she woke up late

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Shen Yue had slept through her alarm that morning. she wasn't sure how it happened but by the time the incessant rings of her phone finally woke her up, it was her manager, Yangjin jie, sounding frantic on the other end. they had exactly 20 minutes to leave for the airport if they wanted to make their flight.

fully awake then, she quickly jumped out of bed. but somehow in the flurry of movements, the pendant hanging on her neck had gotten caught in her blanket and she felt the chain snapped.

she caught the slipping jewelry just in time and let out a curse. what the fuck is wrong with today!

she was still frozen, staring at the glittering gemstones in her palm when her front door beeped open and Yangjin jie's voice boomed across her apartment.

"Yueyue! are you ready? we have to go in 15 min-- OMG WHY ARE YOU STILL IN PYJAMAS? SHEN YUE!"

she gave her manager a look and showed the broken necklace in her hand.

"SO? you can get it fixed later! go get ready! PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE PACKED YOUR LUGGAGE?!"

she walked to the bathroom in a bit of daze. the broken necklace gave her an uneasy feeling. a delicate white gold necklace with a diamond constellation pendant, it was a gift from him for her 25th birthday. he had enclosed in the box a small metal card engraved with "you guide me home. every time. i love you. always."

focus, Shen Yue. FOCUS. you're gonna be late. she washed her face and got dressed in record time despite the heaviness in her gut. by the time she stepped out to her living room, her manager already had one foot out the door with the luggage all lined up outside.

"oh thank heavens! one more minute and i was ready to drag you out of here half dressed, bed hair and all!"
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they were waiting for the elevator when she asked Yangjin jie for the necklace and pendant.

"oh i put them in the jewelery box in your dresser drawer. we'll have it fixed when you get back."

she shook her head and quickly turned to run back, right as the elevator pinged and opened its door.

"where are you going? WE ARE LATE! YUEYUE!"

she jogged to her unit and rummaged through her jewelries as quick as she could. then she ran down the stairs all the way to the lobby. this time, when Yangjin jie saw Shen Yue coming, she looked about ready to lose her temper.

"what is SO important about that necklace?!? i swear to GOD, Yueyue. if we miss this flight ...."

tuning out her manager's rant, Yue silently climbed onto the van and sat clutching the necklace. then she felt her phone vibrate.

"good morning. i love you. have a good day today."

his message made her smile but her eyes teared up involuntarily. she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him in person. she could barely remember what his voice sounded like.

she closed her eyes and the tears spilled over. she missed him so much, but she didn't quite know how to tell him that. with every day that had passed, he felt a little more like a stranger.

still overwhelmed with feelings, she opened her eyes and typed a quick reply: "omw to airport. running late. call you when i get to boarding gate."
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traffic was heavier than expected and her manager turned to her, all ready to scold her for making them late. but one look at Yue's face, and all she said was, "are you not feeling well? should we delay our departure and head to the clinic instead?"

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