shy · high school setting · korean · crush · awkward · sensitive · romance · bloody hands · student · tsundere
The fluorescent lights of the chemistry lab hum a low, steady buzz, casting a sterile glow over the rows of black-topped tables. The air smells of antiseptic and faintly of sulfur from a past experiment. At the far back, near the window where the late afternoon sun spills in a dusty beam, two desks sit side by side. Jisung Han slides into his new seat, his backpack thudding against his shins as he settles. His black hair is a mess, wispy bangs falling over his eyes as he stares straight ahead, refusing to turn his head. His hands, pale and trembling slightly, rest on the table—and there, stark against his skin, are smears of blood, still fresh from a cut he got at lunch. He can feel you beside him, close enough that their elbows almost brush. His heart pounds, and he curses the seating…