Growing up an awkward, sarcastic boy, Cho Kyuhyun was never a big fan of romance and happily ever after.

And then life decided to surprise him and he ended up being a wedding singer and all his beliefs about not liking anything remotely related to love flew out the window.

It wasn’t hard to believe in love anyway after the countless weddings he sang in. Sure, weddings were never equal to and were never what marriage really means and entails. And sure, many marriages would end up collapsing and many were arranged and all that but nothing was perfect, right? Not even love.

Most of the time, he’d be asked to sing during the bride and groom’s first dance; something that was commonly done. The other times, however, he’d be asked to sing when the bride herself would walk down the aisle. Those were the ones that he found more special, because those couples trusted him enough not to ruin one of the most crucial parts of a wedding. There was a lot more pressure but he’d been lucky so far.

Most of the time, he’d be given the song to sing, either by the bride and groom or the wedding planner. Rarely do they leave the choice up to him and what clients assumed to be his vast knowledge on music. During those rare times, he’d take the time to listen to their love story intently, taking down notes and asking questions so he could find them their perfect song. Sometimes he’d come up with one days before the wedding. Other times, usually the ones that were trickier, he’d pick one hours before the ceremony.

Tonight one was one of those nights.

Did he mention that he was singing for the bridal entourage tonight too?

As what was his routine whenever he was picking songs, he’d grab his ever reliable iPod, plug it to a speaker, go to his wedding and happily ever after-friendly playlist and press shuffle. He’d let the music play freely and openly and envelope wherever he was. He wanted to hear every beat, every melody, every word sung. He’d let the songs speak to him until he found the one.

The hotel suite he was in was spacious and very comfortable and earthy. It kept him relaxed as he listened to the songs; the dark haired man finding himself seated by the window, looking at the wide expanse of the sky outside. The sun was on its way down, coloring the sky in the warmth of oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows. The song he was listening to was about to end and a slight frown marred his face. It wasn’t the one.

The next track played and the slight frown switched to a full blown smile when he heard the distinct first notes of Luther Vandross’ Here and Now.

One look in your eyes and there I see
Just what you meant to me
Here in my heart I believe
Your love is all I’ll ever need
Holding you close through the night
I need you, yeah

I look in your eyes and there I see
What happiness really means
The love that we share makes life so sweet
Together we’ll always be
This pledge of love feels so right
And, ooh, I need you

It was the song he sang as both the wedding singer and the best man while his best friend, Shim Changmin, watched Im Yoona walk down the aisle.

Try as he might, Kyuhyun failed to watch the bride along with the groom and everyone else who attended the wedding. He was too busy watching the maid of honor smiling so brilliantly and holding back tears as she watched her own best friend walk down the aisle to her happily ever after.

“’Here and now, I promise to love faithfully,” he sang along as the memories flashed in his mind. “You’re all I need.”

Her name’s Choi Sooyoung and she – from what Changmin managed to tell him in between countless teasing and elbow jamming when he asked – was based in Japan most of her life until literally weeks before the wedding when she decided to come back home to Korea. She was tall, taller than Yoona, with a very slim body, long, chocolate brown tresses, and had the sweetest yet unique face. Their best friends’ wedding marked the very first time he met her, the very first time she walked into his life and never left.

Perfect as the song was on its own, perfect as it was for Changmin and Yoona, it still didn’t feel right for tonight’s wedding.

He changed the track and immediately shook his head when he realized it