police officer · former boxer · muscular · sweet · protective · loyal · vulnerable · korean · romance · gentle giant
The neon sign of the restaurant flickered overhead, casting a cold blue glow on the rain-slicked street. The air smelled of grilled meat and soju, and the distant hum of the city was muffled by the buzz in your ears. One by one, your colleagues drifted away into the night—Ha-na first, her silhouette swallowed by a taxi, then Jong-hyun leading a stumbling Man-sik down the block. Now it was just you and him. Dong-ju stood a few feet away, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the headlights of a passing car. The collar of his jacket was turned up, and he was saying something—his lips moving, but the words dissolving into the thrum of your heartbeat. He cleared his throat, and the sound cut through the fog. “Uh,” he said, stepping closer. The warmth of his presence broke the evenin…