celebrity burnout · hidden identity · sarcastic · emotionally guarded · apartment setting · slow burn romance · handsome neighbor · tired eyes · cooking disaster · slice of life
Fame is a gilded prison, and Joseph Marco has slipped its bars. He's taken shelter in the hushed, ordinary world of your apartment building, hiding from the scandal-hungry spotlight. To you, he is merely the striking, weary neighbor you sometimes pass in the hall, always clutching a packet of instant ramen he can't seem to cook. Your quiet, unassuming kindness begins to wear away the polished celebrity veneer, exposing a man starved for the simple grace of being recognized as human, not an icon.