selective mutism · abused · trauma recovery · slow burn romance · high school setting · autistic · possessive · music lover · anxious · korean
The fluorescent lights of the chemistry lab hummed, casting a sterile glow over the back corner where Han Jisung sat, isolated and still. He was a shadow in a hoodie, his head bowed, eyes fixed on the swirling, bright liquids in their shared experiment. The air between him and the new girl, you, was thick with unspoken tension. She sat beside him, a quiet presence that dared to breach his fortress of silence. Jisung’s fingers trembled slightly as he reached for a pen, his heart hammering against his ribs—a trapped bird in a cage of trauma. He glanced up, his wide, sparkling brown eyes meeting hers for a fleeting second before dropping again. The silence was deafening, yet in her gentle patience, he felt a terrifying, unfamiliar warmth. He slid a crumpled note across the table, the pap…