It is the first week of summer for all he could remember, as he was lying on his couch with a great headache to be dealt with – goodness, Kang Daniel always hate hangover, especially the after effect of one of Jisung’s enormous and loud parties – Daniel is pretty sure that he most probably have to call in sick for work tomorrow and that is saying something about how bad his condition is.

He has hoped a bit that it would be a silent morning so he could gather pieces of his mind that was probably scattered around Jisung’s house and his house’s floor, but that was not the case, since he was woken up by the sound of excessive doorbell sound from the first place. Daniel needed almost ten solid minutes to be able to stand up without falling before he went to the front door direction.

“God, Daniel, are you opening the door while taking a doctoral degree?” The man in front of the door was obviously not pleased by the amount of times Daniel took but Daniel is even more pissed that he decided to come at such ungodly hour – it was twelve in the afternoon but still.

“Seongwoo hyung, can you please cooperate with me for a second and be considerate for a second about the fact that my brain in about to fall off?” Daniel snorted.

“I don’t care, that’s what you all get for not waiting for me,” Seongwoo retorted as he stormed inside the room. “It’s not our fault that your meeting got delayed then your plane got delayed too,” Daniel replied nonchalantly as he launched himself on the couch again. “You can always come next month, hyung, it’s not like Jisung hyung is going to stop throwing party, otherwise he will lose his youth spirit,” Daniel added as he quoted Yoon Jisung himself.

“Jisung hyung keeps talking like he is forty years old making feels like I’m on my late thirty too.” Seongwoo sighed as he pulled out a bowl of soup from the paper bag that Daniel didn’t notice earlier – and gave it to the younger. “You are the best.” Daniel cracked a smile as he happily received his hangover cure. “Someone should actually take care of you,” Seongwoo snorted.

“Anyway, how’s the party?” Seongwoo said as he took interest on the messy piles of letters on Daniel’s kitchen counter. “Like usual? Everyone drank too much, I’m pretty sure I saw Dongho hyung passed out this time and Jaehwan sang to a tree? Minhyun hyung also suggested that maybe we should throw a neater and classier party sometimes since we are all, yeah, actually not in a college frat anymore,” Daniel ranted while eating his soup.

“That’s true though, we should be testing wine or some like that, but instead we played beer pong every month, wow – hey, by the way, is this all your bills?” Seongwoo said as he waved the stack of papers on his hand to the younger. “Yeah, I think? I don’t know, maybe it’s from last month? I am not capable of thinking things like that right now, hyung,” Daniel whined.

“Why is there a payment receipt from an online dating sites?” Seongwoo raised his eyebrow as he showed Daniel one particular letter. “What?” Daniel scrunched his nose in confusion.

“Daniel, there is a receipt from your monthly subscription payment as a member of an online dating site,” Seongwoo taunted as he handed Daniel the receipt.

“Ah, so this is where my fifty bucks go last month,” Daniel replied nonchalantly when he skimmed the paper – half not really paying attention since his head is still killing him. “What do you even mean by that?” Seongwoo responded. “Ah, actually, you know, last month, Sungwoon hyung thought that maybe I should apply for online dating since I looked so lonely? So, he signed me up for this one site, I didn’t really know that I have to pay though.” Daniel shrugged.

“Daniel,” Seongwoo deadpanned before he paused for a second, waiting until the younger actually came back to his sense to actually realized what he just said, but it seems like Daniel was too engrossed to his soup so Seongwoo decided to drop it. “You are married,” Seongwoo continued and that’s when Daniel stopped stuffing his mouth.

“Do you think I wouldn’t remember that, hyung, when I am forced to use the goddamn wedding ring every day in my life so that my mother won’t lecture me which is by the way, I actually cannot recall where I put it when I took it off last night before going to the party,” Daniel ranted as he stood up immediately and went to his bedroom, leaving Seongwoo in complete disbelief.

“Here it is.” Daniel came back a couple of minutes later, showing off the silver ring before he put it on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. “Then why did you still sign up for the stupid dating site?” Seongwoo scoffed. “I told you that Ha Sungwoon did it, you know, one of my main supplier, we had lunch around last month and he said something like oh, Daniel-ah, such a perfect handsome young man like you need a companion, here, try this online dating,” Danied mimicked.

“You are so full of s, Daniel, he was obviously just joking since he should have known that you are not available anymore.” Seongwoo shook his head. “Well, I’m serious about the thing that Sungwoon hyung is the one who suggested all that, I can’t believe I have pay for that dumb thing, though.” Daniel sighed.

“Daniel, until when you wanted to pretend in front of your parents that you are normally married? It has been six months,” Seongwoo deadpanned when Daniel examined the receipt again.

“I don’t know, I don’t really care though, this marriage is just a whole lot of lie, they shouldn’t arrange it from the first place and expect me to be genuinely happy.” Daniel shrugged nonchalantly. “Anyway, hyung, I was actually wondering, not that I am not thrilled that you are here, bringing my favorite soup, but why are you here, again?” Daniel asked afterward. “Oh, because I thought you would be even more thrilled if I tell you in person, of course,” Seongwoo said as he smirked in sardonically.

“My sister is coming back to Korea,”.

---

Kang Daniel is the perfect description of what kind of man every woman dreams to have as a husband. At the age of twenty-six, he managed to finish his master degree in business after enlisting while also handling his father’s empire that will soon to be his empire at the same time, have just a perfect amount of social skill and charm that manage to attract clients – this is the sole reason why his father loves to send him overseas to close the deal.

And while doing all of that, still manage to maintain his friendship and goes to all party and gathering his inner circle plans – like example, Yoon Jisung’s frat party even though it has been years since all of them graduated, or just simply going out for ramen lunch with Ong Seongwoo, just like what they used to do when they were both in college.

Kang Daniel is the flawless definition of what a perfect man is like – except the fact that he is not available anymore and it was made that way without any of his consent. He was married with someone that he never knew six months ago, and the fact that the only conversation he remembered having with her beside the one they exchange at the church was about whether Daniel was fine if they used amethyst purple instead of lavender purple for the flower.

Daniel also remembered saying that whatever works and it was not like he cares about it and the girl fell into silence for a couple of second before responding with, “I don’t care either but I can pretend like I am and that’s how you survive from this ridiculous wedding that I don’t even want to be a part of,”. And from then, Daniel never exchanged any words with her until the day of the wedding.

“I need a name, like I can’t suddenly said the wrong name during the vow that a friend of mine perfectly wrote for my behalf,” She said when they met that morning before the ceremony start. “You don’t know my name?” Daniel raised his eyebrow. “Do you know mine?” She challenged him back – Daniel fell into a dead silence, he is pretty sure that he ever heard of his mom ever mentioned her before though.

“Yeah, I don’t expect anything either from you.” She smiled sarcastically. “Do you think I do? I just want to get over today quickly, really,” Daniel replied nonchalantly. “Let’s just know each other’s name first, shall we? My name is Park Saera.” She held out her hand, in which Daniel didn’t take immediately but instead, stared at it for a good couple of second before shaking their hands together. “Kang Daniel.”

“Okay, Daniel-ssi, let’s get through just today without any problem, hm? How about we discuss about how we will live after this tomorrow?” Saera said. “I thought we are flying to Italy for our honeymoon tomorrow?” Daniel sneered as raised his eyebrow in amusement. “Well, okay, but since both of us doesn’t seems to need any of that bull, why don’t we just discuss things over in a restaurant and ditched the Italy trip?” Saera deadpanned.

“Sounds excellent for me, Saera-ssi.” Daniel smiled, still impressed. “Since you proposed it, you have thought about how you will avoid our parents interrogation and their nosiness, right? I mean, they might actually hire a personal investigator to follow us or something, you know, all that money have to be spent carelessly for something so meaningless including this wedding, true?” Daniel pointed out.

“Well, Daniel-ssi, it’s really sad that you actually question my credibility to make this wedding looks like it is real when it is all actually as empty as the next words we are about to exchange in front of the priest.” She concluded at the end.

Daniel really doesn’t remember anything after that, or even the party – it was too crowded and too grandeur for Daniel’s liking. And Daniel hasn’t even gotten to the worse part of the story – which is the fact that Park Saera is Ong Seongwoo’s little stepsister and even though Seongwoo has been friend with Daniel almost probably all his life, he never actually know that Seongwoo has a stepsister until Daniel had to marry her.

Daniel know that Seongwoo’s parents – his mother that he shares with Park Saera, and his father – has always been close with Daniel’s parents, whether it’s about business or outside business. And when Seongwoo’s mother introduced her new husband to Daniel’s father and they clicked right away too, Daniel knew he is kind of ed, especially when his mother proposed the most absurd idea to bring their business together and how to get a ing great publicity for both of the sole heir and heiress – an arranged marriage.

“It actually stated that you have subscribed for a whole year, but you clicked to pay monthly, so you can’t really stop right now, since you know, you have agreed to the terms and conditions, boss.” Daniel was trying to ignore how Park Jihoon said that in completely judgmental tone, but he can’t help but glared at his assistant.

“Why do you sign up for an online dating site, I mean, are you that lonely?” Jihoon asked in genuine confusion.

“No, I don’t know, I don’t need this,” Daniel answered instead. “I don’t need this kind of thing in my life right now,” Daniel continued as he scratched his own hair. “I mean, what do you think that she is trying to do? We live in a very peace for a half of a year with us being perfectly distanced, does it mean that I have to be the one who move away after this?” Daniel ranted all of the sudden.

“Okay, now you are saying nonsense, are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor or something? I can give some therapist a call,” Jihoon replied nonchalantly. “Or I could give your wife a call?” Jihoon added, almost in sneering way since he knows about all the scam the couple is pulling for their parents – heck, Jihoon even at some moments had to lie too in order to keep their scenarios perfect.

“Jihoon, I swear,” Daniel taunted. “Yeah, yeah, you don’t like that word, wife,” Jihoon dismissed. “She’s actually coming back to Korea,” Daniel replied, it came out almost like a hiss.

“Well, isn’t that perfect? I mean, don’t you think it’s time for you to end all these scenarios and actually acts like a decent married couple?” Jihoon asked nonchalantly. “You see, Jihoon, that is a very easy request to be said.” Daniel gritted his teeth in disdain.

“Boss, you don’t know if you didn’t try, maybe, Park Saera-ssi isn’t so bad as a, uh, partner?” Jihoon raised his eyebrow questionably. “Just, try to cancel the subscription and get me the newest contract for our Japan investors, Jihoon.” Daniel shifted the topic instead and got a nod from Jihoon immediately.

“And also, cancel all the appointment for tomorrow, I have to go to the airport.” Daniel let out a sigh. “You are going somewhere?” Jihoon asked as he checked his tab to confirm the latter’s schedule. “I wish I am going somewhere, Jihoon.”

“But tomorrow is more like, picking-up-my-wife day,”.

---

Park Saera, in her twenty-six years of life, never felt more disappointment than when her parents announced that she would be marrying this man, who is the only son from the couple that owned Kang Empire – and for the sake of good business relationship and even greater fanfare, and just her fate of never really able to choose things in her life as the sole heiress of his father’s enterprise, she have to get along with the idea of it.

And in all honesty, Park Saera thought that Kang Daniel isn’t so bad as a man – she did a little research about him, and he is actually almost that great – no bad records, seems very passionate about his job and very smart at doing it, just basically a great person. The only thing she didn’t like about him at that moment is probably the fact that he is attached to her legally.

And in addition, Daniel is really attractive – she really hates to admit that sometimes, but Saera remembered about how stunning he looked on the perfectly tailored suit on their wedding day or even with his only simple white shirt and ripped jeans, just like right then when she spotted him among the crowd in the airport.

“Oh, what kind of good deeds I have done that you grace me with your presence today?” She just has to ask that when she managed to get close to Daniel.

Maybe a little taken aback would be an understatement, since Daniel literally jumped away from her due to nervousness. “You looked like you just seen a ghost,” Saera snorted nonchalantly. “Don’t do that again,” Daniel replied instead when he got back to his sense. “What? Greeting you?” She raised her eyebrow. “No, coming in without a heads up,” Daniel said.

“Hi, husband,” Saera deadpanned that made Daniel scrunched his nose. “Can we not call each other that? Imagine suddenly saying that in front of my mother, we can’t afford that,” Daniel huffed as he started to walk with her trailing beside him. “You are right, should we pick pet names now? Wow, we are on that stage of relationship already,” She taunted as the response.

Daniel chose not to answer anything, which resulted their journey filled with an awkward silence afterward. “Saera-ssi,” Daniel called out all of the sudden when they finally got into his car. “That’s not going to work for a pet name, Daniel-ssi,” Saera answered nonchalantly as she entered the black sedan. “No, I was just saying that maybe we should drop the formality since yeah, it is easier to act like everything is okay when you were thousand miles away.” Daniel paused.

“But you are here now, this will be a thousand times more complicated, I know you know that too, so why exactly do you come back?” Daniel asked as he started the engine. “Trust me, if I have a choice then I would be staying in New York forever, but since I have never given an option in life just like how I ended up marrying you, so.” Saera shrugged.

“Relatable,” Daniel answered instead. “So, we need to come up with a new arrangement, I already have a few listed,” He added. “Sure, yeah, we obviously need some new plan and stuffs, I mean, like a really refined plan, with all the consequences and possibilities.” She sighed. “Agree, like what will we do if they asked us to kiss or any public display affection,” Daniel snorted.

“We need a whole chapter for that matter, Daniel-ssi.” She sighed. “Well, like I said we can start with that,” Daniel cut in. “Okay, Daniel.” Saera replied. “That’s sound just about right, Saera.”

---

Kang Daniel almost have a heart attack when he saw a very familiar woman figure on the small screen beside his front door, but nonetheless he opened the door immediately, not wanting the latter to wait any longer. “Mom,” Daniel called out with a huge grin painted on his face – due to his schedule and the constant traveling him and his mother had, they rarely seen each other – and that’s why he is always excited to see his mother, but little did he know, his mother is there for the whole different reason.

“Daniel.” His mother pulled him into a big hug before Daniel let his mother inside his condominium. “Where’s Saera? Oh, I miss her so much,” His mother pointed out immediately – Daniel knew that was coming but not that fast. “You guys are living together, right?” His mother raised her eyebrow suspiciously when Daniel didn’t answer to her first question and actually fidgeting.

“Of course, of course, mom, we are married.” Daniel just had to emphasize the last sentence. “Where are her things then?” His mother asked again. “In, in my room – our room now, yeah,” Daniel pointed out. “Let me see your room then.” Daniel panicked when his mother actually took her leave to his room’s direction while cursing himself inside his head.

“No, don’t, mom, it’s messy.” Great ing excuse, Daniel, way to go. Daniel wanted to palm himself inside and outside when his mother stared at him skeptically. “That’s okay, I’m used to your messiness, Saera must be having a hard time though,” His mother said as she began to walk again. “No, mom, like you know, that kind of messy, messy.” Daniel really wished to just die right then when his mother suddenly shot him with a knowing look.

“Ah, okay, you don’t need to be embarrassed about it, son, I get it, you guys didn’t see each other for what? Six months already and you cancelled your honeymoon, so.” His mother grinned. “Can I expect any grandchild soon then?” His mother wriggled her eyebrow. “Mom, we are still so young to even think about that, let us enjoy ourselves first,” Daniel replied instead.

“Well okay, so, back to my question though, where is she?” His mother turned serious again all of the sudden as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Uh, okay, she was out buying some foods.” Daniel came out with a proper excuse finally. “Did you just come up with that excuse just now?” She raised her eyebrow. “Mom, please.” Daniel was cut in by the sound of door opening coming from the front.

“Niel-ah?” A female voice came afterward and Daniel legitimately have to think for a couple of second about how strangely familiar it sounded – and his suspicion was confirmed when a certain slender figure showed herself. “Mother,” Park Saera shrieked in happiness as she developed a huge smile on her face.

“Oh, Park Saera, long time no see, goodness, look how pretty.” The old woman immediately hugged Saera in process. “You looked so dashing as always, goodness, no wonder Daniel is so excited that you both just have to jump right into it.” His mother actually said that that Daniel really wishes he bought a casket earlier.

“Ah, yeah, well, we miss each other a lot,” Saera replied nonetheless. “Where have you been? You know I almost murder my own son if you didn’t show up, I thought he was lying about living together with you.” His mother grinned widely.

“Mom, please,” Daniel protested, which came out more like a whine. “Well, I was just visiting Seongwoo oppa, then I bought co – foods,” Saera corrected herself right away when she saw Daniel mouthed food. “Well, it’s good to see you both get along so well, now off I go, my job is done here,” His mother exclaimed.

“So fast?” Daniel raised his eyebrow. “Well, yeah, I honestly just here to make sure that you both are living together, and you do, so.” His mother shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t want to disturb your moments after being away for so long,” His mother continued as she walked herself to the front door. “It’s really, really great to see you, Saera,” His mother said as she held Saera’s shoulder gently.

“Okay, now, I have to meet your mother for some tea, bye Saera, take care of her well, Daniel.” His mother shot a glare to his direction before closing the door. “What the hell was that?” Daniel spoke up all of the sudden after a minute in being silent since his mother left. “How? How did you even get into my apartment? It’s freaking locked with fingerprint access,” Daniel said.

“Seongwoo.” Saera shrugged nonchalantly. “Seongwoo hyung is here?” Daniel raised his eyebrow. “Was here, we saw your mother’s driver downstairs and immediately thought she is here to interrogate you like my mother did, you owe me one,” Saera said as she walked back to the living room direction where she left her paper bag. “Why were you here in the first place?” Daniel asked instead.

“Seongwoo got something to give you, about the Japan contract, he has finished analyzing it,” Saera replied. “And I thought we could discuss some things too since I was too tired yesterday to think, oh and by the way, you should come up with a better excuse than just us having ,” Saera added stoically. “Well, she was about to went rampant on my bedroom, what do you think I can say other than that?” Daniel snapped.

“Fair enough, coffee?” Saera said as she took out a large cup from the paper bag and handed it to him. “Oh, so you are now being a good wife?” Daniel smirked in amusement as he received the drink. “It just a coffee, Daniel,” She deadpanned. “Quick question though, if we want to make an arrangement and actually made it official, can we make Seongwoo hyung do it since he’s a lawyer?” Daniel asked nonchalantly.

“That is one dumb question that we both know the answer, Daniel,” Saera replied as she sipped her drink. “I’m just wondering.” Daniel shrugged. “Let’s discuss some basic things first though,” Daniel added afterward. “I got our first point,” Saera remarked. “If you said that falling in love is forbidden then I’m not going to take this seriously, Saera,” Daniel deadpanned.

“I’m not cliché like that, Daniel, what I was trying to say is that, in order for this to work out, you know, like really working out like how we have planned,” Saera pointed out.

“Maybe we should start being friends first,”.