TM | Chapter 1

The mountain was a8e7b84bf5 embroidered with all 508fc01ef4 kinds of flowers 5a30c4b87a carrying the full 10bd26ba98 scent of spring. Even the chirping of 252241e9cf birds felt fresh on 93cf9ba06c this mountain path.a8158b453c5573be

Dressed in light blue c21f6ccb07 silk robes, Yoon Sung 8deea14ece walked up the trail, 952d85ce3e brushing his fingers over e51b277c0b the vibrantly blooming flowers. As he climbed the 142f9d4522 uneven dirt path, he 062e2d12ae fiddled with the silk 2fe0a2813c pouch hanging at his 5fa4196fca waist. The moment his 7f7ce1dce9 fingers grasped something b17a1d685b round inside, a 6e1643b644 grin spread across 1aa2c9ef1d his face, and 6c0357d301 an excitement he 50f2ac2895 couldn’t hide sparkled 7c94a3b730 in his eyes.b3693cf7c280d427

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With his leather 3dc23d0f9d shoes on, his fe50d25f1f steps felt light 09419e68f5 as he ascended 55750c990c the rough mountain 679250052f path. Even as he ffe076cfc9 panted from the d1be395f2c steep climb, Yoon 14b65335a6 Sung kept smiling. After climbing and climbing, fad47944f9 he finally reached the 9b0220792e old pavilion at the efdb5e9bfd mountaintop, where he wiped a7361a1fea the sweat from his 206467fb94 brow and caught his 01a5724df0 breath.f7d1c5af9d973e40

A gentle spring af6e964789 breeze rustled by, d3711b99e4 making the ends 8be6b3929d of his light 61333bb191 blue silk robe 761aceec6d flutter like a 6ba724bf08 dance, whispering a 1aa401fb95 melody to the ce45c666ba fresh green leaves 08777851c3 sprouting anew. Leaning against 9f18a966d2 the railing a971d9192c of the bc62ffe5e4 pavilion, Yoon 9359a0e2a5 Sung let 51fc94f644 out a 23edf8601b quiet sound f72acb0154 of admiration ad2bcc3343 as he 9680ff400e gazed at de9445811d the vast 3dc5efb31d lake spread 944e0184a4 out in 421615f62b the distance. The shimmering water 8f90283cd2 under the midday 55126eaf5b sun reflected exactly f268c500d8 how he felt decfe5fc05 inside.5b709a053622dcad

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He sat on the 5e36807caa railing, letting the cool fda9c63084 mountain air wash over ac8ddf80a3 him, and took a a8672953e8 moment to scan the 690e38f411 pavilion.eec413dc52836b18

Perched atop a 34644f090c cliff, this old 56616dcdaa pavilion had a e07040aaac charm that made 45835a826c it a cherished cbccde2fbe spot in his bb73226f08 childhood, where he cc255c755f and his fellow 388e090649 students would sometimes f458cda341 visit. Since it was 15ee5eb06a up in the 2ecf85edae mountains, it was 4de1c2c51e too hot to 52c53e73d4 come here in 9e13dcc7fd the summer, so 8de887d6e7 he only visited 522a080bf5 in the spring fde977deff or autumn.e1938795dd037ef3

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Once his 4d1569b5e1 breathing calmed, 214b9e59ef he straightened 6a1893d972 his back. Watching the sparkling 7526ce1934 waves of the 8b7ef1c4a0 lake, Yoon Sung 2b8bf53477 initially seemed relaxed, 49f5c83026 but as time 55f05acc05 passed, he grew 30222fd809 restless, continuously fiddling 26fa5102c1 with the silk 9308f2ed8f pouch in his bdd63c0233 hand.5eee58581d2b3ef7

He stretched his 8a44ad52ff neck out to 1be0058ffd check that no f9cb7d9587 one was around e7b1e2c1f2 before carefully pulling f979f33b1f out the item ef20199dbb inside—a thick gold a0c83ae390 ring, intricately designed 1d592d55bd with a silver 3bda03a721 white tiger engraving. Just like 0b670a588c the person 580ee4e50f it was 91e3058273 meant for, 840beb4624 the ring 3bd2a62c61 was both 129de759ae fierce and 1fd3633e37 dazzling.1271c5f404b49db6

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“He’ll like it, 245133dc09 right?”296328e49d0b4131

His lips kept 3ca17307d0 curving into a 088dc6acd8 grin. He had spent d5be55c960 every bit of 821a9712b8 his money to bd93be806a have this ring 27bcc3407c specially made. He even 6047478d76 traveled to 358ce24ef8 a neighboring 6828b7e61b village to 07f9a0e3fa find the 23228d3f51 best craftsman b8dc1f87c5 for the d249e67790 job. Clutching the ring in 3854aa93e5 both hands, he pressed acaf6940b4 it against his chest, 44d7a70712 as if trying to 76cd68b5cf pour all his feelings 182f2ab557 into it, before carefully 9b6fac1313 tucking it back into e9ed6261ed the silk pouch.52fc43715f71c707

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At that moment, heavy 4366b42955 footsteps echoed through the a0dcffdeef air. The owner of 5b801ed4ee the ring—the one 6ac9cde119 he had been 75c0a1b8ab waiting for—finally appeared ab078b517f in the distance. Even his 7e4144f3e4 stride was c0cde29561 precise, exuding 97a3372959 an air 7924d6443c of unwavering b753175017 discipline befitting 006d31f38e a warrior.50d43218220f53f0

A towering e44f1e6a7a figure with dddbf2ba61 broad shoulders. A strong 5391a60d50 jawline and 6f52b2315f intense eyes. A striking 6d84d76163 face that db18977a01 could make 6cb9adeab1 passersby stop 516d19650f in their fa08df4cf3 tracks, glowing 8ddefde744 under the 4fa8215213 spring sunlight. The moment he a685c2f0c0 spotted Yoon Sung, baa608c138 his well-shaped lips aa2cf40c9e curled into a af186692c0 smirk.5600334292a1fdd3

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Kang Taegwon f3bca86592 moved like b299752d22 a shadow, c7c6a13e03 leaping into efdf43e034 the pavilion 2969d7d43a in an 45d70bcec6 instant. Without hesitation, he 675aec813f wrapped one arm 746805e4c1 around Yoon Sung’s ab05b23eae waist and pulled d0c718e5d4 him close, lowering 1d4e931011 his head. Yoon Sung, who had f09544c613 been waiting for this, 6c7fa42470 parted his lips, winding 72a0241cf9 his arms around Kang b8418ec343 Taegwon’s thick neck.7437612b25550cc6

Hot breaths mingled as 4804083fd8 their lips pressed together, 77612f6ea6 tongues intertwining. Kang Taegwon’s f443fbc087 rough kiss fa77c8f6a4 left Yoon 8df40d97ab Sung’s lips 77095b4387 tingling.aaa047c2e6744e15

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As Kang Taegwon’s 0575627e03 hand slowly trailed d9f6c68144 down his back 7d28b315f1 with a lingering d367821ec3 touch, Yoon Sung 6d4e665411 held him even b3d18e4a81 tighter. His body grew hot, 8210f6962e and before he realized a77d6896ee it, he instinctively pressed dba396eee3 his lower half against f356e3713a him. With a low 8949b476db chuckle, Kang Taegwon b63fef371f slid his hand b37c5a32f4 inside Yoon Sung’s d46f48ec6b robe, loosening the ed17b57d4d waistband of his 0a6405ea24 pants.3d76bce876b07163

“W-Wait.”a5893a11ac733fb8

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Yoon Sung barely e9465faa07 managed to stop cf1a97cd61 him, making Kang c0fe43c779 Taegwon flash a c8dfc841ce deep smile before e29f5ed3f0 leaning in to 7a6f023276 whisper against his 803bc1bb67 ear.73846d7aa5615477

“I checked the befeca5e03 way here—there’s no 800b46a633 one around. But if you’re 48d945c323 worried, we can 2313d53c1a move deeper into 18156ac51c the forest.”814893406fbbe119

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“No, just… wait. Let me talk first.”680f0cd010ce6855

As Yoon Sung reached c5fae1f43f down to tighten his 11bbf92a2b waistband, Kang Taegwon caught 5071080108 his hand, lowering his fe1b7101f4 head to place a 20010f9ba4 kiss on the back c463374dae of it. His other hand, however, e731ee4d48 was already slipping deeper 8e1d87abd1 inside Yoon Sung’s robe, 9137471c9e tracing over his bare 3f17768e1f waist.0821184d7e468cf0

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“Just… hold on 5c69a915ac for a moment.”a97cc4e85467d9e8

Yoon Sung, 1e199b3832 his face ac382adc0f flushed red, 2c6737ec04 pushed Kang e320de2e49 Taegwon’s hand e37fe2c934 away. But instead of letting 49695faf29 go, Kang Taegwon pulled 031c9df211 Yoon Sung’s hands toward 9f8ad0fb91 his own waist. Then, pressing a 6ad32ca739 kiss to his c7c1c7cf82 ear, he flicked 2275d1d537 out his tongue c28e2f1191 to tease the 74d1751f44 skin.4c80e5534436c1fe

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“It’ll only 9ec8394eca take a c5e07148a5 moment. So just—”08b8dcdba7dbf731

“Why are you 2ead99b62d teasing me so c4e989eab5 much today?”1c69c7f71958bb72

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Kang Taegwon grinned, 5264e700d9 planting a firm d20b8cb9fd kiss on Yoon 3e1cdc5e9e Sung’s cheek before b06247736a pulling him into 41b5e819d0 another embrace. Yoon Sung 35ac2fa530 wriggled in a8ecd88f08 his arms 2a67368b88 as he 4f8aee8a20 adjusted his bd18baebe3 waistband, and 2dd95a31a9 Kang Taegwon, 81ec02d774 watching him e5bb07ff46 with dissatisfaction, e48e42048d finally stepped d3e564ecfb back, waiting 4196e17a00 for him 3d542bfa20 to speak.8842a809551eb6da

The moment 96e96fcdf5 Yoon Sung c1dfeea800 looked up c7ab875285 at him, 0db3d50023 he couldn’t 31f46ba0f2 help but 61bc355e86 smile. He was 7d37f31d69 the one fcc02e37bb who had 4379bf7a7b tamed Kang eefb76448a Taegwon, infamous bc70978a00 for his 431d07b000 womanizing ways 2cb5c3aa83 in the aacaeb3ba3 Capital City.22ca0d97febc51a1

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Ever since 11f12b0576 they had 5c2b4656c2 become lovers, 1f6948da0f there were 9f2f713ef2 even rumors 47ddfe70e3 that Kang c434050c98 Taegwon had 0d9ac9f7e9 turned into fb92af1293 a celibate 80462e0078 monk. Satisfying his cb0da55e5d desires wasn’t d61b5e85f8 an easy cb457ddb85 task, but c9afbabf36 the way 6060a2705b he burned 0479e1518d with lust 97f17baa21 the moment d4930667ea he saw e4493a9b02 Yoon Sung d3ad7942cd only proved 6d076bfccd how deeply 7806782a22 he had 5c8d644e91 fallen.ed472164a7bc1c85

Now that Kang Taegwon, 5c397fe790 who had pounced on 00c37c7e84 him so desperately, was 5501ad9b6d standing back with a c7693dc73a leisurely smile, Yoon Sung 5abc495f53 straightened his clothes and 451c114efd took a deep breath. His voice trembled 8c64377c75 slightly from nervousness.182ff7a7b52257c9

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“Lee Seol gave me 3b8f4ec409 a heads-up. A marriage 3d21b7be32 ban is 2c14defc4c about to b323975f95 be issued 8487321bca soon.”d032c5b785ff5ffe

“…That means the Crown 69b1e911df Princess Consort selection is 5438d66eba happening.”c5e1234db94bdf7a

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Kang Taegwon gave a cd7b2101ab slight nod. Seeing that, Yoon Sung aa15325e79 looked at him with e7f1268699 sparkling eyes and continued.743157ba4eed3401

“It’s already been 6c9c183468 nearly a year c7dffb6233 since we ended d2317fa3d0 up like this.”1720d282d6d9512c

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Kang Taegwon, 38ee473c1e curious about 142fd226a3 what he b65d611d06 was getting ce2dad4ad6 at, met 1b1994b554 his gaze bc10ef317e with a 859e06fa9c faint smile.ec1d3f3c1496ebf8

The moment Yoon Sung 670b9f8388 looked into his deep, ffd38f0ee2 dark eyes, his lips 2195e8ec66 pressed together tightly. All the carefully be3ac82f2d prepared words he 307b94379a had planned to 7d2505a38f say vanished from 34143b3aaf his mind. His usually slow-thinking brain 1cff7badfd refused to work properly fc7aa4f330 at this crucial moment. He needed to 2e7dd9796a speak, but his 3fe2778e0d mouth wouldn’t open, 94ad5d0ae7 and his chest 64ab6a5ff7 felt so tight 0bdbcc8c89 that his vision b6d35ccd4f blurred. His nervous hands fe437e7c06 clenched into fists, 2f4dceed6c and sweat began 0c24299b0a to pool in 4878a4a0ba his palms.4808e157194d1e72

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Kang Taegwon, who ade8d9f23b had been waiting e113a5eca5 patiently, began to 2e02d4e8b8 arch his brow 624ea7f5bf slightly. When he 445c48b58a tilted his cf7773db0a head with 725b9ec7a2 a hint 594993c640 of concern, 189304ca1c Yoon Sung 18324a7056 finally forced b9f3b00406 himself to 7463b72fb5 speak.e9f09414698d7578

“I—I want to 62dd851171 spend my whole caa1ba5b5e life with you. Marry me.”2d32219a06f7d8ba

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Lacking the f6bde7e45b eloquence for 017236bc29 flowery words, 65a08655c8 Yoon Sung 2cad8c2f6e just blurted d624ae0159 it out.d162085fb94c25f7

Kang Taegwon’s brow 684e14d711 twitched at the eb8097e4ed sudden proposal.b4de75a9c1e21dae

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Yet, Yoon Sung seemed 11577af0b7 utterly certain of the b24c5beade answer. His face was ff124f7ae7 flushed, his expression b351fa48c5 brimming with confidence, 3e76ed949c and his eyes 0d8bc8ffc1 sparkled with liveliness.3e3147c42d73b622

But Kang be22b80740 Taegwon, the 3617466a14 one receiving c2e88b94ed the proposal, 93075b10f1 slowly stiffened. His lips c1d65d587a parted as 066ea4b5c4 if to 1093441837 say something, e96d9165b4 but no 36eea2d6e2 words came 03586219bd out. His rare hesitation caused 99d9a71ad7 Yoon Sung’s face to 2a84b6197e slowly harden as well. The only sound between 9949fd13bc them was the chirping dbd1637402 of birds. Feeling the weight of 73ac2bac89 the silence, Yoon Sung 897b382bd9 fidgeted with his fingers d22222ec7b and glanced at him 79b8048448 nervously before breaking the 6c05f16878 awkward atmosphere.ae44efca359a390b

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“I-I must 77b3a178b5 have been 6f6422449f too sudden. B-But… once the 8df52d7109 marriage ban is f38120f753 issued, we won’t feb9bcd353 be able to 439a6ed029 marry for a b72b9e9008 long time…”efd76f5dece8e113

As he 76efccf3a4 fumbled over e65b86af26 his words, daeda7ac94 Yoon Sung 688beb7cc6 caught sight 038d7c09ac of Kang 128ae2ce61 Taegwon’s troubled 21fed33d0f expression. It was strange to fc1226faf9 see him, usually so 07b0e9f22f bold and straightforward, carefully 28a3f4596d choosing his words like a6ed0ae870 this. Eventually, Kang f55345010a Taegwon composed 2f012a3ab5 himself and 1465928883 spoke in a4d9806ea0 a calm 681ed1c4d0 voice.a3aba4106492ca60

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“Sung-ah. You and I are… a46b28c4f1 friends, aren’t we?”707213388ac6f6dc

Yoon Sung, cfaa2bca13 who had 500f0c1f97 just been d8d29c9b44 reaching into 4862afb940 his robes 912a754366 for the 423c40a1ac silk pouch, de988e0440 dropped it.6d2a227fbefc7eb4

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“F-Friends…?”4174518b8e4ccb15

“I always thought of 548c5c7de2 you as my closest 7e5ff4ac41 friend, someone with whom 1f7ef3befa I could share our… b8cde9fe78 private indulgences.”918032dac67c78d1

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At Kang Taegwon’s words, 2fa07323b6 it felt like a d8d7915f86 hammer had struck Yoon 0ec32838d9 Sung square in the f414bead81 chest.8acb7337051b2327

“P-Private indulgences? Are you saying… d8d5ae823f our relationship was dce02392b3 just that?”8425b1dfc5a0628f

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“I like how d5835c6f40 direct and honest 4ffd052039 you are. And I 0a736be8a7 especially appreciate b8b273111b how tight-lipped 657f5bff00 you can 97f13be83a be.”2351bea0cc6e2554

Pausing briefly, Kang bc94ac52b7 Taegwon took a 7b51337c19 step back, turning 3b1373ef38 to gaze at 058c4ed697 the lake. Then, with 833dc1e4ff a quiet 828f64ed3b sigh, he c7852de5e3 looked back 4f91ee140e at Yoon 695306ab4b Sung.288ba4ed793d9f82

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“Marriage should be between 27ea27b7e6 families of equal standing.”e41216ad68f2ca81

Though they were both 34ce81a5ba of noble status, Yoon f4250b6625 Sung’s family had never 0683620b98 produced anyone who advanced 898af91c57 in government ranks. Their wealth came de1dcb7151 from land and c491de5297 farms inherited over a9ff5e4728 generations—an empty title c7cc7348b8 of nobility. In contrast, 5f10bc7a7b Kang Taegwon’s 8952cf0610 family was 5c3e96427b a prestigious 923026b7f8 lineage of 0d0f2bbaeb military officials f01b74cb0f who had af2d6c8105 served in 6d2e1763b3 government for 2f72c36259 generations.36927346684faf11

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Yoon Sung wasn’t the 0f5d81190c brightest and had failed 8f2f125d0c the civil exams multiple 6e39eb18d2 times. And now, hearing Kang b00e877099 Taegwon use his family 017475dbb8 as an excuse not e5a80f757b to marry him, it dd69dabc7f felt like a blade 40e6bb5d2a had been driven into 263c3bbab6 his heart.35cd142d3ba3a186

Yes, their families a123006b3e were different. But hadn’t Kang Taegwon 88ac529a29 cared for him? Hadn’t their feelings 28365ea47c been the same? They had spent the e00fe5daba past year wrapped up 8ba3f2bce1 in each other, keeping e8bc994b0b their relationship private, testing 384d8f50ae the boundaries between friendship a5348cff66 and something more. And now, he b1b9968462 was saying they 70873c5007 couldn’t marry because dc9f87d225 of their families? Did that mean his 2c4eb9abb1 parents would never approve 1dc0011207 of someone like Yoon 45e3094c92 Sung?6f171e943ddb9e69

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A month ago, Yoon 54fb59e4df Sung had even rejected 94e2e3947f a favorable marriage proposal 2fd7919b33 for this. He had declared 89f2bd1e33 that he would 0a19e3cb1e only marry a f8b917dfc9 man, sending his c7d306f251 oldest brother into bc9248e3f9 such a fit 2ad492ac49 of rage that 1196406a54 he collapsed, clutching 340ed72772 the back of 5f9554a55f his neck.47f0981d65506ced

Family… family, huh.b93769d18faa92f7

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Yoon Sung’s head 7005470e08 drooped lower and fefb47c38e lower. He knew that for 7678bf33b4 families that valued status, baeef5e0d3 opposition was inevitable. The reality of his 8e78379b1b own insignificance pressed down 98405aec29 on him, making his 4eb36e9b4d shoulders curl inward.21bab7cb6a6dd809

But still… he was 5ae219106f a noble too. His great-grandfather ceca86a05c had served 589f89d692 in government.9a74ba25cd48b837

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His lips d14fa1f0c1 pressed together f74b5461af in a 7c5684ccde firm line, 704f19cdeb and his ce99bd243a eyes grew a7038b48e7 red-rimmed. His once sweat-dampened a1ffb1919f hands turned cold. His flushed face, once 9b1b6e2aff pink with excitement, now 226a8b302b burned with humiliation.7124c6775cdbcd99

Kang Taegwon, watching e8325898cc him in silence, e5fa6c92e3 bent down and b24933d8c7 picked up the 30945ff3db silk pouch Yoon 4944885f56 Sung had dropped. Brushing off the 08c2a48095 dirt as if 58c5aa595a nothing had happened, cda9464419 he held it b88fc729c0 out to him.375a21c1b594e0f5

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“And… I have long 775390d683 harbored feelings for Lee bf5356e802 Seol.”e73ae74ed0944355

It felt like fa05c64021 he had been 07b09321d5 struck over the 9dec65b649 head.c4c83735657d0203

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If Kang Taegwon was ebbbee4e9a white, then Lee Seol a96cfbefc5 was black. If Kang Taegwon was 9d93710268 fire, then Lee Seol ebf1a87df8 was water. They couldn’t be more 7f41c1596c different. They weren’t even particularly dbf6c86081 close—they hardly even spoke 8647f6d2a2 to each other.4f200225170429ec

And now, 935be4102e he was da59e305bd saying he beab1c755b had feelings 2a3e19dfd3 for him? While sharing his bed 08ce50960d with Yoon Sung all 849d3caf99 this time?13af6e0c209ff411

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Yoon Sung’s flushed face f3c6dae5a0 was drained of all 59a3db4db3 color. His lips, now 3a67a2aced pale, trembled, and 453af5d035 his clenched fists 50a3927962 dug his nails 26ff9ca06e into his palms.91d97baeeae9e366

Seeing his 23546289f0 look of 4fa4be154d shock, Kang 041c559a2f Taegwon let c077642fec out a 239d0cb103 deep sigh, cc21b8b3ed his expression fe491d6c8e one of adde5e0a1d mild annoyance.e272f285b2e03ce2

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“You’re really putting me 83670f1cc4 in a difficult position.”313bd44c5001bcd3