The proposal

The Park residence, once filled with warmth and chatter, now echoed with a silence Jimin had grown used to. Curtains were drawn tight against the evening sky, the air thick with dust and unspoken grief.

At the long dining table, numbers flickered on the screen before them, merciless in their precision. Profits dwindling. Branches failing. A line of red that refused to turn black.

“You’ve dug us into a hole, Jimin,” Mr. Park’s voice was steady, but it carried the finality of a gavel. His fingers drummed against the polished wood, each tap a reminder of mistakes too heavy to undo. “And we can’t climb out of it without help.”

Jimin sat straighter, refusing to shrink beneath his father’s gaze. “It was a calculated risk. The market shifted—no one could have predicted—”

“Calculated?” His uncle snapped from the far end, his lips curling. “It was reckless. And now the family name bleeds for it.”

The words stung because they weren’t wrong. Jimin had taken risks—expansions, new ventures—believing he could save what was crumbling. Instead, he had only hastened the fall.

The double doors opened then, without a knock. The butler’s voice trembled as he announced:

“Sir, Mr. Min has arrived. With his secretary.”

The air shifted instantly. Mr. Park straightened, desperation masked behind brittle pride. Jimin’s pulse quickened, though his expression stayed firm.

Two figures entered.

First, Min Yoongi. His presence carried no flourish, yet the room bent subtly around him. A sharp suit, sharper eyes—he moved like gravity itself. Behind him was Kim Seokjin, tall, poised, confidence radiating with every step. If Yoongi was the storm, Seokjin was the lightning that warned of it.

“Mr. Park,” Seokjin greeted smoothly, his voice velvet threaded with steel. “You know why we’re here.”

Jimin’s father stood, bowing slightly. “Of course. Please, sit.”

Yoongi’s gaze flickered briefly to Jimin as he sat. Dark, unreadable, unrelenting. Jimin forced himself not to look away.

Seokjin began without ceremony. “The debts. The collapsed branches. The failed expansion. Without intervention, the Park name will not survive the year.”

Jimin bristled. “You don’t need to remind us of what we already know.”

Seokjin’s lips curved faintly, amused. “Reality doesn’t bend for pride, young Park.”

Jimin’s uncle muttered something about ruined futures, but Yoongi’s voice cut through, low and detached

“There’s a way to fix this. A deal.”

Jimin turned to him, his chest tightening. “A deal?”

Seokjin leaned back, eyes glinting. “A marriage. Between you and Mr. Min.”

The word landed like stone. Silence rippled, heavy, suffocating.

Jimin froze, the ground shifting beneath him. His father didn’t. He only nodded faintly, as if he had rehearsed this.

“With Jimin,” Seokjin clarified, gaze deliberately steady, “and Yoongi.”

The world tilted. Jimin rose abruptly, his chair scraping the floor.

“You can’t be serious. Marriage? Like I’m some pawn to be traded off for your convenience?”

“Watch your tone,” his father snapped, though his voice wavered.

Jimin’s chest ached with betrayal. “You knew about this? And you agreed?”

Mr. Park couldn’t meet his eyes. “It’s for survival, Jimin. For the company. For us.”

Yoongi’s calm voice slid into the chaos, carrying more weight than a shout.

“You don’t have to like it. But you’ll learn—it’s easier to obey than to fight a storm you can’t control.”

Jimin’s gaze burned into his. His voice was steady, though his blood roared in his ears.

“Then maybe I’d rather drown.”

The words hung between them—daring, reckless. Yoongi’s eyes didn’t waver. And though his face stayed unreadable, something flickered there for the briefest moment. Amusement. Interest.

And perhaps, the faintest spark of anticipation.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***