By Zephyria 
Hyung, what are you doing?
Me? Studying at a cafe right now.
Wow, you’re hardcore.
Exams are coming up. You should study too.
Then should I go to that cafe too?
Not today, let’s study together at the library tomorrow.
Jeong-min stared blankly at the messenger where the conversation had ended and sighed. He’ll probably meet Yeong-min at that cafe. It had always been uncomfortable and heartbreaking when the two of them met, but today he felt anxious. Why on earth did he ask to see him? And why bring up the MT?
Since that day, Shin-woo had never mentioned the MT to Jeong-min. Only once, at the very end, when organizing the receipts and settling the accounts, he had said thank you for the hard work and patted his shoulder. He thought things were flowing normally, as if nothing had happened.
“Why….”
In his heart, he wanted to follow Yeong-min without Shin-woo knowing, but he refrained, thinking he was overreacting. But now he regretted it. Should he have followed? Even now….
Jeong-min bolted upright and put on his clothes. Thinking he could catch up since Yeong-min hadn’t been gone long, he was about to leave the room when he stopped all movement and gripped his phone tightly.
He had to think calmly. It could be something else. Shin-woo might just want to see Yeong-min again….
“Either way, it’s the worst.”
But he thought it would actually be better if Shin-woo just wanted to see Yeong-min today. That’s how much Jeong-min believed Shin-woo must not find out the truth. Because the moment he knew the truth, he felt he knew how he would act.
“It’ll be nothing.”
He was probably overthinking it. Jeong-min took off his jacket and changed into training clothes. Then he went to the weight room in the basement to work out. Nothing was better than exercising to spend time blankly without thinking.
How much time had passed? Yeong-min, who had left around lunch, had not returned even by dinner time. Since his parents were away on a trip, he ate the meal prepared by the housekeeper, and Yeong-min still hadn’t come back by the time he saw the housekeeper off.
“Whew….”
Still, the fact that he hadn’t returned until late was actually a relief. Because if Yeong-min had found out the truth, he wasn’t the type of kid to stay quiet.
Jeong-min stepped out of the house for a moment to get some fresh air and stood in the garden, lighting a cigarette. Just then, he heard the sound of a car stopping in front of the main gate, followed by a loud ‘bang’ as a car door was slammed shut.
“Hyung, are you crazy?!”
It was Yeong-min’s voice. The voice ringing through the neighborhood late at night snapped Jeong-min wide awake. Putting the cigarette back in his pocket, Jeong-min slowly headed toward the gate.
“Yeong-min!!”
Shin-woo hyung was there too.
“I said no!”
His heart beat wildly. Not out of longing and love for hyung, but a heavy, uncomfortable pounding born of anxiety.
“Yeong-min, listen to me. It really was you. You might not remember.”
“No, look here. Hyung, no matter how out of it I was—”
“What’s wrong with you two?”
Jeong-min asked casually as he opened the gate. Yeong-min ran to Jeong-min with a terrified face and stood behind him.
“Jeong-min, I think this hyung has gone crazy. Unless he’s insane—”
Yeong-min hesitated mid-sentence, glared at Shin-woo, and spoke again.
“Hyung keeps saying that I slept with him on the day of the MT. I was kicked out by you and took a car back to Seoul then!”
Jeong-min suddenly felt the world go dark before his eyes.
‘My god.’
It felt as if time had stopped. He wanted to vanish just as he was. Jeong-min looked at Shin-woo. Shin-woo’s gaze was profoundly serious. He was convinced that it was the truth. There was no hesitation.
“So, Jeong-min, tell me. You’re the one who sent me away, so you know. Tell me something! Tell me what to do about Shin-woo hyung. I feel like I’m going crazy because he just won’t listen!”
He didn’t know what to do. Jeong-min couldn’t bring himself to step forward in front of Shin-woo. Perhaps frustrated by Jeong-min’s hesitation, Yeong-min pushed him toward Shin-woo.
“Jeong-min, I’m sorry, but this is something the two of us need to handle. So please, let us talk alone.”
“I don’t want to!! I said it wasn’t me!! How can he sleep with some other guy and then throw a fit at me!!”
As Shin-woo grabbed Jeong-min’s shoulder to push past him, Yeong-min screamed and ran into the garden.
“Yeong-min! Talk to me!!”
“What is there to talk about!! Even if a bolt of lightning falls from the sky, I’m not sleeping with you, hyung!! Do I look crazy enough to sleep with you?!”
“That can’t be. That day, I clearly—”
Jeong-min grit his teeth.
“Shin-woo hyung.”
He grabbed Shin-woo’s arm. Shin-woo shook off Jeong-min’s hand and shouted.
“I told you to stay out of this!!”
It was the first time Jeong-min had seen hyung so desperate and angry at him. He was currently furious.
“Hyung, talk to me. Calm down!”
“I need to talk to Yeong-min right now!”
“Can’t you see Yeong-min is terrified?! This isn’t a situation where you can talk! Just talk to me first.”
Shin-woo’s eyes trembled. His gaze shifted toward Yeong-min. Yeong-min let out a small gasp, shrank back, and stepped backward to retreat into the house. He looked genuinely frightened. Perhaps shocked by this, Shin-woo dropped his head. Feeling the strength leave Shin-woo’s body, Jeong-min pulled him away.
“Yeong-min, hyung and I will talk. You go inside.”
“Uh, yeah. Okay. But don’t let Shin-woo hyung inside. I’m really scared and I hate this.”
He had to add that last part, even though it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t even consider who would be hurt.
Once Yeong-min disappeared, Jeong-min closed the gate. Then he got into Shin-woo’s car.
“Let’s talk in your car, hyung.”
“The person I need to talk to isn’t you.”
“I’m the one who knows exactly what happened then. That’s why you have to talk to me.”
“How so? Ah, are you going to say you sent Yeong-min to Seoul?”
“Hyung, just get in for now.”
Shin-woo sighed and sat in the driver’s seat. There was a brief silence. Where and how should he start the conversation? How much should he tell hyung…?
Although he had insisted on talking, Jeong-min felt like he was going crazy because his own thoughts were disorganized. However, he knew that the more chaotic it felt, the calmer he had to be.
He had to keep his words to a minimum and listen to Shin-woo. That was the only way to escape the worst-case scenario. The one thing he couldn’t allow was for hyung to be unable to see him in the future.
“Yeong-min…”
Shin-woo was the first to speak.
“He didn’t go to Seoul that day. I held him then. I held that kid… preciously.”
“Hyung…”
“The part about Yeong-min going to Seoul… you two planned that, didn’t you? Right? Is Yeong-min saying he regrets sleeping with me?”
“Hyung…”
“So… did he ask you to keep it a secret?”
“Hyung…”
Shin-woo looked directly at Jeong-min and shouted, then suddenly, as if overcome by despair, slammed his head against the steering wheel and spoke in a strained voice.
“I’m pathetic. I know. I know I’m pathetic. Still… I can’t let go of this sliver of hope. Jeong-min, the illusion that he might come back to me won’t disappear. Have I gone mad? Is that why I think I held him? Have I finally lost it?”
Shin-woo’s voice cracked, and soon tears fell. Like those falling tears, Shin-woo’s heart had already hit rock bottom. Nothing remained. In that heart, devoid of water and light, Shin-woo was wounded. He was wounding himself.
He was a wonderful man, more brilliant than light itself. Jeong-min couldn’t bear to see that man sink into the darkness like this. Yes, it was fine if he was the one getting hurt. He didn’t want to see hyung in pain and self-reproach. Setting aside his agonizing worries, Jeong-min chose Shin-woo.
“This won’t do. I’ll have to ask Yeong-min again. It wasn’t a dream. It absolutely wasn’t a dream.”
“Hyung!”
“By any chance… I didn’t rape him, did I? If I raped Yeong-min and hurt him, and that’s why he hates me… My god. That’s something I’d have to apologize for.”
As Shin-woo tried to open the car door again, Jeong-min quickly grabbed his arm.
“Let go!”
“It was me.”
“What, what do you mean?”
Confusion clouded Shin-woo’s eyes. Jeong-min swallowed hard. There was no turning back now.
“It was me… the one you had sex with. It was me. Not Shin Yeong-min, but Shin Jeong-min.”
Jeong-min spoke calmly. However, his heart was shriveling, tearing apart, and collapsing.
Shin-woo’s face slowly distorted.
Chapter 37
“Don’t… lie to me.”
“I’m not lying.”
Don’t tremble! Shin Jeong-min. You have to help hyung. Smile.
“Think carefully. Was that person really Yeong-min? It wasn’t. It was me.”
Shin-woo thought. Amidst the confusion of his memories, the black fog blocking the truth cleared, and a figure he hadn’t seen appeared. A person he had told himself it absolutely couldn’t be. The person he hadn’t even considered because it seemed impossible overlapped with his memories.
‘Hyung… Shin-woo hyung…’
The person who had pushed aside all the physical pain and repulsion to accept him… The person who had held him while tenderly calling his name was not Yeong-min.
“How… how?! You?!”
It is impossible for an Alpha to hold another Alpha. It is a relationship characterized by severe pheromone repulsion and an instinctive sense of discomfort. While Omegas with Omegas or Betas with Betas could form deep relationships depending on the case, Alphas could share much and love and care for one another, but it was difficult to form a deep physical relationship.
Therefore, sexual intercourse between Alphas was seen as rape or mounting, and such an act was considered extremely perverse. At least, that was as far as Yu Shin-woo knew.
“It’s impossible. You’re an Alpha.”
Unable to believe he had held an Alpha, Shin-woo, in despair, demanded a denial from Jeong-min.
“That… after I sent Yeong-min away, I was cleaning the sheets stained with Yeong-min’s pheromones when you came. You were completely drunk… and since I had Yeong-min’s pheromones on me, you thought I was Yeong-min… and you…”
The color drained from Shin-woo’s face. He reached out and grabbed Jeong-min’s shoulders, trembling violently.
“Could it be… that I… ra—”
He could have said he raped him. He could have used that excuse to keep him by his side. Shin-woo had a strong sense of responsibility. But if he did that, both of them would cross a river of no return. In that case, it was better for only one person to enter that mire.
Smile, Jeong-min.
“Hey~ no. Hyung, there’s no way you’d do that. I just thought of it as an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“An opportunity to be held by you. Since I’m an Alpha, I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold me. I wanted to be held, but—I knew you’d never hold me. This was exactly that opportunity.”
Was he saying this correctly? Would hyung understand his meaning? Jeong-min deliberately put his trembling hands in his pockets to hide them, pretending to be nonchalant.
“Jeong-min…”
“I like you. I love you… hyung…”
He thought he would never be able to confess in his entire life. He hadn’t even dared to think about it. Although he had said he would marry him when he received his ring one day, this was the first time he had expressed it so directly.
“For a very long time, you were the only one for me. I… I wanted to be your partner. Even if I had to give up everything.”
But he was doing it. Not for himself, but for him… However, Shin-woo did not know Jeong-min’s heart. Instead, he only grew colder.
“I… you…”
“Hyung.”
When Jeong-min reached out, Shin-woo pushed his shoulder away.
Ah, so this is hyung’s answer. Jeong-min withdrew his hand and put it back in his pocket.
“I’m sorry.”
No. I knew you’d say that, hyung. And that you’d push me away.
“I wasn’t in my right mind…”
I know. That’s why you… held me.
“It’s okay, hyung. I’m… I’m okay. So don’t let it weigh on your mind. I’m sorry it wasn’t Yeong-min. Maybe I gave you a bad memory. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize.”
He said everything calmly. He felt suffocated and as if tears would fall at any moment, but he smiled. Shin-woo looked at Jeong-min with a face full of repulsion. He felt stifled. He couldn’t stay here any longer.
“The misunderstanding is cleared, right? Then I’ll go now.”
“Was it… really you?”
“Yes, it was me. Not Yeong-min.”
“How could I do such a thing, I…”
Even if he didn’t want to know, he understood the meaning. It wasn’t ‘How could I do such a thing to you,’ but rather ‘How could I mistake you for Yeong-min and do such a thing.’ Either way, being hurt was inevitable.
“Drive safely.”
Jeong-min opened the door and trudged out. He opened and closed the gate and walked slowly through the garden. Soon, at the sound of the car departing, Jeong-min collapsed to the ground. The dam of tears he had been holding back burst, and they flowed incessantly.
He regretted it. That day… no matter what, he should have pushed Shin-woo away. Because he had been greedy… that’s why this happened. Who could he blame? It was a grave he had dug for himself.
✽✽✽
Fortunately, vacation started immediately after final exams, so he didn’t have to go to school.
Yeong-min was busy dating a new Alpha he had been introduced to, and Jeong-min stayed holed up in his room, doing nothing but studying and exercising. Occasionally, he would struggle in agony, meet friends and party passionately, or live drenched in alcohol for days, only to return to studying and exercising normally… his emotional swings were like those of someone with bipolar disorder.
However, to ensure his family didn’t worry, he behaved maturely in public spaces. Even if he felt like vomiting, he finished his meals and talked a lot with his mother and father.
“I heard Shin-woo is going to study abroad.”
This was something he heard while having tea and discussing economics, management, and general social issues with his father after dinner, as was usual without Yeong-min.
“What? Shin-woo… hyung?”
“Yes. He said he’s going to America.”
He didn’t know. No, of course he didn’t. He had never even heard him mention wanting to study abroad, even as a joke. It wasn’t something one could just suddenly do, and he never imagined he would quit the school where Yeong-min was and go abroad…
Jeong-min returned to his room and placed his phone on the table, debating whether to call Shin-woo, but in the end, he couldn’t.
He wanted to ask where he was going, but he knew all too well that they were no longer in a relationship where he could ask such things. Since then, he hadn’t contacted Shin-woo separately, and even when they met at school, they only exchanged greetings and never had a proper conversation.
Even so, he never imagined they would part so suddenly…
“Hyung really never fails to be unpredictable.”
Jeong-min buried his head in his pillow and cried… silently, for a long time.
Did the heavens pity him? A few days later, he went downstairs at his father’s call to find Shin-woo standing there, dressed in a suit.
Seeing the frozen Jeong-min, Shin-woo approached and greeted him first. Tenderly—he said, “Hello, Jeong-min.”
“Have you been well?”
Even though they were now almost the same height, Shin-woo reached out and stroked his hair. Was this a dream?
“Shin-woo hyung?”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“How did you get here?”
“That’s a strange way to put it. Is this somewhere I can’t come?”
“N-no, it’s not that.”
“I know. I just stopped by because I felt I should say goodbye before going to study abroad.”
So he is going, after all. And so hurriedly…
While Shin-woo and his father talked, Jeong-min sat in the corner of the sofa and said nothing. He wanted to, but he couldn’t. He felt that if he opened his mouth, tears would just tumble out…
“Could we… talk for a bit?”
Shin-woo called Jeong-min after finishing his conversation with the father. He couldn’t refuse. So he followed wherever Shin-woo led. The place he headed to was not Jeong-min’s room, but the backyard of the mansion.
“We used to play here a lot. I guess those days are gone now.”
Those happy times that would never return… If they were never to come again, he should have cherished that time more.
“Jeong-min.”
Jeong-min nodded. It was the maximum gesture he could manage.
“I’m sorry. That day… I’m sorry for leaving like that. I can tell you’re lying. How many years have I known you? You know me well, but I know you well too. I… mistook you for Yeong-min and held you by force, didn’t I?”
Jeong-min turned around. Then, this time, Shin-woo caught him. Seeing that Jeong-min’s eyes were full of tears, Shin-woo tightened his grip.
“I was suddenly scared, I couldn’t accept it, and with various complex emotions… even though I knew I shouldn’t, I abandoned you. I let you carry that burden alone. I’m sorry.”
“N-no—”
His voice trembled and wouldn’t come out. It was hard. Was it this difficult to say a single word? As Jeong-min lowered his head, Shin-woo stroked his hair.
“And thank you for your feelings. Truly, thank you. Thinking back, you and I were quite tangled up. And we broke a lot. I’m so exhausted I wanted to give up everything. I’ve become such a wreck, and you’re the same, aren’t you?”
No, I’m not like that, hyung.
“I ran alone for years, asking to be seen even when you wouldn’t look. I got exhausted… and as I caught my breath from that exhaustion, I could see. That both your love and my love were too far away…”
Chapter 38
I’ve never been exhausted, hyung. How could I be? I was simply desperate. Desperate to be loved by you. Desperate to become your person… and that’s still the same now.
“I ran hard to get close, but I only got further away. It’s a road of no return. I have no intention of going back, but…”
Jeong-min’s tears soaked the ground. The lawn, once full of greenery, had long since died and turned yellowish from neglect.
“Let’s both escape now. Let’s find a new path. To do that, I think both you and I need to be apart. I also think I need to be away from Yeong-min.”
“Then… studying in America… is because of me…?”
“No. I told you. I think I can only escape if I’m away from Yeong-min. Only then can I settle things cleanly. If I stay in Korea, I’ll keep clinging to Yeong-min. I’m going for my own sake, so don’t think that. Also, research is better in the US, so I might be able to cure my illness faster.”
“Hyung, that’s not an illness.”
“To me, it is.”
“Hyung…”
“I hope we can both smile when we meet again. Jeong-min, I like it when you smile brightly.”
“Shin-woo hyung…”
“I’m sorry. Truly… I’m truly sorry to you. I’m sorry for thinking only of myself until the end.”
Shin-woo let go of the hand that had been holding Jeong-min’s cheek. Then, once more, he caressed Jeong-min’s hair with that large hand.
“Thank you for liking me.”
“When… when are you coming back?”
Instead of an answer, Shin-woo smiled. Perhaps that was the wisest answer for him. Because if a deadline had been set, Jeong-min would have waited.
And so, Yu Shin-woo left for America.
Two months later, Yeong-min announced his pregnancy and got engaged to the ‘Dominant Alpha’ he had so desired. Naturally, he dropped out of school. Jeong-min didn’t know if Shin-woo had heard the news, but he intentionally didn’t inform him. Of course, he didn’t know his contact information or anything else.
Only Jeong-min remained at the university where he once thought the three of them could spend time together as before. He attended school alone and lonely. However, he didn’t do it half-heartedly. Since his desire to become a doctor remained unchanged, he studied hard and received scholarships… and so, he was slowly letting go of his precious first love.
“Phew…”
On the day he received his diploma, Jeong-min smoked a cigarette in a corner of the campus where he used to hang out with Shin-woo and chuckled.
Shin-woo hyung.
Have you started your new beginning?
I’m going to start now. I’ll try. So you try too. And be happy. Please.
✽✽✽
Feeling a loud vibration, Jeong-min snapped his eyes open and looked at his pager. Fortunately, the pager was quiet, and he was able to close his eyes again. However, the vibration continued.
Realizing it was the phone he had tucked under his pillow, he felt annoyed. He wanted to turn off the phone, but since it could be his mother calling out of worry at this hour, or a senior doctor or nurse calling, he couldn’t ignore it and answered.
The clock he glanced at while answering showed 3:00 AM.
─ Why are you so late in answering the phone!!
Jeong-min regretted answering the phone at the sound of the shrill voice.
“Young-min… it’s 3 AM… I’ve been asleep for less than fifteen minutes.”
Moreover, this was a precious day off he had finally earned after two days of straight work.
─ Just listen to me!! That man, I swear!
He spoke pleadingly, but as expected, Young-min didn’t seem to hear him. From the background, the sound of Young-min’s second child, born six months ago, could be heard wailing loudly. No matter how lovely his nephew was, Jeong-min was currently just an exhausted person who wanted to rest; hearing a baby cry only made him irritable.
Knowing that simply hanging up would only make things more tiring, Jeong-min lowered the volume as much as possible, placed the phone on his stomach, and closed his eyes again.
Six months into his internship. He was experiencing firsthand what it meant for a place to be hell.
✽✽✽
“Oh, Dr. Shin, you’re here?”
“Yes. Grandmother, how are you feeling today?”
“I feel much better just seeing your handsome face.”
“Thank you.”
Though his internship was grueling, the one thing that provided Jeong-min with solace was the feeling that this truly was his calling.
He loved watching the process of sick patients overcoming their illnesses and being discharged. Of course, among them were those who departed for a place from which they could never return, but since many regained their health and left the hospital, it was okay.
“Aren’t you going home, Dr. Shin? I feel like I’ve seen that shirt for a few days now.”
“Do I smell?”
“Not that~ but your face is getting so gaunt that I think you’ll be the one lying in this bed soon.”
“Haha… To make sure that doesn’t happen, I’m going home today. It’s been three weeks.”
“Oh, that’s great! Get some good rest. Your mother will be so happy that her son is coming.”
He knew for sure that his mother would nag him once he got home. While she was happy that he became a doctor, she was constantly worried because she rarely saw him—almost as if he had been sent to the military—and he never stayed at home.
Furthermore, on the day he had returned home like a zombie after struggling through his first few weeks as an intern, his mother had wailed. Since that day, Jeong-min had tried his best not to cause her worry, but since the situation was difficult, he decided that from now on, he should at least shower before going home to look presentable.
After one storm—the morning rounds—passed, Jeong-min walked while taking a breather and saw his reflection in the mirror. Dressed in a white coat and moving diligently, he looked every bit the doctor. And now, no matter where he looked, he was an Alpha.
Knowing how difficult a medical career was, he had diligently managed his body, and as a result, both his physique and stamina were unmistakably those of an Alpha. He also possessed a pheromone that could melt an Omega anywhere, at any time. And….
“The weather is nice.”
He looked up at the blue sky.
A sky where someone had departed and was no longer present.
Into that sky, Jeong-min had also neatly folded his heart and let it go.
“Dr. Shin!! Page!!”
There really was no time to rest. He had just stepped outside for the first time today, and yet he was being paged after only a few minutes.
“Ah, yes!!”
At the sound of the voice calling him, Jeong-min quickly ran with vigor.
✽✽✽
Returning home after a long time felt more nostalgic than unfamiliar. It was almost enough to bring him to tears.
When he entered the house, dinner preparations were in full swing. As soon as Jeong-min had called to say he might be able to come home, it seemed the housekeeper and his mother had teamed up to prepare a lavish feast.
However, rather than eating that food, Jeong-min only wanted to sleep in his warm, cozy room.
Seeing her son, whose face had shrunk to half its size in three months, his mother’s eyes welled up with tears as she quickly sent Jeong-min upstairs, where he collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep.
He thought he would sleep for three days and two nights, but perhaps light sleeping had become a habit, as he woke up every thirty minutes, preventing him from getting deep sleep.
After repeating the cycle of sleeping and waking, he eventually hadn’t slept for more than two hours at a time. His stomach clock was precise, and he sat up with a growl of hunger. Checking the time, it was 9 PM. Scratching his head, Jeong-min opened the door and stepped out. He felt sorry for the housekeeper and his mother, but he felt he had to ask for food.
However, the moment he opened the door, Jeong-min regretted it instantly. He heard a hysterical voice.
“Mom! Why are you taking his side?!”
Young-min’s voice was attacking their mother. Jeong-min sighed. He debated whether he should go down or not. He didn’t have the physical or mental strength left to talk to or listen to Young-min right now. Why did he have to come today of all days….
“What on earth happened to Shin Jeong-min? He said he was coming today! Why won’t he just listen to me!”
“Now look here! Do you think Jeong-min is playing around? What are you saying to your Hyung who is resting at home for the first time in three months?”
“Then who told him to become a doctor?! Ugh, everything is so annoying!”
Jeong-min decided it was a lost cause and went back into his room. No matter what, he didn’t want his long-awaited rest to be interrupted by Young-min. Even if it was selfish, it couldn’t be helped. Young-min had already chosen his own life and was living it one way or another, and Jeong-min had the right to live his life as well.
Holding his hungry stomach, he flopped onto the bed and looked out the window. A sense of relief washed over him, realizing he was truly home, and sleep began to drift over him again. Just then, his phone rang.
Wondering if it was a page, he quickly checked it; it was Kim Ju-hwan. It was a text that didn’t require an immediate response, but since he had nothing else to do, he pressed the check button to find a short greeting.
[I went to the hospital today and saw you were off. I was going to ask if you wanted to grab a meal together… Please get some good rest, Sunbae.]
It was a truly useless text. Since Jeong-min became a doctor, Kim Ju-hwan had occasionally sent texts like this, and they were always these kinds of casual check-ins. There was never any important content. Of course, Jeong-min had never replied. He didn’t want to, and he simply found the fact that this connection still existed to be tedious.
“Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I saw him.”
Jeong-min was busy as an intern, and Ju-hwan was busy entering a company to learn management from the bottom up. They each had their own work, and since their directions were completely different, the connection that had barely survived through their families since university graduation had dwindled to a thin thread, leaving them at the level of mere ‘acquaintances.’
“Haaam.”
Jeong-min yawned and flopped back onto the bed. The phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. Soon, the sound of steady breathing filled the room.