"What!?" she exclaims, almost burping.
"I said... will you marry me?"
"Hey! Do you think—" She pauses, her eyes analyzing his face.
She stares into his eyes.
"My head..." she murmurs.
She touches the side of her head, then looks back at him.
"I'll give you a million dollars," the boy said .
"A million—"
"I'll say it again... will you marry me?"
She smiles and nods.
"I will marry you..."
He lets go of her hand, pulling something out of a bag she hadn't even noticed before.
"Sign this," he says, pointing to a spot on the paper where she should sign.
He hands her a pen.
"Wait! Do you carry this around with you, looking for someone to marry?" she asks, still in shock.
"Shh, just sign here."
She holds the pen in her hand, but then, everything starts to blur.
"Ah! My head..." she gasps.
"Sorry, now sign it," he urges.
"Hey, are you some kind of ritualist or something?"
"Million dollars gone," he says, trying to take the pen from her hand.
"Wait! I'll sign it…" she mutters, starting to burp again.
The boy holds his nose while waiting for her to sign it.
"Will you just sign it already?"
She leans on his shoulder, almost falling over. She raises her eyes to meet his, then her cheeks puff up.
"Wait… Are you—?"
She lowers her head and releases vomit all over his expensive shoes.
"Sorry," she says, wiping her mouth.
The boy stands frozen, as if in shock.
She signs the paper without reading it.
"Ahem... good. Now go home. I'll pick you up tomorrow," he says, trying to stop himself from gagging.
"But... you don't even know where I live."
He winks, puts an earpiece in his ears, pulls his hoodie down, and walks away.
"That was weird... For a second, I thought it was a YouTube prank."
She walks slowly with her bike, still in disbelief.
---
"Tini, I'm home!!"
After gulping down a huge drink of water, she fries some hotdogs, eats, and heads to bed.
***
BEEP BEEP
wakes her up. She groggily sits up, drool covering her mouth, her hair sticking to her face.
"What is that?" She said whilst rising.
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabs through her head.
"Ahh!" she yelps, falling back down.
BEEP BEEP
"Who could that be? Is it for me? Oh wait, someone could just be throwing out garbage."
She sits up, thinking it over.
KNOCK KNOCK
'Holy cow!! It is for me!!'
She hurriedly wipes the drool from her mouth and attempts to fix her hair.
She opens the door to find an old man in a black suit standing there.
"Your fiancé is waiting for you."
"What!? What did you just say?"
The man steps aside, revealing the handsome boy from earlier.
"Oh, wow! I mean... yeah! He's definitely my husband!"
"I said fiancé."
"Oh... right."
The boy walks closer, and she suddenly feels very aware of how dirty and disheveled she looks. He coughs, glancing around awkwardly.
"I... is this where you live?"
"Ha... wh-who are you?"
"You just called me your husband, even though I'm not—yet—and now you're asking me who I am?"
"Oh... well... I was overwhelmed by how handsome you looked, that's why I said that. But now I'm back to reality, and I... who are you?"
He pulls out the contract she signed.
"This is you, from yesterday. You signed this, and now you're my fiancée."
"What the—When did this—"
The memory of him catching her suddenly floods back.
"Wow..."
Her dog comes out, barking at him and who she assumes is his butler.
"Tini, stop!"
"Wh... is that a dog or a skeleton?" the boy asks, making her a bit annoyed.
"Hey! Watch it! This dog is everything I have," she snaps, holding her dog protectively.
"Sorry."
He studies her, noticing her hollow cheeks and lean figure.
"Pack up whatever is in this house and come with me."
She rushes inside, but quickly returns.
"You're not a ritualist or a rapist, are you?"
"Do I look like one?"
She stares at him, almost getting lost in his eyes. She snaps out of it, turning back inside.
She emerges a moment later, dressed in a shirt and brown jeans, her hands held behind her.
"We must go now."
As she starts walking behind him, she pulls out a large stick, attempting to strike him with it. In the blink of an eye, the stick is in his hand, just inches from his face.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked.
"How did you turn around so quickly?"
"I asked what you were trying to do."
"Do you think I'm stupid? Just because I'm poor, you think I'll follow the first rich guy I meet? You could be a fake for all I know!!"
"You leave me no choice," he says, snapping his fingers twice. The butler appears behind her, quickly tying her hands with a rope from his pocket.
"What are you doing?!! This is kidnapping!!! I'll scream!!!!"
"No, according to this contract, you're my property."
"Property!?!?! I never agreed to this!!!"
"Then whose signature is this?"
"......"
"That's settled," he says, moving closer, almost two inches away from her face.
"You're mine," he whispers. He straightens up, turning toward the car. "Get her into the car."
"You can't do this to meeee!!!"
They gently restrain her as if she might break, then shove her into the car, locking the door behind her.
She looks to her left and meets the boy's gaze, her hands still bound behind her.
"This is kidnapping," she says, almost hysterically. "My dog!!! Where is my dog?"
As the car starts moving, she sees Tini running after them.
"Tini!! Nooo!! Stop the car!!! Please!!! You can take me wherever, just please bring my dog!!! Please!!" she cries.
"Stop the car," the boy commands. "Take the dog in."
The butler exits the car, retrieves the dog, and brings it inside.
"Get rid of her ropes," the boy orders.
The butler removes the ropes.
"Now... let's go...and you better not plan on escaping, you just orally agreed to take you wherever, so its final.
After a long drive, they stop at a huge gate.
"Open the gate!" the butler, who is also the driver, orders.
The gates open, and they drive in.
The butler opens the car door for them both, and they step out. The moment Joon-He sets foot outside, she feels as if she might faint.
The mansion before her is enormous and luxurious, gold accents gleaming in every corner. The walls are painted in warm shades of brown and red. A massive fountain sits in the center of the sprawling compound, which could easily fit five houses.
"Whoa! Hey!! What is this place? An amusement park? No... it's a museum!" she exclaims.
She turns to the boy.
"Is this our home?"
"Our?"
"Yes... our..."
He smirks and scoffs.
He starts walking, and Joon-He follows him, grabbing his arm and giving him a pointed look, her head tilting toward the house.
He rolls his eyes but continues walking.
"Tini, come on!"
The dog follows.
As they enter through the massive doors, maids and butlers are lined up, bowing as they pass.
"Are they here to rob us? How did they get in?" she whispers.
"No, they're not," the boy responds.
They walk across a red carpet, and with each step, the maids and butlers bow in reverence. When they pass the red carpet, he snaps his fingers, and three maids step forward.
"Fix this mess... and her dog, too."
Two maids take her arms, and one takes the dog. They lead her to a luxurious bathtub, where they scrub her thoroughly. The maids use every kind of shampoo and soap, luxurious liquid soaps and foams, all while she tries to relax amidst the attention.
The pain from all the scrubbing is not even noticeable while enjoying all this luxury.
Afterward, they dress her in a large pink hoodie and knee-length shorts, all the clothes smelling like perfume, sweat, and luxury.
They guide her to her room, and Joon-He's mouth drops open in awe. A large bed, a massive TV, an air conditioner, and beautiful furnishings greet her.
She runs to the bed and sinks into it.
"Bark!"
She looks up to find her dog, now wearing a blue collar with his name engraved on it.
He jumps on the bed, wagging his tail, waiting for her to pet him.
"Oh... my... God..."
"We'll bring your food now," a maid announces.
"We need to run away," she whispers to her dog.
She rises from the bed, peering out the window.
"They've surrounded the place with guards... what do they want from me? Am I safe?"
"We will enter now, madam," the maids say as they bring in trays of food.
They set down dishes with Yeolmulmul, Jjajangmyeon noodles, kimchi and white rice, duck meat with ketchup, sauce with rice, and a bowl of chicken.
"Now, we will bring the dog's food."
"Wait... all of this is for me?" she asks, astonished.
"Yes."
"Am I supposed to eat all of this?"
"Of course not. No one can finish this much food. Whatever remains, we will dispose of."
"What? Isn't that wasteful?"
"Well, we can't keep leftovers in the fridge. It will make the fridge smell unpleasant, so please excuse us."
The maids leave and return shortly with a bowl of mixed meat for her dog.
"Here you go."
She places the bowl on the floor, and Tini looks at Joon-He then the food. She nods, and he eagerly begins to eat.
A knock at the door, the door opens up and the boy who had given Joon-He the contract can be seen in his room.
"What? Are you done?" he asks.
The maids nod.
"I'll be out in a minute."
After a while, he reappears in a black coat.
"Show me her room," he instructs.
The maids lead him to her room, but when the door opens, they are met with clean bowls and plates scattered on the bed.
Their eyes widen in shock.
"Did... did you eat all of them?" one maid asks.
"Yes... wasn't I supposed to?"
The boy coughs, wiping his mouth.
"Um.. Sir..will I really get to live here?" Joon-He
asked.
"Yes, of course."
"So... I'm not trying to rush things, but when is the wedding?"
"Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m."
"What!!!??"