Jongin couldn't quite believe the - sort of - betrayal he had witnessed, even when he got home. He knew he had kept his own arranged marriage a secret for much longer than Sehun had, but he still couldn't quite get over what the other one had said after it; Jongin ℎ𝑎𝑑 tried to stop this, but his parents weren't as easygoing as Sehun's, and he knew that. It was unfair that he was picking on Jongin for it.

He rushed into his room, past Mrs. Li who glanced up from sweeping the floors; Jongin could never understand why she did it at night, but he never questioned it either. She was always set in her old ways, and no matter how many times the other (younger) maids told her to do things differently, she refused to budge.

She seemed to know what the issue was with Jongin - just like she knew he was missing Sehun for all those days passed - but she didn't want to pry. It was clear from the way Jongin slammed his door that he didn't want any company right now.

Normally, it'd be hard to stay angry at Sehun, but as Jongin laid huddled up in his covers with his face buried in his pillow that grew wet with his tears, it was even harder to think of him at the moment. He couldn't agree with Sehun, and he couldn't do what he wanted; to run away was madness! Yes, he was an adult, but that didn't mean his parents wouldn't send people out to get him. The cops wouldn't be able to do something, but Mr. and Mrs. Kim had contacts who could.

Jongin wanted to call someone to let out all of emotions, but it struck him that Sehun 𝑤𝑎𝑠 that person. It was him who had listened to Jongin's rants and rambles, no matter how annoying or silly they were. Not only had Jongin lost a best friend tonight, but he also lost his foundation and support system.

The next morning, Jongin opened his prickly eyes as the sunshine danced on his face, like it was kissing his skin and telling him to wake up. For a minute or two, he forgot where he was and what had happened; his mind was blank for only a moment, and he wondered why his eyes seemed to burn so much.
Then it hit him - all the fighting and arguing, the mean things Sehun had said, and how badly their relationship had ended. His chest felt hollow, empty, from only thinking about it, and he pulled the covers over his head to hide from the hot sun that made him feel like he was about to burst into flames instead of being embraced by the gentle warmth.

He could cry about it all he wanted, but he knew that wouldn't solve any of the problems; it would make them easier to deal with, yes, but it wouldn't fix anything. He had to talk things out with Sehun...but did he really want to? Normally, they'd talk things over a few hours or the morning after an argument, but Jongin couldn't bring himself to even think of what to say. He knew what Sehun wanted to hear, and Jongin simply couldn't agree to those terms. Running away was crazy, too crazy for Jongin to consider. Why did it have to be Sehun or his family? Why did he have to choose? The thought of losing either made his eyes water again.
His whole life had been mapped out for him, and he grew so accustomed to it, he didn't want to make choices now. It was easier to go with the flow - as horrible as the destination might be - than try and resist the current. His parents had his best interests at heart, and Sehun wasn't one of them.

Jongin didn't have any engagements, so he could mope around in his room the whole day. It was no fun, and it ultimately made him feel worse since he was drowning in his thoughts and imaginings, but at least one of the maids were nice enough to leave his three meals for him by his closed door. His parents didn't summon him for dinner, which was surprising, but he guessed they didn't attend either, or they were just too busy discussing his wedding to pay attention to his absence.

Ah yes, his wedding. His marriage to the stranger he didn't even have a face or voice to. What Jongin did know, however, was that he was an up-and-coming actor...not that it helped much. He couldn't type that into the searchbar of Google and expect a worthwhile result. He could ask his mother if he really wanted to know; after all, she was more excited than he was for his own marriage, and he didn't doubt she'd happily blabber away about this mysterious man. Jongin had always been told he had gotten his chatty nature from his mother.

By 7 PM, Jongin could feel the weight pulling down on him that he couldn't - or wouldn't? - talk to Sehun tonight. He had invited it into his daily routine so easily that it was difficult to let go of it now.
𝑀𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙. 𝑀𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑥 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠. 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑠𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑦...𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑒? Jongin asked himself in his head, but unlike before, he didn't have a definite answer now. He was unsure where he stood; from their argument last night, it seemed like Sehun was done with him for good, but some part of him just couldn't accept that as an adequate conclusion. They couldn't be over! Not like this. Not so easily...

Jongin decided to try his luck, hope blossoming in his chest like a flower in spring. He couldn't let go without fighting to keep them together at least.

By 7:30 PM, he was by the phone, dialing the number with a numb feeling in his chest. He didn't know what to expect, and he often thought it was a bad idea as he pressed each number carefully and precisely just like all those times before.

“I can't believe you really did it. You really grew balls and broke up with him!” Chanyeol said as he chugged down some of his beer, Sehun shaking his head. He didn't get his feelings hurt easily, but even this was insensitive coming from his friend.
“I've always had balls,” Sehun mumbled pathetically. Be didn't have the energy to have the same old banter he usually had with Chanyeol.
“Uh, sure, whatever you need to tell yourself. But you did the right thing, you know. This is better than you two having an affair or something like that...imagine the expression on your parents' faces if they heard about that!” Chanyeol laughed in his booming, deep voice, but Sehun simply sighed. He had wondered the whole day if he made the right choice, and even though Chanyeol was confirming it, he was still unsure.
“I really thought you would've caved in and called him by now. What are you going to do if he calls you? You said now is around the time he usually does it, right?” Chanyeol took another sip of his beer, his eyes traveling to Sehun who tapped the buttons of his Xbox controller with such force, it seemed like he would break it.
“I won't answer,” He said, but it sounded like he was telling and convincing himself rather than his best friend.
The question wasn't what he'd do, it was more like 𝑖𝑓 ℎ𝑒'𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑡. Just like Chanyeol day in and day out, Sehun really was a softie for Jongin, and he often forgot why he was angry with Jongin as soon as he saw those tears. No doubt that right now, Jongin was crying. Not only that, they could never stay angry at each other for very long; a few hours maybe, but nothing more than a day, and Sehun had already calmed down from the previous night. His heart raced whenever he thought of Jongin calling him; they could work things out just like they always did. They could find a way for things to work out, right? Just like before, they could fix everyth-

“Yes, don't answer. But while you're saying that, can you really avoid Jongin? Jongin, who you've liked for nearly three years? Do you remember how long and how much I had to beg you just to make a move? And do you really think you can just turn your back on that?” Chanyeol spoke again, interrupting his friend's thoughts, and Sehun mulled over what he heard; they were good questions. Did he really have the heart to leave Jongin like this?

Just then, the telephone rang; that familiar sound that had programmed itself into Sehun's head that made him put his controller down from habit.
“You're really going to give in so easily?” Chanyeol laughed lightheartedly, “I knew you didn't have it in you,”
“I do have it in me!” Sehun nearly yelled; if there was one thing that could get him to accept a challenge, it was being underestimated. Of course, Chanyeol knew this, so he wasn't being an just for the fun of it - he knew Sehun needed something to push him to stay away from Jongin, so what else could he do except challenge him?
“I won't answer. I won't,” Sehun grabbed his controller again, determined to prove Chanyeol wrong. Pride was a weird thing.

Chanyeol had no grudges against Jongin - although it may have seemed like it - and in fact, he liked Jongin. He was a good fit for Sehun, and Chanyeol rooted for the two of them at the start of their relationship. However, things had taken a drastic turn, and he couldn't stand by and watch as his friend drove himself mad because of the two arranged marriages. They were in a tight spot, and it didn't make sense that Sehun fight so hard for them to be together if it risked not only their reputation, but their family's reputations and even their own lifestyle since their parents would surely kick them out for not obeying them. There were too many negative implications to continuing the relationship with Jongin, and although Chanyeol didn't like getting involved so directly like this, he couldn't stand by and watch his friend do this to himself. One man wasn't worth getting dropped by one's family, no matter how much Sehun loved Jongin.

Jongin felt his throat clog up as he heard the phone ring, on and on, until no one answered. He had been nearly completely certain that Sehun would answer and they'd talk things out, but now Jongin was standing in front of the phone with the receiver in his hand, nothing but silence being heard on the other side. He felt like a fool for believing Sehun wasn't serious about everything he said last night, and he felt even more silly for really thinking and believing there was a chance for them anymore.
So, this meant that they were done now...
It was hard, but Jongin promised himself he wouldn't call Sehun again; for one, he wouldn't put himself through the hope and ultimate disappointment, and he also didn't want to bother Sehun when he was obviously over things. It broke his heart, but what more was there to be done? Things eventually had to come to an end, and it would only have been more difficult and painful if they tried to make things work and failed.

The next morning, at 8 AM, Jongin's mother burst through his door.
He let out a whine of complaint at being woken up, and he looked at her with a squint as she abruptly opened the curtains to let the sunshine stream in. It felt even stronger today, but Jongin couldn't be sure if it was just because he was tired or not.
“It's time to wake up,” She chimed, “we're going to meet the man you're going to marry!”
“What?” Jongin questioned, then sat up and rubbed his face. His eyes felt like dry pieces of flesh - as dry as his bones.
“Does it have to be today? Can't we do it some other time?” He asked before he cleared his throat since even that felt dry as the desert.
“No, no. Hurry up and get ready. We meet them at 10!” Her lips turned up into an excited smile, like she was the one who was going to meet her future husband.
𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑, Jongin thought dryly, 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓?
He sighed, then nodded to let her know he'd do as told.

He had just fixed his button-up shirt (he thought it was best that he wear something formal at least to make a good impression), when his mother bursted back into the room; Jongin had tried politely telling her multiple times that he wasn't a young boy anymore and that he needed his privacy, especially when he was getting dressed, but she simply brushed it off with a “you'll always be my baby, no matter how old you get”, and the conversation was closed from then on.

“They just called,” Mrs. Kim exclaimed, “and they've canceled for today! Apparently, Kyungsoo has an audition for a new drama, so they've decided to go with that instead,”
Kyungsoo? Was that his name?
“Oh,” Was all that came from Jongin's lips as he glanced at himself in the mirror, then turned to his mother, “his name is Kyungsoo?”
“Yes. Doh Kyungsoo. He's going to become a famous acto-”
“A famous actor, yes. You've told me,” Jongin interrupted her; sometimes it was like she was bragging more about this Kyungsoo man more than she did her own son. It was expected - he 𝑤𝑎𝑠 on his way to becoming an actor and he ℎ𝑎𝑑 had his life planned out - but Jongin couldn't help but feel a little jealous anyway. Maybe it was because he was an only child that he was used to having all the attention for himself, or maybe he just didn't like his mother talking about another man like he was her son instead of Jongin, but he felt both aggravated and saddened at her excitement.

“Well, since you're all dressed up, why don't we go out for some coffee?” She asked after she noticed his behavior, and she smoothed out some creases in his shirt, making a mental note to tell the maids to iron it again after washing it today.

If Mrs. Kim would let her son go out for some coffee with her, then did that mean he was allowed to leave the house by himself? He had no interest in going out with her for any reason; she spoke about things he didn't find entertaining, and no doubt, today it would try to be about the wedding arrangements. He didn't want to get married any more than he had yesterday, or the day before, or any other day before that either, so why would it suddenly change now?
He didn't want to go out with his mother, but he did want to see Sehun, so maybe he could make do with his newfound freedom.

“No, no. I think I'll go out with Taemin...if that's okay?” He asked as he turned to her; Mr. and Mrs. Kim knew Taemin, and although he was a klutz and knocked over his glass of water last time he was here for dinner, they absolutely adored him. He was goofy and funny, and he made them laugh with his tales of his antics.
“Well...fine. But you have to be back here before 1 PM,” She said. Jongin was sure she would've said no completely if he asked to go with anyone else, and considering it was 9:30 AM right now, he didn't have much time to himself.
“I will have Winston take you and wait for you,” Mrs. Kim continued. Winston was their personal driver, a British man with a full head of grey hair; even when Jongin was small, he knew Winston to have grey hair. He couldn't imagine the driver with anything else.
Having Winston there was Jongin's mother's way of making sure he didn't run around too much, but he didn't mind it - as far as he knew, Winston didn't know Sehun or Taemin, so he wouldn't report anything out of the ordinary to Mrs. Kim.
“Alright. Thank you,” Jongin murmured as she stepped back, allowing him to leave.

She followed him down to the telephone in the living room, and when he glanced at her purposely to let her know he wanted to make a phone call, she simply stood by the couch with her hands folded. She wasn't going anywhere.

Jongin sighed, entering Sehun's phone number into the telephone with Mrs. Kim watching him like a hawk - to make sure he was calling Taemin, no doubt - and then pressed the phone to his ear. He had no idea if Sehun would answer or not, and this was very spontaneous, but considering this wasn't the usual time Jongin would call, he hoped Sehun would pick up the phone.

It rang three times, and then he heard Sehun's voice, “hello?”
Jongin's heart leaped into his throat, and he gulped as he held the phone tighter.
“It's me. Meet me at the Sunrise Café on 6th Avenue in half hour if you can,” He murmured; hopefully this would convince his mother that it was Taemin on the other line (even if it wasn't), and Jongin hoped Sehun would agree.

Jongin put the phone down after that. It was now up to Sehun whether or not they'd meet.

Jongin went with Winston to the mentioned café, still surprised by his mother letting him go (even though she reminded him at the door that he was to be back before 1 PM and if he didn't go home, she'd come fetch him herself), and he sat by a table closest to the window. This was what Winston requested; as long as he could see Jongin, he wouldn't have the need to call Mrs. Kim and inform her that her son vanished like a rebel. Jongin got the faint feeling that the driver was enjoying this, but he was never a man who was spiteful and mean, so Jongin simply brushed it off as Winston trying to be extra careful so that he wouldn't call Mrs. Kim for no reason.

Jongin ordered some iced coffee in the meantime, and it reminded him of the date with Sehun that eventually went sour - he hoped today wouldn't be the same...if Sehun even showed up.