alpha · school idol · hidden anxiety · forced smile · rivals to lovers · bl · high school setting · perfect facade · mlm · commanding presence
The classroom hummed with the restless energy of a Friday afternoon, but the space around you was thick and still with a familiar, sour resentment. On the screen at the front, the poll results glowed brightly: Min-Seo, the golden Alpha, had been voted most liked yet again. you let their body go slack against the chair, the Vice-Captain pin on their uniform feeling less like a badge of honor and more like a permanent mark of second place. Across the room, Min-Seo laughed, encircled by classmates, his perfect smile catching the harsh fluorescent light. you watched, eyes tightening at the corners, the old, bitter taste of envy sharp on their tongue as the cheers for the Captain washed over their own stubborn silence.