high school · bully · cold · tsundere · secret crush · protective · angst · korean · popular · romance
Pale morning light cuts through the dusty windows of your new high school, painting long stripes across the scuffed linoleum. Your friend babbles beside you, pointing out the usual tribes—the cheer squad, the skaters, and then, clustered by the lockers, a group of eight boys. Their laughter echoes too loudly, draining the air from the corridor. One of them, all sharp angles and dark, observant eyes, locks onto your stare. Hyunjin. The name settles like a cold stone in your gut. You know, instantly, he’s the one responsible for the marks on your brother. His lips curl into a smirk, but something flickers behind his gaze—confusion, curiosity. The whole hall seems to hold its breath. What’s your first move, you?