CHAPTER ONE

Hyukjae gapped at his parents and could only manage a soft stuttered out “W-w-what?” at them as his mind tried to wrap itself around the sudden news- HIS ENGAGEMENT NEWS- his parents, ever so graciously has descended upon him.

“It’s just because we are worried about you, Son.” Hyukjae’s father kept explaining with a calm and satisfied aura around him. “You have buried yourself under the pile of responsibilities regarding your company… I am not saying I am not proud of your dedication… but you have to agree that your lack of social life is kind of unsettling.”

“I have a social life,” Hyukjae mumbled out in protest. “I have friends…” Hyukjae glanced toward his left where his best friend was sitting; luxuriously sipping the coffee his mother had prepared for them, and silently begged him to back him up.

“You do?” Kyuhyun asked back incredulously. “Huh, I never knew that.”

Hyukjae really wanted to strangle his so-called best friend or facepalm himself really hard, but he knew in the current situation either of the tempting scenarios was not welcomed so he turned back to face his parents.

“Please, ignore him,” Hyukjae muttered with slumped down shoulders. “But the main point is; this is so sudden and fast. I would have needed time to get over the fact that you want me to get married but, right now you are telling me I am already engaged to someone-”

“Amber,” His mom chimed in the name of his fiancé while cutting off Hyukjae’s well-drawn argument.

“Okay, Amber then! But you have to agree that this is quite fast for normal matchmaking.” Hyukjae went on even with the interruption. “I haven’t even seen the girl yet.”

“But you are welcome to see her picture like I already told you.” His Father said with a calm shrug and gestured toward the table top where- Hyukjae cringed to even think about it- sat a large envelope with a black velvet box on top of it. Yes! The box containing Hyukjae’s engagement ring! His parents sure play thoroughly.

“I am only 29,” Hyukjae tried a different approach. “I don’t think marriage at this age is that necessary?”

“And so is Lee Sungmin but he is already happily married.” His father pointed out much to Hyukjae’s dismay.

Hyukjae resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his father’s comment… of course, Lee Sungmin would always be a step ahead from him and his father would rub it in his face at the first chance he gets. Hyukjae’s father comparing him with Sungmin was no surprise for Hyukjae… he did have to go through this since kindergarten… the poor kid was always Hyukjae rival in everything, even without his knowledge.

“But it’s too fast…,” Hyukjae was resolved to come back to his initial argument since he could see that his parents would not let him off the hook just like he wishes.

“You still have two weeks before the marriage,” Kyuhyun in the conversation effortlessly as he leaned forward to put his empty coffee cup back on table’s surface and snatch the black velvet box from the table. “You can do all the things you need to do in these two weeks like, getting a tux, arranging a bachelor party and stuff…,” Kyuhyun muttered as he looked at his friend, whose left eye was twitching uncontrollably as he glared at Kyuhyun. “Aish, fine I would arrange that bachelor party for you… all you have to do is get a tux for your wedding… I am pretty sure Uncle and Aunty have already arranged everything else, right?” Hyukjae’s parents nodded quite enthusiastically at Kyuhyun’s inquiry. Kyuhyun’s smile mirrored theirs as he proceeds to open the box he had been towing in his hand for last minute and an appreciated whistle left his lips. “Nice!”

Hyukjae tried leaning a little to his left, as discretely as possible, to take a small look at the ring in it. It was a simple platinum ring, with a single diamond marring its face on the top. Hyukjae liked it in one glance, the simple and pure thing giving its elegance like no other.

“You like?” Kyuhyun asked back in a teasing manner making Hyukjae straighten up and scowl at his smirking friend before huffing loudly and leaving the room in mere seconds.

“Hyukjae?” Hyukjae’s Mother tried calling him but the said guy didn’t turn around to acknowledge the gesture. Mrs. Lee turned to share a sad look with her husband.

“Don’t worry Aunty,” Kyuhyun tried cheering the mother like figure with his joking manners. “He just got shy with his marriage talk… I assure you he is over the moon right now.”

Mr. Lee snorted as Kyuhyun misinterpreted the expressions of their son.

“Kyuhyun, you need to talk to him.”Mr. Lee said after gaining his serious manner again. He knew that Hyukjae will listen to his friend better than anyone.

“Of course, Uncle,” Kyuhyun promised as he got off the couch and grabbed the lone enveloped off the table and started making his way to his friend bedroom. Kyuhyun smirked as soon as he was out of his friend’s parent’s sight and rolled his eyes at the elderly couple. “Do they honestly think Hyuk and I don’t know what they are up to?” Kyuhyun whispered to himself.

O-o-o-o-O

Amber continuously blinked her eyes as she stared at the ring, sitting on the black surface quite innocently, but Amber knew that ring was anything but innocent since she could feel the way that ring was mocking her.

“If,” Amber started and then paused to gather her thoughts one more time. “IF this is some sort of a joke Hae asked you to play on me, I swear, I am gonna flip really bad.”

Amber’s mother rolled her eyes at her daughter’s warning, “It’s not a joke. You ARE engaged to your father’s friend’s son- you remember Uncle Lee, right?”

Amber shook her head slightly, just to clear her head, before saying, “I do remember him… he was my math’s teacher, remember?” Amber asked with her nose slightly crunched up since math’s was not her favorite subject which automatically meant that Mr. Lee was not one of her favorite teachers as well and it didn’t help that he would always tell her father about her shortcomings in that subject.

 Both, Amber’s father and Mr. Lee, being the teacher’s at SJ middle school were naturally friends but Amber’s happiness at not getting her own father as her teacher was short lived when she came to learn that all her mischievous behavior was being reported to her parents by none other than Mr. Lee. It was more than a few times that Amber would bunk that boring class just to snuck to the basketball court and spend some good happy time with the big orange ball which was her companion even now.

“I never knew he had a son too,” Amber went on while giving a critical eye to the small object on her palm. Okay, she will admit the ring had not freaked her out since it was simple and elegant looking but that was the negative point here since she has no reason to throw a tantrum anymore.

“That is because he is a little older than you.” Amber her mother reply while giving her undivided attention to the vegetables she was cutting for tonight’s dinner.

“How little is this ‘a little’?” Amber asked back suspiciously.

“29,” Her mother mumbled begrudgingly.

“MOM!!” Amber didn’t know whether to be happy at finally finding something worth throwing a tantrum about or to be appalled at her parents for actually finding an older boy for her. “That’s outrageous!”

“No, it’s not,” Her mother quickly contradicted her. “He is a little old, yes, but he is well settled in his life. His business is flourishing really well and he would be able to fulfill all of your demands in a blink of an eye and all you have to do is sit in his house like a princess that you deserve to be.”

“What?” Amber’s asked back sharply as she heard the underlying words of her mother. “Then what about my basketball career?”

“Well, that depends upon Hyukjae.” Amber heard the reply from not her mother but someone who was apparently standing right behind her. Turning around she confirmed her suspicion. “IF Hyukjae wants you to keep playing then you can but if not… then you need to say goodbye to it.”

“But… but…,” Amber looked at her father with wide eyes, words failing to pour out of her lips. “But… basketball is like my better half.”

“And now Hyukjae would be your better half,” Her father quite calmly replied to her as he went to take a seat on the table placed in the middle of the kitchen, ready to devour his wife’s delicious meal.

“But I can’t live without basketball,” Amber said in a hollow and dead voice as a short glimpse of her basketball-less future ran through her eyes, making her shudder in horror.

“See!” Her mother suddenly exclaimed as she fried the vegetables she had been cutting a few minutes ago. “This is why we are doing this… you have made basketball such a big priority in your life that you have been cut off from the real world… if you kept this up then you will remain single forever and that’s what makes us worried the most. You are our one and only daughter, we don’t want to see you end up miserable later in life.”

“That is so not true,” Amber protested. “I just haven’t found the perfect guy for myself, yet.”

“That is why we have found him for you.” Her father replied back cheekily.

“But I don’t even know him. What if I never fell in love with him?” Amber demanded angrily.

“Six months…,” Her father said making Amber and his wife frown at him in confusion. “Give this six months and if things don’t work out then you can demand a divorce.”

Amber blinked at her father in a daze.

“BUT,” Her father put up a hand as a warning as he continued. “If you tried leaving him before those six months are up then I would terminate your basketball contract with your agency.”

“You can’t do that!” Amber exclaimed, with her expression horror stuck.

“I can. Since as your guardian, I am the one who signed that contract in the first place.”

Amber stood still like all the things slowly sink in and without uttering a single word she turned around to leave.

“Amber,” her mother’s soft voice stopped her, making her turn in the same daze state that she had been hanging in f