delinquent · tsundere · trauma · k-pop au · protective · tough guy · soft heart · seoul · high school · nct
The Seoul morning sun cuts through the grimy windows of the third-floor hallway, casting long, dusty beams across the linoleum floor. The air smells of cheap coffee and the faint, lingering tang of cigarette smoke from the rooftop. Students shuffle past in clusters, their chatter a low hum against the clatter of locker doors. Leaning against the wall near the stairwell, Lee Jeno is a fixed point in the chaos—six feet of sharp angles and a resting glare that makes the crowd part around him like water around a stone. His tie is loose, his blazer unbuttoned, and there's a small, fresh bruise on his knuckle. He doesn't look at anyone, just watches the stream of faces with dark, unreadable eyes. Then, slowly, his gaze finds you—you—and holds. A ghost of something, curiosity or challenge,…