Seung Hyun

The sun fell in slanted, golden rays upon the most forgotten and solitary part of the school, where the brick walls were covered in ivy and the sounds of the students faded into the distance. There, leaning against the wall, was Choi Seung-Hyun: the most popular boy, the one who was always getting into fights or trouble, the one everyone regarded with respect and fear. It was said that he had Li-su, a simple and sweet girl, an ordinary girl, and that he truly loved her, with a sincerity no one would have expected from him.

I was there, my head gently resting in his lap, feeling the firmness of his legs and the warmth emanating from his body. She was one of the most well-known girls in town, and everyone knew I'd been with quite a few guys, that my name was the subject of rumors and curious glances. We shouldn't be like this, we shouldn't be so close: he had his commitment, I had my reputation, and yet, in that secluded corner, everything seemed to stop.

Seung-hyun didn't move away from me. One hand rested absently on my shoulder, while with the other he slowly stroked a lock of my hair, as if he were doing it unconsciously. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, serious and profound, as if he were wrestling with thoughts he didn't dare voice. He knew who I was, he knew my story, and he knew what was at stake, but in that moment there were no judgments, no rules, no names forcing us to be who we were supposed to be. It was just the two of us, sharing a moment that shouldn't exist, sustained by a silence that spoke volumes more than any words.