Siwon paced the pavement in front of the elegant luxury tower in distress. How he wished he had something in his hands to relive the stress that he was going through. It was moments like this that made him frown on his good boy upbringing that had kept him away from any and all kind of addictives. Oh god! How he wished for a cigarette to smoke away the building tension. He had seen many of his friends with the cancer stick and had wrinkled his nose in disgust on their hobbies of self- inflection. Now he understood the idiom of ‘the joy of smoking is only known by a smoker’. Maybe I too should start smoking, he contemplated. Everyone was going to die in the end, might as well die looking cool like the erstwhile Hollywood heartthrobs with a cigarette between his fingers and blowing away his anxiety in smoke. 

He looked up towards the building that supposedly housed his home and gave a weary smile. He thought, how strange the building that was beautiful and elegant in its appearance did not guarantee happiness for its inhabitants. Its growth was restricted from the moment an architect drew up the final draft. There would be no changes and the building, if it stood the test of time, it would be the same even after 100 years. Even if it wanted to change and breakaway from its form, it would not be possible without self-destruction. He too desired to carve his own way and not walk the path that has been dreamed up since the moment of his birth.

So, what he did that night was his ultimate act of rebellion, probably the only one in his life against the conformation that was upon him.

He took out his Audi sports car, not sure of the destination, for a drive. He believed that he couldn’t possibly rebel against his parents if he keeps on standing below the tower that was just another symbol of their oppression. He didn’t know as yet what deed he was going to perform to show his parents that he would not always fall in line like a puppet. He speed away in the car little care for the speed limit. He was in a hurry to get away. He figured going to some seedy bar and getting home drunk would be enough for him to get his point across.

It was while he was waiting for the signal to turn green, he heard someone tapping on the window of his car. The person was speaking something that siwon could not comprehend. He lowered the window on seeing the person gesture to do the same, when he realized that his actions conveying his inability to understand the person was seen.

It was when he lowered the car window that the person took the opportunity to unlock the door and get in the car. Siwon was shocked to see a harried looking scrawny boy fiddling with the seat belts of his car with apologies flowing out of his lips. He kept looking at the person thinking if he should kick him out. After all what he did, did amount to car-jacking and was a criminal offence but he did not look threatening.

“I am so sorry to rush in like this, but I have to be somewhere and I am already running late.”

Siwon looked at the boy, he was tall but not as tall as him. He wore a white shirt paired with black trousers with a striped tie hanging loosely around his neck. The boy looked young with the black glasses framing his face giving him a boyish appearance, but siwon guessed that he was closer to his own age as there was a kind of maturity gleaming in his eyes that did not match his youthful appearance. Siwon had to admit that he was certainly pleasant to look. The manner in which the boy got in and the haphazard way he was dressed in, it was sure that he was not lying about being late for an appointment. 

“Sir, if you don’t mind could you give me a lift, I am in a great hurry.” It was when the boy spoke that siwon realized he had spent a good part of a minute eyeing and sizing up the boy.

“Actually I do mind. You cannot just jump in someone’s car and ask them for a lift. If you want to go somewhere; get down and flag a taxi like normal people.” He did not want to come across as a rude person, but he was in an awful mood so civility and manners could just stuff it.

“Sir, I have been trying to get a taxi for some time now and there aren’t many plying in the area. I really have to get to Grand Hotel as soon as possible.” His voice was now wavering. The constant checking on the wrist watch suggested that boy was indeed in extreme hurry.

“Grand Hotel you say,” he mused for a second, “Alright fine, I will drop you off first.”

The boy kept on muttering thanks along with apologizing for his rudeness and soon the pair was on the way to Grand Hotel. Siwon thought that a five star hotel had a bar as good as any to get drunk and it even allowed him to not be a jerk to a fellow human. It was not that he was a very benevolent person but the boy did look like he was in trouble. The face he had made when siwon had refused was almost close to crying. And he could never have that on his consciousness of making a person cry due to his unwillingness to help them in the time of need.

And after all it was written in bible about giving lift to people who needed them and they being good looking and not looking like a car-jacker was an added bonus.

On the way siwon was once again confronted with the memories of the argument he had with his parents earlier in the evening. He had left fuming on hearing the ultimatum his father had fired at him. If you asked him it was more of a threat than anything and even his mother had agreed with his father. She said that they were looking out for him and that he will realize the follies of his ways soon.

Since his birth, siwon was expected to act and behave in a manner befitting his family status and he had spent his whole life living up to the expectations they had from him. In retrospect, it did not mean that his parents had forced him to do things against his wishes, but he had yet to give them any instances where they had to use strong words the way they had in the argument. His mind was all muddled and all the years of living life for others had made him snap. He had to give a fitting reply to the threat his father had thrown at him. He took it as a challenge to show that he too was capable of making independent decisions.

It was when his gaze fell on his co-passenger that a brilliant plan formed in his head. The lip-biting the boy indulged in while looking all anxious and shy at the same time confirmed that he could play the prefect part in his plan.  

He took a U-turn and was going back the way he had come.

Seeing the change in the vehicle’s course, the boy spoke up.

“The Grand Hotel in not this way. You are going the wrong way.”

“It is the right way, we are going to Imperial Towers.” Getting back home was now of prime importance for siwon for the plan to be put into motion.

“What do you mean by Imperial Towers? You said you would drop me off to Grand Hotel, we were almost there.”

Siwon looked at the boy once more and without giving any response drove his car in blinding speed. The speed the car was travelling in and the glare siwon had send towards him was enough for the boy to keep quite. He did not utter a single word during the whole journey and sat with a visible terrified expression.

“Get out” siwon said as soon as they had returned to his home.

The boy fearing for his life took the chance to jump of the car. He was about to run away when siwon came and caught his hand and started walking towards the elevator.

Siwon sighed seeing the attempts the boy was making to loosen the grip he had on his wrist.

“Could you not claw on my hands? It may not look like it but it hurts.”

“Then you could release me. See Mister, I don’t know what you are up to. If you let me go now, I promise to not call the police on you. Please let me go.”

Siwon almost smiled on the empty threat the boy was making. It would have held little credence if not for the tears that were now threatening to flow from his eyes.

“See, I will make a deal with you. If you co-operate with me than I will not hold on to your hand. And as for the case of calling the police, if they do come they will come for you and not me. Do you not realize that I could have you jailed for car-jacking? You did get into my car without my permission. The cameras near the signal can be used as evidence and also my testimony will hold more value against you.” He gestured towards the boy and that was when the difference between them was made visible.

Even though siwon was casually dressed he was impeccable and his clothes screamed exclusive and expensive designer wear. As for the boy, it was obvious that the loose tie and half insert shirt was not helping the matter in making impressions.

 The hung head was all the response siwon was looking for and he once again started walking towards his house.

“Do you have any girlfriend?” a swift nod led to another question “then a boyfriend perhaps…” The boy looked scandalized but nodded in negative.

A muted ‘that’s good’ was heard before the door was opened and an elegantly dressed lady stood in front of them. She looked at siwon and then the boy and again at siwon with a questioning gaze.

As soon as his mother opened the door siwon ignored her questioning gaze and walked straight towards their living room towards where his father was; dragging the boy along with him with his mother closely following them.

“Siwon I hope you have calmed down and thought about what we said.” His father had not even looked up before making the statement. Siwon winced and his grip on the boy got tighter.

When he was met with silence to his question, siwon‘s father looked up from his book and saw that there was a stranger in his house and siwon was holding the said stranger’s hand.

“Who is this person?” his father wasted little time in questioning him. His mother was now sitting on the arm rest of the big chair in a show of support to her hubby. Looking them straight in the eyes, siwon answered without making an effort to sit.

“This is the person I wish to marry. I am here so that you could bless our relationship.”

“What???” said simultaneously all the other three occupants of the room. He flinched at the sudden outburst.

Stoically he replied, “You both had said that you did not approve of my choice for my life partner and you,” he pointed to his father, “said and I quote, ‘we will not allow you to marry that girl, any another person than her will do but not her.’ So I bought him here in the hope of receiving your blessings.”

The boy was now once again trying to get away from siwon and had succeeded to remove his hand from his wrist when, siwon pulled him near and held him by the hips so that the chance of running away diminished. He had managed to shock his parents with his statement, and he did not want to ruin his plan by letting the most important pawn run away. The disbelief etched on his parents’ faces meant that his plan was starting to generate the desired effect.

“What do you mean by this siwon? You cannot stand there and say that you are possibly in love with this kid and wish to marry him.” His father stood up and spoke.

His mother too stood up and muttered “But he is a guy, siwon. I thought you liked girls.”

Siwon scoffed, “Please do not tell me that you have a problem with my ual orientation. After all dad’s own brother heechul lives with his partner Hangeng.”

“SIWON!!!” he father bellowed.

“Sssshhh…Jungsu no shouting please.”

“Can you believe the audacity of this kid Sora? Standing in front of me and justifying his misdeeds by pinning it on my family.” His mother stood rubbing his father’s back in an attempt to pacify him and pointedly looked at him conveying her displeasure.

“Siwon I hope this is not some kind of game you are playing to get back at us for refusing your earlier demand.” Sora spoke while jungsu still remained silent.

“What game? Father had said that you could accept me marrying any other person on this earth than her. It were his own words and now I hope you keep your promise. Or else I would have to think that your word has no value.”

“Siwon what do you want from us,” it was jungsu who had spoken up. The tone of his voice suggested that the adrenalin rush from earlier had subsided and he did not wish to take to the argument any further than necessary.

“Well I think I was very clear from the beginning. This is the person I wish to marry” siwon pushed the boy in front of his parents to emphasis his point. “If you do not wish to let me marry him than I expect that hence forth there will not be any interferences in me making important life decisions for myself.”

After siwon placed his point forward, the whole room fell into silence; not the pin drop kind, but the kind where even normal breathing echoes and loudly bangs into the ear drums. 

“Introduce yourself kid” It was once again jungsu who had spoken up.

The boy who was still now a mute spectator to the increasingly bizarre conversation found himself in the spot light. If the want to run away from the strange place was not strong enough before; it had now turned into an overwhelming need.

He stood there fixing his sights at the wall behind jungsu and sora in a way to avoid direct eye contact with the older couple.

“It is okay. There is no need to be afraid sweetie,” sora had left her husband’s side and came near the kid in a bid to put him at ease.

“My name is Cho Kyuhyun,” was all the boy now identified to the Choi family muttered before shutting up again.

Siwon looked at kyuhyun and thought that the name did feel apt for some reason on the boy and decided that he liked it.

“Now kyuhyun-shi if you don’t mind could you tell us how you know my son and do you too share his intentions?”

Before kyuhyun could answer jungsu by saying that he met his son for the first time tonight and that he had been kidnapped and had no intentions whatsoever of marrying him, a sharp tug on his waist from siwon saw him pulled in a side-ways hug only less comfortable.

“I think that you should leave the interrogations aside only if you are going to approve my decisions. Otherwise I do not wish to trouble my babykyu over trivial matters.”

Kyuhyun looked up when he heard siwon address him as babykyu. How dare this person bring him here using force and stand there lying through his teeth in front of his parents. He had deduced that siwon was challenging his parents as a form of retaliation. He knew the game can end in only two ways; one, if his parents blink by objecting to the alliance and allow siwon to have his way or if they call siwon’ s bluff and accept his demands to see how far he can manage without folding. It was a very interesting situation, one that warrants watching the exchange from the sidelines with a bowel of popcorn and maybe a bottle of beer to enjoy. But being in the thick of the situation certainly changed the dynamics. These people were playing poker with him at stake. And truth be told he did not like his prospects one bit.

It was after what felt like eternity where the couple shared gazes and through it their thoughts with some telepathic abilities that sora spoke, “ I wish to ask one last thing before making the final decision,” she looked at both siwon and kyuhyun before continuing, “Do you both love each other?”

“Of Cour-- siwon started speaking on an impulse when he looked at kyuhyun to nudge the other to play along as well and that is when their eyes met. Till this day siwon would deny if asked, but for the first time in his life while looking at kyuhyun, siwon felt a warmth wash over him and felt an overwhelming need to be near him. It was as if an invisible string attached to the younger was tugging him towards kyuhyun and he could not more like would not to fight against it.

“--Course” kyuhyun finished for siwon. If asked today kyuhyun would say that he did it to save siwon’s sorry from being whooped by his dad. But at that time staring deep into dark brown eyes of siwon, the words flowed out of him like they were meant to be.

“And kids that is how I met your kyuppa.” Siwon was sitting in the library with hands folded across his chest to show his satisfaction towards the story he had just narrated. The kids were sprawled on the floor, the younger on his stomach resting his chin on his palms spruced up by his elbows and the older resting his head on the younger’s back facing towards siwon.

“So you mean to say that you kidnapped kyuppa and basically forced him into marrying you; all to win in some twisted bet that you had with grandpa and grandma.”

His eyebrows shot up his forehead before disappearing in his bangs. But before siwon could register the shock in verbal terms kyuhyun beat him to it.

“That was a very good observation kris. Well done my boy, I see you are sharp as ever.” Kyuhyun who was listening on the storytelling session from near the door entered the library and sat beside siwon on the arm rest of the chair.

Kris who was lying on his brother’s body got up with a wide smile after getting the compliment from his kyupaa much to siwon’s annoyance.

Before siwon could start admonishing his oldest child, the younger of the siblings spoke up. “I don’t think that appa forced kyuppa into marriage,”

“Speak up suho, I don’t think kyuppa and kris heard you.” There was a smugness in his voice that was soon met with an elbow jab from his lover.

Seeing the attention he was now receiving, suho spoke, “It was kyuppa who had barged into appa’s car without permission which as per law does amount to car-jacking. During the showdown with grandpa and grandma, kyuppa had ample opportunity to tell the truth and get away from there but he choose not avail any of them. In turn kyuppa married appa and has not left his side since. My conclusion is that kyuppa fell in love with appa and hence could not deny his marriage to him.”

After suho had stopped speaking siwon erupted into hoots and whistles and picked up the six year old from the ground to show his appreciation. The serious side of the youngest side was one of the traits that he inherited from his appa.

Kris frowned at his appa’s actions, seeing this kyuhyun gestured the seven year old towards him and whispered something in his ears.

“Appa I think you forgot the main part of the story. You never mentioned the name of the girl that you so desperately wanted to marry causing the chain of events culminating in your marriage with kyuppa. I suppose that is a very important piece of information to overlook, don’t you think so too?”

If suho was like siwon then kris had inherited his evil gene from kyuhyun.

Siwon stopped in mid of the circle he was swinging suho in on hearing kris’ question. Holding the kid close to his chest he ly to be welcomed with a smirk on kyuhyun’s face and the same smirk mimicked on kris’ face. 

 Setting suho down, he walked towards kris and kyuhyun.

“You know as the days go by you are turning more and more into your kyuppa. That evil little mind needs to take a little rest” he tapped kris on the temple to emphasis the point.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

Huffing he pulled suho to sit on his lap and was now cuddling him, “Why can’t you be more like me.” Pinching the kid’s cheeks softly he said, “Suho loves appa doesn’t he? He will never take kyuppa’s side and tease appa right?” The statement was met with a loud yes and giggles as siwon had stared to tickle him.

“Well kris does not believe in pandering to his appa’s wishes and sides with the truth” soon kyuhyun and kris joined the tickle fight with siwon and suho.

“Yeah, but you treat him as your personal lawyer who always sides with you in any discussion.”

“That is because you have turned suho into your little ‘yes man’ so I needed to shore up the defenses” kyuhyun smirked at siwon to show that he was not going to use the kids against him to win any argument.

The kids forgetting all about the question on hand were rolling on the floor tickling each other and enjoying themselves. Siwon and kyuhyun had soon excused themselves when they felt that could not keep up with their kids.

Huffing from the strenuous activity siwon said placing a soft kiss on kyuhyun, “You know I would not change a single thing about that night. Because that act of impulsive rebellion got me you and you do know that I married you for love right?”

“If I didn’t, why do you think I agreed to marry you and have stayed with you after all these years.”

“Well no one could resist my handsome face and y body.” Before siwon could add more to the statement he was pushed and pinned on the floor by kyuhyun. Siwon’s struggle to breakaway soon turned into a full blown wrestling match with the kids joining in the fun.

Sounds of laughter, giggles and mock screams filled the room with the Choi family forgetting the world in favor of one that had only them.

Jungsu sighed redialing a number on his phone. His wife sora came near him, “What happened? Siwon is not picking the phone again?” a nod from jungsu confirmed her deduction. “Well you should know better calling him on a holiday when he is with the kids.”

“But if he doesn’t pick up the phone how am to confirm their attendance to the dinner.” Jungsu frowned once more when the phone line died after incessant ringing.

“Don’t fret they will be there. Kyuhyun will make sure of that.” Sora said pulling the phone from his grasp.

“Can you believe that he tried to fool us all those years ago by using kyuhyun,” a nostalgic smile played on jungsu’s face.

 “Yeah. The kid still thinks that we have no idea about the whole deal. But I am glad that we made the right decision.” Jungsu held sora in a hug and countered, “It was your decision, I merely followed your instincts.”

“I could see the connection they shared. Even if they did not know it then, but they were destined to be together. It was meant to be, they were meant to be.”

Sorry for the delay. Was away for a long weekend.

Hope it was worth the wait.

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