Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"But still, if I jumped out of the way, I'm sure you would run other people on your way. And excuse me, I don't care if I'm not your type! You're not even worth my attention!"

We were now a meter away from each other and I could make out her features. She had a pale complexion, her perfect brows furrowed at the sight of me, her deep-looking eyes were narrowed, freckles dotted her cheeks and above her nose, and besides her outfit, she looked slim, judging from her visible cheekbones and her collarbone that peeked out of her hoodie. She looked nice though, if not for her outfit and eyeglasses. And with those freckles, she looked more like a strawberry.

I took a step forward and leaned down towards her, for she had a smaller frame. This startled her and she flinched away, just a step back. I smirked at her uneasiness and my smirk stretched further when I saw her eyes roamed around my face. It was her turn checking me out. She blushed even more. Maybe she found out how fine of a specimen I was. After all, I'm Byun Baekhyun. I leaned further, going for the side of her ear. Before she could jerk back, I grabbed her by the elbow to make her stay still. My breath fanned her ear and she shuddered at the contact.

"You wouldn't stay longer here if I'm not worth your attention," I whispered in my velvety voice. I licked my lips and continued, "And you just checked me out yourself so I think we're even, Ddalgi." (Strawberry)

I released her and straightened myself. I stepped away to give her room to breath. I thought she caught her breath while I was invading her personal space. I saw her flushed even more. Then she shouted, "Am not! Aaarghh you infuriating jerk! I don't want to see your face again!"

Then she turned around to walk away as I looked at her, amused. Suddenly, she turned back and said, "And that's not my name!" Then she turned back and marched away.

I shook my head at her tirade then when she turned around a corner and disappeared from my view, I got back inside my car and drove away.

What a scene.

Then I remembered her small figure, glaring at me like a feisty dwarf with a strawberry head.

She's interesting though.

As soon as I spotted the ochre-colored gates of Primrose Chateau, I drove towards it. The gates automatically opened as I neared, my window still open so that the CCTV could see my face. I often changed cars and the head of security of this house couldn't recognize every one of it so I had to let my face out. I was greeted with the mansion's garden. Vines slithered across the walls of our gate, old looking trees were everywhere, arranged in a pattern. There were shaped-bushes around the garden and at the center stood a magnificent ochre colored fountain. And of course, Primrose Chateau wouldn't have been named Primrose if not for its namesake plants that scattered in a neat design across our garden. There were other plants and flowers but what prevailed was the pale-yellow flower which we could call the Evening Primrose. The garden was impossibly wide that the chateau was still off in a distance.

I followed the path towards the parking lot, which winded around the garden. I was nearing the house. The cream-colored chateau was even more magnificent, both in size and design. But I was no engineer nor an architect so I couldn't describe it properly. Just know that it could outshine any Victorian mansions out there.

When I got to the parking lot. I noticed various cars were already there. Only mine was missing. Looks like I'm the only one late. But the actual party or gathering wouldn't start until evening and it's still 4 in the afternoon. I shrugged to myself as I got out of the car. The parking lot was just meters away from the house so it didn't bother me to walk.

When I came up the house, a butler greeted me with a bow. I ignored him as I walked forward. The inside was even more magnificent than the outside but I was too exhausted from my trip to marvel at it. Besides, I had been here a couple of times so I was no longer ignorant of its beauty.

But still, I couldn't navigate my way through this big house so I let the butler lead me to my room. We passed a lot of doors which probably lead to God-knows-where. The way was lit with vintage lamps and was covered with a thick vintage carpet. Portraits, paintings and other things decorated the walls but I ignored them all the same. After navigating through the halls, we emerged from a double door that stood at the end of one of the hallways. We came into the ballroom, the largest part and the heart of the house. A big chandelier hung on the painted, dome-shaped ceiling. And everywhere you would lay your eyes upon where tens of servants scurrying here and there. Some were cleaning, some were arranging pots of plants, some were putting up some table around and so on and so forth.

Ah, another grand ball will happen at our family gathering tonight. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised.

Every family gathering would be like this. It wouldn't be simple because there were underlying reasons. It's mostly because of business. During our family gathering, our family would throw the grandest ball out there and invite influential and wealthy people. Since we had to uphold the magnificence of the Byun family, we had to make sure our balls would be the headlines of the city paper.

Did I forget to mention that my family tend to overexaggerate things? And that word is even redundant!

I rolled my eyes and followed the butler when he started towards the grand staircase. If I remember correctly, that would lead to the guest rooms in the upper floors that were only exclusive for family members. Of course, there were other paths that would lead upstairs but I surmised this was the shortest route to my room. The grand staircase split up into two in the middle, both led to either east or west wing of the chateau. We took the right side that leads to the east wing.

Upstairs, we were met by-surprise, surprise-another set of hallways until eventually, I came to my room. The butler bowed before he resigned. I went inside. I didn't have time to appreciate my neat and luxurious surroundings full of vintage-looking stuffs. I immediately plopped down to the king-sized bed when I spotted it.

I closed my eyes and thought I could use a little bit of rest before tonight's tirade. But then my phone vibrated again. I ignored it until it stopped. But then it happened again. And again.

Frustrated, I let out a grunt and slid my hand in my pocket. I took out my phone and turned it on. 13 unread messages, 6 missed calls. All from one person - Chen. Or should I say Jongdae. My most trusted, right-hand man. Although he could be very annoying. Before I could read his messages, his caller ID suddenly popped up, indicating he's calling me for the nth time. I sighed and rubbed my temples before accepting the call.

"I told you I have some personal business to attend to, don't start annoying me Chen," I called him by his alias. When you're in a big and important organization, aliases were a must-especially in a mafia group.

EXO, the highest ranking mafia group of the whole underground business of Seoul, which I founded with my buddies who became my generals. The one organization which just started as a rookie group six years ago but was currently the strongest group.

["But boss, it's urgent! Remember how I told you that my intuition told me something bad's going for you today?"]

I did. Earlier, before starting my trip towards the end of Seoul, my trusted people-the generals-met me in one of our hideouts. I left my responsibility to them for I would be away for three weeks maximum. Among other things that we discussed, I remembered how Chen told me something about our arch nemesis.

Since I was the highest ranking person in our group-as I am their leader-I had to remain anonymous for my own safety. And also to not stir controversies that would possibly taint the Byun family. Of course, my family never knew and I planned to keep it that way. And since our organization ranked highest in the underground business, threats and enemies were inevitable.

We had this certain enemy though, who was overly obsessed about bringing us down. This certain group was the second highest ranking group and they were not happy with that. For so long, they couldn't pinpoint our weaknesses for we had none. They tried so hard to bring us down by means of infiltration, spying, and hacking our system all to no avail. That's why they resorted to one thing: finding out who was the leader in a very discreet way and catch him when he was not on guard. Of course, they were not very discreet of it because my generals and I foiled their plans. Almost two years had passed since that began but they were far from succeeding. So I didn't think of them as a threat anymore. For the past four months, our nemesis had gone silent and they never attempted their plans again until then.

But earlier, as I had said, Chen suddenly brought them up again and said he had a feeling that they were silently making a move. And it might happen while I was on the road. I scoffed at this and told him 'his mere intuition couldn't possibly lead them to me.' And that ended up our discussion.

And now he's bringing it up again.

["You didn't believe me, so I took the matter in my hands."]

My brows knitted as I replied, my voice low, "What are you trying to say? I told you, don't do anything stupid."

["Nah, you mentioned earlier that since you're on a vacation, you'll leave the org to me. Meaning I'm in charge momentarily. So my words, their command,"] his voice was annoyingly triumphant. If he was here, I would have hit his head hard. Before I could make a remark, he cut me to it.

["So, since I love you so much and have been worrying for the most part,"] I rolled my eyes at this. ["I decided to follow you."]

"You what?"

["And the rest of the generals didn't want to miss the fun so they followed me."]

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily in frustration. These guys are going to be the death of me. Though, I was impressed that I didn't notice them earlier.

["But do you know what's the fun and intriguing part? My intuition was correct!"] He exclaimed in his annoying, I-was-right-and-you-were-not voice.

"Get on with it," I said impatiently.

["Aside from us, somebody was following you too."]

I froze. Then I immediately stood up.

"What?"

["I know. We were astonished too. Although, we didn't recognize the car and who was/were in it. We tried to sidetrack them while you continued on your way. But all of us got lost in the woods and we lost the car too. You didn't notice anything behind you though?"]

"No, I didn't." I paused as I pursed my lips before continuing. "It's best if we should talk about this in personal. Are you still lost?" I asked as I readied myself, in case I needed to track and find them.

["Right. We're fine, we have Luhan with us so we got the coordinates of your location. We're coming."]

Upon hearing this, I turned the call off. No need for pleasantries. I immediately called the village guards and also our own guards to alert them about my guests.

My brows knitted in confusion as I thought about what he said. Someone followed me. I shook my head. I hope they'll come soon. We had to talk about this and strategize if needed.

For the mean time. I should get ready for the party.

When I was at the grand staircase, I noticed that everything was all set for the ball. The lights, the curtains, the tables, the buffet, the orchestra was already practicing and the errand boys and maids were stationed. I saw none of my family members as I descended and I thought they were in the drawing room or the entry hall, probably entertaining and welcoming the guests.

And I was right. A flurry of dresses and suits were visible. Chats surrounded the drawing room and I saw some familiar faces. But I had to be looking for my generals. As I walked through the crowd, I met some of my relatives with whom I acknowledge, but I didn't settle for long conversations. After sweeping the room with my hawk eyes, I failed to find Chen and the others.

Where were they?

I got my phone out and texted Chen and the others, asking their whereabouts. It was my third message since earlier but they still hadn't replied. I sighed and shoved the phone in my pocket.

I heard someone announced that the ballroom was now open. Guests poured in towards the said room but I went the other way, proceeding to the entry hall. At the said hall, the first one I saw was my mother. A woman between fourties and fifties with a shorter frame than mine but with familiar features. She exclaimed in delight and rushed towards me.

I smiled as we hugged, her squeezing the life of me. When we broke up she told me, "Oh my darling, your dad and I missed you so much!"

At the mention of my dad, I looked up and saw my old man near at the door. He was greeting the guests that just came in and he was with my grandparents. I looked back to my mom and said, "Me too."

"Come, I'm sure your grandparents are excited to meet you again. After all, this whole occasion is for you," she said, smiling widely with her eyes glinting with something I couldn't comprehend. Before I could ask her what she was talking about, she dragged me towards them.

My grandmother was the first one to hug and pamper me with kisses. I gave her a tight smile as I tried to escape her grip. I succeeded as my grandfather and father greeted me with a stiff nod and a pat on my back. We exchanged pleasantries and I was caught up with a few questions.

But I didn't miss the way my mom was strangely acting though. She was overly excited and kept on saying that, "My baby's gonna be a man after this night! I can't wait!" Then the four of them would cast me a look that was saying something will happen tonight without my knowledge.

I was about to ask what the hell was this all about but that's when I remembered my earlier thoughts. I was supposed to look for my generals.

I looked around but still, no sign of my members. It was already getting dark and the wall clock above the door told me it was already 5:47. I excused myself and was about to go outside when my mother gripped my arm hard.

"No, the party's about to start and we wouldn't want the man of the night to get lost. You'd better come with us now," she said and grabbed me as we made our way towards the ballroom.

I protested but my words fell on deaf ears. I resigned to my fate and decided that I should just look for them after all of this is over. Besides, I trust that they did manage to sidetrack my stalker. I shrugged.

To be sure, I sent another text to the generals, telling them that if they were already in the party, they should be on alert. I sent a separate message to Luhan, our IT expert, telling him to try and track the stalker. Better be on guard.

Guests, relatives, journalists and reporters filled the ballroom, classical music played in the background while the place was filled with chatters, clunking glasses and rustles of clothes. Our little group made our way towards the front, just below the grand staircase. On our way, we were greeted by tons of people and we were delayed when my father would introduce me to each of them. I politely greeted them back even though their names didn't register in my mind. Finally, after greeting almost three quarters of the population of this room, we neared the front. I was already exhausted even though the party was only starting. I never liked this kind of occasions. But since I was born into this, I should be used to it.

We sat on our table, exclusive for family members and relatives only. We exchanged greetings with my cousins and aunts and uncles and the likes. But what confused me was that a group of three unfamiliar faces was sitting down in our table-two adults and a child. Before I could ask, my father introduced me to them and I gathered they were our honored guest of the night, the Jang family. Our most influential and closest business partners. I shook hands with the Jang couple and looked at the little kid, their seven year old son. The boy grinned at me, his messy red hair partially obscured his eyes. I ignored him. As they chatted away about business, the kid stood up and conjured a plane from his little suit and ran around the room. His parents apologized for his misbehavior but my parents laughed it off and said kids will be kids. I zoned out and looked around, bored. This is going to be a long night. I sighed and thought, and I can't wait to see those boys, we have a matter at hand.

The crowd was silenced when my grandfather was called in front to give a speech to officially start the party. Claps and flashes of camera filled the room as he made his way to the front. When he got hold of the mic, the background music lowered its volume. Then he spoke. He acknowledged the guests, our family, the weather then went on and on. I was getting extremely bored and anxious by the minute, my thoughts flitting to my conversation with Chen earlier. Then I worried about the stalker. Then my thoughts would venture about my mother's sudden strange attitude and her telling me that this night was going to be about me.

My instinct was telling me something would happen tonight. Something that would happen only once but would change my life for good. And I didn't know if this was a good feeling or bad. 

"-and here is the lady of the night, Jang Dalya!"

That last phrase registered slowly in my brain when suddenly claps, flashes of lights and cheers surrounded the room and I was confused as to what was happening. Then I looked forward, my grandfather already stopped talking and was looking above the staircase. My eyes followed his line of sight and I saw a girl in a green, sparkly, long gown which hugged her body, showing her curves. Her right leg was visible behind the slit that rested an inch above her knee. Her heels clacked as she descended the stairs. Her tamed and styled red curls bounced around her shoulders. She looked like Merida the Brave sans the wild curls.

"My noona (older sister) is pwetty, doncha think?" I was startled from my trance and turned, only to find the little kid of the Jang family, clutching at his toy plane. He was grinning while looking at the lady in front. I raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. I turned back to the girl.

I squinted and thought she was familiar at the same time wasn't. But no, she couldn't be a relative of ours. If I heard correct, my grandfather called her a Jang. Also, the little Jang kid called her noona so she was maybe a part of our honored guests' family. There's something about her though. But before I could put a finger on it, my grandfather spoke, "And may I request my grandson, Baekhyun to come forward?"

I was startled and confused that I wasn't able to stand up but my mother snapped me out of my trance and told me to hurry up, her voice was laced with excitement. I reluctantly stood up, not knowing what was going on. Not knowing why, I looked at the little boy beside me. He still had a silly grin on his face when he asked, "Can I call you hyung(big brother)?"

I cocked my head to the side and simply asked, "Can you tell me what's going on?" This is weird.

He replicated my gesture and said, "I think you're going to be a great hyung to me."

I sighed and looked away. Only one way to find out. I went forward and there were more applause and flashes. I got to the front at the same time the girl descended the last step. Judging from her face, she was equally confused as I was. Our eyes met as we settled beside each other. Her eyes lit up in recognition while I was still trying to remember if we had met or not.

"You!" She exclaimed.

And that was the sign that lead me to a realization. Her voice was unmistakably familiar. Then it hit me. She was the girl from earlier! Ddalgi!

I looked at her with surprise, both because of confusion and awe. From looking like a girl from a subway, she upgraded to someone belonging to the modelling world.

What is going on here?

She had the same question written all over her face and before we could both react, my grandfather cut us to it.

"To strengthen the bonds between the Byun and Jang family, we came to an agreement. I'd like to announce to everyone the marriage of the Jang family's heiress, Jang Dalya, and our very own youngest successor, Byun Baekhyun!"

What the fuck?

Cheers and claps erupted again as flashes from the camera blinded us once more. I was stunned to the core and I knew I wasn't the only one. The girl beside me froze to her spot while my grandfather was smiling widely at the both of us, as if we were already in front of an altar.

I regained my bearings when all sunk in. I wanted to scowl but I remembered we were being photographed and our faces would represent our families today. So I gritted my teeth instead as I forced a smile out. They are trying to control me again. I was already out of their life but now they drag me into this. What I wanted was to shout, to hell with you, but I refrained myself. Calm down.

But I can't fucking calm down when all I feel was rage.

Six years ago, my rebellious self left this family. I learned to work hard and earn my own living through the mafia world. I managed to make amends with my family three years ago and they let me off the hook. Since then, they weren't able to lay a single finger on my life although we were at peace with each other. I tolerated and let them in my life once more, but I didn't allow them to control me again. And I thought I was free from their grasp.

But they lured me into this trap.

Although I hated them when they try to control me, I still didn't want to tarnish our family's reputation. And they must've known this for them to set this trap. All thoughts of my generals and the stalker were thrown out of the window. I was planning for a confrontation about my matrimony and I was growing agitated by the minute.

The following hours were torture. We made our way back to our seats as dinner was announced to be served after a few moments. We were fussed by our relatives, some of the guests went to our table to congratulate us. I was stiff the whole time, giving back pleasantries and forced smiles. The girl did the same, although her smiling facade didn't fool me. The glint in her eyes told me she didn't like this turn of events. Meanwhile, her little brother-who introduced himself as Jang Dalpyeo-resumed running around the ballroom.

Dinner arrived and this was what I had been waiting for. The whole Byun family stood up and went towards the dining room. And my hunch was correct, the Jang family went after them too, the girl and kid in tow. I followed suit, a couple of steps behind them.

It had been a tradition in our family to eat our dinner alone and not under the scrutiny of the guests and journalists. Because in this dinner, our family gathering would begin. Tonight was one of the rarest occasions where our family would include the honored guests.

As I entered last, the doors was closed for privacy purposes. The long table was now occupied by my relatives and the Jang family. I was the last one to sit. The head chair was occupied by my grandfather. To his right was my grandmother and to his left was my father. The girl named Dalya and her brother sat beside my grandmother while I sat beside my father. The Jang couple sat beside their children and my mother sat beside me as well.

Once everyone was settled in their chairs, my grandfather clapped his hands once. The male waiters and maids took that as a signal and they began serving the dishes. Chatters filled the room but it was incredibly silent at our end.

I fiddled with my glass as someone poured champagne in it. My elders began chatting with the Jang couple while me and their daughter remained silent. Their little son was whining about his toy but he was ignored so he chose to keep silent and fiddle with his toy.

I should wait until all those servants are done. I took a sip from my glass.

Bored, I looked at the girl and I was secretly awed. I marvelled at her sudden transformation. With her classy get-up and perfect poise of a royal princess, you wouldn't mistake her for someone who looked so ordinary with casual clothes. But I could see in the glint of her eyes that she was still the same feisty girl I met earlier. She's beautiful, alright.

But that doesn't mean I'd like to marry her. I thought, remembering our encounter earlier.

As if sensing my eyes on her, she turned to my direction and our eyes locked. For a brief moment, we were just staring at each other. Her eyes still held its intensity, like it was challenging me.

Her eyes narrowed, as if asking, You did this, didn't you?

I raised my eyebrow at her, conveying the message, Why would I?

It was silly but I felt like she understood me. She shrugged and looked away. At the same time, my father turned to me and said, "Now, my son here is a very respectable young man. A fine businessman who is now slowly conquering the world of fashion with his own designer company, Prive."

I felt his hand as he patted my back in a proud gesture. I straightened but didn't respond. I held the urge to snort. As if he approved of it in the first place.

Prive was my pride. Aside from my business in the underground, I was an unsuspecting CEO of the said company that I earned with my own hard work and designer skills. At earlier years, my father didn't agree to my own dreams of becoming a fashion designer. He nearly disowned me and that was one of the reasons why I left home. I proved to them how successful I had become after pursuing my dream and when they saw it, they accepted me again and acted like they never rejected the idea. I snorted as discreetly as possible.

I saw that the servants were already done and gone. I cleared my throat, not enough to get attention. I was about to say something when my father cut me to it.

"As his wife, I don't think you'll ever be deprived (pun unintended) of fashionable clothes. That's all the ladies want, eh?" My father chuckled and the ladies who heard him nodded sincerely. Except for my bride-to-be.

She gave a tight-lipped smile and said, "Not all girls could be won over with sparkly materials, father-in-law." She said the last word sarcastically. And with that, her ladylike demeanor suddenly faded and she looked more like the girl in the street. I could tell that she didn't like this arrangement as much as I.

Our end of the table suddenly grew silent after her remark. Her mother broke it as she laughed nervously. My eyes wandered to her mother's hand as it pinched her arm, ever so discreet. I raised my eyebrow as I saw her flinch and glare at her mother. Her mother pretended not to see and looked at my father.

"What she meant is that it's the heart of her husband that she'll accept with love and care and not just his wealth."

Our group broke into laughs and approvals. My father was still stiff but I could see that he was accepting the good cover. I looked at the girl and she looked like she wanted to protest but her mother pinched her again, shutting her up. She caught my eye. I smirked and I could see her blushing furiously. She looked away and huffed.

Her little brother suddenly piped eagerly, "Does this mean that hyung will live with us at home? Do I get a hyung now? I'm sick of only having noona around."

This elicited laughter from the elders and from those who heard. His noona blushed even more and not-so-secretly pinched his cheeks. He swatted her hand away after crying out. The slaughters only ensued. I smirked at them.

I guess its time.

I opened my mouth to begin my confrontation. "And what if I don't want to be your hyung?"

It was said in a quiet tone but they grew silent, as if stumped. Dalpyeo looked at me with disappointment as he asked, "Why?"

My smirk grew wide as I said, "What if I'm not willing to give my heart?" Then I looked to Dalya. Ddalgi, she looks like a ddalgi.

The girl looked at me, as if sensing that we were in the same boat, and I could see the hope in her eyes. The hope that I would be the one who'll break this while she would agree silently in the corner. Tch. It's a good tactic, letting the other do the job so she would not fall into trouble.

I looked away and stared at my grandfather who narrowed his eyes on me. "What if I don't agree to all of these nonsense?" I asked as I gestured around. Laughter exploded from the other end of the table, oblivious to our own tense end.

I felt my father's hand on my shoulder. He clasped and gripped it with heaviness, as if he could control me with the mere gesture. "What do you think you are doing?"

I turned to my father and smiled widely. "I don't remember agreeing to any of this. As long as I can remember, you agreed to let me live on my own without pulling me into family businesses."

"Adeul!" (Son!) My mother chastised me but I didn't heed her. I continued as I stood up, shrugging my father's grip away, "I am not marrying and will remain a bachelor as long as I would love to."

Then I casted a glance to the Jang family, my gaze lingering on their daughter. She looked pleased and I almost snorted in irritation. Don't think I'm doing you a favor.

I grinned at her and said, "Especially not to a sarcastic girl faking prim and proper."

It was rude but I only meant to irritate her. I knew I hit her straight on her ego as she glared at me, eyes wide with disbelief and nose flaring in anger. She's looking more and more of a strawberry. Her parents and mine gasped. Her brother only laughed and said, "Hyung's right though!"

But no one paid him any attention and his voice was drowned out when I heard my grandmother said, "Byun Baekhyun! That's downright rude!" Her voice was loud enough to carry across the table and now all of our relatives was looking curiously at our way.

But I didn't care. I pulled my chair out of the way, creating a scraping sound, as I chose to leave the table. Everyone had their eyes on me, murmurs of questions filled the room, asking what was going on. I heard my parents calling my name. I ignored them. I came to the double doors and opened it but stop midway when I felt someone tugged at my arm.

My brows knitted as I turned only to see Jang Dalya in her fuming glory. I opened my mouth but before I could say something she already slapped me. The impact was so heavy that my head turned sideways, the resounding thump echoed around the walls of the dining room. Everything went deadly quiet and I remained in my position, disoriented for a bit. Then I heard some scraping of chairs and her parents apologizing profusely to my own.

I slowly turned to look at her, my cheek was throbbing and I was sure it was now sporting a bright red color. I saw her mother, now trying to pry her off me but she held her ground, her grip on my arm tightened. My elders looked at the commotion with disbelief. I, myself, was looking at the girl in front of me with disbelief. I could feel my nose flaring.

"You-"

"No one would ever want to marry an arrogant, pompous ass like you! Not even a sarcastic girl faking prim and proper!" She spat my words back at me.

Before I could react she spun around to face my family, her grip on me loosened. "I'm sorry but this wedding is off!"

She turned to me again with glaring eyes and shove me out of the way. I wasn't deterred from my position with her weak shove as she tried to walk past me. I grabbed her hand, my grip tight. Then I glared at her, gritting my teeth as I said, "You dare do that t-"

At the same moment a loud bang - a gunshot - echoed outside of the dining room, startling us both.