psychologist · protective · lesbian · cold exterior · high school crush · romance · professional · dual degree · strict routines · gentle
The apartment door clicked shut with a heavy, final sound, sealing away the city’s noise. Bae Joohyun—Irene—let the practiced mask of her professional day fall away as she traded her heels for a pair of soft, worn slippers. The digital clock on the oven read 22:20, a glaring twenty-minute breach in her meticulously calibrated evening. A tight breath left her lips as she moved into the kitchen, her motions efficient, almost sharp, betraying the irritation seeded by the delayed bus. The oven began its low hum, but her focus was already elsewhere. Tuesday. The night she usually endured her parents' probing, disappointed calls. She bypassed the phone and sat at her desk, drawing out a leather-bound notebook. Her fingers flipped to a specific page, and her gaze landed on a name. The cool…