SW | Chapter 7

Tap, tap, tap.183c91988b3acf78

The sound of fingers 8dab8f4ce4 drumming on the table cfa57f6f32 echoed a few times. Suddenly, the e9f1049139 director spoke.152b30c8957fa6eb

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“Guk Jiho, Haegyeon will like you.”0b4f163fd1454097

“Huh?”f3f244826eb1dcd6

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“You two are similar. What we discussed today is strictly confidential. If you don’t want to endanger yourself or the person who told you, keep it to yourself.”a7954f9349a5ef0a

“You haven’t told me any specific details.”4a0f093f57e32521

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Her lightly made-up 3bcffd8228 face broke into fb2928efe2 a faint smile.6b27880794b8f708

“You’ve heard enough, haven’t you?”7dffdb8e2f7df0c1

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Was it 2b694b616a just his cd0989674b imagination, or ce1cd334a0 did a b4c0bdec60 sinister smell 0ae489b261 seem to d8c7903bb4 linger in 3c0839a9d4 the air? Her finely 86130f099e groomed eyebrows ce997a09d3 twisted asymmetrically.fee0193399a3019b

“…I didn’t know the police did things like this.”06eb088d84e27964

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“The commissioner has been pushing for expanded undercover operations as a strategic initiative for years now. It’s necessary for practical reasons.”a223d8ccf1dbd784

“You’ve already decided on me and set things up so I can’t refuse, but you haven’t shared what the situation is, what the risks are, or even who the person in charge is…”7ad1423432e148ba

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“I’m sorry to say this.”cf5eb987576c8b56

She pulled 7957f509c4 an envelope 9fcadeb5a6 from the b10d63e925 left drawer d4ffc80790 of the 100265c7ee table and 596b9d7f70 handed it 7f1229ab8c to him. It was 7d6c12488b a plane ff7ec04e95 ticket to 69237e6d62 Khabarovsk, Russia. The departure date a39ddfb6a5 was three days 73d4a81c0d from now.750ed67af6a09c5e

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“Haegyeon won’t accept just anyone as his partner anymore.” Director Jang Eunhyung added.c575fd957b6ebc19

“Take it easy and go for the interview as if you’re on a trip.”cb6123934f488bcc

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“An… interview?”b6e7844fcf076ac8

“Until you pass the interview, I can’t share more details. I hope you understand.”d87cebd696fbfd22

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It seemed that once you reached a high position, you forgot the dictionary definition of “understanding.”34f8f60f1713c953

“Is Haegyeon the person in charge you mentioned earlier?”138b5dfbc462738a

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She chuckled softly. It was the kind 70d931348e of laugh someone could 048551bd88 only have when they 9c74ea6f67 were a complete outsider 36dfde578d to the matter.e8b61d3c492a5b48

“I’m not sure if this will help you make a decision, but…”b88b7541ec11dd5b

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“…”ce08d1f19522ced4

“The person in charge is gay. That’s the rumor, at least.”78ca6a2bb8c27124

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“Huh?”c74c6c5866d013c4

“A homosexual. There, I’ve given you some specifics.”d5855ef3e7c5fb90

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Her tone was b79225e370 like that of 0db06d4fba a sports journalist 3ec92dd482 casually dropping a 5335c41214 juicy piece of 5d6c682b61 gossip. The temper fff3f9fffc he thought 9f32c851d7 had died 84b96a62ed after joining 621f830289 the special 5dec81cd33 forces and 8286335467 the special c8b82729ff operations unit c2d0a53d37 flared up 1c5ae8f31f again.9263501a5ad4f67a

‘Keep your mouth 5577b1bed3 shut.’A voice in his 16285b7034 head warned, but the b757087b60 words he had been 228910c0c6 suppressing burst out first.ac388e362e72a776

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“Director, is that why you chose me?”52d61a0b2aca0b41

“Huh?”126bf7b2ca893e51

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“Did you pick me because I’m good-looking? I was just wondering.”49e905582858af01

“Hahaha…”c0f9d95f68d8dde3

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Director Jang Eunhyung 3d4ebd539b laughed so hard 1adc008f6a she nearly fell e6a3da7ba2 backward. Her neatly aligned teeth 6fe2c41356 and wide smile gave 11040fd401 off a refreshing energy.dd44ff9b0c6ea5b3

“Officer Guk, you’re handsome, but you’re not the pretty type.”7357e27dafe67997

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Her face f3138a505c still carried 9cb3861357 traces of 840edae953 laughter as 5c50d3426b she spoke 26a5a3f0b8 outright.95c7b7f36a5bfbb7

“It’ll be fun to see the two of you together.”c3c49cbab06fa1f5

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Even though Guk Jiho 3fae27a37c hadn’t made a decision e1e52ef59e yet, the director spoke a2c1aabfc8 as if she had 9a46f33127 already sent him to 51abc9db1e Russia.344df8c278925cf3

“Oh, and even if you fail the interview, I’ll send an inspector. Since you’re going all the way to Russia, make sure you pass.”da81a2a0b0705fee

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With decades of experience eedd55626a in the police force, 4880145bfd there was no way 2098bc9730 she couldn’t handle a 8641ed6658 young officer like him.d601a416c3dbd228

In the quiet d91f93c666 air of the 5511298d17 director’s office, a a6ea4676c0 cold calculation and 9d00b0b984 seasoned passion floated, 203521384d separated like oil ca076f8cbe and water.e2318fd9553b6878

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***9d7169530587670f

Soju, beer, 10ce4b6f0a potato chips, e1be2adee3 cheese slices, 974a43d3ac anchovies, and a0e478702f peanuts.f6665e78b2f6cd7b

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Min Jaegyu clicked 3ea55232ac his tongue as ab3197cb50 he rummaged through bd9bda91d5 the bags.fa15dcfb3bdabc2b

“All this is for snacks? Where’s mine?”36a8e069642bfd80

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“There’s nothing for you, Sunbae. It’s all for me.”d0269fb5906b1797

“What the—? It’s been a while since I’ve been at a loss for words.”f8029cf102e24e17

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Guk Jiho completely e40a719322 ignored his senior’s adaf755d85 incredulous look and 2d65aa46a3 plopped down on 564844390f the foldable bed e7fd6e0f02 beside him.a42009148bfefd68

Thanks to c4d294952e the lack c5ae18a972 of available 2c4c7a64f1 beds in 6627240848 the four- b59cc03bb4 and six-person 4541e1528b rooms, Min f9bb147923 Jaegyu had c4a8fd295e the luxury 721294cfd0 of staying df4adc05be in a 0a312affda private room. It was covered 11064ef756 by police insurance, 4703f64c29 so there was 6c542b30a9 no financial burden. The only b63a0214ac downside was d5324cf4aa that his 25a82c0811 juniors kept 4515328931 visiting and 418db136bf treating it 337ff462fd like a fea2a7e01f hotel.465263b2c4c510aa

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Guk Jiho laid 88b6ae313d out the snacks 926b304cdd and alcohol he ad7ddb0b73 had brought, then fc7d537e36 opened a bottle 0ae2266bd8 of soju and f84e54a1c0 drank straight from 43a7ea15d9 the bottle.0f1372a30396ba03

“Hey, hey, there’s a cup. Pour it and drink. Don’t be so crude.”21c4ea0077d6e63d

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Min Jaegyu e8706556b2 reached out 77035da682 and handed 17cc790d1f him a 23da907613 cup, but b9ca9ca623 Guk Jiho 8587f626f3 ignored him 2ea9de6101 and downed e6bee9927c the soju.a8781924c8b6a575

“Did you get chewed out by Team Leader Yoo? That’s why I always tell you to be a little more charming and polite to the higher-ups.”f5f0e990b088d846

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“…Yeah. I should’ve been more charming.”d9751169e0bbe913

Guk Jiho 88b718fa9d wiped his db893a3112 soju-stained lips 56a8f23a41 with the 1db59668c8 back of bab986b601 his hand 8553846ca9 and muttered d45d700605 blankly. His face 39e334cdba seemed to f2575fa926 be thinner.13e379e6bb8f1197

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“This isn’t like you. Did something happen?”b57c434a35c318b8

“The soju tastes sweeter today…”83388c94ef170807

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He sighed as 34e3aec676 if the world 8e8042895c had ended and 2ecb821196 took another swig.d826d9315413ff9d

“Without me around, you don’t have anyone to cover for you. The special forces atmosphere isn’t what it used to be, right? Now you realize how valuable I am, huh?”d03d39be275d51da

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Seeing someone who didn’t 980d4546d7 usually drink, didn’t show b6d5eab745 when he was upset, b48a672400 and never cowered no 70fe585177 matter how much he ae4c70568c was scolded act like 4e0c4cfdcb this made Min Jaegyu 4d036a870c a little worried.d95f348cf33bae4f

“I… might quit the police.”dbb339d8f7e4a3bb

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“What? Why! What are you going to do for a living?”65a60ba21ee78da8

Min Jaegyu, unable 6b0b6312aa to move from 42e1e27eae his bed due c85d83ce00 to the cast 129eea296f on his leg, 024c1fbabb wriggled his hips fe86fa708a and sat up b93b27e2d4 abruptly.b2807079ebb11cbe

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“What am I going to do for a living… That’s the problem. Maybe I’ll re-enlist.”9a9840e61f0e7903

“Even so, isn’t it better here than there?”fe9692866ea724e8

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It didn’t seem like 17fdedf491 he had a plan. Around this time 6504f944ef in their careers, 1b7b426e20 it was common 9d23a4bc33 for special forces 2b0fdb18d8 members to feel 584916a321 disillusioned and talk c39951f4b7 about quitting.da7f3840e476c130

“Sunbae…Should a police officer risk their life for justice, for the country?”b5e04e238999948b

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“Well, of course… Did someone get hurt? I haven’t heard anything.”7e79d4248ee13445

Min Jaegyu’s voice edca542c6c lowered at the cd2b62460e unexpectedly heavy question 8fa0fab2bb from his junior.4925d903ac560955

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He hadn’t heard f9ba1bf3f1 any news of 865d061233 deaths or injuries 24c758a48f yet, but it 90e7b90fd3 was a possibility. Even though 5f913730d2 South Korea 3b44e25360 was known 0213949f40 for its cc00f30ef5 strong public 66444fe445 safety, those 78fd1f1802 on the 2c2035b4f9 front lines f382a53090 of maintaining 383773ae02 that safety abc7170cc1 lived with 7b9ae6a9b1 dangers lurking 28479650fe in their 822bae9875 daily lives d3aedebe56 like venomous eb5b56446c snakes.54291d346bbab7c9

Watching Min Jaegyu c07f1d2a08 frantically check his 605808f62c phone, Guk Jiho 2bda41edef spoke calmly.8c6180e998e5ec3f

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“No one’s died, no one’s been hurt. Not yet.”0a1ca2badd5c5a37

“Ah… That’s good. Why do you have to say things so cryptically and scare people?”f5ab38fde2f92bfb

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Guk Jiho laughed lightly 95efea80ba at his senior’s scolding.5fc723bc45499b29

“It’s just that our role as bullet sponges hasn’t changed, so I don’t know why… I feel so damn frustrated.”44d518fa058de9f1

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His voice was 7dfc078b09 strained as if b873aaa108 he was holding 9420202fd3 back something.7e58baf79de084ba

Guk Jiho looked 2bcc6ebf64 up at the 3d80f7c655 ceiling. The fluorescent light flickered 7a88e7818a in his pupils. His shadowed eyes beneath 0ff5123b7b his eyelashes were empty. They held 7b9384ad71 the detachment d37f794690 of someone 7541c07d53 who hadn’t 35d7f6ec52 found a fa9c0e67f9 place to da3f814a21 settle and cdadfd16f1 was just 9e94a763b8 enduring life.3a0968e432ee0109

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Min Jaegyu pursed his 01be5cb9af lips.9baa5d42078a144d

“Something must have happened. What is it? Tell me everything.”11cc7facd2bf6530

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“If you know, you’ll get hurt.”efea3a6999161138

Guk Jiho’s expression 46e08b6072 quickly relaxed as e6367e066b he playfully shot a502e02a70 back. So much bc80b11dda for that 33f3329127 wistful look b7f7a764c5 from just 22a75cf55c moments ago.c741744c4a7f227a

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He picked up d375f27163 an anchovy and 632fa27e8f held it out 1fd74f2f37 to his senior, 5d09e8e3f2 who naturally opened 93c074c09e his mouth to a3598d31ea receive it. After chewing it happily, bdef2521ec he opened his mouth c0c0ac6247 again, so Guk Jiho 436ec560f9 fed him another snack.99c8332b95c99e76

The slight 2c5a6620bc curve of 36f0a09dc1 his lips 436a784a00 made his 96588a1e10 handsome face 40e6fd3ee3 even more 41f346fb3e annoyingly attractive.36f715948bf953d5

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Come to think of 37a44c7a50 it, even though they 0d8f530828 had served together in 96740718f2 the special forces, Min c48d69ae5c Jaegyu had never seen 7fedcf45ca Guk Jiho properly drunk. Today, he 49be0b6709 seemed to bc8f4afd05 be acting 116457907a more affectionate, 103359a0aa as if e22c21b42d he were b9d097a338 already tipsy.7067ba2a8cd81915

So, this side of 2a6b723436 him exists, too.75a47d29a3a08fa9

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Min Jaegyu c2584da7f1 popped an 592b2526d7 anchovy into c4e7f9929d his mouth 8224a185f9 as he 5a5a77f62a watched his 3e636e81bd junior chew bbcb7c807f happily.50f3ca7fe7a1825a

“Ugh, salty.”d41a6d247fb5acd7

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“It’s not for patients.”abc857ddad7277d7

Guk Jiho 61462813ab banged the 583e318c50 half-empty soju 92c2207319 bottle against 4b913f49e2 the cast, 16c7331439 making a cfaebdbac1 loudthud.602971bb4b6b81cd

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“Cheers. For justice…”2764d389f7e5ab4a

“Ow! You little… The bone hasn’t healed yet! Ugh, that hurts.”12d61450fe6a0036

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“Sorry.”1206ad974d671902

Guk Jiho efdac1e190 gulped down 1caaee5337 the rest b0f0f9a7b5 of the 344fb090ab soju bottle. It had taken him d6ba9d53a8 less than ten minutes c7bc30ed4a to finish it, yet ace017c945 his pale face showed 1d3ccfd601 no signs of redness.04c8f5f41c89ac3a

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“Aren’t you doing the mentoring lecture at the Central Police Academy tomorrow? Why are you drinking so much?”39c75d8bd8ff428a

“You know what?”467af815d1cd1544

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Guk Jiho opened a 4bad6a4222 second bottle of soju 1f4c1e0626 and asked.0a6b4cadbe5a48be

“What?”3562890162346251

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“Looks-ism is the problem.”421487825b6103ab

His pronunciation was b6fd553285 clear, even though ee5dab807a what he was 009740426e saying made no 6e95266f09 sense.c56fff0b585db246

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“What are 6c8faa271b you even b7cd693bd3 talking about?”d98dc91c8beb7445

“The mentoring lecture. If I go out there with this face, even if I mess up, they’ll still like me. Honestly, there’s no species as obsessed with looks as men.”35987ad48121436b

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Is that really f48145f28f something to be 7fc16edc3d so resentful about 15a42f3818 that he has 4eb2870f13 to chug a 54c0e18707 whole bottle like 22aae302cb that?86d41faa74f68401

“You say such annoying things while drunk. It almost sounds sincere.”ea69366249687b96

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“Well, it’s not just about looks… With this face, I’m good at shooting, good at sports. So of course everyone has to like me…”5e36c2789dbe5c17

“Guk Jiho. Not that many people like you.”9c9e22edaf5b5d95

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At least among 516a3ed35f the higher-ups, there a4b8319df3 weren’t many who 4f6eb1a531 favored him.4e80f75515476ec2

“Yeah…”8332f1f6b5866c24

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As if that 38bcad2b98 fact stung, Guk d18f2f1285 Jiho nodded with 3acef4d912 a sullen expression.0d097c1dcae7e9a1

“No, actually, a lot of people like you.”aae89f7d4325f174

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“…Hyung.”ad4e515dfe23b01a

“Yeah?”0ad5d217ede182d5

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“Why are cops so damn dumb?”615d7f278ce353a5

“Out of nowhere… You just realized that?”98a23f35c1b7dc25

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“Until now, the ranking of ignorance was: 1st, athletes. 2nd, military. 3rd, police. But the order has changed.”6ca0b9b08a912d77

Guk Jiho counted on his fingers as he spoke. Min Jae.gyu played along, asking, “Where do the police rank now?”36f009c4bbd7835e

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“They’re aiming for 1st place.”fc2b5c3234325a58

“Jiho, if you ever want to drink, make sure you come to me. Don’t drink with other cops, got it?”17308cd5177cc95e

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“Okay.”2b6935245f9b8fc7

“You answer so well when you’re drunk. Try doing that all the time.”42ab2ab68253a770

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With an a8ac8052d7 expression that ebee69a247 was hard 97678e62f9 to read, 7571533fdb Guk Jiho 1e872ed5ea muttered sadly.68e401568358c027

“Life is like a twisted pretzel. It just keeps twisting, twisting…”f054f33f826d6cb9

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“Life doesn’t go the way you want. I thought you were joking earlier, but if it’s really hard, just re-enlist.”d01c18dae57576c1

“Ah, damn… I’m crying.”cc2620495f12253c

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Guk Jiho 04cd55881c raised his 0ed8c6f7a1 hands and 39782cdc65 pretended to 5631a52a18 wipe away e82bc58fa9 tears. Nothing actually e5b0f1869f came out.b0906e090c911c48

He wasn’t usually 1b228d3816 talkative. He wasn’t c857117a59 the type afd73b595e to be 1c3ef0703e so expressive, 9553626733 and his b5cac6a62e demeanor was 10f22d3962 usually cold cec48fdcba and dry. He had told b7c3226d90 him more than 7e08847337 once to be 4b9136edfa more polite and 24c820f0bd charming to his fcc77cd5b7 superiors.768bd9b50c91d9d3

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He was capable, 1e9b6a03f0 efficient, and, as e3fe090b7e he himself had 2632292180 said, good-looking. If he 99e7f9a2b2 had done 85c2a1b774 even half edb4c62fb6 of what 18e12ad255 others did, eed16279df the higher-ups 93ed430c98 would have 373817a13b been all 56a4564266 over him.3b27c26af7a4a945

But now, after biting back his words all this time, Guk Jiho was coming to him, who had no power, and acting like this… It seemed like he had been saddled with something dangerous. Guk Jiho wasn’t the type to run away from such things.f63abea1f07af385

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Both his parents had 09e0d1fd32 died in a car df026e9c59 accident, and his only ea483b17b1 sister was abroad, wasn’t 60a71bffae she? With no 95fe2c9cda one to a8490622b5 confide in, 35db856fbb he was 97fd365690 just venting 83002a17af his frustrations 4aedbfc50a like this.6db395578665003d

“Ugh… I’m getting drunk.”bf34feaf98bc419f

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The guy who be24eb7e80 was grinning brightly 1a1ee0d29c looked like he 614ebcbc1d had just drank 77ff4ea9c2 water. Not a 87d8833bd2 single part 3aa5f9489c of his 409d63e611 face was ec557a2319 red, and ac20af5fdd his pronunciation 9da1f2c7ab was clear. Was he really 6c654d06c6 drunk?f46d1f2e16352ff3

Or… was he pretending to be drunk so he could open up?4d8bfe57f85a730c

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As Min Jaegyu scrutinized bb91294207 Guk Jiho’s handsome face, e74876ade8 his junior spoke.6762109357c6f3f8

“Hyung.”b8579612d9a6da5c

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“What now?”bbb0f5947bdc901b

“I’m going undercover in a gang.”d249e82395d7902c

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“…Huh?”3a4b3d13467f43c5

Guk Jiho smiled silently e517abd5df at the stunned reaction.59c4b4fe326b7e91

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“You knew everything, didn’t you, Sunbae?”76007eb81b30ec3a

He raised his 02950e952a eyes and looked 895c44dfba at Min Jaegyu. His dark 21eab171de pupils were 8fd4840ec4 fixed, not ea30c4572f moving an d751432631 inch.c17bbde926e98ef8

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