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Jeon Wonwoo is a simple person with really basic needs-- like time alone, in the peace and quiet of his room. He is a college senior taking up a bachelors degree in Literature, and is currently ploughing through the final pages of his thesis on the influence of Franz Kafka on Haruki Murakami novels, while working part-time as a customer service associate who answers email inquiries to support his studies. He rarely hangs out with the very few people he considers friends, mainly because he just prefers to indulge in his hobbies alone-- reading books, assembling Gundam plastic model units, and sleeping. He goes to school at 9AM and arrives home from work around 15 minutes before midnight. He eats his usual dinner of instant ramyeon topped with cold, leftover chicken straight from the fridge, after which he musters his last shred of strength to do whatever homework he still needs to do, usually hitting the sack at 3AM. 

 

Thriving on a physically and mentally-draining routine, it's pretty given that Wonwoo doesn't have a special someone. He's never had one in his many years post-adolescence. He's not the worst bean out there; truthfully, he's actually quite attractive in a quiet, enigmatic way-- sharp, melancholic eyes befitting a lone wolf like him; small and nicely-shaped nose that crinkles up rather cutely when he winces while walking directly towards sunlight; plump, red lips that frame well-aligned teeth when he smiles. Speaking of smiles, the problem is his smiles are non-regular occurences, so he comes off cold and unapproachable, but that is just how his face is. Personality-wise, the one notable thing about him is that he is kind and almost too considerate to the point of being foolish. Because of his looks and gentle nature, he has received a few love confessions-- from fellow students in his university to random people he has helped in bus stops, but he just politely pushes them back at the onset, as he finds this whole "love life" thing rather unnecessary than inspiring at this point of his life, since he can never afford to be in a relationship being so busy with school and work. He has those reasons conveniently ready for the few concerned/curious people asking him why he's never dated. However, at the back of his mind, it's mainly due to an early realization-- he fancied boys and not girls. Together with this facet of himself that blossomed early in his heart, is also the realization that he would someday need to defend his preferences to a society that is still not ready to fully understand. He isn't compelled to defend it yet, and will avoid situations that he would have to.

 

A few months back, due to sheer exhaustion, Wonwoo fell asleep on the bus ride home (this doesn't really happen a lot, as he usually doesn't fall asleep while traveling, no matter how long it is) and didn't notice his phone slipping under the chair. He was oblivious to his lost device until he reached home and remembered to charge it, and he never found it. It was never that much of an important thing to him, so he spends a few weeks without any communication device. It was perfectly fine until his boss required him to get one so he can call up when he's running late or skipping work. He initially wanted to get his old phone number back for convenience, but saw an opportunity and got a new one instead, thinking how he can get away from the insurance agents, telemarketers, and missionaries he has given his phone number to just because he was asked of it "for reference."

 

Getting a new phone number was a really bad decision for Wonwoo. Not even a week has passed, and he has already received several messages and phone calls-- some as normal as inviting the old owner of the phone number to go out and meet to have "shots" with them, to which he usually politely replies explaining that the phone number is no longer of the person they want to contact. On some unfortunate days, he recieves phone calls from a girl on the other line. As a gay young man, the situation causes him discomfort, but our polite boy just tries to explain over and over that he is not the person she wants to direct her ual desires to, and usually only ends up being questioned, "why do you always pretend that you don't know me?" 

 

--

 

11:37PM, Friday night. Wonwoo plopped himself on his bed as soon as he entered his room. He felt the sheets still cold from being abandoned for the day. It's the cold comfort he has been longing for since the last customer email he had to answer for the day, which he felt has drained him metaphysically due to its sheer unreasonable-ness. He started to flap his arms and legs, making a "bed angel," while smiling, eyes closed. It is cold, comfortable and quiet, and as it is a weekend tomorrow, he can sleep a little bit longer. He is perfectly content and happy over little things such as this, like a child. 

 

"Let's sleep early Jeon Wonwoo, we do have some extra time to sleep a little more and let's not--"

 

Ring~

 

"Ahasldkflashdlsskfhags!!!" He screamed over a pillow, his agony muffled so his sleeping neighbors won't hear. Jeon Wonwoo can only clench his fist and lightly punch on his bed over and over. But in his mind he wanted to stab the caller over and over out of annoyance. Is she again?

 

The phone rings a third time. Wonwoo is mad, but he still answered because he is foolishly polite and can't help it. Who knows, maybe it isn't her and it can be an important emergency call from his family.

 

"Hello?"

 

"Hyung?" A low, husky male voice spoke from the receiver.

 

"Uhm, who's this?"

 

"Is it you, Hyung? Hyung!" The male caller sounds drunk.

 

"Who is this?" Wonwoo asked again.

 

"Hyung... How are you...? I can't forget you, hyung."

 

The caller is crying, and Wonwoo is flustered.

 

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"Hyung... How are you...? I can't forget you, hyung." The caller choked on the last syllable. He is crying on the other line.

 

Wonwoo is flustered, confusion starting to cloud upon his mind after hearing the other person, who is obviously in pain.

 

"Hey man, I'm very sorry but I don't think I'm-"

 

"I know but please... please just let me talk hyung, you're always the one to talk over me so now that I have gotten enough courage to talk over you, I will talk." The stranger on the other line firmly said, still crying but a little more agressively. 

 

But his voice softened again, "I miss you, hyung... I feel so lost. So lost that I just want to disappear completely." He continued, sobbing.

 

Wonwoo sensed the caller's desperation to talk to at least someone. If there's anyone between the two of them who handles loneliness like a pro, it's definitely him. He can at least show the poor guy some empathy. It's not that late anyway, right? And it's a weekend tomorrow. And he is dead curious about who or what kind of person the past owner of the phone number is after those phone calls from Always Girl. So being the considerate fool he is, he resigned to his fate that night, having found enough reasons to allow himself this inconvenience. Instead of dropping the call, he put it on speaker mode and placed it on top of the lamp table. He listened to the stranger on the other line while lying in bed and staring at the ceiling full of half-dead flourescent stars, only the light from the cellphone illuminating the cold room.

 

--

 

He gathered from the drunk stranger on the other line that the previous owner of the phone number is a photographer, and that they are in some close relationship, him being the photographer's apprentice for over a year now. The photographer is also a man in his mid-30s, and the caller is significantly younger, The younger has somehow developed special, but unreciprocated feelings for the older man, who only views him as a child he is guiding into the ins and outs of photography. While this is perfectly fine with the unexpecting young man, he discovered eventually that the old photographer, whom he cherishes and respects the most, has been luring girls into believing that they are being scouted as models, and then ually take advantage of them. This has caused the young man to become so conflicted, as everything he has ever believed in came crashing down with the revelation of the photographer's secret. He has learned to love the older man through the kindness he has constantly shown him. This is the only filter from which he sees the photographer. The young apprentice does not know the monster who has lured unsuspecting girls to bed, and does not want to believe that he actually exists, and is the same person he loves. While the young man is still in a state of shock from what he had discovered, and longed for an explanation (or some forceful shaking to wake him up from the horrible dream he's in) the old man just suddently cuts all contacts and disappeared, without an explanation nor an apology. His family doesn't know where he is as the man is very quiet and secretive, and his phone has been unreachable for months. 

 

"Until you finally picked up, hyung. I tried hard to search for you. To tell you that I am terribly hurt from what I've discovered. I feel so betrayed, but... But I'm not judging you, I trully loved you... but I'm now letting you go, hyung."

 

The stranger hung up and it was suddently quiet and dark in Wonwoo's room, only the constant ticking of the analog clock and the humming of the airconditioner filling the silence. Wonwoo closed his eyes in relief that it's all over. He can finally sleep now but to his confusion, tears keep streaming down his face, wetting the pillow.

 

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