6 days ago.
When Han entered his room that night, he was furious. He slammed the door shut and kicked it so hard that the sound echoed through the apartment. He wanted to throw things, to break something — anything — but he stopped himself. Instead, he grabbed a pillow and started punching it over and over until his hands ached.
After a while, the anger slowly faded, leaving only exhaustion behind. He lay down, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. His mind kept replaying everything that had happened. When he finally drifted off, it was already six in the morning.
An hour later, he forced himself up and rushed out of his room. But the moment he stepped into the living room, he froze. The place was spotless — the floor cleaned, the dishes done — and on the table, there was food neatly set out. Chaewon was gone.
Han felt something twist in his chest. He went straight to Chaewon's apartment and stood in front of his door, hand raised to knock… but he couldn't. He just stood there for a long moment, his heart heavy, before turning back.
He went home, ate the food quietly, and got ready for university. But he didn't go. He never went without Chaewon. So he ended up standing at the main entrance of the building, waiting. The security guard noticed him and said, "He already left in a car."
Han's heart sank. Still, he asked, "Do you know who he left with?"
The guard shrugged. "Didn't see clearly, but the boy was wearing a high school uniform."
That made Han's blood boil. Jealousy burned inside him like fire. Still, he said nothing and went to university. But the entire day was a mess. He forgot his assignment at home, scored 2 out of 15 on a quiz, and Jiwoo even kicked him out of class for wandering around aimlessly.
By evening, he went to the basketball court. Chaewon was there, practicing alone. The university had a match coming up in ten days against another school, and the selected team was training hard. Neither Han nor Chaewon had been chosen — Han's father never allowed him to leave the city, and Chaewon hadn't been picked.
Han saw him but pretended not to. He walked straight past, into the locker room, and lay down on the bench to rest. When he came out later, Chaewon was gone.
He went to the parking area and saw that Chaewon's bike wasn't there either. That's when it really hit him — maybe it was over.
For the next three days, Chaewon completely ignored him. Even if they crossed paths at the building, Chaewon would look away. He only came when Han wasn't home — just to cook, clean, and leave.
Han wanted to talk to him. Every time he saw him, his throat tightened with words he couldn't say. But fear stopped him — fear that Chaewon wouldn't answer at all.
And so, three days passed in silence.