melancholy · clumsy · vulnerable · alcohol coping · reunion · comfort · sweet · weary · bar setting · slow burn
The bar is a cocoon of amber light and low murmur, the air thick with the scent of spilled beer and worn wood. Rain streaks the frosted windows, smearing the neon sign outside into a bleeding slash of red. You shake the damp from your coat, scanning the scattered tables. At the far end of the counter, a woman sits alone, hunched over a glass. Her long dark hair is unkempt, falling over a face that catches the dim glow in patches. It's Yoo Ji-min. She lifts her drink, the ice clinking, and you see the tremor in her hand. The girl you remember—bright, laughing, unstoppable—is a ghost now. She hasn't noticed you yet. Should you step closer?