Sarang Iyagi

We Got Married

Hanyang, 1425

In the middle of King Sejong's reign, Joseon was experiencing a flourish of culture and wealth. Agriculture and commerce were at its peak, resulting in abundance for the citizens, living them more time to pursue literature, art and science.

In this era lived the family of Yook and Park.

The Yook family had been the sole supplier of rice for the palace, and it had been going on for generations, making them one of the wealthiest merchants in the kingdom.

The Park family was the biggest producer of writing paper, gaining more and more profit since literature bloomed in that era, and the demand of writing paper was increasing every year.

The current heads of Yook and Park family were friends since they met in Sungkyunkwan Academy. Since they were both busy, their children never really met each other. However their wives knew each other well, since the couples liked to visit each other's house for lunches.

Yook family had two children. The oldest was a daughter named Sungyoung, and the second and only son was named Sungjae.

Park family had three daughters, named Sooyoung, Jiyeong and Minji.

It was not a surprise at all when the fathers announced that they would arrange the marriage of Sungjae with Sooyoung.

This was decided when Sungjae was fifteen years old, and Sooyoung was fourteen. Neither was shocked with the decision. They both had a suspicion for years that it would happen.

Both had never met, because their houses were at the two farthest areas in Hanyang, exactly at the two opposites of the city. All the parents were strict with their children's education, so they didn't want to cut their children's tutoring lessons to bring them to visit each other.

Actually, in Joseon era, to marry when they were fifteen and fourteen were normal. But Sungjae felt he wasn't ready, so he asked his father to postpone it until he was old enough.

He asked to marry when he was twenty years old, and although with some difficulty, his father finally agreed.

The most normal age for a man to marry in that era was eighteen, and a woman at seventeen. Since the Yook and Park really loved their children, they agreed to postpone the marriage until Sungjae graduated from Sungkyunkwan Academy and officially started working in the family business.

At first, it was hard for Park Chanyeol, Sooyoung's father, to accept the marriage postponement. However, when Sungjae offered to also manage his writing paper business if he wished him to, he conceded. Sungjae then wrote a letter to his future father in-law, saying he would need to study Park's family business as well, and it would take some time, so the postponement was only appropriate.

In truth, Park Chanyeol felt like he was being defeated by a child, since Sungjae negotiated so well. Still, he admitted that the young boy was smart, and therefore it wouldn't be a loss to have him as a son in-law in the future.

With a good feeling, Park Chanyeol agreed with the marriage postponement, saying he and his daughter would wait until Sungjae was twenty years old.

Sungjae didn't oppose or tried to see Sooyoung when he was fifteen. He loved his parents dearly, and it didn't occur to him to disobey. He was actually barely older than a child. His days were filled with his tutoring lessons, learning about his family business, then playing with his friends.

His father had arranged him to study under the best scholars of Joseon, the ones who also tutored the princes in the palace. He studied with six other boys for years, whose fathers were also the friends of his.