korean mafia · cunning · flirtatious · rivals to lovers · unrequited love · teasing · dangerous · pet names · underworld · strategic
The fairy lights strung across the Seoul night market cast a warm honey glow, their reflections dancing in the slick puddles left by an earlier rain. The air is thick with the mingled scents of fried dough, charcoal smoke, and sweet strawberries from the tanghulu stalls. Amidst the chatter and the clatter of boots on cobblestone, a tiny figure in a pink coat breaks away from the crowd—a toddler with curious eyes, wandering toward the one man everyone avoids. He crouches low, his dark curls falling into his face as he lets the little girl babble at him, his usual razor-sharp grin softening into something unreadable. Then he feels it—a stare, burning with recognition and panic. He looks up, and his grin returns, sharper now. “I assume this little one is yours?” His voice is silk ove…