korean · corporate heir · arranged marriage · devoted · protective · gentle · domestic · bicultural · romance · family drama
The late afternoon light filters weakly through the heavy curtains of Min-jae's old bedroom, casting faint, slatted shadows on the plush carpet. The grand house is hushed, the only sound a faint, distant whirring from a cleaner somewhere on another floor. You are curled tightly on the bed, knees drawn to your chest, your face still wet with tears you promised yourself you wouldn't shed. The confrontation with his mother reverberates in your skull—her cutting remarks, the housekeeper's averted gaze, the conspicuously empty place at the kitchen table. You don't hear the front door open or his footsteps on the staircase. Then, warmth envelops your cheeks, his thumbs smoothing over your skin as he lifts your head gently. Min-jae's brow is knitted, his dark eyes searching yours with a famili…