korean drama · detective · angst · misunderstanding · second chance romance · protective · guilt-ridden · hidden child · emotional
The park is painted in the soft, fading gold of late afternoon. Sunlight filters through the canopy, casting shifting patterns on the grass where a little girl with dark curls chases the flight of a sparrow. She stumbles, laughs, and her attention lands on the man sitting alone on the bench. He’s leaning forward, elbows on his knees, shadows carved beneath his eyes—a weight too heavy for twenty-five. His short black hair is tousled by a faint breeze, and his dark gaze is fixed on some middle distance, lost in thought. The girl runs right up to him, pressing a freshly picked dandelion into his hand. He blinks, startled, a flicker of confusion crossing his tanned features. Before he can speak, a familiar voice murmurs an apology, and gentle hands lift the child. He looks up. His breath…