"So, Mark, do you really not recognize me or are you just ignoring your childhood best friend?"
When her best friend moved to Korea to become an idol, their contact died down and they soon started living lives completely separate from one another...
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Gyuri was at home working on her thesis when her world shattered. She had already started the day with a strange feeling in her chest like she somehow knew something wasn't right. The entire morning, she had this gut feeling weighing her down and she felt uneasy.
She kept brushing it off, trying to refocus on whatever she was doing but it kept distracting her. No amount of calming music or meditation could erase the heavy feeling in her chest and Gyuri felt like she was going insane. At some point, Gyuri started wondering if her body was pulling a prank on her but it seemed her gut feeling was right when her phone lit up that afternoon.
Her brother was the one to break the news to her, with a phone call coming in at precisely 14:19.
"Hey, what's up?" Gyuri said after connecting the call.
"Hey," her brother's voice sounded, and Gyuri immediately noticed the sadness in it even though he'd only spoken one word. Her heartbeat picked up and she paused what she was doing.
"I'm calling with some... bad news," he told her and breathed out. "Grandpa... he's gone, Mackenzie," Matt said with a quiver in his voice.
Even with the weight of his words not fully kicking in, an eerie silence fell to the room and the call. Gyuri felt her world freeze and couldn't even pinpoint any emotion or feeling rushing through her. It felt more as if she was empty inside, like this news had kicked out all life in her body.
"Mackenzie," she heard her brother say. "I... I'm sorry to have to tell you this over the phone. Mom is completely crushed, she- her body is shutting down. We- uh... the funeral is in two days. I know it's, like, crazy last minute but that's usually the case with... well, you know. It would mean a lot to everyone if you could make it... but I understand if it's impossible, with uni and everything."
It was like a wave of sound flowing into one ear and out the other as her brother spoke to her. Gyuri's mind wasn't running 100 miles a minute, instead, it had stopped moving and she felt like she could not pick up anything. Every word or trigger stayed out of her brain like it was locking up.
"Anyways," he continued, while Gyuri still stared straight ahead the same way she had been doing ever since he had broken the news. "Take care of yourself, okay? Please promise me that, at least. I know how much he means- meant to you. And see if you can... if you can make it. It would be good for you, I think... as part of the grieving process, you know."
Matt waited patiently for a response, but when it didn't come he sighed, hating knowing how his sister must be feeling. He wished he could talk to her in person and check up on her to make sure she took care of herself. He hoped Mark would make sure of it in his place. He trusted the older boy with this, knowing fully how much he cared about his sister.
"Okay. Please take care, Mackenzie. I'll hang up now," he said. He hesitated for a moment. "I love you," he added quickly even though it felt a bit strange. Still, he wanted her to be okay and to know he cared.
