Emptiness

Felix stood in front of the mirror, his eyes gazing blankly at his reflection. His mind was a million miles away, lost in thought as he struggled to come to terms with the emptiness that had been gnawing at him for weeks.

It had been a month since he'd returned to work, but everything felt off. The familiar routine, the comfortable surroundings, the friendly faces of his colleagues - none of it seemed to bring him the same sense of joy and fulfillment that it once had.

It was as if a piece of him was missing, leaving a gaping hole that couldn't be filled. Felix couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that had been weighing him down, the nagging voice in his head that kept reminding him of the way he'd spoken to Rowoon that day.

If only he hadn't been so harsh, if only he had been more understanding... Maybe things would be different now. Maybe Rowoon would have been in touch, would have come to visit him, would have....

Felix's thoughts trailed off, his eyes dropping to the floor as he felt a pang of sadness. It had been a month, and he hadn't heard from Rowoon. Not a single word. He'd tried calling him, but the calls had gone unanswered. He'd even tried contacting Zain, but that had been a dead end too.

Min-Soo had been tight-lipped about Rowoon's whereabouts, refusing to divulge any information. Felix had tried to pry it out of him, but Min-Soo had remained stubbornly silent.

The silence had been deafening, and Felix had been left to fill the void with his own thoughts. Thoughts that had been consuming him, eating away at him like a slow-acting poison.

Just as Felix was starting to feel like he couldn't take it anymore, his phone rang, shrill and insistent. He turned to face it, his heart skipping a beat as he hoped against hope that it was Rowoon on the other end.

But as he reached for the phone and saw the caller's name flash on the screen, his excitement was short-lived. It wasn't Rowoon. It was Jae-Hyun, his best friend.

Felix felt a pang of disappointment, but he picked up the call anyway. "Hey, Jae-Hyun," he said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Hey, Felix!" Jae-Hyun exclaimed on the other end. "Get dressed, we're going out!" Felix forced a smile, trying to muster up some enthusiasm. "Hey, what's the plan

Felix couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he cut the call with Jae-Hyun. He had been avoiding his best friend since he left the hospital, and no matter how hard Jae-Hyun tried to bring him out of his shell, Felix just couldn't seem to shake off the feeling of emptiness that had been weighing him down.

He felt bad for ignoring Jae-Hyun's calls and messages, but he just didn't know how to face him. Felix didn't know how to explain the way he was feeling, didn't know how to put into words the emptiness that had been gnawing at him.

As he stood in front of the mirror, Felix couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired, looked worn out. He hadn't been taking care of himself, hadn't been sleeping or eating properly.

With a sigh, Felix turned away from the mirror and made his way to his closet. He felt lazy, didn't feel like making an effort to dress up. He just wanted to go out, get some fresh air, and maybe, just maybe, forget about his troubles for a while.

Felix rummaged through the pile of clothes in his closet, pulling out a faded hoodie and a pair of baggy pants. He didn't bother to check if they matched, didn't bother to see if they were clean. He just put them on, not caring about his appearance.

As he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, Felix couldn't help but laugh. He looked like a mess, like he had just rolled out of bed and put on the first thing he found on the floor.

But he didn't care. He just didn't care. Felix grabbed his phone and wallet, shoving them into his pocket before heading out the door. He was ready to face whatever the night had in store for him, even if it meant facing his best friend and pretending to be okay.