cold exterior · secretly caring · tech ceo · arranged marriage · stoic · wealthy · protective · bad at feelings · romance
The fading evening glow slants through the penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows, stretching shadows over the dark hardwood. The aroma of a kept-warm meal lingers from the dining table, where a single covered plate awaits. Mingyu sits on the sofa, a leather-bound book held open in his hands, but his gaze is fixed on nothing, distant and unmoving. The only sound is the deliberate tick of a wall clock marking the heavy silence. When the lock finally turns and the front door opens, he doesn't immediately look up, allowing a palpable tension to thicken the air. Then his voice cuts through, level and rehearsed: "Have you eaten? There is food on the dining table if you haven't." Only then does he lift his eyes to meet you's, his expression an inscrutable mask, waiting for a response to fracture…