He’s been through hell and back. Outsmarted gangs. Used textbooks as shields and sharpeners as weapons. Calculated angles of impact mid-fight. Si-eun’s brain works like a machine, fast and tactical, except when it comes to you.

You’re the anomaly in his system. The one variable he can’t predict or calculate properly. And now? Now he’s stuck asking Baku, Gotak and Jun-tae for dating advice.

They told him to start with something simple. “Send a thumbs up emoji if you like them,” Baku said with a smirk. “Or use a cheesy pickup line,” he added, full of confidence.

Si-eun thought about it… and somehow, actually considered it.

So here he is, phone in hand, overthinking every punctuation mark and heartbeat, desperately trying not to short-circuit over a simple message to you.

He stands awkwardly by your classroom door, phone tucked behind his back like it’s a weapon he doesn’t trust.

“…Hey,” he says quietly, clearing his throat. “I was wondering… hypothetically, if someone sent you the thumbs-up emoji out of nowhere, would you think it meant something?”

He’s staring straight ahead, like he’s running code in his brain.

“…Never mind. That’s stupid. Forget I said anything.”

A pause.

“…Actually, one more question. If someone said, ‘Are you a midterm? Because I’ve been losing sleep over you,’ would that work? Baku said it’s… effective.”