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The Unwanted Bride

CHAPTER ONE

****HYOYEON’S POINT OF VIEW BEGINS****

When everyone hired had done their task, and the room had been emptied, leaving only me within four very ornate and polished walls, I plopped harshly onto the bed in such a position that I could see myself in the mirror.

I noticed that I disliked many things about myself. For example, the brush I was using looked too expensive as it brushed my long, dry, brunette hair. Stylists could only do so much in a short amount of time. Even my costly dress looked cheap, as it flung like a loose piece of cloth from my s down to my knees.

I contemplated running away like in the soap operas, making a grand exit before the groom even arrives, running away with my true lover. Too bad I didn’t have one. So I’d just be left running, without bound, but I decided to really consider what I was about to do.

Thinking to myself I realized that the idea of marrying Kris was not such a bad one. He was handsome, intelligent, composed and not to mention rich. I feigned disgust at the idea of this arranged marriage, but it wasn’t true. In actuality I welcomed it.

 Who could deny themselves a man with the appearance of a god?

Well, god or not, the man was beautiful.

He had the wild, unruly, dark-brown hair; a slim and poised body, and a look that was the very definition of rough and regal. To complement that body; he had a face that possessed a great degree of fairness and charm; the best combination for a man of his status.

In public he was a cool and eloquent figure, a persona bursting with confidence. But with a few, in closed corridors he was shallow and vain, specifically in my presence.

 I’ll admit I was a bit young to be getting married, only 22, but I certainly wasn’t going to deny me that right. Unfortunately, Kris did not feel the same way about me. He and his girlfriend had quite the relationship, I heard.

-flashback-

“She’s just a floozy. Just you wait Hyoyeon. It doesn’t take much to get rid of…how do I put it nicely?” Kris’s father didn’t continue what he was about to say, instead he shifted the topic.

“True love? Please, don’t make me laugh. Kris will marry you and that is that” His words made me uneasy. How in the world was he going to get two people in love to separate within days?

-end flashback-

Two days later, after my conversation with Mr. Wu, I found out Kris’s girlfriend had gotten paid good money to disappear. When Kris found out that Seohyun, his girlfriend at the time, had taken the bribe, he stormed off angry for a week and returned ready to accept the terms of our wedding.

There was a certain pleasure I had felt when Seohyun took the money and left Kris. Very happy because now I had a small chance with him and also because that fool had grown quite arrogant with me.

He was handsome and rich, true virtues in today’s world, but other than that I had no idea why I was even falling in love with him more every day.

Before today, we had actually gone out a couple of times, much to his dismay, and every single time he turned down my little signs of affection.  

He would flick my hand when I tried to reach for his face, he changed to topics he was sure I wouldn’t be interested in, he’d flirt with other women in front of me; a defense mechanism, I supposed, for keeping my advances at bay.

Regardless, I didn’t want to give up, maybe because he was the first and only man that had caused my heart to flutter like no one ever had. But I caused the exact opposite reaction in him, hatred probably.

He thought little of me.

Of course he would, my family had no presence or value to their name. For some reason or another, Kris’s father had been indebted to mine, and Kris was the prize to cover that debt.

 Anyways, as I said before, even if my heart had changed and I had fallen in love with Kris, there was still this little part of me that said not to go through with it all, but the dominant side shut it down immediately and went ahead with the wedding.

****HYOYEON’S POINT OF VIEW ENDS*** *

-8 hours later-

Hyoyeon sat at the edge of the bed, refreshed and changed into a very revealing gown, waiting. It had been almost 2 hours since they had arrived at their new home and Kris was nowhere to be found. He had directed her to the room and vanished far from the scope of her sight.

She paced back and fro in the room, noticing that not a piece of clothing from Kris’s wardrobe was present in their room. She plunged in her bed, looking across the mirror and started to practice or rather tried to seductively remove the strap of her pearl-white, silky gown; a gesture she was sure Kris would find appealing.

Just then Kris barged in.

“They forgot to take my lotions to my room.” He didn’t even glance at her.

He walked over to the drawers. He shoved a couple of small bottles into his right pocket and decided to look at the mirror; he caught a very eager Hyoyeon staring back at him.

He noticed her starting to pull down a strap of her gown, the strap slipping slowly down her shoulder. Through the mirror, Kris flashed a grin, filled with anger, rather than amusement.

He turned to her, smugness plastered all over his body as he walked closer to her sitting figure. He closed in on her, cheek against cheek, as Hyoyeon was hit with a wave of panic with the sudden realization that they were inches apart, in their bedroom- on the bed. It was finally going to happen and she was ready.

“Don’t get any ideas. You won’t get anything else out of this marriage.” He whispered nonchalantly, putting her gown strap back into place.

 He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Hyoyeon flinched slightly, as the wall shook from the impact.

That night, which was supposed to be the most special night of her life, she cried herself to sleep, alone and devastated in the confines of her empty bedroom. But the tears would not end there.

Hyoyeon woke up, her eyes red and puffy from so much crying. She felt uncomfortable as the sun brightly shined on her face, the heat irritating her skin further, thanks to the lack of moisturizers she could not afford before the marriage.

She turned to look at the clock on the table next to the bed.

“12 PM!” She shrieked. She got up quickly, did the bed, got dressed and ran down the stairs to have breakfast.

She sat on a large, mahogany table, neatly arranged to fit a family of six.

“Where is Kris?” She asked smiling at the personal available.

A woman, around 40 pulled out an envelope and handed it to Hyoyeon, “Maybe this will explain.”

Hyoyeon smiled at her and opened the letter. It read:

I had to take an urgent trip to California.

A business deal emerged. I don’t know when I’ll be back.

Take Care of the house.

-Kris

And that was it.

However, Hyoyeon being the illusive girl she was, scanned every inch of the paper for something extra she might have missed, but defeat settled on her face as she saw that nothing else was written on the letter. Hyoyeon pouted, but figured this would be the perfect time to fix herself up a little, and within the snap of a finger she was smiling brightly once again.

She had never been rich, constantly working job after job, barely making ends meet. Even with the help of her father, but that was all different now. Now she had an endless supply of funds thanks to Kris’s family business, a Textile company which had recently started to invest in the fashion industry. She didn’t need to worry about money ever again.

She thought about getting a hair job; going to a gym regularly to get fit; just to really pamper herself was her goal. She wanted to impress Kris when he returned.

* * *

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and no sign or trace of Kris; not even a lousy phone call. After the first month, Hyoyeon had grown depressive and angry; provoking her to fire the whole housekeeping and maintenance personnel, but not before making sure they found jobs elsewhere. This is how she ended by herself in the large terrain of her own home.

-2 years later-

“I’m sorry sir, it won’t happen again.” A man handed a bag to a tall and brooding figure, with unkempt,wavy blonde hair. He took the bag from the counter and walked away without so, much as a thank you.

“What incompetence; always losing my bags,” he muttered under his breath.

He took a taxi from the airport and arrived precisely at 9PM, in front of his familiar two-story estate house, Kris wondered what awaited him once he went inside.

He rang the doorbell three times, but no one answered. He took out a key and much to his surprise it still went in and unlocked the door.

Before he went in he stood melancholic and thought about his two years away. He had searched for Seohyun everywhere, but didn’t find her and gave up. He decided it wasn’t really true love he felt for her, but rather she posited a threat to his father’s plans for him and that made him eager to continue the relationship.

Still he didn’t want to return to his home, so to not lose time during his travels around the world he worked in other branches that belonged to his company. But a deal that would determine the future plans of the company forced him to return to Korea.

He went inside and froze at the entrance of the living room. He wondered many things at the moment.

What had become of his father? His personnel? and even less important to him, Hyoyeon?