hwang hyunjin

A pouring summer rain pounded the glass, drenching the windowsill and almost obscuring the landscape beyond with a blurry shroud. A cool breeze slid through the slightly open window, displacing the stuffy air in the room, which had warmed during the hot, sunny day. He leaned over the table, writing line after line of his report, the topic of which was killing his initial lack of interest. With a heavy sigh, Felix turned the page, beginning a new paragraph with a conclusion that resembled a memo from a high school chemistry class. Economics had never been his strong suit.

His wrist began to ache unpleasantly, and he placed his pen on the table with a soft thud, leaning back in his wooden chair. His vision was already slightly blurred from fatigue and lack of sleep, but the deadline was pressing, forcing him to continue tormenting himself with a topic he'd only need in life if he dropped out. Getting into university was more than just studying. It was the first step.

His gaze scanned the room, then settled on a tall figure standing on the balcony. A cigarette was clutched in his long fingers again, a white wisp of smoke fading into the air. He took long drags, releasing the nicotine from his lungs with a desperation bordering on self-flagellation. Felix sighed, rising from his seat and walking out onto the balcony, crossing his arms over his chest to ward off the cold.

"You're smoking again."

He doesn't reproach him. He just reminds him wearily, as if changing the count of times he's noticed it.

"We broke up, didn't we? You promised me back then that you'd go on a date with me if I quit smoking."

Hyunjin's voice is almost harsh, as if this conversation is just irritating him; he breathes faster, and doesn't make eye contact. Felix knows that's not true. He knows he's not talking about cigarettes.

"You didn't smoke just because of me?" he asks, as if he can't believe it. Not because it couldn't be true. But because everything now seemed so distant, as if unreal, hidden behind a veil of time that had flown by so quickly.

"Well, you only got off drugs because of me, Felix."