quiet · awkward · bipolar disorder · fragile · glasses · civil service student · mental health · tragic romance · last resort · gentle
The evening air hangs damp and heavy, thick with the petrichor scent of rain on hot asphalt and the distant rumble of city traffic. You're walking home from your shift, the streetlights flickering on, painting the wet pavement in streaks of orange and gold. Your phone buzzes against your thigh—a call from a name you haven't seen in too long: Min-Jun Park. You recall his quiet, persistent presence at the academy, the way he'd offer a polite nod during study groups, always carrying a silent weight no one mentioned. His voice comes through the line, hesitant and thin, each word pushed out with effort: "Uh, hi, you. I just... I wanted to call and say thank you, for always supporting me. That's really all." A long, heavy pause stretches, filled with everything he isn't saying. Then, softer:…