ღ Chapter One ღ     March   "Let's get married."   Three words, said oh so casually in melodic Chinese, even though the subject of marriage had never even been brought up before.   Most girls grow up dreaming of the perfect proposal, complete with a hidden diamond ring, a romantic dinner, a big crowd of passerbys, a speech about never-ending love, and maybe even a serenade from a string quartet.    That was never me.    This 'proposal' was so out of context, but it was also perfect. There were no declarations of love, no promises of forever, because it was all understood in this relationship.   "Let's do it quickly," I replied with only a small pause. "Like...right now."   Kris' low chuckle split the chilly night air and he turned, pulling me into his arms.    "As much as I'd love for us to get hitched right this instant, your grandmother will murder me."   I stuck my nose into his warm jacket, and groaned. Kris had, of course, seen right through my intentions. Just the idea of my grandmother planning a wedding made me want to hide and cry. She was going to be hell.    "And the members will be mad, too, if they didn't get to attend," Kris added. "I don't think you want to deal with angry EXO."   He was right. With a small sigh, I wrapped my arms around Kris' waist under his jacket, and pouted.   "Are you cold, babe?" Kris asked, tucking me close to him, covering me with his coat to share some of his warmth.    We had been taking a walk along the Han river under the cover of the the darkened night sky during one of our occasional trips to Korea, but since it was still late March and it had only stormed the night before, it was still relatively chilly.    "A little," I admitted.    Kris dropped a kiss onto my forehead, and took one of my hands in his. "Then shall we go?"   I nodded, and together, we started up the path back towards the parking deck.    "You know that you're going to have to propose properly, right?" I teased, nudging him with my hip. "I'm not that easy."   Kris blushed, a little embarrassed. "Sorry," he muttered. "I've been thinking about it for a while and...it just kind of came out of my mouth."   "Most guys would have been a little more prepared, you know," I replied wryly.    Kris stepped up to open the passenger side door of his rented mazda for me, and then climbed into the driver's seat. He immediately the ac to warm up the car, and glanced at the time on the dashboard.   10:56PM.   He looked over at me, and then grinned. "I've got it covered," he said confidently, taking out his phone. Kris hit a number on his speed dial, and brought the phone up to his ears. A moment later, the call connected. "Neh, this is Wu YiFan. I came in a few days ago to - neh, neh, that was me. I know that you guys are closing in 5 minutes, but would it be possible for me to come in real quick for pick up now instead of the end of the week? I...ah...popped the question a little earlier than expected." Pause. "Neh, that is the one that I want. I can be there in about 10 minutes." Another pause. "Thank you so much, Manager-ssi. I'll see you in a bit."   With a satisfied smirk on his face, Kris tossed aside his phone, and started the car.    "Where are we going?" I asked as we pulled out of the parking lot.    "To the jewelers. I told you that I'd been thinking about it for a while, didn't I?"  

 

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    The destination turned out to be a Cartier store in Gangnam. The lights in front of the store were already all out, but a man dressed in an expensive Armani suit was waiting by the glass doors as Kris parallel parked by the street.    "Come one, Jae," Kris called, pulling me out of the car