Chapter2:"I don't accept no"

"I don't want money, only you."

Catherine was momentarily confused; maybe she had misunderstood.

"What? I...what do you mean?" she asked, lost. She tried to form a coherent sentence, but fear held her back.

"What on earth did this man want from her, after all?"

Jaewon watched her intently, her confused expression causing him to let out a short laugh. He slowly walked around the desk, placed his gun on it, and sat down in his chair.

"Take him away," he ordered.

"Please, wait!" Catherine spoke, grabbing her brother's suit jacket.

"Come on, stop the crying. I just want to talk to you alone. Now, take him away." His tone shifted from sarcastic to firm in seconds.

Catherine remained on her knees on the floor, crying as the door shut. She couldn"t believe this was happening. Her life had become an endless pit of problems, and now this?

"Come, please sit in the chair." A soft voice pulled her out of her trance, and she looked up, seeing a gentle hand extended toward her and kind eyes. "Please," Mi-Jun asked.

She took his hand and sat in the chair across from the man who was now observing her with a scrutinizing look. Catherine felt a bit uneasy.

"You may go too, Mi-Jun," Jaewon said, gesturing to the door.

"Jaewon..." Mi-Jun pleaded with his eyes.

"Leave, please. I need to speak to her alone."

Catherine looked at the man beside her, who smiled at her before leaving. The door clicked shut again, leaving her alone with Jaewon. She hadn"t seen him in so long; he was so different from the skinny, bespectacled boy she used to play with as a child.

"Look at me. I like polite people," he said in his casually harsh tone.

Catherine wiped the tears that wouldn"t stop falling.

"Why are you crying? Has anyone here hurt you?" His question sounded as sarcastic as it was malevolent.

"You threatened to kill my brother right in front of me, and you still ask me that?" She looked him in the eyes for the first time, her gaze firm and defiant.

"Blue eyes like a summer sky," he thought as he gazed at her tear-filled eyes.

"Well, I"m sorry if I frightened you. But desperate times call for drastic measures, and to be honest, I"m not fond of killing people. But I can"t just let things slide when something like this happens in one of my casinos, especially with my own employees."

Catherine was surprised to learn that her brother worked for him, but she held back from asking about it for now.

"So, tell me the damn amount, and I"ll pay it," she said.

Ah, he was enjoying her brave side.

"I already told you, the price is you." He watched as her posture faltered again; confusion gave way to fear.

"I...I don"t understand what you mean."

"Well, let me explain. I"ll forgive your brother"s debt, his audacity to steal from me, and, as a bonus, he"ll keep his brain intact, and you"ll marry me."

"Marry?"

Was she really hearing this correctly?

"I won't marry you," she said, clutching her bag on her lap.

Even though her voice was firm, her body was rigid from the impact of his words. The man before her—a former childhood friend who was now a mafia boss—was asking her to marry him. No, he wasn"t asking. He was declaring what he wanted, but why? Why her?

Jaewon laughed, as if she"d told him a joke. Ironically, the situation was a bitter, distasteful joke of fate.

"Oh, Catherine, I didn’t remember you being this funny. Look..." He opened a small box beside the phone and took out a cigar, putting it in his mouth. "I’m really not asking for your approval, nor is this a formal request." He lit it, exhaling smoke into the air.

"However it is, I’m not going to marry a man I barely know, especially someone like you," Catherine spat.

Jaewon stood up slowly, walked around the desk, and stood behind Catherine"s chair. She felt a sudden chill in her stomach as, in one swift movement, he spun the chair around, resting his arms on its back, leaning down to face her, which petrified her with fear. Jaewon took the cigar out of his mouth and blew smoke in her face, making her close her eyes.

"Let me make this clearer for you, sweetheart. Either you marry me, or your brother will pay a visit to Hades in hell."

Catherine swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in her throat. She opened her eyes, only to find his face close to hers, so close she could feel his breath against her own. Jaewon was tall and muscular; she examined his face for a moment, realizing how handsome he truly was, with his left arm covered in tattoos and large hands gripping the sides of the chair.

"Okay..." she finally said, lowering her gaze.

"Very good; you're a smart woman," he said, moving away from her and picking up his phone from the desk.

"You may go now."

"Where is my brother?" She stood up, feeling a tightness in her chest and a sense of desperation.

"In a safe place," he replied with a half-smile.

"But...I thought..."

"You thought wrong. He stays until the marriage happens, and then I"ll decide what to do. Now, go home. I’ll be in touch."

She felt tears stinging her eyes as she turned to leave.

"Wait, I'll ask my driver to take you."

"No need; I know very well how to go alone."

"From now on, my fiancée doesn"t go around unaccompanied." He raised his index finger toward her. "Please, Do-yun, take Miss Prescott to her home," he said, hanging up the phone while still looking at her.

"No need to cry; it's not like you're going to the gallows," he said.

"Getting married without love is worse than that," she looked at him. "It's A prison without bars."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Take her home as I instructed."

"Please, Miss," the driver extended his hand for her to pass.

"Have sweet dreams, Catherine," Jaewon said with a wave.

"Good night, sir," the driver said as he followed her out.

Jaewon slumped in his chair once the door closed.

"Marry without love..." Catherine"s words echoed in his head. But what did he have to lose? It was just business, after all. He picked up the phone.

"Mi-Jun, prepare everything for the wedding."

…

Catherine looked in the mirror once more in that hotel room.

"How? How did her life come to this point?"

The question kept lingering in her mind. She was about to marry a man she barely knew; he was just a blur in her childhood memories. Jaewon was not the same anymore.

"Oh my! You look gorgeous, dear." She looked at the older woman behind her in the mirror. It was Jaewon"s housekeeper, the one he had asked to help her. They were strangers, but the woman seemed genuinely kind.

"Thank you," Catherine whispered.

"I knew this dress would be perfect," the woman said happily, looking at the gown.

"It's quite beautiful."

"Now, there's a special touch left." The woman smiled, going to one of the white boxes on the bed and pulling out a sparkling tiara. "It'll complement the hairstyle." She placed the tiara on Catherine"s head. "Now you're ready for the wedding."

Catherine felt her breath hitch, her eyes filled with tears, and the lump in her throat returned. In just three days, she had gone from engaged to becoming a mafioso"s bride—a man who surely had no scruples.

"I...I can't..." she stammered, removing the tiara and tossing it on the bed.

"What 's wrong?" The older woman came closer as Catherine ran to the bathroom.

"I can't...I can't do this," she said through her tears, gripping the bathroom sink as she let herself cry.

"Dear, don"t be like that. This isn't so bad..."

"Do you even know what this means?" she asked, turning to face her.

"I do..."

"Then how dare you say it isn"t so bad? I can 't marry him...help me escape, help me save my brother," Catherine held the woman"s arms, pleading.

"Don"t ask me that; I won't betray Jaewon."

Catherine lowered her gaze, letting go of her and sitting on the bathroom floor.

"Look, I know the situation isn"t ideal, but I can assure you that marrying Jaewon won"t be as terrible as you think." The woman knelt down in front of her. "He...well, he's not as bad a man as you think."

Catherine looked at her.

"He pointed a gun at my brother"s head."

The woman sighed.

"Some things are inevitable. But he gave you and your brother this chance, didn"t he? So just do it. It 's almost time."

Catherine thought for a moment and, with the woman's help, stood up, returning to the room.

"What's your name, ma"am?" she asked as she watched the woman place the tiara on her head again.

"It"s Si-u. Min Si-u."

"Mrs. Si-u, tell your master Jaewon that I won"t marry him," Catherine said firmly, looking into her eyes.

"As you wish, miss. Excuse me," the woman replied and left the room.

Catherine felt a chill in her stomach just thinking about what he might do. But she wouldn"t be afraid—she would be brave and put an end to this.

…

"Finally! Where is she, Si-u?" Jaewon said, rising from one of the armchairs in the hall.

"She's still in her room."

"Then bring her here, yes? We're already over twenty minutes late."

"Calm down, Jaewon, brides taking their time is almost a necessary cliché for the wedding day," Mi-Jun said by his side.

"But there's only one problem," Mrs. Si-u said, and they both immediately looked at her.

"Out with it, Si-u. Stop with the suspense."

"She asked me to tell you she's not going to marry."

"What?" Jaewon questioned, incredulous. "Si-u, go upstairs and bring her here now," he ordered.

"I've already tried, but she's adamant. I'm sorry, but she said she won't come."

"Then I'll go up there myself and bring her down if I have to drag her by the hair," Jaewon said, walking toward the door.

"Jaewon, wait. I can go up and talk to her," Mi-

Jun held his arm.

Jaewon pulled his arm free, glaring at him.

"No, stay here and keep everything under control. I"ll talk to her personally and maybe give her a stronger, more convincing incentive.”