Everyone was in high spirits, ordering food like they had just returned from the battlefield, while Ziff, who had volunteered to pay for everything, sat with his hand over his mouth, looking away from the table.

    The reason was simple: he had greedily eaten all the cake by himself, and now he was feeling the consequences.

    It was honestly funny. Somehow, he managed to stuff down all ten mini cakes, leaving the people who had been jealous earlier secretly laughing at his predicament.

    And I could not help but feel the same way.

    “What are you getting, Ziff?” one of the guys asked with a barely suppressed chuckle.

    Ziff shot him a death glare immediately.

    I tried to hide my smile behind the menu, but Ziff snatched it away, looking at me with an annoyed expression that practically demanded to know why I was laughing.

    Our eyes met, and I could not help but think back to that moment when he had held me close.

    Flustered, I broke eye contact, focusing instead on his black watch that contrasted sharply with his pale skin.

    “I’m not eating. Ugh, I feel sick,” he muttered, to everyone’s amusement.

    Well, who told him to eat all the cakes by himself? His stomach was probably churning by now, but he ended up ordering something anyway.

    I decided to get the spicy chicken curry because the menu picture seemed delicious. But as soon as I took a bite, my mouth burned with the intense heat—I had practically bitten into a chili bomb.

    Ziff, who had been watching me, burst into laughter. I glared at him and swatted him repeatedly.

    “Why didn’t you warn me it was spicy?” I complained, tearing up as I grabbed my water.

    “The name literally says spicy curry, you know,” Ziff said with an obvious smirk.

    I gave him a venomous look, but none of the others stepped in to back me up.

    If I were a guy, I would not back down. But, unfortunately, I was just a weak little girl.

    “Can’t eat it, Panya? Want to switch?”

    one of Ziff’s friends, whose name I still could not remember, offered.

    “I have stir-fried morning glory—it’s not spicy at all.” He pushed his plate toward me.

    But before I could respond, Ziff pushed his friend’s plate back and pulled my dish in front of him instead.

    “I’ll eat it. I ordered soup with an omelet, so you can have that,” Ziff said simply, then began eating quietly.

    I looked at him, confused.

    Was he silently giving me the wrong idea?

    Please, don’t be so nice to me like this.

    All his actions up until now were making me want to believe, just a little, that maybe he liked me.

    But no, it could not be like that, right?

    Everyone else kept glancing at us with knowing smiles, making me feel too uncomfortable to stay any longer.

    But I had to, because the heart rate monitor strapped to my arm was, in a way, keeping me by Ziff’s side.

    Or maybe it was not really a good reason at all.

    Or maybe… there was some kind of silly reason that had somehow brought us together.

    “So, where are you staying?”

    Ziff asked after we had eaten and hung out, making me feel much more comfortable with his friends. By now, we were teasing each other.

    Before I realized it, it was after midnight, almost one in the morning, and I was beyond tired.

    “Near Soi 13,” I replied, realizing it was practically on the other side of the city from his condo.

    “Oh, you live near me. Want to head back together?”

    one of Ziff’s friends (whose name I still could not remember) called out, making me smile.

    I thought about asking if I could catch a ride with him.

    But that thought disappeared when Ziff grabbed me by the collar and pulled me closer, while everyone else smiled teasingly and waved goodbye as they went their separate ways.

    “Are you going to drop me off?” I asked, uncertain, but he nodded simply.

    Just last night at 3 AM, he had said he was too tired to drive me, so I guess his energy cut-off time was 3 AM.

    I smiled and nodded, following him silently to his car. His attitude was indifferent and aloof, not as friendly as the others in his group.

    But strangely enough, that only made me smile even more.

    Because Ziff’s friends treated others kindly, while Ziff himself saved that special treatment just for me.

    So, if I’m kind to him in return and look after him, that would not be wrong, would it?

    “Thanks for giving me a ride,” I said when we arrived at my apartment.

    “Mm…” he murmured, sounding indifferent, and did not look at me.

    I wondered if I had done something to make him mad again. It seemed like he was constantly annoyed by the smallest and unreasonable things.

    Oh well. He had been like that since I had known him.

    “So, do you want this monitor back now?” I asked, pointing at the heart rate monitor still strapped to my arm.

    “No, keep it on tonight. I want to see what your heart rate is while you’re asleep. Today, you didn’t have any intense emotions, right? Like anger or excitement?”

    he asked, adjusting the monitor slightly.

    In the dim lighting of the car, his face looked different, making my heart pound faster.

    Fearing he would notice how excited I was, I shifted away to hide my racing heart.

    No way could I let him see this…

    “No, nothing at all. I’m going to go now; I’m exhausted,” I said, realizing my heart had not raced this much since he had wrapped me in his arms.

    This was ridiculous… it was not funny at all.

    “If you’re sure, then there’s nothing to record. But tonight, keep the monitor on so I can capture your heart rate while you sleep,” he replied, sighing as though something was on his mind.

    But I was pretty sure he just wanted to throw up, considering all the cake and food he had eaten. I could not help reaching over to check his forehead for fever.

    “Mm…” I mumbled, and Ziff stared back at me, unblinking.

    “Be sure to take an antacid when you get back. I’d bet anything your stomach’s a mess right now.”

    And for some reason, I brushed the sweat off his hairline without even realizing it, wanting to see his face.

    Ziff’s sharp gaze lingered on me, as if he were silently contemplating something. I quickly pulled my hand back, realizing he was not actually sick.

    What am I doing, anyway?

    Calm down…

    “Get some sleep, alright? I know you haven’t had much rest. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt. Ziff kept staring, making me more nervous by the second.

    Why was he looking at me like that? If he had something to say, he should just say it.

    I wanted to tell him that, but I could not summon the courage.

    “Sweet dreams, Panya…”

    “Goodnight, Ziff…”

    •

    The next day, I did not see Ziff because he had to run some errands.

    It felt oddly lonely without him. I found myself zoning out, watching his friends write code, assemble tools, and work on all sorts of things I had never seen before.

    I just watched in silence. When they used technical jargon, it felt like I had entered an entirely new world, one vastly different from my own. Fascinating as it was, it still felt strangely empty.

    It was weird to feel so lonely just because Ziff was not there.

    After sitting there wondering who I was, where I had come from, and why I was in the engineering department, I eventually headed back to my apartment to work on my report.

    Sigh... I could not shake the strange feeling.

    The following day, I got a call from an unknown number. The voice on the other end was muffled and incoherent, making me wonder if it was some kind of creepy prank call.

    “Who…who are you?” I asked, feeling increasingly uneasy as the strange, mumbled noises continued on the other end.

    ("Ah… oo, ah.")

    This had to be a stalker—it was terrifying that he dared to call me in broad daylight. Without hesitation, I blocked the number.

    “Tch... Like I’d waste time on you, creep!” I cursed at the phone, shrugging it off.

    After class, I spotted Ziff standing with his arms crossed, waiting in front of my department, catching the attention of several girls from the Humanities department.

    I hurried over, worried that if I kept him waiting any longer, we would probably end up arguing again.

    “Do you always have to test my patience...” he muttered, turning to lead the way to his car.

    What was his problem?

    We just met up, and he was already annoyed at me?

    Annoyed, but determined to ignore it, I figured it was just typical of his awful personality.

    Following him, I tilted my head in confusion when I noticed that the car he was opening was not the same one I had ridden in before.

    “I just bought this. You’re the first to sit in it—you know?” Ziff said, as if reading my thoughts.

    He smiled and held the door open for me, so I leaned back slightly, uncertain of what had happened to the usual Ziff I knew.

    “Well, get in. Why are you just standing there? I’m going to my department,” he prompted, pushing me inside.

    I repeat, he pushed me inside.

    Settling in, I could not help but shoot him a glare. What a jerk. He was insufferable. He seemed to enjoy my annoyed expression, though, smiling in that infuriatingly smug way. I hated him so much.

    “This new-car smell is awful,” I complained, pouting as the scent made me feel a bit dizzy.

    “Let’s grab something to eat. We’ll get back to the research after that,” he replied, ignoring my comment and driving off swiftly.

    “Where did you go yesterday?” I asked, though I was not sure I had any right to. Still, I wanted to know where he had been.

    “I was buying this car,” Ziff replied, heading straight for the university exit.

    “Aren’t we going to your department?” I asked, noticing we were not heading toward Engineering as I had expected.

    “I literally just told you we’re getting something to eat.”

    “Then let’s go for a parfait. I’m craving it,” I said, fastening my seatbelt.

    “I said food. How are we going to have energy to work after just ice cream?”

    “Fine, let’s go to that new cake shop instead. I want macarons.”

    At that, he immediately reached over and flicked me on the head.

    “We’re having pasta,” he decided and expertly turned the wheel.

    I sat there in awe, taking in his new, luxurious car.

    After stealing a few glances at Ziff, I worked up the courage to press the audio button and waited to see his reaction.

    When I saw Ziff smirk without looking at me, I cheerfully picked out some of my favorite songs.

    He did not say anything, so I went ahead and selected a playlist, smiling at him.

    “You look like a kid sneaking in to play with a toy,” he commented, and I did not deny it.

    “Your car is awesome,” I said, grinning and looking around at everything.

    “Dad won’t let me drive anymore because I once crashed right through the fence,” I said, babbling as I heard Ziff burst out laughing.

    “It’s never boring with you…” he chuckled and turned the wheel toward a restaurant.

    “What was that?” I asked, having not heard him clearly.

    “The others are already waiting,” he replied.

    “Oh, okay...”

    The research team wanted to monitor the heart rates of both me and a man, which meant Ziff was roped into working on the project with me. So here we were, both wearing heart rate monitors.

    And for some strange reason, Ziff kept staring at me, barely blinking.

    “What’s with you?” I asked, feeling a little uneasy under his gaze.

    “I called you so many times. Why couldn’t I reach you?”

    “You called? You have my number?” I asked genuinely surprised, as Ziff’s expression turned murderous.

    “I’ve had it forever. Are you telling me you completely forgot?” he said, looking exasperated as he pulled out his phone.

    “Look, I’m calling now, and again, no answer. Do you ever charge this thing?” he complained, staring at me in frustration.

    Feeling a vibration, I checked my phone to find a missed call alert from the Creep.

    Suspicious, I asked him for his number, and he rattled off the digits. I laughed dryly—I had blocked him as the Creep the day before.

    “I could actually kill you!” he exploded, pulling off his hat and throwing it to the ground.

    His friends burst out laughing as I gave Ziff an apologetic grin, unblocking his number and saving it properly this time.

    I wondered if Ziff realized I had saved his number under ’Creep.’

    “This is the end—I’m a creep now!” he shouted before storming off in annoyance.

    I picked up his hat and ran after him, surrounded by laughter and people suggesting I mark down the time for his anger and my surprise as research data.

    Honestly… studying people’s emotions was not as fun as it sounded.

    “Look… I misunderstood. I’m sorry,” I said, trying to apologize sincerely.

    Ziff looked at me, then reached over, pinching and tugging at my cheek—hard... It hurt!

    “Ugh! What am I going to do with you?” he muttered before grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

    “Where are we going?” I asked, not daring to pull my hand free.

    “To my place.”

    “Why!” I yelped, a shiver running down my spine at his abrupt words.

    “To pick up your underwear. It’s still hanging in my bathroom. Didn’t I tell you to hang it lower? It’s practically become my hat by now!”

    Oh no… what on earth have I done?

    I found myself back in Ziff's apartment, bowing and apologizing repeatedly, embarrassed at just how high I had left my underwear hanging. I carefully folded it and placed it in a cloth bag under Ziff’s watchful gaze.

    He leaned against the bathroom doorway, silently observing my every move. I was embarrassed but had no idea how to hide it. Why did not I just take it with me last time? Sob…

    “Quit blocking the way,” I said sharply, trying to mask my racing heart as I squeezed past his tall frame at the door.

    But then, I had to grumbled as he casually snatched the bag from my hands.

    “Hey! Do you plan on wearing that or what?” My frustration boiled over. Not only was he acting like some kind of creep, but his gaze seemed strange, too.

    “Wear it? At first, the thought was disturbing, but after seeing it so many times, I’m kind of used to it. Might be interesting to try on,” he said, spinning the bag in his hands.

    "Ah! You really are a creep." I yelled, getting on my tiptoes and trying to swat at him.

    But he was so much taller, I could not reach him no matter how hard I tried.

    “Is that all you’ve got, shorty?”

    he taunted with a mischievous grin. Determined, I jumped to reach him, but he dodged, twisting left and right. It almost felt like we were dancing a waltz.

    Damn it. Why on earth was he laughing?

    As I pushed harder, trying to grab the bag, we both lost our balance and tumbled onto the sofa, me ending up on top of him.

    This was too much—my heart was about to explode…

    We were so close we could practically kiss.

    “Plain girl,” he muttered, sounding utterly exasperated.

    Before I could react, Ziff lifted his head and kissed me. My eyes widened, and my heart plummeted to my toes as he flipped me beneath him.

    “I’ve been meaning to ask—are you really wearing that C-cup bra? You look so tiny,” he teased, causing me to struggle immediately.

    “Mind if I check, just once or twice… tofu soup girl?”