A cool morning breeze danced in the air as the trio—Ren, Siya, and Aarav—walked side by side down a quiet street that led to their destination. Ren, as usual, had that serious, no-nonsense aura around him, like he was on his way to perform brain surgery even though all he was doing was attending a casual seminar. Aarav, on the other hand, walked like the main character of a music video, hands in his pockets, confidence leaking like perfume. And Siya? Siya was busy rambling about a new cat video she watched the night before.
Siya: "No, seriously, that cat climbed a ladder, fell off, and then meowed like it was personally betrayed by gravity. I relate to that level of drama."
Ren blinked slowly. "Is this what normal people talk about in the morning?"
Aarav chuckled. "You're just jealous because the cat had more screen presence than you."
Ren rolled his eyes. "I have better things to—"
And just like that, the universe said, bet.
Out of absolutely nowhere, a man in a hoodie sprinted toward them like a character in slow-motion action movies—but this was real, and real wasn't in 4K.
Before they could fully process it, the man snatched Siya's bag, yanked it with such force that Siya let out the loudest "AHH!" like she was in a soap opera.
"MY BAG! MY DIGNITY!" she shouted.
Ren immediately stepped in front of her. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
Before Siya could even reply, Aarav launched forward like a human missile.
And what happened next?
Let's just say, some people throw hands…
But Aarav? Aarav threw an entire martial arts movie.
He sprinted after the thief, tackled him like a rugby player on Red Bull, and with a swift combo of knees, elbows, and "I grew up in Delhi, bhai," vibes—he beat the living nonsense out of the robber.
Siya and Ren stood frozen. Eyes wide. Jaws dropped.
Aarav retrieved her bag, tossed the thief's hoodie into a bush like it was a failed career move, and walked back like it was nothing.
Siya blinked rapidly. Then again.
Then she gasped like she was watching a superhero land in slow motion. "OH. MY. GOD. Aarav."
He handed her the bag with a nonchalant smirk. "You good?"
She nodded like a bobblehead. "You—YOU ARE SO COOL. Like…like action movie level COOL. What the heck was THAT? You need a cape. We need to buy you a cape. Ren, write this down."
Ren, still recovering from everything, glanced sideways.
"Cool, huh," he mumbled under his breath, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve even though it wasn't dusty. "So she likes cool boys now. Got it. Noted. Big, important data."
Siya turned toward him, still high on Aarav's superhero moment. "Did you see how he kicked that guy? I mean—whoosh pow kick smash—like in those anime fight scenes!"
"Yeah, I was there," Ren said dryly. "Got the full HD view."
Aarav stretched his arms casually. "Guess those self-defense classes paid off. Also, cardio. Always cardio."
"Yeah," Ren muttered. "I'll start tomorrow."
Siya clutched her bag like it was a trophy. "I'm never letting this go again. Aarav, you're my favorite person right now. Sorry, Ren."
Ren blinked. Once. Twice.
Then under his breath: "Cool boys. Right. Should've worn my sunglasses."
🦋🦋🦋
Ren walked into his house like a man on a mission. A man reborn. A man who'd just been out-cooled by a boy who punched a robber into another dimension while Siya looked on like it was Shah Rukh Khan's entry scene.
He dropped his bag dramatically onto his study chair and stared at himself in the mirror like it had personally betrayed him.
"She likes cool boys," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Muscles. Drama. Danger. Action. Okay, okay... I can do that. I'm intelligent. I'm med school material. I can do mafia if I want. Mafia with a medical degree. Dangerous and can write prescriptions. What a combo."
He pulled his hoodie over his head, trying to look broody.
"Where are you going, baby girl?" he said to his mirror reflection in the deepest voice he could manage. It came out like Batman choking on a peanut.
"No, too much," he winced. "Let's tone it down."
He tried again, leaning on the table like he was in a Netflix drama.
"Hey... you need protection?" he said, flexing his non-existent biceps.
Then he pointed finger guns at the mirror. "I am the danger."
Then immediately cringed. "Oh God, I sound like a rejected TikTok villain."
Still, Operation Mafia Ren was locked and loaded.
Next Morning
He walked into class with the swagger of a man who had absolutely no business swaggering.
Leather jacket? Check.
Sunglasses indoors? Check.
Mysterious silence? Double check.
The problem? It was 8:30 a.m., and he was wearing black shades in a room with flickering tube lights. He looked less like a mafia don and more like a migraine patient.
Siya looked at him, blinked once, then again.
"...Ren?" she asked cautiously.
He didn't answer. Just tilted his chin up like he was about to say something epic.
Then finally:
"Yes... baby girl."
Siya recoiled like she had seen a ghost. "WHAT?! Excuse me, what did you just call me?"
"Baby girl," he repeated with complete confidence and zero shame.
Aarav, sitting behind them, choked on his water. Siya turned to look at him. "Is he okay?"
Aarav wiped tears of laughter. "Absolutely not."
Siya turned back to Ren, who was now sitting with his legs crossed, arms folded, like he owned the building and the land it was built on.
She stared at him. "Do you have a fever?"
"No."
"Did you hit your head on the way here?"
Ignore the sentence.
"Are you doing a social experiment?"
"Yes, it's called How to embarrass yourself in 10 seconds."
Why?
Don't ask.
He barely knows himself.
It started with a single phrase stuck in his head:
"Wow, Aarav is so cool 😳😳."
…uttered loudly by one very expressive Siya. And now here we are.
Siya: "Ren, why are you walking like you're in a shampoo commercial?"
Ren (internally): Okay… don't react. Stay in character. Be the drama. Be the danger. Be the… shampoo model, apparently.
Siya: "Wait—are you actually wearing cologne? Is that a silver chain? Are you trying to seduce someone or rob a bank?"
Ren (smirking): "Sweetheart, you just never noticed the real me before."
Siya: "Nope. This is not real. This is... possession. Are you possessed? Blink twice if you're in danger."
Ren: (still not answering, flipping his loose tie like he's the CEO of Coolness Incorporated)
Then, without a word, I made my grand exit to the washroom—slow-motion walk, obviously. Swag intact. Students parting like the Red Sea. I closed the door behind me, locked it, leaned on the sink and stared at my reflection.
Ren (to himself): "What the hell are you doing, man? You just winked at a teacher. A teacher. You're one step away from being banned from PTA meetings for life."
I ran cold water. Splashed. Breathed. Still no sign of common sense returning.
Ren (to mirror): "No backing out now, Ren. You said you'd commit. You chose cringe. Now be the cringe."
I straightened my tie, practiced the smirk again—slightly less serial killer this time—and walked back out like I didn't just have a breakdown over being fake-flirty in a high school hallway.
The mission? Continue.
The dignity? Missing.
The swag? Questionable.
The regrets? Growing.
🦋🦋🦋
The classroom door opened with more drama than a K-drama plot twist.
He stepped in like he was the lead of a shōnen anime, wind that didn't exist suddenly swirling around him.
Tie loose.
Hair slightly messy but intentionally.
Expression: smoldering.
Vibe: misunderstood rich mafia boy who probably owns a private helicopter.
He didn't even look directly at anyone—just slightly to the side, like he was lost in thought, or couldn't remember where he parked his Lamborghini.
The girl group in the corner?
Exploding.
"Oh my god, did you see his eyes?"
"I think he winked at me."
"No, that was for me. He totally pulled his sleeves up when he saw me."
"I think he's changed… He's finally seeing me!"
(Plot twist: He was looking for the trash bin.)
Ren kept walking, nodding occasionally, shooting a few smiles that could power ten fanfiction websites.
Inside his head, though?
"Uff. Wrong girl. Crap. That wasn't for you, Rika."
"Why is everyone looking at me like I'm a walking perfume ad?"
"This is why people shouldn't watch mafia movies at 2AM."
He reached his seat, finally.
Siya was already there, scrolling through her notes like a normal human being.
She looked up, blinked once.
Then twice.
"…Did your body get possessed or you just lost a bet?"
Ren, smirking, leaned on the desk. "Darling, I've always been like this. You just… never noticed."
(He regretted it immediately. But he committed, so he continued suffering.)
She narrowed her eyes. "Are you… wearing cologne in a classroom?"
He looked around, lowered his voice. "Only the scent of danger."
Aarav choked on his water at that line.
Siya deadpanned, "The only dangerous thing here is your overconfidence."
But the girls?
Still staring. Still whispering.
Still convinced he smiled just for them.
Meanwhile, Ren was trying to maintain his "I'm too cool to blink" face, while inside he was begging for death by embarrassment.
The teacher finally entered.
Paused.
Stared.
"Ren."
"Yes, sensei?"
"What… what happened to your… everything?"
Ren smiled. "Nothing, just embracing my inner freedom."
The teacher rubbed their forehead. "Well, kindly tell your inner freedom to fix your tie, button your shirt, and stop behaving like a second-rate drama character. You're making the blackboard blush."
Ren straightened up. "Hai."
(Translation: Dignity.exe has stopped responding.)
He adjusted his tie, sat properly, and returned to being the original Ren 1.0: studious, sharp, silently suffering.
Siya looked sideways and smirked.
"That was painful to watch."
Ren leaned back slightly, voice low. "For me too."
She laughed quietly. "Don't ever do that again. Seriously."
He gave her a side glance. "Even for you?"
She nodded. "Especially for me."
Ren: emotional damage acquired.
Later that night...
Ren threw his bag on the floor and faceplanted into his bed.
Muffled into the pillow: "I'm a crazy person."
Rolled over dramatically.
Stared at the ceiling.
"Why. Why did I think that would work?"
"Loose tie? Smirk? What am I, a walking shojo manga?"
"I said 'darling.' I deserve jail."
He stared at his reflection in the mirror across the room.
"Never again. Mafia mode… terminated."
Then he saw a notification from Siya on his phone:
"Goodnight. Try not to wink in your sleep."
He groaned.
"Even she's mocking me now."
Ren rolled back into the blanket like a human burrito and whispered to himself,
"Tomorrow, we study. No flirting. No smirking. No imaginary mafia nonsense..."