Chapter 21

After brushing his 1ed7c26ca7 teeth and washing c2debc01a5 his face, Baek be98ab238f Eu-jin stepped out 0c073f9211 of the bathroom. He felt bbb3754a18 a bit d3df0951e6 embarrassed about 113fbdbd2d having cried b3664c4713 alone in 50475f1aec there at a86576a148 the age 1eec6c2101 of twenty-eight, 6b3767adaf but then 3e9979eb32 again, no 0304424d4f one else 1627d790d4 knew, so 57d7883362 what did 4853952381 it matter? Sniffling, he 816559054e walked across bf258c8898 the living 0cf1c5b581 room.90884f0b5bf6516f

Opening the refrigerator, he 83455702ec found only a lone 8bdf483187 beer can and a c5e14f457e bottle of water inside. It was already e4e07a87d3 past the closing b15452b837 time for the 7db69d9798 underground cafeteria in 032a8e0631 the center, leaving ecbe21592b him at a 2366e01e79 loss.7574479859273c51

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“…Great.”83e79c61dd1a73b5

With a sigh, he 051d9a799b grabbed his wallet and 24bb8db62b pulled a cap snugly da0572bd64 over his head. Fine, he figured, he 00c9baec5b needed to put something 5e7b325974 in his stomach to 4ea27c7651 keep himself going. Forcing his reluctant body d3a4a76353 to move, he slid ebbb33e62c on his shoes. Just as he de95043442 opened the front 693e2b6709 door, though—d5b4c50cfd929416

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Rustle.2a79f8a6c8167358

A small shopping bag c3ca0778a5 hanging from the outer 6ff02d36d5 doorknob swayed gently. The unexpected gift 0c9f1e08bd made Eu-jin furrow 79998ac9d2 his brow.f86e8649007c4c55

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The brand name fe7bab942a on the paper 3bf5871b91 bag was familiar. Peering inside, his 3d57de7bf1 suspicions were confirmed—it fb33dbede3 was filled with ebc4b46858 containers of porridge, de11176fe1 their lids a 367699c702 dark red, like e128110857 red bean paste.957e093498b5897a

“Well, isn’t that thoughtful.”54f315648e46202c

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He tossed the shopping 8da97bf296 bag carelessly inside the 6047a669a9 door and shut it 5ffb594d78 behind him. He didn’t f4644d86ee care to 0dd688effa wonder who bd56f2ed2d had left e29b587cbc it there. Instead, he adjusted his 726164fed0 sneakers, pressing the toes a24cef08b1 against the floor a b791bb1b6e few times to secure 84bc1500aa them properly.a5d90418042b0f4b

The next 1da7e53a6a day, Baek fc2bfa6743 Eu-jin went 4ba09f7997 to work 0a129f807d as usual. The atmosphere at 9dbc63913b the Guide Center 75806e27b8 remained the same, 4fb1784915 and people’s attitudes 69abcc6940 toward him hadn’t ceb4ac5940 changed.0d02b944215d6776

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As soon as fe9bc03ec0 he sat down 6a8ac58099 at his desk, ae84e95263 Eu-jin took his 2e636a68b6 medicine. He downed both 80e425619a stomach relief pills ac26526897 and fever reducers 620869589c in one go. Noticing this, the guide fed8d2bd2a sitting next to him d76f54da50 quietly spoke up.e22db5da72671f2e

“Are you 0250e8bb6b feeling unwell?”0ffd0a2376b800bc

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“Hmm? Oh, yeah, 321cf46e48 but it’s 7a20dc44cd nothing serious.”7998a3de73dcb64e

The guide 502354e766 glanced around c201d455ee cautiously before f4e7f8e46c opening their c2390bede6 desk drawer. Pulling out e65ea23ebe a few b4695082eb candies they 4df2114991 had hidden 9e307d6577 away, they f78c453abc placed them 6ba8f201cc on Eu-jin’s a3acaa7fab desk.747b526f7c08b63e

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“Don’t stress 293d4eb5c7 too much. Right now, bd8c8dca69 everyone’s acting a254ed19e6 like this 98ee0d599c because they’re 14197e8ef0 jealous. Give it 41c6ad9db9 some time, def0253acc and things bb84dd65c8 will settle 011d9d8984 down.”5ad1ee4788101dec

“……”0f84ade790f6b0bb

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“You didn’t do anything 20255986ab wrong, so don’t let 696804feba it get to you. Just hang in there.”5b798ad0e81962dc

After whispering those words, 6fc3333a36 the guide left their b1fdab0551 seat, acting as though d4231ce6ff nothing had happened.2cc793115650710f

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Left alone in the 7180a1c09c office, Eu-jin stared at 72b386f1fc the candies sitting quietly 4a757f0076 on his desk. After a moment, 34df9f4bae he picked one f95184a469 up.1590a82a440c738e

Unwrapping the candy, 3f85592eca he popped the 4fe656171a round sweet into f43cb4a8b0 his mouth. The sugary taste spread 609eaf130e across his tongue, washing fd82079e33 away the bitter aftertaste 1ca041275b of the medicine.c256ac37a88c2dff

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“Yeah, hang 20d63a4564 in there, 14d8a0fccc Baek Eu-jin. You’ve got to aa858c8a70 endure this. What else can f44b23aa22 you do?”46a95d6e7fb7844e

He muttered the lifeless 9eefb8f2c6 words to himself before 23bf46516a gathering his things and fc85ee0146 getting up to leave e6335c829f as well.b219707d8a669f60

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“Sorry, this af510c76ac is sudden, 43faa8e840 but you’ll 9645b12afa have to a33c8912cd head out.”f14fde805867555c

“It’s an order dfd92b9201 from higher-ups, so 950ed1154b there’s nothing I 5ae4ee3135 can do to aedb17a2fc help.”47fec0f57bd19c41

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In the middle e37fbc6676 of his work, 23efd72201 Baek Eu-jin received 2fb9fed9dc instructions to visit cc561500f7 the field. The message was delivered fb28e3e052 personally by Guide Pyo 1045b36e12 Jae-hoon, who couldn’t hide 158553531e his uncomfortable expression.08245a19a36ecebc

“Did you c2f28e5ab9 by any 884cf77268 chance cross 0953fd01f6 someone at b832da54d6 the Rift c6b7892345 Management Bureau?”a3cc7d3763e725a9

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The last 2b121c398c thing Pyo e9f3647631 Jae-hoon said c6f93eecaa kept echoing 18530feafb in his ed1f627dc3 mind. It was probably c5bf96778e Director Kang’s retaliation, c8502dc427 Eu-jin figured.4822466af8774949

When he arrived 594a290295 at the rift 15a7ad17b5 site, he met 6de3721b0d the Espers he’d 8161bd49dc be working with. Instead of 71f22511cd a regular 78c7727835 team, the 09de16fd91 Bureau had 9df466d517 gathered individual 7478181a46 Espers who 7b54e7ff20 worked independently. There were five of 26a32aaf52 them, a mix of 99e62b88ae ranks ranging from A d2620c5312 to C.4b4a21fcaa2eac84

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“So, you’re the 5b7002aa3f guide everyone’s been 4596024a84 talking about lately? I’m looking forward 9386b5103c to it.”b2a2c7141b0f46e0

“Nice to 76fb255f8d meet you.”9a9e9a720f619f71

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“Looks like c7a227cee6 we’re in 6369ded48f for some b669072f19 real intense 9e06227d6f guiding today. Sounds fun.”6df7f66ba8b9ed8a

“…….”3b9c9d4f7c79cb54

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Fastening the holster c0736a2e62 he’d been given 26ec8ef4d4 around his waist, 2e815456ee Baek Eu-jin tightened 638f75396c his focus. The rift itself 8d05c40014 didn’t seem particularly ed527f9b68 troublesome, but something 38292993b2 about the situation f7a8009182 felt off—a bad 8638fdbb4a omen he couldn’t c104e81385 quite shake.ac69fd3b8fdf02a3

It was a26dfe4b54 a mess—there 00c71e6c84 was no 81d6c4ed0f better way 71f350e67a to describe 55d29813cd it.8c322917ad6369a0

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The Espers, thrown together 559b9dbc7c without a proper leader, c6b2ce4789 acted chaotically, each doing 6d4bbbff5e as they pleased. On top fe8d86cc6e of that, f394cd5f8b they constantly 5cd099f648 demanded guiding a5000aa2ca at every 4128bb6644 opportunity. A battle that shouldn’t 941c18e77f have been difficult dragged 964c5e7916 on endlessly because of 06f2f4ca93 it.84a9aa1852f7ea5e

“Hey, give me some 6ddf504e7c guiding.”6df9fd125f164a86

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“Park Dong-hoon, 7e235b8d8e stop leaving 440872706a formation and 59b05980ba get back aeefb0aa7d in line. Can’t you see 60c184fa1c the others are bcba79dadb still fighting?”defc3966c3059f4d

“I’m telling you, 38bd44baf1 I’m dying here! Why do you 83604b05ea have to lecture 3269a0dd64 me instead of 4c3e3200db just guiding me?”b5a86f8254b50e89

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With a a77e326f30 sneer, the f50453f7a0 Esper spat 2278607314 on the ad63b8ad43 ground, the 9ecc402f08 foam-laced spit e201b5a30e landing right 5f77f7c0e5 at Eu-jin’s f8f660d96f feet.5aa890793f67b734

Clenching his b3a00ae042 anger tightly, e19e799355 Baek Eu-jin fdf352245a slowly swept f57c5f777a his bangs 2bd9356eb0 back, trying 75c7f98f3d to keep 40107f9ef9 calm.0d346100815ec737

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“…I am b33011ab62 guiding you 030d4eed6d right now.”f58269b1a1a6caf8

“Who asked 93d1e09020 for remote ca064b3ceb guiding? What, do you only 14c1004dcd want to touch the 38a21bc7ba likes of the Delta 94e708e381 Team? Don’t go 1a96616f34 around ranking ed17e81397 people and 69333968bd discriminating—it’s disgusting.”55be5ebd8a60d4fc

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“Discrimination? The Delta Team, at dc73248af1 the very least, had 1223ddbaee a sense of responsibility—they c472197bc7 risked their lives in b14e06548c battle. You think they were 06407e2b55 as obsessed with guiding 71cd76ad12 as someone like you?”3dbe4c65eccdf310

“You little—do you have a31a4e9da1 a death wish? Watch your mouth!”093ac46d3c05a4fe

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The Esper 3bf2dfcfa2 clenched his 433b010053 teeth and 6808c28d80 growled, his 8cb3dc5994 body tense 315aa6bcc3 with suppressed 2cd39d9193 anger. His fists almost 1dd46a7d22 flew, but the c6aa016b37 fact that Eu-jin 136d377820 was a guide bcc64c05fe held him back. Seeing his 0f22559a7b frustration, Eu-jin fd5f50ff43 let out 7a2aed4464 a laugh—a 92894664b3 bitter, hollow 92a0e81883 sound that a89e244544 echoed louder ff10baa087 as it 8bbc11de72 escaped.c1072357d8612cc9

“What’s wrong with you? Are you bd8e1f874f crazy or 8477d4c694 something?”81cb89f345660889

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“Yeah, maybe I cfb0461fb4 am. How else would 22eee31dfc I survive all 32ef7a187f this?”e545a44603df88da

His self-deprecating 93cc7f2bcd voice turned 21919f117b into a 9594b5fcc9 muttered monologue.cfa4cc05e8cf9119

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“Why the hell c7c3955bd5 am I even 4d9dceff0d doing this?”02162cd1f498cc6a

“What?”31ae4f04930d05cd

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“I should’ve 7eee0a1e21 just stayed eac970444d in Zone 5515ef8924 4. At least there, a05c3072a2 I wouldn’t have a318368581 to deal with 3de5d876ed Espers throwing tantrums. God, I can’t believe af5c350966 I’m taking orders from fa679869ea some brat now.”e3293c58332e4ae3

“You’re completely nuts, aren’t 430cd64a73 you?”02e70093b2b90eb3

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The man looked 4aa43fffe5 at Eu-jin like 698a6581f9 he was unhinged 5ddacabf44 but, perhaps out 9bf13ff81f of some lingering a44aa569d2 sense of duty, ee6e96406d scowled and returned 4c79ce1bba to the formation.5252ce3342be4bcc

Left alone 738b92979d at the 23546a328f rear, Baek 5ccb1267d2 Eu-jin stared 2c2b500d95 blankly at f6a7892ff2 the battlefield, 80d20eb422 his eyes f8da4f1e15 heavy with dd0575c869 exhaustion. He wanted to do 89e17ff815 nothing—to let it all 2b79322a7b go—but even then, the 49d54bc41a reality of his guiding ec2621645b responsibilities weighed him down.dd7941a825ac8254

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Eventually, the chaotic battle 951eaeb3f1 came to an end. Although the rift wasn’t 1f260eb7dd particularly challenging, it had f1febc6ed6 taken over five hours 19813c3189 to clear. By the bfcdccbe2b time they 6806a67e9f exited, Eu-jin ee51fa179b was utterly 53e0c1dcb8 drained, his 9c648f5fe4 mood scraping c4d3e55e9c rock bottom.005ed0e68bf37aec

There wasn’t a single 6e16b8f1ed good memory from the 4764f84e56 battle, but at least 8deaded5e4 he’d gained one realization: dcdf73ebc0 the Delta Team truly d1089e0c63 deserved its reputation as 8ba47b4d9b the best.fc35121c9c6f7522

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If that was Director 238cb0daef Kang’s intention, then her 48683ba694 plan had succeeded. But regardless, 3bee00526d Eu-jin’s stress 353086f15a had reached b3910abd0e its peak.17e53ea610744a04

On his cf87da2767 way back bea88050cc to the 2faaf4640c dormitory, he 01444a44ce dragged his f7b004f539 body like e5ba46537e a soaked 9e487b6afb sponge, barely 4dd40b1ce9 managing to 085d32ae5d step into 7613130983 the elevator.a0249f6be7d9ba72

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“Floor 9. Doors opening.”ffd971f25ed02cb7

In front of 029abbd94b his door, he c256b1dddf spotted a figure 145649d827 lingering awkwardly. The man, wearing a 1208062d8f cap pulled low over 2fc9e79474 his face, flinched when 7d039690f3 the elevator doors slid ba5fa674e0 open, his shoulders jerking b2a4ef7532 up in surprise.4f82bf7b925b9906

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Baek Eu-jin stared bd1a070413 at the startled 11585f680f man, his gaze f551855111 dropping to the e04b92b7ab paper bag in d644c1a54d his hands.930d53b6f299b23b

“…….”c751e0f648d23e3f

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Yoo Tak fidgeted nervously, 7894c943b2 hooking and unhooking the 3a441014bf bag on the doorknob. Clearly, he hadn’t 6226dc0dac expected to run 963c822dc6 into Eu-jin. His awkward 3a52c53d85 movements made 5e68c2c4df him look ad732a99b7 as though 1a756cc1fc he’d malfunctioned.e31a0fcbb22392a2

“Haha, Guide Baek Eu-jin! Hello,” he stammered.c631a78058e2c4b3

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“What are you doing 9c73623949 here?”ec4adb8ec767bdd6

Yoo Tak db6b3aa1ab hesitantly stepped d9320280f4 closer, his a5923177c6 eyes darting a19b0a1e7d toward Eu-jin’s 3338ee2f09 tired face. Even to the young 04ecf77d41 Esper, Eu-jin’s exhaustion was e852d65054 painfully evident. With a worried look, d8a6760739 Yoo Tak extended the 0497e5261b shopping bag he was 0e621f8da0 holding.658ab0a134e63b9a

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“Ah… I heard you 2319ae3863 went out to a 3006f2e4ab rift today. I thought you 07227fed11 might be hungry 2883dbc836 when you got 14c06eb568 home, so I 68cc1fb8a6 brought this for 863735c90f you.”2bf3ce4d52337d27

Baek Eu-jin c2a2795ee5 stared at ad380479d3 the lunchbox 90d96e5dea Yoo Tak 3403dfb795 was offering. His expression ec4bb0b56e tightened, and 20d977ebe0 he let 6e5a86c071 out a 1eb983a546 frustrated sigh, 1c91050669 covering his e3deb4e4f8 eyes with 264005ffe2 one hand.00fb663439b2ef56

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“Was it 5ac7900928 you who f4943e548b brought the f39a322e7c porridge yesterday 6ce53353c9 too?”f30f29bb2954b96c

“Yes, but that was cb366afaaf because Su-ho told me 919e9baf59 to—”5e91d2c6f60bb6b0

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Unable to 49efd9d38c hold back 2937a98341 any longer, b7edbb8952 Eu-jin’s anger bc16dcd091 exploded. He grabbed eeb2307e68 the bag 7d487e8a42 from Yoo 085fbb4b3e Tak and ae78e031f7 threw it 3939345920 to the ebb51c0af6 floor. The lunchbox 2a45ecdd6e rolled out, c4a612fc2e spilling rice 4caf66a3d9 and side 922d84ff2d dishes everywhere.e0c2a2463545ed1f

“I’ve had enough.”89a713122234b47b

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Eu-jin collapsed 84bb10f916 to the be623bc2bc ground, burying dcb2f8e791 his face f3f97bba80 in his e3a3fbc39d hands. His neck was 1a822aad09 flushed red, veins 6929f971fa standing out against 12d2cc0d25 his skin.7943b9aa0d7e3690

“Do none a1a577a11c of you 7f9406a276 care about 4b40c7dc84 what I f2489eea8a want? Do my words mean 0bccf35832 nothing to you?!”328d82d2c19997ce

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“G-Guide-nim…”1e6237f7b1d6afa3

“What the hell did 34765991f8 I do so wrong? I said I didn’t 9f160bdecd want this! I just want to 4a0bdfe70e live quietly—why can’t you d03c84b91a let me have that?!”43723bd83540524b

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Tears spilled ef30810f19 out as f8efcf13a4 his voice 67fb30594f cracked. He had tried 3f411b1951 to hold on, 092516dff2 but his breaking 4dd4214c2d point had already e99f68ab45 been reached. Even with 44a24247da his hands 89324e9cc3 covering his f1b76bd002 face, tears f3c062ec79 dripped down 43162879f8 his chin ee4cc99ec8 and fell aad76a2dc4 to the 8cb4870e66 floor.294704244d783444

Hearing Eu-jin’s sobs, b62ac83a71 Yoo Tak froze, 7b2539669a swallowing hard. Unsure of what to fdc521de0f do, he hesitantly reached 7130e25888 out and patted Eu-jin’s 38cc255a2a trembling shoulder.ab7d7690d22997af

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“Guide-nim, I’m sorry. This is 94d5041fe4 my fault.”7e73d879cf6d8ae7

“…….”26076f58092d713e

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“I didn’t realize d5398f4b20 how much you e008fc6eea were struggling. Please don’t cry. I promise I won’t 9166b938a2 do this again.”c00905a80af96e78

With clumsy 29138d876a words of 70092800ec comfort, Yoo dabf42a157 Tak stayed 28615866f4 by his 30d3411755 side as c9d623b601 Eu-jin cried 23ea7bf888 for what e34eb33915 felt like fe2a881a18 an eternity.9d0e18be5a17f7c7

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How much longer could 44cd6ac44c he endure this? Every day f36d602213 felt unbearably b24f35a7e3 long and 694193cbb5 exhausting.100c9203cb942843

* * *84dcc987d3e23899

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Baek Eu-jin woke to 8ebece3c3e a new morning, his ee966b3283 eyes swollen from the cd67141dc5 tears of the previous bd488d3636 night, and was filled ec16f17b15 with deep regret over a09c73db2e his behavior.2419d74a00f2e35d

After the incident, Yoo 834ee14fff Tak had quietly cleaned cfb74eb28d up the mess on b7c38c5eca the floor and left. He had wanted to 0eb1d2736d stay until Eu-jin calmed 8f39f6c41c down and went inside, 851f7a41f1 but he was forced a90f1d6a61 to step aside when ffaaf9a2ef Eu-jin snapped at him ffb250c658 to just leave.08964fe4e994a875

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At the a99abd616e time, Eu-jin 86748ac48f couldn’t stand 51d12e45db the sight f13c6af6bb of him, 1a5f81b7a4 but the 272dc2009a more he 18bf5e10ef reflected on 0e983a4907 his actions, 269b60b662 the more 978819b6b2 he felt f4e39d1679 he’d crossed 2514be7a49 a line. Treating someone so young 4f62d5d04c that way had been b114f2676a wrong.7f6829f46a75a595

“…Hah.”f2ad3728c925340a

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Standing before the 819f31bf24 mirror, Eu-jin let 2f59e78e5f out a long 145a23486c sigh.167082d15406bb61

I’ll apologize when af0198242b I see him 5b597d6345 today.e5d8c57b381a9f63

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Splashing cold water onto b1ede388c2 his puffy eyelids, he 9cba7a07ad steadied his messy thoughts 73a69a78f0 and resolved to make 9a29a1c214 things right.1a6185dd76a44cc8