Episode 3 : Wei’s father
1624 Words
Tatiana sat on one of the stools, half-turned, idly scrolling through her phone.
Kira leaned against the counter, her head resting lightly on it, eyes half-lidded, finally still after the earlier chaos.
The kitten had wandered off.
The room was quiet.
Then
footsteps.
Neither of them reacted immediately.
Until
“Oh, hey… Tati.”
Tatiana looked up first.
Kira didn’t move.
Ezekiel stepped into the kitchen, casual as ever, his presence filling the space without effort.
“What are you guys doing?” he asked, glancing between them.
“Nothing,” Tatiana replied easily. “Just… here.”
A brief pause.
“I actually wanted to ask something,” he said.
Kira didn’t respond.
Didn’t even lift her head.
“…even you, Kira,” he added.
That made her move.
Slowly, she lifted her head from the counter and turned slightly, her attention now on him.
Ezekiel leaned lightly against the counter, folding his arms.
For a second, it seemed like he was choosing his words.
“Why is it,” he began, “that a particular group of girls tend to come off as rude… or arrogant?”
Tatiana frowned immediately.
“Where did that come from?”
He exhaled softly.
“Alright,” he said. “Let me rephrase.”
A small pause.
“Why are medical students—especially nurses—so… unapproachable?”
Kira blinked once.
“I don’t know,” she said calmly. “Maybe you met someone at the wrong time.”
A slight pause.
“Or maybe they’re just stressed. Exhausted.”
Tatiana nodded.
“That’s actually true. Some of them can come off a bit mean, but it’s usually the stress—long shifts, pressure, all of that.”
Ezekiel listened, then tilted his head slightly.
“Fair,” he said.
A beat.
“But I’ve seen that… in you.”
Kira’s brows drew together slightly.
“In who?”
He looked directly at her.
“You.”
There was a pause.
“Don’t call me rude,” Kira said, her tone calm but firm.
Ezekiel shook his head slightly.
“Not rude,” he corrected. “Not exactly arrogant either.”
He studied her for a second longer.
“More like… unapproachable.”
Kira didn’t respond immediately.
“Oh,” she said finally.
Tatiana let out a small laugh.
“That’s actually kind of true,” she admitted. “The first time I met Kira, I thought the same thing.”
Kira turned to her.
“Hey.”
“But when you get to know her,” Tatiana continued, smiling, “she’s actually really noisy. She talks a lot.”
Kira nudged her lightly.
“Tatiana.”
Ezekiel’s interest sharpened.
“Really?”
He adjusted his stance, leaning more comfortably against the counter now, clearly entertained.
“So,” he continued, “what do you do to relieve stress?”
Silence.
Tatiana didn’t answer.
Kira didn’t either.
The silence stretched just enough to become noticeable.
Kira sighed softly and spoke.
“For me,” she said, “I prefer to rest. Sleep. Read… or watch movies.”
Ezekiel raised a brow slightly.
“You don’t go out?”
Kira shook her head.
“Not really.”
“Let me speak for myself,” Tatiana cut in quickly. “I do go out. With Mirabel.”
Ezekiel glanced at her.
“Mirabel?”
“My sister,” Tatiana clarified. “Yes, I go out with her. But Kira?” she added, gesturing lightly.
“She doesn’t like going out. She prefers staying in.”
Ezekiel hummed softly.
“Interesting.”
His gaze shifted back to Kira.
“What kind of books do you read?”
Kira hesitated.
Just slightly.
A small, almost nervous smile appeared on her lips.
“Why?”
“Should I guess?” he asked.
She exhaled softly.
“Go ahead.”
A brief pause.
Then…
“Dark romance.”
Kira’s smile deepened just a little.
Not confirming.
Not denying.
But enough.
And for the first time…
Ezekiel looked at her like he had just found something unexpected.
Ezekiel’s gaze lingered on Kira just a second longer after his guess.
“Ah,” he said quietly. “So it’s true then. You do read dark romance.”
Kira exhaled softly, a small smile forming.
“Well… yes,” she admitted. “But not that much.”
“Go on,” he said, clearly entertained.
She hesitated briefly, then added,
“If I’m being honest, I read more… comics.”
Ezekiel raised a brow.
“Comics?”
Kira nodded.
“Yeah. But when I say comics, I mean manga.”
Something shifted in his expression.
“Oh,” he said. “That’s actually nice to hear. I read manga too.”
Kira blinked, slightly surprised.
“Oh.”
“What’s your favorite?” he asked.
She paused…thinking this time.
“One Piece.”
Ezekiel nodded once.
“That’s a good one.”
“It is,” she replied, a little more relaxed now.
He tilted his head slightly.
“Can you guess mine?”
Kira studied him for a moment.
“Is it… old or new?”
“More old.”
She thought again.
“Naruto?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Attack on Titan?”
“Still no.”
He leaned slightly forward, giving her a hint.
“Dark. Disturbing… but very compelling.”
Kira’s eyes lit up slightly.
“…Berserk?”
A faint smile appeared.
“Yeah. Berserk.”
Kira let out a small breath.
“I haven’t read it,” she admitted. “ when i was younger my brother told me not to.”
Ezekiel chuckled softly.
“You probably still shouldn’t.”
Kira tilted her head slightly.
“…I don’t know. I kind of like dark things.”
That caught his attention.
He studied her more closely now.
“By dark romance,” he said, “what exactly do you like about it?”
A pause.
“Is it… something like b**m?”
Kira blinked quickly.
“Oh… no, no,” she said, shaking her head. “I’d classify b**m more as a kink, not necessarily dark romance.”
She shifted slightly, more thoughtful now.
“Dark romance is more about… darker themes. Things like obsession, stalking… kidnapping sometimes.”
A small pause.
“Even murder. Just… really messed up situations.”
Ezekiel watched her carefully.
“I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “I thought it was just about…”
He stopped himself.
“What you read… would you actually want to experience that in real life?”
Kira’s answer came quickly.
“Of course not.”
“Why?”
She hesitated this time.
“…I don’t know,” she said honestly. “It feels wrong.”
A small pause.
“And I’m a bit indecisive… so I don’t think I’d like it. But I’m not sure I wouldn’t either.”
Ezekiel huffed a quiet breath.
“Women are indecisive.”
Kira didn’t agree.
Didn’t disagree either.
She just hummed softly.
Then he shifted.
“But you don’t watch anime?”
She looked at him, almost amused.
“Of course I do.”
“What’s your favorite?”
“I don’t really have one,” she said. “But if I had to choose… Lovely Complex.”
A small smile formed.
“I watched it years ago. I think that’s my favorite.”
“And recently?”
“Kaiju No. 8,” she said.
Ezekiel nodded, impressed.
“Interesting.”
A pause.
“But I’m surprised you didn’t mention Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer.”
Kira let out a small laugh.
“I did start them… but I kind of dropped them.”
“You read the manga instead,” he guessed.
She smiled.
“Yeah.”
“You read and watch?”
She shook her head.
“I only read, or just watch but never do both.”
Tatiana, who had been quietly watching the entire exchange, finally spoke.
“…I have no idea what you two are talking about.”
Kira turned to her, smiling.
“You see? If you had joined me all those times, you’d understand what I was always screaming about.”
Tatiana rolled her eyes.
“I don’t like those things.”
The conversation drifted lightly until a soft movement caught their attention.
The kitten.
It reappeared.
Ezekiel lifted his hand slightly, making a small gesture.
The kitten responded immediately, padding toward him.
Kira watched.
Something clicked.
Wei.
Her eyes narrowed slightly in realization.
So…
he was the one.
Ezekiel is Wei’s owner.
“That explains it,” she murmured softly.
He crouched slightly, petting the kitten.
But not long after it slipped away from him.
And went straight to Kira, climbing onto her lap.
Kira lit up instantly.
“Tati look!” she said, almost childlike. “It chose me!”
Tatiana glanced over.
“What’s the big deal?”
“You don’t like cats?” Ezekiel asked.
“Not really,” Tatiana shrugged. “But Kira does. She loves them.”
“I can see that,” he said.
But something else was happening. He’d call the kitten to him.
Every time he called the kitten
it came.
But every time he let it go
it returned to Kira.
Back and forth.
Again.
And again until
Ezekiel stopped calling it from a distance… Instead he moved closer.
Step by step.
Until he was right in front of her.
He crouched down, gently lifting the kitten from her lap, his fingers brushing lightly against its fur as he stroked it.
Close now.
Closer than before.
without looking away he spoke.
“Hey,” he said calmly.
A pause.
“Can I get your number?”
Kira froze.
Completely.
- Writer
