Chapter 3

When I woke up again, I was in the empty room that couple had checked out of.

I thought a good night’s sleep would help me adjust.

But I woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever, feeling utterly miserable.

I forced myself out of bed and went to knock on the next door for help.

The hotel manager, who happened to be passing by, spoke in Korean, which I didn’t understand.

I just kept shaking my head and waving my hands, indicating I couldn’t understand.

In a strange city, unfamiliar with the surroundings, and unable to communicate, plus the vulnerability of being sick, I was on the verge of tears.

Finally, I resorted to a translator app.

The hotel manager told me the young couple staying there had already left to go sightseeing.

The resentment and bitterness in my heart made me dial Jake’s number.

But no matter how many times I called, it wouldn’t go through.

“Do you need any more help?” the hotel manager asked through the translator.

After the tenth call went unanswered, I numbly spoke.

“Please take me to the hospital.”

I spent that night in a hospital in a strange city.

I almost forgot to mention.

That day was also my eighteenth birthday.

Originally, Jake and I had planned to climb to the top of Namsan Tower in Seoul at night.

We were going to hang a lock on the love lock wall.

And there, I’d make my eighteenth birthday wish.

But now, that plan was ruined.

My phone, lying by my bed, vibrated.

It was birthday wishes from family and friends back home, trickling in.

Among all those greetings, there wasn’t one from my official boyfriend.

I swallowed the bitter ache in my heart.

And scrolled through Ins.

My body stiffened when I saw Chloe’s latest video post.

I’d added her on SnapChat back in junior year when Jake asked me to take turns visiting Chloe in the hospital after she broke her leg.

My fingers trembled as I tapped into her post.

Chloe had posted a video of her and Jake climbing Namsan Tower at night.

The caption read: [Role-playing, being a K-drama lead today.]

In the video, Jake, with the mountain wind blowing through his hair, shouted at the night sky.

“Chloe Price, you are my bride, and my first love. For 939 long years, I never waited for death, but for this moment, to meet you!”

It was even set to the classic OST from ‘Goblin’—‘Stay With Me’.

The entire video was both romantic and filled with a fated connection.

Even passersby were offering their well wishes.

My throat tightened.

Tears silently slipped from my eyes, tracing paths down my cheeks.

They then dropped, precariously, onto the two laughing faces on my phone screen.

I should have known.

No matter how hard a doormat tries, they can’t compare to the power of a first love.

Especially since Jake and Chloe had known each other since middle school.

They had seen each other’s vulnerable sides, witnessed each other’s growth.

They were two broken souls recognizing and cherishing each other, a symbiotic relationship.

I, a mere supporting character, couldn’t easily intrude.

After realizing this, I no longer held any lingering feelings for Jake.

I opened my phone.

And rebooked my flight home.