Disconsolate. That’s how you felt about this so-called arranged marriage your family was forcing you into. They said it was for your benefit and that it was to ensure that you were to be taken care of when they were well gone, but to you it was just another way that they were controlling your life. You just wanted your relationship status to be left alone. You didn’t need anyone and you didn’t want anyone either. Your previous boyfriends had all turned out to be jerks and you thought that all men were that way; you didn’t want to bother with your heart getting broken again. But when your parents came and told you that you were getting married to the Bang’s son, well, you couldn’t say anything but okay. You had never once defied your parents and you weren’t about to start now. That’s how you found yourself here, dressed so formally as you go to meet your future husband and in-laws. You sighed, pulling your dress’ bottom down a little, hoping to cover a bit more skin than it currently is. You’ve always been the type to dress in jeans and a t-shirt or blouse, you hated skirts and dresses, but your parents insisted and now you were clothed in a deep red dress that came just above your knees and dipped between your chest, showing a little bit of cleavage but not too much that you felt completely uncomfortable. You tapped your feet silently as you waited for your parents to get out of the car, following them up to the front door before they rang the doorbell. You were nervous to say the least. You didn’t know what to expect at all. You had heard about their son on several occasions but never really looked to learn more about him. He had apparently been the leader of a group back a few years ago, but now was strictly writing songs and producing for other groups. Someone told you it was because he had decided to try to settle down, but you weren’t too sure of anything. You tried to smile as the door opened, revealing a young man about your age dressed in a black tie with short black hair. He was smiling at the three of you and was holding a single rose, his eyes searching before stopping on you. He cleared his throat and opened the door wider.

“Welcome,” his voice was deep, sending shivers down your spine and making your stomach flip a bit. His smile was beautiful and infectious and you found yourself smiling almost instantly, and you wanted to know who this man was. You didn’t need someone making your heart beat this fast when you’re betrothed to another. “I’m Bang Yongguk.”

“This is him, sweetie,” you mother whispered before smiling brightly and bowing deeply. He did the same as he smiled wider, bowing to your father before turning to you. You told yourself to calm down, you didn’t want this marriage and you certainly didn’t want to get emotionally involved with this man. He let your parents in before stepping closer to you, holding the rose out to you.

“You must be ______,” he said softly as you took the rose, taking in the scent as you nodded your head gently, “You’re much more beautiful than I’ve imagined. They’ve told me great things, but nothing that can compare to the elegance that surrounds you.” Oh god, he had a way with words and you had to keep yourself from swooning then and there. You bowed gently and he did the same before holding out his hand to you. You hesitantly gave him your hand, watching in astonishment as he brought it to his lips, kissing the back of your hand ever so slightly. He then led you into the dining room where your parents and his had already been seated. He walked over to two lone chairs and pulled out one, gesturing for you to sit and waiting until you did before pushing your chair slightly forward and taking his seat. You laid the rose in your lap as the parents began talking; you occasionally sneaking glance at Yongguk, only to flush when you saw him looking at you. You heard him clear his throat before he leaned over slightly, talking lowly, “Would you care for any wine, _____?” You began to shake your head before deciding to nod, thanking him as he reached for the wine and poured you a glass. You picked it up and took a sip before the food was served and everyone began eating. Afterwards the parents retired to the living room to talk while you lingered in the dining room. Yongguk walked over, his hands held behind him as he opened his mouth, “Um… Would you like a tour of the house? I personally don’t really want to hear what my parents are talking about…”

“That would be great,” you said softly and you saw him smile, tilting his head slightly.

“So she does speak,” he teased gently, finding pleasure as he saw your skin flush. He had gone into this reluctantly, wanting to find his own future wife in his own way, but his parents insisted he at least muse the idea. He was only getting older after all. He began walking, you in tow, showing all of the rooms as he went until he got to a closed door at the end of a hallway, “This used to be my room, before I moved out, but they’ve turned it into a getaway room for when I need room to think.” He opened the door and let you in, smiling to himself as he saw you walk around, your hand running over the cherry wood desk that was set against the wall with the window. Papers were strewn all over, some crumbled and some with messing writing. You figured he probably came here to write songs and moved on, seeing a small single bed in the corner.

“Do you come here often?” you asked, glancing back to him as he walked over to you.

“At least once a week,” he replied, gesturing for you to sit on the bed before he sat beside you, “Sometimes a change of scenery can help a word-fogged mind.”

“What do you do? As a career, I mean,” you asked, tilting your head as you looked to him.

“Producer, songwriter, and occasionally I’ll rap on track, but never stage performances,” he said, looking around the room, “I’m not really into that scene anymore.”

“Why not?”

“You’re a curious mind, aren’t you?” he said quickly before chuckling, “I’m just not. I’m not getting any younger and I can’t really settle down if I’m always traveling.”

“I’m just curious about my future husband,” you shot back, sighing and nodding, “I understand. Being away from home so much must have been really hard on you.”

“It was,” he replied, “It was really hard, but it was worth it. I was following my dream and that’s more than can be said for most people. Doing what I like and loving what I do, but I’m past that, now.” He reached over, grabbing one of your hands gently and holding it between his, “Look, ______, I won’t lie and tell you I’m all for this arranged marriage. I don’t like being told what to do but I promised to give this a chance. After hearing what I have about you and meeting you, I find myself liking you. Enough so that I would like a chance to see where this goes. I don’t want to force you into anything you’re uncomfortable with, I promise, and we can start out as friends. Just say the word and I’ll call this whole thing off, say it’s my fault and that I’m just not ready or something. But… is it too much for me to ask for a chance? I’d really like to get to know you.” You went silent, looking at his hands around yours, your heart musing that they felt warm and nice around yours but your mind saying that you shouldn’t get too deep into this, to protect your swooning heart. As you looked up and found nothing but sincerity on his face, you found yourself thinking how you could see yourself falling for someone like him. He’s kind, respectable, responsible, and obviously into more than just a short-term relationship. He is looking for something more than a fling and has made it clear that he doesn’t want make you uncomfortable. You found yourself nodding slowly, feeling his hands squeezing yours gently as he broke out into a full smile, his gums showing and causing your heart to beat even faster.

“I… I’ll give you a chance,” you said softly, placing your free hand on top of his gently, “I won’t promise anything will come out of this, but I’m willing to give it a try if you are. You seem really genuine, Yongguk, something that isn’t common in people.” You looked down at your conjoined hands, “It won’t be easy, for me to open up to you… are you willing to take the time for that to happen?”

“Of course,” he flashed another gummy smile and you felt your heart skip a beat. You nodded and patted his hand gently before pulling away and standing up, brushing your dress off and pulling it down slightly. He watched you and smiled to himself. He could definitely tell that you weren’t so comfortable in this attire and he found himself liking that, hoping that you weren’t high-strung like other females your age. Maybe it was just the females he had been meeting, but from previous experience most were too preoccupied with how they looked that they weren’t concerned with relationships. He wanted someone that could slum it with him on those days where he sat around in his pajamas and watched movies and that could make his heart stop in it’s tracks when they dressed up. As he watched you move to the door and saw you turn back to wait on him, he smiled secretly to himself. You definitely made his heart stop when he saw you earlier. He had felt the pounding in his chest that hadn’t been felt for quite some time and he had instantly liked you.

“You coming, Yongguk?” you asked softly, seeing that he had got caught up in his thoughts. He smiled and nodded, walking over and shyly grabbing your hand, looking at you to see if it was all right. You flushed and walked forward but tightened your hand around his nervously, chuckling to yourself as he rushed to catch up with you, squeezing your hand gently. As you walked back to the living room where your parents were waiting, you couldn’t help but look back to Yongguk, smiling to yourself as you thought that this might be the start of a lovely bond.