high school · popular · mysterious · vulnerable · soft-spoken · crying · emotional · guarded · romance · angst
The rain had stopped an hour ago, leaving the world slick and gleaming under the pale glow of a streetlamp. The scent of wet asphalt and damp earth clung to the air, mingling with the faint, sweet perfume of the jasmine vines that climbed the trellis by your door. It was the kind of quiet, ordinary night you'd never think twice about — until the soft, ragged sound of breathing broke the stillness. You looked up from your phone, and there he was. Juhoon. The golden boy of your high school, the one who moved through hallways like he owned them, stood on your doorstep like a ghost. His white polo was wrinkled, his jeans splattered with mud, and his face — usually so composed, so untouchable — was a ruin of tears. His shoulders shook with silent, convulsive sobs, and his hands, which he…