Minji was still reading the note Zoya had been writing for the past several minutes.
These days, the writing pad had practically become Zoya's phone—a silent way of sending messages from one person to another. For now, those messages travelled only between her and Minji.
Minji and the others had only just arrived.
Zoya had been sitting quietly in the living room, absently scrolling through television channels, barely paying attention to whatever was playing on the screen. The moment she saw them step inside, she straightened slightly.
She had been waiting for them.
Without wasting another second, she picked up the note she had already prepared and held it out directly in front of Minji.
Minji, who had just lifted a bottle of water to her lips, paused mid-sip.
Her eyes moved down to the page.
Minji, all of you should go. Your studies are suffering too much because of me. Don't worry about me. I can stay with Mr and Mrs Donghyun. I know they'll welcome me with all their heart. I'll get my treatment done and come back. Even after just one proper dose, I can already feel some difference—the swelling feels less. I'll be back in a week. Ji-ho is here too. I'll be completely fine.
Minji finished reading.
For a moment, she said nothing.
She simply looked at Zoya.
Not angrily.
Not even disapprovingly.
Just... quietly.
As if she were trying to understand how Zoya could possibly think they would agree to this.
Zoya caught the look immediately.
She reached for her pen again.
Don't stare at me like that. I'm serious. You're all losing too much because of me, and I'll be safe at Mr Donghyun's house.
Her eyes lifted from the page.
There was something almost pleading in them.
Please understand.
"Zoya," Minji said softly, "Ji-won still hasn't been arrested. They're still looking for her. We can't just leave you like this."
Zoya didn't even hesitate.
She lowered her eyes and began writing again.
I won't go out. I'll stay inside. Either at home, or I'll only leave with Ji-ho for checkups. I can even stay at the restaurant where people can keep an eye on me.
A tiny smile appeared at the corner of her lips as she added:
I'll be fine.
"But we'll still worry," Minji replied.
This time, Zoya's pen pressed harder against the paper.
The strokes became sharper.
Faster.
I don't need pity. I need your support. I've told you this before.
Minji's expression changed.
She looked at the words again.
Then back at Zoya.
There was no hesitation in Zoya's eyes now.
She meant it.
The other three had remained silent throughout the exchange, watching from across the room.
Zoya could feel their eyes on her.
She turned her face away.
The guilt she'd been trying to ignore suddenly became heavier.
The semester had already started.
Ruhi and Hana needed to focus on finding jobs. Minji had her own responsibilities too. Yet somehow, all of them kept putting their lives on hold because of her.
She couldn't keep doing this to them.
They were kind.
Too kind.
But kindness didn't mean she had the right to become their responsibility forever.
She lowered her gaze, lost in her thoughts.
"Hey."
Minji's voice pulled her back.
"Look at me."
Zoya slowly turned her face toward her.
Minji watched her for another second before finally sighing.
"Fine."
Zoya's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"We'll agree..." Minji continued, "but only if you agree to one thing too."
Zoya frowned.
She quickly wrote:
What?
Minji didn't answer.
Instead, she gestured toward Hana.
Hana immediately understood.
She reached for a gift bag sitting on the table and handed it to Minji.
Minji took it and placed it in front of Zoya.
"You're keeping this."
Zoya looked at the bag suspiciously.
"We need to stay in contact with you," Minji added firmly.
Still confused, Zoya opened it.
Then froze.
Her eyes widened.
A phone.
She stared at it for a second as if Minji had just handed her something completely unreasonable.
Then she immediately shook her head.
"No."
Minji didn't even blink.
"Then we're not going anywhere."
Zoya stared at her.
Minji stared back.
A silent battle began.
Finally, Zoya let out a long, defeated sigh.
She grabbed her notepad and started writing.
Fine. I'll keep it.
She paused.
Then added another line.
But first, call Ji-ho and tell him to come right now.
Her expression suddenly changed as another thought occurred to her.
She wrote faster.
Honestly, when you stepped inside, I felt like abandoning the note and walking away right in front of your eyes... because somehow, you had left me caged here.
She stopped.
Then added:
And there was nothing to eat. Whatever little you'd left behind, I didn't even know how to cook.
The accusation was so dramatically written that everyone stared at the page for half a second.
Then—
They burst into laughter.
Zoya's cheeks puffed out.
She looked deeply offended.
Minji laughed even harder.
"Not yet," Minji said, already pulling out her own phone. "First, I need to talk to Jeon J."
Zoya immediately frowned.
She snatched the notepad back.
Minji, I'm leaving, and all of you are going too. I mean it. Staying here like this feels uncomfortable.
Minji glanced at the note.
Then, without even responding, pressed the phone to her ear.
Zoya's mouth fell open slightly.
She had been ignored.
Again.
"Will you be staying at Mr. Donghyun's anyway?" Sophia asked curiously.
At the question, Zoya's expression softened.
"It feels..." she began quietly.
Her voice faded for a moment as she searched for the right words.
"Familiar there."
She lowered her gaze.
"Safe."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"The way Mr and Mrs Donghyun talk to me... the way they care... it feels like family."
"And Ji-ho?"
Hana's question was gentle.
But the effect was immediate.
The room fell silent.
Zoya slowly looked up.
Every eye was on her.
Waiting.
Even through Minji's phone, someone on the other end of the line had gone completely still.
Listening.
Zoya lowered her gaze again.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen.
Then she wrote:
He's a good person.
She stared at the sentence for a moment.
Then, after a pause, she spoke aloud.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Whenever Seoul hurt me..."
She swallowed.
"...whenever it broke something inside me, I always found Ji-ho right there beside me."
A tiny pause.
"Like he had been waiting all along."
On the other end of the call, Jeon J's fingers tightened around his phone.
His expression didn't change immediately.
But something in his eyes did.
He didn't know why those words bothered him.
He only knew they did.
More than they should have.
Then—
"Oooooooooo..."
Hana, Sophia, and Ruhi dragged the sound out together.
The tension shattered instantly.
They dissolved into laughter.
Sophia dramatically pressed a hand against her chest.
"Wow."
She gasped.
"Listen to her."
Then she mimicked Zoya dramatically.
"It feels like family there."
Zoya's eyes widened.
She immediately glared at her.
Hana laughed.
"Looking at it this way, Busan didn't suit you, and now even Seoul isn't working for you..."
She tilted her head with a mischievous smile.
"So, how about we try a visit to Jeonju?"
Zoya couldn't help it.
A smile tugged at her lips.
She quickly picked up her notepad, scribbled something down, and held it out for everyone to read.
Sophia leaned closer.
Then read aloud in an exaggerated voice:
"Say whatever you want, I'm still here... and now South Korea will just have to accept me."
The room instantly erupted into laughter again.
Minji, who still had her phone pressed to her ear, glanced over at them.
She smiled.
On the other end of the call, inside the practice room, Jeon J sat with his head resting against the back of the sofa.
He had heard every word.
His gaze dropped.
Then leave.
His jaw tightened.
Korea doesn't suit you. Why don't you go?
The thought came far more sharply than it should have.
His fingers shifted around the phone.
He didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.
And he definitely didn't like the way Ji-ho's name kept appearing in it.
The girls' laughter continued through the phone.
"Minji, are you just standing there?" Hana called out.
"I'll talk to Jeon J and come back," Minji replied.
She headed toward the kitchen.
They had all just returned from wandering around outside, and no one had eaten yet.
Not even Zoya.
So Minji had to prepare something while staying on the call.
The moment Zoya saw her heading toward the kitchen, she quietly followed.
Obviously, she wanted to see where the kitchen of this black house had hidden the dishes—the very dishes she had wasted so much of her time searching for.
As Minji stepped inside, she continued speaking into the phone.
정국아, 걔가 여기 더 있고 싶어하지 않아. 어차피 우리도 곧 돌아가니까 혼자 남지도 않을 거야.
(Jeongguk-ah, gyae yeogi deo itgo sipeo haji ana. Eochapi urido got doraganikka honja namjido aneul geoya.)
"Jeon J, she doesn't want to stay here any longer. Anyway, we'll all be back soon, so she won't be left alone."
그럼 어디 있을 건데?
(Geureom eodi isseul geonde?)
"Then where will she stay?"
지호 집에 있을 거야.
(Ji-ho jibe isseul geoya.)
"She'll stay at Ji-ho's house."
The second Ji-ho's name left her lips, something in Jeon J's expression changed.
He straightened immediately.
The relaxed posture disappeared.
He sat upright.
걔 집이 내 집보다 더 안전해? 아니면 더 편해?
(Gyae jibi nae jiboda deo anjeonhae? Animyeon deo pyeonhae?)
"Is his house safer than mine?
Or more comfortable than mine?"
Minji let out a quiet sigh.
She already knew where this was going.
정국아, 나도 몰라. 그냥 걔가 편한 곳에 있게 두는 거야. 내가 억지로 못 말려.
(Jeongguk-ah, nado molla. Geunyang gyaega pyeonhan gose itge duneun geoya. Naega eokjiro mot mallyeo.)
"Jeon J, I don't know. I'm just letting her stay where she feels comfortable. I can't force her."
As she spoke, her hand brushed against the edge of the counter.
The cabinet popped open.
Minji stopped.
And there they were.
The dishes.
Zoya, who had just stepped into the kitchen behind her, froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her mouth fell open.
For several seconds, she simply stared.
Then—
Without hesitation, she rushed forward, gently shoved Minji aside, and stared into the cabinet as though she'd just discovered hidden treasure.
Minji blinked.
She looked at Zoya.
Then at the dishes.
Then back at Zoya.
How was she supposed to know that while they'd all been out for hours, Zoya had apparently spent a considerable amount of that time searching for cookware?
A grin slowly spread across Minji's face.
"Why are you staring at those dishes the way you stare at Teahun?"
Zoya spun around.
Her cheeks puffed out instantly.
She shot Minji a glare.
The expression was so ridiculously innocent that Minji burst out laughing.
And unexpectedly—
Jeon J laughed too.
Across the practice room, Hosu looked over.
왜 웃어? 누구랑 통화하는데?
(Wae useo? Nugurang tonghwahaneunde?)
"Why are you laughing? Who are you talking to?"
Jeon J laughed again.
"I'm talking to Minji."
Minjo smirked.
"Ohhh. Minji?"
Jeon J shot him a warning look.
"Yes. Minji."
Before he could say anything else, Teahun snatched the phone from his hand and turned on the speaker.
Instantly, everyone in the practice room fell silent.
Their attention shifted toward the incoming voices.
Then Minji's puzzled voice rang through the speaker.
"Why are you staring at me now? First the dishes, now me? Don't tell me you're thinking of Teahun?"
For a second, the room was silent.
Then laughter exploded.
Teahun's ears practically perked up at the sound of his name.
Meanwhile, Jeon J was already laughing.
"Why are you laughing?" Teahun demanded.
Minji finally noticed the voice.
Realising the call was now on speaker, she placed her phone on the counter.
Then she said with a smile,
"Teahun, she was staring at those dishes the same way she stares at you."
The practice room exploded with laughter.
"What happened?" Minji asked, heading toward the fridge.
Then Teahun's mischievous voice echoed through the speaker.
"Hey, since when did the mute start talking?"
He laughed.
"Minji, you're teasing Zoya, right?"
Zoya glared at the phone.
Then at Minji as she pulled vegetables from the fridge.
Minji set the chopping board down.
Without even looking up, she replied,
"Teahun, if you don't want to become speechless yourself, you'd better keep your mouth shut."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Teahun dramatically gasped.
Then, grinning, he said—
"Why? Is winter arriving in two days and planning to attack my throat?"
When had Teahun ever learned to back down?
Minji smirked.
"No. I'll become winter myself and personally press my knee against your throat."
Teahun's eyes widened dramatically.
"Wait—you're coming in two days?"
He immediately leaned forward.
"That means all of you are coming?"
Jinhun, who had been glancing at Jeon J, immediately leaned closer to the phone.
Minji casually continued grating the carrot.
"Yeah, we're coming."
She paused.
"But Zoya isn't."
Zoya stood beside her, silently watching Minji's hands move.
She had to admit, Minji was ridiculously good in the kitchen.
The way she handled the vegetables, cleaned as she worked, and moved with practised ease—it was almost too professional.
Though whether this efficiency came from her good habits or from fear of Jeon J's standards...
Zoya couldn't decide.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
Meanwhile, on another phone, Jeon J was quietly watching Zoya's expressions through the camera.
Teahun hung up and immediately started a video call.
"At least show me your voiceless friend," Teahun whined dramatically.
"I missed her. And now she's not even coming with you."
His theatrics were already in full force.
During all this, Zoya had already stepped outside.
"She's not here. She went out. Stop your fake drama," Minji said flatly.
But Teahun wasn't convinced.
His eyes drifted toward the living-area camera.
And there she was.
Zoya was slowly making her way toward the notepad.
Her movements were careful.
Too careful.
Even from the screen, it was obvious that her foot injuries were still bad enough to make every step deliberate. She tried not to show the discomfort, but the slight pause between each step gave her away.
She reached the notepad, picked it up, and quickly scribbled something down.
Then she turned around and made her way back to the kitchen.
Minji was busy frying onions in oil, with the phone propped up right in front of her.
Teahun occupied most of the screen, while Minjo lounged beside him on the sofa, lazily scrolling through his phone.
The moment Teahun spotted Zoya returning, his entire face lit up.
"Hey, Zoya—Joya—Zoya!"
He started chanting her name like an excited child who had just spotted his favourite person.
Even Minjo looked up from his phone.
Jeon J, who had already been watching Zoya through the camera, lifted his gaze more sharply at the sound of Teahun's voice.
Jinhun, sprawled across the floor, cracked one eye open.
Yomin and Kim Joon were still outside.
Zoya looked toward the screen.
Teahun gave her a warm smile.
This time, there was no teasing in it.
No exaggerated expression.
No dramatic complaint.
Just a genuine smile.
For a second, Zoya smiled back.
It was soft.
Almost shy.
But, naturally, the moment didn't last long.
Teahun was Teahun, after all.
Within seconds, he was back to his usual self, waving his hands around wildly as though he were trying to ask her something through the screen.
Zoya's smile disappeared.
Her expression went completely blank.
She stared at him.
Hosu immediately noticed.
"Teahun, she lost her voice, not her hearing."
The room erupted into laughter.
Even Minji couldn't hold hers back.
And despite herself, Zoya laughed too.
She shook her head, lowering her gaze for a moment.
He really was impossible.
Yet somewhere beneath the amusement, another thought quietly crossed her mind.
Everyone needs a Teahun in their life.
The thought made her smile again.
But she wasn't about to say it.
She couldn't.
And she definitely wasn't going to write it down and give Teahun another reason to inflate his already enormous ego.
Unfortunately, someone else had noticed that smile.
Jeon J.
His gaze remained fixed on the screen.
He watched the way Zoya smiled.
The way her eyes softened.
The way she seemed completely comfortable laughing at Teahun's nonsense.
Something inside him tightened.
His expression gradually lost its amusement.
He leaned back against the sofa, but his eyes never left the screen.
Why am I even bothered by this?
He didn't have an answer.
He looked away.
Only for a moment.
Then his gaze returned to her.
Jinhun, who had been half-asleep on the floor, lazily opened one eye.
He didn't even need to look at the screen.
He looked at Jeon J instead.
"Jeon J," he muttered.
Jeon J glanced down at him.
"Don't burn your own blood over this."
Jeon J's brows drew together.
"What would it take for you to stop keeping such a close watch on me?"
Jinhun opened one eye a little wider.
His expression remained completely unimpressed.
"The day you stop thinking about her."
Jeon J went still.
Jinhun closed his eye again.
A few seconds passed.
Then he added lazily,
"You've started speaking her dialogues now."
A beat.
"That's concerning."
Jeon J narrowed his eyes.
He didn't reply.
Because, annoyingly, he knew exactly what Jinhun meant.
And that was the part he didn't like.
Not even a little.
To be continued...
Regards,
ZK 💌