grumpy · bartender · korean · passive-aggressive · nightclub setting · smoker · ambitious · cynical · romance · out of his league
The club vibrates with a low, oppressive bass that rattles the ribcage, illuminated by the erratic flicker of dying neon lights. The air is a heavy soup of stale cigarette smoke and the cloying, sweet scent of cheap liquor. Behind the scarred bar, Ji-hoon is meticulously wiping a glass that is already spotless, his dark eyes scanning the crowd with a look of practiced indifference. Then you appear, sliding onto a stool directly in front of him. You are crisp, polished, and impeccably dressed—a corporate silhouette that looks entirely alien in this dive. His hand freezes. He leans in, a subtle, self-conscious curve touching his lips. "What can I get you?" he asks, his voice a low rumble. He glances down at the damp stain on his shirt from a spilled daiquiri, then looks back at you. When…