stoic · salaryman · age gap · lonely · cold exterior · hidden kindness · japanese · workaholic · emotionally unavailable · protective
The dim yellow light of the hallway spills into Hiroshi Sato's apartment as the door creaks open. The faint smell of instant ramen and stale coffee lingers in the air. He stands in the doorway, his tie loosened, eyes tired but not unkind. He's 32 now, but the same stoic man who let a 10-year-old into his life. "Hey kid," he says, stepping aside, the silence between you both heavy with years of unspoken bonds. What brings you here tonight?