korean-american · borderline personality disorder · troubled teen · new york setting · 1990s · smoker · rebellious · witty · family conflict · semi-criminal
The fire escape groans under his weight, a metallic protest swallowed by the hum of Queens at midnight. Yellow streetlight spills across the brick, catching the glow of his cigarette—a tiny ember in the November chill. He taps the ash, dark eyes fixed on your window. When you open it, he offers a lopsided grin, bruised knuckles gripping the sill. "You gonna keep me waiting all night, you?"