SMYLE WOKE UP- already irritated.
The semester break was over. And Rayden was acting weird lately.
Which was impressive considering he had only been awake for thirty seconds.
His phone buzzed again somewhere under the blanket.
Then again.
Then continuously.
Smyle groaned dramatically and pulled the blanket over his head.
"No."
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
"LEAVE ME ALONE."
The phone kept vibrating like it personally hated him.
With the energy of a deeply betrayed man, Smyle reached under the blanket and grabbed it.
37 new messages.
He stared blankly.
"…I'm deleting society."
Then he noticed the sender.
Leo.
Of course.
Smyle opened the chat cautiously.
Big mistake.
A link.
Just a link.
And beneath it:
"BRO YOU'RE FINISHED T_T"
Smyle narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Then clicked it.
Silence.
Three seconds later—
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
He sat upright so fast the blanket nearly fell off the bed.
It was a fan edit.
Not just any edit.
A horrifyingly well-made one.
Smooth transitions.
Slow music.
Close-ups.
Whoever made it deserved prison.
The clips played one after another:
Rayden fixing Smyle's collar at the gala.
The car scene where Smyle accidentally fell asleep on his shoulder.
Rayden's hand at Smyle's waist.
Smyle laughing during an interview.
Rayden looking at him.
Not once.
Not twice.
Constantly.
Then—
The cat pajama picture appeared.
Full screen.
With sparkles edited around it.
Smyle almost threw the phone across the room.
"WHY ARE PEOPLE LIKE THIS?!"
Then he saw the caption.
"They act like divorced soulmates but look at each other like THIS 😭"
Smyle: "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN."
His eye twitched.
Then—
He noticed the comments.
Top comment:
"Rayden Black is actually obsessed."
Liked by @Rayden.bk
Smyle stopped breathing.
"No."
He scrolled further.
Another comment:
"That man looks at Smyle like he survived war and found peace."
Liked by @Rayden.bk
Another one:
"This marriage stopped looking fake months ago."
LIKED BY @RAYDEN.BK.
Smyle's soul left his body.
Then—
The final hit.
Rayden himself had commented.
"Accurate."
Smyle screamed into his pillow so violently he nearly suffocated himself.
"This man is SICK."
His followers count refreshed again.
More notifications.
#RaySmyle was trending.
TRENDING.
"Oh my GOD."
He stared at the ceiling dramatically.
"I'm too young for this."
DOWNSTAIRS —
Smyle marched downstairs like a man going to war.
Still in his cat pajamas.
Hair messy.
Face red.
Phone clutched aggressively.
Rayden sat at the dining table calmly reading financial reports while drinking coffee like he wasn't currently ruining Smyle's entire existence.
Completely peaceful.
Completely composed.
Smyle slammed the phone directly onto the table.
"WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS."
Rayden looked up slowly.
Calm.
Too calm.
"Good morning."
"DON'T GOOD MORNING ME."
Rayden glanced at the screen.
Saw the edit.
Then leaned back slightly.
"Oh," he said. "That."
Smyle stared at him in disbelief.
"THAT?!"
"It's well edited."
"THAT IS YOUR CONCERN?!"
Rayden took another sip of coffee.
Smyle narrowed his eyes immediately.
"You liked the comments."
"Yes."
"WHY."
"They were amusing."
"You COMMENTED."
"Yes."
"WHY."
Rayden looked genuinely thoughtful for half a second.
"Because it was accurate."
Smyle made a strangled noise.
"YOU CANNOT JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT."
Rayden raised an eyebrow.
"I already did."
Smyle grabbed the nearest cushion from the couch and threw it directly at him.
Rayden caught it effortlessly without even looking.
"You're violent in the morning."
"You're mentally unstable in the morning."
"That too."
Smyle glared at him with deep betrayal.
"This is all your fault."
"You were already popular."
"Not like THIS."
Rayden glanced at the screen again.
The edit kept replaying.
Then—
To Smyle's horror—
Rayden looked mildly impressed.
"You laugh differently around your friends."
Smyle blinked.
"…What."
"You smile wider too."
Silence.
Smyle's brain paused.
Because that was such a weird thing to notice.
And somehow—
that affected him more than the teasing.
Smyle looked away first.
"…You analyze people too much."
Rayden's gaze stayed on him.
"Only important ones."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Smyle immediately pointed at him accusingly.
"See. THIS. This is exactly what I mean."
"What?"
"You keep saying suspicious things."
Rayden's mouth twitched slightly.
"You get flustered easily."
"I DO NOT."
"You're red again."
"I HATE YOU."
"No you don't."
Smyle opened his mouth—
Then stopped.
Because recently…
that statement was becoming harder to deny.
Which was terrifying.
So instead he grabbed toast aggressively and stuffed it into his mouth to avoid answering.
Rayden watched him calmly for a second.
Then silently slid the jam closer.
Smyle used it automatically.
Neither of them noticed how natural that had become.
LATER — UNIVERSITY
Smyle regretted coming instantly.
The moment he stepped out of the car—
"RAYSMYLE NATIONNNNN "
Smyle closed his eyes slowly.
"No."
Leo came sprinting across campus dramatically.
James nearly collapsed laughing behind him.
William looked personally entertained by Smyle's suffering.
Hong had his phone out already.
Recording.
Traitor.
"Oh my god," Leo cried dramatically. "THE CAT PAJAMAS."
"I'm blocking all of you."
James pointed toward Rayden.
Standing beside the car in black.
Sharp suit.
Cold expression.
Absolutely terrifying.
"…Why does he look like your mafia bodyguard slash husband slash sugar daddy."
Smyle looked offended.
"What kind of sentence was that."
"The truth."
Rayden ignored all of them completely.
Then his gaze shifted slightly.
Past Smyle.
Toward someone approaching.
A guy.
Probably from another department.
Confident smile.
Too confident.
"Hey," the guy said to Smyle casually. "You're Smyle, right?"
Smyle blinked once.
"…Yeah?"
"I saw your art exhibit last semester."
"Oh."
The guy smiled.
"You're really talented."
Smyle relaxed slightly.
"Oh. Thanks."
The conversation stayed harmless.
Normal.
Friendly.
Until—
The guy touched Smyle's shoulder lightly while laughing.
And suddenly—
The atmosphere changed.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Rayden moved.
Silent.
Smooth.
Terrifyingly calm.
He stepped directly between them.
One hand settling briefly against Smyle's back.
Protective.
Possessive.
Warm.
"We're leaving," Rayden said calmly.
The guy immediately straightened.
"…Right."
And very wisely walked away.
Smyle stared after him.
Then slowly turned toward Rayden.
"…You're being weird again."
Rayden opened the passenger door for him.
"He was flirting."
Smyle blinked.
"…So?"
Rayden's expression didn't change.
Which somehow made it worse.
"I didn't like it."
Silence.
Smyle's heartbeat did something incredibly stupid.
Because Rayden hadn't sounded angry.
Or controlling.
Just honest.
Which was somehow more dangerous.
Smyle looked away first and got into the car quickly.
"…You're insane."
Rayden closed the door gently.
"Probably."
And the worst part?
Smyle was starting to think maybe he liked that a little too much.