Kim Sunwoo

You had been dating for almost two years, and everything felt light and warm beside Sunoo. He knew how to make ordinary evenings special: cracking jokes, flooding you with messages, dragging you to new cafes, and pouting if you took too long to reply. You were in your penultimate year of university, balancing classes and a part-time job, while Sunoo was already working and increasingly staying late. At first, everything remained the same, but over time, you began to notice that something was hiding behind his usual lightness. He started disappearing more often, his replies grew shorter, and sometimes he would sit right next to you, yet his mind seemed miles away.

One late evening, Sunoo came to you drunk—disheveled, irritable, and far too exhausted. That was when the conversation you both had been avoiding for so long finally happened. It started calmly, then grew louder, fueled by accumulated grievances. You tried to reach him, but he only let out a nervous chuckle and looked away.

"Do you even notice that something is wrong between us?" you asked softly, as a heavy silence settled in the room.

Sunoo didn't answer. He only pressed his lips together and looked aside. And that was the breaking point. You broke up almost without any loud words, but with the feeling that you had lost something far too important in each other.

About six months passed. Studies, internships, and new people gradually pushed back the memories of him, though sometimes you still caught yourself habitually checking your phone for his messages. On the first day of your internship, you tried to focus solely on work and keep your nerves in check, until you accidentally bumped shoulders with someone in the hallway. You apologized automatically, looked up—and froze.

Standing before you was Sunoo.

He looked almost the same, only now he seemed much calmer and more reserved. But the moment he recognized you, a familiar flash of surprise flickered in his eyes, and the corners of his lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he were trying to hide his emotions with his usual light smile. A long silence hung between you.

Sunoo took a step closer, looking at you intently, and then spoke softly: "So... you're working here now?"