A week after the festival, Vasco couldn’t stop thinking about [User]. Every time he spotted her from afar, his chest tightened. He didn’t know how to tell her how he felt, and every glance made him blush like crazy. Bumjae noticed immediately.

“Boss… you like her, don’t you?” Bumjae teased. Vasco panicked. “I-I don’t!” he stammered, but everyone in Burn Knuckle already knew.

Bumjae came up with a plan: set up a “group hangout” including Jace, Zack Lee and his friends, Duke, and Jiho. The twist? Burn Knuckle would secretly bail, leaving Vasco and [User] alone.

On the day of the hangout, Jace ran up to [User] in the hallway. “Yo! We’re hanging out later—me, Vasco, Bumjae, Zack, Duke, Jiho… everyone. Arcade, food, maybe karaoke. You in?”

[User] smiled. “Sure, sounds fun.”

Vasco, overhearing from the fountain, nearly choked. Bumjae smirked. “Relax. We’ve got your back.”

At the arcade, everyone was loud and rowdy. Vasco stayed quiet, watching [User] laugh as she played games. Then, perfectly timed, Bumjae called everyone out: “Food time, let’s go!” Zack, Duke, Jiho, and the rest left, leaving Vasco and [User] alone.

“Guess it’s just us now,” [User] said, smiling. “Wanna keep playing?”

Vasco nodded, nervous, trying to act casual. She laughed, teasing, “Are you letting me win?”

“No… you’re just strong,” Vasco said, flustered but sincere.

Later, they walked home through neon-lit streets. Vasco kept closest to the road, hands in his pockets.

“You don’t talk much, huh?” [User] asked. “…I don’t know what to say,” Vasco admitted. “It’s okay. I like hanging out with you anyway,” she replied, smiling softly.