[Python] Convert one DataFrame row to flat list

I new to Python and I'm therefore having trouble converting a row in a DataFrame into a flat list. To do this I use the following code:

Toy DataFrame:

import pandas as pd
d = {
"a": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5],
"b": [9, 8, 7, 6, 5],
"n": ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]
}

df = pd.DataFrame(d)


My code:

df_note = df.loc[df.n == "d", ["a", "b"]].values #convert to array
df_note = df_note.tolist() #convert to nested list
df_note = reduce(lambda x, y: x + y, df_note) #convert to flat list


To me this code appears to be both gross and inefficient. The fact that I convert to an array before a list is what is causing the problem, i.e. the list to be nested. That withstanding, I can not find a means of converting the row directly to a list. Any advice?

This question is not a dupe of this. In my case, I want the list to be flat.

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