It didn't feel special anymore.
And that was the problem.
Because something that once felt new…
had quietly become a part of his life.
A Daily Routine
Every day—
without fail—
they talked.
Morning.
"Did you wake up?"
"…yeah."
Afternoon.
"What are you doing?"
"Work."
Night.
"Call?"
"…okay."
Simple.
Repetitive.
But consistent.
And for Kang Min-Jae—
consistency was something he never had.
The Comfort He Didn't Notice
He stopped realizing when it started—
but his day began to revolve around her.
He checked his phone first thing in the morning.
Not for time.
But for her message.
At work—
he waited for breaks.
Not to rest.
But to reply.
At night—
he didn't sit in silence anymore.
Because she was there.
On the other side of the call.
Her Voice
"Min-Jae… are you listening?"
"…yeah."
"You always say 'yeah.' Say something else."
"…okay."
She laughed.
"See? That's not better."
He didn't laugh loudly.
But a small smile appeared.
And he didn't realize it—
but that smile stayed longer than usual.
Talking Without Thinking
At first—
he used to think before speaking.
Now—
words came naturally.
Not deep things.
Just random.
"I saw a dog today."
"What kind?"
"I don't know… brown."
"That tells me nothing."
"…it was cute."
She laughed again.
And somehow—
that felt enough.
A Change Others Could See
At work—
someone noticed.
"You're on your phone more these days."
Min-Jae didn't answer.
But it was true.
Even his mother noticed.
"You're going out less."
"…yeah."
Because he didn't need to go out anymore.
He already had somewhere to be.
Less Lonely… But More Dependent
Before—
he was alone.
Now—
he wasn't.
But something else started growing.
Dependence.
If she replied late—
he noticed.
If she didn't call—
he waited.
If she sounded different—
he thought about it.
More than he should.
The First Fear
One night—
she didn't message.
No "hi."
No "what are you doing?"
Nothing.
Min-Jae kept checking his phone.
Again.
And again.
Time passed.
Still nothing.
A strange feeling appeared.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Fear.
Why Does It Matter So Much?
He sat there—
phone in his hand—
staring at the screen.
"…why am I like this?"
He asked himself.
But he already knew the answer.
Because—
for the first time in a long time—
he had something to lose.
The Message
Finally—
his phone vibrated.
"Sorry, I was busy."
That was all.
But for him—
it was enough.
"…it's okay."
He replied instantly.
Too fast.
But he didn't care.
Something Dangerous
That night—
while talking to her—
he realized something.
Not clearly.
But deeply.
He wasn't just talking to her.
He was…
depending on her.
For comfort.
For peace.
For feeling something.
And that—
was dangerous.
Because if she left—
he wouldn't just feel lonely.
He would fall.
End Line
"She became part of his daily life…
and without realizing it, he started needing her more than he should."