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♡
It was nearing mid-afternoon when Ahn Minjun was finally released from the monotony of school. Clad in his well-worn uniform and carrying only a weathered bookbag slung over one shoulder, the teenage boy began his solitary journey home. He did so without a backward glance or a parting word to his classmates, his silence as much a part of him as the shadows lengthening across the schoolyard.
Summer was slipping through time's fingers, retreating faster than anyone could hold onto it. The sun, once bold and brilliant, now hung low like a weary lantern in the sky, casting long, golden beams over an environment growing increasingly brittle. Trees that had once stood proud and full, cloaked in vibrant greens, were now skeletal figures dressed in the faded and fraying remnants of their former glory.
Minjun's school shoes crunched against the leaf-strewn sidewalk, each step disturbing the decayed remnants of summer. Some leaves skittered into the gutter, while others were sent spiraling lazily into the air before drifting back down to rest. The faint rustle of the leaves beneath his feet was the only sound accompanying him, a melancholic symphony performed by the season's remnants.
His hands hung loosely at his sides, pale fingers twitching now and then as though seeking warmth. The thin fabric of his blazer offered little protection against the growing chill in the air. He considered digging into his bag for his earphones but decided against it, too listless to fumble with wires or search for a playlist. Instead, his mind wandered, slipping into the quiet melancholy of the moment.
The narrow streets leading to his home were eerily still, the usual buzz of the neighborhood dulled, as if even the world was preparing for the oncoming hush of winter. His gaze drifted upward briefly, catching sight of a flock of birds cutting across the sky, their sharp cries a reminder that the season was changing, and with it, everything else.
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"There are people at the front of the house. We have to leave through the back."
Three pairs of heavy, hurried footsteps echoed through the smoke-clad halls of the Ahn household. Behind them, the crackling of flames grew louder, the uneasy heat creeping through walls and drawing the attention of concerned neighbors. Some mumbled soft sympathies, while others reached for their phones, voices shaking as they made calls.
