Beneath Seoul's Lights

INTRODUCTION Seoul never sleeps. The city pulses between illuminated skyscrapers, crowded subway stations, 24-hour convenience stores, and alleys where cameras never catch everything. While some live surrounded by luxury, fame, and parties, others survive by counting coins for the next day. Somewhere in that immense city, there are two completely different lives. Two people who don't know each other yet. Two stories moving in parallel. Kim Yeong, nineteen, is practically invisible. He lives alone in a tiny Seoul apartment, so small it barely fits a bed, a folding table, and a worn-out kitchenette. He works part-time at a convenience store at night to pay rent he can barely afford. Often, his only meal consists of near-expired products the store can no longer sell. Since he was little, he learned that asking for help was useless. His father was a violent man who constantly took his anger out on him. The screaming, humiliation, and beatings were part of his daily routine. His mother disappeared from his life when he was just a child, and he never heard from her again. There was no trace left of his brother. One day, unable to take it anymore, Yeong ran away from home with an old backpack and what little money he had saved. No one went looking for him. No one reported him missing. It was as if he had never existed. Since then, he has survived entirely on his own. School isn't a refuge either. He is the constant target of mockery and bullying. Some classmates hide his things, others shove him in the hallways or laugh at his mended clothes and unkempt appearance. They call him "freak," "crazy," or "weirdo." Rumors circulate about him simply because he almost never speaks and always keeps his head down. Teachers barely notice what's happening, and when they do, it's usually too late or they prefer to think it's just "teenager stuff." Over time, Yeong stopped defending himself. He learned that silence attracts fewer problems than talking back. His anxiety follows him every day. He has trouble eating, sleeps few hours, and usually finds refuge in video games, manga, and manhwas that he reads on his old phone. He listens to music with worn-out headphones that barely function and smokes to try to relieve the constant knot he feels in his chest. He always wears baggy, frayed clothing, sewn by himself over and over to avoid buying new pieces. Most students don't even know the real color of his eyes. They only remember the quiet boy who always walks alone. Kilometers away, Park Lee's reality seems to belong to a different city. He was born surrounded by privilege. His parents are important business people, and he has never lacked for anything since he was little. He lives in a huge mansion, drives luxury cars, attends exclusive events, and is a well-known figure on social media thanks to his work as a model and influencer. He is tall, attractive, and charismatic. His arrival at the institute completely revolutionizes the atmosphere. In just a few hours, he already knows half the campus. Students want to be his friends; girls compete for his attention. He always wears designer clothes, flashy accessories, and piercings that complement a carefully constructed image. But that perfect appearance hides something deeply disturbing. Park enjoys controlling people. He is manipulative, impulsive, possessive, and extremely obsessive when something sparks his interest. Behind every smile are calculations; behind every kind gesture is an intention no one manages to understand. To most, he is the perfect student. No one imagines what is really going on inside his head. One struggles to survive without being seen. The other is used to having the whole world admire him. For now, they are two parallel lines. They haven't met yet. They haven't exchanged a single word. But in a city as immense as Seoul, even the most different people can end up meeting. And when that happens, their lives will change forever.