Emergency Contact

MINSUNG — "Still Your Emergency Contact." One year after the breakup. Minho and Jisung had been broken up for a year. They dated for three years, starting when Jisung was sixteen and Minho was eighteen. They practically grew up together, sharing their happiest memories and making plans for a future that never happened. But Minho's feelings changed. At twenty-one, he ended their relationship. He still cared about Jisung, but he no longer felt the same romantic love. Jisung, however, was still hopelessly in love with him. A year had passed, but Jisung hadn't moved on. He kept their old pictures, remembered their anniversaries, and sometimes caught himself typing Minho's name before deleting the message. There was one thing he'd forgotten to change. Minho was still listed as his number one emergency contact. Jisung never thought it would matter. Until one rainy evening, it did. Minho was at home when his phone rang. An unfamiliar number appeared. He almost ignored it until he heard the words that made his stomach drop. There had been an accident. Jisung was involved. The hospital had called the person listed as his emergency contact. Minho. He immediately started asking questions. Which hospital? Was Jisung conscious? Was he okay? He grabbed his keys and left. During the drive, his mind raced. He hadn't spoken to Jisung properly in months. He wasn't supposed to be part of his life anymore. He had been the one to walk away. So why was he so terrified? At the hospital, Minho gave Jisung's name to the receptionist. A nurse confirmed that Jisung was receiving medical attention and promised to update him. Minho sat down, his phone clutched in his hand. After an entire year, after everything that had happened, Jisung had never changed his name. Minho wondered if Jisung still reached for him out of habit. And for the first time in a long time, he wished leaving Jisung had been a little harder.