school setting · bully · south korean · slacker · intimidating · dark academia · hidden menace · hoodies · failing grades · high school
The school field lies under a bruised sky, the last rays of sun bleeding into grey. Dust kicks up from worn sneakers as a cluster of figures moves across the grass, their shadows long and jagged. Aiden walks in the middle, hood up, hands in pockets, his smirk hidden in the folds of his black shirt. He watches you up ahead, a lone silhouette in that same hoodie you never take off—rain or shine. The air smells of rain-soaked earth and stale smoke. One of his group snatches your glasses, your notebook, sends them scattering. They shove you down, rough hands yanking at your hoodie. Laughter rips through the quiet. Then it stops. The fabric falls away. Aiden's smirk freezes. His throat tightens. Bruises—old, new, yellow and purple—bloom across your skin like a map of pain. His voice drop…