Dropped From the Chat, Gone From Their Lives의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

The next afternoon, I arrived at the mall 20 minutes early.My boyfriend, Callum Holt, had asked me to buy the movie tickets the night before. He wanted the five of us to get together on the last day of Thanksgiving break. No one was allowed to bail.However, after waiting by the ticket machine for 15 minutes, I still hadn't received a single reply in our five-person group chat.Then, my childhood friend, Vincent Black, called. Laughter and terrified screams filled the background."Zara, why are you still downstairs? We're already inside the escape room."I froze for a few seconds before asking, "Weren't we supposed to watch a movie together?"Vincent fell silent."Didn't we change the plan last night?" he replied. "Lena can't handle horror movies, so Callum suggested an escape room instead. Everyone in the group chat agreed.""Which group chat was that?" I asked, tightening my grip on the phone.Silence fell on the other end of the line.Then, Vincent quickly laughed it off.

The transfer process went surprisingly fast. HR notified me that I was to report to my new position in Haldon on Monday.I didn't tell anyone.It wasn't out of spite. I just suddenly realized that they'd never consulted me about any of their life decisions, so I didn't need to go out of my way to tell them about mine.On Thursday night, the group chat suddenly came alive after several quiet days.Ethan tagged me first."Lena's birthday is next week. Help us book that rooftop restaurant."Vincent followed right after."Take a look at the cake options, too. She doesn't like too much frosting."Then, Nicholas dropped three designer bag links in the chat."You've got good taste. Pick one, and we'll all chip in."I stared at the glowing screen for a long moment before letting out a bitter laugh.So, the group chat wasn't completely useless after all. Whenever they needed someone to make reservations, plan an itinerary, or pick out a gift, they still remembered me just fine.I re

At 11:30 am, Ethan tagged me again in the group chat."Zara, you haven't sent the location yet. Which restaurant did you book?"Ten minutes later, Vincent chimed in, "It's a holiday. If you don't make the reservation now, we won't get a table anywhere."I didn't reply. The high-speed train had just pulled into Haldon Station.It wasn't until noon that they finally realized that I wasn't going to arrange anything for them that day.Callum was the first to call. "Zara, where are you? Ethan says he can't get hold of you."I dragged my suitcase toward the exit, surrounded by the sound of wheels rattling across the floor."I'm at Haldon. I just got off the train," I said calmly.There was complete silence on the other end for several seconds.Callum sounded like he couldn't process what I'd said. "What are you doing in Haldon?""I've been transferred for work. My first day is Monday," I said.His voice suddenly turned serious. "When did you decide this?""On Thanksgiving," I ans

Ethan began sending screenshots of some of the earliest messages to our five-person group chat, one after another.Nine years ago, the four of them had secretly created The Misfortune Squad to plan my 18th birthday party.Vincent was in charge of ordering the cake. Nicholas went to pick up the camera I'd wanted for ages. Ethan's job was to trick me into going to the restaurant.Callum kept reminding everyone in the group chat, "Don't anyone dare let it slip. She's definitely going to cry."I did cry that day. I'd always thought it was one of the happiest moments the five of us had ever shared.After my birthday, no one deleted the group chat.At first, the four of them used it to talk about video games. Then, they started discussing exams, internships, and job hunting.After Lena came along, Ethan casually added her to the group.From that day on, the messages became more frequent. Meanwhile, the five-person group chat I was in grew quieter and quieter.Vincent scrolled back t

The day after Callum returned home, The Misfortune Squad disbanded.Nicholas was the first to leave the group chat. Before hitting the "exit group" button, he sent one final message."This group was created to plan Zara's birthday, but somehow, we ended up shutting the birthday girl out. That's pretty ironic."Vincent didn't try to stop him. He followed suit soon after.Lena was the third to leave.Before leaving, Ethan exported nine years' worth of chat history.Callum stayed until everyone else was gone. When the system showed that he was the only member left, the group automatically sank to the bottom of his chat list.There were no dramatic arguments or tearful goodbyes. Just like that, a group chat that had lasted nine years was gone.Ethan called me once sometime later. He didn't try to talk me into coming back. He only asked if it was cold in Haldon.I told him the weather was fine.He was quiet for a while before asking another question."Are you settling in okay?"