Months passed before you tried again, with him still giving you hints like sitting next to you in class and glancing your way from time to time, you couldn’t help but feel like you should give him another chance, but this time with your words.

Light grey clouds filtered the sunlight as the temperature dropped around freezing, with a long day of school behind you as well as getting some help for a few of your subjects you headed outside to feel the cold air nip at your skin. Pulling your coat around you, you ran the zipper up to close the coat before digging your hands into your slightly warmed pockets.

Taking your time to walk across the courtyard of the school, you lifted your head up and glanced over to your right, seeing someone sitting alone on a metal bench. Slowing your steps, you focused your eyes as you quickly recognized the familiar figure as your crush.

Tilting your head slightly, you debated if you should go over or not, yet not seeing anyone else around, you headed over to him. Approaching him slowly, his eyes raised as you saw his reddened cheeks, the shells of his hears bitten with the cool air around him.

“Yes?” He questioned, his brown eyes meeting with yours as you stood there frozen in his presence.

“Y-You know that note that I wrote to you a few months ago?” You inquired, wondering if he even remembered.

“Your dared confession?” Kris questioned back as you nodded.

“It wasn’t dared” You told him honestly, “I really do like you Kris, I like you a lot. I have for two years now and I thought that you should know that even though you think that you don’t matter to anyone or no one likes you, I can reassure you that you matter to me and I have liked you a little more every single day since I have seen you those four hundred days ago.”

Kris’ gaze didn’t move from yours, frozen by your words, he leaned forward slightly as he slowly pulled his eyes away from yours.

“I just wanted to let you kn-” You whispered to round out your confession, yet he didn’t let you finish.

“No, this is why I don’t date anyone” His voice was firm as he spoke as he stood up from his spot on the bench, “The feelings aren’t mutual.”

“Why?” You blurted without control over your own words. Kris shook his head before he took a step or two before a word spilled from your lips, “Oppa?”

Listening to your words, he tried to bury his hands deeper into his pockets but finding the bottom, he couldn’t take it anymore as he stopped and looked at you in the eyes causing you to stop mid-sentence.

“You’re so annoying!” Kris quickly took his hands out of his pockets, “Leave me alone, please” He begged

“Opp-”

“I’m never going to love you, okay? Get over yourself, aish!” Kris hissed while his ice cold gaze stabbed your heart before dropping it off a building. Kris watched your eyes as you took a slight step back, knowing that it would take more for you to stop in your tracks, he ran his tongue over his lips as his eyes wandered for a moment.

“I can’t be seen with you; you will never be the prettiest girl in school. You may have the brains but you don’t have the body. You stalk me and make me feel uncomfortable, nothing flatters you, you are too nice and you try too hard. You aren’t my type and you never will be.” Kris blurted as you watched the rage boil in his eyes.

Walking off quickly, you slowly watched him leave as your head dropped, “Sorry… I was just being me…”

“No one will ever like you!” Kris called back loudly, hearing your soft voice as he walked away

“Sorry for being a burden” You whispered, lowering your gaze as hot tears rolled down your cheeks.

Feeling your knees go weak, you eased yourself down on the bench that Kris was originally sitting on, resting your head in your hands, you let the tears pool in your palms while your shoulders shook with sobs. Little did you know, Kris wasn’t too far from you. Standing behind one of the brick pillars of the front gate of the courtyard, he observed every tear that fell from your eyes, the heartbreak he caused you just from his words.

Turning around slowly, he began to walk home while you felt like a punch was planted in your stomach. Unwilling tears continued to form in your eyes as time ticked by slowly. With time you rose to your feet and began to make your way home.Your steps were slow and soft as you rounded the corner, your warm tears rolled down your cheeks one right after the other. Thinking to yourself about all of the time you spent on him, all of the drawings you had made of him, all of those thoughts and ideas that you daydreamed about him were now ashes from a burnt out fire, one that was never able to rekindle again.

Continuing your journey home, your mind churned, moving across the sidewalk like a zombie, your emotions ran rampant within you. While his words echoed within your head more tears rolled down your cheeks as the blocks you walked from your house to school didn’t seem like enough time to yourself.

Quickly wiping away your tears, you pulled your keys out of your pocket before sliding them into the lock and turning the handle. Pushing open the door, the heat from inside moved over your cold kissed skin. Closing the door behind you, you slipped off your shoes and began to make your way upstairs to your bedroom.

“Oh sweetie, you are here” Your mother rounded the corner with a smile as she hung onto the banister while watching you continue to climb the stairs. “Can you come down after you put your things away? Your father and I have something we want to talk to you about.”

“Sure” Your one worded answer was all you could whisper without your voice sounding like you had just been crying.

Making it up to your room, you closed the door and changed from your uniform to comfy sweat pants and a large hoodie. Unpacking your backpack slowly, you dreaded heading back downstairs but after a few minutes and your eyes now back to normal, you emerged from your safe haven and trotted down the stairs. Heading into your father’s den, your mother stood next to your father behind his large desk while you quietly opened and closed the door behind you. Your father pointed to the chair across the desk from him as you slowly padded over and took your seat.

“We have some news to tell you, but before we tell you know there is no way out of this, the contract is binded through the law and this agreement was set up a long time ago.” Your father started as you began to feel an odd feeling settle in your gut.

Your mother handed you a picture of a young man as your eyes scanned the picture closely.

“W-Who’s this?” You questioned taking the picture from your mother’s grasp.

“Your future husband” Your mother smiled as she went back to your father and joined his side once again.

“This isn’t the band member I wanted” You playfully joked knowing that upstairs your walls were plastered with kpop boy bands and your list of biases on every birthday and christmas list.

“You are arranged to be married, he is coming over soon. Please go get decent” Your father lifted his hand commanding you to leave as you stood up, tossed the photo on his desk before you stormed out of his office.

Stomping your feet with every step on your way up the stairs, you couldn’t believe that this was happening, that you were already engaged before you graduated. Making it up to your room, you slammed the door behind you as you had a moment or two to yourself before you heard a knock on your door.

“Go away” You told whoever was outside as you plopped yourself down on your bed, taking a pillow into your arms, burying your head into the soft pillow, more tears fell from your eyes, blotting your pillow with small wet spots.

“You do need to get ready, they are on their way” Your mother poked her head in through the door as you shook your head.

“I’m not meeting them” You told her blunty

“So you would rather meet your husband on the day of your wedding than now?” She questioned closing your door behind her before she began to look through your closet to find something decent to wear.

“No, I don’t want to meet him at all…” Your words trailed off, becoming muffled by the pillow while you watched your mom pull out an outfit that didn’t reflect you or your style at all.

“Please get changed into this” She begged, hanging the outfit on the back of your chair. Walking out of your room, she closed the door quietly as you turned towards the wall wondering how this day could get any worse.

After a little while, the doorbell rang as you heard voices carry up to your room. Figuring that sitting through this would be less of a punishment than the one you would get for not showing up, you pulled on some ripped jeans but keeping your large hoodie on, you headed downstairs, happy about your comfy fall look.

Emerging from your room, you carefully peered down to see two adults standing on either side of a young man, trying to get a look at him before giving away your position, you carefully took a step but a floorboard caused your father to lift his eyes.

“There she is” He smiled as he gestured with his head for you to come downstairs.

Slowly walking down the stairs, you kept your eyes down before you made it to the bottom of the stairs.

“______ this is Mr. and Mrs. Kyun and their son Graeson” Your mother introduced as you bowed to them, avoiding eye contact.

“Shall we head in and have some tea together?” Your father offered as everyone nodded, you followed behind them quietly as your hands clasped in front of you.

Watching the elders sit down, you sat on the edge of the couch between your parents as you leaned forward and picked up the tea kettle, serving everyone around the table, your father hissed at your manners as you allowed your sleeves to cover your wrists rather than them being seen.

Everyone talked for a little bit as you sat there quietly listening to the conversation of their son’s accomplishments before the conversation turned from you and Graeson to the wedding.

“Before we get too far into this, Graeson has something he wants to say” His mother rubbed her hand along his back as your mother pushed you to your feet having you both stand to the side.

Graeson met you, with his slightly taller yet slender form, his hair carefully covered his dark brown eyes before his hand pulled out something from his pocket.

“Will you be my bride, _______?” Graeson got down on one knee as you stepped back.

Knowing what your parents wanted you to say and what you really wanted to say, you took a deep breath and nodded your head, feeling obligated to agree to your parents’ wishes.

Graeson slid a ring onto your finger as the parents all clapped and happily celebrated the engagement of their children. Graeson slid his hand into yours as his warm nervous hand lightly held onto yours. Taking your seat next to each other the two of you listened to the parents talk about the wedding plans and ideas as your eyes dropped down to take in the ring wrapped around your finger.