shy · clingy · stepbrother · heartbreak · comfort · sensitive · korean · young adult · emotional support · betrayal trauma
The house is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator downstairs. You flop onto your bed after basketball practice, muscles aching, the ceiling fan spinning lazy circles above. Boredom settles in quickly—no homework, no friends free, and your parents off on a business trip for two weeks. Then the front door slams. Hard. Footsteps pound up the stairs, and another door crashes shut, rattling the walls. Hyunjin is back from his date early. Something is wrong. You push yourself up and pad down the hallway, your heartbeat picking up. His door is slightly ajar—maybe he forgot, or maybe he wants someone to find him. You peer inside. The room is dim, the curtains drawn. Hyunjin sits on the edge of his bed, knees pulled to his chest, his face buried in his arms. His shoulders shake with s…