Chapter Thirty – Always You
The ballroom spun with gasps and whispers, but all Amara could hear was the pounding of her own heart. Joon-Ho’s hand was warm in hers, steady, grounding. His words still echoed through her chest: I choose you, Amara. Always.
For weeks, she had convinced herself he didn’t care. For nights, she cried into her pillow, believing he had chosen silence over her. And yet, here he was, standing against the world with his gaze fixed only on her.
Her lips parted, trembling. “Joon-Ho… are you sure? This—this is everything you’ve ever known.”
His smile was soft, unshakable. “What’s the point of everything if it means living without you?”
A lump rose in her throat. Tears stung her eyes, but this time, they weren’t only from pain—they were from the terrifying, overwhelming joy of being seen, of being loved without condition.
Behind them, his father’s voice thundered like a storm. “You are throwing away your birthright! For her?”
But Joon-Ho didn’t flinch. He turned, his voice clear and firm enough to silence the murmurs. “No, Father. I’m not throwing anything away. I’m choosing my life. My future. And it’s with her.”
The crowd erupted into a frenzy—some shocked, some scandalized, others secretly admiring his defiance. His mother’s face was pale, unreadable, but his father’s fury burned through the hall like fire.
Amara squeezed his hand, whispering, “You’ll lose everything.”
Joon-Ho shook his head. “Not everything. Not if I have you.”
And with that, he leaned down, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that silenced the entire room. It wasn’t gentle—it was fierce, desperate, a declaration as much as a promise. When they finally pulled apart, her cheeks flushed and her breath unsteady, she knew this was no longer just a fleeting romance.
This was forever.
The music resumed, hesitant at first, then bolder, as if the room itself had accepted what had just happened. People whispered, but Amara no longer cared.
Joon-Ho turned to her, his thumb brushing her cheek. “No matter how hard it gets, no matter what my family tries to take from me—I’ll fight. Because nothing is harder than losing you.”
Amara’s tears spilled freely now, but she smiled through them. “Then we fight together.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her as if the world outside the ballroom no longer mattered. And for the first time since arriving in Seoul, Amara didn’t feel like the outsider, the girl who didn’t belong.
She felt chosen. She felt home.
And as they stood there, hearts racing and futures uncertain, one truth was clear—
They had won.
Because love, against all odds, had triumphed.
