I hope I got your number right... I had to try and go by memory… and, uh… You know mine is terrible. So, um… Hi. This is Sehun... As in Oh Sehun. [ A hushed ‘shit’ echoes in the receiver. ] You’re probably so mad at me… I wanted to say goodbye, Dan. I really did. I mean… Call me scared, or a dick… Or a mix of the both—but, I just… I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew if I tried to say goodbye to you then I wouldn’t end up leaving. [ He pauses, the silence long and drawn out—and if Daniel listens clearly enough, the sound of Sehun’s breath as it hitches will ring out amidst the static. ] I can’t tell you where I am… I mean, I could… But you’ll come looking for me, I know you will. [ Pauses. ] Don’t try to deny it. Stay in Seoul… Be happy and spend time with that boyfriend you told me you had—um… [ Sehun tries his best to sigh quietly, albeit failing. ] I’m safe. A friend had a spare room so I’m crashing there… I got offered a job, too. You don’t need to worry… Though I know you will. I just needed to get away, find something to live for besides the misguided hope that I the court would let a child like myself become my sister’s legal guardian. [ Once again, he pauses—the short stops in-between sentences now all too common. ] I’m sorry… That I left, and that I didn’t tell you. You’re the one I wanted to tell the most, but… Yeah. Um… I’ll be cut off in a sec, so I can’t talk much longer… I’ve already had to leave this message four times. [ Believe it or not, he actually manages to laugh—a melancholic chuckle jumping from the receiver. ] I miss you… It’s only been a few days since I left and I’m already admitting that… How pathetic am I? Anyway, I… Might call again—I know I shouldn’t… But… No, I shouldn’t call again. I’m sorry—that was too far. You’re probably too mad to even listen to this message. I just… Yeah. Yeah. I’m sorry, Dan. [ And with one abrupt sentence, the message ends. Sehun disappearing into silence, disappearing to faces and places that Dan would never know. ]