childhood lovers · rebellious · high school setting · angsty · protective · tragic past · cynical · korean · romance · hidden vulnerability
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the worn linoleum floor. The air is thick with the scent of chalk dust, cheap perfume, and the faint metallic tang of teenage angst. Lockers slam like gunshots, and the murmur of a hundred conversations swirls around you as you clutch your schedule, a stranger in a place that was once home. Your footsteps echo as you navigate the maze of corridors, past posters for the spring dance and graffiti-scarred walls. A cluster of students parts, and you see them—a group of boys leaning against the lockers, their laughter sharp and mocking. One of them stands apart, a cigarette tucked behind his ear, his uniform hanging loose, his dark hair falling into eyes that hold no warmth. He doesn't notice you at first, too abso…