"Sending this in case I may not be able to say this again. Mom, I love you," student Shin Young-Jin said in a text to his mother that was widely circulated in the South Korean media.
"Oh, I love you too son," texted back his mother -- unaware at the time that her boy was caught in a life and death struggle to escape the rapidly sinking vessel.
Unlike many others, the exchange had a happy ending as Shin was one of only 179 survivors rescued before the ferry capsized and went under the water.
Others were not so fortunate.
"My room is tilting about 45 degrees. My mobile is not working very well," Kim messaged.
Seeking to reassure him, his brother said he was sure help was on the way.
"So don't panic and just do whatever you're told to do. Then you'll be fine," he messaged back.
There was no further communication and Kim was listed among the 287 people on board still unaccounted for.
That grim scenario was encapsulated in the texts of an 18-year-old student, identified in the local media by her surname Shin.
"Dad, don't worry. I'm wearing a life vest and am with other girls. We're inside the ship, still in the hallway," the girl messaged to her father.
Her distraught father wrote back urging her to try and get out, but it was already too late.
"Dad, I can't. The ship is too tilted. The hallway is crowded with so many people," she responded in a final message.
The JoongAng Ilbo published excerpts from a chatroom conversation between several students on the ferry.
"Hey guys, let's make sure we meet up alive," messaged one.
"I love you all," responded another.
It was not clear if the students were among those rescued.
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