Chanmi walked into Eric's room, not sure why he'd called her so late. They agreed not to meet in his room anytime after dinner time because that would be sure to raise suspicion. But still, if he'd called her then it must have been something important.  

She slipped into the room, locking the door behind her. Eric was standing by the window, looking outside, but when he heard her come in he turned around and gave her a bright smile, holding out his arms to her. 

She didn't hesitate to run into them, and he held her tight, gently placing a kiss on her forehead. 

"I have some bad news," he said softly. "A slight obstacle in our relationship." 

The words made her tense up, and she buried her head in his chest, squeezing her eyes shut and holding him tight. "What is it?" she asked, desperately trying to brace herself. 

"My parents want me to get married. To the Princess of the Stray Kids Commonwealth."

Chanmi had expected that, she really had. She'd tried preparing herself for this moment countless times. She'd tried imagining how she'd feel at that moment, but nothing had prepared her for the actuality of it. Her heart dropped to the floor, shattering to a million pieces, and she feared that she'd never be able to piece them back together. She'd fallen for Eric way too hard, and she couldn't imagine life without being by his side. 

"Oh," was all she could say, tears falling down her cheeks and dampening Eric's shirt. 

"Don't cry!" he exclaimed when he looked down at her, panic evident in his voice. 

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, turning away in embarrassment and hiding her face in her hands. "I'm fine. I expected this," she whispered, her voice breaking. 

"Chanmi," he whispered, turning her around to face him and pulling her back into his arms. "It'll be alright," he said gently. "I'll figure something out. I promise... I'm not letting go of you that easily," he said, sounding close to tears as well. 

"Don't leave me," she sobbed, gripping the fabric of his shirt. "Please. Please don't leave me." 

"Angel, I'm never leaving you," he whispered, leaning slightly out of the embrace so that he could look at her. He cupped her face in his hands and gently brushed away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. 

Her lower lip trembled as she looked at him, trying so hard to stop herself from crying and yet being unable to. "Don't lie to me," she cried, hiding her face in her hands again. "You and I both know there's nothing we can do to stop it." 

"I'll figure out a way," he said, and when she finally looked up at him she saw that tears were also streaming down his face. "Trust me, I'll figure something out. I'm not leaving you. Not now, not ever." 

"Promise?" she whimpered, her wide eyes staring up into his.

"I promise," he told her gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I promise."