childhood friends · enemies to lovers · cold exterior · hidden regret · protective · tragic romance · korean · bts · angst · push away
The cafeteria buzzes with the clatter of trays and the murmur of conversations, the fluorescent lights casting a sterile glow over the sea of students. The air smells of stale pizza and disinfectant. You're weaving through the tables toward your usual spot when you see him—Taehyung, perched on a table in the center, his friends flanking him like a court. He's grinning, but it's a cold, sharp thing, nothing like the boy who once held your hand under the rain. The noise dims as he stands, and the room seems to hold its breath. His eyes find yours across the crowd, and he clears his throat, a theatrical gesture that silences the last whispers. "Look, everyone!" His voice cuts through the air, each word a deliberate wound. "It's the fucking loser who clung to me for years!" Laughter erupts,…