A/N: Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Three!” Hankyung glared at Minseok from where she was crouching in front of Minkyung.

“Mama.”

“Han Geng.”

Luhan and Siwon called her out at the same time. The elder Choi didn’t use his wife’s Chinese name very often. And his tone held warning. Minseok looked like she was ready to bolt out of the room any moment.

Hankyung’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears. She didn’t want to scare the little girl in front of her but she can’t help but hold a grudge. Their own flesh and blood was kept away from them for three long years! She still can’t believe Minkyung was their granddaughter even if she was looking at the same droopy hazel brown eyes she’d seen a gazillion times before in front of the mirror. The same prominent jaw line and raven black hair.

“Gramma? Are you hurt?” The little girl reached out to wipe her tears.

“A-Ani. Aniyo. I’m,” She swallowed thickly. Her eyesight was becoming blurry and she didn’t think it was all because of tears. “I’m just so h-hap…py.” And everything went blank.

“Mama!”

“Yeobo!”

Minseok, caught up in the flurry of barked orders and hurried steps to aid Luhan’s mother, scooped her now crying daughter and carried her out of the room. “Hush, baby. Don’t cry, please. She’s going to be alright.” She certainly hoped so. When she decided she’s ready for Minkyung to meet Luhan, she didn’t think he would insist for her to meet his family right away.

Luhan came out with his mother in his arms. Yifan and Siwon were hot on his heels as well as the rest of the family until Yifan forbid them to enter the room where Hankyung was brought in.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Minkyung’s wail became louder by the second and Minseok didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but her daughter was too young to understand anything. Sehun approached them attempted to get Minkyung from her but she won’t budge.

“Honey, grandma’s going to be fine. She’s strong like you. Please stop crying, uh? She won’t get better if you don’t stop crying.” Worry was etched on the younger’s face but she might have sensed Minseok’s distress from being in an unfamiliar environment doubled by a difficult toddler.

Minkyung’s sobs got calmer until she was sobbing by her mother’s chest. “You see, Uncle Yifan is a very good doctor. He will make grandma better so don’t worry, okay?” The girl nodded slowly. “And it wasn’t because of you, remember that.” Minseok saw her jaw tightened. Clearly, she thought there was a better avenue for her brother to break the news and not drop the bomb just like that.

After half an hour or so, Yifan and Luhan came out. “She should be okay. She’s resting for now but you can see her later.” Yifan announced. “Luhan, follow me.”

*******************************************

“Do you know how stupid your actions are? It could easily cost our mother’s life, you moron!” He exploded even before Luhan can close the door to their study. The younger bowed his head, not having the courage to speak. His brother always looked intimidating but he was a very diplomatic person. He believed aggression solved nothing so he can never recall any instance that he raised his voice on anyone.

“Sorry, I just felt that I already wasted three years and I didn’t want to spend another day without Minkyung knowing my family.” He said in a small voice.

“The person that we talked about before, was it Minseok-ssi?” His voice was significantly lower. Luhan nodded. Now Yifan understood why Minseok looked uncomfortable when he went to her office to talk to Yixing. “How did you two even meet?” It was ridiculous, really. He knew Luhan spent a lot of time and money looking for her but he didn’t find her.

“I didn’t know who she really was. She covered her tracks really well. I even saw fake IDs when we were together.” She told him she was Yang Xiumin, a Chinese immigrant from Busan. She spoke with a cute Busan satoori and her Mandarin was even better than his. Besides, what they had wasn’t serious from the very start so he didn’t pay much attention to details.

“Luhan, you didn’t answer my question.” He said sternly.

“She was my model, alright!” He thundered. His brother didn’t use authority on them that much and for him to push him to say what he didn’t want to say hurt him. Yifan was pensive for a long moment.

“You kept her at bay because she was that, didn’t you?” His he crossed his arms in front of his chest he never looked more intimidating. “You made her feel as though she had to keep her pregnancy from you because she was just your model.”

“NO!”

“Luhan, how could you?” Luhan knew Yifan was sensitive about it because the media had the nerve to reveal Yixing’s past after their engagement was formally announced. Netizens brazenly posted on Yixing’s SNS that she was just after the Choi money. Yixing was so distraught that she almost called the wedding off if Yifan didn’t talk some sense into her. “Hopefully, you know how to fix this because I doubt you’ll get any help from any of us once they found out about the truth.”

******************************************

“Where exactly are we going?” Baekhyun can’t help but ask even if she promised Chanyeol she would not ruin the surprise. He had her eyes covered halfway to wherever he was taking her and now he was guiding her out of the car. She could guess that it was already dark. Based on the nagging pain in her because of sitting for too long but she didn’t complain. So long as he’s with her, she’s fine.

“We’re almost there.” She could even hear the smile in his voice. After guiding her down the stairs, she gasped loudly when he carried her without warning. “I guess I have to do this or you could have guessed.”

“I think I can still guess just fine.” She smiled too. She was having goose bumps because of the chill. She can hear the gentle hum of the wind and smell the crisp night air and um, some roasted sweet nuts?

“But I bet you could never guess why we’re here.” He snickered. She heard the sound of footsteps against the wood. “Now, let me remove your blindfold.” But before he can untie the soft white cloth, she heard the soft music coming out of several instruments. Cello was the dominant one.

When she opened her eyes, she squinted by the sudden gush of light from thousands of decorative lights that lined up the wooden planks that lead to a huge gazebo wrapped in flowering vines. But what caught Baekhyun’s breath away was the endless field of golden barley. It was the smell that she didn’t recognize right away.

When they came closer, she found herself looking at the small ensemble of musicians sitting in the middle of the gazebo and she can recognize each and every one of them: Seohyun, Sehun’s cellist best friend with her cello, of course and her husband Yonghwa on guitar, Yixing on the grand piano and Onew on violin. Around them were both their families except Luhan. Joonmyeon was sitting far from the others with a detached expression on his face but he managed a polite smile when their eyes met.

Key, Onew’s wife, was singing her rendition of the tune that she recognized just now. It was Sting’s Fields of Gold. It was very soft that it blended in the background. She didn’t even use a microphone.

She can feel that her knees were trembling. With the presence of both their families, she could only guess what he’s up to.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Upon the fields of barley

You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we walk in the fields of gold

“I am not very good in singing that’s why I have to ask for help.” He whispered and hummed to the tune. He guided her in a seat that must have been intended for both of them. Yesung smiled at her from across the room.

So she took her love

For to gaze awhile

Upon the fields of barley

In his arms she fell as her hair came down

Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love

Among the fields of barley

We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so

Upon the fields of barley

Feel her body rise when you kiss

Among the fields of gold

I never made promises lightly

And there have been some that I've broken

But I swear in the days still left

We'll walk in the fields of gold

We'll walk in the fields of gold

While she was completely absorbed by the music, he knelt down in front of her and opened a small dark blue velvet box. The beauty and simplicity of the ring was captivating but his eyes that were glossy with unshed tears drew her more. There was love, desire and something she can’t put her finger on. “I cannot find a more appropriate way to ask you this other than in front of the people who are very dear to us. The people that made us whole. Now, will you be my wife, Kim Baekhyun?

Many years have passed since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run as the sun goes down

Among the fields of gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Upon the fields of barley

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky

When we walked in the fields of gold

When we walked in the fields of gold

When we walked in the fields of gold

Trust dorky Chanyeol to take the lyrics literally. Key was already done singing the last lines of the song but she was still crying from this unexpected proposal. She just hugged him and nodded countless of times while he slipped the ring on her finger.

The endless dancing and singing and partying came after to celebrate their engagement but everything was a blur. Chanyeol was the most important element of her happiness. She had never been this elated in her whole life and yes, she was ready to be Mrs. Choi Chanyeol.

****************************************

Chanyeol was driving slowly—like he was prolonging his time alone with his thoughts. That alone was a sign that he was not feeling very good about himself. He was a racer and their mother always said he was a maniac behind the wheel. He just sent Baekhyun home from the party. She was staying at the Kim family’s Seoul residence. And unlike someone who just got engaged, he looked like someone had just died. Pretending to be happy in front of everyone just wore him out. He felt like crying. He felt like driving his car off the cliff. He remembered the last conversation he had with Luhan just days before he broke the news about Minkyung.

It took him hours before he finally opened the folder Luhan gave him. He promised he would just take a peak. He told himself that whatever it was that he would find in there wouldn’t matter. He loved Baekhyun and she loved him in return. He can feel it. And it was something nobody can fake.

It looked like a report from a private investigator from three years ago. It even included the listed properties under their names as well as where they usually spent their free time. Each report was annotated with a red pen and he could not mistake that handwriting from anyone. Baekhyun loved to stick post-it notes everywhere. He swallowed a lump in his throat.

Recently married with three exclamation points. She then placed a huge NO across Yifan’s picture.

Joonmyeon’s profile had more annotations. Where anyone can find him, the number of bodyguards he employ, the type of car he drove at the time, etc. She also noted that though Joonmyeon’s the most visible among them, he was almost always on the plane since he oversees Choi Builders’ projects all over the world. Again, another big NO on top of his blurry picture.

He was expecting to see his profile next but for some reason, the next page was Jongin’s. His photo was from one of the ads he did for a toothpaste brand years ago and another cutout from a Ralph Lauren ad campaign. Model. NO. What he can only make out from the doodle was that he was a complication or something.

He was glad whoever it was investigating them knew almost nothing about his sister. Their family kept her away from the prying eyes of the public for a reason.

Then a piece of torn crumpled piece of paper fell from the compilation and it drew his attention from Sehun’s almost empty profile. Whatever hope he had was extinguished when he saw what it was on his profile.

A womanizer.

A jetsetter—a professional racer.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Unlike other pictures, there was a big fat X mark on his.

And then a list of what she would do for him to notice her.

Lure Unnie into giving me a makeover. Concentrate on Karting. Kill him.

He felt a painful shiver down his spine even if she did cross out the last part.

And then using a black pen this time—it was as though she had revisited his profile—was another list. Get a training position at Choi Group. Make him fall in love with me. Make him put a ring on my finger. Leave him at the altar. Break his heart.

My heart’s already broken, Baekhyun-ah. He thought.