This is just a gift for KSE's b'day. My hiatus is still in effect. My situation hasn't improved, in fact has gone worse. Please don't expect an update any time soon. This story comes at a great personal cost. Please bear with me for a while.

The Wedding Planner from Hell

Their combined nightmares had begun innocuously enough. It had all started with a simple game of truth and dare, a throwback to old times. The participants had been the same as last time, as had the rules but the atmosphere was considerably lighter. Jun Pyo and Jan Di were now married and as hard as it was to believe, happily so. By some strange quirk of fate, Woo Bin and Jae Kyung were doing what the rest of the group called 'the dance of courtship', exchanging meaningful double entendre. Ji Hoo was still single but a female colleague seemed to have caught his attention. As for Yi Jeong and Ga Eul, they were now an official couple. They had started dating within twenty-four hours of his return from Sweden. It had been as if the four years hadn't taken place at all. Over the years they had constantly been in touch via Skype, emails, texts and phone. When he had returned it had been but a matter of showing up at her classroom and asking if she was willing to date him.

That had been almost three years ago and the two had withstood their own share of storms but had held on to each other tight. And now, as the group sat playing what had become their favorite game, Yi Jeong fingered the box he'd been carrying around for two weeks now, trying to find a way to say what was on his mind.

The seven sat around a low table at the Gu mansion, with an empty beer bottle on top of it. Jae Kyung clapped her hand enthusiastically and reached to turn the bottle. It spun for a bit and landed on Ji Hoo. He looked only marginally curious that such a thing could indeed happen. He cleared his throat and looked at Woo Bin. "Woo Bin, why haven't you asked Jae Kyung out yet?"

The mafia prince sputtered in his drink, coughing loudly. Jun Pyo patted his back laughing uproariously, causing Woo Bin to lose the air in his lungs as well. Having recovered from the quasi-assault the Don Juan actually blushed. But he quickly recovered and his face broke into his trademark grin. "Looks like it is time."

Ji Hoo's eyes widened only slightly when he realized exactly what Woo Bin was referring too. He was prepared to bolt but Yi Jeong and Jun Pyo were on him lightning fast, grasping his arms to stop him from flailing. Woo Bin added a theatrical 'MUHAHAHA' for the effect before descending and giving a kiss on Ji Hoo's cheek. The girls at the table were literally rolling on the floor laughing. Ji Hoo closed his eyes with a pained expression on his face as if trying to wipe out the traumatizing incident. Meanwhile the rest of them settled back into their respective places.

"Revenge is sweet!" Woo Bin said laughing. "My turn, right? So, Yi Jeong, when are you settling down permanently?"

Yi Jeong looked at her and said, "As soon as she agrees. In fact, I'll ask her right now."

Ga Eul gasped slightly as he settled on one knee, with a box in his hands and looking at her expectantly, "Chu Ga Eul, will you marry me?"

Her eyes brimmed over as she nodded her acquiescence. The group whooped wildly as Yi Jeong put the ring into her finger. Yi Jeong pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Woo Bin wolf whistled, Ji Hoo smiled, Jae Kyung and Jan Di were locked into each other's embrace and were jumping up and down, laughing. Jun Pyo was the only one who sat completely motionless, as if shocked.

It was Jan Di who noticed her husband's uncharacteristic silence. "Yah Perm-head. What's wrong?"

He shook his head lethargically, blinking as if it took him a lot of effort to do so. "I… I'm just…"

"What?" Jae Kyung asked him.

"I'm happy. Very happy," Jun Pyo said slowly. "In fact, I have an idea."

Uh oh!

"And what would that be?" Yi Jeong asked slowly, his fingers tightening around Ga Eul's waist in trepidation.

The Shinwha heir stood up and walked up to them with a large, goofy and almost patronizing smile. He pulled the two of them in a bear hug and proclaimed loudly, "I'm going to be their wedding planner!"

If Yi Jeong's eyes bulged any further, they'd have popped out of his sockets, in front of him stood the most garish 'tree' that he'd ever seen. Jun Pyo stood next to it grinning widely. The monstrosity in front of him was at least twenty-five feet tall, replete with silver trunk and branches, golden leaves, tassels and crystals.

"This will be the center piece in the wedding hall. I designed it myself," in his excitement, Jun Pyo seemed to have forgotten that the people around him had perfect auditory skills. His voice rose with every word as he started to describe the hall. "There will be smaller versions of this baby on each table. And the menu will be embossed in gold and written with silver ink. Oh and I have prepared the menu as well. See!"

He pulled out a roll from his inner pocket and shook it open.

"Whoa!" Woo Bin exclaimed. "Just how many items are there?"

"Just seventy-five," Jun Pyo said nonchalantly.

"Seventy-five?" Ga Eul squeaked.

Yi Jeong massaged his temples and sighed, "Jun Pyo, what part of 'we want a simple wedding' did you not understand?"

Jun Pyo gawked at Yi Jeong as if he'd grown another head, "What do you mean? This is simple enough."

Jan Di slapped a hand on her forehead, "Oi Jun Pyo! When I said tone it down, I didn't mean that you reduce the thirty feet tall tree to twenty-five feet!"

"But I worked so hard for this!" Jun Pyo cried.

"Jun Pyo Sunbae," Ga Eul ventured slowly. "Can we please… um… make this… thing a little shorter maybe? It won't… um… fit in the hall."

Yi Jeong shook his head, "Actually, it would be preferable if we didn't have this tree at all."

"But this is so pretty!"

Jan Di put her foot down, "Jun Pyo, get rid of it. NOW!"

"But…"

Woo Bin patted his shoulder sympathetically, "It is Yi Jeong and Ga Eul's wedding buddy. What they say goes."

"Ji Hoo, Jae Kyung?" Jun Pyo looked at the two of them for support.

"Sorry Jun Pyo. I have to say, this thing has to go," Jae Kyung answered.

Ji Hoo nodded in agreement, "I agree. This is no go."

Thus hopelessly out-voted the reluctant Jun Pyo was forced to let go of his masterpiece.

"I AM NOT WEARING THAT!"

Jun Pyo frowned as he looked at the suit he was holding up trying to figure out what was wrong. Yes the pinstripe was a little over the top, but it was his wedding, surely Yi Jeong was excused if he wanted to dress a little exorbitantly. "It looks fine to me."

"IT'S GREEN!"

"So? Green is a perfectly good color," Jun Pyo still didn't get the problem. "You don't like the pinstripes is it? I can get another suit made you know."

Yi Jeong closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "No. Pinstripes are the least offensive part of that... ensemble. I want Ga Eul to be able to look at me without barfing or going blind!"

"What are you talking about?" Jun Pyo asked quizzically. "What about this suit will make her barf or go blind?"

"How about the fact that the green is so dazzling that one needs sunglasses just to be able to look at it?" Yi Jeong began heatedly. "How about the fact that it has a snake-skin belt? Or a snow-leopard-print fur at the neck? How about the peacock-feather brooch? And don't even get me started on the steel tipped shoes! I'm picking up my own suit, thank you."

"Excuse me!?" Jun Pyo looked incredulous. "Who is the wedding planner? Me or you?"

"I'm the groom!"

"So? Don't be such an attention hole!"

Yi Jeong momentarily forgot that his hands were precious as it made contact with his 'wedding planner's' jaw.

"And the phrase is attention whore," Yi Jeong finished, flexing his fingers.

Ga Eul hugged Yi Jeong from behind as he laid his forehead against the wall.

"This won't work out Ga Eul," he said in an agonized voice. "We can't get married."

"No Sunbae, don't think that way. I'm sure we can work out a way," Ga Eul reassured.

He turned around and hugged her, "How Ga Eul? How? I can't even fire the bloody wedding planner!"

"No Sunbae, he means well," Ga Eul tried to reason with her distraught fiancé but it wasn't easy, given the latest trick that the wedding planner from hell had pulled. Her brave fiancé who had withstood severe parental disapproval, ridicule from the press and constant badgering by the fangirls to stay by her side was now coming undone, all because of his best friend.

"I have an idea, let's elope," Yi Jeong said in desperation. "Left to Jun Pyo, we'll never get married. Why did I agree to his hair-brained scheme?"

Ga Eul cupped Yi Jeong's face and said, "Don't worry. Jan Di is convincing him as we speak. He'll see reason."

He shuddered, "I hope you're right Ga Eul. I desperately hope you're right. But in case he doesn't, we'll elope."

She sighed, "Don't worry, trust Jan Di."

"Yes I trust her, but just in case she can't. As a backup plan, we're eloping. OK?"

She laughed, "Deal."

Meanwhile at the Gu Mansion

"YOU DID WHAT?" Jan Di screamed.

Jun Pyo stared at his wife befuddled, "What now?"

"What made you think that you could 'edit' the guest list?" Jan Di asked, her nostrils flaring like a raging bull.

"Hey, I just tweaked it a little bit to suit the wedding of an F4. The original list was a bit too dull."

Jan Di sputtered in indignation, "YOU INCLUDED CELEBRITIES! Didn't they tell you repeatedly that they wanted a simple wedding?"

Jun Pyo spoke slowly, as if talking to a child, "Yes, I remembered. That's why I just called ten of them."

"Jun Pyo, you will cancel the invitation right away!" Jan Di said with finality. "After which I am keeping you on house arrest and away from all sorts of electronic devices, phones included before you find any more ways to wreck my best friend's wedding."

"It's my best friend's wedding too."

"That's the only reason why I'll allow you to attend the wedding."

Finally, thanks to Jan Di's intervention, Yi Jeong and Ga Eul were able to get married without having to elope.