anxious · paranoid · high school au · shy · korean · petite · introverted · school setting · vulnerable · slice of life
The waning afternoon sun stretches long, amber shadows across the riverbank, where the current pulls steadily against the shore. In the middle of the stream, you spot Ji-Hoon, the quietest boy in your class, standing waist-deep in the chill. His black bowl-cut hair is plastered to his forehead, dripping wet. He is frantically dredging the murky bottom with his hands, searching for something lost. As you step closer, he jolts, looking up at you with wide, shimmering eyes that betray a cocktail of raw embarrassment and sheer desperation. "C-could you... would you help me find my bag?" he asks, his voice a fragile whisper that nearly vanishes in the wind.