Chapter 4: Planning for the Future

            It was the day after Sungmin and Sunny’s wedding and the reluctant bride and her groom had been shipped off to some tropical destination for a much dreaded honeymoon. Although it had been made clear that neither one or the other planned to stay in the same suite, both Sungmin and Sunny’s friend insisted it’s just like a free vacation and to treat it as such. Sooyoung stared out the window of Happiness café, feeling anything but happiness. She gazed up at the cloudy sky and frowned. On top of  the unpleasantness of her friend's predicament, today was also the day she had to meet her father at his office in the downtown business district. Not only did Sooyoung find herself worrying about one of her closest friend's mental state of well-being but she also had to anticipate the no doubt unpleasant upcoming visit she had to pay her father. She was seriously considering just ditching the engagement.

“What are you looking so gloomy about, miss frowny-pants?” asked a chipper voice.

“Frowny-pants? Really, Tiffany?” Sooyoung looked back at her friend showing her an expression void of amusement. This was a face Sooyoung often pulled even though she was secretly quite amused at her best friend’s ridiculous ‘cheering you up’ antics as Tiffany called them.

Tiffany did what she did best and offered Sooyoung a heart-warming eye smile.

“Yes, really” she said. “Now tell me what’s gotten you looking like such a glum chum.” She asked, leaning on the side of their office’s desk. It was then Sooyoung noticed the envelope in Tiffany’s pale hands. Sooyoung ignored Tiffany’s question and instead opted for eyeing the paper she held. The brunette's gaze slid up to meet her friend's warm eyes. “What’s that?”

Tiffany’s good natured smile faltered and she sighed, handing over the envelope without complaint. Sooyoung eagerly grabbed at the envelope and tore out its contents and read the paper inside speedily, eyebrows knitting together.

“They’re raising the rent taxes again.” Tiffany murmured.

Sooyoung glanced between her business partner and the document in her hand in disbelief and rising anger.

“What?” she snapped.

The raven haired woman just sighed yet again. It was unnerving to say the least; such an odd sound coming from someone as cheerful as herself. Sooyoung watched as the American rubbed her temples. “That’s not all, Sooyoung. It…it gets worse.” She said meekly and the brunette thought she was hearing things. Hwang Tiffany would never define something as getting “worse”. It just wasn’t in her nature. She was sickeningly optimistic and althought Sooyoung often snorted at her rose-coloured view of the world, she found herself missing that positivity.

“How does this get worse, Tiffany?” Sooyoung asked, almost scared to know the answer.

“They say that if we miss another payment, they’ll close us down. We’ve already missed two, Sooyoung.” She said in a watery voice, tears springing to her eyes. Sooyoung felt her heart tear into when she looked at the devastation on Tiffany’s pretty face and immediately got up to hug her. “Oh, Fany,” She murmured solemnly as she patted her friend’s back softly.

“It’s hopeless, Sooyoung—they’re going to shut us down!” Tiffany wailed, crying her little heart out onto Sooyoung’s shoulder who was, by now close to tears herself. Sooyoung felt unnaturally choked up at her friend's hopelessness. She struggled, unable to speak; she searched for words.

“Shh, Shh" she hushed the sobbing woman. "Hey…don’t say that.” She Tiffany’s long jet black tresses until she calmed and her sobs quelled into quiet sniffled. Sooyoung pulled her back to smile at her reassuringly. “Nothing’s going happen to us. We’re going to pull through and be fine; just like we always do, right?”

Tiffany wiped her tears and nodded, pulling out a tissue from her apron and blowing her nose softly. “Y-You’re right." Tiffany paused, pressing her hand to her forehead as she in a shaky breath. "We can do it. We’ll manage somehow. We have to.” Sooyoung smiled affectionately at her friend who very much sounded like a lost child in the moment. Nodding in agreement, Sooyoung pulled her back in for another hug. “Things will get better, you’ll see.” She spoke these words and hoped that she had convinced Tiffany because they certainly didn’t convince her.

She knew how much this place meant to Tiffany, to both of them. It was their Happiness. It had saved her all those years ago and became her home and sanctuary where for the first time in her life, she felt content and secure. It was where she met the crying woman in her arms and her best friend. All their memories started here and Sooyoung was determined. “It will be alright…I swear it.” She hugged Tiffany tighter. The tall brunette felt a flame of ambition spark in her chest and she swore to herself right then and there that no one was going to take their Happiness away; no one.

Kyuhyun sat in his spacious and dark office, working diligently as usual. Or at least he was working diligently until he received a frantic phone call from Sungmin. Kyuhyun had been expecting this--not that he was ever suprised to get a useless phone call from Sungmin. The young CEO sighed. He had it on good authority that Sungmin would probably just harrass him with phone calls until he picked up if he didn't answer or if he hung up on him each time. Contemplating whether or not he had enough patience to reject every one of Sungmin's phone calls, Kyuhyun eyed the office phone disdainfully. He hated it when Sungmind called his office directly. The man had gotten smart over the years and cleverly took to calling his work instead of his personal cell phone knowing full well that Kyuhyun could not simply switch off his office phone like he did his cell. With great vexation, Kyuhyun decided to humor his friend, he put him on speaker as he continued checking over his latest contract.

“What is it now, Lee?” he grumbled grouchily.

“Kyuhyun!” Sungmin’s frantic voice blared through the speaker, making Kyuhyun grimace at the phone. How he ever became friends with this moron would forever remain a mystery to him. Much to his displeasure, the hysterical voice continued to wail through the phone.“I don’t know what to do! We’re stuck here together for two weeks! What do I do; where do I even begin to bond with a stranger who is now my wife?!” He continued, stammering in a panic.

“And you're seriously asking me for advice on intimacy of all things? You must be truly desperate to call me," Kyuhyun paused, then in a clipped tone added, "...at work." Kyuhyun's sharp eyes spotted a loophole in his contract and he quickly rectified it. Being a master of loopholes and contracts, he had a reputation for composing air-tight contracts, and always made sure Cho Enterprises had the upper hand.

“We've been over this--either it up, or find a mistress."

"Please, Kyuhyun!" Sungmin's plea was in earnest and Kyuhyun knew Sungmin was truly beside himself and relying on his words to soothe him.

Kyuhyun barely resisted the urge to growl in exasperation. Just barely. Instead, he casted his eyes skyward, hand oustretched in silent question before dropping it onto the desk in a gesture of exasperation. Kyuhyun fixed the headset with a glare.

"Oh, for sake--calm down! The girl is probably as hysterical as you are. God knows, I would be mortified if I had to spend the rest of my life enduring your delicate disposition. Give her space, I don't know! Keep your childish infatuation with her in check and do not bring up the subject of children!” He advised hrashly, in yet anotther rotten mood. The fact he of all people was giving relationship advice only added to his grumpiness.

While distracted by the exchange over the phone, Kyuhyun had nearly missed a very important clause. His eye twitched at the error which could have been detrimental to the merger and he snatched the phone off the reciever violently. “And for God’s sake, Sungmin, I've got more important things to do than listen to you  and moan about your marital troubles! Waste my time again during business hours, so help me, God, you won't ever have to worry about having kids with her, because i will castrate you!” He hissed, violently slamming the phone back down onto its receiver.

Sighing in frustration he leaned back in his chair, his eyes. Kyuhyun wished to be alone. He wanted nothing more than to complete his damned work in peace in an impenetrable bubble, ignorant of all that surrounded him. Alone and silent; he wanted solitude; simply to exist by himself if he must exist at all. Taeyeon’s voice interrupted his thoughts through the telecom and he scowled. “Mr. Cho, sir—I’m just reminding you that you have to meet President Cho at his colleague, Mr. Choi’s office at three o’clock.”

Kyuhyun froze, stopping to take in deep calming breaths. That man; he had to see that man, today. He glanced at the clock; 2:26. Hesitating a moment, he pressed the answer button on the phone and briefly replied, “Noted.”

It took him a five minutes before he gathered his things, filing away all that needed to be filed. It took five more to prepare himself for this meeting—wanting nothing more than his corner of solitude right this instant.

“Oh, come on,” Sooyoung hissed, struggling to close the bright yellow umbrella as she walked through the revolving doors of the large building. “Why won’t you close, damn you!”  After having gained attention of a few on-lookers, she finally managed to close the stubborn contraption and made a b-line to the elevators. Shaking off her soaked gain gear as she went, Sooyoung dripped all over the polished floors.

Good, she thought callously, maybe someone will slip and sue the company.

The elevator chimed as its doors rolled on open and she stepped inside, huddling by the floor buttons after selecting the top floor. Why was it all the important people had to have their offices on the top floors?

What an ego trip, Sooyoung thought to herself as she glanced down at her watch; it was five til three. Of course, she had considered showing up late as a blatant " you" to her father but decided against it. It was a deep rooted childhood fear that kept her in check, though she hated to admit it. The need to comply at the risk of his retaliation was too strong to ignore. The elevator doors had begun to roll themselves closed before they rolled open once more to acomodate the man who entered the enclosed space.

Glancing up out of habit more than curiosity, Sooyoung was taken aback by the elevator's new occupant. Recognition sparked like a lightswitch in her brain and she blinked at the handsome man beside her.

"Oh!" she gasped before she could help herself. "It's you."

Kyuhyun turned to her with an annoyed glower on his face, as if he didn't welcome the idea of being recognized.  Then, a knowing look passed over his face as recognition flashed in his eyes before his expression took on a look of mild horror.

It was her.
 

Kyuhyun stepped out of his car in front of the tall building, walking straight inside before his chauffer could offer to guide him in with an umbrella. What a waste of time. He walked briskly towards the elevators, not quite looking forward to entering it at all. He loathed elevators. Still, he stepped inside as the doors were closing then glanced at the glowing button that had been selected. Twenty seven was the floor he had been directed to get off at, hadn’t it?

“Oh!” he heard a familiar feminine voice gasp in surprise.

His head snapped up at the voice to shoot the other occupant of this metal death trap a strange look for randomly gasping so suddenly but he froze. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks as he surveyed her gentle features. The girl from the wedding; he had only caught glimpses of her that night but he knew that he knew her somehow. He couldn’t place her face but now, as she stood across from him, in her blue jeans, wavy hair pulled back into a low ponytail, the dripping yellow umbrella in her hand; it was her.

            Traffic had been terrible that morning. His chauffer could barely move through the congested roads in Seoul. He had snapped at him to let him out so he could walk the block to the Cho building. He stalked briskly through the crowded streets, his one-track mind set on arriving to work without wasting time. He hated large crowds. Oh, how he positively loathed them but he continued on impatiently. Marching forward, he gripped his briefcase tighter as he strolled on, weaving his way steadily through the crowd until a narrow shoulder collided with his, actually causing him to jerk his arm back from the impact. He heard a thud along with the jingling and clinking of loose change hitting the concrete.

“Mianhamnida!” said an earnest voice and he grimaced at the figure of a slender woman dressed in casual wear, bowing deeply to him. He was about to snap at her to watch where she was going but decided that insulting her would take up too much time. Turning on his heel, he sped off towards his office, not even bothering to help her reclaim the spilled contents of her purse.

“You…” she murmured in surprise and Kyuhyun tensed feeling a slight sense of dread seep into his usually apathetic attitude. He clenched his fists, feeling his anxiety rising in his chest as the brunette studied him. In his mind, a mantra of "don't recognize me" looped in his head. With surrmounting dread, he stiffened as she opened “I know you—you were at Sunny and Sungmin-sshi’s wedding! You were his best man, weren’t you?” she asked, curiously.

So she doesn’t know…

The realization was an immense relief and instantly let him unwind. Kyuhyun let out a silent breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. His shoulders relaxed slightly in relief and he fractionaly returned to his stoic self. He stared at her, the coldness once again returning to his handsome features and replaced any trace of foreboding. The blank look he gave her was nothing short of unnerving in its unfriendliness. Kyuhyun observed with minor satisfaction that she visibly tensed under his stare. Her brown eyes were round and cautious as she stared at him. She looked back to the glowing button panel in front of her as the numbers on the elevator beeped with each floor they passed. At the edge of his vision, he could see opening and closing as if she was visibly meditating on whether or not she should try to speak to him again. Kyuhyun frowned at nothing in particular, for once wishing for some sort of company with him just so she wouldn’t attempt to communicate with him. Yet, this day seemed to get even worse for him as she apparently decided that she indeed wanted to converse with him.

“I-I’m sorry.” She fumbled. “I never caught your name or had the chance to actually meet you during the wedding,” said she, turning towards him and offering her hand in a friendly gesture. “I’m Choi Sooyoung.” She smiled kindly during her introduction even though Kyuhyun remained unmoved. He stared at her slender hand blankly but there was a minor quirk in his brow and the tug of his lips that suggested mild disgust. She couldn’t possibly mean to shake his hand, could she? Honestly, he was just plain suspicious of how and why this girl managed to pop up everywhere he was nowadays. His gaze moved from her outstretched palm to her face with obvious annoyance. As the seconds passed, it became obvious to Sooyoung that Kyuhyun was not about to shake her hand. The brunette's smiled faltered momentarily. “Why are you looking at my hand as if I offered you a handful of something gross? ” she said jokingly, although Kyuhyun could see the subtle hardness in her eyes that suggested a challenge. She was clearly struggling to keep the friendliness from slipping from her tone of voice and from her face. Somehow, her failing attempts at refraining from pulling a sour face pleased Kyuhyun endlessly. There was something about unraveling this girl that filled him with sadistic glee. He barely sparred her a glance when he replied rather boorishly.

“Do you often seek to socialize with every stranger you lay eyes on?” he said, bluntly and without care. His harsh tone was annoyed but whether Kyuhyun was actually annoyed or not was anyone's guess. He always sounded rude, arrogant or annoyed simply because he refused to over complicate things. He said what he thought with little regard for the feelings of others. At present, this was still very much true. He usually didn't trust people who were so overly polite or positive. If he hadn't known Sungmin all his life, he wouldn't ever had made an effort to become acquainted with someone so...annoyingly bright.
With that, the brunette's smile fell; gone but back again in an instant. However, this smile wasn't nearly as genuine. The smile on her lips had returned almost mockingly within a moment. “Isn’t that how people become acquainted?” She dropped her hand though. “Everybody is a stranger until you meet them.”

“Yes, unless you don’t meet them which in this case, I won’t.” He said blankly.

The brunette visibly twitched which gave Kyuhyun some sort of twisted satisfaction. She was a very expressionate person but of every look he had seen her give him, her current expression of sourness was his favourite (that and the smile wasn't bad either). It filled him with...enticement--it was easy to get on her nerves and it was obvious through her readable face. Something about chipping away steadily at the layers of her patience was hilariously entertaining--despite the fact that nothing ever actually enteratined Kyuhyun. Sooyoung, however, did not share his sentiments. She was too busy thinking about how disinclined she was to him at the moment. How could he be so rude as to blatantly tell her he did not want to even introduce himself to her? She appreciated honesty as much as the next person but there was a little something called etiquette that every human being should be familiar with. This man was savage!

“Well, excuse me for being polite.” She muttered.

The sound of the elevator's final chime was a blessed relief and the doors slid wide open; but not before the dark haired man cut right in front of her, stepping out of the elevator first. Sooyoung gaped, flabbergasted at the complete lack of propriety he displayed. “What; does he have a stick up his ?” she muttered under her breath. For some reason, by the way that he slowed in his walk , she knew he heard her and for once didn't mind that she was being rude. With a further dampened mood, she pulled the strap of her purse further up her shoulder and walked out after the rude brunette man. She was disturbed to find him at the end of the hall she was headed to. He turned to look at her sharply when she halted a few feet in front of him.

“Are you really that eager to make friends?” He drawled. Kyuhyun at this point wasn't as annoyed as he was bemused if he was being honest with himself (which he wasn't). Her eyes narrowed. How arrogant could he be to assume she was chasing after him?

What a pompous…She composed herself with a deep breath before answering but her reply came out backhanded, just the same. “No, I’m really not.”

He raised a brow at her snarky tone. “Oh? Do you have business here?” he asked sardonically, clearly doubting her acquaintance with such a powerful man who was just beyond the door (disguising his curiosity behind a thick veil of pigheaded behaviour). Of course, how was to know that the man happened to be her father. He even gave her a quick once over surveying her faded jeans and familiar beat up pink sneakers for good measure.

“I do.” Sooyoung said bitterly.

Sensing the bitterness in her tone, he eyed her suspiciously, wondering about her purpose. “How so?” He himself found was surprised by his own behaviour. He was never one to initiate what now became a conversation with anyone he didn’t have to speak to. This was a stark change from him remaining silent on a bus ride months ago...

Now it was her turn give him a measured and equally indignant look. “Do perfect strangers usually pry in each other’s business?”

His eyes narrowed, realizing he had that one coming and he opened his mouth to let out a very prickly retort when a woman cleared . The middle aged woman behind the desk garnered the attention of two the frustrated brunettes. The secretary behind the desk looked rather affrighted behind her thick glasses by the interaction between the two only moments prior.

“E-Excuse me. May I help you?” she asked cautiously.

“I’m Mr. Choi’s three o’clock.” Kyuhyun stated without any real manners.

Sooyoung whipped her head to look at him but he kept his eyes trained on the awkward employee of her father’s who she vaguely recognized from a different life long ago; Ms. Byun.

His three o’clock?

Strange, her father has told her specifically to be here by three sharp. Perhaps there was an error in the schedule? Her father double booking an appointment was unheard of. Maybe it was an error of Ms. Byun’s

“Is he in? I have other appointments to make.” He said; his monotone voice now airing on the side of impatient.

“He is, mister…” she glanced down at a note on her neat desk, “Cho; although he asked not to let anyone in until three sharp. You are still a couple minutes early.” She mumbled, clearly uncomfortable under the man’s stare which grew more hostile as the information he learned meant him wasting more valuable work time.

“I see.” He said coldly.

“A-And you, young miss?” she stuttered as she turned her attention to the lean woman being the looming presence of Mr. Cho.

“I’m also his three o’clock.” She muttered and now the man turned his cold stare on her. “Perhaps there has been a mix up.”

Kyuhyun’s icy glare turned to the quivering woman behind the desk who was rapidly flipping through her planner as her salvation from the fierce man in front of her.

If looks could kill, thought Sooyoung.

“I-I’m sorry, miss. T-Three o’clock? Um.” She scanned her agenda and her eyes widened at here discovery. Blinking in surprise, she looked back up at her in shock and readjusted her thick specs and squinted at her. “M-Miss Choi Sooyoung? Is that you?”

Sooyoung grimaced but offered a dull smile. “Yes, Ms. Byun.” She replied; hating how she felt like a child again on days she would have to come up to her father’s office, she forgot to sound friendly. She had liked Ms. Byun well enough. She was a meek but kind woman, bless her soul. She had never once mistreated her and in fact would sneak her small candies and lollipops while she waited to see her busy father. She remembered her talking about her having a small daughter of her own, about Sooyoung's age.

She felt the stare of Sungmin's unfriendly friend settle on her but she maintained eye contact with the secretary. She fought a shiver that threatened to creep up her spine. Man, this guy was intense.

“Why, it’s been years. How have you been?” she asked.

Sooyoung told herself to remain polite and answer with a smile; she did so without any real feeling behind it. She just wanted to go home, back to Happiness. “I’ve been well, thank you.” She changed the subject. “About this appointment…” She started when well groomed young businessman beside her cut in after keeping his eyes trained on them both between their friendly conversation (if it could be called that).

“Well? Who has the three o’clock?” he said emotionlessly.

Sooyoung spoke but with civility. “Perhaps there was a miscommunication, sir.” She supplied politely although with very strong undertones of you really need to off. His eyes narrowed. The look he gave her was nothing short of insulting, like she was a complete moron, he spoke with venemous sarcasm. “Oh, I am quite certain, miss.” She opened , the temptation to put him in his place by letting him know that owner of the whole damn building and company, her freaking father, and had been personally invited. Just as she was about to tell him to take his monkey-suit wearing home, Ms. Byun’s quiet voice interrupted the brewing hostility between their banter.

“Oh, dear. Y-you both are Mr. Choi’s three o’clock. It's written in Mr. Choi's schedule.”

Both their gazes snapped from each other’s to the secretary and back again. Sooyoung’s brow furrowed with unease. Meanwhile, Kyuhyun looked as perplexed as she felt. It was the first expression he had shown her that wasn't blank or annoyed. Confusion registered on his admittedly handsome face before it once again turned to vexation at the turn of events he no doubt believed was due to the secretary's incompetence. "An error on your part, perhaps?" He intoned, acid in voice despite his deceptively mild words.

"I-I'm afraid not, sir. He was very adamant about seeing you both today." Catching the absolutely deadly look in Kyuhyun's eyes, any confidence in her words vanished and the poor woman was left second guessing herself. "But maybe there was a computer error or I'm looking at the wrong date?" She stammered, hastily pulling out every planner on her desk available. The panicked secretary began flipping back and forth between notes and schedule books as if they held her salvation somewhere between the ink filled pages.

Sooyoung felt an instinctual warning bell ring inside of her. Something was definitely fishy about all this.

A beep on the secretary’s phone monitor interrupted her frantic search and she struggled to pick up the line, scarttering precious papers as she did. Kyuhyun cast a frustrated glance around the office as if he could burn it with his eyes while Sooyoung checked her watch; it read 2:59. "Oh, to hell with this." She muttered, garnering both Kyuhyun and Ms. Byun's attention as she stalked over to her father's office doors.

"What are you doing?" Kyuhyun asked, his tone a masterful balance between annoyance and curiosity. "You're just going to walk in?"

"You can have the damn 3 o'clock. Believe me, I don't want it." She muttered, gripping the handle and turning to mouth sorry at a busy Ms. Byun, knowing that what she was about to do wouldn't make her job any easier. Then, turning back to Kyuhyun she added flatly. "Just let me tell my father that and I'll be on my way." She didn't have the chance to savour the dumbfounded surprise on his face before opening the thick door and sweeping into the office. 

“Ah, Sooyoung!” greeted her father cheerfully, with open arms even. As if she hadn’t been the shame of the Choi family who left home at nineteen to work like a commoner, willingly giving up her position and standing as a blue blood heiress. “Come in, come in, dear.” He said when she made no move to step any further into the room. She tried her best not to show her disgust at the word “dear” but stayed put.

To all this she said, “You've double booked this appointment so I'm gonna leave now." She deadpanned, throwing her thumb over her shoulder. Her rudeness was flooring but Sooyoung was beyond caring. To her, manners were very important which was exactly why he didn't deserve them. A small victory was to be had knowing that it undoubtedly pissed him off.

“Now, Sooyoung--have I ever been one to make such silly errors?.” Her father said a little too lightly for her liking. Sooyoung's eyes narrowed in suspiscion. As if on cue, she heard Kyuhyun clear his throat in the doorway behind her. Kyuhyun walked into the office next, glancing at her as he stood in the doorway.

"Kyuhyun, right on time as always," said Mr. Choi. "Have a seat." Both Kyuhyun and Sooyoung shared skeptical glances. A moment's hesitation passed before Kyuhyun did as he was bid and stood before his seat. Expectantly, all eyes turned to Sooyoung.

“Sooyoung.” He said this politely but she knew it was far from a request. "Sit," Her father commaned, the "t" emphasized in agression despite his cheerful tone of voice. Sooyoung knew better than to hesitate any longer. She reasoned that if she pretended to be on her best behaviour, he'd leave her alone. So, she decided to humor him and plopped down in the empty chair without so much as a "how do you do" while Kyuhyun bowed deeply to her father; pleasantries were exchanged and hands were shook. When that was done, the young business man sat beside the thoroughly displeased Sooyoung, who had already made sure there was quite a distance between them both before she sat. The sooner this was over with the better.
Her father’s joyful smile was plastered firmly in place. “It's good that you both came early.  Have you two gotten acquainted?” he asked with a slippery slyness lacing his tone. “No,” They answered in distasteful unison; both of them lacking anything that remotely resembled tact out of a sheer dislike of the other. Choi Jungnam’s eyesbrows rose in amused surprise. “So I see. Well, it makes no difference.”

Just as the two began to wonder exactly what was meant by that, the door behind them opened and Jungman looked up and smiled a very unsettling smile at their new guest. Sooyoung looked back at a man who entered the room. He looked only a few years younger than her father. Closing the door behind him he stepped forward. “Ah, there you are, Cho.” Sooyoung’s father greeted the new comer jovially.

Cho? She thought. Glancing over at the young male beside her, Sooyoung couldn’t help but notice the stiffness that had suddenly reigned over his body. He looked as taut as a wire beside her. He made no move to turn and look at her father’s guest which, she thought, was rather strange. Wasn’t it a normal reaction to be curious when a stranger entered the room? That is, assuming they were strangers at all...

Sooyoung instantly decided that they were not.

There were two reasons for this. First, their shared surname. Second, Sooyoung understood better than anyone the look that a person with daddy issues got at the mention of their father. It had a been a daily thing for her, after all.

Her brows furrowed and she glanced at Kyuhyun beside her. Sooyoung felt no smugness in seeing the clear unease on the arrogant young man's face. Instead, she shared in his tension. Straightening, Kyuhyun's obviously less than overjoyed reaction had Sooyoung quickly scanning his so-called father. 

“Cho Younghwan, this is my lovely daughter, Sooyoung.” Her father announced cheerfully. Meanwhile, Kyuhyun’s attention suddenly switched to her in a look that was highly suspect as she begrudgingly stood to bow at her father’s friend who nodded in reply. Sooyoung's dislike of the man was steadfast and immediate.

“Lovely indeed.” The stern looking man commented without any real feeling or enthusiam and Sooyoung got the feeling that he meant the exact opposite of his words. She tried not to feel so offended. In fact, she felt like rolling her eyes at the fake praise coming from both sides. As if her father described her as anything other than “plain” and “homely” her entire life. Only in company was she fit to be called a more worthy label. Even this company didn't genuinely seem to think so if his monotone and his simple glance in her direction was any indication.

Bastards.

Sooyoung crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring her own lack of manners and spoke rather blatantly. “I thought this was a personal sort of visit." She could tell her father probably wanted to throttle her for speaking in such an unrefined manner in front of a guest and much less to her own parent. Alas, he could not in front of his acquaintance. Sooyoung mulled over this fact for a moment. She basked in the glory of having the upper hand for once. Her father’s smile faltered but stayed firmly plastered on his face. “It is my dear.”

Sooyoung's eyes narrowed in suspicion as her gaze flitted between the two men. "I fail to see how father-daughter time involves business partners,” Something was not right here—not in the slightest and she didn't like it one bit. 

“This is Cho Younghwan’s son, Cho Kyuhyun. I trust you’ve met him before as I believe he was the best man at Lee Soonkyu’s wedding if I recall.” Cho Younghwan stepped forward and around her father’s desk to stop beside him as Jungnam spoke. Sooyoung eyed the stoic Mr. Cho then gave his son an unsurprised side glance while he remained perfectly still. Despite disliking Kyuhyun, for whatever reason, his unease made Sooyoung concerned. Whether for his sake or hers, she was less certain. The man had but spoken a few words yet Sooyoung wanted nothing to do with him. Something about him, the cold and emotionless air about him gave her the creeps and she did not him one bit.

So this man is his father?  She thought as she inspected his clearly tense frame. A thick tension filled the room even faster now. She was right in assuming they did not have a very good relationship. It looked like both she and Kyuhyun did have something in common after all. Considering Kyuhyun's harshness and general lack of expression, it became clearer to see that the two were related. Just as the age old saying "like father like son" rang true, somehow, his father seemed to be an even bigger creep. She almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

“Briefly.” She lied. Dreading the idea of formal meeting with Kyuhyun right now after they had spent the last ten minutes of their lives tearing each other down, she was in no mood for a handshake and a "how do you do?" (Especially since Kyuhyun himself made it clear earlier that he definitely did not to get to know her). “I still fail to see the point in this meeting, father.” The word father left a bitter taste in but she hoped that if she behaved just for now that he wouldn’t bother her ever again and let her live her own life in peace. That’s all she ever wanted—to live her own life and build a happy, warm and lovingly family that she had never had the privilege to have for herself.

“Oh, Sooyoung, dear; we’re simply planning for the future—for your future.” The Choi man’s voice lowered by the end of his sentence and Sooyoung froze. She always had pretty good instincts and all of them from the very beginning had been screaming at her and now was no exception; the alarms were ringing even louder in her head now and they told her exactly what this was—she just didn't want to believe it walking into this office. There was no way this man had the nerve...

Sooyoung glared, slowly getting to her feet. “What?” She actually hissed now with a ferocity unprecedented, the knot in her stomach tightening and telling her that all that she had suspected and all that she feared her instincts had warned her of was coming true and it was coming true right now.

“What with both of the Lee families being successful, we need to build up as well.” Her father continued as if his only child did not look like she was about to rip his jugular out with her teeth. Meanwhile, Kyuhyun’s brow furrowed, having already caught on to what Sooyoung had and realization had the world falling from underneath them both.

The cheerful demeanor Choi Jungnam maintained throughout the whole meeting quickly sobered. Though his smile remained, it took on the most sinister of looks. The panic that rose in Sooyoung’s chest had her feeling like a caged animal, the way she felt all her life, for what she feared as little girl would happen to her. He spoke the words she had dreaded her whole life.

“You two are to be wed..”

Author's Note: The first real cliffhanger of this fic! Did people already suspect this or did I trick you into thinking that the only arranged marriage in this story would be Sunny and Sungmin's?

The plot thickens!  And Sooyoung and Kyuhyun have had their first real interaction! Did anyone enjoy that? I really hope I didn't dissapoint anyone there.

I hope you enjoyed this crappy chapter and feedback is always appreciated! Thank you and I'll see you next time!