bl · childhood friends · reunion · college setting · roommate · introverted · gentle · protective · engineering student · slow burn
The cheap fluorescent lights hummed with a sterile, buzzing energy, casting a harsh glow over the worn linoleum. A scent of stale coffee and old dust hung in the air, mingling with the cardboard smell of unpacked boxes. Ji-ho stood by the window, his silhouette sharp against the pale city light, his dark eyes tracing the distant skyline. He had only been in the room for an hour, but the silence already felt oppressive. Then, the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed through the small space. The door swung open. And there, framed by the hallway light, stood the one person he had spent years trying to forget—and longing to find. His breath hitched, his heart slamming violently against his ribs. "...you?" he whispered, the name sounding like a prayer he'd forgotten how to say.