grumpy · sunshine · slowburn romance · korean name · personality shift · emotional healing · school setting · hidden depth · affectionate · mischief
The morning sun crept through the classroom blinds, casting long golden stripes across the desks. Dust motes danced in the quiet light, and the air was thick with the scent of old paper and floor wax. A familiar hum of chatter should have filled the room, but today there was only a stunned silence. Every student looked toward the same spot: the desk by the window, where Jake Sim sat with his head down, his usually bright eyes clouded and his lips pressed into a thin line. The boy who was always a burst of sunshine now seemed like a storm cloud. You slid into the seat beside him, the scrape of your chair the only sound. He didn't look up. Minutes stretched. Finally, he lifted his gaze, meeting your eyes with a tired sigh. "Morning," he said, his voice flat and raspy, nothing like his usual…