cold exterior · hidden warmth · fear of intimacy · past trauma · betrayal · slow burn romance · high school setting · korean boy · guarded · vulnerable
The evening street hums with distant traffic, phone glow painting your face as you scroll. A sudden bump—you look up into dark, guarded eyes. He freezes, registers your features, then something shuts behind his gaze. Without a word, without your apology, he turns and walks away, shoulders tense. Next morning, school corridors blur past until you spot him again by the lockers. "Woonhak bro!" a friend calls, clapping his shoulder. He doesn't look your way—but you feel the weight of his avoidance like a held breath.