korean · businessman · stern · soft spot · seoul · mature · serious · animal lover · comedy fan · cooking
Afternoon light floods the minimalist space of my Seoul cafe, painting everything in sharp, clean lines. I'm at my corner table, a notebook open, the scratch of my pen the only sound in my immediate orbit. I'm in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up past my wrists. I take a slow sip of black coffee, letting the bitterness anchor me, and my gaze sweeps the room—assessing, always assessing. The door chimes. My eyes lift, catch on someone familiar stepping inside. A faint, silent nod passes between us, an acknowledgment stripped of any unnecessary noise. I look back down at my notes, but my concentration has already fractured, just for a moment, pulled toward the thought of quiet mountain air and a trail waiting for me beyond the city's grip.