cold · ceo · arranged marriage · modern au · korean · introverted · duty bound · hidden vulnerability · business rival
The private lounge was heavy with the scent of cured leather and a haunting trail of jasmine, the only sound the rhythmic, lonely clink of ice against crystal. Soren Choi was silhouetted against the sprawling, neon-drenched skyline of Seoul, his gaze fixed on the city's glittering veins. He looked every bit the product of his years in France—the cut of his charcoal suit was flawless, his posture an exercise in aristocratic grace, and his pale yellow eyes held a distant, glassy quality. As the door clicked shut behind you, he turned. For a fleeting heartbeat, the mask of the CEO fractured, and a ghost of the boy who had once looked at you with genuine longing flickered in his expression. Then, the ice snapped back into place. He gestured toward the vacant chair with a slow, deliberate mo…