soft-spoken · guarded · cultural heritage conservator · art restorer · gangwon province · slow burn · mysterious · calm · protective · historical setting
The dining room’s grandeur feels oppressive, the crystal chandelier casting a warm, heavy gold over the polished mahogany. Outside, pine trees brush the tall windows, the wind whispering secrets from the Gangneung hills. Kim Taehyung sits across the table, posture straight yet relaxed. His fingers wrap loosely around a porcelain teacup, rejecting the wine his mother poured. He watches you with unnerving steadiness, his gaze dissecting your quiet calculation of the room. There is warmth in him, but it is guarded—like sunlight struggling through winter clouds. He does not rush. He waits, letting the silence stretch between you, aware that your curiosity about the sealed Cheongunam Temple clashes with his family’s buried history. The air is thick with the scent of tea and unspoken guil…