please, don't hang up | nyukyu

unknown number

it was 6:03 p.m.

changmin was bored out of his mind.

he'd spent the day scrolling on his phone, flipping through netflix and youtube, but nothing was interesting enough to hold his attention. it was the same routine every day, and he never had much motivation to change it.

"i want you pick me up, pick me pick me pick me up—" his phone was ringing. changmin really needed to change his ringtone. it had gone from funny to painful ages ago.

he didn't recognize the number, but he picked up anyway.

"hello, ji changmin? i'm choi chanhee with tmb information inc. we're calling because our system detected a virus infecting your computer, and we need to run a few tests. are you available at the moment?"

changmin chuckled slightly. scam, he thought. but it was something to do.

"oh no... of course! i'll get my laptop opened right away," he replied, voice dripping with fake concern.

"when you've logged in, we'll need you to download a software called screenconnect client. this is so we can go into your laptop and find the files harming your computer."

"sure, sure," changmin muttered, already a few steps ahead. typical. when would they come up with something new?

"alright, i have it downloaded. now what?"

"just enter our email, , and your job is done." the man on the phone sounded bored. monotone. like even he was tired of this script.

once access was granted, changmin's mouse began moving on its own. the usual: delete a few files, blackout the screen, attempt a money transfer. it was textbook.

but changmin wasn't a textbook case. and he was ready to flip the script.

"your name is choi chanhee, right?"

"yupp, why? i'm almost done, by the way."

"born april 26th, 1998?" silence. no keyboard clicks. "born in jeonju?"

"h-hey, stop! how do you know all of this?" chanhee's voice cracked.

"older brother? roommate named... eric sohn? i can keep going," changmin said, smirking despite being unseen.

"stop please! i'm sorry! i'm not going to do anything else. here, i gave control back to you," chanhee said quickly. changmin's screen unlocked. "i swear, i just work for these people to pay rent. i hate this job. i'm not good at it. please stop looking me up."

this had never happened to chanhee before. their usual targets were older, less tech-savvy. never someone like this.

"whoa, calm down. sorry. i've just never had a chance to scare a scammer like this before. honestly, it was kind of fun." changmin gave a nervous laugh, trying to diffuse the tension.

"well, it wasn't fun for me! now some random guy knows everything about me!"

"yah, breathe. if you're that unhappy, then just talk to me. i've got nothing better to do. but no yelling, or someone might hear and you'll get in trouble, right?"

chanhee let out a heavy breath, like he was letting go of everything he wanted to scream.

"alright. so, changmin... who are you?"

changmin hesitated. "uh... i'm ji changmin. 23. university student. i don't really have friends—like, at all. i'm into tech stuff, hence why i've been waiting for a scam call like this. i expected more of a fight, but i'm not great with confrontation, so i guess that's why i backed off fast. sorry again. how about you?"

silence.

"as you know, i'm choi chanhee. born april 26th, 1998, which makes me 23 too. i still can't believe you found my roommate's name. anyway, i'm not in school. i work a bunch of part-time jobs because i dropped out to chase the dream of becoming an idol. didn't work out. parents disappointed. you know the drill. i like singing. fashion too, but i can't afford to do anything with it. so now, i scam people to survive. the usual."

another pause.

"oh my god, that was too much. we don't even know each other. i'm so sorry, i just got caught up—"

"it's okay. you're fine, really. it sounded like you needed to get that out. i'm glad you told me, even if i'm just some guy you tried to scam," changmin laughed.

"thank god... but still, sorry," chanhee sighed.

they sat in a few seconds of quiet that didn't feel awkward. it just... was.

"i hope this doesn't sound weird," chanhee said slowly, "but i feel like i could tell you everything. is that weird? it's weird. i've known you for like, ten minutes—"

"you're doing it again," changmin teased. he was smiling now. "but i agree with you. also... it's kind of cute. keep talking."

—

they talked for almost an hour. about family, school, awkward memories, deep feelings. things they hadn't told anyone else.

"alright, i have a question. if you're not comfortable answering, it's totally fine," changmin said.

"go for it," chanhee replied.

"why did you give up on becoming an idol?"

silence.

it stretched long. two whole minutes.

"chanhee, please say something. we can talk about something else. i didn't mean to hit a nerve, i just thought since you mentioned—"

"no. let's just... move on."

his tone had flipped. five minutes ago, they were laughing. now chanhee sounded cold.

"o-okay. i'll just put 'chanhee idol' on the list of off-limits topics," changmin joked nervously.

"are you serious? you think now's the time for jokes?" chanhee snapped. "i've got to go. it was nice talking to you, but i have work to do. sorry, changmin."

changmin's stomach dropped.

he messed it up. they were getting close. and he ruined it.

"c-chanhee, please. don't hang up," he said, his voice tight with desperation.

the line went dead.

chanhee hung up.