The Kintsugi Marriage

The massive glass towers of the Yeonhui Graduate School of Global Business shone under the midday sun. They cast long shadows over the neat courtyard below.

This school was the top place for academic and economic power. It was a modern fortress where the world’s future leaders were trained.

But today, the usual quiet of the campus was broken by a loud roar coming from the sports complex.

At the main tennis arena, the crowd was wild. The stands were packed with the children of diplomats and tech CEOs.

They forgot all their polite manners as they cheered.

“LEE JIAN! LEE JIAN! LEE JIAN!”

The chant shook the concrete walls as the match reached championship point.

On the court, Lee Jian stood ready and calm. Her opponent served a fast, dangerous ball.

Moving like a blur, Jian hit it perfectly. Her racket made a sharp, loud crack.

The ball sliced across the net, landing right on the very corner of the baseline. It was impossible to return.

The stadium exploded. The whole crowd jumped up, screaming her name.

Jian just wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her face was calm, cold, and serious.

Winning wasn’t a special achievement for her. It was just what everyone expected.

To see how much she dominated the school, you only had to look at the massive digital bulletin board in the main hallway. At Yeonhui, your rank showed your worth, and her name was stuck firmly at the very top.

Academic Ranking: 1st Place (Perfect Grades)

Case Competition: 1st Place (Global Business Strategy)

Athletic Standings: 1st Place (Varsity Tennis)

She was the undisputed queen of the campus. Rich, incredibly smart, and perfect at sports, she didn’t just attend the school—she ruled it.

As she walked off the court, she ignored the crowd trying to get close to her. Her cold face instantly turned into a warm smile.

Waiting by the sidelines with a fresh towel and a real grin was Kim Jae-won.

The moment she saw him, her cold, calculating attitude vanished. It was replaced by a warmth she showed to no one else.

Jae-won was her safe place, her best friend, and the only person in this competitive environment who saw her true, happy self.

Kim Jae-won was the exact opposite of Yeonhui’s harsh, cutthroat world. As the heir to the country’s largest and most powerful construction company, Aon Holdings & Construction, his high social status was clear.

Yet, while other rich heirs acted stiff and arrogant, Jae-won was naturally playful, kind, and charming. He was the school’s biggest crush.

Almost every girl on campus wanted his attention. But his loyalty and deepest bond had always belonged to Lee Jian.

Beyond his family’s money, Jae-won held a lot of power on campus as the Student Council President.

He won the position in a legendary way. He used a clever political move to expose a cheating scandal involving the previous president.

It was still the most talked-about drama in the university’s history.

As Jian stepped off the court, Jae-won gave her his usual charming smile. This instantly softened the tense mood around them.

He handed her a cold isotonic drink, looking at her with a teasing expression. “Did you really have to crush her so mercilessly? You could have gone a little lenient on her. Look at that score deficit.”

Jian took a sip of the drink without showing any pity. "Me going lenient wouldn’t change the fact that she is simply terrible at this game.”

Without looking back at the crowd, she started walking away. Jae-won fell into an easy step beside her.

Behind them, the watching students whispered in confused tones about how different the two were. They wondered out loud how two opposite people could have such an unbreakable bond.

“Are they seriously just friends?” one girl sighed, watching them walk away. “They look way too good together to just be friends.”

The girl next to her snapped her fingers dismissively. “Come on, them being friends is already stressful enough to watch. Can you imagine them actually dating? Think about how much emotional stress my Jae-won would have to deal with because of her icy attitude.”

A third girl laughed out loud. “Your Jae-won? Seriously? He spoke to you maybe twice during a whole semester, and suddenly you think you can compete with Lee Jian? You’re dreaming.”

That was the reality of the social groups at Yeonhui. The student body was split into three distinct groups when it came to the pair.

The Jae-won Admirers: A bitter group who hated anyone getting close to him. They directed their anger at Jian purely because she was always by his side.

The Jian Followers: A practical group made up of ambitious male students and competitive girls. They respected her intelligence and wanted her top-tier study notes and advice.

The Shippers: A secret network of students who took photos of the pair’s cute moments. They tracked their matching luxury items and styles, obsessively analyzing every small gesture in a massive group chat dedicated to proving the two were meant for each other.

Jian’s deep bond with Jae-won wasn’t just for convenience. It was built on a lifetime of shared history.

Their mothers had been best friends, making the two inseparable since they were toddlers. Even a long seven-year separation across different countries hadn’t ruined their connection.

When Jian moved to the United States to live with her grandparents for three years after her mother’s death, they stayed connected with daily phone calls and late-night Skype video calls.

By the time she finally came back to South Korea for her high school graduation, Jae-won had already left for the United Kingdom to finish his own school.

Yet, despite the thousands of miles between them, they protected their friendship. They made sure to meet up during every school holiday.

The only real break in their friendship happened the year after Jian’s mother died.

Consumed by a suffocating grief, Jian had gone completely off the grid. She slipped into an invisible, ghostly existence, barely uttering a word to her grandparents even while living under the same roof.

She shut out the whole world—except, eventually, Jae-won.

Their friendship had survived tragedy and long distances. It came out stronger than ever. It was an amazing thing to witness.

After freshening up in the athletic locker rooms, Jian made her way toward the university cafeteria.

The moment she stepped through the large double doors, the loud talking in the dining hall noticeably shifted.

Dozens of eyes turned toward her in a quiet hush. She possessed a magnetic, almost hypnotic pull that drew people in against their will.

If Jian could be described as an animal, she was a swan. Standing at an elegant 162 centimeters tall, she had a rare, striking beauty from her parents’ good looks.

She had large, expressive eyes and a naturally soft, heart-shaped pout.

However, this sweet look was balanced by the sharp, high lines of her nose and jaw. This gave her a cool, untouchable vibe.

She hated heavy makeup, choosing a clean, natural look instead that showed off her perfect skin.

Her long, dark wavy hair was styled differently suitable for her outfits and her wardrobe was legendary.

Jian didn’t follow trends; she set them. She had a natural talent for mixing and matching unique pieces, always looking highly fashionable and elegant.

And then, of course, there were the high heels. The student body even joked that she probably didn’t even take them off to sleep.

She wore them with absolute ease. Her smooth, gliding walk made her look even more like a royal swan. In every single way, she seemed like human perfection.

Jian walked through the parting crowd toward the center table. Jae-won and his close friends were already sitting down.

They left the chair directly to his right empty. For all intents and purposes, that spot was permanently reserved for her.

She pulled out the chair and sat down, turning her face slightly toward him.

Jae-won didn’t even look up from his conversation. He already knew she had arrived.

“I already ordered your usual,” he said smoothly, a small smile on his lips. “It should be here in two minutes.”

Jian gave him a smile. The tiredness from the tennis match completely vanished.

BZZZ.

The short moment of peace was broken by a sharp vibration from her luxury handbag. Jian reached inside and pulled out her phone.

The moment her eyes saw the lit screen, the warmth left her face. A look of deep displeasure crossed her features.

The message read: BE HERE BY 06:15.

Without a word, she flipped the phone face down. She shoved it back into her bag and closed the clasp with a sharp, icy snap.

By then, the food had arrived. Placed before Jian was a neat salad—her usual choice. Meanwhile, Jae-won casually unwrapped a large sandwich.

Even when it came to food, they were completely opposite. Jae-won was a true foodie who loved eating, while Jian rarely ate anything outside a strict, low-calorie diet.

Without stopping his conversation, Jae-won finished his own meal. Then, he smoothly started sharing the rest of her salad right alongside her.

He was talking to his friends, discussing the upcoming final exams. The first year of university was coming to an end. Finals were just a week away, and the school mandated a study break starting the very next morning.

The main topic of stress at the table was Corporate Strategy. It was a brutal, difficult subject where almost no one got good grades.

No one, except the girl sitting quietly beside them, elegantly ignoring the fact that her food was being stolen.

Suddenly, everyone at the table looked at her. Without lifting her eyes from the plate, Jian spoke with effortless authority.

“Let’s meet the day after tomorrow at a cafe. I’ll map out exactly what you need to focus on and give you copies of my personal lecture notes. I won’t promise an A grade, but a B+ is guaranteed if you follow them exactly.”

She had been listening to their entire conversation the whole time.

“Ah, Jian, you truly have a heart of gold,” Park Si-woo praised her with a charming smile. Si-woo was the confident, sole heir to the country’s top venture capital firm. “I count myself incredibly lucky to be your friend.”

Beside him, Kim Jun-seo hid a laugh. His eyes darted toward the slightly annoyed look forming on Jae-won’s face.

As the heir to the prestigious Seolwon University Medical Center, Jun-seo belonged to a famous family of elite doctors who ran the biggest private hospital network in the country.

The only one at the table who stayed out of the joke was Choi Jin-hyuk. The son of the current Mayor of Seoul, Jin-hyuk was the quietest member of their group. He had a cold, quiet attitude that closely matched Jian’s own calm style.

Jun-seo smoothly changed the topic to their upcoming post-exam travel plans. The group of five had already planned a luxury holiday to Paris.

The trip was originally planned by Jae-won. He had received an exclusive invitation from a legendary master artist to attend a private class at an elite Paris studio.

Jae-won had naturally invited Jian to go with him. However, Si-woo had accidentally overheard the plan. He immediately chimed in and announced in their group chat converting it into a Group Tour, just like that, a private getaway turned into a full group vacation.

As they talked about the itinerary, time passed quickly. The sun began to go down, casting a deep orange light across the courtyard.

Suddenly, Jian checked her screen. A sharp wave of tension hit her. She stood up abruptly, her fingers moving fast as she began organizing her handbag.