Red Strings

Chapter Two

Winny smirked, his charm effortlessly radiating as he slung his bag over a chair. "Well, here I am. Blame JJ and Tee for dragging me back."

From across the table, Satang gawked, his thoughts racing. He nudged Marc hard, leaning in to whisper, "Why didn't you tell me you're in the same circle as him?"

Marc raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused. "I didn't know! This is the first time I've ever seen him with these guys," he whispered back.

And Marc wasn't lying. The last time Winny had attended one of P'Don's parties was two years ago, back when he was a freshman. It had been the big welcome bash for the junior class, but after that, Winny had all but disappeared from these social events—until tonight.

As Winny took a seat near P'Don, laughing easily with JJ and Tee who had just joined, Satang's heart thudded painfully in his chest. What is he doing here? he wondered, suddenly hyper-aware of every move Winny made.

Marc smirked, noticing his friend's expression. "You okay there?"

"Shut up," Satang hissed, his face burning as he tried to act nonchalant. 

Winny's gaze drifted over to their side of the table, landing squarely on Marc and Satang. For a brief, heart-stopping moment, Satang thought their presence might go unnoticed, but then Winny's expression shifted, his brow raising slightly in recognition.

Before Satang could process what was happening, Poon, ever the enthusiastic host, jumped in. "Oh! Right! Introductions!" He gestured toward Marc with a dramatic flourish. "This is Marc, my classmate in Dentistry. Just joined the group recently."

Marc nodded coolly, offering a small wave.

"And this here—" Poon turned to Satang, who was already shrinking in his seat, "—is Satang from the Engineering faculty. He's super quiet, but don't let that fool you. He's smart as hell."

Satang gave a small, awkward bow, avoiding direct eye contact with Winny as he muttered a soft, "Hi."

Winny, however, surprised him—and everyone else—when he responded without hesitation. "I know him," he said, his voice carrying an unexpected certainty.

"Eh?" Poon tilted his head, visibly confused. "You know Satang?"

Winny nodded, his tone casual but confident as he gestured toward Satang. "Yeah. He's one of the top three students in my faculty."

The air seemed to shift, everyone at the table looking between Winny and Satang in surprise. Satang, on the other hand, felt like the floor might give out beneath him. Winny knows me?

"Really?!" Poon practically squealed, clinging to Satang's arm as his excitement bubbled over. "Now I definitely want to be your friend! Teach me how to ace my exams, please!"

The sudden contact startled Satang, who stiffened in his seat, his wide eyes darting to Poon before flicking helplessly back to Marc, who looked amused by the whole situation.

Winny smiled faintly at the exchange, leaning back in his chair as if to observe the chaos from a safe distance. "Don't let him scare you off," he said, his voice carrying a teasing edge that made Satang's ears burn.

For all the years Satang had quietly admired Winny from afar, he'd never once thought Winny might actually know who he was. And yet, here he was, casually dropping that knowledge like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Marc leaned over and whispered to Satang, "Well, looks like you made an impression, huh?"

Satang swallowed hard, his mind racing. After all this time... Winny knew him?