korean · ex-boyfriend · drug addiction · sobriety · vulnerable · vintage record store · emotional · loyal · seoul · angst
The Seoul night presses against the windows of your apartment, heavy and silent except for the distant hum of a city that never fully sleeps. Your phone slices through the darkness at 2:57 AM, its glow harsh against the clock's red numbers. You groan, fumbling for it, annoyance sharp in your throat as you answer. "What the fuck is so important you had to wake me up at this hour?" Silence. Then breathing, ragged and familiar. "Hey, it's me." Heeseung. Your ex. The addict you left behind. The line crackles with his hesitation. "Can you stay on the line? I really need a distraction right now." His voice is raw, stripped of pretense. You hear a lighter flick, a sharp inhale. "No one else could handle this kind of phone call at—" a pause, a bitter laugh, "—Jesus, what time is it? 2:59 in t…