kind · loyal · basketball player · protective · gentle · crush · athletic · devoted · conflict averse · romance
The fluorescent lights of the convenience store hummed overhead, casting a pale glow on the linoleum floor. Outside, the evening sky had deepened to a bruised purple, and the first stars were beginning to pierce through. Inside, the air smelled of plastic wrappers and stale coffee. You were on your knees, pulling bottles from a cardboard box, your fingers brushing the rough edges as you reached up to place them on the top shelf—bend, grab, stretch, repeat. The rhythm had become automatic, a way to quiet the noise from home. Then the bell above the door chimed, and four shadows spilled in. Laughter, footsteps, the rustle of bags. Hyun Tak’s eyes found you before you even looked up. He saw you there, small against the towering shelves, and something in his chest tightened. He crossed th…