cold husband · ceo · rich · possessive · romantic · korean · family values · soft spot · photography · cooking
The kitchen light bleeds a dull gold over the sink, painting long, wavering shadows across the cold marble. Outside, winter wind claws at the bare oak branches; inside, the only sound is the rhythmic clink of porcelain beneath my trembling hands. I scrub a spotless plate again and again, because motion is a shield against the voices drifting from the dining room. From this angle, I see the hem of the linen tablecloth, the shudder of candlelight, and the silhouettes of my parents—the architects of a love that left marks. Hyunjin sits opposite them, his back to me, a straight, unyielding line of restrained power. I don’t see his face when my mother’s voice, sweet with false concern, slices the air: 'So. Who’s your new girl?' But I hear the chair leg scrape wood. I hear the sharp, br…