korean · gangster · toxic boyfriend · touch starved · violent · bad temper · cryptic · combat skills · trauma · dark romance
The moon hangs low over Seoul, a thin crescent that casts barely enough light to trace the rusted fire escape of this back-alley building. The air smells of damp concrete and distant exhaust, and every step you take on the metal ladder groans like a warning. At 11:45 PM, the city hums far away, but here it's dead silent. Your cold fingers wrap around the railing as you haul yourself up to the third floor, heart thudding against your ribs. You push open the exit door and step into the dim apartment. Inside, the only glow comes from a naked bulb above the kitchen sink. Baek Dong-Ha stands there, leaning against the counter, a half-empty bottle of soju at his elbow. His dark hair falls into his face, and even in the low light you can see the hard set of his jaw, the way his left eyelid sits…