7823 words! It's quite long and please forgive any errors you find I haven't had the time to proofread it, but I hope you like it! Leave me a comment, okay?

“Matchmaking?”

“Yes, I already arranged one for you next week,” his mother calmly said like it was no big deal.

“Wait, matchmaking is like, a meeting with someone with the interest that could turn out into marriage, isn’t it?”

“Well yes, that’s the idea.”

“Marriage?! Mom, marriage?! I’m only twenty eight! Why so suddenly?!” he exclaimed in shock.

“No yelling Donghae. And it’s not your wedding day next week, just a meeting with the other party, getting closer and so on,” she explained calm as ever, already expecting such reaction from his son.

“So on?! Do I have a way out of this?!”

“Now that you mentioned it, I don’t think you do.”

He grew even more terrified at the answer, “why?!”

“Well… Hmm,” his mother pursed her lips as if thinking deeply, “it just that your father and I are very close with the parents, so we kind of wanting to marry our children together. That way we can become one big family!”

“That is absurd! Even you knew it! If not you won’t be as half reluctant as you’re right now at explaining it!” how can someone just marry their kid like that? Donghae is not going to believe it, he still have a lot of things he wanted to do before settling down and marriage will only ruin it all.

“You don’t need to know why, you just need to go meet them next week.”

“If it’s just meeting them and I’m given a choice to agree or not, then I’ll go with no resistance. But knowing you and the way how you said it, I don’t have any say in this matter, do I? I’ll be force into this marriage right?!”

“Aish Donghae, just think of it as us paying back what we owed to them, I just want to help them in this,” she grumbled.

“And you’re selling me out?! Your own flesh and blood! Mom, are you seriously going to make me pay whatever debt you have with this people, for all my life?!” This time even his mother can’t blame him for screaming in fear.

“I never said you’ll get married that soon, we’ll just put you into living with the other party together, then after that it’s your own call. If you’re to go on with the marriage or not, it’s your choice.”

Donghae fell silent immediately, running the image in his head carefully, what his mother said is rolling in his mind word to word as if he’s trying to find where is the y trap. “So I just have to live with her? How long?”

“I’m thinking about a year, but they said six months is already good enough… But I think we should stick to one year,” she stated while her eyes gazing as if thinking really hard.

“A year?!”

“Isn’t it better a year rather than a sudden lifetime bond?” as always, she’s good at making people have no choice than to agree.

Donghae gulped feeling uneasy, it was in anyway very strange, there got to be something wrong with his partner in this misery. “Is she that ugly? Because it should be dangerous for a man and a woman living together, for her parents to agree with this stupid idea is…” he asked because if the person is beautiful, why the desperate setting? Something must be wrong, very wrong.

“What? They are so pretty you won’t get bored seeing it everyday!” she exclaimed excitedly, knowing his son slowly giving in to this crazy idea.

“Then why all this? Is she disabled or something…?”

“Why do you think so negatively?”

“Well, if she’s fine and everything why so desperate like this?”

“It’s the parents, they’re worried since the kid never show interest to other people, that’s why.”

“Oh… Well, at least show me the picture of her before I go to that meeting,” he reach out his hand for his mother to give him the photo, but she have none or more like she didn’t plan to let him see it.

“You can see them when we meet next week, no need for the picture.”

“What?” he’s dumbfounded, “now that makes this even more suspicious! At least give me her name.”

“Well, you can know the name at that time too,” she said and began walking away, not waiting for her son to say anything more.

Donghae was feeling even more confused and scared at that, thinking this woman must be so ugly for his mother to be that secretive. Or maybe this woman’s personality is so bad that her parents so desperate to marry her off. Anyway whatever guesses he could came up with are all bad, because it’s pretty impossible for a fine or at least normal person to be matched in this desperate manner, right?

He could only think the worst of the person he’s going to meet next week. It’s the person he’s going to waste a year of his life together after all. How can he think positively over this matter?

--

Yet despite the plenty assumptions, the reality is so far off from what he had expected the worst. While he’s sitting at the long table with both his parents at each sides of him, across the table sat the person who’s matched with him with the parents sitting in the same setting as his. Donghae leaned a bit to his mother very slowly as if one wrong move and his life would end right in the spot.

“Mom, that person right in front of me… Is the one who’s being matched to me?” he asked in a whisper carefully.

“Yes,” she answered effectively with no further explanation.

But Donghae is not one to back away so easily, “Um, that person is looking very beautiful…”

“Now you’re talking!” she smiled massively, massive as in half of her face filled with her smile.

“But… Is it just me or… She looked like a guy…?” he asked with a deep frown etched on his face and had whispered the words very unsurely, almost afraid to offend anyone. But he can’t deny it, the person sitting across the table right in front of him looked definitely like a man, despite they had a very beautiful face.

His mother though, didn’t give him any answer and only straightening her back and smile back to the people across the table.

“Hyukjae, let me introduce you to my son, Donghae,” his father said while patting his son’s shoulder after her mother gave him the signal to start the event that day.

Donghae was beyond confused, brain working faster than it ever had in all his life and it all came up the same. The name Hyukjae is obviously masculine, no women named like that, and the person in front of him looked very much like a man. So…

“Mom! He’s a guy, isn’t he?!” he said horrified and hopefully in whisper.

“Yes he is,” she answered proudly as if saying, finally you figured it out, idiot son of mine.

“You’re making me marry a guy?!” thankfully human’s muscles are strong, if not Donghae’s eyeball would already rolling out it’s socket.

“You’re not going to marry yet, did you forget?”

“Why are you so calm?! That’s a guy, I’m a guy if you so happen to forget!”

“Both of you are a guy, so?” she inquired with a blank face.

Donghae face palmed inwardly, “that’s not legal mom! And why dad even agree with this?! There may be a lot of gay people out here, but it still not legal here, how are you going to marry us?”

“But these days being gay is just a normal thing, so? And why does it sounds like you’re so eager to get married with him?” an eyebrow shot up on her face in apparent curiosity.

Donghae gaping like a fish at that, “t-that’s not what I mean! I-I-!”

“If you’re ready to marry him, you can just do it in America or another country, problem solved,” she shrugged.

“B-but-,“ his word was cut by his father obvious cough, telling the two that their conversation has been heard.

Reluctantly Donghae straightened up on his seat, eyeing the parents in the room who looked pleased, yet the persons of interest, Donghae and Hyukjae doesn’t look so eager with the whole thing. Donghae can’t agree more that Hyukjae is pretty, very pretty. With a bright fair skin, light brown hair almost like caramel and those plump rosy lips, at one glance he could be taken as a woman, but when Donghae inspecting him more, Hyukjae had manly features as well. Beautiful yet manly, he gave off a unique attraction, somehow intriguing even Donghae.

And another thing he noticed from Hyukjae is that he looked equally uninterested with the matchmaking as him. The guy kept looking down with a blank, bored face. Donghae had guessed that Hyukjae is playing with his phone under the table. He felt a bit relieved seeing Hyukjae like that, it would be more difficult if he’s the only one against this crazy idea. Maybe he could have a decent and reasonable talk with Hyukjae rather than the parents.

--

“So, um, you’re a guy,” Donghae dumbly said when the two of them was left to talk alone.

For the first time Hyukjae look up and look straight into Donghae’s eyes, “I’ve only know you’re a guy after I came here too.”

Donghae unconsciously gulped by the cold gaze and tone from Hyukjae, but he tried his hardest to remain polite and smiled, “we’re being fooled by our parents, aren’t we?”

“Right,” was the short reply and silence fell on them. Donghae cringe at how awkward the situation is and why Hyukjae didn’t put any effort at this? Well he didn’t like the marriage idea also, but at least being polite isn’t going to hurt, right?

“Honestly, I don’t like this whole set up thing and I can see that you’re too. But knowing how stubborn my parents is, I don’t think they would let me live the day if I didn’t agree to it. So, let’s just go on with the cohabiting for a year and then we go our own way, how’s that sound?” Donghae suggested the only rational way left for them.

Hyukjae nodded shortly, “okay”

At the half-hearted reply Donghae was being irritated, “can’t we at least be civil until next year?”

Hyukjae suddenly widen his eyes for a split second and giving his whole attention to Donghae, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you annoyed… It’s just, right now I’m nervous and this is how I am usually look…”

“Usually?” Donghae blinked in confusion and curiosity.

The other man then lowering his eyes again as if he’s ashamed yet his face still looked expressionless, “people said that I’m not good with showing emotions… So…”

“You mean you look expressionless?”

“I guess…”

Well he did have tiny expressions though, but that cold expression of his seems to rest permanently on his face. And the way he talk is like he’s not interested in anything, flat and cold. But I guess he’s not that bad since he make an effort to explain it to me, Donghae thought as he inspecting closely on Hyukjae’s face, trying to catch any change. Oh, well.

“Please take care of me for the next year,” Donghae said with a big smile, determined to just let it happen and enjoy it as much as he can, offering Hyukjae a hand shake.

Hyukjae eyeing his hand first for a while before shaking it, “likewise.”

--

So then a month and half after that they moved into a two bedroom apartment with the rent being split between the two of them, even though it was their parents idea still they had to pay for everything, funny how it works. Well since the apartment is nice and Donghae could have his own privacy, away from his parents prying eyes, he actually enjoying the idea of moving. Moreover he had understood Hyukjae a little bit in the last month, the guy is not that bad and he’s confident they could stay civil for a year.

“Which room do you want?” he asked when the movers pulling Hyukjae’s bed into the apartment.

The guy in question looked up, with his ever flat face, and said, “I’m fine wherever, you choose.”

“Then I’ll tell them to move your bed into the room at the left,” because the bedroom at the right is closer to the bathroom, Hyukjae said he could choose, so why not? And actually Hyukjae’s room have it’s own plus side, it got a wide window to a good scenery. At least the city at night could look a bit pretty.

Donghae turned his head to take a look at Hyukjae setting up the living room. The guy never start any conversation with him, even if he initiated a conversation it mostly only asking Donghae about something and after that it won’t have any continuation. Sometimes it could be boring, like you can’t really connect with someone and you feels a bit frustrated at that. Yet strangely Donghae didn’t really feel the situation is that bad anymore, maybe because every time he tried a conversation with Hyukjae the guy would always appreciate him nicely even though his face would stay flat throughout the conversation.

Hyukjae is one true strange specimen.

--

After they got through their first night together in that apartment, obviously in their own perspective room, Donghae had noticed new things about Hyukjae. Apparently Hyukjae in the day had applied a bit of make-up on his face because at night right before he goes to sleep, his face had looked very different. If Hyukjae in the day looked beautiful and pretty, at night he looked very innocent and cute with his tiny almond eyes framed by a wide glasses and bangs down almost reaching his eyes. It was interesting how different he looked at day and night, both are attractive in their own way and deep down Donghae wondered why he even had that thought.

Also even though Hyukjae never took the initiative to start any conversation, he was always the one who took the initiative to do things. If Donghae didn’t say anything Hyukjae would cooked the both of them food and washed the dishes after, even arranging the things in the apartment was done by Hyukjae because Donghae was too slow at arranging his own bedroom. Hyukjae is a man of few words but quick at working things, he’s very practical and although Donghae is very glad by his help, he couldn’t deny the guilty feeling for letting Hyukjae done a lot when the chores should be shared.

“Ah Hyukjae, let me do the dishes,” he hurriedly walked to the sink, gently shooing the other guy to step away. “This morning you even made me breakfast and clean the apartment, I can’t let you do all that.”

Hyukjae didn’t say anything, he just nodded with expressionless face and headed to another side of the kitchen, pulling out mugs and seems to be making something. Donghae sighed slowly so the other don’t hear him and start cleaning the dishes, obviously not as fast and trained as Hyukjae. He had been awed by how fast and effective Hyukjae is working.

After he finished cleaning the dishes, he’s drying his hand before turning around to look at Hyukjae, “hey I think we should talk about how we share the house chores…” his words slowly vanish as he saw Hyukjae sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter, two mugs on it with steam still coming out.

“Tea,” Hyukjae explained and Donghae immediately know that he’s giving the other mug of tea to him and for them to have it together. That’s cute, he thought and instantly sitting across Hyukjae.

“Thank you,” he smiled before sipping on the tea, “this is also a good time to talk about our house chores, we need to share it. Can’t have you doing all of it alone, can we?”

“That’s okay with me.”

“No that’s not okay, you have work, we both do. So we need to share it, or is doing house chores your hobby? If it is, I won’t stop you,” Donghae laughed and for a split second he saw a flicker of amusement in Hyukjae’s eyes though his face still forever flat.

“No, but I’m fast.”

“Hey, are you mocking me?” he faked a challenge and chuckled lightly, witnessing a twitch of Hyukjae’s eyebrows. “But I’m not gonna lie, I’m a pretty lazy person that’s why I’m slow.”

“I know, doesn’t need a smart person to figure it out.”

It’s funny how Hyukjae’s face very rarely change but still able to joke, it was more of a little detail of his face shifting for a millisecond before it’s back to the ever flat face. But those tiny twitches of eyebrows, lips and eyes are what makes it interesting to talk to Hyukjae, he may be hard to show his emotions but that doesn’t mean he has no expression at all. Though it’s hard to notice, it’s definitely there.

In the end Hyukjae is in charge of food and washing their clothes, while Donghae cleaning the apartment and dividing their clothes, sometimes ironing them. They take turns in trash duty.

--

It took two weeks for Donghae to realize that Hyukjae is very, very kind although outwardly he looked cold. Firstly, Hyukjae is also very patient, he put up with Donghae’s bad habits and egoistical way of living –because there are times when Donghae was too lazy to do his chores and Hyukjae would always do it for him without saying anything-. Hyukjae never gets angry, he never even looked annoyed, those flat f