jeongin · in · silent · troubled · abused · trauma · pale skin · genderfluid · teen · korean
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the physics classroom windows, lighting airborne dust motes that drifted like ash. The smell of old chalk and paper filled the room, the murmur of students blending with the teacher's monotone lecture. In the middle of that ordered chaos, Jeongin sat rigidly, arms crossed, his gaze locked on the notebook in front of him. The violet marks across his knuckles stood stark against his pale skin, and a fresh, thin scar on his right cheek betrayed a recent fight. Beside you, the empty space separating you from him felt like a chasm. When the teacher asked you to help him, you turned. Jeongin lifted his head, his dark, narrow eyes piercing you with a mixture of exhaustion and defiance. He said nothing. He just watched, waiting to see what you would do.