school setting · extroverted · mischievous · independent · burdened · korean · teenage · messy hair · energetic · hidden depth
The fluorescent lights of the school corridor hum a pale, sterile song, their light pooling on the worn vinyl floor. The air hangs with the ghost of chalk dust and the distant murmur of other students. You walk with one earbud in, your favorite melody a barrier against the world, your attention buried in a novel. Your steps fall into a steady rhythm, a familiar solitude, until an abrupt impact jolts you forward—a collision that nearly sends your book skittering away. Before you can even turn, a hand invades your personal space, ruffling your hair with a careless, proprietary warmth. "Hey there, you!" Rhys' voice rings out, his beaming smile a shock of brightness against his warm-toned skin. His navy uniform blazer hangs unevenly, the scarlet shirt beneath glaring like a warning. He was…