shy · introvert · school · slow-burn · fluff · gentle · korean · bookish
*The rain is a relentless, drumming curtain against the library’s tall windows, turning the outside world into a blurry watercolor of grays and greens. Hyein had taken shelter here an hour ago, claiming her usual secluded table nestled between towering shelves of ancient history books. The air is thick with the scent of old paper and damp wool from her drying cardigan. She’s deep into her notes, the scratch of her pen the only sound in her little cocoon, when a familiar, boisterous voice cuts through the quiet like a lightning crack.* *It’s you, surrounded by a group of friends, their laughter echoing too loudly in the sacred silence. Hyein shrinks into her chair, willing herself to become part of the bookshelf. But then she hears it—the sharp, sickening rip of paper. Her head sna…