Six
It Started With A LieDonghae-ah,
By the time you read this letter, I'm probably on my way back to Seoul. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, but I don't think I can do this anymore.
I'm releasing you from our deal. You don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend any longer.
I can't thank you enough for putting up with my selfishness. You have a wonderful family, and I don't want to put you again into a position where you have to defend me to them. You deserve better.
I am returning to Seoul to explain to my father that we didn't work out. Don't worry, everything will return to its place when you come back. You will still receive your promotion--I have been planning to give it for some time, even before your Fashion Week assignment. No one deserves it more.
I wish I could come visit again, but I will not be surprised if your family do not welcome me. Please tell them I am sorry and it was solely my fault.
Thank you for the wonderful week, Donghae-ah. I will always treasure the time I spent with you. I was starting to wish, to believe in a few things where I shouldn't... but at one point we have to face reality.
I'm sorry for forcing you into a lie I started. And I'm sorry if I don't have the courage to see it through the end.
- Choi Siwon
Donghae was growing increasingly desperate as he failed to spot that one, familiar face. He had looked in the library, the shed, his workshop--but there was no sign of Siwon in any of them.
Upon rounding a corner, he spotted Eunhyuk laughing with Henry and some of their other friends. Anger violently bubbled up from his chest.
Donghae approachced the group in huge, aggressive strides, and said, "Hyukjae, we need to talk."
Eunhyuk and Henry's laughter died at the curtness of his tone. The pair exchanged worried glances.
"Is something wrong, Donghae-hyung?" Henry asked.
Donghae glared at Eunhyuk, tugging him by the arm. "That's what I'm trying to find out."
Donghae roughly pulled Eunhyuk out of the crowd, not once sparing a look as Eunhyuk protested behind him, raging for an explanation. He dragged him inside one of the less crowded rooms, not wanting to further attract any unwanted attention.
"Okay, this has gone on too far," said Eunhyuk angrily as he pulled his arm free from Donghae's iron grip. "What the hell's the matter with you?"
"Siwon's gone."
All further protests died on Eunhyuk's lips.
"I saw you talking to Siwon," Donghae continued in a low voice. "What did you tell him?"
"W-what?"
The confusion etched on Eunhyuk's face made Donghae snap. "Don't play dumb, Hyukjae!" Donghae roared. "WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM?"
"Donghae-ah, Hyukjae-ah! That's enough!"
Leeteuk swept into the room with an air of authority Kangin, Heechul and a worried Henry on his tail.
"Henry-ah said you were fighting," said Kangin amicably. "Care to tell us what's it about?"
But Donghae only slumped bonelessly into a chair, the truth sinking in like a stake through the heart. "He's gone," he whispered.
"Eh? Who's gone?" Kangin coaxed, though he already had a gut-churning suspicion. A quick glance at Leeteuk told him his partner shared the same thought.
"Siwon-ah. He's gone back to Seoul."
Heechul's face immediately darkened. "I'm going to kill that bastard--!"
"Don't make this worse than it is, Heechul-ah," warned Leeteuk. He turned to Eunhyuk. "I saw you and Siwon talking before he went inside. Did he say anything about going somewhere?"
"N-no. We only talked about Donghae, then buried the hatchet," Eunhyuk said. "He asked about our past relationship, and I told him the truth. All I wanted was to thank him for bringing you back," he added to Donghae softly.
Donghae stared at him in disbelief. The guilt over his outburst bled into his cheeks, and he bowed his head, shame-faced.
Leeteuk sighed. He gently patted Donghae's hair. "Listen, Donghae-ah. We're not sure why Siwon did what he did, but it's times like these when you need to keep a cool head."
But Donghae found he couldn't, ever since he left Seoul with Siwon. The last few days had been an exhilirating blur, and he had carelessly let wishful thinking run with it. He remembered the night they kissed, the one that fuelled the unmitigated wildfire in his chest. Back then, he truly believed that despite their relationship's ridiculous beginning, that even if they were worlds apart--maybe, just maybe, they could take it a notch further.
Whatever it was that was unfolding between him and Siwon had just crashed and burned.
It shouldn't come as a surpise, Donghae thought. If TV dramas taught him anything, it's stupid, arranged relationships like this are bound to fail. Siwon had generously given him a way out of the mess. That should finally be the end of it.
Should.
But the fire wouldn't die. In his heart of hearts, Donghae believed that their little lie had become the truth.
Henry checked his phone. "The last train for Seoul just left a couple of minutes ago. But there's a morning train leaving at 5 AM." Henry smiled. "Gives you a bit of time to clear your head, hyung."
Heechul stepped forward, his arms crossed. "The last time I let someone take the train out of Mokpo, I never saw him again," he said. "I won't be able to live with myself if I let that happen to you, Fishy. So if you're not going after that idiot, I will. If only to drag his sorry back here to beg everyone in this room for mercy..."
Donghae snorted--he knew Heechul didn't make empty threats. "I'll go in the morning," he said, wiping at his wet eyes. "Knowing how Heechul-hyung is, he might get arrested..."
"What was that, you brat!" yelled Heechul, smacking Donghae upside the head.
Eunhyuk hugged Donghae tightly. "I'm a little jealous, but I want you to be happy more than anything." He grinned. "So go get 'im, Fishy."
Donghae nodded, his heart lightened by his family and best friend's support.
Kyuhyun groaned at the sound of his phone's hysterical beeping. He willed it to go away, but the annoying bastard, whoever it was, didn't hang up. With a resigned sigh, he reached for his phone and squinted at the screen.
It was Siwon. Calling at the godforsaken hour of five in the morning.
"Hyung, the world had better be ending right now," Kyuhyun greeted sourly, "And even then I wouldn't want to be awake."
"What?" Siwon said gruffly, and Kyuhyun had to smirk at the confusion in his cousin's voice. "Oh, it's just 5 in the morning. Sorry, I lost track..."
"Where are you? Hang on, are you drunk?"
"In the office. And no. Not yet, anyway. I'm on my second glass."
Kyuhyun frowned, suspicion tugging at his mind. "Office? Weren't you supposed to come back on Monday?"
"Yes, I was."
"With Donghae-hyung?"
Kyuhyun heard a sharp intake of breath. "Donghae's in Mokpo, Kyuhyun-ah," said Siwon softly.
The pieces began to slot together. It made Kyuhyun shoot up from bed.
"Yah, you did something stupid again!" Kyuhyun yelled.
Siwon remained silent on the other end, which Kyuhyun took as a definite yes.
''I'm coming over," muttered Kyuhyun, his mind now fully awake. "And I'll call Minho if you try to run away!"
Siwon chuckled weakly. "I'm not sure how talking about this would help, Kyu..."
It was the first time that Siwon sounded so helpless and defeated after a break-up. Even Kyuhyun started to feel a little sorry.
"You sound like you need it, hyung," Kyuhyun gently insisted. "And it would be a bigger help than drinking, that's for sure."
Donghae anxiously bit his nails. As soon as he arrived in Seoul, he grabbed a taxi to SM Publishers with the hopes that the workaholic Siwon will return to the office, even though he wasn't expected until Monday. He had taken the earliest train out of Mokpo, and arrived in Seoul just in time for work on a typical Saturday. Some of their nosy officemates will be there, but Donghae wasn't bothered--all he really cared about at that point was to talk to Siwon.
Halbae and omma had been suspicious of Siwon's absence, exacerbated by Donghae stammering his way through the explanation. But Leeteuk and Henry's poker-faced lying (how ever do they do it, Donghae wondered) convinced them that yes, Siwon had been called back for a work-related emergency, and that Donghae, too, was needed and will be leaving first thing tomorrow.
"Not without saying goodbye?" Hyangsook said, incredulous. "It seems so unlike him..."
"His father personally asked for him, omma," Donghae said through gritted teeth. "It can't be helped."
"But you two will come back soon, of course?"
After a moment's hesitation, the only promise Donghae could make was: "I'll try my best."
Donghae tried to make himself presentable as he alighted the taxi. He greeted the guards quickly as he ran to catch the next empty elevator. Once inside, he resisted the urge to continue pressing the 7th floor button. It won't help him reach his destination faster, Donghae realised, but he needed something, anything, to help him burn off his nervous energy.
He searched for his ID in the clutter of his duffel bag and barged into the office.
"Good morning--" Ryeowook's voice faltered at Donghae's unkempt appearance. "--Donghae-sshi! What a surprise!"
"Good morning, Ryeowook-ah." Donghae replied, trying to flatten his hair. "By any chance, is Siwon-a...I mean Siwon-sshi here?"
"Yup!" Ryeowook answered, eyeing Donghae curiously. "I'm really surprised both of you came to office today, I thought you both weren't coming back until Monday?"
"A-ah. Something came up." Donghae explained nervously. "But thanks, Ryeowook-ah. Catch up with you later."
Donghae made a hasty exit before Ryeowook asked further questions that might give away his weekend with the boss. He headed towards Siwon's office, his heart drowning out his colleagues and friends calling after him, his whole attention devoted to the task at hand.
"Ah, Donghae-sshi, welcome back. Anything I can do for you?" Sooyoung greeted as Donghae walked into the secretary's office.
"The boss in?" Donghae asked, preparing himself by trying to smooth the wrinkles from his attire.
"He's been there for quite some time, but I don't think he's ready to receive any guests. I can ask him?" Sooyoung offered, reaching for the telephone.
"No worries, I'm just going to ask him about something real quick." Donghae interrupted.
"B-but Siwon-sshi has an important meeting with Kyuhyun-sshi, and he's about to arrive any minute--"
Oh darn it, Donghae thought to himself, and barged into Siwon's office without waiting for Sooyoung's approval.
"Wait, D-Donghae-sshi!" Sooyoung shouted.
But Donghae's mind was set, and nothing--certainly not Siwon himself--could stop him then.
Siwon sighed for the umpteenth time as he stared at the open document he was supposed to be reviewing. His mind was working on overdrive despite the lack of sleep, all of which was spent thinking about Lee Donghae.
A loud cough broke into his train of thoughts.
He sighed. Finally, his idiot cousin had arrived. "What the hell, Kyu? I thought you were coming over immediately. That was..." Siwon glanced at his watch. "...three hours ago! Where have you--"
He looked up, and came face to face with Lee Donghae.
A fragile silence settled over the room as both Siwon and Donghae stared at each other. Siwon couldn't believe that the object of his restlessness was suddenly standing in front of him. Meanwhile, Donghae was at a loss on how to start questioning Siwon (who was still technically his boss) on his abrupt departure from Mokpo.
"What are you doing here, Donghae-sshi?" Siwon started, breaking the stifling silence. "Shouldn't you still be in Mokpo?"
So it's back to Donghae-sshi. He glared at Siwon. "Shouldn't you?"
"Since you're back early, I know you've read my letter." Siwon replied, ignoring Donghae's snide remark. He rummaged through the papers in front of him. "I've explained everything there is to it."
Donghae shook his head in denial. How can anyone have a change of heart so easily?
"Ah! Here it is," Siwon exclaimed nonchalantly, pulling out a familiar sheet of paper. It was Siwon's copy of the contract.
"As I mentioned, I am terminating all the terms I have set in this contract. Of course, the promotion still stands..."
"It's not about the promotion!" Donghae yelled shrilly.
Donghae's protests died as Siwon tore his copy without so much as a hesitation. Donghae stared at the shreds of paper, shell-shocked, as Siwon chucked them into the bin. He felt his own heart was ripped into a million pieces.
"Well, that's over. Would there be anything else?" Siwon asked, raising his eyebrow at Donghae. He had put on his business face, the model of professional aloofness, which effectively masked any sort of emotion that would give away his real feelings for their situation.
Donghae could do nothing but gape at Siwon like a fish. Was their weekend in Mokpo just a figment of his imagination? The Siwon standing in front of him was not the Siwon he learnt to like. Maybe even fell in love with.
"Donghae-sshi?" Siwon called.
"Did Hyuk mention anything for you to change your mind?" Donghae asked, his voice shaking.
"Hyukjae-sshi merely told me how you came to Seoul." Siwon replied honestly.
"Then was it my family? Did Heechul-hyung threaten you?"
"No, nothing like that. Donghae-sshi. Please...let's just go back to how everything was the week before."
The first teardrop rolled down Donghae's tired face. "So that's it?" he whispered angrily.
"Yes." Siwon replied softly. "That's it."
Donghae snorted bitterly."You barge into my life and force me into this deal, you take me out on fake dates to make it a little better, you win over my family and friends, you nag me about my past which I otherwise would have never shared... only to leave me just like that? Like you didn't meet my brothers, omma and halbae? Like the week never happened, and all that we experienced together didn't matter?"
Donghae wiped the tears that now continuously flowed down his face, to no avail. "Tell me," he sobbed, "did you really hate me that much that you couldn't keep your end of the bargain?"
Siwon looked away, his jaw tightening at the sight of Donghae's crying face. "Donghae-sshi, please don't make this harder--"
"You didn't even have the guts to tell me right in my face. You didn't even give me a chance to say my piece."
Donghae angrily rummaged through his own bag. He pulled out his own copy of the contract and waved it in front of Siwon's stunned face. "Well, Siwon-sshi, I don't need your stupid promotion," he said, "I think I'm better off going back to Mokpo."
Donghae tore his own copy of the contract with a vengeance and threw the shredded pieces in front of Siwon. He briskly walked towards the door, then turned towards Siwon slightly, his hand on the doorknob.
"And to think, I was actually starting to fall in love with you." Donghae whispered, before slamming the door upon his exit.
Siwon stared at the closed door. Although Donghae left just like he wanted, their 'break-up' did not sit well with him. For the nth time since leaving Mokpo, Siwon wondered if he made the correct decision of ending the contract.
He didn't quite hear what Donghae had said at the end, though Siwon felt it was something important. His gut urged him to chase after Donghae before it was too late.
" it." Siwon muttered, giving in to his instincts.
With Sooyoung's help, Siwon found Donghae in his cubicle, packing his belongings hastily.
Siwon grabbed Donghae's arm and turned him towards him. "What the hell are you doing?"
"As you can see, I'm packing, Siwon-sshi." Donghae replied calmly, pulling his arm away from Siwon's grip. "It's better if we part ways for a while."
Siwon took a small step back, dithering over his next course of action. "Can't we go back to how things were last week?" He said desperately.
Donghae shook his head. "I'm sorry, Siwon-ah. I can't keep pretending, day in, day out, when I can still see your face everyday. I like you too much to not do anything about it." He looked back at Siwon and gave him a small, bitter smile.
Like?
Siwon gave a small gasp as Donghae's confession started to dawn on him. He really wasn't imagining things the first time he heard about Donghae actually liking him, and his stubborn self was ruining all chances of seeing it through.
Before Donghae could walk away and out of his life completely, he gently pulled Donghae towards him, not leaving Donghae any chance to pull away as he wrapped an arm around Donghae's waist.
"Siwon-ah, what--?"
I've done a lot of stupid things lately, thought Siwon. What's doing one more?
So Siwon grabbed Donghae's chin and kissed him fiercely.
Donghae struggled for a few seconds, pushing and beating against Siwon's chest. But his protests gradually weakened, and ended completely when Siwon shifted his angle and deepened the kiss.
The pair had been kissing for quite a while before Siwon finally pulled away. He leant his forehead against Donghae's, his hands gently caressing Donghae's face.
"I'm sorry." Siwon whispered, looking directly into Donghae's eyes. "I thought I was the only one falling for you."
"You didn't even ask me about how I feel!" Donghae cried, weakly thumping Siwon's chest in anger.
"I'm sorry." Siwon repeated, as he felt Donghae's tears soak his shirt. "I like you too, Donghae-ah."
Siwon continued to murmur apologies into Donghae's ear as Donghae sobbed into his shirt. A few minutes later, Donghae finally calmed down, Siwon lightly caressing his back in comfort.
"What now?" Donghae asked, his voice muffled by Siwon's shirt.
Siwon broke away from the embrace and grinned at Donghae. "Go out with me? For real this time."
Donghae's face broke into a genuine smile, his eyes twinkling. "Okay." He replied.
Siwon couldn't help but smile himself, his head buzzing at the infectious look of happiness on Donghae's face. He leant in to kiss Donghae's forehead, then his nose, before finally kissing him on the lips again.
Kyuhyun was whistling to himself as he swiped his ID card and entered Devil. He was supposed to be there hours ago, but as soon as Siwon dropped the call he went back to bed to sleep for ten more minutes. He didn't wake up a few hours later.
He thought it was weird that Ryeowook was not in his usual place to welcome him. He was even more surprised at the multitude of people gathered round the corner. Near Donghae's cubicle, if he remembered correctly.
"Changminnie~" Kyuhyun greeted happily, spotting the familiar face of his bestfriend at the back of the crowd. "What's this commotion?" He asked, poking his friend playfully.
Changmin, who was carrying his trusty camera, grinned at Kyuhyun. "Oh you're here, what perfect timing! You will love this."
Kyuhyun raised a brow as Changmin dragged him through the crowd until they reached the front. Then did a double-take at what he saw.
Siwon and Donghae were kissing.
Siwon did say he had broke up with him, though judging by the way the pair were wrapped around each other, that didn't seem to be the current case. In fact, Siwon and Donghae were so concentrated in their own world, that they remained blissfully unaware of the small crowd that had gathered and was not so discreetly whispering about their little spectacle.
"I told you, you'll love this." Changmin said in glee, as he clicked a way with his camera. "Go get him, Siwon-hyung!"
Kyuhyun snickered at the amount of blackmail he could milk from this. It was a pity he didn't invite Minho--he thought he'd deal with a depressed Siwon first then call him if he couldn't resolve the issue.It seemed they would both be dealing with an obnoxiously happy Siwon for the next few weeks, instead.
Kyuhyun clapped his hands loudly after making sure Changmin had taken a month's worth of blackmail pictures. "Alright, break it up guys. Back to work!"
Siwon and Donghae pulled back in surprise. Donghae yelped upon seeing the crowd of grinning faces, and then Changmin, who was behind a camera. He quickly hid behind Siwon, his face burning fiercely with embarrassment. They were witnessed by practically everyone who went to work that Saturday.
"Welcome back, Siwon-hyung!" Kyuhyun cheerfully greeted. Slowly, the crowd started to disperse, giggling and whispering about what they had witnessed. Changmin patted Siwon and Donghae's shoulders and waved goodbye, his camera tucked safely at his side.
"Yah! Cho Kyuhyun!" Siwon exclaimed, squeezing Donghae's hand which was clutching his shirt tightly. "What took you so long?"
"I overslept." Kyuhyun answered sheepishly. "Er, not that my services are needed any longer."
"Let's just head to my office first." Siwon said to Kyuhyun before facing Donghae. "Fix those first then follow us there, okay?"
Donghae nodded with a shy smile. Unable to help himsef, Siwon pecked his forehead one last time.
"It's not like you're not going to see each other later..." Kyuhyun muttered, shaking his head at the pair of them.
"Yah, Lee Donghae! You have a LOT of explaining to do!"
A furious Sungmin stood behind Kyuhyun, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed threateningly. Donghae threw Siwon a frightened glance.
Siwon swallowed nervously. "I think you spoke too soon, Kyu."
Choi Kiho stared at his son in the eye. "What's this letter supposed to mean, Siwon-ah?" He asked, Siwon's neatly folded letter held up between his fingers.
Siwon smiled wryly. "I think I made it clear enough, Abeoji."
"'If the only way to inherit this company is through marriage, then I'd rather not inherit at all'?" Kiho read out loud. "But I thought you and your subordinate were 'going steady for 3 months'?" He quoted with his fingers for emphasis.
"I wasn't exactly being honest," said Siwon, straight-faced. He had to stop himself from smiling maniacally at his father's gobsmacked expression.
"You... you're not dating Donghae-sshi?"
"I am." Kiho's frown deepened further. "Well, we've just started to."
Kiho scratched his head. "Your... relationship needs some time getting used to, son. But as long as you have someone..."
"I want to see how far we can take it, Abeoji," said Siwon seriously. "But bringing my inheritance into the picture only puts a massive burden on Donghae-ah's shoulders. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on him. Not anymore..."
Kiho leant back on his seat, silent, his lined face unreadable. Siwon felt he was drowning in the stifling tension. "You're willing to give up the company, for that boy's sake?" His father asked.
Siwon in a breath. He knew there was no turning back from whatever he was going to say at that moment.
And so with dead certainty, Siwon said, "Yes."
Kiho let out the deep sigh he was holding in. "I trust Donghae-sshi knows full well what he's getting into. Being the partner of a CEO is just as difficult as being the CEO himself," he said. "Behind every great man is a woman and all that. Though, in your case, the woman is also a man..." Kiho's face froze. "Unless you're the woman in this relationship...?"
"What? No!" Siwon looked equally horrified. "There's no 'woman' in this relationship, abeoji!"
"Oh." Kiho shrugged. "You have to enlighten me, Siwon-ah. I do not completely understand how these relationships work."
"Neither do I." Siwon said numbly. He did not like the turn their conversation took, at all. He felt his stomach twisting in embarrassment. "Can we please now talk about something else?"
His father only smiled at his discomfort. "You both have to be strong. It's only going to get more difficult when I've handed the ownership of this company over to you."
Siwon looked up. "Pardon?"
"You're still going to take over Devil one day, of course." Kiho rolled his eyes. "And I genuinely hope, for everyone's sakes, that you will still have Donghae-sshi by your side. Minho-ah tells me this is the happiest he's seen you." Kiho patted his son's shoulder. "It's also the most agreeable you've ever been, he says."
Siwon scowled. "I'm going to give Minho hell," he promised.
"You should be thankful to your brother," said Kiho sternly. "He's helped me come to terms with you and Donghae-sshi."
His crinkled eyes softened. "But you've finally understood the hardest lesson I wanted to teach. That's all I want."
Siwon's heart swelled. The man before him was far removed from his image of the tyrant who got in the way of Siwon's life since the moment he crawled. At that moment, Siwon saw Choi Kiho as a father.
"I'm still learning, abeoji," said Siwon. He smiled fondly. "And I can't wait for Donghae-ah to teach me more."
One year later...
Donghae pulled at the neck of his dress shirt, attempting to gain some relief from the stifling cream-coloured vest he wore on top of it. It really wasn't the best time to be wearing a suit, he thought sorely. It was early August; temperatures had been hitting 30°C the past days, and today felt particularly warmer than the last.
But sweaty suit or no, he wouldn't miss today for the world.
He wondered how it would feel to finally take that leap of commitment, after months of agonising whether it was finally the right time, or the right person; to stand before his family and friends with the love of his life, pledging uncertain tomorrows to the end. Would he feel fear? Relief? Happiness beyond reason?
Guess we're about to find out, Donghae thought, breathing deeply.
"Nervous?" Siwon asked from behind him. He, too, wore a cream-coloured vest that matched Donghae's, though he had a black bow around his collar. A rose head peeked out from his pocket.
"A little," said Donghae honestly. He smoothed down Siwon's collar for good measure. "You?"
"Not until I saw your face," Siwon whispered against Donghae's hair. "You look stunning, Donghae-ah."
"So do you," Donghae grinned. "So much for worrying about cream suits making you look fat."
"But they do," Siwon insisted. "Easier to see sweat stains on them, too..."
Donghae thumped Siwon's shoulder with a grimace. "That's gross, Siwonnie."
"You started it!"
A loud cough interrupted their bickering. Kyuhyun stood by the door, shaking his head, his face equally amused and exasperated. "If you're done, ladies, the ceremony's about to start in a few minutes."
"Alright." Siwon turned to Donghae with a cheeky, dimpled smile and held out an arm. "You ready?"
Donghae took the proffered arm without hesitation, and beamed at Siwon. "I always am."
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Hope everyone likes this chapter. We have one more to go! :DDD
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