“Mr and Mrs Yong, this place looks amazing and the service is impeccable! Thank you for inviting us over for breakfast today, we are very much honoured,” Mrs Yoon crooned in a revoltingly honeyed voice, obviously bootlicking the two candidates that they have selected long ago to be their in-laws.



Mrs Yong shifted uncomfortably on her seat, she never really did like socialising with the other couple but was too polite to reject them. However, after today, she was pretty sure that both couples wouldn’t meeting for tea, breakfast or whatever meals. She side eyed her husband, prompting him to begin.



“Mr and Mrs Yoon, we would like to talk about the marriage plans between Hara and Junhyung.”



“Oh, our daughter Hara is such a disappointment but don’t you worry, we will make sure that she becomes more charming and endearing of a woman to win the heart of your son. Just give her a little more time, love is not something that grows overnight. For someone as remarkable as your son, we understand that our Hara is lacking. Therefore, we hope you give them some time.” Mrs Yoon was yammering on, speaking like a property agent trying to sell a house, like a salesman marketing his product, except… this was their daughter they were talking about. Not any random non-living object.

 Mrs Yong couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of being in-laws with them. She cleared when she saw her husband faltering, unsure of how to broach the subject, “Mr and Mrs Yoon, this has nothing to do with Hara. She’s a lovely and really beautiful young lady. However, my husband and I recently feel that our Junhyung is probably in love with someone else.”



“What? Who?”



“We don’t know”, Mr Yong added, more enthusiastic to be in the conversation now as he thought of the happiness he had seen in his son, “But whoever it is, we will accept that person because really, we have not seen him happier.” Mrs Yong gave a small smile and nodded, “It is our Junhyung who cannot offer his heart and we apologise for that. Hara deserves a man who truly loves her.”



“No…” Mrs Yoon stammered, “Hara loves Junhyung so much and it is just implausible for her to think of spending her future together with someone else!” Her husband added gruffly, “Junhyung probably is having a fling or something only. After a few months, it probably would die down and then he would realise that short term relationships are not for him.”



Mr and Mrs Yong gave an internal sigh as they looked at each other wearily. This was the exact reaction they had expected but that didn’t mean that they were prepared to give a rebuttal. The truth was, they never did like the thought of Hara marrying their son. Yes, they knew that Junhyung was in love now but they still insisted on the marriage because they felt that they owe it to Hara. However, after discovering Yoseob and realising that it was him who had been helping the Yongs in the many different ways, the couple were more than delighted to let go of the notion of having Hara marry their son.



“Well, maybe. But honestly, Junhyung did tell us that he wouldn’t see Hara in a romantic way, ever. Therefore, we really do not want to waste your precious daughter’s time and youth, waiting for a happily ever after with Junhyung that would never happen. She is so lovely looking and I’m sure many eligible males are lining up to marry her and she completely deserves the happiness of loving and being loved!”



Mr Yoon set his cup on the table a little too hard, causing a loud clang against the table when the bottom of the porcelain cup met the glass surface. “I’m not sure of the reason behind this sudden change of idea but I’m very certain that Hara and Junhyung are the perfect match.”



“We will not deny our son the chance to love”, Mr Yong now spoke dangerously, thoroughly annoyed by the rude behaviour of Mr Yoon which had startled his wife. “Our conversation here is to courteously reject the marriage that you both so deeply desire to happen. We, as parents, were not great parents to Junhyung. However, now is the time for us to behave as we should have ages ago. As long as our son doesn’t agree, Hara is not marrying Junhyung and we would play no part in persuading him.”



Mrs Yoon pursed her lips in spitefulness, “You are breaking your promise of convincing your son to marry our daughter? The both of you are of significant status and you dare break your promise? Aren’t you afraid of the backlash if the word gets out?”



“The only persons getting the backlash would be you both and your daughter for wanting so eagerly to be part of the Yongs. And yes, we are breaking our promise because this concerns our son’s happiness and future. We are not putting his happiness in the hands of your family.” Mrs Yong had lost all thoughts of behaving civilly, gathering her things as she pulled her husband to follow. The standing couple turned at the scandalized couple that was still seated, “We are done with breakfast Mr and Mrs Yoon. Please enjoy the rest of your meal, we have settled the bill.”



“You can’t do this.” Mr Yoon’s voice trembled with vehemence as he glared at the two. “You can’t just push away Hara, saying that Junhyung will not marry her.”



It took all of Mrs Yong’s propriety training years to will herself to not roll her eyes at the desperation and threat in the voice. “We already did”, she snapped as she hooked an arm around her husband and walked away, sashaying to the entrance, knowing that the other couple’s eyes were still on them.



“Darling, you think they would give up that easily?”



“I don’t know… But I know very well that our Junhyung wouldn’t be happy if he married Hara. And that’s really all that matters.”



Mr Yong smiled and linked his hand with his wife’s, “You know, we only know Yoseob for a week or so and yet, this small male has changed so much about us.”



“He didn’t change us, he just brought out the best in us. Just like your father.”



They smiled at each other blissfully before heading to their car, not knowing the danger that was awaiting them, the peril that they were in the moment they stepped out of the restaurant.



------



He sat on the couch that he didn’t know his parents had sat on just a week plus ago, rubbing his face against his palm as he tried to gather his thoughts. Dongwoon had showed him the photo he managed to snap at the supermarket and there was no denying that the two laughing faces belonged to his beloved stranger and his most despised ex-best friend, Yoon Doo Joon. There was no way that Doojoon was the stranger’s family as he had known the man through his college years, went to his place a few times even but had never seen the stranger.



However, something in him was screaming at him, telling him that there was no way that the stranger could ever have lied to him or even cheated on him. The smaller male himself had admitted of his deed with his hyung, not that it was a very severe action and that it was considered cheating, but Junhyung believed that the stranger was completely honest to him all these while.



Then there was this other voice in him taunting him, reminding him that the stranger had always left Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for his family. If the stranger didn’t lie about that, then why was he with Yoon Doo Joon on a freaking Sunday evening? His head hurts, his heart aches, and he groaned in his hands for the nth time ever since he ran out of his office, speeding to the art studio. Upon arrival, Eunji had informed him that the stranger was at work and Junhyung had ordered her, pretty harshly, to call the male and get him to come down to the art studio immediately.



“You okay?” The young receptionist asked curtly, concerned and yet still slightly miffed by how the taller male had rudely instructed her just now.



Junhyung lifted his face from his palms, nodding a little and Eunji sighed, noting the weariness and fear in his eyes. Something was up and she wondered if she really should have called for Yoseob and gotten him to rush down from his work. She kept silent, not knowing how to comfort the taller male as he looked like he had so much thoughts that is running and conflicting in his head.



He thought of his friendship with Doojoon, how he had trusted the man, maybe even more than he had of Dongwoon. That man had helped him with his homework, snuck out of school with him when lessons got too boring, stood up for him when the professors were being difficult. Everything he did in school, Doojoon was always doing it by his side. They were friends, brothers even. Therefore, it had hit him hard when he found out that his grandfather was the one who made Doojoon befriend him, promising the Yoon family a more lucrative business dealing.



Then there were his parents, who never ever stood up for him whenever his grandfather scolded him. They were too afraid of his grandfather that they allowed their son to get lectured at and punished even if they do believe that their son wasn’t in the wrong. It was to his greatest surprise though when his grandfather allowed him to travel the world but not after striking the deal to return to take over as CEO when his grandfather could no longer be the CEO. He couldn’t complain though. He has no trustworthy friends other than Dongwoon and he couldn’t rely on his parents for support. Therefore, the fact that he was even allowed to travel, he was more than happy.



He didn’t had to meet the false faces and smiles who only wanted to know him because he was Yong Jun Hyung and not because he was him. Hence, when the stranger came along, loving him for who he truly was, he had fallen hard for the beautiful man too. And yet, when Dongwoon’s coincidental meeting at the supermarket with the stranger happened, everything had felt revoltingly familiar.



It was like the day when he read the letter from an anonymous person saying that Doojoon was working for his grandfather. It was like the day when he was spanked hard by his grandfather for standing up against a bully and getting a bruise on his face and how his parents just walked away, leaving him to suffer for being a good boy. It was like the day when he went to school and overheard a group of people saying how they are going to be friends with him because of his wealth. And it hurt