vi — chapter six;

the final chapter;

as continued from the previous chapter;

a/n: I feel like this will confuse you, so here's the key to the dialogue:

Language (the one they're speaking in):

English - “English looks like this. It's just normal text/font.

Korean - “Korean looks like this. It's italicized.”

Please remember this so it doesn't confuse you!

“Before I go,” Seoyeon searched through her purse and she looked up as she finally found what she was looking for – a lilac envelope. She handed it to Baekhyun. “I really hope you'll come, oppa.”

She spun around and took a few steps forward. She reached the door, but she turned towards Baekhyun again. “I hope you find your own happiness, oppa. Like how I've found mine.”

Baekhyun sighed as he saw her leave the store and get in her fiancé's car.

He then looked at the envelope, which Seoyeon had placed ever so delicately in his hand.

‘From Stephanie Jung, who is also known as Jung Seoyeon’ was written lightly in a very neat and elegant font in the very middle of the envelope.

Baekhyun knew all too well what it was.

It was Seoyeon and Mark's wedding invitation.

‘I really hope you'll come, oppa.’

fast forward;

the day before the wedding, taking place in Los Angeles, California;

“Mom...come on, don't cry,” Seoyeon rubbed her mother's palm affectionately. “Mom, if you're like this, what'll that make me? You know I always want to cry, too, then.”

Mark, too, have his mom a kiss on the cheek and a backhug, as she was also sobbing. “Mom~.”

It was the day before the wedding, and the tension and suspense was sharper than a knife. It cut through them like pierces, and it had affected the sensitive mothers the most.

The fathers, however, were joking around by themselves on the lounge, not even giving a glance towards their wives, as this had already happened many times before when Mark or Seoyeon's siblings got married.

“I just can't believe you're all grown up. All of my children...” Mrs.Tuan trailed off, and Mrs.Jung finished the sentence for her.

“-are grown-ups now. They don't even need me now. They're all getting married and they only care for their spouse.” Mrs.Jung wiped her tears lightly with a handkerchief.

“Wait,” Seoyeon took in the thought her mother had just expressed. “Taeyeon unnie is married?”

Mrs.Jung nodded, “You didn't know? She said she sent you an invitation. You didn't show up, though.”

“What...? I've never received an invitation from her...” Seoyeon was clueless.

Did her own older sister not want to see her?

“Who'd she get married to?” Seoyeon inquired, slowly, trying to process all the information.

Everyone was silent, they either listened in the conversation, or was in the conversation.

Mrs.Jung just looked away.

Mr.Jung broke the silence first. “She got married to,” he let out a heavy sigh, “Byun Baekhyun.”

Seoyeon was broken down now, and Mark was hugging her tightly, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

“It'll all be okay,” he kept saying. “You have me.”

“No, no, Mark, you don't understand,” Seoyeon started sobbing, “How could he?! How could he even dare to think of telling me that he loves me when he was married? To my sister! That ungrateful piece of shi–”

Mark covered , “Love, you're only hurting yourself by saying such things. You know that I get hurt when I see you cry. It makes me feel bad about myself, and how I couldn't protect you. For my sake, please stop. You protected me when we met Baekhyun last time. Now, it's my turn,” he kissed her forehead and continued, “to protect you. From him. From anything. Do you understand, love?”

Seoyeon sighed, but went into Mark's embrace, to which Mark hugged her even tighter. “I understand. I'll probably need time, though.”

Mark nodded in understanding. “You'll always have me.”

“Why is everyone always hiding secrets from me? Is it so hard to tell me? Don't you think I'd find out sooner or later? Do I seem that stupid to you all?” Seoyeon asked her parents, who were seated across from her, whom stared everywhere else but towards her.

“We're not always hiding secrets from you. You know we rarely keep secrets in this family unless it's dangerous or really important for us to,” Seoyeon's father said, staring at his younger daughter while his wife looked down in guilt. “We knew, Seoyeon, that you would find out later because secrets are always meant to be told. We never said you were stupid. We were protecting you.”

Seoyeon chuckled bitterly, “Protecting me from what? My monster of a family?”

“Jung Seoyeon!” Mrs.Jung hissed.

“You both knew, didn't you? You knew Baekhyun was cheating on me, with my own sister,” Seoyeon halted, the painful flashbacks coming back into her head. “You both knew. But you kept it a secret!”

“Seoyeon...”

“Why did Taeyeon unnie marry Baekhyun in the first place? Wait, let me rephrase that. If Baekhyun was really still in love with me, why did he marry Taeyeon unnie?” Seoyeon questioned.

“Because,” Seoyeon's mother sighed and Seoyeon's father's face had turned a bright red, which only indicated one thing – he was angry, and he was holding it in. “He impregnated her.”

Seoyeon turned ghastly pale and her eyes were wide and round, as she stared cluelessly at her parents. “W-what...d-did y-you j-just say...? He...he...did w-what...?”

Mr.Jung continued for his wife, who was silently weeping now. “He impregnated her. We found out shortly after you left. Taeyeon wasn't like herself and she kept throwing up at the sight of her favorite food. Your mother suspected...and...”

“-and now you have your little nephew, Byun Taehyun.” A different, and elegant voice came from the doorway.

Everybody turned towards the door, horrified.

“T-taeyeon?”

“What are you doing here?” Mark growled at the male at the do