BENEATH THE RIVALS STARS

THE EVE OF THE VOW

Chapter 4: The Eve of the Vow (Yoo-Jin Age 17, Ji-Hoon Age 24)

: The Princess’s Worry

The air in Han Yoo-Jin’s dressing room was humid with the scent of expensive perfume and hairspray. Tonight marked her seventeenth birthday, a final, gilded celebration before her formal entrance into adulthood—a highly scrutinized event in Seoul's high society.

Yoo-Jin sat before a triple mirror, a vision in a custom gown, the jade pendant from Kwon Ji-Hoon resting coolly beneath the satin of her dress, exactly where it had been for seven years. The makeup artist worked meticulously, transforming the princess into a striking young woman, but Yoo-Jin's focus was elsewhere.

The door opened, and Lee Min-Hwa, Yoo-Jin's mother, entered, her eyes shining with emotion.

"In the blink of an eye," her mother murmured, standing behind her, "my little princess has grown into a young lady. In a year, you'll be an adult." She leaned down and kissed her daughter's head, the gesture full of love and a touch of melancholy.

Yoo-Jin instantly stood and hugged her mother tightly. "Mommy, I will always be your little princess."

Min-Hwa held her close, a few tears welling up. "I know, my baby," she whispered.

But as her mother led her downstairs, Yoo-Jin’s mind was a whirlwind of anxiety that had nothing to do with her elegant appearance or the expectations of the crowd.

Below, the immense ballroom was filled with hundreds of Seoul's elite. Her father, Han Seo-Joon, and her brother, Han Jun-Woo, stood ready to receive guests, basking in the glow of their family’s perfection. All eyes were instantly on Yoo-Jin, but the attention was wasted.

She had only one thought: Ji-Hoon.

He hadn't contacted her in three days, not since a cryptic text stating he was leaving on an emergency business trip for Kwon Enterprises. She knew her birthday was the busiest, most guarded night of the year, a night they usually reserved for their secret exchange, but this silence was different.

The usual worry—Is he going to miss the ritual?—was replaced by a cold dread: Had something bad happened to him?

She dismissed the pleasantries of the early guests, a stubborn resolve hardening in her heart. She couldn't wait a day. She planned to purchase a ticket and track him down early tomorrow morning, using the discreet resources she had already begun accumulating for her modeling career. The Kwons might be his family, but she was his true protection.

Yoo-Jin did not know that, far from being in danger, Kwon Ji-Hoon (age 24) was simply completing a final, crucial deal. A deal that would leave him with just enough time to fly back, sneak past his own security, and execute a meticulously planned surprise.

He wasn't planning a birthday gift this year. He was preparing a hidden, intense proposal for her to finally be his girlfriend, ready to risk everything for the girl he had loved and protected for fourteen years.

The tension is now at its peak! Yoo-Jin is ready to defy her family for Ji-Hoon, while Ji-Hoon is ready to defy his for her.

Would you like the next scene, Chapter 4, to focus on: