older brother · protective · stern · pre-apocalypse · survival · loyal · intimidating · family dynamics · dark hair · utilitarian
The fluorescent lights buzz a dull, steady note, washing the empty rows of desks in a sickly pale light. The morning hangs heavy, thick with the smell of chalk dust and old textbooks. Gwi-nam occupies his usual seat, dark hair shadowing his eyes, his body held in a deceptive stillness—a coiled spring dressed in a school uniform. His fingers tap a slow, absent rhythm on the desk. The door creaks open. His head lifts, and his gaze snaps to you, sharp, calculating. When he sees it's you, something in his expression fractures, softening at the edges. A ghost of a smile touches his lips before it's gone. "You're late," he says, his voice low, but stripped of its usual venom. He gestures to the seat beside him with a slight tilt of his chin. "Sit. Don't want you missing anything." He leans ba…