THE PROPOSAL || KTH

Chapter 3 || Need

“So, you weren’t going to work there?”

“I said no, didn’t I?” My irritation was becoming obvious, but I did nothing to hide it. “Why does it matter to you if I work there or not?”

“How about you watch that little mouth of yours? It won’t take me longer than a moment to call your sister and tell her about Woo-jin’s offer, and let’s not forget about the loan you’ve taken from Mrs. Lee  and the bills you have failed to pay.” A humorless smile danced in his dark eyes. The ruthless look on his face told me he was the kind of man who wouldn’t shy away from doing what he said.

“What will happen after that?” He smiled viciously, knowing he had me where he wanted me to be. “You will lose the shelter over your head.”

“You can’t do this.”

“I can, sweetheart. I very well can.” He smirked.

My shoulders slumped in defeat as I looked at him in helplessness. Tears blurred my vision, but I kept them at bay. For once, I could manage without money, but not without having a roof over my head. I had no other place to go other than my mother’s, and it was the reason I hadn’t moved out even after knowing how much my mother and sister hated me.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

A vicious smile pulled at his lips, but the ruthlessness he showed me overshadowed everything.

“I need a wife.”

“Then find someone and get married.” I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.

“That’s what I’m doing,” he whispered.

“What did you say?” My brows furrowed in confusion. His words went over my head, or was it because I was too lost in my misery to understand anything happening around me?

“Marry me… for a year.”

I stiffened, then gasped audibly as my mind registered the meaning of his words.

“You gotta be kidding me?” My jaw dropped in disbelief.

“You heard me right, Y/n. You will have to marry me for a year,” he repeated himself, looking even more serious.

“You’re crazy,” I exclaimed. Clearly, he had lost it, else why would a man of his stature ask a stranger to marry him? “What makes you think I’ll marry you?”

“Think about my proposal , Y/n. It will change your whole life,” he said. “All you have to do is marry me. I’ll solve your every problem.”

“How?” I asked with an eyebrow raised. I wanted to know how far this would go. How far he was willing to go with his indecent proposal.

“I’ll pay off your debts. You will get a house to live in, and you will be able to continue your studies, and then get a decent job as you’ve always wanted. It’s a win-win situation for you.” Kim Tae-hyung leaned back in the seat, his gaze taking me in while I thought over his words. If he surprised me earlier with his proposal, then he left me dumbstruck with the extent he was ready to go to get me to agree to it. That didn’t shock me, but how deep his knowledge was about my life did.

“Such a munificent offer. May I know what have I done to deserve such generosity from you?”

A wicked smirk pulled at his lips. “I like your spunk.”

I rolled my eyes at the comment. “That’s no answer to my question.”

“What’s your decision, Y/n? Is it a yes?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.