On Monday, Sungjong was whisked off by a company car to the Star building, his former workplace. It was a good thing he had already been discharged from the hospital and was feeling well. Myungsoo had asked him over and over again if he was up for it and he had assured him repeatedly that he was feeling brand new.

As he timidly stepped into the building, he was escorted by some staff directly to the studio. In the green room, a few stylists he had only known by face before greeted him with broad smiles and deep bows. Then he was shoved into one of the changing rooms and given clothes to wear. When he was done, the stylists fussed over him, applying make-up, styling his hair, and smoothening invisible creases on his clothes. Niel paid him a visit when he was almost done, to inform him that Myungsoo was on his way now. He had had an important meeting to attend so he was running a bit late.

“But it’s all set,” he told him, waving his clipboard and smiling at him. He looked genuinely happy to be involved in the photoshoot. There was bounce in his steps as he moved from person to person, checking that everything was in order.

To his surprise, Mijoo came to say hi. She had been incredibly nice to him before, so he was glad to see her face, even though he couldn’t help but gaze at her weirdly for two seconds, wondering why she was with Woohyun. But she spoke fast, apparently she had work to get to, causing all his nervousness to vanish. After congratulating him heartily, she said, “I wish I got to work with you. But it’s okay, next time.” With a wink, she left, making him feel a lot better than he had initially felt. He had wanted to ask how Woohyun was but then he recalled Sungyeol saying that the PA wasted no opportunity to curse him out, so maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t gotten to ask.

“Boss is in through here, he wants to see you.” Niel guided him through a set of doors into another room, probably a private changing room, where Myungsoo was seated on a plush white sofa. He had donned on clothes for the photshoot and his hair was currently being done by a stylist, while his eyes were glued to his phone. When he looked up, his eyes crinkled into a smile, and he patted the seat next to him.

Careful not to disrupt the stylist’s work, he pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before sitting down. Myungsoo’s smile broadened.

“Sorry I was a bit late, too much work.” He gestured towards his phone.

“You could have cancelled the shoot,” Sungjong suggested.

“And miss spending time with you? No way!”

When Myungsoo said things like that, Sungjong’s insides reacted violently, butterflies everywhere and a wildly beating heart.

Trying to check his blush, he changed the subject.

“How’s the work for Taiwan Fashion Week coming along?”

“Not bad at all,” Myungsoo said, waving his hand excitedly. He then explained how much work they had gotten done and how optimistic it all looked. He only paused when Woohyun came over with an iPad.

Sungjong got up and bowed to Woohyun, not meeting his eyes. If there was any way to apologise, he would have.

Watching him bow apologetically, Myungsoo said, “Woohyun’s got a new assistant. He’s good, isn’t he, Woohyun?”

“Yes sir, perfect. Very efficient,” he said pointedly.

Sungjong didn’t take offense; he was just glad that Woohyun had found someone to help him with the work and hoped that he didn’t treat him as badly as he had treated him.

“Okay, Sungjong,” Myungsoo diverted his attention towards him. He was looking at his iPad. “Tomorrow you have your tuxedo fitting at 11 am, is that alright?”

Oh right, the wedding.

He nodded.

“And…I’m sorry I never asked for your opinion about the wedding. It was all done in a hurry but if there’s anything you want to change-”

“I’m sure I’ll love whatever you have done,” he said quickly. He actually didn’t have any opinions about wedding plans. To be honest, he still couldn’t believe that he was going to have a wedding, a fancy one at that. Not in his wildest dreams he could have imagined something like this, at least not so soon. 

Life is strange.

“Right then, about your bachelor party-”

“Oh no,” Sungjong protested, waving his hand. There was no need to have a party; besides, he couldn’t think about anyone he would like to invite, except maybe Sungyeol. “I don’t want one.”

“Are you sure?” Myungsoo asked.

He nodded insistently. It was just not his thing.

“Okay. And…” He turned around and motioned at Woohyun to leave. The stylist, who had been working on his hair, had left before, leaving only Sungjong and Myungsoo in the room.

Fixing him with a piercing gaze, Myungsoo said, “I’m disappointed, Sungjong. How come you haven’t told me that you are 3 months behind on your rent?”

Sungjong gaped – how had the elder known? Had Sunggyu told him? It seemed like his situation was no secret.

Truth was, he had kind of forgotten about it. But even if he hadn’t, he would have never asked to borrow money from Myungsoo. It was embarrassing; being an adult, he couldn’t take care of his affairs. In short, he was ashamed about it and couldn’t let Myungsoo know about it, let alone ask for help.

“Here you go.” Myungsoo handed him something. It was a check, written to him, for an amount that more than covered the money he owed to his landlord.

“No, I can’t take your money,” he insisted, pushing the check towards him.

“Our money, Sungjong, our money. I don’t have any mine or yours, everything is ours to me.”

“But-”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I want to share my life with you, which means everything. I’m doing this for you because I know you’d have done the same for me, if the roles were reversed.” There was sincerity in his eyes as he folded the check into his palm. Sungjong felt tears threatening to emerge. How could he ever repay Myungsoo’s kindness or even match up to it?

“Thanks,” he mumbled. What more could he say? He hoped Myungsoo understood how grateful he truly was to him and he would make it up to him with his love and loyalty.

“Sir, we’re ready when you are,” Niel shouted from somewhere, cutting their conversation short.

“Ready?” Myungsoo asked, taking him by the hand.

The nervousness returned but he felt less anxious with Myungsoo beside him. Just as he had expected, it took quite a long time, with dress and background changes. He felt shy, hugging Myungsoo in front of all the people but soon, he learned to ignore them and pretend that the two of them were the only ones there. The elder’s encouraging smile helped him to overcome the remaining shakiness and the photographer’s praises started to emerge.

Finally, after three and a half hours, Niel told them that it was a wrap. Myungsoo had to hurry off to oversee a fitting but not before he had kissed him and whispered, “I love you.” 

Feeling satisfied with the day, Sungjong headed home. The photographer had allowed him to take a look at the unedited photos and he had been surprised to find how perfect they looked. He was thrilled to simply look at those pictures – what would happen when they were actually published in the magazine? He had thought that he had lost the passion to be on the cover, but with this photoshoot, he was reliving a small percentage of the excitement he had harbored as a teenager.

Myungsoo’s driver brought him to his apartment, then tipped his cap at him, before leaving. Humming to himself, Sungjong took the elevator to his floor, still immersed in the memory of the photoshoot. He could get used to that, maybe. When he arrived in front of his flat though, his reverie screeched to a halt, as he saw the people who were waiting there for him.

Bowing immediately, he muttered a greeting. He was unsure how to act and he could feel that the duo felt the same hatred towards him. But he had a deal with Kim Sunggyu – he wouldn’t dare touch him, would he? His companion, however…

“You monster!” Mrs. Kim launched into a tirade of complaints against him, outlining all his vile qualities and cursing him for seducing his sons. He listened without a reaction, head bowed. After all, she was Myungsoo’s mom and he couldn’t talk back to her. She had all the right to be disappointed.

When she had paused for breath, Sunggyu said, “I have to say, Mrs. Kim, there’s no point wasting your time talking to Sungjong here. He seems to be determined about marrying your son.”

Why did you bring her here then?

“What marriage? This is a sham! This is a disgrace-” Her face was sweaty and red, and she looked like she would faint any moment. Sungjong looked at her worriedly as her legs seemed to waver.

True to his fear, he saw Mrs. Kim shake tremendously, about to fall. He lurched forward to grab her but Sunggyu, who was beside her, had beaten him to it. Watching him move towards her seemed to enrage her and she twitched frantically, screaming, “Don’t touch me, you ! Get away from me and my family!”

He paced back, not wanting to upset her any farther. She looked more ill by the minute.

“Mrs. Kim?” Sunggyu asked uncertainly. He also glanced at her with concern, as if reconsidering his idea to bring her here.

 Before she could say another word, she suddenly clutched at her heart, her eyes going wide, and a scream of anguish parting her lips. Sungjong quickly extended his arms to support Mrs. Kim. His eyes met Sunggyu’s for a moment and he could see fear there for the first time. There was something human trying to push through his merciless mask.

“We need to call for an ambulance.”

“I have my car with me, it’ll be quicker.”

Agreeing on a silent nod, Sungjong pushed the button of the elevator. Sunggyu picked Mrs. Kim up in his arms and they made their way to the parking lot, where she was put in the back seat, her head resting on Sungjong’s lap. Her eyes were half open and her face shone with sweat. Even though Sunggyu drove faster than Sungjong had thought it was possible on the streets of Seoul, every second made him feel like they would be too late.

“Just hang on a second, Mrs. Kim,” he whispered to her, taking her hand but she seemed to have fainted.

Please no, please, he prayed frantically as they arrived at the hospital and medics quickly hoisted Mrs. Kim up on a stretcher and wheeled her down the corridors.

How am I supposed to look into Myungsoo’s eyes if something happens to her?

They weren’t allowed to enter the room where they took Mrs. Kim to. Instead, they were shown to the waiting room next door. However, Sungjong couldn’t bear to just sit in the waiting room, so he went up to the set of double doors beyond which Mrs. Kim had disappeared and paced anxiously in front of it, muttering prayers under his breath.

He hadn’t noticed when Sunggyu had followed him to the door so he almost jumped when he heard his voice really close to him.

“I don’t understand, do you really care? Care about a woman who will never accept you?”

Sungjong raised his head and looked at Sunggyu. He didn’t know how to explain why he cared about Mrs. Kim. She blamed him for Munsoo and Myungsoo, and yes, truth was, she would never look at him as a person. Perhaps, a part of loving someone meant you love the people close to them as well. Whatever it was, he knew with certainty that he didn’t want Mrs. Kim to die, not even if she somehow had managed to stop the wedding.

---

Myungsoo got the call when he had been talking to Sungyeol in his office. He had only ever met Sungyeol in passing. There was virtually no interaction between Sunggyu’s PA and him, there was no need.

So he was surprised when Woohyun told him that Sungyeol wanted to see him. Intrigued, he had told his PA to let him in. The tall man had seemed hesitant, like he was doing something he thought better of. After fiddling with his fingers and clearing his throat several times, he had finally begun to explain his reason for coming to see him.

He had listened without interrupting him, twirling a pen in his hand and noticing the emotions that flitted across his face. Sungyeol probably felt guilty to accuse his own boss but it was also evident that he believed that the company came first. When he was done, Myungsoo fixed him with a piercing glare.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Positive, sir. I wouldn’t have come to you unless… I’m just worried that we might be running out of time.” The man actually looked scared, as if any day Sunggyu would announce that he was the chief editor and not Myungsoo.

Smiling at him, he said, “I’m really grateful for your loyalty, Sungyeol. Even though you are Sunggyu’s PA, I’m glad that you have thought it right to inform me.”

“So you’re going to do something?” he asked, raising his head hopefully.

Myungsoo sat back, thinking about it. There hadn’t been a day when he had not trusted Sunggyu. Even if Myungsoo was sacked, Sunggyu would probably not ascend to the throne. In terms of business expertise, Sunggyu was invaluable, but Star was a fashion magazine and if the CEO had to pick a new chief editor, it would be Minho rather than Sunggyu. So simply removing Myungsoo wouldn’t do the trick.

Although, it seemed like a feasible plan, something Sunggyu would most definitely be able to come up with. The loss of Paris Fashion Week was one strike on Myungsoo’s career; if anyone could arrange for two more strikes, he would probably be sent packing. That would clear the way for Minho, and not Sunggyu though.

I can’t believe anyone in my team would do such a thing, I’m confident.

“Can it be that you’re mistaken? Maybe you’ve overheard Sunggyu talking about something completely different?”

Sungyeol shook his head vigorously, “I’m pretty sure, sir.”

“Hmm, okay. I will keep that in my mind but I-”

That was when the phone call had come. It had been the hospital. Myungsoo had heard something roughly about his mother and emergency; he hadn’t waited to hear the rest. He had rushed over to Seoul Central Hospital, to the emergency department, his mind in jeopardy. What if something bad had happened to her? They had never made up after that fight. Would he be able to say goodbye?

Is this my fault – was the thought that hounded him the most.

To his surprise, he bumped into his father at the hospital, who was looking for his mother as well.

“Didn’t you bring her here?”

“No,” his dad shook his head. “Minah went out in the morning and then the hospital called…” He couldn’t continue anymore, his hands were quivering badly. Would he blame him as well if something happened to his mother?

Just then, a familiar figure caught his eyes. He ran up to Sungjong, who looked every bit as worried as he did, wringing his hand and biting his lips until they were bloody.

“What happened?”

“She –er – Myungsoo- I-”

“I take full responsibility Myungsoo.” He hadn’t noticed Sunggyu standing beside Sungjong. He turned to him for an explanation. Briefly, Sunggyu described how she had called him up, demanding to be taken to see Sungjong. He had only tried to fulfill her wish.

“But she got all worked up when she saw Sungjong and…”

“Is she okay? Tell me she’s alright,” Mr. Kim squeaked. There were tears in his eyes.

“She’s fine, Mr. Kim,” Sunggyu assured. “You know she has hypertension, she forgot to take her medicine this morning and since she got all excited, her blood pressure became too high. She’s alright now.”

His father’s body jerked with relief and Sungjong had to put an arm around him to steady him.

“Why don’t you take him to the waiting room, he should sit down,” Sunggyu suggested. Myungsoo nodded, watching Sungjong support his father towards the waiting room. When they were out of his sight, he turned to face Sunggyu.

“Why did she want to see him?”

The executive editor frowned.

“You know.”

Sighing, he asked, “Did she say terrible things to him?”

Instead of replying directly, Sunggyu commented, “She feels very strongly against him.”

“Can I talk to her now?”

Sunggyu went to look for a doctor to ask if it was possible to see Mrs. Kim. The doctor agreed, but only for a short time, since she had been given sleeping pills and she would soon fall asleep.

“Don’t be hard on her. She’s a mother, and she thinks the best for you.”

“Sunggyu, you’re my best friend,” he said gravely. “But this is a family matter, and it’d be better if you don’t interfere.”

Without another look at his friend, he entered the room where his mother was being kept. She had her eyes closed but the moment he touched her hand, she looked up at him.

“Myungsoo-ah, my son, this is all that terrible boy’s fault. He attacked me-”

Closing his eyes briefly, he tried to calm himself down. He couldn’t be mean to his mother, not when she was ill. But every time she spoke about Sungjong, it was so insulting.

“Mom, I know what happened. Sunggyu was there.”

She shriveled up, looking disappointed that her story fell through.

“But I’m telling you, Myungsoo, the look in his eyes. He’ll surely kill me if he gets the chance-”

“Why are you doing this, mom, why?”

“I care about you, son, I’m a mother and I care about you.”

Myungsoo smiled wryly.

“You care about a lot of things mother, but I’ll tell you what you don’t care about: my happiness. If you wanted to see me happy, you would have accepted Sungjong. He’s the only one who makes me happy, mom, and if you can’t accept it…”

He left the sentence hanging but she had gotten the gist of it. She closed her eyes again, feigning sleep. Sighing once more, he left the room, knowing his mother’s opinion had not changed. He couldn’t understand; he was an adult now and he had decided to spend the rest of his life with Sungjong – why couldn’t she accept that fact? Why did it feel like it was her duty to attack the person he loved? This hadn’t been the case when he had selected Jiyeon as his fiancée.

His father had no power over her so it would be futile to talk to him again. He slowly paced towards the waiting room, where he found Sungjong’s hand on his father’s shoulder and he seemed to be whispering soothing words to him. It touched his heart to watch them together, accepting each other. If only his mother had done the same to complete the picture…

I guess you don’t get everything you want.

Seeing him enter the room, his father looked at him in askance. He informed him that his mother was doing well and she would be discharged in a few hours.

“I have to go now, but I’ll send a car over to take you two home. Let me know if the doctor says anything else.” He motioned at Sungjong. Glancing at his father, Sungjong was about to rise, when he clasped his wrist.

“Can you stay for a bit longer? I feel so bad about all this and this might be my only chance of ever getting to know my son-in-law…”

Sungjong looked at Myungsoo, biting his lips helplessly. He wanted to stay, but he was worried about meeting his mother again.

“I’ll talk to him for a second, dad,” he said, ushering him to a corner. “Are you sure you want to stay?”

He nodded emphatically.

“He looks like he needs someone, he’s so depressed.”

Normally, Myungsoo would have stayed with him until his mother recovered but he had work at the office, something he couldn’t miss. He felt guilty about it, and he should let Sungjong stay, but he was worried what his mother would do if she saw him on waking up.

Wordlessly, he took off his overcoat and put it around the younger’s shoulders. He had been shivering in the cold, he had noticed.

“Fine,” he finally replied, kissing the top of his head. “And thanks for…I’m sorry this is the kind of in-laws I have to offer…”

“Wait till you meet your in-laws,” he chuckled, standing on his tiptoe to give Myungsoo a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you later.”

He just hummed. It was taking him all his self-control to not grab him by the face and kiss him until they were both breathless and out of their clothes. His work had kept him away from Sungjong a bit too long and he wished it wasn’t that way.

 5 more days, he said to himself.