Enchanted (Bbangsaz)

32

Hanni sat on the edge of her couch, the dim light from the window casting a soft glow on her phone. She'd barely moved since that fight with Minji. The argument replayed in her mind over and over like a loop she couldn't escape.

After Minji had said she needed some air and walked out, Hanni just... let her go. She hadn't chased after her. She couldn't. The silence that followed was deafening, each day stretching longer than the last.

Minji and Hanni had exchanged a few messages since, but they were nothing more than obligatory check-ins—nothing that resembled the usual warmth between them.

Hope you're good today, Minji had written earlier. Take care, had been her response to Hanni's simple "How are you?"

That was it. No warmth. No affection. No mention of what had happened or what was left unsaid between them. Nothing real. No "I miss you," no "I'm sorry." No sign of the closeness they had shared.

It felt like they were both just going through the motions, pretending that everything was fine, when neither of them truly felt okay. Hanni swallowed hard, her throat tight with guilt. She knew she had messed up. She had let her insecurities ruin everything good she had with her girlfriend, and now, Minji was far away, emotionally, even though she hadn't gone anywhere physically.

I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have let her leave without saying anything, Hanni thought, her chest aching with every second she spent thinking about how hurt Minji must have been.

She had messed it up—again. Hanni always did this. Pushed people away when they got too close, only to regret it later. And now, the one person she had let get close to her was pulling away, and she couldn't even find a way to fix it.

Her phone buzzed again, snapping her from her spiraling thoughts. It was Danielle's name lighting up the screen.

"Hey, how's everything going?"

Hanni's hands shook slightly as she stared at the message. She could feel the tears starting to build up, a lump forming in her throat. She didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to explain everything to Danielle. But at the same time, she needed to hear someone else's voice. She needed a release from the storm of emotions she was drowning in.

Without thinking, she hit the call button.

The phone rang twice before Danielle answered. "Hey, honey, what's up?"

Danielle's voice was light, but Hanni couldn't find the words. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, all that escaped was a broken sob that she hadn't been able to hold back anymore.

Danielle's tone immediately shifted, concern flooding her voice. "Hanni? Hey, hey, what's going on?" There was panic there, the kind that only comes when someone you care about is in pain. "Why are you crying? What happened?"

Hanni tried to breathe, to get words out, but the sobs kept coming, and she couldn't stop them. The guilt, the weight of what she had done, the fear of losing Minji—it was all too much.

Danielle's voice softened, now fully worried. "Hanni, I need you to talk to me. Please, I'm here. You're not alone, okay?"

Hanni just shook her head, her tears falling freely. She couldn't talk. She couldn't explain. Not yet.

"Listen to me, Hanni," Danielle said urgently, her voice strong but gentle. "I'm coming over. Don't worry about it right now. I'm passing by your place in a few minutes. I'll be there. Just hang in there, okay?"

Hanni clutched the phone to her ear, her chest heaving with every sob, feeling like she was losing everything. I ruined it. I ruined everything. The thought echoed in her mind, and she couldn't push it away.