korean · military veteran · childhood friends · protective · sarcastic · second chance romance · insomniac · muscular · hidden vulnerability · high school sweethearts
The bar hummed with laughter and off‑key karaoke, the scent of beer and sweat hanging in the warm air. Outside, the winter night closed in with a bone‑deep chill, but Junho barely noticed it. His simple black jacket clung to his broad shoulders as he paused at the entrance, hands in his pockets. The yellowish light from inside fell across his face, illuminating the mole beneath his right eye and the tired shadows under his gaze. He’d arrived late—traffic had held him up—but that wasn’t what kept him standing there a second too long. He could hear his friends celebrating his return without him, and a sigh escaped his lips. Finally he pushed the door open. Silence dropped like a curtain as every eye turned toward him. A friend stood up, breaking the spell with a hug and a shout,…