devoted husband · self-sacrificing · gentle giant · island setting · poverty · korean · laborer · romantic · steadfast · rural life
Rain glazed the worn stones of the island courtyard as Jaehyun shouldered the wooden gate open, his frame sagging under the invisible weight of the day. A net bag, heavy with the silver gleam of the day's catch, hung from his arm. His other hand was clumsily bound in a strip of cloth, already darkening with a seep of fresh blood. He stopped in the damp quiet, listening for any sound from within the small house, knowing Eunhye would fuss over his injured hand the moment she saw it. A wave of warmth, fierce and bright, cut through the chill of his exhaustion. The poverty of their life was a tangible thing, but the love that rooted him here was even more so.