You looked at yourself in the mirror as Lina straightened the train of your white gown. Her frown was heavier than yours.
"Is the doctor coming today?" you asked her, breaking the uncomfortable silence between you.
She sighed. "Yes, yes. He said he would come to check on your father today. He said your father seems to be gaining his strength back these days. My dear, with that in mind, are you sure you want --"
"I've made my decision," you said firmly.
Lina nodded solemnly, and it broke your heart to see her so disappointed. Even though she had been the one to encourage your arranged marriage in the beginning, she hadn't stopped sighing and frowning since you actually agreed to it.
When you had seen your father for the first time after returning, he was pale and cold, just as King Namjoon had been when the Eros was taken. You hadn't seen your father so weak since your mother had passed... and now you knew that his heart had started to fail him since the day of her funeral.
That's why his business had collapsed.
That's why he couldn't get another job.
And that's why he had betrothed you to Mr. Kim.
Now that you had returned, your father was healing, but you couldn't bring yourself to give him any bad news lest his heart failed completely. He was already teetering on death, and you couldn't be what sent him over the edge.
Regardless of your life before this one, you still loved your earthly father and mother dearly, and it was still painful to lose them both.
So you agreed to the marriage.
Your human life was short compared to your eternal one, and so you were willing to make this sacrifice for a short time. Maybe you would be freed at death and put in another body. Or perhaps, when you were widowed and your future children grown, you could go back to the Den.
You would have to think about the long term later. You could only think of keeping your father alive now.
For now, you had to focus on your future wedding, scheduled for two weeks from today. Your room was scattered with white veils, ribbons, shoes, and pearls that belonged to your mother. You kept your hand on her necklace, praying that she would guide you through.
You didn't know how much strength you had.
Knock, knock, knock.
Lina and you both turned to a face you hadn't expected to see.
Your betrothed.
"Miss Y/N and Miss Lina," Captain Kapsu Kim said, tipping his hat at you both individually. "Have I caught you at a bad time?"
"Of course not, Mr. Kim," you said. "You're always welcome."
You stepped away from the mirror to face him. He gave you a quick glance and a warm smile.
"You look quite lovely," he said sincerely. "I was wondering if I might speak with you, my dear."
You nodded and motioned for Lina to give you some privacy. With a timid nod of understanding, she left the room, shutting the door behind you. Mr Kim took off his hat and coat, placing them on the chair next to him.
You had only met with Mr. Kim a few times since you had returned, but never alone. He always brought doctors with him to look after your father, and your conversations had been nothing but small talk with your father in his bedroom.
Also, Mr. Kim had been paying for all of your father's medical expenses, according to Lina. He never breathed a word of it, and never made you feel like you owed him.
"I wanted to see how you were feeling," Mr. Kim said.
"I have nothing to complain about," you replied. "My father is beginning to recover, and I'm home once more."
He nodded in thought. "Of course, of course. But I was thinking more of your feelings towards this wedding, my dear."
You tried not to show your shaky breath as you exhaled. You lifted your skirts and sat on the bench next to the window, unsure of how to answer. He stepped forward and sat down next to you.
"Arrangements like ours are not uncommon," he said, "and your father thought the best way to protect you was to make this arrangement. He knew his health was failing and he couldn't find any other means to provide for you."
You gripped your dress, frustration pricking the back of your eyes. "Why didn't he tell me he was sick? I would have --"
"You would have worked yourself to the bone in his place," he finished for you. "Your father would have become even further ill with guilt if that were to happen, and would have considered himself a failure as a father. I understand him. I already feel like a lifetime isn't long enough to make up for my negligence of Seokjin and his mother, and I would despise myself should anything happen to him or my two daughters."
He folded his hands in front of him, turning to look at you.
"That's why I agreed to this arrangement," he continued. "If, at the very least, I could put the old fool at ease for a few moments. His health was already failing, and I couldn't refuse him as it would only aggravate his condition. But understand that I had no intention of forcing you to marry me."
You looked up at him in confusion. He smiled warmly.
"I intend to take care of you and your father, with or without this marriage," he said. "Your father would have refused me if I simply offered my resources, so I agreed to his proposal instead."
You laughed ironically. "It seems we're quite similar in our thinking. We both agreed to this to spare Father pain."
There was a pause between you.
"But there's no point in causing pain for you, my dear," he said quietly. "I will be happy to take care of you as my wife, should that be what you want. If it isn't... then I won't take your rejection personally."
He smiled again. You suddenly felt overwhelmed, tears forming at the back of your eyes. You sniffed them back, trying to keep your composure.
"I'm grateful for your kindness," you finally said. "And thank you for being so considerate of both my father and myself."
He nodded firmly. "Your father saved my life on many occasions. I owe him as much."
He came to his feet and walked back towards the entrance of the room, picking up his jacket and hanging it over his arm.
"And for the record," he said, "your father never officially announced our engagement. It won't be difficult to brush it off as a simple rumor."
He gave an innocent shrug before putting on his hat.
"You can let me know your decision at any time," he said, putting on his coat. "But now, I'm going to go to my physician and request that he take care of your father exclusively. So put your mind at ease, hmm?"
Overwhelmed by emotions, you came to my feet and ran to him, throwing your arms around him in gratitude.
"Thank you, Captain," you said sincerely.
He gave you a light pat on the shoulder as he chuckled. "It's my pleasure, my dear. Wherever your happiness lies, I want you to go to it. I'll watch over you and your father no matter where your feet want to go."
He gave you a quick nod of encouragement as he stepped broke away from your embrace to go out the door.
All the tension in your body released in a single wave, sending you to your knees. You shuttered, not sure whether to laugh or cry. Instead, all you could do was breathe heavily into your hands, grateful to anyone who could hear how hard your heart was beating.
You were free.
There was no one holding you here. There was no one holding any power over your life. But what could you do? You had no income, and it would take far too long to learn a trade that would take care of your family. Was there even an option outside of marriage?
What did you want?
Where was your happiness?
----------------------------
Tigers, this is it!
Starting next week I will be posting multiple endings, one for each member of the vocal line. Then there will be a His POV series, where you will see some of the events of the story through the eyes of the vocal line characters.
Which member of the vocal line do you want to end up with???