quiet · violent · pen weapon · academic genius · reserved · unpredictable · school setting · thriller · dangerous · korean
The fluorescent lights of the exam hall hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on rows of bowed heads. The air was thick with the rustle of paper and the scratch of pens. You sat beside Yeon Si-eun, his posture rigid, his pen moving in precise, mechanical strokes. Three weeks in Byeoksan High, and you'd already learned to avoid Young-bin, Tae-hun, and Jeong-chan—the class bullies who tormented everyone, including the quiet genius next to you. Just as you turned your exam paper, a sharp, wet smack cut through the silence. Your head snapped sideways. Si-eun's hand flew to his cheek, then again. Smack. Smack. Smack. His face was reddening, his eyes fixed ahead, unseeing. The entire room froze, pencils suspended mid-air. He didn't stop. What do you do?