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The city lights of Chicago glittered like stars outside the apartment window, but inside, miyeon felt only darkness she sat curled up on the edge of the couch, her phone lying untouched beside her. The ticking of the clock on the wall echoed in the room, each second a reminder of johnny's absence he was always gone these days, consumed by his work as a surgeon, and the silence in their home had grown suffocating.
Another night alone, another night waiting.
She had lost count of how many dinners she'd eaten by herself how many nights she had fallen asleep to the sound of the city without him beside her It wasn't that she didn't understand johnny's career he was saving lives, helping people in ways she could never imagine. but somewhere along the way, their life together had fallen apart, and she didn't know how to fix it.
She stared at her reflection in the window, the city's glow casting faint shadows across her face. She looked tired of waiting, tired of hoping, tired of pretending that everything was okay when had it all gone so wrong?
The door creaked open, and she turned to see Johnny stepping inside. He looked as worn down as she felt, his face drawn with fatigue, his hair tousled from a long day at the hospital. He didn't smile when he saw her-just a quick nod as he slipped off his shoes and dropped his bag near the door.
"Hey," Johnny muttered, running a hand through his hair as he made his way to the kitchen without looking at her.
"Hey," she echoed back, her voice barely more than a whisper.
She watched him as he moved around the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water there was a time when his presence would have brought her comfort, but now, it only reminded her of the growing distance between them.
"How was work?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"Long," Johnny replied shortly, leaning against the counter and sipping his water. "another emergency surgery very complicated."
Miyeon nodded, though she didn't care about the details she was tired of hearing about surgeries and emergencies. what she cared about was the empty space between them, the way they barely spoke anymore, how their conversations had become nothing more than small talk and strained silences.
"You're never home," she said softly, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "It feels like you're not even here when you are."
Johnny sighed, rubbing his temples. "Miyeon, I'm trying. You know how demanding my job is. I don't have a choice."
"You always have a choice, Johnny," she said, her voice sharper than she intended. "But it feels like you're choosing your work over us."
he set the glass down with a little too much force, the sound ringing in the quiet apartment. "I'm not choosing work over you. I'm doing this for us, for our future."
