After the first call…
everything changed a little.
Not dramatically.
Not in some movie-like instant romance way.
Just…
softer.
More real.
Because now when she read his messages—
She could hear his voice behind them.
And honestly?
That made everything ten times more dangerous.
The next few days became strangely peaceful.
Her routine stayed the same:
* college
* assignments
* migraines
* pretending life wasn’t exhausting sometimes
But now there was also:
him.
Late-night calls.
Random voice notes.
Tiny check-ins during busy schedules.
And somehow…
Her days had started feeling lighter without even she realizing it properly.
Tonight rain poured heavily again outside her balcony while she sat cross-legged on her bed trying to finish notes.
Her headphones rested around on neck while soft instrumental music played quietly from the laptop.
Her phone vibrated.
Then another notification came instantly after.
She smiled automatically.
> @Kairo.97:
> “Emergency.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
> “Should I call the police?”
Seen instantly.
> “Yahon learned one Hindi sentence.”
She blinked.
Then immediately sat up straighter.
> “Why is THAT an emergency?”
Before he could reply— another notification appeared.
Voice note.
Her heartbeat softened automatically.
She pressed play.
And instantly loud chaos exploded through her headphones.
“NO THAT’S WRONG—”
“That’s what she said!”
“Hyung your pronunciation sounds illegal.”
Then suddenly—
Yahon’s dramatic voice appeared proudly:
> “Mujhe… chai pasand hai.”
Complete silence followed.
Then loud laughter.
She burst out laughing so hard that her pen fell from her hand.
Another voice appeared faintly in the background.
Jiwoo.
> “Why does he sound like a kindergarten child?”
“I AM SPEAKING BEAUTIFULLY,”
Yahon defended dramatically.
Then finally— his laugh appeared too.
Soft.
Real.
Completely unfiltered.
And somehow…
hearing him laugh that freely made her chest ache warmly.
The voice note ended.
She stared at her screen smiling helplessly.
Then typed:
> “His pronunciation is emotionally concerning.”
Seen instantly.
> “THANK YOU.”
Another message came seconds later.
> “He’s been practicing for 20 minutes.”
> “Please tell him to stop before Hindi itself gets offended.”
A few seconds later— another voice note arrived.
This time Yahon sounded personally attacked.
> “I am never speaking Hindi again.”
Then faintly in the background:
> “Good.”
She laughed so loudly again that her mother shouted from outside the room:
“Why are you laughing alone?”
She instantly covered her mouth dramatically.
“Oh my God.”
Her phone vibrated again.
> “You disappeared.”
She smiled helplessly.
> “My mother thinks I’ve lost my mind.”
Seen.
Then:
> “That’s understandable.”
She gasped dramatically.
> “You’re supposed to defend me.”
> “I defend you emotionally. Not logically.”
Her chest softened again.
Because somehow— even stupid conversations with him felt comforting now.
Hours later, the rain became softer.
The calls and voice notes had finally ended after Yahon declared himself:
> “Official Hindi expert.”
Which honestly terrified everyone equally.
Now her room stayed quiet except for the sound of pages turning slowly.
She were trying to focus again.
Trying.
Unfortunately—
Her thoughts kept replaying one thing repeatedly.
His laugh.
Because before this…
he had always felt distant somehow.
Not emotionally.
Just physically unreachable.
Like someone existing behind a screen.
But hearing him casually laugh with the members…
hearing background chaos…
hearing him breathe between sentences…
made him feel painfully human suddenly.
And somehow— that realization scared her more.
Because people became harder to lose once they started feeling real.
Her phone vibrated softly again.
> @Kairo.97:
> “Still studying?”
> “Unfortunately.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Seen.
Then:
> “Can I ask something?”
Her heartbeat slowed slightly.
These conversations always became dangerous after that sentence.
She typed carefully.
> “Depends how emotionally damaging the question is.”
A few seconds passed.
Then finally:
> “Why do you sound surprised whenever someone cares about you?”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Her smile faded slowly.
Because somehow…
he kept finding the questions hidden behind her jokes.
She looked toward the rain outside quietly before typing.
> “I don’t know.”
Seen instantly.
Then another message came.
> “That’s not true.”
Her throat tightened softly.
And suddenly— the room felt emotionally heavier again.
Not bad.
Just honest.
Her fingers hovered uncertainly above the keyboard.
Then slowly—
She typed what she rarely admitted aloud.
> “Because people usually care temporarily.”
Seen.
No reply immediately.
Just the typing bubble appearing and disappearing again.
Then finally:
> “That sounds lonely.”
Her eyes burned unexpectedly.
Because maybe…
it was.
She leaned her head against the wall quietly while rain continued outside.
Another message arrived.
> “I wish someone had convinced you earlier that you deserve consistent care too.”
Her breath caught painfully.
And for a few seconds—
She genuinely didn’t know how to respond.
Because nobody had ever said something like that to you before.
Not softly.
Not sincerely.
And somehow…
that sentence reached the exact part of her that always felt emotionally forgotten.
Meanwhile, far away in another country—
Kairo stared at her chat quietly while the dorm slowly became silent around him.
He didn’t fully understand why her sadness affected him this deeply already.
But one thing had become obvious lately:
Her happiness mattered to him now.
Enough to notice.
Enough to worry.
Enough to stay awake longer than necessary just to make sure she were okay.
And honestly?
That realization scared him too.
✨
“The scariest kind of connection is the one that slowly starts feeling like home.”