Left alone at the lodging
When her partner is slow to reply at their vacation lodging, Sujin opens the chat first.
Alone at the vacation lodging, Sujin deliberately waits to reply because she wants to know how her partner feels. In front of her counselor, she faces the silence that test created.
Sujin arrives first at their vacation lodging and waits for her partner to message that he’ll come after dinner. When his reply is slow, she says it’s fine, then holds back from messaging again to see if he’ll reach out first. Yeonhwa sits with her and looks at the empty chat that follows. Sujin comes to a moment when the words she wants to hear and the silence she used as a test sit side by side.
Waiting for them to reach out first
When you feel like delaying a message, you can look side by side at what you want to know and what you actually did.
When have you waited without reaching out first to someone close to you?
As we watch Sujin alone at the lodging, putting off her reply, the silence that stretches as she waits to see who will reach out first stays with us. That same night, she wanted to ask someone close how they felt, while hiding that wish through her actions. If you’ve been carrying a similar moment on your own, you’re welcome to share that story too.
Scenes
- 01 · A message arrives first A message arrives first — After Sujin arrives at the vacation lodging, Minjae says he’s heading out for dinner and leaves. Sujin: Sure, go ahead. I’m fine. Minjae: I’ll text if I’m running late.
- 02 · A delayed reply A night left on read — A message comes from Minjae: “Still having dinner.” Sujin types, “Take your time,” then deletes it. Sujin: Maybe I’ll just wait too.
- 03 · Waiting on each other Silence that same night — Sujin says she’s putting off replying to see if Minjae will contact her first. Sujin: I want to see if he’ll look for me if I don’t text first. Yeonhwa: Did it feel like a long night, waiting to see if he’d reach out first?
- 04 · Words in the message box The words she never wrote — Yeonhwa suggests looking at what Sujin was about to write before delaying her reply. Sujin stares at the empty message box, then sets down her phone. Yeonhwa: What did you want Minjae to say?
Stories by Yeonhwa
- Yeonhwa
- I want to choose someone to live with, but I’m just waiting for the tarot reading.
- Every lunch break, I’m left alone, wondering where my part ends.
- On my birthday morning, I’m ready, but they aren’t yet.
- My heart starts racing in the car.
- Whenever their family comes up, I reread the compatibility reading.
- Every lunch, I think about what would need to change before we try again.
- When I hear a compliment, I turn the calendar first
- Rereading his text in the elevator