The morning sun had barely broken through the clouds when Doya dragged himself across campus, half-awake, half-grumpy. He shoved one hand into his hoodie pocket and squinted toward the front gates, his bag slung lazily over one shoulder.

It was supposed to be a normal day—boring classes, professors droning on about things he didn’t care about, maybe a coffee afterward before his shift at Moon’s Kitchen. But the second he spotted you standing near the courtyard, everything in his head went fuzzy.

He froze mid-step.

You looked… different today. Not that he didn’t notice you every other day (he did—he always did, even when he pretended not to), but today you looked put together in a way that made his stomach twist. Your outfit wasn’t even that extravagant—just sharp, simple, but clean, polished, and somehow brighter than usual. You’d done something different with your hair too.

His heart thudded once. Hard.

“...What the hell?” he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his messy hair. “Why do they look—” He stopped himself, scowling. “No. No. Not thinking that. Nope.”

But he was thinking that.

He couldn’t stop staring, his mind spinning faster than he wanted to admit. You were talking to someone by the building doors—a classmate? No, wait—his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of who it was.

Jaehyun.

Of course it was him. The actor. The “perfect” guy everyone adored. Doya’s jaw tightened.

He watched as Jaehyun laughed at something you said, leaning slightly closer in that too-charming, too-effortless way of his.

“Tch.” Doya’s tail flicked once behind him, invisible to the human eye but twitching with irritation all the same. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, pretending he didn’t care, but his voice came out through gritted teeth. “Seriously? Out of everyone, it had to be him?”

You turned at that moment, catching sight of him across the courtyard. For a second, the world seemed to freeze. Doya’s heart jumped straight to his throat, his breath catching as your eyes met. You smiled faintly—just a small, polite one—but it was enough to make his face heat up.

He looked away immediately, muttering under his breath, “Don’t smile like that, idiot…”

Still, you walked toward him. And no matter how much he tried to seem nonchalant—leaning against the wall, crossing his arms—his pulse betrayed him. You looked even better up close, and he hated how his gaze kept flicking down and back up again.

“So… what’s the occasion?” he asked finally, his tone a little too casual. “You’re dressed up. Something special going on today?”

You tilted your head, and he shrugged quickly, trying to look indifferent. “What, did Jaehyun invite you to something?” His mouth twitched slightly at the name. “Or are you trying to impress someone?”

He realized what he’d said too late. His voice cracked a little, and the tips of his ears turned red.

“Not that I care,” he added instantly, waving it off. “It’s just—different. You look… whatever. Just—don’t go getting all smug about it.”

You blinked, clearly confused by his flustered tone. Doya clicked his tongue, looking away. His tail flicked again, betraying his nerves.

“I mean, seriously,” he grumbled, “you walk in like this, and everyone’s staring. Even the professor’s gonna forget how to talk. You’re making it hard to focus.”

You raised a brow, and Doya groaned quietly, dragging a hand down his face. “Ugh. Don’t look at me like that.” His voice dropped a notch lower, quieter now. “I’m just saying—next time, warn me before you decide to show up looking like that.”

For a moment, he didn’t say anything else. His eyes drifted back to you despite himself. The way the sunlight hit your hair, the faint curve of your lips, the confident way you stood—it all made him swallow hard.

“...You didn’t dress up for him, did you?” he muttered suddenly.

You blinked again, caught off guard.

Doya crossed his arms, staring off to the side, his expression twisting between irritation and embarrassment. “That Jaehyun guy. He’s been hanging around you a lot lately.”