Chapter Text
Han Taesan woke up to the sound of his phone vibrating against wood. Over and over. Messages flooded in fast enough that the screen kept lighting through the dark room every few seconds. Taesan groaned quietly, one arm thrown over his face before reaching blindly toward the nightstand.
The second he unlocked his phone, his expression barely changed. Notifications. News articles. Missed calls from his parents. Messages from people he hadn’t spoken to in weeks suddenly pretending to care.
Minjae:
bro wake up
Minjae:
this is actually insane
Minjae:
You are trending right now, dude
Taesan frowned slightly. “…What now.”
He clicked the first article. Then stared. A blurry photo loaded onto the screen. Him outside the club. And beside him—an older man. Or at least, that’s what it looked like. Whoever edited it sharpened Taesan clearly while the other figure looked hidden enough to become suspicious.
The headline underneath read:
HAN GROUP HEIR ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED WITH SECRETIVE LUMRE GRANDSON
Another article.
SOURCES CLAIM HAN TAESAN HAS BEEN RECEIVING FINANCIAL BENEFITS FROM LUMRE FAMILY
Another.
HAN TAESAN ACCUSED OF “SELLING HIMSELF” FOR LUMRE CONNECTIONS
Taesan snorted quietly. People really had too much free time. He scrolled further. Big mistake. Because the comments flooded underneath.
bro became a sugar baby
all that face just to sleep his way into the Lumre inheritance is crazy
the grandson must be ugly as hell if they keep hiding him like this
Han Taesan really sold himself for old money status
nah because why does the “grandson” look fifty
Taesan rolled his eyes lightly. Honestly, this barely cracked top ten. People had accused him of worse before. At some point he stopped caring. Rumors were boring after a while. They flared up for three days, pissed his father off, entertained the media, then disappeared the second somebody richer made a bigger mistake. Taesan tossed the phone beside him again, dragging a hand down his face.This was nothing. At least that’s what Taesan thought until his phone started ringing again.
A call from his dad. Taesan stared at the screen for a second before answering lazily.
“What.” he answered. “Han Taesan.” his dad said, voice colder than ever. “Where are you?” . “In bed. It’s nine in the morning.” Taesan replied lazily. “You need to stop causing trouble.” says his father.
Taesan leaned back against the headboard, eyes half-lidded, looking back down at the article again, thumb lazily scrolling through another edited photo. “…So this is what ruined your morning.”
“You think this is funny?” Dad sounded pissed. “No,” Taesan replied calmly. “I think the editing is terrible.”
“Stop joking for one second,” his father already sounded annoyed. “You need to tell me right now,” his father continued, voice lower this time, “what exactly you did.”Taesan frowned. “…Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me, Han Taesan" “I’m NOT!!" Taesan's voice louder than ever.
“The Lumre family contacted us less than an hour after those articles went up.” That made Taesan’s brows pull together faintly.“…So what? Pay them money and bury the news like you always do.” He scoffed softly, looking down at another comment calling him a gold digger. “Why bother calling me?” “In that case, they are doing a terrible job at burying…” Then he paused when he saw the new article.
The headline loaded slowly across the screen.
HAN GROUP AND THE LUMRE FAMILY OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THE ENGAGEMENT OF HAN TAESAN AND THE LUMRE FAMILY’S GRANDSON
“…What the fuck.”
His father went quiet on the other end. Taesan sat up straighter immediately, rereading the headline like it would somehow change itself.
The article underneath continues “Both families hope for the public’s warm support and understanding regarding the couple’s future.”
Couple.? Taesan almost lost his mind right there. “No,” he muttered immediately, pacing across the room now. “No, absolutely not.” “Han Taesan—” his father's voice sounded stern. “No, because why is the internet suddenly marrying me off over blurry club photos?” “Lower your voice.” the father said. “You lower yours.”Taesan spat back.
“The Lumres wanted the situation stabilized immediately before the rumors worsened.” Taesan looked back down at the comments flooding in under the announcement.
WAIT THIS IS REAL????
HAN TAESAN IS ACTUALLY ENGAGED???
THE HIDDEN GRANDSON PULLED HAN TAESAN????
nah because what does he even LOOK LIKE
bro went from playboy to fiancé overnight
THEY HARD LAUNCHED A MARRIAGE SCANDAL
if the grandson turns out ugly this will be the funniest thing ever
Han Taesan got nerfed
someone check on the girls at his university
Taesan dragged one hand down his face slowly.This did not feel real. “You cannot seriously expect me to go along with this.” he said slapping his face wishing this was a fever dream.
“You don’t have a choice.” his father replied on the phone. Taesan laughed coldly. “Oh, I definitely do.” “Han Taesan—”
“No.” He cut his father off sharply, pacing once across the room. “You announced my engagement without even asking me first. To somebody I’ve never met.”
Silence.
Then—
“You will come home immediately.” Taesan scoffed softly. “No.” Another pause. Then his father replied calmly enough that it instantly irritated him more. “I blocked all of your cards. Come home if you want them back.” Taesan stopped walking.“…You what.” His expression darkened, “Oh, you people have actually lost your minds.”
“There’s a driver waiting for you downstairs already.” his father said not caring what Taesan has to say . “No.” Taesan still stubborn till the end. “I’m not getting into some car to discuss my arranged marriage like we’re living in the eighteen hundreds.” His father ignored that completely. “You’ll come straight to the mansion.” Taesan dragged a hand harshly through his hair. “You cannot force me into this.”
“We already did. Don't make us tose face, Taesan" That actually shut him up for a second.Because the official announcement was already everywhere now. News outlets. Campus forums. Social media.
Han Taesan was finished. His father spoke again. “And Taesan?" “Stop treating this like another scandal you can sleep through.” The line went dead immediately afterward.
Taesan stared at the darkened screen. His phone buzzed again.
Minjae.
BRO???????????
TELL ME THIS IS FAKE
Another message instantly after.
WAIT U ACTUALLY HAVE A FIANCÉ???
Taesan ignored all that feeling frustrated than ever. He tossed the phone onto the bed before grabbing a hoodie from the floor. Because apparently he was being summoned to his family mansion like some disgraced prince in a historical drama. Well, it's not like he has a choice. He sighed feeling defeated.
Twenty minutes later, Taesan stepped into the private lobby downstairs wearing sunglasses despite the cloudy weather outside. Mostly because he didn’t want to be perceived right now.
he got into the car and slammed the door shut behind him. The second the tinted windows blocked the flashes outside, the exhaustion hit him properly for the first time that morning.
Taesan leaned back against the leather seat slowly.
Engaged.
To somebody he’d never met. What if the rumors were true and the one he's married to is a hideous handicapped. Just by thinking about it gives him chill.
His father sat behind the desk while his mother stood near the windows with her arms crossed elegantly, expression colder than usual. Taesan looked between them once before dropping into the chair across the desk. “So,” he muttered. “Which one of you decided to publicly ruin my life first.”
“Taesan, baby we want the best for you” his mother said immediately. Taesan scoffed quietly. “Oh, but announcing my engagement online without asking me first was what you guys thought the best for me.”
His father ignored that completely. “The Lumre family is extremely unhappy right now.” “so am i,” Taesan snapped back immediately. “People think I’m sleeping with somebody’s hidden old relative for inheritance money.” “The grandson is younger than you, Taesan" his mother replied. That made Taesan stop moving completely. “…Excuse me.”
“Yes, he is two years younger than you. I know it's a bit young but you guys will grow closer. He will become your dongsaeng” his mother tried to ease
her son's temper. “Younger than me?” He looked genuinely disturbed now. “Mom, if he's younger than me, that makes him just a fresh off teenager. Isn't it too much?”
His father continued calmly. “They kept him away from the public his entire life specifically to avoid situations like this.” “Well, they need to do a better job than this.”
Taesan spat back, "Plus why would they hide him away if he doesn't have some disabilites and because they think he is a disgrace to their family.
Dad, please. Your son is too handsome for that." he whined.
“And you believe that? the rumors” That shut him up for half a second. His father leaned back slowly in his chair.“You see how quickly people decide things once a story spreads far enough?”
More people treating his life like entertainment. And annoyingly—his father had a point. Nobody cared whether it was true anymore.The narrative already existed.
Han Taesan: rich playboy, future Han Group heir, prestigious finance student—reduced overnight into somebody publicly leeching off another powerful family.
“I apologized to the family personally,” his father continued.Taesan blinked once.“For what exactly?” “For your name becoming attached to their grandson publicly in this manner.”
Taesan stared at the wall in front of him. Then laughed once more, quieter this time. His father’s voice hardened slightly. “You have no say in this.”
That made Taesan go still. “What.”
“This is the best thing we can do for you now.”
"For me?” Taesan scoffed in disbelief. “You’re marrying me off because somebody edited pictures outside a nightclub.” Taesan dragged one hand harshly through his hair.
“You’ve spent years causing scandals and expecting us to clean them quietly afterward.” his father added. “Here we go," Taesan rolled his eyes
not wanting to hear the repeated stories anymore. His father’s tone sharpened. “For once, you finally managed to involve the wrong family.”
Taesan looked away immediately. "I don't even know his existence till today to get involved, dad." Because something about that line sat badly in his chest.
Like this one actually had consequences.
His mother finally spoke again after being quiet the entire time. “The Lumre family’s grandson has never even been photographed publicly before.”
Taesan looked up. She continued carefully. “They are very protective of him.” “Of course he’s hideous. Mom, do something! Either way I’m not marrying!”
Taesan threw a tantrum.
His mother and father exchanged a brief glance. And somehow—that irritated him immediately. “Taesan.” “Your first concern right now is whether the grandson is kind enough to tolerate your personality.”
“The Lumres agreed because they care more about protecting their grandson than public image.”
“And what happens after?” Taesan asked finally. “We play pretend couple for reporters?”
“For now,” his father answered calmly, “you will meet him.”
Silence.
“…Meet him?”
“Yes, we're going to the Lumre Estate in the evening. Go shower and make yourself presentable,” his father checked the time briefly.
Taesan stared.
“Right.” He stood abruptly from the chair. “Can’t wait to meet my politically arranged fiancé after breakfast.”