Seulgi couldn’t believe her ears. Maybe she drank too much coffee on her way to her office. Or maybe I didn’t wake up at all and I’m still dreaming.

“D-Did I heard that right or—”

“I don’t have to tell you this twice, Seulgi,” the man said with his voice serious and monotonous.

Seulgi looked at her father, eyes wide and mouth agape. His face was devoid of any emotion aside from mild annoyance.  All color drained from Seulgi’s face. Her father was a lot of things but he definitely wasn’t a joker.

“But, f-father—“

“Seulgi,” he said. The emotions ran rampant in her chest and the adrenaline in her veins made her forget that this was her father she was talking to.

“I’m too young, father. I—“

“Seulgi.” His voice was quiet but it boomed loudly in the quiet office. Kang Taemin glared at her, eyes challenging her to speak up again.  Seulgi immediately silenced herself. Her father stood up, his body exuding alpha confidence that always made Seulgi cower, and Seulgi felt like she was a child again.

“You’ll get married to the daughter of the Park Group, whether you like it or not.” And just like that, Kang Taemin left her office, once again controlling her life like the puppet she always was.

Seulgi stared at the closed door, biting her lips to stop the frustration and anger that threatened to spill in her eyes and lips.

It tasted like iron.

The moment Seulgi heard her father was in her office, Seulgi canceled all of her prior appointments and rushed to her office. She was even unable to greet her employees as she hurriedly walked to her office, and her employees knew it had something to do with the chairman who walked in minutes before.

Kang Taemin rarely came to the office and, whenever he does, it usually meant he was going to do something that Seulgi didn’t like. It never stopped him, making decisions for her without consulting her. He didn’t care at all.

Even if Seulgi already knew that, it didn’t hurt any less.

So when Seulgi came in and the first thing her father said was she was going to get married, it felt like her world fell apart.

Just when I thought I was finally free…

After she silently cried her eyes out and re-applied her makeup to avoid suspicion, she continued on her work. She still had contracts and papers to sign, projects to check, and a company to run.

The employees seemed to notice that Seulgi wasn’t in the best of moods, as they subtly tried to cheer up their boss. They knew Seulgi as cheerful, stern when needed to be, and an overall wonderful boss.  Even if the object of their worry didn’t seem to notice their subtle efforts, seeing Seulgi crack a small, genuine smile for the first time that day made their efforts worth it.

(She just wanted to forget what happened that morning, and it was working. Somehow.)

By the end of the day, Seulgi slumped on her chair, her mind echoing the words she heard this morning. She scratched her head in frustration before eying her phone that was laying on her table. She pondered whether she should call her to tell her about what happened. In the end, with an impatient huff, she picked up her phone and immediately dialed her number.

After a few rings, the other line picked up.  

“Unnie,” Seulgi whined. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to explain that her father practically forced her to marry someone she didn’t even know without her consent. “Unnie.”

“Seul.”

“Unnie,” she whined again.

“Seulgi.”

“Un—“

“I swear,” the voice on the other line said, voice heavy with tiredness and annoyance, “if you don’t tell me what’s the problem, I will hang up.”

“Unnie.”

“Seulgi, I’m warning you.”

“Unnie~”

“Okay, that’s it, I’m—“

“Wait, don’t hang up!” Seulgi said in a panic. Maybe she unnie too much.

“What is it, Seul?”

“I—“ Seulgi cleared awkwardly. Her free hand fiddled with the cube on the table. “I was wondering if you’re free later. I have to tell you something.”

“Does that something have to do with your father in your face earlier this morning?”

So she also heard about father. “Yes.”

The voice on the other line sighed. Seulgi waited patiently, listening to the shuffling of papers on the background. After a few seconds, the voice said, “I still have a few documents to check but I will be free later.”

“Yes!” She smiled. “Thank you, unnie.”

“You have to treat me dinner, okay?” Even if she couldn’t see her face, Seulgi also knew that the older woman was smiling. “See you later, Seul.”

“See you later, Joohyun-unnie.”

Seulgi ate her steak quietly, sneakily stealing glances at the older woman before her. When she arrived at the restaurant they frequented at, Seulgi steeled herself that she would tell her unnie right away. She puffed her chest in confidence, wore a shaky smile, and went inside the restaurant.

However, when her Joohyun-unnie arrived, all her confidence disappeared in an instant. The woman, as usual, looked stunning in her casual clothes. Seulgi felt intimidated by the older woman’s beauty but she has always admired her.

Instead of saying “I’m getting married”, she ended up saying, “Hello, unnie, how are you?”

She was just being polite. She wasn’t running away from her problems. Not at all.

In the end, Seulgi forgot about her problem. She was busy catching up with Joohyun, talking about current and future projects. Joohyun ranted about some old man who she wanted to punch so bad, about a couple in the marketing department who often made out in the break room, and some other things that made Seulgi laugh in amusement or gasp in horror. Seulgi also shared her fair share of stories in the company, laughing as Joohyun did her signature dolphin laugh. As a fellow CEO to another, Seulgi has always admired Joohyun.

Seulgi could still remember the first time she met Joohyun.

It was a dinner party between the big companies in Seoul. Seulgi watched her father as he smoothly mingled along with CEOs and chairmen of different companies. Her mother was busy talking with other people. Seulgi was bored out of her mind so she quietly slipped away and went to the balcony.

As she closed the door, she jerked in surprise when she heard a quiet voice say, “Who are you?”

Seulgi turned around, meeting a pair of curious yet wary eyes. She never saw her before. “Who are you?”

“I asked first,” the girl pouted, crossing her arms.

“Oh.” Seulgi blinked, then she smiled, eyes disappearing into crescents. She held out her hand, just like her mother told her whenever she meets someone new. “I’m Kang Seulgi.”

The other girl stared at her hand reluctantly. “Bae Joohyun,” she said quietly. She took her hand, shaking it firmly.

“We’re friends now, Joohyun-ah,” Seulgi declared.

She’s pretty, Seulgi thought, looking at Joohyun as the moon illuminated her smile. “Friends.”

Ever since that encounter, Seulgi and Joohyun became inseparable. Seulgi found out that Joohyun was actually older than her (“Sorry, I didn’t know!”) and that their companies were working together. Their mothers were close and they often went to each other’s house. Also, in pure coincidence (or at least that’s what Seulgi’s mom told her), Seulgi and Joohyun were attending the same school, and it went on until college.

It was inevitable that people would “ship” them. Kang Seulgi—one of the most sought after alpha in SNU, the dance club’s ace, the heiress of the Kang Empire—and Bae Joohyun—voted as the prettiest omega of the business department in SNU, a well-round top student, the heiress of the Bae Corporation—were rumored to be dating. It wasn’t true, of course. Seulgi was seeing someone in secret at that time and Joohyun was too busy dealing with her studies to date.

For Joohyun, Seulgi will always be her clumsy little sister, and for Seulgi, Joohyun will always be the big sister she never had.

(But well, little Seulgi did have a tiny crush on Joohyun when they were younger. She was young and who wouldn’t have a tiny crush on her Joohyun-unnie?)

She could entrust her life to Joohyun’s hands. She knew that no matter what she did (unless it’s really embarrassing), Joohyun will always support her. Joohyun was there for Seulgi, and Seulgi was there for Joohyun. She was forever grateful for the older woman for being there whenever she needed her, and she vowed to do the same for her.

With those thoughts in mind, she finally blurted out, “I’m getting married.”

Joohyun choked on juice. She immediately grabbed the tissues on the table and wiped . “Excuse me, what?”

Seulgi gulped nervously. “I’m getting married, unnie.”

“What?” Joohyun asked again. Her eyes went comically wide and Seulgi would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the predicament she was in.

“Married,” Seulgi repeated quietly, getting more nervous at the older woman’s scrutinizing glare. An alpha getting talked down by an omega was unheard of, but it was a common occurrence between Seulgi and Joohyun. Seulgi was scared—no, terrified of an angry Joohyun. “I’m getting married.”

“Were you dating someone in secret?”

“Unnie!” Seulgi yelped in embarrassment, glancing around if anyone heard her. She turned back to her unnie, glaring with a pout. “I’ve never dated anyone after her, and if I was dating someone, you know I’d tell you.”

The doubt in Joohyun’s eyes faded, but her frown deepened. “Did Taemin decide on this?”

Seulgi couldn’t help but wince at the tone Joohyun used. Even if hidden, the venom and anger in her voice were obvious. “Yes.”

“That bastard.” Seulgi heard Joohyun mutter under her breath. She wanted to defend her father but she didn’t want to face Joohyun’s seething anger. “And you just agreed to it?”

“Unnie,” she said in defeat, feeling all the exhaustion from today fall on her shoulders. “You know I can’t do anything about it.”

“Seulgi—“

“Unnie,” she said again, using the voice she used in the board room, firm and final. “Please.”

Joohyun stared at her and Seulgi stared back. Her heart was drumming in her chest, nervous and restless. If Joohy