Married!? Baekhyun screams in his mind. He always knew his parents were desperate to sell him off in another business deal, but he was sure Baekbeom would go first. He was, after all, to be the president of their father's company. Not Baekhyun. Not him. Not now. He heard Miyoung in a quiet breath and grow stiff beside him. The girl Hyunjoo still waited expectantly for some sort of reaction.

If he fought back now, Miyoung would be forced out. She was his parent's leverage. He could see it in the expression on his father's dark face, his mother wore an enigmatic smile behind her husband.

"Baekhyun...?" Hyunjoo breathed, she held her hands together behind her back. 

With a deep breath, Baekhyun forced a reluctant smile onto his face, and nodded once.

"Perfect!" Madame Han rumbled, patting her daughter's frail shoulders with pudgy hands, "isn't that wonderful Hyunjoo?"

The girl stared with dismay at the floor, her entire face burning red. She clung fistfuls of her dress in her hands. 

"R-really?" she said a little too loudly, "is that o-ok-okay?"

Baekhyun nodded once more. Miyoung couldn't believe what was happening. Baekhyun would marry Hyunjoo? Sure, it all made sense. Hyunjoo was beautiful and feminine and wealthy and perfect. Physically there was not another person more suited for him. Miyoung could see the picturesque wedding in her mind, Hyunjoo in a flowing white gown with handsome Baekhyun beside her. But it felt wrong, like a scene from Miyoung's worst nightmare.

Mioung quivered beside him, pale like a ghost. She in deep breaths to keep her knees from buckling and tossing her to the floor. Her eyes flickered across the faces, and finally landed on that of Baekhyun's father. His sunken eyes burned, and wrinkles formed around a joyful smirk on his lips. He had won. That was all it took to send Miyoung running.

Past Baekhyun, up the stairs, across the hall. In a matter of moments she was gone. Baekhyun jolted.

"Baekhyun," his mother stopped him, he stared up at the door Miyoung vanished into, "she's just tired."

"I-is she alright?" Hyunjoo asked, fidgeting nervously.

"She's fine," Byun Daeri was a flawless actress, smiling calmly, "She had to go to the hospital today, she's a bit worn out."

Hyunjoo nodded, "It was so kind of you to let her stay here," she said, "I had no idea she was Baekhyun's cousin!"

Cousin? Baekhyun thought, then realized. Of course, they lied. How else would they come to such an agreement? Hyunjoo would not allow herself to take from someone else.

Baekhyun quickly scribbled across his notepad.

Why so soon?

He held it up to Hyunjoo, who blushed.

"H-honestly," she quivered, "I-I...I liked you before. When we were in the same class...but you never noticed." She shook her head with silent joy and glanced up nervously, "I-I was a little sad when you were with Miyoung-ssi at the party," a soft smile graced her lips, "b-but she was just you're cousin...I misunderstood. I was given this opportunity, and I said yes."

He smiled weakly and nodded. Hyunjoo watched him confusedly as he glanced over his shoulder again up the stairs. The adults chattered away around her, but she silently crept forward toward the uneasy boy.

"Baekhyun?" she asked shyly, brushing hair behind her ear, "Are you okay?"

He nodded and glanced at his parents behind Hyunjoo. As his mother talked, his father watched him with the eyes of a panther. He couldn't escape.

"I know this is all sudden," Hyunjoo continued, snapping Baekhyun's attention back to her petite features, "but thank you for saying yes."

She watched him hesitantly glance up once more.

"Go," she whispered, "you must be worried about her. I'll handle it."

A wave of gratefulness washed over Baekhyun and he ruffled the tiny girl's hair before darting away from the small crowd. She may not have been entirely aware of the situation, but her kindness was better than nothing. He took the stairs two at a time until reaching the door. 

He knocked once, then twice. There was no answer. Just as he reached for the door handle, it opened.

"Hi," Miyoung answered, her voice alight with unnatural brightness, "Why did you come up here?" she pretended to not know, "you should go back down, they're waiting for you."

From behind her thigh, Miyoung's small white hand shook terribly where it clung to the hem of her pants. 

"Are you listening? Baekhyu--"

He engulfed her, pressing her shaking hands into his chest. His heart beat so wildly and anxiously he thought for sure he would die from it, but he didn't care. 

At long last Miyoung opened , "You're such a big baby," she whispered. 

Baekhyun released her and stepped away, but not too far. He kept her eyes inches from his, his desire to kiss her too strong to move away. Her watery eyes watched the floor, and Baekhyun wanted to scream every foolish comforting lie he could think of, but his empty voice would not allow.

"Poor Hyunjoo," Miyoung continued, beginning to chew her nail, "she doesn't know about any of this. I feel so sorry for her."

Baekhyun ruffled her hair and smiled, because even in a state of complete chaos Miyoung first worried about someone else. For just a second the selfish, childish boy inside Baekhyun wanted to show off. He wanted to carry Miyoung down the stairs and kiss her right there in the living room in front of everyone. A dark part of him took sick pleasure in imagining the shock on their faces at his rebellion. He didn't care if Hyunjoo's heart were to be shattered, or if his mother would never speak to him again.

Miyoung read his expression, "we're not the only ones involved."

He pouted temporarily, then nodded. Miyoung always won, she poked right into his soft spot for her every time like a bruise that would never heal. He blinked and the tears that were growing unknowingly inside his eyes dripped onto his cheek.

"Byun Baekhyun," she gasped in awe, "are you crying?"

Embarassed he quickly shook his head and hid his face in his hands, after wiping them off he held up his dry face with a smile. 

"I'm not fooled that easily," she brushed his shaggy hair from his eyes, staring at him with soft, knowing eyes. "You're always taking care of me, let me take care of you. Don't carry all the weight on your own."

Baekhyun's eyes traced the outline of her cherry lips, inspected the barely noticeable freckles on her nose, admired the glimmer in her eyes. It was alright if he carried it all on his own, it was better if she didn't know. For her he could carry the mountains.

"Baekhyun," Miyoung set a finger on his nose, "you're staring."

The boy's face flushed red and he quickly turned around, away from her.

"You blushed!" She squealed and tried to turn him around, though he refused, "Hey let me see!"

She managed to force him around but he covered his face with his hands persistently, still as a statue and refusing to budge. 

"C'mon now let me see!" The small girl got on her toes and peeled the boys hands away from his bubblegum cheeks. He stared at the floor shyly and guiltily, knowing he'd been caught right in the act of being completely in love with Jin Miyoung.

Miyoung half smiled and tsk-ed at him, "Don't act like you're in trouble," she leaned so that she could look up into his eyes. 

At that moment Baekhyun lunged forward and jabbed his fingers into her weak, ticklish spot--her side. Miyoung shrieked with glee and jumped away from him, "No fair!" she shouted between bouts of laughter, "Hey stop!"

As she spun away he caught her from behind and dragged her to him, setting his chin in the space between her neck and shoulder, and silencing the giggling girl. She stood still for a moment then set her hands on top of his, the playness suddenly gone. 

Her words were cautious and barely a whisper, "We're gonna be okay, right?"

He nodded and let his lips press to her neck. 

"Stop that," Miyoung flushed red, but he didn't stop. Instead he turned her around, and went for her lips. It wasn't the first time they'd kissed, but it was filled with a new passion. A desperate, forbidden desire that they didn't know how long they had to do this. Until Baekhyun's wedding day? Until his first child with Hyunjoo? Until his mother walked up the stairs and caught them here? There were no answers, only chances. They chose to take what they could.

"Yumi did you take Dojoon's action figure?" Bora kneeled beside the girl, frowning.

Yumi shook her head, on which wore a floral knit hat to hide the baldness beneath, "No!"

"Dojoon says you did."

"Dojoon is in love with me!" she squealed and pointed at the younger boy, who ducked beneath the covers of his hospital bed before Bora could look over her shoulder.

"And?" Bora raised an eyebrow.

"Love makes you do stupid things," Yumi said matter-of-factly and crossed her arms, "my mom said so."

"Does it?" Bora laughed brightly, like the ringing of a bell.

"It does," answered a voice behind her.

"Baekbeom?" Bora turned around and froze at the man leaning on the doorway. To say he looked fatigued was not enough. He stood worn and empty, a mere shell of the bright young man she had met the first day of medical school. His face was pale and thin, though still charming as ever. His once bright eyes were sunken and tired, stale and void of light. He wore a plastic smile that didn't reach above the tight corners of his lips. He glanced down at his feet once then peeked up.

"Yeah?"

"You look awful," Bora laughed sympathetically.

"Well," he pushed himself off the wall and ruffled his hair, "it's been a rough week."

"For you Byun Baekbeom, it's been a rough life."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Yumi cut in, staring wide-eyed at the stranger.

"That all depends," Bora answered, patting Yumi's head.

"On what?" Yumi furrowed her tiny catepillar eyebrows below the rim of her hat.

"On him," Bora motioned to Baekbeom who had entered the room, "why don't you go see your boyfriend?"

"I don't have one!"

"I bet if you talked to Dojoon he'd apologize for saying you took his toy," Bora suggested. The little girl nodded quickly and darted to the little boy's bedside, and began tugging on his blankets and yelling for him to come out.

"I see you've got your hands full," Baekbeom laughed at the children.

"Just full enough," Bora smiled, "how about you?"

"I'm getting by."

"You look like your less than 'getting by'."

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

Bora stared at him, perplexed. At last she opened her red lips and whispered, "Why did you come here?"

"I thought about it a lot, over and over and over," he ran a hand through his light brown hair with a smile on his face that lacked any form of joy, "and I felt so lost. I felt like I was in a maze with no sense of direction, I didn't know when I got in or how I'll get out. And then when I decided to try and move forward somehow, my feet brought me here."

"Baekbeo--"

"Life is such a mess," he continued, "and I made so many mistakes that I can't count them on all the fingers of everyone in the world. I let my father control my life, I let Baekhyun's mother push me around and cut me off. I was angry and jealous and I hurt people. I hurt myself, and I hurt Baekhyun, and I hurt you. I'm going to try and fix it. All great journeys begin with one step right?" He looked up with desperate eyes.

Bora nodded, "right."

He nodded back, "So this is my first step. I came to say I'm sorry."

Bora smiled, a warm and comforting smile that filled Baekbeom with the feeling he hadn't felt in years. A sense of peace, and family. 

"Thank you," she said, letting her long, dark red hair fall into her face as she looked down at her thumbs, "you have no idea how long I waited for you to say that."

"Way too long," Baekbeom replied, smiling.

"Dojoon come out!" Yumi squealed and tugged at the blanket.

"No! I won't!" Dojoon's voice was muffled by the sheets.

"I didn't take your toy and you know it!"

"I know!" 

"Then come out and say you're sorry!" with one last grand tug the blanket flew off, and Yumi landed on her backside.

The little boy Dojoon had short cropped hair that stuck up in all directions as if he'd been electricuted. He looked frazzled with disbelief, and tucked under his arm was a toy robot action figure.

"See!" Yumi squealed, "he had it all along!"

Bora trotted over and scopped the tiny boy out of the bed. He looked no older than six, but still pale and small for his age. She set him in front of Yumi, and the child whipped around and his his face in Bora's skirt.

"Oh no you don't," she turned him back around, "you apologize to Yumi."

With eyes glued to the floor, Dojoon held out his robot, "I'm sorry. You can have it."

"I don't want it!" Yumi barked, "I just wanted you to say sorry!"

"But..." Dojoon looked up at Bora, and she understood.

"Here," Bora took the toy from Dojoon and gave it to Yumi, "He said you took it, but what he really wanted was to give it to you as a present. Right, Dojoon-ah?"

The child turned a bright shade of red, nodding curtly.

"Now go play you two," Bora waved them off. She turned around to say her goodbyes to Baekbeom, but he was gone.

"I hope you figure it out," she whispered.

Hyunjoo paced at the cafe, nervously brushing her delicately curled hair behind her ears. Her doe-eyes flitted across the tables, dancing along each line and curve in the wood. The sunlight threw a glow on her yellow sundress that swayed against her fragile legs. She looked no different from that of a living doll, with placid, round eyes, and flawless white skin. The eyes of every person in the room watched her with fascination. A bell chimed as the cafe door opened, and Hyunjoo's black hair slapped her cheeks as she whipped her head around. 

"Baekhyun!" she called, then hit herself on the head for acting to childish and excited. She could remember her mother's constant coaching, 'be ladylike' she said, 'charming and poised'. Hyunjoo took a deep breath and straightened her back, trying to look mature and sophisticated, "you came."

He waved lightly and strode to the table, pulling out a chair for Hyunjoo.

"Th-thank you," she sat down.

He smiled politely, offering a menu to the girl. She took it, and as she scanned all the lavish english titles of foods she'd never heard of, she couldn't help but peek up every once in a while. Just to get a glance at the black hair skimming his eyebrows, his short eyelashes that fell over brown almond eyes, or the way he bit his lip every few seconds when he couldn't decide what food he wanted the most. At last he looked up, and Hyunjoo in a quick breath of embarassment for staring. He motioned a hand to her menu and smiled.

"O-oh," she shook her head, "I haven't decided yet. H-have you?"

He nodded and pointed to a picture of a large pancake, lathered with rasberry jelly and chocolate shavings. 

"You're having that?" she asked in shock, "I thought your mother said you didn't like sweet things..."

He shrugged and went back to admiring the picture of the delicious pancake. 

"I...I think it looks good!" she beamed, and then nodded to herself, "I think I'll have that too."

They ate their food in silence, Hyunjoo stealing glances often as she could. She loved the slight dimple that formed on his left cheek when he smiled, the way his eyes turned into crescent moons each time he took a bite. He was so different now from in their classes at the university. He never spoke to girls, and made friends with all the other rotten rich boys who used to try and throw things down Hyunjoo's shirt. He always sat slightly leaned back, his head tilted slightly up. To everyone else it would seem he was paying perfect attention to the lesson, watching the chalkboard intently. But Hyunjoo had followed his eyes, and they went past the chalkboard, imperceptibly higher, to the row of windows at the top of the wall. He was looking outside. In summer he stared at the clouds and the sun, in the winter he watched the snow, in fall he watched the leaves. While Hyunjoo, sitting five people away in a different row, watched him. The other boys in the class were active and goofy. They threw paper balls and flirted with girls, but Baekhyun sat there without a single word, watching the sky. One day one of the numerous rowdy boys raised his arm to throw a pencil at Hyunjoo, tryin got aim it down her tank top or get it stuck in her curly hair. Hyunjoo flinched and turned away, hoping to avoid it, but it never came. As she peeked over her shoulder she saw Baekhyun clutching tightly to the other boy's wrist. 

He glared with cold firm eyes, "you shouldn't do that to girls."

"H-hey let me go!" the other boy tried to escape Baekhyun's grasp but he held tightly, "I was just kiddin' around!"

Baekhyun slid his hand into the boy's fingers, pulling them apart and retrieving the thing inside, "Give me my pencil back."

And it was in that moment, when Han Hyunjoo first fell in love. 

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating in so long. I'm always so busy, and sometimes it's hard to get inspired. 

This chapter showcased a lot of different characters as the story thickens and begins to sort of figure itself out. 

So I have a question for you! Who is your favorite character and why? 

Thank you all so much for the support.

~Violet