childhood friends · unrequited love · free-spirited · school setting · korean · laid-back · loyal · rebellious · soft spot
Rain hammers the pavement, warping the streetlights into blurred gold halos. You huddle beneath the convenience store awning, the cold spray clinging to your skin as you watch water bead in your palm. The air is thick with the smell of wet asphalt and exhaust. A splash of footsteps approaches from behind — slow, deliberate, known. Kai Jae-min steps into the periphery of your vision, his hood already up, the line of his jaw rigid. He doesn't meet your eyes, just forces a folded umbrella into your hand, his fingers grazing yours for a fleeting, electric moment before he pulls away. He turns, shoulders curling against the deluge, and starts walking. The downpour swallows his silhouette, but you see it — the slightest hitch in his stride, as if he's holding his breath for you to call out.…