There’s something interesting about life, about human, about destiny. How fate always seems so peculiar with its scenario, and how time nudged every little soul to fall into their places in Fate’s little musical.

There’s something funny about soulmates and lifelong partners, something that no man could ever fathom. One may squint and guess all their might, in the end it all comes back to Fate’s perfect script.

The couple he had just passed by on his way back to his apartment, they celebrated their second anniversary last week. How sweet. Of course, he didn’t know that. But even if he did, would it take him back to the memory of his old lover?

You see, he was with him for a long, long time, before they decided to call it off and moved out of each other’s life just two years ago. Few had replaced his place, from one night stands he met at the club to a beautiful coworker from his last workplace.

None of them left an impact as big as he did. Of course, who were you kidding? Ten years were quite a long time.

But here’s the thing. Sometimes you can be with someone for a long time. Not four, not five, but eight, nine, ten long years. Yet it seemed so insignificant, all those replaced calendars, when they decided to finally drift apart.

Ten years, ten long years of love, flushed down the drain, along with dry flowers and empty chocolate boxes dated back from 2010. Ong Seongwoo sometimes wondered, from all those ten years, how many years were there when they were actually in love? Was it 8 years of love and 2 years of searching for the right words to end it? Or was it the other way around? What if they were both searching for break up words since the get go?

Ah well. Who cares? Ten years are ten years, spare yourself the details.

Besides, as they were saying, ‘one door closes, another opens.’ Eventually they will meet someone new, as the cycle repeats itself.

Not this time.

It was not eight, nine, or ten, but five, four short months. Four short months and there comes the invitation, placed neatly in the mailbox. The postman’s probably smiling as he slide the pretty card swiftly to the red box.

Ong Seongwoo received such invitation earlier this week. It was a nice shade of dark blue, with pearly white wax sealing the envelope. It was pretty.

He remembered that he once wanted his, their, invitation to be white, with dark red seal as per Daniel's persistent request. Oh how he insisted on the seal. 

"It's a very Harry Potter thing. I'm not compromising on that," he had said, eyes crinkling in a playful manner.

"Then I want our initials to be printed at the bottom left of the envelope, typewriter style, very rustic." Seongwoo replied, grinning as Daniel nodded along. 

Seongwoo smiled, hand tracing the embossed letters at the top right, an intertwined D and M in pretty lettering. Daniel’s fiancé had style, a very good one.

"Will we ever get married, Ong?" He leaned his head on Seongwoo's shoulder.

"Ah, I don't know." Seongwoo smiled, eyes far wandering.

"Don't say that, say yes." Daniel lifted his head, "I will propose to you one day and you will say yes and we will have our wedding near the lake."

Seongwoo laughed, "What lake?"

Fixing his tie, Seongwoo stole another glance at the invitation.

614-7 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

A fancy, european styled wedding venue. Very intimate. Such a romantic place, great ambiance too.

What did he say earlier about Daniel’s Fiancé having a good style? He’d have to repeat that. Too bad Seongwoo didn’t really get to know the guy.

Funny, he knew Daniel’s every boyfriends and girlfriends, pre and past their relationship. Another thing Fate finds funny, to have Seongwoo and Daniel’s circle knitted so closely together.

Not this time.

Daniel's Fiancé, he was not a part of their band, not their college friends, not one of their coworkers. According to Daniel, they didn’t even meet in Korea. It was during one of his overseas business trip, one beautiful autumn evening near Lake Como, or so he told him over coffee, on one beautiful, but not as beautiful, autumn evening, in a coffee shop near Seongwoo’s workplace.

Fate was funny that way.

“Hey, you ready yet?” Came Minhyun’s voice, he never bothered to knock.

“Not yet, I need a little help with my tie.” He huffed, giving up on the knot.

“When do you not?” Minhyun snickered.

“I don’t have problems with my work ties,”

“Clip ons don’t count, Seongwoo.” The taller commented, as if he was the smartest just because he knew how to do half-windsors and whatnot.

The sky had never been clearer in weeks; there were almost no cloud in the sun’s way. It was indeed a good day to get married, Seongwoo thought as they walked to his car. Minhyun had just announced that Minki won’t be joining them since Jonghyun’s schedule somehow cleared up and he was available to accompany his boyfriend to the wedding.

Minki was a mutual friend; he was a close friend and coworker of Seongwoo's sister before he moved to Daniel's workplace. Jonghyun was introduced to them earlier this year, which everyone instantly welcomed and loved.

Sometimes Seongwoo wondered what path would Minki and Jonghyun walked on, his or Daniel's? (Long time ago it used to mean the same thing)

But Seongwoo pushed the thought away; He was projecting and it’s not good to project one's tale to another.

"Take a left on the next intersection," Minhyun called out. Seongwoo nodded, letting Minhyun knew that he was listening. Apparently, he was not convincing enough, because he heard Minhyun asking something that he dread to hear.

"Are you okay?"

Not missing a beat, he answered, packing up as much smile as he could fit into one short reply, “Why of course.”

“How do you feel?” Minhyun asked, completely ignoring Seongwoo’s feigned merriment.

One does not easily fool Hwang Minhyun. It was one thing they established early in the friendship. The latter was too sharp for his own good.

“Honestly, I don’t feel anything; and I’m not okay with it.”