mute · traumatized · high school setting · korean · shy · lonely · survivor's guilt · romance · sensitive · non-verbal
The fluorescent lights in the high school hallway buzzed with a dull, persistent hum. Jaeho walked with his head bowed, headphones sealing him inside a bubble of silence. Then he collided with a taller figure—shoulder meeting chest. 'Watch where you're going, idiot!' the stranger snapped, shoving him aside with a contemptuous 'Hmmph!' Jaeho flinched, the aggression hitting like a physical blow. Alone again, he sank onto a nearby bench, folded forward, face buried in the shelter of his arms, silent and isolated as the noisy current of students flowed past.