LAPSED

⚠ 𝑰𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾'𝑺 𝑮𝑨𝒁𝑬 ⚠

"ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ, ɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜꜱ ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ."
—𝕬𝖓𝖔𝖓𝖞𝖒𝖔𝖚𝖘

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

DAHYUN'S brows furrowed in confusion and concern as she made her way to her locker, a slight sense of unease settling in her stomach. Retrieving her phone, she unlocked it to find a string of missed calls from unfamiliar numbers. Each one was a mystery, leaving her wondering who could be trying to reach her. Curiosity piqued, Dahyun decided to call her brother, Myungsoo, just to see if he was the one behind these calls. She knew that he sometimes used his colleagues' numbers when he hadn't subscribed to a promotional plan that allowed him to call her directly.

After a few rings, Myungsoo's voice finally came through the phone. "Oh, Dahyun-ie, why are you calling?"

Dahyun cleared her throat nervously, her fingers fidgeting as she sensed that something unusual was happening. "Oppa, did you happen to call me from different numbers?" she inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of concern, hoping for an explanation.

An immediate denial came from the other end of the line. "Aniyo. I've been busy with work and haven't had a chance to leave my desk. Why do you ask?" Myungsoo's response only deepened the mystery.

Dahyun couldn't help but feel a sense of uneasiness creeping in. If it wasn't her brother calling, then who could it be? Myungsoo seemed to read her thoughts and offered a suggestion. "Could it be eomma or appa? Maybe they were trying to get in touch with you."

Nodding as if her brother could see her, Dahyun considered the possibility. "I'll call them right away to find out," she replied, preparing to end the call. But before she could do so, Myungsoo interjected.

"Wait, don't hang up just yet. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be coming home late tonight. Go ahead and have dinner on your own, don't wait up for me," he informed her, a note of weariness apparent in his voice.

"Ah, okay. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" Dahyun inquired, her concern shifting back to her brother's well-being.

"No, that's all for now," Myungsoo assured her, his voice sounding somewhat distant.

"Alright then. I'll hang up now and check on eomma and appa," Dahyun responded, preparing to end the call.

"Take care, Dahyun-ie," Myungsoo added with a hint of warmth before she pressed the button to end the call, leaving her with a lingering sense of uncertainty and the task of unraveling the mystery behind those missed calls.

As Dahyun's anxiety intensified, she determinedly dialed her mother's number, hoping for a different outcome. The ringing echoed through the receiver, but once again, her mother did not pick up. A sinking feeling settled in her chest as she reluctantly moved on to dial her father's number. The seconds felt like an eternity as she anxiously awaited a response, but her father's voice remained absent from the other end. With each unanswered call, a wave of nervousness crashed over her, intensifying her worry and causing her hand to tremble slightly as she held the phone.

Just then, Chaeyoung emerged from the dressing space, her demeanor a stark contrast to Dahyun's growing distress. She had already changed into her comfortable clothes, her work uniform loosely hanging from her arm. A quizzical expression danced in her eyes as they landed on Dahyun's troubled face. "Why do you look so nervous? What's going on?" she inquired, her voice filled with genuine concern.