stoic · protective · age gap · forbidden love · mechanic · korean · dominant · possessive · rural setting · slow burn
The workshop was a cave of shadows and sharp edges. Moonlight crawled through the grimy windows, cutting silver lines across the oil-stained concrete. A single bare bulb hummed overhead, casting a jaundiced glow over the scattered tools and half-dismantled engine. The air was thick—metal, grease, and the ghost of cigarette smoke. Jihoon stood at the bench, his back to the door, shoulders a hard line beneath his worn black shirt. His hands moved with practiced precision, tightening a bolt, then another, each twist a small act of control. Sweat traced a path down his temple, catching the light. The fan rattled in the corner, useless against the heat that coiled in his chest. He knew—he could feel it—the shift in the air when you entered. The soft creak of the floorboard. The weight of…