"I hope today is the last day"

07. The Unquenched Flame

"I hope today is the last day"

Episode 7. The Unquenched Flame

Kim Taehyung, Jungkook, who had been quietly mulling over the three names, soon opened his mouth. He lowered his head slightly to hide the slightly wavering eyes.

전정국

That guy who was your first love in high school?

한사라

…uh.

I bit down hard on the flesh inside my mouth, and soon a fishy taste lingered on the tip of my tongue. The reality of working with someone who knew my entire love life.

I'm being harsh, but I'm sure he's also very uncomfortable in his own way.

전정국

I'm meeting all my old friends this time.

There was definitely a smile in his words, but his expression and emotions weren't quite like that.

Well, that can't be helped, I guess.

한사라

I really want to run away-

He stared into the distance, his words uttered with a sigh. He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth, observing Jeongguk's expression.

If I run away, follow me, you too, lol. When I saw your playful smile as you said this, I felt relieved to see your expression relax a bit.

···

Double take - Dhruv 0:52 ━━━━●────────── 3:50 ⇆ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ◁ㅤㅤ❚❚ㅤㅤ▷ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ↻

09:28 PM

After work, home.

I felt like I was too lazy to shower today... I thought I'd just wake up early tomorrow morning and shower, so I just changed my clothes and lay down on the sofa.

As soon as I lay down, sleep came over me... I tried to gather my hazy mind and think about whether I had missed anything today...

The cheerful sound of the bell broke the quiet flow of air, and all my sleep was gone.

I got up from my heavy body and walked to my bag where the bell was ringing, and took out my phone, but at that moment the sound was cut off.

I went into my call log and checked, and it was from an unsaved number, so I just assumed it was nothing and tried to let it go.

한사라

… … It’s familiar.

For some reason, the number sequence felt familiar. But I ignored it, put my phone aside, and grabbed a glass from the shelf.

Also, the wine left over from last time.

I was sitting at the Irish table, pouring wine, when I realized that I was reaching for my phone again because of another phone call.

It's the same number.

To my horror, this time the call rang briefly and then hung up. Considering it was two calls in a row, I doubt it was a mistake.

I carefully brought the wine glass to my lips, pondering the source of this familiar number, and the lukewarm, bittersweet liquid flowed into my mouth.

I was staring intently at my phone screen. After quite some time, a call from the same number rang again.

Now, I felt like I had to answer, so I put down the glass, carefully pressed the answer button, and put it to my ear.

한사라

hello…?

I thought I'd hear a voice right away, but that wasn't the case. At first, I couldn't hear anything.

Then… I thought I heard a person’s breathing, and soon I heard a sound that sounded like someone clearing their throat.

한사라

Hello, who is this?

"……."

한사라

Please speak, I…

“…Sarah.”

…I was sure of it as soon as I heard that quiet voice.

The reason why the arrangement of the numbers, which had been so long and confusing, felt so familiar.

Because it was Park Jimin.

“I’m so sorry… I’m sorry, Jimin.”

"Please meet someone better than me and be happy."

“…You’ve lived your whole life resenting me. I’m so sorry.”

···

“…Sarah.”

His voice was quieter than ever. The slight trembling in his voice was a stark contrast to the stillness I'd seen him in earlier that day.

한사라

……huh.

The silence continued. It wasn't so suffocating, but it was a long period of silence.

He was the first person to call me since we broke up. His voice sounded different than usual, as if he had something to say, and he seemed quite drunk.

He's never made a mistake like this before. He's a really strong drinker, so even when we were dating, I never saw him call me after drinking.

It felt like all the pain he had been going through was contained in that one phone call, and I felt strangely uneasy.

"…."

"……I miss you."

My heart felt like it was sinking. At the same time, my eyes stung, and soon a warm liquid dripped down my chin.

Perhaps I was staring at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears that were about to fall, unable to say anything. Then, I heard his single word…

"…Sorry."

···

The next day, at work.

"What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be going to work with Sara, Jeongguk?"

전정국

Oh, Sarah told me to go first today.

Jungkook, who gave the team leader a friendly smile with all his might, stared blankly at the black screen of his phone even during the conversation.

As if waiting for a call to come.

전정국

…….

And that day,

Sarah never showed up at work.

Here's a character relationship chart! (Please ignore the tiny text in the bottom right corner :))

++ Why didn't Sarah come to work?🙄