Chapter Text
Hongjoong stepped into the house, returning from his job at a nearby clothe store. He walked towards the stairs leading to his room. He just stopped when he heard voices from the kitchen. He took a peek into the room and saw his mother was there, talking with a woman he recognized. An old relative of his late father as his mother had told him one day. That woman is the wife of the owner of a famous company, Mr. Park.
He decided to show courtesy by greeting the two women at the dinning. He almost reached the kitchen when he heard his name was mentioned in their conversation. Hongjoong canceled the idea, then decided to hide behind a nearby wall and eavesdrop.
"I don't think Hongjoong will agree to this," he heard his mother hesitating. "He has never met him since he was born."
"Don't worry. We'll let them meet each other first to see if it's going to work. Besides, Seonghwa had promised your husband that he is going to marry your kid no matter what," Mrs. Park explained.
Who? Seonghwa? Marry me?
What are they talking about?
"Are you sure?" Mrs. Kim said again. "What about the reputation of your company? As far as I know, this kind of marriage hasn't been well accepted here."
What does it mean??
"It's alright. We had discussed about that matter. Seonghwa has decided that he will not replace his father's position in the company. Instead, his younger brother will replace him after he graduates from college in the U.S. Seonghwa already has been doing great with the bakery he owned," Mrs. Park explained again with a chuckle like she had no worries.
On the other hand, Mrs. Kim looked so confused. She thought about it for a few moments, then smiled hesitantly to the other women.
"Alright. I will try to talk to my son. I hope he'll accept to marry your son, Park Seonghwa."
What? I have to marry the oldest son of the Park family?
»»»«««
Tears were about to stream down from Hongjoong's pretty eyes. He couldn't stop thinking about what he had just heard downstairs. Why did his mother has to arrange some stupid marriage for him? Does she not care about his opinion and consent anymore?
Then he heard a knock from the door.
"Honey? Can I come in?”
Hongjoong quickly wiped his tears. He didn't want his mother to see him cry.
"Yes, mom. Come in," Hongjoong said.
The door swung open. His mother was standing there. She walked in towards the bed where Hongjoong was sitting.
"What is it, mom?" Hongjoong acted as if he hadn't heard anything, when in fact, he knew exactly what his mother was going to talk about.
"I need to tell you something," she said, caressing her son's back.
"What is it?"
"You're getting married."
Hongjoong looked straight at his mother's eyes.
"Married? Who am I going to marry?"
"The eldest son of the Park family, Park Seonghwa," Mrs. Kim answered hesitantly. She was afraid that Hongjoong would get surprised.
But no. Hongjoong seemed calm.
"O- oh," was the only response she got from her son. She was even more confused because of that.
"You're not going to decline?"
"I don't know," Hongjoong replied weakly. He then looked up to his mother again. "But, mom. Can you tell me why you are doing this when you're not even sure if I'm going to accept?"
The older one was quiet for a moment. A memory of some tragedy came into her mind. While Hongjoong was just waiting for the answer.
"This was a wish from your late father before he died. He was about to die after an accident happened when he and his friends were hiking a mountain. He almost fell off a cliff, but fortunately, Mr. Park was there to rescue your father first. So your father wanted to repay the favor. It was four months of my pregnancy..."
»»»«««
21 years ago
Mrs. Kim was still crying out loud. A couple stood behind her, also in tears. None of them got to know Mr. Kim's state inside the emergency room right now. All they did was cry and pray, until one of the doctors came out of the room.
"Kim Gil-Joong's family?"
"I'm his wife," Mrs. Kim said, rushing over to the doctor. "How is my husband, doctor?"
The doctor sighed, "I'm afraid we can't help him anymore, ma'am. He was seriously injured and lost a lot of blood. Fortunately, he is still conscious now."
"Then why did you stop handling him?!"
"I'm sorry, but he asked me to. He wants you to come inside with Mr. and Mrs. Park, along with their son," the doctor's eyes were fixed to where a four year old boy was standing next to Mrs. Park. He opened the door to the emergency room. "This way, ma'am."
Mrs. Kim ran into the room, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Park with their son. There, on the bed, Mr. Kim was lying helpless. His eyes barely opened, with some medical devices attached to his nose and mouth.
The women in tears stood next to the bed.
"Honey, why did you tell them to stop?" Mrs. Kim asked, crying again.
"Calm down, sweetheart," the man's voice sounded so weak it struggled out from his throat, trying to draw some oxygen he barely inhaled. Slowly, he raised his hand to caress his wife's cheek. Slightly smiling as his lover was out of words but full of tears.
He shifted his eyes to the smallest human being in the room. The boy was just staring, no idea of what was happening.
"Park Seonghwa. Come here, kid."
The boy innocently nodded then let go of his mother's hand he had held the whole time. He walked closer to the bed, standing next to Mrs. Kim. He just watched as the weak and trembling hand took his small one and placed it on the woman's round belly. Everyone in the room was confused, but they waited for what Mr. Kim was going to say. The man on the bed looked up to his friend.
"Mr. Park. Are you willing to... Marry your son... to my child... when they grow up later? Regardless of... what my child's condition will be?" Mr. Kim asked.
Mr. Park looked a little surprised. But he didn't think of anything and replied, "If Seonghwa wants to, then yes."
Mr. Kim smiled. He looked back at Seonghwa.
"Seonghwa. Will you?"
The toddler stared at his own tiny hand which was still on the woman's belly. He then smiled and looked up to Mr. Kim, innocently answering, "Yes, uncle Kim. I will!"
A smile crossed Mr. Kim's face again. Slowly, he closed his eyes. His mouth muttered a soft, "Thank you," followed by, "Now I can leave in peace."
To no one's expectation, it was the last smile and words from him, before he stopped breathing.
"Honey? Honey, wake up! Please!"
»»»«««
"So," Hongjoong broke the silence after listening to the story of his father's death. "That's why you want me to marry Mr. Park's son?"
The woman nodded.
"Besides, I want you to have someone who can take care of you. Your father is no longer here, and I'm getting old. I might be gone soon as well."
"Mom! Don't say that!" Hongjoong pulled his mother into a hug. His hand went to wipe the tears streaming down that beautiful face. He looked at her crying face. He sighed, and hesitantly said, "Fine. I- I will marry Park's eldest son."
"Really?" The woman finally raised her head, staring at her son. Hongjoong nodded, trying not to look hesitant. She hugged him again. "Thank you, Hongjoong. Thank you so much. I love you."
"I love you too, mom," Hongjoong replied, trying to smile back at her.
A moment later, they let go of the hug, smiling to each other. The woman got up from the bed.
"I want you to meet him tomorrow, 10 o'clock at Aurora Café."
"Okay, mom," Hongjoong nodded, earning a ruffle on his head before she walked away from his room.
Hongjoong sat still on his bed, looking tired of faking smiles. A sigh released from his mouth right before he heard his phone vibrate. He got a message.
Mingi <3 <3
'Hey, hyung. Are you free tomorrow? I get a day off, so I think taking you out on a date is a good idea. It's been a while. I know we've been busy these days.'
'Anyway, it's okay if you can't. I'll just go to work tomorrow and switch my off day with the other employee, so we can match our free time.'
Ah, right. His boyfriend, Song Mingi. How could he forget about him?
Hongjoong sighed. Honestly, he really wanted to go on a date with his boyfriend. It's been a whole month since they haven't gone on a date because of Mingi's new job, and Hongjoong has been busy with his own job.
Damn, he already promised his mother to meet his future husband tomorrow.
Hongjoong needed to think what to say to Mingi.
So he simply replied to the message.
Mingi <3 <3
'I'm sorry, Mingi. I can't.'
'Is that so? Ah, what a shame :('
'But I understand, work must have been tough for you too, right? Then, good luck, hyung!'
Thank you, love <3'
'Sure, hyung. So that being said, I will just go to work tomorrow. If you happen to miss me, you know where to find me ;) Love you <3'
'Love you too, kiddo <3'
Thar was Hongjoong's last reply before he sighed.
Mingi didn't even ask why he couldn't go on a date with him. No, it's not that Mingi doesn't love him or doesn't care about him. Hongjoong knew his boyfriend so well. Mingi wouldn't ask any further if Hongjoong didn't feel like telling him first. He just didn't want to be annoying. He wanted to let Hongjoong have his own privacy. All he did was to trust Hongjoong, because Hongjoong trusted him, too. That's how they keep their relationship in peace for a whole two years.