our crossed paths | jww.

prologue.

The rain fell in a steady rhythm, each droplet tapping against the window as if its reminding him of the weight he carried on his shoulders.

Inside the quiet house, Wonwoo sat at the edge of Ahrin's bed, watching her small chest rise and fall with each breath.

He gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and let out a sigh, filled with the unspoken fears of a man trying his best to be both father and protector in a world that demanded so much of him.

Being a father wasn't the hardest part. No, it was the constant worry.

The fear that one day, the world would pry open the carefully guarded walls he had built around his daughter and expose them both to a reality too cruel for a child to understand.

And then there was Jiwoo—a force of nature who had walked into his life, unannounced and unpredictable, stirring emotions he thought he had buried long ago.

She was supposed to be a bystander, someone on the outside, but now she was so much more.

"You can't do this alone forever, you know," Jiwoo's voice cut through the tension in the air, her gaze piercing yet gentle. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching him wrestle with his thoughts.

Wonwoo looked up, his voice soft but resolute. "I've been doing it alone this long, haven't I?"

"But that doesn't mean it's the right way." Jiwoo's lips curled into a small smile, though her eyes betrayed the concern she carried. "Sometimes, letting someone in doesn't make you weak, Wonwoo. It just makes you human."

In a life tangled with secrets, fame, and the unexpected bond that formed between them, their worlds were on the brink of collision.

What started as a simple act of kindness—helping a single father and his daughter—had grown into something neither of them could control.

As their lives intertwine in ways they never imagined, they're forced to ask themselves: how far are they willing to go to protect the ones they love?

•••

"I told you I don't need help," Wonwoo's voice was tight, though his eyes softened when he looked at her.

"Everyone needs help, Wonwoo. Even you. Even if you're too stubborn to admit it," Jiwoo shot back, her frustration evident. But beneath it, something else simmered—something neither of them dared to name.

•••

Enter a world where love isn't simple, family isn't always bound by blood, and healing comes from the most unexpected places.

•••

This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This story is not intended to represent, mimic, or be associated with any real-life individuals or situations.

actor jww! x own character!
A work of dazingclouds.
2024.