1 Ha-eun’s Wedding
Chapter 1: Ha-eun’s Wedding
A large crowd of onlookers lined the road, watching the ceremonial procession carry a palanquin toward Chang-min’s estate. Inside sat the bride, Ha-eun—the very woman the entire village was whispering about today.
— “She comes from a poor family, you know,” one woman whispered, hiding a smirk. “How could he take such a plain girl as his wife?”
— “Someone must have bewitched him,” another replied. “There’s no other explanation.”
— “They say she’s a beggar.”
— “And not a beauty at all...”
— “Then why on earth did he choose her?”
Ha-eun lowered her gaze. To her, it all felt far too much like a dream. After long years of poverty and humiliation, she had become the wife of a man whose very name inspired awe and fear. The palanquin came to a halt at the main gates of the residence.
— “The bride has arrived!” came the jubilant cry of the maids, who rushed to open the palanquin so the bride could step out.
The moment Chang-min heard that Ha-eun had arrived, he threw all tradition aside and went out to greet his bride in person. He walked with swift, purposeful strides. His actions shocked everyone watching and set off a fresh wave of gossip.
— “Who is she that such a rich and influential man would greet her personally?”
— “She has definitely bewitched him.”
Chang-min did not care in the slightest about public opinion. He had waited so long for this moment, just to call Ha-eun his wife. Seeing how Chang-min exalted her in front of everyone, the young woman still could not understand why this powerful man had chosen her of all people.
Before her lay a courtyard adorned with lanterns, filled with music. The wedding was beginning. She bowed to the heavens. She bowed to the earth. She bowed to the man to whom she now belonged. Beneath the beautiful wedding ceremony, Ha-eun recalled the freezing nights when she used to pray to the gods for mercy. And now, it felt as though her prayers might have finally been heard. Perhaps Chang-min was indeed the one sent by the heavens. But if so, why did her heart fail to flutter with delight in his proximity, remaining utterly cold?
Later, in the bridal chamber, Ha-eun sat staring into the mirror. Her fingers were trembling. She waited. Chang-min was rushing to her, not even waiting for the feast to end. This entire ritual meant nothing to him. The only one who mattered to him was Ha-eun.
The door swung open. He entered—Chang-min. A soft smile graced his lips, but his eyes burned with something wild and primal that took her breath away.
— “You are under my protection now, Ha-eun,” he said, touching her cheek. “I will never let you suffer again.”
His voice carried such conviction, it was as if he had personally signed a decree forbidding pain from ever touching her life.
— “My lord...” she murmured, lowering her eyes.
— “Do not call me that,” he said, his hand lingering on her cheek as his thumb slowly traced the outline of her lower lip. “Tonight, you are my wife.”
The knowledge that she was his wife intoxicated him more deeply than any wine. Tonight, he would be her husband, and he had waited an eternity for this.
His kisses flared against her skin. Ha-eun responded to him timidly, out of gratitude. She forced herself to respond, convincing her mind that this was what happiness felt like. Tonight, there was no room for her true feelings. Chang-min’s kisses grew increasingly insistent until Ha-eun let out her first sigh—deep and unexpected, even to herself. He did not want to rush, yet he could not wait, aching to dissolve completely into her. His caresses were filled with a thirst he had suppressed for an eternity. Chang-min pulled her close, his voice dropping to a low whisper right against her ear:
— “Now, I will let no one tear us apart. Not mortals, nor the gods.”
His words carried a fanatical readiness to wage war against the entire world for the right to possess her. He joined with her powerfully and deeply. Chang-min kept moving, reveling in her closeness, in her raspy breath beneath him. He took her again and again, as if reasserting his right of ownership.
— “I love you, Ha-eun. I love you, do you hear me?” His confession sounded like a vow and a conquest all at once.
He did not release her from his embrace until utter exhaustion took over, until all strength completely left the young woman. Ha-eun fell asleep in his strong arms; he held her to himself so fiercely, as though fearing she might vanish with the first ray of the sun. He did not merely love her—he guarded her, even in her sleep, refusing to let a single breath belong to anyone else.
— “Now you are truly my wife,” Chang-min whispered, kissing the crown of her head. “And no one can take you away from me anymore.”
Bereft of strength after the long night, Ha-eun drifted off to sleep, completely unaware that the man beside her was the God of Light. Her sleep was deep, yet there was no peace in it. But most important of all: she did not remember that she was a Goddess. The Goddess of Love—the most powerful energy in the world of the Gods. But the most terrifying truth was yet to come.
