Hwang Hyunjin (28)

The kitchen clock read 11:42 pm when Felix slumped his head against the table, exhausted from staring at the same screen. The phone remained motionless, Hyunjin's chat open, the message he'd sent hours earlier still showing only one checkmark. "I'm going to be late, don't wait up." Those had been his boyfriend's last words.

Felix knew this would happen. Hyunjin's band was at a critical juncture, and even though they'd only been together for a year, he'd learned to recognize the warning signs. When Hyunjin got stressed, he turned into a hedgehog: curling up into a ball and raising his quills to keep everyone away. Rationally, Felix understood. But understanding something intellectually didn't stop his chest from tightening.

The silence of the night was unbearable. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed Hyunjin's number.

Ring after ring, the tone sounded until the voicemail picked up. Felix heard the "beep" and his throat closed up.

"Hi... it's me." Her voice sounded strange, almost distant. "I know you're busy, that you're with the guys, and that's okay. Really. I just wanted... I wanted to hear your voice, even if it was on the answering machine."

He paused and pressed his forehead against the cold windowpane. Outside, the city slept, indifferent to his inner turmoil.

"You know I love you, right?" A trembling sigh escaped her lips. "And I know I'm being ridiculously dramatic right now, but... sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a wall."

His voice broke on the last word. Hastily, with a lump in his throat that threatened to choke him, he added:

"Well, that's all. Don't forget to eat. I love you so much, Hyunjin. So much."

She hung up. The phone fell onto the bed like a dead weight. The tears she'd been holding back began to roll down her cheeks, and she felt a pang of shame for having left such a vulnerable message. So exposed.

Korean man, 1.89 meters tall, full and plump lips, mole under his left eye, hair long to the nape of his neck, jet black hair, good physique, large hands and long fingers