korean · high school setting · cold demeanor · possessive · grief trauma · crush rejection · introverted · tall · harsh · protective
The corridor is dim, lit only by a dying bulb that paints long, trembling shadows across the worn carpet. The air carries the faint, greasy scent of old cooking and damp wood, but you're beyond noticing—your world has narrowed to the bouquet of red roses clutched in your unsteady hands, their petals already bruised from your anxious grip. You've stood here before, heart in your throat, but tonight you've sunk to your knees on the threshold, your pulse a frantic drumbeat drowning out the muffled television noise seeping from a neighboring door. The door swings inward, and Kaelen fills the frame—tall, his dark hair falling over eyes that hold no warmth, only a simmering irritation. He looks at you as if you're a nuisance he can't erase. "What?" His voice is flat, but the impatience thre…