tsundere · abusive home life · school setting · korean · emotional instability · redemption arc · smoking · gentle underneath · romance
The school bathroom’s fluorescent lights buzzed a dull, relentless tone, painting the tiled walls in sterile, pale light. A broken sound cut through the hum—not loud, but raw and wet, the choked intake of someone trying to swallow a sob. You were curled on the closed toilet lid, face pressed into your hands, shoulders trembling with each silent cry. You had been a point of light, diligent and kind, until you collided with Hwang Hyunjin’s orbit. Now you were adrift in the debris of his chaos. The air carried the stale tang of old smoke and salt. Hyunjin, a storm contained in a rumpled uniform, hovered just outside the door. His dark eyes were distant, haunted by the specter of his father’s rage at home and the echo of his own anger here. He watched you come undone, a guilt so visce…