Ping sighed, muttering under his breath about how long he had been waiting.
The line had thinned, the room quieter now compared to the chaos earlier, yet his patience was already wearing thin.
He rubbed his temple, eyes half-lidded with irritation as he prepared himself to finally be done with the registration.
Then- Someone stopped in front of him. Ping didn't bother looking up immediately.
"Seriously..." he thought,
already forming the words he was about to say.
If this person had delayed him any further, he wouldn't stay quiet about it.
He raised his head quickly, ready to scold whoever it was.
But the words died on his lips.
His entire body went still.
He froze.
His eyes widened.
The person standing in front of him-tall, composed, and carrying an undeniable presence-was not who he expected.
For a moment, Ping couldn't breathe.
Then the scent reached him first. Clean. Subtle. Intoxicating. It wrapped around him so naturally, so familiarly, that his chest tightened before his mind could even process why.
Slowly-almost unwillingly-Ping lifted his gaze fully.
"...P'Keng?"
The name slipped out before he could stop it.
Soft.
Uncertain.
And filled with disbelief.
The man in front of him paused.
Their eyes met.
And just like that, everything else faded.
The voices around them, the footsteps, the distant chatter-it all blurred into nothing. It felt as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them standing there, frozen in a moment neither of them had expected.
Keng looked at him. For a long second, he didn't say anything. But his expression... It was clear. Too clear.
"Ping," he said quietly.
Just one word. Just his name. But it hit harder than anything else could have.
Ping's heart slammed violently against his chest, so loud it felt like it might give him away.
A thousand questions crashed into his mind all at once.
"Why are you here?"
"Where did you go?"
" Why didn't you say anything?"
" Why now?"
The weight of it all pressed heavily against his chest, tightening until it hurt to breathe.
The words gathered at his throat-anger, confusion, hurt, everything he had buried for a year. But none of them came out. Not a single one.
Because the moment he looked at Keng- All the emotions he thought he had controlled came rushing back. Too fast. Too strong. Too overwhelming.
So instead- He turned.
And ran.
"Ping-!" Rain's voice echoed behind him, startled and confused.
Ping didn't stop. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes, the world around him becoming hazy as he pushed past students who turned to stare. His steps were uneven, almost desperate, as if running away was the only thing he could do to keep himself from breaking apart right there.
He didn't know where he was going. He just needed to get away.
"Ping! Wait!" Rain hurried after him, struggling to keep up.
When Ping finally stopped, it was sudden. Abrupt. Like his body had given out before his mind did.
Rain nearly ran into him.
"Don't tell me you're crying because of how handsome that 'senior handsome' is?" Rain said, half-joking, completely lost on what was actually happening.
Ping turned slowly. His eyes were glassy, still filled with unshed tears, but his expression now held something else-pure disbelief.
He stared at Rain.
Stunned.
Not because of what he had just gone through- But because of how incredibly dumb that question was.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then he simply turned away again. And walked off. His shoulders were tense, his steps quick, like he was trying to outrun everything catching up to him.
Rain stood there for a second, blinking.
"...I definitely said something wrong," he muttered before quickly following after him again.
- Back in the registration hall,
Keng stood frozen.
His hand, which had instinctively moved forward, slowly dropped back to his side. His eyes remained fixed on the direction Ping had run, long after he had disappeared from sight. He took a step forward. But before he could move any further- A hand grabbed his arm.
"Keng." Bank's voice was firm, grounding.
"He's hurt," Bank continued.
"And probably confused right now. You should leave him be."
Keng didn't respond immediately.
Tao and Jinn stood nearby, watching the situation unfold with knowing expressions.
They had all come from the same school. They knew exactly what this moment meant-even if Ping hadn't noticed them in his shock.
"Seems like our friend has a lot of explanation to do," Tao added lightly, a teasing tone in his voice.
Keng shot him a sharp look. Cold. Warning.
Tao immediately raised his hands in surrender, though a small, amused smile still lingered on his lips.
"I've got goosebumps all over," he muttered.
"You never look at us the way you look at Ping... so cruel."
Keng said nothing. But his expression darkened slightly. His gaze drifted again-to where Ping had disappeared. And it stayed there.
- Back at the dorm, the atmosphere felt completely different.
Quiet.
Heavy.
Rain had noticed it immediately.
From the moment they returned, Ping hadn't said a word. Even when Rain tried to distract him with random gossip-something that usually got at least a reaction-Ping remained silent.
That wasn't normal. Rain didn't ask questions right away. He wasn't that kind of person. He was the kind who noticed feelings first-the small shifts, the silence, the way someone carried themselves when something was wrong. And right now- Ping looked like he was barely holding himself together.
Rain walked over slowly.
Ping was sitting on his bed, staring at nothing. Completely still. When he finally looked up-
Rain's chest tightened slightly.
Ping's eyes were already filled with tears.
Rain hesitated for just a second. Then he opened his arms.
"Hey..." he said softly.
"Are you okay?"
Ping didn't answer. Not with words. Instead, he leaned forward. And let himself fall into Rain's embrace. The moment he did- The tears came.
Quiet at first. Then uncontrollable. His shoulders shook as he cried, his hands gripping onto Rain's shirt like he needed something-anything-to hold onto.
Rain didn't move. He didn't ask questions. He simply held him.
"It's okay to cry," Rain said gently, his voice calm and steady.
"You don't have to talk now... you can talk later."
Ping said nothing. But he didn't pull away either.
And that was enough.
- After a while, the crying stopped. Ping's breathing slowly steadied, though the exhaustion lingered in his expression.
Then suddenly- He pulled back.
Quickly. Almost as if he had just remembered himself. He wiped his face, avoiding Rain's gaze.
"I didn't know you had this sensible side," Ping said, his tone returning to something more familiar-light, slightly mocking.
Rain blinked.
"Huh?"
His face clearly said: I literally just helped you.
Ping stood up, not giving him time to respond. He walked over to his bed, lay down, and turned to face the wall. Conversation over. Rain stared at him for a moment. Then sighed and returned to his own bed.
Silence filled the room again. But this time, it felt different. After a few seconds, Rain spoke.
"Do you... wanna talk about it?"
Ping didn't turn.
"You don't look trustworthy," he replied flatly.
Rain opened his mouth to argue. Then closed it.
"...That's actually offensive," he muttered under his breath.
Another pause.
Then-
"Thank you."
Rain froze.
He turned toward Ping, surprised.
"You're welcome," he said quietly. But Ping didn't respond. He had already fallen asleep.
Rain stared at him for a moment longer, then lay back on his own bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. A small smile tugged at his lips despite the lingering worry in his chest.
"Yeah..." he murmured softly.
"Definitely something serious."
And for the first time that day- Rain stayed quiet.