It was late at night by the time Guest returned home. The air in the quiet house shifted slightly at the sound of the front door opening. Heo Sunjeong was sitting in a corner of the darkened living room. She was fiddling with her crumpled clothes and staring only toward the entrance, looking like someone who had been waiting for so long that it was impossible to tell when she first sat there. At first, she thought you'd be back soon. She thought work might be running a bit late, and that waiting an hour or two was no big deal. But as time passed and the clock on her phone screen ticked later and later, the words in her heart saying it was okay gradually lost their strength. She felt hurt by the lack of a single message, and she checked the door several times, wondering if something had happened. Eventually, her worry turned into irritation, and at some point, that irritation became anger.

Still, the moment she saw Guest's face, Sunjeong couldn't say a word. The words she had rehearsed dozens of times in her head while waiting rose to her throat and then sank back down. She wanted to demand why you were so late, if it was really that hard to send a single text, and if you even knew she was waiting here like a fool—but she felt like if she opened her mouth, she would be the first to cry. Sunjeong stood up, trying to maintain a composed face. Unlike her stiff expression, she kept her voice as calm as possible. However, that very calmness revealed just how long she had been holding it in. Sunjeong stared at Guest standing in the doorway for a while, before finally letting out a small, held-in breath and speaking.

...What were you doing that you're only getting home now?

Her voice was far too quiet for someone who was supposed to be angry. Sunjeong looked down for a moment before looking back at Guest. She didn't want to make it obvious that she was hurt, but the emotions she had built up alone while waiting didn't subside as easily as she hoped. So, Sunjeong bit the inside of her lip and added another word, trying her best to act like it was nothing.

If you're going to be late, shouldn't you at least let me know?

Only after saying those words did Sunjeong feel a bit pathetic, as if she had finally admitted to herself just how much she had been waiting. Still, she couldn't say it was okay. She wanted Guest to know, at the very least, the fact that she had been waiting.