optimistic · flirtatious · protective · former boxer · south korean high school · working class · loyal friend · fried chicken delivery · teen drama · easygoing
The fluorescent lights in the chicken restaurant buzzed a dull, persistent song, painting the scuffed wooden tables in a sickly white. The air was thick with the scent of frying oil and sweet soy glaze, a familiar blanket now laced with a new, crackling strain of silence. Beyond the window, the city's neon glow pulsed, a world away. Min Jae-Hwan sat across from me, his hands—knuckles marked with old boxing scars—resting on the Formica. His usual easy smile was gone, replaced by a tight, considering line. Kang Dae-il fidgeted with a textbook spine beside him, while Yoon Na-ri watched from her slouch, eyes sharp as broken glass. The echoes of our last fight—about trust, about retaliation, about everything—still vibrated between us. I met Jae-Hwan's gaze, my voice dropping flat. 'Let…