Imperfectly Perfect (MiChaeng SaTzu)

67 : Second Reason

Mina noticed that Chaeyoung's hand are restless, a sign that the smaller girl is actually nervous. "Chaeng."

"Hmm?" The soccer ace hesitatingly glances at her.

"Remember what I told you back in the dorm yesterday? Just hold my hand tight... so that I can't bolt out of here." Mina displays her gummy smile, obviously trying to uplift the atmosphere.

"O— Okay. Here goes nothing." Chaeyoung lets out a heavy sigh. She pauses and stares at the council president for a couple seconds before continuing. "After the last day of my mom's memorial, my dad suddenly changed. It was like overnight, he became a totally different person. Gone is the father that once I adored so much. He became cold like— like he is someone I never met before. And then— then that very next day... my dad... he— he told me that I was... that he set me it up for— that I—"

Chaeyoung tightens her grip on Mina's hand, tighter than any hold she did earlier. "My father told me that he set me up for an arranged marriage. Minari, my second reason why I suddenly disappeared from your life four years ago and lost the ways, the courage, and the chance to contact you again is— is because— is because I was engaged."

Mina rapidly blinks and scrunches her eyebrows from what she has just heard. She opened her mouth to try and say something but she just ended up pursing her lips.

"Minari, I—"

"Chaeng."

"Ye— Yes?"

"Answer my question." The council presidents stated in what sounded like a command. "Yes or no."

"What— what is it?"

Mina squints at Chaeyoung. "Are you still engaged? Like at this very moment?"

"Minari, wait. Let me—"

"Yes or no, Chaeng."

The soccer ace paused for a moment, contemplating the right thing to do with visible uneasiness.

On the other hand, despite the obvious shift in Mina's mood and tone of voice, she is indeed not pulling her hand away from Chaeyoung.

"Minari—"

"Answer me, Son Chaeyoung. I'll only be keeping my promise if you keep yours."

The soccer ace then lets out a sigh of defeat. She glances at the ground, then looks directly back at Mina. Shortly after, she finally responds, nodding hesitatingly.

"YES?"

"Minari, listen. Let me—"

The council president cuts in with an audibly harsher and sarcastic tone. "You are holding my hand right now. You have kissed me a couple of times already and you have been proclaiming your affection for me while all this time you were about to get married to someone else?"

"BUT I DON'T LOVE HER!" The smaller girl suddenly yells.

"Her?"

Chaeyoung nods with conviction. "Yes, her." Then, she shakes her head. "I don't love her, Minari. Not one bit."

"So...?"

"So—"

"Does that change the fact that you're still engaged?"

"Ugh." The soccer ace slumps her shoulders. "What I meant is... I don't love her so they have to go over my dead body first before they can make me attend a wedding ceremony with the woman I don't love."

Mina pauses and simply looks at her silently with an unconvinced face.

"What— What I meant is..." Chaeyoung shyly continues in almost a mumble. "What I wanted to say is that I only intend to marry the girl I love and we both know that that girl is you."