The final week of the bootcamp approaches...

It was a quiet night in my apartment, the kind that felt heavier the longer I sat in it. I tried to distract myself with a few TV shows, but my mind was elsewhere. Mostly on her. I hadn’t heard from Haeun for a few days. She’d been busy with training, and I understood that, but the silence felt unsettling. I just wanted to hear her voice.

I leaned back on the couch, staring at my phone, my thumb hovering over the screen. I hadn’t wanted to be needy, but the longer she stayed quiet, the more anxious I became. My fingers grazed the call button, but just as I was about to dial, my phone buzzed in my hands, and my heart jumped.

Her name lit up the screen, and I rushed to answer it.

"Hey," I greeted, forcing a light tone, though I could tell my voice cracked with a mix of relief and worry. "How’s it going? You alright?"

There was a brief pause before her soft voice came through, but there was an edge to it I hadn’t expected.

"Hey, I’m okay. Just… been a long few days. Training is intense."

I frowned, but I didn’t press. I knew she had been working nonstop, pouring everything into her training for the final evaluation. The competition was close, and I could tell she was feeling the pressure.

"You’ll do great," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I know how hard you’ve been working for this. Just take it one step at a time. You’ve always been so talented, Haeun."

"Thanks," she replied, her voice softening slightly. I could hear the exhaustion in her words, but also something else. A quiet resolve, like she was wrestling with something. "Listen… I’ve been thinking."

I leaned forward, instinctively sensing that she was about to tell me something important. "About what?"

There was a long pause before she spoke again, and I could tell she was struggling with her words. "Do you think it’s worth it? You know… sacrificing things to get ahead?"

My brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? What kind of sacrifices?"

She didn’t answer immediately, the silence between us stretching out like a chasm I couldn’t cross. It felt like she was holding something back—something big, something that I wasn’t supposed to know.

"Just… if it came down to it, would you support me no matter what?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and I couldn’t tell if it was the phone line or her emotions that made her sound so distant.

I didn’t understand what she meant, but I didn’t care to question her now. I just wanted to reassure her. "Of course, I will," I said without hesitation. "I’ll always support you, Haeun. No matter what happens."

She paused again, as if weighing my words. I could hear her taking a deep breath. "Thanks," she murmured, a faint smile in her voice. "I just needed to hear that."

I felt a knot form in my stomach, the unease creeping back in. "Hey, if something’s bothering you—"

"I’m fine," she interrupted quickly. "Really, I am. It’s just a lot to handle right now. Training, the competition… everything."

I could tell she was brushing something off, but I didn’t push further. "Alright, if you say so. Just remember, I’m here if you need to talk."

"I know," she whispered. "Thanks for being so understanding."

Before I could say anything else, she hung up, leaving me staring at the screen. There was something about the call that didn’t sit right with me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Why did she seem so distant? Why did it feel like she was hiding something from me?

I put the phone down, frustration welling up inside me. I trusted her—of course I did—but something was off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing a piece of the puzzle.

I glanced at the time. It was late, and I had work in the morning. Still, I found myself unable to sleep, replaying the conversation over and over in my head. Was I just overthinking it? Or was there more going on than she was letting on?

As the hours passed, I finally drifted off, my mind still racing with unanswered questions.