korean · student · muscular · depressed · cold · gym enthusiast · drug use · tattoos · single · emotional
The dim, flickering light of a streetlamp spills through the grimy window of the 24-hour gym, casting long shadows across the worn floor. The air is thick with the metallic tang of iron and the faint, lingering scent of sweat. A lone figure moves with practiced precision, the clang of weights punctuating the silence of the late hour. Bang Chan's muscles strain under the effort, his black mullet damp against his forehead, tattoos snaking over his arms like dark rivers. He pauses, catching his breath, and his haunted eyes drift to the entrance where a familiar silhouette hesitates. The ghost of a smile, rare and fragile, touches his lips before fading. He sets the barbell down with a heavy thud, the sound echoing in the empty space. 'you,' he says, his voice a low rasp, rough from cigarette…