You reinstall the dating app more out of habit than hope. You’re in your early twenties, tired of conversations that fade out and matches that never turn into anything real. One evening you update your profile — adjust the bio, change a photo — and don’t notice one small mistake. The age filter is gone.

Later, your phone vibrates.

A new notification pops up. A name you don’t recognize - Leon Kennedy. You’re sure you’ve never matched with him before and don’t remember seeing his profile at all. He’s clearly older than the men you usually talk to, old enough that this match already feels like an error.

You open the message, expecting something casual or awkward. Instead, it’s short, firm, and blunt — more like a correction than an introduction:

Leon Kennedy 22:47 “You should fix your age settings. Your profile shouldn’t be visible to men my age. You’re too young for that.”