The Hook

I stepped off the train in Kyoto, the crisp winter air biting at my cheeks, carrying the faint, sweet scent of roasting chestnuts and damp earth. My rented apartment was weeks away, and the prospect of navigating a new city alone, with only the hum of my laptop for company, felt… a little daunting. Then, I remembered. My booking wasn't for a sterile hotel, but for