Lost

“Hurry up and tell me. What’s the deal with that studio? Whose place is it? Do you have two houses?”

“…No.”

“Then what is it? Is it your friend’s place?”

“No… it’s not that…”

Watching Jung Woojin mumble, I sighed again. It felt like I had let out a month’s worth of sighs in just one day. I grabbed Woojin’s hand, led him out of the bathroom, and sat him on the bed. As I was about to sit beside him, Woojin reached out and pulled me into an embrace. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his face against my stomach, making it impossible for me to escape.

“The Saemaeul studio… I signed the contract for it on the day you were discharged from the hospital.”

It seemed like he was finally ready to talk.

“Why?”

“Because… before you were hospitalized, I sold the place where you used to live…”

“Why did you sell my house?”

“Because I wanted to live together…”

I couldn’t comprehend what Woojin was saying.

“What? Then, what did I say before I lost my memory? What did I say when you told me you were selling my house?”

I pushed against Woojin’s shoulder to see his expression, but he didn’t budge or pull away.

“What did I say?”

Woojin clammed up again. I asked, dreading the answer.

“Did you seriously sell my house without even telling me?”

“…Yes.”

“…”

How? No, how could you even sell a house without the owner’s permission? Does this make any sense? I looked down at the back of Woojin’s head with a contorted expression and asked.

“Okay… then why did you tell me that the Saemaeul studio was my house?”

“I was afraid you’d get mad…”

“Mad about what? That you sold my house without telling me?”

“….”

“So you rented that studio because you thought I’d get mad?”

I watched Woojin nod slightly, feeling utterly dumbfounded. What kind of nonsense…? This was the most ridiculous waste of money I’d ever heard of. I wanted to ask how he even managed to sell the house, but I realized that wasn’t the point right now. Taking a deep breath, I asked the question I really wanted to ask.

“Before I lost my memory, what were we? It’s a lie that we were nothing, isn’t it?”

A video flashed in my mind. At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Woojin had raped me. It sounded absurd, but if he had fallen in love with me at first sight while doing something like that, I wouldn’t be shocked. I had braced myself for this possibility, but Woojin still couldn’t muster the courage to speak. I resisted the urge to grab him by the hair and instead lowered my hand, cupping his chin to lift his head. My gaze met his tear-soaked, dark eyes, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his trembling lips.

“What exactly were we?”

Woojin seemed like he was about to say something, but then he started crying again. He tightened his grip around my waist and buried his face into my stomach once more. I had no choice but to pat his trembling back until he calmed down.

With half my mind gone in resignation, I mechanically patted his back, staring blankly at the ceiling, when I finally heard a broken voice in my ear.

“Sunbae and I… we really were nothing.”

Woojin finally opened his mouth. It was good that he was speaking, but what he said made no sense. If we were nothing, why did he make that video? Woojin didn’t seem able to face me, as he squeezed my waist tightly. It was hard to breathe, and my clothes were soaked from where his face was pressed against me, but I endured it.

“We really weren’t anything. I just… I liked you on my own.”

“…”

“But Sunbae… I just wanted to keep liking you from a distance… Later, after graduation, I thought we could maybe get married—no, I just wanted to get closer first. But then Sunbae kept… with other people at school…”

He rambled, gasping for breath, and I couldn’t make any sense of what he was saying.

“Talking with other people… acting like you were dating… drinking all night… staying out until morning… And Sunbae didn’t even come to school often…”

Why did it matter that I partied and skipped classes when he was trying to explain our relationship? I tried to make sense of what Woojin was saying but gave up. Just as I was about to ask what the hell he was talking about, Woojin tightened his arms around me again. I let out a groan. It felt like my insides were going to spill out, so I leaned back slightly, and Woojin spoke again.

“I felt like I was going to lose you… I kept getting anxious, and in my dreams, Sunbae…”

“Woojin, calm down for a moment…”

“I just wanted to see you smile at me and call me Woojin.”

“What?”

My stomach grew hot. The tears Jung Woojin was shedding soaked into my clothes, making my belly feel warm.

“I just… I wanted to see Sunbae smile at me…”

“Hey, what were we to each other? Huh? Stop crying and just tell me…”

Jung Woojin lifted his head. His face looked even worse than before. His once-bright eyes were now dull, and his skin was pale to the point of turning blue. His lips, once red, were now streaked with blood.

“Will you stay with me?”

“Yes.”

“Will you really stay with me? You won’t abandon me?”

“I won’t abandon you. I swear.”

As I raised my hand as if making a vow, Jung Woojin bit his bleeding lips again. Seeing him press down on his lips, I had a strange thought. I wanted to ask Jung Woojin if he was mine now, given that he was asking if I would stay.

Is it okay? I was already prepared not to be surprised by anything Jung Woojin said because of that video. So, it should be okay for him not to be terrified and crying as if he were about to die. I reached out to stop him from biting his lips, but Jung Woojin just continued.

“Before Sunbae lost his memory… we were on an island near Jeju.”

Jung Woojin pressed his face against my outstretched palm, which had stopped short of his face, and began rubbing his wet face against it like a dog.

“Jeju? Why did you go there?”

If it was near Jeju, does that mean it wasn’t actually Jeju? I looked puzzled, but Jung Woojin, his lips trembling, said,

“I made it so you couldn’t go.”

“Go where?”

“I kept you from going to your house… I kept you locked up. And there…”

Locked up? Did he say he imprisoned me? Not raped… wait, ah. Oh, so the video… No, so… near Jeju… So Jung Woojin locked me up there and raped me while filming a video… Oh, damn. Is this what I’m really thinking? So Jung Woojin…

“Sunbae.”

I couldn’t tell what expression I was making. Even though I had prepared myself to be unmoved if Jung Woojin had raped me, hearing this was even more shocking than I expected. Jung Woojin, still crying, kept calling out to me. I was repeating “rape, imprisonment, island” over and over in my mind, and Jung Woojin reached out to me. His pale, terrified hand, which had approached my face, was suddenly stained with blood.

“Stop…!”

I gasped for breath and was about to scream when Jung Woojin abruptly stopped moving. I closed my eyes and opened them again, and the hand that had been covered in blood was now clean. Cold sweat started forming. I was shaking, feeling as if I had chills. Jung Woojin watched me without blinking or breathing, not even moving a finger.

When the brief silence passed, Jung Woojin clung to me like a crumbling sandcastle.

“Don’t do this, Sunbae. You said you’d stay with me if I told you.”

Embracing me, Jung Woojin clawed at my clothes with his fingers, clinging to me. My back was sore. Reflexively twisting my limbs to avoid his touch, Jung Woojin suddenly lifted his head and cried out, repeating unintelligible words.

“You said you’d stay with me if I told you. You said you’d stay here if I told you. You can’t hate me, you can’t… Sunbae said so.”

“Wait… Jung Woojin, this…”

“You said you wouldn’t abandon me! Don’t go, Sunbae. Don’t go. Please, don’t look at me like that.”

That statement snapped me out of it. Even while crying, Jung Woojin looked at me. What kind of expression did I have that made him look at me like that? The sound of his cries was so loud it felt like my head was splitting. Jung Woojin’s behavior was so frighteningly abnormal that it made me feel a deep sense of fear. He looked so out of touch with reality. Jung Woojin couldn’t even manage his own body properly. I bit my lips and grabbed his shoulders to calm him down.

“Hey, stop crying…”

“Sunbae, Sunbae, I love you, I love you… Oh, I feel like I’m going to die…”

Jung Woojin, who had been gripping me tightly, released his hold on my waist. Then he began to tremble and hugged his own head, crying. He curled up with his knees together and buried his face, crying like a child being scolded, as if he were throwing up blood.

The cries that had been pounding in my ears began to fade. The sobs, close to screams, grew more distant, leaving only Jung Woojin.

As my vision grew dim and my back felt cold, it was no longer a matter of pity or sympathy. Jung Woojin was truly far from normal. He dug his nails into his own arms, trembling and uttering incomprehensible sounds.

“I love you. I like you. Don’t abandon me. Stay with me. I feel like I’m going to die. Comfort me. I only have Sunbae. Please like me. I love you. I really love you.”

The desperate, incoherent voice made me feel dizzy.

“Hey.”

Even amidst the frantic sobbing, Jung Woojin seemed to have somehow heard my voice, raising his head. He was a mess. Before I could say anything, Jung Woojin called out to me. “Sunbae, Sunbae.” He kept calling me over and over. Just hearing the word “Sunbae” made my head throb. As I slowly got up, Jung Woojin followed suit. Dragging my feet, I walked into the bathroom, and, as expected, Jung Woojin trailed behind me. His sobs still pierced my ears.

I turned on the faucet and adjusted the water temperature. After confirming that it was lukewarm, I looked at Jung Woojin’s reflection in the mirror and said, “Wash your face.”

I couldn’t stand to look at him.

Even while crying, Jung Woojin washed his face as I told him to. He kept gasping for breath, as if the act of washing was still too overwhelming for him. As I watched Jung Woojin wash his face, a thought came to me.

I had to make a decision. Honestly, I thought I could handle it, even if it had been rape, but hearing it in reality was different. Moreover, it wasn’t just rape—Jung Woojin had confined me. Somewhere on an island near Jeju. I didn’t know exactly where, but since it was an island, the only way to get there would’ve been by boat. That’s a crime, isn’t it? No, rape is already a crime in itself.

But what was that earlier? When Jung Woojin reached out his hand, he was bleeding. Was it just a hallucination because I was so shocked?

“Sunbae.”

Jung Woojin, having finished washing his face, grabbed the collar of my shirt with his wet hands. His hair and clothes were soaked—how had he even washed his face? Water dripped from his chin, but I couldn’t tell if it was tears or just water.

“Stop crying.”

At my words, Jung Woojin sobbed even harder as if he was utterly heartbroken.

“You avoided my hand, Sunbae.”

“Well, wouldn’t you avoid me if you were confined to a remote island?”

“I’m sorry.”

I noticed the towel I used to wipe my sweat earlier was lying on the floor. Sighing deeply, I took out a fresh towel and wiped Jung Woojin’s wet face. I was starting to feel utterly exhausted.

“I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t remember, but… when I heard about it, I was shocked. I was surprised, but honestly, I don’t even remember it clearly…”

Jung Woojin lifted his hand and grabbed my wrist. The face buried in the towel slowly looked up. Tears started welling up again, even though I’d just wiped them away.

I really don’t know. Jung Woojin thinks the person I was before I lost my memory is the same as who I am now, but I’m not sure. Am I the same person as I was before I lost my memory? Of course, technically, I am. But I don’t know. I don’t remember anything from back then, and I’m experiencing everything anew.

Maybe that’s why seeing Jung Woojin cry like this feels like he’s crying over someone else. Even when I first saw the video, I felt the same. What shocked me wasn’t seeing myself in the video but seeing Jung Woojin. And even though I knew the other person in the video was me, what really shocked me was realizing that Jung Woojin had lied to me. He said we weren’t anything to each other, but in the video, Jung Woojin was raping the version of me before I lost my memory. And then he lied, saying we weren’t anything.

When Jung Woojin told me earlier that he had confined me on a remote island, it was the same. I didn’t think he’d go that far, but what really startled me wasn’t just his words—it was the sight of his pale hand, covered in blood, when he reached out to me.

“Will you do it again?”

Jung Woojin shook his head at my question. He looked like he didn’t even know what I was saying, just blindly trying to appease me. I wanted to say something more, but I was afraid Jung Woojin might break down and start wailing again, so I held back.

“I don’t know exactly what you did to me before I lost my memory, but I don’t remember it.”

“…”

“I can’t blame you for something I don’t even remember.”

Jung Woojin buried his face in the towel again. I watched for a moment, then shifted my gaze to the corner of the bathroom.

“If you promise not to do it again, I won’t say anything, but what you did to me was still a crime.”

“I’m sorry.”

Once again, the image of me and Jung Woojin from the video replayed vividly in my mind.

Jung Woojin felt so unfamiliar. His expression, his tone, his gestures, his actions—everything was different from a few days ago. It was hard to believe that the Jung Woojin in the video was the same person now standing before me, head bowed, sobbing. Just as the person in the video didn’t feel like me, the Jung Woojin now didn’t feel like the one from the video.

“What if you do it again?”

“…”

“What will you do if you hurt me again?”

I don’t know. I don’t remember. So more than what Jung Woojin did to me in the past, the sight of him crying like he’s about to die right now makes me pity him more.

“If I do…”

Jung Woojin reached out and touched my cheek. I could feel the trembling in his hand against my skin. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine.

“If I do it again… then I’ll just die.”

It was such a cliché that I almost laughed. At my soft chuckle, Jung Woojin opened his eyes.

“I’ll gouge out my eyes so I can’t see you, cut out my tongue so I can’t call you, and sever my legs so I can’t come to you. I’ll just die alone somewhere you can’t see me.”

“…”

“I’ll never do anything you hate again. I’ll only do what you tell me to do.”

What is he, a slave? The sudden shift to such a detailed example made me feel uncomfortable. I frowned and asked one more time for confirmation.

“If you ever do this again, you’re really going to die.”

“Are you forgiving me?”

“Damn it, what else can I do? I don’t even have anywhere to go right now.”

Even I thought it was a pathetic and petty reason. But there wasn’t any other reason I could come up with. I was shocked by everything that had happened, and I still didn’t fully understand the situation. I couldn’t just say it was because I didn’t want to see him cry anymore.

“I love you.”

Jung Woojin slumped against me, clinging to my body. Staggering, I ended up leaning against the wall, sighing inwardly as I gave his back a couple of pats.

“I’ll do better.”

“…”

“I’ll really do better. I love you, Sunbae.”

“Do better? What have you been doing that you keep saying you’ll do better? You’ve always been over the top.”

If he “did better,” people might really think he was my slave. As I muttered my complaint, Jung Woojin lifted his head and looked at me. His black eyes, wet with tears, looked like those of a helpless fawn. With a pitiful expression, he parted his swollen red lips.

“But what did you talk about with that guy earlier?”

“What?”

“Why did you save his phone number? Are you going to contact him again later? You said you’d tell me what you talked about. What did you two do earlier?”

“…”

I was at a loss for words, watching Jung Woojin’s persistent expression.

“Tell me. You said you would. That guy… Sunbae, where are you going? Sunbae, wait a moment. Sunbae!”

I turned my back on the teary-eyed Jung Woojin. He followed me, calling my name.

“Sunbae!”

“…”

“Sunbae, where are you going? Sunbae.”

I was already beginning to regret everything, wondering if I was making the right decision.

＊＊＊

I only spent about five minutes with Gapdol, but I had to explain to Jung Woojin everything that happened during those five minutes until the sun set. He kept persistently asking, “What’s this ‘Gapdol’ thing?” Gapdol’s real name was Kim Gapjin. But I really thought he was Gapdol. When I first met him, the name that popped into my mind wasn’t Gapjin, but Gapdol. Anyway, I swore to Jung Woojin that I’d never call him Gapdol again before I could finally catch my breath.

After crying his heart out, Jung Woojin started to run a fever as the day went on, just as I’d expected. He kept saying he was fine, but one look at his pale face was enough to tell he was unwell. I had no experience taking care of sick people… Actually, I was too busy just taking care of myself. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I decided to take him to the hospital, but Jung Woojin weakly shook his head.

“I don’t want to drive.”

Why driving? I looked at him suspiciously, up and down. Did he speed too much when we came back from the studio earlier? Or was there an accident? I tried to pull Jung Woojin up from the bed where he was about to lie down.

“Wash up and go to bed. You sweated a lot earlier.”

“Later.”

“If you lie down now, you won’t want to get up later. Just get up and wash now.”

But Jung Woojin seemed too weak to move and collapsed onto the bed. Although he’d stopped crying a while ago, his eyes were still red, and his gaze was still damp. My palms were starting to sweat, but Jung Woojin didn’t let go of my hand. He held on, forcing me into an awkward sitting position at the edge of the bed. Jung Woojin raised his eyes to meet mine.

“You’re really not mad anymore, right?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t exactly angry in the first place. I was more surprised and confused. But it wasn’t just surprise and confusion… Anyway, I couldn’t pin down my emotions right now. I didn’t even know how I truly felt.

“Sunbae.”

When I lowered my head, Jung Woojin blinked. Even though our eyes met, it didn’t seem like he was planning to say anything. He had probably just called out to me without any real thought.

“What happened with your work?”

If he couldn’t think of anything else to say, he’d probably just blurt out “I love you” again. Before it got to that point, I opened my mouth first. At my question, Jung Woojin furrowed his brow.

“I quit.”

“So, you’re unemployed now?”

“Do you hate unemployed people?”

I shut my mouth, looking at Jung Woojin who was now asking the questions. Honestly, whether he was unemployed or not didn’t matter much to me. Sure, he covered all the expenses for the house and me, so if he suddenly couldn’t afford that, it’d be a bit inconvenient… but then I could always go out and earn money myself.

“Sunbae.”

While I was lost in thought, Jung Woojin called me again. I almost asked why he kept calling me if he had nothing to say, but stopped myself. The answer was obvious. But this time, it seemed he actually had something to say, as he rubbed his face against the pillow.

“I can start working again tomorrow if you want, but…”

He must’ve taken my silence to mean I didn’t like the idea of him being unemployed.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. If you agree, I’ll go back to work tomorrow.”

It didn’t matter to me whether he worked or not. Still, I asked what the favor was, out of curiosity.

“What is it?”

“Can we install CCTV in the house?”

“What?”

I thought I misheard. But when I saw Jung Woojin looking at me with teary eyes, waiting for my response, I realized I hadn’t.

“Why would we need CCTV?”

When I asked, baffled, Jung Woojin spoke in a tone that suggested he was trying to persuade me.

“I want to know what you do at home when I’m not here.”

“So you want to install surveillance cameras for that?”

Jung Woojin nodded. I was at a loss for words. I knew he had worse anxiety than most people, but I never imagined he’d go as far as to suggest surveillance cameras. And to ask me directly like this? Wouldn’t most people just install them in secret? Why would he ask, knowing full well I’d say no? What was his intention in asking me something like this?

“It wouldn’t record 24/7… just when I’m not home.”

As I watched Jung Woojin mutter this in a voice barely above a whisper, I suddenly felt tension in the back of my neck. I pulled my hand away from his tight grip and rubbed the back of my neck. Jung Woojin, who had been lying on his side, sat up and asked,

“Does your neck hurt?”

“It’s because of you that my neck is tense.”

“You don’t like the idea of CCTV?”

“Would you like it if someone monitored your every move?”

To my disbelief, Jung Woojin nodded.

“Yes, I’d like it.”

“…”

“If you’re the one monitoring me, you can even install listening devices along with the CCTV.”

The uneasiness I’d felt around Jung Woojin all this time finally made sense. He wasn’t just strange—he was a complete deviant.

“Then how about just in the living room? Only the living room.”

“What do you even need to know about what I do at home?”

“You don’t reply to my texts often, and sometimes you don’t answer my calls…”

“Enough. Go take a shower.”

He wasn’t saying anything that made sense, so there was no point in answering. I sighed, and Jung Woojin shut his mouth, lowering his head. His sulky expression wouldn’t work on me.

“I’m too anxious to go to work like this.”

“Then don’t go to work.”

“But you said you don’t like people who can’t do anything.”

When did I say that? I gave him a look of disbelief, and Jung Woojin pouted his lips. Who would believe this guy is twenty-five? I stood up from the bed and pulled him by the arm.

“Go shower already.”

“Then will you stay by my side while I shower?”

“Ugh, damn it. You’re really pushing me to the edge here. Get your ass to the bathroom already!”

I had been trying to be patient since he’d been crying so much, but he was really testing me now. He wasn’t a child, but his constant whining was getting out of hand. Seeing the scowl on my face, Jung Woojin reluctantly got up from the bed, staggering as he did.

“What are you going to do while I’m in the shower?”

“I don’t know. I’ll check the kitchen to see if there’s anything to eat… Do we have ramen?”

I was so hungry it was starting to hurt. Rubbing my stomach, I asked, and Jung Woojin nodded. I pushed him toward the bathroom and said,

“I’ll make some ramen, so take a proper shower with hot water.”

“Okay.”

“And make sure you dry off completely when you come out. If you come out dripping water like last time, I’m gonna hit you.”

I shut the bathroom door with a bang, watching Jung Woojin nod quietly. His skin had felt warm to the touch. Maybe after a good shower and some ramen, his fever would go down. He didn’t seem to have a cold or the flu yet, but if he kept this up, he’d definitely get sick. Once I heard the water running in the bathroom, I headed to the kitchen and filled a pot with water. Jung Woojin takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to shower. Since he wouldn’t be taking a bath today, it’d probably be around 30 minutes.

I turned off the stove once the water was boiling, waiting to put the ramen in at the right time. With nothing to do in the meantime, I suddenly remembered Gapdol. I grabbed my phone from the bed and turned it on. I sent a text to Gapdol using the number I had saved earlier in the car.

As soon as I hit send, I heard a notification sound. I glanced over to see an alert on Jung Woojin’s phone. A message had come through. I sighed and checked his phone.

It was the exact same message I had just sent to Gapdol.

Another notification came through on my phone. I had received a reply from Gapdol.

And at the same time, Jung Woojin’s phone got the exact same message. I remembered the saying, “You’re too shocked to even be angry.” I wasn’t even mad, just dumbfounded. I should have realized something was off when Jung Woojin bought me this phone. Unsure of what to do, I put his phone back where it was and replied to Gapdol on my phone.

First, I needed to meet with Gapdol and learn more about myself. There might be things he knows that Jung Woojin doesn’t.

For some reason, this profanity-filled message made me think that Gapdol and I had been close. Or maybe not that close? We’d met twice and exchanged texts, yet I couldn’t remember anything except his nickname.

Another message came in. When I met Gapdol tomorrow, I’d have to ask him about my past and what kind of person I was before I lost my memory. And… should I mention anything about Jung Woojin? From what I remember of our first meeting, it seemed like Gapdol and Jung Woojin were just acquaintances, not close friends. As I stared blankly at the message from Gapdol, the sound of running water stopped. Not long after, the bathroom door opened, and Jung Woojin came out wearing a bathrobe. He spotted me while patting his dripping hair with a towel, his face brightening—until he noticed the phone in my hand. His expression darkened.

I remembered what I had forgotten. Holding both my phone and Jung Woojin’s phone, I asked,

“Why are my texts going to your phone?”

Jung Woojin, who looked like he was about to say something, clammed up. After a moment of standing frozen, he started drying his hair again as he walked toward me.

“I was going to tell you, but I forgot.”

“You were going to tell me? Really?”

I narrowed my eyes, and Jung Woojin protested as if he were the one wronged.

“I really forgot. I told you I would get permission before doing anything from now on.”

“Cancel it. Now.”

“…”

“If you don’t cancel it by tomorrow, I’m disabling the GPS too.”

“… But who were you texting?”

Instead of answering, he shamelessly tried to change the subject, reaching for his phone. I slapped his hand away and asked again.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“Then at least let me install the CCTV.”

Now he was trying to negotiate. I was speechless. I wanted to argue but ended up just sighing. It should be fine as long as it’s only in the living room.

“Fine, but only in the living room.”

“I can install the CCTV?”

“In the living room only. And by tomorrow, you’d better clean my phone up. I want it back to how it was when you first gave it to me—except for the GPS.”

“Okay.”

Jung Woojin casually took both phones from my hands, smiling as he did. He looked down at the screen, probably checking the messages, and I turned away, saying,

“I’m making three packs of ramen.”

“Okay.”

Jung Woojin, still drying his hair with a towel in one hand and checking messages with the other, answered more nonchalantly than I expected. I had thought he’d flip out, telling me not to meet that guy or something, but he didn’t. Surprised, I glanced at him before leaving the room. I turned the stove back on and waited for the water to boil while taking out some kimchi from the fridge. I added the seasoning packet, then the noodles, and started stirring with chopsticks. Suddenly, I had a bad feeling.

Jung Woojin hadn’t come out even after the ramen was fully cooked, so I couldn’t help but head back to the room with chopsticks still in hand.

There’s no way Jung Woojin would stay quiet after seeing the messages with Gapdol…

“Yes, Father. I’m about to have dinner now.”

Father? I peeked through the slightly open door and saw Jung Woojin on the phone. The air smelled strongly of cologne, mixed with the scent of aftershave, so he must’ve just applied some skin care.

“Yes, yes, don’t worry. I’ll talk to Mother myself. Yes, yes.”

Jung Woojin was talking to the mirror but turned his head when he saw me reflected in it. Feeling awkward from eavesdropping in that weird position, I straightened up with an embarrassed expression.

“I’ll call you again tomorrow.”

He ended the call, planting a kiss on my forehead.

“Is the ramen ready?”

“Oh? Right!”

I quickly pushed him aside and ran to the kitchen to turn off the stove, but by then, the noodles were overcooked and bloated, and most of the broth had evaporated.