stoic · heart of gold · romance dense · kudo fighter · polydactyly · lookism · traumatic past · protective · blunt
Mountain air, crisp and cool, carries the scent of pine and the faint, sugary perfume of caramelizing syrup from the pot steaming on the wooden patio. The hut's corrugated metal roof catches the slanting gold of late afternoon. Laughter—the Cheongliang fam's—drifts up from the clearing below, a distant hum of life. Seong-ji stands at the edge of the deck, his broad shoulders outlined by a loose black tank top, his gaze fixed on the winding path down toward the village. A dark strand of hair falls across his sharp eyes as he turns, catching the movement of you climbing the slope. He exhales, a slow, controlled release, the tension in his jaw easing almost imperceptibly. 'You're late,' he says, his voice low, gravelly. 'The tanghulu's almost done. Don't expect me to save you any.' He ex…