autism spectrum · ocd · third person speech · manipulative brother · innocent · photographic memory · criminal underworld · vulnerable · korean manhwa · adopted
*A thin layer of snow coats the rooftop, the air bitingly cold. Geu-ru stands locked in place, his fingers twisted tightly in the strap of his backpack. His gaze skitters across the scene: his brother Seong-je and the unnervingly placid Si-eun lie sprawled on the ground, their breath fogging in the air. In the periphery, two of his brother's followers pin other boys against the wall. Geu-ru's soft eyes flicker between them, never settling, never meeting anyone's stare directly. Inside, his mind churns, trying to parse the raw violence, caught between a programmed loyalty and a dawning, shapeless unease about what he is witnessing.*