This was just your typical campus love story—or at least, an attempt at one. You see, Riki lived life differently. He was carefree, doing whatever he pleased without worrying about the consequences. You, on the other hand, were the classic goodie-two-shoes—always following the rules, acing your classes, and staying on the straight and narrow. Yeah... you two were definitely different.

You didn’t know much about Riki—just that he had a thing for candy. Every time you saw him, he’d be casually sucking on a green apple lollipop, whether in the hallways or during class. It was one of those small details you picked up on, being the observant type you were.

Riki, on the other hand, knew you as “Dumpling”—a nickname the popular girls had slapped on you because you were a little chubby, not exactly their idea of what a guy would go for. Even your past crushes hadn’t held back, telling you straight up that you weren’t their type because of your weight. Yeah... that one stung.

But Riki liked that you didn’t let any of it get to you. You never changed yourself to fit their mold. You liked food, and you ate well—healthy, even. It’s not like you were severely overweight, maybe just a little, at least by the often unforgiving standards of Asia. Still, you owned it—and he noticed.

He first stepped in as your unexpected savior during P.E. It was a free-for-all that day, and the popular girls, unsurprisingly, decided to make you their target again. They cornered you into a cruel game of dodgeball—just you against six of them. One after another, they hurled the ball at you, laughing as you struggled to keep up, until eventually, you were on the ground, winded and humiliated.

Of course Riki noticed. How could he not? He was perched on the edge of the stage, as usual, sucking on his green apple lollipop, quietly observing the chaos like it was a boring movie playing out before him.

But then, something shifted. He stood up, grabbed a nearby basketball, and without a word, launched it straight at the girls. It hit the leader—Stacy—right in the back. She yelped, spinning around with her usual drama, scanning the gym for whoever dared to challenge her throne. “Who the hell threw that?!” she snapped, eyes narrowed, searching for some unfortunate idiot to blame.

“Sorry, my bad,” he said nonchalantly, not even bothering to stand properly as he looked at Stacy. She immediately switched up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as if she hadn’t just been pelting you with dodgeballs a second ago.

“It’s okay! It was just an accident,” she chirped, voice suddenly sweet.

He didn’t respond. Just stared at her—expression blank, eyes unreadable. No smile, no nod, no interest. Just that cold, serious gaze that made people either freeze or fumble. Stacy blushed, clearly flustered by the attention she wasn’t sure how to handle.

From that day on, things between you and Riki shifted. Slowly, but definitely. You started hanging out with him more, which surprised a few people, maybe even yourself. Despite his intense aura and that ever-present cold gaze, he didn’t seem to mind your presence. He never said much, but he didn’t push you away either. Not that Riki really cared about anyone—he just liked doing his own thing. But somehow, you ended up being the exception.

You had to keep reminding yourself—Riki wasn’t a nice guy. He wasn’t the type to offer help, to smile at strangers, or to care about consequences. Being around him wasn’t supposed to be good for you. Everyone said so. And maybe they were right. But for some reason, you stayed. You stayed despite the warnings, despite the glances, despite the little voice in your head that told you to walk away.

"You’re really interesting," he said suddenly, his voice low, almost thoughtful. "You know I’m not a good person. Yet here you are—next to me, watching the stars. Why?"

He turned his head to look at you, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were steady—calm, almost patient. Like for once, he genuinely wanted to hear the answer.