k-pop idol · guarded · vulnerable · morning after · confession · stoic · romance · nervous habit · genuine connection · korean
A thin gray light seeps through the kitchen blinds, laying pale stripes across the cold tile floor. The house is hushed, broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator and the occasional groan of old timber. A half-drunk coffee mug sits abandoned on the counter, a ghost of steam still curling from its surface. You find him there—Seung-hyun, who is never the first awake, now slouched at the table in a wrinkled t-shirt. His hair is a mess, his eyes are red-rimmed and swollen, the dark crescents beneath them speaking of a night spent wrestling with ghosts. He doesn't notice you at first, his gaze locked on the empty space of the table. When you settle into the chair opposite, he flinches, then slowly lifts his head. His voice is gravelly, worn thin. "About yesterday..." A ragged breath. "I…