For Inn_Starlight! I'm so sorry for the very long wait - writers block and school work swamped me uhuhu... u-u

Overdue
Leo & Cha Haneul

"Omo! Have you seen this one? Page sixteen! It’s beautiful."

Leo rolled his eyes, concentrating on the liquid sizzling in the pan.

"Page thirty two? Ok, hang on… thirty… thirty two! Oh… oh my gosh, it’s gorgeous. Is it your favourite so far?"

His girlfriend’s voice was starting to grate on him, from where she sat at the kitchen table, her mobile tucked between her shoulder and cheek as she thumbed through a magazine. He tried his best to concentrate on the omelette cooking in front of him, sprinkling cheese and seasoning and cracking black pepper from the grinder. It was beginning to fill the kitchen with a warm, cosy smell; he found himself breathing in deeply in an effort to distract himself from the conversation.

"What? For me? Oh no, no, this is your big day!"

How long are they gonna go at it? He sighed, flipping the omelette with a flick of his wrist. Honestly, he was about to throw the pan at a wall - for the past hour or so, he'd heard nothing but 'oh, this dress is lovely', 'what about that colour?' and, perhaps the best; 'you cant have turkey dinosaurs at your reception, Minah.'

Her best friend was getting married to an important businessman - an arranged marriage, apparently. Haneul had explained to him once that it wasn't unusual for them to be wedded off, completely at ease with the subject, but she practically came from another world to him - she was born into money, and he worked hard as an idol for his.

His thoughts were interupted by a loud squeal, and when he turned around to narrow his eyes at the brunette he quickly realised that she hadn't made a sound - instead, he was met was his own incredulous stare, as Haneul held the phone away from her head, blinking.

"Holy , Minah," she said, gingerly returning the device to her ear. "Don't do that - I think you burst my ear drum..."

"And mine," Leo mumbled quietly as he slid the omelette onto a plate, turning down the heat on the hob before walking over to his girlfriend. Haneul couldn't help but snort quietly away from the receiver, as he slid the plate in front of her.

"Are you sure you've found the one?" She asked her friend, reaching out to grab his hand before he walked away, bringing his fingers to her lips as she whispred a thank you. Leo rolled his eyes and swatted at her, but his cheeks turned a little pink as he grabbed his own plate from the bench and sat opposite her.

"Look, I've gotta go now, but I'll definitely call you later, okay? You can show me which one you've picked. See ya!"

As soon as the mobile hit the table, Haneul let out a heavy sigh, weakly glancing at her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know she'd be so long."

He waved his hand in front of his face in dismissal as he began to eat, shaking his head to let her know it was fine. Really, inside he was feeling a little uncomfortable, but he didn't want to let her know that - it wasn't because she'd been talking so long, but because of what they'd been talking about.

"Are you sure you can't make it to the wedding? Minah would really love it if you could come, y'know. She's a big fan," Haneul asked him, picking up her fork as she began to eat.

"I'm in Japan that week, Han. I told you," he replied, a little exasperated - but his girlfriend just sank in her seat, looking down at her plate.

"Yeah... I know."

Leo watched her quietly for a bit, looking away whenever she looked up at him. He felt guilty. Whenever one of her friends got married, she would be enthusiastic and excited and discuss all the planning with him, extending the invitation. But he would always decline, claiming he was busy with work, that he had schedules to attend - though most of the time it was true, he would be lying if he said he didn't feel relief. 

He didn't mind marriage - it wasn't like he was super opposed to it, or was scared of the commitment. But no matter what, without fail, Haneul would always find some way to bring up their own relationship - how long they'd been together, what her dream wedding would be like, her dress, who she would invite, who her husband would be. It had been six years since they'd met, one day at a company dinner. Almost five years since he'd asked her out on New Years Eve, and they'd kissed as the fireworks exploded over their heads. But with his career as it was, barely spending any time at home, he felt like he didn't deserve to be the man to call her 'wife'.

"... Taekwoon..."

Hearing his real name, he paused, fork hovering in front of his mouth as he was about to take a bite. His stomach dropped, and suddenly, he didn't feel like eating anymore.

"I know... you don't like it... but..." Haneul chewed the inside of her lip, spinning her own fork in her fingers. The tension had sprung up, and she probably would have regretted ever opening , if not for the position she was in. "About... us..."

"Haneul..."

"You can't avoid me forever," she said quietly, her voice wavering as she set her knife and fork down. "We're not getting any younger, Leo. I love you. I love you so so much, more than I ever believed I would be capable of, and I just don't understand why you seem to be so against us getting married."

"I've explained it before, Haneul," he frowned, putting down his own cutlery. "There's no way."

"I told you, I don't care if you're away too much."

Leo furrowed his brow. "It's not just that. There's so much more to this, you don't understand."

"You better not be playing the company card. Don't you even dare, because I know for a fact your manager has asked when you're getting married. You're just too scared to finally do something you want to do incase your fans don't agree."

"Haneul!" Leo raised his voice unexpectedly, and she flinched in her seat as he breathed heavily through his nose, trying to calm down. "I don't deserve to be your husband. I don't deserve you. I can't marry you, why can't you just accept that?"

... He... can't marry me? Her lip quivered as she heard him, and he seemed to realise just what he'd said when suddenly she stood up, plate clattering as she bumped the table, chair skidding backwards across the tiles.

"Haneul," Leo stood up with her quickly, his eyes wide as his irritation disappeared. "I didn't-"

"So I guess it's okay if I just go marry someone else then, right?" She asked sourly, tears building up in her eyes. "I can't wait forever, Taekwoon. It's you that doesn't understand."

"I- Han, I meant-"

He wasn't able to explain himself. The words got stuck in his throat, panicking as he watched her storm over to her bag before heading to the door. He had never been good with his feelings, he could never get across what he was thinking properly, and it was right now he was cursing it - as Haneul stopped in the doorway, turning to look over her shoulder with one last pained glance, tears finally spilling down her flushed cheeks. He could feel his heart breaking.

"Did you ever stop to think, about what I deserve?" She asked him quietly, before shaking the thought from her head as she walked out of the door.

It slammed closed behind her, the sound echoing with an odd finality throughout the silent apartment. And with a long, shaky breath, Leo fell back in his chair in disbelief.

Three days. It had been three days since she'd walked out, and her plate still lay where she'd left it on the kitchen table. Leo had barely felt, barely moved, until his group mates had turned up later that night to drag him out to a schedule, and he'd very quietly and very shakily told them that Haneul was gone and he didn't know what to do.

He'd called her. Oh God, he'd called her - after getting home from practice, the exercise getting his head into working gear, he'd picked up his phone and rang constantly; leaving voicemails, dropping texts for her to call back. But two days of no response had worn down his confidence. He was becoming mechanical, empty, to the point where he sat alone in his apartment staring at the wall, just waiting for anything to happen.

He hadn't meant to blow up at her. All the irritation, all the anger - it was mostly towards himself, and yet he'd blown up at her. She was right.

He was scared.

But it wasn't without reason - yes fans knew about him dating, and yes the majority were accepting, but it hadn't always been that way. Sasaengs had followed them home and sent malicious presents through their letter box, left hateful comments on Haneul's Twitter and Instagram. She'd said she didn't care, that she knew what she was getting into, but he'd woken up to her crying a few times, and it destroyed him though he never told her.

He didn't even want to think about what they'd do if they heard he was marrying her.

Taking a deep breath, he reached up to drag his hands down his face - and mid sigh, after three days of silence, his phone finally rang.

He didn't even check the caller ID, instantly diving for the device on the coffee table and bringing it to his ear. "Hello?" He asked breathlessly, almost shouting in desperation, hoping and hoping it would be the voice he'd dreamed about-

"Jung Taekwoon, what the happened!?"

His face dropped. The feminine voice was familiar, even spitting curse words he'd never heard her say before, but it wasn't the one he craved. "Minah..."

"Actually, let me rephrase that question," she said before he could continue, panicked and angry. "Jung Taekwoon, can you tell me why the Haneul is getting married to some seedy businessman!?"

Suddenly, his mind was blank. His stomach churned, his heart felt like it would stop in his chest. "... What?"

"I just got a text inviting me to her wedding, and you can imagine my surprise when it was not your name next to hers. She won't answer my calls, or anyone elses, and there's nothing in the media. So what the hell happened, Leo!?"

His mouth refused to work, as all at once his thoughts returned to him, speeding through his mind with all of the possibilities, the reasons. Was this the end? Was she gone for good? Is this what she meant by not waiting forever?

"Leo!"

Realisation dawned on him, and without another thought he ended the call on her, shoving the mobile into his pocket as he stood up. He didn't even bother grabbing his jacket as he stormed out of the apartment, barely pausing to lock his door before he ran down the stairs and into the streets.

His mind was set. It had gotten too real too quickly, and he knew what he had to do. She'd given him so many hints over the past months and he'd been too self absorbed to see them.

But he wasn't going to let her go now.

"Darling, you look gorgeous!"

Slowly, Haneul blinked at herself in the mirror, turning around to see the back of her dress. It had only been two days since she'd finally caved in, and when her mother had heard her agree to the proposal she'd immediately been swept up in such a bizarre wave of preparations that her mind could barely keep up. She'd allowed herself to be dragged along without much protest, anything the keep her from her thoughts, and to stop her from remembering him.

It killed her to do this. But she hadn't been left with a choice. Her mother had given her the ultimatum years ago, as a daughter of a wealthy businessman - if she didn't marry Leo by the time she was 25, she would be wedded off into a political partnership, like most of her other friends. And time had ticked by, only a few months left, until he'd dropped that line.

He couldn't marry her. He wouldn't marry her.

So she'd given up.

"I think this is the one. It suits you perfectly," her mother cooed, fluffing out the skirt and tugging at the sleeves. The bodice was tied snugly on her torso, flattering her figure, pushing up her chest. It was true - she did look good. But it wasn't for the man she wanted it to be.

Sighing, she looked down. They had been trying on dresses for most of the day, inviting a designer into their home so she could pick and choose as she pleased. Taking up residence in the foyer, Haneul had lost count of the outfits she'd tried on, each one met with a chorus of 'ooo this one is best' or 'no this one is better'. She'd barely managed to find time to text her best friend about her big day, a simple statement with no elaboration - and then had to ignore all her calls since, a mixture of too busy and too ashamed to answer.

"Cha Haneul," her mother called her name softly, and she looked up, her face void of any reaction. "I know, you're sad. But we're doing this for you, darling. You'll be better off in the long run, it would never have lasted with that idol."

The way she seemed to scoff at his job had always irked her, but she couldn't find the fight within to complain anymore. Her family had always frowned upon their relationship.

"Alright. We'll take this one," the older woman declared with a bright smile, as if forgetting she'd ever mentioned him. "Haneul, go change so that the lady can take care of the dress. Mr Kwon, if you'd like to follow me to my study, we can discuss prices..."

The designer and her mother quickly left the foyer in conversation, and Haneul allowed her shoulders to slump in defeat. Mr Kwon's assistant awkwardly smiled at her, but didn't say anything, and with one last look at herself in the mirror she sighed heavily and turned to walk up the grand staircase.

"I'll be ten minutes."

"Of course, Miss."

She rolled her eyes, picking up the skirt of her dress so she could move without restriction. Voices bickered outside the front doors, but she ignored it - the maids usually took breaks on the porch, often gossiping and arguing amongst themselves. It wasn't until she was halfway up the stairs that she frowned, glancing backwards briefly at the noise as it escalated, Mr Kwon's assistant looking awkwardly between her and the door from the floor.

"Um..."

"Ignore it," she said bluntly, turning back to the stairs. "It's just the staff causing a scene."

But, as soon as the sentence left her lips, she was proved wrong. And her breath hitched in .

"Haneul!"

As the last echoes of his voice rang through the foyer, she paused on the stairs, skirts of her dress slipping through her fingers. Her heart began to race in her chest, and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth nervously. No. It couldn't be him.

"Sir, you can't just force your way in like that! This is trespassing!"

"Get off me," he almost growled, and Haneul was in disbelief. She had never heard him so panicked, so angry, desperate. And she was scared to turn around and look at him - until his fingers closed around her wrist and he pulled her round into his arms, a step below her yet still taller.

"I'm sorry, Miss, he just stormed in-" the maid began to explain fearfully, but Leo interrupted her as he pulled his soul mate closer, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck.

"I'm so sorry, Haneul. I'm so sorry. I didn't pay any attention to you, I was worrying on my own and you were right, I was scared," he said desperately, pulling away to take her face between his hands. "I don't want you to be hurt. I never want to see you cry because of me again. Seeing you keep everything to yourself just because you thought it would hurt me, it was even worse that way."

"Leo..." She was at a loss for words. So he knew. Of course he knew. All those times she'd cried to herself from the bullying, and he could only watch as she tried to be strong.

"I love you, Haneul," he said, and touched his forehead to hers gently, not caring about whoever was watching their exchange on the stairs. "Please... don't do this..."

There was a lump forming in as tears threatened to fall again, her skin prickling with goosebumps, her heart beating a mile a minute. Was this really happening? Had he come here to take her back? "L-Leo, I can't-"

"No, don't say that," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I thought I couldn't do something either, and look where that got me? With the love of my life running off to marry another man. I made a mistake, Haneul, and I'm paying for it. But I want to make it right."

"W-What-?"

She stopped as he drew away from her arms, taking a few steps down to create some space between them. He had never spoken so freely before, never expressed himself like this in any way. Over the past six years, she had grown used to his quiet displays of affection, his ways of showing his love without being too obvious - but there he was, spilling his heart, and suddenly she was the one without words.

Because he had gotten down onto one knee, reaching for her hand, and was looking down at the floor as he blushed madly.

Oh my God. Her thoughts went into over drive, heart leaping in her chest. He swallowed, both the lump in his throat and his shyness, and eventually looked up into her eyes, making her match his blush in embarrassment.

"Cha Haneul," he began, his voice shaky but determined. "This question is many years overdue. I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting, and I'm sorry that it's taken something like this to make me realise. But... what I wanted to ask, was...

"Will you marry me?"

At his words, the maid gasped, clapping her hands over in astonishment; Mr Kwon's assistant loudly exclaimed 'Oh my God' in surprised and ran off into the next room, probably to call her boss and tell him the news; and Haneul... oh, Haneul. Her hand froze in his as the words she'd longed to hear registered in her brain, dropped open, the tears finally spilled over her cheeks - and with the slowest of nods as she took it all in, Leo immediately pulled himself up to her and pressed his lips against hers.

Thumbs messily brushed at her face to wipe away her tears as she melted into his arms, lost in the magic of the moment as she came to terms with what had just happened. Years of waiting. Heartbreak after each refusal. And finally, finally she would be able to be with the one man she truly loved. Her mother couldn't do anything - it was within their bargain. Things would work out - and for the first time in a while, she found herself feeling complete happiness.

"What is going on here!? What is this!?"

Speak of the devil, she thought. Smiling into the kiss, Haneul was the first to pull away - both of them breathless, watery eyed, pink cheeks. She laughed through her tears as she hurriedly wiped at her eyes, Leo's arms still wrapped around her waist as he leaned to kiss her forehead. Surprisingly, he felt no worry. Whatever happened they would work through it. He just hoped his fans could be understanding.

Mr Kwon had returned with his assistant in tow, both following as Mrs Cha stomped through the foyer, her eyes alight with anger and her fists clenched. "Cha Haneul, explain yourself! What is he doing here!?"

Glancing at Leo briefly, Haneul took a deep breath, turning to her mother with the brightest smile she'd worn in a while.

"I hope you haven't printed out the invitations yet," she said, leaning back against her new husband-to-be's chest with a content chuckle. Leo hummed, nuzzling her hair, and looked over the top of her head to where her mother stood below them.

"... Why?" Her mother dared to ask, but she was already resigning herself to the outcome. Seeing them happily intertwined on the stairs, she knew there was nothing she could do now.

And so, grinning, Haneul opened and said the most satisfying thing she'd would ever say until the day she reached the altar.

"Because, we're going to have to change my partner's name."