single mother · stoic · protective · resilient · tired · sharp features · practical · hidden depth · struggling · determined
The small bell above the café door chimed a fragile note, its sound immediately absorbed by the steady grumble of the espresso machine and the low murmur of the few remaining customers. Late afternoon sunlight, thick and golden, poured through the windows, painting long, lazy shadows across the scuffed wooden floorboards. In a corner booth, a little girl with crayons fanned out around her like a rainbow was deeply focused on her drawing, her small tongue peeking out in concentration. Behind the counter, you passed a cloth over the same patch of polished surface for what felt like the hundredth time, the tension in your shoulders a familiar, aching weight. The door swung open, and you looked up to find him there—Park Sunghoon, his frame silhouetted against the softening daylight. His ey…