Soeun

It sounds whining when I feel a little envy to Sehuna. The both of us are in arrange marriage or soon she is going to be. I have married to Myungsoo for almost a year and half, I am happy we can go this long, I hope we will till the rest of our live. It was rocky in the early months of our marriage, I got cold shoulders most of the time. I craved for little affection of my husband. Every chance I got to be close to him, I would take it. I didn’t care he pushed or treated me like I was an intruder than wife. It required certain event till he warmed up to me, I tried my hard not to shed any tears. I won’t say I love him in romantical way that time, I don’t know when it blooms to what I do believe is love. I have no confidence to say he loves me, all I know his smile is one of the best gift I ever receive. It’s corny yes, but that’s what I feel. Maybe it’s long way before he can say he loves me. Maybe it will take log and difficult path before he accepts me as part of his life fully. However, I am grateful I still can be by his side.

“Hei, what are you thinking about ?” Myungsoo asks smiling at me.

“You” I answers honestly. He laughs while shaking his head.

“Thank you, but I am here. I hope Myungsoo in your head is not Myungsoo that you hope, I hope you like the real one” He winks at me. I laughs at his lame flirting.

“I love the real one more” I deadpans.

“I am touched” He smiles. And we spends the lunch together talking about many things. Mainly, about my lectures and the crazy students I need to face. Please smile more, Oppa..... My precious being

Howon and Sehuna

“There is no go back after this Oppa” Sehuna states while she takes Howon’s hand to place the wedding invitation.

Howon looks to the invitation, he doesn’t open it. He knows what is written on the invitation. Her mother has already prepared their wedding once she found out about Howon asking Sehuna’s hand for marriage from her father. Sehuna herself has already talked to her family the night after they talked about it. Their family is working extra fast, they already arrange the ceremony, reception and anything. Leave the two to concentrate in building their relationship. Sehuna has no specific wedding dream, all she says she wants their wedding as sacred as possible. Howon has no problem to go along with their family arrangement as long as Sehuna is agree with it.

“There is no return after this. You will be the pawn, the two of us will be the pawns in this game” Howon states instead.

“I understand my role really well. I choose be your pawn. I am going to guarantee that your desire being fullfilled. We already talked about this. I don’t and won’t change my decision. I do believe so do yours” She looks straight to Howon’s eyes. Howon smiles even it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Your need will be my need as well, my soon to be husband” Howon hates the smile which adorns her face right now. It’s wrong.... Totally wrong. He lets his instinct before his brain. He pulls her close and hugs her tightly, places her head on the crook of his neck.

“Lets stop pretending. You are not as tougher as you think. You are not fooling me, Sehuna” Then the tears flood from her eyes. She hopes they are in differet circumtance, she hopes they can love freely. She hopes they can love each other someday.

“Promise me, our children won’t be involved in this mess. That’s all I ask from you” She manages to say without tremble. He doesn’t answer all he can do is hug her tighter.

                  Jaejoong

I nod my head to the woman Seokjin brings with him. Hyuna is her name. I have heard small detail about her. They seem close, not the way close in romantic degree. Hyuna seems really respect Seokjin somehow. He doesn’t leave her alone with me. She says it’s okay for him to leave, but he doesn’t bulge.

“She is my responsibility. I drag her, I want to be sure there is no way she involves further than needed” He states, I respect Seokjin for his honesty. I hate to bring others for my own benefit. However, it’s already done. Hyuna maybe the key for us to end Hyunseung for good.

“I was Hyunseung’s ex-girlfriend. I may know several things that you are searching for. I am going to help as I can”

“Do you mind if we have another participant here ?” I ask carefully. Seokjin’s eyes harden, he almost say something when Hyuna stops him.

“As I say I am going to help, lets do it quickly” She states calmly. It’s not long after I make the call, that my other guest enter my home office.

“I am Kim Junmyeon, lets we proceed” He says and starts the questioning.

                     Mark

Jason has already passed out from the long hours of work. I left him in his room. It’s our last day at Moscow, we have finished all the bussiness here. I have received all of the information that I needed to know while I am leaving Korea. In days many things happened, I keep myself informed. I have no enough time to imagine about the future, the present keeps me on my feet. I convince myself that somehow all of us are going to be fine. I pray for the best, what’s kind of best I don’t know.

You are the first person I call. We have already set the date. Don’t be late or I am going to ask Jason to be my assistant and send you to other division.

“Hyung, I am sorry” Howon-hyung may hates me when he finds out of my involvement. Many will resent me for what I am doing behind their back. Kim Jaejoong lets me move around though I am absolutely sure knows my role. We seem to have truce without ever discussing it.

My life is surrounded by lies. When the situation escalated this bad ? Don’t delude yourself, Mark. You even don’t know what can be considered as good. There is no way hope for the best, expect for the worst. All you can do is move, all of us need to finish it.

God, I have no courage and trust on myself. It’s only you who can guide me. Lend me your help, please stay with me...

                Howon and Myungsoo

“Did you remember we used to spend lunch break on school rooftop ?” Howon starts the conversation. Myungsoo nods his head without averting his gaze from the sky.

“Have you ever imagined the two of us will trough the same fate ?” He doesn’t need Howon to elaborate. He knows where the conversation is going. They never talked about his marriage, Howon not like the others keep his opinion by himself. That’s what Myungsoo likes about him. However, now he doesn’t mind to bring his own marriage in conversation.

“Arranged marriage. I despised the idea to the bone the first time I heard about my arranged marriage to Soeun. I loathed Soeun for her agreement in ruining my life. I hate her when she said I do. I detested anything she did. That time I was agreed because I didn’t want to be disowned by father. For as long as I lived, I was trying to get his acceptance” He doesn’t need to look at Howon to know that he listens to his confession.

“Till to day I seek for his acceptance” He continues. Howon understands how hard Myungsoo tries to please his father. He does it himself, he tries to be vilial son, the obedient son he is.

“And for Soeun, to think about how I treated her, I feel really ashamed of myself. I won’t say I don’t deserve her, she would kill me if I said so. I hope I can make her happy” He chuckles, he is not that good with heart to heart talk. It silence for awhile till Howon makes up his mind, maybe it will do good for them both.

“Sehuna said to me that my need will be her need. Can I interpret it as my happiness is her happiness ? Maybe marriage is not about equality, marriage is not about two persons who want to spend their life together. Maybe marriage is about to lose some of yourself to assure the other happiness. Hope that we won’t hurt each other in the process”

Maybe they don’t really need to understand about what’s defined marriage, maybe they just need to learn to through it as best as they can.

                    Sungyeol      

Sungyeol keeps his mouth shut when he hears her mother squeals in excitement. Howon’s mother calls her to lend her help to prepare Sehuna and Howon’s marriage. She keeps them update about everything. He is happy to see his mother that excited, but he can’t keep his thought about how to bring the news to Kris. From what Sungyeol can see Sehuna has devoted herself to Howon long before this, marriage will only make her loyalty stronger. Sehuna and Howon will be legal in front of the eyes of law and the eyes of God.

“Hello, Kris. Do you have time this night ? I need a friend to drink” He says casually, opposite of what he feels.

“Don’t worry there is no way it will be scandal, we won’t be caught. Only the one being invited who can enters this bar. I am going to pick you later” Sungyeol smiles to his mother when she is back bringings the wedding invitation with her.

Dragon opposites fenghuang symbolises male and female in the front, the gold ink of the groom and the bride names written in the invitation. The ceremony itself will be very small with only family and close friends, Korea traditional wedding ceremony will be used. The bussiness partners and others may attend the reception. Even Sungyeol doesn’t know when will the ceremony be held.

“Mom, you will attend the ceremony right ?” Sungyeol asks, he holds the reception invitation, but there is no information about the ceremony.

“I do believe you will get invited, Sungyeol. As far as I understand, the attendants will be called personally by the mothers of the groom and the bride. I don’t know why, but it seems Sehuna wants it this way. She wishes the attendants are the people she believes will celebrate this union as their own joyous moment. Howon may have said who are going to be the attendants from his side. I do believe you and Sungjong have scored the spot”

“Mrs. Choi joked that her daughter won’t to avoid anyone to prevent her marriage” She jokes, but Sungyeol doesn’t think it’s a joke.

Maybe it’s not a joke, it’s the truth. Do you know about Kris’ feeling for you, Sehuna ?

                 Baekhyun

Would you design my wedding gown, Oppa ?

I can’t stop the tears flow from my eyes, I clutches the wedding invitation tightly. It’s the first event my name is written beside Woohyun. It will be the first time when I will be in close proximity with his friends and family. Sehuna already played with fire when she asked me to design her wedding gown.

You can come as my designer, I have reserved a room only for Howon’s friend after the reception. The dinner with the family will be held on the ceremony, I invite you personally to there. I am going to send the invitation through Howon.

“Baekhyun, I am home” I can’t bring myself to shout, I only sits on the floor still tightly clutching the invitation. All I feel is myself being lifted to Woonhyun’s laps, I am crying to my heart content. It’s not tears of sadness, it’s tears of happiness.

                       Myungsoo

As I see smile on her sleeping face, I feel the bitter resurface. How she took all the downfall of my past. I am a coward, to protect my fragile heart, I shut everyone out. I keep the fragile heart in the box which certainty that no one will get inside. This woman, my wife, she doesn’t change me, she doesn’t force me to let her in my life, all she asks is letting her by my side.

“I am really sorry. I need to make peace with my own past before I let you in my life. I hope this Kim Myungsoo is enough for you, I can’t be back to that Kim Myungsoo. I am sorry that you get the leftover” I bring her hand to my lips, kissing the ring finger which adorned by our wedding ring.

                                     Bonus

                               Myungsoo and Soeun

 It’s already midnight, I just have finished several documents in the company. It seems my workload increases two fold since I left for Moscow. How could Howon-hyung deal with the work juggling between headquarter and Moscow branch ?

Not to mention he never turned down any work being shoved to his desk. It’s no wonder many admire him for his work ethic, he is such hard worker or should I say he is workaholic. It’s good thing he is on our side, if he works at our rival company, it will be disaster to stand in his opposite side.

“Myungsoo-nim, we have arrived” The driver’s voice break me from my thought. I thank him and gather my belongings. I smile to the nurse who greet me, I won’t tell it’s unfair that I have access to visit without caring for the hospital rule. I and Howon-hyung is abusing his grandfather position on this hospital, he is in broad director of this hospital, not that we will complain for this privilege. After all we take advantage of it.

I find myself on the floor where Soeun’s room is. I take deep breath, I have thought about it since my conversation with Howon-hyung. I have mulled it over several times, it wouldn’t be easy for us. I greet the bodyguards outside her room, I thank them for their work. They bow their head in respect. The light in the room shines dimly. I do believe the nurse has done the last check before I came.

I put my belongings down on the couch, take my coat off and put it on the couch as well. I find a bag with my clothes inside, there is note with Jaejoong’s hand writting on it. It’s wonderful to have such toughtful older brother. I look inside the refrigerator as instructed by Jaejoong-hyung and find pudding, milk, coffee, and shortcake inside. I take the bag with me to the badroom attached to this room. I don’t spend much time to shower, it’s only for hygiene purpose that I have to take bath this late. I walk to the refrigerator, looking for mineral water. I don’t think I want to brush my teeth again so the water will do.

“Oppa ?” I turn my head to find Soeun blinks her eyes, tries to regain conciousness. She waves me to come closer to her, I chuckle before do as she instructs. “Sorry to wake you up” She shakes her head.

“I am glad you are here. I was waiting for you, I did believe that I was still up at 10.20 pm, but I guess I slept after that” She says cheerfully, too much cheerful for someone who is woken up at midnight. Her smile is sincere, happiness shines in her eyes. She reaches for the towel hanging on his shoulder, helping him to dry his hair.

“You are going to get sick if you take bath this late” She scolds him, her eyebrows furrowed.

“You will nag me when you find me drench in sweat” He snorts.

“I prefer you drench in sweat than risking your health. You have worked hard everyday, it’s ungrateful of me if I nag on you over sweat. I .... “ She stops when she realizes Myungsoo looks at her strangely.

“Opp....” Her words cut off when he suddenly held her chin and kisses her deeply. She is surprised by his action, but becomes pliant. She lets him explore her cavern, Myungsoo is the first to pull away. Soeun motions him to take the space beside her, he complies. After he lays, Soeun snuggles closer to him, she sighs in contentment. She focuses on his heartbeat, hearing it beats steadily and lets herself be claimed by the calming melody.