Ju-Hee pushed past people, trying to make a way for herself on the busiest lane of London. She checked the time to find that she was running late. It was 8:10pm. She was supposed to reach the cafe by 8 but the owner told her to stay back as there were a lot more customers than he could handle. She entered the cafe to find that it was buzzing with customers which was a good thing since meeting him alone felt a bit awkward.

"Hey, I'm so sorry." Ju-Hee exclaimed as she reached the table the boy was seated at , and pulled out a chair for herself.

"Actually there were a lot more customers than usual so the owner told me to stay for a few minutes." She started explaining, chuckling nervously that she didn't make him upset or something.

"It's fine. Relax." Theodore offered her a glass of water which she gladly accepted and chugged it down in one go.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about? Something about helping me out?" She immediately jumped to the topic without wasting any second. Theodore could see she was desperate to get out of the situation.

"I have a question." He asked , taking a sip of water from the glass, his hands trembling slightly,"Are you afraid of marriage or are you afraid of marrying that madman?"

Ju-Hee was confused.

"What type of question is this?" Her eyebrows furrowed together as she spoke,"Actually.  . to answer that I should say .  . both!"

It was theodore's turn to be confused.

"Both the situation  are equally terrifying." Ju-Hee exclaimed,"Don't you think I'm too young to get married?"

Theodore leaned forward and inhaled sharply,"I don't think I can help you out then."

"I don't understand." She shook her head.

Theodore shifted uncomfortably on his chair and released a heavy sigh.

"I was thinking maybe you could marry me."

He answered timidly.

"Sorry?" She sounded frustrated which made Theodore feel like he shouldn't have suggested this idea. It sounded funny ; him asking his ex - schoolmate to marry him !

"Actually.  ." Theodore didn't know how to continue the conversation, hoping to mysteriously evaporate from the chair but it wasn't possible so he said what he had planned,"I wanted to move into a new house and well the owner was a bit adamant on giving the flat only to married couples."

Before Ju-Hee could ask , he continued,"So I thought we could help each other, I would get a wife and you won't have to marry that madman."

Ju-Hee stared at him wide eyed. She was in a dilemma. The plan actually sounded nice but it was a bit difficult to convince her father and go against his wish.

"You said your father was doing a favour by marrying you off to a rich man.  . I'm not rich but .  . well, we can lie." Theodore added, waiting for the girl to say something since she kept staring at him.

"This is crazy!" Ju-Hee shrieked.

Theodore nodded,"Yes , it is."

Ju-Hee sighed and poured out a glass of water, her mind in utter chaos , debating whether this was a good idea or not. Theodore was handsome but she knew nothing about his personality. Also, how was she going to convince her father that she wants to marry him and not that madman. Du-Sik would be upset too for marrying a stranger.

"So.  . a contract marriage?" Ju-Hee finally spoke up after a long , uncomfortable silence.

"You can say that." Theodore asserted.

"It's not easy to convince my father though? And also, you're fine with marrying a stranger just for a house?" Ju-Hee had a lot of questions brooding in her head.

"Look, it's the cheapest one and also that landlady is a witch so I can easily pay her wizard money and get a house far away from my mansion. I'm fine as long as I'm getting a roof above my head." He explained and immediately added,"You're not a stranger. I'll try to get to know you more and make you feel comfortable."

"So if we're getting married, I'll have to move into your house, right?" She asked even though it was obvious otherwise her father would never believe her.

"Yes."

Running a hand through her hair, she slumped her shoulders down before speaking again,"What about your family?" She knew that his mother was dead and his father was locked up in Azkaban but she should be considerate and ask about other members, right?

"You don't need to worry about that." Theodore said, making Ju-Hee apologize as she thought he didn't like her asking about his family.

"I need some time to think about this." Ju-Hee asserted as she got up from the chair and bowed,"See you later. Thank you for coming."

Ju-Hee reached home and her hands suddenly felt sweaty as she knocked on the door. Her father opened the door, his eyes barely open and a foul smell coming from him. Without saying a word, he stumbled back to the couch and laid down.

"Appa." Ju-Hee breathed, standing near the couch," I want to talk to you."

He grunted and raised his head up before pushing the words out,"What?"

Ju-Hee felt her knees getting weak and the courage she had mustered up, leaving her body, all at once.

"Appa.  ." She lowered her eyes to avoid looking at her father's furious eyes,"I am dating someone." She closed her eyes shut and took a step back as she felt her father approaching her.

"Who's this madman dating you? He must have lost his mind. Or maybe is he blind?" He roared and laughed like it was the funniest thing he had heard in his whole life.

"Appa, I love him. I can't marry someone else." Ju-Hee was shaking as she fell on her knees, ready to beg incase he declines.

"Give me a name." He urged, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Theodore Nott."

"Nott?" He repeated and frowned,"His father is in Azkaban isn't he? Hmm.  .." He drawled off and started pacing back and forth which just made Ju-Hee felt afraid that he might not allow it,"His father must have left his fortune for his son."

Ju-Hee kept quiet and her eyes glued to the floor, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Tell him to meet me tomorrow."

"What?" Ju-Hee couldn't believe her ears that he agreed to meet him and didn't even argue for her dating someone.

"You heard me." He screeched and fell down on the couch, his eyes shutting close. Ju-Hee was surprised. She pulled herself up and ran upstairs, immediately pulling out a parchment to write to Theodore that she's ready for the contract marriage. She was just afraid of how Du-Sik would react once he gets to know about this marriage.

Du-Sik didn't know how to react after hearing what Ju-Hee had said.

"He agreed to it?" He asked, sitting down on the chair in his room while Ju-Hee was standing by the door.

"Yeah. He asked Theodore to meet him tomorrow."

Du-Sik sighed,"I understand why you're so adamant on escaping this marriage but marrying someone else can't be a solution."

"I don't have any other option.  .  ." Ju-Hee mumbled,"When I went to the party, I heard some of the people murmuring about Mr. Lee's son. Something like 'Is he still like that?' 'Who will marry him?' 'How will he manage after his father died?'"

"So he's not okay?" Du-Sik frowned,"Appa wants you to marry him because he thinks that no one will marry you?"

Ju-Hee waited for a few seconds, trying to figure out why her father was so keen on getting her married.

"Maybe he's just doing it for the money?"

"Mr. Lee is hella rich. That's true." Du-Sik nodded. He got up from the chair and sat down next to Ju-Hee who looked confused and stressed.

"Listen, you should have thought about it more. You don't even know this Theodore guy. I understand you must have been so stressed that you didn't give a single thought. But if you've decided, it's fine with me. As long as you're happy and safe, I'm good." He smiled, pulling her in a side hug.

"Thank you." Ju-Hee whispered as a tear rolled down her cheeks.