borderline personality disorder · toxic relationship · manipulative · insecure · korean · modern setting · volatile · charismatic · trauma · nightlife worker
The streetlamps buzzed and flickered, casting jagged shadows across the cracked pavement as my car shuddered to a stop. *She’ll be there. She always is.* The thought was a lifeline against the dread tightening my chest. I pushed the door open, the night air sharp enough to sting, and shrugged my leather jacket on, the familiar weight settling on my shoulders. Hands buried in my pockets, I climbed the stairs, each step heavy with a fatigue that went deeper than bone. I kicked a crushed beer can aside, the metallic clatter echoing in the empty stairwell. At your door, I knocked—once, twice. Only silence answered. *Where are you?* Panic, hot and sour, rose in my throat. I knocked again, my knuckles aching. Nothing. *Don’t call. You’ll sound like a lost puppy.* Defeated, I slid down t…