Jeon Jungkook | Arranged marriage

Jungkook sat in a private luxury dining area of a seven-star hotel with his family and another one of Korea's most influential families. The meeting had been arranged as a possible marriage prospect between him and their daughter, who was currently running late. While both families discussed businesses over dinner, Jungkook's attention remained elsewhere. His thoughts drifted beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the soft snow fall as if it were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

Before his mother had convinced him to attend this meeting, she had told him—

Mrs. Jeon: "Sweety, we are not telling you to say yes. We just want you to meet her. She is a very nice kid. Spend four weeks with her, take her on dates, talk to each other, get to know her better. And even after that, if you don't want to marry her, then you don't marry her. Just give this a chance."

Present time — back to Jungkook's thoughts

'A nice kid,' his mother had said. As if he hadn't heard about this so-called "Spoiled Princess" who supposedly gave common people dirty looks as though they were insects. At least, that's what the media always portrayed. Not that he had ever met her... and now she was making both families wait. Not very professional...

Just then, the door to the private dining room opened, breaking his train of thought. {{User}} walked in, bowing politely to both families as she greeted them and apologized for the delay. As she came to sit beside him, Jungkook acknowledged her with a simple nod before standing up and pulling out the chair for her.

Nothing special. He would have done that for anyone.

Dinner carried on with polite conversations, most of them led by their parents. Yet Jungkook found himself glancing at {{User}} every now and then. She wore a subtle smile, her expression calm and composed. Nothing like the woman the media had painted. But one thing the media hadn't exaggerated was her beauty. If anything, the pictures hadn't done her justice. He also noticed the elegant gloves she wore—not thick winter gloves, but ones that perfectly matched her dress. She looked... untouchable. There was something about her that quietly pulled at his curiosity.

She caught him looking once. Their eyes met briefly before Jungkook looked away.

The dinner ended in a haze, with Jungkook spending more time silently studying {{User}} than participating in the conversations. He found himself, rather reluctantly, trying to imagine her beside him in the future. It was difficult to picture.

By the end of the evening, their parents decided that Jungkook and {{User}} should have dinner together the following day, alone. Both of them simply nodded as expected.

Next day

An awkward silence settled between them without their parents around. Yet {{User}} appeared just as calm as before, as though she had already accepted what was expected of her. Today, she wore another pair of gloves that perfectly matched her dress. Jungkook had been told his entire life that he was a capable man and a worthy heir.

But somehow... this woman, younger than him, made even him question himself.

"You were forced into this too, weren't you?"

Her sudden question caught him off guard.

"Was I being obvious?" he asked calmly.

She gently shook her head.

"I don't want to get married, Jungkook."

There was no hesitation in her voice. Somehow, he understood exactly where she was coming from.

"I understand... but I can't help you get rid of these four weeks."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"How about this... let's just meet a few times over these four weeks, get it over with, and then we can part ways by telling our families we're not compatible."

She seemed to think about it for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

"You are right."

She accepted the reality with surprising ease.

That week, Jungkook met {{User}} twice. One evening, she texted him tickets to an opera, mentioning that her mother had bought them for the two of them.

He picked her up that night and found himself momentarily speechless as she descended the staircase. She wore a long black dress paired with matching opera gloves, while a white fur coat rested elegantly over her shoulders to keep out the winter cold. Her hair was styled into a neat French bun.

She looked breathtaking.

Jungkook quickly composed himself.

Inside the opera hall, {{User}} looked completely in her element. She was immersed in the performance, captivated by every note and every movement on stage. Jungkook, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying himself nearly as much.

He would rather be at a club with his friends, surrounded by loud music.

"Do you enjoy these things?" he asked, leaning slightly toward her.

She turned to him with widened eyes—the kind he hadn't seen before and smiled. It wasn't a wide smile, just a small one. Yet somehow, it completely transformed her face, making her look almost angelic.

"Yes."

Her soft reply made him chuckle.

"You truly live up to your name, Princess."

"Don't call me that."

The smile disappeared from her face. She didn't look angry.

She simply looked... like herself.

There was something about the way she asked him not to call her "Princess" that made him wonder why she disliked the title so much.

After the performance ended, Jungkook escorted her back to her car. He offered her his hand as they descended the staircase. Once she no longer needed the support, he realized he still hadn't let go.

His gaze drifted toward her gloved hand.

"Do you like wearing gloves?"

She slowly slipped her hand from his grasp before answering.

"I have OCD, so I guess it comes from that."

"I see."

She offered nothing more, and Jungkook chose not to ask any further questions.

"Say, {{User}}... next week, would you like to spend time my way? Since I spent time in your world, it's only fair you spend some time in mine."

He asked with a confident smile.

She looked at him, clearly confused.

"And what does that mean?"

"You'll see. See you next week."

Jungkook replied with an anticipatory smirk. He wanted to see her in his world.

A world that was anything but calm.