11.

Areum stepped back from the pedestal once she was content with the floral arrangement draping from the white podium. She had spent the morning working with enthusiasm. Her genuine happiness and devotion to her work was clearly painted on her face. To the average person, these were just flowers; but to Areum they were a host of emotions and secret messages. They were her livelihood and the one thing in this world she could truly never get enough of; that never failed to lift her mood. Even the upsetting absence of her hot beau, Oh Sehun, wasn’t able to affect her for long. Areum loved her fauna and had always had a much greener thumb than Jakyung. Their friends often joked that Jakyung was adopted and that Jin omma’s real daughter was actually Areum.

“That looks so much better than I thought it would, Areum.” The mentioned found Jakyung admiring her handiwork, mouth agape with awe.

“What can I say, I’m a natural,” Areum playfully flicked her hair and winked at her best friend. “How are the table centerpieces going?”

“All done! I didn’t do a bad job either,” Jakyung crossed her arms over her chest proudly. They turned to assess the 40 large tables, each with a blossom vine entwined around a gold plated stalk at the center. At the foot of the ornaments sat brightly coloured floral terrariums. They had not forgotten to drape the walls and decorate any mountings with vines and dainty bouquets either. The gargantuan hall never looked so fresh. Both girls had to agree that this was their best design to date.

Areum found Jakyung grinning madly beside her. “You’re thinking of the paycheck aren’t you,” she jabbed playfully.

Jakyung scoffed. “Of course! They asked for gold plated blossom vine hangers for ’s sake. The Hwang’s and their parties…” she shook her head with a laugh.

“Speaking of party, we should pack up in record time or we won’t have enough time to get ready.”

“Doesn’t bother me, I only need half an hour anyway. I’m not a diva like you,” Jakyung stuck out her tongue childishly and quickly slipped away before her friend could attack her.

______________________________________________________________________

Jongin adjusted his bowtie for the twentieth time and stared forlornly at the sad man in the mirror. He had spent the day trying call Eunjung but she refused to pick up his calls. Standing here now he knew that it was for the best. Nothing could have amounted from those calls. He still wouldn’t be able to be with her. He would still be forced into a marriage with spoilt-brat Hwang.

But he just missed her so terribly much. A part of him hated how weak he had become. He never had much consideration or regard for his girlfriends. He found himself regretting letting Eunjung into his heart and fighting his way into hers. Maybe if he hadn’t been so insistent on making the innocent schoolteacher fall for him all those months ago, just to prove to her that he was capable of it, neither of them would be suffering like this today.

Jongin heard knuckles tapping against his door.

“Are you ready to go?” Jongin didn’t turn to face his father, only nodding to indicate he had heard the man.

“Jongin-ah, listen,” Youngchul stumbled with his words. “Your mother and I, we just want to apologise again for having to put you through this. If I had been a more capable man, our company wouldn’t be deteriorating like this and I wouldn’t be shamefully asking you to give up your happiness.” Jongin heard the choke in his father’s words.

“Don’t blame yourself, abeoji. This is just how things turned out. I don’t hold resentment towards you and eomeoni.” He looked over at his father, “and know that you’re the greatest business man and father I’ve ever known.” Youngchul trembled and broke into a suppressed sob. Startled by the sight of his father in tears for the first time in his 29 years of existence, Jongin scurried over and held onto the quivering man, trying hard to not let his father’s repeated muffled apologies turn on his waterworks too.

“Yah, yah Sehun. Which one?” Sehun lowered his glass of juice and cocked an eyebrow at his roommate.

“Park Chanyeol, I thought we agreed not to look alike tonight.”

“Shut your face. You clearly know that this is my best shirt and that it only goes with one of these two ties. The way I see it, you’re the one who’s dressing like me,” Chanyeol huffed. “But seriously, the striped one or the plain quilted one?”

“They look the same to me, Chanyeol. Pick the more comfortable one,” Sehun answered with disinterest and turned his attention back to his juice.

“You’re no help at all. Worst date ever.” Chanyeol mumbled to himself as he retreated back to his room to seek help from his mirror. Sehun rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he honestly thought Chanyeol should have been born a female. Or maybe growing up with his 6 sisters was the reason he turned out that way. The man was an obstetrician and gynaecologist for God’s sake. Obviously there was nothing wrong with the field, but Sehun just felt like it gave Chanyeol a significantly much more feminine vibe.

“Can you hurry up? I need to get there early to overlook the event.”

“Alright I’m done.” Chanyeol appeared from his room and spun in a circle to let the other assess his attire. He had opted for the quilted tie. “But before we go, let’s go over the tactics by which you will wingman me.”

“I’m am not going to be solely responsible for the pairing a poor unexpecting lady with your creepy .”

“Yah! Have you forgotten that my exes were the creepy ones? Never have I ever been creepy!”

“Yeah, well try explain the stalking charges and restraining order to your new girlfriend,” Sehun smirked. Honestly he was surprised Chanyeol could still keep his job after all that drama.

“Just shut up and listen. Our signal tonight will be a cough, followed by an ear scratch, followed by a cough again. Once signaled, the wingman must swoop in quickly and proceed to make the other person more desirable than a topless Daniel Henney.”

“No.”

“Sehun, come on,” Chanyeol pouted.

“Not a chance.”

“I’ll do the housework for a month!”

“No.”

Chanyeol paused briefly before uttering in a defeated tone, “I’ll take your mother to her tennis club this month…”

Sehun straightened up. ”Deal”

“But only if you help me get the girl! Or her number at least… And she has to text back or it doesn’t count!”

Sehun smirked and dismissed Chanyeol with a wave of his hand. “Consider it done. You just worry about playing tennis with my loud mouthed mother and her erted old lady friends.” He grabbed his car keys and headed for the door.

Chanyeol trudged out behind him, moping.

What did I sign myself up for?

Baekhyun watched as the three girls descended from the stairs. They were at the Hwang residence because according to the girls, there weren’t enough products and appliances at Jinae’s apartment to cater to their needs. He didn’t bother to understand. In his opinion hairspray made hair feel tacky and makeup tasted bad so he wasn’t for either. Better to just be bare faced so that he wouldn’t be doubling over in shock when he wakes up to a pair of panda eyes and smudged lipstick.

But he had to admit that his three best friends had never looked more beautiful. They looked like they were literally glowing; the way light was bouncing off their skin. Even Jakyung was looking particularly beautiful tonight – he knew that that would have required Areum and Jinae tackling her down and forcing themselves upon her. He found himself glancing at Jinae longer than he had wanted. He had admitted to himself that maybe he had grown fonder of the girl than a best friend should, but he wasn’t confident that he was attracted to her enough to consider acting upon it.

“We look good don’t we, country boy,”Areum beamed. He noted that his cousin dressed the most flirtatiously and made a mental note to steer away any erts who got any funny ideas about her tonight.  

“Nope, still like the evil stepmother and the two ugly stepsisters,” Baekhyun joked.

Jakyung knocked him across the head as they laughed heartedly out the door.