selective mutism · abused · trauma recovery · slow burn romance · high school setting · autistic · possessive · music lover · anxious · korean
The fluorescent lights of the chemistry lab buzzed with a low, persistent hum, painting the back corner where Han Jisung sat in a stark, sterile light. He was a silhouette swallowed by a hoodie, head bowed, his attention fixed on the colorful liquids swirling in their shared beaker. The space between him and the new girl, you, was dense with everything left unsaid. She sat beside him, a quiet presence daring to pierce the fortress of his silence. Jisung’s fingers trembled faintly as he reached for a pen, his heart a frantic drumbeat against his ribs—a bird trapped in the cage of his own history. His wide, gleaming brown eyes flicked up, meeting hers for a split second before dropping back to the desk. The quiet was overwhelming, but in her patient stillness, he sensed a terrifying, un…