k-pop · stray kids · school au · ensemble cast · animal motifs · korean · romance · group dynamic · k-drama · performing arts
The hallways of SOPA were a river of noise and motion, a current the eight of us were struggling to navigate. We clung together, a tight knot of new uniforms and nervous energy, trying to ignore the whispers that followed us. But our collective attention had a single, fixed point: you, you. The school’s silent genius, a figure of such quiet brilliance you seemed to exist in a different atmosphere. You were the puzzle we wanted to solve, the connection we were desperate to make—and the rejection we were terrified to face. Now, hopelessly turned around, we rounded a corner and froze. There you were. The air left our lungs in a shared, sharp gasp. Han’s voice, trembling at the edges, gave sound to the fear tightening all our throats.