Those soft, bloomy lips… melted into his.
For a second,
Time forgot to move.
Ren stood frozen not from fear, but from disbelief. His body wasn't his anymore.
It belonged to the feeling of her lips pressed so gently, so earnestly, onto his own.
Her lips were warm not in heat, but in meaning.
They didn't rush.
They didn't demand.
They just… stayed.
Like her heart was saying, "I'm here."
Ren's breath hitched.
He didn't dare open his eyes.
The world outside was too loud, too bright, but in that kiss, everything was silent and soft.
"God, please… tell me this isn't a dream."
he whispered inside, his heartbeat louder than the city outside.
His hands twitched at his sides. He wanted to hold her but he was scared.
Scared that if he moved, this moment would shatter.
It was innocent.
It was clumsy.
It was perfect.
She kissed him.
And she didn't pull away.
When they did finally break apart, they just stared at each other.
Wide-eyed.
Breathless.
Blushing.
Serin blushed softly.
Ren? He was blushing so hard he could've powered a tomato factory.
She snatched his phone from the counter, pressed "Record" again, and pulled him close.
They huddled in frame.
Soft giggles.
Cheeks pressed together.
Snap.
Snap.
Snap.
A video.
A goofy angle.
Another pose.
Another laugh.
The whole washroom turned into a glowing memory booth.
They looked like two kids in love, unaware the world was still spinning.
Ren's inner panic, however, was still in overdrive.
"Wait… shouldn't I be the man here? Shouldn't I have paid the bill… made the first move… been, like, dominant??"
He frowned slightly, guilt tightening his face.
Serin noticed.
She pouted playfully. "Awww… are you sad?"
She pulled him closer again, forehead against his.
"I don't care if you're dominant or not, Ren. You're you. And that's all I want."
Then… she kissed his cheek.
Soft.
Quick.
Warm.
And Ren's mind exploded.
His blush went Nuclear.
His pupils dilated.
His legs wobbled.
He nearly dropped the phone.
"OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD."
His brain screamed so loud it echoed in other dimensions.
He smiled at her, tears glassing his eyes.
"I just wish I could… I dunno, be the man. For once. Take the lead."
Serin shrugged, calm as a snowflake.
"Okay then. Kiss me."
"Wha—?! Bro—uh—wait—can't you panic like a normal person for once???"
"Shut up," she smirked.
"Just kiss me already."
Ren swallowed. Hard.
He looked at her.
Then at her cheeks.
Then at the walls.
Then at the ceiling.
Then back at her cheeks.
"W-where… should I—uh… kiss?"
"Anywhere on my face is fine."
She smiled, so effortlessly beautiful.
Ren got on his toes, leaned forward, cheeks made of mochi ,and gave the softest, shyest cheek kiss in history.
His lips trembled.
His heart was a festival.
His hands clenched the air like they were holding back a scream.
She turned to him, smiled, and tilted her head like a cherry blossom falling sideways.
Eyes closed.
Cheeks high.
Pure peace.
"Well… let's go?" she said gently.
"Y-yeah… I… yeah just…"
"What?"
"I'm just—so happy we met. That everything matched. My life was just… failing. Messy. But with you—"
She cut him off with a look.
"Ren… I believe in second chances. I don't care what you were before. I care about who you are now. You regret the past. You're trying to be better. That's enough. That's all it takes to be a good human being."
Her smile, soft and glowing, could've calmed a war.
Tears filled Ren's eyes.
He pulled her hands gently.
They hugged.
Not just any hug, a warm, deep, soul-level hug.
They didn't want to let go.
And in that moment, it felt like even their hearts were hugging inside their chests.
"I don't wanna forget this," she whispered.
"Me neither," he breathed.
But then…
Something sparked inside Ren.
A sudden, masculine urge.
An adrenaline-fueled need to prove something —
to return the kiss, to make a move, to be… "The man."
His heart shouted:
"Do it, Ren. This is moment. Strike now."
So he leaned in.
Fast.
Too fast.
Serin blinked.
Ren's lips came flying toward her like a missile with no GPS.
In his head, it was romantic.In reality?
It was a crash landing.
His lips missed their mark —slid slightly off —and
BAM !!
He got a mouthful of her surprised gasp, a taste of her lip gloss, and accidentally inhaled through his mouth at the exact moment. Spit. Contact. Chaos.
It wasn't a kiss. It was lip CPR.
Serin immediately backed off, wide-eyed. Then—
She BURST out laughing.
A full, chest-shaking, tear-inducing laugh. The kind of laugh that makes your knees weak.
Ren stood there, stunned, blinking like a wet cat hit by a gentle typhoon.
"Did I… Did I just DROWN???"
Her laugh kept echoing.She bent over, holding her ribs.Her calm goddess energy? Gone.She was laughing like a chaotic best friend at a sleepover.
Ren's face went all shades of red.
But weirdly…he started laughing too.
It was embarrassing.It was messy.It was real.
And somehow, even in failure—it was perfect.
"Yaya so funny," he smirked. "Let's go."
They walked out of the washroom like nothing happened.
Collected their bags.
Reached the exit.
At the door, Serin smiled at him — a goodbye smile .Not sad. Not forced. Just soft… and honest.
She didn't want it to end either. But it had to.
Ren's eyes glittered . Still processing.
They gave each other a soft handshake —not romantic. Not awkward. Just… sincere.
Immediately after Exiting Pizza Hut.
Serin sprinted toward the bus stop suddenly.
Ren blinked, confused.
She waved at him. "Call tonight!"
He nodded, dumbfounded.
His feet still frozen.
the world felt different.
Not louder.
Not brighter.
Just… softer.
The sky wore gentle strokes of pink and indigo, like a painting that paused just for them.
The breeze wasn't cold anymore —it brushed against Ren's cheek like a whispered secret, like it knew what had just happened in that washroom.
He looked down at his fingers.
She held this hand.
She kissed this face.
He could still feel her warmth on his skin, not heat, but memory.
And somehow, the weight he always carried on his back?
Gone.
The streets, once grey and tired, now sparkled with evening gold.
The rusted benches glowed.
The streetlights flickered on like stage lights —and he felt like he was walking through a movie.
Even the people passing by…smiled at him.
And he smiled back.
Not forced.
Not polite.
Just... happy.
For once, his smile didn't hide anything.
It was everything.
As he walked toward home, a dog barked from across the street —the same dog that used to chase him every day.
Today?
Ren stopped.
Knelt.
Smiled.
And the dog… froze.
Blinking.
Confused.
As if thinking, "Yo… is this the same guy?"
Ren patted the dog on the head."Good boy."
The dog wagged its tail.
He kept walking.
The rustling trees above?
They didn't felt boring anymore.
They felt like they were waving. "You did it My Guy."
And Ren?
He didn't walk like a boy anymore.
He walked like someone who just got kissed by a miracle.
Even the sky…looked back at him with soft approval. The clouds curled like her sleepy smile. The wind smelled faintly of cherry blossoms —out of season, but somehow still there.
And in that moment, Ren knew,
The world didn't change.
But He did.
And now, everything feels beautiful.
Ren stepped into his house like he was floating.
No one was home.
No shoes by the door.
No noise.
No one yelling his name.
Just quiet.
But for the first time ever...he loved the silence.
Because the silence wasn't empty, it echoed with her laugh.
He tossed his bag onto his cupboard like a man who just returned from winning the war of love.
Unbuckled his belt with the energy of someone preparing for a full-blown emotional
meltdown.
And then,
Swan-dived onto his bed.
Arms spread.
Legs bouncing.
He kicked at the air like a puppy having a dream.
"Brooooo what just happened—WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
He covered his face with a pillow.
Bit it.
Flipped around.
Bit it again.
He was glowing.
Blushing.
Melting.
He rolled off the bed and sprinted to the mirror.
And there it was, The lipstick mark !!!
Right on his right cheek.
Faint, soft, curvy —like her lips had signed a love letter on his face.
His jaw dropped.
"OH MY GOD. IS THAT—IS THAT A KISS STAIN???"
He leaned closer.
"She left a literal achievement unlocked on my cheek!"
He stared harder.
Touched it.
His heart started pounding again.
He couldn't tell if he was about to cry or propose.
"Wait wait wait… did the Pizza Hut staff see this??
Did the people outside see this??
DID THE DOG SEE THIS???"
He facepalmed dramatically.
Tried wiping it off.
It smudged a little.
And then—he froze.
Looked into the mirror.
His hand slowly rested on the mark.
And a smile crept in.
Not goofy.
Not flirty.
Just… full.
"Well... I have a girlfriend."
His smile widened. A sparkle in his eye. He smiled so big his ears probably blushed.
And then—
Cue villain arc.
He narrowed his eyes. Tilted his head. Gave himself the most evil smirk ever.
"I.
HAVE.
A.
GIRLFRIEND."
He screamed at the Top of his lungs into the pillow. Like a possessed protagonist discovering love was real.
Then his brain spiraled:
"WAIT. What are we??
"Are we dating??
"We never confessed!
"Are we having babies?!"
He grabbed his phone.
"Open Snapchat. OPEN. THE. SNAP—"
He accidentally opened the calculator.
"I DON'T NEED MATH, NOWWWW"
He flopped back on his bed again, face-down.
"WHAT IF THIS WAS ALL A DREAM?!
WHAT IF I'M IN A COMA?!
WHAT IF I ATE TOO MUCH PIZZA AND HALLUCINATED A GIRL WHO LIKES ME?!"
He rolled to the side. His phone buzzed.
A blank notification.
He gasped again.
"What if she regrets it?!
What if she's panicking right now too?!
Wait, she never panics… what if I'm the only one panicking?!"
He stared at the ceiling, hands over his heart.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"She kissed me.
She really… kissed me.
Her lips… were so soft.
Like mochi.
Or clouds."
He started crying .Actual tears. But the happy kind — the overwhelming kind.
He pulled out his phone.
Opened the video. That one.
The kiss.
The screen lit up. There they were, cheek to cheek, smiling, her hand wrapped around his shoulder.
And that single frame…broke him.
Not in a sad way.
But in a "how the hell did someone like her kiss someone like me" way.
He stared at the screen, eyes glassy.
His fingers hovered over her face. He whispered under his breath like a prayer.
"I don't want to fix her from her past…I just want to be the future she never thought she deserved."