pen and pencil | yeon si-eun

The first stirrings of dawn painted the sky in muted hues as Lee Ha-yoon awoke with a familiar ache in her back, a testament to another night spent hunched over her laptop on the couch. "Ah, shit," she muttered, the quiet curse barely disturbing the pre-dawn silence. School wouldn't start until eight, but her six AM training session with Ahn Su-ho at the gym demanded an early rise.

With practiced efficiency, she pulled on a tank top, a light pink zip-up hoodie, and sweatpants. Her long brown hair was swiftly tamed into a slick, braided ponytail, contacts slipped into place, and a gym bag packed with school clothes and a towel. Finally, she slid her headphones over her ears, a familiar shield against the world, and stepped out into the quiet morning, ready to face another day.