Arrange Marriage | JC

Chapter 3: Past never leaves

Jeonghan entered his apartment, repeating the mantra: "Just don't think too much and try to take a break." He wasn't sure what was worse right now—being caught up in a drug scandal or the prospect of marrying that... that monster of a human being.

Jeonghan knew exactly who Minjun was trying to set him up with. He wasn't naive. The looming threat of being paired with Seungcheol, Seokmin's older brother, was all too real.

Choi Seungcheol.

The name alone sent a shiver down Jeonghan's spine. He tossed his keys onto the coffee table and sank onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. It felt like the world was closing in on him, with no escape in sight.

His phone buzzed on the table, dragging him out of his thoughts. It was a message from Minjun: "We need to talk. Urgent." Jeonghan rolled his eyes. Of course, it was urgent. Everything with Minjun was urgent.

Reluctantly, he picked up the phone and dialed Minjun's number. The line barely rang once before Minjun's voice came through, sharp and insistent.

"Jeonghan, have you thought about what we discussed?"

"Minjun, I don't need this right now," Jeonghan sighed, rubbing his temples.

"You don't have a choice. The scandal could ruin you, and aligning with Seungcheol could be your saving grace."

"Aligning with Seungcheol," Jeonghan muttered. "You make it sound like a business merger, not a marriage."

Minjun's tone softened, just a fraction. "I know it's not ideal, but you have to consider the bigger picture. Seungcheol can protect you."

"Protect me?" Jeonghan scoffed. "He's the last person I'd trust with my life."

"You don't have to trust him," Minjun replied. "You just have to marry him."

Jeonghan hung up, frustration boiling over. He stood up, pacing the room. The thought of Seungcheol, with his cold demeanor and piercing eyes, made his skin crawl. They had never gotten along, and the idea of being bound to him in any capacity was suffocating.

It wouldn't have been this insufferable if Jeonghan hadn't been so foolish in his high school days. Seungcheol and he had been tied together since day one. But high school was different—Jeonghan used to look at Seungcheol with heart eyes, just like everyone else. He was completely swooned over him.

But that was in the past, and it was the past for a reason. Jeonghan now had a reason to despise Seungcheol. Why should he marry someone who had rejected him back then? Exactly! He shouldn't!

But he knew he couldn't help it. He knew that if he tried to reject Seungcheol, Seokmin, or, worse, both of them, they'd hunt him down from the deepest depths.

Jeonghan sighed as he stared out the window, watching the rain patter against the glass. He couldn't believe he was actually going through with this.

Marrying Seungcheol felt like a bad joke. High school memories flooded back, moments he’d rather forget—like the time he mustered up the courage to confess, only to be harshly turned down.

It wasn’t just the rejection that stung; it was the fact that Seungcheol had done it so coldly, like he was sparing Jeonghan's feelings. And now, years later, here they were, thrown back together by some twist of fate or, more likely, their meddling situations.