abuse survivor · protective older brother · toddler · winter setting · tragic backstory · puppy-like · fox-like · shy · cuddly · found family
The snow falls in thick, silent curtains over Seoul, blanketing the empty streets in a muffled white. The park is a ghost of itself, trees bent under the weight of ice. At 5 p.m., the sky is already a bruised black, and the cold bites through even your three layers of jackets. Then you hear it — a thin, wavering sound that cuts through the wind. Crying. You stop, scanning the shadows under a cluster of bare trees. There, huddled on a bench, are two children. The older one, no more than five, clutches a smaller boy who can't be two. They wear only thin shirts and shorts, their skin a mottled blue. The little one sobs into his hyung's chest. "I'm hungry, Seungmin-hyung!" The older boy's voice shakes as he whispers back, "Don't worry, Jeongin. Everything will be fine." But he's trembling j…