"MWO?" Seungcheol exclaimed in surprise to his grandfather Dan.

"You heard me, Seungcheol. I want you to marry Mandie," he said with a serious tone.

Seungcheol shook his head. As soon as he arrived home, his grandfather immediately talked to him. He was utterly shocked by what his grandfather said.

"This is crazy!" he blurted out. "You're kidding! I will not marry that woman!" he firmly refused.

He is not yet out of his mind to marry Mandie. She was the one who ruined his day. And he wondered why his grandfather wanted him to marry Mandie even without meeting her.

"That's an order, Seungcheol. Whether you like it or not, you will marry Mandie," he said as he sat on the sofa. Seungcheol stood there, confused by his grandfather's words.

"You don't even know Mandie, and you haven't even seen her, and now you want me to marry her? That's insane!"

"I know Mandie very well; she's a sweet girl," his grandfather said with a smile. "And besides, she's the one I want to be your wife."

"Do you know Mandie?" he asked in surprise. "How did you meet her? Have you met her?" he asked a series of questions.

"I met Mandie in a photo exhibit. She's talented and really amazing. She's the sweetest girl I have ever known. She has a positive outlook on life. She's a very kind girl, even though she's all alone in this world. From the moment I saw her, I felt comfortable with her. We became friends up until now."

"So, you mean the woman you met and the Mandie you bought the house from are the same person?" he asked, still puzzled. His grandfather was up to something.

His grandfather nodded, "The truth is, I know Mandie by name because she's the only child of the owners of the house I bought. I got to know everything about her because I felt sorry for her as she would lose her home. After I settled that, I intentionally went to the photo exhibit where her works were displayed to get to know her. And I'm lucky that day because I got to know Mandie. She's a very kind girl," his grandfather said with a smile as he recounted the story.

"And back then, I started to like her," he added. Seungcheol looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "And everything went along with my plan, and I'm proud of myself," his grandfather said confidently. "Because everything went along with my plan. Everything was doing fine and smoothly," he grinned.

Seungcheol was perplexed by what his grandfather was saying. He couldn't understand his grandfather's words. Although his grandfather was old, he was still cunning. But he wouldn't agree to his grandfather's wishes. "Mandie is the only one who can straighten you out. I want her to be your wife. It's just the two of you living in that house, and I believe you can't resist her charm," his grandfather said, looking at him intently.

"Charm?" he said mockingly. "That woman has no charm at all. You don't know the trouble she's caused me," he listed all the things Mandie had done that had frustrated him. "You're entertaining wild thoughts, old man," he complained. "Grandpa, can you endure your handsome grandson marrying that fierce Mandie?" he pleaded with his eyes. Maybe he could convince him. It was hard to defy his orders. Not even his father could disobey his grandfather's orders.

His grandfather looked sternly at him. "Maybe you forgot that you made Mandie cry?"

He was taken aback, "How did you know?"

"Mandie told me. And you, being a man!" it pointed at him with its cane. "Stop bringing your women to that house. You're already old enough, so act maturely. You're not the eighteen-year-old Seungcheol anymore. You have to grow up. You really have no sense of responsibility. Do you want to be the talk of the town among those who know you?" it admonished.

Annoyed, he scratched his head. "That woman is such a tattletale. What kind of lies is she spreading about me now? Don't believe Mandie, grandfather. She's the one who's always hitting me," he said, pretending to be pitiful.

"Shut up!" his grandfather raised his voice. Sometimes, it felt like his chest was tightening when he talked to him. "Mandie doesn't know that you're my grandson."

"Mandie doesn't know that you're my grandfather?" he asked, suspecting something. His grandfather was up to something.

"Yes, I will be the one to tell her. What I want you to do as soon as possible is to marry her if you don't want to lose your inheritance, and I will permanently hand over that house to Mandie."

He looked taken aback. "You're just kidding me, old man. This is blackmail!" he exclaimed.

"Huh! I'm not joking, you know that, Seungcheol," it said seriously. "If Mandie is not the one you'll marry, then start packing your bags because I will kick you out of here."

His lips quivered, " 'Pa! What are you saying? What did you see in Mandie that you're doing this to me?" he retorted with frustration.

"I only want Mandie for you," it said firmly. "If you present any other woman to me, think twice, Seungcheol."

He was furious because of Mandie. Why does she have to be known and liked by his grandfather? Now his life is a complete mess.

He knows that whatever his grandfather says, he must follow. No one can change his decisions.

"So, Seungcheol," his grandfather called him. He lifted his head, and they locked eyes. "All you have to say is a yes or no." He thought for a while, looking at his grandfather for a long time. He took a deep breath. "Okay, it's a yes." A victorious smile appeared on his grandfather's face, and he also celebrated. He wouldn't outsmart his grandfather. He would find a way to evict Mandie from the house, and when he did, he would tell his grandfather that Mandie voluntarily left the house. He would take care of the story and make sure that his grandfather would forget the conversation about the inheritance. He would not only get the inheritance but also the house. There was nothing his grandfather could do once Mandie left. He would accept that Mandie wasn't the one for him, and no one could dictate his life.

He would not settle for a woman like Mandie. She wasn't his type, and he would never like her.

______________

"STAND up, I have visitors!" Mandie almost fell off the couch due to Seungcheol's loud voice.

This annoying guy keeps bothering her. She lets him do his antics to drive her away, but she is determined not to leave the house. Let him live his life.

"What now?" she retorted. "Why are you startling me?" She sat back down.

She noticed that he was with some guys. Probably his friends, she presumed. These guys are also handsome, maybe his modeling colleagues.

"Go back to your room! Go back to your cave," he shooed her away.

She ignored him and smiled at his companions.

"Hi, are you Mandie?" the guy asked her. He had a cleft chin and was tall. He was incredibly handsome.

She smiled sweetly, "Yes, that's me."

She was surprised when he took her hand and kissed it, "Nice meeting you, beautiful Mandie. I'm Josh."

She smiled; his friends were actually nice, but this Korean guy had a completely different personality compared to his friends.

She withdrew her hand and smiled again at him.

"Will you stop smiling!" Seungcheol barked at her. He glared at her intensely, his forehead creasing with irritation.

"Why? Is smiling a bad thing?" she replied with a sassy look.

"Go back to your room or, better yet, get us some drinks from the kitchen. Hurry up! I'm not paying you just to smile at my friends."

She was seething with anger at this man. He even embarrassed her in front of his friends. She reluctantly followed his order, although it was against her will. That Korean guy!

She reluctantly got some food and drinks for them. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed some drinks for them.

She returned to the living room. They were chatting when she arrived. Whenever she glanced at his friends, she smiled; they seemed nice. She placed the drinks on the table. Her eyes then met Seungcheol's, who still had an unyielding expression.

"Why is there so little beer?" he complained.

"Get more," he ordered. "Hurry up!" he yelled.

He was really pushing it. She felt humiliated in front of his friends.

Frustrated, she faced him. "I am not your servant here," she said with defiant eyes. "If you want beer, use your own feet to walk to the kitchen. Get it yourself!" she snapped.

She noticed he was getting angrier. "Are you talking back to me now? If you don't want to be kicked out, get me some beer!" he said, not backing down.

His friends watched them. She angrily turned away and went to the kitchen.

"I really hate that Korean guy," she murmured while grabbing the beer.

She turned her head when she heard his friend enter the kitchen.

Facing him, she said with a smile, "I'll bring these out now. Just go back to the living room," she smiled. "Sorry about earlier, that guy can be irritating."

"That's okay, that's just how Seungcheol is," she heard him say. She was about to lift the tray when he stopped her. She looked at him with apprehension.

"Wow, I just noticed that you're beautiful, Mandie," he said softly.

She stepped back, feeling nervous. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth.

"I need to get your drinks," she said with a trembling voice.

She felt his hand on her face as he leaned in and kissed her neck.

"Let go of me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. She never thought that his friends would do something like that.

She cried and struggled, her sobs silent. Trembling with fear, she calmed down when she realized it was moving away from her. Through her blurry vision, she saw it slump to the floor, struck by Seungcheol's punch. She heard a commotion.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she rushed up to her room.

With trembling hands, she locked the door. She weakly sat in the corner of her bed and sobbed.

She was terribly afraid. She thought something bad was going to happen to her. Her chest tightened, and she trembled with fear. She felt unsafe in that house. It was the first time she had felt such fear for her safety.

They were so cruel. She never imagined they could do such things to her. She knew Seungcheol was behind it all; she could feel it. Maybe it was to drive her out of the house, but why did he punch his friend? She was confused, but he succeeded; she was scared. Tomorrow, she would leave the house. It would be painful to leave, but if her safety was at stake, she would go.

______________

"DAMN! Why did you punch me?" Mingyu angrily shouted while touching his injured face. Seungcheol clenched his teeth. "You told me to scare her. I did that, and why in the hell did you punch me?" he continued with anger in his voice.

His other friends also rushed into the kitchen.

"I didn't say you will touch her," he said firmly.

He also didn't understand why he got so angry with his own plan. He should be happy that Mandie got scared, but he couldn't bring himself to feel joy.

"What's your problem, Seungcheol?" Jihoon interjected. "This is what you wanted, right? We did it, you did it, you win."

"Leave now!" he said sharply.

They hesitated, "You know what, man, before you do something, figure out if you can stand by it," Mingyu said.

"Just shut up!"

"You're really messed up, Seungcheol," Mingyu said, shaking his head.

"Get out! Just get out of my house!" he yelled at them.

They brushed past him, and he heard their car leaving.

He clenched his fists and wiped his face with one hand.

What had he done? He hurt Mandie, and he didn't feel good about it. He felt like he hurt himself.

He remembered how she cried earlier and the fear in her eyes. When he saw that, all he wanted to do was comfort her. Mingyu was right; he was messed up. They executed the plan, but he was furious knowing that Mandie got hurt.

With those thoughts in mind, he quickly went to her room and knocked.

"Mandie! Mandie, open the door," he called out. There was no response. He started getting anxious, fearing that something bad might have happened.

"Mandie, please? Open the door," he said, worried. Still, there was no response. He felt even more anxious.

He went downstairs to his room and retrieved the duplicate key his grandfather gave him.

He went back up to Mandie's room immediately and unlocked the door using the key.

His heart sank when he saw Mandie with her head buried in her knees in the corner of her bed.

"Mandie," he called out to her.

She looked up, and he wanted to punch himself for seeing the fear in her eyes. God, what had he done?

He approached her slowly, her eyes filled with tears.

"Mandie, it's me. Don't be afraid," he said gently, reaching out to hold her hand. Thank goodness she didn't resist. Her crying intensified. He couldn't help but pull her close and hug her tightly. She was still trembling and crying.

"Shhh... Mandie, it's over now. Don't cry," he comforted her, gently stroking her back. "I'm sorry, Mandie. I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

He tried to glance at her face for a moment, but she held onto his clothes.

"D-Don't leave me, I-I'm scared," she said weakly.

His heart twinged at her words. In response, he tightened his embrace even more. He smiled as she snuggled into his arms.

As Seungcheol held Mandie, he felt a strange happiness. A feeling he had never experienced before. He had never hugged a girl like this before, as if he was ready to protect the girl in his arms for those moments.

He had never felt that unfamiliar sensation. Now that he was hugging Mandie, all he wanted was to be the only one to embrace her. No one else but him.

In his mind, he didn't realize that Mandie had fallen asleep in his arms. He smiled gently, raised his hand, and stroked her hair. He saw her peaceful face, so innocent.

"Mandie, what did you do to me?" he whispered, struggling with his emotions.

He carefully lifted her and laid her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket. He glanced at her face once more before finally leaving her room.

_________________