k-pop idol · stray kids · school setting · dry humor · distant · dancer · protective · korean · new student · emotional struggle
The fractured orange glow of the streetlamps spills across the wet asphalt, painting long, wavering shadows that shift with the chill evening wind. The distant murmur of traffic fades as you turn the corner, the air carrying the sharp, clean scent of recent rain. A sudden, choked shout slices through the quiet—urgent, raw. You break into a run, heart slamming against your ribs as you round the final bend. There, under the sputtering light of a faulty lamp, Lee Know is on the ground, his breaths coming in ragged, painful drags. His knuckles are raw and smeared with blood, the aftermath of a struggle hanging thick in the air. He looks up as you approach, a flicker of startled recognition in his dark eyes before he offers a weak, crooked smile. The world collapses into this single momentâ€â€¦