Silence fell on us, and all I could do was to stare at my acquaintance. He had his hands in his jeans’ pockets and his lips were nothing but a straight, firm line. It felt like one of my deepest secrets turned out to be nothing but a sham. I looked at him with unwavering eyes, trying my best to rack my brain for reasons and loopholes, because not once did I even suspect him to be Clover.

I recalled this one time when I sent Clover some excerpts from different essays, with mine included. Out of boredom I asked him if he could find my ‘voice’. After ten minutes he replied with the correct answer.

What gave me away? I asked.

He replied: To put it simply your voice is easy to hear—always has been, always will be.

So does that mean my voice stands out among the others?

Not really. You’re voice is easy to hear, that’s all there is to it. What a nice thought, however. I’ve always wondered if people could hear my voice without any difficulties, too. That would be a stretch, however, considering I’m just a generic clover. A generic, generic clover.

I sighed, and said, “You’re not Clover.”

“Why not?” he asked in response.

With my eyes still trained on him, I answered, “Because his voice and your voice are different.”

“How so?” Sunggyu asked again.

“It just is,” I replied, my patience evidently running low. “And for the record, Sunggyu, you’ve always been a bad liar.”

He chuckled at my last statement, and he looked up at the starless sky. I blinked once, and I looked up, as well.

“Did you see him?” Sunggyu inquired.

My eyes slightly widened, but I kept my composure intact. “Who?”

“Don’t pretend you’ve no idea about the person we’re talking about,” he returned.

I proceeded to look at him once again, and said, “Woohyun?”

“Ah, so you did look at my wallet,” he concluded.

I couldn’t find a good comeback for that one, so I decided to stay quiet and see where this conversation would lead us. In the end, we only basked in each other’s musings.

“Woohyun always asked me how he sounded like,” Sunggyu stated, after a long while of just blankly staring up at the dull sky. He told it with such familiarity, as if talking about that friend of his came in naturally for him—to which I think it did. “Back when we were younger, he would tell me he always wanted to send letters to a person without introducing himself anymore. Woohyun has that side to him, you see.”

I didn’t reply.

“Woohyun didn’t want to stand out, really. He never explained it to me to a point where I’d completely understand, but I’m assuming he wants to be heard,” Sunggyu smirked, and added, “I think you heard him, loud and clear.”

I think you heard him, loud and clear.

For someone who did nothing but analyze metaphors, give meaning to abstract texts and so on, what Sunggyu told me warmed my heart for some unknown reason. In an instant, a portion of my world started to brighten up, and I had this epiphany I wasn’t alone, after all.

“So are you ready to meet him?” Sunggyu asked with a satisfied sigh. “Clover, I mean.”

<:>

Sunggyu led me to the seventh floor, where the private rooms were located. The gleaming white floor reflected the fluorescent lights attached to the ceiling, and our breathing, together with the frequency in our ears and the sound of my sandals clacking against the tiles filled the silence between us. Finally, he stopped in front of a door. He glanced at me before finally sliding it open.

“Come in,” he said.

I followed, and what greeted me was an empty bed, left untouched. The smell of tea wafted around the room, and I could hear an acoustic song playing in the background.

“He’s in the veranda,” Sunggyu pointed out. “Go ahead and meet him.”

With cautious steps I did what I was told. I looked back at Sunggyu, who nodded at me encouragingly. I swallowed, and poked my head through the closed curtains, only to be greeted by the late summer air. I looked to my right, and my eyes slightly widened upon seeing Woohyun, wearing a black and white suit fit for the season.

I tried to assess my emotions, and I could only wonder why I felt relieved all of a sudden. I wasn’t surprised, but I wasn’t disappointed, either.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he began, with that beguiling smile on his face. “Thunder.”

Once again, please don't mention any names to prevent spoilers!
(But I think this warning is too late now.)
I'm supposed to write a long chapter, but I'm sort of rushing so I'll
continue on later.