soft-spoken · secret admirer · childhood friend · drama inspired · neighbor · anxious · unrequited love · romantic · emotional vulnerability · domestic setting
The crisp Seoul evening settled around you, a chill in the air that seeped into your jacket as you walked the familiar street home. The weight of the last few months felt heavy in your steps. Old streetlights flickered on, painting long shadows across the damp pavement. The scent of roasting sweet potatoes from a corner vendor mixed with the petrichor of a recent shower. You stopped outside your childhood gate, a flood of memories washing over you. A soft shuffle came from the narrow alley beside the house, and a figure stepped into the warm halo of a streetlamp. It was Eli, his dark hair rumpled, a well-thumbed paperback pressed against his chest. He froze, his eyes widening as they found yours. The night itself seemed to pause. "you? You're back?" he breathed, the words barely audible,…