"Serin is actually a really good girl… she doesn't judge me." Ren whispered to himself in the faint morning glow.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind him.
"Are you sure about that?"
A shadowed version of himself stepped into view.
"What if she's just pretending… what if she hates you deep down?"
Ren turned sharply.
"What if she just stops texting you one day?" another version of him whispered from the side.
"No… y'all are just trippin'—"
But the voices kept piling up.
"What if she's just bored and you're her pastime?" said a calmer version.
"No, no, NO—"
Ren jolted awake.
"Damn… even my dreams are about her."
He rubbed his eyes, groggily checking the time.
7:30 AM.
"WHAT THE—?! 7:30 ALREADY?!"
Panic kicked in. He stumbled out of bed, grabbing his phone on the way to the bathroom.
It buzzed.
4+ messages from Serin.
"Hey… I'm so sorry for last night. I wasn't in the mood."
"Hope you have a great day today 🩷"
"I had to leave early for school, I'll text you when I'm home!"
"Byeeee ~"
Ren caught himself smiling.
"Why am I smiling like an idiot…"
"Aight, I'll text you after school. I'm in a rush too lol 🏃♂️💨"
He changed clothes, stuffed food in his mouth, and bolted.
"Love you, Mom! Byeeee—"
"Ren, your lunch—!"
But he was already gone.
His mother stood at the door, blinking
At the bus stop:
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO—"
He missed it.
The sky was crisp blue, birds flying low over the quiet suburban houses of Kurzawa, layered like a living painting.
The tiles glistened with morning dew, and the air was a mix of sakura petals and the faint rustle of bicycles.
Ren leapt from porch walls, skipping stairs, cutting through alleys, hopping over water drains and tightly packed wooden fences—he moved like a shadow through a Ghibli-style Neighbourhood.
8:10 AM.
He burst into the school gate, panting.
"Ren… you're early today." His teacher raised an eyebrow.
"Reason?"
"Uh… my mom… wasn't feeling well… hospital…" he lied weakly.
Pity saved him.
Ren smiled awkwardly and slipped into class.
Just as he reached the door—
Buzz.
"Are you busy?" — Serin.
"WHAT?! Now?!"
Ren whispered to himself.
He didn't want to miss it.
He dashed to the washroom, locking the stall, sitting on the closed toilet lid like a secret agent on a mission.
Buzz.
" just bored 😅 texting you is fun... as friends hehe."
Ren's smile slowly faded.
"As friends…? Why does she keep saying that…"
"Yeah… haha, I feel the same 😅"He sent a Bitmoji.
"I saw you in my dream, Ren…"
He blushed,
but before he could respond—
"As friends 😅"
"That's it!"
Ren snapped.
"Why do you keep saying 'as friends' over and over?! I get it, we're friends. You don't need to remind me every 5 seconds!"
Serin quickly replied:
"I didn't mean it like—"
Before Serin Could Say Anything Ren Cut her Off-
"Whatever."
Just then—
"Ren?"
His teacher stood behind him.
"You're supposed to be in class. What are you hiding?"
"I-it's my mom. Emergency."
"Oh? But I thought she was in the hospital?"
"OH CRAP."
His phone buzzed again with unread messages from Serin.
"Why is he so rude? I didn't even mean it like that…"
"Oh my god, he's not even replying now."
She folded her arms in frustration.
"Such a dramatic guy…" she murmured.
But then her eyes softened.
"Maybe I messed up too. I should've stopped saying it. Ugh…"
Her class was chaotic—kids shouting, joking, jumping around.
She, calm and mature, sat in silence.
"What's Ren like in person…? We should talk someday. He sounds fun."
The lunch bell rang.
She walked to the cafeteria.
"You okay? You've been zoning out all week."
Haito smacked her head gently.
"Nah, it's nothing." Serin smiled faintly.
But her heart screamed:
"I WANT TO TALK TO HIM."
The principal leaned forward, arms crossed.
"Ren, your behavior lately has been disappointing."
His mom glanced at him.
"You promised me you'd stop getting into trouble. I trusted you, Ren."
Ren stared at the floor.
"I wish I could just text her…"
Far away, Serin stared at her phone.
"I wish I could talk to him…"
They both thought at the same time.
Evening.
Ren returned home, threw his bag on the couch, collapsed onto his bed, and grabbed his phone.
A waterfall of texts from Serin poured in:
"DUDE I'M SORRY 😭"
"Y ARE YOU OVERTHINKING 😭"
"I SAID I WON'T JUDGE YOU OKAY?!"
"DON'T PANIC 😭"
"OMG YOU'RE SO DRAMATIC!! 😩"
Ren chuckled.
"Bro… I was in the principal's office all day 😭😭"
"Wait WHAT?!"
"I swear 😭"
"Well… I really wanted to text you tho…"
She sent a bitmoji of a pouting bunny holding a phone.
Ren's heart skipped a beat.
"That's literally what I wanted to say all day…"
Ren Whispered
He stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Wanna just text till we fall asleep? 😅" — Serin
Ren's eyes widened.
"Why is she doing this? Why is someone like her talking to someone like me…"
Buzz.
A snap.
His hands trembled.
He opened it.
His jaw dropped.
It was Serin.
Just her.
Soft smile.
Natural light from her window.
His breath caught in his throat.
His heartbeat wasn't racing anymore
it was soaring.
"What… is this feeling…?"
Serin wasn't just pretty.
She was a poem written in light.
Her soft, almond-shaped eyes shimmered like Diamond.
Her hair Fell Into Her Eyes like molten moonlight, so effortlessly perfect it looked painted by
a god with trembling hands.
Her smile?
It wasn't just a curve of lips.
It was a sunrise that melted glaciers inside his chest.
Even the air around her in the picture felt warmer.
She wasn't wearing makeup.
No filters.
Just her.
"Is This Even real…?"
His eyes widened.
Jaw slightly parted.
His hands trembled with disbelief.
Ren sat there, staring—longer than he should.
It wasn't lust.
It wasn't a crush.
It was awe.
"A girl like her… chose to text a guy like me…?"
Ren sat frozen, blushing hard, phone in hand.
He stared at the mirror beside his bed.
His chest still heaving, he looked at his reflection.
He Started To Touch His Chest
"Why does it hurt here… but feel warm too?"
"Why is she interested in me…?"
"A beautiful girl like her… texting me like this?"
He laid in bed, still in his uniform.
Staring at the ceiling.
"Could someone like her… really like someone like me?"
"She knows my past. And she still stays?"
He looked at The Mirror.
Saw A broken boy in the reflection.
Then he smiled.
"Maybe she's a pure soul…"
for the first time—
He smiled For Him , not because she texted.
But because someone… truly saw Inside him.