Your Name

25| "Please answer me, War."

╰┈➤𝐘𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕*ೃ༄

As the days stretched on, my steadfast belief in War's affection for me kept me held to the hope that he would eventually respond to my messages and come back to me. His love for me had always been a profound and unbreakable bond, so I knew he couldn't endure a life without me. That thought reassured me during the moments of silence that engulfed our world.

However, time marched on and War's absence began to feel like an inexplicable vanishing act. I always stalked his social media. But to my dismay, his online activity also dwindled into nothingness. On his Instagram and Twitter, he had only ever followed me and now, even those channels remained eerily quiet.

To keep my mind occupied, I delved deeper into my football training during the semester break. I told myself that War must simply need some time to sort through his thoughts, to rediscover the path that led him back to me. I clung to the belief that he would return, just as he always had and that he would come back to his old behavior.

One day, while I was engrossed in my  training routine, Fourth unexpectedly appeared at the field. I was a bit confused by his presence as I had assumed he had returned home for the semester break.

"What do you want?" I inquired flatly.

Fourth seemed somewhat uneasy. "I have been worried because you haven't been responding to my messages, Yin. Are you okay?" Fourth asked.

I couldn't help but emit a heavy sigh in response. His words stirred a mix of frustration and exhaustion within me. "Why should I need to reply to you? You are just my friend, not my lover," I replied.

For a moment, a strained silence enveloped us.

"I...I just worried, Yin," Fourth admitted. "I mean, you have always been there for me and I thought I could count on you to at least respond."

To be honest, I had always considered myself someone fiercely independent. But my feelings for War had been the exception, an emotion that defied my boundaries. With War's sudden silence, I grappled with a newfound sense of vulnerability. It wasn't just my romantic relationship that seemed to be crumbling but it was my own sense of self, my understanding of who I was and what I needed.

"You don't need to worry, Fourth. We are not kids anymore. We both have our own lives, especially during this semester break," I said.

Silence settled over us once more.

Breaking the silence, Fourth broached the topic that had been weighing on his mind. "Are you still thinking about those photos that Jimmy showed us, the ones of you...and War kissing?"

My jaw tightened at the mention of those incriminating photos and I looked at Fourth. "Do you know who took those photos?" I inquired with frustration and curiosity.

Fourth shook his head. "Jimmy said he received them from an anonymous number. So, I really don't know."

A growing sense of unease gnawed. If the photos had been sent anonymously, it meant that someone had gone far away to capture that intimate moment between War and me.

"Maybe War paid someone to take those pictures secretly," Fourth suddenly said. "I mean, he's trying to act like you are his boyfriend," he added.

"War would never do something like that. We all know he really loves me, so he would never do something like that."

Fourth's expression remained troubled as he met my eyes. "I hope you are right," he said quietly.

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Sitting on my bed, I clutched my phone tightly in my trembling hands. My thumb danced anxiously over the screen as I repeatedly tried to call War. Desperation etched lines of worry on my face as I watched the phone ring and ring but there was no response on the other end.