𓄹 Huening Kai - blㅤٟ

The chat opened with a message from you, one of those that seemed like a joke but had a hidden truth underneath: — “Kai, if you keep disappearing like this, I’m going to think you have another boyfriend.” Kai responded quickly, as if the phrase had amused him rather than bothered him: — "Hahaha, another one? When did I get my first one?" You rolled your eyes while smiling. — “Well, I don’t know… I’m saying you could consider me, right?” Kai left the message on read for a few seconds. Then came his reply, so innocent it hurt: — “Consider me for what? So you can bully me over chat?” You laughed, even though it wasn't a joke. — “To be your boyfriend, obviously.” Kai sent a sticker, as if he didn't understand that you were serious. — “Hahaha, you're something else. You always say things like that.”

— “What if they weren’t a joke?” You wrote, dropping the hint. Kai took his time. A long time. When he finally replied, he did so with his usual endearing awkwardness: — “Well… I don’t know. I thought you were just playing around. Besides, lately I’ve been… thinking about someone.” Your heart sank, but you played along, as always: — “Anyone more handsome than me? Impossible.” Kai sent a short audio message, laughing softly. — “Don’t say that, it makes me feel weird. And you know I don’t understand your hints.”

— “Those aren’t hints, Kai.”

— “So what are they?” You took a deep breath. He didn't see it. He never saw it. — “Forget it. I was just teasing.” Kai responded with that tenderness that made you wonder if it would heal you or break you: — “You’re very important to me, you know? Even though I don’t understand your weird jokes.” And there it was. The flirting he took as a joke. The affection you disguised. The involuntary blindness of someone whose heart was looking elsewhere.