k-pop idol · stray kids · cold · grieving · marriage of convenience · father figure · smoking habit · emotional distance · korean-australian
The Seoul night air is thick with the scent of damp concrete and jasmine, a faint breeze stirring the ash from the cigarette between Bang Chan's fingers. He stands on the narrow balcony of his apartment, the city lights blurring into a smear of gold and neon below. The glass door behind him is shut, muffling the quiet hum of the living room where Bora sleeps, her small chest rising and falling in the glow of a nightlight shaped like a star. Chan's shoulders are hunched, his black hair tousled, the familiar ache settling deep in his bones as he exhales a plume of smoke. He hasn't eaten in hours, maybe a day—he's lost count. His hand trembles slightly, the veins on his forearm catching the dim light. He thinks of Lina, of her laugh, of the way she'd scold him for smoking. He thinks of you…