Xiumin’s mind ran a mile a minute as he pictured meeting Chen’s parents.

What will they think? Do they even approve of Chen dating a boy? Am I screwed from the start? Xiumin thought.

Jong Deok still stood in front of Xiumin and Chen, looking Chen dead in the eye. Xiumin could already feel himself shake at the thought of what was to come later that day. He didn’t know very much about Chen’s parents aside from the few things he’d heard Chen say about them. They were strict; they wanted him to be a successful and wealthy person. And if they were anything like Chen’s brother, they definitely wouldn’t like Xiumin.

          “Fine,” Chen said, pulling Xiumin out of his thoughts.

          “They’ll be at the restaurant in Namsan Tower then,” Jong Deok said, leaving Xiumin and Chen to get food from the kitchen.

Chen relaxed slightly and turned to look at Xiumin, who was nervously biting his lip and furrowing his eyebrows.

          “Hey, it’ll be okay,” Chen reassured.

Xiumin turned to look him in the eye.

          “I… I just don’t want to lose you. I-I want them to approve of us,” Xiumin said nervously.

          “I honestly don’t care what they say, I’m not giving you up,” Chen said, pulling Xiumin against him and running his hands through the elder’s hair.

Xiumin buried his face in Chen’s neck and breathed in his scent. Tonight would be a challenge, but only just the next hurtle for them to overcome.

          Xiumin looked through his closet for something to wear to dinner. The restaurant at Namsan Tower wasn’t cheap at all. It was quite high-end and he had to be sure to dress appropriately. What kind of background did Chen’s parents come from to be able to afford this expensive of a place? Xiumin found himself biting his lip for the millionth time that day as he dug through his closet to find the blazer and dress pants that rarely saw use. Whenever he had to dress up, the company would provide a suit, tie, and dress shirt, so his own never saw any use—aside from this situation at least. He found what he wanted and pulled them out to assess their condition. The jacket and pants looked to be okay, but the dress shirt was quite wrinkled. Xiumin sighed and lifted a hand to his forehead. He’d have to borrow a shirt from someone. He turned around to face Luhan, who was lying on his bed to watch something on his phone with his headphones.

          “Lu?” Xiumin called.

No answer.

          “Luhan?” Xiumin called again more loudly.

Luhan didn’t move. Xiumin walked to the bed and smacked Luhan’s arm, causing him to jump.

          “Yah! Luhan!”

          “Mwo?” Luhan said, confused.

          “I’ve been calling you for the past minute. How high is the volume on that?” Xiumin said, gesturing to the phone.

          “I don’t know, but what did you need?”

          “Well… Do you have a dress shirt I can borrow? Mine is a bit of a wreck.”

Luhan hummed and sat up.

          “I have a couple that could fit you,” Luhan said, going to look at his clothes, “Here’s a white one… and a blue one… and another white one… I think that’s it. Why do you need one anyways?”

          “I’m going to dinner tonight with Chen… and his parents.”

          “Take this one then; it’s the nicest,” Luhan said with a smile.

          “Thanks, Lulu,” Xiumin said, taking the shirt.

          “Of course, anytime~” Luhan said cheerfully.

Xiumin smiled slightly and went to the bathroom to change. When he returned to the room, Sehun had appeared and was with Luhan on his bed, watching whatever it was on Luhan’s phone. Sehun turned to Xiumin as he came into the room.

          “Oh… Hyung, you look good. What is going on tonight?”

          “He’s meeting Chen-Chen’s parents,” Luhan said softly.

          “Oh. Good luck then, hyung. Are you nervous?” Sehun asked.

          “Yes, very much so.”

          “Hwaiting!” Sehun and Luhan both lifted their fists and cheered for Xiumin.

          “Gomawo…” Xiumin said, turning to the mirror to tie his tie.

He looked himself over and decided he was presentable. Chen would be ready to go any minute and then they would leave for dinner. Xiumin could feel his stomach flip-flopping nervously. He sat on the edge of his bed and wrung his hands nervously until he heard a knock on the door. Chen opened the door and poked his head inside.

          “Are you ready, hyung?” Chen asked.

          “No,” Xiumin said quietly.

          “What?”

          “I said yes,” Xiumin said with a tense smile.

Chen smiled sympathetically.

          “Come on then.”

          The restaurant in Namsan Tower was most likely the nicest restaurant Xiumin had ever been inside. The atmosphere itself held an air of dignity and refinement. Xiumin gulped as he entered. Chen spoke softly to the employee about a reservation for 4 under the name Kim. The man nodded and began to lead them to their table. Xiumin wouldn’t have moved forward if not for Chen grabbing his hand and pulling him along. His hands shook by his side and his knees wobbled. Xiumin wanted Chen’s parents’ approval. They approached a table where a man and woman were seated. The man looked to be in his late forties or possibly his early fifties and looked remarkably like Jong Deok. The woman, who appeared to be around the same age as the man, had softer features and long dark hair and the same soft eyes and warm aura as Chen. Chen led him to the table and stood in front of the couple. The man regarded them harshly and the woman looked on with a blank expression. Things were not looking good for Xiumin. Chen bowed to the man and woman—his parents—and began to introduce Xiumin.

          “Abeoji, Eomeoni, this is Xiumin, my boyfriend,” Chen said.

Xiumin bowed almost 90-degrees as he greeted them.

          “Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Xiumin.”

When he straightened, he looked into Chen’s parents’ faces. His father’s face was still hardened and betrayed no emotion, however his mother’s had softened and she had a slight smile on her lips.

          “Sit down, Jong Dae,” his father said.

Xiumin and Chen took their place at the table across from his parents.

          “So Xiumin… Where are you from?” Chen’s mother asked.

          “I’m from here… Korea,” Xiumin said, awkwardly.

          “Really? Is your family Chinese? You name doesn’t sound Korean,” she continued.

          “Aniyo… I am Korean. Xiumin isn’t my real name. My real name is Min Seok.”

          “Oh! Minnie~!” Chen’s mother said, using his nickname.

Xiumin laughed softly and Chen squeezed his hand under the table.

          “So Jong Deok said you’re being stubborn and refusing to break up with him,” Chen’s father said abruptly.

          “Yes. I’m not willing to make any compromises when it comes to this either,” Chen said firmly.

His father narrowed his eyes at Chen and they stared at each other for a moment.

          “And what will happen after your contract is up? Do you plan to stay with him even after that?”

          “Yes. And, Abeoji, I don’t plan on leaving EXO after my contract is up. It is my life and I have the right to choose what I do with it.”

          “Don’t start with that again, Jong Dae. I’ve negotiated with you before, and I don’t plan on changing our agreement. That is final.”

          “No, it isn’t. I’m not going to let go of my dreams,” Chen said.

          “We’ll talk about that later. For now, just stick to the issue at hand. Is there no chance of you dating someone else, perhaps a girl?”

          “No. Xiumin is the only one for me.”

There was a moment of silence. Xiumin and Chen’s mother didn’t dare to go between the arguing pair.

          “There is no way I will approve this relationship. If you insist upon seeing him, then there are no options left for us. Until you come to your senses, you are not my son,” Chen’s father stood from the table and walked away, leaving the others sitting there.

Xiumin’s heart sank as he heard the words he’d dreaded all night long come spilling out of Chen’s father’s mouth. His shoulders fell as he realized what had just occurred. He’d come between Chen and his father. He’d caused Chen to be disowned. He swallowed and felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. Not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Chen’s mother, he stood and excused himself, running out with tears streaming down his face.

A/N: Whew... That was tough to write. Does anyone else ever get that feeling of deja vu? I felt like I'd dreamt about writing this chapter before. It was really weird... almost like I was writing it again. Anywho~ Thanks for taking the time to read! Please upvote, subscribe, and please, please, please comment! I love reading all the things you say! <3 Goodbye summer vacations too T-T