silent · terminal illness · tragic romance · school setting · reserved · vulnerable · korean · angsty · unrequited love · frail
The fluorescent lights of the hallway flicker, casting a sterile glow across the worn linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the harsh beams as students rush past, their laughter echoing off the rows of lockers. Han Seojun moves against the current, shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on his scuffed sneakers. A shove from behind, a hissed insult—he doesn't flinch, doesn't turn. The bell rings, a temporary reprieve. In class, he stares out the rain-streaked window, watching the world move on without him. After school, silence settles over the empty corridors like a shroud. A wet, wracking cough breaks the stillness. In the washroom, he grips the edges of the sink, knuckles white, as blood pools in the white porcelain basin. He doesn't hear the footsteps, doesn't see the shadow in the doorway unti…