C H A P T E R F O R T Y T H R E E

You should serenade her, or do something she likes. Oh, I know! You know how to play piano, right oppa? You should play her favorite song!

Krystal’s cheerful voice kept on repeating in his mind for the umpteenth time that day. Seated on his bed, Minho thinks and thinks about how he can fully have Yuri in his life. Last time he visited the Kwons, they are together. But not together as he expected. Still, Mr. Choi doesn’t approve of letting Yuri and her mom in his house, saying words like “If I let them, you can’t marry her!”.

Of course, he thought, he still thinks for his betterment.

He lay dowN on his bed, practically slapping his right cheek. He’s nervous and he doesn’t know why. It’s as if he’s meeting someone he doesn’t know. So much for being a charismatic noona-killer.

“Oppa.” A sudden knock on his door startled him. He walked towards his pale-white door.

He sighed as he saw Sooyoung smiling at him brightly. “What now, Sooyoung?” Ever since Sooyoung was admitted from the hospital, she always knocks on his door and shares everything Kibum and she do. Like the last time, she told him that Key treated her like a princess and let her eat in every restaurant she sees. Minho just nods; he doesn’t want her to get offended. She’s so in love.

“Hmm, nothing!” Bright eyes in front of him made Minho chuckle a bit. “But I heard you’ll be going to Yul unnie’s again?”

He nodded. “You want to join me?”

She contemplated for a bit. “Hmm… maybe I can.”

“You don’t have a date with Kibum?”

She shook her head to his surprise. “Surprised, oppa?” She chuckled. “He’ll be taking Taeyeon for a walk. You know, she’s been very upset about Onew oppa and that girl.”

“Oh yes,” he agreed, “maybe I need to talk to him too.”

“Are you done preparing?” She looked at him from head to toe, and continued, “Because you don’t look like you’re preparing for this.”

It took him a second to notice what he’s wearing. He’s topless, and only wearing his black boxer shorts. Fortunately it was Sooyoung, his dongsaeng, who knocked. Because if it were one of their maids, he would be dead.

“Oh.” He chuckled, “Give me an hour. You should prep up too.”

She shrugged. “This is nice,” she said pointing at her get-up. Wearing only a cute statement tank top and a pair of shorts matched with her Hello Kitty vans (Kibum bought it), Sooyoung looks great but kept a cooled style. “Hurry; I want to see Yuri unnie.”

“Can you stop fiddling with your phone?” nagged Sooyoung. The two stopped at the gasoline station, fueling Minho’s car. While waiting, Minho kept on turning on and off his phone.

He rolled his eyes. “Mind your own business.”

“I can’t!” She scoffed. “I was, but then you go with your fiddling and all!”

“Shut up.”

“You meanie.” She shot him a look. “You’re just nervous.”

“I am not! We’re together.”

She chuckled, “I know that. But appa still doesn’t know!”

“Shut up.”

“Brat.”

It took them ten minutes to get to their destination. Sooyoung got off the car first, letting Minho carry everything.

“Unnie!” screamed Sooyoung when Yuri opened the door. The two beautiful girls hugged each other so much. Minho witnessed it; a smile crept up on his face.

How I wish I can hug Yuri again like that, thought Minho while walking towards the two—still in their hugging state. “Uhh…” he coughed.

Yuri and Sooyoung looked at the handsome man carrying two luggages in his right and left hand. Yuri chuckled as Minho struggled with them. “You can do it yourself, right?” she asked playfully. A cheerful laugh came out from his mouth, as Yuri and Sooyoung enter the house.

Mean girls, he chuckled in his mind.

As soon as he entered the house, Mrs. Kwon appeared in front of him. “Good to see you again, Minho.”

“Good to see you too, mom.” He bowed respectfully at her.

She whispered, “Have you told your dad?”

He shook his head sadly. “Not yet,” he said, “well, I… I tried.”

“You tried?”

“Well, umma, it’s really hard to…” He sighed as he remembered everything. “… I tried to explain everything to him—me liking noona, you approving to our relationship. But, in the end, I still am the bad guy. We are the bad people.”

She nodded. “Will he come here?”

“I didn’t tell him we will be here.”

“Then, you should call him.”

The bloom of the flowers in the garden is so beautiful that even the visitors are so thrilled about it. Minho and Yuri left Sooyoung and Mrs. Kwon in the house—cooking foods for them. It’s no surprise to see those cooking meals since back in the days; the two would always join force to chef for them.

“These flowers are so beautiful,” remarked Minho as he gazed at the violet ones.

She said, “They’re called lavenders.” She picked some of them, softly handing it to him. “When I was a kid, I used to collect those and put them in a box. The scent of lavenders is so fragrant I keep them as my air freshener.

“You do?”

She nodded. “I guess you don’t know me that much.”

“I guess not,” he chuckled. “That’s why we need to be closer than ever.”

She laughed. “Are you saying that…”

He nodded. “We need to be together, or else.” He stopped, shrugging the thought of marrying the girl he barely knew. “I want to marry someone I know from her birth to death.”

“Me too,” she replied, “most of us want that. It’s hard to marry someone you saw for the first time—” She had to stop, remembering the last time (before the family had a huge fight) that Mr. Choi introduced Minho’s soon-to-be wife. “… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” He smiled. “It’s alright because I’m not marrying her.”

“Dad will not agree on that.”

“He will,” he said with a smile. He soon reached for her soft hands, entwining it to his. “Trust me.”

“You will marry Goo Hara!” The heated argument kept on going on and on, as Mr. Choi boiled up and screamed. Minho and Yuri were kneeling in front of him now, bowing their heads down. “You don’t need to kneel or show me respect because I will not change my decision!”

“I love her…” Minho said lowly. “I love her.” He looked at his appa strongly.

“I don’t care!” Mr. Choi still didn’t waver. “This is about our company! If you marry that girl… if you marry Kwon Yuri whom the world knows she’s my stepdaughter, it’ll be the end of everything!”

“It’ll be my end if I don’t marry her.”

Still, Mr. Choi kept on arguing and arguing until the two girls watching the scene—Sooyoung and Mrs. Kwon—butted in. “Appa!”

“Don’t get in, Sooyoung,” he said calmly. “You have no right to—”

“Of course I have!” She shouted back. “I am tired of you making decisions for us, appa! Everything, even a single happiness of us, is kept back to us because of you!”

“I am being a great father to you!”

“No appa! You’re just being a—”

“Stop.” Mrs. Kwon walked towards Mr. Choi, calming him with her soft hands in his shoulders. “Stop everything.”

“Umma…” It was the first time Yuri talked.

Mrs. Kwon took a deep breath. “You should be considerate when it comes to your children,” she said to Mr. Choi. “I have no right to say this to you since Minho isn’t my child. But I know how he feels. He loves Yuri so much.”

“But it’s wrong…”

“What’s wrong is that you won’t give them a chance to prove anything… everything.”

“I…” He took a seat on the couch. “I just want…”

“… We know you want what’s best for your company,” she said humbly, “but do you mind taking a break from it and understand what’s best for your children?”

He shook his head. “I was wrong.”

“And…” She added, “Do you want to repeat history itself?”

The three kids looked up; questioning looks began to form in their faces. “What history?”

“Your dad,” she said looking at Minho and Sooyoung, “married your mom because his parents wanted him to.”

“I thought…” Sooyoung’s eyes welled in tears.

They nodded. “She died early,” Mr. Choi said, “that’s why I had the freedom to choose my wife. And that’s why I married your mom.” He looked at Yuri.

“…” Mrs. Kwon collected her words. “Do you want to repeat history to Minho?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not saying that arranged marriage is not right,” she said, “but when you have someone you truly love, you have to fight for it.”

“We’re very sorry,” Yuri said. “We… We kept everything to you from the very start, not explaining ourselves—”

“I will pull back the marriage.”

Minho’s and Yuri’s eyes widened in shock—and in happiness—after hearing what Mr. Choi had said. “Father…”

He smiled. “I will give you two a chance. I… I’m very sorry, Minho. And to you Yuri… for everything I said.”

“It’s alright, appa.” Yuri returned his smile. “And we will prove to you that we love each other. Right, Minho?”

Minho was still in statue form, not saying anything. Mr. Choi shook his head. “Then, I have to go now. I have a meeting in three hours.”

Mrs. Kwon nodded. “Take care.”

“Appa,” Sooyoung called, “I will go with you.”

Mr. Choi opened his arms to Sooyoung, finally reconciling with his daughter. Minho kept his silence, but not before the two exited the door. He ran towards them, stopping when they stopped. “Appa…” He looked at him before pulling him to a hug. It was the first time he hugged his father like that—with love and gratitude. Minho tried to pull back the tears in his eyes as Mr. Choi patted his back. “Thank you.”

Mr. Choi smiled as he pushed himself out of the hug. “Prove me nothing, Minho. I know now how you love Yuri.”

Minho nodded. Mr. Choi and Sooyoung took it as their cue to leave. “Take care.”

Everything is now in the right place. Minho smiled; he knows everything will be fine.

He felt a hand on his shoulders. “Let’s go?”

Minho smiled at her. “Where do you want to go for our first official date ever?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Wherever is fine.”

He gazed at her beautiful, shining eyes. She did the same with his big, twinkling eyes. Their faces were only inches away from the other—noses in contact. After months of not being together, their first kiss happened under the tree where lavenders bloom beautifully in the Kwon’s garden.

Author’s notes: So, how was it? MINYUL CHAPTER FTW! Everything is now in place. SOOKEY is dating, MINYUL is back, JONGSICA is still dating, TAEMYOON is on their way… uh-oh, ONTAENG! Where art thou is ONTAENG? Don’t worry, ONTAENG will be next!

You see how Mr. Choi decided ahead of Minho, not remembering what happened to him in the past. He just wants the company to be big, that’s why he chose that girl who is so rich their business will be the biggest in the country.

Summary of Chap. 43: MINYUL IS BACK AND IN LOVE ONCE MORE<3

Comment, okay? (:

Saranghaeyo<3

P.S: Please read the conversation of the cast below to know more about GRENADE (: