Take the Chance [RED SON] ☆COMPLETE☆

7 The Plan is Planning

Saturday 3:25 AM

The plan is simple.

Well, easier said than done. His fingers tapped against the book he was reading as he stared blankly at his coffee. His mind seemed to wander off to a different realm. He had just finished reading the book and, somehow, strangely, he felt empty once he did. Was that even normal? No, wait—was it? Or maybe not?

Reading books wasn’t always like this. In fact, it used to be just articles and research papers. But alas, here he was, diving deeper into novels. Somehow, they felt ten times better than reading scholarly articles or books.

Maybe it was just the authors—wild in their storytelling and skilled at crafting worlds that captured readers. He was one of those captivated people now. Was he ashamed of himself? Eh, maybe, but only if someone teased him about his choice of genre.

He hummed, sighing in defeat as he accepted the fact that his favorite trilogy was over. He had devoured it like a champion, no mercy given, spending every waking hour from morning till midnight with the pages. Even Yama might have felt a tinge of intimidation at his unrelenting mantra of "just one more chapter, I swear"—a lie that always backfired.

“Oh! How about this? Just like Mei said—once you’re done with the book, call her and ask her out for dinner or just to hang out, you know?”

MK’s suggestion from yesterday wasn’t bad. Simple, really. But for a stuttering, tomato-faced, hopeless romantic like him, it was going to be a challenge. And by challenge, he meant his lack of social skills.

Where the hell had they gone?

Facing Emily felt like being in one of those otome games Mei loved—choosing every reply carefully to avoid losing a heart. He remembered Mei grinning like an idiot while playing those games, even roping MK into her obsession. Now both of them fangirled and fanboyed whenever their favorite characters appeared on screen.

“You guys don’t have mocha?”

“Sorry, ma’am, we’re not offering it right now. But we do have hot chocolate and pumpkin spice latte.”

The voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned toward the counter, and there she was—the one and only librarian. Who wouldn’t notice her? Tall and striking, she had the kind of presence that left even the guys in line flabbergasted.

“Aw, that’s okay, I guess. Well, maybe black coffee will do,” she said with a polite smile. The barista nodded and moved to prepare her order.

Red Son ducked down slightly, his mind racing. Mei and MK’s advice came rushing back, and, surprisingly, he considered following it. Maybe even right now.

Shit, what should I say? he panicked. “The characters are amazing”? “The worldbuilding is trash, but the male lead makes it tolerable”? Or maybe, “The female lead is weak, but the second female character is a total badass”?