A/N: Hey everyone! This is my entry for the romance contest #RomanceToBeorNottoBe 

Enjoy and happy reading :)

________________________

He was pointing his gun right at me. I knew exactly where he was aiming for; my heart. The most ideal place to shoot a target for a sure kill. Luckily for him, I gave my bulletproof vest to a civilian who had a precious little baby with her earlier today. Without the essential protection, I was a very easy target. 

His eyes were slightly squinted and his brows were furrowed in concentration, ensuring that he wouldn't miss the shot. "Shoot it!" I heard myself speak up, challenging him. I saw his shoulders tensed up upon hearing my voice. He stilled and raised his head up from its previous tilted position.

I dropped my gun down on the ground, making a loud thudding sound. I slowly took my tinted glasses off, revealing myself to him. He slowly put his arms down but I stopped him before he could even do so.

"DON'T! Don't you dare put that gun down!" I threatened him as soon as I pulled the pistol from my belt and pointed it straight at him. He quickly repositioned himself, uncertain if I was going to shoot him or not. He knew I was mad - no, that was an understatement - I was beyond mad, I was furious at him. Furious at how he had betrayed me.

I still remembered everything even though five years had already passed. I couldn't get over him, and until this very day, he remained to be the love of my life.

"Why did you bring me here? You're the least religious person I have ever met. Are you trying to impress me, Mr. Lee?" I asked him with a raised brow and a smirk playing along my lips. I glanced around the beautiful church once again and smiled as the memory of my deceased parents renewing their vows at this very altar played in my head.

"Let's take a walk?" He suggested and pulled my hand before I could even respond. We walked down the aisle together and I couldn't help myself but goofily smile at how cheesy we were being. I sent him skeptical glances now and then but he had his attention focused on the altar as if he was playing a scene in his head. We halted right in front of the altar before the steps of the stage and stared at the cross that was hanged on the wall.

We stayed silent for a whole minute before I spoke up. "Seriously Markus, why did you bring me here?" I asked.

He took a hold of both of my hands and fully faced me. "Your grandma told me that this church has a very special place in your heart. This is where your parents got married and redid their vows fifteen years later when you turned twelve." He explained and I couldn't help but smile at the memory. "And I hope it's okay if this is where we get married as well." He said, all too suddenly, wiping the smile off of my face.

"What are you saying, Markus?" I gawked at him, completely astounded.  

"I know we haven't known each other for awhile and we've only been going out for a year. But what I'm saying is..." He started off as he released both of my hands, grabbed a small red box in his back pocket, and bended on one knee before me. My hands quickly flew to cover my mouth in surprise and felt the tears forming in my eyes. "Will you marry me, Katherine Dale Cassler and make me the happiest man alive?"

A tear ran down my cheek and nodded my head like a fool in response. "Yes." I gasped out. "Yes, I'll marry you Markus Ponso Lee!" I responded as he inserted the ring on my finger and pulled me into a tight hug, placing a quick peck on my lips.

"I love you." I whispered in his ear when I pulled him into another tight embrace.

"I love you more." He declared, placing his head against mine. "And I will love you until my very last breath."

A series of claps echoed in the deserted chapel, and there I saw my grandmother, my aunt and my uncle with my little cousins in tow, and my friends standing by the door. I showed them my left hand that had the ring on it and grinned widely at them. I couldn't believe that I was going to marry the love of my life.

~ * ~ * ~

"You're not marrying that woman!" I heard a commanding, deep voice echoed in Markus' apartment. I was going to surprise him since it was his birthday. I got his favourite mouse cake from the bakery shop across the street where we had first met. After that, we 'coincidentally' bumped into each other two more times before he asked me out and pulled on the whole 'destiny' shenanigans on me. We had been inseparable since then.

"Why not, dad? Because she's white?! Because she's American?!" I heard the disgust and venom leaking out of Markus' voice. My breathing hitched in my throat at the mention of his dad. Whenever Markus and I would speak about his parents, he would always change the topic or excuse himself out of the conversation. From then on, I learned to stop asking him about his family.

"Because fooling around was not part of this operation! I gave you this case to spy on the US army, not play around with the sergeant!" His father barked at him. I froze behind the wall that was hiding me from their eyesight in the living room. Saying that I was surprised was an understatement. I felt like the biggest fool in the world for believing Markus' lie. I knew it was too good to be true.

"I love her. And I'm going to marry her whether you like it or not." Markus proclaimed determinedly. I just didn't know if I should believe him anymore. I felt as if someone was clenching my heart and ripping it out of my chest.

"And get yourself persecuted for breaking our law? Sure, if that's how little your life means to you." I heard some shuffling and quickly hid myself farther against the wall, afraid that they would see me.

"Dad-"

"That's Wonsu to you." His father interrupted him. "Consider me dead as your father if you choose to marry that woman." (A/N: "Wonsu" means the Marshal of the Korean People's Army of North Korea. It's one of the highest ranks in the Korean People's army. There has always been a feud going on between the North Korea and the USA. In this story, Katherine is a sergeant of the US army and Markus is a colonel in the Korean People's Army, making their love 'forbidden' so to speak.) 

"You know the only reason why I entered the military was because of you. I did it for you, dad. So why can't you do this for me? Why can't you let me be happy?" 

"Once the war breaks out, just know that I won't hesitate to shoot you." His father threatened him, completely disregarding what he had just said.

I heard the sound of footsteps coming closer to me, yet I ignored it. I was still in a haze and it was difficult to try and process everything at that very moment. In no time, I saw Markus' father standing tall in front of me. Markus definitely got his chinky eyes, sharp jaw, and tall height from his father. We were staring at each other, both of us too surprised to even speak a word to one another.

"Dad, dad, wait-" I heard Markus called after him and halted in his steps when he saw me. "Kath..." He whispered, greatly astounded.

"Happy birthday." I impassively greeted him and shoved the box of cake towards his chest before storming out.

"Kath, wait! Kath, please, please let me explain!" He chased after me and had finally caught my arm when we were standing outside in the freezing cold. He forced me to face him and caught my face in between his hands but I shoved him away.

"Don't even dare on taking another step." I threatened him as he obeyed and kept a five feet distance from me.

"Kath, I'm really sorry. I was going to tell you but-"

"When?! When were you planning on telling me? When we're married?! When we're standing face-to-face on the day of the war ready to shoot each other to death?!" I furiously roared at him. If he thought a simple apology would make me crawl back to him, he had something else going for him. He opened his mouth to defend himself but ended up closing it once again.

"I really thought you were different. I thought you were different from all those guys who only used me because of my profession. But clearly I was wrong. You're the worst of them all." I bitterly spat at him as I felt a tear escaped my eye, my breathing shallowing.

"Yes, yes I admit that the reason why I approached you was because I was sent to spy on the US army." He confessed, which explained the 'coincidental' meetings we had. Turned out it wasn't destiny after all. "But as I got to know you, as I spent more and more time with you, I realized that I was falling in love with you. That I've never felt this way for anyone ever before. I love you, Kath." He claimed, taking a couple of steps towards me. "I love you and I will do everything for you. Even if it means turning my back on my parents, on my country."

I shook my head as a tear ran down his cheek. "I can't. I can't trust you anymore." I lastly uttered, removing the ring off of my finger and placing it in his palm. I walked away, this time, successfully without him following after me.

"Katherine, please, I don't wanna do this to you." He pleaded and I could hear the pain in his voice, snapping me out of my trance.

"Do what? Hurt me? Kill me?!" I scowled at him. "A little too late for that, don't you think? You've broken me way beyond repair. I can't even come to trust anyone, not even my own squad, without thinking that they're some sort of a spy. The only place where I found peace and calmed me down now reminds me of how foolish I have been for stupidly believing that fairytale exists. You've hurt me and killed me over and over again and the funny thing is, you were probably off somewhere partying and jumping in joy for deceiving such a gullible sergeant. I'm not that same Katherine who fell for your tricks. Because that Katherine died a long time ago."

"Please, Kath. I'm not going to shoot you." He stated, yet he remained in his stance with his gun pointing directly at my chest.

"See you on the other side, Mr. Lee." 

Before I know it, I heard a gun shot went off and a thudding sound of a body falling on the ground.