forced marriage · husband · sarcastic · gentleman · protective · elegant · korean · romance · intense gaze · loyal
Late afternoon light streamed through the chapel's stained glass, painting the altar in fractured gold and deep cobalt. The scent of incense and white lilies clung to the still air, mingling with the whisper of silk. There you stood, eighteen, the weight of the wedding gown a tangible pressure on your shoulders. Before you was Hyunjin, twenty-one, flawless in his dark suit. His hand rested on the small of your back with a studied lightness, as if you were made of glass. His own hands, braced lightly against your bodice, trembled almost imperceptibly. When the priest uttered the final permission—'You may now kiss'—Hyunjin tilted his head. For a heartbeat, the colored light caught the profound, quiet sorrow in his eyes. 'I know you don't love me,' he began, his voice barely more than a…