Designer bags and Double Dates

Wedding Crashers
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Minkyung smiled as truthfully as she could manage under the gaze of Mrs. Oh. Sehun’s arm around her shoulder beared more weight than it should have. Being with the two of them and knowing she was a liar was suffocating.

Mrs. Oh had invited Minkyung to her house. Of course Minkyung had let her son know. He assured her of things. Minkyung wished she hadn’t breathed a word. She was learning that Sehun and his mother were on icy terms. It was just her luck to land between them. She spoke very little, afraid that a word from her would encourage one party and displease the other.

She touched very little of the finger food Mrs. Oh had prepared. Minkyung couldn’t stomach tea and biscuits in this environment. Sehun’s home spoke of pompous luxury. She didn’t know he was well off. Perhaps he was not extremely rich but he was definitely not from a normal middle class home. The perfume from the flowers on the table was making her nose itch.

Mrs. Oh was very inquiring, asking about her family and what Minkyung herself did for a living. Minkyung was allowed to say very little because Sehun answered all of his mother’s questions. Mrs. Oh thought nothing of this. She was pleased with all the lies. Minkyung wondered how the mother of her fake boyfriend would feel had she known the truth about her family situation.

“And what do you think about marriage Minkyung?”

“She hates the idea of it, like I do. Can we go now? We’re supposed to be having a date today.”

Minkyung bit her lip. Her fingers twiddled in her lap. No one but Mrs. Oh could make her feel this intimidated. Her presence was stifling.

“I have thought about marriage,” Minkyung finally spoke. Both mother and son gaped at her, one with anticipation and the other with antipathy.

“I’ve always wanted to have a family of my own.” This wasn’t entirely a lie, the half truth gave her confidence to continue. “I just haven’t found the right person yet.”

Her words couldn’t have pleased her fake boyfriend’s mother more. Mrs. Oh was so delighted she left her seat opposite them and came to settle beside Minkyung. Taking Minkyung’s hands in hers Mrs. Oh, with tears in her eyes, proclaimed, “Oh, darling, I really wish the best for you and Sehun. The two of us together will surely change his mind about marriage. A lovely girl like you is hard to find and harder to keep.”

The guilt that these words poured into Minkyung’s heart was great. Neither mother nor son could understand this. She was regretting signing the contract with him. Clearly she hadn’t thought it through. She’d just wanted to get her own mother off her back when she let Sehun talk her into the fake relationship.

When Mrs. Oh finally let go of the Minkyung was delighted. She took her first gulp of air after they left his house.

“What was all that about marriage?” Sehun grumbled the moment they walked through the front gate.

“I have to get her to like me, don’t I?” She was kind of lying to him too. Truth be told Mrs. Oh had been so genuinely pleased that Minkyung couldn’t bear to strike arrows through her happiness.

Sehun was mulling over all that had happened again. “I guess so, or else she’d want me to go look for another girl. Ugh!”

“Why don’t you want to get married anyway? You can definitely afford it.” Minkyung understood Sehun perspective even less now that she’d seen his house.

Sehun made a face. His mind immediately went to Jongin and Ayoung. “I don’t like complicated things. What about you?”

“I can’t afford it. I’m in so much debt. Besides it’s not like there’s anyone out there who wants to marry me.” The pronounced the latter sentence more bitterly than she’d meant to, making Sehun glance at her. He had enough tact not to inquire into the meaning of her words.

“I think we should get to know each other, especially after today. We didn’t sound like a couple at all. Have to start planning for the future. My mum will sniff us out otherwise. Today was really awkward. You should have never agreed to meet her.”

“Too late for that now.” Minkyung shrugged. “How are we going to get to know each other? Go on fake dates?”

“That’s a good idea. We should take some cheesy pictures too. We have to look authentic if we wanna fool people.”

Reluctantly she agreed with him. “As long as this fake stuff doesn’t waste my time. I’m a busy person.”

*

Sehun was suspicious of his mother finding something off about his relationship. He couldn’t have been more wrong about her. She was ecstatic that he was seeing Minkyung. Minkyung got loads of text messages to show that. Mrs. Oh’s attitude made Minkyung feel guilty. What was she doing deceiving someone’s poor mother? The fact that she was lying to her own mother didn’t really matter too much to her. Minkyung knew her mother wouldn’t sleep well at night if Minkyung wasn’t at least seeing a fella.

This was just the situation she was in. The moment she got home from seeing Sehun’s mother, her own mother wanted the details.

Mrs. Kim was waiting at the door when Minkyung got home. The questions began before Minkyung could take a half step into the dingy apartment. They were leasing this place but her mom had ended up decorating it with furniture she had managed to salvage after the bankruptcy.

“Did she like you? Of course she would like you. She’d be a crabby, old, jealous hag if she didn’t. So what was she like? Was she nice to you? She’s not snooty is she? Did you tell her who we are? What does she think?”

Minkyung had no answers for her mother. She was trying to figure out what she’d gotten herself into. Her chatty mother didn’t register this. She followed Minkyung from the front door of the apartment to the room they shared.

This was a small box that she, her mother and her two sisters lived in. There was a wardrobe too large for the box room that her mother had wanted to salvage from their old house here.

Minkyung recalled how big Sehun’s living room had looked and grew depressed. This contract thing couldn’t work. She had lied about who she was. Mrs. Oh would find out one day that bankruptcy had a huge debt on Minkyung’s family’s shoulders. Sehun knew but his mother didn’t. There would be a big mess when all got revealed.

“What’s this?” Minkyung eyed a strange looking object poking from between the bedding folded neatly in the corner beside a stack of books that once belonged to Minkyung, books she couldn’t bear throwing away.

Mrs. Kim laughed nervously. “What are you talking about? What’s what?”

Minkyung approached the awkward shape hidden under the folds of bedding and pulled it out. It was a black designer lipstick purse. Minkyung frowned. The tags were still on it and the price was staring her in the face like an ugly blemish.

“Mom!” Minkyung thundered. “When did you buy this?”

Mrs. Kim snatched the bag from her daughter’s hands and hugged it protectively. “Oh, come on, it’s just a little harmless purse.”

“Harmless!” Minkyung grew purple. “That purse is worth more than we spend in a week on food. Mom! Return it. Let’s go now and return it.”

“But I haven’t even used it. At least let me wear it once and then I’ll give it back.”

“Mom you can’t return a used purse!”

“Oh, come off it. It’s not even that pricey. Let’s keep it. Just this once, Minkyung.”

“No!”

The mother and daughter argued for a long time until finally Mrs. Kim threw the purse against their old wardrobe and crumpled to the floor lamenting her situation. Minkyung ignored her. She went for the purse and examined it. There was a small dent from where it had hit the corner of the wardrobe. Minkyung made a face. She hoped she could lie her way to returning it. Pretend that the scuff had always been there and that she should be entitled to a refund.

Then she swivelled on her heel, purse still in hand and glared at her mother who was crying fake tears in search of empathy.

“What have I ever done to deserve this treatment? I just wanted to live a good life like everyone else. I want to wear nice purses to gatherings with my friends. I bought it because it was calling me. What is a purse? It’s hardly worth that much. Look at this daughter of mine she’s such a penny pincher! I can’t even own a flimsy little purse anymore. Oh, what have I done wrong to have her stare at me like that? I don’t ask for much since her father lost all that money. I just want a nice quiet life but she looks at me like I have sold the nation. Oh, oh, oh!” Mrs. Kim cried a waterfall of fake tears.

All MInkyung said was, “Where is the receipt?”

Mrs. Kim looked aghast. She continued her melancholic tirade and Minkyung went through the room trying to find something that would show the proof of purchase for the item she held in her hand.

Eventually, she found the receipt hidden carefully in the wastebasket of the kitchen’s bin. Minkyung scrunched her nose. The bit of paper smelled like onion peels her mother had thrown in there when she was making her power salad.

Minkyung wondered if she would need to spritz this paper in some kind of perfume before handing it into the shop.

Mrs. Kim, who had followed her around the house, looked bashful after her daughter met her eye. “I just wanted to keep something new,” Mrs. Kim mumbled, retiring from the kitchen.

Minkyung pocketed the receipt. Her mother was like this, always. Mrs. Kim thought they were still rich, that she was still the wife of a wealthy businessman (late, ex-businessman) and that there was still money left from that empire Mr. Kim once had. Nothing. They had nothing left but debt. Minkyung brushed the thought aside. 

There was no point in dwelling about the past. Mrs. Kim, however, lived in that past, the fragments that were left in it from her memory. She had salvaged some of the fancy furniture for bigger rooms, cluttering up their small space. 

There had been no need for that wardrobe in the room Minkyung shared with her mum and sisters, just like there was no need for the giant king sized bed in her brothers dingy room. 

Another grievance was that TV trolley that had so many empty cabinets. Mrs. Kim promised she would use it, that it was important but Minkyung didn't see the TV trolley progressing beyond holding miscellaneous items like the remote control, a few pens, a phone diary (owned by Mrs. Kim) and a couple of mugs.

Minkyung sighed. In this house everyone lived the way they wanted. No one stopped to think about the circumstances. Sometimes she felt she was the only one who had made sacrifices. 

Minkyung had been attending college when the bankruptcy happened. She'd quit. She picked up meagre jobs. She gave up her education to provide for her family. She saved money on the side to send her younger sisters to school.

Minkyung and her older brother suddenly became breadwinners. Her older brother had completed his education and had been in a stable job already so he hadn't had to give up too much.

Her father was the worst, in Minkyung's opinion. He was the one to drop the debt on them. Instead of being responsible for his mistake and starting over, he'd opted for suicide, leaving his entire family behind to pay his loans and fend for themselves. He was nothing more than a coward in Minkyung's eyes.

No one in the household mentioned his name. It was like he'd never existed. Maybe there was just no time to speak of him, everyone was too busy.

Minkyung was one of those who had no time to spare. She left immediately for the store where her mother has spent a gigantic amount. When she told customer service she wanted to return the bag, the lady looked at her funny. Minkyung pretended there was nothing funky with the receipt.

"Miss, this bag is damaged."

Minkyung's brows disappeared into her hair.

"What do you mean torn? I just got it."

The lady showed her what was wrong. Minkyung scrunched her eyes and saw the little tear that had been carefully mended with a sowing machine. This skill belonged to one other person aside from her.

Mentally Minkyung cussed her teenage sister. She imagined the scenario like this: her mom and her sister had both wanted to carry the bag and had torn it by pulling it back and forth.

"This looks like poor workmanship," Minkyung remarked. 

Her sister's workmanship.

"I'm sorry, I can't offer a refund for a damaged product. Store policy. Would you be okay with an exchange?"

Minkyung wanted her money back. An exchange was no use to her. She wondered if her designer-crazy relatives had planned this on purpose.

As if to make things worse, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hello there dear, fancy seeing you here."

Fancy seeing you again.

Minkyung felt her entire spinal column tense up. Mrs. Oh landed a hand on her shoulder, freezing that up too.

"Is there a problem dear?" Mrs. Oh asked in the most inquisitive manner, commonly used by nosy housewives looking for spilt tea.

Minkyung shook her head.

"I just wanted to return a bag," Minkyung explained, hoping Sehun's mother would accept this and be on her way.

Minkyung was wrong. Mrs. Oh saw this issue as an opening to slide in.

"Can't you give the girl a refund? What kind of customer service is this? Don't you know that the customer is always right? Where is your man

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yooniehuns 394 streak #1
Chapter 10: AAHHH I LOVE THIS
oulfae
#2
Chapter 10: I love this story
Seenaa #3
Chapter 10: WHAT A RIDE
ikran12 #4
Chapter 10: Hhhhhhh the most dramatic wedding ever hhhh iam happy it didn’t happen awwww it worked out well in the end, are you watching queendom too, I love that show so much
ikran12 #5
Chapter 10: Hhhhhhh the most dramatic wedding ever hhhh iam happy it didn’t happen awwww it worked out well in the end, are you watching queendom too, I love that show so much
ExoticShawolinSpirit
#6
Chapter 10: I feel bad but ayoung’s character is just so asdfgh
sweetdreamerz #7
Chapter 10: Too fast. I'm lost. I'll read again.
shin_chaye
#8
Chapter 8: Oh Gosh! Noooo! Sehun, you too?! Why???Of all the things you could utter you chose to say that to her?
He must be really shocked about the confession to the point his mind stopped functioning right and said that thing without thinking twice.

Tami you sly girl! Hahahah. Why did you asked him about the mole? Hahahahah

So that's the reason why she acted that way on the beginning of this chapter, she's flustered and she knows what she feels about him. Love at first night sleeping together on the same bed? Haha jk. She's brave to confess her feelings to him and ask him to give her a chance and end the contract to make things real. She is really into him. You go girl! (But still, Sehun hurt her by saying that she has a child) :(

Sehun, you naughty boy! Hahaha. That mole gae him ty thoughts. Lol. Now, he looks like a confused boy. You should have just kissed her. You said it's not in the contract but you want to kiss and take advantage of her when she confessed. Lol.

These two bff really, i don't know if I should laugh at their current situation or feel sad for them. But seriously, the scene where they just sit on the couch while regretting what they did is somehow funny. And Jongin asking Sehun and answering himself is also funny. Boy! Don't give up!


oh oh! Minkyung and Sehun is in trouble. Looks like Mrs Oh will find out the truth now regarding Minkyung.


Thankkk you for the updatesss!
shin_chaye
#9
Chapter 7: OMG!!!?!?! DID THEY REALLY BROKE UP JUST LIKE....THAT? I MEAN..WHYYYY???????????

Seriously, these two need to tell what they feel regarding ones action. I know Ayoung's confused and jealous but she should have just tell Jongin about what she feels regarding the situation and let Jongin explain his side, but knowng her she won't tell him what she truly feels because she is more of an action girl than word girl. And for Jongin, boy you should have informed Ayoung about your 'work'. Why did you u just announced that it was over? But yeah, maybe if I am in your shoe I'll also feel hurt with what Ayoung said because I'll misunderstood that and think that she doesn't love me.

This was totally a misunderstanding. I hope they will reconcile soon. They should talk and clear this misunderstanding. T.T
shin_chaye
#10
Woah! 3 new chapters? Can't wait to read them when I got home.