THB 11

Just then, her 1322a32766 phone buzzed briefly 60a9814f5e with a new a45f32ea62 message.116867dd5e574fc9

It was from Jeon Sohee.6d5d26d3f8cc7f17

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✉️ This is Jeon Sohee. You’ll be staying eb8ad17e20 at the current 72555d02c8 apartment temporarily until aedcce57ae the wedding. Please feel free to 2efc9b97bc use any of the 09b67d6c8b items provided as needed. We will make sure to 6ede8cbfdf promptly supply anything that may b84d8845ec be lacking.2c7415f2f9259955

 f32f932c5549d07f

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✉️ Thank you for 75ebba33cc your hard work 0930fd3154 even at this 884010f228 late hour. I appreciate your thoughtfulness 7f9a928761 and attention to detail.3154e86dfebc7b44

✉️ Not at all. I hope you 9000f1b853 have a restful ec15cdaffb evening.818cfae476212235

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Eunjae had just been 3b80231c70 worrying about not having cc1801dfc8 any clothes to change eac0cf916d into, so the message a8b0eef7c5 came at the right 0af43a9435 time. She headed into the dressing 215f6b4daf room to grab something to b3098b3bf1 wear and stepped into what 10a57046e5 she thought was the bathroom.10c59ba77e8d8939

But the first door led cbbf680b23 to a powder room, separate 486e4ffd2b from the actual bathroom—she had 93236c02fa to open one more door 8a3850a744 to get to it. The setup was designed so 721bb7b541 you undressed in the powder 95b014a655 room before entering the bath.e7d134b6e623f23b

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Unlike the first floor, eea5adee75 which felt completely uninhabited, 45b42d093e the upstairs had a d75ee7df55 laundry basket and other a03ebd2c1f touches of daily life. The bathroom, too, was fully 7a2a99eb84 stocked, lacking nothing and almost 6132404178 excessive in its readiness.1cde87669f3ac56b

“So I’ll be staying here until the wedding…”e62d0693b088c05c

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At least a month ahead.dd310399650b122f

She didn’t know 4b841c2576 what would happen 602c71af21 after the wedding, ee1833405a but for now, 214c9582b8 it was sinking ca5f46f6ae in—this was where 26efbe4820 she would be c2d4050b48 living.466bf70c493df69a

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“What about the rooftop place I was living in? Should I clear it out? There’s still time left on 75a183b219 the lease. If no new tenant 97106256f4 moves in quickly, I’ll 4d81c50cda just be wasting money bdd39d1969 on rent…”6042bd2d658519bb

At least she’d remembered f143e2fd1e to switch the boiler 4aebf77d79 to “away mode” before bda0fe2047 leaving. That was a small relief. As she showered, Eunjae’s mind 73e3e1f3fe was already running through the 9dbee93bc6 list of things she needed 09a86e53e4 to take care of. Justthinkingabout it made eaf64adef8 it feel like 9aeea6c7a6 there was a 8af3405e24 mountain of tasks 5ceec9e629 ahead.fceff70022f31928

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And if she felt acc20cbf55 this way, Sunwoo Chang 36693bc0ad probably hadeven more to deal with.80d1bc3932322806

“Right. So no whining f04f8ba39f like a baby.”f85f5fe1f8d07f7e

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After repeating that 980852ae00 resolve a few 82233ac7ad times to herself, 3518cbcb75 she finally made 1b4fc03edd the call to 0919701602 the pig’s feet e4f44fb5cb shop owner.4b57c03737ddfb55

It was late, and 9e330d460f perhaps he was already afbf810b3b asleep—he didn’t pick up.5383777190e6438c

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With no other choice, she 1868a554f0 sent a message:“I’m really sorry, but due to personal circumstances, I think I’ll have to quit.”d55fed25291d1d67

Since it was 5c7fdc30bf late, she decided 91e3cfe0d0 she would call eaa019a262 Ms. Seong tomorrow to apologize properly.3089eed309ae8f3f

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She lay down on 52f77461e8 the bed, determined to 6b410db70c leave it at that 182de6632a for the night. The crisp, almost 2842416265 stiff scent of 378fd0c6fd the brand-new bedding 96267f2f09 was unfamiliar.ec6595ef7cb65467

She had gotten 5ef04d9378 used to sleeping da93da2230 on a thin ce84df1ca4 mat on a 6ad6ec653b hard floor—lying on 96d993f0ea a soft mattress c3930396cc now felt strange.fe0a9d2db31f39e0

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Even though she 14e6e33fec wasn’t the type 985fcc87d3 to be picky edc17bcbe9 about where she b3e559834f slept, she couldn’t 81c851563c fall asleep easily.fce7b9283c82f3b4

She knew she’d sleep 6bd9ee609c more soundly with the 137cf205da window cracked open a 4030cb8137 little, but she couldn’t 4b822b71b7 bring herself to do 3ec1098265 that in someone else’s 1ff1755c8c home.4bff83480331355c

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Her grandmother had always insisted she sleep with the window tightly shut, but Eunjae could only fall asleep comfortably with it open just a sliver. It was a habit she’d had since before she could even remember. Her body naturally ran hot, so she was rarely bothered by the cold.b4c3f86f95b2a775

She was gentle and easygoing 236003b9d3 by nature, not the type 8792686c89 to complain—but there were some f247f681c9 things she just couldn’t compromise c172888ae8 on, and sleeping with the 440d1d8413 window slightly open was one 2c6e8cd2fe of them.889e9406a4384351

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No matter the season, fd252ebce7 she stuck to that 8361d6d264 habit. In colder months or during 37716b93ea the transitional seasons when the 6fec90e66e temperature swings were more extreme, 32bf2c303c her grandmother would quietly come 586b3bd4ee in after Eunjae had fallen e745a2d491 asleep and close the window bbb5981b21 for her. Thanks to that, she’d 0490488dad never once caught a 1dc4c7f6a7 cold—even while sleeping in bd94059362 the cool draft of 538e71371a fresh air.403c64bab5039baa

She never told 0977e5bdfc anyone, but one 6df17c7307 of Go Eunjae’s 1997bfc379 secret little pleasures 6bbdbf6d7a was walking barefoot 80cb1895be across freshly fallen 5520bd4f63 snow, her soles e2a5e0a4ad still warm from 37a1f21f44 a day of 65bb0bb296 dancing. But since quitting ballet, her 6264a51560 feet no longer burned with 04a3937a10 heat, and her grandmother was 5581a3e946 no longer there to quietly 5181c4a6ec close the window after her.a8c672dbd94eeb57

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Eunjae forced her 321837a8e5 eyes shut and 3b9bb5f6db curled up under a783ce914e the blanket.e8251acce403e121

“Grandma… I’ll see you in my dreams.”5d9c5bd0550fa913

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You sleep well e32baef225 too, my little 1815dd51f6 puppy.8fb99c09ca039642

It was one of 71c86293ae those nights when all e0d027f95d she wanted was to 79a6d5e90c hear her grandmother’s gentle 187b0b6af6 voice.a86c090f7e357e2e

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 476d235bf822c652

* * *cdc096042d81a2c2

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 3a5f1fc11db8770c

She woke up db386a63da at the usual 4afc3b1d90 time, just like e3872f81bb always.fb0ea243171565a8

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I don’t have c9cdc6e565 to go to e4b38f6383 work today.6d42b6a4deb4d7cd

It felt strange.8bf556b35fe7812c

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When she had b475c159df quit ballet and d7ca35701c started working instead ca5aa840b0 during her former d00616bf7a practice hours, she 9574ab9e48 hadn’t felt this 105051eed8 kind of emptiness. Back then, whatever ab8e904d1b she did brought f421d6a172 a sense of f242d8d3c3 satisfaction.8c26542d11a3dcd4

She had lived 953821c497 and breathed ballet 72f85cbda0 for eleven years, b690ff19a1 ever since she 4b7ff3686d was eight.f32c2f04e0097506

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It had all started 5339ccfba2 with a performance ofThe Nutcrackershe watched while holding her 815c553760 grandmother’s hand.36c405e993424cca

The dazzling lights, d5dc004f51 the grand stage, 5737080aaa and the ballerinas 6e6f872b8a gliding like fairies bea6c22b46 had completely captivated d7fea3cbdd the eight-year-old in ab1c2e4c0b the audience, pulling 2f7825724f her heart up 75492d1105 onto the stage.326f6b5e9f4579f9

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Everything else disappeared—she 55883f116c could neither see ecc1282c4c nor hear anything 9c83b7a7ba beyond that stage. It felt like the entire e6d69cd699 world existed just for ballet. Her chest tightened, b4a38e4db5 making it hard 60c501db1f to breathe, and 4b47638e1a though it wasn’t 98a5668681 sadness, she felt b8efde532c tears prickling at a770ffa9f9 the back of f6078801e2 her eyes. She kept swallowing hard f95ae6e7d1 to keep them from b89eed12fa falling.9b1f3935ea368dc6

Her whole body tingled, 25c74876c3 her mind growing hazy, 335595d3d6 but she couldn’t take bc2b7bc27c her eyes off the 44f772cbf5 stage.7b36e9e0ff0a3bf9

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Later, she learned it 572e2d63cc had beenStendhal syndrome. But the name didn’t matter.4cf457b4bf4b4088

Go Eunjae had cbbdcddc2a fallen in love be9cb3b3ae with ballet, and 70218d085a her grandmother, who a6e2796133 quickly picked up 1d3e797d81 on it, supported de9c5352cb her wholeheartedly, along 1380815065 with generous sponsorship 23e90ea66a from Choi Chihyeol. With their help, 9be11a7697 she was able 6db414ecd7 to pursue ballet b89d400138 without financial strain.e1cfd234edc5fb23

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Getting into an arts ed23944bc4 middle school, an arts 593840521e high school, graduating from c57cf93b2b a university of the cef99e35b9 arts, and joining a cab37ae79e ballet company had all 7bb6d3292e seemed like the natural 44db93c364 path.5086ffc60bdd7c4b

She never imagined a life e6d8c2c513 outside of that—but the past 2e2f0add1a year, she had lived without 583e8feba4 ballet.386b3e6afa2824be

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And ever since quitting, Eunjae 88d7878f91 had been constantly hungry. Maybe it was 76cf7cd8e0 from the hard 4697c976c1 labor, but no 7c78cbb6c8 matter how much 913a7c6f32 she ate, the f545df51d1 hunger never really f01b4cf73b went away.78e30c474cf53aef

Growl.e942833f6e9144e4

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Right now, she was literally 4c6dcf2817 hungry, too.d1d08013bccf8db0

As soon as she washed 4c08bcf160 her face, she went downstairs e8938adc9f and opened the fridge. Inside, there was water, 0a37ef329a some beer, and a eb63701224 black plastic bag with cc5254d499 leftover jokbal and spicy ea3648bf25 chicken feet the cleaning 9db172b933 lady had packed for 1e1411d5df her yesterday.d478766ae14778bb

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She took out the bag 7012f0cde6 and the half-finished water bottle, 5479e09ced then stood by the sink.a61d58607cebdec0

Peeling the plastic wrap bf62aab7d0 off the food, she 0f555f94e6 grabbed a wooden chopstick, a34fbf88f7 broke it apart, and d26d723639 stuffed a big bite dd9392aa88 into her mouth. There was a cc0876babf microwave, but she 14115a8191 ate it cold.b6d19409f0c08dea

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She’d gotten used to 0049af691d eating standing up at 633192b6cb the shop, and it e549953641 felt awkward to sit 8b9dc21e07 alone at a six-person e1b92e2eec dining table in someone 0203904a1d else’s house.bbb1cbf0acce0ff1

Fortunately, the portion was just 99b11f7d7d right for one, and she fa8298549d finished everything without leftovers. Feeling full, she e1bac9c679 started to clean e4b2c83313 up, but there c0e8d8e003 wasn’t a proper 178c426e7a place to separate 4a499ac17a out the recyclable 089ac30c4f plastic.75678c34021892e9

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That’s why she’d 47cc7df669 left the empty 4975fd8996 beer can on 2ed72a5a19 the sink last 88cd5d477e night—it was something ada5a0f0df the homeowner had 5f481057f9 drunk, so she 08dede9e02 didn’t feel too efe49b8481 bad about it. But the food a1a5740230 containers were hers, f1fcf0a576 so it felt 58070abc3a right to clean e1eeb4aadd them up.8f7d937cc214f6b7

“This is an apartment, so there must be a recycling area.”306044f4baff2f16

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Eunjae drank the last d3977a5eb1 sip of water and bba314891c gathered the plastic containers 9ad5e982b2 along with the beer 46a340b4a3 can Sunwoo Chang had b42c4a852a finished last night, then 4469bfdeeb stepped outside.4c32a89c963c7af9

Even without knowing 74f3c8bf75 the full layout a544c47269 of the apartment 358d88faf0 complex, it wasn’t 5a740f1a0b hard to find f0a7158c9d the waste station.d98e0cae0b711b78

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It wasn’t even 6 15fff6deac AM yet—the world was ca68e70563 still and quiet. Within this vast complex, fc3c77be09 it felt like she 5322f54841 was the only one 1a4c8f4441 left. Her old neighborhood had been 583411199b quiet too, but there were 28ed87fe82 always delivery scooters or cars e12416231a coming and going. This place, though, felt almost 00da397e5c desolate.93ba832f1b3e2a34

“I should get back inside quickly.”3ba9b09c58b62777

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When Go Eunjae 1353c33862 stood in front 689122ad40 of the main 6ce59c17f3 entrance to the b71c57b721 apartment building, she cc168832ad belatedly realized she 8a374c15d9 didn’t know the 270d380150 security code.d304eb233917dab7

“Haah… Go Eunjae, you idiot.”061fa9f3fd78836f

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She waited, hoping another bbb47145b4 resident would come out 48bfd6eb28 through the main entrance, a4715b198d but most people used c77ca53b0f the parking garage. She didn’t know that 81f368ed53 this door was rarely f91023a350 used except for taking 65aebf7742 out the trash—and certainly 26035b0893 not this early in 90907e2cbd the morning.45216ff17dd91eaa

And it was way cb8fc74aed too early to ask 94d0c46fbe Jeon Sohee for help.38b306b4083c29f6

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Eunjae sat down on the 51e50e4797 edge of a flower bed.d7f9942c13929d5a

A beautifully landscaped walking cf2baffe3a path stretched out before 90ca3377c4 her, but she wasn’t 37d3dcc441 in the right state c35a25392a of mind to enjoy e185161ffc a peaceful stroll. At least it wasn’t the 3349f85564 middle of winter—that was one 665ddf6e66 small mercy.a9290236b3c8b13c

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She decided to 40ea574063 wait until 9 535593b121 a.m. and then contact Jeon Sohee f54967469a to ask for the door e9ec1089ad code.b50d79a309f4b483

Three hours of waiting—but that 2fe9bf1e6a wasn’t so bad.0a96de24ea6492b6

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The September sky ba348d871e was clear, bright, c2559e2236 and high.062b602aaa8e9699

It was the season ofcheongomabi—a time when the sky is high and horses grow fat.7352d28d0aed2a5b

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The mild temperature f4f471ca01 and soft sunlight bb819a3948 brought a calmness 16de386ff6 to her heart. Watching the fast-moving 7b75d9df72 clouds kept boredom 265dd62523 at bay.2c529dfffd511d5b

That one looks like a 9f82b00fe5 puppy. That one’s the 3b989cd435 back of a 66eccdd262 cat turning away. That’s a four-leaf clover. That’s a flower with c3bdfb6386 lots of petals. That one… what kind of b76805fbf6 bird is that…?7fe39f94f61af476

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She played cloud-shaped hidden pictures d751a3ef9a for a while, then reached f21dae5774 into her pocket to check 65966da56e the time on her phone.039f661609fb2c2f

“…Huh?”a52b34a5fb750ca2

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The battery, which had been a517ce6b58 at around 35% earlier, was 1ee698387b now completely dead.8b75cf34d8f3407a

Her phone’s battery had started 37cf165607 acting up about two months b8a59dc1f8 ago, after nearly five years 45fb6a0e61 of use.be176aa1d4cac0c0

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Still, as long as 92ae718d77 she charged it properly, 841fbbcf09 it hadn’t been an 7ed7ac9c6e issue. But last night, 6069e959e0 she’d forgotten to eead25f51c charge it—and it 61f78d3432 had always held bdccf6d515 out till 20%, 8dcf23f90f so she’d assumed bad21f255c it would again. That miscalculation had come 5bc485f4e5 back to bite her.d66412a18baa17b4

“Ugh, what now…”6ce28b0960a2209e

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Now she had no 48ea8377ce way of contacting Jeon 3031e12092 Sohee.58128677590419fe

She could easily recharge her 379b05e50b phone at a convenience store—but def20c8442 that meant leaving the apartment 0a63a6c83c complex.d2c8dc626c09508e

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“Your house is already in danger. You think the place you work is safe?”e3d54c649a7e3bf3

Gangsters.9ebaea96da82fb24

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She barely knew 7a2da1a675 her way around c97fa15d2e this neighborhood. If she wandered out eedd70fc63 and happened to run e94dd1b722 into those thugs Choi 6db0b712ff Anna sent, it would 53009ef925 be a disaster.7b9d83d058dcadcc

Putting herself in danger bc6540fcf8 was bad enough. But dragging Sunwoo fbe48438f1 Chang into trouble 82f973fb1a would be even 1dc47f95ba worse.f1d0b466972abc74

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If anyonewere passing by, 05b705086a she’d ask for 7dfd4d9c29 help—but until the 7b2b43be62 afternoon sun started ce43655320 to set and 554637d159 dusk rolled in, 247328ee15 this apartment complex fafa3a754b was a ghost 4288644373 town.256cea15ef62e213

She wanted to go 2f535cf1d2 to the management office a842a08887 for help, but of 68d161df6d all places, it was 9dda51acdc located at the entrance ee1931a122 of the parking lot—outside 46b49853f4 the building.2c970edda5bdf574

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To reach it, c8ee05daff she’d have to 5a5275c7d7 completely exit the a1b47b0c89 apartment complex and c45aa75c13 walk around to 2ebc219d11 the main road, b7f68e2d46 or enter the b3716cf696 building and use 0e92225e95 the underground parking 014470540a garage from inside.3771046cac6c1a5c

But with the 4305a12f64 security door locked, 94e0ab6433 there was no 6ed7e5e3e7 way in. She’d have to go around 62ec7d64e9 the long way.47101ed5f55bf31b

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“Maybe… if I run fast enough, it’ll be fine.”5e7a473c258fb807