“WHAT?” Jongin almost blurts out in shock and tad bit of anger.

Hae Rin remained flustered and defeated in front of Jongin as they sat on a two-seat table in a garden restaurant, out of everyone’s ear shot.

“I-I’m really sorry JongIn. I-I am really a d-disappointment. I don’t know what came to me.”

“What are you planning to do now?” Jongin asks now in a calmed and hushed tone.

“I really don’t know. My parent’s gonna kill me if they find out.” Hae Rin breaks down to a sob again.

“They surely will. Oh my God, I can’t believe you here for a second.” Jongin replies in his most upset tone.

“I don’t know what to do now. I don’t even know where to go and who to turn to.” Hae Rin looks up to Jongin and controls her tears for a moment before it come rushing back again.

“I have an idea, but you really should completely trust me on this.” Jongin suggests and Hae Rin is desperate enough to hear any helpful suggestion.

“I’m taking you in.”

--

“Are you really sure this is gonna be perfect?” Jongin asks Chanyeol as the latter continuously puts on the last string, connected to the banner placed just right above the arched opening of the hallway, with the words “Will You Be My Girlfriend?” sprawled all over the white expanse of the tarpaulin.

“Yep, too positive on that one. Jong, you should really trust yourself here dude, she’s gonna be yours, believe on that” Jongin smiles on his lanky tall hyung and pats him on the shoulder and breathes a nervous “Thank you, you’re awesome”

“That’s the last of it, good luck! I’ve better disappear now before your future wife comes here” Chanyeol grins his volty smile before placing back the used aluminum ladder that he used, puts up a two-thumbs up and leaves.

Jongin heaves a sigh and rubs flat the non-existing crumps on his white fitting coat and pants.

He roamed his eyes on the red balloons resting and waving slowly, placed closely with each other on either side of the room, leaving no view of the floor underneath them. The petals of white roses, as it contrast on the red carpet lying on the middle of the room, stretching from the main door of to the tiled floor underneath Jongin’s nervous feet. And to a bouquet of the said favorite rose on his grasp, looking so fresh and eager to be given to that special lady, which is an only mere number of minutes from opening the door. I should really thank my friends for this one, he thought.

“Here come’s everything. I can’t believe this is happening!” Jongin mutters to himself excitedly and shifts his weight again for another time, trying so desperately to calm his mind out of unexplained thoughts and feelings he can no longer point out what.

And before Jongin could even stretch his back for standing so stiffly for minutes, the door had opened and there reveals the reason for all of these things to pop up into his mind. “Hae Rin …”

“Oh my God, Jongin-ah …” Hae Rin gasps so loudly, she immediately covered to regain back her composure. “This is so great ... I-I don’t know what to say.”

“Ahh, H-hi Hae Rin!” Jongin raises his hand for a wave like he always does when they would meet but dismisses it just before he could fully does so. This is not the right time Jongin, act up the way you practice, he thought.

He clears his throat and started, “Well …’. He gulped and stared nervously on the girl of his dreams.

“As the sun and moon had promised,

a piece of heaven has surfaced.

As they extend their united ray,

they had me smiling without a say.

A lovely maiden in the name of Hae Rin,

was made for the boy named Jongin.”

He clears his throat again and lowered his head as awkward silence begins to envelope the room. He starts doubting his poetic skills once again. Silence, this is not good, he thought to himself.

“That was … so nice of you Jong. So, I guess I am made for you then?” Jongin raises his head so fast and sees Hae Rin smiling warmly in front of him. It made him smile back too.

“T-thanks, so …” He looks up at the banner in top of him for the twelfth time that afternoon and tries to remember the words that he had been practicing for a month now, only to forget it on the day that he would really need it.

Jongin swallows the biggest lump of shyness on his throat and stared lovingly on the girl in front of him who’s still smiling warmly, “Will you be my girlfriend, Hae Rin?”

He should have thought of a plan B or an alternate plan when he sees the smile falter from Hae Rin’s beautiful face and hears a soft “Sorry, I can’t, Jongin” from those lips.

It hits Jongin so hard, he almost lose balance. He thought of this situation happening, before he did all these preparations, it’s just that, he never thought it would be this emotionally hurting.

They had been close, since middle school and now that they are in college, so close that nobody even tried to interfere and had everyone asking why they are still not in a relationship.

Jongin had thought of this since that one particular day that he had just woke up in the hospital, holding his bestfriend’s hand while she still sleeps on the uncomfortable metal bed and realizes that he is indeed in love with his bestfriend.

He thought everything would be perfect. No one had tried to profess their love for his bestfriend before and no one had tried to confess to him too. It’s not like they’re undesirable or has a bad record or something, perhaps it’s because of the fact that everyone thinks that they are already a secret couple who are just too stubborn to admit.

Jongin loved that reason. In fact, he’s the one who formulated it.

But, the reality of the present situation had left him speechless and defeated.

“W-why?” Jongin asks, stuttering.

“I’m really sorry Jongin but …” Hae Rin looks down to her feet and mumbles the next words loud enough to pierce a heart.

“I’ve already met someone”