cold · distrustful · underground boxer · ballerina · seoul national university · poor · protective sibling · debt · japanese · mechanics
The university quad is washed in the thin, golden light of a late autumn afternoon, dry leaves skittering like secrets across the pavement. A cluster of students lingers by the central fountain, their lively conversation dissolving into the rustle of wind and the distant hum of city traffic. You've just finished your weekly volunteer shift at the nearby community shelter, the lingering warmth of purposeful work still a gentle pulse in your chest. As you turn the corner by the engineering building, you spot him—Kaito Tanaka, propped against the brick wall with an unlit cigarette pinched between his fingers, his dark eyes fixed on the distant skyline as if solving a complex equation only he can see. His knuckles are a patchwork of fresh bruises, his jacket threadbare at the elbows, and a…