Chapter 2 — The Conversation
470 Words
The next morning, Elora woke up earlier than usual.
For a few seconds, she forgot why.
Then she remembered the messages from the night before.
Jeon.
She reached for her phone and opened their conversation.
There was no new message.
She frowned at herself.
Why was she expecting one?
They hadn't talked in months. She couldn't suddenly expect him to message her every morning just because they had spoken again.
She put her phone down and got ready.
Today, she promised herself, she would actually look for a job.
After breakfast, she returned to her room and opened her laptop. She spent nearly an hour fixing her résumé before finally sending her first application.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
It wasn't much, but at least she had started.
She leaned back and smiled.
"See? I can do things."
Her phone vibrated.
She immediately looked.
Jeon: Morning.
Elora stared at the message.
She waited a few seconds before replying.
Elora: Morning.
Jeon: Busy?
Elora: Applying for jobs.
Jeon: Already?
Elora: I can't stay unemployed forever.
Jeon: Who says you have to rush?
She paused.
That sounded almost like what her mother had told her yesterday.
Elora: Everyone else seems to be moving.
Jeon: You're not everyone else.
She read the message again.
It was such a simple sentence.
Yet somehow, it made her smile.
Elora: That's something my mom would say.
Jeon: Then your mom is right.
Elora laughed.
Their conversation continued throughout the morning.
Nothing serious.
He asked what she had eaten.
She complained about job applications.
He sent her a photo of his coffee.
She made fun of him for drinking it without sugar.
It felt familiar.
Too familiar.
By lunchtime, Elora realized she had spent almost three hours talking to him.
She closed the chat.
She needed to focus.
A few minutes later, another notification appeared.
Jeon: Did I distract you?
She smiled.
Elora: A little.
Jeon: Sorry.
She stared at his message.
Then typed:
Elora: It's okay.
She almost left it there.
Instead, she added:
Elora: I missed talking to you.
She immediately regretted sending it.
The typing indicator appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally:
Jeon: I missed you too.
Elora's heart sank and lifted at the same time.
She didn't know what that meant.
She didn't ask.
Maybe she was afraid of the answer.
That evening, they continued talking until almost midnight.
Before going to sleep, Jeon sent one last message.
Jeon: Goodnight, Elora.
She smiled at the screen.
Elora: Goodnight, Jeon.
She placed her phone beside her pillow.
For the first time in months, she fell asleep thinking about someone.
And she didn't yet realize how easily a simple conversation could become a habit.
How a habit could become an attachment.
And how an attachment could eventually become something she would struggle to let go of.
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