Married to him

Donghae woke up to the sounds of glass breaking and crashing while his father shouted from downstairs. Worried, he rushed out of bed and hurried down the flight of stairs, only to freeze half way when he smelt the scent of the only shapeshifter he knew that could make his heart beat crazily and his stomach queezy. Hyukjae. Donghae took a few steps back and pressed himself against the wall, attempting to eavesdrop on the ongoing conversation between his father and Hyukjae, not knowing that they had already smelt Donghae's scent but chose to ignore it.

"What do you mean 'no'? Is my son not good enough for you? Or is it because he is mute? What's your reason? TELL ME!" Donghae's father, Kangin roared as his wife, Leetuek, tried to calm him down. "I can't marry him simply because I don't love him. I told Donghae this before. But if you find this reason not good enough for you, then yes, I refuse to marry a mute. How can I ever accept someone I don't love or cant even talk to me? So, no." Hyukjae replied, face calm, seemingly without a trace of fear as he faced the already enraged Kangin.

Upon hearing Hyukjae's answer, Donghae rushed up the stairs into his bedroom, wetting his pillow with his tears as he sobbed. His sobs could be heard from downstairs where the conversation was still ongoing.

"Look at what you've done! I don't care! You WILL marry Donghae this Saturday and this is final!" Heechul, Hyukjae's mother, ordered as she placeda soothing hand on Leetuek's shoulder. Leetuek had a look of anguish on his face as he listened to the often heard sobs of her son. He knew that he had always been crying because of Hyukjae and his own disability. She knew that it had been hard on him and had hoped that Zhyukjae could make him feel safe and secure. However, having heard Hyukjae's brutal answer, she wasn't sure whether Donghae could ever recover from this.

~THAT SATURDAY~

Hours before the wedding ceremony, Leetuek had finally managed to convince Donghae to come out of his room after his own self imposed isolation after having eavesdropped on their conversation. Hyukjae's words had destroyed the walls Donghae built in his mind to distance himself from those memories of rejection from Hyukjae.

Taking out his writing pad, Donghae complained to Leetuek as to why he was being made to marry Hyukjae when evidently, Hyukjae didn't love him back. Hyukjae had been disgusted with him when he 'told' Hyukjae that he loved him when they were seven.

" Donghae, I'm sure that he isn't disgusted with you. Maybe he isn't sure of how to express himself. He's an only child and being brought up in the Tiger family, emotions are rarely shown. Give him time to get used to the idea." Leetuek sighed as she comforted depressed Donghae.