Chapter 108: Impossible Release

First, she quickly finished the profile photoshoot.
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Vrooom─!
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Inside the van heading towards the Mystic headquarters.
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Unlike its usual noisy self, Sua was alone.

This was because everyone at Mystic was currently busy.

However, she wasn’t bored.

She was preoccupied looking at her profile shots.
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“I look like some kind of male idol.”
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That was her brief impression.
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For the profile of the fictional male actor named Lee Soo-ahn, she wore a short, jet-black wig, received matching makeup, and finally underwent retouching.
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Surprisingly, it wasn’t boring.
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It was probably because she could see the profile shooting team and stylists getting excited.

They looked delighted, saying it was the first time in their lives doing such work.

Sua felt the same way.
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It’s fun.

It was fun.
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“…There’s no way people won’t be fooled by this?”
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Even Sua, the person herself, was almost deceived, so wouldn’t it be impossible for others to know the truth?

Unless the truth was revealed.
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Sua thought.

‘I feel like a secret agent. Agent Sua.’
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But it was then.
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─ Hmmm, I don’t feel quite right about this.
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It was a remark from Wi Ji-hye-Sua.
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‘About what?’
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─ That Lee Soo-ahn article. You wrote it wrong.
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‘I didn’t want to write negative things about myself.’
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When given the chance to write their own article, how many people could write negative things?
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At least Sua didn’t want to.

The period she lived as a dunce was too long.

She was thirsty for praise.
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─ Wasn’t it too exaggerated? An uncontrollable fire eventually consumes its owner too, what on earth were you thinking.
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─ Aren’t you just sulking because you couldn’t write it yourself?
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But Yuhan-Sua interjected abruptly.
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─ What did you say?
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Sua felt Wi Ji-hye’s face flush.
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Indeed, Wi Ji-hye had been unusually grumpy since earlier.

Muttering and grumbling.

Something about it being a chance to write down her teachings.
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It was then that Wi Ji-hye crossed her arms.
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─ I won’t deny that I harbor some regret. But you must realize Sua’s exaggeration was severe. The worst genius in history who defies even the gods? Those words will become poison to herself as well.
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─ No? Sua sunbae wrote excellently, and that is precisely why I cleanly gave up on intervening.
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‘Huh? Really?’
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Sua asked again.

Did I do well?
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Then Yuhan-Sua grinned.
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─ Yes. Sua sunbae’s article became the starting point, and now aren’t all the broadcasting stations churning out nonsense at an insane level?
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‘That’s true. It seemed to get a bit excessive.’
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Sua had seen it while fiddling with her phone during makeup.
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Things like romances would be extremely sticky, actions would split mountains, and so on.

The spice was immense.
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─ Thanks to that, people in the communities are furious now. They’re each holding bamboo spears. They’re saying if they were drawn in like this and it turns out to be nothing special, they’ll stab us.
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‘…Hmm? Then doesn’t that mean I’m in danger too?’
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Sua’s body trembled slightly.

Sua-tremble….
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─ Not at all.
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But Yuhan-Sua’s voice was firm.
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─ Didn’t Sua sunbae give her best performance? Therefore, this is an excellent strategy. Even just surviving when those who fail to prove themselves are stabbed and die is a gain.

​─ Perhaps only Sua sunbae will survive, and all the rest might be completely annihilated. You could call it the ultimate move.
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─ Are you saying it induced everyone to stake their lives on this fight? Turning it into a life-or-death duel, not just a contest.
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─ Exactly. It’s a fight with the escape route cut off.
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‘It turns out like that?’
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─ Have confidence. It was an action born from ignorance, but the result might turn out alright.
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However, Sua’s trembling didn’t subside.
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‘Ah, I don’t want to be stabbed by a bamboo spear.’
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Suddenly, she found herself praying for good results now.
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*
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After arriving at Mystic.
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Sua noticed the interior had changed.
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Previously, the profiles were hung in the order of Seo Yeon-ju – Sua – Kim Sun-il, but now an additional display case had appeared.

It contained Sua’s broken trophy.
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“Wow, the display case is cool.”
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The feeling was new again.
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Having an agency, having a line added to her filmography, having a display case showing her achievements.

It came with a budding determination to work even harder.
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Then, a figure approached.

“Ah, Sua. You’re here.”
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It was CEO Kim Yi-seo.
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Today too, the two large hairpins in her bangs were striking.

However, today the dark shadows under her eyes were even more noticeable.

Enough for Sua to picture a baby panda in her mind.
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It was clear she had been extremely busy until just moments ago.

Just seeing her remove the phone from her ear confirmed it.
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“You worked hard since early morning. The profile makeup was tough, wasn’t it?”
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“You worked harder, CEO-nim…”

“Not at all. I’m happy to be able to work hard. Do you know how many entertainment companies just bite their nails because they have no work?”
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Sua soon started walking alongside Kim Yi-seo.
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Kim Yi-seo placed a hand on her forehead.
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“The entire entertainment industry is busy right now. It’s absolute chaos. Of course, if I had to say, it’s chaos in a good way.”
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Sua understood there was no exaggeration in those words.
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Every scene that entered her view was urgent.

When she came here to discuss the contract, the atmosphere was quite relaxed, but now it was different.

Enough to resemble a warzone.
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‘I think I’ve seen a scene like this in a movie.’
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You know, those scenes.

Where the country goes bankrupt, and everyone in the office is busy answering phones.
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The employees in front of Sua were like that.

“We cannot answer questions about the actor’s private life.”

“Both Mr. Sun-il and Ms. Seo Yeon-ju? We’ll need the CEO’s answer for that. When do you need a response by?”

“There’s a separate email address for sponsorship contacts. I’ll give it to you, please send it there following the format.”
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“An advertisement for Ms. Lee Sua? Hmm, where did you say you were from?”
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Kim Yi-seo shrugged and looked up at Sua.
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“It’s been like this continuously since the short film festival. Yeon-ju and Sua won awards, and coincidentally, both are under our Mystic agency. The aftermath is crashing in like a tidal wave.”
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“Yeon-ju unnie and Sun-il…”

The word ‘oppa’ didn’t quite come out.
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“…weren’t they already popular? When I visited last time, they didn’t seem this busy.”
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“That’s right. They were both already popular. If the calls had only been about those two, we could have handled it this time too. But.”
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Kim Yi-seo poked Sua’s chest with her index finger.
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“A meteor-like rookie appeared.”

“Eh.”

“Can you imagine? Sua is still a rookie, but inquiries are already flooding in on par with Yeon-ju or Sun-il.”
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“I feel somewhat sorry. It feels like everyone’s busy because of me.”
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“It’s okay. The agency being overloaded also means we’ve earned the right to grow bigger.”
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Kim Yi-seo smiled faintly.
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“In other words, thanks to Sua, Mystic might expand soon. We don’t have the money right now, but things will start to take shape after Special Mobile Unit 808 airs. We’ll get some results then.”

“I really hope it goes well.”
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She meant it sincerely.

The staff looked too exhausted.
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…Well, there was also the part about not wanting to be stabbed to death by a bamboo spear.
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“Let’s coordinate the casting-related schedules later. For now, come this way. There’s something I want to show Sua.”
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“Okay.”
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Sua continued following Kim Yi-seo.
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“The animal script you asked about before, do you still need it?”
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“It’s okay now.”

“Aha, the reason I brought up the script is.”
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Kim Yi-seo gestured forward with her chin.

“Everything piled up over there, they’re all scripts. That much came in just under Sua’s name. I asked because I thought there might be a script Sua wants among them.”

‘Heok…?’
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Sua unknowingly gasped inwardly.
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The number of scripts piled before her eyes was staggering.
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They weren’t even piled script by script.

They were stacked high in boxes.

Moving boxes wouldn’t be this massive.
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Sua’s eyes sparkled.

Sua-sparkle!
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‘My treasures!’
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She barely managed to stop herself from drooling.

Just as Sua was trotting quickly towards the delivery boxes.

“Ah, Sua. Before that.”
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Kim Yi-seo’s words stopped Sua in her tracks.
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“What criteria should we use for accepting casting offers?”
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“Um, what kind of offers exactly?”

“Things other than dramas or movies. Meaning, requests to know the human Lee Sua, not a role. Interviews or observational variety shows would be typical examples.”
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Interviews? Observational variety shows?
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Sua felt it was still too early for that.
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Roles allowed for experience and preparation through perks, but interviews and variety shows didn’t, right?

It wasn’t like she could leisurely hold meetings with the little Suas when faced with unexpected situations.
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‘But it’s a waste to miss out too.’
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So Sua decided to buy some time first.

“I’ll think about it while the drama is airing.”

“Hmm.”
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Fortunately, Kim Yi-seo also nodded.
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“Right, Sua’s thinking is probably correct. Once the broadcast starts, her value will jump immediately, so there’s probably no need to accept right now.”
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It wasn’t like she had such grand calculations in mind.
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Anyway, she nodded.

Sua-nod.
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“And Sua, as you might have guessed from the profile shoot, we’ll be marketing Sua and Soo-ahn as separate individuals. Just so you know.”

“Acknowledged.”
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A heartfelt Sua-acknowledgement.
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Actually, Sua found this fun too.

It felt like she was some great evil mastermind manipulating the world from behind the scenes?

Woohaha.

Sua-mastermind!
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Kim Yi-seo waved her hand.

“Then I’ll get going now. The broadcast for Special Mobile Unit 808 starts soon, so wait until then. You can look through the scripts if you like.”

“Of course.”
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Only then did Sua place her hands on the script boxes.

Honestly, she had been itching to open them since earlier.
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However.
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‘Huh?’
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Sua soon tilted her head.
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Unlike the neatly packaged boxes, one script lay tossed aside like a solitary island.

It was strange.

All the boxes were completely sealed with tape.
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“CEO-nim, what’s this?”
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When Sua pointed to it, Kim Yi-seo showed a face as if she had just remembered something.
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“Ah, that must be what Yeon-ju left behind.”
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It seemed to be Seo Yeon-ju’s script.
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“She decided to do one movie. She was looking around saying, ‘All this came under Sua’s name?’ and must have forgotten it.”
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What, CEO-nim is surprisingly good at impressions.
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Sua thought so as she placed her hand on the script.

She was inwardly curious about what project Seo Yeon-ju would participate in.
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However.
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“…?”
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She soon had to touch the script with a puzzled expression.
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And for good reason.
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[ Lie, Lie, Lie. ]
▶ Implementation Elements Sufficient.
▶ Grade 5
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The grade was a mere Grade 5.

“…!”
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But that was just the beginning.

Sua’s puzzlement turned to shock in an instant.
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001 ─ Park Si-yeon (Seo Yeon-ju)
002 ─ Im Su-hee (Lee Sua)
003 ─ Park Dong-cheol (Compatibility F)
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Instead of compatibility, Seo Yeon-ju’s name was written for the role of Park Si-yeon, and Sua’s name was clearly written for the role of Im Su-hee.
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Sua swallowed dryly.
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“Um, CEO-nim.”

“I’m listening, Sua.”
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“Unnie Yeon-ju, has she already signed the contract?”
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“Of course, she contracted for the lead role.”
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The situation wasn’t good.

It was just a Grade 5 script.
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It was then.
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Paaaat─!
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A notification window suddenly appeared before her eyes.
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Sua’s eyes widened.
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[ Yeoncheonkyeong ]
▶ Kim Sun-il ─ Reconciliation
▶ Seo Yeon-ju ─
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Because Seo Yeon-ju’s name had suddenly appeared on the Yeoncheonkyeong list.
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However, there wasn’t much time to confirm the three characters.
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[ Yeoncheonkyeong ]
▶ Kim Sun-il ─ Reconciliation
▶ □□□
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Seo Yeon-ju’s name was written and erased repeatedly, eventually vanishing completely.

Sua was just bewildered.

What does this mean?
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However.
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Even without knowing anything, she could be horrified.
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“…!”
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Paaaat─!
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Another new notification window popped up.
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[ Seo Yeon-ju ─ Yeoncheonkyeong Release Impossible. ]

[ Dunce Judged. ]
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Because that was something utterly unbelievable.