One day ago, Sunday

Kyungsoo sighed as the female turned to him with the same question for the fifth time since the past 20 minutes. "How's this?"

Nayeon picked the cushion cut diamond ring off the foam set box, and putting it on her finger, flashing her hand towards Kyungsoo.

"Looks good to me", Kyungsoo shrugged with a different response from the 'fine' he'd said the last four times she'd asked and apparently that was the cue for girl to decide that was the one. He knew he was being very unlike a normal guy getting engaged, but what part of the whole scenario that was his life right now, normal anyway?

He took out the card to pay, courtesy of Mr. Kim, who'd given Kyungsoo free liberty to spend it on whatever wedding related things he wanted. And though it would go against any man's pride to buy a ring for his fiance from her father's money, Kyungsoo had learned to suppress all and any of his normal responses over the course of the past few weeks.

When had his life really gone so radically off the track? Kyungsoo wondered. It was probably that New Year’s day, he mused, when he'd left Seungwan's house to go to the office and discovered the file that could have saved the company. He'd rushed to meet Kim Minjun and told him about the deal that the company had made a few months ago with which they would be able to pay back the loan, and the man had listened patiently till Kyungsoo had finished.

"This all looks very promising Mr. Do, but the thing is - ", The man had looked into his eyes. "This isn't about the loan at all"

Kyungsoo had frowned. "Then what is it about?"

The man, instead of answering, had reached down to fish out a large paper file and opening it, had let it's contents fall on the table. And Kyungsoo's throat had constricted as his eyes had registered what they were.

Pictures. Of him. And Seungwan and Jongin and his mother and even his friends at different places. Some were from the Christmas party from a few days, some even from university, and Kyungsoo felt anger and horror rise up like bile in his throat the more he thought about it. The guy had been spying on them, had had them followed even, for God knows how long.

Kyungsoo had clenched his fists, his breaths becoming uneven. "What is this?"

"This girl - Son Seungwan, is she? - nice girl she is. You're dating her right?"

"What has she got to do with any of this?", Kyungsoo had asked in a low tone, even though he'd wanted to scream and lunge at the guy. If he was right, and all this meant what he thought it meant, this was going to end very badly.

Minjun had leaned forward. "You see, Kyungsoo, when I asked you to marry my daughter, I hadn't really been prepared to take 'no' for an answer"

Kyungsoo scoffed. Minjun continued. "I hate to have stooped to this level, I really do, but you've left me no choice"

"Is this a threat?", Kyungsoo had asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You can call it whatever you want, threat, blackmail, whatever else, but just know that this is a deal I'm not willing to suffer a loss in", His eyes had been filled with determination and his middle aged faced more stoic than Kyungsoo ever remembered. And in that moment Kyungsoo had finally seen the criminal gleam in him that he'd failed to see before.

Kyungsoo had gotten up after a moment of glaring, his veins feeling like they were on fire, but maintained the façade of the cool businessman he was and walked away.

"You will marry my daughter, Kyungsoo, no matter what. Mark my words", Minjun had said as Kyungsoo had reached the door of the office. "Or I'll make sure you regret it"

Kyungsoo had turned to him with a taunting smile. "I'll try and remember it, but no promises okay?"

The flash of irritation on Minjun's face provided enough satisfaction and Kyungsoo had promised himself that he would pay the bastard back his loan even if he had to sell himself. He would contact the police afterwards.

But it would have been a lie to say he hadn't felt intimidated at all. Thinking of the fact that the guy had mafia links, plus the amount of 'research' he seems to have been doing on him and people around him, Kyungsoo felt shivers of dread run down his spine when he thought about Minjun's warnings. He had called Jongin, casually asked him about how everything was, followed by his mother, on his way to Seungwan's house but had stopped as it dawned on him.

He was being followed. A black Mazda Demio that he hadn't noticed up till now right behind him.

How long had he been followed but been too oblivious to notice it? He had wondered in fear and fury. And then he had turned back. Though he already had his doubts about how far Kim Minjun's reach was, he wasn't going to lead him to Seungwan's house intentionally, when he knew what the guy was up to.

He would've called her but what would he have told her? To lock the doors and not leave the house until he said so? Didn't sound wrong to him, but he couldn't have explained everything fully on the phone and then another thought had occurred to him.

What if his phone was being tapped too? Suddenly the world with all its vastness had seemed to close in upon Kyungsoo.

No. He couldn't just go around crying wolf when nothing had even happened. He would do this right, he would find a way to pay the loan back first, and then tell everyone instead of getting paranoid and making the rest of them go sick in worry too. Except he couldn't help the nagging feeling of dread that kept rising in him thinking about the whole thing for the next few days, as he worked and worked to ensure the loan would be paid in due time, much to his friend's and family's curiousity.

But then Jongin had had an accident.

Despite Kyungsoo persistently worrying and annoyingly pestering Jongin to be careful wherever he went, his brother, his only sibling, had gotten into an accident and that too at a time when he'd been preparing to audition for a performance arts school.

Kyungsoo had been devastated, even more so than Jongin because no matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew that it had been Minjun's doing. And guilt had hit him like crashing waves, thinking and thinking how it was all his fault. The guy had warned him that he would regret dismissing him, and he did.

Would his brother be lying on a hospital bed with his limbs in plasters if he had heeded Minjun's warnings? If he had agreed to his offer on time? He had spent the time in utter misery and the worst part had been the fact that he had no one to share it with. That had only lasted so long though as his mother had succeeded in cornering him at last and he had broken down, telling her everything that had been keeping him up at night.

But she had been as helpless as him, when she'd finally gotten to know the reality of the whole situation. The minute Jongin had been discharged, Kyungsoo had gone straight to the Kim office and accepted defeat. Even if they'd paid back the loan, Minjun wouldn't have stopped until he got what he wanted, and Kyungsoo wasn't willing to risk it. He couldn't put the life of all the people dear to him in the line of fire, even if it meant he had to do something so absolutely preposterous.

And that had how he'd ended up here, putting a ring on a girl to show it to the cameras. A girl he could never look at as more than a child, who’d barely grown past her teenage years.

Kyungsoo had had a last ray of hope when he’d gone to meet Nayeon the first time (her father’s clear instructions and bodyguards following him) that maybe she would come to his rescue and be able to show her crazy father the sheer absurdity of the situation.

But all his hopes had come crashing down upon actually meeting her. Not only was the girl overly capricious like the typical teenager-y types he’d never liked (not even when he was a teenager himself) but was also apparently obsessed with him.

“You’ve no idea how much I’ve loved you all this while, Oppa!”, She’d said, staring at him with tears in her eyes soon as he’d walked over to find her at their reserved table, while Kyungsoo had watched in utter bewilderment “I’m the luckiest girl in the world!”

The vision of a girl staring blatantly at him, when he’d visited the Kim Minjun the first time with Mrs. Do, had flashed into his mind and he’d realized it was the same girl. But there was another more anxiety-demanding thought that had run through his mind at that time and he’d wished with all his might as dread rose in him, that he would be wrong.

“What...What do you mean?”, He’d asked.

She’d sniffed before sheepishly (shyly?) looking at him from beneath her lashes and confessing, “You might not remember, but I’m the one who used to message you. You know your junior from high school...”

Kyungsoo had slumped into his chair feeling like an empty vessel. Nayeon, this girl, was the same Kim Nayeon who’d stalked him for the better part of the past few years and by some agonizing twist of fate, he was about to marry her.

“Are you....are you okay?”, She’d asked, watching him in concern and Kyungsoo had looked up lifelessly before realizing he was being watched and probably reported, and pulled in all his effort to give her an artificial smile. He had gotten the subtle warning in Kim Minjun’s words when he’d told him to ‘make and keep his daughter happy’. He would have to make sure to keep up his end of the deal, in order for Minjun to keep his.

And this was his life now. This was going to be his life forever maybe. He couldn’t tell his friends anything, because he was being watched always and doing so would mean putting them in danger. He couldn’t even tell his own brother, and he’d had to lie to the one woman he’d ever loved.

While Nayeon was busy flashing her ringed finger to the cameras that seemed to follow them everywhere, Kyungsoo’s gaze fell on a fine cut ring on display. It had a strange elegant quality to it, and something constricted inside Kyungsoo as he thought about how beautiful it would look on a certain someone’s hand.

Don’t go there, he brushed off the thought and the emotions that rose and threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn’t think about her anymore. He was going to marry Nayeon and spend the rest of his life with her. If it meant the safety for the rest of the people he loved, he would do it all over again. If somebody had to sacrifice anything, it should be him.

 But that didn’t stop his heart from breaking into a thousand pieces thinking of a certain girl. Of butter scents and slow dances under the stars, of a love that would possibly never return.

_

It’s okay. Don’t be a wuss.

Taeyeon told herself as she moved into the hospital hallway. Stopping to see the numbers displayed outside the rooms, she took a deep breath as she spotted the one she was looking for and started towards it.

Baekhyun emerged out of the said room at that moment and almost ran into her.

“Taeyeon”, He breathed in shock.

Taeyeon’s heart leaped in her chest seeing him up close. He looked a bit haggard, his hair almost back to being their natural dark color leaving just the tips blonde, a slight stubble on his cheeks making him look aged and more attractive somehow. “Baekhyun”

“What if....what if I tell you I’m falling for you too this time?”

The scene of their last meeting flashed through her mind then, through his too if the slightly dazed look he was giving her was any indication, and Taeyeon felt a sudden surge of emotion, whether it was anger or longing or just nervous anxiety, she couldn’t tell.

“What....what are you doing here?”, His question broke her out of her reverie and she straightened, telling herself to focus on what she was really there for.

“I’m here to see uncle”, She stated. “How is he?”

His eyes softened. “He’s fine now, thankfully. The surgery was a success, they’ll discharge him next week if all stays well”, He gave her a weak smile that barely reached his tired eyes.

“Well can I see him then?”, Taeyeon asked as Baekhyun’s gaze fell to the tulip bouquet in her hand. (He was reminded of the time he’d bought daffodils for her)

He seemed to be contemplating for a moment. “Y-yeah, sure”

Following behind him, Taeyeon entered the room, the dusk light from behind the blue blinds giving everything a serene hue. Her gaze travelled to the bed in the room, and to the man resting on it and then to a small petite woman sitting on the only couch in the room, who turned as they entered and her feline eyes widened upon spotting Taeyeon.

“Taeyeon”, She got up from her place and walked towards them in surprise. Taeyeon smiled at her, taking in her features, scanning them for change. The years had done nothing to dampen or age her baby-faced features, and Taeyeon felt like she’d seen her just yesterday.

As she got wrapped in the woman’s arms, she felt a strange sense of familiarity and comfort tug at her insides, like it used to before. They got separated after they’d exchanged pleasantries and Mrs. Byun had remarked on how she still looked so much the same.

“I didn’t think you knew! I thought you and Baekhyun weren’t...”, The woman trailed off after a guarded look in Baekhyun’s direction and Taeyeon tried not to feel the awkwardness the innocent remark had left in the air.

She waved a hand non-challantly. “He didn’t, Chanyeol told me”, She looked accusingly in Baekhyun’s direction who promptly looked away and Mrs. Byun gave a reserved, almost apologetic smile. “Thankyou for coming, God knows how much I’ve missed seeing you”

“Who’s there? Jiwoo?”, The man lying on the bed had apparently woken to their chatter.

Taeyeon stepped ahead towards the bed. “Hello, Sir”

Byun Wooseok, as Taeyeon remembered him, was one rock of a man. A father figure and a teacher to her, she’d always wondered how it would have felt if her father had been more like him. He seemed to have aged more than the past five, almost six years, the health problems probably taking a toll on him, but he still looked as vigorous and willing to live life as he had before.

“Wow, am I dreaming? Who is this pretty lady?”, He asked playfully and Taeyeon couldn’t help the smile that rose to her face.

“Not much has changed, I see. How are you?”, She went and stood beside his bed and he put forward his hand which she held. The warmth and connection radiating from it, something she had almost forgotten.

“Well, now that you’re here, I’m definitely feeling better”, He remarked coquettishly and Taeyeon chortled.

Mrs. Byun joined them near the bed soon, and they fell into easy chatter almost as if they had just met yesterday on Christmas, and Taeyeon forgot the five years that wedged between them in those moments. Like she was back to being an 18-year-old and it made her the kind of happy she hadn’t been in a long time. They discussed everything from Mr. Byun’s health to her life and studies, except the one elephant in the room: why hadn’t they contacted each other these past few years, since it was something that was better left undiscussed.

She only noticed Baekhyun wasn’t in the room after they were done catching up, and she rose to leave when the nurse came in to check up on Mr. Byun.

“You will keep in contact, right?”, Mrs. Byun asked her as she saw her to the door.

“Of course I will”

Mrs. Byun paused, turning towards her and taking both her hands in her warm ones. “I know a lot must have changed over the years, Taeyeon but I’m so glad to see that you’re still here. That Baekhyun’s lucky enough to have found you again”, The woman’s cheeks took a rosy tint and Taeyeon realized that Mrs. Byun was nervous. The thought made her want to comfort her into ease.

“I know he can be very...difficult to deal with at times but - “, She looked up with request and apology in her eyes and Taeyeon felt anger rise in her. This was a woman who had been like a mother to her once, and to think that she would apologize to her for anything, let alone for her son’s doings was an antagonizing thought in itself.

“- But I hope you won’t let the past keep shadowing your present. I hope you’ll try and be happy”, Mrs. Byun continued.

Taeyeon looked up, emotion surging in her at the warmth of her words. “I won’t promise anything but I’ll try” And that was what she would do, even if she hardly believed in it.

Mrs. Byun smiled. “And that’s all I ask”

Taeyeon was leaving out the door after saying her goodbyes when she ran into Baekhyun again, only this time they actually collided and for a full infinite second his musky scent filled up the air around her.

She looked up scowling, rubbing her head. “What were you doing? Eavesdropping?”

Baekhyun looked horrified at the accusation. “N-No! Why would I?”

Taeyeon gave him a wary glance and started to walk, him following along. He only spoke when they reached the end of the hallway.

“Taeyeon?”, He asked guardedly. She turned towards him, her heart thudding, but she didn’t let it show.

“Uhh, thankyou for coming”, He said without meeting her gaze and Taeyeon only realized how distant and guilty he looked then. The jitteriness in his actions was so obvious, that it made her want to reach out and tell him to stop being like that. That there was no need for regret and she had forgiven him, but she didn’t.

“Of course I came”, She responded bitterly. “Even though you didn’t care enough to inform me, I actually do”

He looked up sharply. “I didn’t think that after what happened - “

“That what? That I wouldn’t want to see them?”, She glowered. “Do you really think I’m that callous and petty? They aren’t just your parents Baekhyun, I have a relationship with them too, trivial as you might consider it. And I really wish you would have thought of that before letting our differences cloud your judgment”

He flinched at her words, and Taeyeon felt a pang of regret. He already looked so weak, and vulnerable and then she thought about what she’d said to him last time and it made her hate herself for snapping at him yet again. She took a deep breath and inched a little closer, almost wanting to reach out and place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I-I just...”

Baekhyun straightened then, making her halt at the sudden change in his demeanor. “I get it. I’m sorry, I should’ve told you”, He said solemnly and Taeyeon had to take a step back at the emptiness in his words.

“Yeah, well....”, She shrugged in non-challance, trying not to not feel disturbed at his monotonous voice. “I hope you’ll keep me informed now? I’ll try and visit as much as I can”

“You don’t have to. I’ll tell you if anything changes”, He pursed his lips, his eyes betraying no emotion and Taeyeon tried not clench her teeth.

She walked away then, without looking back, her heart constricting when she heard him sigh in relief behind her.

_

Kyungsoo life seemed like a movie to him these days. Like he was a third person watching everything unfold, without feeling a thing. But he could not stop thinking about what Taeyeon had said to him that day.

She was right. He needed, owed it to Seungwan, to end things properly. To give her closure to move on. Even if it meant lying to her, he knew he had to talk to her face to face, one last time.

“Is it necessary?”, Kim Minjun had asked when he had gone to discuss some things with him at his office, and Kyungsoo had brought up the fact that he was planning to meet his ex-girlfriend. He wouldn’t have told him, but with the amount of scrutiny he was under these days, he couldn’t afford any misunderstandings. It had become a routine now, visiting Kim Funds, since Minjun planned on merging the companies once he and Nayeon were married. A lot of office work was mutual now with the amount of deals they had signed. And in another time, Kyungsoo would have been happy, to see his company flourishing and making successful deals every day, but not now. Not when he felt like his world was breaking into more and more pieces each day.

“Yes. I need to end things properly. Is that a problem?”, He had raised a brow, not trying to hide the annoyance at the man’s distrust. It’s not like the guy could justify it, with the bodyguards around him the and constant monitoring Kyungsoo knew he was being put through.

Minjun seemed to have gotten the message though and backed off, shrugging. “No. No problem”

.......................

Seungwan rubbed her eyes and looked around before looking at her ringing phone again.

She wasn’t dreaming, was she? Kyungsoo was actually calling her.

“Hello?”, She picked up after eight rings of contemplating, her heart beating painfully against her ribs.

“Hello, Seungwan? It’s Kyungsoo”, Came his honey voice. And Seungwan almost melted against it.

Finally, she thought. He had finally decided to tell her the truth about the circumstances, hadn’t he? To end the nightmare, the past week had been. And though she thought she had cried herself dry, tears of relief and anticipation wet her eyes.

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering if we could meet somewhere and talk?”, Kyungsoo asked and Seungwan smiled through tears. Everything was going to be fine now. The bad part was over.

For days now, she’d wondered if everything around her was real. Or if this was what was real, and the part before this had been all fake. She’d conjured up all sorts of scenarios in her head about how she would wake up one day to find Kyungsoo on her bedside and he would kiss away all the pain she was feeling. He would tell her that it had all been a bad dream and they would go back to being the way they were.

“Hello?”, The male voice repeated and Seungwan broke out of her reverie to realize she hadn’t actually said anything in response. “Y-yeah of course we can meet. Where?”

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A/N: :)