In Three Years' Time (chapter 2 of 22)
Title: In Three Years' Time
Pairing: Dongwoon/OC
Rating: PG-13 to R/NC-17 (in later chapters)
Summary: Arranged marriages were something of the past, not commonly seen in this day and age. But contract marriages were different. With two parties both gaining something out of the union, this new form of marriage was slowly becoming an unsaid norm in certain societies; and Jaehwa and Dongwoon were no exception. What happens when two childhood friends, who let distance and circumstance drift them apart, are forced to enter a 3-year long union? Will they finally rekindle their friendship, even after realizing that they are no longer the people they once were, or will they drift further apart simply living side by side as strangers?
Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21| 22
Chapter 2
Arranged marriages were something of the past, not commonly seen in this day and age. But contract marriages were different. Two parties both gaining something out of a union, was slowly becoming an unsaid norm in certain societies; Jaehwa and Dongwoon were no exception. The two were married with the prospects of only having a three-year long union, in which time Jaehwa’s father’s business would have garnered a substantial footing in Seoul, and hopefully Dongwoon would change his playboy ways.
After his mother’s departure from the family, Dongwoon changed. He was no longer the sweet, playful and caring boy that Jaehwa admired. His hatred for women grew as the years passed and he enjoyed playing with them, only ever seeing them as toys and nothing more. His endless escapades drew unwanted attention to his father’s business, as Dongwoon soon became the dark horse in society; the notorious bad boy so to say. Dongwoon’s father, Jungho, had tried everything to make his son change his ways, even going so far as to sending him abroad for boarding school. But that blew up in his face as well, when Dongwoon was caught in a compromising position with the school dean’s daughter resulting in his prompt dismissal.
To Dongwoon, life was just fun and games; he never had to work hard for anything and always got what he wanted. His father, Jungho, vented his frustrations to his best friend, Taehyun, who told him that he recalled a certain someone acting the same way during his adolescence. As much as Jungho hated to admit it, Taehyun was right. Jungho used to be a delinquent in his own right back in the day but changed when he met his wife Kim Haeri; well ex-wife. Seeing where his friend was going with the conversation, Jungho brought up an idea that had been hanging out in the back of his mind for a while. What if Taehyun’s obedient and beautiful daughter married his ass of a son? Jungho had no doubts that his friend’s daughter could whip his son into shape. Taehyun, on the other hand was a bit hesitant about the idea. They were talking about his only daughter, his pride and joy, and Taehyun wasn’t too keen on idea of putting his daughter in that kind of situation. But when Jungho mentioned that he would be willing to fully invest in his business and help him expand in South Korea, Taehyun couldn’t resist; he was after all a businessman first.
So it was set. The two were to be married. Taehyun and Jungho cleared up all the details with a three-year marriage contract that concluded with a no-strings attached annulment in the end, all earnings between the two kept separate so that when they hit the three year mark there would be no arguments over entitlement. Jungho figured that three years would be more then ample time for Dongwoon to get his head on straight especially with Jaehwa as his wife. The only one completely opposed to the idea, at the time, was Yumi, Jaehwa’s mother. She hated the idea of “selling” her daughter, but when Taehyun put his foot down on the matter there was nothing she could do. Telling her daughter about the upcoming nuptials was easier than Yumi had imagined. Jaehwa felt beyond indebted to her parents. It had been six years since she graduated high school and she had over five career changes and attended three different colleges before finally deciding she wanted to be a fashion designer, and all through that her parents stood by her supporting her every choice. When most parents would have kicked their children out or chastise them for not knowing what they wanted to do with their lives, Jaehwa’s parents shared in her confusion and ultimately helped her find herself. So when her parents told her that she would enter a contract marriage, that would help her father expand his growing business, how could she say no? Besides, finding out that the man she would marry was none other than her best friend Dongwoon, she couldn’t refuse.
Jaehwa played with the towel in her hands as she sat at the table staring at the wedding portrait that taunted her. With a long sigh she stood up from the table and moved back into the kitchen. Her mind floated back to how they met for first time after thirteen years as she continued to stir the contents of the pot on the stove.
[Flashback]
“Ommo..I’m so sorry!” Jaehwa bowed as she twisted around placing her half empty glass onto the bar to grab a handful of napkins and turn back around. The man just stared and scoffed at her efforts to try and wipe his shirt dry.
“It’s alright,” the man cooed into her ear as he placed his hand on her lower back pushing her up to him so she could hear what he was saying over the music. “You know you’re kinda cute.” Jaehwa’s body stiffened when she felt his warm breath tickle her neck.
“Umm..no here let me at least pay you for the dry cleaning.” Jaehwa offered, ignoring his compliment, as she tried to move back away from him, but he only tightened his hold on her waist in return.
“I have a better way,” he harshly whispered as he pulled her closer and said something to her in her ear inaudible to her friends next to her. Jaehwa’s body flinched at the words he growled into her ear, as she pushed herself away from him, only to make contact once again by slapping him across the face.
“How dare you!” She yelled, as the people around them all turned to see what was going on. The man only smiled wickedly back at her as he cupped the side of his face that was slowly throbbing with pain although he was too prideful to admit it. Then again, it wasn’t like she was the first girl to do that to him either. The man chuckled as he watched Jaehwa storm off in the direction of the bathroom before turning his attention back towards the bar.
“Who the hell does he think he is? And what does he take me for? A slut? Like I would suck off some random stranger!” Jaehwa spoke out loud mostly to her reflection in the mirror as she stood in the bathroom not caring about the stares she got from the other women. She closed her eyes as she let out deep breath trying to relax her nerves so she could try to enjoy the rest of the night.
“You ok Jae?” Jinae, one of her friends, inquired as she followed Jaehwa into the bathroom after seeing her run off only a few minutes ago.
“Yeah, just had a run in with a perverted jerk, that’s all.” Jaehwa said as she looked down at her shirt. Thankfully she decided to go with her black top instead of the light blue shirt Soojin wanted her to wear, seeing how the drink failed to cause a noticeable stain against the dark colored fabric. With the help of Jinae, the two women dabbed water on a towel and tried to get rid of the alcoholic stench that now emanated off her shirt. When they were done cleaning, Jinae left the room first off to find the other two girls. As Jaehwa turned to grab a fresh towel to wipe her wet hands she was met with two pairs of cold eyes.
“Yah! Stay away from oppa!” One of the girls spit out as she glared at Jaehwa who stood there with a blank expression.
“You think you’re smart bitch? Spilling your drink so you can touch him?” The other girl sneered at her. Realization dawned on Jaehwa when she finally figured out that these two girls in front of her probably liked the man she bumped into. Jaehwa didn’t have time for high school drama and crushes as she closed her eyes took a deep breath and walked away wiping her wet hands on her jeans. Her sour disposition changed as she found her three closest friends laughing away on the dance floor and shouted for her to join them when they saw her. Not wanting to let the earlier events affect her, she gracefully walked over to them and joined in on the fun. Jaehwa let the music flow through her as she rocked her body seductively to the beat of the music not caring who had their eyes on her.
Jinae squealed with delight, as she saw a tall and gorgeous man walk up to Soojin and ask her to dance. He gets one point for being polite Jaehwa thought to herself as from her past experiences in the States men just walked up and grabbed you when they wanted to dance instead of asking. The cute couple danced for the remainder of the song and for two more songs after that. Soojin pulled Heeyoung closer to her and said something in her ear causing Heeyoung’s eyes to widen. Jaehwa waited till a more than happy Jinae conveyed the message to her. The man’s name was Kikwang, and he wanted Soojin and her friends to join him and a few of his friends in the VIP section. Not one to be a party pooper, Jaehwa nodded in agreement and followed the other women as they trailed Kikwang who held tightly onto Soojin’s hand as they walked to the corner of the club.
The four women walk into the secluded area after passing through security who easily waved them in when they saw Kikwang with them. Jaehwa had barely walked up the few steps and froze in her position as she found herself staring right at the man she had bumped into earlier. The guy was seated on a long couch and was flanked by the two girls she had encountered earlier in the bathroom, who now looked more than pissed off when they saw her as their hands slowly caressed the man’s chest. The man chuckled as he brushed the girl’s arms away from him and stood up from the couch making his way towards her, ignoring Kikwang’s attempt at trying to introduce the women to him and the rest of their friends.
“These are my friends. That’s Junhyun, that’s Doojoon and that guy over there,” Kikwang said as he pointed to the man slowly approaching Jaehwa, “is someone you don’t want to mess with.” The man turned to wink at his friend before bringing his attention back to Jaehwa.
“Nice to meet you,” Soojin said as she smiled sweetly at the men. “I’m Soojin, this is Jinae and Heeyoung, and that’s Jae.” Soojin finished off their introductions as she tried not to blush when Kikwang brought her hand up to his lips to lightly kiss it.
“We meet again?” The unidentified man said raising one eyebrow, as he got dangerously close to her. “You aren’t stalking me are you Jae?” He growled into her ear pleased with himself when he saw her involuntarily shudder. “Cute,” he muttered underneath his breath when he pulled away just in time to see her flushed skin get a few shades darker. Jaehwa stepped away from him and walked towards the rest of the group getting acquainted with them as the man walked back to his spot on the couch.
Jaehwa spent the rest of the night trying her hardest to enjoy herself, and trying not to stare at the man seated on the couch who clearly had no issues with PDA or polygamy. The night finally ended, much to Jaehwa’s relief, as the girls shuffled into the cab. Soojin was beyond smitten when Kikwang had asked for her number. Jinae and Heeyoung were also equally satiated with the night’s events as they talked non-stop about just how amazingly handsome all the men were. Jaehwa just sat in the cab quietly looking out the window. She knew trying to find someone to date was out of the question, especially with her upcoming nuptials but she couldn’t seem to get the man’s image out of her mind. Why did it seem so familiar when he called her Jae?
[End of Flashback]
word count: 2039
Pairing: Dongwoon/OC
Rating: PG-13 to R/NC-17 (in later chapters)
Summary: Arranged marriages were something of the past, not commonly seen in this day and age. But contract marriages were different. With two parties both gaining something out of the union, this new form of marriage was slowly becoming an unsaid norm in certain societies; and Jaehwa and Dongwoon were no exception. What happens when two childhood friends, who let distance and circumstance drift them apart, are forced to enter a 3-year long union? Will they finally rekindle their friendship, even after realizing that they are no longer the people they once were, or will they drift further apart simply living side by side as strangers?
Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21| 22
Chapter 2
Arranged marriages were something of the past, not commonly seen in this day and age. But contract marriages were different. Two parties both gaining something out of a union, was slowly becoming an unsaid norm in certain societies; Jaehwa and Dongwoon were no exception. The two were married with the prospects of only having a three-year long union, in which time Jaehwa’s father’s business would have garnered a substantial footing in Seoul, and hopefully Dongwoon would change his playboy ways.
After his mother’s departure from the family, Dongwoon changed. He was no longer the sweet, playful and caring boy that Jaehwa admired. His hatred for women grew as the years passed and he enjoyed playing with them, only ever seeing them as toys and nothing more. His endless escapades drew unwanted attention to his father’s business, as Dongwoon soon became the dark horse in society; the notorious bad boy so to say. Dongwoon’s father, Jungho, had tried everything to make his son change his ways, even going so far as to sending him abroad for boarding school. But that blew up in his face as well, when Dongwoon was caught in a compromising position with the school dean’s daughter resulting in his prompt dismissal.
To Dongwoon, life was just fun and games; he never had to work hard for anything and always got what he wanted. His father, Jungho, vented his frustrations to his best friend, Taehyun, who told him that he recalled a certain someone acting the same way during his adolescence. As much as Jungho hated to admit it, Taehyun was right. Jungho used to be a delinquent in his own right back in the day but changed when he met his wife Kim Haeri; well ex-wife. Seeing where his friend was going with the conversation, Jungho brought up an idea that had been hanging out in the back of his mind for a while. What if Taehyun’s obedient and beautiful daughter married his ass of a son? Jungho had no doubts that his friend’s daughter could whip his son into shape. Taehyun, on the other hand was a bit hesitant about the idea. They were talking about his only daughter, his pride and joy, and Taehyun wasn’t too keen on idea of putting his daughter in that kind of situation. But when Jungho mentioned that he would be willing to fully invest in his business and help him expand in South Korea, Taehyun couldn’t resist; he was after all a businessman first.
So it was set. The two were to be married. Taehyun and Jungho cleared up all the details with a three-year marriage contract that concluded with a no-strings attached annulment in the end, all earnings between the two kept separate so that when they hit the three year mark there would be no arguments over entitlement. Jungho figured that three years would be more then ample time for Dongwoon to get his head on straight especially with Jaehwa as his wife. The only one completely opposed to the idea, at the time, was Yumi, Jaehwa’s mother. She hated the idea of “selling” her daughter, but when Taehyun put his foot down on the matter there was nothing she could do. Telling her daughter about the upcoming nuptials was easier than Yumi had imagined. Jaehwa felt beyond indebted to her parents. It had been six years since she graduated high school and she had over five career changes and attended three different colleges before finally deciding she wanted to be a fashion designer, and all through that her parents stood by her supporting her every choice. When most parents would have kicked their children out or chastise them for not knowing what they wanted to do with their lives, Jaehwa’s parents shared in her confusion and ultimately helped her find herself. So when her parents told her that she would enter a contract marriage, that would help her father expand his growing business, how could she say no? Besides, finding out that the man she would marry was none other than her best friend Dongwoon, she couldn’t refuse.
Jaehwa played with the towel in her hands as she sat at the table staring at the wedding portrait that taunted her. With a long sigh she stood up from the table and moved back into the kitchen. Her mind floated back to how they met for first time after thirteen years as she continued to stir the contents of the pot on the stove.
[Flashback]
“Ommo..I’m so sorry!” Jaehwa bowed as she twisted around placing her half empty glass onto the bar to grab a handful of napkins and turn back around. The man just stared and scoffed at her efforts to try and wipe his shirt dry.
“It’s alright,” the man cooed into her ear as he placed his hand on her lower back pushing her up to him so she could hear what he was saying over the music. “You know you’re kinda cute.” Jaehwa’s body stiffened when she felt his warm breath tickle her neck.
“Umm..no here let me at least pay you for the dry cleaning.” Jaehwa offered, ignoring his compliment, as she tried to move back away from him, but he only tightened his hold on her waist in return.
“I have a better way,” he harshly whispered as he pulled her closer and said something to her in her ear inaudible to her friends next to her. Jaehwa’s body flinched at the words he growled into her ear, as she pushed herself away from him, only to make contact once again by slapping him across the face.
“How dare you!” She yelled, as the people around them all turned to see what was going on. The man only smiled wickedly back at her as he cupped the side of his face that was slowly throbbing with pain although he was too prideful to admit it. Then again, it wasn’t like she was the first girl to do that to him either. The man chuckled as he watched Jaehwa storm off in the direction of the bathroom before turning his attention back towards the bar.
“Who the hell does he think he is? And what does he take me for? A slut? Like I would suck off some random stranger!” Jaehwa spoke out loud mostly to her reflection in the mirror as she stood in the bathroom not caring about the stares she got from the other women. She closed her eyes as she let out deep breath trying to relax her nerves so she could try to enjoy the rest of the night.
“You ok Jae?” Jinae, one of her friends, inquired as she followed Jaehwa into the bathroom after seeing her run off only a few minutes ago.
“Yeah, just had a run in with a perverted jerk, that’s all.” Jaehwa said as she looked down at her shirt. Thankfully she decided to go with her black top instead of the light blue shirt Soojin wanted her to wear, seeing how the drink failed to cause a noticeable stain against the dark colored fabric. With the help of Jinae, the two women dabbed water on a towel and tried to get rid of the alcoholic stench that now emanated off her shirt. When they were done cleaning, Jinae left the room first off to find the other two girls. As Jaehwa turned to grab a fresh towel to wipe her wet hands she was met with two pairs of cold eyes.
“Yah! Stay away from oppa!” One of the girls spit out as she glared at Jaehwa who stood there with a blank expression.
“You think you’re smart bitch? Spilling your drink so you can touch him?” The other girl sneered at her. Realization dawned on Jaehwa when she finally figured out that these two girls in front of her probably liked the man she bumped into. Jaehwa didn’t have time for high school drama and crushes as she closed her eyes took a deep breath and walked away wiping her wet hands on her jeans. Her sour disposition changed as she found her three closest friends laughing away on the dance floor and shouted for her to join them when they saw her. Not wanting to let the earlier events affect her, she gracefully walked over to them and joined in on the fun. Jaehwa let the music flow through her as she rocked her body seductively to the beat of the music not caring who had their eyes on her.
Jinae squealed with delight, as she saw a tall and gorgeous man walk up to Soojin and ask her to dance. He gets one point for being polite Jaehwa thought to herself as from her past experiences in the States men just walked up and grabbed you when they wanted to dance instead of asking. The cute couple danced for the remainder of the song and for two more songs after that. Soojin pulled Heeyoung closer to her and said something in her ear causing Heeyoung’s eyes to widen. Jaehwa waited till a more than happy Jinae conveyed the message to her. The man’s name was Kikwang, and he wanted Soojin and her friends to join him and a few of his friends in the VIP section. Not one to be a party pooper, Jaehwa nodded in agreement and followed the other women as they trailed Kikwang who held tightly onto Soojin’s hand as they walked to the corner of the club.
The four women walk into the secluded area after passing through security who easily waved them in when they saw Kikwang with them. Jaehwa had barely walked up the few steps and froze in her position as she found herself staring right at the man she had bumped into earlier. The guy was seated on a long couch and was flanked by the two girls she had encountered earlier in the bathroom, who now looked more than pissed off when they saw her as their hands slowly caressed the man’s chest. The man chuckled as he brushed the girl’s arms away from him and stood up from the couch making his way towards her, ignoring Kikwang’s attempt at trying to introduce the women to him and the rest of their friends.
“These are my friends. That’s Junhyun, that’s Doojoon and that guy over there,” Kikwang said as he pointed to the man slowly approaching Jaehwa, “is someone you don’t want to mess with.” The man turned to wink at his friend before bringing his attention back to Jaehwa.
“Nice to meet you,” Soojin said as she smiled sweetly at the men. “I’m Soojin, this is Jinae and Heeyoung, and that’s Jae.” Soojin finished off their introductions as she tried not to blush when Kikwang brought her hand up to his lips to lightly kiss it.
“We meet again?” The unidentified man said raising one eyebrow, as he got dangerously close to her. “You aren’t stalking me are you Jae?” He growled into her ear pleased with himself when he saw her involuntarily shudder. “Cute,” he muttered underneath his breath when he pulled away just in time to see her flushed skin get a few shades darker. Jaehwa stepped away from him and walked towards the rest of the group getting acquainted with them as the man walked back to his spot on the couch.
Jaehwa spent the rest of the night trying her hardest to enjoy herself, and trying not to stare at the man seated on the couch who clearly had no issues with PDA or polygamy. The night finally ended, much to Jaehwa’s relief, as the girls shuffled into the cab. Soojin was beyond smitten when Kikwang had asked for her number. Jinae and Heeyoung were also equally satiated with the night’s events as they talked non-stop about just how amazingly handsome all the men were. Jaehwa just sat in the cab quietly looking out the window. She knew trying to find someone to date was out of the question, especially with her upcoming nuptials but she couldn’t seem to get the man’s image out of her mind. Why did it seem so familiar when he called her Jae?
[End of Flashback]
word count: 2039