"Take care, Serin."
That was the last message on her phone screen.Short.
Cold.
Final.
Serin blinked.She read it again, then tilted her head. A soft scoff escaped her lips as she placed the phone down on her desk.
No anger.
No drama.
"Whatever," she whispered.
She stood up, made her bed like clockwork, flicked off the light, and slipped under her blanket. The moonlight pooled gently on her ceiling, and she stared into it — eyes wide, silent.
"Damn… what even was that?" she murmured.
It wasn't love.
Not even close.
But there was… something.
An itch.
An interest.
That strange pull you feel when someone doesn't fit into any box you know.
She turned to her side.
Her blanket pulled up to her chin.
Her breath was calm, but her mind wasn't."What kind of guy was he, really?"
Mysterious.
Honest.
Weirdly raw.
That night, sleep came slow.
Next Day-
Sunlight poured in like warm tea, brushing the walls with soft apricot.Birds chirped.
Toast burned slightly downstairs.
Serin sat at the edge of her bed, brushing her fingers through her long, chestnut hair.Each motion was slow… sleepy… cute.
She wasn't in a rush.
But her thoughts?
Still circling that text.
Ren.
"Emm… Sissy?"Her younger sister peeked in with an evil grin.
"Why are you blushing like a weirdo? Got a secret boyfriend?" she teased.
Serin smirked, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah. I've got like ten. All international idols. Now scram."
She burst out laughing, and Serin joined in. The whole house stirred with that kind of soft, morning chaos.
In front of the mirror, Serin ran her fingers through her hair again.
Her face looked like it always did — sleepy eyes, like clouds before a summer storm.Cute.
Quiet.
The kind of face that never shouted, only whispered.She had this gentle laziness in her expression that made people think she was either really wise — or really tired.
Her cheeks were soft.
Mochi-soft.
The kind that turned a warm pink when she laughed too hard.She wasn't thin.
She wasn't fat either.
Somewhere in the middle — but sometimes…She didn't know where she belonged.
Her gaze dropped to her school uniform.
The blazer felt tighter than usual. The skirt? Too flowy. Or maybe too clingy?And when she walked, her thighs brushed slightly — just enough to make her tug at the Them every now and then.
Sometimes she wondered if people noticed.
"Do they think I'm fat? Do they judge the way I walked?
She never asked.She just smiled.
"Aight, Mom! Love you! Bye!!"She dashed out the door, bag swinging, hair bouncing.
The bus screeched to a halt just in time.
As she hopped in—
"Oh sh*t! Y'all move aside, Miss OBESE just boarded!"Her best friend, Haito, grinned at her.
She deadpanned.
"Wow. Body-shaming from my own childhood homie. Love that for me."
The bus exploded with laughter.
She laughed too.
But somewhere deep, a small pinprick stung.She brushed it off.
Cool girls don't cry over childhood clowns.
"Hey Airi," she whispered, leaning toward her other best friend.
"I gotta tell you something." Her voice was full of spark.
"What what what?" Airi's eyes lit up like a drama addict.
Serin told her everything.
The late-night text.
The vibe.
The sudden cold end.
Airi gasped.
"Girl— are you in love?!"
"No! It's not that!"
"But like… maybe? Just a little?" Airi Kept On Asking Her
They laughed together.
But deep down, Serin knew…It wasn't about love.It was that pull.
Like wanting to open a book just to see how weird the story was.
At school, her curiosity exploded.
She started asking around about Ren.
Between classes and during breaks, she slid the question into conversations.
"Hey, uh… what do you think about that guy, Ren?"
Responses varied.
"Ren? Ew. Cringe factory."
"That guy? Drama magnet. Avoid him."
"He texted you? Girl, run!"
But none of it fit,The guy she talked to last night
He was Dramatic, sure… but not fake. Not a player. Not scary.
She tilted her head.
A soft smile tugged at her lips.
"Hm… interesting."
One more try.
She asked the calm guy with glittering cat-eyes who always read manga under the stairs.Ashiwkun.
He looked up lazily. "Ren? Oh yeah. We were classmates for 10 years. He's… weird, yeah. Had a glow-up. Got popular. But before that? No one gave a damn about him."
He continued, voice gentle, "He was a class clown 'cause no one liked him And yeah, he dated around Like a lot of girls later. But he's been through hell."
Serin's eyes softened.
She smiled.
"Well then... maybe he could be a good friend."
she whispered.
That evening, she came home to the same ordinary chaos.
"Hey mom! I'm home!"Her sister tackled her with a hug."How was school?"
"It was good," Serin smiled, tired but soft. "Trying to be better every day."
She peeked into her dad's room."Papa… you okay?"
He gave her a silent thumbs-up. She smiled again and tiptoed away.
Then STARTED kitchen war.
"MAKE YOUR BED! And take your damn laundry!"Her mom yelled.
"Okay okay! Chill, woman!" Serin shouted back, already running upstairs with a mountain of clothes stacked so high she couldn't see.
She dumped it all on her bed, locked the door behind her, and collapsed onto her chair.
"Phewww… what a ride."
She opened Her Phone.
But this time… she was the one typing.
"I don't want to forget you, Ren."
"I don't care about your past."
"I liked the person I met through a mistake."
"I know people leave. But maybe I'll stay..."
"Unless you still want me to disappear."
"I'll respect that."
"Just wanted to say… you made me smile when I forgot how to."
"Goodnight, idiot."
"Text me if your heart ever feels brave again."
"Hey…"
"I'm sorry. I should've held my horses."
"I kinda asked about you today."
"Don't freak out. I'm cool with it."
"I heard about your past. I'm not here to judge, bruh."
"We good?"
"Helloooo?"
"Ren?"
"I'm sorry, really."
"Hope you won't hate me."
"Girl… he's just some guy. Why the hell am I thinking about him all day?"
She laughed to herself.
But the curiosity?
Still warm.Still real.
BUZZ.One message.
She picked it up.
Her breath paused.
It was Ren
"You really want to know the truth about me? Then don't blame me for what comes next."