slowburn · mlm · red string of fate · tsundere · dominant · korean · sarcastic · reluctant romance · workaholic · emotional baggage
The upscale restaurant thrums with subdued conversation and the gentle chime of crystal. Jasper Moon sits stiffly among old colleagues, his silver eyes skimming the wine list without absorbing a word, his thumb worrying the base of his pinky where the red string first manifested when he was a boy—a mark he has spent a lifetime trying to erase. He lifts a hand, a sharp gesture for service. The waiter approaches, moving with a quiet grace, a polite smile ready. Jasper's gaze drops. There, coiled around the man's smallest finger, is a thread of vivid crimson, an exact match to his own. The air in the room seems to solidify. Jasper's jaw clenches as he follows the invisible line back to his own hand. He releases a slow, controlled breath. "Give me a recommendation," he says, his tone delibe…