You Want Me
Don't you?

Wants 002
I want you to be real, but not too real.

Jiae had always thought that she would die single. She had been living her life with the need to survive that she didn't have the time to think about other things. Never in her life had she been confessed to before, nevertheless being proposed to. She stared at the man who kneeled before her, the velvet box in his hand opened with a glistening diamond ring fixed in the box. What on earth...? She frowned, confused. This man just said he had a job to offer, and the next thing she knows, he has already knelt down, presenting her with a diamond ring as he requests for her hand down the aisle. 

"Please tell me you're joking." She muttered lightly, and Mark winced lightly. He knew it, this wasn't going to work.

That was an expected reaction, but why does it sting his heart? His pride was slightly wounded by the girl's response. I mean, come on, you had him kneeling before you, with a bloody diamond ring shoved before your face. And you're asking him if it was a joke? Any man's ego would have been bruised from that. He pressed his lips and sighed. "I would like to joke around, but I'm actually serious here." He stated and quickly gets up on his feet.

Now that he thought about it, having himself kneeling before her while he's in his... casual outfit... might have looked weird in a sense. Why did he bring the ring out anyway? He mentally cursed himself for embarrassing himself before her, while she simply furrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. 

Is he insane? Who on earth would propose to a stranger like that? She doesn't even know him.

Mark sighed once more. "I need a wife." He muttered, and she looked at him in disbelief. A wife? She tilted her head slightly. It was hard to read this man. His face was a quiet facade, a mask that was so hard to crack through. She pressed her lips, brows furrowed when he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. He didn't feel comfortable being stared at like that. It made him look like a fool he already was for doing what he did just now. Clearing his throat, he turned to her.

How should he put this? He nibbled his lips and tightened his grip on the closed velvet box. "My father... isn't exactly the most rational person on earth. Frankly, he's one of the most ridiculous parent in the world." He breathed, running his fingers through his blonde streaks. "He wanted me to get married to take over his spot as the new president of the company."

Marry to secure? Jiae frowned. That was something unheard of. She was going to assume that he is a son of a wealthy man, judging from the expensive brands printed all over his clothing. Is this going to be like some kind of drama, where a rich, good looking man looks for an excuse to avoid marriage? She pressed her lips thin, uncertain with the man's true intentions. 

"I need you to help me." She stiffened. Is it really? "Just... Let's get married for a year or two. We can get a divorce then and you'll be free to leave." Beyond ridiculous. She gave him a look of disbelief. How impossible is this man to treat marriage so lightly? He talked as if marriage was easy, as if he couldn't have cared less other than securing his future spot in his company. No, he actually didn't care about the marriage at all. 

She didn't know what to say next. Silence crept, brought down to their uncomfortable, awkward atmosphere as they both continue to stare at each other. She was the first to shift her gaze away and sighed. "How much?" She muttered, and he raised an eyebrow. "How much am I paid for being... your wife?" She didn't feel good saying that. It was almost as if she was selling herself off for money. But does she have a choice? She was the hungry lion that saw a fresh cut of meat sitting below the metal trap. Dying of hunger, she would pounce on the meat despite knowing that it's a trap. 

To survive, she'd like to put it that way.

Mark bit back a grin. Now we're talking business. He shoved the velvet box back into his pocket and lifted two fingers. She pursed her lips. "Three." She muttered, and he frowned. "I'm not changing the numbers." He responded and she rolled her eyes. "Two point five or you're finding someone else." He stiffened. She's good. He didn't have a comeback for that. Clearing his throat, he nodded his head and turned to the white pup that ran towards them. 

Carefully, he picked up Coco. "We'll give it a few months to act as if we're dating." He turned to her and said. She nodded casually and turned away, pulling the covers. He was going to leave anyway, so she might as well go back to sleep. She was about to fall back onto the uncomfortable mat when he stopped her. His hand reached for her arm, forcefully pulling her up.

"One more thing." His face showed a look of disgust, which she responds with a short glare. "You're coming with me." His eyes turned to the backpack by the side. "No wife of mine should be seen sleeping out in the cold." He mumbled lightly and released her. Without a warning, he grabbed and tossed the bag behind his back. "Get up." He ordered shortly and walked.

He wasn't going to look back, nor is he going to hand her back her bag. She sighed and got up from the ground. Her feet moved, and she dashed to catch up with the tall man. "You're demanding." She commented, and he smirked.

"You'll have to deal with this for two years, might as well get use to it now." He said as they stop their tracks before a fancy building. Touching the keypad, the glass door opened and they entered the building. Jiae looked around, eyes rounded at the beautiful interior that she wasn't used to seeing. Everything was sparkling, shimmering under the blinding gold light. They entered the small box and he touched his key, then hit the button. They were unexceptionally quiet throughout the short ride up the floors.

Ding. The door pulled open, and he tilted his head. "Ladies first." He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. She stepped in, and was invited by the clean, shimmering black tiles and white walls. Everything was so, so clean that she felt blind. She turned to him. He was just casually dropping Coco to the ground. "Why am I here?" She asked. It wasn't as if she didn't want to be here, she was just being cautious. She is a single woman, and he is a man who just proposed to her. She followed him when he entered the kitchen. 

"Well, I did say I'll provide you with an accommodation." He grabbed a glass and