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Chapter 1: The Arrangement – June 7, 2019

Eunji stared into her mirror, admiring her reflection.  A paragon of fashion gazed back at her.  There was no particular reason for her to be this stylish today.  This was her default mode.  As the second heir to Seoul International, she was consistently dressed smartly.  She knew such an image was expected of her.  She was, after all, representing her appa’s company.  No matter where she was.  Or with whom she was meeting.

As much as she enjoyed appearing elegant, a secret part of her dreamed of being free to relax her standards and just…walk around in sweatpants and a T-shirt.  Or to wear a pair of jeans while she went for ice cream with a friend.  If she had a friend.  She wanted to be…normal.  How amazing would it be to be free to just be herself?  Or perhaps, to discover a new self?  Maybe to let go of all the rules for just a few minutes and enjoy life?  That would be the topic that caused chaos at the breakfast table this morning…

“Eunji, why are you slouching?  Sit up straight!  You’d better comport yourself like a lady when we go see Mr. Kim and his son this afternoon!” her father snapped.

Eunji rolled her eyes before adjusting her posture.  She pushed a few of the edible items on her plate around before speaking up.

“Appa, why are you so eager to marry me off?  I’m only nineteen.  I haven’t even finished college yet.”

“You know why.  We need this connection.  If Mr. Kim had had a daughter, your brother would have married her, but since he didn’t, the burden falls on your shoulders to unite our two families.  This move will solidify our control over the marketplace for years to come. 

“You know, I tried to marry Yoongi off a year sooner.  I gave you an entire year longer than I gave him to start the whole process.  So don’t complain.  You’ve had your freedom.  Now it’s time for you to accept your responsibility.” 

His tone suddenly softened.  “You’ll be happy with Namjoon.  You’ll see.  He’s a good man, and he’ll take very good care of you…and my company.  Since neither you nor your brother have any interest in continuing my endeavors once I retire.”

Eunji sighed.  She knew better than to argue with her father, so she said no more.  She supposed Mr. Kim’s son wasn’t the worst choice her father could’ve made; in fact, he might’ve been one of the best ones.  

Kim Namjoon was his name.  He was smart.  Sweet.  Kind.  Handsome.  Overall, he was just perfect.  Perhaps, that was part of the problem.  He didn’t seem real.  But, instead, resembled a dream.  Surely, no man could live up to the image he exuded. 

She’d known him since she was a child.  He’d been her older brother’s best friend for years.  A mysterious presence in her life.  Someone hard to comprehend.  He was four years her senior.  As much as she’d grown up around him, they had seldom spoken to each other.  She didn’t really know what lay in his heart.  Under the surface.  Beyond the image they both presented to the world.  Heirs of two of the greatest businesses in Korea.  On paper, they were the perfect match.

But…she didn’t have romantic feelings for him.  She did, however, cherish some for his younger brother, Tae, who was much more her type and was also her best friend.  Why couldn’t she be engaged to him instead?  

Her thoughts wandered back to the elder brother, and it occurred to her that she hadn’t seen Namjoon since her brother’s wedding nearly four years ago.  She supposed she should just give him a chance.  It wasn’t like she really had a choice.  She wasn’t willing to fight against her appa’s will.   

Growing weary of the food on her plate, which she had barely touched, she left the breakfast table and called for her maid to help her dress.  That was the problem with high-end dresses.  They often required another pair of hands to zip up.  For just a moment, she saw a vision of Namjoon unzipping her dress, and she blushed.  The strangest feeling had overwhelmed her as that image had filled her mind.  But…where had such an absurd thought come from?

Although…should she marry him, it wouldn’t be absurd at all.  Namjoon was sure to unzip a dress or two for her when he…

She cleared her throat as she fought against another image.

Would she no longer require the services of a maid once she had a husband? 

She decided she was going to dress her best today, even if it wasn’t Tae she was preparing to meet later this afternoon.  Honestly, she was nervous about this meeting.  Nearly four years was a long time to be separated from someone.  Surely, Namjoon was expecting his prospective bride to wow him. 

She wouldn’t even consider wearing something that was already hanging in her closet.  Whenever she and her appa met for the first time with the bigwigs of the companies he worked with, she bought a new dress to wear to the meeting.  She wouldn’t show Namjoon any less respect.  He was, after all, going to be her husband someday.  He deserved the best side of her.  Didn’t he?

So she dragged her maid to the mall with her, insisting she needed help picking out a dress and all the necessary accessories.  As Eunji glanced in the mirror of a changing room, she realized that she also needed new earrings for the cartilage piercings she had defiantly acquired on her eighteenth birthday.  Her eyebrow quirked as she recalled her parents’ reaction when she’d walked into the dining room sporting six new holes in her ears.  Then she shuddered.  She never wanted to relive such a reaction on her appa’s part ever again.  That was part of the reason she lacked the courage to fight him concerning her marriage to Namjoon. 

She had one last hope concerning those rebellious, little holes in her ears.  She wondered if maybe they’d repulse Namjoon, and he’d encourage her to marry Tae instead.

What a fanciful thought.  Namjoon was unlikely to leave her over half a dozen piercings.  Perhaps, she should get some tattoos…

After three hours of shopping, she finally found the perfect outfit. She’d settled on three pairs of earrings that she liked – one pair for each of her double piercings.  She was also pleased with the crimson dress she’d chosen and its pair of matching heels.  Five-inch heels.  Because she could never be tall enough.  Especially around Namjoon.  The man was a giant.  He towered over her.  He always had.

She headed home and, with five hours to spare, decided she needed a manicure and a pedicure.  She had her nails painted red, perfectly matching her dress and heels.  Her hair was curled and her makeup done, and after that, her maid helped her dress, and she put all of her earrings in.  

She sighed.  Why was she doing this?  She didn’t even like Namjoon.  

Right?  At least, she didn’t know him.  She didn’t dislike him.  She was just indifferent towards him. 

She supposed she was falling back on what was routine, doing what was expected of her.  Like always.  Except that one rebellious day when she’d pierced her ears. 

What would life have been like if she’d been born into a normal household?  If her father hadn’t ruled the business world?  Would she have often spent hours shopping for just the right outfit?  Or dressed herself in too-tall heels?  Or felt the need to use her ears to rebel against her appa? 

She supposed not.  Most girls would have found such extravagance too expensive.  

She looked in the mirror one last time before grabbing her bag and heading downstairs.  It was show time.

—

Eunji took another sip of her wine.  She and Namjoon had both barely said a word since they had arrived; their fathers had done all the talking.  She glanced out the window.  And noticed the deck just outside.  This gave her an idea.  She was always looking for a way of escape.  She turned to her father and cleared her throat.

“Appa, I’m going out to the deck.” She stood up and turned to Namjoon. “Care to join me, Namjoon?”

“Um, sure,” Namjoon placed his glass back on the table before getting up to escort her out the door.

Outside, Eunji leaned against the railing.  Namjoon’s eyes traced the lovely lines of her face.  Then, suddenly, she stood up straight, and he noticed that she was quite taller than he remembered.  He peered down at her feet to take in her five-inch heels.  His eyes widened.

“Don’t those hurt?”

“Hmm?” Eunji asked, completely oblivious.

“Your feet…in those shoes…”

“Oh.  These aren’t my tallest pair.  The shoes are just part of the whole filthy-rich persona.” 

She didn’t want him to know that she felt self-conscious around him.  So she had sought to be more on his level.  Physically speaking anyway.  So she blathered on, spouting the nonsense she’d grown up with. 

“I was trained from the time I was young how to walk in them.  Does that answer your question?”

“Not exactly…”

“Basically, I’m used to wearing them, and my feet are usually numb before I can feel any pain.”

“That’s horrible.”

“You don’t have to act like you care, Namjoon.  I know you don’t.  This,” she gestured between her and himself, “isn’t real.  Just like our appearances, it’s all a mirage.”

Namjoon sent her a pained glance.

What she didn’t know was that he had nursed a continual love for her for years.  This wasn’t a masquerade to him.  In fact, his heart was set on her.  The marriage had been mostly his idea; however, he would’ve agreed to it even if it hadn’t been. 

He had never fallen out of love with her.  No matter the distance that had separated them.  Even having not spoken to her for nearly four years, he was still madly in love with her.  At Yoongi’s wedding, Namjoon had lacked the courage to ask her to dance, but he well remembered standing on the sidelines yearning to feel her in his arms.  He had continually hoped that someday she would love him with the same undying devotion he felt for her.  

But he didn’t expect too much; she hadn’t been receptive of his affection when they were younger.  The question was: had her feelings changed?   Or would they change if she got to know him now?  Perhaps she’d accept him happily simply because marrying someone she’d grown up with might be more comfortable than allowing her appa to arrange a marriage for her with a perfect stranger.

“Eunji, you do realize that just because our marriage is arranged doesn’t mean we can’t get along, right?  We might be doing this just to please our parents,” he paused, knowing that was a lie, at least on his part. “But we can still be friends, can’t we?”

She sighed. “I suppose you’re right.  Forgive me.  I expected you to be indifferent and arrogant like all the other guys I’ve met.”

“It’s all right.  I understand.” Namjoon looked up at the night sky, the stars barely visible through all the city lights.  “I wonder what the stars would look like in raw darkness?  You know?  Maybe deep at sea on a boat with no light in sight?  Just the stars.”

“It would be amazing, that’s for sure.”  She paused for a moment and realized that she had a tiny desire to bridge the distance between them.  “Maybe we should do that sometime.”

For a moment, silence reigned, and something warmed the air between them.  Its familiarity niggled at the back of her mind, drawing her closer to him.

Namjoon was about to say something, but a sharp voice interfered.

“Eunji, Yoongi just informed me that his flight got in early.  I can’t get a hold of any of our other drivers at this time, so we have to pick him, Nari, and Jungju up from the airport.  Let’s go.”

Eunji sighed and turned to Namjoon. “I’m sorry I have to leave so soon.  I’ll talk to you later.”

She followed her father inside.  But something caused her to turn back towards Namjoon.  She waved goodbye.  He was definitely different from other guys.  He seemed…nice, but that didn’t change the fact that she liked Tae.  And only Tae.