Chaos of misunderstanding

***sujin pov***

As I catch the sudden terror in Nevin's face, my peaceful nap dies a quick, brutal death. *What has this idiot done now?*

I glance around, trying to piece together the situation. That's when I see them—the trio of girls standing in front of us like a panel of judges ready to pass a life sentence. The bubbly one, who clearly said something to Nevin, catches my eye and flashes me this sweet, unsuspecting smile. I'm so caught off guard that I forget how to smile like a normal person and end up looking like I'm smelling something rotten.

Before I can even process my own cringe, the girl behind her steps forward like she's about to issue a verdict. "Get up," she says to Nevin.

My awkward smile dies on the spot. I shoot Nevin a What the hell did you do this time?look, hoping for some kind of childish excuse, like, I accidentally touched her bag or I told her I like ponies. Instead, he gives me this deadpan look that says, I am 100% guilty, please bury me now.

Yep, we're screwed.

The girl repeats herself, more sharply this time. "Get. Up."

Now, everyone's staring. I can almost hear their thoughts: Are we about to witness a public execution?

And here come the guys, ready to "rescue" the girls. You know the drill—girl screams, no one asks questions, and suddenly you're getting drop-kicked in the chest by a dude who thinks he's Batman.

Oh fantastic, I think as I spot a group of wannabe heroes swaggering over. I mentally brace myself for the beating that's sure to come.

Sensing the awkward tension, the bubbly girl waves her hands and says, "Ah, nothing to worry about! It's just... those are our seats."

Instantly, the atmosphere deflates. The "heroes" look disappointed and shuffle back to their corners. Phew. Crisis averted.

Nevin, always the genius, utters, "Oh."

The cold girl, without missing a beat, shoots him a look of pure disgust. I swear, she looks like she's about to file a complaint with HR.

We both awkwardly stand up and move aside as they take their seats. I guess that's our cue to stand for the rest of the trip. Fantastic.

As we make our way toward the door, trying to play it cool, I glance at Nevin. We exchange a silent nod—the universal signal for Let's get the hell out of here before we die.

The breeze hits us as we stand near the door, and for a moment, the chaos fades away. I decide it's time to get some answers.

"So, Nevin," I start, eyebrows raised. "Why does that girl look like she wants to throw you off this train?"

Nevin sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... you know how I told you about that girl with the, um... great proportions?"

My eyes widen as i raise an eyebrow. "Wait. That girl?The one you wouldn't shut up about?"

Nevin nods, his face flushing with guilt.

I stifle a laugh. No wonder she's plotting his demise. If I were her, I'd probably be sharpening my knives too.

We head back toward our seats to guard our precious bags. Those laptops cost more than my soul. But as we stand there like awkward statues, I notice Nevin sneaking glances at the cold girl. She, of course, doesn't even acknowledge his existence. The girl's practically an iceberg, and Nevin's over here trying to melt it with... whatever it is he thinks he's doing.

His desperate attempts are kind of sad. But also kind of funny. I can't help but smile.

"You know your friend really made her angry, right?" The bubbly girl from earlier—who I now realize is our mediator—chimes in, catching me off guard.

I blink, caught mid-smile. "Yeah, he told me about it." Awkward silence.

Feeling the tension thicken, I try to smooth it over. "Sorry about that. Nevins well... he's just like that. Says what's on his mind without thinking. He doesn't mean any harm, really. He's a good guy." I glance at Nevin, who's still ogling Ice Queen McAngryface. Yeah, he's definitely not helping my case.

The girl gives me a solemn nod, like she's contemplating whether or not to believe me. "My name's Kiera, by the way," she adds, out of the blue.

"Oh, uh, I'm Sujin," I reply, a little caught off guard by the formality. At least we're introducing ourselves now, like normal people.

As I stand awkwardly trying to avoid any more drama, Kiera turns to me,

"So, your friend... Nevin, right?" she starts, glancing at him. He's still giving the cold girl those sad, puppy-dog eyes. "He really has no clue, does he?"

I chuckle. "Yeah, Nevin's... well, let's just say he operates on his own wavelength. It's impressive, really, how consistently unaware he can be."

Kiera raises an eyebrow, stifling a laugh. "I don't know whether to feel sorry for him or to be worried for anyone who crosses his path."

"Trust me, it's both," I reply. "He's like a tornado. You never know what's gonna happen, but you do know someone's probably going to get hurt."

She laughs softly. "He seems harmless, though. A little clueless, maybe, but not a bad guy."

"Exactly! That's him in a nutshell." I shake my head, watching as Nevin continues his hopeless pursuit. "He's just... a disaster magnet. I'm usually the one who has to clean up the mess."

"Well, you're doing a great job so far," she teases, giving me a playful smile. "No punches thrown, no screaming matches."

"Small victories," I say, giving a mock bow. "But let's be real, the day's still young. Plenty of time for him to blow something else up."

She laughs again, and I can feel the tension easing. kiera's surprisingly easy to talk to, not at all what I expected. For a moment, we just stand there, the awkwardness fading as we watch the chaos of the train ride unfold.

"So," she says after a beat, her voice more curious now, "what's it like being friends with someone like Nevin?"

I let out a long sigh, pretending to think. "Exhausting. It's like being a full-time babysitter, but instead of a kid, it's a grown man who keeps finding new ways to make everything weird."

She laughs again, covering her mouth. "Oh no, poor you."

"Right? I should get paid for this. Or at least a medal. 'Friendship Valor Award' or something."

"Well, you're a good friend, I'll give you that." Her tone softens a bit, and she looks at me thoughtfully. "Most people would've bailed on him by now."

I shrug. "Yeah, but Nevin's got his moments. He's... loyal. In his own weird way. Can't abandon the guy just because he's a human hurricane."

Kiera nods, a small smile playing on her lips. "That's nice. It's hard to find people like that."

There's a pause, the kind where it feels like something just clicked between us. She seems more relaxed now, her guard down.

"I'm guessing it's not all bad, though," she adds, nudging me. "You two must have some fun together, right?"

"Oh, definitely. When Nevin's not busy accidentally starting wars, he's actually pretty fun. Just don't ask him to make any decisions, or we're all doomed."

Kiera giggles, looking at me with more warmth than before. "You're funny, you know that?"

"Really? I thought I was just suffering out loud," I joke, which gets another laugh out of her.

After a brief silence, she glances at the seats again, then back at me. "Hey, uh... why don't you sit down with us?" she asks, almost casually but with a hint of sincerity. "I mean, we're probably stuck here for a while anyway, and... you seem like someone I could actually talk to. Plus, you know... keep an eye on your friend."

I blink, surprised for a second, then nod, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, sure, I'd like that."

She smiles, motioning for me to sit next to her. As I settle into the seat opposite to her,I can't help but feel a strange sense of relief. This might not be so bad after all.