Ugh, Mok, I am literally stuffed to the ears. My stomach is one hundred and twenty percent full," Toffee groaned, patting his belly like it was a drum.
"Everything Mae made was so good. I am moving into your house for the summer. You can just consider me your new permanent roommate or a pet."
Mok snorted and leaned back on his elbows. "Honestly, Toffee, you are so easy to please. If a kidnapper offered you free crispy pork, you would probably hop right into their van without a second thought."
"Excuse me! I am a smart university student, thank you very much," Toffee huffed, then he paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"But... if the kidnapper is handsome like a K-Drama actor and offers premium beef? Well, I can try to be kidnapped for a weekend just to see how it goes."
"Wow. No loyalty at all. Let me record this for Mae so she knows her cooking can be replaced by a pretty face," Mok laughed, reaching for his phone.
"Mok! Don't you dare! Delete that right now!"
Toffee lunged for the phone, but suddenly, he jumped back and pinched his nose shut with his tiny hands.
"EW! Mok! Get away from me!
You are actually a biohazard. Go take a shower right now! I cannot breathe and my nose is dying!"
"What? Am I really that bad?" Mok asked, lifting his arm to sniff himself.
"If I am smelly, then you are smelly too! We ran the same marathon today, you drama queen!"
"No! My sweat smells like baby powder and sunshine! Yours smells like a wet street dog!" Toffee shouted, waving his hands to fan the air. "Go! Shoo! Go to the bathroom before the wallpaper starts peeling off from the smell!"
"Oh, really? You think you are not smelly? Let us check!" Mok grinned wickedly and lunged forward to trap Toffee in a giant, sweaty bear hug. "Smell the victory, Toffee! Smell the athleticism!"
"NOOO! Mok, you jerk!
Get off!
I am going to faint!
My soul is leaving my body!" Toffee shrieked, squirming until Mok finally laughed and headed toward the bathroom.
The chaos of the day finally settled into a quiet hum. The dorm was organized, the suitcases were tucked away, and the smell of Mae's home-cooked food still lingered in the air.
Both of them collapsed onto their side-by-side beds because the exhaustion of the "Great Campus Marathon" finally hit them like a truck.
Toffee turned on his side, and his voice lost its playful edge.
"Mok... you really need to try harder this term. Do you remember back in school? You were like a ghost because you never spoke to anyone except me... and her."
Mok stared at the ceiling and watched the shadows of the fan blades spinning slowly.
"I don't know, Toffee. It is still heavy. Opening my mouth to strangers feels like trying to move a big mountain. My social battery dies before I even say hello."
"You will do better, I know it," Toffee said softly, his eyes already drooping.
"You have always worked harder than anyone else. You are like a hidden gem, Mok. People just need to see you shine a little bit."
"Can I really do that?" Mok whispered, more to himself than to Toffee. "Well... I will try. I will try for you."
"I am not forcing you," Toffee murmured, his voice trailing off into a sleepy sound. "Just try. But if it gets too hard and you want to hide... I am always here. Do not forget your safe zone is right across to you."
Meanwhile, a few hours earlier in front of the university...
"Artit! You absolute jerk! How dare you leave me alone in that crowd of people!" Kaopun shrieked, dramatically clutching his chest as he ran to catch up.
Artit did not even slow his pace, and his face was as still as a campus statue. "Weren't you the one standing there like a frozen mannequin five minutes ago, Kaopun?"
"Artit! Stop! Do not call me by my full name like that! It sounds like my mom is about to hit me with a broom! It is like torture!"
"Oh, really, Kaopun? My heart is literally crying for you. Can't you hear it?" Artit replied, and his voice was full of sarcasm.
"Forget my name! Artit, listen to me," Kaopun grabbed Artit's arm and forced him to stop. He leaned in with eyes wider than a boba pearl. "I saw him. An actual angel. He is definitely a freshman, but he is so cute that my heart did a whole gymnastics routine. He stabbed me right in the soul. I am dying, Artit. This is the end. Bury me with a picture of that boy."
Artit checked his watch and looked completely bored. "How many times have you died today, Kaopun? This is your fifth time since breakfast. You are like a cat with nine lives, but more annoying."
"I am serious! It was like a walking slow-motion movie scene! I need to find him, or I will dry up like a plant with no water!"
Artit's expression suddenly became sharp.
"Forget your flower boy. Let us talk about work—where is your Gear pin, Kao?"
The color left Kaopun's face instantly. "Oh... well... about that... I think it went on a little solo adventure. I lost it."
"Really? You are the Vice-President of this faculty," Artit's voice became scary and calm.
"The big university program is coming soon, and you lost the one thing that represents our pride? The gear every freshman is literally crying to get?"
"Hey, someone will find it! It is a special edition Gear, so whoever picks it up will be so impressed by how beautiful it is that they will have to return it to me! Do not be so dramatic!"
"There is exactly one week before the program starts. If that gear is not on your neck by then, the leader of the seniors will be very angry with you. I do not care anymore, Kao... Pun..." Artit turned and started walking away very fast.
"Artit! You heartless robot! Wait for me! Are you really leaving your friend for a piece of metal?!" Kaopun ran after him. "Where are you even going?! Tell me!"
"The Workshop," Artit shouted back. "I have actual engineering work to do. Some of us have a future, while you just have a crush on a stranger."