Yang Jungwon has everything a young man could want, prestige, a brilliant academic future, and a family who never accepts less than perfect. Han Sowon has almost nothing. Battling a chronic illness that sets her apart from everyone else, she moves through life quietly, surviving more than living. They were never meant to fall in love. But in the stillness of study halls, between glances in the classroom, and in the brief moments no one else noticed, they did. It was soft. Gentle. Real. Yet the world around them didn't agree, pressuring them apart, labeling their love as dangerous, foolish, impossible. As Jungwon's life is shaped for him, a marriage, a future, a success story, Sowon disappears like a shadow, leaving only silence where love once lived. Torn between duty and heart, expectation and truth, Jungwon is forced to choose, follow the path built for him, or risk everything for the one person the world told him not to love. They Said We Shouldn't is a story about the love that comes quietly, fights silently, and lingers long after the last kiss. A love that was never allowed to bloom, yet bloomed anyway.

Amid hidden pain and unexpected challenges, two hearts cling to love, navigating a fate they never chose. The Essence Series first Installment. start: 07/21/2025