#seulyong

"See you." Taeyong sat watching her leave, eyeing her from behind. She wore gym pants and one of his white tees, which didn't do much of hiding the exercise bra underneath, let alone her figure. "Don't look hot when I'm not there!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing his girlfriend to laugh at him before she shut the door.

It may not be normal to some, but Seulgi liked the possessive side of her boyfriend. The one who would have a hold on her at all times outside their house, the one who would never leave her side when they attended parties, the one who wouldn't control her outfit choices but would always glare at whoever looked her way.

That last one was mostly common at their gym. The couple made it a habit to go to the gym twice a week at least, and go together. Though they had completely different routines, Seulgi with pilates and Taeyong with strength training, they would enjoy going together regardless.

After another thirty minutes of resting, Taeyong also got up tp head to their apartment gym. The couple used to go at the same time, but after his job had gotten more tiring, Taeyong would go a little after her, which lead to their new habit of Seulgi spotting him, a new way for them to spend time.

As he entered the gym, in a loose tank and shorts, his eyes trailed the place to find empty equipment to start with. He did have a trainer in his early days, but now he would just go his own way as long as he kept it up. As he settled he took a glimpse at the time, checking on how long before Seulgi would come out of the pilates section and join him.

No sooner than when she walked in, he saw a couple of eyes already turning her way. Taeyong was overly proud about how hot his girlfriend was, even if she didn't keep her figure he knew he loved her all the same, but there was always something satisfying to him about showing off that she is his. Seulgi smiled his way, now in just sports bra and leggings, and he sat on the bench as she approached him.

"Ready for weights?" she asked, when he suddenly grabbed her hips and pulled her to stand closer to him. Her hands landed on his shoulder as she stared at him confused.

Taeyong simply smiled up at her, soft and loving stare as he rested his chin on her tummy. "You look good." she lightly smacked his back, albeit the big smile and light blush on her cheeks, and pushed him off scolding to get back to his routine. He laughed it off, and when he noticed how some others stared at them scoffing, he peeled his tank top off before laying down to start lifting.

Now, Taeyong may have been possessive, but he always resolved it with publicly smothering his girlfriend, showing off how much he loved her and she was his.

Seulgi, however, had a different sense of possessiveness. And as she spotted her boyfriend lifting weights, she glared at all the female eyes now on them instead thanks to Taeyong all shirtless.

And Taeyong knew it, which did nothing but fuel his ego and fun.

As he finished his sets and would continue to another, he stopped to wipe himself with his discarded tank top before throwing it aside.

"Why aren't you wearing it?" he looked to see Seulgi scowl, and did his best to hold in a laugh.

"It's hot and sweaty. Come one, one more and we can go back."

He watched her expression the rest of the time they stayed, glaring at him, then at whoever might stare at him. Once he finished and sat back up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit on his lap.

"Stop it, you're all gross." Seulgi scolded, but he knew she was only upset because of the attention. Smirking, he leaned in close enough to whisper so only she'd hear.

"Let's go upstairs, shower together hmm?" his one hand held her waist while the other traced over her thigh. "You'll feel better, I know it." he watched her pursed lips, though her eyes were still fierce on him. Reluctantly she nodded, and he let her go to grab their things before they headed back up to their apartment.

But not before Seulgi sent a final glare towards a specific duo of friends who's eyes never left her boyfriend.

>

Once they stripped for a shower, Taeyong had gone in first to start off the water, sighing in relaxation as the hot water hit his sore muscles. Before he could do anything more, Seulgi slipped inside, and roughly pushed him against the wall. The man grunted at the sudden attack, but soon smiled mischievously seeing his girlfriend plant her hands either side of his torso on the wall, as if trapping him.

"What's up baby?" he asked, his voice not hiding the tease while his hands held her waist. Without a word, Seulgi moved into his neck, Taeyong wincing as he realised what he felt were her teeth all over his skin.

"Seulgi wait-" his grip on her tightened, wanting to pull her off but she now grabbed around his neck, sticking her body tight to his as she left bite marks all over both sides of his neck, shoulder, and collar.

Before she could move further down his chest, Taeyong's hand grabbed her by the hair and pulled gently, holding her firmly this time. "What do you thi-"

"Shut up." she covered his mouth with a hand before he could finish, her eyes burning a glare, either with anger or desire he couldn't read. "I need to make sure you're imperfect."

"Wha-" he managed to ask through her hand, confused by what she meant.

Her hand moved away from his mouth, and instead grabbed his jaw tight. "Then they'll stop looking at you." this time her eyes softened, only a slight bit. "You're mine... right?" her free hand traced down his abs. "I don't want them seeing you work out... maybe we should just get you fat instead, then they won't look at you anymore, you're all mine."

Unable to hold it anymore, Taeyong let out a laugh, arms holding around his girlfriend before she could move away, then pulling her up into his arms, her legs around his waist. He pulled her body closer, nuzzling into her chest and leaving soft kisses.

"I'm all yours baby." he whispered before looking back up at her. "Every part of me belongs to you, you know that."

"Yea but they don't, not unless I show them." her pout melted him. He pulled her face closer for a kiss, soft and passionate as they stayed under the shower still.

"How about..." he spoke in between kisses, "instead of these... marks... I wear something... to keep them away..."

Seulgi pulled away, body warm from the heat of the shower and their intimate moment. She looked at him with wondering eyes, pouting while her fingers traced his face.

"Like... a ring?"

>>>

The next week, as the couple did their weekly gym routine, Seulgi smiled in ego and pride whenever she saw other girls stare at her man, before their eyes land on the shining object on his finger. And if not that, the chain around his neck with the initial S on it. She made sure no matter where they looked on him, her mark was there.

"Baby, come spot me." she was brought out of her thoughts when hearing Taeyong's voice, smiling as she walked towards him on the bench press. This time, we wore a tight fit shirt. Contrary to his playfulness, Taeyong was very shy to be seen walking around with marks on his chest, neck, and even his back.

When she said she'd mark him up, she meant it, knowing he'd have no choice but to cover up.

"I'm literally you're fiancé."

"What's your point?"

As he finished his sets, Taeyong panted still laid back, when a water bottle appeared before his eyes. He smiled, taking it and sitting up to drink, then looking to the person who gave it thankfully before putting his hand out beckoning her to sit next to him.

Once she did, Seulgi froze when he suddenly leaned in and kissed her, quick but sudden. "Thank you." she blinked at him as he spoke, then nudging him away. He giggled, when she noticed his eyes snuck a peek somewhere else, and once he looked away completely she turned to see what it was, and could only bite her lips to stop herself smiling at the sight of some of his usual spectators huffing.

She knew she didn't have to worry about him ever, and that itself boosted her confidence.

>>>

Seulgi rolled her eyes as she stood amongst the crowd of five other women, sitting opposite the five male participants. Why her mother signed her up for a dating show was an impossible question to her.

"You're so focused on earning money, I had no choice. I'd like to see my only daughter have a family please."

Her thoughts were snapped back when the director continued. "So we've gone through all your profiles as well as what your preferences are, and will be pairing you all as closely as possible. To avoid any mishaps we also had an actual matchmaker help us with the pairing."

She watched as the man pulled out 5 folders and opened one by one. "I'll call out the couples right now, but you will be introduced to each other when we start filming tomorrow. This is just so you know beforehand."

Seulgi watched as he opened a folder and passed it to his assistant. "Please raise your hand so your partner knows you. Jung Jaehyun and Kim Yerim." Two people raised their hands, smiling at each other as they bowed their heads slightly. "Johnny Seo and Bae Joohyun." Another pair raised their hands.

"Lee Taeyong and Kang Seulgi." Seulgi raised her hand, then looked at her male counterpart. The man smiled and bowed his head slightly at her, which she returned before looking back to the front, listening to the final two pairings.

Mark Lee and Ko Eun

Nakamoto Yuta and Park Sooyoung

"So the idea is for the first week you will meet daily, warm up and get to know each other. On week two we will put a couple together in one house, rooms will be separate. From there onwards you can progress as you like, hopefully we'll get some actual results out of you all." The director teased before continuing. "Also remember you all have signed and consented to this idea beforehand as well, but we won't be pushing you or preventing you from doing anything after the first week. And if you do decide to drop out, we will take your issue into consideration. Any questions?"

Seulgi raised her hand almost immediately, and the director signalled her to ask. "Even if we're not sharing rooms, will we have our privacy from cameras? Because if not, I don't see the point of separate rooms." she raised an eyebrow asking.

The assistant was quick to wave her hand. "Oh no no, don't worry. The houses will have cameras, except for your bedrooms and bathrooms. It's only the common spaces that will be televised, like the living room, kitchen, dining, etcetera. Your mics will be on you all times, but during bedtime or in the bathroom you can switch off or remove when sleeping."

After a few more chats, the meeting ended, and Seulgi was quick to dash home. She crashed onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling, sighing at the thought of two things.

Tomorrow she'll start dating someone.

Tomorrow she'll become a TV personality.

>>>

The day came for Seulgi's first date with her paired up man, Lee Taeyong. During the introduction recording, the most she could see he had in common with her was that they both loved music and dancing. While she worked as a nurse at a private hospital, he was a primary school teacher as he claimed he loved kids, while also volunteering weekends at an orphanage to teach art.

It's almost like they had completely opposite lives, and Seulgi wondered how would this ever work out. Sure they had the two common interests, but was that really enough?

She checked herself one last time as the car came to a stop in front of the cafe they were to meet in, making sure her outfit dusted and hair wasn't messy. She stepped out, startled a little as she realised a camera was focused on her outside, and smiled with a quick bow before going inside. She followed where she assumed he'd be, noticing another two cameramen near a table by the window.

Taeyong sat fumbling his hands on the table, as if to show he was nervous, she wondered if that was his real actions or simply for the cameras. As she came closer he stood up and they greeted each other, when he suddenly moved to her side and pulled out the chair for her. She stood startled again and smiled, though she still wondered if that was real.

"So..." he spoke up as he sat, chuckling nervously. "How do we go about this? I'm not exactly good with dating."

Seulgi raised her eyebrows, letting out a laugh before responding. "I'm not exactly experienced myself to be honest. This would be my first time dating officially."

The two shared a short laugh, a moment the director signalled the camera men to get clearer shots of. Soon enough the barrier was lifted as Taeyong started talking more about himself first, always making sure to get her involved in between. She noted this action of his, and it made her smile that he wasn't simply going on and on about himself.

So he's not narcissistic, good...

In turn she spoke about her life, and tried to keep it as interactive as he did. However at one point she noticed he simply kept quiet and let her babble on about something she didn't like, though his eyes were on her with a small smile so she knew he was paying attention. Once she finished he nodded and empathised with her, another thing that really caught her attention.

"Do you wanna maybe go for a walk, continue the date?" Taeyong asked once she was finished talking, and she noticed they had finished their coffees. "I know a nice spot we can sit and have a picnic. There's food there too." his eyes glimmered, then suddenly switched to nervous. "Oh, unless you prefer indoors, then there's a nice restaurant nearby too."

Seulgi chuckled, finding his ramble too cute. Unconsciously she reached to hold his hand in comfort. "The picnic sounds nice."

>>>

The first week went well, to Seulgi at least. She didn't feel awkward around Taeyong or get any weird vibes from him. He was nice, soft spoken, funny, polite, a gentleman overall. He also seemed very put together in his life, albeit a little clumsy like when his canned soda exploded and got on both of them, but Seulgi was more amused than angry at the way didn't realise he had been shaking it.

The time came for the couples to move in together. Seulgi was nervous despite being comfortable around Taeyong, because if there's one thing she knew is that one's true self always appears when living together. She sat in the car readying herself one last time before stepping out, greeting the camera as usual, before getting her bags out and going into the airbnb the show had rented out for her and Taeyong.

Just as she reached the front door, it opened showing a smiley Taeyong, who immediately grabbed her luggage from her and leading her inside. "Welcome home." he greeted as if they were already living together, it made her smile at his fun manner. But she wasn't gonna let her guard down this easily. "There's three rooms here, two are our bedrooms. They're pretty much the same but I figured you'd come and pick one first? I'm kinda indecisive."

She stared at him scratching his head, then peeked at the two bedrooms. They were pretty similar, just a matter of front and backyard view difference. After a little thinking, she nodded and went in to the room looking over the backyard, Taeyong following behind with her luggage.

"I'll take this one."

"Great, I'll move in across then." he smiled before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Seulgi sighed, plopping her body onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling feeling overwhelmed. She suddenly wondered if all of this is a good idea. She's just signed up to live in a house alone with a man she only just met for another what, three weeks? And while they're on camera most of the time, what if he does something to her?

That night, as the cameras were shut off and their mics taken back, Seulgi shut her door and sat in her room in silence. She was considering going to bed early, when a knock came on the door.

"Hey, sorry to disturb you... uhm, I noticed you didn't eat dinner properly because of the cameras, so I saved you some food for later."

He noticed? Seulgi had felt a little insecure to eat in a home-like setting with cameras surrounding her, so much that she only took small portions and ate unnaturally. She didn't think it was that unnatural that she'd be obvious.

She rushed to the door and opened it. "Oh my God, do you think people will notice that?" her immediate words to him as Taeyong stood puzzled.

"Notice what?"

"That I was eating for the camera? It's not like I'm trying to show off I'm healthy or anything, I just felt weird with the cameras there..."

Taeyong smiled and held her shoulder to stop her rambling on. "It didn't look that bad, and I doubt they'll use our first dinner footage considering we barely spoke." he chuckled, albeit a little awkwardly. "But I noticed you didn't eat properly, and they're all gone now, so come down and finish it off. I was craving a little dessert too, heard there's ice cream in the fridge." he left with a smile, leaving Seulgi's heart to flutter.

Stop it, you barely know him...

Sighing she followed behind, and saw how he had plated a new plate of food for her, and two empty dessert cups next to it for the said later ice cream. Seulgi had never felt this touched by a man before. One of the reasons she never dated was because of the things she saw her friends go through, although some did end up with their supposed forever lovers now, there was a lot of trial and error they had gone through.

Stop it, stop it...

She sat opposite to him on the small dining table and started to eat while watching him in the kitchen preparing them drinks. He got some lemonade out for them and gave her a glass. "I hope this is OK, I noticed you don't drink alcohol much, so I got this instead." he poured some out and placed it next to her plate.

Stop it... her heart paced faster, while her mind tried keeping her smart. But she could tell which was winning. She smiled back, nodding at him in gratitude before taking a sip of her drink and start eating.

Taeyong watched her silently, smiling every time she hummed in pleasure at the food. Seeing her able to be in her own self without the pressure of cameras around her. He felt it too, but he could tell the insecurity was higher for her.

"Should we get to know each other better?" he spoke up, getting her attention as she stared perplexed. "I know we kinda did that in the first meeting, but I feel like we didn't really get to talk as much as we should have as a potential couple..."

Seulgi stared a little longer, feeling an odd sense of worry in her chest. "You... you're really taking this whole thing seriously huh?" she asked, her voice filled with doubt.

The smile disappeared from his face so fast, Seulgi realised her mistake in asking in such a tone. He bit his lip, looked down at the table, then back up with a much sadder smile.

"I'm sorry, I kinda assumed you were in it seriously too... but I guess it's better to know now than in the end."

"What do you mean seriously?" she asked, trying to be sympathetic, although she felt bad for ruining his expectations.

Taeyong sighed. "Well, I joined this in hopes to find someone for real. Considering my time as a teacher, I haven't had the best of luck in finding a long term relationship. My friend works in production and told me about this, and I had a lot of paid leaves left, so I figured it's the perfect chance for me to find someone." he stopped and watched her expressions, noticing a look of guilt. "What about you? What made you join if you're not really into it?"

Seulgi silently thought for a while, debating how honest she should be with him. Her answer, completely. "My mum signed me up for this because I wasn't, as she said, taking the initiative myself of finding someone. Truthfully I like to keep busy at the hospital, and... I don't mean to sound rude but I've just seen dating go wrong for a lot of my friends so it never came across me to go for it. When I came into this though, I honestly didn't have expectations, I was just gonna see how everything goes.."

She felt a weight off her chest having finally have been honest bout this with someone. But she still felt bad, feeling as though she wasted his chance at a proper relationship. She warrily watched his expression, noticing he seemed very deep in thought all of a sudden.

"So, you're not entirely closed off to the idea of a relationship coming out of all this right?"

"I guess not?" she answered more like a question.

He smiled again, a little reluctantly though. "Well, we have another three weeks. How about you give us a chance? I am hopeful that after this show we might actually be something. I mean, I think you're a great person, I'd love to get to know you more."

>>>

Seulgi couldn't believe herself as she put her arms through the dress she decided to wear for their date night. Two weeks in and suddenly she found herself excited and putting in effort to look her best, something she never would have done even three months back.

Not that she went out looking sloppy, but the way she was stressed now about looking good, she never would have imagined.

As it turned out, Taeyong was great to her. Besides music and dancing, she found out their shared love of art and photography, and how he was just as career focused as she was, except he had realised sooner he felt empty from loneliness while Seulgi assumed she was simply unproductive.

Another thing she realised, and so did Taeyong, was that she did better off camera, and she couldn't have been more relieved when he didn't bother her with it and instead matched her energy. On camera, they kept things civil and formal, while when they turn off the two get comfortable with each other, talking and laughing to no end sometimes.

Their current date was on camera, and that was another thing she worried about. It would be their final week together in the house, and she was nervous as to what would the end result be. As she finally stepped out of the room, she looked around before going to the living room, seeing that Taeyong had already gotten ready and sat waiting for her.

"Hey." she called softly, smiling when he looked up, eyeing her up and down as if in awe of her looks. "Let's go?"

"Oh yea, yes." he stumbled his words a bit before getting up in a haste, heading to the front door and opening it for her. She chuckled at his sudden clumsiness, but it was something she had learned to appreciate. After closing the door behind then, Taeyong went ahead and helped her into his car as well, and like before giving her the option to pick their music for the drive.

It wasn't any longer than half an hour when they arrived at a rooftop restaurant, where they sat and immediately indulged in the food. Seulgi noticed the director signalling them to interact more, and though nervous she tried her best, relieved again as Taeyong didn't mind it too much himself.

Before long they were done, and the cameras stopped filming as the crew began to pack away to move back to the house, when the director suddenly came up to the two at their table looking strict.

"Ms Kang, I'm not sure how the two of you will end your relationship, but for once could you show something on camera? Your segments are so far the most boring, you're not captivating the audience, I get you might not enjoy this but for as long as you signed up for it give us something to work with."

Seulgi felt her throat close up, as if she lost all ability to speak completely. The man wasn't yelling, but the stern voice was enough to scare her, and all she could do was whisper a soft apology bowing her head slightly. A sudden hand grabbing hers caught her off guard further, and she looked up to see Taeyong standing right by her, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"We apologise sir, Seulgi just doesn't do well in front of cameras, so please there is no need to cause a commotion. I mean, it's our last week anyways."

"Mr Lee I'm sorry but this doesn't concern you. It is the last week, but we've never intervened before considering her comfort of getting along with you, but as it is the last week our writers and producers have had complaints all around. Like I said, her cuts have been boring, so please just for these last few days give us something to end on a good note."

The crew decided to stop filming for the rest of the night, figuring everyone needed some rest after that slight conflict of interest. Taeyong drove Seulgi back in silence, despite there being no cameras or mics on them, as he noticed her upset. He felt bad, knowing how she was here reluctantly yet she attempted her best yet it wasn't enough, and although he knew where she went wrong, he didn't think she deserved that intervention.

As they reached the house and he parked the car, he quickly reached over and held her hand before she could leave. Seulgi stopped undoing the seat belt and looked at him confused, sitting back comfortable when seeing his sad smile at her.

"Let's sit for a bit." she sighed at his suggestion, looking out the window as he took her hand in both his, rubbing his thumb over the back of hers. "Don't get disheartened, they mean well, but it's not your fault."

"It is..." she suddenly pulled her hand away, her voice filled with sudden bitterness. "It's always been my fault. That's why I'm here, my mother is sick of me being this way, I don't know why I am but I hate it too..."

"What do you mean?" Taeyong asked confused by the sudden outburst, further shocked when noticing her teary eyes.

"I've never been good at... socialising, and communication... whenever someone had asked me out I'd shut them out almost immediately because I wouldn't know how to react. Like as long as we're aquintances or friends I'm good, but then moment anyone tries to go further, I get all closed off..."

By now she had wiped her eyes few times trying to stop the tears running down her cheeks, but it was a failed attempt when she noticed Taeyong handing her a tissue. She took it reluctantly and wiped her face, before rushing to get inside the house and into her bedroom.

>

Seulgi felt bad. Taeyong had genuinely been concerned for her, even stood up for her, and all she did was have an outburst before shutting herself away. Again. She wanted to get back to him, but she didn't know how. She had already washed up and changed into some shorts and a lounge shirt, and she figured by now Taeyong would have done the same.

She wanted to go out to him badly, but again she didn't know how. Not until knocks came on her door and she scurried up to open it, her heart shaking at the sight of the said man holding two ice cream cups and spoons smiling at her.

"I figured you'd wanna have something for dessert, to feel better."

For some reason, Seulgi felt unable to control herself. Before she knew it she had thrown herself towards Taeyong, hand around his neck while her face hid in his shoulder, body tight to his as she hugged him and all of a sudden let out a sigular loud sob. With his hands full, Taeyong wasn't sure what to do but wrap his arms around her as well, slowly walking her into her room to place the ice cream and spoons onto the vanity table and then hug her back properly.

Though he wasn't entirely sure, he felt she needed nothing but an embrace at this very moment. And that's exactly what he gave her as they stood in the middle of the room in silence, still hugging, his one hand around her waist while the other rubbed her back up and down.

After a few minutes Seulgi finally lifted her head up, turning to him slowly as she felt embarrassed from what had just happened. But she also felt calm, comforted, peaceful, unlike ever before as their eyes slowly met. Taeyong gave her a quick smiled, but the longer they stared his smile suddenly disappeared, but not from negativity.

She figured she was still at no control of herself, not when Seulgi realised her face had moved closer to his, noses almost touching as his eyes trailed down to her lips, and before Taeyong himself could think any longer she had sealed their lips together, kissing him softly but with need.

As realisation hit of what she had done, she pulled away just as quickly. "Shit..." she tried to push away from Taeyong's hold, but this time he held her closer and they kissed again. Her hands threaded through his hair, tugging on his locks as their kiss deepened, body's pressing together closer. As they pulled away to breath, Seulgi quickly hid head face into his chest, causing him to chuckle which she felt as his chest vibrated.

"The ice-cream will melt." he whispered, making her look up to his shy smile. "Let's enjoy it, together." he let go of her and grabbed the tubs again, sitting on her bed and signalling her over. Seulgi was confused more than ever, but went along with it.

>>>

The crew were delighted, noticing something was different from the night before, and although it was the final three days of filming the couple, the slight change in Seulgi's on camera demeanor was enough for them to be satisfied. She had been smiling more, especially when the two spoke, and showing more expressions. On the second last day, she even laughed out at the moment Taeyong tripped and dropped his water bottle over himself.

"That's a wrap." the director called out later in the evening. "Good job everyone, and great progress Ms Kang. As tomorrow is the last day, it has been planned by the writers in advance so you will receive instructions later tonight."

They had been in the backyard of the house, having a quick dinner while talking about whatever they could think of. The moment the staff had left, Seulgi started clearing away their cutlery when a sudden splash took her attention, and she turned to see Taeyong, in nothing but his shorts, wading around the pool.

"What are you doing?" she called out to him, putting the plates down again a little further away.

"Come on, it's relaxing. Jump in."

Hesitant, Seulgi thought for a minute before deciding to just go for it. She went inside, changed into a swimsuit she found, and quickly came back out jumping in, laughing as the water splashed into Taeyong's face. She quickly tried waddling away, but he was faster as he chased behind and splashed her back, and they soon started a water fight.

With the sun almost setting and the wind gentle, Taeyong couldn't help stare at the woman in front of him who looked beautiful as always, and a sudden sadness filled in him that it was their last day together, unofficially at least. Unable to help himself, he went closer to her slowly as Seulgi wiped her eyes, her attention taken away when feeling arms around her waist. She looked up at him a little surprised, but his warm smile was enough to put her at ease as she smiled back, her hands now placed on his shoulders.

As their bodies slowly got closer, Seulgi realised he was top naked, and started biting her lower lip with her eyes off to a corner in shyness, causing Taeyong to laugh.

"Are you nervous?" his sudden question got her to look back at him, and she noticed the slight worry in his eyes.

"About what?"

"Tomorrow." his one hand moved to push some of her wet hair off her face. "It's our last night together, and tomorrow... well, I'm nervous." Her hands wrapped around his neck as she suddenly pulled herself closer to him.

"Why?"

"Well... what's your verdict?" Seulgi realised what he was talking about, and knew she shared the same worry. "Do you wanna continue this afterwards?" his questions left her speechless. She came into this program with no motivation on being involved with whoever she would be with. But now she was confused.

Did she like Taeyong enough to have a relationship? Sure they kissed that one time, but they never spoke about it after.

"What's yours?" that was all she managed to let out, afraid she might say the wrong thing otherwise. She watched as he bit his lip, looking down at the water then back up at her.

"I don't want to force you into something you don't want." oddly, his answer frustrated Seulgi, and it was evident as a frown appeared on her face. "I mean, my answer depends on yours, if you don't want to then neither will I."

"You're such a coward." Seulgi let out before she could think or realise what she said, catching herself and him off guard. She quickly pulled away from his hold, backing away slightly before he caught her hand, preventing her from getting any further.

"Why am I a coward?"

"I'm sorry..." she sighed, but figured it's best to be honest with him at this point. "I didn't mean it like that. I just don't like that you're leaving the final decision on me. Why is it my responsibility only for our relationship to work?"

Taeyong was further confused, pulling her closer by her arm then holding both her hands. "That's not how I mean it to be. I just don't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation. I mean, you said it yourself, you're just here because your mother sent you. I wasn't gonna make you be our reason to not work out, I just thought it's best to figure out our position now so that there's no awkward tension tomorrow in front of everybody else." he sighed as he finished speaking, noticing the slight worry on her face.

That's when he realised what she was doing, closing herself off again. Only this time, Taeyong was determined to break her out of her shell. If their relationship was going to fail, he wanted it to be on proper reasons, and shying away out of fear or hesitation was not going to cut it for him.

He slowly pulled her even closer, encasing her within his arms again as his forehead rested on hers, sending her into shock again as her body froze up.

"Let go how you really feel Seulgi." he whispered. "It's now or never, and I'd regret myself if you hide away again." this time, his lips were first on hers, nothing more than a soft peck. That was until her hands circled around his neck and kissed him back. Taeyong smiled through their kiss, tightening his hold around her as their kiss deepened, happier when he felt her pulling them closer to the point their legs entangled underwater.

Once they pulled away, Seulgi for the first time didn't shy away. Maybe it was what he said that really got to her, or maybe she finally felt open and comfortable with him enough, but instead she looked at him directly and smiled, eyes glimmering with hope.

>

"Let's move on to our next couple, Taeyong and Seulgi." the interviewer spoke as the couple were next to walk onto the patio where she had been speaking to the coupled before them.

It was the final day of filming, and as mentioned the crew had already pre-planned the itinerary, with every couple coming in separately to get interviewed about their experience and outcome. So far three other couples had positive results, and Seulgi and Taeyong were the second last to be called on. She wiped her hands on her skirt, feeling how sweaty they were from sudden rush of nerves, but one look at Taeyong and she suddenly felt better as he smiled at her before they got to the table.

"So, Seulgi, apparently you were quite closed off at the beginning of the show, is that right?" embarassed, Seulgi nodded with a nervous chuckle. "How was that for you Taeyong?"

Taeyong hummed as if in thought, even though he already had an answer. "Honestly, I didn't mind it. Obviously no one would be completely comfortable with somebody they just met, let alone living under one roof, so yea it took her some time but we had a lot of nice conversations. I think that's something I really appreciate about Seulgi, being able to have good conversations with her." his eyes drifted towards Seulgi, who looked back at him in awe at his unexpected answer.

"Oh my, that's quite touchy." the interviewer cheered. "How about you Seulgi? How did you feel about Taeyong after your initial meeting?"

Seulgi was still taken aback by his answer, but she had one ready to go as well. "I think my favourite moments were our conversations as well, especially when it was just two of us. Like you said I was a bit closed off, but on our own time he was still patient with getting to know me, and I really love that about him." the words left her mouth before she could finish, causing her to hand to clasp over her mouth while the interviewer gasped, and Taeyong stared in happy shock.

"Did you say love?" he teased her.

"I meant, your personality wise, like... being patient... uhm-"

"Well, I love your insightfulness, and your laugh." he suddenly replied, and although Seulgi knew it was to defuse her awkward position, which itself melted her heart, she could also tell he was being genuine.

"Oh my God you two must have gotten really close. Can I conclude this as a success story?"

The couple instinctively looked at each other with knowing eyes, before Taeyong smiled and turned to the interviewer.

"We still have a long way to go, but I guess you could say it was destiny."

>>>

"God, you were so cliche back then." Taeyong scowled at the words coming out of his wife, who laid next to him on her phone watching the three year old clip on youtube.

"Yea well, this cliche man was the one who you married, so needless to say my charms worked."

Seulgi chuckled, putting her phone away and turning towards her husband, throwing her arm around his torso as she cuddled closer. He laid his arm out for her to rest on, fingers playing with her hair as they got comfortable enough to fall asleep.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way." they shared a quick kiss, before laying back down and closing their eyes, both knowing he was right back then.

>>>

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw silk, heaving up and down, and knew instantly who's chest this was. I thought about doing something to see how he feels about this marriage.

Yes, this was an arranged marriage, between me, the young Luna of Kang Pack, and him, the Alpha of the Lee Pack, the strongest there is. But it isn't entirely arranged. Mine was under risk of threat from their Pack, and so I suggested to my parents to marry me to him, to keep my family safe. Of course my parents were reluctant about it, but here I am, the morning after my wedding to the strongest Alpha there was, Lee Taeyong. He accepted obviously, but I was still curious as to how he really feels.

I stared as his chest heaved up and down, and thought about what to do. Slowly, I snaked my hand around him, and snuggled into his chest. He is my husband now, so why not? Suddenly, I felt his arm go around me, hugging me tight to his body. The corner of my lips twitched, but then, his next move caught me off guard.

His head is suddenly in the crook of my neck, and I freeze feeling his teeth on my skin. He was still pulling me closer, cuddling I assume, but I was confused what he's trying to do. A few moments in, he's now on top of me, and I now can tell what he's doing.

Taeyong laid on top of her, biting into her neck in different spots. She squirmed under his weight, but being the patient young lady she was, did not think to push him away.

He's my husband now, so I shouldn't mind.

She felt a sudden pierce in her neck, and groaned in pain, grabbing his arms tight. Finally he looked up at her.

He stared at me with such frightful eyes, so I kept still. "Taeyong..." I tried to call him softly.

"You have no right to call me that." he growled. "To you, I must be called Your Majesty. Understood?"

I of course nodded. I've heard stories of this Alpha, and he was not one to be unpleased. I've heard how many have died, or how many were tortured. So all I have to do is comply with him.

"And remember, no matter what I do, I will never love you."

My heart broke into pieces? No. I knew this would come. But I couldn't care less. I did this to keep my family safe, and that has happened.

And besides, I have seen my parents. Their's was a completely arranged marriage, to the point where they only saw each other's faces on the day of their wedding for the first time. Yet after few months, and until now, they cherish each other whole heartedly. My mother always told me how they even slept in different rooms at first, and now they can never think of having different beds.

So I nodded, and could see the slight shock in his eyes.

>>> 

Seulgi walked around the Palace garden, observing the nature around her. She was not sad, at all. She enjoyed her life as it was. Her maiden had told her in secret that after she came along, the Pack became much calmer than before, and she was happy to have made a change for them.

"Would you like me to take some flowers for your room Your Highness?" my maiden asked as I touched a rose. I smiled back and shook my head.

"They are beautiful as they are. There is no need to do so. If I want to see them, I'll come outside."

She looked at me with an unreadable expression, but I didn't bother. We returned to the Palace, met by the running around of the other servants. The Palace was always busy, but never this chaotic, so I stopped a man to asked what was happening.

"Your Highness, the Alpha is angered. His mistress was seen with another man, and it has been known that they are marrying today. The Alpha is furious, close to destroying the Kingdom."

Was I surprised? No. I knew about his mistress, since before our marriage. Did I care? Not really. Until a certain point, I didn't bother. But right now, I need to find him. I ran up to our personal floor, and watched as servants flew out of the study room. I went closer, avoiding all the flying forms of wolves and human, until I found him, and a destroyed study.

Taeyong faced the back of the room, breathing heavily as he slowly switched forms again, back to human.

"Your Majesty."

"Leave Seulgi." he spat out. "Leave now before I kill you!"

I continued to get closer. "How can I? You may not like it, but you still are my husband. It is my duty to care for you." I held his shoulders from behind, and slowly enveloped him, resting my head on his shoulder. "Please calm down. We can resolve this somehow. Don't worry."

I could hear him huff. "Are you not hurt? I have a mistress, and you're going to help me resolve this?"

I nod my head, because that was the only truth.

"Leave Seulgi. Now!"

"Yes, your Majesty."

>>> 

"Your Highness, his Majesty had the mistress executed, and the man exiled." the servant told me while serving me tea.

But I honestly couldn't care less.

"Oh. Alright."

"Are you not perhaps happy?" he asked me.

"Happy? About what?" there was nothing for me to be happy or sad about. I did not know her, I did not care for her.

"Never mind. His Majesty would like you to come up to your bedroom." he said finally before taking the tray away.

I nodded and signaled him to leave. I closed my book and left the now fixed study and arrived at our room. As I entered I noticed how dark it was, unusual since it was noon. The curtains had all been left closed, and no candles were lit except two or three.

"Your Majesty," I called once seeing Taeyong on the bed, facing the other way, "you called."

"Get over here Seulgi, right now."

I stood in front of him, and he looked up at me, eyes as if full of fire. Suddenly, he grabbed my arms, and pulled me down on top of him, sat on his lap.

"I have killed her. Are you happy?"

"If you feel relieved, then I am."

"Are you happy I got rid of her? Speak for yourself!" he growled, his hold on my arms tightening.

"But, I have nothing to do with her, your Majesty. I have never seen her, and know nothing about her. What is she to me whether dead or alive?"

>>> 

I love to dance. Whenever I am bored, I find amusement in dancing. And since I have come here, I made sure the garden is completely mine, no one else, except Taeyong, is allowed to enter without me present. He granted me this wish easily, so now I can dance whenever I want.

I wore my favourite black dress, and danced away to my own music box. It was not a way of stress relief, I don't get stressed. It's just a hobby.

As she danced away, a figure appeared not too far from her, and approached the flowers. With anger built up in him, he starts ripping at the flowers, pulling and scratching off the petals and leaves. He growled and groaned, causing the young lady to turn to his direction.

It was Taeyong. And he was killing the flowers, and that was something I was against. But seeing him behave that way, I know I have to step in. So I did.

"Your Majesty?"

He stopped, heaving deep breaths. "Seulgi... Why did it have to come to this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did I not realise before, this was all a terrible mistake?"

He is drunk. I can tell.

"Your Majesty, let's retire for tonight. Come with me." I gently held his arm, careful of his reaction.

He didn't react, instead turning to me. His eyes were sorrowful, something I had never seen in an Alpha before. "Seulgi, if you were given the choice, would you love me, or hate me?"

"I would love you."

"Why? Why can you not just hate me?"

"Because I have no reason to. Why should I hate you?" he pulled his arm away from my hold.

"I have never shown you any affection. I kept my mistress even after marriage. I took you away from your family and Pack. Why would you still love me?"

"Because I still married you knowing all this. I knew you would not like me, I knew about your mistress, and I knew I would leave my Pack behind. And yet, here I am, as your wife." I smiled a little. His expression changed, and he grabbed my arms, pulling me closer to him. I held his as well, trying to keep balance. He suddenly hugged me, and I could feel my shoulder getting wet.

He's crying. Why, I don't understand. I simply hugged him back and stroked his hair, trying my best to soothe him. "Why are you crying, Your Majesty?"

"Don't call me that anymore Seulgi."

"Yes..." then, what do I call him?

"Yours. Call me yours. When someone asks who I am, I want to be known as yours. I want everyone to know that I belong to you. I am only your Alpha."

Am I happy? Of course. He's finally confessed, and I'm more than happy. I hugged him tighter, and left a soft kiss on his cheek, to which, I could feel, he froze.

"Taeyong, let's go back inside." I whispered to him.

"Can we sleep together?"

"Of course. We're married. We're supposed to sleep together."

"No Seulgi."

He pushed me out, holding my shoulders tight.

"Can we sleep, together?"

He was emphasising, and I finally understood what he meant.

Taeyong pushed her down to the bed, their kisses getting more rough and passionate. He tugged on the hem of her dress, hands sneaking up her bare skin and squeezing her body wherever he could, to which she moaned.

"Taeyong." he let go of her lips to look at her. "If you were to choose, would you love me, or hate me?"

"There is only one answer to that." he responded, the softest she had ever heard him speak. "I hate that I love you, because I love you so much it makes me weak... I wondered what type of Alpha that made me, my ego wouldn't let me accept it." he lowered his face again, their noses touching as he pressed his against hers. "But now I know, loving my mate makes me stronger."

He kissed her again, not leaving any space between their bodies, their clothes peeled off one at a time, pulling her closer until they became one.

>>> 

My maiden told me today that the Pack has never been so peaceful and happy before. I have achieved my life goal, to make the people around me happy, by doing anything possible. And I did. I married their Alpha, my Alpha, and made him happy, even myself.

Seulgi finished writing, when the pen was suddenly taken away from her. She looked behind her and smiled at the man, who had been watching her. He smiled back, and suddenly wrote at the bottom of the page, and she read as he wrote each word.

"Now, we will be happier than before, because I am carrying my Alpha's child."

Taeyong closed the diary, and pulled her out of her chair, one hand holding her waist, while the other carassed her big tummy. She threw her hands around his neck, and they smiled at each other.

"What am I Seulgi?"

"You are the leader of the Lee Pack." I teased, smiling as he scoffed.

"And..."

I love him so much, my smile meant so much more than fun, and I knew his did too.

"You are my Alpha."

The young girl sighed before getting up and fixing back her school uniform, taking out a file from her backpack and handing it to her father at the dining table, where he drank his coffee. Taeyong took it and looked through the card.

"B- in Geography?" he looked at his daughter, raising an eyebrow.

"The teacher is mean OK!" she exclaimed. "I swear daddy she absolutely hates kids and decided to teach just to punish us."

Taeyong chuckled watching the girl pout and slouch into the chair opposite to him, shaking his head before taking out a pen from his pocket and signing the card, handing it back to her.

"Well, you still got As and Bs mostly, so I guess that counts for a little present, don't you think?" he watched as she sat up straight with gleaming eyes, nodding enthusiastically causing her father to laugh.

A smile on his daughter's face was his immediate ecstasy, the cure for all the sadness he felt since her existence.

"After school today, I'll pick you and we'll go to the mall, you can pick out one thing, budget is 40,000 won."

The girl got up and ran to her father's side, hugging his neck tight. "I LOVE YOU DADDY YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"Wow, all for one present huh." he fake sulked, making the girl sigh in exasperation, and he just laughed at her, giving a soft kiss to her cheek. "Go get your bag now, you'll be late."

>>>

"Seojin please calm down." Seulgi's voice shook as she didn't know what to do anymore, her one year old fussing in her arms as she sat in the clinic. She was so tired, but couldn't rest a second at the thought of her baby sick to the point of crying.

"Kang Seojin." she looked up as the nurse finally called them in after what felt like forever, and quickly headed in to the doctor's office with her daughter in one hand and the baby bag in her other. She was quick to fall into the patient's seat opposite the doctor, who was focused on his screen before turning to them.

"Hello, I'm Dr Lee." he greeted, and Seulgi responded. "So this is Kang Seojin, one year old, baby girl, right?" she nodded, and noticed the doctor eyes her fussing baby who had calmed for a second when seeing the new face. The doctor typed away in his computer, before motioning her to sit on the bed and lay Seojin on it.

"So what seems to be the problem Ms?" he asked taking is stethoscope off his neck.

Seulgi looked at her baby still fussing uncomfortably, pulling on her shirt as a sign to carry her again. "She's been like this since yesterday, it's never happened before so I'm incredibly worried. I don't know what to do, it doesn't seem like she's got a temperature, and everything else seems normal. I'm so scared and tired..."

The man took note of the baby's breathing, who had calmed again slightly feeling the cold metal pressed to her chest. Seulgi watched as the doctor smiled at her, making playful expressions while moving the stethoscope around. She wondered if he had listened to her at all with how attentive he was being to Seojin's behaviour, but she knew paediatrics were very smart.

"OK, her breathing seems normal." he put the tool away, then looked at Seulgi, pointing to the baby's little dress. "May I?"

Seulgi stared confused, until she realised what he was asking permission for and felt touched, nodding immediately. He lifted the dress and with light fingers pressed around her tummy, making sounds at the same time to entertain the infant. She watched the way he interacted with her daughter, and almost felt sad if not for the fact she was in public.

"OK, seems like she's a bit bloated." he put her dress down and sat the infant up, holding her hands and playing with them a little as he continued speaking. "I suspect she's having trouble with gas. Has there been any irregularity in her meals? Or maybe something new you've been feeding her recently?"

Seulgi stared at her daughter and thought for a while. She hasn't fed her anything new in the time she's been sick this way, so the only option could be the first.

With a guilty face, she looked at him and answered. "It might have been the meal times. I work as a teacher, and uhm, she only has me, and I only have her..." she bit her bottom lip trying to stop herself from sounding pitiful. "I take her with me to the school and keep her in the day care part time which is free for me as a staff, but I've had to take an extra afternoon class recently, so she stays there a little longer than usual, so me feeding her gets delayed until I get home..."

The man stared a little perplexed. "Doesn't the daycare feed her?"

"They do, I still have to pay just that because she's so young so she requires special meal preparations, but I can only afford to do one for her in the time she's there. She does have some baby snacks in case, but it's not really enough to count as a meal you know..."

Seulgi felt ashamed as her flaws as a mother laid out to the doctor, and she could only pray he didn't judge her or spread the news of a mother being this incompetent. She watched as he stared at Seojin deep in thought, before picking her up and placing the infant on her lap, motioning her to come back to the table.

Once they sat, he typed away in his computer before speaking again. "I see no father listed in her records?" her eyes widened, even more embarrassment washing over her as she nodded.

"She has one, biologically, but... he didn't want anything to do with a baby. It's been just been me since then."

"Well, I can give you a prescription to help with her current bloating, however if her missing a meal continues it won't help in the long run."

He saw how she clearly hated that hypothesis. "What can I do? I took up an extra class for more salary just enough for us two. I can't afford them to feed her twice either." she felt her voice nearly crack, quickly looking away and taking deep breaths to stop herself breaking down.

The doctor rested his chin on his hand, elbow on the table, as he thought about a solution. "How about babysitting?"

"I can't offer enough for people to accept..."

He was deep in thought again, before suddenly raising his brows as if making a discovery. "How about someone young? They won't ask for much." Seulgi stared at him confused, which he clearly noticed before continuing. "You see, I am a single parent myself actually. I have a ten year old daughter, and she goes to the local private academy. The issue is, their classes start eight and end at two, not nine to five like the public schools, and due to office hours I also get off at five. She ends up going home alone, and honestly I trust her but it worries me."

Seulgi empathised deeply with him. She knew despite him having a higher paid job than her and being able to afford niceties more, being a single parent was never easy no matter what.

He continued as she nodded, assuring she was listening. "You work at the local public school right?" he asked, to which she nodded. "Great, hers is just a few minutes walk from there. If you don't mind, I was thinking maybe she could watch Seojin after her classes. That way you won't have to pay double for the daycare meals, and considering she's only ten you won't have to offer too much for babysitting fees either. As her father, I can assure you that it's fine."

Seulgi took his idea seriously, her mind crossing out thr pros and cons of it all. "How will she watch her? I mean like, where?"

"Well, I usually use my lunch break to pick her up and drop her."

Seulgi still wasn't convinced. "But, you don't know my house, and I'm not sure I can let Seojin go to another one like that just yet."

He realised her concern, and nodded before responding. "Where do you live?"

"Well, it's a ten minute walk from the school..."

"Oh that's not far at all, I can just drop them there from now on, and pick her up after work."

"Are you sure?" hesitation filled her voice as she realised how burdensome it sounds on his part. "It sounds like a lot of trouble on your part..."

"It's not don't worry, your place sounds closer to here than mine, so it'll be quick too. I'm only offering because I'd like for her to pick up some responsibility instead of being alone for so long, and it's only for three to four hours."

After much more hesitation, mental debate, and some final thoughts, Seulgi decided it was the only option that doesn't compromise her daughter's health further, so she didn't have much of a choice anyways. Sighing, she agreed to the idea, planning for a meet up first before the young girl would start her job.

The doctor wrote something on two separate note pages. "I'll write her prescription to get her current bloating down, you can pick it up at the counter. And here's my number." he passed both papers across his table as they stood, and smiled putting his hand out. "My full name's Lee Taeyong by the way, my daughter is Lee Yoora."

>>>

After a quick lunch meet at a cafe, where Seulgi saw how Yoora adored Seojin and clearly showed signs of being responsible, she finally agreed wholly to the plan, and now sat in her classroom staring at the clock. Yoora should have picked up her daughter by now and already reach their home, and she had promised to let Seulgi know when she does.

Seulgi had left a pre-prepared meal for Seojin, as well as some lunch for Yoora, and left instructions for everything on a paper on the fridge. If her instincts were right during their meet up, Yoora should have no issue navigating everything.

Her phone dinged, and she was quick to grab and check the notification.

Lee Yoora: hi! we reached your home, Seojin fell asleep, do you want me to wake her and feed or wait?

She let out a sigh of relief, and smiled at how seriously the young girl took her job.

Me: hi yoora, glad to hear that. it's time for her afternoon nap, so why don't you go ahead and eat first. lay her on her mat in the living room and check on the fridge, I've left some directions, and lunch for you in the fridge

Yoora sent back a thumbs up, and Seulgi relaxed, focusing back on her classroom where students started coming in after lunch time. Unlike before she felt much calmer teaching the class, though hints of worry did wash over every now and then at the thought of whether Seojin was doing OK.

As soon as school ended, she clocked out and went home right away. She stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath to steady herself, then opened it to find the house completely calm and quiet. She went in further until she heard a soft giggle from Seojin, and finally peeked into their living room/dining space to see Yoora on the table doing work, while her own daughter sat in her baby seat next to her simply entertained by the jingling fluffy pen the older girl was using to write. Yoora was smiling too, and Seulgi watched a bit longer when the ten year old looked back at the infant and teased her with the fluffy end, causing her to laugh more.

Her heart tickled at the sight of her baby so happy in the care of someone else. Seulgi had felt so alone since having Seojin, with the man leaving her, and her family living too far away to be able to help at all, she was overjoyed that there was someone else her baby could finally learn to trust. She had feared Seojin might have had a separation issue from her, but luckily that wasn't the case as she sees now.

"I'm home." she decided to finally announce herself and entered, greeting Yoora before taking her daughter and kissing her cheek. "I see you two had fun today." she chuckled as she spoke, before turning back to Yoora. "I'll take her now, why don't you finish your work while I make us something to eat?"

"Oh no I don't want to bother you." Yoora waves her hands, but Seulgi shook her head.

"It's fine, you'll need nutrients to keep you brain running."

>>>

Their routine soon became natural, and Taeyong was the most relieved when seeing how happy Yoora had been the past couple of months whenever he picked her up. Sometimes he'd end up a little late due to patient emergencies, but Seulgi reassured him it was no issue for her, and if anything it was more helpful as she was able to get more done without worrying abt Seojin. Yoora also loved the arrangement as Seulgi being a teacher helped her with some schoolwork.

"Daddy we should invite them over next weekend. It's Ms Seulgi's birthday on the tenth, I wanna do something special for her." Taeyong listened to his daughter, and hummed in response. He figured it would be a good way for the two adults to get closer, especially considering he barely knew about them as much as Seulgi knew his side.

Once he tucked away Yoora for bed, he went to his room and pulled out his phone, thinking for a little before sending a text.

Taeyong: good evening seulgi. how are you & the little one?

He waited a few minutes before a reply came in.

Seulgi: hi dr taeyong, we're doing well

Taeyong: great to hear!

Taeyong: so yoora & I were wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner next week, say Saturday?

Seulgi: oh, I think it should be fine. what's the occasion?

Taeyong thought for a second, before deciding to make it a surprise.

Taeyong: just a simple dinner party

Seulgi felt hesitant despite having agreed to it already, and once the day came she stressed about what to wear and dress Seojin in. In the end she settled for a simple sleeveless yellow dress, reaching just below her knees, and a black cardigan over it. She then dressed Seojin in a similar yellow dress with ruffled sleeves and white tights.

She called a taxi and reached the Lees apartment just according to their agreed time, following the text of instructions on which floor and house number to head to. As she stood in the elevator, one hand with the baby bag and the other carrying Seojin, she suddenly felt a slight wave of tension. She didn't know why, but she felt oddly nervous entering Taeyong's living space. They've barely met much ever since the arrangement, just simple greetings exchanged when he picked up Yoora, and once more when she went for a follow up check for Seojin with him.

The elevator stopped, and she sighed stepping out and finding their door. The apartments weren't luxurious, nothing more than simple and modest, but still nicer than what she could afford. Another wave of nervousness washed over her until she found their door, taking a deep breath before ringing the bell.

The door swung open fast as a beaming child appeared. "Hi Ms Seulgi! Come on in!" Yoora cheered, taking the bag from her hand and leading her inside to the living room. "Sit here. My dad's coming out, food is ready too, even for Seojin. Come on Seojin let's go play!" she spoke so fast before swooping the infant from her mother's arms and running to her room, where Seulgi could look into and saw a floor mat prepared for Seojin to play on.

"Hi." a deep voice from behind made her stand and turn, smiling at the man appearing before her in a white collar shirt and dress pants, the top two buttons of his shirt left open. "Yoora sure loves Seojin, she couldn't wait for you guys to come sooner, got ready way before me." he chuckled, motioning for her to sit again as he did next to her.

"I'm glad." Seulgi responded, her eyes drifting to the children again. "I've wanted for Seojin to grow up with people around her. But being alone with her doesn't give me much time for playdates." her voice drifted off, and Taeyong sympathised deeply. He hesitated in questioning the obvious, but figured it would be OK to do so given their similar situations.

"How about any family?"

Her eyes darted towards him, and he almost regretted asking it until she sighed and shook her head. "My parents aren't happy about everything. They still keep in touch, but they live back in our hometown so we barely meet unless during chuseok or seollal. Any other relatives... I just don't keep up with." she looked down at her lap, biting her lip which he noticed started quivering, before her eyes landed on Seojin again and she smiled sadly.

"I don't regret having her, I love my baby to the most. I just wish I could have given her a better life without so much... stress about others."

He didn't know what took over him when Taeyong's hand suddenly slide across the couch and held hers, their eyes fixed on each other as he gave it a reassuring squeeze. He waited for a little, until she gave one back, and they exchanged soft smiles before he released her hand.

Both parents unknowing of the spark each other felt inside.

"How about you?" Seulgi broke the silence. "What's your story with Yoora?"

Taeyong chuckled. "I guess it's only fair. Well, you can see she's quite old. I was a second year med student actually when her mother got pregnant. We weren't ready for anything obviously, but she gave birth to her still. But..." this time he sighed, eyes drifting towards his daughter, except unlike Seulgi, guilt took over his face before he spoke very softly. "I haven't told Yoora the truth. Her mother is alive and well, but her family was some rich powerful one. I honestly didn't know much about her considering we were just a fling to be honest, but when Yoora was born they forced her to give up the baby and transferred her to complete her studies overseas. She called me immediately to take Yoora, haven't seen her since."

He looked back at Seulgi, and chuckled again seeing her bewildered expression. He swore never to speak of this in his daughter's presence, but he was glad it finally get it off his chest and talk about it.

"My family was upset with me obviously, but my sister did her best to help until I finished my degree and started working at the hospital. Once I had enough I moved out with Yoora and well, here we are."

>

They sat for dinner, Seojin seated by her mother on Yoora's old baby seat while Yoora sat on her other side. Taeyong watched as the two paid attention to the infant, a new kind of happiness filling up in him. He's always wanted a domestic family life, but between his shifts at the hospital and raising Yoora, he had no time for meeting new people let alone finding the right one.

As they finished eating, the children were back in Yoora's room while he invited Seulgi out to the balcony, handing her a glass of wine. She accepted with a smile, and they stood in silence out in the dark night, both leaning against the railing of the balcony, looking anywhere and everywhere.

"Do you ever wonder what would your life be like if things were... different?" Seulgi's voice broke the silence, and he turned to see her gazing out at the city. He stared at her for a while before taking a sip, thinking of an answer.

He knew exactly what she meant.

"Sometimes... I love her, but this life isn't what I wished for her."

She sighed, eyes darting down to her drink. "Can I confess something?" she peeked to see him still staring at her, and nodding slightly. "I never wanted to be a teacher. Before this job, I had a basic corporate one just to keep things going for me. That's where I met my ex, and I thought things would go well between us. But... when I got pregnant, I knew I wanted to keep my baby, even when he rejected it and broke up with me. That's when I left that job and started as a teacher here."

She took a sip, waiting for some form of response. She saw through the corner of her eye how he looked at her, suddenly moving closer until they stood shoulder to shoulder.

"What was your dream job?"

"A mother."

Silence filled again, nothing but the sounds of the cars and few people going past the building down on the road. Taeyong kept his eyes on her, wondering if she was going to explain further. But she didn't, which wasn't exactly needed because he knew exactly what she meant.

"I wish the same." he spoke softly, her head finally turning towards him as their eyes met. "When Yoora was born, I was too young to care about my future. But now I know that, no matter how much I love her, this isn't what I wanted her to have. I want her to have a mother, siblings, a family life, something even the most capable single parent won't be able to fill up themselves."

They're eyes locked, a look of sympathy in both as they stared at each other for a while. Seulgi suddenly realised how long they had been staring, not to mention their close proximity, and quickly looked down shying away, taking a last swing of her wine. Like Taeyong, she had no time or space for a new relationship, especially when her daughter had just newly turned one. And as far as she had heard, no one wants to start a relationship where a child is a given from day one.

She peeked towards him again, and noticed his eyes stayed on her. Pursing her lips she turned to him fully, his glass now empty as he gazed at her, his eyes changed from sympathy to something else. He got up from leaning on his forearms and faced her as well, and she saw his eyes dart up and down her face.

"I'm glad you came into my office that day." he spoke softly, the distance between them getting smaller. "I see how happy Yoora is when coming home from you. She talks as if Seojin is her sister, even in school..."

She gave a shy smile in return. "I love having her around, and I know Seojin does too."

A quick smile appeared on his face before disappearing again, and Seulgi suddenly felt hot despite the light breeze.

Taeyong knew what he was thinking about wasn't exactly right, or wrong, it was in fact a very grey area. She was beautiful, she wanted the same as him, she brought everything he ever wanted to fix his life. The seal was his daughter loved her.

A gust of wind lightly blew past them, Seulgi blinking as some of her hair went onto her face. But before she could push it back, his hand was already up, fingers lightly pushing her hair off and putting it behind her ear. Their eyes locked for much longer, his hand still on the side of her face, his knuckles unconsciously tracing her jawline. She didn't move or flinch, not even when he suddenly cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing her cheek this time.

The air felt heavy, Seulgi finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden. She wanted to move, but his touch felt so comforting all of a sudden.

"You've done well."

Three words, full of meaning. Seulgi had felt so stressed, scared, disappointed sometimes even with herself, she didn't realise that these three words was all she needed to hear to feel a wall break down in her heart. She felt so calmed, so soft, that she didn't bother to reject when his lips were suddenly on hers.

Taeyong played it safe, he moved close slowly, hovered his lips over hers at first, and when she remained still, he gave a soft kiss first. But once she kissed back, he let go of all hesitation as his hand moved to hold the back of her neck and pulled her closer as their kiss elongated.

Her skin felt like it was on fire, especially where he touched. She didn't know where it went, but his other hand was suddenly on her waist, simply placed there with no grip or push. Her one hand remained holding the wine glass by its stem while the other slowly gripped his shirt on his arm.

"Da-" they heard a light gasp, enough to break their kiss and quickly detach as they looked at the source of the sound, fear filling up both parents as they faced a still Yoora, looking as if she had faced Medusa and turned to stone.

No one spoke a word, Taeyong feeling guilty, Seulgi embarrassed, and Yoora still in shock. After about two minutes she gulped, looking at either adults, took a deep breath in, then out as she thought of what to say.

"So... you two a thing?"

"NO!" both parents simultaneously answered, shaking their heads.

Yoora looked more confused, then to their shock, a little disappointed. "Oh... thought it was a birthday miracle."

"Birthday?" Seulgi asked confused, to which the young girl covered her mouth before sighing.

"It was supposed to be a surprise. I remember your birthday was the past week, so I wanted to surprise you tonight. That's why I was calling you in actually." her eyes then turned to her father, who stood staring at the floor as if he was caught doing something shameful. "Was that your present or something daddy?"

Seulgi felt a tug at her heart. She hadn't celebrated her birthday since becoming pregnant, and even before that it was spent with a simple wish from her ex-coworkers during their lunch break. Her parents would send her gifts, but that was the most.

The father and daughter were quick to notice tears welling up in her eyes, and Taeyong signalled Yoora too take her inside to where she had readied the cake. She nodded and quickly grabbed Seulgi's hand, pulling her inside until the dining table, where Seojin was seated in the baby seat staring at the cake in awe.

"Mamma!" the infant called out to her mother, pointing towards the candles while laughing. Seulgi silently stared at the scene before her, feeling a deep warmth in the pit of her stomach at the words on the cake wishing her by name.

Happy Birthday to the most amazing mum, Seulgi

"Do you like it?" Yoora's voice took her out of her daze. "I wasn't sure what flavour you liked, but I noticed you baked red velvet cookies for your home so I got that!" she cheered a little shyly.

A tear finally spilled onto her cheek, but with a smile on her face as she nodded at the young girl. "I love it Yoora." she sniffed, when a hand cupped her cheek again, thumb wiping away her tear. She turned to see Taeyong next to her, and they smiled at each other. "Thank you both, you really didn't have to do this..."

"Of course we did." he replied. "You mean a lot to Yoora, she loves you. And well, you've taken a role in her life I could only attempt to."

Seulgi got the meaning behind his words, suddenly remembering the kiss back on the balcony. And through the rest of the night as they cut the cake and sat together talking, that memory flooded her mind every few seconds when she looked at the man in front of her.

Even as she went home and sobered up and laid in bed holding her daughter close to her chest, she started visioning how things would be if the four of them were a family.

Stop it Seulgi....

>>>

As the next week came, Seulgi sat with Yoora helping with her homework while waiting for her father to pick her up. Seojin was in her floor mat napping, her mother looking over at her every few minutes to keep her in check.

"Oh you know, Seojin said unnie today." Yoora suddenly spoke, getting Seulgi's attention off the book as she gasped with a smile. "I've been trying to make her say it to call me, took a few days but she did it. Is this how you felt when she first said mamma?"

Seulgi chuckled, filled with joy at the young girl's excitement. How she wished this was regular...

The bell rang, and she left Yoora to finish up to go open the door. Taeyong appeared with a smile, and a hand carrying three gift bags. She looked at them perplexed before giving him way into the living room, where he stopped and cooed at sleeping Seojin.

"What's all this?" she asked pointing to the three bags in his hand he had put down. He gave a more cheeky smile, then motioned her to sit next to her on the couch.

Yoora appeared out of the dining area, exclaiming softly at the sight of the bags before dashing to sit on her father's other side.

"I got off faster, but I knew Yoora would hate me picking her up earlier." he joked, getting a pout from the younger girl and a laugh from the woman. "I got some stuff for everyone."

Seulgi looked even more perplexed as he handed Yoora the smaller bag, which she immediately opened and pulled out a little purse from and hugged her father in gratitude. He pecked her cheek before turning to Seulgi, handing her a bigger bag. She took it reluctantly, opening it to look inside, gasping aloud as she saw the bigger purse inside.

"This... Taeyong it's a lot." she looked up and saw him smile at her. "I can't accept this, please."

"Please do." he put his hands on her as she was about to push it back to him. "I want you to have it. I noticed you'd carry everything in Seojin's baby bag, and you know, every woman should have that one good purse."

She was awed by his logic, still in shock when he handed her another smaller bag. "This is for Seojin, can't leave out the special one." he chuckled, taking out a small doll that rung a bell when moved around.

Seojin woke up hearing the bell, and was immediately up balancing on her feet and making way to them. Yoora called to her before grabbing the toy from her father's hand and taking her along to her toy corner to play.

Happiness filled Taeyong, and it was clearly evident on his face as he couldn't stop smiling for the whole time since entering. Seulgi on the other hand could only stare at the bags, hers full while Seojin's empty, while her face remained expressionless.

Once he looked at her and noticed it, he shifted closer to her on the couch and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, what's wrong?" she looked up to see his eyes full of genuine concern.

"Taeyong, this is expensive... thank you but, its just so much for me."

She stopped when his other hand suddenly cupped her cheek, again, pushing her face to maintain eye contact as he smiled softly. "Please let me have this. I've always wanted to do something like this, and you know, you're thr closest that Yoora could have as-"

"Stop." she cut him off and abruptly got off the couch, push his hands away and dropping the bag to the floor. Right now, many thoughts ran through her head, but there was one she needed to clear up, to get off her chest. "I'm sorry Taeyong, but... I'm not here to play pretend."

She watched his knitted eyebrows as he stared confused, still sat down. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, she finally let it all out. "Taeyong, I love Yoora, but... she's not my daughter, she's not Seojin's sister, and you're not... you're not my husband. I don't know what happened that night with us, but it's made things so confusing for me. I agree this arrangement was really great for our kids, and to some extent for us as well, but I don't want it going some place without any guarantee about how it will end. Seojin is all I have, and as much as I hate it, I've come to accept that finding someone to full up the hole in our life is nearly impossible..."

Like the other night, a single tear fell down her cheek, except this time it wasn't a happy one. Stress and sadness piled up in her as she vented everything, and now the silence suffocated her. Before he could response, Seulgi turned away wiping her face and headed into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and pouring out water for herself.

Except her emotions got the best of her as her hand shook picking up the jug, water spilling around the cup. A hand held hers to steady it, and she weakly released as the jug was taken away from her. Taeyong then took the cup, filled it, then helped her hold it. She took a quick chug of water, trying to drown any emotions that had bottled up until her throat.

"I'm sorry." she put the cup down hearing his soft voice, a hand on her back while the other he used to turn her towards him. "I didn't mean to make you feel this way. I know how hard it must have been, believe me, I've gone through it for ten years. But I can say this, no matter how great your life gets through everything, the tiniest piece of you will always crave for what's missing. And so will your child..."

The tone of his voice changed, which lead Seulgi look up at his now sullen face.

"She never says a thing, but I know and can sense how much Yoora feels the emptiness of a mother. Ever since she started coming here, she's been so happy... you don't know this, but she talks about you both a lot in school, not just Seojin. In fact, they had an assignment a few days ago to write about their mothers, usually Yoora would sit out of things like that, but when she came home with a well graded paper... I knew at that point that you're so much more to her than just the mother of a baby she watches over."

This time, his eyes remained down, and Seulgi could see the slight tears welling up in them. His hands slowly dropped down as well, and she was the one to hold his face in both her hands, pushing up to face her. Once their eyes met, he quickly blinked away the tears.

"I promised myself that if ever I get the chance to marry someone, my first priority would be Yoora. But believe me, that's not the only case with you..."

He was quick to grab her hands when she was about to retract them the moment she heard those last words, confusion written all over her face and even in her eyes.

"Every time I see you with either girl, I just get drawn to you. Ten years ago, as a medical student with an accidental baby, I wouldn't have looked at you this way. But now, as a working single father, I see you and I think, this is what I want." he pulled her closer, arms circling around her waist. "You're such a hardworking woman, somehow you manage to balance work and taking care of an infant. I can't imagine how hard it must have been those first few months after giving birth. But you've persevered. When you told me about how alone you were, I realised it didn't matter that I did it for ten years or more, because you started alone without help, and nothing makes you any stronger than all this."

Staring into his eyes, she could tell he was being sincere, every word was meaningful.

"What I went through, Seulgi, it was hard. And seeing you that day at the hospital with Seojin in your arms crying, your face filled with fatigue, stress, worry, I wanted to do so much more to help you. And now, seeing our daughters so attached, plus how attached mine is to you alone, I wondered, what if we were a real family? I'm sorry if you felt uncomfortable today, but I wanted to test the waters by gifting you, obviously because you deserve it, but to also see how Yoora would react."

"You... want us to be a real family?" her voice shook. Taeyong sighed, staring at her silently before closing their distance and giving her lips a soft kiss, pulling away fast. He watched her expression, and noticed it was the same as last time. Except now, they weren't drunk.

"I'm willing to try." he pulled her in for a hug, one hand in her hair pushing her face against his chest while the other remained on her waist. A short smile crept on his lips when feeling her arms snake around him as she hugged him back. "I see the way you look at Yoora. And I promise, I will the same with Seojin."

"How do I look at Yoora?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Motherly. And as her father, nothing can make me fall for a woman more than how they feel about and treat my own daughter, she means the world to me."

This time, a more comfortable silence took over as they remained in each other's embrace, Seulgi's index tracing circled on his back while she thought about his idea.

"Will you be present in both their lives?" she asked again.

"If I don't, you can kick me out of the house. I'm sure Yoora would agree to it." she smiled at his response when feeling him chuckle softly, but his words still carried seriousness.

"Will you treat Seojin fairly?"

"I promise with all that I have, I will treat her as if she's my own."

Sighing, she thought of one more thing. "And if let's say, we... have another one?" she gulped asking this time, in fear of his answer considering the sensitivity of this final question.

Taeyong pushed her out, but his hands remained holding her arms as he faced her, smiling though his eyes remained serious. "Maybe not anytime soon, let's focus on Seojin first. But, if you want another, what kind of husband would I be to deny you of that?"

>

"Sit Yoora." the young girl froze as they entered their apartment, scared of her father's sudden serious tone. He only ever spoke like this one time before, when she got in trouble in school for punching a girl (which she still claims was deserved because she was making fun of her).

She sat opposite her father in the dining room, but unlike last time she noticed his nervous expression as his hands fumbled, his face clear that he was deep in thought of what to say.

"What's wrong daddy?"

Taeyong sighed hearing her concerned voice, and finally decided to speak up. "How would you feel about Seulgi becoming your mum?"

"What?!?" she stood up, whether from shock, excitement or disapproval he couldn't tell. But be understood it soon as a cheeky grin took over her lips. "Are you serious, you're gonna marry her?!" she asked aloud, to which he motioned her to calm down.

"Nothing is confirmed yet baby. It's... just more of a thought. We're still discussing, and how you feel about it is important to me, an-"

"Daddy shut up please and just propose already!"

>>>

The fear of accommodation filled both parents. As per Yoora's approval and request, they decided to move in together sooner than planned, and planned to get married in before Seojin turned two years old, which gave them five months for now.

But even if Yoora agreed happily, it was a whole different case when living under the same roof. Taeyong had cleared out an empty guestroom for them, but Yoora had coerced them into letting her share her room with Seojin, saying it was too big for her alone and she wouldn't feel as lonely at night. Seulgi was worried about Yoora's sleep schedule, but the first three nights proved it to be an OK arrangement.

Seulgi remained in the guestroom, until a week later when they sat for dinner, and Yoora spoke up all of a sudden.

"Don't you think married couples should live together?"

Taeyong stopped eating and stared perplexed. "We are though baby?"

"No. Why would parents be sleeping in different rooms?"

This time Seulgi cleared her throat and decided to answer. "It's my idea Yoora. I just didn't want to overstep boundaries, I know how it's always been you two only."

Yoora hummed, nodding as she acknowledged Seulgi's concern as if she was an adult too. Later on however, as Seulgi helped Taeyong clear away dishes, he suddenly stopped her moving away as his hand grabbed hers in the kitchen.

"She's right you know." she cocked her head sideways, as if to ask what he meant. "Yoora. We should be in one room."

"But... isn't it too soon? I'm worried she'll feel like we're invading her space and life an-"

Her face flushed when he stopped her talking with a quick kiss on the lips, frowning with a pout at his antics to which he simply chuckled.

"She wants to feel like a family, it's been so since that essay assignment... but don't feel forced, if you want to take time before officially moving in with me, go ahead. I'll make her understand."

Seulgi thought about it, hands still holding his while her thumbs rubbed the back of his palm. A cute habit he noticed by now that she was doing again, she bit her bottom lip when deep in thought, and he couldn't help a quiet laugh escape his lips.

She looked up, causing him to stop immediately, waiting for something. "Let's try tonight?"

>>>

Yoora was the happiest, standing aside her father in her beautiful light pink dress, holding the box enclosed with a ribbon, in which she carried two very important rings.

She giggled seeing Seojin toddle her way across the aisle from the entrance up to the stage, throwing flowers whenever she remembered to, until Taeyong stepped down a little and picked her up, lifting her in the air before kissing her cheek, both giggling along with the small audience. He then stood her by Yoora, who looked back at the entrance as everyone stood, and she was sure she saw an angel appear into the wedding hall.

Her eyes trailed her new mother, just as her father's did as he covered his mouth, surely a tear appearing in his eye. Never did Taeyong think he'd get to experience this as he became more of an adult, standing at the altar next to the officiant, watching his almost wife walk towards him in the most beautiful white gown, her face hidden behind the thin mesh veil through which he could tell she was just as nervous and emotional as he was.

And once the rings were worn and both said their I dos, Yoora was the first to cheer lifting her little sister up in her arms and twirling around with her.

"We're a family Seojin!" she let her go and tugged her along to their parents, going first immediately into Seulgi's arms and whispering into her ear. "Thank you for becoming my mummy."

>>>

Will this marriage work? What if they're not compatible? Will she get a say if she wants to leave? Will he leave her first? What if he already has someone?

Sighing she took another small bite, when his father suddenly cleared his throat. "Well then, Mr Kang, I assume our deal can come to a finalisation."

Deal... Seulgi hated hearing that word regarding her, as if she was some business property. She knew all her life her family poured their lives into their works, which lead to her having completely different dreams than just taking over after her parents. In fact, that was the only reason she agreed to this marriage. It would mean a merge, and ultimately her future husband would have control over both, and she was happy to pass it on like that.

She watched her father nod. "I'm excited for the future of our companies, for sure we will climb higher in the market." the elder man turned to his daughter, while the other faced his son. Taeyong nodded, face still stoic, and got up from his seat and moved to stand behind Seulgi. He pulled out a box from his pocket, took out a ring, waited for her to present her left hand.

Seulgi stared at the ring silently. It was beautiful no doubt, but it had a meaning. If she were to let him put it on her, there was no turning back from this new life. She swallowed nervously standing up, and slowly presented her hand to him. He held it and gently placed the ring on her ring finger, all parents cheering which got more of the other customers at the restaurant involved.

She looked up at him and smiled, still nervous, only to get a half smile in response before he returned to his seat. Seulgi sighed and sat back down, trying hard not to regret anything.

>>>

It had been a month since that dinner, and now she stood in a white dress every girl dreamed of one day. So did Seulgi, but that was the only thing making her smile as she looked at herself in the mirror, loving the way the beautiful dress looked on her. But as soon as her mother came inside the room, her smile dropped.

This is it. She's about to marry someone she had no idea of.

Sighing, she followed her mother out to where her father waited for her in front of the hall doors. She didn't say anything, she had nothing to actually say. People looked at her with such happy eyes that she decided to everything to herself.

As her father walked her down the aisle, she saw Taeyong standing there with his usual stoic expression, looking away from her. It made her even sadder seeing that he didn't want to look at her even. When they neared the steps he finally turned to take her hand and help her up, eyes down the whole time. It was only when they stood in front of the officiant that he looked at her face.

The man pursed his lips, before going back to normal.

Seulgi had no idea what he was thinking. She had no idea about him at all. She could only stand there and pray this wedding ended faster.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Her eyes shook, wondering how would this play out. Her questions were answered when Taeyong grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, and quicker than she could process he cupped her cheek with his other hand and kissed her lips already. She was too surprised to respond to his gentle kiss, and could feel her cheeks heat up once he pulled away.

What was that...

Seulgi changed into a more simple comfortable dress for the reception. It was a soft yellow silk dress, sleeveless and backless, down to her shin. She walked into the hall with her friend and saw Taeyong talking to some people who she assumed were business partners, either her father's or his, and decided to go stand with him.

Taeyong felt someone coming his way and turned, his eyes freezing at the sight of his new wife in her new dress. Seulgi smiled as she came next to him and greeted the men, and Taeyong wasn't one to miss one of the younger ones eyeing her. Clenching his jaw, he excused themselves and pulled her with him away to a corner.

"What's wrong?" Seulgi asked softly, confused by his sudden action. He only stared at her with piercing eyes before taking off his suit and putting it around her.

"Don't take it off." he said before taking her hand and going back into the party. She was still confused, but too scared and kept the jacket on until they sat to eat.

It was soon time for the newly wed couple to go home, and Seulgi would be moving in with Taeyong in his penthouse. She was more scared than ever having no clue what would happen once they step into the place, and as they did (after a very quiet car ride) she just stood in the living room awkwardly while Taeyong finished untying his shoes.

He noticed her hesitation as he walked in as well, and called her. "Why are you standing here? Go to our room and change." he pointed in the direction of the master bedroom, and she quickly nodded and went in to find a lot of her stuff had already been moved in and organised.

She found her drawer of pyjamas and took a set, heading to the bathroom to clean up after the busy day they had. She decided to wear her clothes inside before leaving the room, feeling too shy to change in front of Taeyong especially after what he had done today.

Does he not like it? Is he that conservative?

She sighed as she dried her hair before leaving the bathroom, stopping in her tracks when she saw Taeyong on the bed. His shirt was unbuttoned all the way down while he leaned back on one arm and scrolled his phone with the other. She could feel her cheeks heat up again and quickly turned away.

Taeyong saw her come out and got up to shower himself. He stopped next to her, moving closer. "If you're hungry, call the maid for something. If not you can go to sleep, mines the right side." he spoke softly as if to not startle her, and she nodded. Once he went in the bathroom she looked at the bed, and saw her side was the one with an empty side table, and a box of her things from back at her parents house were left next to it.

She sat on her side and arranged everything onto the table and drawer, which she realised she had been doing slowly when she noticed Taeyong already stepped out of the bathroom. She turned towards him, blushing again when seeing he had nothing but a towel on while rummaging through his closet for pyjamas.

She turned her eyes away and looked towards the big window on the other side of the room, and stared outside at the dark night. She could still make out his reflection, and saw he had finished wearing his clothes and was now coming to bed on his side.

Taeyong got in under the covers, but sat upright instead of lying down. He pulled out his laptop from the side drawer and got to work immediately. Despite today being their wedding, he had to work on meeting presentations for his father, and being someone with a good work ethic he never disappointed his family with his results.

After some time he noticed Seulgi still sitting at the edge of the bed near the end, facing out the window. Curious, he moved forward to look over at her, and noticed she had simply been sitting there staring out at the city and playing with her fingers.

He wasn't sure how to approach her. Just as how Seulgi knew nothing about him, he knew nothing about her. Now he was worried whether his small outburst at the reception upset her. She looked beautiful in that dress no doubt, but seeing another man look at her that way angered him.

She was his wife, he had to protect her.

He closed his laptop and put it away before moving to sit to her left, leaving some space, startling Seulgi a bit. She peeked up at him, and he stared back with much softer eyes. "Why won't you sleep?" he asked gently. Seulgi shrugged and turned back to the window, causing him to sigh. He shifted even closer, their shoulders just touching, and with all his courage took her hand and held it.

Seulgi's eyes widened as she watched him touch the ring on her finger. Their marriage ring. Suddenly it hit her, it was their first night together, and her eyes shook as she looked up to see him deep in thought. "Do we have to do... uhm... do it now?" she asked softly, her voice shaking slightly. She had no experience of being intimate before, but she wasn't scared of it. She was scared because she didn't know this man, and it upset her further when she realised they're married yet had no bond.

Taeyong could tell her emotions by her eyes. He let go of her hand and simply climbed back to his side. "Come sleep." he motioned her, and she followed going under the covers on her side, leaving a small distance between them. "I'll be leaving early for work tomorrow. You can start packing whenever you're ready, our honeymoon trip is in 2 days."

>>>

The honeymoon was a four day trip in Japan, and the first 3 weren't as bad as Seulgi thought. They were awkward no doubt, but throughout their time spent together Taeyong was always with her and gave whatever she needed. If she was hungry, he'd immediately find the nearest best restaurant to eat at. If she wanted to shop, he took her to the mall. If she wanted to sightsee, he'd book a tour guide and had them take the couple for a private tour.

Seulgi enjoyed herself as much as she could, but on the third night she felt sad as she went through her photos and realised they didn't do much as a couple. Thinking about it, she figured the last thing she wanted to do was go around Disneyland as a couple. She waited for Taeyong to be done showering and come to bed while she prepared what to wear for the next day.

Once he came out, she approached him while he did his night facial routine. "Taeyong..." he hummed in response. "Tomorrow, can we go to Disneyland?"

"Sure." he answered without looking.

Seulgi continued. "I want to go for something we can do together..." she wanted to say as a couple, but held back worried how would he think of that.

Taeyong stopped rummaging through his things and turned to look at Seulgi, who was clearly nervous as she bit her lip and her toes kept fidgeting. "I'll find things we can do together, you can pick which ones to do." he closed up the small bag and turned to her fully. "Let's get some sleep now, Disneyland is a lot of walking." she nodded and followed behind him to the bed.

They slept just as they do back home, each on their own sides, and a gap between them.

The next morning they woke up extra early, knowing how time consuming their destination would be. As they sat in the car on the way, Taeyong pulled out his tab and showed it to her. "Here's things to do there, as a couple." Seulgi's ears perked at his words. "See which you'd like to go for, I don't think we can do them all since there'll be lines. But we're staying for the night parade and fireworks, so if there's time we can do more or rest."

Handing her the device, he then looked away out the window. Seulgi stared at him a little longer, before a smile took over her face. She had doubts what kind of activities he would pick out, but in the end they were exactly what she wanted.

Maybe we are more similar than I thought...

The walk around Disneyland was tiring, and Seulgi was glad she didn't mark too many things as they ended up taking several breaks in between. At one point she realised he was taking pictures of her throughout, which fluttered her heart, but she wished they'd take some together.

As he took another one and checked on it, she came closer. "Uhm... Should we ask someone for a picture together?" he looked up at her immediately, and she got nervous. "Only if you want... I know you might not, nevermind it then..." she looked down and shuffled her feet, wanting to run, but of course that's out of question.

But before she could walk back to her position, she felt a hand grab hers causing her to halt. She looked back at him and he pulled her closer, before looking around. "Excuse me," he called out to a father walking by, "could you help take a picture for us here please?"

The man nodded, and Taeyong dragged her to where she had posed before. Seulgi stood awkwardly, until he suddenly held her waist and pulled her even closer. She looked at him and saw he was facing the camera, smiling softly, and decided to just follow him.

It's just for the camera...

"One, two, smile!" the man clicked one picture. "Another one please." he said before counting again, but before he finished Seulgi felt her husband suddenly lean his head against hers. But she couldn't react, though her smile did grow. As the man announced one final picture, and counted to three, she could no longer hide her shocked expression when feeling a kiss on her cheek.

"Very nice." the man said as he came closer to return their camera. "I wish my wife and I could experience the spark of young love again." Taeyong smiled and thanked the man who returned to his family. He went through the pictures, showing some to Seulgi.

But she was still too caught up with what had just happened to focus, and just hummed along. "Let's go grab some dinner, then find a place to settle for the fireworks." he said, grabbing her hand and walking.

Throughout dinner she kept silent, only speaking when ordering her food. And Taeyong wasn't one to miss that. Halfway through he stopped eating looked up at her, getting her attention as his cutlery hit the plate.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked, stern but soft. "You've been quiet for a while."

Seulgi bit her lip, wondering if she should be honest or not. But one peek at him and she could tell he was an easy reader of expressions. "It's nothing... I was just thinking." she answered hoping it would let him move on. But of course she was wrong.

"About what?"

She sighed, putting her cutlery down as well. "About us. I'm... confused. I've never been in relationships before, but I feel like ours isn't going to be as easy as others. And, I'm worried..." she kept her eyes down as she spoke, too nervous to look at him.

Taeyong pursed his lips, staring at her for a while as worries filled his head as well. It's not that he had it any easier, he just wanted to make it as normal as possible. Finally he made his move, sliding closer to her in his chair until their shoulders just touched. Just as Seulgi looked at him, he grabbed her hand in both of his and started fumbling with it.

"Relationships aren't meant to be easy." he started to speak softly. "But I know ours is harder than usual. I don't know about you, much at all to be honest, and that's what's hard for me from making it feel normal. I try to, but I don't know what you like or you don't, what makes you happy, what you're comfortable with. I'm scared if I accidentally overstep boundaries. I don't want to make things awkward between us than they already are."

Their eyes met, simply gazing at one another before he suddenly kissed her knuckles. "I'm willing to give us a shot. I think you're a great woman, so I will try for you as I hope you do for me. And maybe instead of watching each other slowly, we can talk more to know about each other."

Seulgi's lips quivered, unable to speak, so she leaned onto his shoulder, getting comfortable when she felt him wrap an arm around her in a hug, the other still holding her hand. She smiled shyly, trying to hide it in his shirt, but he could tell.

And it made him think, this might actually work better than he worried about.

Realising the time, Taeyong moved out first. "We should go now if we wanna make it in time for the fireworks show. I'll get us some drinks on the way for us while we wait." Seulgi nodded and they got up, his hand grabbing her naturally, and headed out to their final destination for the day.

As they sat waiting for the show to begin, Taeyong leaned back on his arms, allowing for his wife to lean against his chest while looking through all the photos they had taken today in his camera. He looked as well, and both noticed the subtle smiles they had in all the pictures. It put Seulgi in thought again when coming to the picture of him kissing her cheek.

She smiled cheekily and got up, confusing her husband when she walked over to a teenage girl and passed the camera to her, saying something before returning to her seat. "I want some pictures here." she simply said. He nodded and sat up properly, his arm snaking around her waist again.

As the young lady started to count, Seulgi moved her head closer to his, smiling brightly this time. And from the corner of her eyes she could see him doing the same. One picture done, and when moving to the second one, the couple surprised each other.

"One, two, three, smile!"

Both heads turned, meaning for innocent cheek kisses, but instead they caught each others lips. Luckily the girl had caught it in the right moment, as they were quick to pull away and stare in shock.

"That was so cute!" the young girl squealed and laughed. Seulgi turned to her and smiled awkwardly, turning back to Taeyong, before they both bursted into giggles. Feeling content, the girl clicks one more picture unannounced before passing the camera back to Seulgi and dashing off excitedly. The two looked down at the last picture, smiles taking over both their faces.

Taeyong made a mental note to frame this picture up on their wall, it beats the awkward wedding one they had taken. And peeking at his wife's face he could tell she definitely felt the same. Unable to hold back, he quickly sneaked a quick kiss to her cheek, gaining her attention.

"I hope we can cover our walls with more pictures of your smile."

Seulgi gazed into his eyes as he did, and with zero hesitation moved closer into another kiss. It was an innocent one, but held much meaning as Taeyong cupped her cheek and deepened it. She quickly placed a hand between them and pushed him off gently, the same hand then playing with the collar of his shirt as she looked down shyly.

He chuckled, she was too adorable. He turned back to face the direction of the fireworks, before his hands were quick at work pulling her closer to the point she sat on his lap sideways, then rested his head on his shoulder. "It feels like I know you so long..." he whispered. Seulgi froze for a while longer, slowly getting used to this much closeness with the man she just barely knew about. "I hope I didn't cross the line."

She decided to relax herself, faced him with a smile and shook her head before laying against his shoulder again. They sat like that longer, fingers playing with each other's, when the fireworks soon started and they watched in awe.

That night, as they retired to their bed back at the hotel, Taeyong took the risk and laid down closer to his wife. He was careful and watched her expression, making sure she was comfortable with it. He noticed she peeked at him for a bit, but shifted her head towards his direction a bit, which he took as a green light.

Seulgi silently looked away as her husband made himself comfortable right next to her, their arms touching. He laid facing her, so she decided to do the same and turned on her spot.

The couple stared at each other with shy smiles, until Taeyong shifter closer to her and kissed her forehead. He took the chance to wrap her in his arms and pull her closer, resting his chin on her head.

Seulgi felt calmer than ever as she threw her arm over his torso and snuggled into his chest. All her worries her lifted with this one simple action, she no longer feared what might happen to them. All she could think about was working towards a happy future together, especially knowing his feelings and fears were the same as hers. It reassured her that she wasn't going to be the only one putting in effort.

This might work... No, it's going to work... she thought to herself as she peeked up and saw her husband drifting to sleep, feeling nothing but affection towards him. Yea, it'll work...

》》》