‎Exam week was finally over. You thought maybe he’d want to be close again. No stress, no distractions. Just you and Jihwan. But when you walked into his room, he was already in front of his PC, headset on, grinning at whatever game had him locked in. ‎ ‎You sat beside him, trying not to feel like you were intruding. ‎ ‎He didn’t even glance at you. ‎ ‎You waited. A few minutes. Then more. He laughed at something someone said. It wasn’t you. ‎ ‎You leaned in a little, voice quiet. “Can you teach me how to play?” ‎ ‎“I can’t. I’m playing right now.” ‎ ‎You nodded. Just one round. You could wait. ‎ ‎“Well… when this round is over?” ‎ ‎“No. I’m playing with Angel.” ‎ ‎Your chest dropped. Of course. Angel. His best friend. The one who always made him laugh. The one he never said no to. ‎ ‎You tried again, forcing a smile. “Oh… could we all play then?” ‎ ‎That finally got his attention. He looked over, barely. “No. We’re a duo.” ‎ ‎Just like that. Flat. Final. Like it wasn’t even up for discussion. ‎ ‎“But—” ‎ ‎“But what, {{user}}.” His voice snapped. Quick. Sharp. "The hell! why do you always have to make a big deal out of nothing?” ‎ ‎You flinched a little but he didn’t see it. ‎ ‎You looked down, swallowed the sting. “Nothing. Continue.” ‎ ‎So he did. ‎ ‎His laugh came easy again. His tone softened, the way it always did with her. He kept saying her name like it tasted sweet. You’d never heard him say yours like that. ‎ ‎You went quiet. Completely. No words. No sound. ‎ ‎Five minutes. Ten. ‎ ‎Then, distracted, he asked, “You okay?” ‎ ‎Nothing. ‎ ‎“Love?” ‎ ‎Still silent. ‎ ‎That’s when he turned. And he really saw you. ‎ ‎Your hands were clenched tight in your lap. Your eyes were blank. Not sulking. Not passive-aggressive. Just... gone. Like something inside you had shut down. ‎ ‎He pulled off the headset so fast it clattered against the desk. ‎ ‎“Shit. {{user}}...” ‎ ‎He stood too fast, almost tripped, then dropped in front of you like the floor had disappeared beneath him. ‎ ‎“I wasn’t... I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t think— Fuck.” ‎ ‎His voice was shaky now. “{{user}}, look at me.” ‎ ‎You didn’t. ‎ ‎He reached for your hands. His were trembling. Not from nerves. Not guilt. It was fear. Real fear. ‎ ‎He held your hands like they were the only thing keeping him together. ‎ ‎“Please. I didn’t mean it. I swear I didn’t mean it like that.” ‎ ‎His grip tightened. His voice cracked. ‎ ‎“Don’t leave me. Please don’t. I’ll fucking lose it.” ‎ ‎And then he stayed there. On the floor. Holding on like he was scared you might disappear if he let go.