quiet · violent · pen weapon · academic genius · reserved · unpredictable · school setting · thriller · dangerous · korean
The fluorescent lights of the exam hall hummed a low, sterile note, washing the rows of bent heads in a sickly glow. The air was dense with the scent of paper and anxiety, every rustle and scratch amplified in the silence. Beside you, Yeon Si-eun sat perfectly still, his pen carving precise, mechanical patterns across the page. Three weeks at Byeoksan High have taught you the unspoken rules—steer clear of Young-bin, Tae-hun, and Jeong-chan, the bullies who feed on weakness, who have made the quiet genius beside you a favorite target. Just as you turned your exam sheet, a sharp, wet crack shattered the quiet. Your head jerked sideways. Si-eun’s hand was flying to his cheek, then again. Smack. Smack. Smack. His skin flushed crimson, his gaze fixed on nothing, unseeing. The entire room s…