Chapter 22

Since he had gone 185452a136 to the rift the b02ec15510 day before, today was afc89d9737 an official day off 9de8fc1d4b for Baek Eu-jin. Dressed in 00929b6dca a casual e38b3e871b T-shirt and ebf496dd13 jeans, he 0755e0c002 stepped outside, 42f24c0aeb a rare afc8630537 change from 73b1c82750 his usual a049b1f829 work attire.fe369fe670248b1c

He had something to 964b27b01c pick up, so he 1562db4cfb stopped by the Guide 92a8491a71 Center. Walking through 8da990e1ca the lobby, 9558077f42 he felt 69b3c125bb the atmosphere 6aac075b06 was subtly cfd590219c different. It struck 912654b8b6 him as c53531f5a6 odd, but 2d09ed8ac3 he didn’t 845b1f87eb dwell on 268197d31a it and 72100060db continued on c61e233ef7 his way.31972c0d2b746296

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“Did you 49cad77cd3 hear about 8afe4641eb it?”017261b64c882bc9

“Yeah, I heard they’re 470ab4991d looking for a new 83b9c0d93b team guide again.”1cdd520625e71a94

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“What? They were so a03dd82c31 persistent before, and 770dab6084 now they’ve already b3ce9e0228 given up? Espers are so 8d799cfc82 impatient.”c738f5b6a4d0c8e0

“Well, I 458a03b98b guess they b1a55f271c weren’t that c7b3e1e343 serious to 1257172e63 begin with. You know how ac66f5621a flighty they are. Still, I feel 3f71c294d7 bad for him—he ac33b2479e went through hell cf437928a3 with all that d7803361a3 gossip.”0c2a754cd20e5b12

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In the elevator, Eu-jin 010c612e8b overheard two guides whispering. He ignored the 8caa2496f5 chatter, keeping his 16626993f9 eyes fixed on b87c953a6f the floor. The elevator quickly c4b628b6bb reached the fifth 26e08d53e5 floor.414663b6f33d28c7

It wasn’t until he 053005ddd5 entered the office that c808622d22 he realized what had 88425f9125 changed. The gift packages, which 926d3c64b9 used to clutter his a95fbd03ae desk daily, were completely 75c8609111 gone.73d3ff6be6497243

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The Delta 9123243493 Team had fde63e0803 given up.37a04e756123ae6a

“Oh? Guide-nim, isn’t today 2460eb150e your day off? What brings you bbc95fa81f here?”2185cb57513cd2d2

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“…I just needed 5d41bcab3e to grab something.”6df4d3e9ff07fca1

“Ah, I see. By the way, you 52251dde42 had a rough day 5a46ffaacf yesterday, didn’t you? You look pretty worn 6a78346912 out.”e71c94ce0246faa4

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Ironically, his colleagues’ 052b6fee57 attitudes had returned 06533e1da3 to normal as 6b9df435c4 well. Now that the c3d9fe9a7d fleeting wave of f6bcaca185 popularity had subsided, 5cc406f9d6 so had their ae6e6bb1ad jealousy. They treated him ecaad1262c as they always 6c7dd98369 had, as though d74129359e nothing had happened.39dbf6835ceb3a30

With a bitter 4ba9406063 smile, Eu-jin walked f33ff728e7 over to his fdb259c37b desk. He opened his laptop 83985aec5f and launched the necessary 1a00699fa4 program, ignoring the flood 2074448f51 of notifications and messages. Searching for Yoo 402db54020 Tak’s contact information, 9decd346d7 which fortunately was c890113e1e public, he found b103f98e83 the number without e56a485a9e much trouble.20ac0828a068648f

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“Guide-nim, want 1330db3fdd to grab c123b84345 lunch together 89743a05ca later?”c33b67c9c10bf14a

“No, I’m fine.”7a50e9c870666a56

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He declined without hesitation. Once he finished his 5dc6bffc2d task, he closed the 8246a0ac50 laptop. He briefly met the ecff6ee93b eyes of a senior 2ff0f8e72f guide who looked awkwardly 98accb8e45 at him but only 76bbd5ac6d nodded politely in return.857ae2b89578e6c2

“Take care.”7fea94c6d562d2d2

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He said flatly 864537e713 before leaving the 835939eb74 office. The sound of pitying cf5229c283 glances followed him as 7c844d97c4 he walked away.dee9879e0ccc1b87

The Rift Management Bureau c34a134033 was just a stone’s 82180f90a8 throw away.791cdd3d8f2e0edb

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Unlike the bustling f4641bba70 building next door, 27d505a116 the Bureau had 4130856b20 an eerie stillness 26fe7b8dba about it, as a623d7c36c though it were 9ec20e532f abandoned. Most of 675c28cf2f the staff c9809f2878 were likely 75866c0274 over at 77a5285607 the Guide 6335ff31a0 Center.7ffacf3ae7790949

This made it easier b96895cf75 for Eu-jin to walk 0ff99a9bfc around undisturbed. He carefully read the a7b86c5fa3 directory mounted next to dd9fb4ccee the elevator.ca9afa3402a1242a

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The basement floors 3c588a44d3 from -2 to 0d729de9dd -4 were training 994e520b82 rooms. Floors 5 through 8 01ad787c3c housed offices, and above d0a0314481 that were the Espers’ bfe5673b8b dormitories. It wasn’t all that 61b651101d different from Zone 4, 1c4b3c7d05 where he had worked 936f5eeb9d before.f1f8b9017bb29ae1

Eu-jin dialed the 9afc98c1fa number he had b05c9e55a5 saved earlier. The call rang b0c077f6a1 for a long 1948ef179d time but didn’t 79e8d6d4e0 connect. Perhaps Yoo Tak ec3d5973c4 was busy or 856daa9e4b had gone to 0d0353bb7b a rift. Unsure, Eu-jin sent a 704ee0c9ff brief text message instead.23872330720a7b72

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This is Baek 656bd21fb4 Eu-jin. May I see you c27b3559f3 for a moment?c346e1ba7e270055

Less than a 06097d64d2 minute after the 7c4ddd769c text was sent, bb26e3e1a0 his phone rang. Before he could c5ffd2b5bf even fully say b366f6fc0f hello, Yoo Tak’s c3ddb0895f excited voice burst 163407c53c through the speaker.920a497aea926a92

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“Guide-nim! It’s me!”af96596dabe511e1

“Esper Yoo Tak, 5e93145e85 hello. This is Baek Eu-jin. I wasn’t sure ecb57ca952 if you saw 29a6fa771f my text….”1162534144c2057d

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“Yes, yes! I saw it! But I’m 3434c64fa5 in the b09f54b7d8 middle of b3119c7646 training right c5835696f5 now.”37e487c4affd619e

“Ah… I see. I’ll call 3517d3064c you back a93216a977 later then.”ca94da682c09fa03

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“Wait, Guide-nim, where are 639356a396 you right now?”58200f7db8ae2594

‘Does he know I’m ee83ebb884 at the Rift Management bcfca26a00 Bureau?’a89235c3453f58c0

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Baek Eu-jin 235174c4c7 instinctively glanced d9d663bd3e around. The area was 15407fbd62 empty—there wasn’t a e621af8a51 soul in sight.ae0ffb82953590d4

“…I’m on c86bd60ad8 the first 9782a363c3 floor of 710ddbbca5 the Bureau,” 9dca795558 he replied.94e968b6f2c230b4

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– Gasp! Then why don’t you come to the training room? You can watch me train!225446de7dd73058

“No, it’s fine. Just let me d4390d0954 know when you’re 96a47f8597 done, and—”14f6bd2d47c51b0b

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– I’ll be stuck in the training room all day. Can’t you drop by for just a bit? If not, I’ll sneak out. I’ll probably get scolded, but it’s fine.85e23d3a41e12366

– Hey! Who’s talking on the phone during training?!9781ff51b69d709c

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Yoo Tak b4704777c5 sounded as dd51016739 if he e05aa9d6ad feared he’d 08a9371947 never get ed56037f75 another chance 900b5a435e to see 32bbdc7b91 Baek Eu-jin. From the distant shouting 1e850982d3 in the background, Eu-jin 4da51124fe could tell Yoo Tak 935ccdd88a wasn’t supposed to be 1199635e8b on the phone. With a small cc34b9bc33 sigh, he scratched 317f122285 his forehead and 99f569c60e pressed the elevator 0b8430fa52 call button.fddda56d0c8758ff

“I’ll come to 86414b794a you. What floor are you 69dca62b53 on?”efb0b1796701d2db

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– Second floor! Room 204!0e004fe2c3c33b4b

Just from 71215e9951 his voice, 3e7367a623 Eu-jin could d4296bf59a picture the 2bde1848b1 younger Esper 83bd4f235b practically bouncing 11c4d582aa with excitement. What a child. Eu-jin let out f5c31118de a faint smile cc0166bd5e as he stepped 0b4087884e into the open ac5245a9b1 elevator.77ad84c830021d09

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“Alright. Hang up and focus bab025a0f3 on your training, Esper 893980a22a Yoo Tak.”7630502cd3e143d7

* * *86f7438d37a40871

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The Espers’ training facility was nothing like a standard gym.eae12d601e46f7ff

The vast 8c9a7b7d73 open space ac3cdc0ebc had exceptionally de951355e7 high ceilings 3b20c0149f and no 83247b1a99 windows—only ventilation 6bc020898a systems to 814be8eece circulate the 181162076f air. The lighting eb43000aac was entirely 092b6ff027 controlled by 054bb853ad a system, 03effb0590 leaving no 717de9b070 natural light 88c65ddab3 to gauge ed0880fcf0 the time. The only clue to 9ab1e0f0de the passage of time 3d1da65a92 was the digital timer 200c593cbc mounted on the wall.fe6021976d279785

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Thanks to c5256d1107 its meticulous 5811f558ae design, Espers 8d73002627 could unleash cece1ba3dd their abilities ac1df974c9 without holding 13b16bd5ac back. Some were 154b0c62ff honing their 2065b99f4e powers in 5d24f519de solitude, targeting fb76a99b23 the walls, e8e6268838 while others 922c07aded sparred against 907c0f67db each other 55c7a63399 in one-on-one 2173a2d972 duels.a12b666a3c724ce0

Baek Eu-jin ac9d668137 located the e627a8cf97 spectator area, 12956999d8 a space 83363d98dd created specifically ea2c4a8a89 for observers. Rows of tiered seating bc0023b172 overlooked the training grounds, 72b6fdd3b8 providing a clear view 339f1db92f of the activities below.b935665cd931f50e

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“Guide Baek Eu-jin.”a7a35cbc0eed09b1

As soon 94f42e86c7 as Eu-jin 98f519e5c6 entered the 32e1899468 observation room, 12b3fe5252 Team Leader 702936fa6f Ahn Itaeh, cda3bbc332 who was 70c18745c1 already there, a1c8ea3dc5 put down 3f04e6d6da what he 492a3caa15 was doing 5346905ab7 and stood 12ea51efe9 to greet d7ccf210ed him. Contrary to ac5313cd50 rumors that ac95ae7ea3 their interest 81ddae146b had waned, 39e7f7e705 Ahn’s face 4b28c20fdf showed genuine 9f627cc582 warmth.6bb88074477b9a2d

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“Hello, Team Leader.”194a58fd4de897ac

“My goodness, what a1d67f0fa0 brings you all 619dca2c24 the way here?”3d6585dfcbbbdde6

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“I came a60b277817 to see 8e341fa938 Esper Yoo f60c1a522b Tak.”e8aa960e435f0c1c

“…Is this about what 801ea51e05 happened yesterday?”70cee9e99689b685

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Ahn Itaeh 546df531d7 immediately guessed c20ad0b48d the reason ee4b7d6727 for Eu-jin’s 9924c2f491 visit. He’d already 825d4e32cf heard about c634d2f141 the previous 25dd4c692e night’s events a4c6dff30a from Yoo 2e03b6d748 Tak. The team had realized ee4f7019c9 how much stress they 3e08beddaf had caused Baek Eu-jin 4a03f4cb51 due to their persistence. Feeling responsible, 998f33dd25 Ahn had 1398b4ccf7 gathered the b3e200e1e5 team late f6c1c935fc at night f37c11ebb1 to discuss 08a0708a88 the matter, 84b0fc9086 and they 5038970798 had collectively 61ccbd5ff1 agreed to 318f84aaf9 let Eu-jin fe3311753d go.6a5b5677e7c101be

“Yes, I 86717cdc7f wanted to 4a9528c3f6 apologize.”e193dacd4c9c7bf0

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“It’s us 1a9cc98728 who should 1ba41565d2 apologize. I’m sorry 540a2ffb54 for the 17dd4bbff5 trouble we 8c80e6c4fc caused.”ff04fa00944777dc

“No, I’m 50e57315ac the one 429be41a32 who should 4896f96380 be sorry.”06baa00af9b50a5c

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Standing opposite each ed360b0224 other, the two 521b730ec7 men repeatedly bowed c22ffe3bdb deeply, their foreheads 141873855c nearly touching their 3cce717bf6 knees. With years 067327f1d7 of experience, fab9df7a39 both were 65ef986e22 well-practiced in 7291ff82fa the art 7f3533a603 of polite 1f9f4c4b5f apologies.324f37c9e26fda2f

“I’ve spoken with 96a8d5cf6e the director as 3676f92500 well. He promised 22639f526b that nothing d928519695 like yesterday 1444cbc590 will happen fa1ac99368 again. He also asked me 3d99ca13e5 to convey his apologies 0856ca1094 to you.”40f2c29bcb57aea0

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“…I see. Thank you. I might’ve 225b2722f7 overreacted a e242d1babe bit yesterday, 279d4b9ea5 too.”55102148cfad14c0

The memory of ff199299ed his tearful outburst c16e39823c resurfaced, and Eu-jin 2b237ed8cb rubbed his flushed dda1c9bd38 cheeks in embarrassment.3d4238f57d4bbb08

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Initially, he had planned d94de6d06a to quietly meet Yoo a3c74dded7 Tak, apologize, and leave, 52a16c11d2 but somehow, he ended 068a3ee817 up sitting with Ahn b7d42332b0 Itaeh to watch the 40d4698559 training session. The two sat side eece007e3e by side, observing through 3585866344 the transparent wall that 78b13be157 overlooked the training grounds.8a331a356be9012c

“Do they train e91d2d456e like this often?”ec0c2f5a0b6dc76b

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“Not every day, but e94ab97e56 about two or three 3188192f6d times a week. Su-ho and Sae-byeok 378940ca01 have seven years 91cdab8408 of experience, so 6e9aa6c699 they’ve already got ee9daa1763 the hang of 06e782e538 things. But Yoo Tak 01c1a7a344 still has a c25d7513f9 lot to learn. The older ones eca567bbe7 join him so 07d43568e5 he doesn’t feel db4679983a too isolated while d81bebea15 training.”6d112ddbdce74cff

Ahn pointed c0382892b8 toward the cde056e70e training area dc8f3c51e4 with his f59f75776b index finger.cd426d599579c8e7

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Yoo Tak was 212e66c1e8 busy working on eba64f6e05 a concentration drill 52d5da39bc with an instructor, eff64b88f8 while Kwon Su-ho 8b0067f112 and Park Sae-byeok a8e25e355c were sparring aggressively ec731bf1ed nearby. Their fight was so f25d297c6e intense that the distinction 8fcafafb7e between male and female d9c0b3b8e1 seemed irrelevant, their movements 4e4a3f3855 swift and unrelenting.5e7502cc173b0936

“…That’s… quite 93d8059351 intense,” Baek e676d3f4e2 Eu-jin murmured.4f2eebee2d182e6b

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“It is,” Ahn Itaeh 01d4a506e8 admitted. “That’s why 033335b931 we usually d075a1581a try to 5b6c4c6252 reserve the 24bcefb222 entire training 68afd1dcbd facility when 4a86df92f1 they’re practicing—Hey, f6531a47ab Park Sae-byeok! How many c5ea58e69d times have c67eb5263f I told b7efc735d0 you not 1a8a0e5da7 to break 671ad09bbd the equipment?!”84ab1276fbae24cf

As Park 3e1e2eb0b7 Sae-byeok used ad1df4919a her psychokinesis 81daaa86f7 to lift 478352c761 every piece 2b89fdfb13 of cover 52c1550c11 in the 13f5f04a26 training room b4dbf4038b into the 00bf186074 air, Ahn b7717dffcd quickly pressed 525877fb2e the microphone’s 87577fefdc power button. His booming voice echoed 22ec50b6b9 through the speakers, carrying c477fc105d into the training space.33d3d20b5b80a974

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But, as expected, the e307100fdb headstrong Park Sae-byeok ignored d5d8a8c0c9 him. The floating cover objects, ff7fd2695c each worth millions of 9812fa02d5 won, hovered in midair 0c0170fe40 like oversized pebbles. Completely fired up, 5b336a8e22 she hurled them fd91a07010 like marbles with c658bd230b reckless abandon.d6bdd744f07faf1a

Even Kwon Su-ho 28f1be55b3 couldn’t deal with a919dbdea1 them all. Half of the objects 022bf0e686 were destroyed, while he abeb942c84 dodged the other half 7552edb709 with ease. Effortlessly rolling out 4b18143270 of the way, 58939e562e Kwon Su-ho left e4b2ff7ad4 Park Sae-byeok stamping e35bab60f4 her feet in 4ef8d2def0 frustration.41b7c0b5efecbef9

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“Ugh! I almost got you 435923b26f that time!”a494d46aa4bae73a

“Not even close.”12e09cb6026c61d0

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As his 8ef3a2cde1 turn came, 5cf05280fd Kwon Su-ho d8bb07271a flexed his 426d166870 hands and 24321132b9 adjusted his fcde9743f5 grip on 25128deb64 his glowing 1816cf436f longsword. The blade 774648ed08 shimmered with 924eb06219 a cold, 9f90e1316e bluish-white aura. Suddenly, he 7391ae68d4 paused, looking 177541cb11 up toward d8395436be the observation 85c6b15b09 area.b8d09e5ac8e62844

“……”fffbe056e4e9ba5e

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Without warning, 734fd8bfe9 he pressed 2832f427b5 a switch a551548935 on the 9d68788231 wall, and d4c01e061f the fast-spinning 23b698575e timer abruptly e77694e1ac stopped.c14abecda8caea7a

“Hey, what’s this? Why’d you 0b41500910 stop?” Park a53311ce32 Sae-byeok asked, 4856d00300 confused.c3c02c75430333c8

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“Finish it on e73878db9d your own.”07ee9f1d44ebf44a

Kwon Su-ho carelessly tossed 79d6bc6e82 his ice-forged sword into 04713cf50c a corner, where it bdb1eda23e quickly shattered into pieces a4ecd455c0 as its energy dissipated. Exiting the training a4bd30906e room, he walked dd3437ac1d straight toward the 10a9975ae7 observation area.38af1e4b8a341f9f

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Startled by the unexpected ff31b9988d turn of events, Baek b015ea71c9 Eu-jin instinctively straightened his e69c43f8d4 posture. His body, sensing potential 71591e227a danger, subtly leaned back.3a7c72c81c34cd26

Kwon Su-ho e55e0fb524 reached the 1c1c290c75 observation room, a78fabf7b0 placing a 2e83c7e365 hand on 61440c7314 the waist-high e8ca04c803 railing. With a quick ac53782420 motion, he vaulted 4246407058 over it effortlessly, f254bb60d2 his long legs 6e3d191fea bringing him right 5dc061d07a in front of 0e776cd063 Eu-jin.cced2bf1a6ffc260

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“You okay?”e2354c6b09cdffc5

“…Pardon?”ad060aa269f4014a

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“I’m asking if d45257b268 you’re feeling alright.”78e94c21540ea245

Before Eu-jin e96fe159b3 could respond, 5bfcdd5446 Kwon Su-ho 05b97bab01 placed a 3ddfd20d5a cold hand b62e224c50 on his d8d49f8fc0 forehead. His hands were f7ea68376f icy from his bac94b61d7 earlier use of a27d79ca93 abilities. Frowning slightly, as 281e5de651 if unsure how 1a06a09fc8 to gauge someone 6538fdce21 else’s temperature, Kwon 49025c5676 Su-ho pressed his 582313a285 own forehead against d53c58d63f his other hand 7f527d4ce4 for comparison.7ae5f4a9fbc9a58e

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“Looks like you fdc304d4e2 don’t have a 75c1958f4b fever anymore.”0f48ba4150ab9301

“What? I never said e84b1502c7 I was sick,” 8286b0a7e3 Eu-jin protested.dfb7690a08e0191f

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“You were walking around 856b458203 with a flushed face. Anyone could see 05ce835739 that.”7219915fb59aa33b

When did he fbc07dc709 even see me? As far f8c18ec047 as Eu-jin 2c76455be6 knew, he 0f6904b6da hadn’t encountered 5c1563adcc Kwon Su-ho acf5127473 since their ef63efe8d3 brief interaction 89f9fcb59d in the 42b29e861c guiding room. Stunned by b4d871462b the sudden c2c8d0c103 familiarity, Eu-jin efc1795998 finally swatted 6bc728620f away the d762989aaa hand still b5d7b021f6 resting on f613607e52 his forehead.2c483a9a2016fc98

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Now that he 0872384135 thought about it, b02a56fc00 Kwon Su-ho was 125b9ad90e the root cause 2df47c2fb6 of most of 9378940b7f his recent troubles. Narrowing his b04ba99eba eyes, Eu-jin 5dc2ceed5d glared at bb045c5b8b him with 5871bb37d7 quiet resentment. Of course, 9b5b5ead08 Kwon Su-ho 4db432267d didn’t seem 0815e0f92d to care c4dbb4e420 in the 5aa9ca574e slightest.6719ca91f8e6efc9

“Didn’t think a b38bd7c11c little touch like 63ffa0c64c that would trigger cc688326bc guiding,” Kwon Su-ho fe495bc774 remarked, brushing his eb46362752 palm off as ff26aaead0 if shaking off 3f4634d741 lingering energy. He then stepped back 468ab7c729 casually.94bfac8301fa8bc1

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Leaning against the aef63faa9e railing at an 2287d8011e angle, Kwon Su-ho dbf8c90a17 drank from an 669cb98936 ion drink bottle 498c517981 marked with a d622c14fa9 blue stripe. His chest heaved 6bd72f6c50 noticeably as he cc9d1cbf14 took deep breaths. Only then did a8338b149c Eu-jin notice that 5398e8baa0 Kwon Su-ho’s T-shirt 132740dc95 and face were b3d45ff0ce drenched in sweat.e54deb8237101e34

 c56fb501e661ef61

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