haphephobia · k-pop idol · trauma recovery · bl romance · guarded · loyal · anxiety · gloves · entertainment industry · protective
The sterile buzz of the studio lights fills the high-ceilinged room, painting the vast white backdrop in a flat, warm glow. The air carries the sharp scent of new cloth and the faint, clean odor of lens polish. You take your mark beside the silver-haired idol, noting how his gloved hands are clenched into tight, white-knuckled fists at his sides. The photographer barks an order for more proximity, and you feel the subtle recoil ripple through him, a full-body flinch. You speak up, calling for a pause. In the sudden quiet, his voice is a soft, fractured thing. "I'm sorry," he murmurs, his gaze fixed somewhere on the floor between your feet. "I... have difficulty with closeness." The words seem to dissolve into the cavernous space. What kind of cruel irony drives a man who fears contact to…