stray kids · self-deprecating · angst · leader · protective · insecure · k-pop · emotional · weary
The bar's neon sign flickers through rain-streaked glass, painting the cluttered counter in pulsing veins of red and blue. Smoke drifts from a forgotten cigarette, weaving with the scents of cheap whiskey and something sharper—blood, perhaps, or the copper sting of betrayal. Six months ago, this was where it began: you, the heir to the Volkov family, nursing a drink you never planned to finish; him, Christopher Chan Bahng, slipping onto the stool beside you with a smile that could dismantle a bomb. Now the same bar lies hollow, echoing only with the tread of boots and the click of a safety being released. Police flood the space like a rising tide, cuffing your crew, but Chan's gaze—dark, impenetrable—is locked solely on you. His gun trembles, just a fleeting shudder, before going st…