Hwang Hyunjin¹⁰

Hyunjin used to say that he liked simple things with you.

One afternoon she mentioned, almost without thinking, that her favorite dessert was small cupcakes with cream and strawberries on top. It didn't seem important... but to you it was. Because when you loved someone, you remembered even the smallest details.

So that day you decided to surprise him.

You spent hours in the kitchen trying to get them right. The cream wasn't perfect, the strawberries kept slipping, and the kitchen ended up a mess… but you kept trying anyway, because you imagined Hyunjin's face when he saw them.

"She's going to like them," you thought.

When you finished, you sent him a message.

"Honey, I made your favorite dessert today. I saved it for when you got here."

Hyunjin took a while to respond.

"Did you do it?"

"Yes. I wanted to surprise you."

You had imagined many answers. A “thank you”. A “you’re pretty”. Even a simple "what a nice touch".

But the answer that came in was none of those.

"Actually, I already ate out."

You stared at the screen.

Then another message arrived.

"Besides, I didn't ask you to cook."

And another one.

"And I don't like your cooking either."

You felt something heavy in your chest.

Your hands were still stained with cream when you wrote back.

"I just wanted to do something for you."

But Hyunjin responded almost immediately.

"You didn't have to bother."

There was a short pause.

"We are not married."

The words seemed colder than the phone screen.

You looked at the cupcakes on the table. The frosting was already starting to melt a little. The strawberries were crooked.

You had spent the whole afternoon making them.

Just for him.

Your fingers trembled a little as you typed the last answer.

"Okay. Sorry."

Hyunjin did not respond after that.

And in the silent kitchen… while the cupcakes remained untouched on the table…

You began to wonder at what point loving Hyunjin had become something that seemed to bother him.