LETTER [정원]ᴇɴ⁃

6

SOO AH – POV

8 missed calls from Hana.
10 unread messages.

I stared blankly at the screen, listening to the soft chimes of notifications. I didn't open them. I didn't move. I just let them pile up, one after another, like the weight building inside my chest.

I couldn't bring myself to respond.

I still couldn't believe what I had seen. What I had heard. My best friend. The girl I trusted with everything.

Lee Hana.

Why did you lie to me?

You sat beside me every day. You watched me talk about him like a fool, and you said nothing. Why?

I curled up on my bed, pulling the blanket over my head as fresh tears slipped down my cheeks.

I didn't try to stop them this time. I was tired of pretending I was okay.

⸻

HANA – POV

What is she doing? Why won't she answer me? Soo Ah has never ignored me before.

I held the paper bag tighter. Her dress was inside, the one she left behind. I found it upstairs and stayed late at the café last night, waiting for her.

But she never came.

Now I sat alone, watching the empty doorway. My eyes wandered to the building across the street.

Belift Entertainment.

My chest tightened.

That's where Jungwon trained.

I bit my lip, fighting back the tears. But his voice from yesterday echoed in my mind.

Don't call me honey. I'm not your boyfriend anymore.

It hurt more than I expected.

I was the one who walked away. I was the one who gave up. I thought I was doing the right thing, choosing my future, my dream café. I thought he'd understand eventually.

Back then, Jungwon called me often, always asking to meet. But I was busy.

Tired.

His voice became overwhelming.

I told myself he was too clingy, that I needed space.

So I left.

Coldly. Selfishly.

Now, after all this time, I miss him. I miss the way he looked at me, the way he made me feel like I was the only one in the world.

But it's too late.

And when Soo Ah started talking about him—when she smiled at the screen while watching him, it only reminded me of what I lost. What I threw away.

How was I supposed to forget him when she unknowingly brought him back into my life every single day?

⸻

The next day, I sat behind the counter, glancing at the entrance every few minutes. Soo Ah still hadn't come.

Maybe she was sick.

Maybe she didn't want to worry me.

A voice broke my thoughts.

"Hey."

I looked up, startled.

It was him.

Kim Sunoo.

I recognized him from yesterday. He was there at the hallway.

I glanced past him, hoping, almost foolishly, that Jungwon might be with him.

But Sunoo smirked.

"He's not here. He doesn't want to come here anymore."

My heart dropped. "Why?"

He shrugged.

"Maybe he just doesn't like to see your face."

His words stung more than I wanted to admit.

I looked away, trying to compose myself.

"What would you like to order?"

But he ignored the question.

"Where is she?"

I frowned. "Who?"

"Im Soo Ah. I want to see her."

I sighed.

"I don't know. She's not answering my messages either."

Before I could finish, he pulled out his phone.

"Give me her number."

⸻

JUNGWON – POV

I collapsed onto the floor, completely drained from hours of practice. Sweat clung to my skin and my breath was uneven.

I reached for my water bottle and took a long sip.

The others had gone out to get food, leaving the room quiet and still.

I grabbed my jacket from the door. While searching for my phone, something small fell out of the pocket.

I paused.

It wasn't my phone.

It was a hairpin.

Soo Ah's hairpin.

I held it in my hand, remembering how she looked when she left it behind. Her watery eyes. The way she ran away. My fingers tightened around it.

She really is clumsy.

The door opened suddenly.

Sunoo stepped inside with a coffee, scrolling through his phone, a goofy smile tugging at his lips.

He sat down beside me, completely absorbed in whatever he was looking at.

"What's up with you?"

I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He didn't answer. Just kept smiling.

"Seriously. What's making you grin like that?"

He looked at me.

"I found a puppy."

A puppy? I didn't believe that for a second.

I lunged forward and snatched the phone from his hand before he could react.

"Jungwon!"

he shouted, scrambling after me.

I backed away, quickly checking the screen.

The smile dropped from my face.

It was a picture of Soo Ah.

Sunoo grabbed the phone back and shoved it into his pocket, clearly irritated.

"Did you really have to do that?"

"Why do you have her picture?"

I asked, trying to stay calm.

He turned to walk away, but I grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face me.

"Where did you get it? What's going on between you two?"

Sunoo burst into laughter.

"Why are you acting like this?" he asked.

"You're reacting like she's your girlfriend."

I didn't answer.

Because I didn't know how to explain the way my chest tightened at the thought.