Jihyun’s 25th birthday was approaching, and King and Queen Kim started worrying about her marriage. It was essential for royalty to get married to ensure that their position was strengthened in the kingdom, and this applied to Jihyuk too. He married a family friend’s daughter - her name was Miyeon. She was a beautiful lady, but Jihyun knew his heart wasn’t with her. She knew he was in love with someone else, but she was surprised when he didn’t protest the marriage. 

“Oppa, I don’t understand. Yes, I agree that Miyeon unnie is a great person, but I know you don’t love her. Why did you not disagree with the marriage?” She asked one day before his wedding day. “Jihyun… sometimes you will be placed in situations where you don’t have a choice, and this is one of those situations. If I don’t agree to the marriage, our parents’ position in the kingdom will be compromised. Miyeon is a sweet lady, maybe I would grow to love her?” He smiled sadly as he wiped a tear away from his eye. 

He never did. She knew because she could see the longing in his eyes when he looked at someone else, and she saw Miyeon’s deflated self as she cried to herself in the pavilion after he rejected her again. She told herself that she would never want to be in that situation, ever. 

However, King and Queen Kim had someone in mind. They have always had this person in mind ever since they met him - therefore they immediately cultivated a close bond between the duo since they were young. It was Oh Sehun from the Oh Family.

The Ohs and Kims go way back to centuries ago. The Kims had saved the lives of the Ohs during the celestial war, where even the strongest immortal beings perished during the brutal war. They had offered shelter and weapons, providing them with a home and ensuring their survival even in those trying times. The bond was cultivated since then, and had been passed on to many generations. To further strengthen the bond with the Ohs and also because Sehun was one of the most powerful immortal beings, the Kim family decided to prepare for an arranged marriage between Jihyun and Sehun. 

-- 

News in the kingdom spread like wildfire. Within hours, an order was sent for Jihyun and Sehun to the main hall, where the entire kingdom was gathered. Standing in front of the crowd, she nervously looked at Sehun, who seemed as puzzled as she was when he saw his parents seated beside King and Queen Kim.

“The reason why I called everyone here is because we will be having a happy event soon! After discussions with the Oh Family, we have decided for Kim Jihyun and Oh Sehun to marry two months later during the autumn season.” King Kim announced happily and stood up to shake the Oh Family’s hands. 

Standing rooted to the ground and at a loss for words, a whirlwind of emotions rushed through her. She was shocked by the news, livid because her opinions weren’t taken into consideration, and scared because she knew she was going to be placed in the same position as her brother. She turned to Sehun, he looked equally shocked. 

“I object!” She screamed before she could think. The whole hall fell silent. “Your objection is not valid, this matter has already been decided.” Her father said assertively and she shot a glare towards him. “I won’t let you do the same thing to me like what you did to oppa.” A tear escaped her eye as she shouted before running out the hall.

“Jihyun!” A slew of shouts were heard before it became faint voices. She ran to the nearby pavilion and curled herself up before hearing footsteps padding towards her. She looked up slightly to find a familiar pair of black silk shoes. “Mind if I take a seat?” He asked before she nodded her head inwardly. 

He sighed as he caressed her head. “I completely understand how you’re feeling.” She looked up with her tear-stained cheeks and his heart broke. She launched into a full hug and sobbed into his shoulders. “Oppa, what should I do?” 

Pulling her away from the hug, he clutched onto his shoulders. “Do you love Sehun?” Jihyuk asked seriously and Jihyun quietened down as she immersed herself into her thoughts. 

Love? Sure, Sehun was a good friend, but she had never thought of him that way. She had always suspected he had feelings for her as he had tried to confess a few times, but Jihyun always ran away before he had the chance to say anything. She was scared because she knew she didn’t have any feelings towards him, and she knew a rejection would cause awkwardness in their friendship. 

“No, I don’t.” She said firmly. She hadn’t experienced love before, but Ahreum had explained it to her. She described it to be a wonderful feeling - every single experience with the person would be exciting and new, and the person would be on your mind the whole time. They make you happy in a way that no other people can, and time with them is never enough. There will always be endless things to discuss about and the person would be the first person you think of when you want to share something good or bad. She knew in her heart that she didn’t feel that way with Sehun. It didn’t feel right, at all. 

As she recalled the talk with Ahreum, her heart wrenched. Sudden flashbacks ran through her mind as she saw the back view of two people holding hands, but she couldn’t see who they were. They turned to each other and smiled, then the flashback ended. 

Jihyuk snapped her out of her thoughts, “Then you need to rebel.” 

“How?” She snapped back to reality as he clutched her shoulders again. “You need to say that you don’t agree to the marriage, and you need to object.” He emphasized. “I objected, but you saw, father rejected immediately.” She deflated.

“Jihyun, you need to stand up for yourself. Do you want to live a life which is being dictated by other people? This is not the Kim Jihyun I know.” He taunted while Jihyun pouted. 

“I just... don’t want you to end up like me.” He whispered softly, but Jihyun caught it. She placed her hand on his back and she saw a tear falling onto his lap. “I regret it so much. Miyeon is a wonderful lady… but…” He trailed off.

“But you can never forget her?” She continued while he nodded bitterly, “How could I ever? She taught me what love was all about. If not for the arranged marriage, I was ready to marry her.” Her heart wrenched at the sight of her broken-hearted brother. “Please, don’t ever make the same mistake as me, I don’t want you to regret your decision.” He advised and wiped the tears off his face. “Thanks, oppa.” She nodded as she knew what her decision was going to be. 

“You may not remember, but I know your heart will always be occupied by someone else.” He sighed sadly as he looked at his sister’s crestfallen face. “I hope you’ll remember someday.”

Author's Note: Hiiiii! 2 chapters in a day woohoo! Sorry if it's a big draggy, got to give some context about the kingdom first before we move on ya ;) thank you for reading!