stray kids imagines

bangchan | dating apps are not working so i act confused

ⁿᵒᵗ ʳᵉᵠᵘᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ
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fluff / 1737
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it was your first full day in australia, and sydney was everything you and yeram, your friend, had hoped for.

bright, lively, and overwhelmingly sunny, with streets bustling with locals and tourists alike, it was a paradise of surf, food, and sprawling cityscapes. the air was fresh with a touch of the salty ocean nearby, and the energy was infectious. sydney's blue sky seemed endless, arched over the famous skyline that you have only seen in pictures before, with the iconic sydney opera house jutting into the harbour like some sort of elegant white shell.

after exploring darling harbour, yeram had suggested you try the subway system to navigate to a few of the city's other sights.

and now, here you were, at a busy subway station filled with a mixture of locals rushing around and tourists looking equally lost, trying to figure out the dizzying map on the wall in front of you.

as you stood at the station, you had a sudden burst of inspiration. "yeram, I've got an idea," you announced confidently, looking at your friend with a mischievous grin.

yeram raised a brow, already suspicious. "please tell me you're not thinking of anything ridiculous."

"no, listen! you know that 'dating apps aren't working, so i act confused', right?" you said excitedly. "so I thought... maybe I could look a bit confused? like, stand by the subway map, make it obvious I don't understand english. then someone's bound to come over and help me, right?"

yeram laughed, crossing her arms as she watched you stroll over to the map with exaggerated confusion on your face, turning your head from side to side dramatically.

"it's only going to be awkward if nobody comes up to help you, you know?" yeram warned, though a smile played on her lips as she watched her friend's antics.

but you waved her off. "trust me, someone will. I have charm."

you positioned yourself in front of the subway map, squinting at it as though it were a piece of ancient text. everything was in english, which might as well have been a foreign language to you in this moment, and you'd soon realized that you weren't faking your confusion at all.

there were so many different colored lines, place names you couldn't read, and symbols that you didn't understand. after a few moments, you'd forgotten you were supposed to be "acting" and was genuinely lost.

behind you, yeram was holding back laughter, snapping a photo of you in your perplexed state for future amusement. "you really do look hopeless," she muttered to herself.

but then, to both your surprise, someone approached you, a man with dark hair dressed in a black shirt and jeans. he seemed a few years older, with a calm expression and a hint of curiosity in his eyes. as he stopped next to you, he cleared his throat.

"need help?" the man asked in english, his voice friendly and easy.

startled, you turned to look at him, your eyes widening at the unexpected success of your plan.

for a second, you were at a loss, but quickly collected yourself, putting on your best effort to respond. you coughed, with as much confidence as you could muster, said, "I no english speek."

you smiled at what you said, your chest filling with pride. it sounded correct, doesn't it?

the man paused, then chuckled softly, clearly amused. your attempt at english was obviously not as flawless as you'd hoped, and the man seemed to realize it.