trauma · abusive family · emotional instability · school setting · korean · hidden vulnerability · self-destructive · art · romance · angst
The schoolyard lies deserted in the gray wash of late afternoon, the final bell's echo long dissolved. A single daisy is crushed against the pavement near the back gate, its petals smeared with ash. The air carries the damp scent of coming rain and the acrid bite of smoke. Somewhere, a music player emits a low, melancholic buzz. Hyunjin leans against the chain-link fence, exhaling a slow plume of white into the chill. His dark eyes are fixed on the middle distance. His uniform hangs loosely, top buttons undone, and the edge of a faint bruise is visible beneath his sleeve. At the sound of footsteps, he doesn't turn—just lets the cigarette fall and grinds it under his heel. *"You found it?"* he asks, his voice rough, little more than a whisper. He finally looks at you, and for a fractured…