I sighed as my eyes wandered at the scenery around me. It was all so strange. Big, tall buildings I had never seen before sprouted from the ground and people walked all over the place. Cars clotted the streets, some hardly moving due to heavy traffic.
    Traveling on what people called a 'highway', the chauffer suggested that I take a rest until we get to our destination. Unfortunately, I was much too curious to close my eyes for one second. All the things that we were passing by were things normal people would do. Things that I had always wanted to do.
    Passing by another car, I saw two people in the front and a child in the back. The three of them were laughing and singing just like a normal family. Ah, how I wish I could have lived like them. Maybe if I had children, I could do this too.
    Wait - why am I thinking of having babies already? I didn't even know if I would like my fiancee.
    Quickly, I waved the thoughts away from my head. No, I didn't have time to think about having children. I needed to think about ways to escape this traditional life.
    Keeping my eyes out the window, I watched as the city streets turned into the countryside. If my fiancee lived this far out, he must have been a farmer. Or at least, his family must have owned a farm. There was nothing out here but green out here.
    As I rested my head on the window, the car was beginning to slow down. I didn't see a house on this side of the car, so I turned to the other side.
    At first, all I could see was a large, cement wall. It didn't look so special - at least until I actually saw the house behind gates. My heart suddenly became awed.
    Similar to my family home, it was large and made completely of wood and bamboo. The sliding paper doors looked familiarly frail to the ones at my family home. The difference between my old home and my new home was that this one was completely built over water.
    The car stopped right in front of the large gate and the chauffer stepped out of the car. He walked over to the left end of the gate and played with the technology. I watched as he took off his hat and bowed to it.
    Why was he doing that?
    Remembering back to the times I snuck into the television room, I suddenly thought of a spy movie I had seen. There was a man that clicked a button on a button palette and bowed as a face was shown on the screen. Maybe that's what the chauffer was doing?
    Such creative things this world made had me in awe. If only I knew what was what and who was who.
    I kept watching as my chauffer came back to the car for me.
    "Please step this way, miss." He said as he opened the door and bowed his head. I bowed back and took one step out of the car.
    The air was crisp here. It was refreshing and smelled wonderful. No wonder this man wanted to live here. He must have liked the area that surrounded it.
    Suddenly scaring me, the gates opened up - making a horrible creaking noise that made me wince at the sound. What a horrible sound. They should get their gate fixed.
    The chauffer closed the door as I walked away from the car and toward the entrance of the gate. I looked around at the estate and realized how much more beautiful it looked from outside the car.
    All the nature that surrounded the house had me speechless. Lilypads sprouted on the surface of the water. The sound of tilting bamboo fountains echoed in my ears. Everything looked like a garden on top of water.
    Were we still in South Korea?
    While my eyes were mesmerized by the scenic home, I spotted a man walking around on the veranda. The man was tall and had shining, silver hair. He almost looked like an angel.
    The chauffer slightly put his hand on my upper back, encouraging me to walk forward onto the wide, wooden bridge that led to the estate. "This way, miss."
    I began to walk as he escorted me toward my new home.
    Nervosity took over my heart with every step I took. My hands gripped my traditional marriage hanbok tightly as I gulped down a large amount of saliva that had been building up in my mouth ever since I arrived here. Why was I feeling this way?
    My eyes focused solely on the large stone stairway that led up to my fiancee's house. This place was definitely man-made.
    "Welcome to our home," A soft voice spoke up from above the stairway.
    I looked up to the owner of this voice and exhaled a large amount of air.
    This man was so handsome that I had become breathless. His hair was styled up to display his broad forehead. The color of his skin was a pale peach with a slight tint of red in his cheeks. He even wore traditional wedding clothes just like I had. Was he a prince? Even if he wasn't, his face could say otherwise.
    The only thing I could do was flutter my eyes as I stared at him. He was so perfect. Every angle. Every part. Everything about him just captured my heart.
    I guess it wasn't so bad that I was marrying him.
    "I am proud to present to you the young lady," My chauffer bowed his head in the utmost respect to this man. "Starting from today, she will serve and provide for you."
    Not wanting to stand out of place, I bowed just like my chauffer did. I closed my eyes and wondered if I was just dreaming. A handsome man was about to marry me. Me, of all people! This opportunity couldn't be passed up.
    As I daydreamed about a beautiful leisure life, I lifted my head to look at him once more. To my surprise, he stood right in front of me with a beautiful smile on his face.
    "I am proud to have such a beauty as my wife," He said with his soft voice. He turned his head to the chauffer and shook his hand. "Thank you for bringing her here safely. You may return to your family home now."
    With one last bow, the chauffer left us alone and drove back to the family home. For some reason, I longed for him to stay. That was the last part of my actual family that I would ever see.
    I sighed with relief. No more calling me 'miss'. Now that I was here, my name was 'Jieun' and nothing else!
    "Excuse me," The princely man spoke to me as I imagined how nice it would be to go without a proper name. I turned back to him as he spoke some more. "I'm truly content to finally be able to see you. You're just as beautiful as they say you are, miss."
    The instant he said the word 'miss', my mind just clicked. "Please don't call me miss anymore. Just call me by my name." I sighed and loosened my muscles. Although it was only our first time meeting, I wasn't afraid to let him know how I felt.
    "I'm afraid I can't do that," He looked away sheepishly. "It's only the first day that we've known each other. Isn't it uncomfortable?"
    "I don't mind it. I've been called miss almost all my life, I feel like I could forget my own name if no one calls me that way. I was given a name for a reason, was I not?"
    He suddenly turned back to me, trying to look as serious as he could. "Ji.... Ji.... Eun.... Miss..." He somehow managed to stutter my name between his lips, but he still held on to the 'miss' part. This man truly had traditional blood. He looked at me with a sorrowful smile. "I apologize. It seems I'm not used to it yet. Give me time and I can try again."
    I laughed at his strained attempt. It was only the first meeting, but I felt like we would get along well. He wasn't uptight or stuck up like the men in my traditional family. Maybe I could finally get rid of my hard feelings. This place seemed a little more carefree.
    With a smile, I accepted his apology. Was it because he looked so angelic? Possibly.
    "Ah," Suddenly, he looked worried. "I apologize once more! I haven't introduced myself at all yet!" He took a deep breath and straightened his slouched shoulders. "My name is Kim Jun Myeon and I am your fiancee. This place is going to be your new home starting today. Shall we take a walk around the estate?"
    Jun Myeon... Even his name sounded beautiful. Was he really just a normally traditional man or was he a prince? Either way, it was too hard to tell with a face that handsome.
    "We shall." My voice sounded calm, but my heart beat so quickly that I swore I could have had a heart attack.
    Leading the way, Jun Myeon placed his hand on my upper back and escorted me throughout the outer edges of the house.
    The first place he brought me to was a spring garden, filled with hundreds of different kinds of exotic and foreign flowers from overseas. It was almost like a walk in heaven. The variety of colors, shapes, and sizes had me nearly breathless. Even the garden was as beautiful as its owner.
    The second place Jun Myeon showed me was the storehouse, located in the far back of the estate. Hidden deep inside were hundreds of his family's scriptures.
    "You are the first person I will ever show these things to." Jun Myeon smiled proudly and revealed a fancy key from his hanbok sleeve pocket. As he was unlocking the unusually large door, I looked at him with confusion on my face.
    "Why am I the first one?"
    Jun Myeon turned his face to me, still smiling. "Because you are my wife."
    When he said those words, my face suddenly became hot. I could feel my blood rushing to my face and I suddenly broke into a cold sweat. The way he said it with that smile made me feel like the world was crashing in on me, but I was okay with it because my heart was content.
    "Miss..." Jun Myeon lightly lifted my hand, facing my palm upward to place the key on top. I could feel my eyebrows creasing upward. "It's yours to keep."
    "What is? The storage?"
    "My family scriptures. My home. My heart."
    The last two words had me speechless. In a sudden moment, everything about him had become mine. Wasn't he trusting me too fast? We didn't even know each other that long!
    With a hearty chuckle, Jun Myeon looked me in the eyes. "Is it all too fast for you?"
    I cleared my throat. "A little bit..." Did I look easy to trust?
    "Alright then," Jun Myeon took the key back and placed it into his hanbok sleeve once again. He wore the kindest smile I had ever seen on anyone's face. Strangely, it made me feel warmer; more welcomed. "Until the day you are ready to recieve it from me, I will hold onto it for you."
    I bowed my head slightly. My mind was at a loss of words.
    Moving on from the storage house, the fourth place he showed me were the tea grounds. As I wandered the area, my eyes caught another man. His short-trimmed hair was a caramel color, with a brilliant shine to make it look silky.
    When our eyes caught on, he quickly looked away from me. He seemed rather shy.
    Again, he looked my way. I tried to greet him by bowing my head and smiling sweetly, but he repeated his earlier action. Strange...
    Jun Myeon turned to look at the man whose eyes had met with mine. "Ah, that's Yixing. He's a very valuable friend of mine."
    "Yixing?" I turned to Jun Myeon. "His name sounds foreign."
    He nodded his head and looked back at his friend who hid himself behind the sliding doors of the traditional home. "Yes, he's from another country. China, to be exact."
    "He's quite a way from home..." I placed a hand on my heart. Although he lived farther, I felt like I could understand how much he missed his homeland.
    "Come this way, miss. I will show you my home now." Jun Myeon said. With his hand reached out for mine, he tipped his head to the direction of the beautiful home ahead of us. "I know you will love it."
    My hand reached out to his, but I hesitated to place my hand in it.
    "Ah, yes, I forgot." Reaching into his left hanbok sleeve, Jun Myeon pulled out a small, dangling teardrop charm. "This is for you. I didn't remember to give it to you at the door, and I can't really find the right time, so I'll hand it to you now as we enter this home that is now yours."
    "What is it? Is it a decoration for my hanbok?" Holding it carefully, I stared as it shimmered under the sunlight - reflecting specks of a beautiful rainbow on my pale skin. Unknowingly, a smile had decorated my face. "It's beautiful..."
    Jun Myeon chuckled at my questions. "It's a cell phone charm."
    Estranged, I looked up at him. "Cell... Phone...?" What was that?
    His eyebrows curved upward and his lips grew into a confused pout. "You don't know what a cell phone is?" Again, he chuckled and pulled out a small device from his the inside of his hanbok, located above his chest. "This is a cell phone. You use it when you need to call someone who is far away from you."
    Handing his cell phone to me, he touched the screen to turn it on. My eyes grew wide with a strange excitement. This was such a wonderful innovation! Other people these days must be using these often.
    Suddenly blinking myself back into reality, I looked up at Jun Myeon who was watching with a fatherly smile on his face.
    "Ah! Sorry! I must be wasting time!" Embarrassed, I bowed my head and bit my tongue. He must have thought of me as such an idiot...
    "It's quite fine. You'll have plenty of time to play around with it when you get settled in." Again, he held out his hand for me. "Come this way, miss. You need to see your new home."
    Still hesitant, I lightly placed my hand in his palm. As he curled his fingers to grip my hand, the wings in my heart began to flutter like crazy. His touch was as soft as the finest silk.
    As I stayed focused on his beautiful skin, he led me into my new home. He pulled aside a sliding rice paper door and shook off his shoes. Following along, I did the same.
    The interior of the house was made completely of wood, just like a real traditional home. It was beautiful. Everything about this man seemed so perfect. Even his home. Okay, it's not the time to go crazy. Snapping my head back into reality again, I followed along as he kept walking through the halls and telling me what each room was for.
    Some rooms were so strange, that it made me question what it was for.
    One of them was completely filled with electronics to the brim - creating an ocean of wires all over the floor. I wasn't too sure if it was safe or not, but it seemed like a bad thing. Another room that I noticed was odd was completely empty other than a bed. It seemed like it supposed to be for guests?
    Reaching the highest story of the house, the two of us walked down a large, empty hallway to the biggest room of them all. As I stepped inside, I looked around at the bizarre items that filled it. One large bed was set in the middle of the room in front of an enormous window that had the most beautiful view of the sunset.
    Large clothing drawers lined the sides of the room - one side for Jun Myeon, the other side for me. Next to our clothing drawers, there was even a luxurious walk-in closet filled with basic modern clothing and traditional Korean hanboks. It was all too wonderful.
    "So?" He questioned. "What do you think about it all? Is it to your liking?"
    I smiled so hard that my cheeks hurt as tears of happiness bursted from my eyes. All of these things were for me. Everything. Even Jun Myeon. What had I done in my past life to deserve such a blessing in this one?
    "Thank you so much..." My voice cracked as the words escaped from my lips.
    Suddenly, a song played from Jun Myeon's mobile device. I quickly reached for it within my hanbok sleeve and handed it to him.
    In a rush, he picked up the phone and answered it - touching the buttons on the screen and answering in an instant. "Hello, this is Jun Myeon." For a moment, he stayed silent with his ear pressed against it. His face looked very serious. "Okay, I got it. I'll be there immediately."
    Jun Myeon removed the mobile device from his face and pressed another button to turn it off, then faced me. "I'm sorry, but I'll need to leave you here today. I have some important business to take care of. I won't be home until late, so do not wait for me. If you have any questions or concerns, please just ask anything from my men."
    Speechless, I watched him leave me behind in our room. His back seemed tense as he walked down the hall and disappeared around the corner with the phone he had gifted me.