Amidst the chaotic backdrop of blaring alarms and hurried footsteps echoing through the sterile hospital corridor, Minju remained focused on the tiny screen cradled in her hands. The world around her seemed to blur into insignificance as she briskly navigated the bustling emergency area and strode down the corridor lined with consultation rooms. Her eyes remained locked onto an open chat on her phone, oblivious to the turmoil that surrounded her.

Ryan spots her from the office as he bows to the superiors before jogging out. He moved with agility, blending into the chaotic environment seamlessly. Sneaking up behind Minju, he gently tapped her shoulder, swiftly moving to the other side to catch her attention. Minju glanced at him, her expression distant, her focus never wavering from her phone.

"Did something upset you? Why do you keep looking at your phone?" Ryan inquired, curiosity etched on his face as he attempted to peek at her screen. His eyes caught a glimpse of a chat room and his intrigue deepened. "What's wrong?"

"What did I do?" Minju's response was absentminded as if Ryan were invisible. 

She was lost in thought, her brows furrowing with concern. In a world where she typically favoured calls over messages, here she was, anxiously waiting for a message from someone who seemed to have gone silent. Minju wasn't one to initiate text conversations, and the weight of starting one now seemed to confound her. Whatever had transpired two days ago still lingered in her mind, the unknown reason behind Yujin's sudden silence.

"Are you okay?" Ryan gently tapped her shoulder once more, waving his hand in front of her face, trying to draw her back to the present moment.

Minju stops walking and faces him. "Should I just ask her what's going on?"

"Ask who what?" He could only hear a sigh.

"It's nothing."

Ryan continued to follow her as they walked towards the cafeteria, his concern deepening with every step. "You're going to knock into someone if you continue walking without looking."

Minju reluctantly pocketed her phone, her tense shoulders relaxing somewhat. "I think I did something wrong."

"What?"

"If I didn't, why isn't she saying anything?"

Ryan tried to make sense of what she was saying. "Oh...that girl?"

"If she doesn't talk to you for a whole day or two, does it mean something? Is she upset?" She asks the guy who has absolutely no context. "Why would she be upset?" 

"What happened?"

"I don't know. She's just not talking to me," Minju replied, her voice laced with worry.

"Have you tried thinking back to a day or two?" 

"Nothing significant comes to my mind."

"Did you try texting her to find out what went wrong?"

"I did."

"And?"

Minju looked at him with a hint of helplessness. "I couldn't press send."

"Minju," he sighs. "Is it your first time doing this?"

"You could say that," Minju admitted, a hint of embarrassment in her tone. Her previous five-year relationship had rarely involved her initiating conversations through text. Everything was new to her—the start of something was fairly new. 

Arriving at the cafeteria, they grabbed white food trays and joined the queue. Minju maintained her courteous demeanour as she accepted whatever food the cafeteria staff placed on her tray. "All my life, people always text me first. Not the other way around."

"Then maybe you should try doing it first. You can't possibly expect her to text you first all the time. She's not—" He refrains from bringing up other names Minju has told him about. "You can't expect her to initiate every conversation. Just send something and see how she responds. From there, you can ask her what's going on. Don't jump to conclusions unless you know you've done something wrong."

Minju takes a small carton of chocolate milk as they walk to one of the empty tables. "How?"

"With your fingers, Minju."

Minju retrieved her phone, her apprehension evident as she opened the messaging app.  "How do you..."

"I'll tell you what I do sometimes," Ryan began, offering guidance. "Look around you. Is there anything that reminds you of her?"

Following Ryan's suggestion, Minju scanned her surroundings and spotted a standee of a cartoon puppy displayed near the hospital's entrance. "Take a photo and just send it. See what she says. I know it's not easy but if you can indirectly ask what might've upset her, do it."

She quickly snapped a photo, her hesitation evident as she sent it to Yujin. The act of sending a text suddenly felt incredibly daunting as she sighed, placing her phone on the table.

Both of them stared at the sent photo, waiting anxiously for it to be seen. Seconds later, the word "read" appeared below the message, and Minju's heart skipped a beat.

"She's not saying anything," she said, her voice laced with disappointment as she turned to Ryan for reassurance.

"She might be busy," Ryan offered, attempting to soothe her worries. "Or perhaps her phone's acting up."

"Or she's just ignoring my photo." The older girl sighs heftily, not knowing she could be an overthinker herself. She was now confronted with the unfamiliar territory of overthinking, her mind racing as Yujin logged off without replying.

Ryan continued eating his food, noting the sadness that lingered in Minju's eyes. "Maybe her phone dropped into the toilet. That's why she's not replying."

Minju raised an eyebrow, sceptical of the improbable scenario. "What are the chances..."

"It could happen," Ryan insisted, trying to offer a more positive perspective. "She might have classes or other commitments too. Don't jump to conclusions. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation."

—

"I think we could add two tracks in between."

Yujin watched her group mate sketch out the model they were working on for their year-end project. A complex project on building an advanced train station that incorporates living spaces. "How about a see-through rooftop? It could add natural sunlight to brighten up the whole station. Are we going to make it air-conditioned?"

A blonde girl points at her. "Good idea." She goes ahead and sketches it out.

Yujin's phone abruptly vibrated on the table, pulling her attention away from the project and back into the real world. A notification from Minju flashed on her screen, accompanied by a random photo.

Without drawing the attention of her focused group members, Yujin discreetly unlocked her phone to view the photo. It was a standee, an utterly unexpected image that brought a small, genuine smile to Yujin's face.

Before she could reply, the guy sitting next to her took her phone from her hands. Yujin glanced at him, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "No phones while we're in a discussion." It was a compromised rule for their group.

She pursed her lips but complied, turning her attention back to her laptop to document the materials they needed for their project model.

However, a few minutes later, her phone began ringing insistently. She looks at the guy. "My phone." She peeks to see Minju calling, wondering what was going on. "Emergency," she said.

The guy gave it back to her while Yujin left the project room. She picks up the call and hears inaudible mumbling.

"H-Hello?" Minju's voice came in, followed by a sheepish chuckle.

"Is something wrong?" Although Yujin didn't need a reason for the call, Minju doesn't usually call her.

"Nope," the brunette says. "Nothing's wrong."

"What is it?"

"You should ask her—" Yujin heard a male voice in the background, but it abruptly cut off. "Did I do something wrong?" 

Minju's question caught her off guard. "No, why?"

"I mean, it's just..." Minju pauses there as the younger girl waits for whatever she wants to say. "I thought I might've done something wrong."

"Why would you think that?"

"Why are you ignoring me?"

Yujin leans against the railing, holding back the smile Minju's voice brings to her. "I'm in the middle of a group project meeting. I'm not ignoring you."

"What about the day before yesterday?"

"What about it?"

"You just ran o