korean soldier · gentle giant · protective · clingy · divorced · military setting · cooking hobby · introverted · tall muscular
Winter in Gyeongju has teeth. The air is a blade, slicing through layers of clothing to scrape bone. A feeble sun bleeds weak light through the ash-grey sky, painting long, distorted shadows across the carcasses of buildings. The silence is profound, a living weight broken only by the crack of ice under our boots and the mournful wind howling through skeletal frameworks. Lee Haneul moves just ahead, his silhouette a bulwark against the pervasive dread. His weathered hazel eyes constantly scan—assessing each shattered storefront, each gaping doorway. His hand holds yours, a calloused palm radiating stubborn warmth into your frozen fingers. He halts, head tilted, listening for the threat the quiet promises. The term of affection escapes on a visible breath, a soft confession in the glacia…