Yeseul was pacing back and forth, in her attic. The ERICA hoodie hung off her shoulders now, from all the weight she'd lost over the past week.
She hadn't missed just Monday, but the rest of the week as well. Her loss of appetite had led to a genuine illness that had her confined to the attic so as not to contaminate the rest of the house.
Yeseul opened her phone and dialed the first number. After a few rings it picked up. "Hello?"
The familiar voice was like an ache. "Hi, Nari."
"Seul!" Nari's voice screeched through the speaker. "Where have you been all week? What happened?"
"I just came down with the flu," Yeseul said. It wasn't necessarily a lie. "But I'll be back at school tomorrow. Do you need a ride?"
"Oh." It might have been Yeseul's imagination, but Nari's voice seemed to drop several octaves. "Um, actually..."
"You found someone else." Yeseul tried not to sound bitter.
After all, she'd been gone for a week.
Nari sounded frantic and sick. "Well, it's just, I'm staying with someone...and he already drives down! So there's no need for us to..."
"I get it." Yeseul cut her off. She managed to smile. "It's fine. I'll see you in class tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Nari sounded miserable. "I'm glad to hear from you, Yeseul."
Yeseul hung up, swallowing thickly. She didn't really have any right to be angry.
It occurred that, in her week of absence, all her friends must have found other ways to get to school.
Feeling like an idiot, she began calling all of them and apologizing.
Mia forgave her immediately. "Yeseul was sick!" She protested. "Of course she couldn't be expected to call!"
"Have you been okay, then?"
"Mia takes the bus, but sometimes Suji drives her. Suji has her car now."
Suji, upon getting the call, yelled at Yeseul. "Why didn't you call anyone back?" She demanded. "We were worried!"
"I know," Yeseul said, "and I'm sorry. Really. I just – I don't know."
Suji made a huffing noise. "I'm just glad to hear your voice. But please don't do that again! I thought Hyunji had poisoned your food!"
Yeseul almost laughed. "So you're driving Mia, then?"
"When she asks. Most days she's at work before class, though, so she just takes the bus from there."
Yeseul's brow furrowed. How much had she missed? Since when did Mia take so may shifts?
She called Saeron next, but didn't get any answer the first three times. Finally she called Kahi's store line.
"Is Saeron there? I can't reach her cell."
"Probably because she's working," Kahi clicked her tongue, but she handed the landline over to Saeron anyway.
"Hello?"
"Saeron! I tried calling you."
"Oh." Saeron's voice sounded tinny and far away. "Sorry, I didn't hear it."
Yeseul worried her lip. "You don't sound too good."
"I'm fine. I probably just have what you had."
Yeseul wanted to scream that what she had wasn't contagious, but bit everything back. "I guess. Do you need a ride to school?"
"That would be lovely, yes."
Yeseul had to fight off the feeling of immense relief. "Great. See you tomorrow."
"Yes, sounds good. Bye, Yeseul."
The line went dead before Yeseul could reply. She stared at her phone.
What was happening with everyone?
Why did Saeron sound so sick?
Why was Mia taking so many shifts?
Who was Nari staying with, and what happened to her dad?
Sighing, she pulled the strings on her hoodie a little tighter. At least she would see everyone tomorrow. Maybe then she could glean some answers.
Yeseul straightened. She couldn't afford to mope until she was physically ill anymore. Her friends needed her. She needed to get her priorities back in order. They'd been thrown out of whack since the summer, but Yeseul decided no more.
She was going to go back to the Kim Yeseul that had survived so far. Homework, side jobs for money, caring for her friends.
And no room for Fullsun anywhere.
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