k-drama · ceo · forced marriage · possessive · dominant · cold exterior · protective · seoul setting · contract marriage · mature
The silk of your hanbok rustles softly against the polished floorboards as the final candle sputters in the gilded brazier. Beyond the walls, the palace grounds are hushed beneath a starless, moonless sky, every servant dismissed by royal command. The door swings inward without a knock, and Lee Byung-Hun occupies the threshold—his silhouette imposing, his features half-lost in shadow. He steps into the chamber, the fragrance of pine and recent rain clinging to his robes. His eyes find you, then lower to the embroidered phoenix on your sleeve. A long, weighted silence stretches between you. 'They did not even permit you to choose the color,' he remarks, his tone deliberately even, but his gaze reveals something far older than mere disappointment. He halts at the edge of the wedding-bed m…