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When the heir of C&R knelt on one knee and asked for the hand of an unknown woman in the country’s most extravagant charity party, the media exploded with pictures and articles of the event. Discussions about the relationship were murmured left and right as many dreamily sighed at what seemed like the perfect fairytale–a union of two people in different worlds, bound together by love despite all odds.
That is, until the fairy dust settled.
“So you must be the lucky princess!”
You heard a sultry feminine voice from behind you, and you turned to find the heiress of a major skincare line making her way towards you. She was the epitome of perfection; her eyes shone like polished obsidian, and her black dress hugged all the curves of her body that left little to the imagination.
“Good evening,” you politely greeted with a smile, but every hair in your body stood on end as her eyes measured you from your head to your toes. Before you met Jumin, you normally would have steered clear from people like these as you could easily recognize the venom in their eyes.
Now, since your marriage, you had to attend these extravagant gatherings as part of the Han family that owns C&R, the largest trading company in South Korea.
“Must be nice,” the woman spoke as she closed in even more, almost invading your personal space. “You sure hit the jackpot, hmm? That dress is probably more expensive than your entire house… I’m saddened that such exquisite fabric had to touch your cheap skin.”
These gatherings were also things you absolutely dreaded. No matter which one you went to, there will always be someone who would throw insults towards you faster than they could blink. Of course, none of these people would dare to speak too freely around your husband, but once you were alone, these refined ladies and gentlemen would bare their fangs and try their best to rip you apart.
You quietly sipped your red wine as the heiress and her friends started giggling. Being in this situation, you start to realize why Jumin became…well, Jumin, the stoic, seemingly unfeeling man when you first met him.
“You want the dress? Sure, I can give it to you. I’m sure you don’t mind hand-me-downs…we don’t want to make a dent on your bank account, now do we?”
Whatever hint of a smile that was on the woman’s face was completely gone, replaced by smoldering anger. “You think that fucking the C&R heir has earned you the right to talk like that, peasant?”
“Well,” you replied while you took another sip of your wine. “I’m the one in his bed, and not you. Until then…might I remind you that C&R’s investment corresponds to thirty percent of your company’s total shares?”
You covered your mouth with one of your hands and faked a gasp. “Oops. My bad. I meant your parents’ company, not yours.”
“You fucking gold digger,” the woman raised her hand and was about to strike you, but one of the men in black suits emerged from behind you to block the blow.
You stared at the woman, unblinking, defiant. “Park Eun-Hee,” you spoke with a low tone, a warning. “You are forgetting one very important thing: I am the wife of Jumin Han, and if you hurt me, consider your company done for.”
Before the woman could say anything more, you turned your heel and whispered a quick thanks to your bodyguard before walking away from the scene.
Despite the brave face you had put on, the edges of your eyelids stung with unshed tears. You bit your bottom lip as you wove your way through the crowd towards the balcony, craving for a temporary reprieve.
Your hands grasped the cold marble railing as you finally let out the faintest of whimpers, your tears hot on your cheeks. No matter how many times it had happened before, the pain of the insults still hurt, especially when the words insinuated an insult towards your husband. Worse, you barely had anything of your own to hold against them. In the end, you still relied on your husband, and this frustrated you to tears.
You cursed under your breath as you remembered that you left your purse with one of the guards. You hastily wiped your tears with the backs of your hands, but the more you wiped, the more tears of anger and frustration came.
Suddenly, a warm, dry handkerchief gently dabbed on your cheek, and you had to look up in surprise.
Jumin stood beside you, worry etched in his beautiful features that were accentuated by the gentle moonlight. His grey eyes inspected you as he gently took your chin with one of his hands to make you look up at him, then dabbed the silken cloth on your tear-stained cheeks.
“What happened?” He asked, his voice oh so soft, and those words were enough to send another bout of tears that made you bury yourself in his arms and cry.
“What did I ever do to them, Jumin?” You spoke in between tears, and you felt a hand smooth the back of your head to calm you down. “Is it my fault that I am nothing?”
Jumin grabbed your bare shoulders and pushed you off him gently, his grey eyes staring right into yours. “Y/N…please don’t say that. You are everything to me,” he wiped your tears once more and pulled you close. “And I’m right here with you. Next time don’t wander off too far from me, my love. Everything that I am and everything that I do is to protect you.”
You felt his warm lips on your forehead, and true enough, you felt utterly protected and safe in his arms. You could hear his heartbeat against your ear as you laid your head on his chest. Your eyes felt heavy and you let out a yawn, which made your husband chuckle.
“Tired, kitten?” He playfully whispered to your ear. His warmth, the sound of his voice and his heartbeat, and the scent of his cologne were so calming that you wanted to fall asleep right then and there.
You felt his arms tighten around you ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, my love,” his voice sounded so pained that you opened your eyes to check if he was okay.
He stared at the moon on the horizon, his grey eyes reflecting the lunar light. “I wanted to protect you from all of this. I never meant to put you in this kind of world where everyone and everything is a competition. The world of the elite is harsh and cruel. If you like, you won’t have to go–”
“No, Jumin,” you interrupted as you pulled away to look at him. His gaze fell on yours. “This…this is nothing. What hurts me is that they insult you because of me…that I have nothing of my own against them. I can’t take that.”
He watched you as you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. “But I will earn the right to stay by your side, Jumin Han. If it meant I have to burn hours and days to be able to stand by you, I would. I want to be your wife. I want to be your partner.”
Jumin’s eyes widened as he watched in awe, witnessing your extraordinary resilience. Your eyes were still wet with tears but were clear and resolute, and as much as Jumin wanted to shield you, he knew that the fire in those eyes will not be doused.