Chapter 1: The beginning
I used to believe that people marry for love and happiness.
As a child, whenever I looked at my parents, I used to think that one day I would grow up, fall in love with someone, and spend a peaceful life with them.
But now…
I laugh at those innocent thoughts.
After my father’s death, when my mother remarried, I realized for the first time that not every marriage is based on love.
Some are bound by circumstances… and necessity.
And today…
I had become a part of that harsh reality myself.
I lowered my gaze and looked at my hands. My fingers were trembling slightly.
Strange, isn’t it?
Today was my wedding.
Yet there was no joy in my heart…
No hope…
No love.
Only fear.
I slowly turned my head and looked at the man sitting beside me.
He was my soon-to-be husband.
And in my eyes…
He was the most dangerous man in the world.
I never imagined my life would come to such a standstill.
Everything happened so suddenly that sometimes it still felt like I was trapped in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
My fate had never been kind to me.
We were not wealthy.
We had no grand house, no fortune, no influence or power.
And yet…
I was happy.
In my small world.
With my mother.
With those little joys that others might call ordinary.
Sometimes I feel those were the most beautiful days of my life…
Because I had no idea what destiny had already written for me.
And then…
One month ago…
Everything changed.
My entire life.
My future.
And perhaps…
My fate as well.
---
O Month Earlier…
There was something different in the fresh air of Korea… the golden morning sunlight and the soft breeze brushed gently against his face. Warm light fell over his soft, rose-tinted cheeks.
Yohan’s light brown hair shimmered under the sunlight like strands of gold, swaying gently with the wind.
He was softly stroking a cat with his delicate hands. The cat, in return, leaned into his touch, comforted and content.
Suddenly, his mother’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“Yohan… are you sitting with that cat again? You’re going to be late for college!”
She stood at the doorway, watching him with a faint, affectionate smile—as if silently saying he would never change.
It was a small neighborhood, where everyone lived in modest homes, holding onto their little joys.
Yohan looked at his mother and nodded slightly.
“I was just leaving… I stopped only to look at Pony.”
He gently resumed stroking the cat.
Pony was the name of his small, beautiful cat—the neighborhood’s favorite, and also Yohan’s most beloved.
Then he glanced at his mother and asked,
“Mom… where is Ji-woo?”
Ji-woo was his younger sister… extremely mischievous, and the most precious part of his life.
His mother smiled softly.
“Oh yes… our little troublemaker? She’s still asleep… she’ll wake up soon.”
At her words, Yohan smiled faintly and nodded.
Then he stood up, preparing to leave for college.
“Okay mom, I’m leaving… or I’ll be late. Take care of yourself and Ji-woo.”
He waved at her and left the house.
Yohan walked through the narrow streets of his neighborhood, slowly leaving them behind… lost in his thoughts.
How difficult life is… perhaps even more difficult if I hadn’t met that person who gave me a purpose… a dream that gave me hope and the strength to live…
As he thought this, his mind drifted four years back…
The day Yohan’s father passed away.
Seventeen-year-old Yohan sat by a quiet, beautiful riverside after the funeral. His eyes were filled with tears, his head lowered as he cried silently.
Tears streamed down his soft cheeks as he wiped them away with his sleeve, almost harshly, as if trying to erase his pain.
He was remembering the life he had shared with his father… his warmth… his presence… every moment that had now turned into nothing but memories.
Suddenly…
A hand gently brushed through his hair…
And someone quietly sat down beside him on his right.
Yohan was so lost in his grief that he didn’t notice at first. After a while, he slowly lifted his head and turned to his right…
A young man sat there.
His light brown skin had a subtle glow, and soft creamy white hair fell loosely over his forehead, untouched and slightly messy.
He was looking at Yohan with calm, grey eyes filled with quiet compassion… as if he wanted to share his pain without saying a word.
Yohan innocently wiped his tears with his sleeve and stared at him silently.
The stranger responded with a faint, gentle smile.
---
If you keep wiping your tears like that, your skin is going to get hurt.
✦ To Be Continued... ✦
