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...
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I stood in the living room, my heart pounding as my parents' words echoed through the tense silence.
I had just told them firmly and clearly that I was not going through with the arranged marriage to Ji Chang-wook.
I had chosen Soo-hyun, and there was no changing my mind.
But instead of understanding or support, my parents had responded with anger-anger that I had never seen so clearly directed at me before.
My father's, face flushed with frustration and stood up abruptly from his chair. "Ji-won, this is not a decision for you to make lightly! You're throwing away everything we've worked for, everything we've planned for your future!"
I swallowed hard, standing my ground. "Dad, I'm not throwing anything away. I'm choosing my own path. I'm in love with Soo-hyun, and I don't want to marry Chang-wook just because it's convenient for everyone else."
My mother's voice was sharp as I cut in, "This isn't just about convenience, Ji-won! This is about your security, your stability. We've arranged this marriage for your own good. Soo-hyun cannot offer you the kind of life Chang-wook can."
"I don't care about that," I said, my voice trembling but determined. "I care about who I love. I care about building a life with someone I'm happy with, not someone I barely know anymore."
My father's jaw tightened. "Love is fleeting, Ji-won. Do you think that's enough to sustain you in the long run? When things get hard? When you realize how much you've sacrificed?"
"I'm not sacrificing anything!" I exclaimed, my emotions bubbling to the surface. "I'm gaining a future I actually want. How can you not see that? I'm not the same person who blindly follows what you want for me."
My mother threw her hands up in exasperation. "You're being selfish, Ji-won! Do you think this only affects you? What about our family? Do you know how this will make us look to Chang-wook's parents? To everyone?"
I clenched my fists, my frustration boiling over. "Is that what this is about? How do things look? You'd rather I be miserable just to protect some image?"
Her mother's face hardened. "It's not just about image. It's about respect for the family. This has been in the works for years. You don't just get to walk away from it because of some... fleeting romance."
I took a deep breath, my voice steadying despite the storm raging inside me. "This isn't fleeting, Mom. I love Soo-hyun. He makes me happy in a way that Chang-wook never could. I don't care about wealth or status or what people think. I care about living my life on my terms."
My father stepped closer, his voice lowering but no less intense. "You're being naive, Ji-won. Soo-hyun may be a good man, but he can not provide for you the way Chang-wook can. You're choosing hardship over comfort."
"I'm choosing love over convenience," I shot back, my eyes burning with emotion. "And that's worth more to me than all the comfort in the world."
My mother shook her head, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're going to regret this, Ji-won. Mark my words, and you will regret turning your back on this opportunity."
