The phone rang longer than expected, and Jaeyi was beginning to think Seulgi wouldn't answer.
But then...
A soft click.
Jaeyi's breath hitched. "Seulgi?"
There was silence.
No response, but the line was still open.
Jaeyi frowned, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Still nothing.
Jaeyi swallowed, unsure if Seulgi could even hear her.
Maybe she was with someone.
Maybe she was...
"I'm fine."
A whisper.
Faint, but enough to send a shiver down Jaeyi's spine.
She pressed her lips together.
Something was wrong, she could feel it.
The silence stretched between them, suffocating.
She considered asking where she was, if she was alone, but something in her gut told her she wouldn't get an answer.
Jaeyi sighed, her finger hovering over the 'end call' button.
But then.
"Jaeyi."
Jaeyi froze.
It was soft, almost hesitant, but it was there.
Her name.
She hadn't heard Seulgi say it in so long, yet it still had the same effect, sending warmth flooding through her chest, making her throat tighten.
She missed this.
But then, just as quickly as it came.
"Don't call me again."
And the line went dead.
Jaeyi stared at her phone, confusion twisting in her stomach.
She replayed the moment in her head, gripping the device tighter as frustration built up inside her.
Why did it feel like Seulgi was slipping further and further away?
On the other side of the city, Seulgi sat motionless, the phone still in her hand.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she placed it down, flipping through Kyung's notes absentmindedly.
A blue sticky note fluttered out, landing on her lap.
She picked it up, assuming it was part of Kyung's notes, but as she read the words, her brows furrowed.
"I wish I could hear her call my name one more time and I would run to her in a heartbeat."
Seulgi's heart skipped a beat.
Her grip on the note tightened as she reread the words over and over again.
How long had this been there?
Did Kyung even realize she had written it?
The words 'I miss you' echoed in her mind, looping like a song she couldn't turn off.
The voices in her head grew louder.
Too loud.
They clawed at her, repeating old wounds, whispering fears she thought she had buried.
