UNDODGEDBULLET | one

Bae Joohyun has always known that this is her fate. Having to marry someone of 'equal status' selected by her family instead of finding love on her own. It's the burden of being born as the single heir of Bae family, a family steeped in tradition and rules centuries old. She has accepted this with as much grace and resignation as she could muster.

At least her parents allow her to pursue what she wanted as a career (for now) instead of forcing her to lend a hand in the family’s multi-million dollars company. So many of her friends are not as lucky as her; seeing their dreams of becoming teachers, writers, dancers and so on disappear into thin air as they bend to their family’s will and pursue a career that will able them to serve their families instead. So she counts her blessings and reminds herself to be grateful that her parents didn't flip when she chose culinary instead of business administration and even supported her when she opened her own French café in a nice urban area near Itaewon two years ago.

The other thing that softens the blow of an arranged marriage is the fact that she knows that her parents truly and deeply love her despite their commitment to the family's rules and obligations. They would choose a good man to marry her, and afterward, she would find a way to continue carving her path in this world, just like her mother did when she was arranged to marry her father.

They show her a picture of her would-be-fiancé a few days after her 25th birthday. A stylish young man standing in front of what seems like a corporate office, clad in a crisp work suit. Her parents tell her his name, his qualification (MBA from Harvard, apparently), where he works, and how he comes from a good, prominent family. Her father then excitedly explains how he has been dealing with his father in business ventures together and how they’ve bonded through that. And how both their families perfectly match each other in terms of background and legacy.

The Oh family. It’s not like she has never heard of the name before. They own a chain of jewelry stores across South Korea. She herself owns several sets of exclusive jewelry from them.

"He’s a good man. I've met him many times, even your Eomma likes him. You'll be happy with him; I am sure, Hyun-ah." Her father says in a soft voice. Her mother just watches her with a hopeful smile on her face.

It’s kind of funny to her that her father is trying to convince her that she’ll be happy with someone she literally knows almost nothing about. She stares at the picture for a long time. He seems like a nice guy but how to even judge that from a single picture? And he is not that bad to look at (okay fine, he's very good looking) so that's a relief....right? Although he seems really tall and she can't exactly brag about her height....wouldn't they look silly together? She stares a little longer, observing the easy, charming smile on his face; the sharpness of his jaw. So is this it then? Is this her future husband, the man she’ll be spending her whole life with?

"If you are to get married, he will eventually help with our company’s management too. The Oh and Bae families combining together, we would be twice as powerful."

And there it is. In the end, that’s all that matters, isn’t it? She has no interest in the family’s departmental store business and her family’s legacy needs to be preserved and continued. Since she is not up to the task, she has no choice but to marry someone who is capable to do that.

Her mother grabs her hand gently. "Hyun-ah, let's meet their family first, okay? I think you will love them."

Joohyun tries hard not to show even a hint of bitterness on her face as she gives her parents a nod and a small smile in reply.

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Stop ogling, byuntae.

Oh Sehun is in a hurry, walking from the car park toward the fancy Italian restaurant to meet his parents for lunch like he had promised them this morning. He got caught up with work at the office and almost forgot his promise so now he is rushing to get there in time. And yet his stupid eyes are not cooperating with him at the moment. Because they are too busy ogling.

There is a girl who has been walking in front of him ever since he left the parking lot. His brain is stubbornly assessing the appealing form in front of him despite his mental protest. She's petite with flowing long hair that is cascading down her back. Her outfit is simple yet he knows she's clad head to toes in designer apparels. She must be fricking rich then, like him and most of his friends. Yet the way she walks is different than the other girls he knows. And her nails are trimmed curiously short and unadorned, like someone who uses their hands to work, not like other spoiled, rich girls he is used to. 

He forces himself to avert his eyes when they involuntarily gaze down to the gentle sway of her hips only to be fixed on the soft bounce of her hair. He swears he can smell the soft fragrance of her shampoo---Damn it Sehun, you are now 100% certified byuntae. Congratulations.

He usually doesn't do things like this and that's what pisses him off the most. Maybe he should just pass the girl and stop being a creep but then he is almost at his destination anyway. He decides to just not take his sunglasses off so he can hide his eyes, feeling irritated at himself for finding the back of some random girl so attractive when he has more urgent matters to deal with.

He looks down at his watch. , I'm late!

The girl is already near the restaurant’s entrance when she suddenly hesitates and stops without warning. He almost crashes into her if not for his quick reflex.

"Yaah! Careful!"

She turns around in surprise, gasping a little when she realizes that there is a tall man standing just right behind her. She cringes and bows slightly as an apology. 

"Ommo, mister! Sorry!"

She is so tiny compares to his six feet frame that she has to crane her neck to look up at his face. Heol, his heart skips a beat. The girl is very pretty. He frowns as he dusts non-existent speck of dust off of his work suit. "Next time maybe give a signal before you make an emergency stop?" 

He can see the surprise on her face at his admittedly jerk-ish response before she narrows her eyes and gives him an annoyed look. He gives her a bored look in return even when his pulse starts going a little faster than usual. 

"Yaah. What are you doing following behind me so close? And you probably could have seen better if you’re not wearing sunglasses indoor like some kind of an ....vain.....jerk."

Well, she's not wrong there, his brain responds back unhelpfully. 

She is pointing an accusing finger at his Ray-ban and he raises his brow and gives her an unimpressed look even though inside he's thoroughly amused by her words. He decides to just walk away without replying, and she stands there blinking at his nonplussed reaction before she finally follows behind him into the restaurant. 

"Jerk."

He hears her grumble under her breath and he has to bite back a smirk. 

He reaches the table where his parents are sitting and bows respectfully when they introduce their friends to him. And he watches in confusion as the pretty girl he had just bumped into hesitantly approaches their table. And then his face begins to pale when his mother stands up to give her a hug while his parents' friends happily introduce her as their daughter.

She's Joohyun Noona, the girl who is marrying his Hyung, his future sister-in-law.

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They already order food and start eating and his Hyung is 30 minutes late to his first meeting with his future wife and in-laws.

Seriously, what kinda move is this Hyung? Sehun mentally shakes his head while he imagines talking to his big brother. Even he knows it's not appropriate to make people wait this long.

She doesn’t look older than me. 

He tries not to stare at the girl sitting in front of him while she awkwardly drinks her iced tea. Her parents are laughing and chatting with his parents. He already feels like a creep for drooling over his own future sister-in-law before they were introduced and haish for goodness sake, Hyung, where the hell are you?

He clears his throat as he takes pity on the girl but she mutters something under her breath before he can start a lame conversation about the weather or food or something.

"I'm a little sorry for calling you a jerk. Not much though."

He tries not to smile. "If I recall, the correct phrase is an ' vain jerk’."

She makes herself busy stirring her drink, her cheeks a dusty pink. "Yeah yeah, that."

He decides to give her a break. "Sorry, Noona. I was just teasing you. And I was being a jerk. You were right, I shouldn't have worn my sunglasses and walked too close to you. I was rushing to get here."

She looks straight into his eyes for the first time after they have been formally introduced and then gives him a genuine grin, the one that makes her eyes sparkle and shows all her straight teeth. He realizes she's not just pretty, she is actually drop dead gorgeous, the kind of beauty that knocks you in the face. He clears his throat and decides to change the subject.

"I’m sorry, Jongin Hyung is never like this. It must be an emergency."

"It's fine," she replies, her voice low to keep from distracting their parents; "If I had a choice I would totally pretend I have an emergency too."

He can't help the huge grin from spreading on his face. Everyone else seems dead set on pretending that what they're doing is normal, that it's not ridiculous to set up a meeting between two strangers and push them to be together for an eternity yet here she is cracking a dry joke about it. He wonders if he will feel as calm as she looks if he’s the one getting forced into an arranged marriage. 

He doesn’t realize it but his smile has caught the attention of his father and mother. Sehun rarely smiles so to see him like that, especially at someone he barely knows is quite a shock to them. They look at each other approvingly. It’s the right decision to bring Joohyun into their family.

"Aigoo, what is this, I thought you would be head over heels in love with my Hyung after looking at his picture?"

She snorts softly. "Don't tease. How about you? When are you getting a fiancé?"

His smile widens, knowing that she's subtly reminding him not to make fun of her when he might meet the same fate sooner or later. "Me? I'm 24. Hyung is already 26. He’s the one taking the bullet for both of us. I’m happy to say I'm dodging this bullet…for now."

Taking a bullet. How true is that statement? So is she the bullet or another casualty? She makes a face after making sure he is the only one looking at her. "I wish I have an elder sibling, I’m so jealous of you right now."

He watches her with sympathy. "This whole thing is kind of weird, right?"

She sighs. "You can say that again."

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Jongin finally arrives 15 minutes later. He bows and apologizes to Joohyun and her family, explaining how he got tied up with an urgent meeting. Since everyone (except Joohyun) understands exactly how it is to be in that situation, they just wave off his apology and urge him to join them. He takes a seat beside Joohyun and talks to her politely, introducing himself and looking as friendly as he always is.

Sehun just watches them interact as he eats his steak, now back to his silent mode as he quietly observes their conversation and body language. They look comfortable enough for two strangers on the verge of spending the rest of their lives together.

He wonders why he keeps wishing that they could be more awkward.

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"..Joohyun is very beautiful, isn't she, Jonginnie." Their mother says later that night as they sit down for dinner.

"Hmm. Seems like she is."

Sehun smirks at his brother's offhanded reply and decides to . "Aigoo, Hyung, you are so lucky. It’s like being matched with a visual goddess."

Jongin doesn’t reply as he concentrates on chewing his food. The momentary silence is deafening before his father changes the topic and asks him about his schedule for tomorrow.

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Joohyun has to admit, she had naively harbored a teeny tiny hope for a magic moment in her first meeting with her future husband. Jongin is handsome, well mannered, talkative and friendly. But she notices that his smiles never really reach his eyes.

She wonders