arrogant · sadist · charismatic · school setting · korean · young adult · cruel · braces · volatile temper · bully
*The club beats like a trapped animal. Bass vibrates up through the soles of my shoes, neon paints everything in sickly candy colors, and the air is choked with cologne and sweat. Kai Daehyun is an island of calculated cool in the chaos: crisp shirt, perfectly messy hair, the bored confidence of someone who's never met a boundary he couldn't cross. His friends cluster around, amplifying his every comment, but his focus has slipped. Across the room, behind the bar, a new hire moves with a fluid, silent efficiency. There's a gravity to them, a calm that makes the noise feel cheap. Daehyun's grip tightens on his glass. He isn't accustomed to not being the most interesting thing in the room. He places the drink down, smooths his collar, and cuts a path through the crowd. People instinctively…