THE WEDDING PLANNERS

“We are here, madam...” the taxi driver peered through the mirror up there to inform his passenger. Sooyoung looked up to him and smiled.

“Thanks...here is the money...” she said and handed the old man with an amount of penny before she threw her eyes out of the taxi’s window. Her sight was filled with the tall building labeled with ‘Recca Restaurant & Night Bar’ written on the huge board above there. She sighed and dropped her head onto her lap.

“Eunhyuk ah...we’re here to see your grandpa...hopefully he will love you...” she whispered to her little baby, still deeply drifted inside his far away dreamland. She curved up a smile on him and lifted Eunhyuk inside her arms.

“Let me help you, madam...” the driver offered politely and he got out from his seat. He rushed to Sooyoung’s side of door and pulled it open for her. Sooyoung pushed her body out and bowed down to him. “Thank you, adjusshi...”

She watched the taxi drove away before Sooyoung once again looked up to the building and made her way to the entrance. The door was guarded by a pair of workers. One of them immediately went to open it for Sooyoung and they both gave her a bow once she walked inside. Sooyoung bowed too and her eyes started to scan around the exclusive restaurant for the sight of her father.

“Sooyoung ah!” at last, her eyes stopped on him. Mr. Choi sat around a table, situated exactly at the center of this restaurant. Sooyoung pursed her lips, not really sure to smile or not toward her old man. But she tightened her embrace on Eunhyuk and started walking to approach him.

“Annyeong, appa...” she greeted him with low voice once she stood before the table. She missed this man a lot – it had been more than 9 months since she left him, their house, her career and everything just to give birth to Eunhyuk. Now he was safely delivered and alive, suddenly Mr. Choi contacted her and offered her to join him in a dinner. Mr. Choi gazed up to his daughter before his eyes dropped on Eunhyuk. He curved his cunning smile.

“So, that’s your son huh???” he started without inviting her to sit. Sooyoung swallowed silently but she stole a quick glance on Eunhyuk before smiled. “Yeah...meet him, appa...this is Choi Eunhyuk...”

Sooyoung didn’t know why but she pressed her voice upon uttering the word ‘Choi’. Maybe she was trying to prove toward Mr. Choi that her baby was also a part of their family. Mr.Choi let out his laugh on the spur of the moment, shaking his head while Sooyoung narrowed her eyes.

“What’s wrong???” she asked. Mr. Choi took a sip on his grape wine before he grinned to Sooyoung. “So you still registered his name as Choi huh??? Is he even qualify for that?”

“Whether you like it or not, he is still my son! And if you really throw me away as your daughter, you don’t need to waste your time sending away your slaves to find me and come here to see you!” she immediately lost her head and snapped at him – a little too loud until other customers that sat around them were turning their heads toward them. Mr. Choi cleared his throat and looked back to Sooyoung.

“Sit...” he ordered her. Sooyoung tried to refuse, she wasn’t in the mood to continue this conversation but a waiter had already come to open the chair for her. Putting up her plastical smile, she slightly nodded her head to the waiter and carefully sat down, tapping her right hand on Eunhyuk as the little cutie stirred in his sleep. Then Sooyoung gazed back to her dad.

“So??? What are you going to talk???”

“I heard that all along these 9 months, you’re living under the care of Mr. Wu’s son, Kris...is that even true???” Mr. Choi guessed to her through his anxious eyes while Sooyoung gulped down . She didn’t even know whether to tell him the truth or not. But a second after, she simply nodded.

“Is there any problem with that? Kris is my best friend since we were kids...” she tried to give him an excuse on the matter but Mr. Choi smirked.

“I don’t care about what kind of relation you have with him but I need to inform you about something...have you being aware about the problem regarding his company right now???” he questioned her again and it earned a frown from Sooyoung. She didn’t remember anything about Kris telling her regarding his daily life’s problem – he seems to be doing good at home. Sooyoung shook her head. “No...why???”

Mr. Choi fell silent for a while. He was kind of taken aback and surprised when none of the Wu family seems to inform his daughter about the marriage condition. But he stopped thinking and simply lit up his devilish smile. Well, thing would be more interesting if they didn’t take their first step but the news came from him first. Mr. Choi hid away his amuse laughter and he gazed straight to Sooyoung.

“You have been in love with Kris since the very start, right???” Sooyoung frowned even more to him when he suddenly changed the topic from business to warmer issue – feeling of heart. She chuckled to him.

“What’s wrong with you, appa??? If you have anything to seek for help from me, then just tell me straight away...you don’t have to pretend like you care about my feeling since you had never done it before...” Sooyoung calmly even when her words were sharp enough to him. Mr. Choi jerked up his eyebrow but he smiled approvingly.

“Great...I like your witty attitude the best...you always know how to read me...now, back to real game...I actually want you to do something right now...the Wu family is in trouble of financial now and they’re begging for help from me...well, since the trading is a big and fascinating deal...it will be too wasting if I let them down...but I know how mean Mrs. Wu is...she will definitely throw me away after getting the money so I made a deal with them...”

“What’s the deal???” Sooyoung cut him off even before Mr. Choi managed to finish his words. He paused for a while before he grinned and pointed his finger straight to Sooyoung.

“Changing your status as their daughter in law and we both can be family as well as business partners...”

“That’s rubbish!!!” Sooyoung exclaimed loudly until it woke Eunhyuk up and he started to cry out loud. Sooyoung clicked her tongue but she patted Eunhyuk gently to calm him down again.

“Shhh...sorry, Eunhyuk ah...mama is here...don’t worry, honey...go to sleep...” she whispered to him and kissed Eunhyuk softly on his cheek. He was still crying inside her arms and it earned another attention from the customers. Mr. Choi hated it to see his daughter was struggling like a cheap, single mother like that. If the media ever know that his daughter was in this state, having a son without husband – his reputation will boldly be ruined! And he won’t let that to happen! Mr. Choi fixed his eyes on Eunhyuk and he shot a glare to Sooyoung.

“You know, Sooyoung ah...you only have two choices on this...” he told her and Sooyoung barely listened to him. She was still deep in attending Eunhyuk. Her left hand was embracing Eunhyuk while her right hand was moving around to grab her handbag. Once she managed to do so, she zipped it off and took out a bottle of milk for Eunhyuk. Then she fed him and sighed in relief – her baby seems to calm down again. She looked up to her dad. “Huh??? What did you say just now???”

As Sooyoung shifted uncomfortably on her seat, Mr. Choi shook his head.

“I can’t present you in front of the Wu family if you’re carrying this thing...” Sooyoung felt her face automatically glowed in anger when she heard him. “Thing???!! You just called Eunhyuk a thing???!!! He’s your grandchild!”

“I am not accepting him as my family, Sooyoung! From the very beginning!!! And now listen to me, like I said just now...you have only two choices...if you choose to keep that thing with you, then I’ll leak out the fact to the whole nation that the Choi daughter is y enough to have a son without legal marriage and you know it will ruin your life and the baby’s forever...second choice is, you keep away the baby and set him to live safely somewhere else but...you need to marry Kris accordingly as I’ve plan for you with Mr.Wu...”

Sooyoung felt an invisible giant rock just hit her hard straight on top of her head. She didn’t know that fate can be this cruel to her and she was far more surprised when she realized that, she was having such a demonic and heartless father. Sooyoung shook her head and swallowed the bitterness hard down – she didn’t want to face this problem anymore. She just wanted to live happily with her baby, her beloved Eunhyuk. There was no way she would throw him away from her life!

“Appa...you can’t make me choose neither of it...if you really want me to separate from Eunhyuk, then you have to do it after I died...over my dead body!” she pressed her voice rougher and firmer to him but Mr. Choi furrowed. He pursed his lips and stood up, ready to leave.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

“Hey! Lay, are you okay???” Minseok caught Lay by his elbow when suddenly he saw Lay’s body was weakening. They stood in front of the vending machine, waiting for the drink to come out but Lay almost dropped his body to the floor. Lay shook his head, trying to shake away the dizziness that thickening inside his head as he reached out one hand to gain support from .

“Sorry, Minseok ah...my head is aching...” he slipped the words forcefully from his mouth even though Lay felt that it was so hard to open his mouth and speak. Cold sweat was covering his whole face right now and it freaked Minseok out when he saw his face was turning pale. Minseok hurriedly wrapped his arm around his shoulders, preventing Lay from collapse.

“Yah, you scared me! Are you really sure you’re fine, Lay??? Cause you look terrible now!” Lay heard Minseok commented to him but he was too weak right now. He scanned around, his eyes were searching for any empty place to sit for a minute, he needs to calm down himself. Lay slowly tugged Minseok on his sleeve.

“Don’t worry...I just need a few minutes rest...can you pick the coffee for me later??? I wanna sit for a while...I’ll see you inside the practice room, okay???” Lay told him and Minseok robotically nodded.

“Okay, sure...but is it okay for you to walk alone??? Aish, I told you not to force yourself too much! Now you’re having headache and might be fever later! How are we supposed to practice without Exo’s main dancer???” Lay managed to chuckle even though it ended up sounding like a choke. He shook his already spinning head to Minseok and started leaning on the wall beside him to walk away.

“Damn it, Minseok ah...you sound so much like a nanny...but I’m fine, momma...I’ll be okay after taking a short nap, maybe?” he was trying to console and himself but deep down inside his heart, Lay was perfectly sure that he wasn’t okay. He was in pretty rough shape now. No, not just now but dragged away starting from the moment he had an argument with Ara since two weeks ago. Well, he never knew that not seeing her for along this period was seriously killing him. It killed him even more when she didn’t make any effort to contact him back. They were totally ignoring each other but the reality seemed to give Lay a major troublesome cramp inside his heart. Plus with his tight schedules over the fortnight, it wasn’t really helping actually. He appeared in many TV programs already, showing his cheerful side and happy face but yet, no one knows the agony that he was going through now. Lay hates to admit this but...he missed Ara, like Hell or even worse than that until zero word could define it!

Lay endured the pain screaming and biting inside his head as he took his small paces bit by bit. Until he finally reached the door of his dance practice room, he pushed it to open using his slightest strength – it was weirdly miracle when a boy with well-built body like him could admit that pushing a door like that was almost the hardest thing to do. Lay tried to let out his laugh, testing how he might sound right now but it didn’t work. So he chose to shut his mouth and resumed walking inside. As he raised his head, he saw the other three members of his group were enjoying themselves over the crackers and coke.

“Ceh!” Lay rolled his eyes, forcing his body to arrange his steps toward them and Jong Dae waved up to him.

“Hey, Lay! What is this??? Just going back from marathon???” Jong Dae when he saw how Lay was sweating. They broke into laughter together but Lay slipped his body down on the floor next to Baekhyun.

“Nah...this building as the Olympic trek? That’s not very creative and fun...” Lay played along with him and they shrieked annoyingly again. Someone opened the door of the room behind them and called out to him.

“Lay...” they all glanced around only to land their eyes on their manager. Lay gave him a nod, indicating that he was ready to listen to him as the other continued to grumble over the crackers. The manager scooped down his knees next to Lay.

“Here...a personal offer for you...” he said and placed down a clear folder on his lap. Lay looked down on it, frowning but he never makes a move to check on it. “Personal offer??? What is it???”

“Eh??? Lay already got a personal offer to work on??? That’s cool!” Baekhyun shouted to them when he poked his head over Lay’s shoulder to check on the file. The manager smiled to them but he gave him an optimistic shrug.

“No idea...I’m quite surprise too since Exo is a rookie group and still new in this industry...but since the chief manager agreed to this project already so I have no choice than to inform it to you Lay...it’s a good chance to shine brighter...you should grab it!” his manager encouraged him, giving Lay a smack on his shoulder and he coughed out. Baekhyun shook his head, pretending to give him some sympathy and he rubbed Lay on his back.

“Go on, buddy...open up...” he pressed again to him and Lay shook his head. “Come on, hyung...I’m too tired for this...”

Lay tried to complain toward his manager but as he ran his hands lazily on the file and flipped it open, s were all gathering their heads together to take a look on its content and read it out loud.

“Special offer for WE GOT MARRIED???!!!” they screamed together and Lay flinched in shock alongside with their manager. It took him only a second to calm down before he was startled again by another loud bang came from the door. BANG!!!

“What??? What??? What??? Lay got the offer to participate as the groom in We Got Married??!! Aigoo!!! That’s fun!!!” Minseok showed up, running into the room as he brought two cups of coffee inside both of his hands. He kneeled down next to Lay and crushed his body against him to read properly on the file. Lay groaned in frustration and he pushed all four of s away.

“Give me some air, you bone-head!!!” he yelled and they all parted away from him, grinning mischievously.

“Aigoo, Lay ah! No need to shy because we know that you’ll be someone’s husband soon enough!” Jong Dae , winking but Lay simply rolled his eyes – he was already someone’s husband without joining this ridiculous reality show! Then their manager cleared his throat loudly and pushed Minseok out of his way to properly face Lay again.

“Listen to me, Lay ah...even when you don’t feel like doing this but...at least for the sake of your group’s future, you have to do this...We Got Married is the most popular show not just inside the country but worldwide! It’s a good opportunity to raise the popularity of Exo...” his manager patted Lay on his shoulder while he fixed his confused face on the file. Then he heard s were buzzing around in agreement.

“It’s true, Lay...beside promoting our group, you can have some fun too...it’s not that difficult to work inside the show...you just need to pretend like you’re really in love with the bride...” Minseok gave out his opinion, rubbing his chin in deep thought. Lay fixed his eyes to him before Baekhyun added,

“Bingo! But who will be his wife??? Hmmm...I wonder...” he sang, earning teasing laughter from Jong Dae and Joon Myeon. Joon Myeon clapped his hands in thrill. “Plus, where will they film their first meeting??? Aigoo!!! I’m so curious!!!”

As their voices growing louder and louder inside his ears, Lay felt that a pair of invisible hands just caught and squeezed his neck to dead, causing him felt harder to in the air. He was totally drowned in confusion now. The offer was a good opportunity to him in order to improve his career but it was also a piercing knife that will threat his marriage with Ara. If only he could discuss this thing first with her and convince her on how much he loves her no matter whoever the girl that he needs to cooperate with. Lay closed his eyes and slowly hissed in pain under his breath. Then he snapped open his eyes again when s kept laughing while his manager touched him on his back.

“So how is it, Lay??? Do you want to accept this offer???” he told him but the noises caused by s were way too irritating to Lay! So he simply shook his head and pushed his body to stand up. He can’t suddenly scold them all so he will just escape himself from here to be alone for a while. His manager stood up too when Lay started to walk away without leaving a word.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

“Okay, mom...I’ll talk to Yoo Bi about this...she must be delighted to be there and see the rest of you...it has been a while after all...” Luhan busily talking to the phone with his mother while Yoo Bi was flipping through her file on her study table. Once she found something inside it, she pulled out an A4 paper from it.

“Ah! Here you’re...” Yoo Bi sang and she smiled as she glanced over her shoulder toward Luhan. He was still laughing over the conversation as he shifted his sitting posture on the bed. Yoo Bi snorted but she got up from the chair and walked over toward him. As thought that he could read her movement, Luhan moved his left arm aside and welcomed Yoo Bi to sit on his lap. He resumed talking to the phone while Yoo Bi snuggled into his neck, inhaling his sweet scent there as she closed her eyes.

“Got it, mom...I’ll call you back when I already have confirmation from Yoo Bi, okay? Bye!” he said and finally cut off the phone call. Yoo Bi tilted her head up to look at his face.

“What did omma talk to you?” she asked, circling her hands around his neck like she was hanging her body to him. Luhan stared on her face for a while before he grinned and supported Yoo Bi by her waist.

“Nothing...it’s almost her birthday, right? So she invited me to come back for a short visit to Beijing...I think it won’t hurt if it just for a few days...em, a week almost...so what do you think? Wanna go???” he asked for her agreement and it made Yoo Bi to bite her lips, thinking over for it. As Luhan raised his eyebrow, waiting for her answer – Yoo Bi glanced back on him and smiled.

“When is the date that you wanna go back to China???” Luhan rechecked the date sent by his mother inside his phone and he showed it to Yoo Bi.

“Not that far from now...this weekend...we can book the tickets earlier and take the flight from Friday night? What do you think?” Luhan went on blabbering about it but Yoo Bi fell completely silent. Her hands slowly dropped the phone down to her lap as she frowned with serious expression pasted on her face. She suddenly caught in confusion about something as she darted her eyes on the paper that she held from earlier inside her left hand – this was the matter that she was about to discuss with him but Luhan seems to be stuck by their plan to fly back to China.

“Yoo Bi ah...what’s wrong with you, sweetie???” Luhan just realized that his wife had become perfectly still so he stopped talking and cupped her face inside his palms to make Yoo Bi turned looking at him. She blinked her eyes to him, still refused to talk while Luhan chuckled.

“Seriously, Yoo Bi ah...how can I know what is the matter in your mind if you don’t tell me??? FYI, I’m not a vampire...so I can’t read people’s mind...” he tried to joke around but Luhan prevented himself from laughing when Yoo Bi didn’t seem to get his joke. Luhan let out a sigh as Yoo Bi looked away from him.

“Oppa...if you want to go back to China exactly this weekend, I think...I mean...” she stammered with her words, feeling guilty to excuse herself from his rare family-gathering activity. She knew that as his wife, she should be there for him but...Then Luhan frowned to her.

“Why??? Is there any problem with the date???” he questioned and Yoo Bi robotically nodded. She furrowed and finally held up the paper inside her hand and shoved it in front of Luhan. He shifted his anxious eyes to it and picked the paper from her. He started to read on the details inside it – actually, it was a permission form.

“A Research Trip to Qingdao, China??? You wanna go there???” he asked and stole a quick glance to Yoo Bi. She simply gave him a nod but clicked her tongue and pointed her finger down on the date written there. Luhan narrowed his eyes on it.

“My flight with the rest of the students is at the same date as you’re planning to go...I know that it’s already the semester’s short break but...my course suddenly want to do some research trip to China...it sounds interesting, so I agreed and registered my name already...this form is to get for your permission...since I’m no longer under my parents’ responsibility, I’m married to you...so I guess the signature should come from you...but...I’m so sorry, oppa...I never expect the date to clash...” Yoo Bi explained wholeheartedly to her husband, turning her body around to face him. It was Luhan’s turn to keep quiet now. He finished reading the whole details printed inside the form until his eyes stopped on someone’s signature and name at the bottom line of it. He jerked up his eyebrow.

“Kang Min Hyuk sshi??? Is this activity is under his management???” Luhan shot the question and raised his head, staring straight to Yoo Bi. She swallowed silently down as she started to feel unsecure again. Seriously, she easily gets annoyed whenever Luhan started to touch the topic about her professor – she didn’t really like it. Luhan bit his lips and sighed.

“Yoo Bi ah...why is it so hard for you to answer me??? Just tell me, is this program got to do with this Kang Min Hyuk sshi??? Your young professor???” he pressed to her again, this time with deeper and firmer voice. Yoo Bi flinched in minor surprise, slightly feeling scared to him. She immediately got up from his lap and stood straight on her legs in front of him. Luhan looked up to her.

“Yes...he is our research’s leader and the main person in charge for this activity...” Yoo Bi finally answered him while Luhan sighed out loud again. Shaking his head, he started to feel his patience that was loosening inside him. Yoo Bi felt her nerves were all twisted in pain when she read his uncertain face. She knew that she needs to convince him for believing her so she kneeled down to the floor and gripped Luhan tight on his hands.

“Oppa, please...you need to believe me in this...I promise you, I just going there for my studies...I’m not doing more than that...and no matter what you might think about Min Hyuk sshi, I’ll get rid of him...we’ll just talk to each other when there’s a need on it...” she conveyed him again while Luhan stared closely upon her pretty face. He focused deep inside her shining eyes, trying to find her sincerity there. Of course, he wanted to believe her but if there was any person that he should be careful with, that person definitely was Kang Min Hyuk. He can’t trust his wife to him, he was annoyed about it and he just can’t – really!

“Oppa???” Luhan was snapped out from his angry thoughts when Yoo Bi slowly his hands with her soft palms. He pursued his lips as he bent down his face toward her and kissed Yoo Bi on her forehead.

“Don’t make me look like a pathetic husband, Yoo Bi ah...of course I always have my faith in you...it just that...aish...since we both are going to China, so why don’t you just take the same flight as me? We can enjoy the journey together before I let you join your friends there...” Luhan suggested to her, tucked Yoo Bi’s silky hair to the back of her ears. Yoo Bi narrowed her eyes to him before she shook her head.

“Trust me, oppa...that’s almost a very irresistible offer for me but...since I registered my name in the list, they already booked the tickets and passport in group...so I can’t possibly waste it, right?” Yoo Bi replied him with guilty shown on her face – that only made Luhan to feel even more distracted by her. He sighed and got up from the bed.

“See...you’re choosing Min Hyuk sshi over me again...” he sulked, talking with low voice but it was too clear to be heard by Yoo Bi so she hastily shook her head and got up.

“No! That’s not what I mean...oppa!” as she turned her body around to follow him, Yoo Bi stopped Luhan from walking again and she circled her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. “Oppa...you just need to believe me like you said, oppa...there’s nothing going on between me and him...he’s just my professor and will always stay like that...please, trust me...”

Luhan closed his eyes, feeling so much of being a sulking old man when his pity little wife had to beg toward him like this. Luhan clicked his tongue and opened his eyes back, touching Yoo Bi on her hands and tilted his face to a side, trying to look at her. Yoo Bi had now rested her head on his comfortable back, the place where she felt the most safe and secure for her.

“Yoo Bi ah...I’m sorry...” he apologized but he felt Yoo Bi was shaking her head.

“I love you and that’s all I know...I don’t see anyone except you, oppa...you just got to trust me, my heart...I had done suffering so much for almost losing you while you were coma, and now...I don’t want to live in that uncertainty anymore...it’s hurting, oppa...” Yoo Bi told him through her frustrated voice, stopping herself from crying over the past. Luhan bit his lips before he took a deep breath. He slowly unclasped her hands and turned his body around to face her.

Yoo Bi looked up to his face and they stared on each other long enough before Luhan started to smile toward her.

“I’m only a fool, Yoo Bi ah...a fool that too afraid to lose you...forgive me...” he apologized again but Yoo Bi grabbed him by his waist and pulled him into her embrace.

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"I was supposed to be his wedding planner, not his bride!"