The sun is up and so is Minji; hearing the sound of running water from Seokjin's private bathroom, indicating that he is taking a shower. At that moment, there is knock at the door. "Who is it?" Minji asks, climbing out of bed and heading over to answer the door. Opening the bedroom door, she is greeted by a sweaty and tired Hoseok. "Morning, Minji." he replies, with a bright smile, "Did you have a good sleep?" "Yes, but you look so—" she replies, in a questionable tone. "Ah~! Seokjin and I just went for a morning jog and I came to see if he's out of the shower yet." "Hoseok?!" Seokjin exclaims, coming out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, "Didn't I tell you to use your own shower last time?" Minji turns to look at Seokjin, but quickly turns away in embarrassment, not realizing that she's blushing. Hoseok catches this reaction and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Yah Kim Seokjin!" he replies, "I think you should hurry and dress up because your wife is turning red." "Well I can't change with you and the door wide open now can I, Hoseok?" Seokjin explains. "Right~" Once Hoseok has left for his room, Minji immediately closes the door and locks it for Seokjin's sake; but is soon trapped between a half- Seokjin and the door the moment she turns around.

"Seokjin-sshi?" she asks, trying her best not to look at his face. "What?" he asks, "I can't look at my wife's beautiful morning face." "It's not like—" Minji replies, lifting up her head from the ground. 'Was he always this good-looking?' she thought to herself, 'Not saying that he wasn't good-looking before, but man....did I really hit the jackpot with this guy?' Seokjin slowly began to get closer and closer to Minji's face, in hope that he could steal a morning kiss from her; however, it was interrupted by Mr. Han knocking on the door. "Prince Seokjin," he replies, "breakfast is waiting for you and Miss Kim in the dining area; please make it on time." 'God damn it!' Seokjin thought to himself, 'Why did you have to come at a good time, Mr. Han?!' "Seokjin-sshi, I need to use the bathroom." Minji replies. "I forgot." he replies, backing away from her, "If you need anything, just yell through the door." Minji nods and hurries into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. 'Was Seokjin trying to give me a morning kiss?' she thought. Minji shook the thought out of her head and began to wash up for breakfast. Roughly twenty minutes later, she comes out in a white robe and a towel over her head; meanwhile walking over to the nightstand, Minji sees a note that says:

I'll be waiting in the dining room for you.
I already had my servants pick out your outfit for the day.
So take your time, no rushing.

Unconsciously, she lit up with a smile and thinking to herself, 'That's so sweet of him.' And doing so, Minji puts on the outfit that Seokjin had prepared for her and began making her way to the dining room.

Using her gut's instinct, Minji has found the massive dining room; however, she didn't expect Seokjin jumps out of nowhere and scares the hell out of her. "Yah!" she shouted, hitting him, "Don't scare me like that." "Can't you take a joke in the morning, Minji-sshi?" Seokjin asks, jokingly. Minji hits him once more and attempts to leave, but Seokjin pulls her into a back hug. "Seokjin-sshi!" Minji exclaims, trying to break free, "Seokjin-sshi!!" "I'm hugging my wife." he replies, resting his chin on her right shoulder, "What's so wrong about that?" "Well I don't like joking around." she explains, "What if someone—" "Omo!" exclaims Seokjin's omma, who had just arrived, "Isn't it too early to be cuddling with each other?" The two immediately separate from each other and couldn't bare to look into one another's eyes. "Well, don't just stand there." his omma replies, "Let's eat breakfast together."

Finishing up breakfast, Seokjin's omma then asks, "Are you still in school, my dear?" "Me?" Minji asks, with a surprised look. "Who else would I be asking?" "I'm in my third year of college, your—" "You don't need to address me as your Highness or Majesty." Seokjin's omma explains, "Just call me omma; I'm fine with just that." "I'm in my third year of college, omma." Minji replies, rephrasing her sentence without any hesitation."Do you attend a private or public college?" asks Seokjin's abeoji, who enters the dining room. "Public." Minji responds."I would like you to study from home." he replies, once taking his seat, "I don't want the public to know about your pregnancy with my son and it'll   be easier for us to keep an eye on you." Minji nods slowly, while trying to understand the situation. "Are you ready to see your parents, Minji?" Seokjin asks, getting up from his seat, "If you are, I'll tell Mr. Han to—" "What's the rush, Seokjin?" asks his omma, "Why do you two need to see her parents?" "Personal reasons, omma." Seokjin explains, walking over to Minji and places his hands on her shoulders, "Just personal reasons."

Minji continiously looks at Seokjin as he's driving the car. 'He looks even more handsome in casual clothes.' she thought to herself, 'But I feel bad for—' "If you think that my old man is upset with me," Seokjin replies, interrupting her train of thought, "I'm just telling you that he's fine with me not being involved with our family business."

"Why?" Minji asks, "Aren't you suppose to be taking over after your abeoji when he retires?"
"He won't be retiring any time soon, Minji-sshi."

Then, it finally hits her. "Why are we visiting my parents again?" she suddenly asks. "I wanna know the truth of why they called my parents." he explains, "Your parents should know about the marriage contract that I had planned." They soon arrive to Minji's house; however, are greeted by landlord, who so happens to be waiting for someone. Minji immediately climbs out of the vehicle once Seokjin pulled up to stop and walks over to ask, "Is someting wrong, ju-in?" "Where are your parents, Minji-sshi?" she asks, angrily, "Do you know that they are in debt?" "Debt?" Minji asks, "My parents can't be in debt; there must be a misunderstanding, ju-in." "Not from this." the landlord replies, handing Minji a written letter from her parents as Seokjin is walking up to them. Minji reads it aloud:

To whom it may concern,

we have left everything behind to pay for the remaining payment on this home. And we begged that whoever is reading
this letter right now to not contact us or try to find us.
Please don't tell our daughter, Kim Minji, about our disappearance for we are afraid that she will abandon
her new chapter in life to look for us. We only wish her the best of luck with our son-in-law and our soon-to-be grandchild.

We are sorry for leaving you, Minji; we never intended to do this to you and our grandchild, but it was the only choice for us to hand you over to Seokjin-sshi.
Don't be upset with us; continue to be happy even without us.

Love,
Omma and Abeoji

"They ran away?!" she exclaims, looking at Seokjin. He takes a look at the letter and is shocked as well. 'Is that why they called my parents over here?' Seokjin thought, 'They didn't want Minji to suffer with their debt.' Returning to the vehicle, Seokjin lets out a heavy sigh and looks at Minji, who is still traumatized by her parents' disappearance. "Minji-sshi?" he asks. "I can't believe it." she replies, "I can't believe that my parents were in debt."

"I'm sure they wouldn't blame you, Minji, they did what
they could to keep you from—"
"They are still my parents!! I am still their beloved daughter, no matter what."
"And I will be there for you." Seokjin replies.

Minji turns to look at Seokjin and asks, "What?" "Your parents are putting their trust in me." he explains, holding onto her left hand, "They probably didn't have any other choice." Without any warning, Seokjin leans over with his left hand and gently place it over Minji's stomach, leaving it there for a minute or two. "Daddy promise that he will find your halmeoni and halabeoji." Seokjin replies, talking to her womb, "Daddy promise that he will not make mommy upset and daddy promise to make mommy happy every single day."

Once noon came around, Seokjin decides to take Minji out for lunch instead of heading back to the mansion. "This is one of my favorite food joints." Seokjin explains, as their waitress hands out their menu, "Pick as much as you can." Minji opens up the menu book and was shocked by the expensive prices. "Why don't you pick, Seokjin-sshi?" she asks, closing the menu book and placing it on the table, "I don't really know how to—"

"I would like to order two of the chicken caesar salad, one medium-rare steak
and one well-done steak, and two glasses of water."
"We'll have it right out then, your Highness."

After she has left the table, Minji then asks, "How come you didn't tell Hoseok about your whereabouts?" "I was just worried that he would get in our way." he replies, without hesitation, "He can be a pain in the ....sometimes." "But he's so sweet and kind." "But he's annoying." "But a pain in the ."

Finishing up lunch, the two decide it is time to head back home. Pulling up to the driveway, Hoseok immediately comes up to the driver's window, hitting it rapidly. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Seokjin exclaims, as he is rolling down the window. "Why weren't you at the company?" Hoseok asks, while catching his breath.

"Because I had errands to do with Minji." he explains,
"I don't need you to follow me everywhere, Hoseok."
"But it's my duty!"
"Hoseok-sshi," Minji replies,
"I can promise you that we're fine."
"But—"
"Minji is tired from trip." Seokjin cuts off,
"She needs to rest."

Hoseok eventually steps away from the vehicle and waits for Seokjin and Minji to come out. "You know what His Majesty is gonna say, right?" Hoseok asks. "I've already told them where we were going." Seokjin explains, handing him the key, "They're already aware; now park the car." Hoseok stop in his tracks, looks back at the car, looks back at Seokjin and then the car again. "Damn it." he says, under his breath. Entering the mansion, Mr. Han and Mrs. Chung come to greet the two. "Miss Kim," Mr. Han replies, "we've prepared your bedroom down the hall; Mrs. Chung can take you there." "Right this way, madam." Mrs. Chung replies. Minji nods and follows after Mrs. Chung to the guest bedroom. As Seokjin heads upstair, his abeoji walks through the front door and replies, "Mr. Han, prepare some tea right away; I have to talk with my son in the office." "Yes, sir." Mr. Han answers, and heads into the kitchen. Seokjin turns his head in the direction of his abeoji and can only know what he's about to say.

Once he and his abeoji have settle in the office, Mr. Han comes in with a teapot and two tea cups. "That will be all, Mr. Han." Seokjin's abeoji replies, dismissing him from the office. Watching his abeoji pour tea into one of the tea cups, Seokjin asks, "Why did you call me in here?" "What are your plans with that Kim Minji?" his abeoji asks, "Don't tell me that you're planning to—."

"Abeoji, you and omma made a mistake in the past and had
halmeoni accept your sin; why can't you accept my sin?"
"Both our mistakes are different from each other, my son."
"How are they different?" Seokjin retorts, "We both got
them pregnant in the end."
"Your mother is a woman with class." his abeoji explains,
"Kim Minji is a woman without class."

Seokjin roll his eyes at his abeoji's stubborn response. "I can't let her live on her own!" he exclaims, getting up from his seat, "She can't live on her own anymore; I'm her only hope!" "Then what do you plan to do, my son?" his abeoji asks, "I can't have you and that girl ruin our family's name and face to the public; the only solution is—" "She is staying here no matter what!" Seokjin exclaims, "Kim Minji will be my one and only wife, according to our marriage contract." "What marriage contract?" he asks, "Why haven't I heard about this?" "You don't need to worry about that, abeoji; but I vow to protect Minji from you even if I have to dig my own grave."

• • [ end of chapter three] • •