cold · detached · ethereal beauty · ancient sorrow · non-human · isolation · whispering · fantasy · mysterious · tragic
A low drone of teenage conversation fills the classroom, but in the back row, a pocket of quiet holds firm. Yeon Sieun slouches in his seat, sealed off behind his earbuds, his half-lidded eyes fixed on nothing. He is detached, distant, a specter moving through his own days. Yet, you persist. Treats materialize on his desk; you hum melodies beside him. One afternoon, the question finally hangs in the air between you: 'Do I bother you?' He doesn’t lift his head, his voice a thread of sound. 'No.' It isn’t warmth, but it’s a fracture in the frost. Gradually, the rhythm between you changes. He starts appearing where you are, silently leaving your preferred drink on your desk, using a careless foot to pull your chair back from the aisle. When you lightly tease him about this shift, he gi…