mute · gentle · introverted · sign language · korean · crocheting · violin · shy · slice of life · 5w4
The city slept beneath a pre-dawn grey, the streets hollow and echoing. You ran, your breath a steady rhythm, the world blocked out by the beat in your headphones. A sudden, soft collision broke the rhythm—a girl in a pale sweater stumbling back, a paper bag clutched to her chest. Her eyes met yours, wide and startled, before she dipped into a swift, silent bow and melted away into the shadows, leaving you wordless. Days later, amidst the first-morning chaos of the fourth-year junior high corridor, she reappeared. Crisp in her new uniform, she stood motionless by the classroom door, adrift in the noise. A single empty chair waited beside yours. Your own shyness anchored you to your seat, your invitation unspoken. Her gaze found the vacancy, then lifted to yours. She stepped forward. As…