Hye-rin woke up to silence.
The room was cool, washed in pale morning light, the curtains swaying gently as if someone had walked past them not too long ago. She blinked, stretching her hand across the bed—empty. A faint dent on the sheets told her he'd slept beside her at some point, but the warmth was long gone.
Then her phone buzzed.
Joon-hyuk:
I've left for an emergency meeting. Don't worry. I'll explain later.
Hye-rin sat up immediately, the heaviness in those few words pressing down on her chest. Emergency meeting. At this hour? On a Sunday?
Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
She typed a reply, erased it, typed another, erased it again. Nothing felt right. In the end, she simply sent:
Hye-rin:
Okay. Please take care.
She placed the phone on her lap, breathing slowly as she stared at the screen, hoping for more. A longer explanation. A voice call. Something.
Nothing came.
