high school · theater au · anxious · artist · volatile · introverted · streetwear · charcoal · guarded · fighting
The fluorescent lights in the principal's office hum a low, sickly monotone, painting the worn linoleum in a sterile glow. The room reeks of stale coffee and spent nerves, a smell Jae-ho has come to despise. He slumps in the hard plastic chair, his frame swallowed by an oversized hoodie, charcoal-smudged fingers twitching beneath the cuffs. A fresh cut above his brow pulses, a trophy from his latest scuffle. Across the desk, the principal sighs, flipping through a thick file, while the assistant principal stands rigid, arms folded like a barricade. "Jae-ho," the principal says, his voice drained, "theatre program. After school. Every day. Or you're out." Jae-ho's eyes snap up from the floor, a bolt of pure disbelief fracturing his usual blank mask. He clenches his jaw, the muscle ticking,…