Beauty, Blunders, and Bad Luck

**Nevin Pov**

As I glance at the person next to me, I can't help but get nervous. A single bead of sweat rolls down my neck like it's on some tragic mission. I try to flash a meek smile at the girl across from me, but she gives me a look so cold that I'm pretty sure I just lost three degrees of body heat. She turns to the window, clearly finding the scenery way more interesting than my awkward existence.

"Uh... sorry for being ugly?" I mumble to myself. Hello? Anybody in there? Nope, just ice-cold silence.

Sigh. How did it come to this? I glance around and spot my two friends. They're in the same boat, though maybe they're handling it better... or at least, they're sweating less.

Anyway, to fully appreciate how I ended up sitting across from one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen—and why she's giving me death glares every ten seconds—we need to rewind a bit. Let's start from the moment we boarded the train.

"Ah, finally! We made it in," I say, trying to spark some excitement with my friends, who immediately ignore me.

"Ouch, my heart," I mutter dramatically, clutching my chest for extra effect. They don't even glance my way.

"Tch, you guys are no fun," I groan, completely ghosted again.

As we start organizing our bags—and by "organize," I mean shoving as much as possible into random corners because we've got way too much stuff after a year away from home—we also make sure our precious laptops are safe. Did I mention we're computer science students? Yeah, we're basically geniuses. Well, with code anyway. Wink, wink—you know what I mean.

Just as we secure our bags, Sujin speaks up. "Since we don't have confirmed tickets, we should find some empty seats."

Brilliant observation, Sujin, I think sarcastically as I follow him into the packed compartment. It's jamm-packed, of course. We wander around for a bit, searching for a place to sit. Nope. We're screwed. I internally curse the train gods.

At one point, I spot a guy lying down, proudly displaying his family-pack belly, scratching it like a king on his throne. Just as I'm about to ask him if he'd kindly move, he growls, "Scram!"

Well, I tried. Moving on.

Just as we're losing hope, we spot three seats—two singles and one in a group setting. Before I can even process it, I shout, "Last one there has to sit in the group seat!" and blast off like I'm in the Olympics. I snag the first seat, Sujin grabs the second, and we settle in like champions.

The train picks up speed, and I do what any logical person would do—I doze off. I don't know how long I was out, but I wake up when I hear the train horn blaring. Groggy, I realize we're approaching a station. I stretch, rubbing my eyes and feeling like I've missed something important.

Wait, water. Right, I should get water.

"Do you guys want snacks?" I ask, trying to be the good friend here, but they both wave me off lazily.

"Fine, but don't touch mine later," I mutter and head off to grab some water and snacks.

As the train slows to a halt, I jump off and head to a nearby stall. While I'm paying for the snacks, I hear a voice next to me—soft, a little impatient, and honestly, kind of cute.

"Please give me two bottles of water," she says, waving a 50-rupee note.

I glance over to find the person who spoke, I can't help but let my eyes drift... and I freeze. I blink twice. No, three times. To my surprise I find a girl who is absolutely stunning. Like, distractingly gorgeous. I find myself gawking, taking in the details like a detective, focusing on the wrong things. Her... well, let's just say her figure was impossible to ignore. I try to shake off the inappropriate thoughts and not embarrass myself, but the damage is done.

The money I was holding slips right out of my hand. The Girls friend, noticing my dumbstruck state, raises an eyebrow and hands me the money I dropped.

"Uh, thanks," I mumble, trying not to stare too hard as they leave, disappearing into the crowd.

Great, another missed opportunity with the girl of my dreams. I sigh and grab my water, heading back to the train.

Back in my seat, I hand the snacks to my friends and slump down. "You guys wouldn't believe me if I told you," I start, hoping to share my tragic tale.

"What?" Sujin asks, half asleep.

"I saw the most gorgeous girl at the stall." I sit up, ready to brag. "I mean, wow. She was tall, had long hair, perfect skin, and, well..." I make a vague hand gesture, not sure how much detail to give, "let's just say her, um, proportions were... noticeable."

Sujin shakes his head, not impressed, and I sigh, downing some water. "If only I could see her again..."

"Excuse me," a female voice interrupts.

I turn around, not fully registering who it is at first. Standing behind me is the same girl who handed me the money with a dubious look—but what catches my attention is her. The stunning girl from earlier, standing right behind her friend.

I blink, stunned. It's her. Her. But wait... why does she look like she wants to kill me?

The girl in front gives me a sly smile and mouths, "We heard it all."

My brain short-circuits. All? They... heard... everything?

I freeze, eyes wide, screaming internally. Reality dawns on me like a cruel punchline.

I'm so, so screwed.