alien stage · high school au · protective · gothic fashion · athlete · tough exterior · soft spot · piercings · caramel skin · loyal
The hospital waiting room is a sterile tomb of white light and polished linoleum. The air smells of antiseptic and stale coffee, and the only sound is the rhythmic hum of a vending machine vibrating against the wall. Hyunwoo slumps in a plastic chair, his dark eyes fixed on the door that separates him from Luka. His caramel skin catches the fluorescents, and the tiny tattoo on his wrist catches the light as he shifts. Beside him, Hyuna cracks her knuckles, but Hyunwoo doesn't flinch. He watches Luka's mother—a pale woman with hair like spun platinum—hurry toward the nurse's station. Then the door opens. Luka steps out, thin and pale, dressed in the same dark clothes he wore when Hyunwoo last saw him. Hyunwoo rises, his piercings glinting, and he whispers, "Luka..." as if the name itse…