They kept quiet, the silence edging into their skin, branding their bodies with its invisible marks, clawing at them with its sharp fingernails. It became unbearable after a while, Dongwoo had to cough uncomfortably. Woohyun pretended not to hear or recognize the awkwardness hidden within the cough, but Dongwoo just became louder with each passing minute of silence. “Are you okay?” Woohyun sighed, taking off his reading glasses to wipe the lenses.

“Yes.” Dongwoo smiled, and Woohyun saw through the smile. No other words were exchanged and they were dismissed half an hour later.

“Bye.” He knows.

“Bye.” He hates me.

And the ringing wouldn’t stop—someone was shaking a bell in their ear. Maybe this was their wakeup call, or maybe it’s the tinkering sound of death crawling slowly up their skins. Or maybe it’s just their desperate cry of pity and whimsical lies of irony.

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