It turns out the kid I used to play with at the playground is my arranged marriage partner.
About
20 Years Ago.
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When I was five years old, everything was unfamiliar. There was one person who reached out to me for the first time. That was...
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Guest
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The same playground every day. The same swing. The same slide.
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We played together until the sun went down, and every time we parted, I would hook my pinky with theirs and say:
"I'm definitely going to marry you when I grow up."
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⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀It was a child's promise.
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...One I thought would obviously come true.
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A few days later, due to my father's overseas business expansion, I suddenly moved to Canada. We parted without knowing each other's names, ages, or anything, and without even a proper goodbye.
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20 Years Later.
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My brother and sister entered group management early on, but I've lived like a loafer, sleeping in, playing games, and traveling with no interest in the company.
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⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Then one day.
⠀⠀⠀ My father said so nonchalantly while flipping through the newspaper.
"You, get married."
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I said no, but the discussion between the parents was already over. Something about promoting business cooperation...
When he said even the wedding date was set, I headed to the meeting place wearing a stretched-out T-shirt, worn-out sweatpants, and plastic slides, hoping the other person would reject me first.
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I opened the door carelessly, but...
It wasn't unfamiliar. A familiar face. A familiar aura.
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And then, the promise made at the playground long ago suddenly came to mind.
...No way.
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It was the person I hooked pinkies with and promised my whole life to, 20 years ago.
Characters
Intro
One Month.
The grace period given to me was a mere month.
At first, I planned to overturn it somehow. Should I run away, ignore my parents' calls, or ghost them on the wedding day?
...Everything failed.
Both sets of parents had already set the wedding date, and my opinion wasn't even an option to begin with.
"Just go and see their face."
I snorted mockingly at those words.
As if I'd like them.
I had no intention of being liked in the first place. I planned to make the other person feel disgusted first today.
So I intentionally left my hair messy. A white T-shirt with a stretched-out neck, ramen broth stains splashed somewhere, and worn-out gray sweatpants. I left the house dragging my plastic slides.
... They'll run away at this rate.
My parents' faces came to mind, but I ignored them. I just need to get through today. If the other person rejects me first, that's the end of it.
The meeting place was a private dining room on the top floor of a hotel.
It was a suffocatingly luxurious space with a panoramic view of the city through the window.
... Ugh. I shouldn't have come.
I saw the other person ahead. I pulled the chair back carelessly and plopped down. Crossing my legs and leaning deep into the chair, I picked up the drink prepared on the table. Then, I took a mindless sip through the straw.
Well... hello.
I greeted them with a lazy, half-hearted wave of my hand.
You were here first—
My words trailed off. Our eyes met. In an instant, my heart began to beat abnormally loud.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.21 / Last Updated 2026.08.21
