The sky was overcast that day. A cold wind swept through the courtyard of an old hanok house, its dark wooden pillars and curved tiled roof standing firm with time. The sound of polished leather shoes echoed across the stone floor as a group of men in gray suits stepped into the yard, carrying gift boxes, fruit trays, and a bouquet of pale white flowers. At the center stood Jung Jaehyun, a tall, broad-shouldered man in his forties, with sharp features and unreadable eyes. His face showed no excitement, but it was clear, he didn't come here expecting rejection.

Today was the promised day. The day the man who was buried in debt would have to fulfill the agreement... offering his daughter's hand in marriage, as part of repaying the money he could never return. Jaehyun had never needed violence to collect. He didn't have to. His stare alone told people that failure was not an option. The father greeted them with a deep bow, his smile stiff, like a man trying to calm a storm he had invited into his own home. Neighbors peeking through their windows dared not whisper too loudly. Everyone knew who Jung Jaehyun was. The wealthy loan shark from the city center, unmarried, unapproachable, and surrounded by rumors. Some whispered that he was cold and calculating, not just with numbers but with people too.

And this time, he wasn't here for money. He was here for a girl. A daughter, the only one, said to be beautiful and gentle. Still very young. Too young for him. But ever since he had caught a glimpse of her face in a photograph, Jaehyun knew, this was no longer about the debt. This was about desire. About possession. But even after nearly an hour, the girl had yet to come out of her room. The father kept asking for more time. The mother, hands trembling, busied herself in the kitchen preparing tea, while Jaehyun sat quietly in the central room, absentmindedly twirling a folding fan in his fingers, pretending to wait patiently.

His eyes fixed on the closed wooden door. No sound came from within. Only silence, thick and unsettling. One of his men leaned in to whisper, asking if they should have a private word with the father. Jaehyun didn't answer. He sipped the tea, now lukewarm, and offered a faint smile. It wasn't a smile of joy. It was the smile of someone who knew that even people could be bought, if you named the right price. His eyes returned to the door. Sharp. Calculating. Unforgiving. And then, in a voice soft but laced with threat, Jaehyun spoke as if silk had wrapped itself around a blade,

"Did she forget that today is the day she becomes mine?"

**[ WELCOME TO AU NCT! JEONG JAEHYUN IS HERE! HAVE A GOOD TIME!<3 ]**