“Ji-an.”
“…Yes?”
“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”
“Ah… no, not really. Why do you ask?”

Ji-an answered with a strained smile, trying to brush it off.

But truthfully, she’d been zoning out repeatedly throughout the day—caught in thoughts of his proposal. Apparently, it had become obvious enough for others to notice.

“You haven’t seemed like yourself the past few days. I was getting worried.”
“I think I’m just a little tired. I’m really sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Why don’t you head home thirty minutes early today? It’s fine.”
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary—”
“Go on. Take a moment to clear your head. Maybe grab a coffee or something.”

Her well-meaning team leader practically ushered her out, and Ji-an finally gave in, bowing her head in thanks before leaving work early.

With some time to spare before her next shift, she stopped by a nearby takeaway café and bought a 1,500-won iced Americano.

She found an empty bench in the park and sat down for a moment with her drink.

She had been working non-stop just trying to get by, and before she knew it, it was already autumn.

The vibrant leaves, now beginning to fall, drew her into a quiet daze.

“I’m asking you to be my wife.”
“The terms should be more than satisfactory. Please, take a look.”

She could still hear his voice echoing in her mind.

She’d been so overwhelmed, she had practically run away from that place. And now, several days later, it still felt like a dream.

Marriage. Wife. Life had always been such a struggle that she’d never really given marriage much thought.

But when she was younger, she’d imagined it.

She’d imagined that one day she’d meet someone kind, someone like her father, and marry him.

She’d once dreamed of a marriage like her parents’, filled with warmth and affection. Of course, that was back when she believed that love naturally led to marriage.

Reality, however, was rarely so kind. She never imagined that she would one day be handed a marriage contract.

The clearly defined labels on that document—Party A and Party B. She had stared at those words for days, wondering if this was really the same “marriage” she had once dreamed of.

And even now, she wasn’t entirely sure.

“Because we have a connection.”

A connection.

Just as he said, they shared one. In fact, what they had was more than that. It was something incredibly rare. It was almost too strange to name.

A man who was brought back from the brink of death — and the father who saved him, only to vanish without trace.

If that was the kind of bond they shared, then maybe it really was something special. Truthfully, if she said she hadn’t been tempted by his offer, she’d be lying.

Each day had become such a struggle just to survive. The terms Woo Se-hyeon laid out were, by any measure, jaw-dropping.

When he said, ‘The conditions will be more than satisfactory,’ he wasn’t exaggerating.

What she had to give in return was also clear: A publicly admired wife.

She would have to play the part of a lover destined to be swept into marriage.

In the process, she would have to accept that her father’s story — and Se-hyeon’s — would be used to further this narrative.

“…I miss you, Dad.”

Ji-an murmured the words into the empty air, her gaze lost in the distance.

What would her father have said if he had heard all this?

She should visit him this weekend, she thought.

Perhaps seeing him would help her to make a decision; her heart felt far too heavy.

Taking a deep breath, Ji-an tried to calm her racing thoughts and control her tangled emotions.

***

“She’s not calling.”

Se-hyeon muttered under his breath as he stared at his phone.

It had rung constantly throughout the day, with calls and messages from everyone but the one person he was actually waiting for.

Five days had passed since he last met Yoo Ji-an. As far as he knew, the deadline for paying the hospital bill was fast approaching.

“…So calm, isn’t she?”

She was supposedly on the verge of eviction and didn’t have enough money for rent.

Tch.

Se-hyeon clicked his tongue and pinched the bridge of his nose, his irritation becoming apparent.

“Was this really something that needed so much thought?”

He picked up the contract beside him and stared at it again. He’d heard that people were practically lining up and waiting for an opportunity to secure a single meeting with him.

Woo Seung-beom was currently vetting potential matches from the very best.

And yet this girl had the audacity to hesitate. He’d never considered that things would drag on for days.

The buildings to be placed in her name. Full support for her family.

All of this was guaranteed so long as she played her part.

“She doesn’t have the luxury of weighing up her options like this.”

On top of all that, it wasn’t just any marriage.

It was a marriage to Woo Se-hyeon.

Why the hell was she still unsure?

Letting out a dry, incredulous laugh, Se-hyeon glanced back at the contract once more.

No matter how many times he read it, he couldn’t make sense of her silence.

“An upperclassman from her department. Name: Son Yeong-gwang. Age: twenty-five. Recently discharged from military service. He’s said to have looked after Yoo Ji-an quite a bit.”

The report echoed in his mind.

‘Looked after her, huh.’
Well, that was one way to put it.

“Is it because of that bastard…?”

The image of that man suddenly flashed through Se-hyeon’s mind.

He was just an older student from her department; they didn’t really know each other. But the way he had looked at Ji-an, with those soft, affectionate eyes…

That gaze had lodged itself in Se-hyeon’s memory and refused to leave. It bothered him far more than it should have.

“Maybe they were even flirting.”

He muttered, his voice laced with annoyance. With a sharp flick, Se-hyeon threw the contract back onto the table.

‘Fine. If she doesn’t want it, that’s her choice.’

It wouldn’t be his loss. It would be hers.

There were plenty of other women lining up for the chance to marry him. He could just choose another one.

Problem solved.

Nevertheless, even as he tried to focus on other documents, his gaze kept drifting back to the contract he’d tossed aside.

She kept coming to mind: That infuriatingly bothersome woman.

***

“Dad, I’m here.”

Ji-an’s voice was light as she greeted him. Even just coming to see him after so long made the weight on her chest feel a little lighter.

“It’s been way too long. I’m sorry.”

It had been a while since she last visited the National Cemetery. It wasn’t far, but life had been so hectic she hadn’t even had time for a quick stop.

“Please… accept my bow.”

Forcing a smile, Ji-an knelt and bowed deeply—twice, just like always. She had bought a bottle of her father’s favorite drink, and a cream bun he used to love, to serve as a snack.

Setting the items neatly before his memorial, Ji-an quietly took a seat beside it.

“I came because I needed to think.”

It had already been a week since Ji-an met Woo Se-hyeon.

And truthfully, her heart had mostly come to a decision. All that remained… was the final push. The certainty.

“I know you’ve probably seen it all from up there.”

Her gaze softened, filled with longing.
‘If Dad were here, what would he say?’
He’d probably tell her to think carefully—that her life mattered most.

But life hadn’t given her that kind of room to breathe. The weight on her shoulders was too much. She was so tired.

She had worked so hard: studied relentlessly, fought her way into college and pushed through it all with grit. But lately, it felt like she had reached her limit.

“I think… I might marry the man you brought into my life.”

‘Marriage.’

Saying the word aloud finally made it feel real.

The forced smile faded from her face and her lips pressed into a thin, tight line.

“To be honest, I’m not even sure if this is the right thing to do.”

It was a decision made under pressure. So perhaps it wasn’t strange that she still wasn’t fully convinced.

“And yet, like he said, maybe it really is fate.”

‘Can a marriage without love ever be okay?’

She had asked herself that question a thousand times.

To her, love had always been the only reason to get married.

‘To tell you the truth…’

Ji-an took a moment to steady her breathing.

There was no one she could talk to about how hard things had become.

Not even her father.

He would have been the most heartbroken, and the first to apologise for letting her suffer, even if it wasn’t his fault.

Her eyes stung. She forced herself to smile.

“I’ve decided to get married… but I needed to be certain. I came because I was hoping you’d give me that reassurance.”

‘It’s okay.’

Perhaps that was all she wanted to hear. In the next moment, hot tears spilled down her pale cheeks.

She tried to wipe them away with her sleeve, scrubbing hard, but once they started, she couldn’t stop them.

She had tried so hard to hold them in. Now, she could only sob, her shoulders shaking.

“Please… tell me I’ll do well. Sniff… Tell me I can do this, Dad.”

That everything would be okay. That she was strong enough to get through this.

She had chosen to believe in him—the man who had appeared at the funeral, his every word laced with sorrow. The one who had taken off his own jacket to wrap around her trembling shoulders. The man her father might have sent… because he couldn’t bear to leave her all alone.

‘Watch over me, okay?’

Ji-an cried for a long time at her father’s grave. Until some of the heaviness in her chest began to lift.

***

Sigh.

Se-hyeon rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, his eyes still scanning the documents in front of him.

The days of pushing himself to the limit without sleep were catching up with him fast.

He was deeply exhausted, leaving his nerves raw and fraying at the edges.

His migraine throbbed sharply.

He shut his eyes for a moment and slowly turned his head.

Then he opened them again.

He glanced at his left wrist. He checked the time.

6 o’clock.

‘Maybe I’ll go home a little early today.’

Just as he stood to leave, the sharp buzz of his phone cut through the stillness of the office. It rattled loudly against the desk.

His eyes drifted over, disinterested at first, and then he picked up the phone. He pressed the answer button and brought it to his ear.

“Yes.”

But the other end was silent.

He frowned, irritation edging into his voice.

“Hello?”

Still no response.

He was just about to hang up—

—“Um…”

That single word froze him in place.