Thien Hung chuckled, mischief gleaming in his eyes.
"Just kidding. But seriously, what's wrong with you these days? You look like hell. Family stuff?"
"No."
"Hm… not family, not some girlfriend drama either. Then what—are you going crazy?"
"Watch your damn mouth."
"Wow, shit. I'm sorry, bro."
Thien Hung raised both hands in mock surrender, though the corners of his lips curled upward anyway. His laugh rang sharp and careless, making Uy Phong sigh. Under his breath, almost too soft to catch, Uy Phong muttered:
"I don't know anything anymore…"
"Huh? What was that? Speak up, man, I didn't hear."
Uy Phong lifted his head. His eyes—dark, hollow, swallowing all light—were so heavy that for a moment, Thien Hung froze.
"I really don't understand what's happening."
The pause that followed was brief, but enough for Thien Hung to slip back into his usual teasing tone. Leaning his chin on one hand, he examined his friend like a scientist poking at a specimen.
"God, look at that face. You look exactly like some poor bastard who just got dumped."
"Told you—I don't have a girlfriend." Uy Phong's voice cut in, low and clipped, but then stalled, as though something snagged in his throat.
"What now?" Thien Hung narrowed his eyes.
Sitting straighter, Uy Phong's tone dropped into something disturbingly serious.
"Hey. If someone suddenly called you a 'liar,' and their best friend turned on you too… what would that mean?"
Thien Hung's jaw dropped. His hand slapped over his mouth, eyes wide as if he'd just overheard a scandal.
"No way. Don't tell me—you got caught cheating with a side chick?!"
"You little—!"
Uy Phong shot to his feet, hand poised to smack some sense into the idiot across from him. But Thien Hung leaned back at lightning speed, dodging with dramatic yelps:
"Help! Somebody save me!"
The commotion turned heads in the canteen. Some vendors frowned; others hid their laughter. Uy Phong collapsed back into his chair, irritation etched deep into his features. Thien Hung could only laugh it off, then waved his hands to calm the storm.
"Alright, alright, joke's over. But seriously—who was it? You swear you don't have a girlfriend, so who called you a 'liar'?"
Silence. Uy Phong's gaze drifted away.
"…None of your business."
"Tch. Keeping secrets, huh." Thien Hung leaned forward on his elbows, his voice still playful. "But come on, what did you do to them? You just transferred here and already made an enemy? And that phrase—'liar'—that's usually for, you know, romance. Sounds weird otherwise."
Uy Phong's brows knotted, shadows deepening across his face.
And of course, Thien Hung pressed on, his tone theatrical, like he was narrating a drama:
"Maybe you hurt them without realizing. Like… 'How could you do this to me? I loved you, I waited for you, but then you turned around and treated her so tenderly. Why?!'" He even gestured with his hands, piling on the melodrama before nodding with fake solemnity. "Yeah, something like that."
Uy Phong's eyes flew open. A sharp pang shot through his chest.
An Phong… Did he… love me? Was he waiting for me?
But then… who was she? What did I do wrong?
The thought tangled inside him like barbed wire. He shook his head violently, as if to rip it away, words slipping out before he could stop them:
"Two guys… can't love each other like that…"
The instant he heard himself, Uy Phong froze. His head snapped up—only to find Thien Hung staring, petrified. Eyes bulging, jaw slack, his entire face screamed did I really just hear that?
"I think… I just heard something I wasn't supposed to…"
Heat surged across Uy Phong's skin. His ears burned crimson, as if he'd been caught red-handed. Thien Hung, quick to notice, slapped the table and burst into roaring laughter.
"Oho!? You're blushing?! You, of all people?! Holy crap, so it's true—you're in love?! With a guy? Is he hot? Do I know him?"
"Shut up, you lunatic! Stop prying! Love? What love?!"
"Aw, don't be shy. It's the twenty-first century, man. Gay, straight—who cares, as long as he's cute, right?"
"You're hopeless."
Feigning seriousness, eyes darting like a detective in a soap opera, Thien Hung leaned closer.
"Let me guess… You won't admit it, huh? And that hurts him. Damn, so this is the real you? What, you won't go public 'cause he's a guy, then you go fooling around with some girl, and bam—he finds out. That's why he called you a 'liar.' Poor guy. Loving you was already hard enough, but like this? Tragic."
"Are you done yet?" Uy Phong's voice sliced through the air, sharp and cold as a blade.
Thien Hung stiffened instantly.
"…Y-yes, sir. My bad."
Uy Phong's expression darkened, storm clouds rolling in behind his eyes. He heard every word, but his mind spun in another storm entirely.
First—what the hell had really happened between An Phong and Vy that he'd been blind to?
Second—did An Phong… truly like him?
Impossible. Impossible that someone like An Phong, cold and untouchable, could harbor feelings for anyone. Much less for him.
It was absurd. Absolutely absurd.
So why… why couldn't he stop thinking about it? He was straight. No matter what, he couldn't—wouldn't—accept something like that. He mustn't. Never.
Sensing the growing storm, Thien Hung wisely excused himself, muttering something about a stomachache before vanishing from the canteen, leaving Uy Phong to brood alone.
The bell for the end of first period jolted him back. Taking a long pull from his Coke, he grabbed his bag and stood. Determination burned in his eyes now, a fragile but dangerous spark.
He walked straight toward class.
The hallway buzzed with life, laughter, and chatter—students everywhere like a crowded festival.
Uy Phong cut through them, his stride relentless. Questions flew at him—
"Hey, where've you been all morning?""Skipped class, huh, Uy Phong?"
But he ignored them all, his back rigid, his silence colder than ice.
Confusion rippled in his wake. Uy Phong never acted this way.
Then—
BAM!
His bag slammed down onto his desk, the sound cracking through the room. The chatter stopped dead. Every head turned.
An Phong, bent over his notebook, startled. He looked up, brows furrowing in irritation—as if to say, What now?
But when his gaze met Uy Phong's face, his hand froze mid-page.
"Wha… what's wrong…?" His voice faltered.
Because the boy standing before him wasn't the Uy Phong he knew—cool, aloof, untouchable.
No.
This Uy Phong's face was flushed crimson, the color spreading from his cheeks all the way to his ears.
As if his very heart had been stripped bare, laid open under An Phong's eyes.