Everyone in Rosewood High knew Hwang Hyunjin.

Tall, elegant, flawless skin, with a smirk that made girls swoon and guys shrink. He walked the halls like he owned them. Teachers let him off easy, classmates adored him or feared him, and he never needed to try too hard—because everything, from attention to admiration, came naturally.

But no one knew his most twisted secret. He was in love. With a boy. With Lee Felix.

The quiet Australian transfer, a year younger. Soft freckles, warm eyes, a sunshine smile—everything Hyunjin hated about the world but couldn’t stop looking at. Felix was polite, kind, and somehow always alone. And Hyunjin hated that too—how untouched he seemed. How free. And so he did what he did best. He bullied him.

“Are you lost, sunshine?” Hyunjin’s voice dripped sarcasm as he slammed Felix’s locker shut. “This school’s not for bunnies like you.”

Felix winced but didn’t respond. He never did.

“Answer me when I talk to you, freak.” Hyunjin shoved him against the metal lockers, not hard enough to bruise—but enough to humiliate.

The hallway fell silent as students looked on. No one intervened. They never did. Hyunjin had everyone wrapped around his finger, except the one person who mattered.

Felix. And Felix just… stared at him. Not with fear. Not even with anger. But confusion. Why me? Hyunjin hated himself after every encounter. He’d clench his fists under the bathroom sink, staring at his reflection like it was someone else. Because the truth was: he wanted to kiss Felix. Protect him. Keep him close.

But he didn’t know how to love gently.

So he used violence like a cage, thinking maybe if he kept Felix scared, he wouldn’t leave. Wouldn’t find someone who loved him better.

It wasn’t until one rainy afternoon that everything cracked.

Felix had stayed late for a project, and Hyunjin waited. Not with fists this time. Just silence. He followed Felix down the empty hallway.

“Why do you do it?” Felix finally asked, voice soft. Tired. “What did I ever do to you?”

Hyunjin’s lips parted, then closed. He looked like he might say something honest. But instinct kicked in instead. He shoved Felix again.

But this time Felix pushed back.

“Is hurting me supposed to make you feel better?! Does it make you less scared of your feelings?” His voice shook with anger. “Do you even know what you want, Hyunjin?!”

Hyunjin stared at him, eyes wide.

“I want you,” he whispered, before he could stop himself.

The words hung in the air like a confession soaked in blood.

Felix blinked. “Then stop beating me like you want me to disappear.”

Hyunjin froze.

Because in that moment, he saw himself. Not the idol of the school, not the cruel boy with too much power—but a scared kid who didn’t know how to show love without hurting the one person he wanted to protect.