As the rest of the guests wandered around the deck of the beach club, enjoying the lilts of sun ray that swarmed around the peaceful ocean mist while taking pinched, appraising sips of their cocktails while saying optimistic things about the wedding like how they really struck gold when the weather was still warm and truly perfect for such a delightful day, or murmuring pessimistic things like how the dress hugged the bride way too much making her cleavage spill over the rims of the dress, Cha Hakyeon was already planning to leave his ex-boyfriend’s big day that will lead to many years of unhappiness with the woman he loves. The blonde was already trying to avoid Wonsik after the younger lashed out on him during their graduation party, but after being pushed to the wedding by his mother, Hakyeon found how hard avoiding someone could really be — especially when it comes to someone like Wonsik who had the eyes of a hawk and ears like a mouse. He’s a true hybrid. 

Cha Hakyeon is a young scientist and valedictorian of Seoul Academics, one of the biggest Universities for talent like him. He was born to be aware and so, he claims to know everything and anything about a person just by a glance: how they’re feeling, if they’re head over heels in love, or just plain…emotionless. Hakyeon’s proved his talent to be true many times, but he’s just there, waiting for that one jackass to mess it up. 

Being so sure about other people, Hakyeon thinks he knows himself, too. And that’s probably why he had no problem with being married off to a popular business tycoon in California. After all, love’s an easy thing, especially for a charmer like Hakyeon himself. Still, his best friend still doubted that. Jaehwan always felt that Hakyeon still loves Wonsik, even after the crying, the pain, the complete mess he made of himself the next day. It’s kind of obvious that he doesn’t, but Jaehwan is still so positive that love still exists between them. Now, Hakyeon is positive that he’s right and not Jaehwan. Seeing the younger man kiss up on the woman made Hakyeon want to burst with jealousy, but it wasn’t the same jealousy back when they first dated and the blonde witnessed multiple people feel over Wonsik. 

No, it’s different. He was jealous over something other than the the love Wonsik had for his new wife. He was probably jealous that Wonsik actually found someone he loved. He honestly thought the younger couldn’t even scoop up an old lady on the streets. Boy, was he wrong — as wrong as Jaehwan, of course. And speaking of the male…

“Hakyeon, you’ve just got to see this tattoo on Wonsik’s arm!” Hakyeon rolled his eyes, trudging reluctantly towards the two males that sat at the respectfully clothed table with Wonsik’s sleeve rolled up revealing a dark spot — probably some type of design. 

Hakyeon didn’t get how this woman could love Wonsik so much when a man like him was practically inhaling tattoos. But, everyone has their own taste in men and he wasn’t going to hate the both of them for that. The nineteen-year-old closed up on the two, only slightly peering at the fancily written letters on Wonsik’s pale skin. Tattoos, that’s the reason Wonsik broke up with him in the first place; all because Hakyeon told him not to get anymore of those cancer-filled ink that painfully pierces your skin. Either way, Wonsik’s considered a “I do what I want to,” type of guy. A rebel basically — it was what he was in high school and throughout their first year of college. 

Jaehwan beamed brightly, showing encouraging Hakyeon to get a better look at the ink designed on his arm, “Isn’t it amazing? I can’t believe people can do this type of art — was it painful?” Hakyeon’s best friend questioned, his eyes widening when the raven-haired male shook his head to state disapproval. “Wow, you’re pretty courageous.” 

“Or he’s just lying to you,” Hakyeon cuts in, scoffing in the process. 

Jaehwan glared at him, shaking his head in disapproval when Wonsik stood up, walking away silently with a final good-bye before reuniting with his newly wedded wife who was busy feeling up on other guys behind his back. The poor lamb was oblivious. “Hakyeon!” The other hissed, yanking the older down to the seat where Wonsik had just left empty. “You’re still jealous, aren’t you?” At this, the blonde’s eyes widened in utter shock. 

The nineteen-year-old crossed his arms over his chest, slouching his shoulders back against the soft chair wrapped in a beautiful velvety colour. “Who said I was?” He retorted, giving Jaehwan his look that he was always so proud of. 

“You’re acting like you are. You’re getting married, too, Hakyeon. You may not be able to love him, but at least leave Wonsik’s love life out of it, okay? Think about, you have plenty of hot guys here in California to pester, including your husband.” 

“You call everyone hot, so there isn’t really anyone specific to pester, is there? What if the guy I consider hot is not so-called… hot to you?”

“I never called you hot, have I?” 

…Touché, Lee, touché.

Hakyeon brushed off his friend’s insanely rude comment and pushed himself out of the seat, fishing in his pocket for his car keys which were at least somewhere inside the deep holes that were sewed inside the pants. Jaehwan looked up at him, a small smirk spreading across his foreign features. 

“Let’s bet!” He declared, a certain gleam in his eyes. Hakyeon didn’t spare him another glance before speeding towards the exit. Hakyeon’ll just ask him about the whole thing later, when he’s well rested and ready to meet his fiancé the next day and have time to spare when he’s lost in the unfamiliar streets of San Francisco. He moved here just a few days ago to attend his ex-boyfriend’s wedding, only because his mother said that it’d be a good opportunity to get a feel with an actual wedding filled with love.