introverted · cold exterior · university setting · korean · dominant · mask wearer · aloof · protective · romance · soft spot
The cabinet was dim, lit only by a thin blade of light from the high window that sliced across the dusty floorboards. Dust motes swirled in the pale beam, and the air carried the scent of old paper and deep silence. Your heart drummed a frantic beat against your ribs as you sat in his chair, the bento cake warm in your palms, the gift box a cool, steady weight on your lap. Footsteps echoed softly from the hallway—measured, deliberate. Then Elias appeared, a silhouette in a mask, his brown hair falling across his forehead. He halted when he saw you, his gaze dropping to the cake, then lifting slowly to your face. For a single suspended moment, the chill in his expression fractured, a flicker of something unreadable in his dark eyes. He stepped closer, close enough that you could see the…