The evening view from the hotel was magnificent. In fact, even if it wasn’t a Tower Bridge view, the world reflected in Eunchae’s eyes was exquisite.

The problem was that she was too busy putting her phone against her ear, never having a chance to marvel. She cleared her throat with a smile as the signal went.

Hello.

It was a voice she heard every day from the opposite side of the Earth. A smile spread across her lips as the voice flowed into her ears.

Although it was evening here, he must be having breakfast in Korea. There was no sign of fatigue.

It was Kijoo who suggested not to mind the time difference and to call him, but sometimes, even in the middle of the night when he should be sound asleep, he answered the call.

She had asked several times when he actually slept, but every time, he just chuckled softly.

What did you do today?

Eunchae felt a tingling sensation in her nape at that question. The conversation always started with the same question.

This voice consistently contained a sense of laughter. If someone heard Kijoo’s voice right now, it would be an eccentric sound that might raise concerns about his hearing. However, Eunchae felt otherwise.
“I went to a Chinese restaurant recommended by a local, and it was delicious. I still miss the food you used to make, though…”

You’re picky.

He replied with a low laugh. Perhaps due to the call using an app, the sound quality wasn’t great. Because of that, the vibrations coming from Kijoo’s throat sounded unusually loud. Unconsciously pressing the phone closer to her ear, Eunchae’s cheeks turned red.

There was no need to make phone calls in Korea, and even if they did, there was rarely a need for lengthy conversations. However, calls turned out to be quite an attractive means of communication. Sometimes, it even sent shivers down her spine.

Because of that, Eunchae worried that her taste might be peculiar. The immediate reactions that occurred were a testament to that.

“Uh, show me your face.”

Human desires are endless. Eunchae, suppressing the deepening longing, spoke with a coy tone. He simply complied with a video call. With a white bedsheet in the background, his words, accompanied by the twisting of his eyes, were quite arrogant.

If you missed me, you should have said so earlier.

Kijoo had never said such a thing. That fact was somewhat cruel. Hence, Eunchae couldn’t just meekly say such words. Following Kijoo’s lead and lying down, she spoke with a composed face.

“I didn’t say I missed you.”

It was a sort of retaliation, but he simply turned his head without showing any concern.

When looking at his profile, Kijoo’s long eyes were even more pronounced. It induced a peculiar feeling of concentration. Despite only doing something as putting food in his mouth, it felt significant.

Is that so?

He moved his firm jaw up and down, chewing on something. Eunchae was already no longer concerned with the previous conversation.

“What do you want to eat?”

Cherries.

As he spoke, his tongue showed slightly between his lips, the area around it turning red. Eunchae stared at the scene as if captivated. Kijoo casually spat out the seeds onto his palm and disposed of them somewhere. Saliva involuntarily passed through her throat.

“Well, Kijoo, didn’t you miss seeing me?”

Supporting her head with one arm, Kijoo immediately responded.

I almost brought you here but held back.

He remained expressionless, but it was apparent that he wasn’t pleased with the current situation.

Before, she had only trusted what she could see. Now she could see beyond his poker face.

Eunchae’s nose twitched. The urge to run to him wasn’t a feeling that had occurred only once or twice.

It was because of the future’s words that she thought had been casually mentioned. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and the future’s loud voice could be heard.

“Shall we go out and buy something? Feeling a bit hungry, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Eunchae whispered to the phone while watching for reactions.

“I’ll end it here.”

Without waiting for a response, the moment she hastily ended the call, it felt like she had seen his narrowed eyes. But by then, her fingers had already moved on their own.
Just as Future came out of the bathroom, Eunchae put her phone under the pillow. Since Future was aware of their daily calls, it was a meaningless act of pretense.

“Pretending not to have called again.”

As expected, quick-witted Future pointed it out with a sly smile. Eunchae subtly avoided eye contact.

The teasing continued until they exited the hotel.

Even a day without a call was described as a time when thorns would prick her ears. Despite that, Future’s remarks were ruthless, confidently stating that they would see each other soon.

She couldn’t properly refute. When she pretended to defend herself and plugged her ears, Future burst into laughter.

Expressing how unfair it was, she pouted. Future, claiming to alleviate her feelings, took her hand and walked briskly.

Helplessly being dragged, Eunchae’s face gradually transformed with wonder. London’s night was exceptionally beautiful.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

Future asked proudly. Eunchae, completely captivated, nodded her head without reservation. She even started taking pictures with her phone, using its camera.

Anywhere they captured was art, but she couldn’t capture what her eyes saw. With a longing feeling, Eunchae, holding her phone, suddenly felt pain in her shoulder.

Thunk!

When she snapped out of it, her phone was gone from her hand, and her body was being pushed towards the road. In the process of an “uh” moment, her waist was caught by something solid. When she was stood up again on the sidewalk, she opened her eyes.

“…Kijoo?”

It was absurd. Was she seeing things? There was no mention in the recent video call about him coming to London.

Ten minutes had passed since the call ended. In that time, he had flown over? Even with advanced technology, there was no plane that could cross the Atlantic in just 10 minutes.

Eunchae urgently rubbed her eyes, but he, who should be in Korea, was standing right in front of her. Looking down at her with a face as if she were frozen, he wrapped his hand around her shoulder. After guiding her inside, he spoke in a low voice.

“Are you okay?”

Kijoo was calm, but she somehow sensed something.

“I’m… I’m okay. No, more importantly, why is Kijoo here…”

He turned his eyes as if he couldn’t hear anything. Facing Eunchae, Kijoo’s and Future’s eyes met, and Future stiffened her shoulders.

Though they merely exchanged glances, an inexplicable sense of duty arose. Eunchae felt she had to protect him until Kijoo returned.

Some unspoken promise had been fulfilled. Only then did Kijoo pull out a tab from his coat, stretching his long legs as he disappeared.

Everything had happened in an instant. Because of that, she even doubted what she had just seen or what had struck her. Fortunately, Future regained her senses first.

“Are you okay?”

Terrifyingly, Future spoke again as Eunchae nodded her head.

“But… just now… he’s your boyfriend, right?”