Chapter 16

“You have got to be kidding me.” Siwon said, from the ground, still staring at his flustered bride to be in shock. He pointed at her, “Did you know about this? Say something.” Sunny’s eyes started to swell up with tears & she got up from her chair, “I don’t want to marry you!” She said, out loud, “I’m sorry auntie & uncle Kim, auntie & uncle Jang & auntie & uncle Choi but I need to go now.” Her tears started flowing down freely now as she dashed out of the house in a matter of seconds. She ran & ran until she finally found herself in the roses park. She admired the surroundings briefly, having never seen the park before. She made her way to a bench underneath a tree where the initials of ‘KJ+HW=FOREVER’ were carved around a heart below the node of the first branch. She gently touched the carving & wondered tearfully if she would ever be able to engrave her initials with anyone she loved.

She couldn’t believe Siwon’s reaction to their arranged marriage. It really hurt her more than she had thought it would. Unbeknownst to her, she had grown to like Siwon. She didn’t understand why she felt betrayed when she saw Siwon hugging Tiffany. She didn’t know why she felt jealous of her best friend & how she could actually feel that way about her but after today, when the announcement was made in the morning, she understood. She cried silently, not understanding how she could have fallen for the eggman.

Meanwhile, back at the Kim mansion, Siwon’s family & friends glared at him, “How could you do that to Sunny & be so mean & cruel, not caring about her feelings?” Sooyoung had gotten up from her chair to pull her brother up only to jab his chest with her thin, long finger, “That was totally uncalled for & so, so guylike!” She screamed at her brother, & Siwon cupped his ear from her shouting that was about to shattered his eardrums. She threatened him with her eyes wide open & Siwon cowered a bit. His sister getting angry wasn’t a pretty & fun sight. She opened again, & Siwon prepared himself for her wrath, “What are you still standing there for idiot?!” Siwon looked up & stared at Sooyoung, wondering what she meant, ‘What am I supposed to do?’ He thought.

Keunsuk got up to try to soothe his girlfriend before turning his gaze to Siwon, “Dude, go get her. Chase after her. You really are an idiot!” Siwon just stared at them dumbfounded, the shock still not having registered. Keunsuk went to go grab Siwon’s arm & dragged him to the front door of the mansion, “Find her & bring her back now.” He finally shook himself out of it & knew what he had to do. He ran out of the door & when he got to the end of the driveway, he decided to go get his car & drove around the neighborhood, trying to find Sunny. He cursed himself inwardly for being so unpleasant to Sunny. No matter what he felt about the arranged marriage, he shouldn’t have been so stupid & not have thought of her feelings! During the drive, he thought back on how he met Sunny & couldn’t help but smile at their first meeting & of his countless ruined shirts.

He drove around for three minutes until he finally got to the roses park. He had passed by the place a couple of times after returning to Seoul but had never stopped to take a tour around the gorgeous place but his tires screeched on the blacktop as he came to an abrupt sight upon seeing a girl seated on a bench under a tree with her eyes closed, deep in thought. He parked his car & got out with a smile on his face. Siwon made his way over to the girl & felt his heart give a little dive as he saw tears on her face, ‘I had caused that.’ He thought. He sat down silently next to the girl & took her hand into his.

Sunny gasped in shock at the sudden touch. When she saw Siwon, she quickly looked away & tried to take her hand out of his grasps but Siwon would have none of it. He just took her hand & brought it to his thin lips to kiss it, “Sunny, look at me please?” Sunny remained in the same position, not acknowledging him. Siwon forced her around gently, making her turn towards him. Sunny gave up & stared at him, willing him to speak, “Okay, I will give you five minutes & that’s it, eggman.” He smiled at her nickname for him, thinking it as an endearment, “Hey, that’s not a bad start for us. We are already giving each other nicknames.” She gasped in shock & grumpily said, “Whatever.”

“I’m sorry, Sunny. I really am. I should have been more nice & reasonable about the announcement of our...um, arranged marriage.” Sunny looked away from him again, “It just came so much as a shock to me, you know? It’s not like I don’t like you but it was just really way too sudden, you know?” Sunny continued to stare at the trees carving beside her, “Please don’t be mad? If you are, I would rather you hit me & yell at me than be silent. That’s the Sunny I know.” Sunny started to smile a little bit but still said nothing. Siwon finally took the objective & turned her head to face him again, “Please forgive this idiot for being so stupid & give this a chance for our family’s sake?!” Sunny frowned again, at the word family, ‘So, he’s only attempting to like me because of our family’s union?’

“Okay.” Siwon said, peering under her drooped head to look into her eyes. Sunny just nodded absently & agreed. She would give him a chance & make it work & not just for the family’s sake. She smiled her first real smile for that entire morning, “I will give you a chance if you can climb up that apple tree & give me one of those yummy looking apples.” Siwon stared at the tree that was beside the bench & gazed up eight feet to where the first apple was situated. He groaned but for her, he would do it. He rolled up his club room slim-fit mossoro plaid shirt sleeves & jumped up the trunk, starting to get up to the first branch. His shirt scraped the trunk as he ascended & started to rip. He looked down at the buttons slowly falling from their seams in shock. Sunny laughed at her wonderful idea, “Come on, you are almost there. Just three more feet.” Siwon grumbled but was determined & in a matter of a few seconds, he plucked a beautiful red apple from its branch & slowly descended.

He rubbed the apple against his now battered shirt & kneeled down on the grass to present his offering to her. Sunny gasped & clapped her hands delightedly, “Thank you, kind sir.” She said, & took the apple. She bit into it & closed her eyes to savor its juicy sweetness. Siwon stared at this beautiful girl in awe. He knew that he could grow to like her in time. Sunny opened her eyes again, & offered the apple to Siwon. Without any hesitance, he took a bite from the apple too, & together, they sat on the bench to finished the apple together. They drove back to the Kim’s household later.

When Siwon & Sunny returned back to the mansion, Sooyoung & Mrs. Choi, as well as everyone else at the breakfast party were waiting for them. Sooyoung & Mrs. Choi were standing in identical positions with arms crossed, faces fuming & feet tapping the stone stepped of the Kim mansion in anger. When Siwon got out of the car, he opened the door for Sunny & together, they walked up to deal with everyone. Mrs. Choi was the first to speak, “Son, what is the meaning of this? What do you think that you were doing, being so foolish & terrible to this lovely girl who I might as well tell you another time is your fiance? What do you have to say for yourself?” Siwon opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Sunny got in front of him & took Mrs. Choi’s arms into her hands, “Auntie Choi.” She pretend sobbed, “Siwon is such a big meanie, do you know what he did?” She winked at Siwon when he threw her an incredulous look. Mrs. Choi patted her hands, glaring at her son, “What did he make you do?”

“He...He...He made me climb up a tree & get him an apple &...& he was acting all dominant male like.” She was crying tears of laughter at Siwon’s look & they were mistaken for tears of pain, “He did what?!” Mrs. Choi & Sooyoung screamed, out loud & glared at the man in question. Siwon tried to make a run for it. He knew that this wasn’t going to end well with him at all but before he could run, Sooyoung had already caught up to him & pulled his arms behind his back, twisting his hands. She gripped them with one of her hands & the other. Siwon closed his eyes, dreading what was going to happen next. Sunny just smiled smugly as Sooyoung & Mrs. Choi both reached for both of his ear & stretched his earlobes, “Ow!” Siwon cried. Everyone laughed as Siwon tried unsuccessfully to get away from their grasps.

“Hear me out please, ow, stop?” Mrs. Choi just gritted her teeth & pulled harder, “We aren’t going to let you go until we are satisfied with your answer, son. Now, speak.” She looked at her michael kors channing rose gold-tone stainless steel bracelet watch, “You have one minute.” Siwon told them what really happened, “I mean, I would never ask a girl to climb up a tree & fetch something for me. Look at my shirt.” He pointed out the ripped in his shirt & everyone nodded their heads in understanding. Sunny was laughing behind her hand. She walked up to Siwon, “Serves you right. Well, that’s what you will get. I don’t want to disappoint auntie & Sooyoung by being a sweet nice girl, right? Plus, I think you will find that kind of girl way too boring since you were born to be dominated by women.” Siwon groaned & muttered, “That’s what you think.”

“What was that you said, honey?” Sunny put her ear near Siwon. Siwon shook his head in frustration. He didn’t need another female attacker at the moment, “Nothing, sweetie.” He said, putting on a smile dripping with honey that showed his pearly white teeth, “I just wanted to tell you you look ravishing this morning. Just gorgeous.” Sunny knew better than believe that that was what he said. She stamped hard on his right foot, “Why thanks, honey, I’m sorry that I can not say the same about you.” She walked over back to auntie Choi, “Auntie, let’s go have some more breakfast before we all have to go back to school.” She linked her arms with Mrs. Choi & Sooyoung & together, they formed a female coalition & walked towards the front door. Sunny looked back at Siwon who was busy rubbing his sore ear, “Remember to change your shirt.” When he walked up to her, she grabbed onto his arm instead & reached for his ear. Siwon shut his eyes. She laughed lightly & tenderly smoothed the redness, “I bought a shirt for you. It’s in my bag in the coat closet. Wear that for me please?” She kissed his pink ear & he turned the same color as his ear. The three females laughed at him & entered the dining hall once again. Jejung, who had been quiet all this time, put his arm around Siwon, “Hey buddy, I feel for you, dude. You can use my room to change.” Siwon nodded his thank you, still flustered by the kiss that Sunny had just gave him. He smiled at the thought of this sweet nice girl that packed a good punch as he walked to the closet. Behind him, Jejung walked with Tiffany with his arm around her & they smiled at the guy who had just been bitten by the love bug. They stared into each others’ eyes because they understood that feeling. When Siwon returned with a new tommy hilfiger jackson custom-fit shirt on, he sat down next to Sunny & unlike the beginning of breakfast, all four families plus Tiffany talked happily until a sudden ringing of the doorbell was heard. They all looked up in surprises when they saw who Jaehwa had escorted to the dining room.