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Kris hefted the boxes higher against his chest as he carried them towards the rooms upstairs. He still found it hard to believe that his husband-to-be walked over this polished marbled floor everyday. The glass-to-ceiling windows offered a glimpse to the extensive garden where he found his brothers playing. When he reached the third floor, Kris dumped the boxes in one of the rooms which was furnished in turquoise. It was agreed among the adults that Tao and Minseok, should stay at Do's main house. His father, apparently will move in too, after much persuasion.
The hallway was decorated with huge porcelain vases and oil paintings with gold engraved frames hanging off the walls of each side. Wallpaper with hints of abstract golden flowers gave it a surreal kind of feeling. It was as though he was walking through an art gallery. Kris held onto the wooden handrail as he took one step at a time while admiring the tall windows. Right outside was a swimming pool large enough to fit an elephant, or two. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Kris heard Kyungsoo talking to someone else that he hadn't heard of. He stayed behind the wall as he heard his name being mentioned.
"His name is Kris and he has two younger brothers; Tao, that one over at the fountain near Jongdae and Minseok who's in the kitchen with Yixing. They 're cute, I guess. Don't know about the brother though." He heard Kyungsoo saying.
"What's your first impression of him?" The other unknown voice spoke.
"He looks like a nice guy with a temper." Kyungsoo chuckled.
"Who doesn't have a temper?" The other deeper voice laughed.
Kris wondered if he should just walked in on the talking about him. A peek from behind the wall showed Kyungsoo sitting across from another guy with dark blond hair and red lips. They seemed to be having fun folding what he guessed were the invitation cards. How could that fella be happy about getting... married? Kris suddenly felt irritated of the easy smile on his future groom. He was going to wipe that off. Instantly.
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"No, you should just leave it at that." Sehun picked the card off Kyungsoo's hand.
"Why?" Kyungsoo started writing the names on the envelopes. I thought it'll look cute with the flowers."
"It's just an invitation card." He folded the scented glittering cards into half, slotted it into the gold envelopes and passed it to Kyungsoo, who wrote the names of the invited guests.
In about less than two weeks, his best friend was getting married, much to his dismay. Sehun stole glances at the boy sitting across from him, eyes casted down as the latter concentrated on the work at hand. Would he be able to meet Kyungsoo as freely once he was married? He hoped so.
Talking about getting married, he hadn't seen the future husband in sight. Sehun picked another card. "So, how does he look like?"
"Tall, good-looking with dyed blonde hair like yours but lighter. Kris looks like someone out of a manga." Kyungsoo chuckled.
"You sound excited for someone who was about to get married to a total stranger." Sehun scratched the back of his neck. "Are you sure about this?"
Kyungsoo pouted. Truth was, he was afraid of not being able to meet the expectations of others. What does he know about love? Nil. But he believed that if his family had picked someone for him, he was sure they picked the best. Kyungsoo just wasn't sure if he'd like it, the married life, but he was going to give his best. If it didn't work out, then, that was another story.
"To answer your question, no, I'm not sure but I trust them with what's best for me."
A sudden question popped in his head but he wasn't sure if it was appropriate. "Kyungsoo, so, are you supposed to consummate this marriage later?"
Sehun was dying to not know. Knowing that someone else was having Kyungsoo's first didn't sit well with him.
Kyungsoo's head jerked up in shock. "Consummate? Wha...Why?"
"I just thought since you're married..." Sehun let his sentence trailed off.
"I don't know. Haven't really thought about it." A deep blush coloured Kyungsoo's cheek.
"But you'll be staying at your own house, right?"
"Yeah, Father bought a house not far from here where the we will reside."
"Oh." Sehun was about to get back to work when a shadow looming over them, stopped him. His eyes travelled up from the sneakers, up the endless jean-clad legs, olive-coloured shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, the annoyed face and the swept back blonde hair. Who the heck is this guy? Oh, no, please don't tell him it's who he thinks he is.
"Kris?" Kyungsoo asked as his eyes widened at the frown on the other's face.
Annoyed, irritated was among the few words to describe what he was feeling right now. Sauntering over to the two stunned boys, Kris stopped right at their table. He watched their eyes looking at him curiously as he picked the stack of cards. Without any word, he flung them, scattering it all over the floor. The stranger pushed his chair back so hard, it fell backwards. And the next moment he knew, the stranger had a tight hold of his collar.
"Sehun." Kyungsoo said calmly. "Sehun." He repeated. When Sehun loooked over to him, Kyungsoo tilted his head slightly to tell him to let it go. He saw Sehun grinding his teeth in frustration but he finally did let go.
"I'll see you in the car. We need to get our suits." Kris threw over his shoulder. He eyed the new guy named, Sehun, with narrowed eyes. The latter glared at him. Kris rolled his eyes before walking out.
Sehun watched the arrogant guy walked away before turning to Kyungsoo. "You're marrying that guy?" He growled when Kyungsoo nodded. "No . I would've made that face into my personal punching bag."
Kyungsoo stared at his hands on the table. "Maybe he's not over this shocking arrangement."
He wanted to punch something, just to let out the anger building up in him. Why that Kris guy? One look and he hated him. Sehun hated him because he so did not deserve Kyungsoo's fragile heart. Damn it! Why? He fisted his hands so hard his veins stood out. If this was what Kris was like, he was afraid that he needed to keep any eye on his precious friend. Just in case.
"Sehun, I have to go. See you later. Don't worry ok?" Kyungsoo patted his fisted hand, which he unfurled. "Call me."
"I will. Please, call me, for anything." Sehun pulled his best friend into a hug, kissing the top of his head. "Take care."
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"What's a butler?" Tao asked the young man standing beside him.
"A butler is someone who helps the master."
Tao hugged his panda soft toy. He sat on the fountain ledge, enjoying the rush of water pouring out of the stone vase. The butler smiled at him when he stared at him curiously. It was all new to him. Never in his life, had he been to a mansion, and everything about this place looked like something he would see in the movies instead. His older brother was getting married so they were going to move in here but he won't be able to his Kris-hyung often since he would be living elsewhere with his husband, Kyungsoo.
"Who's the master?" Tao rubbed his nose. "Is it Kyungsoo-hyung?"
"The young master and his parents."
"Oh, don't you go to school?"
"I've finished my school years." The butler chuckled. "You're such a bright kid. What else can I answer?"
"Hmm, why do you work as a butler? Isn't it boring?" Tao jumped off the ledge and walked around the fountain before following the man-made trail into the garden. All along, the butler followed suit without so much as a sigh.
"I like it, actually. The masters are nice."
"What's your name?"
"Jongdae."
"Can I call you Jongdae-hyung?" Tao looked over his shoulders. "It sounds less formal. I don't like being too uptight."
The butler laughed. "Are you by any chance referring to me?" Tao nodded and he continued. "Ok, you can call me Jongdae-hyung."
"Ok!" Tao pulled him into a hug. "I like you. You're so nice. Have you seen Minseok-hyung?"
Jongdae told him that he saw him in the kitchen and Tao demanded they find him right then. So, they walked back to the main house and found Minseok in the kitchen, stuffing his face with dumplings.
"Minseok! How many did you eat?" The in-house chef, Yixing, cried out in astonishment.
"Iowh thownk it woas won." Minseok said with his mouth full. He quickly swallowed them before repeating. "I think it was one?"
"Then where did the other five go?" Yixing took a spatula from the cylindrical metal. When Minseok pointed to his stomach, he smacked them gently with his spatula. "Naughty boy."
"Hyung! I want one too!" Tao rushed in, hovering over his shorter brother. "Give me one!"
"Here." Minseok fed one to his brother, who moaned when he got a taste of it. "It's good, right?"
"Yixing-hyung! I'm so glad we're staying here. You're a way better cook then him."
Minseok smacked him upside his head. "Shut up."
Tao grinned and hit his brother with his panda before running out of the kitchen.
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The ride to the boutique was quiet. Kyungsoo stared out of the window while Kris who was on his right had closed his eyes, most probably asleep or thinking. He opted for the latter since there were frown lines on his forehead. Kyungsoo wondered what he was thinking. Is it about their marriage? Or is it some other personal problems? Hopefully, it wasn't something serious. The car took a left turn and stopped right in front of BLAQUE, a famous boutique for custom-made suits that catered for the high end of the consumer market. Gleaming black marble decorated the exterior with clear glasses showcasing it's speciality.
Kyungsoo was about to pull open the door himself when Kris beat him to it. He said his thanks and walked into the red carpetted store with Kris right behind. His father had booked the store, therefore they had it all to themselve for an hour. Though he didn't think they needed that much time, he wasn't complaining. A man in dark suit ushered them towards the fitting area where there were several changing rooms, covered in silk curtains. A plush sofa was at the centre of the room, where he assumed, people can wait while the other party try on the suits.
"Nice place." Kris spoke to the man, whom bowed politely.
"Thank you, sir. Tea or coffee?"
Kris looked over at Kyungoo, questioningly. Kyungsoo shrugged. "Tea for me."
"Then I'll have what he'll have."
"Right away, sir. Take a seat. We will attend to you shortly." The man disappeared behind a red curtain, leaving just the two of them.
The atmosphere just dropped to an eerie silence and all Kyungsoo heard was his own heartbeat. He jumped when Kris called out his name. "Yes?"
"Don't be too happy about it." Kris stalked towards him, stopping only inches away, "Don't go thinking that you're going to get your happy ending. We don't love each other but we're stuck together. So, I suggest we just play it along until Grandpa Jongki passed away."
Kyungsoo gasped. "Then what?"
"Then I'm divorcing you. I don't want to be stuck with someone I don't love." Kris growled. "This is between you and me. No one else. If I find out you spilling the beans, I will hurt Sehun. You understand me, Kyungsoo?"
He nodded as his eyes widened at merely seeing the bits of fury in the taller guy's eyes. "Why Sehun? He's got nothing to do with this!"
"He's your precious friend, right?" Kris smirked menacingly. "Just don't even think about it. You don't know what I'm capable of."
"Why do you have to threaten me? Can't you just give this a try?"
"No! I'm will never, ever fall for someone like you. You hear me?"
Kyungsoo nodded. His eyed his shoes, thinking. What have he gotten himself into? A loveless marriage was like detonated bomb waiting to explode. He just had to wonder when.
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For those who aren't able to view chapter 7, do take note it hadn't gone through, so for new readers, it'll be shown once the servers are fully fixed by the admins. As for those who've read chp7, then there shouldn't be any problem,.. It's been recovered.. thanks AFF hehehe I hope it's been good.. Ah~ took me some time... lol.. comments would be nice... :D And please check out my fic, Obsession :))
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