A/N: brief mention of abuse

Seunghyun Choi was going over some briefs in his office when his parents walked in. He leaned back in his chair. “I didn't know you were coming by today.”

“Surprise is the most important element of attack,” his mom replied, kissing his forehead. She then settled into one of the chairs across from Seunghyun's desk. His father paced the room.

Finally, Mr. Choi turned to face his son. “We want you to stop dicking around and get married. And you'll marry someone we pick for you.”

Seunghyun shrugged. “Okay.”

“Now listen. You- wait, what?” His father looked shocked.

Seunghyun chuckled. “I'm agreeing with you. I've been thinking about this lately- about settling down. Of course, we all know my track record isn't the best. I wasn't necessarily thinking arranged marriage, but the idea of asking Mom for help did cross my mind.”

His parents just stared.

“So... who have you chosen for me?”

This seemed to snap Seunghyun's mother to attention. She opened her satchel and pulled out a handful of folders. “Actually, you can choose. I have four options here- two men and two women.”

Seunghyun opened the folders and scanned the faces. He pushed the women aside- these two weren't particularly doing anything for him. The two men were opposites: blonde and brunette. The dark haired man did catch his eye. Seunghyun tried to look at the other, but this one- with his long hair, full lips, and large feline eyes kept pulling his attention back. He traced his fingers over the photograph, and his lips quirked into a smile. Yes. “This one,” he said.

Mrs. Choi smiled, and looked up at her husband. “Heechul Kim is definitely a suitable boy.”

“Heechul?” Mr. Choi perked up. “So you do have good taste. Who would have known it?”

“I'll call Heejin, Heechul's mother,” she said to Seunghyun. She stood, taking her phone out of her bag and heading into the hallway.

“What do you think, Dad?” Seunghyun asked. “I mean, obviously they all come from good, wealthy families otherwise they wouldn't be options.”

“Actually, Heechul doesn't come from money,” Mr. Choi explained. “But, your mother and I knew Heejin in college. She had money back then, but but the man she married blew through it.” Mr. Choi's face darkened.

“You should tell me about it,” Seunghyun suggested. “It's probably not an easy thing to bring up around them.”

Mr. Choi sighed before sitting in the chair next to the one his wife had just vacated. “There were a group of us who were friends in college- your mother and I; Heejin; Doojoon; your uncle Dongwook; Jungsoo; and Jongin. Your mom and Heejin were the only two women in our circle, so we were overly protective of the two of them. Heejin is incredibly nurturing. She helped cure hangovers and homesickness. When she married Heechul's father, we all saw the warning signs and tried to warn her, but she refused to listen. Your mom said all we could do was support her the best we could. She was a grown woman- what could we do? Then Heechul came along and we all doted on him, but Youngwoon Kim guarded his family jealously.”

Something cold slithered into Seunghyun's belly. “How jealously?”

Mr. Choi gave his son a look. “I'm sure you can figure it out, son.”

Seunghyun's eyes narrowed at the idea of Youngwoon Kim.

“Naturally, we all tried to convince Heejin to leave him, but she wouldn't hear of it. She even threatened to stop speaking to us if we kept bringing it up. It was hard, but if we wanted to stay friends and protect her as best as we could we didn't really have a choice.”

“What happened?”

“What you would expect in a situation like that- Youngwoon hit Heechul. Heechul was four at the time.”

Seunghyun froze, his eyes never leaving his father's face.

“She called Jongin, sobbing. By the time we all arrived, Heejin and Heechul were dry-eyed and quiet. She just rocked him. Youngwoon had disappeared. He was found the next morning, half eaten by alligators.”

Seunghyun was startled. “Dad, you and the others.... didn't-”

The door opened and Mrs. Choi walked back in. “It's all settled. Seunghyun, you'll meet your future husband on Friday at 7:00. Does that work for you?”

Seunghyun nodded. “That's fine. Where?”

“Nan's Sandwich and Soda Shop. Heechul is very shy and somewhere overly fancy may intimidate him.”

“Me too,” Seunghyun replied. I haven't been to Nan's in ages. I look forward to it.”

Seunghyun was able to get out of overtime by telling his boss Mr. Yang that he was having dinner with his parents. Seunghyun had introduced the three after his meeting with his parents earlier in the week. Since they were meeting casually, Seunghyun slid on a pair of dark jeans, and a dark sweater. He took a deep breath, and left his apartment to meet the man who would very soon become his partner for life.

Heechul was even more beautiful in person. He wore thick black glasses, and a long sleeved black shirt. His eyes were lightly lined and the barest shine of gloss graced his lips. He was seated between both of their mothers, and he blushed when he saw Seunghyun.

“Hi.” Seunghyun smiled at Heechul, who looked down at his hands. “Am I late?”

“Not at all!” Heechul's mother slid out of the booth and held her hand out to Seunghyun. She was dressed simply yet elegantly, and Seunghyun could see where Heechul got his looks from- Heechul and his mother were practically twins. “I'm Heejin Kim. Come, sit next to your fiancee.”

Seunghyun slid into the booth and next to Heechul, breathing in a clean, beautiful scent that was a fresh mixture of lemon and lavender. “I'm Seunghyun.” He held out his hand.

Warm fingers slid across Seunghyun's. “Heechul.”

Seunghyun kissed the back of Heechul's hand, eliciting a lip bite along with a blush. Seunghyun couldn't remember the last time he was so enchanted.

There was a reason Seunghyun had been thinking about asking his mother for dating help. At the tender age of thirty, Seunghyun had been dating for roughly half of his life. So far, the only relationship that had really worked was a girl his mother had set him up with when he was eighteen. Two years later, she moved to Russia to become a ballerina, but they tried their best at a long-distance relationship. It ended when she met- and quickly married- a translator working for the government. Ever since then, it didn't matter who Seunghyun dated: men, women, people in between. All of them were the same- beautiful, dull, shallow, selfish, and money hungry. Seunghyun wanted a partner- someone who would care for him, a kind face when he came home from a bad day, someone he could relax and he himself with. He always felt like he was playing a role when he dated, that people dated an idea of him and he had to stay that person. Heechul Kim was proving to be completely different. He already had a job, working in a small secondhand bookstore. It was only part time and didn't pay much, which was why at the age of twenty two he still lived at home. But he had been working there since he was seventeen, adored it, and had no intentions of quitting.

Heechul was shy and quiet, until talk turned to his two biggest loves- reading and baking. Then he would really come alive: eyes sparkling and lips grinning. Seunghyun smiled just watching Heechul talk. Mrs. Choi promised to pass along Seunghyun's favorite recipes. Heechul promised to learn them.

Seunghyun was coming out of the bathroom when he found Heejin Kim waiting for him. She had a serious look on her face.

“Seunghyun, I don't know much your parents told you about our early life, but my marriage was not a happy one. I don't know how much Heechul remembers. We don't speak of it. But he is the best thing to ever happen to me, and before I allow this marriage to happen I need to be sure that you are serious about my son, that this isn't just some whim for you. I know you are Siwon and Ji-Woo's son, and I am placing a lot of faith in you because of that. I trust how they raised you.” She began to choke up.

Seunghyun took both of Mrs. Kim's hands in his. “Mrs. Kim-”

“Heejin.”

“Heejin. I am very serious about Heechul. I've been thinking about settling down for a while now. I'm sure my father would be thrilled to tell you about my terrible dating experiences, if he hasn't already. Apparently they're fun dinner party stories. Because of said bad luck I had been planning on asking my mother for help anyway. Heechul is already proving to be vastly superior to anyone I've dated. He's smart, humble, modest, and very pretty.” Seunghyun winked.

Heejin rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

“I promise you, I will protect Heechul. I will care for him and make him happy.”

Heejin's eyes watered, and she squeezed Seunghyun's hands tightly before heading into the ladies' room.

Seunghyun returned to find Heechul sitting alone in the booth. He was staring at his hands and biting his lip. Seunghyun smiled. “Hey.”

Heechul looked up and Seunghyun was startled to see a small tear slip down his cheek.

Seunghyun carefully wiped it away, making Heechul in a breath as they studied each other.

“You parents went to pay,” Heechul said softly.

“Are you alright?”

Heechul sighed, and brushed his hair away from his face. “It's all just so overwhelming. I mean, we're strangers, and now we're getting married in only a couple of months.”

“At least we don't have to plan it,” Seunghyun offered.

“That's true. And our parents did say they'll keep us in the loop.”

“I wonder if they'll hire a pony for rides.”

Heechul snorted. “I seriously doubt it,” he responded, looking amused. “But I think I've talked them into a dessert bar in addition to a wedding cake.”

Seunghyun looked at Heechul admiringly. “I think I'm already in love with you.”

Heechul rolled his eyes, but he was blushing.

Seunghyun chuckled. He reached up and gently brushed Heechul's cheek with his thumb, turning Heechul to face him. “There's nothing to be afraid of. We're both new to this, but at least we'll be going through it together.”

Heechul sighed again. “I get that. It's just that it's all happening so fast. You know?”

“Yeah, I know. But we'll exchange phone numbers and email addresses. I'll text you photos of my lunch, you'll email me funny cat memes, and we'll get to know each other. That's how it's done these days, right?”

Heechul laughed outright. “You're such a nerd.”

“You have a little over a month to make peace with that.”

Seunghyun escorted Heechul out of the restaurant to his mother's car. “I'll call you,” he promised, kissing the back of Heechul's hand again and getting him to blush again.

Heechul slid into the car, with a wave and a shy smile, and Seunghyun was left alone with his parents.

“Well?” Mr. Choi asked.

“I like him a lot,” Seunghyun smiled. “He seems calm and mellow.”

“Your opposite,” Mr. Choi said cheekily.

Seunghyun chuckled. “I think it will be a good balance. And I am looking forward to no more screaming matches, no more dramatic scenes.”

“Heejin said you promised to care for Heechul,” Mrs. Choi said.

“And to protect him and make him happy,” Seunghyun added. “And I fully intend to keep that promise."