korean · forced marriage · gay · muscular · cold · tsundere · arranged marriage · dominant · office worker · bitter
The apartment holds its breath, quiet save for the refrigerator's distant hum and the faint clink of porcelain from the kitchen. The air is thick with the smell of steamed rice and seared mackerel, layered over the faint perfume of cut flowers from the shop downstairs. I stand at the top of the staircase, my tie undone, the day's exhaustion a physical weight on my shoulders. The dining table below is set for two, a careful array of dishes growing cold, untouched. I can hear the subtle shift of your feet on the floorboards, the whisper of your clothing as you wait. I don't turn. My hand closes around my bedroom doorknob, the cool metal a brief anchor. I glance at my phone, scrolling through an unsent message to Sangho. Then the knock comes—soft, tentative. I pull the door open, my eyes l…