7

"Bottoms up, guys!!!" Yunta raises his soju glass. Fun, Jun and Wei cheer as they click their glass together. I watch them from the corner of the table, smiling like a proud Noona.

Wei continues grilling the meat. He is good at taking care of his members; the eldest to the youngest. Usually, it is a custom for a maknae; the youngest in a group to make such works for his hyungs. In this case, it was supposed to be Jun's job to grill the meat. But Wei insists, saying that Jun will end up burning the precious meat. Hope Boys doesn't go by seniority rules. For them, people do what people know best.

But I know, that's not exactly the reason why. I believe everyone is aware of the stiff air that happens around them. Since we arrived at this KBBQ, Jun has been silent like a rock. He tries to engage in a conversation, but he can't lie to his hyungs that he is indeed not in a good mood.

If there's anyone to blame, it is me.

This morning, I told Jun that I might consider a meeting with Wei's Imo, Nayeon. She's a fortune teller who reads tarot cards and can interpret dreams. I need to find the truth behind my dreams about the man whom I called my husband and relate the dream to my current situation. 

Jun hates my idea. Saying that Nayeon Imo is nothing but a liar.

I explained to him about my dream and how much I'm aware of and worried that the dream might be my prediction for the future. After that, he was so angry that he refused to talk to me. 

"So, when will you meet my Imo?" asks Wei. Jun gives me a deep glare and his reaction is too grimm. Yunta smacks Wei's lap a bit, passing the hint that he should stop talking about it.

"Sooner the better. I'll contact her," I ignored Jun's sulking act towards me. For me, there is no reason to get mad over this small thing. 

Jun stands up immediately. He leaves the table. Fun sighs as he looks at Wei.

"Can you be a little sensitive?" he asks Wei.

"Did I say something bad? I don't think so!"

"Read the room, Hyung" 

"Why Jun got pissed off? This has nothing to do with him. Noona wants to meet my Imo on her own. He can't stop her, nor has the right to stop her," Wei is right. Although I appreciate Jun's concern towards my problem, I'm the only one who can solve it myself. 

"Excuse me, Noona. I need to check on Jun," says Yunta. As the eldest in the group, mental care is always will be his job. He is in charge of almost everything, but he is indeed a specialist in the mental health of the members. 

"Noona, are you sure the man is your future husband? How did that happen? I thought you cut ties with your family?" asks Wei. Fun moves closer, eagerly wanting to know the answer as well.

"I might cut the ties. But, I can't deny my post as a part of the House. No matter where I go, I'm still the Lady Karin. And unfortunately, my father can still decide on behalf of me. Especially for conjugal ties," I reply with a heavy heart.

"So it's not a hoax!" Fun gasps. I slowly nod. 

"Are you sure, Noona? Maybe he's among your fans, who knows?" says Wei. 

"Wei, I'm not an idol! And, one more thing. Our people can joke about almost everything but these two; marriage and death. Once you declare someone as yours, the person will be yours," 

I'm fidgeting a bit. Learning how scary it is to not be able to decide on my own, I feel sad. 

"So, you can't decide on your own?" asks Fun.

"I can, but I need to fight with all my might to do so. A strong reason is a must to abort the relationship," I reply.

"Okay, like, what if you are in a relationship, and suddenly you just happened to know that you're engaged to somebody else?" it's Wei's turn to ask.

"I need to break up with him. Or, if I want my boyfriend, he needs to fight for his rights as my boyfriend. As I told you, I need a strong reason to call off the engagement. So, my boyfriend needs to work hard as well," I reply to him earnestly.

"Poor Jun needs to work hard..."

"Hah?" I turn my head towards Fun. He quickly ignores my glare and pretends to fix a ssam for him. 

" What's with the dream anyway?" asks Wei. I gather some deep thoughts. Before answering this question, I need to pick the correct words for this.

"Hello..." we turn heads in stimulus move. 

"Dinner?" the owner of the deep voice makes me feel awkward. Wei and Fun look at me in confusion. 

"Care to introduce me to your friend?" 

"Oh, er... This is Fun and Wei. Guys, this is The Royal-"

"Kitthan will do..." Wei sticks out his hand for a shake. The man accepts it in care. Fun pokes my waist with his elbow. I roll my eyes to him.

Kitthan takes a seat next to me in poise. He fixes the chair so he can get closer. I try to move but it seems like my chair is inbound on the floor. He turns his head towards me.

"I got something to discuss. Let's meet up tomorrow,"

"I'm busy,"

"Send me your schedule. I can reschedule mine according to yours," Kitthan says. 

I give him a sharp glare. Seems like he doesn't get the 'memo'. Or perhaps, he just ignores it!

"I think we're done talking. I did clear up things between us..."

"I stick on my ground,"

I smack my mouth. Slowly turn my body towards him.

"That's not on you to decide,"

"It is definitely on me. Facts," 

Again, my eyes rolled. Rolling back to China, come back still rolling! That's how annoyed I am!

"Your place or mine?" I gasped a bit. He is indeed a stubborn man! He smirks as our eyes lock on each other. I am dying to smack his head so he can get back to his senses. Maybe, fixing some broken loose screw in his brain!

"Oh, we have a company?" Yunta's voice distracts me. I turn around only to find out how furious Jun is, standing behind his hyung with his face all red.

Now, it's getting worse!

"Hyung, this is Khittan. Noona's-"

"I'm his fiancee," I shoot a sharp glare towards Khittan. He leisurely pours himself a shot of soju. I was about to curse him so bad!

Excuse me, sir? Are you this shameless?

"Fiancee..." Yunta glares at Jun. This is not good for him! Now, he is mad! He grabs a chair from the other table, smacks it next to me, and sits down like no one business. 

"I didn't see the ring..." Jun tilts his head, giving Khittan a deathly stare.

"The ring will come, soon. We haven't released the official statement. That's why there is no ring, yet," Khittan calmly replies. 

"Then you can't just simply go around and announce yourself as her fiancee," Jun launched a counterattack.

"I announce myself so I can claim what's mine. So the others can back off and leave my fiancee alone..."

I can feel the tension lingering in the air. Sitting in the middle of these two men is a wrong move!

"How can you claim yourself as her fiancee when she's afraid of you? I think that's ridiculous! A loving couple shouldn't hate or be afraid of each other," as Jun debates with Khittan, he softly grabs my hand.

"Seems like you kinda concerned about Karin, a little bit too much..."

"I won't let her get hurt!"

"You were talking as if you know me. What makes you think I'm gonna hurt her?" Khittan suddenly sweeps a strain of my hair and tucks it behind my ears. "Who knows, maybe I'm more gentler and a caring person than you? Besides, you're just a kid. What did you know about taking care of a woman?" 

"Khittan, that's enough!" I push his hand away from my face. I think he is indeed crossing the line. That's so insulting!

"Maybe I'm a kid. But I know her more than you know!"

"Are you sure? What if I told you, I knew her even before you were born?" I look at Khittan, anxiously. Seems like he left a crypt message, again!

"Don't be so cocky..."

"Jun, calm down. You... Come with me," I leave my seat after giving Khittan a strong command. I can see Jun in the corner of my eye. He is so angry, that he gulps a shot of soju just like that.

I drag Khittan outside. He looks pleased when I hold his hand. But once we are outside, I let his hand go in furious. 

"I don't wanna repeat my words, so please listen carefully. I might be seeing a fortune teller later. After that, I'll call my family and call off the engagement. That's final," I give him a stern look. I eagerly want to end this so I can move on in peace. 

"I can see why you need a fortune teller,"

"That's none of your business!"

"Tell me, are you having a continuous nightmare?" 

My eyes get bigger. I never disclosed this to anyone, except Jun, who only recently happened to know. My body slowly starts to shudder. Khittan watches me from where he stands. 

"Fine. Do what you wanna do. In the meantime, please don't ignore my calls and texts. Unless you want me to appear out of the blue like this," Khittan talks while slowly getting closer to me. He towers over me with his height and slowly puts his lips closer to my ears.

"Tell the boy that he needs to work harder to get you. And..." he gave me a deep gaze. "I hate when someone touches what's mine. I'll let it slide this time. But, I won't guarantee for the next time," Khittan tilts his head, and stares at me while biting his lower lips.

I muster my courage to fight his gaze for the first time. It's intense and sensual at the same time, which makes me distrust this man even more! From there, I made my resolution.

If this is a destiny, I'll fight the destiny myself!