UNDODGEDBULLET | two

Her eyes widen in shock, her pulse starts to race. "S-Sehun? I-I don’t think he would want that."

She looks up desperately at her father and he looks back at her with something in his eyes, as if he knows a secret that he isn’t sharing with her. 

"Hyun-ah, Sehun volunteers. He came over personally to meet me at the office today after we found out about Jongin. The four of us didn’t ask him to do this. He wants to marry you, Hyun-Ah."

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Joohyun tries to call Sehun right after his parents leave her house that night but there is no answer. She tries again the next morning and still, it rings and rings but he never answers.

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The announcement of an Oh-Bae engagement/marriage is formally released to the media the next day, with Sehun’s name instead of his brother as the future groom. It causes a slight uproar on the internet. She has always maintained a low profile despite her family’s name but Sehun apparently is listed as one of the most eligible bachelors (along with her ex-fiancé) in Seoul so the news causes quite a number of his socialite admirers to cry.

She won’t admit this to anyone but she spends the entire day reading netizen's opinions on Naver. Many suspects that it’s an arranged marriage between the two powerful families. Some questions why isn't she paired with the eldest Oh son if that’s the case. A news site publishes the pictures of them from Oh Jewelry’s Valentine’s Day catalog and the netizens go quite nuts over them. In the end, it is concluded that they match well and that they are marrying out of love.

Some people actually think we look in love in this shoot, she thinks in amazement. I guess people see what they want to see.

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She thinks she's going insane with guilt. She has been calling him again and again and he's not answering. It’s been almost two weeks after the announcement, a week before their wedding and it's almost like he’s the one vanishing instead of his brother. No more visits to her cafe or texts on her phone. He's definitely avoiding her. It’s driving her up the wall despite his own mother convincing her that Sehun is perfectly fine and happy, only busy with work.

"I’m happy to say I'm dodging this bullet…for now."

That's what he had said when they first met. And now he's the one facing the bullet because his brother had chosen to dodge it. They told her that he wants to do it but how is that possible? If that's true then why isn't he taking her calls or answering her texts? Maybe they lied, he didn’t really volunteer to marry her. Maybe they forced him.

Maybe he hates me now. She doesn’t know why but she can’t stand the thought of Sehun hating her.

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She decides enough is enough.  She can't fight for herself but perhaps she can fight for him. She walks into her father's office that morning. "Appa, we need to cancel the wedding. I-I can't go through with this."

From the smile he is sending her way he seems to expect her to do this. "You know it’s too late to do anything now, sweetie. The announcement has been made, all preparation is done, even your wedding dress is nearly finished."

"Appa, but--" One gentle reminder from him and she's already stuttering? She feels like crying at how weak she is when she's facing off with her beloved father like this. No wonder Jongin just packed up and left like he did. Maybe she should just run like he did. Stop thinking about others and just think about herself for once in her life. Give Sehun a chance to enjoy life and not be shackled to her. Let him dodge this bullet before it tears him apart.

Her father looks at her with tender eyes as he starts to stand up. "You know this is how we’ve done things in our family. You've accepted this. How come now you are backing away?"

Because I can’t do this to Sehun, she whispers in her head. But her tongue is frozen. 

Her father comes over and pats her hair and it's like he can read her mind. "Sehun is wonderful, Hyun-ah. Every day he calls me, asking about you. He sincerely cares about you. Of course, as you know I’d thought Jongin was good for you too, but that’s because I know their family, they are all very good, decent people. But Sehun goes way and beyond that to prove that he cares about you."

She looks at her father disbelievingly. "What do you mean he cares? He never bothers to answer my calls or texts!"

Her father raises his brow. "Aaah, really? I wonder why." He looks at her mischievously. "Is that why he keeps asking me for reassurance that you are not changing your mind?"

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She feels hopelessly defeated as she drives back from her father's office back to her cafe. She sits in her car in the parking lot for an hour, just finding the courage to do the right thing. She doesn't want to do this, everything she treasures is in South Korea but if it's the only way.... There's a place that's like a second home to her and she still has many contacts there. And perhaps one day her parents would forgive her...

She opens her Macbook and searches for this week's flights from Seoul to Paris.

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She lets Seulgi closes the cafe that night and walks out to her car at the well-lit employee's parking lot. These past few weeks have really messed up her mind and she's physically and mentally tired of everything. Her heart is hurting as her plan to run away starts to weigh heavily on her conscience. Her cafe, tomorrow she needs to sit down with Seulgi and talk about letting her continue their business by herself. Oh God, everyone will hate her after this, won't they? 

She halts her steps when she realizes there is someone standing against her Audi, his tie undone, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled all the way to his elbows, hands in the pockets of his impeccably pressed Armani pants. Their eyes meet and she sharply inhales.

Sehun.

She narrows her eyes, her hands forming into fists by her sides. He watches her silently and she pretends not to see him as she quickly presses the button to unlock the car. He doesn't move away even when she tries to reach for the door behind him. She grits her teeth. She is absolutely not in the mood to deal with his jerk- attitude. Not after two weeks of trying and trying to reach him like an idiot.

She stands in front of him and huffs in irritation when he keeps staring intently back at her.

"Move."

Still staring. She huffs again and uses all her strength to push him away so she can get into the car and drive away. Too bad he isn’t budging.

"Yaah! I said, move."

"I'm sorry for ignoring your calls."

She swallows when she finally hears his voice and closes her eyes for a second. She had missed him and she hates herself for that. She is hurt and upset by his action, and her voice is cold when she speaks. "Whatever, Sehun."

He reaches for her hand all of a sudden. “I understand that you are upset. I’m very sorry, Hyun-ah. I have my own reason for that. It's stupid, but I absolutely didn't mean to hurt you."

She blinks in shock when she realizes he has deliberately lowered his language to speak informally with her, dropping the Noona title without asking for her permission. She tries to pull her hand away but his grip is too strong.

"Let go, Sehun."

"No."

The words come out unthinkingly.

"We should cancel the wedding. My father will forgive me eventually. I've checked for flights to Paris-"

That apparently does it. His face abruptly changes, there's fire in his eyes now. He pulls her to him until she almost slams into his chest. She gasps out loud at his reaction. "No way in hell you're doing that. If you run I'll search for you in Paris myself."

This man, what does he want exactly? She'd thought he would be happy with this. Anger starts bubbling from inside and she has to take a deep breath before she can continue. "Just because Jongin dodged the bullet doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself and stand on his behalf-"

"I'll see you at the altar this weekend, Hyun-Ah." His voice is firm as he cuts her off. "You might not believe it, but I'm looking forward to it. Very, very much. I can’t wait to see you then."

What the heck....

She has to crane her neck to look at him but she manages, her eyes sparkling with anger. "Yaah! You can’t just stay silent for two weeks and suddenly say things like this-"

His voice is almost amused as he cuts her off once again. She is going to strangle him alive if he doesn’t stop doing that.

"Go back home and have a good sleep, Bae Joohyun. I'll see you this weekend in church. You need to rest so you can be ready for our wedding day." He looks at her and she gulps when she sees how serious he looks at that moment, "And I don’t want to hear another word about canceling our wedding, ever. Do you hear me, Bae Joohyun?"

She watches him with hanging open as he leans down to whisper in her ear. "Good night, future wife."

She stammers in shock and he just chuckles before he lets her hand go. He opens her door for her, nudging her to get inside. Their eyes are still locked onto each other’s even after he closes the door and she starts the engine. He stands there watching her, hands back in his pockets as he waits until she finally drives away.

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She spends the entire drive to her family's house with her head filled with unanswerable questions. It's when she's turning into the private road towards the mansion that she notices the sleek white BMW that has been following her the whole entire journey home. She stops at the entrance and watches as the car slows down and then speeds away, and her heart stutters as she recognizes the driver behind the wheel. 

It's Sehun. She wonders if this is the first time he's followed her home like this, silently making sure she's safe even when he refuses to answer her calls.

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It seems like something has triggered him into action after two long weeks of silence because he makes damn sure that she knows there is no backing away from their wedding now. The very next morning after their parking lot encounter, he sends two of his mother’s housemaids to her house to help her pack up her things.

As her mother excitedly shows them what to pack he sends her a text saying that they’ll be living at his parent’s house first for a few months after the wedding before they look for their own place together later. She hasn't even recovered from the shock of that text when he sends another one asking her to discuss with Seulgi about closing the café for a week or getting someone to replace her so they can go on a honeymoon. She almost drops the phone when he sends another text right after that, asking her if she likes Bali or Venice for their honeymoon.

Her mind flashes back to that moment in her café when Sehun had asked her about her plan with his brother once they get married. At that point, she had no answer because Jongin’s way was to avoid everything. And now Sehun’s way is to do everything without even bothering to ask her first.

She stands in the middle of the room as the maids carefully pack her things, all while wondering to herself if she should laugh or strangle Sehun’s neck.

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The wedding guests collectively gasp when they see her standing in her stunning Reem Acra wedding dress at the entrance of the church but the only one Joohyun sees at that moment is Sehun. He is standing at the altar, waiting patiently for her just like he’d told her a few nights ago when they met outside her cafe. Their eyes meet as she slowly begins the walk down the aisle. He looks madly dashing in his Louis Vuitton black tuxedo and her heart thrums wildly with every step she makes, keenly aware that