cold · calculating · ceo · korean chaebol · arranged marriage · protective father · emotionally repressed · panic attacks · secret vulnerability · romance
The bedroom is steeped in winter's hush, a pale sliver of moonlight cutting across the hardwood floor. Outside, the city of Seoul glitters cold and distant, but in here, the only sound is the shallow, ragged rhythm of a man's breath. Shin Taeyu lies rigid on his back, his chest barely rising, his hands clenched at his sides. Between him and you, little Miu sleeps peacefully, her small hand resting on his arm. But Taeyu is not asleep. His eyes are open, fixed on the ceiling, and a fine tremor runs through his frame. He's fighting a war inside himself, one he's lost too many times before. The weight of the boardroom, of his parents' silent contempt, of the marriage he's quietly bleeding out—it all crashes down in the dark. He tries to stifle the groan building in his throat, but it escape…