[Ji Eun’s POV]

The moment I looked at my parents’ faces, I knew something was up. The moment I stepped into the house that day, I knew something serious was going to happen and it was all about me. But as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t do anything wrong that day. I don’t think I’m ready for whatever it might be.

Here I was, sitting in the living room in the best dress I could find with my parents and my ‘special guest’. They have been friends for so long, or so I thought. I fidgeted uncomfortably in my seat while trying to take a glance at the elder couple sitting in front of me. They were happily chatting with my parents while sipping their teas.

“She grew up to be a pretty girl. I remember the last time I saw her, she was just a little girl. The cuteness is still there though.” The elder woman, Mrs. Jung Misun if I’m not mistaken, commented while smiling at me. I smiled back in return, not meaning to be rude.

What was their real reason here? As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never met them my whole life. Hmm… Jung. Have I ever met a Jung before?

As I was deep in thoughts, Mr. Jung spoke. “I guess it’s settled then. We will see each other again.” The couple stood up and bid goodbye.

Before leaving, Mrs. Jung did something that shocked me. She hugged me and caressed my cheeks while mumbling, “I’m glad we chose you.”

Well, that’s confusing. They chose me? For what? I stared at my parents, hoping for an answer, but they just smiled in return.

A few minutes after they left, I can still faintly feel the warmth of Mrs. Jung’s hug just now. It was a simple gesture to others, but to me it was different. My mother never hugged me. She is different than any other mothers out there. She told everyone that she cared for her children. But honestly as her child, I have never felt that care.

That night, the news that my parents informed me really shocked me. I didn’t believe it at first, but once they showed me the ring, I totally went speechless. I always knew my life was arranged. From the moment I was able to walk and talk, I’ve been told to follow a set of rules. Everything was arranged.

On one side, I’m glad of those arrangements. I was the smartest out of my siblings and I’m thankful for that. But on the other side, I could say I hate them. My friends call me the naïve and innocent. I was like a robot, programmed to follow my parents orders and to never break them. Due to this, I couldn’t even make a simple decision since I’m used to everything being arranged.

I felt the cold metal against my skin as dad slipped the ring to my finger. He smiled at me, a mix of guilt and happiness clearly seen while my mom was smiling from ear to ear, seeing ‘it’ sparkle on my finger.

“See! I knew it would fit perfectly!” she exclaimed.

“B-but dad, mom, why? Aren’t I too young to get married?” I asked curiously as more questions popped in my head.

I tried hard to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. “I haven’t even finished school…”

“Lee Ji Eun, we’re your parents. Do not question our decisions. We know what’s best for you.” My mom scowled and glared before leaving my room. I looked up to my dad with teary eyes. Is this how my life is going to end up?

He sat beside me and patted my head softly. “Don’t worry Ji Eun-ah, he’s a good man. I’m sure he will take good care of you. Trust me.” He assured me and wipe the tears falling from my cheeks.

Trust me. Those two words from my dad made me feel a little relieved. I trust my dad and his words. He never disappoints me with his words. Looks like I have no choice but to… agree.

But getting married to a stranger is probably like a living nightmare. I don’t even know his name, much less meet him in person. The most important thing right now is, will he able to accept me for who I am regardless of who I am? Will I able to accept him as my husband regardless of who he is? Who the hell is he anyway?

The next day, Ayumi came over for a project work. I couldn’t focus on our task as I kept thinking of what happened yesterday. It was really unexpected and I didn’t even know how to properly react to the situation. I cried in bed all night.

Ayumi noticed my silence and nudged me, “Yah, kwenchana? You’re spacing out just now.” She asked, concerned.

Ayumi was my best friend since kindergarten. She knows everything about me. From my family issues to my feelings. She could even guess what I was feeling by just reading my expressions. I couldn’t help my tears from forming when she looked at me in that concerned face.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything.” Ayumi smiled understandingly while squeezing my hand, noticing my puffy eyes.

“I-I’m engaged…” I sobbed as she widened her eyes in disbelieve. Before she could ask further, I raised my hand, showing her the ring. Her expression was unreadable.

“E-engage? As in going to be married to someone?” she asked, confirming my statement as I nodded weakly.

“Ok, this is freaky. I know you’re parents are weird, but this?!” Ayumi yelped while examining the ring. “From the looks of it, he may be rich. Who is he?” she asked.

I shook my head in response. “I don’t know. I’ve only met his parents and I don’t even know how he looks like.” I replied while wiping away my tears.

“I can’t believe you agreed to this?! Are you crazy? Ji Eun-ah, you’re marrying a stranger!” Ayumi yelled, startling me a little. She frantically shook my shoulders for an answer.

“You know I can’t say no to my mom. Besides, they’ve arranged this before I was born.” I explained the situation to her.

“As expected from the ever obedient Lee Ji Eun.” Ayumi sighed in defeat.

“Ayumi-ah, promise me you’ll keep this a secret. It’s not the time for everyone to know yet.” I pleaded her.

Being an understanding friend that she is, Ayumi nodded and sigh heavily. Knowing that there’s nothing she could do to change it now.

We stayed in silence for a while before I spoke. “Do you think… I should run away?” I was beginning to have second thoughts.

“What!! Ji Eun-ah, as much as I’m disappointed about this, you can’t do such a stupid thing!”

“Then, what do you suggest I should do? I don’t want to marry a stranger…”

“Just… uhm well… Ji Eun-ah, running away won’t solve this problem, it’ll only make it worse.”

“I know…”

“B-but what if he’s a bad guy?” I spoke again after a moment of silence. “I’m scared…” I sobbed harder, listening to my own statement.

Ayumi stayed speechless, not knowing what to do to help me. She pulled me into a hug, comforting me until I stopped crying.

“Aish, I can’t believe you’re getting married before I do!” Ayumi joked, lightening the tense atmosphere which I replied with a small smile. “But look on the bright side, he may be super nice and handsome!” Ayumi giggled excitedly.

Talk about mood swings, that’s Ayumi. She can change her emotions in just a split second. I smiled at her typical behaviour. But I hoped what she said would be true. If he’s nice, at least getting an arranged marriage won’t be so bad after all.

 another chapter updated! how is it so far? i hope you enjoyed it. you can ask me if there's any confusion.

and BTW for some who might ask, Ji Eun is a senior in high school. she's supposedly 18 years old (turning 19 soon hopefully) while Yunho is 24 years old. that's about 6 years of age difference right?

constructive comments are welcome! thanks for those who subscribed! <3