Missing Pieces

“Why? Is Sunbae not picking up?”

Oh Dong-cheol, whom he met early in the morning in the department lounge, asked while fiddling with his phone. Unlike his usual self, he had a large backpack strapped to his back. Today was the day of the department MT (Membership Training).

Yoon Dae-eon, on the other hand, carried only a simple crossbody bag. He was wearing the pink sweatshirt he had bought with Jeong Yun-gi, and his hair was styled neatly—it was obvious he had put in effort to look good. He looked down at his phone with a gloomy face.

“Yeah……. I haven’t been able to reach him since the day before yesterday.”

“Eh? Really? Since the day we went to the department store?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. Did you do something wrong then?”

Oh Dong-cheol finally showed interest at the sound of Yoon Dae-eon’s dejected voice. Setting his phone aside, Oh Dong-cheol put on a serious face and began a “relationship counseling” session.

“You, do you know what you have to be most careful about during a ‘fling’?”

“What is it?”

“Ghosting. Once the other person starts ghosting you, it’s over. Why? Because this isn’t an official relationship. Since you’re not dating, would they bother saying ‘let’s break up’? It just ends like that.”

Yoon Dae-eon, who had never been in a proper relationship, looked visibly shocked. Unlike him, Oh Dong-cheol had at least one or two dating experiences.

“Really……?”

“Isn’t it obvious? So think carefully. Did you do something wrong?”

At those words, Yoon Dae-eon recalled the events of that day. Then, as if something came to mind, he let out an ‘Ah.’

“Come to think of it, he said he was anxious. Sunbae did.”

“Anxious? Wow, did you cheat?”

“No! It wasn’t like that. I just forgot to contact him for a bit because I was at the department store…….”

“You forgot to stay in touch? You’re a real piece of work.”

“No, I’m just not used to reporting where I am every time I go somewhere…….”

Yoon Dae-eon, who had many friends and traveled to many places, had never even told his late parents exactly where he was going. Even if he stayed at a friend’s house for a night without a word, his parents hadn’t worried much, saying it was fine since he was a man.

“People get hurt over small things like that. How hard is it to just say a word about where you’re going!”

“I don’t hold my phone in my hand every hour like you do, okay?”

“I’m tired of you leaving me on read too, you jerk.”

Oh Dong-cheol huffed and turned his head. Seeing that, Yoon Dae-eon truly wondered if Seon Ji-ha was out of reach because he had made him feel anxious.

Just then, the door to the lounge opened. He thought it might be Kim Ye-jun or Jeong Yun-gi, who were supposed to meet there, but it was someone else—a senior from the student council.

“Oh? What are you guys doing here?”

“Waiting for the others. We agreed to meet here.”

“Ah, really? The bus is already downstairs. You’re not going to be late, right?”

At the senior’s question, Oh Dong-cheol, who was looking at his phone, quickly said that Kim Ye-jun would arrive soon. Jeong Yun-gi would likely be the same, as he had texted just a moment ago saying he was almost there.

But not Seon Ji-ha. Having been out of contact since yesterday, he hadn’t even said if he was coming to the MT today. I hope he comes. Looking down at his pink sweatshirt, Yoon Dae-eon let out a deep sigh.

Suddenly, the student council senior’s phone rang. He started a call.

“Yeah. No, only the freshmen are here. Fine, as long as the freshmen are all here, it’s okay. Yeah. Hang up.”

When the senior ended the call, Oh Dong-cheol, who had been watching with curious eyes, asked immediately.

“Sunbae, is someone not coming?”

“Ah…… there’s a senior named Seon Ji-ha who has never signed up for an MT before. During the meeting, we were debating whether he’d show up or not, but seeing as he’s not here today, it looks like he’s not coming.”

Yoon Dae-eon stood up with startled eyes. Seon Ji-ha isn’t coming? He gripped his crossbody bag tightly.

“In my opinion, he definitely clicked the wrong button. He probably meant to decline but marked ‘attend’ by mistake. There’s no way he’d come.”

“Why, why? What’s wrong with Seon Ji-ha Sunbae?”

“Huh? He’s a total loner. At first, other seniors thought he was being bullied. It’s not like we’re in high school. But it’s not that; he just isolates himself. He seems to dislike people.”

Having finished his assessment of Seon Ji-ha, the student council senior turned and left the lounge. Once they were alone again, Oh Dong-cheol nudged Yoon Dae-eon, who was still half-standing.

“Hey, don’t mind him. Sunbae isn’t like that with us. Well…… to be precise, he isn’t like that with you.”

Oh Dong-cheol seemed concerned that Yoon Dae-eon had to hear bad-mouthing about the person things were going well with.

However, Yoon Dae-eon only cared about the fact that he wasn’t coming today. What others said about him didn’t matter much to Yoon Dae-eon.

Then the lounge door opened again, and someone entered. This time, it was Kim Ye-jun and Jeong Yun-gi.

“Why are you two coming together?”

“Met in front. The bus is downstairs, aren’t you going?”

Kim Ye-jun and Jeong Yun-gi were also dressed quite nicely, unlike their usual casual selves. At Kim Ye-jun’s words, Oh Dong-cheol slowly stood up.

Then, Jeong Yun-gi called out to Yoon Dae-eon, who was still sitting in his seat.

“Dae-eon?”

“Ah…… yeah. Let’s go.”

Snapping back to reality, Yoon Dae-eon stood up while glancing at his phone, hoping the message he was waiting for had arrived. But the chat rooms on his phone were mostly just active group chats.

“We’re going to drink like crazy today, right?”

“Yeah. That’s why I brought hangover cures.”

“Oh Dong-cheol, where’s mine?”

“Kim Ye-jun, you really have no conscience. Here. Yoon Dae-eon and Jeong Yun-gi, yours too.”

While going down the stairs, Oh Dong-cheol rummaged through his large bag and pulled out hangover cures. He claimed they were effective if taken before drinking.

“Ah, I like the ‘Pak-kaen-da’ brand better.”

“Give it back! Don’t you dare eat it. There’s none for you!”

“Whoa, you’re taking back what you gave?”

When Oh Dong-cheol reached out to snatch the hangover cure from Kim Ye-jun’s hand, Kim Ye-jun used his height to hold his arm up high. It was a height Oh Dong-cheol couldn’t possibly reach.

“Yep, can’t reach. Tiny Oh Dong-cheol.”

“Argh!”

Finally giving up, Oh Dong-cheol stomped down the stairs first. Kim Ye-jun followed behind, snickering.

While Kim Ye-jun and Oh Dong-cheol were fooling around, Jeong Yun-gi watched Yoon Dae-eon with worried eyes. He seemed particularly absent-minded today.

“Dae-eon, is something wrong?”

“Huh? No, sorry. Let’s go quickly. Kim Ye-jun already left.”

Vaguely brushing it off, Yoon Dae-eon hurried downstairs. As the student council senior said, the chartered bus was waiting patiently in front of the department building, its front door open.

“Hi, Dae-eon.”

“Ah, Sunbae. Hello.”

“Don’t drink too much today, okay? I’m worried all the freshmen will die. You should at least survive.”

Seniors greeted Yoon Dae-eon as they passed by. Most of them told him to come to their room for a drink or to take it easy today. Jeong Yun-gi, standing beside him, just watched the scene silently.

He had heard rumors that some seniors were trying to recruit Yoon Dae-eon into the student council, but even aside from that, Yoon Dae-eon was quite popular. Well, it would be stranger if someone with a pleasant personality who could also drink well wasn’t loved by the seniors.

Then, another student council senior passed by Yoon Dae-eon and Jeong Yun-gi. Yoon Dae-eon suddenly called out to him.

“Ah, Sunbae!”

“Oh, Dae-eon. Today, this hyung will teach you every drinking game in existence. Just you wait.”

“No, Sunbae. By any chance, has Seon Ji-ha Sunbae still not arrived?”

“Huh? Seon Ji-ha Sunbae? He hasn’t come. He probably won’t.”

The senior, who had been about to pass them in a hurry, stopped for a moment. He spoke again.

“The gathering time has already passed. That Sunbae is like a clock when it comes to time. You know that from doing group projects with him last time.”

The student council senior left quickly after saying that. Yoon Dae-eon stood still, his eyes clouded with confusion, gripping the strap of his crossbody bag that ran across his chest. Jeong Yun-gi, standing next to him, called his name softly.

“Dae-eon.”

“……Yes.”

“Go.”

Yoon Dae-eon, who had been standing with a hurt expression, whipped his head toward Jeong Yun-gi. Jeong Yun-gi smiled warmly and said:

“You didn’t really buy that sweatshirt just to go to the MT.”

At Jeong Yun-gi’s words, Yoon Dae-eon looked down at his clothes once more. Standing there like a lost puppy, he bit his lip hard.

Finally, he took a step. The direction was not toward the bus, but toward the back of the building.

“Sorry, Yun-gi. I’m going. I’ll try to follow later if I can.”

“Go on. I’ll see you when you get back.”

As Yoon Dae-eon finally turned away, Jeong Yun-gi waved his hand gently.

Yoon Dae-eon said he would follow later if he could, but he did not show up until the MT was over.