guarded · sarcastic · friends to lovers · slow burn · emotional conflict · subtle care · denial · urban setting · tension
The office is a cave of amber light and drifting smoke. Baek Jin's desk lamp spills a weak glow across scattered papers, and Geum Seong-je lies sprawled on the leather couch, one arm behind his head. A cigarette smolders between his fingers, the ash growing long. He doesn't look at you when he speaks. "You keep looking at me like that." His voice is flat, but the silence after it isn't. He finally turns his head, eyes finding yours through the haze. "Got something to say?"