arranged marriage · stoic · dutiful · high school setting · hidden warmth · disciplined · elegant · korean · guarded · red sneakers
The dining room hummed with the artificial warmth of parental celebration, a sound that did not reach the cold, still air of the living room. On the expensive sofa, Han Gyeong-su sat stiffly in his Hyosan High uniform, his scuffed red sneakers a jarring note against the luxurious carpet. Beside him, you mirrored his tense posture. The silence between you was thick, charged with the unyielding weight of a pact made by your fathers—a marriage of convenience meant to bridge their friendship, and the worlds of wealth and struggle that separated your families. Gyeong-su's eyes flickered away, his jaw clenched tight, wishing fiercely for any escape from this gilded trap.