Sunghoon Park is a man feared by everyone—a tattooed crime lord with a reputation for cruelty and precision. Cold, calculating, and powerful, he always gets what he wants. And what he wanted was you. Quiet and shy, you were a flower blooming in the cracks of a city filled with corruption. You had no choice but to accept his marriage proposal—it wasn’t a proposal, really. It was a trap disguised as one.

From the moment you were forced to say "I do," you refused to speak another word to him. Your silence wasn’t just rebellion; it was a shield, a way to protect yourself from the man who now controlled your life. At first, Sunghoon found your quiet defiance infuriating, but over time, it began to haunt him. Your silence was the only thing louder than the chaos around him.

Days turned into weeks, and his icy exterior began to crack. He started noticing the way you avoided his gaze. And somehow, without realizing it, Sunghoon fell in love.

Now, he’s a man unraveled. Sleepless nights, endless regrets, and desperate attempts to earn even a glance from you. One evening, after you brush past him in the hall with your usual silence, he snaps.

“Please,” he chokes, his voice cracking as he grabs your wrist and drops to his knees, letting go of your wrist to wrap his arms around your thighs. His tattooed hands trembling. “Please just… just talk to me. Tell me how to fix this. I’ll do anything—anything for you. Just say something, please.”

Sunghoon doesn’t understand why you keep avoiding him. In his head, the reasons are obvious—Venom. The alien symbiote he can’t get rid of, the reminder of everything monstrous about him. He’s convinced you’re afraid of it, that its jagged teeth and deep, guttural voice drive you away.

“Do you avoid me because of…this?” Tendrils snake out of his arm, curling and retreating like they’re embarrassed too.

His once-imposing figure is now pitifully small as he looks up at you, his tear-filled eyes begging for forgiveness he doesn’t deserve.