Hyunjin met Felix on KakaoTalk two years ago by complete accident, a friend-of-a-friend chatroom that somehow became their own. It started with memes, late-night talks about random music, and the kind of jokes that only got funnier when you were half-asleep.

Now, their friendship lived through phone screens, blurry video calls, and the warmth of small messages.

“Did you eat?” “Not yet. You?” “No, I’m waiting for my ramen to cool down.” “You always eat ramen.”

Hyunjin could almost hear Felix laughing as he typed. His accent was still thick, soft around the edges. It made Hyunjin smile every time.

They didn’t talk about everything, but somehow, it always felt like they could.

Felix had a girlfriend now. He told Hyunjin in a voice message that started with, “You remember Minji? From that gaming server?” and ended with a shy laugh.

Hyunjin remembered feeling a small, dull ache somewhere under his ribs, one he pushed away before it could form words. He liked Felix, not in the dramatic, movie way, but in the way you like someone who feels like home. But homes aren’t always meant to be yours.

So he congratulated him, teased him, and meant it when he said he was happy for him. Because he was.

Sometimes, on quiet nights, Felix would still message him first. “You awake?” “Always.” “Wish you were here, man.”

Hyunjin would stare at the words a little too long before replying. “Yeah. Me too.”

There was a pause before Felix sent another message. “She makes me really happy, you know? But sometimes, I think about how easy it feels talking to you. It’s different.”

Hyunjin read it twice, then smiled faintly. “Different’s good, Lix.”

Felix sent a heart emoji, and that was that.