It had only been about an hour since their late lunch when Lexie and Junny returned to work. The studio lights glowed softly as they sifted through chord progressions and melodic samples, fine-tuning ideas for the upcoming Omega Song Camp. The energy in the room was light yet focused, bouncing between laughter and technical adjustments.
Lexie's smile fell the moment she saw the caller ID.
"Mom"
"Sorry, give me a sec," she told Junny, stepping away with the device pressed to her ear. The moment she heard her mother's voice—strained and shaky—her heart sank.
"Lexie... it's Ethan," her mom whispered. "He hasn't been eating. We rushed him to the hospital. The doctors said it could just be a bad flu, but—"
She didn't even hear the rest. Her brain was already spinning.
"I'm coming," she said without hesitation.
She ended the call, returned to the studio door in a daze, and met Junny's eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her breath short and urgent. "I—I have to go. It's an emergency. I'll explain later, I promise."
Junny stood up, alarmed. "Wait—what happened?"
"I can't think right now. I need to catch a flight." She was already halfway out the door.
And just like that, she was gone.
The next morning she arrived, the summer air was warmer than she remembered—not hot, but comfortably dry with a gentle breeze that carried the scent of pine and pavement.
Lexie exhaled deeply as she stepped out of the airport, her hoodie now tied around her waist, backpack slung over one shoulder. The sun was still high, casting long golden streaks across the asphalt. Despite the time difference and the sleepless flight, her eyes remained alert, scanning the road for a familiar cab.
Vancouver was in full bloom—trees thick with leaves, kids running around with melting ice cream, and the unmistakable buzz of summer rolling in.
But none of it registered.
Her mind was already at the hospital.
It wasn't until she was finally in the backseat, watching the city blur by through the frosty glass, that she remembered.
Her car.
With everything happening so fast—leaving Junny mid-session, throwing essentials into her bag, rushing to the airport—she hadn't thought twice about where she left it. It was still parked at the company.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair as the cab turned down a familiar street.
There was only one person she could trust with this.
Lexie dug her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her contacts, thumb hovering for a moment before tapping.
📞 Calling: Matthew Lee💙👬
It only rang once.
"Lex?" Matthew's voice came through, surprised but calm. "You okay?"
"I'm... in Vancouver." Her voice cracked slightly. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier. It was all too fast. I had to leave."
"Wait, what? What happened?"
"It's Ethan." She took a shaky breath. "He got sick. Fever, couldn't eat, they rushed him to the hospital. I couldn't stay in Seoul knowing that. I had to come home."
There was a pause.
"You did the right thing," Matthew said quietly. "I'm glad you got there safe."
"I left my car in the parking—" she began, but he interrupted gently.
"I'll take care of it," he said. "I'll pick it up and bring it to my place for now. Don't worry."
"Thanks. Also... Mattie, if Woori eomoni and Sungmin abeoji ask about me—could you tell them I flew back for something quick? Just, like, a last-minute errand or a work thing."
He hesitated only for a second. "You don't want them to know about Ethan yet?"
"Not yet," she said quietly. "I'm not ready to open that door. Not now, not while everything's still so uncertain."
"Okay," he said gently. "I'll keep it simple. If they ask, I'll say you had to take care of something back home—nothing big."
"Thank you," she whispered, emotion rising in her throat again. "I really appreciate it."
"You just focus on Ethan," he told her. "I'll handle the rest."
Lexie leaned her head against the window, watching the city fly past, the sun golden and low now. But all she could see was the hospital in her mind.
And all she could feel was the ache of not getting to him sooner.
✦ ✦ ✦
The second he stepped back into the practice room, the familiar bassline thumped through the floor — steady, repetitive, like nothing had changed. But something had.
Mark's chest was still tight as he tossed his hoodie onto the bench. His mind kept rewinding to Junny's words.
"She left. Not too long ago. Said something came up — looked kinda serious."
Mark had rushed over the moment he heard she'd been in the studio. But he was too late — again.
He didn't even get a glimpse of her.
How long had it been since they actually talked? Since they even stood in the same room and acknowledged each other?
It never happened.
Since the moment she found him asleep on that couch, the silence between them had only grown wider.
Schedules shifted, timing always missed — or maybe they both avoided it. Avoided each other. It was easier not to face what neither of them could name.
Now she had left — and he didn't know why.
Mark sat down near the wall, letting the back of his head rest against the cool surface. He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering before finally hitting the call button.
📞 Calling: Matthew hyung 🤝
The line picked up fast.
"Yo?" Matthew's voice picked up, casual but slightly alert.
"Hyung," Mark started, "did you hear anything from Lexie?"
There was a pause. "Lexie? No... why?"
"She left. Just now. Junny said it seemed urgent, but she didn't say where she was going."
"What?" Matthew's tone shifted quickly. "I didn't know that. She hasn't called me either."
Mark's jaw clenched. "It's been quiet for days. I figured she was just busy with Junny, but this... feels different."
Matthew sighed, and Mark could hear him moving around — probably already checking his phone. "Yeah, okay. That's... weird. She usually texts when she's heading out or something. Especially if it's sudden."
Mark stayed silent, trying to keep the rising tension out of his voice.
"If she calls me," Matthew added, "I'll let you know right away. But I'll try reaching her too. She might just be—" He stopped, unsure.
Mark finished for him, "—overwhelmed."
"Yeah," Matthew murmured. "Something must've come up. I'll try her now."
"Thanks, hyung."
The call ended, but the knot in Mark's chest didn't loosen.
* * *
The evening dragged on like it was stuck in slow motion.
They'd wrapped practice, and everyone had split to rest or shower, but Mark never made it to the dorm room. Instead, he sat slouched on the couch in the lounge, elbow on the armrest, phone in hand — screen lit with the same name.
No reply.
He dialed again.
📞 Calling: Matthew hyung 🤝
"Still nothing," Matthew answered before Mark could even ask. "I've called like five times too. I even checked her place — she's not there. And her car's not in the building either."
Mark let out a sigh through his nose, fingers tightening on the phone. "So she's just... gone?"
"I don't know, man," Matthew muttered. "I'm worried too, but maybe she just needs space. If it was really serious, someone would've said something. Maybe she just left town for a bit. I'll let you know if I hear anything, promise."
Mark ended the call with a distracted "Thanks, hyung," then stared blankly at the muted television in front of him.
"Ya makkeoli."
Mark flinched slightly when Haechan dropped onto the other end of the couch, holding a canned drink and eyeing him closely.
"You good?"
Mark nodded without looking up. "Yeah. Just tired."
Haechan didn't buy it.
"You've been down since you left earlier for Junny hyung's studio to look for Lexie," Haechan said, eyeing him. "And ever since you got back, it's like you've been stuck in a daze. You barely touched lunch, and you keep checking your phone like you're waiting for a life-or-death message."
He leaned in a little, lowering his voice.
"Is this about Lexie? Is there something you're not telling?"
Mark stayed silent, caught between brushing it off or finally letting it out.
But this was Haechan. His loudest critic and his closest friend. He'd figure it out sooner or later anyway.
So he exhaled slowly and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"I know you really know the girl Junny has been gushing all about."
Haechan nodded slowly. "Yeah... she's my new bestie. She's kinda cool. What about her?"
Mark hesitated. Then:
"She's the same Lexie I grew up with in Vancouver."
Haechan blinked. "Wait, what?"
"She was my best friend," Mark said quietly. "From when she came to Canada. She lived next door. We did everything together—school, biking, music, everything."
Haechan sat up straighter. "Dude..."
Mark's throat felt tight as the rest spilled out.
"I left without saying goodbye when we moved to Korea. I didn't even get to tell her. Things happened fast — the audition, SM... I figured I'd message her later, but then training got crazy, and I just never... did."
"You ghosted your best friend?" Haechan asked, eyes wide.
"I didn't mean to." Mark's voice was strained now. "I thought I could explain it all eventually. But then years passed. And I figured she'd moved on."
Haechan went quiet for a beat, processing.
"Okay. That explains why you looked like you saw a ghost that day."
Mark gave a faint laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I haven't even gotten the chance to talk to her properly. Since she got here, we haven't met face-to-face—not really. Just that one time on the couch when she mistook me for Matt."
He let out a breath.
"And now, she's... I don't know. She's just not around. Not answering calls. Not even at her apartment, apparently. It's like she disappeared."
Haechan looked down, then offered Mark the unopened drink he was holding.
"You sure she's not doing what you did?"
That hit him in the chest. Mark let out a slow, bitter breath.
"Maybe," he said. "Maybe I deserve that."
"Maybe," Haechan agreed. "But maybe she's not running. Maybe something really happened. Either way, you're not gonna fix it by pacing and calling hyung every fifteen minutes."
Mark rubbed his face with both hands, then dropped them on his lap.
"I just hate this. Not knowing."
Haechan stood up, nudging Mark's leg with his foot.
"You'll know soon enough. She'll call. Or Mattie will hear something. Until then, maybe... give her the same patience you wished she'd given you back then."
Mark glanced up, a little caught off guard by the wisdom.
"Since when did you get all deep?"
"Since I realized you act like a lovesick golden retriever when you're worried," Haechan quipped, already walking off. "Text me if you start crying."
Mark shook his head, letting a small chuckle escape — just enough to keep the dread at bay for now.
But deep down, something still tugged at him.
A whisper from years ago, echoing louder now:
"I'll never leave without saying goodbye."
And yet they both had.
* * *
Mark didn't remember when exactly he fell asleep—just that it was sometime past 4 a.m., after the last unanswered call, after the silence from Matthew stretched too long, after every ceiling shadow had turned familiar.
Even in sleep, his rest was shallow. His phone rested face-up on his chest, notifications on max, just in case.
The sharp buzz jolted him awake.
He shot up, the screen already lighting his face.
📞 Incoming Call: Matthew hyung 🤝
He didn't hesitate. "Hello?"
"Mark," Matthew's voice came through, low but steady. "I've got an update."
Mark's heart kicked in his chest.
"She's okay," Matthew added quickly. "Lexie's okay. She went back to Canada. Something important came up, but nothing to worry about now. It's all under control."
Mark ran a hand through his hair, already halfway out of bed. "What happened? Is she—can I help? Is she hurt?"
"No, no," Matthew replied. "She's not hurt. It's just... personal. Urgent, but she's handling it. Look, I wanted to call last night but she didn't contact me until earlier."
Mark's brows furrowed. "She called you?"
"Yeah. Said to let me know she's safe. And to keep it low for now."
"Does anyone else know?"
"I'm about to," Matthew replied, then paused. "She gave me permission to tell Mom and Dad, too. But I called you first—figured you had the right to hear it early, especially since you've been bothered since yesterday."
Mark slumped back on the bed, one hand pressing against his temple as if trying to quiet the buzzing in his head.
"Hyung..." His voice was low, hesitant. "But why can't I know what it is?"
Matthew's voice softened. "Because it's not mine to tell, Mark. It's not about trust—it's just... something she has to say herself, if and when she's ready."
Mark's jaw tensed. He understood. But it didn't make it any easier.
Especially when all he wanted—after all these years—was a chance to finally be let in again.
Mark let out a slow breath, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah... okay."
"You've got a shoot tonight, right?"
"Yeah," Mark nodded absently, "Late promo. Nothing before that."
"Rest a little more. Eat something. You'll drive yourself nuts."
"I already did," Mark muttered, earning a quiet chuckle from Matthew.
There was a short pause before Mark quietly asked, "Do you know when she's coming back?"
Matthew sighed. "No idea yet. She didn't say anything. I'll remind her, though. Song camp's coming up next week, right?"
Mark nodded even though Matthew couldn't see. "Yeah. She's part of that lineup."
"Alright. I'll check in with her again later," Matthew assured. "If I hear anything, I'll update you right away."
"Thanks, hyung. Really."
"Don't worry too much, Mark," Matthew added, his voice lowering with something gentler—like he knew exactly what Mark wasn't saying. "She'll come around."
As the call ended, Mark stayed still for a moment. His phone dropped to the bed beside him, but he didn't close his eyes again.
She was safe. That should be enough.
But it wasn't. Not really.