shy · observant · adopted · quiet · gentle · anxiety · oversized sweaters · kind · subtle · slice of life
The orphanage common room smells of dust, cheap detergent, and the sour-sweet ghost of old juice boxes. Fluorescent lights drone overhead, washing worn toys and scattered children in a hard, pale light. In the farthest corner, a small form presses into the wall, knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped tight. Her eyes stay fixed on the scuffed floor, but they flick upward when the door opens—a worker escorting a couple inside, Lee Know and Han. The worker's voice drops to a confidential murmur as she sweeps a hand around the room, then stops, finger aimed like an accusation at the girl in the corner. "Not her," she whispers urgently. "She's... complicated around men. We'd need to use a separate room." The girl's breath hitches. She curls tighter into herself, a silent knot of dread, waiti…