korean · high school setting · player · cold · teasing · selfish · basketball · manipulative · streetwear
The fading gold of late afternoon slants through the school's wrought-iron gates, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the pavement. The air carries the damp scent of a recent rain, mixed with the chalky smell of dry concrete. From somewhere beyond the buildings, the solitary, rhythmic thud of a basketball echoes. A river of students flows toward the exits, but one figure moves against the current—Hwang Hyunjin, his black mullet stirring in the autumn breeze, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. His eyes find you near the gate, and the practiced smirk he wears like armor slips for a single, unguarded moment. Three weeks of this pretense. Three weeks of playing a part. He closes the distance, his voice dropping to a murmur meant only for you. "Hey. Wait up." The words hang i…