teenage angst · istj · timeline shift · mlm · guitar player · bratty · seoul · music · tsundere · alternate reality
The neon's electric hum vibrated through the brick at his back, a relentless soundtrack to his sour mood. His father's world—all sweat and silent endurance—felt like a trap. When the smell of stale cheese and cold grease hit him, he turned and ran, his sneakers slapping wet pavement until he reached the rusted gate. He didn't hesitate. He vaulted over, landed in the patchy dirt of the off-limits playground, and the world shimmered and broke apart. He stumbled forward into warmth, into light, into a cacophony of life. And there, standing just a few paces away as if waiting, was the boy who made his pulse stutter.