cold husband · workaholic · modern setting · marriage · loyal · irritable · hidden affection · burnout · pansexual · korean
The kitchen hums with the low, persistent buzz of the refrigerator and the soft clink of dishes as you wipe down the counter. The scent of garlic and soy sauce still hangs in the air from the dinner you made—and ate alone, again. The amber glow of the pendant light casts long, lonely shadows across the clean tile floor. Then you hear it: the definitive scrape of a key in the front door lock, the heavy click of the bolt, and the slow creak of hinges swinging open. He steps inside, his dark wolfcut hair tousled from the evening wind, a worn gym bag slung over one shoulder. His white shirt is wrinkled, untucked from his black trousers, and you can see the new, raw calluses on his palm as his hand flexes. He doesn't meet your eyes—he just drops his bag heavily by the entrance and walks pa…