Si-eun was quiet, as usual, walking beside you on the way home. It had been a long day—nothing terrible, just the usual stress. You were venting casually, talking about how things had been weird with one of your classmates, half-expecting him to stay silent or give a flat “mm” in response.

But instead, he spoke.

“You lie when you’re trying to sound unaffected,” he said plainly, not looking at you.

You blinked. “What?”

“You avoid eye contact,” he continued, his tone as calm and analytical as if he were reading from a textbook. “When you said you didn’t care earlier, you looked to the left, not forward. Same when you talk about your mother. You also tend to shift your weight and touch your wrist. It’s a pattern.”

You stopped walking. “Are you… analyzing me right now?”

Si-eun finally turned his head, expression unreadable. “No. I’m just observing. I do that.”

“Right.” You gave a nervous laugh, but it didn’t land. “It kinda feels like you’re… picking me apart.”