Her.

0:00 - arranged lovers. | taerose

TAEROSÉ au where kim taehyung and park chaeyoung are destined to be married outside of their own control.

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In her twenty-six years of living, Park Chaeyoung has become an expert at two things. 

Firstly, was facades. From a young age, Park Chaeyoung has learned about adjusting herself to make people feel big, learning how to make herself feel smaller to appease the crowd. She's passive and quiet, slow to decline and only does so when it's absolutely not in her best interests. Her father's friends always commend her for being the perfect daughter, and perhaps someday, the perfect wife. 

In many ways, she's already accustomed to the reality that her life was meaningless. She had a role to play, one that would serve the interests of those around her, whether it be her parents, the company or someday— her future husband.

Secondly, her expertise was in running away from her feelings. Every year, she finds herself suddenly engrossed in a new hobby, though deep down, she knows it's all an excuse to buy her time. That was how she found herself at the young age of twenty-six with a PhD in the History of Fine Arts.

But now, she had no escape. 

Her father had called her back to South Korea, and while he didn't specifically say, she knew what what coming. 

Park Chaeyoung sits in the restaurant in silence, her hands proper on her lap as she was trained to do before she heard footsteps emerging into the private dining area. She looks up by instinct, turning to her father who rose up from his seat to greet the two people. As expected, she followed suit, taking small steps against the marble floors with heeled feet. 

Breathe, Chaeyoung.

"Sorry for the lateness, the traffic is so bad today," the older man standing across her comments, putting his hand out to shake her father's hand first before taking hers, "... Chaeyoung, right? It's been a while, do you remember Taehyung, my son?"

Park Chaeyoung looks up at the older man, vaguely remembering him. She turns her eyes slightly to look at the younger gentleman beside him, his features so similar. 

Kim Taehyung's eyes look to hers, and suddenly she remembers. How could she forget a pair of eyes like that? 

He looked much different from how she remembers, and his gaze was somehow frightening. 

It was intense, and she felt insecure.

"Of course," she replies timidly before holding her hand out to him, "... it's good to see you again." 

Kim Taehyung gives a half smile before nodding, "... likewise." 

As their hands touch, she can't help but remember the electric feeling through her body, reminding her of the first time they'd met.

After finishing her master's degree in the US, she'd come back for the week to visit her parents, before she was scheduled to go to the UK for her doctoral degree. 

Her father invited her to the golf course, as the house helpers dressed her up in a short skirt and tight fitting top. When she arrived, she met her father's best friend, and surprisingly, he'd brought his son.

Kim Taehyung.

From memory, he was two years older than her.

Park Chaeyoung stood behind her father for most of the day, as they moved around the golf course. The young man stood beside her, not speaking to her once.

Park Chaeyoung loves the feeling of the warm sun against her skin usually. It reminds her of her summers in Australia where she'd spend hours in the beach, coming back after a long day of surfing with a tan. It reminds her of the feeling of her innocence as a child, running around the playground mindlessly for hours, before her entire life was about responsibility.