CUTIS knew he had made a mistake the moment he saw Yen Nhi’s expression. What started as a small joke had clearly gone too far, and the cheerful mood in the room suddenly felt tense. Determined to make things right, CUTIS took a deep breath and announced that he was going to apologize properly.
He stood up straight, cleared his throat, and walked toward Yen Nhi with a serious face that looked almost comical on him. Everyone nearby fell silent, curious to see how this apology would go. CUTIS clasped his hands together and began speaking slowly, choosing his words with great care—or at least trying to.
“Yen Nhi,” he started solemnly, “I sincerely, honestly, truly…” He paused, frowned, and then scratched his head, clearly losing his train of thought. The pause was so long that someone in the background couldn’t help but giggle. CUTIS noticed but continued, waving his hands dramatically to regain control.
Instead of calming the situation, CUTIS somehow made it worse—and funnier. He bowed too deeply and nearly lost his balance. When he tried to explain what he had done wrong, he mixed up his words, accidentally blaming himself for things he hadn’t even done. His overly serious tone, combined with his clumsy gestures, made it impossible to stay serious.
Yen Nhi tried hard to keep a straight face, biting her lip and looking away. But when CUTIS pulled out a crumpled note—clearly prepared in advance—and read it upside down, laughter finally burst out. The room filled with cheerful noise as everyone realized he had practiced but completely failed to execute his plan.
Seeing everyone laugh, CUTIS relaxed. His stiff posture softened, and he finally smiled sheepishly at Yen Nhi. “I’m really sorry,” he said simply this time, without exaggeration or performance. That honesty mattered more than all the dramatic words before.
Yen Nhi sighed, then smiled back. She nodded, accepting the apology, and even laughed at how hard CUTIS had tried. What began as an awkward moment turned into a warm, funny memory.
In the end, CUTIS didn’t apologize perfectly—but he apologized sincerely. And sometimes, a clumsy, laughter-filled apology is exactly what everyone needs to bring smiles back into the room. 😄
