AKRON, OH — A handwritten, two-page letter mailed by Marcus Delray, 31, arrived at the home of his college friend Brett Nguyen last Tuesday, triggering an existential crisis that Nguyen says he was not prepared for on a Wednesday.

Delray, who described the letter as “just something I felt like doing,” reportedly used actual stationery, cursive handwriting, and a stamp he had to buy specifically for the occasion. The letter contained a personal update, three questions about Brett’s life, and a closing paragraph that Nguyen called “emotionally devastating in the best possible way.”

“I read it twice and then just sat there,” said Nguyen, 32, a project manager. “My first instinct was to send a thumbs-up. Then I realized that was insane. Then I Googled whether stationery comes in packs.”

“Nobody’s texted me that much meaning since my grandmother died. And she texted me once.” — Brett Nguyen, 32

Nguyen eventually composed a typed response, printed it, then threw it away. He is currently on his third draft of a handwritten reply, having rejected the first two for “not matching the energy Marcus brought.” Friendship historians say the exchange represents the most sustained bilateral human attention between two men under 40 in recent memory.

Delray said he got the idea after his pastor mentioned that Paul’s letters changed the world, and he thought he’d “try it with someone who lived closer.”

At press time, Nguyen had purchased a fountain pen, which he does not know how to use, and was watching YouTube tutorials instead of writing the letter.