The Light of Dead Stars | KSJ

Prologue

The sun's just about to set when Seokjin enters his office and sinks in his chair, the cushion seemingly not enough to carry the weight of all his responsibilities, that despite their US and Europe sales increasing under his leadership, there's still so much more to do and so much more to prove.

It's been a long day, like everyday, and he wants nothing more than to lay in his bed and bury himself in her warmth.

He loosens the knot of his tie, knowing he's got no other important meetings for the rest of the evening, and picks up his phone.

She answers after the first ring, and he knows she's been waiting for him, too.

"Hi, we're still on for tonight, right?" She asks sweetly on the other line, the longing unmissable in her voice. "I want to wear that pretty dress you got for me."

"Yeah, we are, and I can't wait to see you in it," he hums, already thinking about how good she'd look in that red dress. "But Father asked to have dinner so I'll have to meet you after. Is that okay?"

"Sure, no problem," she responds.

"Same place, okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you, Jin."

"I'll see you."

He hangs up and lets the temporary bliss settle in before it fades, knowing he's got a few more things to do before that dinner with his father that was asked for last night. It's not usual for his old man to make a request on such a short notice, and the fact that it was made through their secretaries means it's business related, not personal.

A few emails sent later, he hears a knock on the door. The man promptly enters as instructed.

"Mr. Kim, your father is on the way here to meet with you," Yoongi, his secretary, says, his dark locks framing his pale and serious face.

"Now?" Seokjin asks worriedly. "I thought we were on for dinner."

"You thought that. I said he wanted to meet you in the evening," his secretary corrects.

"Hmm, uh, okay. Great, I can tell Seri we can meet for dinner, then."

"Yeah, you're gonna wanna do that," Yoongi says, mostly to himself.

His boss doesn't seem to have heard, too busy on his phone, completely unaware of how much his life is about to change.

The door opens and in enters the elder Mr. Kim, 3-piece suit still impeccable despite the long day.

"Father," Seokjin greets. "I could've met you at your office."

"Yeah, well, I figured you're gonna wanna be comfortable with what I'm about to talk about," the older man responds, taking his seat on the couch a few feet away from the desk, motioning for his son to sit across from him.

"Uh, what's this about?"

"I'll cut to the chase," the elder clears his throat. "Your grandparents have spoken with your mother and me and have proposed an arrangement, a marriage arrangement."

"A, what?" Seokjin pants. "An arranged marriage? Really, in this day and age?"

"More like a marriage of convenience. Their family needs our help and we've waited long enough for you to find a good enough partner to marry. I mean, it's been years," he huffs in disappointment. "You don't approve of any of the ones we've asked you to go on dates with and you haven't introduced anyone in the last 5 or so years that we've been asking you about it. You're not getting any younger, and neither are your prospects. You're our eldest, Seokjin, and the President of this company. It's expected of you to have a family soon."