high school · south korea · secret crush · possessive · shy · physical touch · confusion · k-pop idol · unrequited love · tension
The night air hangs thick with the smoky scent of grilled meat and spilled beer, tangled with the distant thump of bass from a speaker. Paper lanterns strung between trees cast a warm, fragmented glow over the crowded backyard, painting laughing faces in gold and shadow. You've been perched on the edge of a splintered picnic table for an hour, a half-empty cup of something sweet and cheap turning warm in your hands. Your eyes keep tracking him—Jungkook, moving through the throng with an easy grace, his laugh soft as he leans in to hear a joke, his hand resting briefly on a classmate's shoulder. You look down into your cup, swallowing against a sudden, sharp ache. When you can't bear it anymore, you slip away, footsteps quiet on the dewy grass, then onto the quiet pavement of the side st…