Something Was Wrong   “How was your date yesterday, Jieun?”   Frankly, Lee Jieun had no idea how to answer her friend’s inquiry. Rather, she questioned herself: Was it even a date to begin with? No. The events that took place the previous day didn’t match up with her definition of a “date”. Technically, Jieun hasn’t had a proper “date” in months.   “Hello? Jieun?”   “It was good,” Jieun answered, lacking even a slight hint of sincerity, “It was simply amazing.”   Jieun didn’t know if her friend had gotten the hint of her tone or was satisfied with the given answer – whichever of the two it was, the only thing that mattered was that the pestering questions had stopped.   From her bedroom, Jieun heard the familiar clicks of the front door of the house opening along with the all-too-familiar sound of footsteps. She whispered into the phone, “I gotta go. I’ll call you back later.” She ended the call and quickly shoved her phone in a desk drawer – he was home. If he saw her talking to anyone over the phone, he’d get upset and accuse her of ‘cheating’.   As predicted, Jieun’s boyfriend burst her bedroom door open and declared, “I’m home.”   “Hey, Myungsoo,” she feebly greeted. His mere presence was so overwhelming – overwhelming enough to make her heart beat out of her chest.   Kim Myungsoo fixed his dark gaze onto Jieun’s and inquired, “Were you home all day?”   “Yes,” she replied. After a short pause, she added, “I think I’m going to clean up. I feel dirty.”   Finally withdrawing his piercing gaze, Myungsoo gave a short nod of acknowledgement and stepped out of Jieun’s room, allowing her a short moment of freedom.     Jieun lay in her bathtub with her entire body, except her face, completely submerged inside the warm, running water. Sighing, she closed her eyes. “How did we end up like this, Myungsoo?” she whispered aloud.   The only thing that answered her question was the sound of trickling water and a wave of long-forgotten memories.     “Hey, Jieun, you did really well on your presentation today!”   Jieun turned to face the person who had called her. “Oh, hey! Thanks! You were great, too!”   Her friend chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder. “How are you? I heard you’re finally dating someone!”   Blushing, Jieun looked at her feet and murmured, “Yeah.”   “What’s his name? Does he go to our universit