School had finally ended for the day, and you were exhausted. Your chemistry teacher had given your lab group a long lecture about lab safety and the importance of paying attention in class that lasted halfway into 7^th period. So you, Sunny, Himchan, and that other guy (who you finally found out was named Sungmin) were all super late to your classes. You were just relieved that this long day was over with. As Jonghyun drove the two of you home in the Lamborghini that you two shared, you thought about how relaxing it would be to just take a nice long bath at home. You sure were glad that you had no more engagements to deal with before you could relax the rest of the day.

When you and your brother entered your home, you were met with one of your maids who told you that your parents were waiting for you in the parlor with a few guests. Curious at who could possibly be here to see you, you made your way to the parlor with Jonghyun, and found your parents sitting together with five other people, one of whom you totally recognized.

It was Amber.

She sent you and Jonghyun a little smile, and then your mother introduced you to the Lee family. First, she briefly acknowledged Amber’s parents, and then Amber, and finally the boy sitting next to Amber. You could definitely see the family resemblance between the two siblings.

“Mary, this nice young man here is Lee Donghae,” your mother said, gesturing to a rather handsome brunet with charming features. You and he bowed at each other before Jonghyun approached him charismatically.

“Hello, Donghae! I’m Jonghyun, Mary’s twin brother. You really are as handsome as they say!” he blurted out.

Donghae laughed, seeming slightly uncomfortable and out of place. “You two are twins?” he asked, really just to say something, and not because he was wondering. It was obvious you and Jonghyun were twins. “You look exactly like each other,” he confirmed.

“We’re identical,” you and Jonghyun stated in unison.

It was true. If somebody just put a long wig on Jonghyun, nobody would be able to tell the two of you apart. Nobody.

It was then that you noticed the one person that your parents didn’t introduce you to: another young man, probably the same age as Donghae, but who had much shorter and lighter hair than him. You were about to address him, but suddenly all four of the adults ushered you and Donghae out into the back gardens and ordered you to go for a walk. Both at a loss, the two of you decided to just mosey on in some direction, as you awkwardly looked around, at your hands, at the ground, at those trees, anywhere but at each other. Neither of you could find anything to say. You could just feel the awkwardness bubbling up around you, and the silence between you only acted as a breeding ground for the awkward. You felt like you were going to die, it was just so unbearably quiet; you had to do something about this.

After a considerable silence, you finally gathered yourself enough to break it. Confidently.

“So…” So? That wasn’t confident at all!

He nodded at you. “So…” he agreed.

“Who was that guy?” you suddenly asked.

He gave you a questioning glance.

“In the parlor, the other guy who was with you,” you clarified.

“Ah.” He drew in a breath while he mulled over how to answer your question. “Eunhyuk.”

“’Scuse you?”

“That’s his name,” he chuckled. “Well, Hyukjae actually, but we call him Eunhyuk. He’s sort of like my personal attendant,” Donghae explained while observing some yellow roses. He then turned toward you and said, “But really, he’s my best friend.”

“Oh,” you said. Oh? Is that really all you can muster? You felt a little disappointed on your brother’s behalf though. Jonghyun really wanted to become Donghae’s best friend, but it looked like that position was already taken. You wondered if that was subject to change, though, still hoping for your brother’s sake.

“I’ve known Eunhyuk my whole life,” Donghae said serenely.

Welp, guess that’s not subject to change. So you went with changing the subject.

“So how about that marriage?” Why did you say that. You flinched, as it wasn’t exactly tactfully put, and he was probably just as awkward and nervous about it as you were. You glanced sidelong at him to gauge his reaction.

His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, creasing his forehead cutely as he stared off in thought. “I just found out about it today,” he muttered.

“Me too,” you said. Well at least you were both equally unprepared.

He turned to you suddenly, staring at you with open, honest eyes filled with worry. “What do you think about it?” he asked.

“It?” you said, stalling to answer. You weren’t totally sure what you thought about an arranged marriage with Donghae, now that you’ve actually met Donghae.

“Do you think it’s okay for our parents to decide who we’re going to marry?” he asked. “Or for society to decide who we can marry?”

This was apparently a deeper question than just ‘What do you think about us getting married without our say?’ so you just answered with what you felt was true. “I think that marriage is for love. Simple as that.”

He smiled, relaxing a bit, and looked forward again to continue walking. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Me too.”

Suddenly your phone rang. You looked at the screen, but you didn’t recognize the number. With a glance to Donghae excusing yourself, you answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mary,” was the reply.

“Who is this?” you asked the deep, sultry voice.

There was a staticky laugh. “Himchan.”

Oh right. He had asked you for your number after that lecture your teacher had given your lab group, saying he would call later about the thing where you pretend to be his girlfriend.

“Oh…” You glanced over at Donghae, who was looking over at you curiously with a small smile. “What is it?”

“You remember our agreement?”

You sighed, rolling your eyes. “Yes. What do you want?”

He paused. “There’s a party this weekend. Bom’s hosting it at her parents’ manor while they’re both out of town. She’s one of CL’s closest friends.”

“She’s part of 2NE1?”

He chuckled. “Indeed.”

“And I’m guessing you want to go together, where you can parade me around as your new girlfriend and piss of CL and start rumors and get her to stay away from you?”

Another chuckle. “Something like that.”

“Forgive me for being rather hesitant to go through with this plan,” you muttered.

“You could always shell out the money to pay for another custom made leather jacket,” he offered.

“Agh! Fine,” you hissed, to end the conversation quickly. You didn’t want to make Donghae wait any longer. “When is the party?”

“Saturday evening,” he answered. “Dress ty.”

He hung up before you could spit out a retort. Glaring at your phone, you made your way back to Donghae, who was admiring the marble fountain in the center of the garden.

You put on a happy face as you approached him. He turned to you with a questioning look, but you shrugged it off. “Shall we go back then?” he asked, extending an arm.

You nodded and the two of you strolled leisurely back to the house.

When you stepped through the door, both of your parents ambushed you with more amazing news. “We’re throwing an engagement party for the two of you!” your mother exclaimed happily, ecstatic that their plan to hook you two up seemed to be going so swimmingly.

You gulped at the thought. An engagement party. For you and Lee Donghae. “W-when?” you stuttered.

“This Saturday evening,” your father answered.

“What?!”