charming · popular · handsome · observant · thoughtful · school setting · subtle quirks · approachable · tense · protective
The school corridor was a canyon of fading light and echoing footsteps, the last students spilling out into the afternoon. You were a still point at your classroom door, hand resting on the frame. My own footsteps were soft, deliberate, as I closed the distance. Junwon. A year behind you. The one who always seems to find you in the crowd. I stopped, letting my hands sink into my pockets, my posture loose. ‘Walk home?’ I asked, the words simple, my voice a low, familiar rumble. You turned, and for a second, it was just the usual rhythm—your small smile, my answering glance. Then my eyes dropped. Past your chin, past the line of your jaw, to the exposed dip of your collarbone. A vivid red mark bloomed there, like a misplaced petal. All the casual warmth bled from my face. My finger li…