With an IQ of 145, Taemin had never considered himself as stupid. But how came he just made the most idiotic decision ever. Kibum would label himself as creative. Imaginative. Yet, never in a million years could he think of this scenario.

They made a mistake. A big mistake. Taemin should never have pretended to be Kibum. As less as Kibum should have pretended to be Taemin.

Days ago, they both finally made it to accept the marriage their parents had arranged. You thought this was bad. Double it. Things could be worse when you were supposed to marry a stranger. But living in the 21st century, the boys didn’t need to obey their parents, right? You only live once, wasn’t that the motto? Therefore, hours ago, they both decided to run away from their weddings. So how did they end up here? At the wedding of a stranger. Marrying another stranger.

“At this time, I’ll ask you, Kim Jonghyun, and you, Lee Taemin, to face each other and take each other’s hands.” The priest asked and the young men did as they were told. Believe it or not, this was the first time they held each other’s hands. Considering the fact that they were marring even though they had never met, this was going well. Too well.

In the meantime, in another wedding hall, that was as grand, as luxurious, and as elegant as the other wedding hall; two other young people were tying the knot as well.

 

“Choi Minho, will you take Kim Kibum to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?”

“I will,” said Minho dryly without any hesitation.

“Kim Kibum, will you take Choi Minho to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?”

“I…I,” stuttered the brown haired boy as everyone held their breath for the answer. As if they already feared this moment. As if they already knew something could go wrong. Because they knew. What else was actually to expect when the rebellious heirs of the two largest criminal syndicates were forced to marry. Two strangers forced to be a family from the first day they met. It was an open secret everybody knew about.

 “I do,” the young man finally said. When he was a child, he had always loved that moment at a wedding, when the officiant said: “You may kiss the bride.”. But when he became a teenager, he started to ask himself what’d the officiant say if two men marry? Who would be kissed? Who would be the bride? Never would he have thought he could find out the answer at his own wedding. But he did. He felt the cold, short kiss from Minho, his so-called husband, on his lips. He knew why. Minho wanted to show his dominance.

“Oh god, what have you done, Lee Taemin?” He thought with regrets. “And who the hell is Kim Kibum?”

Meanwhile, feeling as paralyzed as he did, the real Kibum was facing the same question.

“Taemin?” Jonghyun whispered confusingly to the blond haired boy in front of him. “Lee Taemin?”

And his voice successfully brought the boy back to earth.

“Taemin?” Kibum thought silently. “Oh , he means me.”

“I do,” he said.

 

19 hours before the weddings

“Why? Why, you asked?” Kibum shouted in disbelieve at the muscular man sitting opposite him. “Should I really explain why I want my father at my own wedding that only happens because you forced me to marry a stranger for your business’ sake?”

“You weren’t strangers. You met once before.”

“When we were kids,” Kibum corrected. “He doesn’t even know how I look like.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that anonymity has the highest priority in our branch? Will you ever ing learn?” His dad asked.

“That was not the answer to my question.”

“I am in jail.” The older man stated coldly the fact.

“Well, that was why I asked to delay the wedding. Three months is not a long time. You’re my father, so you should at least be at my wedding.”

“Can you ever stop being so needy? You’re not a baby anymore. I won’t take your hand and help you do everything.” Kibum’s father raised his voice.

“For someone who doesn’t even know when it’s his son’s birthday, you’re really positive about being a good father. But you know what? Let me get this straight. You are not a good father, but you’re the only one I have, so I tried to respect and love you. But that’s impossible. You make it impossible. You never care about anybody else but yourself. You’re as selfish as . No wonder mum ran away from you.” Losing the last self-control, Kibum yelled at his father as loud as he could, ignored the fact that they were in a room full of policemen and prisoners. 

“You, little , dare to talk to me like that?” His father jumped up from the seat but was held back by the handcuff that was fixed on the table.

Not even blinking in fear, Kibum stood up slowly, telling his dad.

“I’m done with you.”

Then he turned away and was about to leave as something seemed to bother him, causing him to turn back.

“You know what? I really hope they’ll find more than tax evasion to keep you inside forever because you deserve it. I slowly think it’s even better for me if you don’t come to my wedding. I don’t need you or any of your men to babysit me. I don’t want to see any of you at my wedding. Bye, dad.” Kibum said, emphasizing the word ‘dad’ with as much sarcasm as possible before heading to the exit. 

 

Meanwhile, in one of the best hospital of America, a brown-haired boy told his father, who was lying on a hospital bed with his wife next to him.
“Dad, I think it’s better if you don’t come to my wedding.”

“But it’s your wedding.” The man argued and Taemin agreed. Even though the marriage was not his wish but his parents, he still wanted them by his side when he became a part of a stranger’s family.

“Your dad is right, Minnie. Korea is far away from America and everything is different there. I should come with you.” His mother said.

“Mom, I’m marrying the son of the Minister for Security. What could happen to me? Being kidnapped by some gang?” Taemin asked, laughing.

“It’s the Minister of Public Administration and Security. And you know I don’t like that kind of joke.” Mrs. Lee corrected her son.

“I’m sorry, mom.”

“Honey, don’t be so strict to him. He is going to marry. Look, how he pouted like a lost puppy now.” Taemin’s dad told his wife before turning to him. “Your mother is right. At least one of us should go with you. We’re your only family after all.”

“That’s why I want you to take care of yourself. Having a heart attack is not a joke. You shouldn’t be alone right now. Mom should stay with you. It’s just a wedding. It’s not like I’ll leave forever. I’ll visit you guys with Jonghun-ssi as soon as possible.” Taemin explained.

“It’s Jonghyun, silly boy. You should at least know his name by now.” Mr. Lee said, shaking his head slowly.

“I’ll be fine,” guaranteed Taemin.

5 hours before the weddings

“Jonghyun?” A man in black suit called, knocking at the door. His right hand was holding a folder tightly as if he was worried he could lose it.

“Come in,” the young man replied as he turned around to find the Minister of Public Administration and Security entering the room.

“They finally send us the file,” The Minister said.

“And I am the opinion that you should be the first one to look at it.”

He handed the folder to the boy. Jonghyun took it with hesitation, but as soon as he had it in his hand, he knew what to do.

“You hadn’t read it already?” He questioned.

“As I said, I want you to be the first one to read it.” His father answered calmly.

“That’s very unlike you.”

 “After 11 years of uncertainty, if the world finally comes to know who Lee Kunhee’s son is, you should be the first person to get the information. You have the right to know everything about your future husband.”

“That’s a very noble offer of you, to let me know what his favorite color is, what his hobbies are, to which school he went and how my future husband looks like, and that five hours before the wedding. Thank you.” Jonghyun said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm.

“You’re mad. That’s understandable.” Mr. Kim replied.

“No, I don’t think you understand. I love my country and I know my father is going to be the best president South Korea will ever have; so if your billionaire high school friend is willing to sponsor your campaign with the condition of me marrying his son as a quid pro quo, I’m fine with it. What makes me angry is the fact that you see my future husband as a suspect…”

“… a folder,” Jonghyun corrected. “He is a human. Not something that could be summarized in a folder. If you want me to marry him, respect him. I don’t want any prejudgment because something that could be written in a file. I want you to do the same. That’s the least you owe me, father.”

“Sometimes I hate how much you got from your mother.” The Minister promised.

92 Minutes before the weddings

The man wearing the black leather jacket was taller than everyone else in the parking lot. He looked younger than the others, harmless and calm. However, appearances are deceiving.

“Listen, son of a , you’re only still breathing because I want you to. Tell your ty boss, this is no longer his territory. He should have thought about this as he decided to break the deal and invited the cops to our meeting.”

The man stated determinedly, throwing the bleeding guy to the ground.

“We didn’t.” The man on the ground whispered in pain.

“You dare to say we called the cops?” The tall young man asked aggressively. He was about to come at the other as one of his men stopped him.

“Minho,” called the man in an expensive suit. He seemed to be a few years older than Minho, but still younger than the others.

“I’ll take care of him. You’re late.” He warned.

“For what?” Minho questioned cockily.

“For your wedding,” answered everybody together.

“This is so annoying,” shouted Minho out loud, but still, he made his way to his wedding.

“And who am I marrying?” He asked.

“Boss, his name is Kim Kibum. His father is Kim Taeksoo, the leader of the South Black Lotus. His nickname is Key because-”

“Do you think I have time for this or do you like waste my time?” The impatient boss warned.  

“I’m sorry. Kim Kibum or Key, 24, born in Daegu, his mother ran away as he was 4, a black belt in taekwondo but even better at shooting, he has – ”

“Wait, give me that,” Minho interrupted the man next to him, grabbing the iPad from the other’s hand. He read carefully everything and seemed to be lightly impressed.

“No picture?”

“No, boss,” answered his employee.

“Typically the Black Lotus, taking anonymity too serious; it’s the 21st century! There is no such thing as anonymity, not even for a gangster. Such a backward family.”

88 Minutes until the weddings

It has been over an hour since Taemin’s plane landed and since over an hour, he had been sitting there, watching people passed by. Some looked tired from the long flight, some seemed to be happy to finally get home, and some couldn’t hide the excitement of exploring Korea. Everyone looked like they knew where to go and where they belonged to. None of them was lost.

“Are you lost?” A gentle voice asked. At first, Taemin thought the boy sitting next to him was talking to someone else, but as the boy tapped his shoulder lightly, he realized the stranger was talking to him. How weird for a Korean to have such blond hair, but it suited his modern and fashionable style almost perfectly. Nothing he would wear and yet he had to admit it was tasteful.

“Not really,” he answered.

“You’re not sure if you’re lost or not?” The other boy questioned amusedly. Taemin smiled.

“No, I’m just not sure anymore if I want to go to the place I‘m supposed to.”

“Why don’t you want to go there anymore?” Taemin looked at his ‘new friend’ puzzled. The blond boy just met him, but he was talking as if they were best buddies, how weird.

“Someone who is very important to me expects me to go there and I don’t want to disappoint that person, but I really don’t want to … go there.” Taemin answered and within a second he wondered why he did that. He was about to tell a stranger his life story. Maybe it was because he really needed someone to talk to right now. Who knew?

“Then don’t go. Someone who really loves you would never expect you to do something against your will.” The boy suggested. Taemin froze. Funny was, he was, in fact, thinking about following that stranger’s advice.

“Anyway, good luck,” the blond boy said, standing up. Yet, before he could be out of sights, Taemin caught up to him.

“Wait,” he called. “Thank you for the advice. Please take this.”

Taemin handed the other boy his cap. The stranger looked at the red cap as if he didn’t know how to respond but then he smiled.

“Cute,” he said, putting it on his head. “Thank you,… ”

“Taemin. My name is Lee Taemin.”

“Well thank you, Taemin. I’m Key.”

“No, thank you, Key-ssi”

 

Making his way to the exit, Key pulled down the cap to hide his face. As he saw two men in black, one was holding a sheet of paper with his name ‘Kim Kibum’ written on it; he automatically turned away, heading to the other direction. After a few steps, two policemen suddenly stood in his way, almost causing him a heart attack. Being the son of a gang member, his instinct to hide and run as soon as he saw cops. And he was about to follow his instinct until one of the officers spoke.

“Lee Taemin?”

“Who?” Key mumbled, turned around to check if the man was talking to him. Taemin? Wasn’t that the boy he just met? He would have told them he wasn’t that Taemin boy if the man with his name sign wasn’t looking at him.

“Mr. Lee? Mr. Kim is very sorry he can’t pick you up personally.”

“Mr. Kim?” Key asked unsurely. Was that Taemin guy a criminal too? Were they here to arrest him?

“Yes, your father in law,” the policeman said.

“Oh, of course, my father,” Turned around, Key noticed the other man was still looking at him.

“… in law.” He played.

“Yes, I’m Lee Taemin. Can we go? Now?” Hey said, pushing the two men to the exit.

“What a relief, we thought we didn’t saw you. I’d have to start wearing glasses if I really missed a red cap?” The man said joyfully. “But you needed a lot of time in there. Is everything alright?” He asked.

“Red cap?” Key thought and remembered what Taemin said earlier.

“No, I’m just not sure anymore if I want to go to the place I‘m supposed to.”

“Wait! Thank you for the advice. Please take this.”

“That brat, he is smarter than he looks like.” Key murmured.

“Yes, everything is fine.” He replied to the officer.

5 Minutes ago

Taemin felt the cold hit him as he realized how many policemen were at the airport. Each of them could be sent by Jonghyun’s father. It wasn’t easy to get rid of his own bodyguard, he couldn’t go that far and then let himself be caught by some policemen who probably didn’t even know how he looks like.  The best option that he could think of at that moment was getting rid of the red cap first. Mission succeeded. Now he didn’t have to fear anything anymore. That was until he noticed the officer walking toward him. He panicked. Grabbed the next driver with a name sign he saw, Taemin said.

“Hello, I am…,” looked down at the sign, he finished. “Kim Kibum.”

When they reached the parking plot, he told the men, he wasn’t Kim Kibum and apologized. To his surprise, the men in black didn’t believe him.

“We don’t have time for your little game, Mr. Kim. Please get in.” One of them said, opening the door for Taemin. Yet the boy didn’t move.

“Mr. Kim, we wouldn’t want to hurt you, but we don’t have a choice if you don’t listen.”

Taemin shivered but he got in the car. How could things go that far? Not even two hours on his own and he was kidnapped? Maybe his parents were right. He wasn’t able to take care of himself. Maybe he should never have tricked his bodyguard. The man was just doing his job.

“Where… Where are you taking me?” He pulled himself together to ask.

“To your wedding, of course,” answered the man in black and so did the officer in Key’s car.                 

“This must be a bad joke.” The two boys thought in disbelief. They didn’t run away from one wedding to end up with another.

Edited / 31.05.2019

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