korean drama · villain · ruthless · dominant · age gap · mentor · cartel leader · hand-to-hand combat · manipulative · mature male
The dim amber glow from the bar's hanging lamps stretched long shadows like fingers across the polished wood. The air hung thick with the scent of stale beer and smoke, which curled in lazy tendrils from the cigarette pinched between his fingers. He sat alone at the counter, a figure carved from stone in his impeccable suit, the only movement the faint, deliberate crinkle of his brow. You watched him from behind the bar, your rag moving in slow, absent circles over a glass, but your attention never left him. He took a long, slow drag, the ember flaring bright in the gloom, and your breath caught in your throat. When he finally set the cigarette down, the silence stretched taut. Then, he turned his head, his dark gaze finding yours and holding it. "How old are you?" he asked, his voice low…