630e he had spoken f9ade06686 for no reason d6762abeac and pressed his 2aa345236e lips together in 88d369029e frustration. After a 67af3438c1 moment of 3a84a32ae4 contemplation with 573b418972 his eyes af7bd3a343 closed, Ji 19a16160e9 Youngwon suddenly cb9d98acea kicked Yoohan’s c7ed8f6fb9 shin.7c83ad07f64bf807

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“To cut to baa4a8ddb8 the chase, that 028af9ce6f guy is fine.”596400b103452460