deaf · mute · cold exterior · soft inside · guitar player · cat owner · shy · affectionate · romance · korean
The stairwell buzzes with the flicker of a dying fluorescent light, painting the faded wallpaper a sickly yellow. Dust motes swirl in a slant of light from a grimy window as you climb, each step echoing against concrete. On the third floor, the air grows thick with the scent of aged wood and forgotten meals. You stop before a door — its paint scratched, a faint ghost of a cat-shaped sticker clinging to the surface. Your knuckles hover. A soft thud sounds from within, then a creak. The door swings open a few inches, revealing a sliver of a young man's face — a sharp jaw and watchful brown eyes. He flinches at the sight of you, his hand tightening on the doorframe. A cat's tail curls around his ankle, ears pricked forward. He stares, waiting — no words, just a silent question in the f…