Lost

The reflection in the mirror showed his whole body. Judging by the scene, it seemed to be a bathroom.Why on earth is he sending me something like this?Then, another message came in.It was random photos of things like wet wipes, earphones, a half-empty cup of water, and a box of tissues. After a string of cryptic photos, the last one I received was of a nurse’s face.“…”What is this? What the hell is going on?It’s only been a day, but is this guy actually doing alright? Why is he sending me all these photos?Another message came.It was a photo of some stairs. At the edge of the picture, Jung Woojin’s slippered feet were visible. A few minutes later, I received another photo of the sky, partially obscured by a brick railing. Then, a photo of several people sitting in hospital gowns. Some were sitting still, lost in thought; others were on the phone. One was reading a book, another was listening to music. There were also small groups of people seemingly engaged in conversation. And finally, I got a slightly more skilled selfie of Jung Woojin smiling.“…”He really seems to be doing okay. I pressed down on my phone’s screen to reply.[If you have nothing better to do, write a reflection paper.]After that, there was no reply from Jung Woojin for a long time. The steady stream of photos stopped completely. Could he really be writing a reflection paper? I drifted off to sleep while wondering. When I woke up, about two hours had passed. Instinctively, I fumbled around for my phone, but there were no calls or messages.Feeling a bit dejected, I stared blankly at my phone with half-opened eyes before flopping back onto the pillow. After rolling around for about ten minutes, I was fully awake. I got up, went to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, shaved, and took a shower. About thirty minutes had passed by the time I finished. I checked my phone again, but still nothing.I grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured myself a bowl of cereal. I ate in silence, without even turning on the TV, and it was so quiet that I ended up playing a game on my phone. For a moment, I debated taking a picture of my empty bowl and sending it, but I decided against it. After turning my game on and off several times, I suddenly realized that I might be waiting too eagerly. Screw it, I thought, and tossed my phone onto the bed before going to wash the dishes. There was only one bowl and one spoon, after all.It was 11 o’clock. Soon, Jung Woojin would be having lunch. But even when noon passed and it became 1 PM, there was still no word from him. Did he fall down the stairs? Did he fall asleep? I was thinking about these things when, finally, around 3 PM, my phone chimed with a message.It was a photo. A small potted plant, which had been on the windowsill earlier, was now placed on the corner of an A4 paper, holding it down. The paper was covered with crooked handwriting.Reflection PaperSunbae, I’m sorry for cheating. I was wrong. If I do it again, I’ll jump off the roof. Please forgive me.I cheated because I missed you so much, Sunbae. I shouldn’t have done it, but I think I must’ve been really crazy. In my dream, you were with someone else, and I got so angry.I’m really sorry. Sunbae, you’re so beautiful and wonderful, but I can’t even talk to you, touch you, or be near you. It’s really hard. I love you so much, but I couldn’t do anything about it.I’m sorry for trying to forget you too. You’re so beautiful, wonderful, lovable, and cute, and I didn’t realize it back then. I love you so much. I’m really sorry.Sunbae, I like you. Please give me one more chance. I won’t do it again. I really like you. It’s true. You’re the best in the world. If you told me to die, I could do it for you.I want to be with you until I grow old and die. Even if I’m born again, I want to be born next door to you so I can love you again.I love you so much. Please believe me. I’ll love you even more in the future. Please live with me. I’m sorry for cheating, but please stay by my side.Please don’t like anyone else. I don’t want you to talk to, or even look at, anyone else, but I’ll endure it. I’ll endure it no matter what.I love you. I really do. Please believe me. I really like you. I want to marry you.“…”I stared blankly at the reflection paper, blinking. I read it several times over, questioning whether I was reading it correctly.The crooked handwriting, now that I thought about it, was probably because his hand hurt. Is that why it took him so long? I sent a reply.[You dumbass, do you call this a reflection paper?]After sending the message, I read through it again. I was so dumbfounded, I felt like I could die from disbelief. He wasn’t joking—he must have written this sincerely. Knowing that only made it more ridiculous.Just then, my phone chimed again with a reply.It was a photo of a nurse injecting something into Jung Woojin’s arm.“…”The jerk was clearly trying to use this to make me feel sympathetic.I couldn’t believe it. It was absurd and funny at the same time, so I glanced at the reflection paper again. Then, another message came.[Can I call you?]I stared at the screen for a moment and then replied.[Why would you?][I want to hear your voice.][Hold it in.][ㅠㅠ]But I wondered, is his hand really okay? Judging by the photos, it had improved a lot, but there was still some swelling, so it must be hard for him to type. Isn’t he supposed to avoid using his phone for a while? Something about electromagnetic waves and how they’re bad for you… I stared at my phone, and eventually, I called Jung Woojin first. The phone rang only once before he answered.— Hello?His voice was trembling with excitement, which was both funny and irritating. I tried to sound calm as I spoke.“Why are you using your phone so much?”— What?“Starting tomorrow, don’t touch your phone or write anything.”— Why?He sounded like he was sulking. The scars on his hand were already deep, and if they got worse or the stitches tore… I couldn’t bring myself to say that, so I just gave a short reply.“Just, if you’re bored, take a walk or watch TV. Don’t use your hand.”— You’re worried about my hand, right?“Do you want to die?”— …“Hang up.”— Sunbae!He called out urgently, but no words followed. It seemed like he just called me in a rush without knowing what to say next. Just as I was about to tell him to hang up if he had nothing to say, a thought crossed my mind, and I spoke first.“Hey, you don’t still have sleeping pills, right?”— No, I don’t. But I’m going to sleep soon…“Going to sleep, so what?”— Sunbae…He was frustratingly slow to speak, pausing between words. What do you want me to do? What? When I pushed him to hurry up, Jung Woojin quietly said,— Can I talk on the phone with you until I fall asleep?“You idiot, then when am I supposed to sleep?”— I fall asleep quickly.“Don’t bullshit me.”Like hell a guy with insomnia would fall asleep quickly.But even with what I said, Jung Woojin shamelessly kept talking. He told me about today’s menu, the weather, how the nurse gave him a painful shot, and even said he thought he saw a UFO on the roof—completely pointless stuff.I was just sitting there listening to him chatter like a sparrow, and then a moment of silence passed. I could imagine him, without even seeing, searching for something else to say. What does he want by talking until he falls asleep? After waiting a bit, I asked.“Why did you take sleeping pills at the hospital?”There was still no reply from Jung Woojin. Then, in a small, deflated voice, he answered,— I thought you’d be there when I woke up.“…”— Oh, did you see the scandal with celebrities A and B trending today? The article said they’re not dating, just close colleagues, but that’s all a lie. They’ve been dating for over a year. I saw them kissing in the break room during a shoot.“…”— Oh, right. At dinner, they served porridge. The nurse tried to feed me because my hand hurt, but I said I’d do it myself. After dinner, I went to the roof for some fresh air, and a kid who looked like a high schooler gave me candy. I didn’t take it, though.I couldn’t tell what the point of his rambling was, but Jung Woojin didn’t stop talking. We talked for so long the phone got so hot I thought it might explode. Instead of helping him fall asleep, it felt like I’d woken him up even more.But at some point, his talking started to slow down. He mumbled about his slippers being too big, about how he needed to use the bathroom but was too lazy, until he finally went quiet. I could hear his breathing through the phone.“Are you asleep?”— …“…”— No…He answered late in a voice thick with sleep, and then talked for another three minutes. But after that, he stopped talking again. This time, I didn’t bother asking if he was asleep. I just listened to his breathing for about five more minutes until I was sure he had fallen asleep. I didn’t hang up right away, though, worried the sound of the call ending might wake him up. So I left the phone, now burning hot, by my ear, blinking at the ceiling until I, too, drifted off.＊ ＊ ＊I woke up and checked my phone first thing. The battery had died, and the phone had shut off. After replacing the battery and turning it on, I saw it was 7:30 AM. Normally, by this time, I would’ve received a few texts from him, but there were none.I quickly washed up and rummaged through the fridge when my phone vibrated. Did he just wake up? I checked the phone. It wasn’t from Jung Woojin but from Gapdol. I scowled at the message that read, “You bastard.” Then, I scrolled through the texts he’d sent earlier.“Are you alive?”, “Let’s meet up,” “What are you doing?”, “You sick again, asshole?”—he’d sent more than a few. I had completely forgotten. I hurriedly called Gapdol.— Who’s this?“Hey.”— Who’s this? If you’re not gonna talk, I’m hanging up.“Hey, Kim Gapjin.”— Damn it, who the hell is this?Gapdol’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. I couldn’t even cuss him out because I felt guilty, so I just cleared my throat awkwardly.“What are you up to?”— What does it matter to you what I’m doing? Aren’t we practically strangers?“Damn it, I’ve just been busy.”— Wow, a stranger is swearing at me.Gapdol chuckled mockingly. I had no choice but to use my trump card.“We should meet before you leave for your study abroad. Let’s grab dinner. I’ll buy the drinks.”— Meet me at Kyunghwan hyung’s bar at six.“…”After the call abruptly ended, I stared at the phone for a while before tossing it onto the bed. That bastard always gives in when I offer to buy him something.I killed time lying around the house before meeting Gapdol, and it wasn’t until almost 11 AM that I finally got a message from Jung Woojin.[Just woke upㅠㅠ]If he slept right after falling asleep, then he slept for over twelve hours… Still, better to oversleep than not sleep at all.I thought about what to reply, then hesitated over whether I should mention that I’m meeting up with Gapdol later. If I told him, he’d probably say something like, “Don’t go,” or “I’ll come, too.” But maybe it’d be better to tell him?[What are you doing, Sunbae?]Right then, another text from Jung Woojin came. I started typing, “Today I’m meeting Gapdol…” when another message came in. This time, it was a picture.“…”It was a reflection of himself in the bathroom mirror. I deleted the text about meeting Gapdol and ground my teeth as I typed out my reply.[Don’t take pictures of stuff like that and send them to me.]But as soon as I sent that text, another picture appeared on my screen. This time, it was a soft-looking white towel.“…”I really couldn’t understand it. What the hell was wrong with him? I sighed.A few hours later, without telling Jung Woojin, I ended up meeting Gapdol. And I did something I couldn’t even explain myself.“…What are you doing?”Gapdol looked pale as he asked, watching me carefully take a picture of the fried food that had come out as a side dish. I snapped the photo with a click. While I was typing a message, Gapdol spoke again.“Do you have a girlfriend? Huh? Why the hell are you suddenly taking pictures like some idiot?”“Who cares if I take pictures?”“That’s so girly!”I clicked another picture, this time of Gapdol, who was flaring his nostrils in outrage.[Having a drink with Gapdol]I sent the text along with the two pictures, and almost immediately, my phone rang. Of course, it wouldn’t be Jung Woojin if he didn’t call right away. I sighed and flipped my phone over.I considered having a drink but ended up just sipping on some soda. Gapdol said he was leaving Korea this week. We’d planned to meet more often before he left for his studies abroad, but time had flown by so quickly.While I was deep in conversation with Gapdol, my phone buzzed again. Reflexively, I checked the screen, and there was a new text.One missed call and one message. Both from Jung Woojin.[Okay, let me know when you get home later.]“…”What…?“…”Did this guy finally grow up?A sentence from an apology letter suddenly popped into my mind. He had said he’d hold back no matter what from now on. Was this what he meant? Feeling a bit awkward, I glanced at the screen again before resuming my conversation with Gapdol.We parted ways after 10 PM, and I hadn’t heard a single word from Jung Woojin the whole time. As I got out of the taxi and walked up to my place, I hesitated for a moment. Should I text him that I’m home, or should I call? While I was thinking, I noticed a familiar figure in the distance.I stopped walking, my gaze fixed on it.A man in a black suit was leaning against the wall, his face lit by the glow of his phone. His neat, pale face and jet-black hair stood out. Noticing my presence, the man raised his head and looked at me.His expressionless face lit up with a smile.“Sunbae!”Jung Woojin came running toward me, arms full of bags.Why is he here? Shouldn’t he be in the hospital?For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.“Are you just getting in?”Jung Woojin approached, looking me up and down, as if inspecting me. He leaned in close, as if checking whether I smelled like alcohol. I stared dumbly at him for a moment before reaching out to lightly push his shoulder away.“What are you doing here?”“I got discharged.”As if he’d been waiting for me, Jung Woojin handed me a paper envelope. Without even looking, I was sure it was his medical report, so I tucked it under my arm. Then, I pointed to the other paper bag he was holding.“What’s that?”“Passport photos.”“Passport photos? Then why is the envelope so…”Before I could finish saying, “big,” I fell silent.The moment I opened the large envelope, photos spilled out onto the floor. From small passport-sized photos to ones as big as my palm, and even larger ones, there were photos of all different sizes. I didn’t count them, but from what I could see, there must have been about a hundred. And the most shocking of all was a photo that was easily twice the size of an A4 sheet.“…”“Did you drink a lot?”“…”“Where did you drink?”As he picked up the fallen photos, Jung Woojin asked me questions. I looked at him with a perplexed expression and started putting the photos back into the envelope. While he was bent over, collecting the pictures, I lightly placed my hand on his head. He kept asking where I’d been drinking and if I’d been with Kim Gapjin, but he suddenly stopped talking. I tapped his head twice before lifting my hand. He touched the spot where I had patted him, his eyes wide as he slowly straightened up. Then, as if he couldn’t believe it, he asked,“Sunbae, did you drink a lot?”“Stop talking nonsense and come inside.”I practically snatched the bags from his hands and started walking. Jung Woojin hurried to catch up behind me, asking,“I wanted to take better pictures, but I didn’t have time, so I could only take these.”“I told you to get passport photos, not a damn photoshoot.”“I’ll take more tomorrow.”“That’s not necessary.”The lights came on as we entered the building. I absentmindedly answered him while glancing at the white bandage wrapped around his hand. It wasn’t very visible, but it was clear his wound hadn’t healed yet. When we reached my door, I unlocked it, stepped inside, put the bags down, and took off my shoes.“Did you eat dinner…?”Jung Woojin stood at the entrance, staring blankly around my apartment like a kid who had just seen a whole new world. Since it was a studio, you could take in everything with just one look, but he kept turning his head back and forth. I watched him for a moment and then said,“Close the door, or bugs will get in.”“Sunbae.”“Close the door.”I heard the click of the door shutting. With an emotional smile on his face, Jung Woojin asked,“Can I come in?”Just a moment ago, everything seemed fine, but suddenly, I felt a wave of nervousness. Ignoring the cold sweat on my palms and my slightly quickened heartbeat, I answered as usual.“If I say no, are you going to leave?”“No.”Jung Woojin quickly took off his shoes.Seeing him tense up made me nervous too. We’ve stayed in the same place before, so I couldn’t figure out why he was so uptight now.He sat cross-legged on the floor, kneeling like some noble lady, and I watched him, wondering why he was so on edge.“Make yourself comfortable.”“I am comfortable.”Bullshit. I frowned but just sighed. Let him be, he’ll figure it out.There was no sofa or chairs, so Jung Woojin was awkwardly sitting on the bare floor. I opened the fridge, but there wasn’t anything to drink. The milk was gone, no soda, just bottled water.What should we do? There wasn’t anything to eat, drink, or even to do. The room wasn’t spacious either, so quiet that I could hear every breath. It was so silent that I started moving cautiously without realizing it, even quieting my footsteps and breath. As I stood there, unsure, my stomach suddenly growled.“…”“…”It wasn’t from Jung Woojin’s stomach, but mine.“Are you hungry?”Didn’t you eat the fried food earlier? The ones you took a picture of and sent…His voice trailed off, and I turned my head, covering my face with my hand.Damn, this is so embarrassing…Sensing my discomfort, Jung Woojin quickly said he was hungry too and suggested we eat something. As I considered whether to go out or order delivery, Jung Woojin spoke up again.“Or should we just cook something simple?”That idea lit up in my mind. Why didn’t I think of that? With Jung Woojin here, we could just make something at home!“But there’s barely anything in the house…”I scratched my neck as I spoke, and Jung Woojin got up and opened the fridge. His expression immediately soured. Seeing his face twist like that made my shoulders tense up instinctively.“What have you been eating?”“Huh?”“Have you only been eating cereal?”He looked at the large cereal box, the empty milk carton, bottled water, and two small convenience store kimchi containers in the fridge, frowning deeply. Then he closed the fridge and opened the freezer. It was completely empty, not even a single ice cube. After scanning the entire fridge, Jung Woojin moved on to the sink. Every time a cabinet opened and closed, my heart pounded. I knew there was nothing in them. And in the last cabinet, all there was were three packs of instant noodles and one single portion of microwave rice.“…”“…”Jung Woojin turned back to me with an ominous look in his eyes. Seeing that ghostly gaze, I began sweating. I averted my eyes and pretended not to notice as the cabinet door slammed shut. Damn it, he did that on purpose!“Have you ever eaten at home since you moved in?”“Of course.”“How many times?”“Five times, maybe.”“…”“Or was it three…”“…”“Well, once the day after I moved in.”Eventually, I confessed, and Jung Woojin rubbed his temples as if dealing with a headache. But why the hell am I getting scolded? Who does he think he is? Just as I was about to snap back, he asked again.“Do you even have a rice cooker here?”“Huh?”“A rice cooker.”“Oh, I was going to buy one but forgot…”As I mumbled, Jung Woojin suddenly pulled out his phone and started typing something.“What else do you need?”“Huh?”“Things you need.”I leaned over to peek at his phone screen. He was listing things like a rice cooker, vacuum cleaner, rice, gochujang (red pepper paste), sesame oil, kimchi, salt, and pepper. Even if I had all those, I can’t cook anyway…And honestly, I wanted to get a laptop and a PlayStation too… But since those aren’t really necessities, I didn’t mention them. Jung Woojin glanced at me, as if reading my thoughts, and wrote down “desktop” and “PlayStation” next to “blender.”I had to hold back from cheering.Once we had everything written down, we headed out to the convenience store. I was excited at the thought of eating a home-cooked meal after so long, but then I remembered something I had forgotten. I stopped walking and grabbed Jung Woojin’s hand suddenly.“Ugh!”Even Jung Woojin couldn’t help but grimace in pain at my sudden grab. I looked at his twisted expression and asked.“Hey, how are you going to cook with that hand?”“It’s almost healed.”“Do you want to die? You keep acting like everything’s fine, so I keep forgetting.”He had been using his phone, opening doors, doing everything with that hand. The swelling hadn’t even gone down completely yet. Despite his insistence, I ignored him and bought three packs of instant noodles and microwave rice at the convenience store. He kept muttering about how unhealthy it was next to me the whole time. When I finished paying and asked for the rice to be heated, he looked at me, puzzled.“Why?”“There’s no microwave at home.”“…What? Then what about the microwave rice you already had…”“I forgot and bought it.”“…”Just then, the rice finished heating. The clerk put it in a black plastic bag separately and handed it to me, but before I could take it, Jung Woojin snatched the bag away. The clerk looked a bit startled but soon greeted him politely. I left the convenience store with a blank expression, tempted to say something, but decided to let it go.Back home, I started cooking the ramen, but he kept hovering around me.“Go sit down.”“Should I cook instead?”“No.”“Can I help with anything?”“No.”His hand was still wrapped in bandages… I clicked my tongue and quickly boiled the three packs of ramen. I also pulled out the small kimchi containers I had bought earlier from the fridge.“Thanks for the meal.”Jung Woojin picked up his chopsticks. He looked a little uncomfortable. Maybe I should have bought a fork too. But he managed to eat without spilling, so I guess he was fine. Still, it must hurt. As I ate, I kept sneaking glances at him to make sure he was okay. After we finished, I mixed some rice into the soup and ate a late-night meal that left me full.When I went to wash the dishes, he hovered around again. No matter how many times I told him to relax, he wouldn’t listen. There were only a few dishes to wash: a pot, two pairs of chopsticks, two spoons, and two bowls.“Hey, stop hanging around and go change. There are some pants and a t-shirt in the drawer, pick something comfortable. Oh, and in the bathroom, there should be two or three new toothbrushes, use one of them to brush your teeth…”Before I could finish, Jung Woojin’s eyes widened as he asked,“Can I sleep over?”“……Then, do you want to head home now?”It wasn’t exactly late, but the idea of sending him off on his own when he wasn’t in the best shape didn’t sit right with me. Plus, I had never actually thought about sending Jung Woojin home. Honestly, it surprised me too. I figured he’d stay over, but then he went ahead and asked that.“No, I’ll stay.”“…….”Before I could change my mind, Jung Woojin quickly turned his back and headed into the bathroom.As I finished washing the dishes, wiped my hands with a towel, and cleaned up a bit, Jung Woojin emerged. Even wearing an old, stretched-out white t-shirt and sweatpants that awkwardly ended at his ankles, he looked ridiculously neat. His face, washed and paler than usual, and his damp hair made me feel strangely unsettled. It reminded me of old times.“I’m going to take a shower, so lay out the bedding and air the place out to get rid of the ramen smell.”“Okay.”Watching him excitedly open the windows like a kid on a school trip, I went into the bathroom, feeling a bit dazed.All day, the image of Jung Woojin grinning happily lingered in front of me. As I stared blankly at my own reflection in the bathroom mirror, I naturally reached for the toothbrush.There were two toothbrushes in the cup—one green and one orange. Something about seeing them together gave me that strange feeling again, like the one I got when I saw him come out of the bathroom earlier.Is he really that happy? Does he really think he’s on some sort of school trip right now?Thinking that, I slowly brushed my teeth and then washed my face. Lost in thought, I ended up washing my hair and even taking a full shower. I think I was in there for over thirty minutes.After finishing, I grabbed the doorknob and hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath or two before stepping out.“…….”It was quieter than I expected.Jung Woojin had laid out the bedding but had fallen asleep with his face buried in my pillow.I sighed deeply, then quickly closed my mouth, worried I might wake him up.He hadn’t even finished laying out the blanket properly, so I had no choice but to sleep on the floor. There was only one pillow, and he was hugging it like a body pillow, leaving me nothing to rest my head on. I ended up using a roll of toilet paper as a pillow, but when that started to give me a headache, I just rested my head on my arm and lay on my side. It was odd seeing him sleep so soundly, especially since he had already slept for over twelve hours at the hospital. I wondered if he had always slept this much or if his insomnia was a complete lie.I stared at his faintly visible figure in the darkness for a long time before finally drifting off. Because I was curled up, I couldn’t sleep deeply. I woke up before seven, and there he was, right in front of me. After blinking a few times to clear my head, I shifted slightly, which made him stir as well. Even though I turned to lie on my side and closed my eyes again, the more time passed, the more awake I felt.Eventually, after tossing and turning a bit more, I reached out for my phone. My fingers brushed against something, but it wasn’t mine—it was Jung Woojin’s phone. As I was about to check the time and put it down, I accidentally pressed a menu.His home screen hadn’t changed much since he first got the phone. I idly stared at the contacts, messages, and recent call logs. Just then, he stirred again. I glanced over and saw him half-awake, barely opening one eye. His face was scrunched up, still groggy, and he stared at me blankly. Then, with a sluggish movement, he scooted closer to me and went quiet again.I pulled his phone toward me and continued checking it, noticing a game. It was like Puyo Puyo, where you match three colors to make them disappear.I played it on mute, mindlessly at first, but the more I played, the more determined I got. After a few game overs, I got frustrated, so I turned the sound up just a notch and focused harder. Every time a bubble popped, there was a little “ping” sound. Just as I was getting into it, I suddenly heard a voice beside me.“The second column.”Startled, I turned to find Jung Woojin, still half-asleep, staring at the phone screen.“The second red one…”“Oh.”Thanks to him pointing out something I hadn’t noticed, I avoided another game over.“The far left corner.”“I can pop that one later.”“If you pop the left one now, the whole row will drop.”“I already shot it.”“The blue one over there…”The two of us lay there playing the game for a while. But after dying repeatedly, I got frustrated and threw the phone onto the blanket, lying down with my arms spread out.“What time is it?”Staring blankly at the ceiling, I asked. After checking the phone I had tossed aside, Woojin answered.“Nine o’clock.”“I’m hungry.”“Want galbi jjim?”I almost shouted “Yes!” but stopped short, turning to look at him.“With that hand, how are you going to make galbi jjim? Just order something.”“Order? From where?”“Kimbap Heaven or some Chinese place…”But then I realized I didn’t know a single delivery place around here. I downloaded a delivery app on my phone and started scrolling through nearby restaurants. As I was scrolling absentmindedly, Woojin came into my view. He was watching me, blankly.A brief silence passed. Mechanically, I kept scrolling, then finally spoke up.“Hey.”“Huh?”At my call, Woojin looked at me with a puzzled expression. I stared at him for a moment before turning back to the screen and speaking again.“You… with Choi Woohyuk…”As soon as I mentioned Choi Woohyuk, Woojin clamped his mouth shut. I couldn’t see his expression, but I doubted it was a good one. After a pause, I continued.“You said you did the same thing with him, right?”When I asked in the car, Woojin had said yes. But according to Choi Woohyuk, all Woojin had done was answer his calls now and then—out of ten calls, he’d answer maybe six.Despite the time passing, Woojin still didn’t say anything. I stopped looking at my phone and turned to him again.“You said you did the same thing.”“…….”When I asked again, Woojin slowly lifted his head, which had been hanging low. He didn’t say anything, just gave me a miserable expression, though I wasn’t really interrogating him. I mean, this wasn’t a conversation to smile about, sure.“So what did you do?”When I asked again, Woojin finally opened his mouth. But no sound came out. His lips moved a few times before he clamped them shut again. I felt like I was interrogating him. Was I being too harsh? But I wasn’t cursing or yelling, just asking… Right as I was thinking this, Woojin, on the verge of tears, spoke quietly.“I’m sorry…”“…….”For a moment, I was at a loss for words, thrown by his pitiful expression. Sorry… Well, yeah, technically it was wrong… but at the time, we weren’t even dating… And we didn’t even know each other back then, so is it really something to apologize for…? But then again, it’s not like he didn’t do anything wrong either…I got lost in thought, unsure what to say, when Woojin, looking like a condemned man, whispered again.“I won’t do it again…”“…Do what?”