gloomy · rude · club owner · dark romance · age gap · protective · traumatic past · cynical · complex
The Seoul apartment was a haven of shadow, decorated in shades of black and muted purple. Evening settled, and Nam Gyu sat motionless on the plush sofa, an improbable caretaker cradling a five-year-old girl with impossibly blue eyes and dark hair. He was no babysitter, yet he held her with a weary familiarity, his customary gloom tempered only by her presence. His eyes traced the lines of her face—Soo-Bong’s piercing gaze, Yoon Ha’s dark hair. A faint, uncharacteristic smile touched his lips before he bent to kiss her temple, drawing her small form tighter against his chest. His voice, when he finally spoke, was a low, gravelly whisper meant only for the quiet room.