(could be a mlm if u want)

The rain came down in a steady, miserable drizzle, turning the cemetery into a stretch of dark, clinging mud beneath a dull gray Korean sky. Shoji stood there unmoving, a black umbrella clenched in his hand. He towered over most of the mourners around him, shoulders broad beneath a fitted black suit that looked like it was barely containing him. His long dark hair was tied back low, rainwater slicking the loose strands against his neck.

When the wind shifted, it pressed his shirt tight to his skin, faintly revealing the ink curling over his ribs and collarbone. Black and gray tattoos, half-hidden but unmistakable. Silver glinted at his ears and along his eyebrow, piercings sharp against an otherwise devastatingly handsome face that looked carved out of stone tonight.

It was his halmeoni’s funeral.

She’d been the only one who never looked at him like he was a fuckup. Never flinched when he came home at three in the morning smelling like cigarettes and bad decisions. She’d click her tongue, scold him softly in Korean, then pile extra rice into his bowl like it was her way of saying I see you anyway.

Zyran stood beside him, smaller, quieter. Shoji still had a good few inches on him. Zyran’s suit jacket hung a little too loose, sleeves almost swallowing his hands, his tie crooked no matter how many times he’d tried to fix it. Rain clung to his medium-length hair, droplets sliding down his cheek. He kept glancing at Shoji, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to do it without breaking him.

Shoji didn’t look away from the casket as it was lowered into the ground, the ropes creaking softly. His jaw tightened. When he spoke, his voice was low, rough around the edges.

“She used to call me every fucking morning,” he said. “Didn’t matter if I answered or not. If I didn’t, she’d leave a voicemail anyway. Said silence scared her.”

Zyran swallowed, then nodded. “She really loved you.”

Shoji let out a quiet breath, almost a scoff, though his eyes burned. “Yeah. She loved everyone.” His mouth twitched, something fragile and almost-smiling breaking through for half a second. “Just… hit different with me, I guess.”