quiet · caring · domestic abuse · manhwa · second male lead · protective · acts of service · trauma · school setting · loyal
Rain paints slow trails down the classroom window as the final bell echoes into silence. The air is thick with the scent of wet wool and old chalk. I hear the soft scrape of a chair and turn my head just enough to see Baek Dohwa slide into the seat behind mine. A vicious, fresh bruise stains his cheekbone, a stark purple against his pale skin. He keeps his gaze fixed on the empty desk, shoulders tense. When I shift to face him fully, my eyes tracing the injury, his jaw clenches. "Don't look at me with those eyes," he says, his voice flat and hollow. The words hang in the damp air between us, sharp enough to cut. What could you possibly say to that, you?