Chaebol Fate

THE ARRANGEMENT

We sat, our eyes cast down on our food, neither of us particularly pleased to be in our situation. Our parents, meanwhile, rattled on about their fabulous business arrangement. Brilliant. Genius. Unstoppable. A force to be reckoned with. Two heirs---both young, attractive, intelligent, and brimming with potential---to be joined together to form one massive conglomerate. We were to be the next royal couple of the chaebol kingdom.

Both of us were splattered all over social media daily. He was the ultimate bachelor businessman well known for his charm, looks, ingenuity, philanthropy, and string of broken hearts left in his wake. This created a PR nightmare when his foolish conquests refused to go quietly into the night.

Me? I was a powerful influencer for social causes, at the forefront of fashion trends, and an ever-proud-to-be single, self-sufficient woman. I was the epitome of Kesha's song "Woman" and I refused to submit to---or fall for---any man. I had learned from my mistakes in college. Taming of the Shrew could kiss my ass. That didn't mean I would refuse the opportunity to have fun with a man if he was worthy. The problem was that none of the men I had come across so far were. My unattached status continually frustrated my parents. I was their only child and they were desperate for me to bear heirs to continue the family line.

He attended social events with a different woman hanging on his arm every single time. I attended these same events with my arms free of the burden of a man trying to either climb the social ladder on my coattails or usurp my power. We knew of each other, but never really crossed paths, being a part of different social circles. It was at one of the many social events that our families attended that our parents were formally introduced, and after acquainting each other with their dilemmas, they contrived a solution that came in the form of an arranged marriage between Mr. Park Jimin and myself. Our parents wanted to join our two circles. Power comes from who you know, and the more powerful people you know, the more power you obtain.

Park Jimin. Just the whisper of his name made every young woman swoon---even the ones with boyfriends. Every young woman except me, that is. Perhaps that is why his parents were considering me for his life partner. They wanted to see if I didn't go brain dead in his presence, which was important for business. They wanted him to have a capable wife.

I was tricked into joining my parents for dinner at his parents' house. I was told it was to discuss a potential business deal and that my insight as a social media influencer was needed. And I foolishly passed his parents' test just a few minutes into dinner when I brazenly asserted my disagreement with a statement Jimin had made, providing powerful evidence to support my position. I held my own in his presence. It was shortly after I fell into their trap that both of our parents subtly revealed the details of the supposed business deal between our families---a marriage.

This was a disaster in the making. Our parents cared more about business than our wishes. I was hard-pressed to refuse mine, risking disownment. I suspected he was in the same situation. And so it was decided. The two of us would be married.

As we sat down at our very public engagement party just one week later, surrounded by family friends, powerful public figures, and the media, I was in disbelief at the absurdity playing out in front of me. We were the media's romance of the century, yet apart from my vocal opposition to his statement at his parents' house the week before, the two of us had only truly spoken to each other for the first time a few hours before. And we had each only uttered one word. The same word. "Hello."

In a rush to get us married, our parents made the wedding arrangements choosing almost everything for us: the officiant, the venue, the flowers, the invitations, the guest list, the food, the music, the photographer, the wedding attendants, and even our honeymoon. My mother kindly let me choose my dress with her approval. I'm sure her intention was for me to take some ownership of the relationship I was about to enter. I just didn't want to look horrid in my wedding photos as my mother's taste in fashion was not very refined.