Chapter Text
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It was a beautiful day that started off with a sunny morning. Despite the chilly breeze that flowed effortlessly through the open windows. After a cup of coffee, Lee Minho felt more awake now than before. He blinked his eyes a few times and shifted his gaze toward the kitchen window. He looked out of it and sighed. Outside was the sight of neighbors walking their dogs, children on their way to school, and people leaving for work.
It was peaceful... A calming and normal thing to see.
He heard footsteps against the polished marble floor and turned his head. His husband, Park Jungwon came in fixing his tie and running his hands through his gelled hair. He was getting ready for work like he always did at this early hour. Minho had woken up even earlier to make the man breakfast, which Jungwon barely ate.
"I'm leaving," he half-heartedly announced to Minho.
"Okay," he quietly replied.
Minho watched as his husband walked out of their home and shut the door behind him. He hurried into his expensive car and sped away for the day like usual. Minho released the bite he had on his bottom lip and let a breath slip from his lips. He was tense the whole time and only started to relax again now. He welcomed the loneliness. In fact, it was the only thing that brought him the slightest bit of comfort. He didn't have judging eyes watching him for the smallest mistake or an arrogant voice ready to yell at him.
At least for a few hours... for a few hours a day, he was safe. He was alone.
If it wasn't already obvious enough, Minho and his husband aren't affectionate. They don't love each other and their marriage was a forced one. The only time Minho ever gets a glimpse of affection from Jungwon is when he demands sex after a long day's work. Otherwise, they barely speak to each other and Minho tries his very best to avoid him. It wasn't an ideal relationship, let alone a marriage. But, Minho didn't have a choice. He had to stay. His parents arranged this for him.
Minho sighed again as he put his cup in the sink and took the stairs to their, unfortunately, shared bedroom. He went straight to their joined bathroom. Minho stopped in front of the mirror and visibly flinched at his own reflection. It was a sad sight. He had bags under his eyes, his hair was a mess, and his smooth skin was littered with prominent as well as fading bruises.
This was Minho's harsh reality.
A marriage without love, without choice, and with an abusive husband.
He reached for the foundation on the bathroom counter and made quick work of covering Jungwon's cruel artwork up. "Just another day..."
He stepped inside his walk-in closet and chose a simple outfit. Black zip-up t-shirt and ripped jeans with white sneakers. He brushes and styles his hair before taking a denim jacket with him in case it gets cold. He grabs his car keys off the counter and locks the door behind him.
This was Minho's life.
He didn't work but he did have a dream he had to give up a long time ago. He was a dancer. Still is a dancer with his very own studio. But he can never go professional or try and debut. Not anymore. Now he's just considered a house 'husband' or something very close to one. He grew up rich and with every luxury a person could think of. His father was the owner of a lot of big corporate companies. They owned mostly online websites but they did have one or two warehouses too.
His family is thought to be one of the richest in South Korea. A lot of people see this as something to be jealous of. It's enviable and any kid would be lucky to be born with parents like his. His life must be perfect. And it was in the beginning, he honestly had the best life. He went out with friends, hosted parties, slept around, and worked his ass off to achieve his dream. And then it all went down the drain because of his parents, but mainly his father's ego and pride.
Every day Minho wakes up and forces himself out of bed. He forces himself to smile, to laugh, to look happy. He even forces himself to eat and get up time and time again when he gets beaten down. He forces himself just to breathe. Just to live.
For almost two years now, Minho has been married to Park Jungwon. A guy that was three years older than him. He was twenty-two while Minho was nineteen when they got married. The so-called second richest family in South Korea. The Park family. Growing up, Minho knew one thing for sure and that was that the Lees and Parks were business enemies. They were always competing against each other like kids. Anything and everything was on the table when it came to their personal bets. Wealth and success were the only two things that either family cared about.
Which is where Minho's life sacrifice came in.
The two families fighting became so bad that their public image and their companies' consumers were close to boycotting the two families if they didn't patch things up. So the only genius idea they could come up with happened to be a marriage arrangement between their children. This satisfied the public and ended with both families staying on top of the food chain. Holding all the power.
Jungwon as the only son of the Park family and Minho as the only son of the Lee family. Naturally, neither of them liked this idea, not one bit. But unfortunately, Jungwon and Minho had one thing in common. They always did what their parents told them to. Minho used to be an overconfident person, quick-witted, and someone who was strong enough to overcome anything. He's not that anymore, not even close. He doesn't know his own worth and he doesn't care to either. He's just a pawn. Someone his parents can use like a puppet.
Once Minho cut the engine of his car, he handed his keys over to the building's valet and climbed out. He was at his studio. One of the many buildings that his family owned. It was also the place that a lot of dancers, music composers, and singers rented out.
He took the elevator up and hid out in his studio for a few hours. He danced and listened to demo songs that his friend had given him. His friend was a song composer as well as a rapper and singer. He was also considered one of Minho's best friends. When he was done and it was around lunchtime, he went out to eat at a popular restaurant in Gangnam alone.
After that, he left to go back home. He slaved away in the kitchen to prepare a big meal for when his husband came home. They had maids and a housekeeper too but none of them worked today. It was their one day off. So Minho cooked and cleaned up the house.
It was around 7 pm when he dished up the food and set two plates at the dining table. He waited and waited and even fell asleep waiting. But his husband never came home. This was normal. Minho expected it. It was his reality, after all.
His wonderful and luxurious life as a rich heir.