### Chapter 436 – Room 206, The Room of Curses – ‘The Demon King who Revives after 100 Days’ Re (1)
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On a peaceful afternoon in paradise, bathed in warm sunlight, Lee Eunsol, the second-class citizen, was wrestling with a mountain of paperwork piled high enough to cover her upper body.
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— Knock, knock!
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“Director! About tonight’s meeting agenda—”
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“Get lost.”
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“It’s not a long story—argh!”
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“I said I’m busy!”
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“I’m s-sorry!”
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James, the poor sap, had a notably awkward experience as a paper airplane made from rigid documents took flight and struck his head due to daring to interrupt Eunsol’s work.
Those nearby decided today was not the day to poke the bear, as they could feel Eunsol’s mood was undeniably sour.
—
Of course, Eunsol had her reasons.
The work she was handling was far more important than the “useless” paperwork of paradise and needed to be done under the radar.
In the upcoming plan, if her teammates were chess pieces, Eunsol was the one moving them around.
So, she needed to act like a nervous boss to keep people at bay.
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‘Adjusting Sanghyun’s schedule is trickier than I thought…’
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Leaning back in her chair for a moment, Eunsol pondered the plan.
How should the second attempt for Room 206, the Room of Curses – ‘The Demon King who Revives after 100 Days’ unfold?
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The basic setting of Room 206 is a dystopian city-state called ‘Paradise.’
Every citizen is classified from first-class royalty down to fourth-class almost-slaves.
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Beneath the city lies a horrifying being called the ‘Demon King,’ suppressed by that something believed to be the legacy of “Unyielding Rationality.”
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The Unyielding Rationality is a dreadful object that requires periodic human sacrifices to function, and the one managing it is the city’s dictator, Mayor Leon Kadirov.
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‘This is the general setup for now.’
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What did the hotel party learn during the first attempt?
A collection of information danced through Eunsol’s mind.
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The sealed member was Miro, and they couldn’t figure out her internal identity in the scenario.
The Demon King would revive if the human sacrifices to keep the Unyielding Rationality running ceased.
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‘That’s significant, but next pieces of info are the real gems.’
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The outside world of Paradise seems fine, and other cities exist.
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‘Should we check out those other cities as well?’
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There’s no way to stop the Demon King once he’s fully revived.
However, if they manage to hold him back during the revival’s early stages, they could potentially escape using both Unyielding Rationality and One More Chance at the same time.
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Here’s the catch: they need the “power to briefly suppress the awakened Demon King,” which is harder to achieve now that that avenue of summoning has been cut off.
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Startling information crossed her mind.
Nobody knew the whereabouts of Pero in Room 206.
Even Pero herself couldn’t explain to Songyi where she was.
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‘Is Pero’s position the bait again, like in Room 201?’
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As Eunsol sorted through the info, she let out a deep sigh.
Despite her best efforts during the first attempt, there were still so many unknowns, and the path to solutions seemed dark.
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So, they need to gather more information.
Fortunately, she had figured out the identities and locations of the beings holding the secrets of Room 206.
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Mayor Leon Kadirov, who goes back and forth between the affluent mansion and his office in the city.
Progenitor Mei, who is hiding in the orphanage where Seungyub’s journey began.
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— Knock, knock!
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“Uh, Director!”
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“…”
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“Remember the dinner meeting? The mayor—ah! I’m leaving!”
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After chasing away yet another staffer who disturbed her, Eunsol calmly adjusted her plans.
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Progenitor Mei has powers that allow her to live freely in Paradise, where everyone else acts like a plain human.
It would be a bit easier to target the mayor, at least.
The problem is, though, that dealing with Leon Kadirov won’t be a piece of cake either.
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Thus, Eunsol and her teammates had to create a mountain of plans the night before until their minds were dizzy.
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“Got it!”
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— Knock, knock!
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“Director, dinner—”
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“Yep! I’m going out now!”
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“Th-thank you! I thought I’d get hit again…”
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“…”
—
*
At dinner at the affluent mansion, first-class citizen Songyi Kadirov looked carefully at the tender reassurance steak before cautiously opening her mouth.
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“Dad.”
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“Hmm? What’s on your mind?”
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Seeing the gentle smile of Mayor Leon Kadirov made Songyi’s heart ache a little.
The paternal affection was a mere manufactured feeling created by the one who was “the loved one.”
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“Are you feeling sick lately?”
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“What? Hah! My little princess is worrying about me again—”
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“Dad, I’m being serious. You look pale, and I think you’ve been feeling dizzy lately…”
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Leon was taken aback by his daughter’s sudden statement, struggling to hide his surprise.
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“Did I? Hmm, maybe you saw it wrong?”
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“Dad. Do you really think I’d lie about something like this?”
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“Uh, I didn’t mean lying but…”
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In the end, Songyi succeeded in canceling a significant portion of the busy schedule of the powerful Mayor Leon Kadirov for a ‘comprehensive health checkup.’
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Leon Kadirov is a man full of suspicion.
Those of lower status are bound to be discontent with society, so he suspects them, while those of higher status are bound to be greedy, making him suspect them too.
Even the high informants responsible for the mayor’s security aren’t entirely trustworthy, with the only reliable ones being One More Chance and Songyi Kadirov.
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For these reasons, the mayor refused to have a common hospital within Paradise.
Putting his life in the hands of an untrustworthy doctor while drugged was not his style, and in bustling hospitals, his bodyguards wouldn’t be able to move freely either.
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Most importantly, within Paradise, he couldn’t use One More Chance due to the Unyielding Rationality.
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However, as a human being, the mayor needed health checkups or treatments.
Thus, Leon Kadirov preferred to bring many doctors and relevant equipment into the affluent mansion.
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Because he was the mayor, the ruler of the city—it was a luxury he could afford.
And it was also the weakness the hotel party was aiming for.
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Inside the affluent mansion, the hotel party transforms back into superhumans.
—
*
The mayor’s health checkup lasted half a day.
As a result, the best doctors in the city repeatedly entered and exited the affluent mansion with intricate medical devices, and the bodyguards remained on high alert.
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By the evening, another doctor appeared, dragging an array of medical equipment hooked with needles and colorful hoses.
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“Name!”
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“Kim Sanghyun.”
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“Hmm? Kim Sanghyun? This doesn’t match the doctor on the list.”
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“Oh, Adrian hurt his back while working yesterday, so I came in for him. Here, my ID.”
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The nonchalant demeanor of Kim Sanghyun, as he presented his identification, was admirable.
The document held no lies.
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If there was a problem, it was that Kim Sanghyun secretly knocked Adrian’s back during the exam, but since Adrian didn’t know the culprit, it wasn’t a significant issue.
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The informant who laid eyes on his impressive resume gasped in admiration.
This was also something Kim Sanghyun had seen countless times in his life.
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“Your credentials are impressive!”
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“Just happens that way living.”
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“Good. You’re fine. And this person?”
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As the bodyguard’s eyes turned sideways, cold sweat appeared on Kim Sanghyun’s brow.
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It was easy for Kim Sanghyun to be there without Eunsol’s help.
From the beginning, the hotel had already assigned him the role of a second-class citizen and special agent.
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Who would just give that position to anyone?
Kim Sanghyun’s identity had already been verified inside Room 206.
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The problem was with the other person.
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“Assistant, Yumi. Third-class citizen and—”
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“I’m not asking for the name; I said to show the ID.”
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“Yes? Yumi’s documents were taken by the informants on the first floor…”
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“What are you saying? Hey! You’re speaking nonsense!”
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There couldn’t possibly be a normal identity for Yumi in Room 206.
While Eunsol had tricked her way in, it was ultimately the first-floor teammates who needed to put a final stamp on it.
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“If you think my words are false, can’t you just contact the first floor?”
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At that, the bodyguards frowned and contacted the paradise informants, Cha Jinchul and Kim Mooksung, who had done the first inspection.
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…
…
…
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A short while later, the high informants returned grumbling after making the call.
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“Well, we checked, but we’re supposed to do the final confirmation for the IDs.”
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“Is that so?”
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“Ugh… How could you let something like this slide? That idiot Kim Mooksung? This old fool shouldn’t be making such mistakes! Cha Jinchul is already a dimwit, so I guess we shouldn’t expect much from third-class folk?”
—
At that moment, Kim Sanghyun could only smile awkwardly.
The first-floor teammates, whom Eunsol painstakingly arranged, seemed to be doing a good job pretending to be clumsy fools.
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“Should we go back to the first floor?”
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“… Nah. The mayor shouldn’t waste too much time. You can go on in.”
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Inside the affluent mansion, which had turned into a makeshift clinic, a weary-looking mayor and the glaringly tense bodyguards were present.
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Kim Sanghyun and Yumi, acting like a skilled doctor and nurse, meticulously checked over Leon Kadirov’s health.
Both of them were genuine medical professionals in various ways, so living up to the role wasn’t a challenge.
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In between checks, Yumi kept an eye on Sanghyun, waiting to see if he would give any sort of signal.
… But Sanghyun didn’t signal until the examination was over.
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“It’s done.”
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As Sanghyun announced the conclusion of the examination, Yumi’s expression nearly crumbled for a moment.
What was this about? They hadn’t even performed “the operation” yet!
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Whether Yumi was flustered or not, Sanghyun casually exchanged nods with the exhausted mayor and the informants before leaving the affluent mansion.
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…
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“W-what the hell are you? Are you nuts? The plan—”
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“Quiet.”
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“No—”
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“There are informants nearby.”
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“…”
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“Yumi, I’ll explain everything at dinner. There’s Seungyub over there. You should go back now.”
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“… Understood.”
—
*
By evening, several people gathered in the spacious house of Elena, the most popular actress in Paradise.
Lee Eunsol, Elena, Kim Sanghyun, with Cha Jinchul, who wore a wry smile, showed up with Park Seungyub.
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Eunsol tilted her head in confusion.
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“Jinchul? Why are only you and Seungyub here? Where’s grandfather?”
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“He’s stuck getting disciplined by security for a mistake…”
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Cha Jinchul and Kim Mooksung were trying to create a gap for Yumi’s unclear status to make it to the mayor, but in the process, Mooksung was given the blame.
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“Ah, well. No choice then. Anyway, everyone has worked hard! Sanghyun, how did it go?”
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“Mayor will be contacted within three days. Carotid artery stenosis, ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, etc.—”
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“OK! So it means Leon will get a message saying he might die soon?”
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“That’s about it.”
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Realizing that things were going well, the expressions of those in attendance brightened.
Soon, Eunsol gleamed while briefing everyone on the purpose of the plan and the current situation.
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“It’s what we talked about yesterday, but let me summarize again. The problem we’re facing in Room 206 is a lack of information. What’s the purpose behind Paradise’s creation? What other cities are out there? How do we stop the Demon King’s revival? There are many questions.”
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Her teammates nodded in agreement.
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“A significant number of these questions will likely be answered by Mayor Leon Kadirov and Progenitor Mei. At least one of them needs to be interrogated.”
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Cha Jinchul picked up on that remark.
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“From what we’ve discussed, Mei will be tough to dig into.”
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“The Progenitor disregards the Unyielding Rationality, displaying all sorts of powers. It’s difficult in many ways. So, we’re starting with the mayor. The problem is, he won’t be easy either.”
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Everyone began to recall past incidents.
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When a massive protest led by miners took place, the mayor used One More Chance to rewind time and machinated to kill Kain.
Ultimately, Kain and Ari, among others, had to kill him to survive, and when they did, the maintenance of Unyielding Rationality fell apart, leading to the Demon King’s resurrection.
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“If we pressure the mayor, he’ll rewind time to fix the situation.”
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Therefore, the hotel party made Yumi’s powers turn the mayor into a short-lived being.
—
As Songyi verified in the last round, One More Chance can rewind time for the user if necessary.
However, as Kain had grasped earlier, the stretch of time that can be rewound using One More Chance is only about a month.
Chronic illnesses don’t pop up overnight but are built over many years, so turning back time by a month won’t fix anything.
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Usually, naturally occurring illnesses work that way.
The mayor wouldn’t think Yumi created his sickness.
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“He’ll believe no matter what that his ailment can’t be fixed by One More Chance. Now, what do we do?”
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The Kadirov family has passed down special powers or items for generations.
The mayor has a daughter who is currently inheriting the ‘special item’ akin to himself.
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A significant expression appeared on Eunsol’s face as she smiled.
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“Wouldn’t he be preparing to pass everything onto the successor?”
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The ‘everything’ he passes down would certainly include the secrets the Kadirov family has inherited.
—
*
By the time Eunsol wrapped up her briefing, Yumi, who had quietly appeared next to Seungyub, expressed her confusion.
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“Wait a second.”
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“Hmm?”
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“Eunsol, there’s a serious problem with the plan you set up.”
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Hearing the word “serious problem” made Eunsol panic a little.
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“W-what? What is it?”
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“I couldn’t lay a finger on the mayor.”
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“What did you say? Oh no!”
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According to the plan, Yumi was supposed to use her supernatural powers within the affluent mansion to make the mayor short-lived.
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“No, Sanghyun told you to apply sneak tactics as soon as he signaled—”
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“He didn’t signal.”
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“What?”
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“Don’t forget, I was the assistant. If the doctor doesn’t signal, I was supposed to remain by a machine that had no clue what the heck it was about.”
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Everyone looked at Kim Sanghyun in astonishment.
And then the only ‘doctor’ in the room got up.
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“No need to use any special hand signs.”
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Kim Sanghyun calmly addressed his bewildered teammates.
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“Leon Kadirov genuinely is short-lived. Yumi didn’t need to lay a hand on him.”
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