- PM 13 : 00
“What, why are you so late?”
Noh Ae-jeong opens her smartphone and checks the time.
One o'clock. No more, no less, exactly one o'clock in the afternoon.
Couples who are not at work or students pass by Noh Ae-jeong noisily.
The restaurants around the fountain are crowded with couples and families having a late lunch.
“That’s strange.”
Noh Ae-jeong mutters like that.
Noh Ae-jung's boyfriend, surprisingly she still doesn't know his real name.
Anyway, Yujaemin was never late for an appointment.
Rather, he was the guy who always came out first and waited.
“Well, I guess you’ll want to dress up a bit today.”
It's okay if you don't dress up, but it's better if you just come out quickly.
Noh Ae-jeong puffs out her cheeks a little, then shakes her head and puts her smartphone away.
It hasn't even been a minute yet. I'm not that narrow-minded.
Noh Ae-jeong looks up at the sky.
It looks like it's going to snow a lot?
- PM 13 : 20
“There is no reply.”
Noh Ae-jeong is inside the public phone next to the fountain.
There are no empty seats at the nearby cafe, and it is snowing too much to sit in front of the fountain.
I checked the weather forecast, and it looks like it's going to snow.
It's the first heavy snowfall in over a decade.
“Did you oversleep?”
But, the Yoo Jam-min that Noh Ae-jeong knows is not that kind of guy.
He said he wasn't such a careless man that he would break an appointment.
Noh Ae-jeong decides to resend the message that doesn't disappear.
‘Hey, what are you doing?’
"No, isn't it too much that you haven't even replied? Are you in the bathroom? Changing clothes? If you see this, text me immediately!"
There are already two sentences left intact in the chat.
Jammin didn't check any messages.
Noh Ae-jeong decides to add more text underneath.
"Seriously! I'm freezing right now! I dressed up from head to toe just to see you! I'm freezing to death!"
‘Ah~ I’m dying~ I’m freezing to death~ I think I’m going to become a frozen virgin ghost~’
"Don't spend so much time choosing clothes! You look good in anything! Can't you just hurry up and come out?"
Noh Ae-jeong tilted her head for a moment.
Touch the last sentence quickly to edit it.
"Don't spend too long choosing clothes. Your girlfriend's waiting! Just hurry up and come out!"
- PM 13 : 55
Noh Ae-jeong came into a nearby cafe.
Luckily, there was an empty seat by the window next to the fountain.
“Excuse me, sir. I need to place an order. Our cafe only allows one order per person…”
A part-timer who looks tired approaches Noh Ae-jeong holding a tray.
“Please give me an Americano.”
“Yes… thank you.”
Noh Ae-jeong, after ordering carelessly, looks back at her phone.
"Hey! Yoo Jammin! You want to die? What the hell are you doing?"
Now, anger dominates Noh Ae-jeong's mind.
No, is this really crazy? Back in middle school, I was the one who saved you from being ripped off.
I was the student body president who took care of you, who was a bit shabby, clumsy, and short.
And now, your girlfriend is me!
"Just hurry up and come. You're so stupid, you're picking out clothes."
"Or maybe your stomach hurts? You're feeling unwell? Then just come here to the cafe and piss! Don't make me wait."
"Oh, it's the cafe next to the fountain. You know? The one with the lizard-shaped sign. I came here because of you! It's snowing heavily outside!"
Noh Ae-jeong thought about it for a moment.
I quickly touch my hand and type one more note.
"It's snowing heavily! Bring an umbrella with you when you leave the house! Don't get yourself caught in the snow like an idiot."
The employee puts down an Americano in front of Noh Ae-jeong.
She didn't even look at the steaming teacup.
Only, he is staring intently at his smartphone.
It's snowing.
Beautiful, white snowflakes perfect for Christmas Eve.
- PM 14 : 40
“What happened?”
Noh Ae-jeong is now starting to worry.
Common sense tells me that Jammin would not be this late and not even reply.
If something had happened, I would have at least contacted you.
After much thought, Noh Ae-jeong decided to pick up her phone and make a call.
Thump thump
The beeping sound rings in her ears indifferently.
"We're unable to answer your call right now. Your call will be transferred to your voicemail."
Jammin doesn't answer the phone.
“Oh, what is it?”
In unbearable anxiety, Noh Ae-jeong calls again.
Do you have a bad stomachache? Maybe that's why you can't answer the phone because you're in the bathroom.
If not, then maybe… like a car accident… .
“That’s stupid!”
The couple behind her, startled by Noh Ae-jeong's monologue, glance at her.
Noh Ae-jeong doesn't care about the other side.
“Take it… Take it… Please take it….”
Still, only the signal sound flows indifferently.
There is no response.
“Oh! Really!”
Noh Ae-jeong put her smartphone down on the table.
He rests his chin on his hand and nervously moves his fingers.
“What? What’s going on?”
If the worst case scenario really is an accident… .
No! Why would I think such a stupid thing?
At that moment, Noh Ae-jeong's eyes widened.
"ah…."
It disappeared.
The chat room between Noh Ae-jeong and Yoo Jam-min on the smartphone screen that is always on.
The number 1 on that screen.
It disappeared.
“I read it!”
“Excuse me, could you please be quiet….”
The man in the back seat reaches out and speaks to me.
Noh Ae-jeong just shakes her head and ignores the man.
“What is this guy….”
"Oppa, it's okay. Let's just go. It's movie time soon anyway."
“This is ridiculous.”
The couples left the cafe.
Of course, to Noh Ae-jeong, that was completely unimportant.
“I read it. I read it. Look at this guy. He’s really annoying.”
Noh Ae-jeong waits quietly.
If the worst really happens—say, if something happens and someone opens Jammin's phone.
At least there would be some kind of reply. Or at least a phone call.
Noh Ae-jeong waits with her last bit of patience.
Five minutes, ten minutes. And then fifteen minutes.
There is nothing.
Only the text message 1 disappeared, no replies, no responses, no calls… nothing.
“Look at this guy?”
Noh Ae-jeong quickly moved her fingers and began touching the smartphone.
What happened to you?
Surprisingly, the number 1 disappears right away.
It means that the chat screen is open.
‘Hey! Are you reading this right now? Huh?’
"Excuse me? Is anyone there? Is the owner of this phone doing something…?"
Noh Ae-jeong shakes her head and rewrites the word.
"Did the owner of this phone suffer something? If so, please reply. Please."
Another 1 disappears, but there is no answer.
"Hey! Yoo Jammin, are you kidding me? Do you know how long I've been waiting?"
"If you come here, you'll have to pay for the cafe I paid! I waited because of you."
"You're not going to come out of the house just because it's snowing heavily, are you? Then I'll come to your house? Really?"
Noh Ae-jeong takes her head off the phone.
Come to think of it, you don't even know Jammin's name, house, or family?
He's my boyfriend, we're dating, we're lovers.
Your lover's real name, your lover's home address, where you live, and who you live with.
Noh Ae-jeong had no idea.
Only then did she realize.
- PM 15 : 50
“What? What on earth?”
There were over 30 unanswered messages... no, over 50.
It's almost like writing a diary.
I've already had more than 10 missed calls.
Noh Ae-jeong looks at her smartphone pointlessly.
The message that I was checking for a while now seems to be not being checked again.
The number 1 is not disappearing.
“Guest over there….”
“Please give me another Americano.”
“No, that’s not it.”
The employee hands something to Noh Ae-jeong.
It's a portable mobile phone charger, or auxiliary battery.
“….”
“The manager told me to give it to you. You can stop ordering.”
The middle-aged master, who was wiping cups at the counter, nodded silently to Noh Ae-jeong.
At the table where she was already sitting alone, there were already three cups of Americano piled up without even taking a sip.
“Ah… this….”
To Noh Ae-jeong's muttering, the Master just looked at her silently.
So, Noh Ae-jeong doesn't give up and puts a battery into the dying smartphone.
The graph, which was blinking at 28%, begins to rise again.
“What the hell is it? What the hell is it? What the hell is it?”
Noh Ae-jeong mutters to herself and bites her lip.
If something happens, you should definitely call the police or paramedics on your phone… .
No! What are you talking about! What the hell is going on? This is really annoying!
Something enters Noh Ae-jeong's eyes as she mutters to herself.
"uh?"
The streets of Eve, where snow is falling, are already a little dark, and are bustling with people.
In between, that is, on the fountain bench where he had been waiting for Jammin earlier.
There is something.
Something, something new, is taking its place.
Noh Ae-jeong is like a dying person coming back to life.
I literally kicked the cafe chair and sat up.
- PM 17 : 00
The street scene is plunged into darkness.
Above the dark winter sky, white snow falls in fluttering layers and piles up in thick layers.
Now the streets of Christmas Eve are bustling with people, sparkling and shining.
The cafe also has all the lights on and is even playing carols.
Only around Noh Ae-jeong, the light disappeared.
“….”
Paris hell.
Carnivorous plant, native to the Americas, with a unique eyebrow-shaped structure, requiring moderate moisture.
The potted plant that Noh Ae-jeong said she wanted as a Christmas present.
The flowerpot, even wrapped in insulation, was there.
The place where Noh Ae-jeong and Yoo Jam-min made their date today.
It was placed on the bench in front of the fountain.
It's very pretty, and judging by the condition of the insulation packaging, it's not a flower pot that was bought on a whim.
It's a flower pot that looks like it was carefully prepared a few days ago.
“What the hell are you doing? Huh?”
Is that something you say to yourself or to your boyfriend?
Even Noh Ae-jeong herself seems unsure which side it is.
When did you leave the gift on the chair? No, that doesn't mean something happened, does it?
Or, is it that a mysterious kidnapper kidnapped Jammin, left the flower pot in a place only we know about, and then intentionally took the phone to check the conversation?
Even if I said it myself, it was nonsense that didn't make sense.
In the first place, only Jammin knows the gift and the meeting place.
“What is it…?”
Noh Ae-jeong just stares at the phone with no answer, her face looking like she's about to cry.
Because of the tears that have already flowed out, my makeup is getting ruined again.
“Excuse me, sir….”
The employee approached her cautiously.
“Just leave it alone.”
At the cafe master's words, he shook his head and left.
Noh Ae-jeong opens her phone screen again with tired fingers.
"Hey, you really have bad taste. You left the gift at the meeting place."
"Then what about my present? I bought a present for you too."
"No! Beyond that! What the hell are you doing? Say something. Are you trying to drive people crazy? Hey! Yoo Jammin! You're really not going to let me be!"
- PM 19 : 20
Now the inside of the cafe has become quiet.
Eve's Street is also becoming less and less crowded.
Everyone is hurrying to spend the only evening of the year with their loved ones.
However, Noh Ae-jeong is nailed to the cafe table like a ghost.
Instead of the part-timer who was fired due to the Labor Standards Act, the master with a cool mustache cleans Noh Ae-jeong's desk.
Noh Ae-jeong didn't say a word.
The master remained silent and replaced her auxiliary battery with a new one.
"Jammin, you know. Can't you at least say something?"
"I'll keep waiting for you here. Yeah? I definitely checked your message earlier."
"I really like this Parisian hell! Don't you want to hear some reviews? The day after our date at the botanical garden, I learned a bit about plants, too. But you're the one who should correct me if I'm wrong, right?"
"Hey, are you seriously making a mistake? I'm totally set today. Should I take a picture and send it to you? Okay? Jammin?"
The unanswered echo just lingers somewhere in the cyber world.
Noh Ae-jeong puts down her phone weakly and looks out the window.
Until this morning, Eve's scenery had looked so beautiful.
Just like a blizzard in a destroyed world, fleeting and useless.
It looks lonely.
at that time.
It rang.
Noh Ae-jeong's phone rang.
Noh Ae-jeong grabs her phone like a madman, at incredible speed.
And then, I slid the screen to check the message.
‘Aejeong-ah.’
I can see it.
Even though I can't see it, can't hear its voice, and I'm not even talking to it.
Noh Ae-jeong could tell.
The one who wrote the message now is Jammin.
It's none other than Yujaemin.
With her womanly intuition, Noh Ae-jeong noticed it.
So, Noh Ae-jeong started moving her fingers quickly like a crazy woman.
"Hey! What are you doing? Huh? Where the hell are you? No, more importantly! What's wrong? Are you okay? No! At least call me! Are you home? You're not hurt, are you? When did you leave the flower pot behind? Do you know how long I've been waiting? Huh?"
‘I’m so sorry.’
"Don't say sorry! Tell me what happened!"
‘Do you remember what I said before?’
"What the hell are you talking about! You're seriously going to get in trouble if we meet again. Get ready to get in trouble! Where are you?"
Even though he said he would scold me.
Noh Ae-jeong is so happy that her face is blushing.
Because I was touching the screen too quickly, my hand kept slipping and I was making typos.
She writes the text, carefully adjusting her touch.
"You'll probably remember. You, Aejung, have a good memory."
"Of course! You'll remember everything that happened today, right? Because you absolutely won't. I'll punish you for the rest of your life, even with interest. I'll bring up today on every date from now on. Be prepared!"
‘I can’t make you happy.’
"What do you want me to do? Is now the time to say something like that? Where are you? I'll be there right now! Got it?"
‘Aejeong-ah.’
For a brief moment, the chat screen seemed to freeze.
So the exchange of answers between the two was cut off for a moment.
No, it's not disconnected.
It seems like Yoo Jam-min didn't have time to say what he wanted to say to Noh Ae-jeong.
As if a voice message sent to a lover from across the galaxy would reach Earth millions of years later.
Like that― in the chat screen that had stopped for a moment.
The alarm rang.
Noh Ae-jeong opens her eyes wide and looks at it.
She sees the reply sent by Yoo Jam-min.
‘Let’s break up.’
Noh Ae-jeong just stared blankly, unable to respond.
Just dumbly, as if my fingers were frozen.
"ah…."
A single teardrop flows from Noh Ae-jeong's eye.
It falls onto the cooled Americano.
The makeup I had applied was erased like ink, leaving the area next to me dirty.
The snow is falling heavily.
As if trying to cover up that feeling.
And then, Noh Ae-jeong opens her eyes wide and starts to touch her smartphone wildly.
I just start touching the screen, as if my fingers are going to tear.
"What the hell are you talking about! What? What are you talking about all of a sudden? There's no context! Are you kidding me?"
Hey! Yoo Jammin! Answer me!
No more answers.
The number 1 is silent.
Noh Ae-jeong instinctively noticed it again.
Now, Yujaemin is not looking at this screen.
"Let's meet up and talk. I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you even know what you're talking about?"
"You really won't leave me alone if we meet. This isn't a joke. I'm really pissed!"
"What do you mean, break up? It's not April Fool's Day. This isn't funny at all! Are you crazy?"
There is no answer. It doesn't disappear even by 1 degree.
"Jammin-ah. Okay, let's meet up and talk again."
"You know, I've been a bit too quick-witted lately, haven't I? No. No. Maybe I've been a bit rude to you. I'll fix everything. Okay? Please check."
"Did I dress a little too much on our date? I don't normally dress like that. If you tell me, I'll fix it. I like wearing pants."
"You know what? We've known each other since middle school. Couples like this don't come often. Aren't we a match made in heaven?"
"I bought a book on constellations. I wanted to ask you about it. Yeah? You like looking at the night sky, don't you?"
“So, please….”
Tears begin to flow from Noh Ae-jeong's eyes.
Because of tears and snot, the corners of the mouth become dirty and the pretty lip color becomes ugly and muddy.
“Please… don’t joke around… and reply. Okay?”
Noh Ae-jeong picks up the phone and presses the call button.
“The power is off….”
She dropped her phone.
Jammin, after telling me that.
I turned off my phone.
“Don’t lie… It’s Christmas Eve… It’s snowing… You said we should go on a date… You said we should exchange gifts… Don’t do this… It’s not fun… I’ll do it… Okay?”
No one answers her.
The cafe master begins to turn off the lights on the first floor.
Because business hours are over.
One, two, the lights in the cafe go out.
In a world that is getting darker, Noh Ae-jeong cries out loud.
“I’ll do better… Don’t do that… I don’t want to break up with you… I won’t break up with you… I’ll continue to be your girlfriend… Please… I’ll do anything….”
However, there is no answer to that cry.
The blouse that was dressed up for today, the pretty makeup, the well-groomed hair.
It all falls apart under the falling tears.
Noh Ae-jeong cried without making a sound.
On Christmas Eve, snow falls beautifully from the night sky, coloring the world.
Silent night, dark night, and pure white night.
She was alone.
Very lonely.
I am alone in the world.