“I don’t want to marry her,” he protests.

    “You don’t have a choice,” his father says. “Either you marry her or we send you off to study business overseas.”

    “How about I marry my own girl?”

    “No. It’s either my way or my way.”

    He sighs not knowing what else to do. “Fine. I’ll marry her.”

    “That’s the best decision you’ve ever made.” His dad nods his head. “She’s from a great family. She won’t disappoint you. Actually, her father is my best friend from grade school.”

    “I know,” he says annoyed. “You’ve told me countless times, dad. May I go now?”

    His dad shoes him away.

    He walks to the front door and grabs his key that is hanging on a hook. He walks outside and hops into his yellow mustang before he drives off. The first person he wants to see is his girlfriend.

He feels so mad, so sad, and so frustrated. His dad is going to marry him off to a woman that he doesn’t even know. He knows his dad is against him marrying his current girlfriend that’s why his dad is marrying him off. As cruel as that is, he still doesn’t want to disappoint his old man. He’d rather be married to someone he doesn’t know then go to a foreign country and be away from the people he loves.

His car is parked in front of his girlfriend’s house. He is pounding on his girlfriend’s door. When she comes open it, he throws himself at her.

“What’s wrong,” she asks.

He doesn’t say anything. He only tightens his grip on her.

“Hey,” she says his back. “Everything’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” he finally replies.

“Tell me.”

They break the hug, so she pulls him inside. She closes the door behind them and walks over to her purple couch with him.

“Want me to bring some drinks and snacks,” she asks.

“I’m not in the mood,” he says.

He pulls her down to the couch with him. They are sitting next to each other, but he has her in his arms.

“Tell me what’s bothering you,” she says.

“I agreed to get married,” he replies.

“What?” She pulls away from him. “You did?”

“There was nothing else I could do. It was either I get marry or I get ship off to a foreign country, and I didn’t want to be so far away from you.”

“How could you do this,” she asks hurt. “You’re basically cheating on me.” She pushes him away and turns her back towards him.

“I’m sorry.” He hugs her from the behind. “There is really nothing else I could do. I promise you, even though I’m married, my heart will always be with you.” He rests his chin on her small shoulder. “I will always love you.”

She doesn’t say anything except continue to pout.

“Will you turn to look at me,” he asks.

She doesn’t, so he turns her around himself.

“I’m really sorry,” he says.

She doesn’t want to look at him.

“There was nothing else I could do,” he continues. “I know you’re mad. I am too, but what else can we do? We just have to do as my dad says, and from then on, we’ll continue to prove to my parents that we are meant to be.”

She still doesn’t look or speak to him.

“Okay? Look at me. Give me a smile,” he says.

He grabs her chin and makes her look at him.

“I love you,” he says. “Smile. Please?”

She doesn’t give him a reply, so he steals a kiss from her lips. A smile appears on her face, but she tries to hide it.

“There we go,” he says with a wide smile. “Should I kiss you again to make you smile?”

“No,” she grumbles

He pulls her into another hug.

   

Two weeks has gone by, and he is now married to the woman he doesn’t love. She isn’t the tallest woman he’s met. She only goes up to his shoulder. Her hair dangles to her shoulders. To him, she isn’t the classiest woman he’s met. She’s just ordinary to him. When he first met her, she was in a blue dress, her hair pinned up and away from her face.

Today is the first day that they’ll live together, and she is wearing jeans and a simple black t shirt.

“I know how it feels to be living in a stranger’s home,” his mother says. “But I promise you that you’ll get used to it. We’ll get used to it. It just takes a little time.”

“Yes, mother,” she replies.

“If you need anything or have any questions, just ask Hyun Woo. If not, then ask me or you father. We’re pretty open.”

“Okay. I just don’t know if Hyun Woo is willing to help me. We’re still strangers.”

“He’ll help. It’ll just take some time for him to get used to you. He’ll learn to love you, and you’ll learn to love him. Just let time take its course.”

“Yes, mother.”

But honestly, she doesn’t know if she’ll learn to love him. Yes, she took an oath in front of everyone, but she still has second thoughts about this marriage.

Hyun Woo is sitting at the backyard porch. He’s mourning over the marriage. He has to live with someone he doesn’t love. It’s all happening for real.

She isn’t bad in his opinion. She’s a well mannered woman, and honestly, she is cute in his eyes, but she isn’t the one he loves. No matter what, he will treat her like a friend and help her be comfortable around the house. He’s sure she doesn’t like this marriage anymore than he does.

Hyun Woo walks inside and heads to his room. There he sees his wife walking to his room too.

“Ah Ran,” Hyun Woo calls.

She stops and turns around.

“I just wanted to say that I hate this marriage as much as you do,” he continues. “So let’s make a deal. I’ll take care of you, and you’ll take care of me. When the time is right, we’ll go our separate ways.”

“I appreciate your generosity,” she says. “But I made a promise to my parents that I’ll be your wife and take care of you for the rest of my life. I can’t break that promise.”

“And I promised my parents that I’ll love you for the rest of my life, but that’s not reality. The reality is, we don’t like each other. I want to marry my girlfriend, and you want to be set free. Am I wrong?”

“I guess you’re not.”

“Exactly. So let’s work together to get out of this marriage. Deal?”

“Deal.”

He feels relieve now that she agreed with him.

“What are you doing,” he asks her.

“I have to get a hair tie,” she replies.

“Go ahead,” he says gesturing for her to enter the room.

She turns around and walks into his bedroom. Ah Ran goes over to her suitcase and digs around before she finds a hair tie.

“Why don’t you unpack,” he asks her.

“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to do that. I’ll do it after I help the workers,” she replies.

“Okay.”

He doesn’t understand why she wants to help the workers work when the workers can work by themselves, but he doesn’t argue. If she wants to help them, then so be it. He isn’t going to stop her.

Ah Ran ties her hair up and heads to the kitchen. There she greets the workers with a smile, but the workers give her a weird look.

“Do you need something,” one of the female worker asks.

“No. I wanted to help,” Ah Ran replies. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“You want to help,” another worker asks.

Ah Ran nods her head.

The workers look at each other like Ah Ran is crazy.

“Okay,” the head female worker says. “Go wash those vegetables.” She points to the carrots and broccoli.

“Okay,” Ah Ran says with a smile. She goes straight to work.

All the workers go back to their station, but at the same time, they are observing Ah Ran. They want to know if she can do something as simple as rinsing the vegetables.

“Done,” Ah Ran says after a while.

The head female worker walks over to see how Ah Ran did, and to her surprise, Ah Ran did a pretty good job.

“Okay. Can you peel the the carrots now? And after you’re done, slice them up into cubes. For the broccoli, cut them into bite size pieces, but leave out the stem. That’s not too hard is it,” the head lady asks.

“No, ma’am,” Ah Ran replies.

“Ma’am?” The head lady looks surprised.

“Is something wrong,” Ah Ran asks.

“No one, who is of higher status than me, has called me ma’am before.”

“Do I not call you that?”

“No. Keep calling me that.”

“Okay. I’ll keep working then.”

Ah Ran goes to work. As she works, the other workers are looking at her with amazement. They haven’t seen a woman her age work so hard before.

A few hours has past, and Ah Ran has helped the workers make dinner.

“Do you want me to help you set the table,” Ah Ran asks.

“No. It’s okay. If you have anything else to do, you may go. Thank you for helping us. We’ll call you when the table is ready.”

“Okay.”

Ah Ran walks away.

Seeing that Ah Ran is out of site, the workers start to murmur.

“I’ve never seen someone her age work so hard before.”

“She was raised in a good family.”

“Not like that so call girlfriend of young master’s.”

Ah Ran walks into Hyun Woo’s room and heads over to her suitcase. She opens it and starts to unpack. Ah Ran stands up and searches for the closet. She opens one door, located in the the far corner, but that only leads her to the bathroom.

So he has a bathroom in his room.

She closes the door and opens the other door in the room located on the left side of the corner. That one is the closet, but not an ordinary closest. The closet is big, so big that his shirts has their own section, his pants has their own section, his shorts has their own section. Even his jewelries, shoes, ties, and socks have their own section. However, Ah Ran is used to that. Her closet is about as big as Hyun Woo’s, but a little bit smaller.

Ah Ran moves his shirt to one side of the closet and starts to hang her shirts. She puts her pants away, and even her jewelries. Not a lot of jewelries though. Just two necklaces, a couple pair of earrings, and some bracelets.

After she is done with that, she goes to the bathroom and starts to look for room to put her makeup. She finds an empty drawer, so she stashes her makeup in there. When she is done, Ah Ran walks to the bedroom and heads to her suitcase. She zips it close.

Ah Ran lifts up her head and notices a desk right across the bed. There is nothing on the table but one picture frame of him and his family. She turns her head to the left and sees a bookshelf in the corner of the room. The shelf is about twenty feet away from the bed and sitting up against the wall. Ah Ran walks over to the shelf and sees action figures. Dozens and dozens of action figures. Some are standing, while some are posted up by a podium. Ah Ran reaches out to touch one, but she stops when she hears her name being called.

“What are you doing,” Hyun Woo asks.

“Uh. I was looking at these action figures,” she replies.

“Those are not action figures. Those are antiques.”

“Oh.”

“They are the most precious items that I have. Please be very careful with them. If you want to touch them, be very gentle. If not, just don't touch them at all.”

“Okay. I got it.”

“Dinner is ready.”

He turns around to walk out, but he stops when she calls for him.

“Where do I put my suitcase,” she asks.

“You can put it in the closet,” he replies.

“Also. I moved your clothes aside and put mine with yours. Is that okay?”

“That's fine.”

“And my makeup. I put them in an empty drawer in the bathroom.”

“That's fine. Mom and dad are probably at the table already. Hurry and come down.”

“Okay.”

He leaves the room, and she puts her suitcase in a corner in the closet. Ah Ran heads downstairs and walks to the dining room. There she sees a table about ten feet long covered in a red cloth and plates and bowls of food.

“Are we even going to fit the table,” she asks.

Ah Ran looks and sees that her dad is at the head of the table. Her mom is sitting to the right of her dad, and Hyun Woo is sitting to the left. They barely cover a third of the table.

“We know we don't cover the whole table,” her mom replies. “But we've always ate like this. If anyone wants to eat, they can go ahead and eat the food we haven't touched.”

“I see,” Ah Ran replies.

At least the maids will get to eat.

“Please sit,” her father says. He gestures to the empty seat next to Hyun Woo.

She goes sit on the empty chair.

“Okay,” her dad says. “Since everyone is here, let's eat.” He picks up his utensils and starts to eat.

Everyone follows.

Ah Ran observes her surroundings. The maids are standing around not eating. They have their heads down and are waiting patiently for dinner to be over.

Once dinner is over, they start to clean up. Hyun Woo and his parents left the table already, but Ah Ran stayed behind to help clear the table.

“It's okay,” one of the workers say. “We can do this ourselves.”

“No. I want to help. I won't even be doing anything, if I go.”

“Thank you. You're so much better than the master’s girlfriend.”

“I am?”

“Oops.” The worker covers with her hand.

“Is something wrong?”

“I made a slip of words.”

“Are you not supposed to say anything about the master’s girlfriend?”

“We're not supposed to say anything negative. The master doesn't like it when we do.”

“Oh.”

“But it's true. She doesn't help us like you help us. Honestly, we like you better than her,” the worker whispers.

“What's her name?”

“Nam Ji Hyun.”

Ah Ran nods her head.

“What are you doing,” the head worker asks.

The female worker jumps.

“Hurry and work!”

“Yes ma'am.” The female worker scurries away.

“And you,” the head worker says. “Why are you still here?”

“To help.”

“We don't need it. You can go.”

“It's okay. I'm not doing anything anyway.”

The head worker doesn't say anything anymore.

“I have a question,” Ah Ran says. “Why don't you eat with the family? They make you set such a long table. There are so many food that doesn't get eaten.”

“Workers don't eat with their masters.”

“But they make you set such a long table. What happens to the food that doesn't get eaten?”

“We throw them out.”

“You do? What a waste.”

“They want us to make a lot of food, and they want us to set a long table. It's our choice if we don't eat or not.”

“But so much food are being wasted. Just try to eat with them. They're not a bad family.”

“I don't think we can.”

The head worker walks away.

After finishing the chores, Ah Ran goes take a shower. She walks into Hyun Woo’s room after she is done. Ah Ran is wearing pink pajamas with strawberry patterns on it. She has her hair swoop over her left shoulder. Water is still dripping from it, so she has a yellow towel in her hand, so she can wipe her hair.

Hyun Woo is already lying on the left side of the bed. He is wearing his navy blue pajamas, and his hair is still damp from his previous shower.

“Close the door behind you,” he commands.

She does so, and he climbs out of bed.

Ah Ran walks over to the bed and stands at the foot of the bed. She dabs her hair and watches Hyun Woo.

He comes out of the closet carrying a green blanket and a white pillow. He sets the pillow on his side of the ground and lies the blanket on the ground.

“What are you doing,” she asks.

“I'm not going to sleep on the bed with you. We can agree with that right?”

“Of course.”

“Always keep the door closed when we're sleeping. I don't want mom and dad to find out.”

“Got it.”

“You sleep on your side, and I'll sleep on my side.”

“Okay.”

“And use the bathroom in here. It'll be easier for everyone.”

“Okay.”

He lies down on the ground.

“I can take the ground,” Ah Ran says. “The bed is yours anyway.”

“No. I'll sleep here. I can't have a lady sleep on the ground.”

“I'm fine with it.”

“You take the bed. I'm fine with the floor.”

“Thank you.”

She sits on the bed and continues to dry her hair.

“Leave one of the lamps on,” he says, “when you go to sleep.”

“Okay,” she replies. “Where do you put the towels?”

“There's a rack in the bathroom,” he replies. “Just leave it there.”

“Okay.”

When she is done, she goes hang the towel on the rack and comes back to sleep, but first, she leaves one of the lamp on and turns off the main light. Ah Ran climbs in bed and lies down. She could smell his spicy scent, but the scent isn't too strong nor is it too faint.

Ah Ran lies there in the new room feeling awkward. She closes her eyes, and pretty soon, she heads to dreamland.

Hyun Woo is tossing and turning on the ground because the ground is too hard for him to sleep in. He's never slept on the ground before. This is his first time. Hyun Woo sits up and looks at the sleeping Ah Ran.

“At least you're having a good night's sleep,” he mumbles.

Hyun Woo lies back and and turns his back to her before he closes his eyes.

 

The next day, Ah Ran wakes up early to help the workers make breakfast. She even helps set the table.

When breakfast is ready, everyone is sitting at the table except for the workers. It is pretty much like how dinner was.

After breakfast is eaten, Ah Ran stays behind to help the workers work.

“Ah Ran,” her mom calls out.

“Yes, mom,” Ah Ran replies.

“Why don't you come with me to the living room? We can watch some tv together.”

“It's okay, mom. I want to stay and help. My own mother has taught me to always help out when there is work even if I'm not of the lower class.”

“That doesn't apply here, but if you want to work then go ahead.”

Her mom walks away.

“You sure are different,” a female worker says.

Ah Ran turns her head to see the female worker from last night.

“And I like that about you,” she continues.

“Thank you. You're very nice. May I know your name,” Ah Ran asks.

“Park So Eun.”

“So Eun. Let's be friends. If you have anything you need, come to me.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

The two of them continue to clear the table then go wash the dishes.

Hyun Woo is in his room dusting his antiques and admiring them when all of a sudden, he hears his phone ding. Hyun Woo puts down his antiques and rag before he walks over to his bed where his phone is lying. He picks up his phone and looks at the message that he received.

“I'm coming over,” Ji Hyun texts.

“I don't think it's the right time for that,” Hyun Woo texts back.

“Too late. I'm already at your front door.”

The doorbell rings and he knows immediately that Ji Hyun is at the door. Hyun Woo drops his phone on the bed and immediately runs downstairs. He goes to open the door, but his mother is already there.

“I just want to talk to Hyun Woo,” Ji Hyun says. She looks over Hyun Woo’s mother’s shoulder. “Hyun Woo,” she calls for him.

His mother turns around to see him standing behind her.

“Mom, I just have to talk to her for a little bit. I'll be right back,” Hyun Woo says.

He pulls Ji Hyun outside.

“What are you doing here,” he asks her. “You know my parents won't like it.”

“I miss you. I want to see you, I want to be in your arms,” she replies.

“I miss being with you too, but this isn't the right time to be doing this. We have to be patient in order for us to prove our love to my parents.”

“How long must I wait? You know I'm impatient.”

“My parents will be out of town in two weeks. In those two weeks, we can meet each other and gradually make my parents aware of our relationship.”

“Another two weeks? I've already been waiting for two weeks already. I can't wait another two weeks.”

“You have to in order for our relationship to go on.”

“Hyun Woo,” his mother shouts out. “Bring Ji Hyun inside.”

“Okay, mom,” he replies. “Be careful. My mom usually doesn't invite anyone inside.”

“Okay.”

Hyun Woo takes her inside and they sit on the couch with his mother. A few seconds later, Ah Ran walks in.

“You wanted to see me, mom,” Ah Ran says.

“Yes, please sit,” her mom replies.

Ah Ran sits next to Hyun Woo, and her mom smiles.

“Ji Hyun,” her mom starts. “This is Ah Ran Hyun Woo’s wife. Isn't she beautiful?”

“Well, yes. I guess,” Ji Hyun replies trying to be polite.

“You must be Hyun Woo’s friend,” Ah Ran says with a smile.

“Well, we're more than friends, but I guess you can say friends.” Ji Hyun avoids eye contact.

“Yeri,” her mom calls for the worker. “Please go bring in some snacks for us.”

“I'll go,” Ah Ran says.

She stands up and heads to the kitchen.

“Isn't she so nice,” her mom compliments. “I'm so glad I got Ah Ran as my daughter in law.”

Ji Hyun fakes a smile.

Ah Ran walks in with a tray of fruits and sets it on the coffee table in front of them.

“Enjoy,” Ah Ran says.

“Thank you, darling,” her mom compliments.

“You're welcome,” Ah Ran replies.

Her mom starts to eat. “You don't want to eat you three? The fruit is sweet and soft.”

Ah Ran picks up a fork and starts to eat.

Hyun Woo picks up a fork and hands it to Ji Hyun. She accepts it, and Hyun Woo picks up the last fork for him. Then Hyun Woo starts to eat.

“Ji Hyun,” her mom starts. “Why don't you come over more often. Maybe you can befriend my daughter in law.”

“Maybe,” Ji Hyun says. She sets the fork down. “I should get going.” Ji Hyun stands up, and Hyun Woo immediately stands up too.

“I'll see you out,” he says.

“Bye now,” his mom says.

Ji Hyun walks away with Hyun Woo following her.

“Is your mom trying to get rid of me by making me jealous of your so called wife,” Ji Hyun asks angry.

“Don't be mad,” Hyun Woo says. He hugs her from the behind. “You know my mother can be like that, but if we are patient, she will see, one day, that we’re meant for one another.”

“I know. Patience.”

She sighs and turns around. Ji Hyun wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a long deep kiss. She pulls away and bids him farewell.

“Since your mom has told me to come often, I will,” she says.

“You must be careful. Who knows what mom has up her sleeves,” Hyun Woo warns.

“I know. Bye.”

She hops into her car and drives off.

Hyun Soo marches in and looks for Ah Ran. He goes back to the living room, but Ah Ran and the platter of fruits are gone.

“She left for the kitchen,” his mom says.

“Thanks, mom,” he says.

Hyun Woo marches to the kitchen, but sees Ah Ran still making her way to it. He takes bigger steps to catch up to her, and when he does, he grabs her arm.

She gasps and holds onto the platter tightly, so the fruits don't fall off.

“We need to talk,” he says stern.

“Okay. Let me put this away,” she says.

He takes the platter away from her and sets it on the counter before he takes her hand again. He drags her to the back of the house where it's quiet and secluded.

“What do you want to talk about,” she asks pulling her hand away from his grip. She turns her side to him.

“Can you not act like that when Ji Hyun is here,” he asks.

“Like how?”

“Like the perfect daughter in law. Ji Hyun wants to make a good impression, so please turn it down a few notches when she is here next time.”

“Is it my fault that she can't make a good impression? I can't change the way I act. My parents raised me to be like this. I can't change overnight.”

“Can't you just do it for me? You don't want to be here anyway.”

“It's true that I don't want to be here, but I can't change. If you want to help her make a good impression, you do it for her next time.”

“Fine. I'll do it for her, so lay back.”

He marches away leaving her.

She rolls her eyes and goes back to work.

After a long day of work, Ah Ran heads to the bedroom. She hears the water in Hyun Woo’s bathroom running, so she knows that he's in the shower. Ah Ran quickly changes into her pajamas and lies in bed. Before she knows it, everything turns black.

Hyun Woo comes out wearing his navy blue pajamas. He is drying his damp hair with a black towel. Then, he notices that Ah Ran is already asleep on the bed. Hyun Woo ignores her and sets his bed. He lies down after he is done. Hyun Woo closes his eyes, but immediately opens them when he hears a thump. He sits up and looks at the bed, but Ah Ran is no longer there. He hears her groan, so he sits up and walks over to her side to see that she's lying on the ground.

“Are you an idiot,” he asks her. “Why did you fall off the bed?”

She sits up and groans in pain.

“I don't know,” she answers. “When I woke up, I was already here.”

She stands and climbs into bed again.

He scoffs and goes lie down again.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

A/N:First update!! I hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you for stopping by! Love you all very much!!!