Arranged Marriage

Chapter 1

Your POV

"Meet me in my office right away. I have news to discuss with you."

You read the message again, its words replaying in your mind as if they're etched into your thoughts. Anticipation increasing with every step you take toward his office. Each heartbeat stretches the seconds longer than they should be. Before you even realize it, you're standing at the door, your hand hovering just above the polished handle.

You draw in a deep breath to steady yourself, then reach for the knob—only to notice the door is already slightly ajar. Knocking feels pointless now. You'd be interrupting the very moment it swings open.

But before you can fully process the thought, a voice breaks through the silence.

"Come in, Yooha."

It's as if he knows the exact second you arrive. You hesitate for only a fraction of a second before stepping inside, trying to hold yourself together like you've got control over this. But as you cross the threshold, something feels different.

Your eyes immediately land on the figure beside your father. The tall man standing with his back to you has a presence that makes everything else in the room fade. Broad shoulders, strong build—even the way his jacket hangs on him feels like it commands attention. But it's not just his size that draws you in.

Your father's voice pulls you from your thoughts. "Yooha, meet Yugyeom. Yugyeom, this is my daughter, Yooha."

Yugyeom turns to face you, and you swear the air in the room shifts. His name carries a weight that settles deep in your chest. Then his eyes meet yours—intense, dark, unreadable. Something about them makes it hard to breathe, like he's seeing through you rather than just looking at you.

He's... beautiful. Perfect, almost annoyingly so. His features are symmetrical in a way that doesn't feel real. His lips, heart-shaped and full, have a natural flush that looks effortlessly captivating. His nose fits him perfectly, and when he tilts his head, you can't help but wonder how someone could look like that.

You're caught in the moment, time slowing, until he breaks the silence with a single nod as he looks you up and down.

Then your father speaks again, voice calm but firm. "I've made arrangements for the both of you. It's best that you get to know each other."

His words hang heavy in the air as your mind races. "Arrangements?" you repeat, blinking in disbelief.

You've always known your parents expected you to marry, but you never imagined they'd be so... decisive about it. You love your independence, the freedom of being unbothered by expectations like marriage. It never felt urgent. But now? Now it's a reality you can't ignore.

"Your mother and I, along with Yugyeom, have discussed this," your father says, tone unwavering. "It's time for you to get married—to him."

You're silent, heart pounding so hard it feels like it might burst from your chest. Confusion wells inside you, but there's something else, too—something warm and strange that creeps up your neck. A part of you wants to say no, to push back and escape this so-called arrangement. But another part, the one still caught in the way Yugyeom's gaze lingers on you, doesn't resist. That part softens.

Is this really happening? Is this the start of something real—your first relationship, your first experience of what it means to be loved, to belong to someone?

You falter, the answer tangled up somewhere between fear and longing. And even though you try to stay composed, you hear yourself agreeing to the marriage. Your heart flips in your chest. But you still wonder—