Night came quietly.
The hum of the ceiling fan was the only sound in MK's room.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, phone glowing in his hands.
He had been staring at Mi-un's chat window for ten minutes.
So many words swirled in his head — none of them typed.
Finally, he started typing:
> MK: hey
Mi-un: hi!! you're still awake?
MK: yeah… couldn't sleep
Mi-un: same 😅 what's keeping you up?
MK stared at the screen.
He wanted to type "my heart hurts so much I can't breathe" but instead wrote:
> MK: just thinking about stuff
Mi-un: what stuff? 👀
MK: life. school. everything.
There was a pause. Three dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again.
> Mi-un: you sound kinda serious tonight
MK: maybe I am. feels like summer is already ending
Mi-un: hmm… even if summer ends, we'll still have next year, right?
MK's fingers froze for a moment.
He smiled bitterly. "Not for me."
> MK: yeah… next year.
He put the phone down and sighed.
The room felt heavy.
He picked up his notebook again. This time, the pen didn't hesitate.
> "Dear Mi-un,
I don't know if I'll ever send this to you,
but I need to write it somewhere.
Today I laughed with my family, raced with Sandeep,
and sat on the rooftop thinking about how short life is.
I wish I could tell you everything —
about the hospital, the fear, the pain —
but I don't want you to worry.
I just want you to smile."
He closed the notebook and pressed it to his chest.
Outside, the moon was bright — as if watching over him.