SWNOVELXO Chapter 28
Chapter 28
As Cha Yoon had said, there was a notification on the phone that had arrived 30 minutes ago. Perhaps because so many things happened every day, Seo-jung kept forgetting that he had to send a message. Seo-jung ran his hand through his hair and sat down on the bed.
Seo-jung’s expression as he looked at the message window seemed the most relaxed of the three days. It was because the recipient of the message was already decided.
Just as he was about to move his fingers without much thought, he heard the sound of tapping on the screen from the seat next to him. His eyes naturally turned to Cha Yoon, whom he had been ignoring all along.
Was Cha Yoon also sending a message now? Seo-jung took in Cha Yoon’s face as he looked down at his phone. A strangely excited, flushed expression. It was an expression Seo-jung had seen countless times over the past 7 years. At the same time, numerous faces of Cha Yoon from his memories quickly flashed before his eyes.
The comfortable expression on Seo-jung’s face cracked. Of course, he knew. The fact that once they came here, Cha Yoon would also send a text message to someone every day. Nevertheless, seeing Cha Yoon typing with such an expression made him feel strange.
Who would that message be for? Surely Song Joo-ah? Maybe it could be another contestant. He didn’t know for sure, but one thing was certain. That message would never be for him. He felt a throbbing pain in the palm of his hand holding the phone.
Seo-jung lowered his head and closed his eyes for a moment. He barely suppressed the emotions welling up inside him. When difficult-to-control emotions surged, Seo-jung recalled the things he had to do. Responsibilities and obligations were the pillars that supported the wavering Seo-jung.
Having barely controlled his emotions, Seo-jung quickly moved his fingers.
To: Yeo Ji-yoon
Thanks for the medicine. I’ll use it well.22.gif
Just as he finished typing and was about to press the send button.
He felt a naked gaze from somewhere. Turning his head at the piercing stare, he saw, unsurprisingly, Cha Yoon staring intently at him. He seemed to have something he wanted to say.
“Cha Yoon, do you have something to say?”
“Yes.”
Cha Yoon answered as if he had been waiting. Whatever he wanted to talk about, Seo-jung wanted to get it over with quickly. Seo-jung nodded.
“Then speak.”
“The message.”
“…”
“You sent it, right?”
He held back a mirthless laugh that was about to burst out. It was about the message again, following yesterday. Though he asked indirectly, his intention was obvious. He probably wanted Seo-jung not to send a message to Song Joo-ah. His already poor mood hit rock bottom.
“I haven’t sent it yet.”
A cold voice, uncharacteristic of Seo-jung, came out. Cha Yoon, the listener, seemed not to notice the temperature difference and asked with a puzzled expression.
“You haven’t sent it yet?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“…”
“What’s there to think about? It’s today, not some other day. Is there something to contemplate?”
He hadn’t been contemplating. Because Seo-jung had already decided who to send the message to, and all he had to do was press the send button. But Cha Yoon, unaware of this fact, wore an expression of disbelief. It seemed like he was wondering if Seo-jung still wanted to choose Song Joo-ah even after their confrontation yesterday.
Where should he start explaining? While thinking this, somehow he didn’t want to speak straightforwardly. He disliked how Cha Yoon was so anxious about someone approaching Song Joo-ah. As if representing that feeling, Seo-jung’s hand holding the phone also tensed.
Meanwhile, Cha Yoon muttered, “Ah, could it be…” as if something had occurred to him. His frowning expression bloomed brightly again. It was because he thought that Seo-jung’s concern might be about the content of the message, not the recipient.
If that was the case, he could fully understand. He could be cautious. After all, it was the first message to him. Cha Yoon cleared his throat with a “hmm” and forcibly lowered the corners of his mouth that were trying to rise. Anyway, even so, advice was needed.
“You know there’s not much time left, right?”
“…”
“Send it before the sending rights expire.”
I don’t care what it says. Cha Yoon added a subtle self-interest disguised as advice. Of course, it wouldn’t reach Seo-jung, who was having different thoughts.
The dryer beeped, signaling it had finished its cycle. Seo-jung turned his head towards the sound and left his seat without any particular response. Cha Yoon, who was about to call out to the departing Seo-jung, closed his mouth.
Well, he might be embarrassed to send a message to someone in the same space. Cha Yoon nodded, deciding to be understanding towards Seo-jung. He alternated between looking at the wall clock and the utility room with the dryer, waiting for 11 o’clock to come quickly without rushing.
Seo-jung walked back to the bed when there were less than 30 seconds left until 11 o’clock, the mailbox viewing time. Somehow, Cha Yoon felt more excited when Seo-jung returned to his place. Cha Yoon stared intently at the clock, acutely aware of Seo-jung sitting on the bed next to him.
11:00 PM sharp. The long-awaited time had arrived. Cha Yoon immediately launched the application and tapped the mailbox icon. While the loading screen was on, he recalled Seo-jung’s thoughtful face.
What kind of message did he send? What content did he write that made him contemplate for so long? His already inflated expectations grew even bigger.
The screen soon changed with a flickering glow.
At the same time, the smile on Cha Yoon’s face disappeared in an instant.
“…What?”
Cha Yoon muttered to himself. He wondered if his eyes were deceiving him. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked at the screen again, but nothing changed.
No messages received!
But that’s not right, it can’t be. Cha Yoon looked to the side with a bewildered expression. Unlike him, Seo-jung’s expressionless face came into view.
“Don’t tell me you couldn’t send the message?”
“…”
“Did you miss the time while thinking for too long…?”
Seo-jung also turned his head at Cha Yoon’s question. Staring blankly at Cha Yoon, Seo-jung slowly opened his mouth.
“I sent it.”
“You sent it?”
“Yes.”
Then why isn’t there a message in my mailbox?
Is it a network issue? Cha Yoon hurriedly turned his data off and on. Nothing changed. Ah, maybe it’s not the data but a problem with the phone itself. He quickly rebooted his phone. Then he carefully launched the application again.
No messages received!
It was the same. It wasn’t a network issue, nor a phone problem. Then what could be the problem?
Cha Yoon fell into deep thought with a serious expression. He didn’t even consider the possibility that Seo-jung might not have sent him a message.
“Ah.”
After pondering for a while, the last thing Cha Yoon thought of was the communication channel with the production team on one side of the application.
Real-time Admin Chat
I think there’s a problem with the app right now
He said he sent a message, but I didn’t receive any
Please check this quickly and fix it
There was a typo due to his urgency, but it couldn’t be helped. Current time 11:20 PM. Only 40 minutes left until the mailbox checking time ended. If midnight passed like this, it meant that the message he received from Seo-jung could disappear.
Cha Yoon couldn’t take his eyes off his phone with an anxious heart. How much time had passed like that? Ding! A reply came from the production team.
Real-time Admin Chat
Admin
After checking, no abnormalities were found in the NXEXPU application.
What do you mean?
Cha Yoon urgently asked back, not understanding the reply that there were no abnormalities. The production team quickly provided an additional answer as if they had been waiting.
Real-time Admin Chat
Admin
No messages have been received by Cha Yoon up to the current 3rd day.
No messages received. None. None… The last reply echoed in Cha Yoon’s mind. He organized the information that had entered his mind one by one.
Seo-jung sent the message on time.
Currently, the application is working normally without any errors.
There are no messages received by me up to the 3rd day.
The meaning of these three pieces of information was one. So, now he had to accept it. The fact that Seo-jung didn’t send him a message.
Was it because his expectations were high? Cha Yoon, burdened with enormous disappointment, moved his head. After causing this mess, Seo-jung shamelessly maintained an indifferent expression. Seeing that face made him even more furious.
“Who on earth did you send it to?”
“…”
“Who did you send it to that my phone is this quiet?!”