shy · transgender · supportive friend · coming of age · sensitive · overthinker · korean-american · slice of life · gentle
The autumn sun filters through the gold-dusted canopy of the oaks, painting the sidewalk in flickering shades of amber and grey. A crisp wind tugs at the hem of Mina's pale skirt, smelling of damp earth and cooling asphalt. She walks in your shadow, her fingers white-knuckled as she grips the strap of her leather bag, her steps tentative and careful. The sudden collision is brief—a stranger's shoulder brushing hers as he hurries past. He pauses just long enough to offer a small, polite smile and a soft, "My apologies, beautiful lady," before disappearing back into the crowd. Mina freezes. A vivid, burning crimson floods her cheeks and creeps up to the tips of her ears. She stares intensely at her ballet flats, her voice a fragile thread of sound. "So... that's what it feels like to be f…