Chapter 15: Shocking News

The day that was supposed to be a pleasant one instantly lost its meaning. All feelings of happiness vanished the moment I saw that annoying guy sitting right behind me, on the seat near the window.

His back leaned back casually, but the look in his eyes was cold, almost showing no interest in anyone.

I caught Tomi and Kenn exchanging a fist bump. It was clear they already knew each other beforehand. What made me even more annoyed was that Tomi had never mentioned it, either to me or to Dara.

“You already know each other?” I asked flatly, but sharply.

Tomi turned quickly. “Yeah. Why?”

“It’s nothing,” I replied coldly. “I’m just wondering.”

I folded my arms in front of my chest and stared at Tomi sharply. He put on an innocent expression that made me want to smash his head against the table. Who knew, maybe some part of his brain would start functioning properly again.

I narrowed my eyes and hissed in irritation, holding back the anger that was about to explode.

“Wow, that’s scary. Come on, don’t be mad,” Tomi teased with a chuckle. “Okay, Kenn, let me introduce my two best friends. This is Dara, and this is Frel.”

Kenn rose slightly from his seat, then extended his hand. His gaze was brief, flat, without a smile.

I had absolutely no intention of responding to the introduction. “No need to get acquainted. I already know,” I said coldly, without touching Kenn’s outstretched hand.

His jaw tightened, then he looked straight at me. His gaze was sharp, piercing.

“Good,” he said shortly. His tone was cold, almost curt. “That means we don’t need small talk.”

The air around us immediately grew tense.

Kenn clenched his fist for a moment, as if holding back his emotions, then released it again.

Dara, who did not care at all about the tense atmosphere between us, moved quickly instead. She grabbed Kenn’s right hand before it fully lowered and clasped it with both of hers, as if she had found a treasure.

It was a rare opportunity she clearly did not want to waste.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Adara Salsabila. Just call me Dara,” she said enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling and her voice almost bouncing with excitement.

Kenn lowered his head briefly. “Kenn.”

That was all.

There was no smile, no additional sentence. His gaze was not even truly directed at Dara.

Dara chuckled, still trying to lighten the mood. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

Kenn slowly pulled his hand back. “Only when necessary.”

His tone remained flat.

I rolled my eyes.

Because she was too enthusiastic, Dara only realized her grip when a short clearing of the throat came from Kenn.

“Sorry,” Dara said quickly.

Kenn nodded briefly. “It’s fine.”

I rolled my eyes again, feeling irritated as I looked at Dara.

Actually, Dara’s behavior was not much different from mine when meeting a handsome guy. It was not uncommon for us to even compete for a handshake when we met a crush. However, there was one big exception for me.

I never did that with an overconfident guy like Kenn. Meanwhile, Tomi burst out laughing at Dara’s behavior.

Then, as if sensing my stare, he turned his head. His eyes locked onto mine again. This time longer and sharper.

“Is there a problem?” he asked coldly.

“Plenty,” I replied without hesitation.

The corner of his lips lifted slightly, not a smile, more like a mockery. “I thought so.”

His tone was low and sharp, clearly different from the way he spoke to Dara.

If I had known from the beginning who would be sitting next to Tomi, I would never have agreed to choose this seat.

Meanwhile, Tomi let out a small laugh as he watched us. “You’ve only just met and you’re already like this.”

“I didn’t start it,” I said quickly.

Kenn responded briefly, without shifting his gaze from me. “Neither did I.”

His tone was calm, but pressing.

Tomi finally cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. “You already know Kenn’s name,” he said. “But there’s one thing you don’t know yet.”

Dara immediately turned her head. “What is it?”

Tomi glanced at Kenn briefly. “Kenn is actually….”

He paused, a suspicious smile appearing on his face.

“Just say it already,” Dara urged.

“My cousin.”

“What?” Dara and I exclaimed at the same time.

Our eyes widened completely, as if we could not believe what we had just heard.

I turned sharply toward Tomi. “Stop joking.”

“I’m not joking,” Tomi replied.

Dara shook her head slowly. “You two don’t look alike at all.”

“Luckily we don’t,” Tomi retorted.

I did not respond. My gaze returned to Kenn instead.

“So all this time,” I said softly, “you knew who we were and still stayed silent.”

Kenn looked at me expressionlessly. “I didn’t feel the need to explain.”

His tone was flat, but sharp, as if deliberate.

I clenched my jaw. “Your attitude is annoying.”

“That’s not my problem,” he replied shortly.

Silence enveloped us.

Kenn’s gaze remained locked on me, cold and full of judgment, as if he were daring me to say more.

Oh God. What shocking news is this?

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