Jinwook covered his head with a pained expression. He closed his eyes tightly against the pain engulfing his entire body.

He wanted to see Yeonju.

He wanted to see her right away, it felt maddening.

His chest was tight, and he couldn’t breathe properly. Every second here was unbearable.

Jinwook took out his phone and called Yeonju.

“The customer cannot take your call and will be connected to the voicemail. A beep will sound, and call charges will apply.”

It was a call he made every day, but he still couldn’t hear Yeonju’s voice.
Jinwook, who sighed, rummaged through his phone gallery. He searched for photos of Yeonju but couldn’t find any. The same was true for videos.

A disappointed laugh escaped him. A husband without a single picture of his wife on his phone. Despite spending two years together, they had only taken wedding photos together, nothing else.

With a bitter smile, Jinwook’s eyes widened as he searched through his phone files.

There was an unheard voicemail message in the voicemail box.

Looking at the file name, it had the date, the day Yeonju’s mother passed away. He didn’t know about this voicemail message because that day was hectic and chaotic.

Jinwook opened the file and brought the phone to his ear.

After a short silence, the voice he desperately wanted to hear came through.

[I’m here.]

It was Yeonju’s voice.

[Hurry… I have something to tell you.] [Call me as soon as you hear this.]

Anxiety and tremors were felt in the uttered voice.

[I’ll be waiting.]

That was the end of her words. That single sentence was the last message Yeonju left for him.

Jinwook’s eyes trembled. Endless regret overwhelmed him.

Imagining Yeonju waiting vaguely after leaving this message, his chest tightened.

Yeonju always waited.

She waited for a reply that never came,

Waited in the empty house, not knowing when he would return.

Endured all sorts of ridicule, waiting for a child to come,

In a life with no one to rely on, she waited for her mother to wake up.

He didn’t know her long wait.

He didn’t know her profound loneliness.

In this desolate space, he just wanted to leave Yeonju alone and protect her.

Jinwook dialed Yeonju’s number again.

[The customer cannot take your call and will be connected to the voicemail. A beep will sound, and call charges will apply.]

When the cold mechanical sound echoed in his ear, Jinwook put down his phone.

His lifeless eyes were moist.

Now it was too late.

Yeonju was not waiting for him anymore.

And her long wait and loneliness became his responsibility.

????????????

Tap, tap.

At the sound of a light knock on the window, Yeonju opened her eyes.

Seeing the darkness and silence around, it seemed to be still deep dawn.

Yeonju sat up slowly. Looking outside, gentle raindrops were falling.

The area where Yeonju lived often had occasional rain. Instead of heavy rain, it repeatedly rained gently like today.

Yeonju lay back in bed. She closed her eyes, but sleep eluded her. After tossing several times, Yeonju eventually got up again.

The surroundings were calm, but when the night was this quiet, her thoughts became heavy. There was nothing good about getting lost in remorse. It just led her to reminisce about the past.

Yeonju, who rose from the bed, turned on the bedside lamp. When her conscience deepened, it was better to read a book or find something to focus on.
Yeonju opened the drawer where she kept books. Among the neatly organized books, she picked up one related to art history. As she was about to close the drawer, Yeonju’s gaze fell on a particular spot.

Deep in the drawer, there was a box. Yeonju took out the items covering the box and opened it.

Inside the box were things Yeonju had brought from Korea. She took out an album. It was an album containing photos taken by a young Mi-hyun.

The album was filled with pictures of young Yeonju and Mi-hyun. Smiles appeared on her face as she looked through the photos, but tears also welled up.

She missed Mi-hyun and wanted to see him. If only she could go back to those days in the photos.

To the time when her mom was everything in the world…

To that time that no one knew… She wanted to go back.

Yeonju wiped her moist eyes. For her, there were more days to live now than in the past. Longing had to end as longing itself. She had to think about the future without lingering on the past.

As Yeonju was about to put the album back in the box, she stared at one place for a moment.

“…….”

Her gaze rested on the phone inside the box. Since leaving Korea, she had turned it off, and she had never turned it on even once.

Yeonju held the phone and stared at it for a long time.

How many people might have looked for her after she left?

First and foremost, it would be Kyung-ok and Daehan. They would probably still be cursing her, saying she left the house without saying anything and calling her an ignorant X.

Next, it was unclear who would have looked for her the most.

Hong-seok and Ae-ran might be thankful for leaving first, and other family members probably wouldn’t care much. After all, she was someone who seemed present and absent at the same time.

She hadn’t contacted and spent time consistently with anyone, so there wouldn’t be anyone looking for her. Perhaps the person she spent the longest time with might be the housekeeper.

And Jinwook…

“…….”

When Yeonju brought Jinwook to mind, she felt a tightness in one part of her chest. She didn’t know why her chest felt uncomfortable and constricted when she thought only about Jinwook.

Jinwook… How many times did he call her?

During their marriage, he rarely made calls or sent messages first. Most of the texts she sent received automatic replies like “Currently in a meeting, can’t answer now.”

There were no expectations. Even if he looked for her, it would only be for a moment.

So, it was right to quickly erase him from her mind as well.

Yeonju put the phone deeper into the box and covered it with numerous items.

She hoped time would pass quickly.

Until the memories of the past became faint, until she couldn’t recall them no matter how hard she tried.

She wished for time to flow faster.