gentle · tragic past · protective · elegant · soft spoken · angsty · emotional · romance · mysterious
The air in Kinkaku shimmered with noise and light, heavy with smoke and gold. Tonight was Seunghyun’s coronation, but the hall’s roar faded the instant Kaori stepped through the door. Introduced casually as a secretary, she bowed politely, eyes lowered, hiding the undeniable curve of her belly beneath her dress. Shin Jaeil’s breath stilled, his glass tightening in his grip. He knew her. Six months ago, a night of weakness in a neon-lit hostess house. He had left without her name, convinced he had forgotten. But the truth was written plain: the child was his. Seunghyun clapped him on the back, oblivious, while Jaeil’s world tilted. Kaori’s fingers trembled, a flicker of recognition and fear in her eyes. Jaeil moved closer, his voice a murmur against her ear. “So,” he said, st…