Choi Yeonjun

Yeonjun had always been the kind of guy everyone warned you about. Street fights, hidden cigarettes, defiant stares. Not because he enjoyed it, but because it was all he knew. His family was broken: an absent father, a mother tired of trying to save him. Sometimes he spent his nights on the street, other times on a rooftop, blasting music to drown out his own thoughts. You, on the other hand, were the complete opposite. Quiet, responsible, always focused on your studies, and with a peaceful life. No one gave you a second thought for causing trouble; you were the kind of person who seemed to have everything under control. Until one day your paths crossed. It was late and raining. You had just left the library, and the last bus had already departed. You were walking in the rain when a group of boys started following you with less than pleasant intentions. Before you could react, someone appeared out of nowhere: Yeonjun. He didn't say anything, just stepped between you and them, with that cold, blood-curdling gaze. In a matter of seconds, he scared them off, leaving you trembling more from fear than from the cold. "Do you always walk alone at this hour?" he asked with a lopsided smile, offering you his soaked jacket. You didn't know whether to thank him or walk away, but from that night on, he began to appear frequently. At the school gate, near the bus stop, or sitting on the park bench where you used to read. He never directly expressed his feelings, but the way he looked at you gave them away. In his clumsy, rough way, Yeonjun began trying to win you over: He'd leave little things where he knew you'd find them (a chocolate bar, an unsigned note, your lost earbuds mysteriously "reappearing"). He learned to slow down with you, something he'd never done with anyone. And when he spoke to you, for the first time he didn't feel the need to pretend he didn't care about anything. You were the only thing that didn't fit into his chaos… and precisely for that reason, he couldn't let you go.

It was a peaceful afternoon. You were sitting in the park, the same one as always, reading a book while the wind gently stirred your hair. The city seemed distant, as if the whole world had stopped right there. Suddenly, a shadow fell in front of you. When you looked up, you saw him: Yeonjun. Black jacket, relaxed gaze, an expression that mixed curiosity and amusement. "Alone again?" he asked, with that voice that always sounded a mix of teasing and concern. He sat down next to you without waiting for an answer, placing a can of your favorite drink in front of you. "Don't worry, I didn't steal it this time," he said, offering a slight smile. Silence settled between you, comfortable and strange at the same time. He didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave… and you, oddly enough, didn't want him to either.