Business owner Kim Ji-won and lawyer Kim Soo-hyun are under intense family pressure to marry. Ji-won's parents want her to wed her ex, photographer Ji Chang-wook, while Soo-hyun is bombarded with blind dates, including persistent heiress Seo Ye-ji...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The city lights twinkled like stars as Ji-won and Soo-hyun sat on a bench overlooking the skyline.
The air was cool, the night quiet save for the distant hum of cars.
Ji-won fidgeted with her fingers, stealing glances at Soo-hyun beside her.
They had been together for months now, sharing laughter, memories, and silent moments like these, but tonight felt different.
There was something unspoken hanging between them, and Ji-won could feel it in the way Soo-hyun's hand brushed hers, in the way his gaze lingered longer than usual.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Soo-hyun spoke, his voice soft and a little uncertain. "Ji-won, can I ask you something?"
Ji-won turned to face him, her heart skipping a beat. "Of course."
He took a deep breath, his hands resting on his knees as he stared out into the night. "Do you ever wonder... if this-if we-are really what you want? With everything your family's been saying and, well... with Chang-wook coming back, I've been thinking. I don't want to make you feel like you have to choose me just because we've been together."
Ji-won blinked, caught off guard. Her chest tightened as she processed his words. "Soo-hyun... why would you think that?"
He let out a small, nervous laugh, finally turning to meet her gaze. "I know your family's been pushing for something else. I know it hasn't been easy for you. And I guess, sometimes I wonder if I'm enough. If maybe you feel like you're settling."
Ji-won's heart clenched at the vulnerability in his voice, at the worry she saw in his eyes.
She reached out, placing her hand over his, her fingers lacing through his.
"You're not a second choice, Soo-hyun," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside her. "You've never been a second choice."
Soo-hyun looked down at their joined hands, his thumb gently brushing over hers. "Then why haven't you told me how you really feel? We've been together for a while now, but I've always had this sense that you're holding back."
Ji-won swallowed, feeling the weight of his words settle over her.
He was right.
She had been holding back, not because she doubted him, but because she had been afraid-afraid of how deep her feelings for him truly ran and were afraid of the consequences of fully opening her heart.
But now, seeing the doubt in his eyes, she realized that holding back was only hurting them both.
"Soo-hyun," she began, her voice soft but resolute. "I've been scared. Not of you, but of how much I care about you. Of how much you mean to me. I guess... I thought that if I said it out loud, if I admitted how deeply I feel, it would make everything more real. And with all the pressure from my family, I was afraid of losing you."
