Rosè Yang's lips parted in shock. They had barely established their relationship and he was already thinking of marriage?! She was baffled to hear him talk about marriage so easily.
"My granddaughter is not someone you can marry as you please." Yang Marco 's initial anger began to trickle away with each passing second. Marriage with the next head of the Park family? It was more than he could ever ask for. His prized granddaughter deserved the best of the best. Within their circle, who else could rival Park Jimin?
"Indeed, she is not. But it will happen. I can assure you no one else can pamper and dote on her the same way I do. Even when she becomes spoiled beyond return, I'll continue to do so." Park Jimin declared, his eyes determined and a rare flash of passion was seen on his usually serious, calculating face. He treated this as a serious matter.
Yang Marco was pleased by this response. The edge of his lips curved into a favorable smile. "Very well, I will entrust my granddaughter into your hands."
Rosè Yang's face was filled with bewilderment as she looked at both men in front of her. Had they forgotten she was right there? Marriage? Family? Leaving his granddaughter into Park Jimin's hands?! What about her opinion on this important matter?
They talked as if Park Jimin had already asked for her hand in marriage and her grandfather had agreed, making sure their marriage was set in stone! What type of nonsense was this? She could've sworn her grandfather was much stricter than this!
Completely unknown to her, Yang Marco had planned to summon Park Jimin for a formal talk much later on...
"Wait a minute, all this talk about marriage is too soon. We haven't actually established our relationship." Rosè Yang spoke up, her head peeking from behind Park Jimin to directly face her grandfather.
She turned to Park Jimin , tugging her hands away from his. "You haven't formally asked me out, thus, we're nothing beyond friends. Marriage is out of the question as of the moment." She ignored his accusatory gaze.
So what if he was angry? While the thought of marrying him is nice, he still managed to irk her with his words! Did he think she was an easy woman? Call her old-fashioned, but she preferred to be courted the regular way. After her horrible experience with Jeong Jaehyun, she wanted to experience being in a regular romantic relationship...
"Friends?" His eyes narrowing at the word. Friends?! After spending all those nights entangled in each others' arms and sharing all those passionate kisses, she thought they were friends?! He refused to rot away in the friendzone.
"Yes, friends." She emphasized the last part without faltering at his intimidating glare. His rigid stare was as cold as the harshest nights of winter and as dark as the monsters that lurked in the depths of hell. She could clearly see his whirlwind of emotions, the dark ink swirling with annoyance and dissatisfaction.
The customary warmth she was used to was still there, but the warmth wasn't the type that gently brushed against her skin, washing away all of her worries. It was smoldering and it seemed to want to burn her alive.
Yet, she was rooted in the bed, unflinchingly glaring back at him.
Park Jimin scowled. "Do friends share— "
"Keep your private details private." Yang Marco spoke up. He didn't want to hear anything that happened behind closed doors. He went here to check on his granddaughter's wellbeing, but he was being ignored. If these youngsters want to settle something between them, then they better do it on their own time without intruding on his already tight schedule. He needed to go back to his office soon.
He roughly pushed Park Jimin aside without a care in the world. "Rosie, how are your wounds?"
Although Park Jimin remained unfazed by the shove, Li Xuan was terrified.
The poor secretary apologized profusely, bowing between every word of his panicked apology. He couldn't believe his boss was daring enough to shove aside such a menacing man! It was like asking for a death wish, one that could come as swift as the flick of a wrist!
The edge of Park Jimin's lips twitched. He finally saw where she got her daring behavior. So it was from none other than her grandfather...
"My wounds are fine but the bandages need to be changed." She raised a finger to run her hand over the slightly damp bandages on her forehead. The soft material reminded her of what she had done. Her eyes turned hazy as she cast it downwards.
Yang Marco was quick to pick up on her sudden shift of emotions. She was close to losing herself in her daydreams again. "Then call a nurse in. I'm surprised they didn't wake you up at random hours of the hospital to check up on you."
"I think they did but they left as fast as they came..." She trailed off, faintly remembering a small commotion in her sleep that immediately stopped when she mumbled something. She was barely awake when she heard the shuffling of footsteps before it went back to dead silence. Along with this memory was a sensation she thought came from the dream that she was wrapped in something warm and comfortable...
"Is that so..." Yang Marco tilted his head to Park Jimin who stood by the side.
He pretended to be disinterested and oblivious to her words.
Yang Marco raised a brow. It seemed this fearsome man had chased away everyone who wanted to check up on her condition. He realized Park Jimin was simply too possessive of his granddaughter.
To ensure she could catch a few more hours of sleep, he was willing to create a mess.
"Yes, it was really weird, but I'm fine." She paused and abruptly touched her forehead. "I think the bandages had been changed..." She sharply turned towards Park Jimin, only to see the tiny smirk on his face.
"What is it? Are the bandages loose?" He asked her as he stuffed his hands into his front pocket. His stance made him look very enigmatic and beguiling dangerous. She bitterly thought it was inhumane to be this attractive.
"Did you change my bandages?" She seethed. She hated it when people intrude on her privacy. It was fine if he changed the ones on her forehead, but the one on her abdomen was absolutely off-limits!
He didn't say anything and instead, continued to stare at her, a mischievous smirk dangling on his lips. His eyes crinkled when she began to glare at him.
"The lights were turned off." His subtle attempt of coaxing and teasing her at the same time was enough for her to confirm her suspicions.
Angered at what he had done, she picked up the nearest pillow and roughly chucked it at him but he caught it with lightning speed. He clicked his tongue and walked to her. Her eyes followed him, scrutinizing his every move. She watched as he gingerly placed the pillow back onto the bed. She jumped when he suddenly flicked her on the forehead, the pain leaving as fast as it came.
"It's not good to throw things. I thought we've already established that." He gently cupped her cheeks, rubbing her delicate skin with his thumb as he raised her head to examine the bandages.
"This will need to be changed again, as well as the one on your stomach." He completely ignored her fuming expression, as his thumbs continued to stroke her cheeks.
He glanced at her, a smile threatening to break out. Her cheeks were slightly squished. This look on her seemed to be inviting him to kiss her. But he knew she would smack him senseless if he dared do something like that in front of Yang Marco.
"Don't touch me!" She tried to push him away. He responded by smiling and pinching her cheeks like a child.
"But darling—" He bent down so that his large frame was closer to her. He whispered into her ears so that only she could hear his words. "You were touching me all night long, your fingers couldn't get enough of my chest so much that—"
"Shut up! I would never!" She yelled, her face turning bright red. 'Did I? Did I really do that?!' A part of her truly believing she did touch him... She clearly remembers dreaming about an incredibly fluffy and soft pillow that she constantly ran her fingers over because of how nice the material was.
Yang Marco heaved a tired sigh upon seeing the loving duo. They had completely disregarded him as if he wasn't even in the room...He glanced down at his watch and realized it was time to go back to the office.
"Rosie, it's time for me to return to the company. I will come back later tonight." His eyes turned to Park Jimin. "And I expect you to be sleeping alone tonight." Without another word, he turned his back and left, Li Xuan and Ling Suho quickly following after him.
Even with his ripe old age, the aura of Yang Marco was hard to miss. The people in the hallway quickly scurried to the side, allowing a pathway for the Emperor to strut down the halls, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.