Min-jae's POV
By the time I finally got home, my ribs felt like someone had run them through a blender, my neck was stiff from fake smiling, my wig had shifted into some crooked helmet-looking thing, and my feet were plotting my murder. I pushed the apartment door open and the moment I stepped inside, I just dropped the heels, dropped the wig, dropped everything except the binder because that one was glued to my soul at this point.
Soo-ah was on the couch, scrolling through her phone like she didn't spend half her life yelling at me, and Soo-jae was in the kitchen stirring ramen like all this wasn't his fucking stupid idea. They both looked up at me at the same time, which should've warned me that something was about to go wrong, but my brain was too fried to care.
"I'm back," I croaked, sounding like someone who had been half-drowned.
Soo-ah blinked, then squinted. "What's on your face?"
"My life choices," I muttered, kicking my heel farther across the room. "And probably glue."
Soo-jae pointed the ramen spoon at me. "You look like a dead pigeon."
"Thank you," I said. "That is exactly how I feel."
I didn't even make it two steps before the breakdown hit. Not some cute, movie-style, this was the kind of emotional collapse where every muscle gave up on existing. I dropped onto the floor next to the couch, leaned my head back, stared at the ceiling, and announced, "I'm not doing it anymore."
Both heads snapped toward me. Hard.
Soo-ah sat up so fast her phone flew. "What?"
"I'm done," I said, waving a tired hand. "Finished. Over. I'm quitting. Tell Jae-hyun he can marry a lamppost. I'm out."
Soo-jae turned off the stove like he was preparing for the apocalypse. "Quit what?"
I stared at him with dead eyes. "The wedding, Soo-jae. The whole fake-bride contract. The heels. The wigs. The torture. I'm done."
Soo-ah shot to her feet. "Are you finally sane? Awww refund everything I wasted on you!"
"Yes," I said. "Fully. Completely. Mentally fried. Brain melted like cheap ice cream."
Soo jae stomped over, hands on hips, glaring down at me like I had personally ruined her life. "No. No, Min-jae, you can't do this. I worked too hard too hard for you to back out now."
"Oh wow, sorry," I said, throwing my hands up. "I didn't realize your tech investment was the priority over my collapsing lungs."
Soo-jae sat on the floor across from me, shaking his head like he was watching a child misbehave. "Do you even know what I had to do to get that contract?"
"Yes," I said. "Be annoying."
Soo-jae threw a noodle at me.
"HEY!" I snapped.
"No," he said, leaning forward. "You begged us to help you. You cried about wanting a future, wanting stability, wanting to prove something to your family, wanting to survive in this city without selling your organs…"
"I DID NOT SAY ORGANS …"
"You implied it! Think about your sister!!" he snapped.
"That's the only reason I'm still here trust me !" I snapped back.
Soo-ah pointed at me like she was about to banish me to hell.
I groaned. "I am going to die in those heels."
"You are not dying," she said. "You're suffering. It's different."
"That's worse!"
"Too bad!"
I dropped my face into my hands. "I can't do tomorrow. I can't do the rest. Soo-ah, seriously, today almost exposed me like five times. The binder nearly burst. The dress nearly ripped. The wig was sliding. The photographer saw into my SOUL."
Soo-ah crouched in front of me, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me. "Min-jae. Listen to me clearly. If you quit, I will actually throw you off the balcony."
"Soo-ah…"
"I will."
"That's abuse."
"I DON'T CARE."
Soo-jae leaned back, arms crossed. "You're overwhelmed. Fine. You're stressed. Fine. You're about to cry? Good. Cry more. But quitting? No. Not after everything we did for you."
"Everything YOU did for ME?" I snapped, sitting up. "I'm the one getting crushed alive! I'm the one getting dragged into marriage! I'm the one stuck with that psychopath…"
The front door swung open.
All three of us froze.
Soo-ah whispered, "No way."
Standing there, in MY apartment doorway, wearing a suit like he owned the world, was the psychopath himself.
Jae-hyun.
I was so scared
Please don't be him.
It was the food delivery guy, phewww
****
The next morning felt like a funeral.
Not his.
Mine.
I was exhausted, cranky, sweaty, irritated, dizzy, and already regretting every life decision since birth. Soo-ah yanked my wig down so hard I nearly bit my tongue, and Soo-jae shoved the dress over my head like he was dressing a mannequin he hated.
"Be gentle!" I yelled.
"No," they said in unison.
By the time we got to the venue, I was physically present but mentally in another universe. The staff bowed to Jae-hyun like he was royalty. To me? They tried fixing my neckline again, and I nearly slapped a stylist.
"STOP TOUCHING ME," I snapped, grabbing the fabric.
"But it's crooked….p"
"It's FINE."
Jae-hyun walked over, hands in pockets, voice cold. "You look tense."
"Oh really? What gave it away? The sweating? The trembling? The fact that my spine is about to snap?"
He ignored my attitude. "Stand still."
"Fuck you."
"Say what?"
"Fuck the clothes."
"Good. Now turn left."
"No."
"Turn."
I turned.
The photographer clapped his hands. "Full body shots. Bride, step into the center. Groom, hold her waist."
"No waist!" I yelled.
"Yes waist," the photographer and Jae-hyun said at the same time.
I stared at them, feeling my heartbeat climb into my throat. "If he touches my waist, I die."
"You won't die," the photographer said.
"You don't know my life!"
But I still stepped forward because God apparently decided to abandon me today.
Jae-hyun's hand settled on my waist, even though I told him not to. My whole chest tightened. Binder pressure. Too much pressure. Too much panic.
"Relax," he murmured.
"Relax? Relax?! I am literally imploding inside this dress."
"Stop shaking."
"I CAN'T. YOU'RE TOUCHING MY NEAR-DEATH ZONE."
He sighed. "It's just fabric."
"It's NOT just fabric…"
"Pose!" the photographer snapped.
We froze.
Camera clicks.
Lights flashing.
My lungs struggling.
Jae-hyun's hand moved slightly, adjusting, and I nearly jumped.
"What now?" he hissed.
"You're lower," I whispered.
"Lower what?"
"Your hand."
"It's on fabric."
"It's on danger."
"For god's sake…"
"DON'T MOVE!"
The photographer lowered the camera. "Why are you two acting like you're in a hostage situation?"
"Because," I said, pointing at Jae-hyun, "I AM."
Jae-hyun rolled his eyes. "You're dramatic."
"And you're…"
"Children," the photographer said. "Focus."
We tried.
It did not work.
Every pose was a disaster. My heel kept sinking into the ground. Jae-hyun kept grabbing my elbow so I didn't faceplant. My wig kept slipping. Someone kept trying to fix my veil. And at some point I whispered, "I genuinely want to die," and Jae-hyun said, "Not today," like he was scheduling my death.
But then disaster hit for real.
The dress ripped.
Loud.
Clear.
Too high.
Too close to the binder.
Everyone froze.
My heart stopped.
My soul flew out of my body.
A stylist gasped. "The bodice…"
"DON'T TOUCH IT!" I screamed, slapping her hand away.
Everyone stared at me like I'd turned into a wild animal.
I grabbed the ripped fabric, holding it tight. "Nobody touches me. Nobody comes near me. I mean it."
People stepped back.
Jae-hyun walked forward.
"NO," I said.
He ignored me, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me out of the room while I yelled the whole way.
He kicked the door shut behind us.
The second we were alone, he cornered me. Not violently. Just…close enough that I had nowhere to run.
"What," he said, voice low, "are you hiding?"
My throat dried.
"I'm not hiding anything."
He looked at the ripped dress. Then at my hand clutching it. Then at my face.
"Min-jae."
"What?"
"Tell me."
"No."
He stepped closer.
I felt my heartbeat jump.
His voice dropped even lower. "You're lying."
"No, I'm…"
"You think I don't notice things?"
"I think you don't notice shampoo on sale. Why are we talking about noticing…."
He jabbed a finger toward the dress. "This. All morning. Yesterday. The way you react. The way you flinch every time someone gets too close. Something is off."
My pulse pounded in my ears.
He exhaled, frustrated, rubbing his forehead. "What are you hiding from me?"