Minra had always texted Shuun.

  It was natural.

  Instinctive.

  Something she never had to think twice about.

  She had always told him about her day.

  About the little frustrations.

  About the small victories.

  And he had always listened.

  Always responded.

  Always been there.

  But now?

  Now, when she messaged—

  “Ugh, my boss is being impossible today.”

  “I swear, if Reyne gets me in trouble one more time, I’m going to strangle him.”

  “Why do business trips feel more exhausting than regular work?”

  Shuun’s replies were different.

  Short.

  Detached.

  “Currently busy. I’ll catch up later.”

  But—

  He never did.

  Never followed up.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Never asked how her day went.

  And suddenly—

  Minra noticed.

  .

  The first few times, she had ignored it.

  Told herself, he’s busy.

  That’s all.

  She had convinced herself he would text back eventually.

  That he was just caught up in something else.

  That everything was still the same.

  But then—

  One night, after a long, frustrating day, she instinctively reached for her phone.

  Started typing.

  Started to vent.

  Started to share like she always did.

  And then—

  She froze.

  Her fingers hovered.

  Because.

  Because what was she doing?

  He wasn’t replying like before.

  He wasn’t listening like before.

  He wasn’t—

  He wasn’t there like before.

  And suddenly, the weight of it all hit her at once.

  .

  “Maybe he’s exhausted.”

  “Maybe he’s tired of hearing the same complaints from me.”

  “Maybe he realized he’s been too interactive with a fan like me and decided to stop.”

  “Maybe this was always supposed to happen.”

  She stared at her screen.

  Stared at the empty chat.

  At the lack of replies.

  At the way things had changed without her realizing.

  And suddenly—

  It hurt.

  More than it should.

  More than she wanted to admit.

  Because this wasn’t just about a fan losing connection with an artist.

  This wasn’t just about a faceless singer no longer replying to a random listener.

  This was about Shuun.

  Her Shuun.

  The one who had always been there.

  The one who had always listened.

  The one who had always made her feel less alone.

  And now—

  Now, he wasn’t.

  And she didn’t know why that hurt so much.

  .

  HyunSeong sat at his desk.

  Phone in hand.

  Message unread.

  He saw her texts.

  Saw her start typing.

  Saw her stop.

  Saw the way she hesitated.

  And he?

  He did nothing.

  Didn’t reply.

  Didn’t reach out.

  Didn’t let himself.

  Because she had someone else she liked.

  Because she had already moved on from Shuun.

  Because he was just someone she leaned on when she needed comfort.

  That’s all.

  That’s all he had ever been.

  And yet—

  Yet, why did it feel like he had lost something?

  Something he never should have gotten attached to in the first place?

  .

  Minra put her phone down.

  Took a deep breath.

  Tried to tell herself, this was fine.

  That it wasn’t a big deal.

  That she wasn’t supposed to be this affected.

  That she should just move on.

  And yet—

  Yet, that night, she laid awake.

  Staring at her ceiling.

  Feeling strangely, unexplainably empty.

  And on the other side of the hotel, in his own room,

  HyunSeong sat in the dark.

  Looking at the unread message.

  Fighting the ridiculous, frustrating urge to reply.

  And for the first time—

  They both realized.

  This silence?

  This distance?

  It wasn’t just something small.

  It wasn’t just something they could brush off.

  It was something that was starting to feel like a loss.

  And neither of them knew what to do about it.

  .

  Chapter 30: "The Drunken Confession"