05.

Luhan sighed.  He was disappointed that his supposed date with Sehun got canceled but other than that he was actually looking for company. So he contacted Megan, hoping her offer was still on the table and luck was fortunately on his side. That was two hours ago. At the moment, standing by the entrance of a large hall and wearing a tuxedo, he’s not so sure if luck was even on his side in the first place.

“Sorry about that!” Megan yelled coming up behind him after an important phone call. “

Luhan smiled in reassurance before holding out his arm for her hand. “Whose party is this again?” He asked as they walk in, smiling and greeting elites on the way.

“Oh, some rich businessman. His daughter just came back from studying overseas and so he’s probably looking for a suitable partner for her. I tell you, all these fixed marriage stuff is bull. It’s the 21st century!”  Megan said with an obvious unamused face, disgusted even. “My father is probably already planning my marriage.”

“Isn’t it too early for you?” 

“Doesn’t matter. My sister is in the hospital so she’s not gonna get married anytime soon.” Megan said before stopping after spotting a rather familiar face from a distant. “Oh, let me introduce you to someone.”

Luhan looked ahead before getting pulled by Megan towards an unfamiliar man standing by the desserts table. That's where his night started. Megan kept introducing him to people and he can feel his jaw hurt gradually from too much smiling. After a while, he excused himself from Megan and while lost in the crowd decided to take a glass of wine from the table. He looked around then, observing the people, when his eyes caught something peculiar. 

He stood there, frozen, almost dropping the wine glass when he spotted a very familiar man just across him. Sehun. And he wasn’t alone. He was escorting a woman, charming her with his smile while conversing with what seemed to be the woman’s parents seeing as Mrs. Oh was also around. He shouldn’t assume things but what was he supposed to feel after getting canceled and seeing Sehun here? He was about to look away, act as if he didn’t see anything at all,  when he noticed Sehun had turned to his direction, as surprised as him.

He’s not sure what expression he had on his face right now but for Sehun to look at him like that, as if he just caught him doing something immoral, his face almost losing complexion, it probably says a lot about what he’s feeling right now--shock and stupefied.

Unfortunately, he was not born with these parties and so he couldn’t maintain a professional expression like everybody else in the hall. He placed the wine glass back on the table for turning around, making a run towards the exit door. 

After going through a series of doors, he finally reached outside. Looking around, he was probably at the back of the hall. There were cars parked around and some guards roaming from afar. The area was rather isolated and the wind paced around him, cold. He took a deep breath before walking towards the nearby fountain to rest on the railings.  He was stopped after taking a step when a hard suddenly grabbed his arm.

“What--” When he turned around, he saw Sehun panting.

“Luhan, what are you doing here?”

Luhan pulled his arm back immediately. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Sehun paused at his retort.  “This was the emergency?”

“I’m sorry. My mom just dragged me here. I swear I had no idea we were going to this party.”

“You could’ve told me. Were you even going to if I didn’t see you here?”

“Yes, of course. I’m not gonna lie to you.” Sehun assured. “Look, I know this looks bad but I had no idea my mom needed me to someone. She’s the daughter of my mom’s close friend so I can’t really decline.”

Luhan noticed the worry in Sehun’s voice and eventually calmed down. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I understand. Somehow, this was inevitable.”

Sehun walked closer then, grabbing his arm as relief flooded over him. “I really wanted to be with you tonight.”

“I know, honey.” Luhan whispered, sinking into Sehun’s chest when the younger pulled him in an embrace. “Me too. But you’re Oh Sehun.”

Sehun hugged him tighter as the wind blew towards them. It was fortunate enough that no one else was around. “What would Chanyeol and Baekhyun do in this situation?”

“Baekhyun would probably put on a dress and make a show for it. Of course, when did Chanyeol ever resist him?” Luhan answered, chuckling as Sehun followed with laughter vibrating against his chest. He particularly liked the warmth and if he could, if it was possible, he would’ve given anything in exchange for more moments like this. 

When Sehun pulled away from the hug, Luhan’s frown surfaced which he dismissed immediately. “I have to get back to the party. What about you?”

“I’ll probably go home. If permitted.”
“Why are you here anyway?”

“I accompanied Megan. You know her, the daughter of the CEO of Fancy Couture.”

“Oh!” Sehun said after remember the familiar name. “Well, I should thank her for bringing you here. I really wanted to see you tonight.” He whispered as he leaned down to give Luhan a kiss on the forehead.

Luhan couldn’t help but smile. “We’ll see each other later.”

“Alright. Shall we go back?”

Luhan nodded and followed Sehun back inside.

--

Chanyeol awoke at the sound of Baekhyun’s a Capella. Honestly, how lucky is he that he gets to hear Baekhyun’s voice as soon as he wakes up? It made him smile. He certainly is the luckiest man in the world. He sat up, the sheets sliding down to his torso, exposing his form. He and Baekhyun had a bit of a fun last night, well not a bit seeing as they presumably exhausted their staminas, so to hear Baekhyun lively in the morning was rather refreshing for him. 

He stood up and walked towards the walk-in closet and found Baekhyun sitting on the floor, piling up clothes around him. He looked so excited, mostly beautiful. Baekhyun, in Chanyeol’s shirt with disheveled hair was the most beautiful. “Already packing?”

Baekhyun perked up in surprise and turned to Chanyeol. He ended up screaming and looking away when he saw Chanyeol standing by the door completely , his ia exposed to the world. “Really, Park Chanyeol?! Put some clothes on!”

Chanyeol burst out laughing at Baekhyun’s flustered face, barely catching the pair of trousers thrown at him. He liked seeing Baekhyun blushing but if the princess wishes so then he’d have to hide his ia. He walked over after wearing his trousers and sat beside Baekhyun. “Are you packing my clothes? Already?” Chanyeol doesn’t remember when it started but somewhere along the way, Baekhyun started doing the packing for him. Come to think of it, his mother used to do that.

Baekhyun nodded, looking proudly at the clothes he organized neatly. “I’ve already packed mine.”

Chanyeol glanced at the luggage at the corner. “Are we going to Seoul soon?”

“Yup. I already booked our flights.”

“When?”

“In two days.”

“Already?!”

Baekhyun flashed a guilty smile. “Well, I was too excited and it’s not like we do anything here anyway.” 

“You have a point. Where are we staying? Shall I find a hotel for us?”

“I was thinking that maybe we could stay at Luhan and Sehun’s?” 

“Baby, we’re not poor.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at the absurdity. “I know we’re not poor but I missed them so much. Plus, they’ll probably be busy with work and all so at least by the end of the day, we get to see them. Pleaseeee.” He whined,  pouting cutely.

Chanyeol chuckled and pinched Baekhyun’s cheeks softly. “Alright. You know I can’t resist you.”

“I know.” Baekhyun mumbled with a satisfied smile 

“Have you told them?”

“Nope. I was thinking of surprising them.”

“Ah, of course.” Chanyeol said, nodding before standing up and walking towards the door. “I’ll go make breakfast. Come down when you’re done, okay?”

“Okay!” Baekhyun replied.

--

When Sehun came downstairs the next morning, he found Luhan at the kitchen, focused on his laptop while sipping a cup of coffee. He wondered if he will see any more of these moments. Never did he imagine he’d be in this position with Luhan. After all, he was just a kid when they first met, naive and ignorant. The sole reason why he’s where he is right now--managing his own company, dreaming of something bigger--was Luhan. Where would he be without him?

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Sehun almost couldn’t reply in time when he noticed Luhan looking at him. “Hey.”

“At least say something.” Luhan said, staring at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just--still sleepy, I guess.” Sehun answered while walking towards the fridge to grab some milk. 

“What time did you get back last night? I fell asleep as soon as I lied down. I didn’t know I was so tired.”

Sehun could imagine. Luhan has been stressing himself over the Fancy Couture deal and now that the pressure is off his shoulders, he could finally relax. “Probably around midnight. I think at some point, I fell asleep on that woman’s lap in the car. Her perfume smelled like Baekhyun hyung’s. My mom got mad when she dropped me off. Ugh. She’s gonna keep on dragging me to those kind of parties.”

Luhan almost spit out his coffee laughing. “You are such a baby. But Baekhyun doesn’t wear perfume.”

“He doesn’t? Then why does he always smell good?”

“Beats me. It’s a mystery even to me and I’ve lived with him for a long time.” Luhan answered, shrugging his shoulders. “You’re not going to work today?”

“I’ll go later this afternoon. Jimin has been pestering me about hiring employees so I guess I’ll just get it over with.”

“Shouldn’t you be hiring employees beforehand?”

“I did. I hired Jimin.” Sehun answered simply while walking out of the kitchen. Luhan chose to ignore his sarcasm. “I’m gonna take a bath!” 

“Alright. I’ll be leaving in an hour!”

“Okay. I’ll see you later!” Sehun replied from the stairs.

--

Seeing Youngji running towards the kitchen as soon as he arrived on his floor, he knew someone was already waiting for him. He wished to at least procrastinate for a while, after all his list of problems decreased yesterday, but he acknowledged the fact that it wasn’t proper business attitude. 

When he arrived at his office, he was greeted by Megan, which delighted him. “Megan. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Luhan.”

“How are you? You had a lot of drinks last night.” Luhan asked while making his way to his desk.

“Oh, please.  That was nothing.” Megan said boastfully, waving her hand. “Anyway, I’m here to discuss the schedule for our meetings and rehearsals. Do you already have a list of models?”

“Yes. Right here. Shall I e-mail to you?” Luhan asked while fishing his laptop out of his bag.

“If you would, please.  Also, I’ve brought some samples from our design team. I thought we could also discuss this as well.” 

“Sure, hold on. Let me e-mail the schedule to you. There are days where Gyuri would be joining us, by the way. She insisted on being present.” Luhan said while typing on his laptop.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’d love to work with her.” Megan replied, intrigued and excited. Park Gyuri is a known name in the fashion industry, after all her family name go way back. Other than that, her fashion sense and tastes were rather sophisticated and exotic that no one could attempt to copy it. She was one of a kind and to be able to work with her is a big honor. Shifting her thoughts, she focused on Luhan. Luhan does have a raw talent and it would be nice to see it bloom. “Hey, Luhan, do you know Oh Sehun?”

Luhan paused, taken aback. “Uh, yeah...who doesn’t?”

“Oh, true. And your boss is Park Gyuri, Park Chanyeol’s sisters, who is Oh Sehun’s close friend.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, recently he’s been the center of gossips among elites.”

“Gossips?”

“Yeah, they said he’s getting married soon.”

Luhan turned to Megan, surprised at her statement. He could barely keep his mouth closed. “Uh...h-he is?”

“Well, not yet. His parents are still  looking for a suitable partner. That’s why his mom keeps dragging him to parties, also why there have been a lot of parties lately.” Megan explained as-a-matter-of-factly to a still distracted Luhan. “I mean, with Park Chanyeol already taken,  Oh Sehun is next in the list.”

Luhan bit his lip. He shouldn’t be surprised. Chanyeol had the same problem before. He should’ve seen this coming. But what is he supposed to do? He’s not Baekhyun. Sehun isn’t Chanyeol. There’s no such thing as luck for the both of them, especially if he was compared by the numerous high-class women chosen for Sehun’s standards. 

“Luhan?”

Luhan snapped, blinking in confusion and turning back to Megan. “I’m sorry. I just remembered something.” He said, hiding his worry with laughter. “What was that?”

“I said, these parties could also be a way for you to socialize, put your name out there. We should take advantage of elites wasting their money for some party. So, prepare your suits.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know about that. I’m not really...”

“Hm, well, honey, you have no choice. If you wanna be successful, you gotta upgrade your connections.”

Megan had a point, of course. Being surrounded by elites, he knew at least that much. Having connections is crucial in whatever industry. He can’t possibly use his friends’ names if ever he will be forced to in the future. But, if he was going to keep seeing Sehun at the same parties every time... “I’ll think about it.” He said instead.

He should talk to Sehun about it later.

“Alright. The schedule?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve sent it.”

“That’s good. Then, shall we look at these?” Megan chirped excitedly, holding out a portfolio full of designs. 

Luhan nodded, grinning from ear to ear. It amused him. At least, it could distract him for a while. 

--

Baekhyun stepped out of the car, his hands clapped together for heat, and sighed deeply, looking at the canvas that was his home. The rest of the day was uneventful for the Park household. Chanyeol went out after lunch to meet with Kris to inform him about their trip to Korea and probably the adoption. Although at first, he didn’t want to, in consideration with his relationship with Yixing but those two never wanted pity from any of them. It only makes things more difficult.  So, to keep himself busy for the rest of the day, he decided to visit the Van der Gilt estate. 

The maids opened the door for him. As usual, they formed a line and bowed to him until he reached inside. One of them took his coat and the other informed him of his brothers’ whereabouts. The mansion was quiet when he came. When he was a kid, he always thought the mansion was noisy but that was only because the maids never leave his side. 

He walked upstairs then and made his way towards the largest veranda where he found Viel resting, sitting comfortably in a rocking chair and humming to the baby in her tummy.

“Knock knock.” Baekhyun said, lightly tapping the window glasses pushed to the side. Viel turned to him, smiling in delight. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Of course not. This is your home.” Viel assured immediately. “The kids are sleeping now. I think they exhausted themselves playing all morning.”

“With Arthur?” Baekhyun asked while taking a seat across Viel.

“Yes. I wish that kid would go out more instead of spending all day in here.”

“Well, if you can find a nanny Leo likes then...”

“That’s the root of the problem, it seems.”

“It can’t be helped. Arthur has been babysitting him since he was still a baby. Probably my fault too. And Tristan’s.”

Viel laughed at that. “So, what brought you here? Aside from this being your house, of course.”

Baekhyun chuckled. “I wanted to see everyone before Chanyeol and I fly to Korea.”

“Oh, you’re going to Korea?”

Baekhyun nodded. “We decided on a whim.”

“Did something happen?”

“No, nothing, just--” Baekyun fiddled with his fingers, unsure of how to phrase his words carefully. Other than that, this news is quite big. “Well, I was planning on telling Tristan first but since he’s not here...”

Viel leaned closer, looking concerned. “What is it?”

Baekhyun bit his lip. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before finally speaking. “Chanyeol and I are going to adopt a child.”

Viel stared at him for moment, stunned, before screaming in delight. “Oh my god! That’s--that’s--wonderful, Baekhyun!”

“Really?” Baekhyun asked, looking for more assurance.

“Of course!” Viel said, holding his hand. “I’m so happy for you! Oh, Tristan is gonna be thrilled.”

“You think so?”

“Please, your brother would not stop talking about your future.” Viel stated, smiling widely. “Oh, gosh, this is so great. You’re gonna have a kid!” Baekhyun nodded, smiling from ear to ear. “But what made you decide? Oh, no, was it because of Monique?”

“Oh, no, no. Well, a part of it. But well, Chanyeol and I have been a bit extreme lately. We had fights and misunderstandings too. And our friends told us to go to this couple therapist and there...somehow, we ended up deciding to adopt a child. And we’re both so thrilled!”

“Aww, Baekhyun, I’m really happy that you two are moving further forward. Oh, that child is going to be the luckiest child in the world having you two as parents. I can’t wait!”

Baekhyun has been pondering about this decision ever since he and Chanyeol made it, about how his family will take it, but seeing Viel as excited as him gave him relief. This was a big decision, raising a child is not like making money--it’s family. It what will define him in the future.

“Listen, if you ever need help just tell me okay?”

“Thank you, Viel.”

“Tristan should hear about this soon but I’m afraid the hospital is keeping him busy right now. He said he might be able to come home tonight.”

“That’s alright. You can tell him.”

“Really? Will that be okay with you?”

Baekhyun nodded. “Of course.”

“Will you stay for dinner?”

“Ah, no, I have to meet a friend later. Sorry.”

“That’s okay. I think the boys are awake now, shall we see them? They must be hungry.”

Baekhyun nodded, standing up to act as Viel’s support. Her belly is big now and her hormones must be going crazy right now. Still, she remained beautiful. Tristan really met a wonderful lady.

--

Luhan leaned against his chair and screamed his stress away, startling his secretary Youngji, who has seen some of his odd behaviors before. “Sir, are you alright?” Youngji asked, peeking behind the door.

“Is there still work to be done?” Luhan said instead.

“Uh, no, nothing of urgent matter.”

“That’s great! Great!” Luhan screamed, stretching his arms. “I feel like I lost 10 pounds just using my brain today. It’s fine to go home early today, right?”

“About that, someone came earlier looking for you.”

“Who?”

“Uh, Sehun’s mother. She’s in the conference room.”

Luhan was alarmed for a moment.

--

It really was Sehun’s mother. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her, of course, they had small talks before but never did he imagine Mrs. Oh would come to his office personally. His mind reviewed things Sehun did that must’ve caused her trouble. In the past, Mrs. Oh would talk to him about her difficulties raising Sehun so he expected it would be something like that today as well. For some reason, Mrs. Oh treated Luhan as a guidance counselor if not Sehun’s personal adviser.

Mrs. Oh took him to an expensive restaurant across the street. Well, for him at least. When they settled, they started with small talks, inquiring about his work, Sehun’s well-being and how his company was holding up.

It wasn’t until their food were served that Mrs. Oh finally spoke about what she originally wanted to discuss.

“Listen, Luhan, I have some concerns about my son. You know he’s already at that age, right? You understand?”

“What...age?” Luhan asked, glancing up at her, barely keeping his hands steady while cutting the meat with a knife. Baekhyun has taught him basic decorum for elites but he never really became good at it.

“That age where he needs to start talking about settling and planning about his future. That kid is very stubborn. That part of him hasn’t changed, it seems.”

“I-I guess.”

“I am here to ask for a favor, Luhan. I know how much influence you have in him. Somehow, you pushed him into taking his studies more seriously. He’s matured accordingly with your guidance and I am forever grateful for that.” Mrs. Oh continued. “Luhan, you see, he needs to marry soon.”

Luhan felt like his heart stopped beating for a moment. This topic seems to be following him everywhere.

“But he refuses to cooperate. If it’s not too much, I would like you to push him into taking this matter seriously. That boy will only think about himself. He does not even have a girlfriend, how can he find a wife?”

Luhan cleared his throat. “Mrs. Oh, I’m sure Sehun has thought about that. Right now, it seems he would rather focus on his company.”

“That is not the problem. The problem is that it seems he’s neglecting his side of the bargain.”

“Bargain?”

“Oh, did he not tell you, Luhan?” Mrs. OH asked with obvious surprise. Luhan gripped the sheets under the table. Something doesn’t feel right. Sehun has never mentioned about any bargain or some sort. “Of course, his father raised him to be the heir of our company. Letting him go was never an option.”

Luhan had never considered it. Of course, his father wouldn’t let him go start his own company so easily. He’s wondering now, how difficult was it for Sehun to get his father’s approval? 

“But, like I said, that kid has always been so stubborn. In the end, they made a deal.”

“A deal?”

“That’s right. That is also why Sehun needs to marry soon.” 

What’s this? He needs to get married? That’s his father’s condition? Luhan felt dizzy. Why is this happening?

“I suppose you’re thinking that was the deal--that he needs to find a wife? That’s not quite right.” Mrs. Oh stated before sipping from her tea. Luhan tried to focus on her, on her words, but his mind was starting to wander off somewhere. In the first place, their relationship was... “The deal, to be exact, is that his firstborn son out of wedlock will be the heir to the company instead...in exchange for the freedom to start his own company.”

Luhan sat there, frozen, the words barely registering in his head. No, no, no, no. Why... 

In the first place, their relationship was doomed to end before it even started.

a/n:

you probably hate me but...i'm writing a one-shot right now and my goal is 120k words. ;__; all the while contemplating whether people will read a one-shot that long from me ;____;

so im pretty bothered by it. but thankfully, PI2 already has like stable plot.

I'll really try updating more ;; for now, this chapter. And it's EXO's 4th anniversary soon <3

I love you! Thank you for always patiently waiting! ;;

- gelie