C H A P T E R  N I N E
truth and its repercussions

"Ms. Im, I need you to organize a media stunt as part of the wedding." Mr. Lu said. “My son made a good point earlier when he said that the public will be shocked if we suddenly give out wedding invitations. This needs to be planned carefully so no loopholes in the plan will be noticed. Organize a media stunt that spreads a rumor about their engagement then after a two-week grace period the real news should come out. Repeat it again with the rumor of the wedding then spread pictures of the wedding invitations.” Mr. Lu finished and Yoona was lost when the elder said ‘organize a media stunt.'

“I..I’m sorry, but what exactly is the purpose of a media stunt like what you specified? The media knows they are getting married right?” Yoona asked, wanting to know the purpose of this added responsibility on her shoulders and why Mr. Lu would impose this task to her.

Mr. Lu smirked, “I suppose my son never told you to save face, but he and Ms. Bae Joohyun are arranged to be married. Maybe you’re wondering why this scandal that involves you and a certain Jang Wooyoung stresses him out because he expected the process to go smoothly. Maybe you’re also wondering why the newspapers kept referring to them as ‘girlfriend and boyfriend’ when they should actually be ‘fiancée and fiancé.’ But I did tell him to project their arranged relationship as very real, and so the announcement of a 6-month romantic relationship when in fact they have only met for a month. So if you’re wondering why Han said that news of their engagement would shock people when they should actually be engaged from the very start to plan a wedding, there’s your answer.” Mr. Lu said, his litany surprising Yoona in so many ways. She was actually surprised that she found herself holding her breath the whole time Mr. Lu spoke.

“I don’t mean to tell you this in such an abrupt and rushed manner Ms. Im, but I suppose you should know.” Mr. Lu sighed.

Yoona was so shocked by all the things Mr. Lu said and she wondered that if her reaction was like being toppled by a hundred storms all at once, what more could the people’s reaction be? Although it is her responsibility not to reveal that it is arranged, the news of an engagement after only 8 months of ‘romance’ is an astonishment as it is.

“So Ms. Im, will you do it?”

A lump formed in Yoona’s throat and she found it hard to breathe, like she was being confined to only one choice, even if she didn’t like it. She wanted to say ‘no’, that she wouldn’t do it because it meant having to form a thick skin and forever possessing a guilty conscience, but became disconnected with the rest of her mind and body and muttered ‘yes’ to the elder Lu.

“Good.” Mr. Lu beamed at Yoona and left the private bar, and Yoona released her breath and few tears of stress and the bad kind of shock.

What is this feeling? I shouldn't be feeling this.

Yoona tried so hard to surpress it, but she couldn't help it. She felt betrayed, like whatever link of trust she had with Luhan was broken. She knows she shouldn't feel it at all, because since when did 'trust' on some kind of personal level become part of a business relationship? She put all the blame on the meeting they had. Luhan made her trust him, made her feel like they were the least bit friends. Yet she also blamed herself. She went against her initial gut instinct and everything else followed. She continued that meeting with Luhan and in turn she got involved in a scandal that tauted her as Luhan's other woman and apparent rebound after his 'girlfriend' was spotted with Jang Wooyoung. She told herself she would never have a relationship beyond a business one, yet she believed a talk over coffee could change things; it did not.

You're so stupid Im Yoona. You never learn.

Then Yoona thought she's doing nothing by blaming herself and Luhan had his faults too. How deceptive Luhan was. If he didn't introduce himself as a CEO then Yoona would've thought that he was an actor, a really great actor. He certainly projected his and Joohyun's relationship as very real when behind closed doors they're strangers. She understood everything behind him now, all of the plights he told her and his weird behavior.

But it didn't add up to why she felt so betrayed, why something inside felt kind of painful.

Luhan grew impatient of waiting for his father and Yoona's conversation to end, so he stood up and left a pitiful excuse of going to the men's washroom. He followed the path they took earlier to the private bar and Luhan hid behind a pillar near enough so he can hear their conversation.

“I..I’m sorry, but what exactly is the purpose of a media stunt like what you specified? The media knows they are getting married right?” Luhan heard Yoona ask and he immediately understood what they were taling about, as he and his father have discussed it for a long time and even went into a heated debate about it. He was surprised that he delegated the duty to Yoona, not to someone who has probably done it a lot of times.

Then he realized.

He was surprised that Yoona would be organizing the media stunt because she knew nothing about the circumstances he and Joohyun are in. To properly organize the media stunt she would have to know the purpose of doing so, and all the time she knew they are going to wed out of love for each other when it fact they are going to wed because they were arranged to. She knew nothing of the plan itself, that it requires slow delivery of news so nothing will come out as another scandal. And today, right now, his father's going to reveal the very secret he has struggled to keep secret.

He was about to step in and intervene, to let Yoona take a breather and let her know of this at a later time, when the scandal has died down and when they aren't under media surveillance or anything that keeps her under pressure, but his rational side said that she was bound to know it later and that today isn't a bad day for her to know because Luhan did make the mistake of blurting out part of the plan. Better to let her know while they're still in the early stages of planning. 

"I suppose my son never told you to save face, but he and Ms. Bae Joohyun are arranged to be married." Luhan could practically hear the smirk in his father's voice and nearly regretted the decision of not stopping him, but controlled himself and continued to listen to the rest of the conversation. His father had a penchant for litanies so he waited until Yoona found a time to reply to all the things his father poured down on her shoulders. He heard her gasp, or at least he did so in his head. In reality, she did not react but her shallow breathing was evident.

Luhan berated himself to making the mistake of blurting out things that should've been kept secret between him and his father. Now Yoona knows that she's actually handling a couple who are arranged to be married. She will come to understand all of Luhan's troubles during their personal meeting, even if it's in a new light. 

“So Ms. Im, will you do it?”

Luhan heard Yoona mutter a faint 'yes', and that was his cue to return to their table and pretend that he did not just hear their conversation. He walked back to their table, fixing himself and wiping sweat that has accumulated on his forehead. His father followed not long after, and Luhan grabbed his forearm to a table a couple meters away.

"Father what did you tell her?" Luhan hissed.

"I told her about the plan. What else would I?" Mr. Lu answered calmly.

"If you told her about the plan then what's taking her so long?" Luhan glanced at the way to the private bar.

"Maybe she's planning. You never know Luhan." Mr. Lu took out a flask from the inside pocket of his jacket and took a swig. He offered his son but the latter refused.

"The media plan's not the only thing you told her."

"If you're so eager to know, I told her that you and Ms. Joohyun are arranged to be married. She asked why does she have to do a media stunt, and so I told her. It's out of necessity Luhan." Mr. Lu told nonchalantly, that it mattered nothing to him and it made Luhan very angry that his father doesn't regard it as something that's actually important.

"You told her? You ing told her?" Luhan hissed, upset.

"Of course I did. She asked, so why should I deny her a proper answer and a proper reason?"

"I could've told her in a more subtle way, not so bluntly like you did!"

"Well I couldn't invite you to step in a tell her with better wording could I? It doesn't matter who says it, it would still come out the same. Whether you can tell her about it subtly, or I can be straightforward about it, it would still come out that she has a media stunt to do because she's handling an arranged marriage. The woman is bound to know the truth Luhan and she isn't stupid, so don't hinder her from knowing the truth, even if it hurts." Mr. Lu said, taking a couple of swigs from his flask in between.

"What are you getting at?"

"I know my own son Luhan." Mr. Lu said shortly. Just as he finished Yoona came out from the private bar, looking very shaken but still managing to keep her composure. She went back to their seats with a smile plastered on her face. 

"I'm sorry I took so long. So that's the guest list done and the invitations... partly complete. We'll proceed to get in talks with the designer of all the venues you may acquire and the bakery for the cake." Yoona said and all of them nodded their heads. "And Luhan-ssi, I'll talk to you about that... media plan."

"I'll see you all soon, and thank you for the input and heads up Mr. Lu. I really appreciate it." Yoona stood up and went to pay for their meal for the day, but Luhan stopped her.

"This is under my tab Ms. Im."

"Pardon? I reserved the table, and in turn the food is under my tab. Why are you paying?" Yoona asked, trying not to sound indignant.

"I changed the reservation under my name, therefore the food ordered by the people occupying the table is under my tab, and I will pay for anything under the name 'Lu Han'. I won't let you pay for me." Luhan said firmly and paid with his black card. It was indeed under Luhan's tab since he changed the reservation, and Yoona just dismissed it as a mistake and let it go with a sigh.

"Oh dear god, I rue the day I accepted planning the wedding of Lu Han and Bae Joohyun." Yoona said as soon as she and Sehun reached home. Yoona massaged her temples, thoroughly emotionally tired from all the information fed to her and the shock that came after. She sat down on the couch and tried to recount what just happened and tried to digest it. 

"Last time you were over the moon about accepting them. What happened now?" Sehun asked, sitting next to Yoona.

"That little princely... person bragging that black card at me and being a deceiving little bastard and not telling me he was arranged to marry! The last part shocked me most of all, and not even the good kind!" Yoona's mood took a turn for the worst as she blurted out what made her emotionally sensitive.

"I know you're pissed off about things when you shout out your problems like the world can hear it. Tell me about it." Sehun laughed to lighten Yoona's mood, but he got a slap on his arms in return.

"I'm not pissed off! I'm just—" Yoona dismissed, but Sehun cut her.

"And when you deny that you're pissed off. Tell me." Sehun egged Yoona, moving nearer to her.

"Mr. Lu called me because he wanted me to organize a media stunt of some sort. I have to organize a media plan that releases rumors of their engagement and wedding on purpose and then release confirming photos. The purpose of this is to slowly feed the public all the news so the marriage doesn't look rushed when in fact they've been planning the wedding behind people's backs all this time. Since I have to release news about their engagement, it made no sense to me because they would have to be engaged to think about planning a wedding, so I asked what is it for and why not go straight to announcing their wedding. Mr. Lu told me that they are arranged and that they only released news of them in a 6-month relationship, not a bloody engagement. Part of this media stunt is that the public isn't to know that they are arranged, so all of this responsibility falls on my shoulders, on top of actually planning their wedding that has 500 guests with famous names. I'm screwed if I any of them up." Yoona spilled all of the beans, but it didn't feel like any weight was taken off her. In fact, it only added more weight as she thought more about the responsiblities on her shoulders.

"So where does being shocked that they're arranged fall? You're just frustrated that somebody piled up more elaborate you have to do. There's two of us planning this wedding, not just you, so I can help you do this media stunt thing." Sehun said, understanding Yoona and trying to make her realize that she is never alone, and never will be.

"I told you earlier I wasn't pissed about them being arranged, but you cut me off." Yoona glared at Sehun, and the later smiled sheepishly. "I'm not actually pissed off. You're right when you said I'm frustrated, but they could arranged for all I care and it doesn't make much of an impact on my planning, but it would've been better if they told me during the earlier stages of planning, so I don't have be so taken aback by all this . Most especially, why didn't Luhan tell me about this?" Yoona said, asking herself.

"He has his reasons. If it makes things easier, they aren't the only ones who are arranged." Sehun reasoned, but he feared what she would say next because he could sense it already.

"I mean, why pretend? What's the need? It doesn't matter to me so why didn't he tell me instead of making me discover it all on my own in such a blunt way?" Yoona raked her hair with her hand.

"If it doesn't matter then why are you ranting to me about it?" Sehun said and Yoona glared at him like he is the most idiotic person in this world and rolled her eyes at him.

"I want to curse at you right now."

"Go on. You swear so rarely, and you look and sound y doing it." Sehun said and he actually heard Yoona mutter a ' you' before rolling her eyes at him again.

"You know what, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that they're arranged. It doesn't matter that Luhan didn't tell me. I don't give a flying bat about it anymore. I just have to do this media thing because it's part of my job, and when it passes it will feel like it never happened." Yoona said and rested her head on Sehun's shoulders, puffing her cheeks and letting out a sigh while Sehun ruffled Yoona's hair.

"It's going to be okay. You're not alone in all this stress noona, because you'll always have me to help you." Sehun whispered, his words comforting Yoona very much. 

"If only everything is really okay." Yoona whispered back, and closed her eyes to try and take her mind off her problems even just for a few hours. 

author's note;
To be honest, what Yoona is feeling is a representation of what I'm feeling right now. I'm under a considerable amount of stress and pressure right now, something that a teenager or somebody my age should never be under. It isn't brought upon by AFF, because writing is probably that only thing that gives me peace. There's too many projects I'm trying to do and a lot of deadlines to meet, and it's really hard to schedule on how to do all of them in one week. Nevertheless, I tried hard to make what I promised in the previous chapter happen so I hope you enjoyed this :) Please comment and subscribe and give upvotes :D

p.s. New poster and added a playlist! The poster is definitely a lot darker than the first one. Like it or nah?
p.p.s. What do you make of Mr. Lu? Do you like him or not?

〔science of deduction♦〕