Min-Jae's Room – 11:47 PM
The hotel room was quiet.
His classmates were already asleep ,
the sound of soft breathing filling the air.
Min-Jae lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the dim orange light from the city painting faint lines across the walls.
He couldn't sleep.
Not even close.
"I should have been with her more somehow… it's a shame we got back," he thought, his eyes drifting to the side.
Ha-Rin's face still lingered in his mind the soft light of the beach, the way the sea breeze had moved her hair.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"And that Joon-Ho… what's his deal? Why does she have to meet this weird freak who gets annoyed by every guy she talks to?" He thought.
He turned over, grabbing his phone.
Her name was still pinned to the top of his chats.
He typed:
"Are you still awake?"
He stared at the words for a long time…
then deleted them.
"Forget it," he whispered, putting the phone on his chest.
But his eyes didn't leave the screen.
The glow of her name stayed with him . faint, but impossible to ignore.
Joon-Ho's Room – 11:56 PM
The room was dark.
All their classmates were asleep ,
the sound of light snores filling the silence.
Inside the small bathroom, Ha-Rin and Joon-Ho were still there.
They hadn't moved much since they got stuck.
The air felt heavy, warm, and too quiet.
Fifteen long minutes had passed.
No one outside knew.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered.
"I don't know…" he murmured back.
Their voices were barely louder than a breath.
Ha-Rin kept her gaze low, trying to avoid his eyes.
Joon-Ho rubbed the back of his neck, pretending to stay calm.
The bathroom was so small that when he moved slightly, their shoulders brushed.
She froze.
He did too.
"This is so awkward…" she whispered.
A faint smile crossed his lips. "Yeah. You think?"
She shot him a quiet glance ,
not angry, but distant.
He could tell she wasn't used to situations like this, and yet, she didn't panic.
She was calm. Maybe too calm.
Outside, one of the boys shifted in bed, the sound of a blanket rustling.
They both held their breath.
"Don't move," he whispered.
"I'm not," she whispered back.
Seconds passed like minutes.
He tried to distract himself, muttering quietly,
"You really don't get nervous easily, huh?"
She looked up. "That's not true."
He smirked slightly. "Could've fooled me."
She frowned a little. "You just talk too much."
Another silence ,heavier this time.
They both stared at the floor tiles, neither knowing what to say next.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, vibrating softly in her pocket.
Her heart skipped.
She quickly took it out.
Min-Jae: "Are you still awake?"
Joon-Ho noticed the name on the screen ,his expression changed just slightly.
Ha-Rin quickly locked the phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
Joon-Ho didn't say anything.
He just looked away, whispering under his breath,
"Figures…"
Ha-Rin turned her eyes toward the door. "We should get out soon."
He nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yeah. When it's safe."
After 20 min
Ha-Rin pressed her ear against the door, listening.
No movement outside. Just soft breathing and the quiet hum of the air conditioner.
She looked back at Joon-Ho , his face still flushed red from earlier.
The space between them was almost nonexistent; their shoulders nearly brushed.
"I think… it's safe now," she whispered.
He nodded, swallowing hard.
"Yeah… let's go."
They stood there for another second before she reached for the handle.
The door creaked softly as it opened.
She stepped out first , moving as quietly as she could.
The room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of the streetlight outside.
Ha-Rin adjusted her hair, trying to steady her breath, before whispering,
"Goodnight."
Joon-Ho nodded, still flustered. "Y-Yeah. Goodnight."
She slipped out, and the door closed softly behind her.
The moment she left, Joon-Ho leaned against the door, running a shaky hand through his hair.
His face was still red. His heart wouldn't calm down.
Then—
"Hey… you're back," a sleepy voice mumbled from across the room.
Joon-Ho froze. "Ah— yeah…"
From the top bunk, Dae , his best friend since childhood ,sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Where were you, man? You were gone for like… forty minutes."
Joon-Ho scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… just needed some air."
Dae frowned. "Air? At midnight?"
"Couldn't sleep. The room felt… stuffy."
Dae squinted at him, noticing the red still coloring Joon-Ho's face.
"…Right. Stuffy."
Joon-Ho avoided his gaze. "What?"
Dae smirked. "You sure you weren't with someone?"
"What?! No!" Joon-Ho's voice cracked, and he immediately regretted it.
Dae chuckled. "Man, you're so bad at lying. You've always been like that."
"I'm not lying!"
"Uh-huh." Dae tilted his head with a knowing grin.
"Then why's your face that red?"
Joon-Ho groaned, tossing his pillow at him. "Shut up and go to sleep."
Dae caught it, laughing quietly. "Fine, fine. But if you were with Ha-Rin… I won't tell anyone."
Joon-Ho froze for half a second , his silence said enough.
Dae smirked, lying back down. "Knew it. Forty minutes of 'fresh air,' huh? Sure."
"Goodnight, Dae," Joon-Ho muttered, climbing into bed, his heart still racing.
Dae smiled in the dark. "Goodnight, lover boy."
To be continued