Chapter 16: A Proposition

                Watching Bongcha walk away was one of the hardest things Seungri had ever done. He knew that he couldn’t go after her right then though. She was upset and he was too pissed to even function. He wasn’t sure what to do. Either his fiancée was telling the truth and his childhood best friend was deliberately sabotaging his happiness or his fiancée was lying because she was jealous of his friendship with another girl. Either way it .

                Either way he was going to lose an important relationship.

                He stayed seated on the swing for almost an hour, trying to calm down enough to figure out what he needed to do next. The chains creaked under his weight as he slowly rocked the swing back and forth, his eyes trained on the path Bongcha had walked away on. Finally, he realized her advice was what he needed to do. He sighed but smiled in spite of the situation; Bongcha’s advice was always right no matter the situation.

                He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Haejung’s number. He hadn’t noticed the picture had been changed to one of her making a kissy face at the screen; she must have changed it during one of the times they had hung out together.

It rang twice before she picked up. “Yeoboseyo?” Her voice was a little off, as if she were slightly disgruntled. He could hear the sounds of a television going in the background. One of her dramas must have been going on.

                “Hey, Haejung-ah,” Seungri began, trying to keep his voice under control, “Do you think that we can get together and talk?”

                “Sure, Oppa,” she immediately replied. Her tone quickly changed from one of slight annoyance to a more pleasant one. He could almost see the smile on her lips. “Do you want to meet at a café or the mall or-”

                “Let’s meet someplace private,” he interrupted.

                “Okay,” she agreed, “How about I come over to your room then? I’ll be over there in about an hour. I just have a few things that I need to take care of first.” He agreed before hanging up and shoving his phone back in his pocket. He stood up and trudged out of the playground. When he got to his car, he sped away, breaking pretty much every speed limit on the way back home.

                The servants stayed out of his way once he got home. He didn’t mean to be so scary when he was upset, but Bongcha was, apparently, the only one who could deal with him like this. That made him sigh again as he stole an apple from the kitchen before going up to his room. He plopped down on his bed before reaching for the remote.

                He the TV and flipped through the channels before finally settling on some nature documentary. Absentmindedly, he pulled out his phone again and began looking through the many photos of him and his fiancée which the small device contained. His eyes softened and some of his frustration dissipated as her face popped up again and again.

                The knock on the door interrupted his reverie. “Come in,” he called out before tossing the phone towards the head of the bed.

                “Hey, Oppa,” Haejung greeted as she entered the room. She was wearing a pale blue dress that was cinched at the waist and hit her mid-thigh. It was cute and definitely something Bongcha would never wear. She closed the door behind her before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she smiled at him, “What did you need to talk about?”

                 “Bongcha told me something today.”

                “Oh? What’d she say?” Haejung asked as her head cocked to the side.

                “She said something about you trying to make a deal with my father to marry me,” he sighed, “Pretty crazy, right?” He gazed up at her, his brown eyes gaging her for a reaction to what he had just said. She frowned and glanced away, trying to hide that momentary flash of anger from him.

                “Your father told me he wouldn’t do it,” she pouted, “He said something about having found a competent heir to his company that he wouldn’t let go.” Seungri’s eyes widened. He hadn’t seen this side of Haejung. The smile was gone along with the childish pretense. “I don’t understand though. I’d be a much better fit than she is.”

                “So you did try and sabotage my wedding?” Seungri asked in shock. He didn’t recognize the girl standing in front of him. Sure, it was bound that a person would change while they grew up, but she had been acting like the little girl that used to trail behind him, hiding from grownups, the entire time they had been reunited.

                “I guess you could call it that,” she sighed, “but, really, I was trying to get you back. You promised that you’d marry me! You’re supposed to be mine, Oppa!” Her eyes glared into him, her long, black eyelashes quickly blinked away the tears that were beginning to form as her hands clenched at her sides.

                “That was when we were kids. I was nine.”

                “I was eight. That doesn’t matter,” she took a step forward, “You’re supposed to be my prince charming.”

                “Haejung-”

                “You’re going to be my prince charming.” She stopped in front of him. Her hands ran over his shoulders before wrapping around his neck as she straddled his waist. Her glossed lips turned up into a small smile as she gently pushed Seungri back. “Oppa, we should be getting married. I know you. I know what you want and, unlike her, I’m ready to give it to you.”

                “Haejung-ah,” his voiced lowered as she ran a hand down his chest.

                “Oppa, I’m so much better for you,” she whined, “I’m the one you need, not her. But, here, I’ll prove it to you.” She leaned her, her breath mingling with his, their lips centimeters apart. Suddenly, a low buzzing sound caught Seungri’s attention. His phone was vibrating and flashing Bongcha’s name.

                He reached for it but Haejung stopped his hand. “Oppa,” she said, “Make love to me.”