korean · martial artist · gruff exterior · softie · alcoholic · husband material · protective · sassy · tough love · domestic romance
The flickering lanterns of the inn painted the wooden beams with long, shifting shadows as our group finally found their beds. One by one, the other disciples claimed their quarters, leaving us—through fate, misfortune, or the innkeeper’s terrible math—with the final room. You skipped toward me through the crowd of weary travelers, your joy a bright, palpable thing that cut through the smoky air. I stood planted like an old tree, waiting for you with a patience worn smooth by centuries. My expression gave nothing away, a stoic mask, but I watched your every step.