Minseok sat alone in his condo, wondering how exactly he'd gone wrong.  The beer in his hands was freezing through his fingers, making his bones ache slightly.  He didn't know exactly how long he'd been sitting there.

He should've expected Luhan to leave him like that.  To say it blindsided him would've been an understatement.  Deep down in Minseok's heart, he knew the reason he'd said yes to Luhan's proposal in the first place.  It wasn't the first time someone asked him to be a part of their life forever, but he'd accepted Luhan's proposal.  Perhaps from the very start, Minseok had anticipated that Luhan would leave him. Minseok didn't even know if he would've said 'I do' if Luhan did make it to the altar.

In all honesty, Minseok thought he could live in mild discontentment with Luhan for the rest of their lives.  Apparently Luhan didn't seem too intent on living that way.  But wasn't that why they worked in the first place?  Neither was truly happy; they had both gotten in the way of their own happiness one too many times.  It was human to make mistakes, and Minseok and Luhan were perfectly human.

Minseok brought the bottle to his lips and took a small swig, staring at the TV which was turned off.  Most of the guests at the wedding belonged to Luhan.  Minseok hadn't even told his parents that he was getting married.  He hadn't spoken to his parents in years, ever since he refused to participate their small family business.  Ever since Minseok turned down his first proposal from his first boyfriend.  His guests only consisted of friends that he'd made since coming to the city.  It should've been another sign; he wasn't willing to smooth things out with his parents for Luhan.

His condo was devoid of pictures and mementos; Luhan had taken them when he left.  Minseok's life was reduced to the clothes in his closet and the appliances that Luhan had been kind enough to leave behind.

There was a knock on the door, snapping Minseok out of his reverie.  Minseok slowly made his way to the door, using the peep hole to determine who was at the door.  The convex glass gave Baekhyun's face an odd bulge as he bounced up and down in front of Minseok's door.

Minseok unlocked his dead bolt and then door handle.  He pulled it open and greeted Baekhyun with little enthusiasm, "Baekhyun, why are you here?"

"Well, you seemed to be in need of cheering up." Baekhyun smiled before presenting him with an envelope. "This was in your mailbox."

In the past two weeks since Luhan left him at the altar, Baekhyun had put himself in charge of taking care of Minseok.  He regularly checked Minseok's mail and came to cook him dinner.

Minseok accepted the envelope; it was a creamy color and seemed expensive.  His name and address were embossed in silver with an italicized flair.  There was no name attached to the return address.  Minseok looked at Baekhyun, "What's this?"

"I'm not into committing felonies, even if it satisfies my curiosity.  Now open it, so I can figure out who sent you a fancy letter." Baekhyun whined.

Minseok slid his finger under the corner of the sealed side of the envelope before Baekhyun stopped him, "Use letter opener, you barbarian.  This is a really nice envelope.  You must treat it with great care and the respect it deserves."

Minseok sighed and walked over to the kitchen.  He yanked open the junk drawer and rummaged until he found a letter opener that Baekhyun himself had given him for his birthday two years ago.  Minseok slipped the edge of the letter opener into the slit and swiftly opened the top of the envelope neatly.

He pinched the edge of the thick paper within and brought it out.

The moment he saw it, he knew exactly what it was.  He'd spent hours trying to pick out the perfect paper weight and color scheme and font with Luhan for his own.  Hours that were ultimately wasted in vain.

Embossed in silver lettering on butter cream colored paper stock was an invitation.

Kim Junmyeon and Zhang Yixing would like to humbly invite you to their wedding.
Twenty first of January XXXX.

Written in a smaller, less ornate font:

Please RSVP to the address on the envelope and indicate whether or not you are bringing a guest.

Kim Junmyeon was inviting him to his wedding? It was one of the most baffling things he'd heard in months.  Minseok and Junmyeon had a complicated relationship in high school; they were friendly on a superficial level but had not qualms with talking behind the other's back.  Passive aggression was the defining flavor of their relationship.

Baekhyun stole the invitation from Minseok's hands.  "A wedding." He murmured, reading the invitation, "Are you going to go?"

Minseok paused.  Perhaps going back home would give him a chance to clear his mind.  Minseok looked at the address written beneath Junmyeon and his fiance's name.  It was being held in his hometown's country club. "If I went, would you go with me?"

Baekhyun looked at him, surprise evident in his eyes. "If you need me to."

"I don't think I can go alone." Minseok quietly confessed.  When he left, he was leaving a mess behind, a trail of hearts hat he stomped on so he could escape the town.  If he went back, he would be crossing bridges that had long been burned, and he'd never been all that good at repairing damages he'd incurred.

"You, sir, have a date to a wedding." Baekhyun flashed one of his trademark rectangular smiles at Minseok. "Maybe this time I will get the chance to catch the bouquet."

Baekhyun turned the card over and read aloud, "A week prior to the wedding, the couple will be hosting activities related to their journey together thus far.  Note that this includes the rehearsal dinner. Please indicate on which day you plan to arrive."

"Might as well go for the entire time." Minseok muttered as Baekhyun retrieved a pen from his junk drawer.

"Kim... Min... Seok..." He muttered filling out Minseok's name and check the 'plus one' box.  He indicated that Minseok would be there for the entirety of wedding activities.  Minseok watched as Baekhyun took out the smaller envelope in the original invitation.  He placed the RSVP letter in the envelope before bringing the tacky side to his lips.  He swiftly the strip, grimacing at the unpleasant taste before closing the flap with a firm press.

On the front side, Baekhyun neatly penned the address.  He glanced a Minseok. "Once I leave, I'm putting it in the mailbox.  There will be no turning back after that." He warned.

Minseok bit his lip, looking intently at the envelope.  He had no clue what possessed Junmyeon to send him this invitation or if it was sincere.  He met Baekhyun's questioning gaze, "Do it."

Baekhyun's lips stretched into another grin.  He leaned forward and kissed Minseok's cheek, "You'll be okay."  He whispered, patting Minseok's shoulder as he headed towards the door.  His best friend yelled a goodbye as he left Minseok's condo.

"I hope so." Minseok told the air.

Kim Junmyeon brought his cup of tea to his lips as he reviewed the final guest list.  The date for RSVPs had past and received plenty of envelopes in his mailbox.  The wedding planner had complied the final list of attendees and how many were bringing a guest in order to help with the seating chart for the rehearsal dinner and reception.  The names were in alphabetical order with the duration of their stay as well as who was bringing a guest, and Junmyeon was curious to see how many of his acquaintances were coming to the wedding as compared to Yixing's.

He took sip, almost immediately choking when he saw the last name he expected to see.  He coughed, thumping his fist against his chest in attempt to end the coughing.  Yixing ran into the living where Junmyeon was seated on the couch.

"Are you okay?" Yixing asked, with a worried look on his face as he sat next to his fiance.

"I'm-" Another cough erupted, "I'm fine, Yixing." Junmyeon said through coughs.  Yixing rubbed Junmyeon back until the coughing subsided.

"Yixing.  Do you know someone named Kim Minseok?" Junmyeon asked, hoping that it was some bizarre coincidence that Minseok's name had ended up on his list.  Perhaps it was a friend of Yixing's that he hadn't been introduced to yet.

Yixing gave a shy smile, "Um, not exactly.  You see, your mother was showing me your high school yearbook, and she said that you and Kim Minseok had been friends in high school." Yixing smiled once more, "I've never met any of your high school friends, I want to know what you were like before I met you.  Is it okay that he's invited?"

Junmyeon stared at Yixing for a moment.  He knew it was meant to be a pleasant surprise for him and a way for Yixing to get to know about who he used to be.  He quietly nodded as Yixing hugged him, quietly dreading Minseok's arrival.

Minseok knew that Junmyeon wasn't exactly the nicest person in high school.  He didn't know that he'd turned himself around by meeting his fiance.  Their relationship was complicated, but it wasn't just that Minseok knew about his bad side.

No, it was that when Minseok left, he was the one picking up the pieces of his cousin's broken heart.  His cousin who finally seemed to be moving on from Minseok.  His cousin who was most definitely going to be at Junmyeon's wedding.

How was Junmyeon supposed to tell Yixing that it was Minseok?  The one that Yixing's best friend couldn't bear to talk about.  How was he to tell his fiance that he'd just invited the reason for Jongdae's heartbreak to their wedding?

How was he supposed to tell Jongdae that Minseok was coming?  With another person at that?

a/n: hi~

it is time for me to begin this fic.  thanks for subscribing with the prologue oh my my.