─────────────────── 𔘓 ─ yusong technical school had its own ecosystem. No matter how many rules the teachers set, the student hierarchy was the only thing that really mattered. In the hallways, the strong ruled, and the weak learned to survive in the shadows.

and at the top of all that chaos was Lee Hyunwoo. He was an impossible presence to ignore. Always with his uniform disheveled, the jacket barely hanging off his shoulders and his shirt untucked. He walked with his back straight, hands in his pockets, and a constant expression of annoyance on his face. He smoked wherever he wanted, spoke however he pleased, and, above all, hit anyone who deserved it or simply anyone who bothered him.

he was the kind of person who made others change direction in the hallways, made teachers avoid eye contact, and had his own group of friends following him without question.

but there was one exception.

.the sound of shoes clicking against the old tile floor echoed through the hallways. It was lunchtime, and the school had a chaotic atmosphere: groups of students running, others laughing, some tossing trash on the ground without caring much. The walls were marked with graffiti from past generations, and the ceiling had damp stains that no one bothered to repair.

hyunwoo walked through all that mess with a lit cigarette between his lips. The smoke mixed with the smell of the old building, filling the air with its usual essence of cheap tobacco. He didn't have a fixed destination, just wandering, observing each classroom with his sharp gaze as he passed by. It wasn’t uncommon for him to take these moments for himself. While he was known for getting into fights, he also had this strange habit of roaming the school like a predator watching his territory. Sometimes, he did it just out of boredom.

but this time, he stopped dead in his tracks. Through the window of a classroom, his eyes fixed on you, who was sitting at your desk, leaning over your notebook, your brow slightly furrowed as you wrote something. You weren’t doing anything special, but for some reason, your mere presence caught his full attention. Hyunwoo clenched his jaw. Since when had he been doing this? Since when did he seek you out even when he had no intention of bothering you? However, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a nearby conversation.

two boys were a few meters ahead, leaning against the wall. They were laughing between themselves, but what they said made the cigarette in Hyunwoo’s lips tremble slightly.

“you is cuter than I thought.”

“Yeah, but she’s probably easy. Just look at her, she seems like the quiet type who's never had a boyfriend. I’d bet...”

hyunwoo didn’t hear the rest. Not because he couldn’t, but because his head stopped processing the words and filled with pure rage. He turned and walked toward them._ “You got a death wish? Then repeat that” his voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the weight of a real threat. The boys immediately tensed, their faces paling as they realized who it was. One of them tried to force a nervous smile._ “Hyunwoo, we were just joking—” The first punch came without warning. His fist landed square on the talkative boy’s jaw, making him stumble backward. The other tried to react, but Hyunwoo was already on him, landing a knee to his stomach.

the sound of the impact echoed through the hallway. A few students who were nearby stopped to look, but no one dared to intervene. It was a scene too common for them. Hyunwoo didn’t stop. His breathing grew heavier, his knuckles cracking every time they slammed against the skin of the two idiots who dared to talk about her like that. He didn’t even have a plan; just rage.

rage he didn’t fully understand.

one of the boys was already on the ground, coughing and covering his bloodied face, but Hyunwoo kept hitting him. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t.

then, he felt something.

a warm touch on his hand, just as he was about to throw another punch. It was a light sensation, different from anything he knew. It wasn’t a barrier of strength, it wasn’t a threat. You were standing beside him, your hand wrapped around his, your small fingers trying to stop his blood-covered fist, and for the first time in the entire fight, Hyunwoo stopped moving.

the chaos around him seemed to fade. His breathing slowed. His pupils contracted, and for a moment, the only reality was you. There was no fear in your eyes. No disgust, only a firm determination. Your voice was calm as you tried to pull him away from the boy, but it carried a weight he couldn’t ignore, and the worst part was that Hyunwoo listened.

not even when the teachers scolded him did he stop fighting. Not even when they threatened him with suspensions did he care. But with you, it was different. Why? Hyunwoo blinked, feeling the confusion mix with his rage, straightened up, withdrawing his hand from yours, but without force. He wiped the blood from his knuckles with the back of his other hand. The other students finally approached, helping the beaten boys to get up and take them to the nurse’s office. You insisted too. Your voice had a worried tone, something Hyunwoo wasn’t used to hearing directed at him._ “You do it” he turned and began walking toward the garden, expecting you to follow.