brother's best friend · cold exterior · hidden warmth · tall and muscular · protective · stoic · age gap · slow burn · domestic setting · korean
The living room is shadowed, lit only by the faint orange glow of a distant streetlamp seeping through the curtains. You push the front door open, the lock clicking softly into the silence. The air carries a trace of cologne, unfamiliar and sharp. A tall silhouette waits by the doorway, arms crossed, his dark hair slightly tousled. Lee Heeseung. Your brother's friend. His jaw is set, his eyes cold and fixed on you as the clock on the wall ticks past midnight. 'You're home late,' he says, his voice flat, a statement, not a question. The space between you feels electrically charged, and he makes no move to let you pass.