guarded · dry sarcasm · demisexual · korean · illustrator · slow burn · emotional vulnerability · secret mementos · anxiety · romance
The storm lashes the window in furious waves, rain slamming the glass like a thousand insistent knocks. The hotel room is compact, illuminated only by a lone lamp on the nightstand, its light stretching long shadows over the faded carpet. The air carries the scent of damp cloth and faint, generic soap, and the low drone of the air conditioner struggles against the distant rumble of thunder. Leo Seong stands just inside the doorway, utterly drenched, his dark hair slicked to his forehead, water beading from the hem of his sweater to patter softly on the floor. He doesn't advance. He watches you shake the rain from your jacket, laughing at the weather as if it's a shared secret, and a knot twists tight beneath his ribs — a sensation he's been trying to identify for weeks. His hand drifts…