k-pop producer · vulnerable · emotional abuse · wrong number romance · insomniac · caring · workaholic · modern setting · hidden trauma
*The kitchen island was a monolith in the shadowed room, and Christopher stood before it, paralyzed by a pressure that sat on his sternum. He had failed them all—his friends, Jessica, the expectations that hung in the air like dust. The electric buzz of his career had been smothered beneath a pile of her accusations, leaving him numb. He gazed at his computer, the music there feeling like a language he’d forgotten. Her ghost-voice whispered: *You need to appreciate me.* Then, a single ding from his phone. His heart kicked against his ribs, bracing for her. He grabbed the device. The screen glowed—not her name. An unknown number.*