♡The Confrontation
It started with her staring at me.
Not blinking. Not breathing. Just standing in the middle of the corridor like she was mentally solving a murder mystery.
"Okay!" she finally says, walking up & grabbing my arm. "Spill!"
I blink. "Spill what?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You've been weird. He's been weird. You never glance at any professors. And don't think I didn't see him brush your hair back last week during that presentation like some dark mafia
Romeo."
I stiffen. "That... was... nothing."
She squints. "You flinched, blinked twice and scratched your ear. That's your lying tic. Don't try me."
I exhale.
She crosses her arms. "You're hiding something. What is it? Are you dating him? Are you being blackmailed? Is he threatening you? Oh My God, is he your SECRET DAD?!"
"What...no!!" I whisper,yell, grabbing her by sleeve, "Can you not say that out loud?!"
"Then what?!" she hisses. "Tell me!"
I glance around. No one's watching. Still, I pull her into the empty study room and lock the door.
She watches me like she's bracing for impact.
I take a deep breath. "Okay... don't freak out."
She leans forward. "That means I'm about to freak out. What is it?"
"... I'm married."
Dead silence.
"... What?!"
"To Professor Kim Taehyun."
Beat.
She stares at me.
"I'm sorry," she says calmly. "Did you just say you're MARRIED to PROFESSOR KIM TAEHYUN?!"
"Shhh!"
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SHH RIGHT NOW?!"
I grab her shoulders. "Breath. Sit down."
She sits, tall, neatly. Into the chair. Staring at me like I just told her I was a secret alien.
"W-When? How? What?!"
I swallow. "It's complicated."
She fans herself with a folder. "You married a professor. The hottest, scariest one ,the one who owns half of this city in shady silence & whose checkbones could kill!"
I grip her wrist. "It was forced. I didn't agree to it. I didn't even know it was happening until I was already in the dress. Hi, viewpoint."
Her jaw drops again. "I'm gonna faint. If I faint, you better revive me with popcorn & answers."
"He is a mafia boss," I say quickly, my voice trembling. "He shot my parents. He killed the man I agreed to marry. And then...
he... married me."
Her hand covers her mouth. "Oh my God. What the actual...? You're married to the Devil in a tux?"
"I didn't want this. I hate him."
She nods slowly, eyes wide. "Okay, okay, yeah! That's valid. That's so valid. Like textbook trauma valid. But wait...wait..why did you stay with him?"
"I look away. "Because I tried to run. He always finds me. And he doesn't hurt me. Ever. He.."
I grip the edge of the table. "He protects me. He makes sure I eat. He cancels me when I'm sick. He stares at me like I'm his oxygen. Like if I disappear, he'll stop breathing."
She is silent.
"And the worst part?" I whisper, voice
cracking. "Sometimes... just for a second... I don't feel scared."
She stares at me.
"Sometimes I feel like he's the only thing keeping me from falling apart."
A beat of silence.
Then..
She gasps like she's about to faint. "OH MY GOD! You're IN LOVE with your KIDNAPPER."
"I'M NOT!!"
"You are! See it! Oh my God, is this Stockholm syndrome?! Do you need a Therapist or a Holy exorcism?!"
"I don't love him!" I shout, but my cheeks burn & she sees it.
I collapse into the chair beside her, burying my face in my hands.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," I whisper. "I should hate him. And I do. But... there's something wrong with my heart."
She softens. "It's not your fault. None of this."
I look up, eyes glassy.
"He ruined my life."
"But maybe," she says carefully, "he also saved it in ways you don't understand yet."
I shake my head. "He is still a monster."
"Maybe," she murmurs. "But what if... he's your monster now?"
♡The Invitation
The mansion was bathed in a golden glow of late afternoon sun, quiet save for the gentle click of my heels on the marble floor. I was just wandering, honestly, half-lost in the sounds of birds outside and the breeze playing lazy games with the curtains. Peace. Actual, honest-to-goodness peace.
That is, until the butler's calm voice cut straight through it.
"Sir Jihan has arrived, Mr. Kim."
I froze mid-step. Jihan? I'd only met him once after the marriage,charming, warm, and yeah, annoyingly handsome. And
Taehyun's closest friend, the kind of soulmate a guy gets in another guy.
My feet moved on their own, carrying me toward the study. The double doors were just cracked open, and I paused behind them when I caught the low murmur of their voices.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea, Jihan," Taehyun said quietly.
"I get it," Jihan replied, his tone softer than Taehyun's but steady. "But it's my wedding. My wife wants to meet her. She'll wait."
"If her memory triggers too fast, she could.."
I pushed the door open without a knock. "What could I do, Mr. Kim?"
Both men spun to face me. I stood there, hands on my hips, completely unimpressed, but tossed Jihan a small, genuinely friendly smile.
"Very bad, Mr. Kim," I scolded, stepping right in. "Declining your best friend's wedding? Shameful behavior."
Before they could even form a proper reaction, I walked straight up to Taehyun and smoothly plucked the ivory card right out of his hand. I flipped it open with all the dramatic flair of a nosy queen.
"Aww! Fancy design," I gasped with fake delight. "When is it? Who's the lucky girl? I love weddings!"
Taehyun's jaw twitched, like he was physically stopping himself from saying something rude. I was already hugging the card to my chest like it was a winning lottery ticket.
"I'm attending. No matter what," I announced. "And you're coming with me, Mr. Husband. I want to dress up and eat cake."
Jihan's smile was genuine, something quiet and emotional flickering in his eyes. He probably thought I didn't notice. He was wrong, but whatever.
"Thank you," he said softly. "It means more than you know."
Taehyun just exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair in pure frustration. "You better stick to your word. If anything happens to her…"
"I'd rather die than let her hurt again," Jihan cut in, his voice absolutely firm.
I looked between them, my brows knitted together. "Why are you both acting like I'm some porcelain doll? Relax. I'll just cry during the vows, eat too many sweets, and force Taehyun to dance with me."
"Delicate," Taehyun muttered under his breath. "You wish."
I grinned. "Oh, I'll show you delicate. Just wait until wedding day."
The tension in the room didn't vanish, but it shifted,it was softer now, wrapped in some new, unnamed understanding.
And the invitation remained clutched in my hands, feeling less like paper and more like a hard-won promise.
This revision changes the name and updates the writing style to be more direct, less formal, and a little more playful and sassy. Does this chapter sound like the human style you were hoping for?