Life can seem incredibly tough and complicated at first glance, often because we haven't figured out what simple things truly fulfill us or realized that we need very little—or almost nothing—to feel good and even complete in our own space. Since a young age, Wave had already discovered what made him happy, what left him feeling fulfilled and completely satisfied with his life: his studies, theater, and being in nature.He could spend hours lost in any of these activities, losing track of time, and used this as a way to handle any problem that came his way: he would downplay the bad situation and focus on what genuinely made him happy. And guess what? It worked. He was certain that these little things were the key to his happiness and felt incredibly smart for having figured out the right way to live life so young.If you asked him, Wave would definitely say that nothing in this world could make him happier than seeing his plants bloom or presenting a new play to an audience. After all, he considered himself an expert on everything, especially on himself, his feelings, and his life. But brace yourselves, dear readers, because the truth is, this kid still had a lot to learn. I ask for your patience as I unravel this story, because it's always fascinating to watch someone's emotions before they even realize them.That night, a day after attending the first meeting of the theater group's season and realizing he had run over the newest member of the team, Wave was almost lost in his room with a dictionary and a book titled The Secret Network of Nature. He was genuinely interested in the subject, having waited almost a month for the book to be imported. However, something strange was happening; with every paragraph he read, he found his mind drifting to unrelated thoughts."What's going on?" he wondered, as his lack of focus was unusual for him.He ran his fingers over his lips, his gaze wandering around the room, fixated on invisible points. His mind was in a whirl of questions, each one more persistent than the last. He thought about the strange guy he had met the day before and the peculiar situation that followed. It was unusual for someone to be so cold and indifferent towards Wave, who was known for his knack for making friends and drawing people to him with ease.Moreover, he was thinking about the task Marco had given him: making this very person, named Dan, fall in love with theater. He didn't have all the details, but he knew that Dan was there due to family pressure and that his lack of interest was evident from his behavior the previous day. Wave was beginning to regret taking on the task, as it was disrupting his peace."I need to find out at least something about him," he murmured to himself, setting the book aside and picking up his phone to open the Facebook app. "Since he's related to Marco, it shouldn't be that hard."And it wasn't, because while searching through the director's friends, he quickly found Dan's serious, mixed-race profile. "Really good-looking," he thought as he clicked on the photo without a second thought. "Dan Zanon... what a cool last name!" He tried to see more details from the profile, but most of the information was blocked, except for his school and major. "So he really is my freshman."This detail was crucial, opening up a range of possibilities for Wave to get closer to Dan. But the big question remained: where did he know him from? After all, Wave had missed the start of classes and the new student orientation ceremonies because an accident had confined him to the hospital for a long time. He had only returned to college three days ago and was certain he had never crossed paths with Dan on campus.Now, are you curious about the accident he had? Well, to start discussing that, I need to reveal that Wave is an extremely brave guy. However, his bravery seemed to evaporate when faced with any dog. Yes, any dog, from a small German spitz to a large rottweiler. The mere sound of barking made his heart race and his hands sweat, revealing a deep aversion he couldn't hide, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it.Wave's accident had an unusual beginning. One day, while walking down a deserted street, he came across a medium-sized brown dog. Terrified by the presence of the animal, Wave made the impulsive decision to run in the opposite direction. What he didn't expect was that his action would provoke an unexpected reaction from the dog: the animal bolted after him. Panic was evident on Wave's face, his eyes wide and his breath ragged, betraying the internal struggle he was facing. Without thinking, he felt his legs shaking and his heart racing uncontrollably. With his mind in turmoil and his limbs nearly paralyzed by fear, Wave made an impulsive decision: he jumped into the city's central canal, an instinctive act of survival, his only hope of escaping the imminent danger he had imagined.At that moment, Wave had ignored two crucial facts: the considerable height of the bridge and the fact that he didn't know how to swim. The result? A serious accident that led him to spend almost a month in the city's largest hospital.This explained why Wave didn't know Dan from college and made him even more curious.Even with all the thoughts racing in his head, he decided the best thing to do was to get some sleep. After all, he now knew exactly where he could find more information about that mysterious guy.He decided to arrive earlier than usual at university the next day, knowing exactly who could provide the information he was looking for:"Tee! I knew you'd be here at this hour," he greeted his friend, joining him at a table in the university's outdoor area."Of course I would be here. This is when they gather outside," Tee gave Wave a knowing smile and nodded toward a group of freshmen in front of them.Tee was as outgoing as Wave but had interests in life quite different from his friend's. One of them was his constant and daily dedication to the art of flirting, especially with new female students. Wave enjoyed that and the stories generated by Tee's exaggerated approach."So, how are the freshmen this year? I haven't had time to talk to almost anyone," Wave began, guiding the conversation where he wanted."True, true." Tee walked behind Wave and put his hands on his shoulders, trying to console him. "You missed the best part of the year! The initiation ceremonies were amazing... everything was so... wonderful.""I can imagine." Wave knew exactly what his friend meant by 'everything was so beautiful.' "Any highlights?""Yes! We had the highest number of female enrollments in the history of our course; it was a new record!" Tee said excitedly. "I think for the first time, we have almost the same number of men and women.""That's great!" Wave wasn't too concerned about that. "But tell me, I heard that some freshmen are quite different this year, and there's even one who seems like a foreigner with some tattoos.""Foreigner with tattoos..." Tee looked away, frowning as if trying to remember. "Oh, yes! You must be talking about Dan!""Is that his name?" Wave played dumb."Yes, yes! At first, all the girls went crazy for him, but that faded a bit because he was quite unfriendly with most people. I only saw him talking to close friends. I myself only managed to get three words from him at the initiation... 'don't touch me.' Aggressive, but he seems like a good person," Tee said, soon shifting to other random topics.Wave stopped paying attention to his friend and felt a bit more relieved realizing that Dan didn't have an inexplicable hatred towards him, even after running him over. Apparently, the guy acted similarly to most people.Later that day, after finishing classes and walking toward where he had left his bike, Wave stopped abruptly and almost involuntarily hid upon seeing Dan and another guy heading in the same direction. Although not very communicative, the tattooed guy responded when the other spoke, and Wave swore he saw Dan's lips curve slightly into what seemed like a smile."Interesting," he murmured to himself. "So he doesn't have trouble talking to everyone; maybe he's just shy with people he doesn't know well. Really interesting."He was talking to himself when an idea struck him as he saw Dan grabbing his bike to leave, the same bike from the day they met. So, he probably preferred a more 'free' mode of transportation, just like Wave. That was great, but even better because it gave Wave a good and plausible reason to interact with the guy.The next day, despite the strong sun and waking up on time, Wave decided to drive to the University. This way, he could offer Dan a ride since they both needed to meet the theater group in the afternoon, and driving would cut the travel time significantly—at least three times faster than biking.It was the perfect plan, or at least that's what Wave thought. Getting close to Dan naturally would be the key to fulfilling his role as the assistant director. But there was a small problem: he needed to talk to the guy to have any chance of success. And how do you talk to someone who completely ignores you?After classes, he rushed to his car in the parking lot and made sure Dan's bike was still there, which meant the guy hadn't left yet. He didn't have to wait long before the exotic and serious figure of Dan appeared, heading for his bike. This time he was alone, which made Wave feel even more comfortable approaching him quickly and greeting him:"Hey, look at us, running into each other again!" he said with a friendly smile as he watched Dan's surprised reaction. Dan raised his eyebrows, his eyes widening for a brief moment before he looked away and started fiddling with his bike. "Still not talking to me?""...""Okay, I expected that. But you don't have to say anything. You're going to the theater group meeting today, right?" he asked, already anticipating the lack of response as Dan unlocked his bike. "So, I'll give you a ride. It'll be much faster! You can put your bike in the trunk of my car."Dan made no effort to look at Wave and, without a word, mounted his bike, his body stiff and eyes fixed on the ground."Hey, did you hear me? I can take you! You'll get there much faster this way!"He was completely ignored and had to take at least three steps back as Dan rode away, barely concerned about whether he was nearly running over Wave or not."I cannot believe it... He's impossible!" Wave grumbled as he headed back to his car. "But that's not going to make me give up."Wave drove off, heading directly along the road parallel to the bike path. When he spotted Dan on his bike just a few seconds later, he rolled down the window and shouted to the guy outside:"Are you really going to ignore me like this? Think about it! I can take you there without you having to pedal; it's really far!" He shouted as loud as he could, but Dan didn't change his expression and pedaled even faster, as if trying to get away from the car.When Wave was forced to stop at a red light, he saw Dan disappear from view as he turned left onto one of the cross streets ahead. This intrigued him, as it wasn't the right way to where they needed to go."Could it be that..." Wave murmured, considering the possibilities, then smiled to himself as he came to a conclusion. "This is going to be even better!"Wave continued to the city center, driving to the theater company's auditorium without any hurry. He didn't see Dan at any point along the way, but that didn't bother him, and he had a satisfied smile on his face the entire trip. When he arrived at his destination, he parked the car and leaned against the driver's door, waiting for the other person.Less than ten minutes later, Dan arrived and his expression hardened again when he saw Wave. As he parked his bike, he didn't look around and went straight to the auditorium's entrance. He tried to open the door once and was puzzled when it didn't work, then tried at least two more times before seeming convinced that it was locked."Need this?" Wave asked, almost teasingly, as he leaned against the car door. He was holding the keyring that gave access to the place.For the first time, Dan turned his head towards Wave, his brow furrowed and eyes slightly narrowed, as if trying to solve a complicated mistery. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face, closing his eyes for a moment before nodding his head, clearly exasperated."Communication! The first step has been taken. You looked at me and even nodded your head; I feel honored!" Wave exaggerated with a wide smile and a sparkle in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll open it for you."After announcing this, he went to the entrance with the key and, while unlocking the door, began to chat:"I'm finding your silent treatment quite amusing. I've met some freshmen in the past few days, and they're so different from you—they're more friendly, and you treat me like I'm a ghost." He laughed while opening the door. "Are you this serious with everyone?"In response, he received a cold, intense stare. When he unlocked the door and opened it, Dan walked past him without so much as a thank you."See? I helped you out, and you still treat me like this! You're a pretty serious guy," Wave said, watching as Dan walked into the empty auditorium, his shoulders slumped and his brow furrowed as if trying to figure out what had happened. Dan's breathing quickened slightly as he hesitated, clearly debating whether to turn around and ask Wave about the situation. Meanwhile, Wave had settled into one of the seats at the back of the auditorium, enjoying the internal struggle Dan was experiencing."So... confused? Got any questions for me, serious boy?" Wave asked with a broad smile, leaning his arms on the back of the seat in front of him and resting his chin to get a better view of Dan.Dan looked around, clearly confused by the empty auditorium. He glanced from side to side, frowning as he tried to figure out why the place was so empty. From where he sat, Wave watched with a pleased smile, enjoying the fact that he knew something Dan hadn't yet figured out."Curious about what happened? I'll tell you, but only if you ask. Let me make it a little easier for you." As he spoke, Wave pulled out his phone and quickly added Dan as a friend on Facebook. "If you don't want to talk, at least you can type."Hearing a sharp notification sound, Dan's eyebrows raised in surprise. He took out his phone and, seeing the friend request from Wave, stared at the screen, visibly weighing whether to accept it. Eventually, he gave in, accepted the request, and began typing.Wave heard a ping from his phone and, with a wide smile, picked it up. His eyes lit up, and he almost jumped out of his seat when he read the message, his lips curling into a genuine, satisfied grin.[Dan Zanon]Where is everyone?"Words! You actually used words with me! First a nod, and now this—I'm almost overwhelmed with excitement." Although genuinely pleased, Wave exaggerated his tone to see how Dan would react, who merely rolled his eyes impatiently. "So, you don't know why the auditorium is empty and why no one is here?"Dan gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Wave then clarified:"You should have paid attention when Marco gave the instructions at the last meeting," Wave began. "Since we're at the start of the season and there are new members, he mentioned that today's meeting would be held in an open space to break the ice with the team. When I was... chasing you, I noticed you were heading here instead of the planned location."Dan stared at Wave, absorbed in the new information, probably wondering why Wave had come all this way with him, unlocked the auditorium, and took so long to explain the misunderstanding. Wave, feeling satisfied, saw this as a small victory, thinking himself quite clever, though he was not fully aware of what he was setting up for himself.Dan took out his phone again and began typing. Wave watched the screen, knowing a response was coming:[Dan Zanon]Where is the meeting?"Well, I can tell you if you promise me one thing," Wave said after reading the message, giving Dan a clever look. "If I tell you, you need to let me give you a ride there."Dan looked at Wave as if he were completely crazy, his lips curling into a disdainful expression as he sighed silently and crossed his arms, clearly tired of the conversation. However, Wave pretended not to notice and kept a friendly smile on his face, as if Dan's scowls had no effect on him."So? You'll come with me, right?"Just when Wave thought he had won, he was surprised to see Dan speed up and start walking out of the auditorium, seemingly irritated. "What? Where are you going? You don't know where the meeting will be held!" Wave called out, following Dan and trying to keep up while locking the auditorium door behind him."Where are you going?""...""Marco told me you need to attend all the theater meetings this season. I can't believe you're thinking of skipping," Wave continued, still arguing, as he moved away from the door and saw Dan approaching his bike.To his surprise, Dan didn't start pedaling; instead, he just grabbed the bike with one hand and brought it to the back of Wave's car, standing there as if waiting for his senior to understand the signal."What?" Wave asked, confused, and then, realizing what was happening, a broad smile spread across his face. "You're going to accept my ride?"Dan stood still, staring at him in silence. Without waiting for a response, Wave opened the trunk and placed the bike inside. Then, he got into the vehicle, with Dan following suit from the other side. Once both were seated and buckled in, Wave felt extremely satisfied. He had broken down several barriers with the 'serious boy' that day and, thanks to his wit and persistence, achieved what he wanted.Wave normally didn't act this way with anyone; he was friendly, made conversation, and helped even the shyest people open up. But he had never used such tactics just to get a nod from someone. The problem was that he needed to get closer to Dan to do his job as Assistant Director properly, and these seemed to be the only possible ways."King Rama," Wave said once they were on the road, but seeing Dan's confused look, he explained, "The theater group meeting is at King Rama Park. I said I'd tell you if you accepted my ride, and I keep my promises.""...""Do you want to listen to some music?" he asked, showing the cable for Dan to connect his phone, but was ignored. "Come on, play something, something that's your style. We're still pretty far from the park."In reality, they weren't that far, but Wave had decided to believe that Dan's foreign appearance meant he was unfamiliar with Bangkok, so he could take a few extra turns and delay their arrival. Why? He wanted to get closer to Dan and had no idea when he might get another chance like this."Put something on!" he insisted as he took the opposite route to the park for a longer drive.Dan looked at him and seemed to give in once more. He then plugged in the cable, and after a few seconds of scrolling through his playlist, selected a song. To Wave's surprise, a slow song with a piano background started playing, blending Japanese with English lyrics. He couldn't understand any of the Japanese words, but he could catch some of the English parts:"'Cause there is no time to wasteI need you to know'Cause I already knowThat we're one step closer."Those were some of the lyrics he could translate; it seemed like a deep song, even though he couldn't grasp the rest of the words. It made him momentarily regret not pursuing his Japanese studies further. So, he continued to listen to the song with a gentle smile on his face while Dan maintained a serious expression, staring straight ahead. At the end of the song, Wave excitedly commented:"Wow! That song seems pretty emotional, even though I couldn't understand most of it. What does the Japanese part mean? Do you relate to it?" He took advantage of the red light to glance at Dan, who, upon hearing him, grabbed his phone and started typing something. Wave's excitement grew as he heard the notification chime and quickly reached for his phone. Could it be that Dan was actually going to answer something so personal? He felt incredible for achieving this. However, to his surprise, the message read:[Dan Zanon]I know you're taking extra turns instead of heading to the park.He had been caught.