A/N: May or may not be posting an epilogue. :) I hope you guys like it! And thank you for all your support. Also, comments are loved :)

“Oh, god! Who are you people?” She exclaimed.

“I am prepared to pay damages in case any of you end up in a relationship and wanted to compensate for the other party. Well, if you don’t want the children to lose their entire inheritance from their mother, that is.”

“They won’t go hungry anytime soon, I’ll make sure of that.” Yifan said sharply.

“But it is their birthright, Mr. Wu.” Zitao enunciated each word like he wanted to inculcate them in both of their heads. “Do you want your children to lose the only legacy their mother—their ancestors left them? I am not in any way trying to underestimate what you have. Your children will live comfortably for many lifetimes no doubt about that but what will they feel if they knew you gave away their inheritance just like that?”

*****************************************

Joonmyeon fought tooth and nail to have the tables turned but she still found herself waiting for the judge one fateful morning. Boxian was able to find her a modest cream-colored dress from Yixing’s couture collection. Though she assured Joonmyeon that her friend didn’t even wear it once, it didn’t make her feel any better. And she didn’t want to spend anything on a wedding she didn’t even want in the first place.

It’s decided that she will move back to Hong Kong and stay with Yifan and his kids. She’ll be taking care of Luhan and Shixun. She’ll be the mistress of the household that used to belong to her friend. She’ll be marrying Yixing’s husband. What difference does it make if I wear her clothes? She thought bitterly.

A huge part of her wanted to be hate Yixing for controlling her life like this. She knew she just wanted to protect her children. Yifan was still young—not a few women were vying for his attention and it’s only a matter of time before the children needed a mother figure. Yixing knew Joonmyeon will take good care of her children and will love them unconditionally.

She knew Yifan was thinking she had something to do with Yixing’s will. But what he was thinking was the farthest from her mind right now. Yifan didn’t appear to be as opposed to the idea of marrying her as she was. She almost clawed Atty. Huang’s face when he said the will was watertight and contesting it will get them nowhere.

It was all for money. Yifan chased her away because he was thinking she was after his money. Now he was marrying her because he didn’t want to lose Yixing’s properties to the Zhang Foundation. She hated it that her opinion on the matter didn’t weigh as much.

For once, she wanted to be selfish and say no but looking at the siblings’ faces made her defenses weak. How someone from six feet under was able to control lives of people very much alive was beyond her. She just wanted to go through this sham of a wedding and get it over and done with.

Yifan went with her to Shanghai so she can retrieve her belongings, properly resign from her job and say goodbye to her two wards. The younger was crying and no amount of cajoling made her stop. Joonmyeon had to put her down for a nap so she can pack her things. Yifan waited for her patiently. The mother, who was always snotty, demanded to know why Joonmyeon thought it was okay for her to entertain a visitor, clearly not recognizing Yifan in his simple jeans and shirt. When he introduced himself however, she had the most delightful change of heart, even inviting Yifan to stay for dinner, not caring too much that Joonmyeon was leaving them.

Boxian fussed over her dress and the simple bouquet of statice flowers she plucked from the garden. Yifan left early to pick up the judge and bring him to the restaurant where they reserved a private room.

The door to the room slid open and admitted Atty. Huang. He looked dapper in his dark blue suit. He smiled at them warmly. “Mr. Wu called me. He’s on his way. I have something for you.” He handed Joonmyeon a medium-sized white box and bowed at Boxian politely when she introduced them.

She gave him a small smile. “You didn’t have to.” But accepted the gift gratefully. “I’m sorry about how I acted the first time we met.”

“It’s fine. It’s not something that happens everyday. Open it.” The box had a simple crown of blue gerberas and baby’s breath.

“Wow. Thank you.” Joonmyeon sighed inwardly. She want Yifan to think that she made an effort for this wedding at all but she didn’t want to offend Zitao.

“I thought I’ll get you something blue.” He grinned. When the door opened again, Yifan came in with a middle-aged man. Yifan was dashing in his light gray suit. His dirty blonde hair was neatly brushed up. Boxian immediately pinned a matching boutonniere on his lapel. She also insisted that they do not waste Atty. Huang’s effort and put the crown on Joonmyeon. Her antics didn’t lessen the dread Joonmyeon was feeling. Yifan’s impassive expression wasn’t any help either.

“When he thought everyone was ready, the judge immediately started the ceremony. “We are here today to celebrate the union of Yifan and Joonmyeon and to recognize and witness their decision to journey forward in their lives as marriage partners.

“May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lies ahead of you. Lead with your hearts and take the time to do the simple things that will nurture your love. Deeply listen to each other—to your dreams, and to your frustrations.”

This time he looked at the man standing in front of him, “Do you, Yifan, take Joonmyeon to be your partner for life? Do you promise to walk by her side forever, and to love, help, and encourage her in all she does? Do you take her as your lawfully-wedded wife?”

“I do.” He answered without missing a beat.

“Do you, Joonmyeon, take Yifan to be your partner for life? Do you promise to walk by his side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him in all he does? Do you take him as your lawfully wedded husband?” Joonmyeon’s mind was elsewhere, thinking on how she dreamt of her wedding since she was a little girl. She wanted her wedding to be by the beach at sunset. Their families and closest friends will be there. They will binge on good food and most decadent wine. They will dance around the fire ‘til morning.

Not tucked away in a restaurant’s private dining room like a sin.

The judge repeated his question after clearing his throat. Joonmyeon went red. “I-I do.” She swallowed a lump in . The judge nodded at Yifan and he brought out a small velvet box from his pocket and gave it to the older man.

“And now, seal your promises with these rings, the symbol of your life shared together. Yifan, please repeat after me: “Joonmyeon, this ring I give as token and pledge,”

Yifan looked at her in the eye for the first time and repeated after the judge. “As a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed.” And if Joonmyeon didn’t know better, she’ll be carried away with such emotions his eyes conveyed.

“Yifan, this ring I give as token and pledge, as a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed.”

“Yifan and Joonmyeon, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” With a round of applause from their small audience and almost imperceptible peck on the corner of , Joonmyeon was now Joonmyeon Wu.

With utmost cadence and precision, the doors opened again to an army of servers with different dishes covered in shiny cloches. The long table was immediately filled with sumptuous seafood and mouth-watering meat dishes but Joonmyeon didn’t feel like eating anything. She put on a face for the judge who joined them for the simple reception.

After the champagne was poured, the judge said his goodbyes. Boxian tactically volunteered to walk him to his car (and give him the small gift of VBH jewelry for his wife to ensure his discretion) while Atty. Huang pulled out some documents from his trusty briefcase.

“Thank you for doing this. Despite the circumstances, I do hope your marriage will last forever. Yixing-jie mentioned once that the three of you are the best of friends so I hope it won’t be too difficult to learn to love each other.” If he noticed that both of them totally ignored what he said, he didn’t comment on it. “Uhm, these are the paperwork for the transfer of properties. To be fair, all of the properties, stocks and bonds are under both of their names. Once they reach legal age, they can divide it amongst themselves in whichever way they like. I trust that you’d like me to coordinate with your lawyers, too, Mr. Wu?” Yifan nodded absently.  I guess I have to go now. Congratulations again, Mr. Wu and best wishes, Ms.—er, Mrs. Wu.”

“Thank you, Atty. Huang.” She gave him a tight smile.

Finally, they were alone. They hadn’t seen each other since they got back from the Shanghai trip. That was three weeks ago. Joonmyeon checked in at a cheap hotel in Mongkok despite his invitation to stay at his house. Yifan didn’t insist. This morning, Boxian picked her up from the hotel to head to a salon. She stood firm that she didn’t want anything done. She washed and dried her hair and pinned it in a loose chignon. She applied very light make up and with the butler’s insistence, a thin layer of kohl to accentuate her eyes.

“Do you want to do anything before we go home?” He asked, his tone a little clipped.

“Can we go visit Yixing?” He looked a bit surprised but he nodded in agreement just the same.

********************************************

With Boxian’s instructions, the house staff was all lined up, waiting for them patiently when they arrived. Yifan and Joonmyeon stood in the foyer, the eyes of twenty-something people trained on them. Yifan cleared his throat. “Everybody,” He s a stiff arm on her shoulders. “I bet you all remember Teacher Kim. I trust you’ll continue to assist her with anything she might need as she’s part of our family now. Please treat my wife as you treat me.” Gasps of surprise and murmurs of conversations filled the air until Boxian dismissed them all to go back to their respective duties.

Now, the harder part: explaining to the children why she was suddenly their stepmother and why they were not invited to their father’s wedding. Yifan opened this to her awhile ago and he expressed his desire to tell them the truth about the circumstance of the marriage so they won’t expect the things they saw from Yifan and Yixing. Joonmyeon didn’t know if she’ll feel insulted or what.

Joonmyeon didn’t agree. She didn’t want the children to feel indebted to her in any way. She didn’t want to them to think that she sacrificed her life for their inheritance. She didn’t want them to grow up thinking that they’re in a family who will do everything for the sake of money and power.

She knew that the children loved her. Because she’s their mother’s friend. Sister almost. They grew up with her around. But being their stepmother was a whole different story. She didn’t want them to think that she wanted to replace Yixing in their lives. Even if she did, she knew she won’t be able to. She just hoped that they won’t change their perception of her.

She opened the option of occupying the master bedroom’s anteroom or any guestroom but Yifan won’t hear any of it. He said if they’re not going to tell the children the truth then the staff won’t have to know either. The few belongings that she took with her were already arranged neatly in the walk-in closet. She noticed that half of it was vacated; obviously to make room for her stuff. Only, her wardrobe look dismal compared to Yifan’s.

“You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Oh. You don’t have to. I’m much smaller. You can take the bed and honestly, I’ve slept in worse places.” She was merely stating a fact and didn’t mean anything but she saw Yifan’s littlest of frowns. Too late to realize her slip up.

“Look, I know I have not apologized to you properly. But I’m really sorry about the things I said. I know there’s nothing I can say that will justify my actions but I really want to make it up to you. You’re doing this for my children and I can’t thank you enough. I’m not asking you to forgive me, at least not right away but I hope you’ll give me a chance to make this marriage work.” He looked exhausted and somehow, she can feel his sincerity. She knew he was not a bad person but she was really hurt and she can’t change that.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything. You’re right. If we have to be in this together, we have to have to reach a truce.”

“Thank you.” He looked relieved.

“I just want to know one thing.” He looked at her expectantly. “Did you really think I befriended you both because you have money?”

******************************************

Yifan didn’t have any answer to that. Of course he didn’t mean the things that he said before. It was born out of desperation to push Joonmyeon away. He wanted to stay loyal to Yixing and the only way out of his wayward thoughts for his friend was to drive her out of his life. He was guilty of having inappropriate thoughts for another woman mere weeks after his wife passed away.

And he cannot accept it. He was not backing down without putting up a fight.

He wanted to be a good faithful husband but in the end he became a horrible person.

He had hurt someone as dear as Joonmyeon. Who until now used the same tattered Furla bag Yixing gave her many years ago. Who lived in a small cramped apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui despite countless offers from Yixing to give her a better accommodation. Who remained positive and kind despite knowing her parents abandoned her in a ship on the way to Hong Kong.

Yifan sighed heavily, breaking the long moment of silence between them. “At first I did. Yes.” He peered at Joonmyeon but her face was devoid of any emotion. “I haven’t told you but I knew Yixing way before you introduced us. I saw her in a party when we were twelve. If there really was love-at-first-sight then maybe that’s what happened to me. She was playing with other girls; she didn’t even look at me then. I was so dark because I was just learning to play basketball and I was always out doing one thing or another because I was trying to lose weight, I shaved off my head and I still wore my braces. After that, I asked around, I stalked her Friendster account, reconnected with the cousin who went to the same private school she did just to get information. When she transferred over to your school, I was hopeless then. My family did business with Zhang Corporation but I doubt her parents would want to introduce her to boys that early. It was pure luck that I went to the same University.” She was still listening patiently, nodding appropriately between pauses. 

“When we got together, you were always around, always tagging along. Yixing adored you. She even ditched some of our plans just to be with you. I was jealous of you and I was very protective of Yixing. After reading the letter, I thought I had to protect her memory. I felt that if I act like nothing happened, I’d be betraying Yixing’s trust. I promised her that my heart was hers forever and it will be unfair to you if I string you along. I know it was very arrogant of me when it was clear in the letter that you’re not expecting anything from me. And after what happened, I know that you must hate me and I don’t blame you for it.”

“I…don’t hate you. Hate is too harsh a word. I don’t even think I’m capable of hating anyone. If I hate you, I won’t even be here. But don’t worry, I won’t step over the line again. You don’t have to always be on guard around me.”

****************************************

“I know you won’t, Joon. I know you won’t.” She was not expecting the use of her old nickname. Only the kids call her that nowadays. Her conversations with Yifan always bordered between casual and formal. But never friendly. Save for when they were both recovering from the loss of their beloved. 

Their conversation was halted by the opening of the door. Shixun came barreling towards Joonmyeon. “Auntie! Boxian-jiejie, told me you’re here!” He just came in from the kindergarten; he was still wearing his blue shorts and blazer.

“Hey, handsome. How was school?” She rained kisses on his face that earned her happy giggles.

“I got two sthars today!” Showing his wrist where two colorful stamps were.

“Really?! Good job!”  Yifan cleared his throat.

“Oh. Baba? You’re here?” Yifan snorted. Shixun gave him a hug.

“Uh, yes? You didn’t even notice me?” He pouted and Joonmyeon thought they’re adorable and so much alike.

“Thorry! I was just cited!”

“It’s excited honey. Did you miss Aunt Joon that much?” The little boy climbed up on his father’s lap and nodded repeatedly.

“If you missed me that much, should I make you some Tong Yuen or some egg puffs maybe?” The little boy’s face brightened.

“Yeth yeth yeth! Please! Please! Please?” He jumped up and down that made Joonmyeon laughed out loud. He proceeded to take his father by the hand to follow him downstairs. “Baba! Leth go! Leth go!”

“Okay, okay, be careful. I don’t want you falling off the stairs.” He gave her a knowing look and she smiled a bit, the first real one after today.

“Take your uniform off first and change into something else, Hunnie-ah.” She reminded, using her Korean nickname for him. Joonmyeon knew conversational Hangul because the nun who raised her was Korean. She told her that someday, she’d like to go to Korea to find her parents so the nun reluctantly taught her the language.

********************************************

It was a lot easier that what they were expecting. When Luhan came in later that afternoon, they sat both of the children in the study.

“Baba! I know, I know! I pulled her hair because she said Mama won’t be in heaven! She said only good people go to heaven! But Mama is a good person, right?” Luhan was in tears, her whole body was trembling. “Please, please don’t be mad. I still want that pony for Christmas.” She was sobbing and Joonmyeon wrapped her in her arms.

“Wha-what? What do you mean you pulled her hair? Why do you have to do that?” Yifan pinched the bridge of his nose to ward away an impending headache.

“Aren’t you going to lecture me about that?” Luhan asked, tears were miraculously gone.

“We called you here today because of a totally different matter. But Wu Luhan, we didn’t teach you to pull someone’s hair or hit anyone just because you don’t agree with what they said.”

“But she said—“

“Luhan, sweetheart, who was it? Was it a classmate?” Joonmyeon asked and the younger girl nodded, biting her lip. “Luhan, learn to tune out what other people are saying. Especially if you know they’re not true. If they don’t stop, tell your teacher or tell us and we’ll talk to their parents, okay? Hurting someone, be it physically or verbally isn’t how anyone should behave. So, tomorrow, I want you to go to your classmate and tell them you still don’t like what they said but you’re sorry for pulling their hair, are we clear?” Luhan nodded, accepting the glass of water his father poured from the coffee nook. Yifan smiled at her gratefully.

“Also, no cell phone for you for a week.”

“But Baba!” She protested.

“Do you want to make it one month?” He asked. Luhan pouted but surrendered.

“You can borrow mine, Jie!” Shixun announced, waving his phone in the air (the 999 cell phone Yifan bought for emergencies) and the three shared a good laugh.

“Now, we’d like to tell you something and I hope both of you will keep an open mind.” The siblings both had a blank look on their faces, not understanding the seriousness of the matter. “Aunt Joonmyeon is now my wife and if you let her, she can be your mom, too.” One minute. Two minutes. Three.

One more minute and Joonmyeon will explode.

“Does that mean that you two are married?” Luhan, the bright girl that she was, worded the statement better than her father.

“Yes.”

“Does that mean that you’re going to live here, without ever having to leave?” She turned to Joonmyeon and she nodded before looking away, finding the big inquisitive eyes too intimidating. Then another full minute of tormenting silence before she was screaming at the top her lungs, her brother joining her. They were laughing, dancing and running around the library like some crazy banshees.

“We have a new Mama! We have a new Mama! We have a new Mama!” They chanted happily and Joonmyeon’s eyes were glassy with tears, deeply touched from the affection. How I love these kids!

Yifan was totally surprised, not expecting his children to be so accepting of Joonmyeon—well, not her but the situation. He almost felt bad for Yixing until his daughter spoke, “But Auntie, we want you to know that we still love our Mama, okay?”

“Of course, honey. Of course. Come here, you guys, let me hug you!”

*******************************************

Seven months later.

Joonmyeon didn’t know when it all started. Sometimes, she would think she must have imagined most of the things happening around her but a drawer full of colorful post-it notes from her own desk were proof enough that she didn’t.

Don’t forget to eat your lunch today.

The Hunan Beef last night was so good!

I didn’t know blue tie works just as well with a light purple shirt until this morning.

The new flowers look lovely. Are those geraniums in our pocket garden?

Luyi was asking where I got my bento and I just told him he should get himself a wife. LOL!

Joonmyeon treasured each and every one of the notes and if she’ll be honest with herself, she’s looking forward to reading them each morning. Yifan left them stuck to the bathroom mirror, inside her purse, on the nightstand, under the pillow—in places where she’ll see them right away. They slept on the same bed now (Yifan didn’t allow Joonmyeon to take the couch and it only took her five days and an obvious backache for her to insist that Yifan took the other side of the bed), Joonmyeon woke up every day at exactly five in the morning to personally prepare breakfast and lunch boxes for all of them, wake up the kids and get them ready for school, wake up Yifan, prepare his suit before finally getting ready herself for work. She was offered the same post at the music school and Yifan had no problems with her working again. They all fell into a comfortable routine and Joonmyeon was getting used to it.

And though she was very happy because it seemed that their relationship took a turn and they were almost like any other couple—any other family, she was afraid that she was starting to hope. And hope bordered on insanity sometimes. It made you see things you wanted to see but weren’t really there.

She was just starting to heal from the wounds of the past and she was afraid she might not survive another heartbreak from the same person.

******************************************

It was not only once that she caught Yifan on the phone. There was nothing weird about it but the way he will always say goodbye hastily to whomever it was he was speaking to whenever Joonmyeon was around made her antsy.

Maybe the time she was most afraid of was finally here?

Atty. Huang came to visit them the other day to say that all of Yixing’s properties, stocks and bonds were finally transferred over to Luhan and Shixun and all liquid assets were placed in a trust. Joonmyeon chose one favorite painting from Yixing’s collection and donated everything else to Seoul Museum of the Arts. In return, they named the contemporary art wing after Yixing. She thought it was the best way to memorialize her friend. Yixing’s couture dresses that she will never get to wear as well as the bags and shoes were given to the Zhang Foundation. They hosted an auction and the money raised was given to Yixing’s favorite charity. The tea pots were on loan to a friend’s gallery until she decides on what she’d like to do with them.

Now that everything was where they should be, maybe it was her cue to leave. She had served her purpose and she didn’t want a repeat of an episode of her life she’d rather forget. Even the kids were acting weird around her. They would go straight to their room from school and won’t come out until dinner. They even said no to their favorite snack one time. Yifan didn’t pick her up from school a week ago saying he had an important errand. She thought he asked their driver to pick the kids up from school. She will learn later that he picked them up himself.

Luhan’s birthday was coming up and she insisted to involve herself in the planning of her party. She asked Joonmyeon to go with her to the florist and the baker and insisted that they include Joonmyeon’s favorite elements to the concept. But the party planner they hired never contacted her after that. She called the number on the card she was given but it always went to voicemail. She told Yifan about it and he said Luhan didn’t want to celebrate anymore and asked for an Arabian thoroughbred instead.

Shixun borrowed her laptop the other day but he broke it. He already said sorry but she was upset because she only learned about it from Yifan. And he already sent it for repair without telling Joonmyeon. These things only sealed the coffin for Joonmyeon. She felt that she was being pushed out of the loop and suddenly, her opinion didn’t matter anymore.

Lately, Yifan would always leave for work way before Joonmyeon woke up. She hadn’t seen a note from him save for one that said Won’t be able to pick you up today. Ask Ruozhen, please. She’d have to talk to Yifan soon. Maybe they can both work it out with the kids before they call it quits.

********************************************

Spring rain finally relented and the sun was shining brightly. In two days, it will officially be summer. Even the kids were excited with the idea of sleeping in and soaking in the pool all day. Yifan announced that they were all going to Maldives for their summer getaway. Joonmyeon thought she shouldn’t even be there but allowed herself to make few more memories with the family before she said goodbye.

An Airbus A380 was waiting for them at the Shek Kong airport one fine day of June.

“I thought only government and military planes are allowed in here?” She asked, peering from the car window. She can see a small assembly of ground personnel waiting patiently at the foot of the plane.

“My great great grand father was a military man. He helped build this airfield so our family was given the liberty to use it whenever we want to honor him. Besides that, this is also open during weekends for leisure flying.”

“Your family?” She parroted dumbly. “That plane is yours?” Yifan stared at her blankly. She knew long ago that Yifan belonged to the so-called Private Jet Crowd of Asia but owning a plane that should carry at least 350 passengers for yourself was just too much for Joonmyeon to comprehend.

“It’s not mine. It belongs to the company.” He explained like it wasn’t the same thing. Joonmyeon wanted to roll her eyes. “A lot of our executives fly all over the world to take care of the business and we’d like them to be comfortable.”

“And they won’t be comfortable with first class accommodation or a regular nineteen-seater jet?” She was incredulous. Her former employer in Shanghai was the instant noodle royalty of China. They had their own jet, too, and she thought she’d never see someone spend more obscenely. Until today.

And saying that the plane was comfortable was simply absurd. It had a grand salon, four large bedrooms, a kitchen with an in-flight chef, a game room, a spa with Jacuzzi and a prayer room. It was a hotel in the sky! Luhan and Shixun immediately took control of the game room the moment they took off.

“My Mum went all out with this one, didn’t she?” Yifan said when they were settled in their soft nubuck recliners. “She personally decorated everything. It was a project she got obsessed with before they moved to Hawaii. Then she got introduced to this unplugged living and now she won’t even come near this plane!” He laughed. 

“Unplugged living?” She frowned.

“All-organic, all natural, no-internet type of thing.”

“Wow. Is that why you don’t get to call them that often and stuff?”

“Yes. Well, my dad insisted that they get a satellite phone for emergencies but they only turn it on like once a month to check on me—their grandchildren actually,” He snorted. “But they’re pretty much isolated there.”

They had a layover in Dubai. The airport was an enormous mall and Yifan insisted that she get a few summer dresses and swimwear. She didn’t want to spend too much for a few days but he won’t hear any of it. He even loaded her cart with other odds and ends she didn’t think she would need in an island like Maldives.

They arrived in Male in mid-afternoon and she was surprised to see a mega-yacht where a feast of seafood were waiting for them. In less than an hour, they docked somewhere in the waters of Maafushi and rode a speedboat to the stunning Noonu Atoll. The perfect marriage of verdant greens and sparkling blue waters just took Joonmyeon’s breath away. She was teary-eyed when she was guided off the boat.

“Are you crying?” Yifan laughed.

“This is so beautiful! I didn’t even know something like this even exists.”

“This is the most beautiful part of the Atoll so my Mum decided that we should keep it for ourselves. Her hotel was built on the other end but the guests aren’t even allowed to come near this part of the island.” A private plane and now a freaking private island!

“Baba, Mama, can we swim now? Pwease, pwease, pwease?” Big bright eyes were looking up at them and they both were powerless in front of them.

“Load lots of sunblock and make sure there’s someone looking out for you, ok?” Yifan sighed when the two ran off without a care in the world.

“There’s someone else in here?”

“We have a staff on stand-by. Mum and Dad come here a lot, you know. Let’s get settled in first, yes?” After a short tour with Joonmyeon ooohhh-ing and ahhhh-ing about everything (a Guerlain spa, a sushi bar, an infinity pool, a floating courtyard, a yoga studio, a sauna and manta rays and giant tortoises swimming right outside your bedroom door), they took a nap before having dinner by the beach.

“I think I’ll put on so much weight before this vacation ends! Oh my god!” She can’t resist the seafood caught right before they were cooked. Not to mention the decadent sushi prepared by the chef.

“Doesn’t matter! You’ll still be pretty.” Joonmyeon was speechless.  

*******************************************

After dinner, two exhausted kids turned in right away while Yifan asked Joonmyeon to take a walk by the beach.

Aside from the gentle water kissing the shore and very subtle hum of the wind, nothing can be heard. “It’s so peaceful in here; I think I can hear the guests from the hotel brushing their teeth.” She cackled. Yifan didn’t laugh with her.

“Joonmyeon-ah, thank you.” She went rigid. She can sense it was coming and she can’t even stop it. Just how cruel can he get? He brought her—literally—to a paradise only to break up with her! “For everything you did for me, for Luhan and Shixun, for Yixing. You see, I can’t pretend anymore—“  Joonmyeon was walking away from Yifan even before he can finish his pitch. It took him whole five minutes to get his bearings back and follow her. He found her hastily putting her stuff back into her carryall.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’ll swim back to Hong Kong if I have to, Wu Yifan, but I won’t let you do this to me again! Why did you have to bring me here?! Are you ing bipolar?!”

“What are you saying?! I brought you here to propose to you! But you walked out on me before I could!”

“I don’t care—what?” She dropped the cardigan that she was holding. “W-What did you say?”

“Tian na! I forgot my speech!” Yifan was staring at her wide-eyed. She can see that he was close to hyperventilating so she closed the short distance between them and cupped his face with her small hands.

“Yifan, Yifan, look at me,” She said gently and she kept holding him and whispering sweet nothings until his breathing evened.

“Kim Joonmyeon, the only reason I pushed you away before was because it disgusts me to think that I’m falling for another woman just after my wife died. I love you, Kim Joonmyeon. I love you more each day and this time, I’d like to make things right—for us, for our family. I’d like to marry you again this time for all the right reasons—without Yixing deciding for both of us. If you’ll have me, that is.”

“Was that the magical speech you memorized?” She grinned.

“Kim Joonmyeon!” He whined.

******************************************

It was everything she could ever imagine.

All the people that mattered were there—Yifan’s parents, Luhan and Shixun, Sister Yoojin from the orphanage, Boxian and a handful of friends. The sky was a magnificent combination of orange, pink, indigo and blue. The fine white sand was tickling their bare feet. The scent of exotic flowers filled the air. They’re all her favorites. Even the cake design looked familiar. They were the same things she chose for Luhan’s birthday but were modified to fit the wedding.

All her favorite songs were playing softly in the background. They were dancing slowly around the bonfire when he asked Yifan. “How did you know I liked this song?”

“Oh,” He grinned sheepishly. “Your laptop isn’t really broken. My IT specialist was speechless when I told him I want him to hack into my wife’s laptop.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope. You don’t even know how much convincing it took for Shixun to lie to you. I wanted everything to be a surprise so I planned everything myself. And you were always around, eavesdropping to my phone calls—“

“I wasn’t!”

“Are too!” Joonmyeon slapped his chest playfully. Okay, maybe she was. “The kids prepared those favors every day after school. They were very much engaged with all the preps. They were very excited.”

“That’s what they were doing?!”

“You were thinking too much, weren’t you? I’m sorry that you felt that way. You see, the day we didn’t pick you up, the kids helped me choose your engagement ring. I wasn’t really putting in more hours at work but I was making sure this night is perfect.”

“I love you, Wu Yifan.” Thank you, Yixing.

“And I love you, Mrs. Wu.”

The breeze was blowing Joonmyeon’s white linen dress. Her groom was gorgeous in his plain white shirt and drawstring pants.

Paradise indeed.

FIN