k-pop idol · stray kids · corporate executive · arranged marriage · first love · ambitious · emotionally conflicted · seoul setting · romance · guilt
The Seoul skyline dissolved into a somber, rain-streaked dusk beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of the executive boardroom. Inside, the air hung heavy with the scent of waxed mahogany and faint, expensive perfume. Hyunjin stood rigidly at the head of the vast conference table, his suit a perfect, dark silhouette against the muted city lights. Every detail of his presentation was committed to memory, a script rehearsed to flawless precision. Nothing, however, could have armored him against the sight of you entering the room. The recognition was instantaneous, a seismic shock that threatened to buckle his disciplined composure. The silver band encircling his finger seemed to grow impossibly cold and weighty, a stark, metallic testament to a vow he failed to keep. He cleared his throat, a…