Mi-soo's wedding was the talk of the town, media houses had taken the story and spun it into various versions. Asides the fact that she was getting married into one of the richest family in Korea, the fact that she was able to tie down the country's biggest playboy down was even more intriguing.
Most people speculated that the marriage would not really last because a leopard never changes his ways while others said Mi-soo probably has something huge on Young-han that's why he agreed on the marriage. But in all this one thing was certain the marriage was something no one would have anticipated and it took everyone by surprise because the space between the announcement and marriage wasn't long enough for media outlets to get a proper scoop of the news and dig thoroughly to find out the actual reason.
Mi-soo had finally settled in her marriage after returning for her honeymoon. Asides from the ring on her finger nothing else to show that she was actually married. She hardly saw her husband at home but she dare not complain.
Things had worked out for the better. Her father's company was saved and her family's finances were now stable so she most definitely dare not complain and even if she did they'll probably tell her to bare with it and she should count herself lucky enough to be married into such wealth.
Today she was making her first appearance in society as a married woman, her and her husband had been invited for book launch party and he had told her to get ready that he would be picking her up as he did not want her to go alone and make it look as though she is not happy in her marriage. 'I know you're not happy that you married me' he had said to her that morning before he left for work 'but you don't want to let the world know that, do you' he added harshly and walked out. Sometimes he terrified her and she lived in fear that he would physically harm her.
She had gotten ready in an emerald dress that accentuated her curves, every month she got to select new clothes from the latest collection and she had so much clothes that she felt her dressing room would give in one day, really there are different classes of rich people and she has definitely now in the tier 1 class.
She had refused having an in-house makeup artist and her always done her makeup herself the way she liked it, when she was done she looked at herself in the mirror and was proud of herself. While she sat there admiring herself a maid came to call her that her husband was waiting for her and she hurried down to meet him. As he escorted her to the car he whispered in her ears, 'you're very beautiful, should we cancel and spend time alone?' she just smiled and got into the car, he got in and they left for the venue.
As they got to the venue, the valet opened the door for her and took the keys from her husband so he can park the car and then her husband when to and offered her his hand as they went to take some pictures. It was not your regular book launch as lots of celebrities were present as the writer had also written some screenplays that were quiet popular.
They got in and Mi-soo followed her husband to a table filled with his friends as she barely knew anyone there and soon enough she was surrounded by women she never knew and they all seemed like they came to scrutinize her and find out how her marriage was going. They took turns introducing themselves making sure to let her know just how well they knew her husband and how long they have been friends with her husband. She could barely keep up with the overload of information and when they were done with her clearly satisfied by making her feel inferior they left her and she looked around to see her husband with some other friends at the cocktail table. She stood there nervous and wanting to disappear then she heard a voice saying 'do you mind if I join you' she turned and it was Kim Young-jae her husbands elder brother, one could easily spot their resemblance except this one was hotter.
She had locked eyes with him first at the wedding and at the wedding after party they had locked eyes with each other almost too frequently. The most she knew about him was that he was married and based in the US with his wife but what she doesn't know is why he is back in Korea at first she thought he came back to attend his brother's wedding but he seems to be staying longer than usual and she looked at his hands wrapped around the glass he wasn't wearing any ring.
She looked up at him her eyes carrying a warm smile, 'I don't mind she said hungry for any form of company because she was not used to being in a crowd such as this and she adjusted herself so they were only facing each other. 'Is this your first time in this kind of gathering he said glancing round occasionally as the MC hosted the launch. 'Yes' she replied, I don't really like functions. 'Well you need to start liking them because my brother loves this kind of events and he looked at his brother raising his glass to him and Young-han smiled back.
They spoke of inconsequential matters—books, art, the estate's history—but underneath the surface, an undercurrent of shared yearning pulsed. Each word, each smile, seemed to bridge the gap between their worlds, hinting at a connection that defied the barriers fate had erected. She seemed to enjoy being in his company, but she yearned to ask him about his family and it was at the tip of her tongue and she dared not ruin the wonderful evening they were having.
Young-han stared at his brother and his wife laughing and talking as if they were old time friends and he felt a rush of jealousy. He excused himself from the cluster of women that did not want to come to terms with the fact that he was married and he hurried up to where his brother was and joined them at their table. 'How are you enjoying being back in Korea?' he asked his brother. 'Very well' Young-jae said I did not realize how much I missed it until I came back he said staring at Mi-soo and then back at his brother. 'How is your divorce going' Young-han said in spite, 'I heard she's making an outrageous demand' he added and everywhere went silent and it felt like it was just the three of them in the room. He had opened wounds Young-jae had been trying to control.
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After that event Mi-soo's life had gone back to normal, she spent most of her days alone or shopping on such days when she was home alone she had a guest, it was Young-jae. Initially she thought he had come to meet with her husband but he had in fact said he came there to see her because he felt she was someone he could talk to and he really needed someone to talk to because he had been away for some time and did not have that many friends in Korea.
She said she was okay with it as she spent most of her time at home and did not have anything she was doing and that's how they started meeting occasionally sometimes outside the house in cafes and restaurants. One time they had gone out to eat and and he had removed food stain from her lips and sent her heart fluttering.
She soon found comfort in talking to him that the fact her husband was always absent from the house never bothered her, sometimes he would call and said he wasn't coming back at night and other times he would just stay out without calling. There were times when he had been photographed going into the motel with a model but the company's media had covered it up. She was slowly become a laughing stock among her friends who gossiped that her marriage was only on paper and that they rather be single than be in a marriage with an absent husband.
On those nights when Mi-soo was left alone Young-jae had called her all through the night to comfort her and she had often times fallen asleep to his voice. She knew the relationship she had with Young-jae was going beyond brotherly love but she could not stop herself from feeling what she was feeling. it was now beyond her control. Young-jae was becoming a reassuring anchor to her and she did not want to let go of her anchor.
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The next day Young-han had returned home very in the night and Mi-soo had stayed awake waiting for him. As he got into the house she had confronted him. 'You can't continue to sleep outside like this and return at odd hours, we are married and you should respect me a little, don't you care about what people are saying and before she could complete her statement he slapped her. 'How dare you lecture me about how to act, you don't think I've not heard about how you have become best friends with my brother. How dare you talk about respect he said slapping her again and she feel to the floor, he went into the study to pick up his golf club and she ran away, he chased her to the door and stood there yelling but she immediately got into a taxi after being soak in the rain and the taxi drove away, she was scared he would do worse things to her if she stayed.
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After she came down from the taxi she did not know where her legs were taking her but she just walked as people turned to stare at her both she did not know why, 'have they never seen someone walking in the rain before' she thought to herself and she kept on walking. Before she knew it she was standing in front of Young-jae's apartment drenched in rain, she ran the door bell and he opened it as soon as he saw her through the intercom. She stood there crying and he pulled her inside. 'What happened to you' he said giving her a large towel to dry herself scared and he pulled her face close and saw the marks, did he do this to you in said clenching his teeth but she just stared at him crying.
In that fleeting moment, Mi-soo realized that the echoes of expectations could only define her if she allowed them to. As her steps carried her toward a future forged by convention, her heart whispered that perhaps, just perhaps, there was a way to carve out her own destiny—one that resonated with the echoes of a love she had discovered in the most unexpected of places. She looked into the face of the first man to sound genuinely worried about her, his anger making her feel hot inside and before she could control herself she leaned in and kissed him.