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#05 | nonsense "so i thought we could set them up..."
nonsense • sabrina carpenter "looking at you got me thinking nonsense"
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As Riki's friends' laughter faded into the background, his mind lingered on the memory of her smile. Every detail of that moment played in his mind like a slow-motion video — the soft curve of her lips, the sparkle in her eyes, and the warmth in her expression. Lost in reverie, Riki found himself captivated by the memory, yearning for more interactions with the girl — who was none other than Miyawaki Rina — as he hoped to see that radiant smile grace her lips once again.
His thoughts were interrupted by a notification from Instagram that buzzed on his phone.
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notifications instagram • today miywkrn has started following you
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Riki was puzzled by the username which was devoid of vowels. It shouldn't have mattered to him though, as he was used to hundreds of people following him every day due to his dance videos that had gone viral recently, but his curiosity was sparked so he ended up clicking on the user's profile.
As the page loaded, Riki's eyes widened in recognition. "Rina?" he murmured to himself. His friend, Yang Jungwon, overhearing, leaned in to see Riki's phone. "So, you've got Rina's Instagram now?" He asked teasingly. Being in the same class as her and Riki, Jungwon had noticed their interactions since the first day of class and couldn't stop teasing Riki about her.
"Isn't Rina the girl he flirted with the other day?", Kim Sunoo asked, receiving a nod of approval from Jungwon. Riki's cheeks heated up immediately, "I-I wasn't flirting with her! She had just forgotten her phone in class and I simply handed it to her! Having basic human decency is not called flirting", he retorted. "I saw you wink at her!", Sunghoon joined the teasing, the others bursting into fits of laughter as Riki's cheeks tinted red, "O-Okay, fine. Whatever", he muttered, "But she followed me on Instagram first, I don't even know how she found my account!".
"Oh please", Jake scoffed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "You're famous, Riki. Obviously she found your Instagram in a short amount of time". "Good point", Riki muttered and glanced at his phone. "So...are you going to follow her back or not?" Heeseung winked at Riki, who scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Of course, I am, hyung", The latter clicked the blue follow button on Rina's profile and turned off his phone, trying his hardest to suppress the grin forming on his face.
"I see you smiling~," Jay teased in a sing-song voice, earning a pillow thrown at his head from Riki. Jay feigned being hurt and gasped dramatically, "The amount of disrespect in this household will not be tolerated!".
Laughter erupted from the others as Riki and Jay engaged in a playful pillow fight on the living room's expansive couch. "Ow! Okay, okay! You win, you dumb giant", Jay's tone went from being comical to his normal voice as he surrendered to the younger boy's assault. Riki chuckled triumphantly before settling back onto the couch beside Jungwon.
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The following day in class, Rina entered with Leeseo, capturing Riki's attention immediately as he couldn't get his eyes off of her. Jungwon, seated beside him, teased, "Can't seem to look away today, can you?"
"Shut up, she's coming," Riki hissed back quietly as Rina and Leeseo settled into their seats in front of him and Jungwon. Despite his attempt to appear nonchalant, Riki found himself stealing glances at Rina throughout the class, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of her. Jungwon couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's obvious infatuation, earning a threatening glare from Riki. As the lesson progressed, Riki struggled to concentrate, his attention constantly drawn back to the girl who had unwittingly captivated his interest.
"Alright class, we will all be working in groups of four for this presentation. Kindly make your groups by today as we will start working on the presentation from the next class. Class dismissed", Mr. Seong said before grabbing his stuff and leaving the classroom.
As the classroom emptied out, Jungwon walked over and gently tapped Leeseo on the shoulder, catching her attention. "Leeseo, hey," he greeted with a friendly smile. "Oh, Jungwon. Hi", she replied, returning his smile. "I need your help with something," Jungwon continued, his expression serious yet somehow playful. "My help?" Leeseo echoed, intrigued by the unexpected request. She and Jungwon didn't often engage in conversations, so she was curious about what he needed help with. "Yeah. Rina sits with you, right?" Jungwon inquired, and Leeseo nodded in confirmation. "I need you to convince her to work with me and Riki for the presentation."
Leeseo raised her brow in confusion, "And why is that?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "Don't play dumb," Jungwon retorted with a roll of his eyes, "I've noticed you teasing Rina about Riki, and it seems like there's some mutual interest there. So, I thought we could set them up". "Wait...that could work," Leeseo said, a grin spreading across her face, "You're a genius, Yang Jungwon". Jungwon smirked, feigning modesty. "Hey, I didn't get elected class president for nothing," he quipped, earning a playful scoff from Leeseo as she chuckled, "So, class prez, what's the plan?".
"Meet me in the library during free period, I'll get some backup", Jungwon said, a small grin on his face. "Okay then", Leeseo chuckled, "See you there".
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During the free period, Riki watched curiously as Jungwon slipped out of the classroom. He momentarily pondered where his friend was headed but soon redirected his attention to his pile of unfinished assignments. Dance practice and a hint of laziness had left them neglected, begging for his attention.
Yet, as he attempted to concentrate, his mind became a tangled mess of thoughts, all revolving around one person ─ her. He couldn't shake the image of Miyawaki Rina's smile from his mind, the way it lit up her face and sent a warmth coursing through him was a feeling he couldn't quite articulate. He always felt a mix of excitement, nervousness, and something else he couldn't name when she entered class every day.
Frustrated with himself, Riki sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to dispel the distracting thoughts. This was all new territory for him, emotions he hadn't experienced before. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but one thing was certain ─ he couldn't deny the effect she had on him.
Oh, how he wished she would smile at him more often and─that's it, Riki had officially lost his mind. All of this was nonsense and she probably viewed him as a friendly acquaintance. Nothing more, nothing less...
────── author's note ᯓ★
riki's in his denial phase y'all 🤗🤗
i'm slowly starting the enjoy how the story is unfolding and i'm really thankful to all of you who are reading it 🫶🫶
