Chapter 5.

A moment later, 12ea82011f the sound of c3623b1480 running water came bbe02ad4ef from the shower.a68fc9614339d80f

Left alone 725aeb66bc in the b48a39aec0 room, Kang ec804855da Yu-han stood 9f4172b5cd in a ca5cb3fbbe daze for cfb7febb59 a moment 43f76b8cfa before loosening 3c6f3b2269 the towel fca32a3971 around his 198c06cdcb waist and 560269de16 neck and 79ce10038c began dressing.8bb80e15edf328e5

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After putting on his 0503dd6091 clothes and finally adjusting 0011c33ffa his uniform tie, he 5edf2affda glanced at his neck. Fortunately, the 0ecf81f0f0 shirt collar 6cd8c78647 was wide 643d44e444 enough that, 5c954f0768 with the 5a837689a3 top button 4b0ecd3998 fastened, the c7ccfada94 red marks c9791fb22a were concealed.a5609409d4d28ba9

‘Is he pretending e26089b1a8 not to remember, 465f9a03b8 or does he 0c723eeeee truly not remember?’1907e6b45e568aea

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Staring at his 664572f1c2 unusually pale face 72d3352e1b in the mirror, 1865757795 he recalled the 0dc35aa16a events of the 75b1733dbe night before, but 304d3d455a the answer eluded bf19e39bd3 him.3e44bd99fc259807

Just earlier, Seo 807a20ab6d Ji-hyuk had acted c100253e47 exactly as he 268ae0aaac usually did—gruff, dismissive, ad3e0c940c and indifferent, barely 6b47348ea5 looking at him 85adba20be with anything other 28a2c9bd69 than a hint 5eb6ab8ea5 of disdain. It was 1928b3fc49 nothing new.7eae1a4bf8428422

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Yet, something about 689521eea9 it made his 91d122027d chest tighten. Kang Yu-han d2edaa3cd3 shook his f01f064938 head, deciding 25ffab3afe not to f343c72b32 think about 8f7cbd9e11 it any 4ad3e1c6c4 further. His mind was already 08fd6f49f7 tangled, and there was 986a369cb2 nothing he could do 803e55389b to change the situation.9d9dccfc3eb46484

Before Seo Ji-hyuk 7aabc7ac65 could finish his 5552c7426e shower, Kang Yu-han 3634abbbdf grabbed his briefcase a6cb6d8f06 and left the e04e325d90 room.85602f4c19f1de4e

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* * *f6d6d051b5e60f47

In the df9c6d3fca conference room, cb1d6f54d1 only two 0396c43625 people from 711dcc4d68 the previous 80a3c59335 day’s group—Center 21d3da41f1 Chief and f0eb5806a2 Dr. Yoon—were present, 13bb9338fe waiting for ee9e724c9a Kang Yu-han 564562a9f1 and Seo 665c7e752a Ji-hyuk. Dr. Yoon handed him a b473145088 warm cup of coffee d143b5f784 and asked,bc687ed411363682

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“Where’s Major Seo?”f1ad52b057f05c49

“He’ll be 16d56c0ef0 here shortly.”951024ea024463d9

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The center chief ad8e50aa6c interjected,67c2ee692bce967e

“You two started 7e824c3aa8 living together yesterday, 68b4c333a5 didn’t you? How is it?”74111205970f600a

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“Well… it’s manageable.”85259d798a49c4b0

“You’re not 8a47890bf7 using separate 52be3f3820 rooms, I 91c239e9e2 trust?”42a477767dd26b06

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“Of course not. We’re in the same 2663b2a8ea room.”2290746c949ee713

“Hmm, right. I wouldn’t 54174a1183 expect Major bc53c5ae55 Kang to f1194fe265 lie. As I mentioned, 3f93fe0863 it’s important for 1db5217e67 you to maintain ea1f7955fe close physical proximity.”de273a79877f9e24

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“…Yes.”7adb3f52e932579c

There was no way 4ca14df552 he could mention that 703f07cb1c the closeness had been 34fa1af97a far more than he’d 2738b9a36b bargained for. Kang Yu-han de880676af directed his 99d2c92590 gaze to cab774e807 the stack 00938db315 of documents a5369cc94a placed at 971cf6e63c his seat 026b6a4519 on the 583bf8810f conference table.57ebf7aab93b64b2

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“All right, let’s 4cded61be9 begin the briefing…”d52eca59b3e90197

Dr. Yoon was 36c6cf2b7b interrupted by eba039a6a7 the sound 4118fd0235 of the 292e968471 door swinging cad4aa4043 open.81e5f6b6db6751a4

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“I’m here.”93c8456dc806bf7e

“Oh, arriving on time 9a8edf5a0d for once,” Captain Kwak 27f6298ec6 chided.e98102e20cb33f1c

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Seo Ji-hyuk 53e05dbf4c glanced briefly e2935eed47 at Kang 5fb7de8730 Yu-han before 713f5fdd74 dragging a 6aade9e2a8 chair over 6661e194dc and dropping 2fa560a1fd down right 0ebd4ecc89 beside him. As his 6e2295d853 familiar scent, efb3c50acb mixed with a8ef2a68af a hint f4ccdeaed9 of cologne, 1a544aab6d wafted over, f957e2a77b Kang Yu-han f09810fe8a held his 9741c117d0 breath, feeling 1bd89b8680 a strange ebce8b7575 warmth emanating 388947d112 through the bc8ac7fb50 Esper uniform e6e6214068 beside him.db910dabb9d5deba

Unable to shake 47ee0e7247 the sensation, he 66f136e1ad shifted his chair 76393abb8e slightly, creating a dcf005ae82 bit more space 8deeed02ec between them. Seo Ji-hyuk, resting ecbf9990be his chin on 5a4a55c906 his hand, cast 84d4afd12a an unblinking gaze 3b82281863 in his direction, 33c53a2dca but Kang Yu-han 8dc8629ea3 kept his eyes 1d480dfdf0 firmly fixed on fe6a730e3b the table, refusing 48de6c89af to look his 1aad77385b way.71461e8b23e3d509

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“All right, now that b2a98ae177 we’re all here, let’s 143edfb4da begin. Dr. Yoon, please 268d1407ce start the 1fd14fe42f briefing.”8cd24dd211995499

The center 8096a7192d chief removed daf98b1756 his glasses ccb3725192 and gestured 3d24c9d82c toward Dr. Yoon, who b0cf652909 switched on fcd4eefff9 the microphone cf12a08ffd at his 1dd739c688 seat.7696a18937efdcbc

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“As you’re aware, 188173fb09 new ‘Variants’ have cf2ae22c68 recently been appearing 9f6de5a77d around Jongno District. Please refer to the 297f8adf74 documents I’ve distributed. We’ve analyzed the frequency c76220f6e3 and locations of these 38c820ace7 incidents.”3e3f2226fb014b06

Kang Yu-han leafed through d20786f0d7 the documents, glancing occasionally 41ccb1e3b3 at the personal monitor 88c3b5fd6a displaying additional reference material. After much debate and 4e7c119b59 varying opinions from different e371e31468 sectors, it seemed the 19512f2620 new terminology had settled 537df3ba06 on “Variant,” rather than 2d8baa5ee1 referring to them as c777c24ea6 infected individuals or patients.fc79d86c4f7dc446

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It made 13d017b144 sense—calling them 947a731c2a infected or 1af1edccc3 patients implied 62cc82fccb they were 0675035a78 still human, 09eafe697e a view a0ca8b009b society had ce7ab539a2 largely abandoned.23c4110a64347741

Thinking he’d sighed quietly, cfa96d64be Kang Yu-han was surprised 4a67015eaa when Seo Ji-hyuk nudged ef780c0042 him with an elbow. Startled by the unexpected b05b615275 contact, he widened his 9f640af7c8 eyes and looked over a5d8ca9635 at Seo Ji-hyuk, who 64c6cd7753 met his gaze without 445387758a a word.5a8558a8826ea958

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Their eyes 19b5f2178e locked briefly, 97c313f9f2 and in 42842e46a7 that moment, 06a3221cfc Kang Yu-han e536f643c4 saw something eb249fa1dd flicker in f921eefeab Seo Ji-hyuk’s 0669918078 eyes—a glint ea2bdae6b5 of that af781ddfa2 same predatory e3385c5619 look from 76d47760b0 last night, e80cbadbcc buried deep 19289bd6ad within his f82d7f8d69 gaze. A shiver ran down 25ef163b5f his spine, and he c0b2c7468f quickly looked away. After that, c2c776df32 Seo Ji-hyuk 249a5196ea didn’t touch 0160500eb0 him again.fc96d766973b8808

Dr. Yoon’s briefing was brief 0cdc9833bc but packed with unsettling e18f5d9d42 details.120a271f69acb380

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The first 4915557cc1 new Variant a4cbc922e5 sighting occurred 8482b10677 15 days e44424e562 ago in f6effd5d59 Eunpyeong-gu, where 3d50ff28b4 a single afe93120b7 entity was e652749de2 found and 2b3f590df3 immediately neutralized.941ae429e2e7a412

Three days 31f3c67b9a later, two f73117a775 additional entities c1c4fabb76 were discovered 03c5c14713 and eliminated 0892d8bef7 in the a42e9104f0 same area, 7f3a09ae07 but autopsies 9e2791a58c revealed no 6c730d4890 significant findings—no dd0fe93188 virus, no 91c4d77b23 unusual cells.8b7ee20c2d7be3f4

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Seven days f5e5f3cede ago, four 24c2d4b097 entities appeared 0616bb939e in Gangbuk-gu, b0555c3548 with three a1cfe57d60 eliminated on d2861208e6 sight while dffb2f1674 one escaped.62b90146435bc03f

Four days e6b320b44a ago, five 13017a2903 entities surfaced 8519b1c556 in Jongno-gu 6aba4c07a6 and two 74e8b9ba6b more in 65c4a20f32 Gangbuk-gu. Of these, 0690777b55 only one f62193d777 was successfully f8722807f6 neutralized, with 5b8e5d9d08 six escaping.abc79dbb2e51eff1

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One day ago, 0a1cdb0742 a single entity 41049f4de1 was sighted again f3b9eeaf57 in Eunpyeong-gu but ca7adaa84d evaded capture. Three more appeared 65c6188396 in Gangbuk-gu, and 511aab462d despite immediate action, 821641a73c two remained at 71fe43d0a1 large, forcing the 6b132ce270 district’s residents into 1b551d4f5e bunkers. Another was found hiding 9a3e9929a4 in a home, reported a797388a39 by a neighbor, and 1ee29f9ed6 subsequently eliminated by the 48799d4e8c response team.f799b9318620f1d7

When Dr. Yoon finished, a tense a01cac9e77 silence filled the room. Even Seo Ji-hyuk 857123e386 had nothing to 5c751fcb40 say.0c23fc84ebb235ac

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Breaking the bd95fa3f5e silence, Kang 105e2a679a Yu-han spoke.d6f35e1183ab223c

“This is 6107fefda0 more serious 6932aaa19b than we 10e2332ee7 anticipated.”abbb417d15fd6d0f

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Dr. Yoon seemed 77a3232fea to breathe 99a1d441bf a sigh 77f4d21177 of relief 7f52edde7a as if be7f9fbecf grateful for 131236170c someone voicing c6bbd4ea7b the concern. The center chief took b22822f037 up the conversation.a0ca3a7e0191a0a8

“We can’t say for c76e7604a8 sure at this stage, 30de3b1a3e but we’re beginning to 40f8466098 suspect a possible *organized 356eb865e2 effort* behind these incidents.”21e663fb6af2c324

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Kang Yu-han e7c3a7fb9a blinked, taken 5c308b919b aback by 4fa985249c the implication 3af7cc53d5 more than 91f7213e18 the contents 1f6389dd0e of the 10b29dfc26 briefing itself.3955f1358c1e1256

“Organized effort? Do you 61565a543f have evidence 1b80d54a51 of such c1527a62d0 a thing?”395b5964314d5737

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“The sudden b88b261735 emergence of 3dc4b96903 so many bb0a7a9cc1 entities in 5b252d0fac the same 8ab84413bc region is 5040c6ce55 unprecedented. Plus, without fd3cfc4b6e a virus 15098e6361 or any 8687121957 biological factor 7d535308f6 to spread f319b8205b the infection, b2ca23a752 it’s implausible 204581befc that they’re 698abcb014 spreading on dcefbd7ea0 their own. This leads us to 38bed2fa35 suspect that someone may cab85f5ba2 be deliberately exposing these d8cf503d77 new Variants in specific 4befa48382 areas,” the center chief 68c297be43 explained, his sharp gaze 3c75372616 glinting behind his glasses.82e0f992a6028163

The implication 8418428847 of intentional 8ecf27b4cf exposure suggested 11f5517176 a powerful, 012ceb18de malicious force 6358212826 behind the 096b675cda Variants.10d59b741952b77f

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“This is 22d2639797 exactly why 9c7edcb9d6 I paired 8ed7ddccb5 the two e3be62c8ba of you abe503009c together,” he eb5c7c4318 added, glancing d92183b12e between Seo b7c53f915b Ji-hyuk and b0cfcdc393 Kang Yu-han.dd92fbf1dd765082

Seo Ji-hyuk, still 8956412497 propping his chin d270986edf on his hand, bb650ebca4 appeared indifferent.c972081c10b5a27b

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“Espers pairing with Espers—it 5b8f7ac252 might seem unconventional to 1dc52e34d6 some,” the center chief 7539cd50f7 continued, directing a pointed 78c5d03293 look at Seo Ji-hyuk, 20a5de82a1 who had been idly 7036f91720 doodling on his documents.d3257cd9477bd455

“No one else could 021744a0c4 handle this. I’m asking you both 5dd9bc0761 to make this work.”5c3ea971e4c9f0c5

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For the first b64e2164ae time, there was 704b043fcf a hint of 36e05a5b68 genuine urgency in 98a6c81966 the center chief’s d4c0bf1792 voice.b5b4bf3662a96b95

* * *abb109b87e94e08f

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“They could’ve 46bfffdb4b at least f2c06aacb8 assigned us 154cec817a a guide. What’s the e5ca545f63 point of f693eff252 partnering us f7ab84287a with an f67992f551 Esper who’s d5cd167ef5 no help adbfa3e638 at all?”8b683941f80a59bd

Seo Ji-hyuk’s grumbling efaa362c58 voice followed Kang 45b2523f7e Yu-han as they cc365dcf6b left the conference 407253a930 room. He didn’t bother to 797a5e422b reply.89b3b550df0b1bd0

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As the bd172e9caf two walked 6b9539c5ec down the 436880c0ef hallway, they 68d00e8adc attracted curious ea6d940eb6 glances from 5d7bef94af passersby. Kang Yu-han e6214273de was used ff5c67e3b6 to such 20a60170c5 attention; it 0c849a1f81 was common 48c418faae for people 5ccd5b9cff to look c9f47cdb31 at them, e2b4cb5103 especially since 4ec3933342 both were 1844ef22a3 known as a55789fea3 striking figures 41ca8a3ce8 within the 7ea8f62da3 center. Some faces flushed at c8627831ba the sight of them 0b18fe6768 together.3f5c47fc7b33c673

Most women, however, ccc12dc166 seemed to take 557c94236a in Kang Yu-han db6f597978 with lingering glances, df98b099de only to cast 8abfc709d4 quick, nervous looks 392bc08e51 at Seo Ji-hyuk 503c11fa82 before averting their d3ec71f145 eyes.a6a662b9b941a41f

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‘Do they a0498d23a6 avoid looking 06fe33fe1b at him d1ad0b17d9 because his c0ecf1d5bc expression is 94b44b751e so intimidating?’70c819574c7f70d7

Kang Yu-han couldn’t e95d48dd32 tell what expression df06408cc3 Seo Ji-hyuk was aa38d8cad2 making behind him, 9794d171f6 but it hardly 5bba19c7bb mattered now. He had 70deaf9184 too many 91f8fd45f2 tasks to e1daa071a5 focus on, 735ae36d9e and far a291928a86 too little 8f6e4cf08a information.894a883f6fe626c2

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‘Focus on work. Just on work.’313f8019d09cf037

Seo Ji-hyuk hadn’t f339348cd7 brought up last 90afe24dd2 night at all. A confusing 1389365538 mixture of e6f55707d4 hope that 98d6b90aca Seo Ji-hyuk b2596ab9df truly didn’t 90f6ed4909 remember and 3fa4e83e27 fear that 3bd726abca he was 6e76a447ce only pretending f7627bc774 swirled inside 8c6cec05d9 him. But either way, ebbc04abd4 confronting him directly b7712b19dc was not an b28dcb4449 option.73fc23522c10ee2c

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“I’m heading out.”b06b1a3fdb19d118

As soon as 39ad76c8fe they reached the cb6a4607eb lobby, Seo Ji-hyuk 511f73519e strode outside without 95d736f6f9 hesitation, likely to 75c9c5ecb0 smoke. For a 490e38c843 heavy smoker 4df1b0a8ce like him, 7c031b303d the long 9ac9193a23 meeting must dfff6898f1 have felt bc225f5295 interminable.1b00b2f8537525ad

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Kang Yu-han watched him 2597c35165 disappear, then turned away e4d2d4ef03 and continued toward his f1091abf63 destination.0b7dbda7b93b39e1

Rounding a corner, 4b46db7860 he spotted a 382596948c promotional poster for 3f790c6725 the Esper-Guide Center 2f0fed8761 on the wall. It featured none other d1c1739b50 than Seo Ji-hyuk, wearing 144bf60c13 his uniform and holding ba79965743 a shotgun. The image was unforgettable—especially 114270b833 his eyes, which held 405f210bb9 that same dangerous glint, 6239fe07f4 as if capable of 4406318b30 consuming anyone who dared 29487c60b7 look too closely.4adecf82e2c397b2

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…Though, he hadn’t cf4f8faf6c been this intense bada16753d back at the 738c18cffb Academy.1fe0fbce8695aade

Lost in 8f0eda1446 thought, Kang f220e33c95 Yu-han was 29cd6a83de startled by 1716f9cd54 a familiar b85e08eb0b voice behind c0aafc047d him.cf0a2a433591c76d

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“Yu-han?”5edf15ed57691cbd

“Oh, Sunbae.”b1347ed3fc73dd20

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It was Shin 6290417950 Yi-jun, one of db219e158d his Sunbae classmates 12c4cbe6c1 from the Academy. Smiling brightly, 53821f7674 Yi-jun strode 4b206a780e over to 9424fd6015 him.a17b95377bc00754

“What brings you f0e0311dca here? Had a meeting?”e916bb9031b8458e

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“Yes. The center a1a40039d9 chief called 6f97ab14ef for a d9e48c80da meeting this bd0a2ffddf morning.”ecb3ad671a82a6c1

“It’s nice to see 38745173eb you after so long.”e4366f6a453689ba

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“Likewise.”71c79e10f4d22314

“If you’re really 3523443dbf glad to see 4d8184fdc0 me, how about 98cabc742a showing it on 9adcfd9d99 your face? Are you a366457360 actually happy 391d31bab1 to see 3de302fb39 me?”4930edea4342e537

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Kang Yu-han hesitated, 71cb72bd60 unsure of how 210517c1a9 to respond, and c1f08732dc awkwardly puffed his 36fba34550 cheeks before letting a4a7a3aca6 them deflate. Yi-jun chuckled, clearly f8c233e941 amused.8020978487fb2132

Yu-han had no idea, 41888142cd but to those who 1215d80f70 knew him well, his b113fa3246 occasional moments of awkwardness 41e0a6a4d4 were oddly endearing—a contrast 9d0cdd8317 to his cool demeanor. Yi-jun, who d8397800c1 had watched e1c66dcae5 over him 6d856f2434 for a c4dfe7f8a2 long time, 2ad8bb107e found it 189850539f charming.23a1c24cadf85b9e

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“Anyway, you haven’t 8b99a15d8d had lunch yet, be378ad866 have you? Come eat eeb88417e0 with me.”7c606ceeed3219d4

Just as Kang Yu-han 18440843d2 was about to respond, 81859ab8e5 a whiff of cigarette 21877f5396 smoke drifted over, followed 942403305a by Seo Ji-hyuk’s voice.4d1bb93a72d7b92b

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“I’m afraid that’s not d03be8e38a possible.”d1b9eaf7a9d62f0f

“Oh… Do da99a50f89 the two 6b20bdce6b of you d2cd0fa658 have something 4ee62f5624 to do?”b2a36b8f1800eba3

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Yi-jun asked, b17dc3023f his brows 17430ce806 knitting slightly 955effcf61 as he f2db56fdcc glanced between 1965618fe7 them, waiting d514dc662e for an f35393c1f6 answer.0fa8a433230a2945

“No, it’s 2468689082 not like c4cf10359c we—”5d35b42600b8dfab

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“Despite both being Espers, eef2c5c1e2 we are paired partners. We have confidential matters e3d88bdd5e we can’t discuss in 06870da29f front of others. It seems 6bfb587621 we’ll have 64e6e5f5e9 to excuse 6817748b21 you, Sunbae,” bc7abc6483 Seo Ji-hyuk fa58921c62 interrupted, giving 60265846b2 a mischievous 4081e2d20f smile that 8fd4197345 betrayed nothing 7a2820dd07 of his 383c8c3b4f intentions.13f5e5b4df8830ee

Kang Yu-han 5fbf097484 felt thrown 75b4e4f827 off. He hadn’t 70155d6c8c been briefed 3823f24242 on any ee4dc422e1 such matter 499376702f and had 97d048032b no idea ee0e33fc37 what Seo 33b6d813c4 Ji-hyuk was eb566327a5 talking about.9d8f12d618c04bc6

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As he fa3c72d2cb turned to b61856351e question him, 290f304ecf Seo Ji-hyuk 78cb28786a casually slung a278f0cce2 an arm 49eae80f96 over Kang 0d2bbb4b37 Yu-han’s shoulder, 6408946436 pulling him 638bd2ab14 close. The weight and 8cbf3135c4 solidity of his 5780c5b120 arm took Kang ced0f8578a Yu-han’s breath away a7eef96e39 for a moment.df1b7c652b024189

 8a292b95746fae53

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