[CONTENTID1]ONE[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]The mighty roar of the plane's engines and the voice from the loudspeaker woke me from my uncomfortable nap. I slowly opened my eyes as I took off my favourite earphones. I could feel the adrenaline surround me as the other passengers began to chant happily about the prospects of meeting their families who were waiting for them.

I straightened up in my seat and literally felt my stomach tightening. A jolt of excitement rushed through my body at the simple thought of being back in my hometown. A smile graced my face as I tilted my head to glance through the tinted windows of the plane. I could observe the city's outline below. I took a few moments to admire the beauty of Seoul in the early morning whilst some street lights were still on.

Four years, six months and fourteen days have passed and finally I came back home. To people with more common sense, I must be out of my mind to count each day. However, the longing for my hometown made me do some silly things and sometimes it helped to cope with my homesickness.

I knew that I should be grateful for my opportunities and for what I possessed, because some people work their entire lifetime with dreams of being in my shoes. Others aspire towards my academic achievements and a bachelor's degree at such a young age. If they could return home with an uplifted face and receive praise from their families about how proud of them they were, they would feel very elated as well.

I'm glad I did it. Even though I had not imagined my youth being spent in a mountain of thick books, my parents had faith in me and to make them proud was all I wanted.

The plane landed perfectly. I stepped out of the cabin along with the other passengers in an orderly fashion and soon, the morning sun kissed my skin. The fresh air hit my face as I took a deep breath; breathing in the air of my hometown. I had been waiting for this day to come. The start of my new life...

I saw a familiar figure waiting for me at the entrance of arrival gate. He looked at me and smiled warmly before walking in to welcome me with the warmest hug I'd ever received over the past few years.

"Yoona, how are you?" Donghae asked.

"I'm good," I responded, retracting from his hug and taking a minute to observe his features. He looked taller than the last time he'd visited me at Oxford and, of course, he looked more handsome now with his black short hair.

"Should we go now? Do you have any luggage?"

"No, I just brought this one." I showed Donghae the suitcase in my hand. I didn't need to carry a lot of stuff because I'd sent my entire belongings home a week ago.

A few minutes afterwards, I found myself sitting inside a sports car while Donghae drove us out of the airport.

"How was your flight?" Donghae started the conversation as we entered the highway. The car was driving through the cold morning air.

"It's fine but I'm a bit jet-lagged. Still trying to adjust to the difference in time zones," I answered and he chuckled lightly.

"It's been a while," He started and I just gave him a light nod. I was too tired to keep the conversation going, so I just laid my head against the car window.

"It will take a few hours to get home so you can rest if you want. I'll wake you when we get home." Donghae squeezed my hand softly while his eyes were still concentrating on the road. I gave him a small smile of gratitude; silently thanking him for always being the understanding and gentle one.

Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Im Yoona. I'm 23 years old. I just earned my Masters of Business Administration from Oxford University a few months ago.

The guy next to me is Lee Donghae. He is my fiancé. We have been together for about four and a half years, but he never demanded anything from me; even when I decided to study abroad only two weeks after we were engaged. Never once did he complain about our long-distance relationship. He was very supportive. Never once did he pressure me.

That's how I could tell that Donghae was pretty much a perfect guy. He was also polite and well-mannered. He was mild-tempered, good looking and highly intellectual- the dream guy any girl would like to marry, right?

For those countless reasons, I loved him. Didn't I?

I frowned at my own thoughts. Sometimes I had to suppress this nagging feeling whenever I realised that the conclusion I had made over the past years still did not sit well within my heart and I hated myself for being like this.

He was the warmest guy I'd ever known and he gave me comfort with every gentle gesture. He gave me something I needed: the knowledge that I wanted. He showed me how much he loved me. That's why I didn't hesitate to have a relationship with him, even though I still needed time to confirm that what I felt was truly love. I tried. I really tried.

Not wanting to ruin my first day in Seoul with my inner turmoil, I closed my eyes, allowing silence to sink between us. I was trying to sleep when I found myself slowly drifting into my daydreams again. I remembered the first time I had actually seen and met him.

Flashback

I glanced over the mirror to check my slender figure. I was dressed in a fancy little white dress with flashy jewellery and expensive perfume and I looked good, as always. Everything fit me perfectly, but I still found myself asking, "Is this I really want? Am I sure? Because once it's done, there's no turning back."

I was on the verge of anger towards certain someone right now and I was not sure whether my decision was influenced by my anger or my willingness to attend this dinner. However, I knew that no matter how many times I asked my heart, I would never really find the answer to my question.

Despite all the inner turmoil within me, I checked myself in the mirror one last time before heading down the stairs where I had been waited upon.

"Hi honey, you're here!" Mom approached me at the staircase with the most excited face, “Let’s go. The Lee family has been waiting for you.”

I could just manage a small nod at my mom's eagerness and let her lead me to the dining room, the place where people who were dressed as fancily as I was had gathered around.

Daddy was chatting happily with his relatives who would have dinner with us this evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lee. There was a handsome guy, busy fixing himself, although from my view, he already looked good.

I could feel everyone's attention on me as soon as I set my foot on dining room.

"Good evening." I bowed politely and joined them at dining table.

"Yoona, you look so beautiful tonight," praised Mrs. Lee from across the table.

She just glanced at me once but I could sense that I already impressed her. It didn't really surprise me though, because she wasn't the first one.

As the daughter of the Im family, one of the famous conglomerates in Korea, I was born and raised in the luxurious life of aristocracy. Since childhood, I was taught about ethics and manners. And to impress the elders had always been one of my abilities.

"Thank you." I forced a polite smile to the Lee’s as I adjusted my seat. I was sitting across from him, the guy I might spend my lifetime with.

Tonight I will reconcile with a guy who also had the same degree as my family. The Lee family had been a long business partner of the Im family and the idea to marry was an extraordinary and brilliant idea for both families.

But still, I didn't feel this was brilliant idea. This dinner was flat and blur, but what could I do? I couldn't even complain. I was just trying to be a good obedient child to my parents, because I, Im Yoona, for the 18 years of my life, never disobeyed my parents once.

The dinner ran nicely, and everyone moved to living room to have small talk. And I, as much as I wanted to excuse myself and leave, still