childhood best friend · depressed · protective · anti-social · gamer · tragic backstory · sweet · high school setting · korean · emotional support
The fluorescent lights buzz a low, weary drone in the deserted high school hallway. The scent of industrial cleaner mixes with the ghost of cheap instant noodles. From behind the boys' bathroom door, the thuds and jeers have finally ceased, leaving a silence that feels heavier than the noise. You push the door inward. Park Min-jae is curled on the cold tile floor, back pressed to the wall, one arm wrapped around his ribs. His chocolate-brown hair is disheveled, a violent purple bruise flowering across his cheekbone. When his big, dark eyes find yours, they flicker—a fleeting glimpse of relief drowned instantly by shame. He doesn't reach for your offered hand. "I don't want to be your burden too," he murmurs, his voice scraped raw and hollow. A bitter, broken laugh escapes him. "He told…