Kim Sunggyu considered himself a fairly average South Korean man, thank you very much. Well, as average as the only son and heir to Kim Food Corporation could be, anyway.

He graduated from Seoul University, laude, with a B.A. and M.A. in Business and Economics. At 26 years old, he was just recently promoted to corporate manager (don’t think he got it because of his father; he earned that position). He has the respect and admiration of his peers and co-workers.

He was an obedient and hardworking son for his father, a good and doting son to his mother, and an annoying but loveable younger brother to his older sister.

So when his parents announced that they have arranged for him to be married to the youngest son of Namu, a chain restaurant that took the South Korean food industry by storm five years ago, Sunggyu simply nodded his head and said, “Yes, abeoji.”

He also thanked them for taking his ual orientation and preference into consideration. (It was no secret that he was openly gay. He came out in high school and his family was much more open-minded than most of the South Korean society.)

The news spread and made the front of various Business and Wedding sections of every newspaper, tabloid, and broadcast news: Kim Sunggyu Of Kim Food Corp. Engaged To Namu Restaurant Chain 2nd Son Nam Woohyun

Ahhh, Nam Woohyun. The infamous party animal son of the Nam family. Sunggyu has met him a few times during company parties and gatherings. And by met, he meant watched the younger man from afar as he flirted with everything that moved and drank the party dry of liquor.

Based on his research, the younger Nam brother was still in University, a Business Management major. He had quite the reputation as the rebellious son, always found drunk at clubs and parties and thus, bringing shame and scandal to his family almost every month.

In short, Nam Woohyun was an immature spoiled brat.

Or so he thought.

He finally met his fiancé on the eve of their engagement party.

Sunggyu was standing outside a pair of doors leading to the hotel ballroom with his sister, who was fussing over his dark chestnut hair and impeccable 3-piece black suit. He was told to wait for his fiancé there as they would be entering the party together to be introduced.

Finally, he heard footsteps and turned around to see his father and mother, the Nams, and a handsome young man.

As they approached, Sunggyu took this time to observe his would-be husband. The younger man’s dark hair was swept to the side with hairspray, his plump lips pink and moisturized with lip balm. He was wearing a matching midnight blue 3-piece suit. Sunggyu could see hints of rebellion in the younger man’s lack of a tie and the unopened top 3 buttons.

Fascinating.

“Sunggyu, this is Mr. and Mrs. Nam,” introduced his father. “Hyunshik, Minah, this is my son, Sunggyu. And my daughter, Gyuri.”

Politely, Sunggyu bowed, shook Mr. Nam’s hand, and pressed a gentlemanly kiss to Mrs. Nam’s. “A pleasure to meet you,” he said.

“The pleasure is ours, Sunggyu-shii,” replied Mr. Nam. He gestured to the young man next to him. “And may I introduce to you, my son, Woohyun.”

Woohyun looked startled to suddenly be addressed and proceeded to bow shakily at Sunggyu, his eyes trained on the floor and nowhere near the older man.

“N-Nice to meet you,” he greeted and Sunggyu had to keep himself from quirking an eyebrow.

The pompous and confident man that he had seen during parties was not the same shy and nervous-looking man in front of him. Nonetheless, he bowed back to the younger.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he replied.

He caught Woohyun’s eyes and to his surprise, the young Mr. Nam blushed. Albeit, it was faint and disappeared fairly quickly, but Sunggyu saw the slight pink coloring of his cheeks (which were cutely chubby, he had to admit).

Fascinating, indeed.

“Now that you’ve been properly introduced to each other, it’s time the rest of South Korea to know,” said Mr. Kim. “You have 10 minutes to compose and ready yourself and we’ll call for you when it’s time.”

The two politely bowed as their parents and Sunggyu’s sister began to make their exit.

His father clapped Sunggyu in the back, whispering a “I’m proud of you, son.” His mother kissed his cheek.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nam simply flashed Woohyun a pointed look and said, “Behave.” His mother patted his cheek, affectionately before she and her husband followed the Kims to the ballroom.

When the door shut, Woohyun let out a loud and relieved sigh. Sunggyu, too, let out the breath he had been holding. (Yes, he had also been nervous. He was only human!)

“Hey.”

Sunggyu turned his head to see his husband-to-be smiling slightly at him.

“Hello,” he replied.

The younger coughed before swinging himself on the balls of his leather Italian shoes-clad feet, acting nonchalant. “So… What did they bribe you with to agree to this?”

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow. “Bribed? I wasn’t bribed.”

Woohyun stopped swinging, his eyes wide in astonishment. “Wait… so you actually agreed to this?”

“Yes.”

“Why?!”

“It’s my duty.”

Woohyun snorted and resumed his swinging. “Yeah, right. No way you would agree to an arranged marriage without a price. Especially to a guy.”

The statement piqued Sunggyu’s interest. “What was yours?”

“What was my what?”

“Your price. Why did you agree to this marriage?”

Woohyun shrugged. “The old man put up a fair fight, promised me a lot of things. But, he said that if I stick to this and finish my degree, he’ll let me audition.”

“Audition? For what?”

“To be a singer.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Isn’t that a little old to be an idol these days?”

Woohyun flushed. “I’m not old! And I don’t want to be an idol, I want to be a singer!”

“What’s the difference?”

“There’s a huge difference!”

“Which is?”

“Aish!” Woohyun huffed, crossing his arms, and turning away from an amused Sunggyu. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Sunggyu approached the sulky man and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “But, as your future husband, I guess I have to support you, huh?” he said, teasingly but sincerely.

Woohyun turned his head to him and to Sunggyu’s further amusement, the younger turned crimson and coughed. “R-Right… Exactly.”

Before Sunggyu could say anything else, the large double doors suddenly opened and he heard Mr. Nam’s voice announcing them.

This time, it was Woohyun who turned to the older man with a smile – a greasy one. He held out a hand.

“Shall we, future hubby?” he asked.

Surprised yet compliant, Sunggyu flashed his own smile and took his hand. As they both entered the ballroom and bowed to their guests, he couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises this Nam Woohyun has in store for him. He was certainly not how Sunggyu expected him to be, if the sudden quickening pace of his heart against his chest had something to say about it.

And needless to say, he was intrigued.

Grandma Kim once told him: “Love is like a tree, Sunggyu. When planted right, watered, and nurtured, it grows.”

He thought about it when the officiant asked if he would love Woohyun in sickness and health, for richer and for poorer, and til death do they part. He said, “I do”, of course. What else could he say? “Possibly” or “I don’t know”? No, he was supposed to go by tradition and say, “I do.”

And as he listened to Woohyun also say, “I do”, he wondered if it had been true for his parents, for his sister, and of course, Grandma Kim. All of them had been in arranged marriages. Did love grow for them too? Will it for him and Woohyun?

As of now, he wasn’t really sure. He and the younger had become well-acquainted in the last month while preparing for their wedding, though the younger always seemed like a bundle of nerves. But, he was an intriguing young man. He was like the little brother that Sunggyu always wanted but never got. (But it was weird thinking of that, now that they were married.)

Their first kiss was chaste, nothing special, but it did leave a little tingling in Sunggyu’s lips. It wasn’t unpleasant. The younger’s lips were soft and really as plump as they looked. It was kind of nice.

As he slipped his hand comfortingly into Woohyun’s as they both walked down the aisle, he watched the light blush spread over his new husband’s chubby face as rice and flower petals rained down on them.

Right then and there, Sunggyu thought that at the very least, he was fond of Woohyun.

“Hyung, your new husband is hella cute,” his friend Dongwoo said to him during the reception.

He, Sunggyu, and their other friend Howon were watching the new member of the Kim family across the room, talking to his own friends. One was a tall, leggy guy with dyed red hair and glasses, another was a shorter, dark-haired handsome tsundere-looking dude, and the last was a blonde-haired feminine-looking guy with cat-like eyes.

“Does he have a brother?” Howon teased, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Sunggyu simply laughed and shook his head. “He does, but he’s straight. And married.”

Howon pretended to pout and look disappointed. “Bummer.”

And Dongwoo laughed his addicting gleeful laugh that eventually had Sunggyu laughing along. Inwardly, he was grateful to have them both there with him. The beautifully-decorated ballroom was full of his father’s business associates and barely any of their family. Only the closest relatives were invited.

“Hyung!”

For example, this giant weight that suddenly threw itself at him, knocking the breath out of him.

“Jesus, Sungjong! Careful or your hyung will break!” Howon scolded, playfully.

Dongwoo just continued to laugh.

The adorable brown-haired teen looked up at Sunggyu with sweet doe-eyes and an adorable smile…

“I don’t like your husband. He’s too handsome for you.”

And poisonous words.

Keeping his annoyed feelings at bay (though, not really, he knew Sungjong didn’t mean it maliciously), he ruffled the young high schooler cousin’s hair.

“Yah, when are you gonna start respecting your hyung, hmm?”

Sungjong scoffed but didn’t answer. Instead, he wrapped an arm around his older cousin’s arm and turned towards the direction of his new cousin-in-law, who was now watching them, curiously. Sungjong pointed two fingers at his eyes before pointing them at Woohyun with a glare and tightening his hold on Sunggyu’s arm. The latter grimaced before turning back to his friends, nonchalantly. His face was red.

But it didn’t escape Sunggyu’s notice.

Interesting.

“Are you going to fall in love with him, hyung?” Sungjong asked.

Sunggyu shrugged. “I don’t know. Should I? Would you like him better then?”

Sungjong scoffed again. “There’s only one way I’m going to like him.”

“And what’s that?”

The younger flashed him a serious look. “If he loves you the way you deserved.”

Dongwoo and Howon started laughing and teasing…but it got the wheels turning in Sunggyu’s head.

Woohyun was nervous, he could tell.

The younger’s hands were shaking, he was biting on his bottom lip, and he wouldn’t look Sunggyu in the eye.

The older locked the car and led the way to the front door of the new townhouse they were to live at – a gift from their families. It was located in the Gangnam District, close enough to Sunggyu’s work and Woohyun’s University.

(Woohyun had his own car, already parked in the driveway next to Sunggyu’s own. The older supposed it was easier that way so they could both get to their destinations in the mornings with no hassle.)

Woohyun remained nervous while Sunggyu gave him the tour; he was jump-y when the older suggested he showered first. And now, after Sunggyu had taken his own shower and walked back into the bedroom, he couldn’t help but watch in amusement as Woohyun fidgeted on the bed.

The younger raised his head to see him all clean and in fresh pajamas and promptly turned red.

“U-Um… Sorry… I… This is weird… Hehe…”

Sunggyu smirked, his mischievous side coming out. “Are you a , Woohyun-shii?”

Woohyun looked scandalized as he glared at his new husband. “What? No!”

The older moved closer, causing Woohyun to scoot back into the bed. Sunggyu followed him and caged him against the bed with his arms.

“Then this shouldn’t be an issue, right? Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. I promised your parents that I would after all.”

Sunggyu made sure to lower his voice, as if caressing the words with his tongue. He may not have had many relationships, but he was familiar with seduction. And it worked just as well on his new husband. He watched the red on Woohyun’s face darken and spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face and even his ears.

Cute.

He watched the younger squirm a little more before taking pity on him and pulling back. With a laugh, he ruffled Woohyun’s freshly-washed hair, affectionately.

“Relax, will you?” he teased. “Now scoot over, I’m tired. Today was long.”

Without another word, he plopped into the bed. Placing his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes.

At first, all was quiet except for the quiet deep breaths from the younger next to him.

 It really had been a long day and Sunggyu was utterly exhausted. He barely ate at the reception too, since he was taken from one guest to another who wished to extend their Congratulations on his marriage and talk about business. All that delicious food and he barely got a taste…

A throat cleared.

“Um… Sunggyu?” Woohyun’s voice was hesitant… shy. “We’re not going to…?”

Sunggyu opened his eyes and lifting his body from the bed, turned his head to the younger with an inquiring look. “Do you want to?”

Woohyun blushed a deep tomato red again and the older wondered if he was about to pass out soon. Surely, with all that blood going to his head, he’d be down by now.

“I… um…”

“You can be honest. I won’t be offended, I promise.”

Woohyun took a deep breath and for the first time since they arrived at their new home, he looked Sunggyu in the eye.

“No, I don’t,” he said, firmly. “This whole arrangement… I didn’t want it.”

“I know.” Sunggyu nodded in understanding. “But there’s nothing we can do now. We’re married, we signed the papers and took our vows in front of a hall full of business associates and our family.” He smiled, kindly at his cute little husband. “But, don’t worry, there’s no need to consummate our marriage. I’m not going to force you into something you don’t want to do. Besides, it’s not like anyone will find out. You can’t get pregnant, anyway. Unless…” He sent the younger a teasing smile. “There’s something you haven’t told me and my family?”

Immediately, Woohyun scowled and punched his shoulder. (Damn, he was strong. That actually hurt!)

“You’re annoying,” he stated, nostrils flaring. With a huff, he turned around and brought the covers up to his head. “Night,” his muffled voice mumbled from under the blanket.

For a minute or so, Sunggyu could only stare at the younger man in astonishment. There it was. That flare of stubbornness and arrogance that he had heard so much about but have yet seen… until that moment.

And it made him smile.

That means Woohyun was starting to get more comfortable with him. And maybe soon, he’ll get comfortable with the idea of being married to Sunggyu.

He was looking forward to it.

A/N: Hi, guys! To my old readers, I missed you! To my new readers, welcome to my crazy WooGyu mind!

So this is the first chapter of "Like A Tree", which I had sitting on my hard drive for a month or so. Now that I started writing it and decided to go with the tree themed chapters, I have a vague idea of where I want it to go.

And I really hope you guys will like it! I'll try to update a chapter every week, but I can't promise that I'll be on time because work is hectic, life is hectic, and well.... yeah.

Thanks for reading Chapter 1!