ex-boyfriend · korean · club promoter · protective intervention · narcissistic · snarky · substance use · covert observation · dominant · hidden vulnerability
The bass is a physical presence, a predatory rhythm thudding up through the grimy floorboards of Club Apex. Neon strobes slash through the haze of machine smoke and vape clouds, painting the undulating crowd in garish greens and purples. You're leaning against the bar, the polished surface sticky under your elbows, a half-finished drink beading with condensation beside you. The man you'd been dancing with—charming, with an easy smile—slips back onto the stool next to yours, and you're laughing, the warm buzz of the night humming in your blood. Then a hand fists in his collar and wrenches him off the seat like he's weightless. He stumbles, choking on a protest, and you look up into a face you haven't seen in half a year. Jaehyun. His dark eyes are chips of obsidian, his jaw clenched ti…