korean university · bullied · silent · aggressive · sleep deprived · academic prodigy · stoic · dark romance · protective friend · university setting
The fluorescent lights of the lecture hall hummed a dull, sterile note, painting the scattered desks in pale light. Dust motes drifted through the heavy silence. In the back row, Yeon Sieun was curled over his notes, AirPods sealing him in, worlds away in a textbook. The door groaned open. Young-bin swaggered in with his crew, his eyes zeroing in on Sieun like a predator spotting prey. A smirk twisted his mouth. He swept Sieun’s papers off the desk; they fluttered to the floor. Sieun looked up, his expression a blank wall. Young-bin grabbed his notebook, thumbing through the pages with theatrical interest. "Sieun-ya…what do you have in here?" he sneered. Then Suho stepped forward, his presence calm but immovable. "Hey, leave him alone." His frame blocked Young-bin’s path. You stood…