Name: Seo Yu-na. Height: 138cm. 3rd Grade A Class. Special note: Likes compliments about her red hair.
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[Na-me, are you really going to the United States and not coming back? Will we never see each other again? I can’t, I can’t be without you… Please, can’t you come back? We promised to play Air Game together when you came back!]
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Name: Yoon Si-hoo. Height: 136cm. 4th Grade A Class. Special note: Gets defensive if teased about being a mama’s boy.
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[My mom says you’ll be happier living in the U.S. than in Korea. Is that true? Is living in America really better than being at Sephiron Academy? I just can’t believe it… No way!]
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It’s nice to hear the voices of my cute friends after a long time.
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Here it was 10 PM, but at the academy, it was lunch time.
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After listening to Yuna whine for about 10 minutes, I switched the call over to Si-hoo, who was grumbling for another 10 minutes.
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But this was super uncomfortable.
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“Hey guys, can’t you just meet up and call as one? Why do we need a three-way call?”
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Since they weren’t in the same space, the audio often overlapped.
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Every time that happened, it was annoying having to tell them who should talk first.
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But neither of them answered.
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Instead, I got simultaneous texts.
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[Seo Yu-na: I broke up with Yoon Si-hoo! o(｀ᾥ´)o]
[윤시후: We broke up yesterday.]
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Hearing that, I couldn’t help but let out a smile.
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I tried covering my mouth with my hand, but my chuckle slipped through my fingers.
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Bringing me such sweet news!
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Sephiron Academy’s official couple had split.
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And it was even hot-off-the-press news from just yesterday!
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After 24 hours, their warmth must still be lingering in their palms.
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I immediately channeled my inner detective and set off for an investigation.
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[NoName: Who was at fault for the breakup?]
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As expected, the suspects didn’t disappoint me.
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[Seo Yu-na: Obviously Yoon Si-hoo.]
[Yoon Si-hoo: Why do you ask? Obviously Seo Yu-na.]
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Long-term couples are boring.
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When watched from the side, there is no spark, like a stagnant piece of wire.
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Yeah. The most fun times are when couples have just started dating or have just broken up.
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Give me a bit more joy.
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I’ll adjust to the time difference with the U.S. later.
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Until the boys and girls went home, I stayed awake, sending messages back and forth about their situations.
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*
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To be honest, it didn’t feel great knowing that their breakup was my fault.
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“How can Yoon Si-hoo easily throw away a friend like that? Right, Na-me? I mean, I suggested we all shoot a video message together to get you to come back, but Yoon Si-hoo kept saying no. He said it’d be a nuisance to you.”
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“Uh-huh. So you two fought, huh?”
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“Yeah! And now he’s avoiding talking to me. He’ll probably dodge me in the cafeteria!”
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“Have you thought about why Si-hoo said that?”
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“I tried really hard to understand… But Na-me, be honest. Are we really that much of a bother?”
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“Not at all. That can’t be true.”
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“Right? If I see Yoon Si-hoo tomorrow, he’s done for.”
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“Aren’t you guys not meeting?”
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“Oh right.”
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That was roughly the situation.
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The news of me dropping out of the academy spread quickly, and the kids who believed I’d come back were said to be confused.
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Plus, I went off to America so unexpectedly, Yuna seemed especially sad about it.
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She rallied my friends to send a video message together, but Yoon Si-hoo voiced objections during the process.
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I decided to hear the side of the person who said that.
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“NoName, do you want to come back to the academy?”
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“No. I don’t have plans to do that right now.”
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“You thought about your decision to drop out for a long time, right?”
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“Yeah. I thought a lot about it.”
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“But now that we’re asking you to come back, it feels like you might just come back for us. I don’t think that’s right…”
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“Really?”
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“Yeah. You’re still such an impressive person. We can’t even compare. I know you go to the library every day because you’re not learning anything at class, right? Even if you don’t attend the academy, we can keep in touch anytime.”
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Si-hoo definitely seemed to have deeper thoughts about it.
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But still, he was just a kid.
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“Honestly, sending a video message didn’t mean I was planning to come back right away, and maybe I would’ve actually liked receiving it. Thanks for considering my point of view, Si-hoo.”
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So how to mend this broken relationship?
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“Just apologize, Yoon Si-hoo. The one who apologizes first wins.”
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“…”
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He looked a bit reluctant.
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I suddenly got curious and asked.
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“How do you guys break up? Do you just say, ‘I don’t like you, let’s break up’?”
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“Yup.”
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“Really? That’s it?”
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“What more do you need?”
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Kids these days are pretty cool.
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“Actually, earlier I thought Yuna still had feelings left for Si-hoo.”
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“Really?”
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Si-hoo asked back with a curious tone.
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Looks like he hadn’t moved on either.
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This is why watching other people’s romances is so entertaining.
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I kept pressuring Si-hoo until he reluctantly sent a text to Yuna.
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He read it, but there was no reply.
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Before long, I got a message from Yuna.
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[Seo Yu-na: Na-me, Si-hoo texted me saying he’s sorry. What should I say?]
[NoName: Just respond however.]
[Seo Yu-na: I can’t do itㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[NoName: It’s not that hard.]
[Seo Yu-na: What if Si-hoo ends up hating me? Can’t you text for me? Pleaseㅠㅠ]
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I knew getting involved too deeply in their love life wasn’t going to end well.
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“Guess I have no choice, just this once.”
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I took over Yuna’s account.
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In the pink background, Si-hoo sent a message of forgiveness.
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[Yoon Si-hoo: I’m sorry. After thinking about it, I realize you were right, Yuna.]
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What a simple thing to say.
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What matters is laying bare one’s true feelings instead of just superficial words.
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That’s how relationships can strengthen, or so I personally believe.
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I moved my fingers.
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[Seo Yu-na: What are you sorry for?]
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There should be plenty of things to be sorry for, so it’s an easy answer.
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I planned to be in Yuna’s shoes and express the feelings I would’ve received if Si-hoo said something vague.
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It was a perfect plan.
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Until Si-hoo sent me another text.
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[Yoon Si-hoo: (screenshot)]
[Yoon Si-hoo: What should I reply here?]
[Yoon Si-hoo: Hey NoName, can you text for me?]
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Did he just ask me to do it for him?
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“Oh, okay…”
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I found myself in the unprecedented situation of dating myself.
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*
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[Yoon Si-hoo: I’m sorry for not considering your perspective. You must’ve wanted to send a video message for Na-me, but I rejected it out of fear it would inconvenience Na-me. But thinking it over, I think Na-me would really be happy to receive the video message.]
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“Na-me, save me!”
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[Seo Yu-na: You know, what you said earlier had been on my mind, so I asked Na-me. She said not to worry about her and to do what we want. You’re supportive of shooting the video, right?]
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“Is Yuna trying to give me some hints? Just a little bit more help, please…!”
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[Yoon Si-hoo: Of course. I should’ve done it sooner, I wasted too much time. Let’s meet tomorrow and make it fun! Na-me will be eager to see us!]
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“Gya-hahha! Si-hoo wants to meet me tomorrow! Na-me, you’re a genius!”
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[Seo Yu-na: Uh-huh. Okay, Si-hoo, shall we reconcile now?]
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“No way… Yuna, asking me to make up first? NoName, you’re a true godsend! I’ve never been in this situation, so please help me just once more.”
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Anything more than this brought an indescribable sense of betrayal, and I hesitated to send any more texts.
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While I was pounding my keyboard, Si-hoo and Yuna were joyfully laughing away.
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The real ones were getting immersed in the fake Yuna and fake Si-hoo I created.
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Is there any difference between this and a reality dating show, philosophically speaking?
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“How do you two even date? Sigh, how… When you’re alone, what do you call Yuna? No pet names?”
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“Well… it’s kind of embarrassing to say.”
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“Really? Then I could just look it up.”
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“No way!”
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I had Si-hoo’s account in my hands.
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I scrolled all the way up and examined everything they’d said.
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“Eek! Wow, Princess, Prince,… Honey? Sweetheart? At this rate, they might even get married and go on a honeymoon!”
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“Stop! I’ll take over now! NoName, hurry and pass me the account!”
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“Just one last thing to check.”
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“Stop it!”
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[Yoon Si-hoo: Honey, let’s date again.]
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I did it.
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I wonder how Seo Yu-na will react to that?
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[Seo Yu-na: (typing…)]
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[Seo Yu-na: I really love my hubby too!!! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و ♡]
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There’s a saying that if you stare into the abyss for too long, the abyss stares back at you.
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Although Nietzsche’s concept of the abyss referred to absolute values like religion and morality, is this not an abyss?
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I handed the account back to a pale-faced Yoon Si-hoo.
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Even though he was 10,900 km away, my heart gave him a pat on the back.
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Not long after, I got a message from Yuna as well.
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[Seo Yu-na: Thanks for the help, Na-me! I’ll try to be okay with Si-hoo again!]
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At any rate, is the outcome what matters?
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I honestly wasn’t sure.
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Love was a feeling too difficult for me.
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*
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“Ha-ha! Did something happen with your friends yesterday? It sounds so fun, heh heh!”
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When I shared the previous day’s events with Cheon Saetbyeol, she burst out laughing.
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Cheon Saetbyeol had to wake up at 5 AM due to the time difference to stream as a VTuber.
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Surprisingly, that seemed like a healthier lifestyle.
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“But, if a girl says ‘what are you sorry for,’ it’s not good, unnie. If it works out, great! But if not, it could easily turn into an emotional fight.”
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“Is that so?”
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“Yup. The points at which they think they’re sorry might differ, you know? Ugh, just hearing about it suffocates me. At any rate, that’s my thought! It might not be right.”
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Even though she must be just as inexperienced in love as I am, getting advice from such a young child was quite amusing.
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Yet, her words did carry some wisdom.
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Relationships and love are interactions between people.
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Thus, certain aspects can’t be resolved through thought experiments, much like science and philosophy.
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Usually, I’d post about this on a forum…
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But then I’d just create false expectations for myself about returning to streaming.
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‘Instagram should be fine.’
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I heard that posting random thoughts in an Instagram story was something people just let slide.
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So, I received people’s opinions with a black background and white text.
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[NoNaMe_11]
[‘What are you sorry for?’ Those people aren’t great?]
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That day, my DMs exploded with responses.
