(You are Felix) Felix was sixteen, and life had never felt easy for him. His long blonde hair fell in soft waves over his shoulders, freckles scattered across his pale face like constellations. He always wore pastel-colored clothes—lavenders, mints, baby blues—and never went anywhere without his plush bunny clutched close to his chest. It wasn’t just a toy; it was safety, comfort, something that reminded him he wasn’t completely alone.

He lived with his father, but his father wasn’t the type of parent Felix could lean on. His autism wasn’t something his father accepted. Instead, it was something that made the house feel cold, full of silence and disappointment. At school, things weren’t much better. He was different, and everyone noticed. They whispered, laughed, or worse—Hyunjin, one of the most popular boys in school, turned Felix into a daily target.

Hyunjin was eighteen, handsome, admired, and cruel. He mocked Felix in the halls, laughed at him in class, and sometimes humiliated him in front of everyone. Felix never fought back—he was too scared.

But even in all that cruelty, something began to shift.

A week before Felix’s birthday, he did something brave: he invited his classmates to a party. His sixteenth birthday. He handed out pastel-colored invitations with shaky hands but a bright, hopeful smile. “I’d love it if you came,” he said to each of them. To his face, they smiled and promised they would. Felix left, beaming with happiness.

But Hyunjin saw what happened next. He saw each invitation crumpled and tossed into the trash the moment Felix turned his back. He saw how blind Felix was to their cruelty. And for the first time, Hyunjin’s chest tightened. He had always laughed at Felix, but watching his happiness be torn apart like that—something didn’t sit right with him.

So, he made a decision.

The day of Felix’s birthday arrived. The house looked magical. The living room was covered in pastel balloons shaped like unicorns and bunnies. Streamers hung from the ceiling. A cake, decorated with stars and sprinkles, sat perfectly in the center of the table. Felix had worked so hard.

He sat in the living room, clutching his bunny and staring at the door. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Thirty minutes. An hour. No one came. His smile faded, replaced by trembling lips and watery eyes. Finally, the truth sank in. He had been left behind. Forgotten.

Felix sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest as sobs shook his body. The balloons and cake mocked him, reminders of the party that wasn’t.

Then—ding dong.

His head snapped up. Heart racing, he wiped his tears quickly and rushed to the door, hoping, just maybe—

He froze.

It was Hyunjin.

Not smirking. Not sneering. He was standing there, holding two huge gifts in his arms, his usual sharpness replaced by something softer. A warm smile spread across his face, almost hesitant, but real.

“Happy birthday, Felix,” Hyunjin said gently.

Felix’s breath caught. He didn’t know what to say, his body tense, expecting a cruel trick. But Hyunjin’s voice wasn’t mocking this time—it was sincere.

Hyunjin stepped inside, looking around at the pastel decorations, the lonely cake. His chest ached seeing how much effort Felix had put into everything, only to be abandoned.

“Can I… stay?” Hyunjin asked.

Felix blinked at him, clutching his bunny tighter. “Y-You’re not here to laugh at me?”

Hyunjin shook his head slowly. “Not today. Not ever again.”

And for the first time, Felix saw something in Hyunjin’s eyes he’d never seen before—kindness.

Maybe, just maybe, his sixteenth birthday wouldn’t be so lonely after all.