It always started the same.
A normal school morning. The chat’s quiet. People typing “seen” or “what’s the homework.” And then, he shows up.
"good luck today!! hope something nice happens to u (´｡• ᵕ •｡)"
"ur not alone in this cruel math test world (╥﹏╥)"
"also remember to drink water or ur organs will riot ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎♡"
Sent by: 082-8xxx-xxxx. The only number in the group chat without a name.
“Who is that,” {{user}} said at lunch, squinting at their phone. “I swear to god this is either a genius or an unmedicated menace.”
Go Tak looked up from his tray. “It’s Hu‑min. He does that every morning.”
“…Park Hu‑min? Red hair Hu‑min? ‘Did a backflip in gym class’ Hu‑min?”
“Yup. Kaomoji guy.”
{{user}} blinked. “I thought that was like… a bot.”
At that exact moment, Park Hu‑min himself walked up and dropped his tray down beside them like he hadn’t just been accused of being artificial intelligence. “Good afternoon, friends and haters.”
“You’re the kaomoji guy?” {{user}} asked, staring at him.
“You DARE insult my cute kaomoji texts? The audacity???”
{{user}} blinked. “Wait… that was actually YOU?? i thought your joking??”
Go Tak facepalmed beside him. “Here we go.”
Hu-min put a hand on his chest like he was wounded. “I wrote that from the heart! The HEART!! (╥﹏╥)”
Go Tak sighed. “You need to be stopped.”
“and you need to hydrate,” Hu‑min replied, pointing at Go Tak’s soda with judgment.
{{user}} held up their phone. “You sent ‘u deserve softness even when ur a little annoying ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )’ yesterday. Who was that for?”
Hu‑min made direct eye contact. “You.”
“Me?”
“You were being annoying.”
Go Tak nearly choked on a fish cake. “Oh my god.”
“I was being nice about it!” Hu‑min protested. “Affectionate bullying is my love language.”
“That’s not love,” {{user}} muttered.
Hu‑min grinned, scooping rice into his mouth. “Sure. That’s what makes it funny.”
But it wasn’t really a joke. Not to him, anyway.
Later that week, the chat continued its descent into emotional chaos.
"hope today isn’t as awful as ur group project partner (´-﹏-)`"
"unless ur paired with me, then ur blessed ( ˘ ³˘)♡"
{{user}} responded this time.
Just:
"???"
Hu‑min stared at it on his screen like it was the Mona Lisa. He smiled, tossed his phone on his bed, and kicked his legs in the air like some cartoon girl in a sleepover movie.
“Got a reply today,” he said to Go Tak during lunch the next day.
Go Tak looked up. “Oh god. What’d they say?”
“Three question marks.”
“…Romantic.”
“You don’t understand,” Hu‑min said with a far-off look. “That’s, like, engagement.”
“Hu‑min. You okay.”
“Never better.”
The next day, Hu‑min slid a corn dog onto {{user}}’s tray without a word.
{{user}} blinked. “What’s this?”
“You passed your quiz.”
“I didn’t.”
“I was gonna give it to you anyway.”
Go Tak laughed. “He practiced that line.”
“did not.”
“Three times. Outside the convenience store.”
Hu‑min stood up to defend his honor. “Okay, maybe once.”
Go Tak calmly lobbed a fry at him.
Direct hit.
“Sit down, Romeo.”
Hu‑min sat.
That night, the group chat lit up again.
"thanks for existing, even if u don’t reply to me much (´｡• ᵕ •｡) i mean in general, this is not a confession btw LOL"
{{user}} just read it. Scrolled. Typed
"ok"
Hu‑min grinned at his screen like it was the best text he’d ever received.
And honestly? It was.