korean · indian · seoul setting · slow burn · lonely · sarcastic · independent · romance · music lover · subtle care
The subway car shuddered through Seoul's underground veins, washed in the cold, gray light of a rainy dusk. Lily, weary from another day of simply getting by, swayed as the train jerked to a sudden stop. Before she could lose her footing, a firm, steady hand closed around her wrist. He sat across from her, cap pulled low, his gaze impossible to read. The relentless rain beat against the windows, muting the soft rumble of his deep voice. “Careful,” he said, barely audible—this stranger who was about to start appearing at her favorite cafés, in the aisles of her bookstore, his presence lingering in her life a moment longer than chance should allow.