❝ Stardust & Heartstrings ❞ YEONBIN FF

Chapter 23 : The Weight of Sacrifice

A month had passed since the tumultuous encounter with Soobin, and Yeonjun had returned to his seemingly normal life. However, the scars of his past trauma still lingered, and he found solace in regular psychiatrist sessions to cope with the post-stress trauma of being attacked and kidnapped.

As he settled back into his routine, Yeonjun threw himself into his work at the private law firm, tackling cases with renewed vigor and determination. He attended high-society parties with his mother, exchanging pleasantries and smiles with the city's elite. He accompanied his father to meetings with distinguished individuals, playing the role of the dutiful son.

On his off days, Yeonjun spent time with his friends, laughing and joking as if the past month had never happened. But whenever they broached the subject of his arranged marriage to Hana, Yeonjun's demeanor changed. He became distant, shutting down the conversation with a curt remark or a forced smile.

"I don't want to talk about it," he'd say, his eyes clouding over.

"Come on, hyung, you can't seriously be considering going through with this," his friends would press.

Yeonjun's expression would turn glacial. "I've made up my mind. Let's drop it."

Despite their concerns, Yeonjun had made a decision. If marrying Hana meant saving countless lives, he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness. The weight of this resolve settled upon him like a shroud, but he steeled himself for the journey ahead.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he whispered to himself, a mantra of self-sacrifice.

As the days went by, Yeonjun's friends gradually stopped bringing up the subject of his arranged marriage to Hana. They seemed to sense his resolve and reluctance to discuss it further. The topic became a silent understanding among them, a elephant in the room that they chose to ignore.

Meanwhile, the wheels of tradition and family obligation continued to turn. The marriage date was formally set for two months later, a deadline that loomed over Yeonjun like a specter.

His parents, particularly his father, were overjoyed at the prospect of securing their family's legacy through this union. They busied themselves with preparations, from selecting the finest caterers to choosing the most exquisite decorations.

Yeonjun, on the other hand, felt like a pawn in a game he couldn't control. He went through the motions, nodding and smiling when expected, but his heart remained heavy with the weight of his sacrifice.

Soobin returned to Pohang, pouring his heart and soul into his seafood restaurant. The business was thriving, and he spent every waking moment ensuring its success. By night, he became obsessed with tracking the sales records of his own restaurant, as well as those of Yeonjun's father's businesses.

He'd scroll through the numbers, his eyes scanning the screens with an intensity that bordered on fixation. And then, he'd see it - the reality that his restaurant's sales were still a far cry from surpassing those of Yeonjun's father's ventures.

A pang of frustration and disappointment would hit Soobin, but he refused to give up. He'd analyze the numbers, searching for areas of improvement, and make mental notes of strategies to boost his sales. The gap between his restaurant's performance and that of Yeonjun's father's businesses only fueled his determination to work harder.

In those moments, Soobin felt a burning desire to prove himself, to show Yeonjun and his family that he was more than just a small-town boy with a broken heart. He was a force to be reckoned with, a entrepreneur with a vision and the drive to succeed. And he would stop at nothing to make his dream a reality.

Soobin's mother, wise and intuitive, didn't press him for details about his time in Seoul. She knew her son was hurting, and that was enough. The day he returned, she simply opened her arms, and Soobin collapsed into them, tears streaming down his face.