Baekhyun

“You nervous?” my mother asked, checking every inch of me for imperfections. She’d been looking forward to this day almost as much as I had and couldn’t wait to get another girl in the house. For so long, it had only been she along with me, my father and younger brother and she’d been counting down the days until her oldest boy would finally get to meet the one he was to marry.

“A little.” I confessed, which was an understatement. I was as nervous as anybody would be as soon as they became twenty. As soon as your birthday had passed, everyone would patiently wait and wait for their letter. For some, it carried the unfortunate news that your match has yet to turn twenty and you will have to wait until X years has passed to meet them. If you were really unlucky, you’d get called down to the government building and be told that you either are unmatchable – something barely no one is in this day and age – or that your match has passed away before you even got to meet them.

But I had been in the more fortunate bunch. Besides, it was only a point five percent chance that you would never get a match so barely no one thought of it too much.

When I had gotten the letter and a date only a month away, my whole family had rejoiced. Most people would have to wait until the end of the year but there were still a lot of them who got their time earlier. For me, it had said the sixth of June.

“It will be perfect!” my mother had said excitedly “Then the Bonding can take place out in the nice weather!”

The bonding. Even the thought made me shake with nervousness. I had my bag all packed, my mother still holding it for me. After I had meet with his future wife, I’d stay with her along with other’s who’d just gotten their match to bond with her and also to associate with other’s recently matched. Usually it was pretty grand and you got plenty spoiled for a week. I hoped that since it was the middle of the summer that we would be taken to a beach and be able to see my future wife in a bikini. Oh God, I hoped she looked okay. What if I hated her looks? Would that destroy my whole view of her, even if she was lovely on the inside?

“What are you thinking?” His mother asked me, trying to fix my tie as if I were a little school boy.

“I’m just worried I won’t like her.” I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

“I’m sure you will.” She laughed. “When I first met your father I couldn’t believe what a stuck up he was. But then, as I got to know him more and looked past the expensive clothes and serious face, I realized he was exactly what I’d dreamed of. So if your match doesn’t look as good as you’d imagined, I’m sure you will grow to love her whether you like it or not.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” I said and then, my mother handed me my bag and kissed me once on the cheek.

“We will all be watching the announcement on the TV.” My mother said which made me even more nervous. I wasn’t used to be on TV and the fact that I’d get blasted up on every screen in the country as soon as I’d met the girl of my dreams were nerve-wrecking. Of course the whole country wouldn’t be watching, but if they all turned to the right channel, they would definitely see me whether I liked it or not

“I love you.” I said as I bed my mother goodbye and I could swear I saw tears in my mother’s eyes just as I waved one last goodbye and closed the door behind me, off to meet the love of my life.

Chanyeol

The limo wasn’t really what I’d been seeing myself in when I was about to meet my future wife. I’d wanted to walk to the government house, but my father had insisted on his driver driving me instead.

“Dad,” I had said “I know you think everybody wants to be seen as rich and famous as you, but I’m not really like that.”

“I don’t care.” My father had said, insisting “You are my son, and all of my fans will be looking to find out who will be the new member of the Park family.”

“Park isn’t even an unusual name, dad!” I exclaimed, fed up with him trying to make the name cool “there’s a lot of people who has their own ‘park family’, please coin another fraise if you really need to. I don’t want any wife of mine in on that ridiculous thing.”

“I know, I know.” My father had said, fixing his hair in his reflection in the sunglasses on my head. I couldn’t figure out how someone like my father had made someone like myself. Where my father was flashy, I was plain. Where my father was over the top, I was down to earth. The only thing we had in common was our looks, something that made me an automatic center of attention.

“Are you Park Beom-Seok’s son?” “Oh God, you look just like a young Beom-Seok oppa” “Can you please sign this, my wife is a huge fan” etc, etc. This was thing’s I’d have to bare my whole life. If I’d get to choose, I’d have a normal dad out of the lime light.

So there I was, in the limo and off to my destiny. I wasn’t really nervous if I was being honest, I trusted the government to match me properly so there would be no problem at all. My sister’s advice had been to charm the girl as fast as I could. Her husband had made her fall for him with his first sentence and she hoped her future sister-in-law would get the same treatment as she. I hadn’t promised her too much.

Nowadays, all I had to do to make girls squeal was to look at them. So I would simply look at her, maybe smile a little, I’d been told I looked charming when I smiled, and let her do the talking. I’d never been good at talking to girls but they didn’t seem to mind in my company. I usually nodded, smiled, and put in a few words when necessary. It always made me end up in bed with them anyway, so why bother more than I needed to?

“Sir, we’re here.” The driver said, having stopped at the government house. I saw several people my age walking in to the building and I wondered if any of them were to be mine. They usually matched about fifty couples at the same day, just to be effective, so it was going to be crowded.

I left the limo with my bag and followed the people who were walking and ended up at the reception where I got my number, A-43, and I obediently went to the door that said A and waited amongst the other girls and boys who’d also been assigned here. They always had mixed waiting rooms, why I didn’t know. Maybe it was simply done automatically and it just happened to be that both girls and boys sat together as they waited.

I wondered if his future wife was already here, sitting in waiting room B and wondering how I would be like. In my mind, she was a short girl with long brown hair and dimples. She would love to cook and that would be our favorite thing to do together since I also loved cooking. And she would also love dancing and would make me go up on the dance floor with me and make me not feel embarrassed and-

“Welcome!” A high voice announced by the end of the room. I looked up to see a woman in her early forties there, a big white door behind her, the same door they would all one after one walk through eventually.

“If you all would please take your bags to the wardrobe over there,” she said, pointing to a larger space next to the room we were all sitting in “but please, let me talk first,” she continued as a few people stood up to go and leave their bags. Everyone settled down and became all ears, every one of us wanting to hear her next words.

Baekhyun

“Today is a big day for all of you.” The girl said, looking barely older than myself “Today is the day you will meet your fated partner.”

Smiles spread out throughout the room and I couldn’t help but smile myself. Soon, I would finally get to meet her, talk to her, touch her. It seemed unreal and my nerves were literally trying to kill me.

“After you’ve all put your luggage away,” she continued “and remember to put your bag in the same spot as your assigned number to make everything more effective.” She smiled at us “Anyway, this is how we’re going to do this. The person with B-1, please stand up.”

A tall girl not far from me stood up, looking calm and collected.

“Congratulations,” the girl at the front said “you are the first one to meet your future partner.” The tall girl nodded and sat down, then the other girl continued “we will call out your number starting by number one and then two, going all the way down to fifty, and you will all exit through these door behind me. These doors will lead to an empty room and you will face the walls directly opposite you. When the door behind you is closed, there will be a countdown from ten and then the wall in front of you will lift and you will meet your fated partner.”

All of us already knew all of this, we’d heard stories just like these over and over all throughout our lives and we already knew the drill. But it was important that nobody was missing out on any important information so therefore, they still needed to have these go-throughs.

“You will get a minute to introduce yourself to your partner, then you are expected to exit the red door to your right.

Chanyeol

“You will exit the red door to your left, their right.” The lady said “and there you will be handed a portfolio on you and your partner and there will be people answering any questions before you and your fated will be announced. Is everything clear?” she finished, many nodding “Does anyone have any questions?”

A hand flew up in the air. It belonged to a beautiful girl with smooth long hair, much like the one I had been dreaming about. It was such a shame she was here and not in the other waiting room, ready to be matched with me.

“Yes?” the lady asked the girl, the girl in question standing up.

“Is it true that there are an odd number of girls here today?” she asked “I heard from my father that there were 49 girls and 51 guys here today.”
 

“And your father is?” The woman asked as whispers spread out.

“Oh, just one of the delegates.” The girl said “But is it true?”

“Same matches are a thing, but not common.” The woman said, looking a bit uncomfortable “and I don’t know if there’s any truth to your information, I’m not involved in the process of matching blood and I don’t know who of you will be matched with who.”

The girl sat back down but her words still got muttered around everywhere. I couldn’t help but wonder who’d be the one to get matched with a dude. I wasn’t against such a pairing since the government always were right on these things, but I just couldn’t picture myself in such a match.

I glanced around the room as if I could see whoever would get picked but couldn’t notice anyone who just screamed homoual so I gave up and dropped the whole thing. Instead, I focused on the image of my future wife, clearly as heteroual as I was.

“Any more questions?” the woman asked and a guy shot his hand up this time. He stood up at her indication and I noticed that he looked just like those guys who play hockey. Large, burly and kind of… stupid.

“I don’t want to marry a dude.” He said “Can you make an appeal if you’re not happy with your match?”

“I’m certain no one will be unhappy in the end,” the woman said “and to answer your question, no, you can’t make an appeal. Once you’ve been matched, you’re basically married already, tied together by something much stronger than the bands of marriage – Blood.”

The guy sat back down again and I couldn’t understand why that guy even worried. If you were heteroual, you didn’t get matched with a guy, as simple as that. There were probably a guy in here who was infinitely thankful to be certain that we wouldn’t get matched with a girl against his will. His blood test had proved that he was fated to be with a guy and he would probably not want it any other way himself. Sometimes, it baffled me how stupid some people were. To worry about such a thing was insane for someone who identified as straight! If you only fell in love with girls, of course you’d get matched with a girl, too! And if you only liked guys, you’d get a guy. It was all in their blood already.

Baekhyun

The girl with B-1 stood ready by the door together with the woman after the questions were over. No one really had had anything to ask, everything was pretty clear to all of us already. People around me looked just as nervous as I felt and it was agony to have to wait for my turn. Why did I have to have a number so high? Couldn’t I be left with a number like… 15? Now, I was  almost last!

The girl with number one on her note stepped in to the doors and I tried to breath properly. It had officially begun.

Number two entered next, this time a guy and after him went another guy, all of which looked ready to faint.

Chanyeol

Boy, girl, girl. I wondered if there was going to be a pattern. The fourth one was another boy and then another one after him. Boy, girl, girl, boy, boy. I tried to see if the fifth, sixth and seventh made some kind of pattern but in the end, it turned out to be all up to chance.

I had been waiting for this day for just a few months, so at least that was a good thing. I could tell that some of the people here today was over twenty, one woman looked like she was closer to thirty and I pitied her for having to wait so long. I hoped she had an early number so she wouldn’t have to wait until number 43 like me, she’d waited long enough already!

When number twenty got called, the older woman stood up, ready for her turn. I was relieved for her sake, happy that she’d finally meet her husband. Soon, it would be my turn.

Numbers were falling away one after another, slowly drifting away until a girl with the number 42 stood up and made herself ready. As the doors closed behind her, my number got called and I knew that my time had come.

Baekhyun

I tried to imagine how the girl on the other side of the wall would feel. Right now, her number would have been called just like mine had and just like me, she would probably walk towards the doors right now. Was she nervous? Was she more nervous than me? What would we say to each other? Would I be expected to speak first? Maybe she was a talker?

“Ready?” The young woman asked, smiling as she took hold of the handles to the door for me.

“Yes.” I said, handing her my number just to be sure I had stepped up at the right time.

“Great.” The girl said, taking my number, looking at it, nodding, and then, she opened the door.

My legs moved on their own and suddenly I was inside, the grand wall in front of me.  On the other side of that wall, my true match was waiting for me.

Chanyeol

The doors closed behind me and suddenly, a voice welcomed me and then, it started to count down until the time the wall would separate.

“1, 2, 3” It said and I tried to fix my hair.

“4, 5, 6” and I made sure my smile was in place, ready to charm her just like my sister had told me.

“7, 8, 9” and I felt like fainting. This was agony and I just wanted it to be over with. I trusted in the matching, this would go just great.

Baekhyun

“10.” And the wall moved. I barely dared to look but I forced myself not to be weird. The wall started disappearing up in to the roof, revealing the floor on the other side of the room. I saw a pair of shoes, bigger than I’d expected. Then trousers, and I concluded that this girl must be a pretty boyish girl to wear those kinds of trousers, jeans and rather loose.

Then the chest came in to view and I realized she must be much taller than me, something that came as a disappointment. Oh well, no worries. It’s her inside I really would care about!

But then I realized that her chest looked far too flat and her shoulders far too broad and to really make me stagger back in surprise, it was not a girl’s face I was met with.

Chanyeol

I stood absolutely still, too shocked to even move. In the beginning, I had only believed that the girl of my dreams liked dressing up in suits but now I couldn’t deny the fact that the girl of my dreams apparently wasn’t a girl at all?

“There must have been some kind of mix up.” The guy in front of me laughed, voice much softer and smoother than I had imagined. Much darker, too, since I almost had expected him to sound like a girl.

“Certainly.” I said, confused as to what was happening. When I’d heard there’d be a gay pairing here today, I hadn’t been expecting I would have anything to do with it! I wasn’t gay, so there must’ve been a mistake somewhere, some mix up with our results and somewhere, two girls had been or would be just as confused as us, having getting mixed up.

The guy began walking to the red door with swift steps and I remembered that there would be people in charge there who would apologize and make sure everything worked out. This really couldn’t be my match.

I hurried after him which didn’t take me long since my legs were much longer than his.

“I’m Byun Baekhyun by the way.” The guy said before he opened up the doors.

“Park Chanyeol.” I said smiling out of habit. Baekhyun looked away from me as I did.

Baekhyun

What was up with that smile of his? Did he always smile at people like that? It sure made him look like a player. Poor girl who would end up with him.

Two polite faces met us when we exited the room, one male and the other female. The girl stood up to greet us.

“Congratulations on your matching!” The girl said.

“We need you to fix this.” I said, interrupting whatever she was about to say next.

“Fix?” The girl asked, looking confused.

“Yeah?” Chanyeol said, crossing his arms over his chest “There’s been some kind of mix-up here.” He pointed from himself to me as if he needed to make it more clear to them.

“I don’t-“ she began then looked to her colleague. He was a guy in my father’s age who looked much more stern than the girl did.

“You are Park Chanyeol, yes?” he asked Chanyeol who nodded. Then, he turned to me “and you are Byun Baekhyun?”

“Yes.” I said and then, the man nodded and finally handed us a separate portfolio. I opened it, expecting to see the face of my true match next to my own, just like my mother’s and father’s portfolios looked back home. But then I saw my face next to Chanyeol’s instead. Under it was a report which I quickly read through, searching for an explanation.

Byun Baekhyun
Number on match day: A-43
Date of match day: June 6^th
Age: 20
Birth: May 6^th 1992
Blood: O
uality: Homoual
Match number: KL – 1086 – MIM4

Park Chanyeol
Number on match day: B-43
Date of match day: June 6^th
Age: 20
Birth: April 23^rd 1992
Blood: A
uality: Biual
Match number: KL – 1086 – MIM4

Then, it went on in more biological terms, stating different numbers which all seemed to be matching up with Chanyeol’s.

I looked up to the man who’d handed us the portfolios and Chanyeol seemed to do the same, looking as confused as I felt. What puzzled me the most was the part of my profile that said that I was homoual? Since when was I homoual?

Chanyeol

“Can you explain this, please?” I asked, looking at the man.

“That’s your profiles.” The man said.

“But it’s incorrect.” I went on “Here, it say that I’m biual, which I am not.”

“And mine says I’m homoual!” Baekhyun exclaimed next to me “and that’s not true!”

“According to your tests, it is.” The man said “And I’m sorry if you two haven’t yet figured out your ualities, but the blood tests don’t lie. You two are meant for each other.”

“But-“ Baekhyun began next to me but the man put up a hand to stop him from talking.

“There’s no need to protest.” He said “This is what it is and you can’t make an appeal and you will not try to find someone else. Believe it or not, but the two of you are fated.”

Great. Just absolutely wonderful. I just knew my dad would be thrilled to find this out. And so many people would be watching…

“Now, get ready to be announced.”

My stomach dropped at that, panic seizing me. I couldn’t be announced with this guy! There must’ve been a mistake, and if there hadn’t been, I still didn’t want to be announced to the whole world. Couldn’t I at least get a moment to come to accept this totally unexpected outcome?

“You don’t think we could skip the announcement?” I asked “I mean, none of us really must feel up for such a thing now, after the… shock.”

“There’s no opportunity to skip the announcement.” The girl chirped in “and besides, the two of you look stunning together.”

Me and Baekhyun looked to each other and I could see the disbelief plainly in his face mirroring my own. This all seemed like a joke. I wasn’t interested in guys! Like, at all. I couldn’t be expected to prance out there with this stranger and be accepted by everyone. No, that wouldn’t happen.

“And what if we refuse?” I asked which made the man roll his eyes while the girl looked shocked at me even suggesting such a thing.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said “what if we refuse to exit that door?” I realized then that we probably had delayed the thought out program of this whole thing by staying here for much longer than was expected. Most couples would just want to be announced so they could start to get to know each other.

“Well, you can’t.” the man said as if our little act of rebellion was nothing. “If you do, then we’ll bring the cameras here. It’s your choice, walk out yourself or be forced to.”

Baekhyun

So we basically had no choice.

“Fine.” I said, not feeling happy about all this. “Let’s just do it quickly, maybe no one will even notice us pass by.”

“I’m definitely positive they will.” Chanyeol murmured and I looked to him for an explanation. He looked up to me, sighed and then spoke again “My dad’s kind of famous and he’s been bragging in interviews about me and the date of my matching and all that…”

“What!?” I exclaimed.

“Sorry.” Chanyeol said, as if this had been something he could’ve controlled. I tried to collect my thoughts, suddenly having to be met with much more attention than I had thought.

“You really need to be off now.” The girl said, looking at her watch “They’re waiting.”

“Let’s just get it over with.” Chanyeol sighed and walked away from the two administrators without telling them goodbye. I walked slightly behind him and hoped that people wouldn’t connect the dots and see us as a matched couple.

Chanyeol opened the door at the end of the room and instantly, we got a camera up our faces as if it was a hungry dog and we were meat.

“Next match!” A voice announced but I didn’t dare look up to see who “Park Chanyeol, son of the adored Park Beom-Seok, and with him, his one true match, Byun Baekhyun, son of the president of Byun corporations.”

Here, we were expected to wave in to the camera just like every couple did, trying not be awkward. I didn’t feel like waving. Chanyeol was probably a really nice guy, but that didn’t matter. I didn’t want a man, no matter what my blood said.

I finally looked up to see the camera and the crew, everyone expecting us to do something. Instead, I hurried off screen and found my way to the sign that said exit, Chanyeol close behind.

How did everything even come to this? This was such bad luck…












A/N
Hi guys! So, this is my new fic! What are your thought thus far? 

As I said in the forewords, I don't know how frequently I will be able to update this fic since I will be pretty busy! But I just thought it would be fun to put up something again! (My last fanfic ended in August... hehe...) So don't be telling me to update because I will, eventually! (And I know this is a readers worst fear, but I can maybe update more frequently if you're okay with really short chapters? Tell me if you'd rather get really short chapters more frequently or a long one like this one less frequently!)

That's all for now! BYE!! :D