EPISODE 2

The college bell rang, signaling the end of the day's classes. Tanu quickly packed her books and waved goodbye to her friend at the college gate. "Don’t forget to check the app tonight!" her friend teased before disappearing into the crowd.

Walking home, Tanu felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension. She rarely ventured into unfamiliar territory, and the chatting app felt like a new, strange world. Once home, she greeted her mother, freshened up, and helped prepare dinner.

After finishing her dinner with her family, Tanu cleaned up the table and went to her small study corner. She spent the next couple of hours immersed in her books, reviewing the day’s lessons. Her disciplined routine was something her parents admired.

Around 10 PM, feeling satisfied with her studies, Tanu stretched her arms and closed her notebook. She switched off her study lamp and picked up her phone, a small indulgence before bed.

As the house quieted down for the night, Tanu slipped under her blanket, her phone tucked securely in her hands. She glanced over at her elder sister, annu, who was lying beside her, scrolling on her own phone.

Tanu knew annu wouldn’t hesitate to tell their mother if she discovered Tanu had downloaded a chatting app. The thought made her stomach churn.

Exploring the chatting app her friend insisted she open.

Her thumb swiped across the screen as she browsed through various profiles.As she scrolled, her hope quickly faded.

The first profile? A guy flexing his muscles shirtless. Ugh, next.

The second? Someone lying on a bed with a creepy smirk. Disgusting!

Then came the weird ones—guys with shady usernames, posing in dimly lit rooms, some even sending inappropriate captions.

Tanu’s face burned with embarrassment. "What is wrong with these people?!" she muttered under her breath.

She scrolled faster, trying to find at least one normal profile, but the more she looked, the worse it got. Some bios were filled with cheesy pickup lines, while others were just… too much.

Her stomach churned. This was a mistake.

Just as she was about to close the app, a new profile popped up—different from the rest.

The profile picture was of a fluffy white cat with piercing blue eyes. Tanu’s heart melted instantly. She had always loved animals, especially cats, and seeing this adorable creature made her smile. She clicked on the profile out of curiosity.

The name read Kim Yoon. Intrigued, Tanu hesitated for a moment before typing a simple message:

“Hii, your cat is so cute!”

She wasn’t expecting an immediate response, but her phone buzzed almost instantly.

“Hi, Tanu. Thanks! Her name is Snow. Do you like cats?”

Next scene

In the quiet of his room, Yoon was engrossed in his work. His game development project was taking up most of his time, and he was making steady progress. The glow of his computer screen illuminated his focused expression. But just as he was about to finalize a line of code, his phone buzzed, interrupting his concentration.

It was a message from his friend, Shi han.

Shi han:

“I downloaded a chatting app on your phone. Enjoy smirk 😏.

Yoon’s get irritate. What? he thought, confused for a moment. He quickly unlocked his phone and opened and going to delete when one message pop up .

“Hii, your cat is so cute!”

The first thing he noticed was the unusual profile picture—a simple rabbit icon, gentle and unassuming. It was a stark contrast to the more flashy profiles he was used to seeing. Intrigued, Yoon clicked on the conversation.

The screen lit up with messages, and his eyes narrowed as he began reading. The messages were from Tanu, the girl from India, the one with whom he had exchanged messages.

NEXT SCENE

Tanu stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Why am I even replying? she thought, feeling a little nervous.

But it wasn’t like the other profiles. Yoon’s cat was cute, and he seemed… normal.

Taking a deep breath, she finally typed:

Tanu: "Yes! I love cats. Snow is really adorable. How are you?"

She hit send and immediately regretted it. Was that too simple? Too boring?

Tanu bit her lip, waiting for a reply, her heart beating a little faster than usual.

Yoon lay on the sofa, one arm resting behind his head, lazily scrolling through his phone. When the message notification popped up, he smirked slightly.

He stared at the message for a second, tapping his fingers against the phone. She seemed a little nervous, but at least she wasn’t sending weird emojis or cringy pickup lines.

With a small chuckle, he typed back:

Yoon: "I’m good. Just being lazy right now. What about you?"

He sent the message and stretched, waiting to see if she’d reply quickly or hesitate. Let’s see where this goes.

Yoon’s phone buzzed almost instantly. Raising an eyebrow, he unlocked it and read the message.

Tanu: "Right now… talking to you."

There was something innocent about her reply—simple, honest. Not overly flirty, not trying too hard. It made him smirk.

He stretched again, feeling a little more interested now. Not bad.

Yoon: "Oh? So I have all your attention right now?"

He smirked as he sent the message, curious to see how she would react.

Yoon’s phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen, smirking as he read her reply.

Tanu: "Yes… Where are you from?"

He stretched, adjusting his position on the sofa before typing back.

Yoon: "I’m from Korea.

Yoon’s phone lit up again. He glanced at the screen, a small smirk forming.

Tanu: "I am from India. Can I know your age?"

He tapped his fingers on the phone, amused.

Yoon: "Ah, curious about my age already? I’m 21 What about you?"

He hit send, leaning back on the sofa more comfortably .

Yoon's phone buzzed again. He casually glanced at the message and raised an eyebrow.

Tanu: "18."

He smirked, tapping his fingers against the phone. She’s younger than I expected.

After a moment, he typed back:

Yoon: "Oh, you’re still a baby then." 😉

Tanu: "Yes, little baby."

He smirked, finding her innocence amusing. Without thinking much, he typed back:

Yoon: "Hmm… should I call you ‘baby’ from now on then?"

Yoon's smirk grew as he read her message.

Tanu: "You can't! You can call me Tanu."

He chuckled, amused by how firm yet innocent she sounded.

Yoon: "Oh? So strict. Alright, Tanu it is. But if I accidentally call you ‘baby’ one day, don’t be mad."

Yoon leaned back, expecting a playful reply. But when he read Tanu’s message, he paused.

Tanu: "Don't speak like that… like flirting and all. I’m new to this. I never talk like that."

He blinked, a little surprised. Up until now, he had assumed she was like the other girls he had talked to—ones who were used to casual flirting, sometimes even bold conversations. But Tanu… she was different.

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling slightly guilty for assuming otherwise.

After a moment, he typed back:

Yoon: "Got it. I won’t talk like that again. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You really never used an app like this before?"

For the first time in a while, he actually felt curious—not just about the conversation, but about her.

Yoon read her message and smirked slightly.

Tanu: "Yes, my friend downloaded it. I didn’t want to, but she forced me."

He chuckled, shaking his head. So she really isn’t here by choice.

After a moment, he replied:

Yoon: "Ah, so you’re here because of your friend, not because you wanted to meet someone?"

He sent the message, leaning back. Now he was even more curious—why would someone so innocent even keep the app if she wasn’t interested?

Yoon raised an eyebrow as he read her message.

Tanu: "I’ll tell you a secret… My friend wanted me to talk to boys because one day in class, a boy dropped his pen, and when I helped him, my hand was shaking. I was so nervous. She thinks—"

Yoon chuckled, already guessing what her friend must have thought.

Yoon: "She thinks you’re too shy around boys, so she wants you to practice talking to them?"

He smirked, imagining Tanu’s awkwardness. She’s really innocent.

Yoon: "So… am I your ‘practice boy’ now?"

Yoon read her message, a small smile playing on his lips.

Tanu: "No! You can be my friend if you want.

He chuckled, shaking his head. So serious.

Yoon: "Alright, Tanu. Friends it is. No flirting, no teasing. Just a simple friendship. Deal?"

Tanu: "Ok! Deal!"

For the first time since installing the app, she felt comfortable. She wasn’t sure why, but talking to Yoon felt… nice. Different.

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