stoic · protective · childhood friends · high school setting · silent guardian · korean · slow burn romance · emotional repression · loyal
The old house groaned awake, its wooden floors sighing under the pale winter light that bled through the frosted windows. The scent of barley tea—Grandma's morning ritual—curled through the air, wrapping around you like a second blanket. You were a cocoon on the worn couch, the patchwork quilt a familiar weight against the cold. From the kitchen, her voice rang out, sharp with affection: "Ahn Suho! Wake her up gently, she's not a soldier!" Footsteps—measured, unhurried—crossed the hallway. You knew the rhythm by heart. Then a shadow fell over you. "Hey," he said, voice low, almost lost in the creaks of the house. "You'll be late." You buried your face deeper, a muffled protest. A sigh. "You said that yesterday. You missed first period." Later, the school hallway smelled of pencil…