ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ ≠ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ᴊɪꜱᴜɴɢ

♡ three

[park jisung]

At 18, I didn't expect to be alone.

Without my parents, I'm living with the only friend I feel close enough to, and in, thankfully, a great school on a scholarship.

Not that I didn't adore Chenle, I just didn't have much privacy in the house despite his extensive riches. There were quite a lot of people living in that house, which eliminated the factor of 'me time,' which was something I expected to have by the time I was at this age.

My own place was definitely much needed, but at this point in time, I definitely couldn't afford it. I had two part time jobs at a café and a convenience store, but they once again, weren't the most fruitful.

"Jisung, let's go!!" Chenle said, jumping on my bed. I picked my phone up and checked the time.

'9:30 AM
Tuesday, January 14th'

I nodded promptly, following behind the older boy. We slipped our shoes on in a hurry, jogging to the bus stop. We were just in time for the bus, which took us straight to our campus. Only first years were allowed to stay in the dorms provided by the school, but of course my luck wasn't the best. I wasn't able to get a room on time and ended up living with Chenle.

_

After my first class, I ended up in the library to try and study for the test I had in a few days.

Looking around the quiet room, I saw a bunch of boys gathered around the bulletin board. Curious, I walked up to it, only to see a bright coloured poster. I leaned in closer and read it.

'Looking for a "Husband," who's willing to have a fake marriage. Contact me if considering, I'll explain the terms and reasons. xxx-xxx-xxxx,'

"Wow, she must be extremely desperate or something," one of the guys said. "Maybe she's like religious and wants to get married to have sex," another one speculated. "Guys, don't assume stuff without knowing," I rolled my eyes at them. The two boys scoffed, until a higher pitched voice was heard.

"Thanks for defending me, but they're right. I am desperate; I need a place to live," a short girl said walking up and standing beside me. The two boys walked away quick enough, and I looked down at the girl.

"You need a place to live? So you're getting married?" I asked, extremely confused. "Just a contractual Marriage; there's a loan for newly weds, and that would help me buy an apartment," she explained to me, sighing. "What benefit would the latter have?" I asked, getting curious. "Well, a place to live? Me as a friend," she joked.

I nodded, and she nodded back. She walked away after reading some other notices on the board, and left me to think.

Was I really considering getting married?