The president of NH Media stood, frowning at Hoon and Soohyun. Hoon was nervous. Terrified that despite the reassurances of his leader, he’d have to quit, give up everything for Serin. Not that he’d really mind. If it meant being with her, he was willing to do it. But he knew how heartbreaking it would be for everyone if he left.

“Explain to me again, Hoonmin, what you plan on doing.”

Hoon gulped, sweat forming on his brow and upper lip. “I plan to get married this fall. It will be kept absolutely secret.”

“Do you think this is a good idea, Soohyun-ssi?”

Soohyun nodded. “It’s a far better idea than not allowing him to, sir.”

“Care to explain?”

With a resolved look, Soohyun met his eyes. “Lee Serin, his girlfriend, is a charming girl. Through the course of their relationship, I’ve got to know her fairly well, and can assure you this is not something she’s pushing for. Hoon wants to do this for himself. He loves her this much, sir. He loves her enough that he’d be willing to quit U-KISS to marry her.”

That caught the president’s attention, his eyes widening in shock and looking between the both of them seriously. “Is that true, Hoonmin?”

“I would prefer not to, sir, but if it was my only option, I would.”

“Very interesting.” He sat pondering for a while. “Does Manager Shim know about her?” Both nodded. “Does he know about you wanting to marry her?”

“He doesn’t,” Hoon admitted. “I wanted to talk to you first, sir.”

He pursed his lips in consideration. “Give me a few weeks to make a decision on this. I'll have my mind made up by the time you get back from Japan. I need some time to think it through and find a solution most agreeable to everyone. And if you could, bring her in. I want to meet her. She’s going to have to work with us in this as much as we’ll have to work with her.”

“I can do that, sir,” Hoon said. “She’s away on a business trip right now, but I'll ask her to stop by when she gets back and is free to do so. I can have her stop by then, if that’s okay.”

He nodded and dismissed them then, instructing them to get back to practice, and he’d call Hoon back when he’d reached an official verdict.

--

Soohyun had sat all of the members down during a free moment in Japan. This was a conversation that all of them needed to be a part of. “Hoonmin, I want you to tell everyone what you told me several months ago.”

“What about, hyung?” Hoon asked.

“Your intentions. What you're waiting on an answer from the president from. You tell them.”

Hoon took a deep breath, pulling his thoughts together and figuring out how to best word his admission. He went with straightforward. “I want to marry Serin,” he told them solemnly.

“Not surprising,” Kiseop said before falling into silence with the rest of the members.

Soohyun spoke up then. “I’m giving you all this chance right now to express your opinions. I have already resolved that I will help him through whatever the company decides is the best course of action. But I want to hear what all of you say. I want to know what you think. If you disagree, I want to know. I want us all to be on the same page.”

They nodded, all still fairly stunned. It was Kiseop who spoke up first. “I think he should go for it. Serin already feels quite a bit like a sister. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be made official. Especially if you keep it secret. It won’t really change much.”

Eli frowned. “It’s not fair to make them keep it a secret. I do think it’s a little soon and that you might be moving a little fast, Hoon, but if it’s what you want and you can find a resolution that works between you and the company, I’m all for it.”

“I know it seems fast,” Hoon admitted to them. “I just… It’s hard to put into words. I can’t fight the need to be with her.”

He didn’t respond, and Kevin took the opportunity to throw in his opinion. “I’m worried about our image. This will hurt us all if it gets leaked.”

“We’re all aware of that, I think,” Soohyun said. “I’d really love for us to be able to just be open and honest about it right from the beginning. But I think we’ve already taken one too many publicity hits in the past year. Our fans have stood by us through many things, but I don’t want to drive them away.”

“As they get older,” Kiseop said,” they’ll probably understand better.”

Eli nodded, agreeing. “I think he should go for it. Serin’s awesome. Anyone would be lucky to have a girlfriend, a wife like her.”

“Thank you, Eli,” Hoon said, truly thankful for his support.

Jun, who recalled the conversation he'd had with Soohyun not even a month earlier, grinned. "I really like her, hyung," he said to Hoon. "I don't know her as well as the other guys, but I am excited about the idea of you marrying her."

Kevin still seemed unsure, but Kiseop, Eli, and Jun were both readily supporting the idea. “I don’t know,” Kevin said. “That’s an awful big lie to tell our fans. I wouldn’t feel right about it.”

“Ideally,” Soohyun explained, “we’d all keep quiet and keep the secret until after our military service. At that point, it becomes less of a scandal to get married. We’re truly men then, and men ought to be married, right?”

Kevin nodded. “I still think it’d be better to wait. I won’t stop you. I won’t tell you not to marry her, Hoon. But I do think it’ll be easier on all of us if you don’t. Serin’s great. I like her. I want you to be happy. But I don’t really think that being married in secret is really going to make you, either of you happy. And I don't think AJ's going to be happy about it.”

Hoon nodded and then Kevin put his hand on his shoulder, having finally made up his mind on the matter. “I suppose we’ve already been through so many trials together, what’s one more sacrifice, one more hardship. If it lets Hoonie be with the person he loves and belongs with, I’m willing to bear that burden.”

Soohyun took that as all of the members’ agreement. "Hoon is waiting to hear back from President Kim, but we'll know in a few months if he's being granted permission to marry in secret."

With a unified attitude, they stood up. “It’s going to be hard on us,” Hoon said. “I’m so sorry. But I can’t fight my heart. I just can’t. If it comes down to it, I'd choose her over U-KISS.”

They all put their hands on his shoulder, mood solemn. "This may be the toughest thing we’ve gone through,” Kevin said. “Please just don’t leave us. If we keep believing in each other and our KissMes, we can make it through anything.”

--

Serin had never been to the NH Media building before. She walked in looking more confident than she actually felt, going to meet the president as Hoon had instructed her to do. “I’m here to meet with the president,” she told the receptionist.

“Do you have an appointment?” the young woman asked.

“No, but he should be expecting me,” she explained.

The woman frowned at her, and asked her for her name.

“Lee Serin. He asked me to come in, but we never set an appointment. If you could let him know I’m here, I’d really appreciate it.” Serin sometimes got irritated with the lower level employees that had to go through all of the formalities, but as she often met with higher-ranking employees in companies, she understood the reason for it. They couldn't be bothered with nobodies coming in and bothering them during their precious work hours. The receptionist didn’t look pleased to be calling the president’s secretary, but she did so anyway. After a moment and a few words on the phone, she instructed Serin to just wait for a bit as the president’s secretary was coming to her to his office.

It wasn't long before the woman showed up and led her to the president’s office. “Mr. Kim is very excited to meet you,” the woman explained. “I am, as well, actually. Hoonmin is a lovely guy.”

Serin shot her a quick look of surprise, as she hadn’t expected anyone in the company to actually know who she was. Hoon asking her to visit the president had seemed very out of the blue, but she had assumed it was important. And if he’d requested a meeting with her, she certainly wasn’t going to say no. She was led into his office, and bowed to him politely.

He asked her to sit down. “Serin-ssi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You, as well,” she answered.

“I recently was told about you, and while I don’t make it my business to meet the U-KISS members’ girlfriends when they have them, you in particular piqued my interest.”

“I did?” she asked. “Why?”

“You aren’t just a normal person who’s dating one of my employees. You have some extra clout. Your father’s company is doing very well, and from what I could tell, you seem to be a big part of its international success.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ve simply tried my best to help my father.”

“Would you ever be interested in joining my company?” he asked.

Serin thought for a second, the idea of spending time much closer to Hoonmin seeming extremely tempting. But she knew she wouldn’t abandon her father, so she said, “It’s a very meaningful offer, but I must politely decline. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my father.”

“I understand. I have one other question for you.”

Serin indicated he could continue.

“Why did you start dating Hoonmin?”

Serin felt a bit surprised at the sudden change of topics, but she didn’t show it on her face. Very calmly, she replied, “Because he’s him. He was so kind and warm and considerate. He wasn’t pushy, but he always thought about me. Before I even realized it, I was in love with him.”

The president nodded. “I can understand that. When I met my wife, it was sort of just… we clicked. It was a good match, and we got along well.”

“I’ve never met a person I understood so well,” Serin admitted to him.

“Hoonmin’s a very kind and considerate young man. He works hard for this company. I’m glad he makes you happy. Also, you seem to be doing a good job of it so far, but continue to make sure your relationship remains hidden from the public.”

“I will, sir,” Serin agreed.

“Thank you for coming to see me.”

“Thank you for inviting me and taking enough interest in me to look into information on me.”

“I wish you and Hoonmin the best of luck in your relationship. If you ever have questions, or you change your mind about coming to work for me, do come see me.”

“I will,” she said. With that they said their goodbyes, and Serin went back to her office, still a bit confused about why she’d gone to see the president of NH Media at all.

--

Calling Hoon on the phone that evening, the president of NH Media, lectured him on the responsibilities. He told him that he was going to have to sign a different contract, in addition to the one he was already bound under. It wasn’t going to be perfect, but after meeting Serin that afternoon, he’d made up his mind. She was professional and mature. She wasn’t dating Hoon because he was a star or anything of the sort. Her demeanor was collected, and people in powerful positions obviously did not intimidate her. Considering that she was in a fairly powerful position herself, it wasn’t surprising. She really would make a good addition to his company, but he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to abandon her father or her higher paying salary.

Hoon seemed a bit confused and anxious about what he was talking about because he hadn’t gotten to the most important part yet. The part Hoonmin was most waiting to hear. “To sum all of that up, the new contract is for both you and Serin to sign. It’s an agreement to keep to secrecy. Ultimately, what it means is that I have, upon speaking with Serin this afternoon, decided that I will allow you to get married on the condition that you keep it a secret.”

“Thank you,” Hoon said enthusiastically, a smile plastered on his face. "Thank you so much, President-nim."

--

They had just returned from Japan, and Hoon was itching to see Serin. He had missed her a lot in the two months he'd been gone. He was excited because it was the first time he'd be seeing her with the knowledge that he'd recieved permission to marry her from the company. But he was also anxious because he didn't have much time left in his ideal timeline to talk to his parents, as well as her father. Regardless of the nervousness he felt over the big changes he knew were quickly approaching, he wanted to push them out of his mind and spent time with her this evening. He sent her a message, asking if he could come over that evening.

He got a response reading, “It’s probably better if you don’t. I don’t want you catching my cold.”

He was concerned. Summer colds were often the hardest to deal with, so he asked her, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I don’t want you getting sick. I’ll be alright on my own.”

Hoon let the conversation end there, but he wasn’t just going to leave her be. He was compelled to check on her. He wanted to bring her dinner and make sure she was doing okay. It was late when he finally got out of practice and finished at the gym. But that was normal. He stopped at a convenience store and got her tissues and cold medicine, before wandering over to her apartment.

He let himself in, having long since remembered the passcode to her door. He found her asleep in her bed, snoring as her nose was blocked. He ambled back out to the kitchen and served himself kimchi and rice. It was too late to bother with anything more fancy. He wandered to the shower and made sure to brush his teeth. He, fortunately, had brought a spare set of shorts, and he pulled them on before sending a message to Soohyun to tell him that he wouldn’t be back tonight. He climbed in Serin’s bed with her, trying not to wake her up, but she rolled over to watch him come in.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, voice scratchy and definitely dazed.

“I couldn’t let you be sick all by yourself,” Hoon said to her sweetly. “What if you need something?”

“I’m not that bad,” she answered, sniffing and reaching to grab a tissue before blowing her nose. “I’m not even going to miss work for this.”

“I’m still worried about you. I brought you more tissues and some medicine.”

“Thanks,” she told him. “You didn’t have to, though.”

He shushed her. “I did it because I wanted to. And you obviously need to go back to sleep.”

“Mmm,” she moaned at him, readjusting herself within her comforter and intentionally pointing away from him. “Just don’t get yourself sick.”

“I’ll try not to.” He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close because it had been awhile since he’d last spent the night with her. He relished the fragrance coming from her hair and perfume. She sniffled a few more times, but was asleep within minutes. Hoon, couldn’t sleep, thoughts swirling hazily as he considered what the future might hold. Eventually the sound of her deep breathing beside him lulled him to sleep with her.

--

“Hyunsu-nim,” Hoon started, standing in the man’s study fidgeting, “I want to marry your daughter.”

Hyunsu looked him in the eyes seriously. “Hoonmin, if that’s what my daughter wants, then I have no reservations. You are honest and hardworking, and I can tell how happy she’s been in the time she’s been with you.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said, both relieved and excited.

“I know your life is a bit unusual. You don’t have normal hours, and you’re sometimes gone for weeks at a time. All I ask of you is to keep my daughter happy. Don’t ever break her heart like what happened before.”

“I won’t,” Hoon promised.

Hyunsu smiled then. “I would be happy to have you as a son in law.” He stood up and motioned Hoon to follow him. They walked into the kitchen, and Hyunsu grabbed a bottle of wine, setting it on the counter, and Hoon poured them each a glass. Hyunsu continued, “Can I tell you something?”

Hoon nodded.

“I never liked the other guy. He always seemed a bit standoffish and cold. If he came over, he cowered behind her and let her speak for him.”

Hoon didn’t say anything, uncomfortable with badmouthing her ex even though he hated the guy’s guts.

“He didn’t work. He leeched off of her. He probably got bored when she went away on road trips, and went to find other women to play with. Honestly, I’m more surprised Serin didn’t figure him out sooner and dump him herself.”

Hoon nodded, a feeling awkward with this conversation. “Love can blind us to flaws, I suppose.”

“I like you a lot, Hoonmin. You work hard and save money, and I am confident you aren’t using Serin for other ends. In your situation, having a relationship is difficult, especially a relationship that you develop to the point where you want to get married. I respect how hard you’re willing to work for this.”

“Thank you,” Hoon said. “And I apologize for any inconveniences I may cause your family. We both will have to sign a contract to keep the marriage secret. It’ll be a hassle for all of us, but please, I beg you to keep things hidden.”

“I will keep it within the immediate family. Her grandparents and brothers will know, as I’m sure yours will, as well.”

Hoon felt relieved. He was asking for a lot. He wanted to marry the man’s daughter, but also wanted him to keep the marriage secret. “I don’t know what to do about living arrangements. If fans get suspicious and follow me home, I don’t think either of our current places are good to deal with stuff like that.”

Hyunsu, who was definitely getting more on the tipsy side of things but not to the totally irrational point, said, “I’ll take care of that for you.”

“You will? That’s awful generous.”

“Hoonmin, let me tell you something about my daughter. She was, from a very young age, extremely talented in music. She had taken after her mother, but more so her mother’s father. She was always enthralled when we’d visit them, and he’d play the guitar or sing for her. She loved it. He started teaching her piano when she was four. And she was always, always playing an instrument. This house was always filled with music. She loved nothing more than music.”

Hoon nodded solemnly. Serin had never talked about this, perhaps because she felt it wasn’t all that important or perhaps it was too painful. “Her older brothers were always more business oriented. But Serin, she shined brightest in front of a piano or with a violin in her hands. When she said she wanted to go to an arts high school because she wanted to be a composer, not a single one of us was surprised, and we supported her whole heartedly. She did extremely well; she had applied and gotten into a prestigious music school in Paris. She had just started studying French when the accident happened. She blamed herself for the accident. She felt like Grace’s ah…” he realized he’d called his late wife by her English name and corrected himself, “Eunhye’s death was her fault. She never said anything, but I could tell. She was beating herself up over it. For the first time in years, there was no music in this house. I didn’t know what to do or say to her. I was as upset as she was, but I never blamed her.

“She was so upset. She missed a lot of school, and stopped playing piano in church. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes and avoided me as much as possible, and it hurt me so much. When Serin finally started speaking to me again, the first thing she told me was that she was going to go to business school. She was going to take her mother’s spot in my company. I didn’t agree with her. I could see what she was doing. She was filling her mother’s spot as a way to apologize to me. She was still blaming herself.”

Hoon listened in fascination, getting an even deeper understanding of the woman he loved. Hyunsu continued as Hoon nodded along. “She asked me to pull her out of the art school and put her in a business school. The problem with that was that she’d missed a lot of the required curriculum you’d need to graduate in time from a business oriented high school. So she attended a regular public school, and started applying at colleges in the US. Colleges here tend to require that you prepare for your degree curriculum in high school, but that’s not how it works in the States. I didn’t see her much when she was in the States, but she worked hard, and managed to graduate early. And when she came back, she brought him over with her.”

“She’d spent so much time doing stuff to say she was sorry to me, I just let her date him. Even though I could see through him. Even though I didn’t like him, for her sake, I said nothing. Knowing how that ended, I wish I had. She was in so much pain when he broke up with her. And you, thankfully, came in and helped her heal.”

“I did?” he asked, a bit confused.

“You did. You gave her something else to love. A reason to play music again.”

“But she was playing music before I met her,” Hoon said. “I mean, when I first met her, she was playing music.”

Hyunsu shook his head. “She was physically playing music. But her heart wasn’t in it. Music isn’t music without soul. Love isn’t love without soul.”

Hoon felt as though he’s just been given profound advice. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

“I am more than happy to make a few sacrifices for my daughter’s happiness. She sacrificed her dreams to apologize to me for a sin she didn’t commit. She lived without true music in her soul. You’ve brought her happiness, you’ve given her her spirit back. So when I say that I like you, that as long as you continue bringing Serin happiness, I will support you, I truly mean it. Please marry my daughter. Please keep her happy and her spirit bright and keep inspiring her to create true music.”

Hoon bowed, going on his knees and putting his head on the floor, humbled by Hyunsu’s love for his daughter and the story he’d never fully appreciated until right now. Hyunsu put a hand on his shoulder and indicated he should stand. “Thank you very much abeoji-nim,” Hoon said, as he stood up, grateful. He bowed a few more times, overwhelmed with relief and thankfulness and the gladness that Hyunsu loved his daughter so much. “I will strive to make her the happiest woman on the world,” Hoon told him.

“Marriages have their ups and downs,” Hyunsu told him then, “but as long as you strive to make each other happy, and understand each other, you will go far. Don’t forget to communicate, and never go to bed angry at each other.”

“Yes, sir,” Hoon agreed.

--

As he drove to his parents’ house, Hoonbi was well aware of the topic getting brought up. His parents had asked him why exactly Hoonmin had pushed so hard for them all to get together, but it wasn’t Hoonbi’s place to say, so he’d kept his mouth shut.

When the brothers made it to their parents’ home, the both entered quickly and said hello. Their mom shooed them to the dinner table, and made them start eating immediately, having been expecting them for a while.

“Why didn’t you bring Serin along?” Jungsook asked after they were finished.

“Ah…” Hoon replied. “Actually, I’m here because there’s something I want to tell you regarding her.”

Hoonbi watched in amusement as his parents lit up in anticipation. “Which is?” his mom prodded. Of course she knew.

“I’m going to marry her,” Hoonmin answered. “Please don’t tell her. I haven’t proposed yet, but I’ve gotten permission from both the company and her father. I simply wanted your approval, as well.”

Jungsook was ecstatic. “Ah, what a good match,” she said. “My baby Hoonmin is going to marry my pretty, smart, and kind Serin. Isn’t that wonderful, dear?”

Woontaek certainly seemed rather excited over the prospect and agreed with his wife wholeheartedly. Hoonbi certainly didn’t disagree. He knew the ins and outs of Hoon and Serin’s relationship better than his parents, having casually observed them for quite some time. They suited each other well. Of course, he knew his parents were looking at her appearance, her education and job a bit more than simply her personality, but she certainly didn’t lack much. She cooked well, cleaned well, and was a pretty woman with a good job. She would meet any parents’ requirements. However, Hoonbi knew where her true value lay. He could tell his mom did, too. It was her personality. Serin thought of Hoonmin above herself. Hoonbi had watched her go to extraordinary lengths to do meaningful things for the members of U-KISS and her family. Even he had received meaningful gifts from her, and she had, on more than one occasion, very sincerely helped him out. Honestly, he frequently spent more time with her than his brother did, and he, without any reservations, supported Hoonmin's decision.

“What about you, Hoonbi? What do you think? You’re older. Are you okay with your younger brother getting married before you?” his mom asked.

Hoonbi nodded. “I’m okay with it. Hoonmin and I have discussed this at length in the last few months. I have no problems with him marrying her.”

With that formality out of the way, Hoonbi knew his younger brother had probably the most nerve-wracking step left. The part where he actually asked her. Hoonbi had tried to slip Serin a few hints so it wouldn’t seem totally out of the blue when he finally asked her. He didn’t really think she’d turn Hoonmin down, but he had a vague understanding about her last engagement, and he was a little worried that she would be afraid to get engaged again in case something like the last time happened. Hoonbi didn’t think that making the proposal a complete surprise was the best idea. So he’d made offhanded comments here and there about how she and Hoon should just make it official, that she should tell him her ring size in case Hoonmin ever decided to marry her.

She had laughed at his request and told him her ring size, a 7 and a half, and now here he was giving the information to his younger brother while the likelihood of him having a sister-in-law seemed more and more like possible with each passing day.

--

Serin was confused as to why Hoon had insisted they meet up at the piano bar at 10 pm that night. It was a Tuesday night. He wasn’t especially free either. But at his insistence, she had come home from work, and changed into more date appropriate attire. She set off to make it there five minutes early, as she always did. The parking lot was strangely empty when she arrived, and the sign outside indicated that the bar was closed.

Frowning and a bit worried that she’d have to message Hoon to let him know that plans had to change, she walked up to the door. It was dark inside, but the door was unlocked. Uncertainly, she entered to hear the sound of the piano playing in the main bar area. And she immediately recognized the tune. It was a U-KISS song, one of the Japanese singles. A Shared Dream. And she didn’t need to see him to know who was playing. As she walked inside, he started singing the song, only he had changed the lyrics to Korean, and he was singing the song to her. She sat down beside him, and simply rested her head on his shoulder, extremely touched.

When he finished, he looked over at her, meeting her eyes. “Did you like the song?”

“Very much so. It was so beautiful.”

“Serin,” he said, very seriously, “two years ago today we met here. Quite by accident, but my life has never been the same since.”

“Ah… it’s September 9^th, isn’t it? It is the two-year mark. Time sure has flown.”

“It has,” Hoon said as nodded in agreement. He stood up and stepped around to the other side of the bench and kneeled in front of her, taking her hand in his. “And I hope I can spend the rest of my days with you. I wish, with every fiber of my being that we can share one dream, one life together. Lee Serin, would you do me the great honor of being my wife?”

Serin’s eyes went wide as he proposed, free hand travelling to cover that was hanging open in surprise. He wasn't the first person to ask her this question, but she believed he would be the last. “Yes,” she answered. Flinging her arms around him then, she whispered into his ear, “Yes, I definitely will. Just promise you’ll never leave. Don’t break my heart.”

He knew what she was referring to, the heartbreak that had brought them together in the first place. “I won't. I won't ever leave you.”

Kneeling in front of her, with her arms wrapped around him and her hands tangled in his hair, he kissed the tears of joy off of her face. He kissed her lips and held her. He would have to explain the contract to her later, work on the specifics of how they were going to have to live, but for now, it was about enjoying the happy moment. They stayed there together for a while, playing the piano together, having a few drinks. Hoon had made arrangements with the owner to let him take up the bar for the night. As the owner knew Serin and him well, he had agreed. The two took their time, savoring the moment, and never losing contact with each other, unable to stop touching each other in little ways. Their shoulders met, their thighs touched, their hands gently brushed over each other’s skin. Hoon gave her his jacket when they were done, and together they made their way to her apartment.

--

Serin’s brothers were helping her move into her new place. Well, Hyunsaeng and Jaehyun were. Hoonbi had also volunteered his time and the three guys were helping Serin haul furniture up to the top floor and set it out. “This sure is a nice place,” Hoonbi commented.

“Yeah. I ought to get married, too,” Hyunsaeng commented. “Dad could buy me a whole freaking apartment building.”

Jaehyun just laughed. “He didn’t buy this for Serin and Hoon. He was looking into investing in some property for a while now. Just Hoonmin told him right as he was finalizing up this deal, and he decided to give them the top floor to live in. Make it private access so people who shouldn’t get in, don’t.”

“How do you know that?” Hyunsaeng asked.

“He told me when we went out for dinner. You were busy that night, I guess.”

Hoonbi shrugged. “Regardless, it’s nice.”

The elevator made it to the top floor, and the three worked the couch in the room. Serin was standing in the kitchen, putting stuff away. “Are you guys alright?” she asked. “You can take a break whenever you want.”

“Nope, it’s okay, noona,” Jaehyun said. “I think we’ve only got a few more heavy things to bring up.”

“Ah, you just want to get me out of my old place so you can move in,” she told him, sticking her tongue out.

“Exactly.”

She laughed at him. “If you’re so keen on moving in, I suppose keep on working away.”

Hyunsaeng looked at her then and asked, “What about your clothes?”

“I packed all of them in my car, I’ll bring them up later. You don’t have to help me with that. I’m thankful for all the help you’ve given me so far.”

“You’re welcome,” he said gruffly.

“Don’t pretend to be so tough,” Serin said, swatting him on the shoulder. Turning her gaze to Hoonbi, she asked, “So when is Hoonie planning on moving his stuff in?”

“He’s been really busy,” Hoonbi said. “I haven’t seen him or Soohyun in over a week. They get back really late and wake up really early. I mean, they are so busy with work that the company had to adjust their schedule a bit to make a day for you two to get married. You didn’t have any choice in the matter.”

“Yeah, I know,” Serin said. “But we all sort of knew from the beginning that’s how this was going to work. I signed a contract with them. I’m just as bound to do what they tell me as he is.”

“Yeah,” Hoonbi admitted. “Anyway, Hoonmin’s really only got to move over clothes since his bed and furniture are staying in case he needs a place to crash. Our apartment is quite a bit closer to the company building.”

“And a lot of the stuff in there is yours, isn’t it?” Jaehyun asked.

“Mmhmm. I was living there first so all the big stuff is mine. And it’s not moving out with him.”

“Well, I’d imagine he can take care of clothes himself,” Hyunsaeng said.

“He can. But I’m sure my mom will be all over helping him move and helping put things away here. I know how she is. With her around, you and Hoonmin will have more help than you really need.”

Serin nodded. “She and I have already gone shopping a few times. We’re filling up the rooms, certainly. But there are so many extra rooms. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this space.”

“Well, you can put in a studio for making music,” Jaehyun said.

“And maybe put a gym area in for Hoonmin?” Hoonbi suggested. “He’d probably like that a lot.”

“Plus,” Hyunsaeng added, “when the two of you get around to having kids, you won’t have to worry about moving. There are enough rooms for like three kids to have their own rooms.”

“Stop it,” Serin said sternly. “I’m not even ready to think about that yet.”

He just smirked and let the topic go. “I’m happy for you, Serin,” Hyunsaeng said then. “A lot of stuff has happened to all of us, but I know you were always weighed down the heaviest because of it. I’m glad you’re happy.”

Her older brother was getting emotional, and she hugged him. “You’re still my favorite oppa. You always will be. I love you and truly thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Always protecting me and looking out for me.”

He composed himself quickly, returning her hug. “You can always still rely on me. Hoonmin is a great guy. I really do like him a lot and am glad he’s in your life, but with his life as an idol, you may not always have him to rely on. I will always be here to protect you. Remember that.”

“I will,” she whispered in his ear. He smiled at her and moved away, sheepish after being so vulnerable in front of Jaehyun and Hoonbi. “Alright so,” Serin announced, shifting the focus for Hyunsaeng’s sake and putting their concentration back on moving, “if you guys finish getting everything up here, I’ll go get us dinner. What does everyone want?”

--

October 24, 2014.

Hoon was anxious. Eli, Kevin, Soohyun, Kiseop, Jun, Alexander, and Dongho gave him thumbs up from the front of the church. There weren’t many people here, which was as it was supposed to be. Earlier that week, he and Serin had privately gone to the courthouse and submitted their marriage license. And now it was officially happening. His parents and Hoonbi were nearby, as well as Serin’s father and brothers. Their grandparents were all there, as well. The managers and several NH Media executives, including the president and his wife, had come. No one was especially dressed up. As they had planned, only people who needed to know had come, and they sat in the church eagerly waiting for the ceremony to start.

This was the church that Hoon had visited Serin in all those months ago. Where she had cried over her heartbreak. But today there was no sadness. As the organist played the processional, Serin appeared, and her beauty as always, stunned him. But she was even more beautiful today, if such a thing were even possible. She glowed with happiness as she walked toward him. Serin’s knee-length, long-sleeved white and red dress was stunning. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and even as they said the vows, he was operating on autopilot, staring deeply into her eyes. Finally the end, the part where he kissed her. “I love you,” he said, before putting his lips to hers. After several seconds, he pulled away, and she beamed at him radiantly.

“I love you, too,” she whispered to him, a single tear streaming down her face. Though she had cried the first time they had been here together, he knew this was totally different.

Holding hands, they turned and faced those in attendance. The family and the U-KISS members who were just as close as family and the company officials all applauded. He was met with a slew of congratulations, and he and Serin took pictures with everyone. They weren’t pictures they could share with others, but they would be mementos.

“Let’s head over to my father’s home,” Serin said to the members. “He had a meal prepared for us. And I think there was going to be some sort of open bar and music.”

“Yeah. Her dad prepared us a reception,” Hoon further explained.

“Was that originally a part of the plan?” Kevin asked.

“The president said it was okay. He gave us the whole day to celebrate.”

“I thought you’d spend it doing other things,” Soohyun insinuated.

As usual, Serin tackled his entendre head on, not bothered by his comment though Hoon definitely was embarrassed that Soohyun would say something like that in front of everyone. “That’s for later. After I have a celebration with all of my favorite people.”

They made their way to her father’s house separately, so as to avoid calling unwanted attention to themselves. Serin had left first with her father and brothers. He went with Hoonbi. She had changed when he arrived, still looking amazing, but in something a little less obvious that it was a wedding celebration. Her father had the two of them go to the back yard and take a picture. Hoon put his hand around her waist, smiling with joy because it was real. It actually happened. His father-in-law was taking a picture of him with his wife, and being able to call Serin his wife was one of the best feelings he’d ever experienced.

They made their way back inside after taking several pictures, and nearly everyone had arrived. They all sat down and ate, readily enjoying the delicious meal Hyunsu had provided. And they continued to dance and eat and drink for the remainder of the evening. The manager pulled together the U-KISS members and reminded them that they’d be back to work in the morning so they should control their alcohol intake. Kevin had avoided drinking entirely, aware that his tolerance was low, as did Jun because he wasn't old enough to drink. Both still had fun with everyone else though. Serin drove herself and Hoon home not long after the manager’s reminder. She, like Kevin and Jun, had had nothing to drink, but that was mostly because she didn’t want to chance blurring these precious memories with alcohol.

She parked in the parking garage, next to Hoon’s car. There were very few other tenants in this building as of right now. The parking garage was guarded, reserved for tenants only. So she worried little about being seen here. She pulled her keycard out and got on the elevator, swiping it to access the top floor, and up the two of them went. Hoon had his fingers entwined with hers, stealing glances all the way up. “You really are so beautiful,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she said as the elevator came to a stop, and they exited into the short hallway with only the one door, the door to their home. “You’re so handsome and amazing. I’m so glad to be your wife. I love you so much.”

He pulled the door open, stepped through and pulled her along with him, taking her into his arms. She reached behind her and closed the door, kicking off her shoes without leaving his embrace, while he did the same. He picked her up then, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her to their bedroom. With no hesitation or reservations, he placed her on the bed and rid her and himself of their clothes and made love to her, his beautiful, kind, amazing wife, the woman he loved more than anything. This was the start of their journey together, and he was more than excited to face what the future held with her at his side.

And so ends part one.

Thanks for sticking with me through this. The second part of this story can be found here.

And special shout outs to Kim and Kari for pushing and pulling me through.