I never thought one sentence could change my life so drastically.

I never thought my life would be planned out for me.

I never thought I would love you.

I stepped into the house, slamming the door behind me. I kicked off my sneakers, threw my bag onto the ground and flopped down on the couch.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” I heard my mother approach me. I groaned, “Umma, you know I hate it when you call me that…”

She just laughed. “But really, what’s wrong?”

I sat up and ruffled my hair. How do I go about explaining this… “Well, mum, to put it simply, I broke up with Jaeseop.”

“What!? Why? He was such a wonderful boy!”

“We just had no feelings for each other anymore. I guess, after a year, you just… lose the feelings you had at the start.”

“I see… well then, get washed up, your father will be returning soon, then we’ll have dinner.”

I nodded slightly, picked up my bag and dragged myself to my room. Grabbing some clean clothes, I stepped into the bathroom.

I walked out of the steamy bathroom, toweling my hair dry. I could hear my father, which meant dinner was probably ready. Hurriedly, I combed my hair and went into the dining room.

I did not expect to see three extra people.

Sitting around the round mahogany table was my parents with another couple and a boy, whom I presumed was their son. My eyes narrowed. What were they doing here? I took my seat between my mother and that boy.

“__________, meet Mr and Mrs Shin, and their son, Dongho,” my father smiled at me. I glanced over at Dongho.

He was around my age, maybe one or two years older. His black hair was styled in a rather messy manner, and he had a good sense of style. Not as good as Jaeseop’s, though. He looked over at me, so I just gave him a tiny smile and mumbled, “Hi. I’m __________.”

He said nothing. In fact, throughout the whole meal, he remained silent, ignoring the adults’ conversation unless they asked him something. And when they did, he would flash a smile and answer their questions politely.

Halfway through dinner, my father cleared his throat. “__________, Dongho, there is something we’d like to discuss something with the two of you.”

“Don’t panic, okay?” My mother rested a hand on my right arm. I stiffened. I had a bad feeling about this…

My father continued, “Your parents have discussed this, and we feel that this is for the best.

“The two of you will have an arranged marriage with each other.”