Moving On With You, Jinjoo

11: There's No Line

Amidst the chaotic backdrop of blaring alarms and hurried footsteps echoing through the sterile hospital corridor, Minju remained focused on the tiny screen cradled in her hands. The world around her seemed to blur into insignificance as she briskly navigated the bustling emergency area and strode down the corridor lined with consultation rooms. Her eyes remained locked onto an open chat on her phone, oblivious to the turmoil that surrounded her.

Ryan spots her from the office as he bows to the superiors before jogging out. He moved with agility, blending into the chaotic environment seamlessly. Sneaking up behind Minju, he gently tapped her shoulder, swiftly moving to the other side to catch her attention. Minju glanced at him, her expression distant, her focus never wavering from her phone.

"Did something upset you? Why do you keep looking at your phone?" Ryan inquired, curiosity etched on his face as he attempted to peek at her screen. His eyes caught a glimpse of a chat room and his intrigue deepened. "What's wrong?"

"What did I do?" Minju's response was absentminded as if Ryan were invisible.

She was lost in thought, her brows furrowing with concern. In a world where she typically favoured calls over messages, here she was, anxiously waiting for a message from someone who seemed to have gone silent. Minju wasn't one to initiate text conversations, and the weight of starting one now seemed to confound her. Whatever had transpired two days ago still lingered in her mind, the unknown reason behind Yujin's sudden silence.

"Are you okay?" Ryan gently tapped her shoulder once more, waving his hand in front of her face, trying to draw her back to the present moment.

Minju stops walking and faces him. "Should I just ask her what's going on?"

"Ask who what?" He could only hear a sigh.

"It's nothing."

Ryan continued to follow her as they walked towards the cafeteria, his concern deepening with every step. "You're going to knock into someone if you continue walking without looking."

Minju reluctantly pocketed her phone, her tense shoulders relaxing somewhat. "I think I did something wrong."

"What?"

"If I didn't, why isn't she saying anything?"

Ryan tried to make sense of what she was saying. "Oh...that girl?"

"If she doesn't talk to you for a whole day or two, does it mean something? Is she upset?" She asks the guy who has absolutely no context. "Why would she be upset?"

"What happened?"

"I don't know. She's just not talking to me," Minju replied, her voice laced with worry.

"Have you tried thinking back to a day or two?"

"Nothing significant comes to my mind."

"Did you try texting her to find out what went wrong?"

"I did."

"And?"

Minju looked at him with a hint of helplessness. "I couldn't press send."

"Minju," he sighs. "Is it your first time doing this?"

"You could say that," Minju admitted, a hint of embarrassment in her tone. Her previous five-year relationship had rarely involved her initiating conversations through text. Everything was new to her—the start of something was fairly new.

Arriving at the cafeteria, they grabbed white food trays and joined the queue. Minju maintained her courteous demeanour as she accepted whatever food the cafeteria staff placed on her tray. "All my life, people always text me first. Not the other way around."