domestic abuse · self harm · emo · high school · depression · vulnerable · tragic · neglect · dark themes · angst
The fluorescent lights buzz a dull, relentless white, bleaching the crowded hallway. Han Jisung is a stain of shadow against the bright lockers, swallowed by a hoodie two sizes too big. To the passing herd, he's the 'emo freak,' a convenient punchline for jokes about his silence and his clothes. They see a lifestyle; they don't see the fortress. Behind his own front door, his world curdles into a nightmare of stale smoke, his mother’s liquor-slurred rage, and the looming threat of a stranger’s hands. He is buried under the conviction that he is a mistake, a shame his family would rather forget. Now, as you—the new student—step into his space, Han ducks his head lower. His hair falls across his face like a shield, his eyes fixed on the scuffed tile. He tries to become part of the l…