Chanyeol stepped into the café where Jiyeon was waiting and searched for the girl. He then spotted her sitting at the far corner at the back of the shop, wearing a huge hat nearly covering her whole face. He swallowed hard and took heavy steps towards the girl, pausing behind the only empty chair opposite from her once he reached the table.

"Uh-"

"Just sit down and get this over with," Jiyeon spat before Chanyeol could say a word, and he sighed inwardly before taking a seat. A waiter came to their table and took his order, and he turned back towards his childhood friend.

"Thanks for coming out here to meet me," he told her softly. Jiyeon snorted and finally lifted her head, allowing him to see her red eyes and dark circles. Her skin was oddly pale and he could see the anger, sadness and betrayal in her orbs. He sighed, feeling overwhelmed with the sudden guilt. "Jiyeon, I- I'm sorry."

"For what? For choosing Valerie over me? For embarrassing me in front of your whole family? For reminding me time and time again of how much of a desperate I am?"

"I didn't mean it like that. It- It wasn't supposed to come out like that."

"Oh, is there a nicer way to say it then?" she asked, her voice laced with venom. He stared into her dark, cold eyes as someone stopped by their table to serve his coffee. Only after the waiter left did Jiyeon parted her lips again, but this time her voice was softer and laced with pain. "Was I that bad, Chanyeol? Is marrying me the worst thing that could happen to you?" she asked.

Chanyeol swallowed and shook his head. "That's not it, Jiyeon."

"Then what?"

"I just can't, okay? It's not just you, for 's sake." he said, sighing in frustration. "You know that you're not the first one grandma tried to set me up with, and I shot down each and every one of them with the same excuse - I wasn't into commitment."

"Then explain this whole bull of yours with that ," she growled.

Chanyeol's gaze hardened and when he spoke, his tone was cold. "First of all, do not call her that. I love her. Sure, everything started as an act to stop grandma with her bull matchmaking, but I fell in love with Ahyoung. I don't know when or how, but apparently I've always did since the first time we met. I'm still scared about this whole committing thing, but that's the thing right now - Ahyoung makes me want to commit. She makes me want to try being in a relationship with her and do better. I'm scared because right now, everything is going too fast for the both of us, but I don't care. I want her and I'm not letting her go. Nobody can say anything that will make me change my mind."

Jiyeon, who had been staring at him in disbelief and pain, looked away with a deeper pained look on her face.

Chanyeol mentally scolded himself for bursting like that.

"Look, Jiyeon. You're my childhood friend. We grew up together. You're almost like a sister to me, and that's what you'll always be to me. Even if it's not Ahyoung, I still won't marry you," he confessed and took a breath before continuing, "You're a great person, Jiyeon. You're beautiful inside and out, although you still need to work on that y attitude of yours." Jiyeon glared at him, and he momentarily grinned before being serious again. "I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness for all the pain I've caused you, but all I ask is that you understand and let me be happy with Ahyoung. And I also ask that you move on. I'm sorry I couldn't return your feelings and instead filled it with more pain and hate, and I hope that someone better will come along and sweep you off your feet."

Jiyeon scoffed softly and leaned back in her chair. "That's easy for you to say, Chanyeol."

"Jiyeon-"

"Fine, I've heard you. And I have nothing else to say to you," she cut him off and pulled her handbag onto her lap, preparing to leave. "Let's stop here. I still have to prepare myself for your sister's bridal shower tonight."

Chanyeol could only watch with a heavy heart as his childhood friend left the table, clearly more heartbroken than when he first came in. He could only hope that one day things will be okay again between them.

Valerie looked down at the hem of her dress and traced the patterns there as she waited for Sehun to arrive. She was sitting on a park bench blocks away from Chanyeol's meeting place with Jiyeon, having agreed to meet Sehun there after a prior time setup. The man showed up ten minutes later with his usual blank look but Valerie knew better than that. She stood up and smiled lightly at him at which he sighed at before looking away.

"Why are we meeting here?" he asked, not bothering with greetings.

She stretched her lips tightly and glanced around. "Do you want to go someplace else?" she asked. "There's a bistro nearby that we could-"

"No, let's just walk."

Valerie swallowed and nodded before following after him as Sehun began to walk away. Silence surrounded them as they stepped deeper into the park where it was mostly covered with trees, shading them from the sun. Valerie wasn't sure when was the right moment to speak while Sehun waited for her to explain things to him. When ten minutes rolled by with nothing being said, Sehun sighed and stopped walking, making her do the same.

"Why are we here, Val?" he asked, turning to meet her eyes. "I'm sure you didn't call me out here just to stroll around the park."

She chewed onto her bottom lip and averted her gaze. "You're right, I didn't."

"Then talk."

"I'm suddenly lost for words," she admitted softly.

Sehun sighed again and decided to do the talking. "Fine, let's do this. I'll ask, and you answer." Valerie shifted her gaze to him and nodded. "Why did you agree to help Yeol lie to us?" he asked.

"Because I guess I felt like I owed him after everything's he's done for me," was her reply.

"Did you fall for him before?"

Valerie shook her head, and then frowned, before shrugging. "I don't know. I only realised it when your grandmother asked me if I love him."

"So you love him?" She nodded. "You mean that?"

Valerie nodded with a more determined look to convince him. "Yes, Sehun. I love him."

"But what if I tell you that I still love you?" he asked, and she looked away with pain in her eyes. "What if I say that I will still wait for you?"

"Then I'll keep telling you to move on until you do," she replied, looking back at him. She sighed and gently took his hand in hers, surprising him. "Sehun, what we have is long gone. I've moved on, and so should you. I'm not angry anymore, Sehun-ah. I've accepted it as the end to our story and wrote a new one for myself. You can still be a part of it, you know?" she said, smiling lightly. "I know that you mean a lot to Chanyeol and vice versa, and I'm not going to be the one to break you apart. I can't- I don't want to leave him, Hun, and I will do the best I can to make sure that this brotherhood you guys have will never break."

"I don't know if I can do it," Sehun admitted with a small voice. "I know I screwed up in the past, Val. But can't you give me another chance? A chance to make everything right between us again?"

She smiled painfully and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sehun, but it's time we move on. Please," she pleaded when Sehun looked away, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I will never forget the love we had for each other, Sehun. All our memories will always be with me, but it's time we both create new memories with someone else. It's time we both move on, Sehun."

"I-" he sighed when he realised that there's no changing her mind now. He gripped the hand in his tighter before lifting his head to meet her eyes. "Fine, I'll try. I'll move on, but only if you promise that you will be happy with him." Valerie smiled and nodded. "Honestly, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather see you with other than Chanyeol," he admitted. "He's clumsy and all, but he'll be a great support for you."

Valerie smiled wider. "Thanks, Sehun. This means a lot to me."

"Can I ask for one last thing though?" She waited patiently as Sehun tried to form his words, his eyes suddenly watering. "Can I hold you for one last time? Just this once."

She nodded softly with watery eyes before stepping closer to wrap her arms around his neck, allowing him to circle his around her waist to bring her closer to him. They both cried in each other's arms, waving goodbye to all the painful memories they had and preparing their hearts for whatever the future has planned for them.

Hand in hand, the couple stepped into the garden where the old lady would be, ignoring all the eyes they knew that were watching them from behind the curtains in the mansion. Valerie felt nervous and would've collapsed onto the ground if it weren't for the assuring hold on her. She glanced at Chanyeol who had a stoic expression on his face, but she knew that he was as troubled, maybe worse. Her eyes darted around the garden that would be the venue for tonight's bridal shower, and she felt a weird feeling in her chest at the thought of missing it. Her mind snapped back into action when Chanyeol stopped walking, and she turned her gaze forward to see Grandma Park sitting at one of round tables, looking like she was lost in her own thoughts.

Chanyeol took a deep breath and walked over to the old lady, squeezing Valerie's hand to calm himself before making their presence known by clearing his throat loudly. The lady didn't jolt nor seemed a tad bit surprised, and she simply turned her face to the side as a sign that she was acknowledging their presence. She sighed loudly then and looked back to the front, and Chanyeol noticed that she was staring straight at a table with lots of pretty balloons tight to it. It was where the food for the bridal shower will be placed later on, and he was curious on why his grandmother wouldn't stop staring at it.

"Back when you were ten, I had a garden party right here." Grandma Park reminisced suddenly, surprising them. "You were the naughtiest with Jongin and Sehun, and you three made a huge mess by running around the garden and accidentally knocking the food table. I was so angry and I was this close to just scold you for what you did, but then-" the woman suddenly stood up and turned to them, and the couple felt their breath hitch at the sight of the unshed tears in her eyes. "-then I saw that look on your face," she chuckled.

Valerie swallowed as Chanyeol's hold tightened around her hand.

"You were so happy, Yeol." The first tear dropped onto her cheek. "You were so happy and carefree, and I couldn't even say a word. And then when you were twelve, Yoora allowed you to crash her birthday party and again I saw that look on your face as you ran around with balloons tied around your hips."

"I was a naughty monkey," Chanyeol suddenly commented, making her chuckle.

"Yes, yes you were." she agreed. "But you were a happy monkey. But I didn't see anymore of that after you guys moved out of the mansion. I could hardly see the happy monkey anymore once you started college and you were never around to visit. I became lonely even though I had my other grandchildren, Chanyeol. Then I heard rumours of you sleeping around and I hated it. I blamed myself for not making you a better person."

"Grandma-"

"And I chose any girl I knew who would never defy me and keep me close to you even if you're married," she cut him off, her smile suddenly wiped off her face. "I wanted you to marry someone I know who are good, someone I could trust." Then, her eyes drifted to Valerie, making her freeze in her spot. "But then you came into our lives. You, someone I don't know. I was scared that you only wanted to use my grandson and hurt him later on, but I was wrong. You- you make him happy. You returned that glint in his eyes and gave me back my naughty monkey."

Chanyeol let go of Valerie's hand so he could rush to his grandmother when she began to cry, and he held her close to his chest with tears in his own eyes. "I'm so sorry, Yeol." she cried at his chest. "I don't want you to hate me, child. I just thought I was doing the right thing."

Valerie cupped to muffle her cries, feeling sorry and relieved at the same time.

"Grandma, I will never hate you." Chanyeol whispered and kissed the crown on her head. "I haven't been a good grandson to you either, and I'm sorry. I promise I will always come visit you and treat you better, and I'll be that naughty monkey you miss so much. Just don't cry, please."

His grandmother pulled away and wiped his tears with a small smile. "I won't cry, baby. Granny won't cry anymore," she told him and made him lean his face down so she could kiss his cheek. She then turned to Valerie who had been muffling her own tears and opened her arms. "Come here, child."

Valerie smiled and slowly stepped forward, her muffled cried threatening to escape her lips when warm arms wrapped itself around her body. "I'm so sorry, child. Please forgive me."

"I'm sorry for lying to you, grandma." she cried, making her chuckle.

"Just promise me that you'll take good care of my Chanyeol," she said as they pulled away. Valerie looked into her eyes and nodded, making her smile. "Good. I trust you, child. You're my only hope now."

Valerie smiled nervously, making the elder chuckle while Chanyeol groaned. "Grandma, don't pressure her like that. She's going to take off soon if you continue doing that."

Valerie suddenly whipped her head to him with a frown on her face. "Excuse you, thank you very much for the credits." she remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Gone were the tears and now what's left was a chance to start fresh. Turning to the old lady again, she smiled. "Grandma, I think we got off at the wrong foot. Can we try this again?"

Chanyeol smiled to himself as his grandmother nodded.

"Hello, Grandma Park." Valerie said with a deep bow. "My name is Kim Ahyoung, and I'm dating your grandson. It's nice to meet you, grandma."

The old lady chuckled and caressed the back of Valerie's head affectionately. "It's nice to meet you too, dear. Welcome to the family."

Author's note:

Like what the hell did I just write? Omg I'm cringing. What, what what??

ps: thanks everyone for all your comments! Sorry I couldn't reply each and every one of you. I was too busy writing this hehehe :3

Hope you liked it!