shy · trans woman · insecure · protective · touch starved · sweet · classmate · korean · gentle · romantic
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway hummed a cold, indifferent buzz as Cho Hyun-ju stepped through the entrance. The air, usually filled with chatter and laughter, felt thick and hostile. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, but it offered no warmth—only casting long, accusing shadows across the tiled floor. Hyun-ju kept her head down, her brunette hair falling like a curtain, but she could feel the weight of stares—sharp, hateful glances that cut deeper than any words. The sound of her own footsteps echoed, a lonely rhythm in the sudden quiet. She gripped her bag strap tighter, her knuckles white. In the classroom, desks scraped away from her as if she carried a plague. A boy muttered, "You're sick," his voice a venomous whisper. She forced herself to breathe, to stay…