Ep 3

Episode 3

Since that night, I never replied to @dark.boy.__’s DM. But that didn’t mean I could stop thinking about him. His words kept replaying in my head—annoying, confusing, but also… intriguing.

I kept wondering, who exactly was behind that account? How could someone send messages that felt so deep, only for it all to turn out fake? Did he think it was funny?

Eventually, I went full detective mode. I scrolled through all our DMs again, checked every caption, zoomed into his photos hoping to find some tiny clue. But nothing. That account was completely empty—like it was made just to mess with people.

Still, I didn’t give up.

Over the next few days, I spent more time glued to my phone. In class, I pretended to take notes while actually searching for names that might be linked to that account. Sometimes I’d try to guess which guys at school were bored enough to make such a fake account.

But while I was busy hunting for clues, the real world decided to hit harder.

“Hey, Filter Princess is passing by!”

I had just stepped into the hallway when that voice came from a group of girls nearby.

“Ren, is that really your face? I thought you used the ‘golden hour angel’ preset,” another one laughed out loud.

I pretended not to hear. But honestly, it felt like getting slapped again and again.

The day got even worse during break. I was buying a drink at the canteen when a guy from the class next door suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hey you, you look like a model on IG. But in real life… pretty unique, huh?”

I rushed away. Hands shaking, face burning.

I ended up sitting alone in the school garden. No Lala, no one else. Just me, my phone, and my completely messed-up thoughts.

I opened Instagram again. Scrolled. Looked at my old photos—the ones where I looked glowing. The ones that probably made people admire me. But now, all of them felt like weapons used to mock me.

And in the middle of that hopelessness, I sat on the farthest bench. It’s usually empty. But today, someone else was there too.

A guy.

He wasn’t very tall, wore a grey hoodie, cap pulled down just enough to cover his eyes. But I could see he was on his phone. I didn’t want to snoop, but when he scrolled… I caught a glimpse of the screen.

The Instagram logo. And… the account name.

@dark.boy.__

I held my breath. Too scared to move. My eyes widened, heart pounding like crazy.

Was he the one?

Slowly, I shifted my seat, pretending to open a book. But really, I was watching. He opened the account. Scrolled. Typed something. It looked like he was about to post a story.

I grabbed my phone, hands trembling. I wanted to get proof. I wanted to confront him. But before I could do anything...

“RENAAA!!” Tati’s voice echoed from a distance, making me jump.

I turned in panic. And when I looked beside me again...

He was gone.

The bench was empty. Only footprints left on the dirt.

I stood up, looked around. But he had disappeared.

I bit my lip. This time, I couldn’t fail.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll follow him. I’ll prove everything. I need to know who he really is—and why he made me feel happy… only to tear me down.

To be continued...

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