Y/n pov
After debating with myself for over an hour, I sat there in Kim Tae-hyung’s office pissed off and also confused about the situation. The unknown reason behind this meeting was killing me, the suspense was killing me. Several questions swirling in my mind made me feel lightheaded. What was it Kim Tae-hyung wanted to talk to me about? Above that, what were the fucking lies Woo-jin fed his brother about me? I wanted to know, and the person who could give me all the answers was busy in a meeting.
I was told by his secretary to wait in his office, and he would join me shortly. Shortly, my foot. I waited for longer than half an hour, and there was no sign of him.
Bloody Kim. I tapped my foot on the floor impatiently, looking around out of boredom. My heart was in my throat, and the butterflies fluttering inside my belly were an indication I was doomed. A small part of me was glad that he was late. I still wasn’t ready to face whatever he had to say, but another part of me wanted to get over it as soon as possible.
I jerked out of my trance when the door of his office clicked open. Instinctively, I rose to my feet, my gaze traveled up until it stopped at the sight of him. Standing in the doorway, he stared back. The formal black suit he wore fit him perfectly, too perfectly for my liking.
Kim Tae-hyung walked inside like he owned the place—he did, though. But there was something about him that screamed power. Taking confident, powerful strides, he came and stopped before me. His tall frame was hovering over my five-foot-three frame. I raised my gaze to meet his, and damn, the man looked like a giant from this close. Those broad shoulders, well-built physique, and that sharp jawline made him look intimidating.
Don’t go there. I blinked and looked away, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to get control over my scattered thoughts.
“You’re late,” I reminded him.
I heard him inhale a sharp breath. “I was in a meeting.”
“Should have postponed it when you knew I’d be here.” I didn’t like being taken for granted, even if it were by some stranger.
“Okay, fine. It won’t happen again.” He dismissed the matter altogether.
I huffed and took a seat on the couch behind me. “What is it you called me here for?”
Kim Tae-hyung rounded the coffee table and made himself comfortable in the one- seater. The silence that fell between us was scary. His intense gaze made me squirm in my place awkwardly. I cleared my throat, ran my sweaty palms down my floral-printed sundress, then raised my head to meet his darkened gaze.
“You can stare at me all you want after we’re done talking.” Before I could stop, those words were out of my mouth. There was nothing I could do to take them back, so I owned them and looked over at him confidently.
“Woo-jin told me you need money.” He eyed me curiously as if to read me. I tried to keep my emotions in check, not wanting to give away too much.
“Yes, I do,” I mumbled.
“Is that why you agreed to work at his club?” he asked sharply, his eyes hardening in anger.
“I didn’t agree, okay?” I shot up. “He was forcing me, so to get him off my back, I agreed to visit his club. I wasn’t going to work there.”
I had no idea why I was explaining this to him when I owed him nothing. But something inside me didn’t like that he thought the worst of me, which was confusing since I usually didn’t give a damn what people think about me. I was more of a laid-back person who believed in living life on my terms and conditions without fear of being judged by society. But with him, it was proving to be different. I did seem to care what he thought of me. Why? I had no freaking idea.
“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.
I slumped back in the seat, my mind running around his proposal as I fell into deep thought. My first response was to reject him outright, but then the practical—less emotional—side of me made its appearance, reminding me of my current situation. There was no doubt my dreams were put on hold because of the need to work to support myself financially. Like any other person, I had dreams of achieving something in life, and working as a waitress wasn’t what I wanted. But it was the only job I landed in this time of need.
“Where are you lost?”
I pushed all the thoughts to the back of my head and looked up at him, trying my hardest not to give away my emotions to him.
“Just wondering who’s the bigger asshole, you or your brother?”
He chuckled, humor dancing in his eyes. “I’m the nicer one between the two of us.”
“Oh! I believe you,” I said, keeping a hand on my heart.
“So, what did you decide?”
“I need some time,” I told him, not believing that I was even thinking of considering his proposal . But as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
“You have twenty-four hours to decide,” he announced. He pulled out a small rectangular card from his pocket and slid it across the table toward me. “When you’ve decided, give me a call. My private number is on the back.”
I nodded and picked up the card. “I should leave.” I rose to my feet.
He did the same and followed me to the door, holding it open for me as I turned to him.
“My sister or mother shouldn’t know about this.” I watched him, hoping he wouldn’t betray me. The last thing I wanted was to deal with my nosy family.
“No one will. You have my word,” he promised.
I acknowledged it with a tilt of my chin. I gave a small wave as I moved out of his office. “Bye!”
“Bye, Y/n.”
I walked away, ignoring the ticklish feeling running through me after seeing the small smile he bestowed me with. Damn, smiling should be a punishable offence for him.
Shaking my head, I made my way out of the building while wondering about the effect he was having over me in one day. He was messing up my brain, and it was on red alert. I should keep my distance—at least emotionally.
***
Groaning loudly, I swiped the pad of my thumb across the screen, rejecting the call. Once again.
A moment later, Kim Woo-jin’s name lit up on the screen. God, this man was desperate. He had been calling me continuously for the past half hour, even after I rejected his calls every fucking time.
I muttered a curse under my breath and rejected the call and switched off the cell phone for good.
I had enough of the Kim's for one day.
I threw the comforter aside and got off the bed, deciding to go down for dinner. I avoided going down earlier to keep away from another drama at the dinner table. The atmosphere at home was going from bad to worse. With every passing day, the desire to leave the house was increasing. There hadn’t been a meal I had in peace in the last couple of months.
It wouldn’t have happened if my father were still alive. He was the thread that bound us all together, but once the thread was broken, we scattered. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did.
“Y/n!”
I snapped out of my trance, hearing my mother’s call. I stopped and turned to her—she was seated in the living area along with Minji.
“Yes, Mom?”
“Come here. We want to talk to you,” she said, pointing to the couch across from her.
Sighing, I moved over and threw myself on the couch. “What is it?”
Mom cleared her throat, tilted her head sideways, and shared a look with my older sister before she shifted her attention back to me.
“You will have to shift your stuff to the room downstairs.”
“In the guest room? Why?”
“No, to the room next to the guest room,” she replied firmly.
“But that room is so small. Let alone all of my stuff, even my bed wouldn’t fit in there,” I exclaimed, shocked at their suggestion—more like an order.
“That’s for you to figure out,” Minji said, and it didn’t take me long to realize it was her doing. She was taking revenge on the insults I threw at her in the kitchen a few nights back. I wasn’t surprised. I knew something was coming. After all, my sister wasn’t someone to sit quietly.
“But why do you guys want me to shift downstairs?”
“Because we need that room,” Mom declared. “We have rented it out to a girl. She will be here tomorrow evening with her luggage. I hope all your doubts are clear now?”
“So, can we expect you to vacate your room by morning?” Minji chirped.
“It will be done.” I rolled my eyes. There was no use in fighting. I would be just wasting my energy, and I had none left in me.
My family was surprised with my agreement, but they said nothing, for which I was glad. I mean, c’mon, how long can someone tolerate their shit? I was tired of their everyday drama. I needed a break—a big one at that— from these people.
“Can I go now, or is there more?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at them. A mocking smile pulled at my lips.
“You can go.” Mom sighed.
I got up and walked into the kitchen, pulling out my phone from the pocket of my pajamas along with the card Kim Tae-hyung gave me earlier today. Without thinking, I punched his private number and hit the call button. With bated breath, I waited for him to pick up the call.
At the fourth ring, he did. “Hello,” his deep, rough-at-the-edges-yet-smooth voice made me grip the phone tightly.
“Hey! It’s me, Kang Y/n, your would-be temporary wife.”
“Y/n?”
“Yes!” I nibbled my lower lip, the heat in the pit of my belly growing. Nervousness spread through me as I gathered the courage to inform him about my decision. “It’s a yes. I’m ready to marry you.”
There was silence on the other side, and I waited patiently for his response. My heart was pounding wildly, but for a moment, I even forgot to breathe.
“Kim Tae-hyung , are you there?” I asked unable to take the silence any longer.
“I’m here,” he spoke. “Are you sure about your decision?”
“Positive.” I managed a small smile, knowing I was doing it just to safeguard my future—a future which was hanging in danger for the past year. The deal between Kim Tae-hyung and me might be morally wrong, but I had no remorse, no regrets.
“But how’s this marriage going to work? I mean…” I stopped not finding the right words to describe my confusion.
“It’s okay. I understand what you’re trying to say,” he said. “Meet me tomorrow, and I’ll clear all your doubts.”
“All right. So, your office?”
“No. It’s Sunday tomorrow,” he reminded me. “Meet me at my place. I’ll message you the address shortly.
“Cool. See you tomorrow, then.” I ended the call and shoved my phone in my pocket. I ran a hand through my messy hair and let go of a deep sigh, the seriousness of my decision dawning on me.
Fuck! I had just sealed my fate. I now just hoped it was for good.
[Words Count : 2577]