After the following days, it dawned with a crisp, vivid clarity, but the slightly frigid breeze slipping from the corridor's industrial air conditioning units matched the cold, defensive armor Leansei wore as he walked down the tedious hall.
Leansei kept his head down, his mind churning over the dark realization from the night before. This heavy, suffocating ache in his chest was a carbon copy of the feeling he had endured back then—the phantom pain of a time when he and Tyvan had grown dangerously closer than friends. But try as he might, Leansei couldn't distinguish why his heart was rewriting old history, or if his own sexuality was entirely different than he had spent his whole life believing it would be.
His internal crisis was abruptly cut short when a familiar figure materialized in front of him.
Corshe was flustered, his small face twisted into an unreadable expression of pure shock, as if he had just witnessed something completely beyond the realm of possibility. Leansei tried to glance away, hoping to avoid a scene, and the two began walking down the corridor together in absolute silence.
The quiet didn't last long. Without warning, Corshe began frantically pulling at his own hair, pacing erratically like a patient who had just escaped from a mental hospital.
Leansei stopped, staring at him. "What on earth is wrong with you?!"
"Huhu Gawin, what am I supposed to do?" Corshe wailed, his tone saturated with genuine, agonizing trouble.
"What actually happened?!"
Instead of answering, Corshe lunged forward, tightly clinging his hands around Leansei's arm and heavily leaning his head onto Lean's shoulder. The display was entirely too touchy and suffocatingly clingy for Leansei's comfort. He immediately tried to shove the boy away to regain his personal space, but Corshe held on like a barnacle.
"Okay, look, before I even attempt to help you, please let me go," Leansei ordered sharply.
Corshe's troubled face lightened up in an instant. He swiftly withdrew his hands, backing away to flash Leansei a pleading, wide-eyed puppy face.
Leansei adjusted the strap of his heavy carry bag on his shoulder and smoothed out his wrinkled uniform. "Now, tell me exactly what happened. From the beginning."
"W-well, yes, ahm, yes, we know, so hehe—" Corshe started mumbling, his words crashing into one another so fast that Leansei couldn't decipher a single syllable. Reaching out, Leansei delivered a sharp smack to Corshe's arm, effectively snapping the boy out of his frantic trance.
"Talk like an actual human being," Leansei said.
Corshe swallowed hard, calming down as he began to gesture wildly with his hands to emphasize his story. "So, a few days ago, I almost rode my bike straight into this guy and ended up crashing violently into a brick wall. But instead of yelling at me, he apologized! No one ever does that, Leansei. He actually helped me up, personally treated all of my raw scratches, and even drove me all the way home!" Leansei watched him, thoroughly entertained by the sheer theatricality of Corshe's storytelling, a small, involuntary smile tugging at his lips.
"T-then—wait, why are you laughing?!" Corshe pouted aggressively, puffing out his lips in mock offense.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Leansei chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "I've just never seen someone explain a bike crash with full choreography before. But what happened next?"
"That's the problem. I haven't seen a single trace of him in Levous City, or even in our own city, since that night."
The gentle amusement on Leansei's face withered in a fraction of a second. The sudden mention of Levous City—his own hometown, a place buried under layers of bitter memories—hit him like a physical blow. He stared at Corshe, forcing his expression into a neutral mask as he desperately tried to disregard the name of the city.
"T-then today," Corshe gasped, his eyes wide, "I think I actually saw him on campus!"
"Then what are you so dazed about? Go talk to him."
"Well, the thing is... I'm pretty sure he runs a major shop back in Levous City. I might have just seen a completely different person who happens to look exactly like him." Leansei nodded slowly in understanding, his mind involuntarily drifting to the only person he truly knew from back home—the gentle restaurant owner who had looked out for him.
Leansei glanced up at the sterile ceiling tiles, a quiet, melancholic thought echoing in his mind.
' I had absolutely no idea the cupcake he gave me that night would be the last time we'd ever see each other. '
Snapping himself out of the dangerous nostalgia, Leansei cleared his throat. "Maybe you really did just see the wrong person. But then again, there's always a slight possibility he actually is the man you met." Before Corshe could respond, Leansei's phone vibrated with a sharp notification chime. He pulled it from his pocket to check the screen.
"But what I really mean is..." Corshe's voice dropped, turning uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable. "Why does my heart start racing like crazy whenever I think about him?" Leansei froze, his fingers hovering over his phone as he glanced at Corshe in absolute surprise. A sudden, jarring wave of recognition hit him; he was listening to an exact description of the chaotic feelings currently tearing his own chest apart.
"M-maybe it's just because he's exceptionally handsome?" Leansei offered, his response heavily laced with uncertainty as he sharply averted his gaze to look down at the floor. "Or maybe you just... adore him?"
"I mean, he is undeniably good-looking," Corshe muttered, mindlessly scrolling through his own phone to hide his embarrassment. "But this specific feeling is entirely unusual. I should be feeling this exact way about girls, not about some guy."
Leansei let out a quiet, heavy breath. "Well, I just hope you figure out exactly what it is you're feeling right now. Because i have absolutely no idea as well." Corshe paused, tilting his head as his eyes locked onto Leansei with a sudden, piercing curiosity.
"Then what about you? What exactly do you feel toward Xerchin?" Leansei flinched visibly, his throat tightening as the question hit a raw nerve. Terrified of the answer, he aggressively jammed his eyes back onto his phone screen, desperately seizing the text message on his display like a lifeline.
"Oh, look at that—Xeilin just messaged me," Leansei blurted out, his voice sharp as he forcefully changed the topic. "The council officers are waiting for us right at the exit of the hall." Without waiting for Corshe's reaction, Leansei turned on his heel and walked quickly toward the heavy double doors at the end of the corridor. As his heart thudded violently against his ribs, a bitter thought crossed his mind. He had never imagined someone would look him dead in the eye and ask a question that stripped him so completely bare.
' I-I don't feel that way about that bastard! No way! I just adored his dashing face, and that was all, ' Leansei screamed in his mind, his thoughts spinning into a defensive frenzy to block out the rising panic.
"Wait for me, Gawin!" Corshe shouted from down the corridor, his sneakers squeaking loudly against the polished floor as he trailed frantically after him.
They finally reached the heavy double doors at the end of the hall. Xeilin and Revin were already waiting there, but instead of their usual composed or neutral faces, a heavily gloomy aura seemed to radiate from the two of them.
Leansei minced his steps, slowing down as he cautiously walked toward them. "Have you two been waiting for us all that long?" Xeilin shook his head, offering a quiet, strained smile. "Not at all."
Leansei glanced subtly over at Revin, who suddenly beamed a bright, wide smile straight back at him. Leansei gave him a deeply confused look; the sudden shift in atmosphere felt entirely weird, and it made him incredibly uneasy to see his friend acting so artificially cheerful.
"What on earth is wrong with you, Revin?" Corshe asked, matching Leansei's suspicious tone as he eyed the boy.
"I'll treat you all to whatever you want today," Revin announced loudly. Without waiting, he stepped forward to stand flush beside Leansei, effectively shoulder-shoving Corshe right out of his spot.
"Hey! That's my place, you absolute idiot!" Corshe barked, his face twisting in annoyance as he lifted his foot and delivered a sharp, retaliatory kick directly to Revin's back.
Xeilin and Leansei shook their heads in unison, letting out a synchronized sigh. Noting the display, Leansei realized that while the two might have appeared profoundly troubled over the recent days, they were now right back to their usual, chaotic selves.
' Maybe I shouldn't worry about them at all, ' Leansei thought, a small layer of his own tension bleeding away.
As they navigated the pathways toward the main campus hub, Revin and Corshe continued their loud, childish bickering at the back of the group. Up front, Xeilin glanced over at Leansei multiple times. His eyes would lock onto him for a brief second before sharply darting away, his entire posture screaming that he desperately wanted to talk, yet he hesitated to find the right words.
Noticing the repetitive, anxious actions, Leansei decided to cut straight through the awkwardness and asked him directly, "If you want to ask me something, you really don't have to hesitate around me, Xei." Xeilin instantly rubbed the back of his neck, his face tightening as he struggled to frame his thoughts.
"I-if you had a friend... and you had another long-time friend... and they suddenly had an incredibly rough start to their relationship. Like... a completely unplanned one-night stand." Xeilin paused, his breath hitching as a deep, breathless flush stained his cheeks a heavy crimson. He carefully looked anywhere but at Leansei.
Leansei merely glanced ahead, his expression remaining perfectly calm, unbothered, and completely neutral. "Well, it's their personal relationship. Whoever they choose to be with, whatever their final decision is, and whether they end up officially dating or not... they are both still my friends. I'll support them no matter what."
Xeilin snapped his head up to look at him, a wave of profound relief washing over his sharp features. A small, genuine smile touched his lips, and his shoulders finally relaxed. He glanced behind them to check on the other two, seeing that Revin and Corshe were still aggressively squabbling over trivial matters, completely lost in their own childish world.
"I saw Revin a little while ago, before we met up," Xeilin suddenly muttered, his voice dropping into a quieter register. "He looked so deeply bothered... but at the same time, it looked like he had finally come to a final decision about whatever was haunting him."
"I think every single one of us has our own hidden troubles to deal with," Leansei said softly, his eyes tracking his own feet as they walked.
"Yeah, I guess so," Xeilin agreed. He stopped walking and turned around, calling out to the bickering duo. "Hey, you two! Cut it out!" The sharp command made them halt instantly.
Revin and Corshe traded one final, murderous glare before falling into step beside Leansei and Xeilin.
"You know, I think we should all set up a proper group bonding session," Xeilin suggested brightly, looking around at the circle.
Leansei glanced at them, a sudden wave of surprise hitting him. It was an incredibly foreign feeling; in his previous life, he had never once tried to have fun with peers, and simply having true, unmalicious friends was already infinitely more than he had ever possessed.
"I absolutely love that idea!" Corshe cheered excitedly, his eyes sparkling. "What if, before you and Gawin get completely swamped with student council duties next week, we all hit the mall or something?"
"Mm... then let's go," Revin agreed, offering a firm nod.
The three of them instantly locked their gazes onto Leansei, waiting expectantly for his response. Leansei smiled at the very back of his mind, offering a small, disciplined nod.
"Let's do it. Let's have fun."
"Hooray!" they cheered all at once, their voices echoing across the courtyard. Leansei merely maintained his usual, unbothered face; despite the warmth in his chest, he still didn't quite know how to socialize normally.
The celebratory mood vanished the exact second they crossed the threshold of the main cafeteria. A tumultuous, roaring wave of voices rolled out of the massive hall. The four boys stopped dead in their tracks, staring in sheer disbelief at the chaotic landscape. Almost every single table was occupied, and an absolute ocean of students was swarming the dining area.
"What on earth is happening in here? Is there a literal zombie outbreak?!" Corshe gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at the dense crowd violently crushing toward the main service counter.
Before Corshe could take another step, Revin slipped backward, circled around, and delivered a swift, hard kick right back to Corshe's rear.
"That's for earlier, stupid," Revin smirked, quickly stepping back flush to Leansei's side. "If there was a zombie outbreak, the students would be sprinting away from the building, not crowding inside to buy lunch."
Corshe's face contorted with rage. He whirled around, rearing back to launch a full-scale physical attack on Revin, but Xeilin's firm hand clamped down onto his shoulder, dropping a heavy weight onto him.
"Would you two please stop squabbling for a single minute?" Xeilin commanded, pitching his voice into his official, unyielding register as the President of the Student Council.The two boys froze, Corshe immediately pouting and shooting a final glare at Revin, who aggressively glared straight back.
"Alright, Revin and I will go scout the upper sections to find any available tables before they're all taken," Xeilin instructed. Without waiting for an argument, he reached out, firmly grabbed Revin's ear, and began dragging him away from Corshe and Leansei.
"Aw! Stop pulling! Let go, it hurts!" Revin groaned loudly as he was pulled through the aisle.
Corshe watched them retreat, a silly, victorious smile breaking across his face as he stuck his tongue out to taunt his rival. Leansei turned his head, staring flatly at the display before reaching out and pinching Corshe's cheeks so hard the boy's mouth warped into a distorted pout.
"Couldn't you two stop fighting over absolutely trivial matters for once?" Leansei scolded gently, releasing his grip and turning to face the crushing crowd near the food lines.
Corshe aggressively rubbed his red, burning cheek to soothe the pain, huffing loudly. "No way! He has been uniquely annoying since the exact second I met him!"
Leansei ignored the complaints, tiptoeing as he tried to peer over the sea of students. Squeezing into the crowd felt entirely impossible; the female students were acting like wild, ravenous wolves hungry for a kill. It was easily the most terrifying thing he had encountered on campus all week.
"Everyone, please cooperate and fall into a proper line. There are a massive number of students waiting behind you," a voice suddenly boomed over the noise, echoing clearly from behind the service counter.
The deep, clear baritone instantly struck Leansei and Corshe like a bolt of lightning. Leansei froze, his heart dropping into his stomach as his brain frantically tried to disregard what his ears were telling him. He snapped his gaze over to Corshe. The smaller boy was staring blankly at the counter, his eyes completely wide and entirely stunned.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Leansei asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"I-I... it's the exact same voice, Gawin," Corshe whispered, his eyes suddenly twinkling with an intense, overwhelming excitement. "It's the exact same voice from that night... the one that made me feel so unusual."
Leansei stared at him, a strange, unexplained emotion tightening in his throat. He had never seen Corshe look this completely breathless, his eyes lit up purely by the sound of a voice—especially since the thick crowd of students still completely blocked their view of the man's face.
As if under a spell, the chaotic mass of girls immediately obeyed the firm command, shifting their posture and sorting themselves into a structured line. Capitalizing on the sudden movement, Leansei and Corshe stepped forward into the newly formed queue, slowly moving closer to the ordering station.
"Thank you. Please come again," the voice called out to the next student.
The words hit Leansei with brutal, pristine clarity, shattering his defenses entirely. He stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat. He knew that voice. He knew it better than almost anyone. It was the voice of the person he had been desperately longing to hear one final time—the person he needed to apologize to, the person he needed to thank with all his heart.
' It's absolutely impossible for him to be here, ' Leansei's mind screamed defensively, panic fracturing his thoughts. ' He would never leave his valued restaurant back home. And even if it is him, what am I supposed to do if our eyes meet? I can't just casually say hi to him. To the world right now, I am not Leansei. I am Kean. '
The thick wall of students finally cleared, leaving a direct line of sight to the serving counter. Leansei and Corshe stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes locking onto the man serving the students.
Leansei felt his chest compress violently, a sudden wave of shaky, suffocating warmth robbing him of breath. He couldn't decipher if the frantic hammer behind his ribs was born of sheer happiness or terrifying nervousness. Clenching his fists until his knuckles turned stark white, he felt a sharp, sweet sting in his heart. The sheer excitement and deep, unresolved longing were entirely too much to handle.
The heat surged behind his eyes, blurring his vision. He had genuinely believed he would never see the first person who had ever extended a hand to help him in his darkest moments. He stared at Tael. The man still possessed that same kind, reliable face, but seeing him under the bright cafeteria lights wearing a crisp white apron and chef's cap felt incredibly nostalgic yet euphoric. A tiny, bittersweet thrill ran through Leansei just seeing him holding a large steel ladle instead of a smoldering cigarette.
Tael efficiently filled another plate, his eyes idly sweeping across the remaining queue. His gaze drifted a few meters away, pausing on two male students who were staring directly at him. He began to look away, but sharply snapped his head back. His eyes locked onto Leansei. In an instant, the heavy, deep-seated sorrow Tael had been carrying in his expression seemed to fracture.
' Those eyes... they are the exact same eyes. But that's completely impossible, ' Tael thought, his hand freezing over the food tray as a passing student loudly called his name to get his attention.
Beside Leansei, Corshe's face blossomed into a beatific, radiant smile at the realization that he hadn't been imagining things. This really was the handsome stranger from the sunset. He eagerly turned his head to nudge Leansei, wanting to gloat that this was the exact man he had been talking about all morning. But the words died in his throat.
Corshe's smile faded into complete bewilderment as he stared at Leansei's tearful, fracturing eyes.
' Did they already know each other? Or rather... did Gawin somehow know him before today? ' Corshe wondered, his mind racing.
Leansei remained entirely frozen, his intense, burning gaze pinned to the guy. His defenses crumbled for a split second, his lips moving as he breathed out a silent, barely audible whisper: 'Owner...'
Tael's eyes tracked the subtle movement of Leansei's mouth. Reading the lips clearly, he startled, his heart dropping into his stomach. A suffocating confusion crashed over him as he tried to process the word.
' That is truly impossible! I must have read his lips completely wrong, ' Tael told himself fiercely, trying to force his professional mask back into place.
Leansei flinched back to reality when Corshe suddenly grabbed his wrist, gently pulling him toward the edge of the counter. Corshe reached over and picked up four heavy plastic trays—two for them and two for their waiting friends. Corshe beamed at Tael the moment their eyes met again. Leansei, completely paralyzed by disbelief, could only stare quietly at Tael's face.
"It's you," Tael said, his voice dropping into a smooth, recognizable register as he began pouring a neat mound of steaming rice onto the trays. "It's truly nice to meet you again. Oh, you're carrying four trays?"
"It's incredibly nice to see you too!" Corshe chirped happily, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, the extra trays are for our friends who went to scout a table." Corshe offered a subtle glance toward Leansei, and Tael nodded understandingly, using his tongs to place a perfect portion of the main dish onto Corshe's plate.
Leansei's gaze lingered on Tael's hands, but the moment Tael shifted his attention toward him, Leansei sharply averted his eyes, staring intensely at the steel counter.
"Do we... happen to know each other by any chance?" Tael asked suddenly, his piercing light-brown eyes locking directly onto Leansei.
Leansei's entire body went rigid. His throat locked up, his mind spiraling into absolute chaos. ' Did he recognize me? But how is that even possible in this body?! '
"Oh, he actually has amnesia," Corshe intervened smoothly, picking up on Leansei's distressed silence and offering Tael a reassuring explanation. "He might have just seen your face somewhere before the accident. By the way, for the other tray, we'll take the omelette with the fried pork, please." Corshe then cast a deeply concerned look at Leansei's pale face.
' Hayy... thank God I was completely saved by Corshe, ' Leansei thought, letting out a silent, trembling breath. He shifted his gaze across the food warmers, a faint shadow of disappointment crossing his features when he realized his absolute favorite comfort dish wasn't anywhere on the menu.
"Oh, look, it's you, Kean!" the jovial voice of one of the regular cafeteria kitchen staff suddenly chimed in from behind Tael. The middle-aged woman smiled warmly at him. "Oh, we unfortunately couldn't cook the chicken curry today, but since we have an incredibly talented new chef running the kitchen now, he will definitely be cooking it later this week! Make sure you buy from us often, okay?"
Leansei offered the woman a stiff, polite nod in response, trying to play it cool. But the exact microsecond the words left her mouth, Tael's expression turned utterly stunned. His hands went dead still.
It was too late when the cold realization slammed into Leansei's chest, making his blood run cold. Tael knew. Tael knew with absolute, undeniable certainty from his past life that Leansei's one true favorite dish was chicken curry.
' Shit... '