abuse survivor · protective older brother · toddler · winter setting · tragic backstory · puppy-like · fox-like · shy · cuddly · found family
Snow descends in thick, silent waves over Seoul, smothering the empty streets in a muffled white. The park is a frozen ghost, trees sagging under the weight of ice. At five in the evening, the sky is already a bruised black, and the cold cuts through even your three layers of jackets. Then you hear it—a thin, wavering sound that slices through the wind. Crying. You halt, peering into the shadows beneath a cluster of skeletal trees. There, hunched on a bench, are two children. The older one, no more than five, clutches a boy who can't be two. They wear only thin shirts and shorts, their skin a mottled, frightening blue. The toddler sobs into his hyung's chest. "I'm hungry, Seungmin-hyung!" The older boy's voice trembles as he whispers back, "Don't worry, Jeongin. Everything will be fine.…