I

          Standing in brooding silence at the windows of the elegant penthouse apartment, the tall man stood gazing at the panorama of lights fanning out across the Seoul City skyline. Bitterness and resignation were etched on Lee Junki’s abrupt movements as he jerked the knot of his tie loose, and then raised his glass of Scotch to his mouth, drinking deeply.

          Behind him sat his lawyer Park Shi Hoo in one of the leather gilded sofas, who observed his friend’s silent profile.  With a sympathetic sigh, he raked his hand through his dark hair and said grimly, “I don’t know what made your father do this, but with him dead, his decision is irrevocable. You have no choice but to marry the chit.”

            Turning from the windows, Junki leaned his shoulder against the frame.  For a moment, he stared at the remaining drink in his hand, and then he brought it to his mouth and drained it. “If I will marry her, will it guarantee the transfer of the old man’s share on my name?” he asked flatly, his jaw clenched, betraying his emotion.

            “After the first year of your marriage,” Shi Hoo clarified. “If you don’t want the share to be transferred to your cousin, that is, you have to marry her within the year.”  He hesitated before he said, “Junki, I know you don’t appreciate being manipulated, but if you don’t marry her-” He stopped but forged ahead, “-your father’s share will go to your cousin and that would automatically give him the controlling share of the company.”

            “Even in death, he thinks he could play God,” Junki replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

          Letting out a frustrated sigh, Shi Hoo stood up and headed determinedly for the row of crystal decanters on the built-in bar. Pouring himself a drink, he said through gritted teeth, “Damn. If your father wasn’t already dead, I could kill him with my own two hands.” He swallowed his drink then brought it crashing down on the countertop. “If it weren’t for you, this company would have shred into pieces years ago. I swear I wanted to throttle his equally aging lawyer. How could your father do this kind of thing to you?”

          For the first time, a glint of ironic smile touched Junki’s finely sculpted lips and arrogant dark eyes. The transformation is startling, softening his features that lately looked as if it has been cast in bronze by an artist intent on portraying cold, ruthless determination.

          “To prove that he still has a control over me,” he answered as he approached the bar and made himself a drink. He sat on one of the brass stools. Silence passed between them as they drank.

          “So this Shin Minah-” Shi Hoo started, breaking the silence. “-who is she? Though, her name sounds familiar.”

          A grimace crossed Junki’s lips while his sharp eyes seemed to darken more. “Our families are friends,” he said. Raising a brow, he said nonchalantly, “If you heard about Seoul’s Mata Hauri in Hollywood, that’s her. You could say I have a very famous fiancée.”

          The glass on Shi Hoo’s hand froze in midair. “,” he muttered, slamming the glass down on the countertop. “Not that woman,” he said incredulously. “Don’t tell me, your father wanted you to marry that kind of woman?”

          Junki’s lips twitched in distaste, and then he tipped his glass and drained his drink. When he didn’t answer, Shi Hoo said in desperation, “Look, I know the company means a lot to you, but to be married to that woman? Just what is he thinking? What did he see in her?”

          “A billion yen,” Junki replied sardonically. “Too bad he is dead to enjoy the money.”

          Shi Hoo scowled at the magnificent furnishings, as if their presence on the spacious living room offended him. “Damn,” he muttered. He turned to look at Junki’s grim profile. “So what did you decide?”

          Junki’s expression hardened with contempt. “I’ll be damned if I will let a dead man messed with my life. I don’t care if my wife is a , as long as I will have the company,” he said.

          “Junki,” Shi Hoo said urgently. “-are you sure about this? You’re really going to marry her? How about Chae Won?”

          Junki tensed. His jaw clenched. “I don’t have a choice,” he said after a moment.

          Shi Hoo shook his head lightly, before swallowing his drink. Putting down his glass, he said, “You have to decide carefully Junki. Keep the company and you will have a woman with a shredded reputation. Lose the company and you will have the woman that you want. What would it be?”

          The heavy chair screeched heavily against the mahogany floor as Shin Minah stood up abruptly. Her face paled as she regarded the sharply dressed lawyer infront of her.

          “He did what?” she asked incredulously.

          “Minah,” her mother’s stern voice interrupted her. With an oath, Minah tried to suppress her mounting hysteria. “You must be mistaken, Mr. Seo,” she said, her fingers gripping the table between them. “Mr. Lee wouldn’t have proposed such a ridiculous stipulation on his last will.”

          The aging lawyer adjusted his spectacles as he regarded the young woman infront of him. “There’s no mistake, Ms. Shin. Mr. Lee had specified that you would marry his son Junki within the year.”

          She almost laughed hysterically. “The old man must be crazy,” she exploded, temporarily forgetting her affection for him as a wave of nausea came washing over her.

          “Minah,” her mother’s voice interrupted. “It’s not acceptable to speak ill of the dead.”

          Minah transferred her gaze from the lawyer to her mother. “It is also not acceptable for him to do such a thing, umma,” she said in a terse voice. “This is unacceptable! How can he do this to me? Why would he force me to marry his son?”

          The lawyer cleared his throat, interrupting her. “Well, as a matter of fact, Ms. Shin, Mr. Lee did specify his reasons for this decision.”

          “Oh he did huh?” she said sarcastically. “Pray tell me, Mr. Seo, so that I could understand how the crazy old man conjured such a ridiculous notion?”

          “For one thing, Ms. Shin, Mr. Lee wouldn’t have made his decision if he knew that you wouldn’t be thrilled to be married to his son-”

          “I’m thrilled alright,” she snapped.

          “-Mr. Lee mentioned that you harbor a deep affection for Junki,” he continued.

          Minah’s mouth opened, surprised. Then her nose flared as a dose of gasoline fueled her ire more. “That’s ridiculous! I don’t know him very well, let alone harbor a deep affection for his son. He is an arrogant, pompous jackass I don’t want to interact with,” she said harshly, ignoring her mother’s surprised gasp.

          A chuckle escaped from Mr. Seo and he smiled knowingly. “Very descriptive, Ms. Shin for a man you barely knew,” he remarked.

          Ignoring that, Minah regarded him with determination. “I will not marry his son, Mr. Seo,” she said through gritted teeth. With equal determination, Mr. Seo said, “If you don’t marry him, Mr. Lee’s share of the company will be transferred to his nephew which would make Junki to lose the controlling share of the company.”

          Minah brought her hand on her aching head. “That has nothing to do with me,” she snapped.

          “Is it?” Mr. Seo asked. His brows rose in question. “The late president told me that your loyalty and devotion to Junki run deep that you even asked him that he marry you to his son.”

          She stiffened, her hands clenched tightly to her sides. “For Christ’s sake! I was only 15 then! I don’t even know what I saw in his conceited son,” she snapped, mentally throwing her hands in frustration. “How could he make a monumental decision based on a ridiculous childish affection?”

          “So you’re saying that you harbor an affection for Junki?” he asked, his brows rose, waiting.

          Minah stiffened. “You’re twisting my words, Mr. Seo,” she said.

          “I’m sorry Ms. Shin,” he conceded, glancing at his wristwatch. He stood up. “You are understandably aghast by this visit. Who wouldn’t? But I have a plane to catch for the next hour back to Seoul. We will expect you on the 15^th for a meeting with Mr. Lee Junki at The Enterprise to talk more about the details.”

          Her mother stood up to accompany their visitor at the door.  Minah turned around and blocked his exit. The lawyer stopped in midstride. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Minah said, “Mr. Seo, I won’t go. This is nothing to do with me. I refuse a dead man’s command.”

          Mr. Seo looked at her steadily. When he finally opened his mouth, he said firmly, “That dead man is a father to you, Ms. Shin.”

          Minah acknowledged his words with a pang. She couldn’t deny that. Mr. Lee Mi-Suk is the kind of father she had always wanted. She had dearly loved the old man despite his many faults. With his death only a month ago, she felt guilty for not attending his funeral because of the problems on her papers that time. But she had grieved like a daughter who lost a true father. If she will be honest to herself, she had wished that Lee Mi-Suk is her true father, not Shin Myeong-Sun.

          But now, what else is she to think? How could he do this drastic thing to her? An awful sense of betrayal crept on her chest.

          Mr. Seo bowed to her and then to her mother. “I’ll see you next week then, Ms. Shin, Mrs. Shin,” he said before he exited.

          An overwhelming feeling of weakness washed over her. She sat on a chair and covered her face with her two hands. She stiffened when she felt a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned and stared at her mother. She could read the sympathy on her eyes as she sat beside her.

          Grasping for one of her trembling hands, her mother said, “Don’t burden yourself too much, Minah. The decision is yours to make. Marriage should be based on mutual trust, respect, and most of all, love.”

          Minah continued staring at her. “And do you have all of that, umma?” she asked, although she already knew the answer.

          A hint of sadness crossed Shin Tae Hee’s eyes before she concealed it. She said, “I am rather thankful that I am the envy of most married women.”

          Minah smiled at that, with a mixture of irony and sadness. Most married women envied her mother because she married a famous Hollywood producer. An ironic smile crossed her lips.

          If they only knew, she thought. She would pay a fortune to see other women snatched her father away from their lives. If they only knew her mother’s pleading cries and bruises, would they still envy her?

          The door opened and revealed an impeccably dressed man in his early fifties. He crossed the room and approached them, wearing a savage determination on his face. Minah’s heart turned at the sight, knowing all too well what would happen. She turned to look at her mother who stood slowly.

          A resounding slap crashed on her mother’s cheek. Minah stood up abruptly. “Umma!” she shouted as she crouched on the floor, using her arms to shield her mother from the upcoming beatings. But it didn’t come. Her father his heels and proceeded to his desk. When he finally spoke, his voice is tinged with barely controlled fury as he addressed her mother, “I saw Mr. Seo on the door and explained himself. Why didn’t you notify me?”  Minah helped her mother from the floor.

          “Awkward to call you in your mistress’ address,” she muttered as she inspected her mother’s reddened cheek. She winced when a book landed hard on her hip. She turned to see her father snatched another book from the desk, ready to throw it to her direction.

          “Stop it, please!” her mother pleaded as she tried to block her. Minah stood, refusing her mother’s assistance as she puts her arm on her mother’s shoulder, pushing her away from her father’s target. The book raised halfway in midair, her father stopped. Slowly, he puts down the book as he regarded her mother with unveiled contempt.

          “I had expected you to teach your daughter manners, woman,” he snapped. “And you-” he stopped, turning his gaze on Minah. “-pack your things and prepare yourself for the flight. You are expected at the 15^th.”

          “No!” Tae Hee shouted as she bravely approached the desk. “You cannot do that to your daughter!” she said disbelievingly, her shaking palms landed hard on the desk.

          A dangerous hint of warning blazed on his eyes. “I do what I damn well please. And how dare you talk back to me? You’ll regret that once we’re through discussing this, you insolent old hag-”

          “That’s enough,” Minah interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest of his awful words. She rested her hands on her mother’s shaking shoulders and pulled her from the desk, marking a safe distance. She turned to her father. “I won’t marry him, sir. That’s final.”

          A tense silence passed between them. His fists clenched to his sides as he slowly and purposely stood up from his desk. He transferred his gaze to her trembling mother. Minah knew that gaze. With alarm, she saw him approach her mother.

          “No!” Minah cried as she grasped for her father’s arm. “Stop it!” she shouted. “You cannot turn to umma just because I won’t agree with Mr. Lee’s proposition! Stop it sir!”

          She noticed the trembling fury emanating from his powerful shoulders before he turned around abruptly. His hand rose. Her head turned sideways from the impact, almost snapping her neck.  A cry of despair escaped her mother’s lips. Minah tasted blood on her lips. She turned her gaze slowly to his face.

          “If you will marry him, I will spare your mother,” he said harshly.

          “No!” Tae Hee shouted, approaching Minah’s side. “It doesn’t matter Minah. Do not think about me-”

          “Shut up!” he hissed. He turned his attention back to Minah who remained silent. “Well?” he snapped.

          Minah closed her eyes briefly. She felt the tremors coming from her mother as she clutched her arm. When she opened her eyes, her voice is devoid with emotion.

          “If you promise from this day onwards that you would not lay a hand on umma, I will marry him, sir.”

          “Minah-” her mother said with shock.

          Ignoring her, Minah said with grim determination. “How about it sir? Do we have a deal?” She saw his jaw clenched, and then he nodded jerkily.

          “And I would like umma to come and live with me to Seoul,” she said.

          “Now, wait a minute,” he protested.

          “I will marry him, father. That is only a small consolation I am asking for,” she interrupted. A cruel smile plastered on her lips as she said, “If you worry about the lack of punching bag, you could turn your fists to your little actress.”

          Her mother gasped while her father’s eyes darkened dangerously. She braced herself for another slap and stood waiting for it, her eyes looking at him straightly. But it didn’t come. A tense silence passed with only the sound of the traffic on the background.

          “Very well,” he said, his face flushed with contempt. Marry him and I would even gladly pack the things of your worthless mother to the door.” She stiffened at his insult, opened to speak but she felt the reassuring squeeze of her mother at her arm, who must have anticipated that Minah would make another retort.

          “But in return,” he continued, his eyes gleamed a warning. “If you will divorce or annul the marriage sometime later, your mother will come back and live here.” The poorly veiled meaning of his words is unmistakable. Minah clenched her fists on her sides as the hateful man turned and headed towards the door.

          “Minah,” the baritone voice in the phone said, tinged with disbelief and hurt. Gripping the phone tightly on her hand, she bit her lower lip and expelled a choky breath. “I’m sorry, it’s over,” she said, her voice deliberately devoid with emotion. Her heart beats wildly against her chest that it hurts to breath. “I realized that I don’t really love you,” she added, closing her eyes against the sting of tears. She felt herself stabbed by her own words.

          “Do you really expect me to believe that?” he asked. “At least tell me the truth, Minah. I deserved that much.”

          A tear streaked on her cheek. “I just told you,” she said firmly.

          “Goodbye, Joongki-ah,” she said before putting down the phone on the cradle. She hugged herself and laid her face against her knees, while choking sobs escaped her.

          “I’m sorry,” she whispered between sobs. Her hands came to cover .

          “I-I’m sorry, o-oppa. But still, I-I love you.”

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Thank you for subscribing!

I wouldn’t dream of making you guys wait any longer,

I have to post this now! I’m just so excited for this, is it obvious?

Would you believe that I made the first chapter for only two hours?

Usually when I write a chapter, it would take me days to conceptualize.

But when I said “two hours,” I don’t only mean the content of the first chapter,

For two hours, I had able to conceptualize the whole plot!

Wow. I really felt stimulated while writing this.

The ideas just kept on pouring to me.

Maybe because I am such a huge fangirl of Arang and Eun-Oh.

It is as if I know the story intimately

that it seems natural for me to write it oh-so-smoothly.

I just loved creating fierce, strong-willed heroines

and I hoped it was reflected here.

Well, what do you think about this first chapter?

I hoped it’s not too boring?

Does it tell a lot at first glance?

Jeslen

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