What would you do if you could see how much time you have left?

Where would you go? Who would you kiss? What would you do differently?

Would it change anything? Would it change you?

Would it be a gift or a curse to know how much time you have left?

Ong Sungkyung has a special ability; she can see the lifespan clocks of everyone except her own. However, she doesn’t know the exact way people die, she only knows the amount of time they have left. She can see the years, days, hours, minutes and seconds ticking. The lifespan clocks are usually visible for her even without carefully examining a person from head to toe, they are usually placed on others’ arms, necks or temples. She doesn’t know why she has such an ability, she only knows that ever since her grandmother died when she was only six, she can see the lifespan clocks of everyone around her.

Not only was she able to see the clocks but she was also a chaebol who was supposed to marry a boy her age, someone she had never met before. Even though it shouldn’t have come as a surprise since arranged marriages were prominently common among chaebols, she wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of marrying someone she was forced to marry.

“Your marriage with the son of Kim Kyusoo is the easiest way to seal a deal with his company. It’s the most beneficial offer we’ve ever received by someone as powerful as Kyusoo himself, so there’s nothing to discuss. You’ll marry his son and we’ll get the final push we need to become known in other parts of Asia,” Sungkyung’s father stated sternly, his expression indicating that he wouldn’t take anyone else’s opinion into consideration.

The Ongs owned the Lu Group which consisted of the Lu Hotels and Lu Tours, Lu as the Chinese Prosperity Symbol showcasing that those who ever wish to stay in one of the magnificent and well-equipped hotels or take part in a once-in-a-lifetime activity that was organised by Lu Tours wouldn’t leave with regrets – and with a lot of money. The right, to be precise the obligation, to be a part of Lu Group was passed down from father to son, leaving the female members of the family with no choice but to contribute to the successful business in only one way; by marrying someone who would make the breadwinner content and the company even more prosperous. Considering that Sungkyung was an only child and she was a girl, she had no other choice but to marry Mr Kim’s only son.

The Kims – currently managed by Kim Kyusoo himself – had a similar family-owned business but their two main sources of income weren’t related to super fancy hotels, nor overly expensive free-time activities. They managed a five-star restaurant chain all around Asia and they had previously launched their new project – the Kimstetic Café that would offer special types of café from all around the world while being served in a modern, aesthetic environment where the visitors would even have the chance to buy their favourite flavours. As it was a chaebol business, the prices were also aimed at the wealthiest families.

That being said, a possible business deal was supposed to be prominently beneficial for both families. Lu Group would finally have the chance to break into the market outside Korea and the Kims would make themselves known by being the official restaurant of the Lu Hotels.

Despite the fact that Sungkyung was only 20 years old, age didn’t matter when it came to chaebols’ arranged marriages. It wasn’t a question if she wants to prolong the marriage because it needed to happen as soon as possible. She didn’t know the exact reason but the Kims were impatient and some rumours had already spread about a possible life-threatening disease of the eldest Kim which would lead to a drop in their stock market investments.

That’s the reason Ong Sungkyung found herself in one of the five-star restaurants ‒ owned by the Kims ‒ with her mother on her left and her father on the right. A separated dining area was set up for the two families to meet each other and to talk about further business details. It was supposed to be the engagement dinner but Sungkyung found it pathetic considering that it would be a first time she meets the Kims’ only son. Of course, she had seen pictures of the boy, but she was very well aware that photos were never reliable. Plus, Kim Youngkyun was almost like a shadow; even if she found any photos of him, those were either blurry or he was captured in an angle that made it questionable if he was the one who was portrayed.

While they were waiting for the other family to arrive, Sungkyung gently tapped on the thin material of her dress to make her anxiety go away. Though everything got worse when she averted her eyes from the colourful vase in the middle of table to her mother’s face. Her mother’s lifespan clock was constantly ticking.

31 years 14 days 8 hours 17 minutes 54 seconds.

31 years 14 days 8 hours 17 minutes 53 seconds.

31 years 14 days 8 hours 17 minutes 52 seconds.

She gulped as she examined her mother’s vigorous features; the stern line of her full, magenta-coloured lips, the sharpness of her jawline and the way her straight locks seemed perfectly identical as they covered her back just like an obsidian-black waterfall.

Her mother immediately sensed her attention and slowly turned her head to face her. She blushed deeply when their eyes met.

“Is everything okay, honey?” her mother raised a suspicious eyebrow in question, her tone not leaving room for any kind of disapproval. She wanted this night to be perfect, to be drama-free. She couldn’t let Sungkyung – or anyone else for that matter – ruin it after so much organizing. The engagement dinner needed to be a success.

“Yes, mother.” She nodded absent-mindedly as she tried to gulp down her nervousness. A sudden jolt of giddiness rushed through her as she looked at the grandiose clock on the wall, realizing that only five minutes were left until she would meet her future husband. No matter the resentment that covered her heart like a spider web, she was still a tad bit curious.

“Good.” Her mother patted her shoulder without anything that could have been considered gentleness. “This night needs to be perfect.”

Sungkyung hated the word perfect. You need to be perfect. You need to wear perfect clothes. You need to look perfect. You need to attend the perfect school. You need to behave perfectly. Perfect, perfect, perfect… that was all she heard while she was growing up. In a household where stock exchanges, interest rates and family reputations were the only things that mattered, there was no room for emotions and care. She quickly realized that if she says something inappropriate, wears anything less than perfect or makes friends with anyone of a lower-class, she will be punished for her actions.

She was an Ong, so she needed to act like one.

“Oh look! They are here,” her mother announced with a slightly raised brow, a satisfied smile slowly making its way onto her magenta-coloured lips. She looked as if the arrival of the Kims had been the single most fascinating event she had been waiting for ever since she was forced to marry Ong Kihyun.

There was no grand entrance, no missed heartbeat and no Prince Charming on a white horse when the Kims entered the dining room. If anything, everything seemed to freeze as the atmosphere got heavy with the belittling look of the elder Kim and the overly fancy accessories on Mrs Kim. Nevertheless, they didn’t look out of place, in fact it was their son, Youngkyun, who was the odd one out. He wore an elegant black and white tuxedo with charcoal capri pants and leather dress shoes, the dominance of the dark colours emphasizing the depth of his jade-black orbs incredibly well, the fine material of his outfit fitting as if it had been another layer of skin on him. The most peculiar feature about him was his hair; his chestnut-brown locks were longer than any other male’s Sungkyung had ever seen because chaebol males used to cut their hair pretty short and style it simply. She couldn’t imagine how Mr Kim could let him grow his hair to such a length, but he must have had a reason for it. Or Youngkyun was adamant not to let anyone cut his hair. Either way, Sungkyung was a bit dumbfounded at the sight.

Besides, Youngkyun’s whole presence gave of a somewhat cold vibe, but it wasn’t because he seemed intimidating, it was more like because he seemed indifferent. His emotions were well hidden under the stern façade like a pearl on the bottom of a magic lake, waiting to be found and opened. His orbs were deep like the Pacific Ocean and vast like a dark and smoke-filled tunnel with no light in sight. His thin, chapped lips looked like mere objects on the canvas of his face, without purpose and without life.

It looked like he hadn’t smiled for a long time.

“Shake hands with him!” Sungkyung’s father suddenly nudged her shoulder, impatience dripping off his words.

She suddenly woke from her trans, trying to come back to her senses as the two families greeted each other with bows and forced small talks. When it was time for the two of them to meet, they both stared at each other without giving a word.

Hearing her father’s words which were more likely a command, Sungkyung held out her hand as confidently as possible. Youngkyun stared at her for a good second, his eyes piercing a hole through her heart, his gaze as intense as if she had been in the middle of a burning lava.

Then, he shook hands with her as expected ‒ merely as an act of courtesy. Sungkyung didn’t need to read his mind to know that he shouldn’t have done anything like this if it weren’t for the pressure of their parents. As soon as he held out his right hand, she could see the lifespan clock on his wrist.

56 years 210 days 13 hours 44 minutes 38 seconds

She casted another glance at the numbers, just to make sure that she could see them right, but Kim Youngkyun sure had a long life to live. Sungkyung didn’t know if it was a bad thing or not considering how lifeless the young boy looked. For someone his age, even if he was a chaebol who was restricted in many areas of his life, he should have at least spared her a smile. Yet, she didn’t even get a second glance when the boy tore his hand away after their handshake.

That’s when Sungkyung’s heart missed a beat. She felt her stomach drop in disbelief, her eyes widening at the extraordinary and unfamiliar sight. The blood in her veins was pumping hard, small wonder she could feel her whole body reacting to the sudden sensation.

After so many years of wondering why she couldn’t see the time she had left, why her lifespan clock was the only one she couldn’t find, she was dumbfounded. Because the moment Youngkyun let go of her, she could see it.

She could finally see her own lifespan clock on her wrist.

She could hear it ticking.

She could see how much time she had left.

77 days 22 hours 53 minutes 19 seconds

Sungkyung was in conflict. She couldn’t quite process what had just happened and she doubted that it was even real, she thought that she was merely hallucinating. She didn’t want to believe that she saw the clock only now, only when she was at the engagement dinner with the Kims. Only when she met Kim Youngkyun.

On top of that, she didn’t want to believe that she had only two months left, nothing more. On the other hand, the clocks were always right, they never deceived her. Even if she attempted to save people when she saw the dangerously small amount of time on their body, they died anyway. For instance, if she thought she could save them them from an accident, they died of a sudden heart attack. She couldn’t deceive death.

The ticking sound of her clock was louder than she had expected. Maybe it was because she was so startled, but she couldn’t hear anything except the ticking of her clock. It was an alluring, a dangerously alluring melody that both frightened and reassured her. How was she supposed to live her life knowing that she had so little time left? How was she supposed to marry Youngkyun and contribute to the prosperity of her family’s business? Was she perhaps sick? Was there something she didn’t know of? Did she have stage IV. cancer? Or would she merely fall victim to the evil plans of fate and destiny?

Sungkyung felt like she was about to faint. The world started spinning around her as tears were already prickling her eyes. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, and she wanted to leave everything behind. She wanted to get rid of those ridiculous lifespan clocks to finally live her life in peace – at least what was left of it. She wanted to get up from the table and never look back. How could she stay playing the good little Ong girl when she had just learned that she was going to die in two months’ time? Now she knew how everyone who received such news must have felt. She felt as if her life had been a glass-bead which was suddenly knocked out of her hands and she couldn’t help but to watch it fall to the ground, breaking into tiny little pieces.

Sungkyun’s father’s voice was the one that brought her back to reality.

 “Shall we begin our engagement dinner now?”

His question was followed by approving humming and nods, thus both families swiftly sat down at the desk. As expected, she was seated face-to-face with her future husband about whom she couldn’t care less at the moment.

No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t concentrate on anything the others around her were saying. Maybe they talked something about her moving into a new house with Youngkyun but she wasn’t sure. Through the coughs of the elder Kim and the nudges of her father, there was only thing she could think about; her time and the fact that she was able to see her lifespan clock ever since she shook hands with Kim Youngkyun.

What was he to trigger something like this? Why would she start seeing her clock because of him? Most important of all, what would happen next if they kept on spending time together? What kind of power Youngkyun acquired to flip her world upside down with only a touch of his hand? Who was he?

The rest of the night was a blur to Sungkyung. She was there physically but she felt as if she had seen everything from an outsider’s perspective. Even if she tried to join a conversation or to think about anything else besides her lifespan clock, her eyes always went back to her wrist.

77 days 19 hours 50 minutes 33 seconds

That’s how much time she had left. She didn’t know yet if it was a gift or a curse that she knew it and that she was supposed to spend the rest of her days with Kim Youngkyun, her fiancé.

It turned out that Youngkyun’s life was way more glorious than she had expected.

At least, at first it seemed that having a whole house – which resembled a mansion in Sungkyung’s opinion – to himself at the age of 20 was enviable. He lived in a totally different district than his parents, far away from the constant business deals and the unnecessary reprimanding. As he was supposed to take over his father’s company one day, he was studying International Business at university, learning Chinese, Japanese and English at the same time, while still attending the fancy, chaebol events he was obligated to attend. It was common among the wealthiest families in Korea; you go where your parents go. If they have to show up for a wedding, you go as their adorable and beautiful daughter or their irresistible and gorgeous son. Your presence covers up the fact that your parents didn’t even want to come in the first place.

However, after she got to know more about Youngkyun and his family, not everything seemed so glorious anymore.

As females never faced equality among chaebols, Sungkyung was also the one who had to give up more for the marriage. She was also studying but her focus was on Marketing. As her father wished, she didn’t attend her classes in person, she rather took online classes, so that she wouldn’t have to miss out on anything important (or labelled as important by her father). It wasn’t inconvenient though. She could work out her own schedule and experiment with different studying methods, thus she was even more efficient than she was during her high school years.

Nevertheless, she was the one who had to make the preparations for the wedding and she was also the one who had to move houses. No matter how nerve-wrecking it seemed to live under the same roof with a complete stranger, Sungkyung had no say in the matter. Her destiny was calling, this is what she was always supposed to do; to marry a rich man and to help grow her father’s company. The moment she was born, her fate was sealed.

As expected, the first day was the most difficult. The moment she arrived at Youngkyun’s mansion, she was welcomed by a tall, lanky man who introduced himself as the boy’s personal assistant by the name Lee Jaeyoon.

“Youngkyun is in his own room now. I’ll let him know that you are here, Miss Ong.” He bowed deeply, his sense of courtesy making the girl smile.

“Sungkyung is fine,” she suggested wholeheartedly as she tried to clear the unnecessary tension in the air. One of the things she hated about being a chaebol was the fact that most people tiptoed around her because they didn’t want to receive criticism concerning their behaviour. However, that only led to awkward silences and forced smiles. “I don’t like to be called Miss Ong unless I’m not with one of my father’s annoying business partners.” She let out a weary sigh as the last words left .

Her sassy remark didn’t seem to shock the assistant. In fact, her unusual choice of words earned a cheeky smile from the older boy.

“I think you will get along well with Youngkyun.”

“You think so?” Sungkyung raised a doubtful eyebrow in question, uneasiness settling in her stomach. Being the fiancée of Kim Youngkyun would have been fine if she hadn’t found him cold and unreachable. Her fiancé was far from being full of life and his features didn’t say otherwise. The way his lips were always pressed into a thin line and his eyes were resembling dying stars made her worry to the core. Would she be okay beside him? Not to mention her lifespan clock…

“He doesn’t like showing up at business parties either. He’s not a typical rich kid, you know. There’s so much more to him than you would think. I hope he will show you just who he is,” the assistant chattered with a resentful smile playing on his full lips.

Even though his words were meant to reassure Sungkyung, they made her even more uncomfortable. How could she get closer to Youngkyun? What was the key to his icy heart?

“I hope so.” She nodded in agreement, letting the words sink in.

As soon as Jaeyoon left to notify Youngkyun, she felt completely alone again. She didn’t even need to take care of the packing because her own belongings were transferred to the mansion the day before, so that the Kims could arrange everything before she arrives. Plus, she was supposed to come here with her father, but he was held back in a business meeting, so she had to do this alone. Not like having her father around would change anything but she sought after some company so badly after loneliness had started to suffocate her. She was in the middle of the giant hall, waiting for the assistant to come back, but she felt lonelier by the second.

She was ready to explore the mansion on her own because she couldn’t stand the waiting as it only prompted her to keep checking her clock and let her dark thoughts invade her mind.

Thankfully, another young man appeared beside her.

“Oh, are you Miss Ong?”

A slender boy in an apron walked out of a room which she supposed was the kitchen. He immediately started bowing to her, his slight embarrassment radiating off him. Sungkyung caught sight of another pair of eyes examining her from head to toes behind a glass door, but she decided not to point it out.

“Yes. But I prefer Sungkyung,” she repeated herself, bowing back to the young man who was just as polite as Jaeyoon.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Sungkyung.” He bowed again, his tall figure towering over her. “I’m Kim Seokwoo, the chef,” he introduced himself with a coy smile. He didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he absentmindedly throw them around himself like a toddler. She found his antics adorable because the boy’s anxiety was truly on another level. She felt less alone seeing how everyone was self-conscious around her even though she felt like her own anxiety was flying off the roof. Maybe she wasn’t the most muddleheaded.

“Nice to meet you, Seokwoo. I’m really looking forward to your delicious meals.” She made an attempt to befriend him, but he got so flustered after her compliment that he resembled a very ripe tomato.

“I-I… well… t-thank you so much! I’ll work hard to make you delicious meals,” Seokwoo stuttered nervously and he looked like he was about to faint.

“Relax, Seokwoo! I’m not here to hurt her or to insult you. I’m sure you’ll do great!” She patted the boy’s shoulder, thanking herself for putting on high heels in the morning because she would have had a problem reaching his shoulders if it weren’t for her high heels. “Besides, I’m not a picky eater, so no need to worry!”

“What are you doing, Seokwoo?”

A cold voice asked from behind them, the atmosphere in the air immediately freezing like the top layer of a lake when the temperature drops. Sungkyung in a deep breath as she turned around even though she knew who the owner of the voice would be.

Kim Younghyun himself was walking down the stairs with his assistant by his side who didn’t seem too happy about the current mood of his boss. The chaebol was most definitely in his casual wear as he wore a white tank top under an oversized white shirt that was so loose that it looked like it could come off any minute. His onyx-black sweatpants made it obvious that he wasn’t taking any of the rigid rules that he should have followed. Not to mention his nest-like hair that was only the icing on the cake.

Younghyun raised an indignant eyebrow in question as he waited for the chef’s answer. Seokwoo needed to snap himself back to his senses before he could finally form words.

“I-I’m sorry, I was just talking to Miss Ong.”

“You should be preparing lunch,” Youngkyun reminded him with an evident flinch on his face. The chef immediately took his comment to heart and scampered away after another series of bows.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on him. He was just keeping me company,” Sungkyung remarked with a gentle smile that faltered as soon as she was the expression on her fiancé’s face. He looked like he was about to kill someone with his rigid features. He looked like a Greek God made of the finest marbles in the world. His features were delicate yet somewhat rough, his sharp jawline sticking out the most. His eyes, oh those dying stars in his orbs, were the most difficult to look at. They were the heart-wrenching melodies that could play with your heartstrings until you finally gave in and bled out.

“This is my house. I speak to everyone the way I feel like speaking to,” he emphasised, his gaze as intense as ever. She gulped as she tried to keep the eye-contact, her heart strumming against her ribcage.

“I think you should show Sungkyung around,” Jaeyoon suggested gently as he sensed the tension in the air. The young boy impatiently dismissed him.

“You do it yourself! I’ll go back to my studies,” Youngkyun announced like he was talking to his friends who were used to his sudden mood swings and not his future wife who was already on the edge, feeling nauseous thinking about her last 75 days that she must spend with her shadow of a person husband.

He left as soon as he said the words out loud, leaving a dumbfounded Jaeyoon behind who gaped like a fish, trying to change Youngkyun’s mind but not knowing how to do so. In the end, he gave up on persuading the boy and walked down the stairs to meet the slightly hurt girl.

“He’s not usually this harsh,” the assistant defended him right away, his chestnut-brown eyes speaking the truth. “It’s just too hard for him after the sudden news of his father’s illness and the unstable future of the company, the marriage and his studies.”

“His father’s illness?” Sungkyung couldn’t help but pry into the Kims’ private life since she had heard some rumours, but she wanted to hear it from someone who was close to Kim Kyusoo.

Jaeyoon looked like he wanted to strangle himself. A rush of disappointment painted his face scarlet-red, his lips quivering.

“Well… let me give you a tour around the house while I’ll tell you everything you need to know,” he offered suddenly seriously. Sungkyung had no choice but to nod in agreement because curiosity got the best out of her.

It turned out that Kim Kyusoo had lung cancer and it was detected in a very late stage, so he had not much time left.

According to Jaeyoon, he was always a persistent man, thus when he said that he wouldn’t go to the doctors to identify the cause of his on-going coughs, no one could convince him otherwise. However, there came the bloody coughs, the hoarseness, the chest pain, the sudden weight loss and the constant headaches and his condition got worse and worse as time went by. When he finally decided to get help, it was already too late. Considering that he was a heavy smoker, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise, yet the news still shocked his family, especially his only son who wished nothing but a long life for his father, so that he wouldn’t need to take over his company. Especially not at the age of 20.

Sungkyung could also catch sight of the man’s lifespan clock while they were discussing the details of their wedding one day, the clock indicating that he had only twenty days left. Consequently, he would live for three days after the wedding. Her heart churned with remorse at the sight. The room seemed to spin around her, her head dizzy and her stomach grumbling. All of the shocking information in such a short span of time made her sick to the core, small wonder she excused herself to get some fresh air.

Though it wasn’t difficult to mind her own business and to re-organize her thoughts. She had plenty of time to herself after moving in with Youngkyun because the boy didn’t like to come out of his room if meals weren’t concerned. Sungkyung eavesdropped when Jaeyoon tried to persuade him to talk to her but the young boy always dismissed him. He made it very clear that the arranged marriage should stay arranged, there was no way they could find a bond because they were forced to agree to this marriage and he didn’t like to play games.

Not until they met in the library one day, did Sungkyung start hoping that he may not be as distant as she assumed.

She was working on her assignments in the grandiose library of the mansion, her favourite place since the day she arrived. She preferred bringing her laptop to the library, snuggled up in one of the chairs and having her nose in a book rather than staying in her bedroom that still felt oddly unfamiliar. It didn’t feel like her own. Not at all. She didn’t mind the pastel colours, the king-sized bed and the overly expensive furniture but she hated feeling out of place.

As she was about to search for studying material for one of her online classes, the library’s door flew open. She sat back to the door, so she didn’t pay much attention to the sudden visitor, she assumed it was either a housemaid checking if everything was perfectly clean in the room or Jaeyoon notifying her that it was already dinner time.

However, after a few seconds of listening to unidentified sounds, she turned her head to see what all the noise was about. Her lips slightly parted when she came in sight with her fiancé, looking all casual and cosy. This time, he wore oversized pants with a grey hoodie, his longer than average curls tucked behind his ear. He was ready to sit down at the table in front of the open window with a notebook and a pencil in his hand when he realized that he wasn’t alone.

When their eyes met, Sungkyung felt uncharacteristically guilty as if she had been caught for a trick even though she didn’t do anything wrong. The boy’s long lashes painted greyish crescents right under his charcoal eyes, the contrast between his pale skin and the dark circles reminding her of the yin and yang symbol. Everything had its dark side, yet she felt like she had yet to see the bright side of Kim Youngkyun. She had only seen his dark side so far.

Sungkyung thought that it was the best if she left the library.

“I can go if you want,” she suggested hastily because she had no idea what kind of mood the boy was in. When he didn’t answer yet his gaze was still fixed on her face, she decided to make her move and started packing her things.

“You can stay.” Youngkyun cleared his throat to make sure that she heard her, his sudden gesture taking her by surprise. She looked at him as if she had heard him confess to her, yet his words felt undeniably precious like the first ray of sunshine after a terrifying storm. “Unless you study aloud,” he quickly added, his soul-crashing gaze captivating her attention.

“No, I don’t study aloud.” She shook her head immediately, tucking a loose strain of her behind her ear. She wanted to avert her eyes anywhere but his face because she felt like he could see through her. Even though she couldn’t read his expression, Youngkyun was as inexplicable and as mysterious as ever. He was like the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. The more she pondered, the more confused and disheartened she felt.

Wavering silence fell upon the library, covering both of them like a suffocating  winter coat. Sungkyung cleared and tore her gaze away, retreating to her laptop and textbooks. She thanked the gods above that Youngkyun could only see her back because she was sure her face was tinted baby pink. A moment later, she heard the scratching sounds – the sounds of pencil on paper –, reassuring her that the boy didn’t pay much attention to her anymore.

They spent a significant amount of time in silence, both of them immersed in their own work. Though Sungkyung couldn’t deny the fact that she wandered off from time to time and her eyes also searched for the lifespan clock on her wrist.

67 days 13 hours 8 minutes 59 seconds

That’s how much time she had left. Ten days already went by since the engagement dinner, the day her lifespan clock became visible for her. Yet, only four days were left until their wedding day and seven days until Kim Kyusoo’s death. Sungkyung knew every single number as if she had to memorize them to pass a crucial exam because the numbers haunted her in her dreams and during her everyday life, ttoo. No matter how much she tried, her life was made up of numbers, especially after she got to know that she didn’t have much time left.

At least the wedding preparation with all the dress-fitting appointments, contacting stylists, sending out invitations for business partners and relatives and choosing the colour of everything from the vases to the handkerchiefs kept her busy. Her mind was more pre-occupied with the preparation than with the number of her days left. That’s only when Youngkyun wasn’t around and she didn’t start to wonder why her lifespan clock became visible the moment she shook hands with him. She was dying to get to know the answer, but she knew he wouldn’t get it. Never.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t help when her thoughts were going back to Youngkyun. Again. Unbeknownst to her, she even turned her head to check what the boy was doing, examining the way his long fingers treated the pencil more delicately than any human being around him. It could be seen that drawing meant a lot to him, and the thought suddenly made her less salty. Maybe he could escape from his chaebol duties and daily struggles only when he was drawing.

Of course, Youngkyun had to look up from his work, and he had to look her in the eye the moment he felt her stare at him. Sungkyung immediately turned back to her laptop, inwardly slapping herself in the face for acting so restless.

She didn’t even have time to come back to her senses when the familiar deep voice broke the silence of the library.

 “What are you studying?”

Despite the fact that his question was probably the most mundane and dull question he could have asked, she still had a hard time believing that Youngkyun asked her anything. Small wonder her voice sounded so weak and uncertain compared to the boy’s low and undistinctive tone.

“The basics of multimedia marketing in the 21st century.”

Upon hearing her answer, the boy snickered. He did actually snicker!

“No, I mean your course,” he corrected himself, his voice slightly amused. Sungkyung felt a need to bury her face into her hands. Of course, how could she misunderstand his words?

“Marketing and public relations.”

There was a moment of silence after her answer. She didn’t know if it was because Youngkyun was amazed or because he didn’t have anything else to add. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long to find out the answer for herself.

“Why did you choose this course? Because of your father?” he inquired seriously, a hint of mockery evident in his voice. The girl wished nothing but to be treated like a normal human being and not a chaebol who does everything for her parents. She had morals and she had her own reasons for her actions.

“No.” She shook her head dismissively even though she was still sitting with her back to the drawing boy. “It was my choice because I would like to work for a charity after I graduate, and I need to know how to attract more attention to charities. My father agreed to it because he thought that I would change my mind,” she explained with an irritated eye-roll, the mistreatment of female members in their family still making her nauseous.

Youngkyun only hummed in response. He seemed to be out of questions for the time being, but she couldn’t let it slide. She was eager to know what he was thinking about her.

“Why? You didn’t think that I have such ambitions?” She raised a curious eyebrow in question, turning around to see the boy’s reaction herself. She was pretty sure Youngkyun felt her stare at him, but he continued to draw as if no one had been watching him.

“Honestly? No. You could have been another one of those shallow-minded rich girls who only want a rich husband and a lot of money to spend on clothes,” he said harshly, his words the breath out of her lungs. Not until he confessed that he had assumed that she was the typical chaebol girl, did she realize why he acted so cold towards her. He wanted to prove that the mansion was his territory and his territory only that couldn’t be evaded by shallow-minded rich girls.

“You had the wrong assumption about me, Kim Youngkyun.”

The words left a bitter aftertaste in , sending a sudden jolt of disappointment through her veins. She felt like she was looked down yet again just because she was an Ong.

“Not like you are different,” the boy counter-attacked as he leant forward to work on the small details of his drawing, his lack of emotions slowly driving her crazy. He didn’t even look at her while he was speaking, yet he was saying such hurtful words! It was unbelievable!

“I see how you look at me. How you fear me and how you don’t get why I’m acting this way,” Youngkyun added dryly to which she couldn’t help but to snort immediately.

“It’s because I don’t know you and you don’t make it easier. I want to believe Jaeyoon who says that there’s so much more to you than I would think. I want to believe Seokwoo who says that you can laugh until you cry. And I want to believe myself and see for myself that you are really different. You know, you don’t have to open up. Just let me know how I can be a good wife for you and that’s enough for me. At least, I wouldn’t feel like a fool for trying to figure it out myself.”

As soon as the words left , she felt like a heavy weight was lifted off her chest. Despite the lack of emotions on Youngkyun’s part, there was something worse being his soon-to-be-wife. It was the fact that she didn’t know what to do to be comfortable around him and to say the same for him. Frankly speaking, Seokwoo had blurted out one day that Youngkyun was uncharacteristically tense ever since the possibility of their marriage had arose and her presence in his mansion didn’t make it any easier. His father’s sickness was only the tip of the iceberg. So, she couldn’t have been the only one who felt something was off.

Sungkyung almost turned back to her laptop when the boy decided to speak up.

“You don’t have to figure it out.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” She flung her arms into the air in frustration, her frantic words and the rise of her tone earning a tormented response from her fiancé.

He suddenly stopped drawing, putting down the pencil on the table with a loud thud.

“Just do your own thing!” he exclaimed as he finally returned her gaze, his charcoal orbs burning with tranquillity, the flames his sanity. The look on his face and the dangerous fire in his eyes caused her to gulp nervously. “The only reason I’m being like this is because I’m not ready for all that’s waiting for me. Our marriage doesn’t help either. So just do what you want to do and let me deal with my own problems on my own!”

Youngkyun’s voice struck like lighting. He was fuming, his wild turmoil apparent in his body language as he angrily pushed his chair back and rose from his seat. Just as a strong wind indicating the beginning of a chilly day, he rushed out of the library, the only things he left behind were questions, ache and immense fear.

Youngkyun was as unpredictable as a downpour in summer; Sungkyung never knew when he would strike again.

Being beside him was more than awkward, thus she was prominently glad that she could busy herself with the preparation of the wedding, her studies and her usual duties as the daughter of Ong Kihyun. Though she wouldn’t say that she got used to her new home, but she felt significantly less alone around Seokwoo, Jaeyoon and the usually coy and warm-hearted gardener – Yoo Taeyang – whom she happened to bump into when she was walking around the mansion after another slightly heated argument with Youngkyun. Of course, females were also present in the mansion, but they were usually housemaids and members of the cleaning staff who would never speak to her longer than it was absolutely necessary.

She knew that her clock was literally ticking, yet it didn’t change the fact that she was reluctant to break down his walls as long as the boy himself didn’t let her. It was as if he had lived in a palace made of fine ice and even though she tried time and time again to find a crack or a hole to get inside, a door was always slammed in her face. Youngkyun himself wasn’t a mystery, he was more like the Beast hidden in the depth of the woods that no one dared to get close to. She hoped – or so she wanted to hope so – that there was something humane, something beautifully fragile and vulnerable under the callous façade.

Needless to say, she didn’t expect too much when Youngkyun’s 21st birthday party was held at the Kims’ mansion (and not his own), everything from the hall to the bathrooms elegantly yet minimalistically decorated as the birthday boy himself had wanted.

As the fiancée of Youngkyun, she had no choice but to accompany him to the ceremony to smile forcedly at hundreds of business partners of the Kims’ who wished a long-lasting marriage for the two, forgetting about the fact that it was an arranged marriage for the sake of the two families’ businesses. Nevertheless, she thanked all the half-hearted wishes with polite and tactful words, leaving no room for criticism.

If he had known what was behind all of this, she scoffed inwardly as she sometimes casted a glance at the clock on her wrist.

60 days 7 hours 55 minutes 32 seconds

Youngkyun may had 57 years to live but she was short on time. She felt suffocated whenever her lifespan clock came to her mind, earning a few suspicious glances from the boy who examined her th