Arin's POV – Morning Catastrophe
Arin Kim's eyes snapped open and immediately locked onto the worst sight imaginable: her phone, lying lifeless on the nightstand. Dead. Cold. Betraying her.
"No! This is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions!" she shrieked, flinging herself out of bed. The blanket wrapped around her like a pink tornado, making her look like a tiny, screaming creature trapped in fabric.
Mina, her assistant and roommate, peeked one eye open. "Zombie apocalypse?"
"Worse! A disaster of the heart! A calamity of the soul!" Arin wailed, clutching the dead phone like it was a dying kitten. "He… he must think I'm dead! Or that I hate him! Or… worse… that I am a robot programmed to ignore him!"
Mina sat up fully, hair a mess. "The guy you matched with yesterday? Calm down, Arin-ah."
"CALM DOWN?!" Arin shouted, spinning dramatically. "Do you understand the sheer, incomprehensible agony of a dead phone in the throes of budding digital romance?! The utter despair! The existential torment of unread messages?! I can feel my very soul withering!"
Mina groaned. "You've officially lost it. Again."
Arin ignored her, diving under a pile of textbooks and dance notes to grab her charger. The dorm felt unusually loud—classmates yelling, music from the practice rooms booming, footsteps thudding, and her own heartbeat pounding like a drumline. She plugged in the phone. The screen flickered—1%… 2%… 3%…
"Not fast enough," she whispered, glaring at the slowly moving bar like it had personally offended her.
Then she remembered the schedule: twelve hours of rehearsals, lessons, and workshops before she'd even have a free moment to check her phone again. Twelve hours without Ryan. Her stomach twisted. "This… this is an apocalypse of the heart," she moaned, collapsing back onto her bed.
Ryan's POV – Guarding Chaos
Half a world away, Ryan Thomas crouched behind a black SUV, sunglasses reflecting dozens of flashing cameras. He was guarding a famous Asian movie star—but his attention was elsewhere. His phone sat in his hand, glaring back at him like a silent enemy.
No message. Nothing. Again. Nothing.
He muttered to himself, pacing in small, frustrated circles. Okay… maybe she's busy… maybe she's training… maybe she got abducted by rogue idol trainers and I'll never hear from her again…
The client noticed him. "You okay there, big guy?" she asked, smoothing her designer dress while posing for fans.
Ryan forced a smile. "Yeah… just… scanning the area."
She tilted her head. "The area, or your phone?"
Ryan froze. "…Both?"
Arin's POV – Chaos in Practice
By mid-morning, Arin's panic had reached operatic levels. She tried to focus on her vocal exercises, but each note came out shaky. Every breath carried a dramatic sigh. She imagined Ryan staring at a blank screen, wondering if she had vanished forever.
Did I offend him with that emoji? Did he notice that I sent a potato instead of a sunset? she thought, wringing her hands like a tragic heroine.
"Arin! Again! Focus!" the vocal coach barked.
"Yes! I am focused! But the cruel fate of a dead phone threatens my very existence!" Arin shrieked, dramatically flinging her arms.
During dance practice, every vibration from a classmate's phone made her leap like a startled cat. "It's him! It's Ryan! NO—just Minji sending another meme," she cried, collapsing into a dramatic bow to the floor.
Mina peeked in. "You look like you're training for Olympic-level panic."
"I am! Every second without a message is a battle of the soul, a test of fate, a tragedy worthy of novels!"
Mina shook her head, laughing. "Girl… he's fine. He's literally fine. Calm down."
"No! I cannot calm down! My pulse is a thousand beats per minute! The battery crawls slower than a snail on hot asphalt! HE COULD BE THINKING I'M DEAD!"
Ryan's POV – Obsessive Overthinking
By mid-afternoon, Ryan was hiding behind the SUV like a shadow, glancing at his phone every thirty seconds.
Nothing. Silence. The cruel void of a world without Arin's reply.
He muttered to himself: "Maybe she's busy… maybe she's exhausted… maybe she's secretly plotting against me…"
The client glanced at him. "Still staring at your phone?"
Ryan froze. "Uh… yes… no… maybe…"
"Is it someone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's… complicated. Not technically… yet… I might die if she's mad at me over a message I sent twelve hours ago."
The client laughed. "Classic. Young love. You'll survive the first text drought."
Ryan groaned. "Barely. I've survived combat missions, sniper attacks, hostage crises… but nothing prepared me for emotional ambushes via iMessage."
Evening – Battery Life at 20%
By evening, Arin finally had a quiet moment before her last class. Her phone read 20%. Five minutes. Maybe ten. She had to act.
She opened the app. Her heart was hammering like a drumline.
Glad you like the photo. I like to share little things I see.
Relief flooded her. He wasn't mad. He hadn't taken it personally.
Her fingers flew:
I… I'm sorry! My phone died. I've been… really busy today 😅
She flopped back on the bed, flailing. "Will he forgive me? Will our love survive this dark trial of fate and dead batteries?!"
Ryan's POV – Redemption at Last
Back in the U.S., Ryan saw her message. He exhaled audibly, dropping onto the couch. "She's okay. She's alive. I can… breathe…"
Then he smirked. I literally panicked for twelve hours over a dead phone. I am officially a grown man with zero defense against cute girls who text slowly.
Mutual Relief – Dramatic Comedy
Arin collapsed into bed like a heroine in a telenovela. "The crisis is over! My heart may resume normal beats!"
Mina peeked in. "Battery still alive?"
"Yes! And… he's okay. Not mad. Probably. I think."
Half a world away, Ryan sank into his couch, smiling despite exhaustion. "Next time… solar-powered charger for her. Or maybe an emotional support phone for me."
Both of them were stressed, ridiculous, and melodramatic. But the bond had strengthened—fragile, chaotic, and undeniably there.
And for a first day of long-distance texting? That was… victory.