Chapter One
Proposal
Yoona sighed as she checked over the progress of her transformation in the mirror. This was always her least favorite part of living up to her status. Her hair was pulled up into the most perfect ponytail that she had ever seen and curled just enough so that not a single strand was long enough to reach her neck. Helping to keep the top controlled rested a thin headband, separating her bangs from the rest of her hair. Her bangs had curled and brushed into a left side bang, gathering in front of her ear. Out of habit she tucked the curl behind her ear, but swiftly her stylist slapped her hand gently and returned them to their rightful place. Yoona rolled her eyes.
"Now don't make that face," the stylist complained as she took Yoona by the arm and guided her back into a seat, "we're almost finished."
"I hope so," Yoona muttered.
"Just hold still," the woman ordered as she lifted Yoona's chin.
Gently, she started painting her lips a shade of pink before moving on to the rest of her face. By the time she was finished, Yoona's eyes were gracefully outlined in black, coming to a point on the corners, her lids were painted a smoky blue, and her cheek bones presented with a tinge of pink. While the stylist went about selecting earrings, Yoona glanced in the mirror to see a doll looking back at her. She sighed again.
"I've never seen a woman so unhappy to dress up for her own engagement party," the stylist complained as she started to attach small, white, double-heart earrings to Yoona's earlobes. "There, let's take a look at you," she announced as she pulled Yoona out of the chair by her wrist and lead her over to the mirror tri-fold.
Yoona stepped up onto the platform and allowed the stylist to fawn over her some more. She felt like a child as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her dress was white, had an a-frame skirt that went about halfway down her thigh with lace at the bottom, and the top consisted of a toga-style left shoulder tank with some ruffles off the shoulder. On her right wrist was a simple white bracelet that hung loose around the base of her hand. The outfit was completed with a pair of white, closed toe heels.
"Well?" the stylist asked, her eyes begging for a vote of approval.
"Are we finished?" Yoona begged.
The stylist nodded nervously.
"Thank god," Yoona breathed a sigh of relief. "It's perfect," she smiled reassuringly as she placed her hand on the stylist's shoulder.
But I'm only human.
Yoona's phone started singing from inside her purse across the room indicating an incoming phone call.
And I bleed when I fall down.
Yoona crossed the room.
I'm only human.
She started digging in her purse.
And I crash and I break down.
Yoona held her phone in her hand and saw it was her mother calling and sighed as she debated on whether to answer it or not.
Your words in my head
Knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
Cause I'm only human.
With a sigh, Yoona hit "accept" and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she tried not to sound annoyed.
"What took so long, dear," her mother scolded.
"I'm sorry, who is this?" Yoona questioned.
"Don't you dare joke around like that," her mother scoffed from the other end.
"Sorry, Eomma," Yoona let out a small laugh. "Just perfecting tonight's look."
"Oh good, didn't I tell you Jang Yeongyu was perfect?" her mother celebrated. "Now hurry up dear, we don't want to keep people waiting. And how embarrassing would it be if your fiance arrived...?"
"Eomma, relax, everything is right on schedule," Yoona interrupted before her mother could continue. "I'll see you soon."
With that Yoona hung up and tucked her bangs behind her ear in frustration.
"Would you stop that," the stylist complained as she appeared next to Yoona and readjusted her bangs again. "I don't want to have to follow you around all night fixing your hair. Just leave it alone."
Yoona laughed. "All right, all right. Well, I guess I'd better get going."
"Good luck."
With that Yoona took her leave and headed towards the party room.
"Seonbae, you have to tell her how you feel," Jandi pressed.
"If you tell her, it's over," Yijung argued. "Her rules, remember?"
"Things have changed," Jandi insisted. "You guys have been through so much together."
"You obviously still don't know how stubborn she can be," Yijung rolled his eyes.
"No, I just think that the situation has changed is all," Jandi argued. "She made that rule because she was afraid of turning into her parents, but that's not going to happen. The situation is totally different than it was with her parents. Tell him, Goo Joonpyo," she insisted as she tapped her husband's arm with the back of her hand, demanding backup.
"Yeah, totally different," Joonpyo agreed.
"How?" Yijung scoffed.
"Well, for instance, her parents only ever dated each other before they got married. They didn't know what it felt like to be with other people, that's why they didn't work. However, Seonbae here has been the Korean Casanova since, what, his preteen years?" Jandi started as Joonpyo nodded in agreement. "And now the Casanova is choosing her over that life-style."
"Don't listen to these two love-birds," Yijung rolled his eyes as he pulled a ring box out of his pocket and shoved it into his friend's hand. "Just go out there, give her the ring her mother picked out, enjoy the party, and keep your mouth shut. Then, at least you'll be able to marry her."
Woobin looked as if he was giving it some serious thought as he opened the ring box to reveal a double-banded ring covered in diamonds with a large heart shaped diamond sitting on top. He held in a grimace as he thought about putting that ring on her finger.
"Where's Jihoo?" he asked as he looked up and closed the box.
"He should be here any minute," Joonpyo reassured him.
"He better be," Woobin started pacing as he seemed to be weighing his options.
"Hey, sorry I'm late, an older lady almost fell down the stairs out front," Jihoo apologized as he raced into the room.
"There you are!" Woobin practically jumped out of his skin. "Did you get it?"
"Of course I did," Jihoo laughed as he reached into his pocket.
"Get what?" Yijung asked confused.
Jihoo and Woobin seemed to ignore the others in the room completely as they exchanged a small box. Woobin opened the box and his eyes lit up. "It's perfect, man, thanks."
"You picked it out, I just picked it up," Jihoo insisted.
"What is it?" Jandi insisted as she pushed between them to get a better look. As soon as her eyes landed on the box she gasped in excitement.
"What?" Joonpyo demanded, he hated being left out.
Jihoo moved out of the way so that Woobin could show off the item. The box contained another engagement ring. This one had a simple white gold band and an inlaid princess cut.
"No way!" Joonpyo laughed as he pulled the ring out of the box and started inspecting it. That's when Jandi gasped again and snatched it out of his hand. "Hey!" he complained.
"Shut up," Jandi waved her hand at him as she tiled the ring in the light to see in inside of the band. "'All my love always and forever,'" she read the English inscription. "Oh my god, it's perfect!"
"You got her another ring?" Yijung complained.
"Well, I certainly can't propose to her with this," Woobin pointed out as he put the first ring on the dresser next to him. "It doesn't match her at all."
"Seonbae is right, this is exactly Eonni's style," Jandi beamed in excitement. "I can't believe you're actually going to propose!"
"Of course he's going to propose," Yijung rolled his eyes. "This is an engagement party."
"You know what I mean," Jandi glared.
"Time to go," Jihoo announced as he looked at the time.
Woobin reclaimed the ring and returned it to its box before safely tucking the box into his pocket and heading for the door.
"Wait, wait, wait," Yijung moved to block him. "Just...think about what you're doing."
"I have thought about it," Woobin insisted.
"I mean, really think about it. Really think about the consequences of telling her the truth. Can you do that for me?" Yijung begged. "Just take a second and think about it."
Woobin paused as he took a deep breath and pretended to seriously think about it. "I thought about it, and I'm doing this," he replied as he pushed passed his friend.
"Don't expect my sympathy when this all goes downhill!" Yijung called after him in frustration.
"He'll be fine," Joonpyo insisted as he patted his friend on the back.
"Let's get to the party and await the celebration," Jihoo agreed as he started leading the way.
"No kidding, I gotta get this on video," Joonpyo laughed like a child as he headed for the party room and his friends followed.
As Woobin reached the top of the stairs his eyes landed on his fiancé-to-be and he froze, stunned. She stood looking at the clock as she fought with her own urge to pick at the pink nail polish on her fingers. Her eyes scanned to the sides in frustration before looking down the stairs. As soon as she saw him, he watched a sense of relief overtake her.
"There you are!" she greeted. "Where have you been?" she demanded as she started to brush her bangs behind her ear, but stopped herself by slapping her own hand.
"What was that?" Woobin questioned, pointing to her hands.
"My stylist doesn't want me tucking my bangs behind my ear, but it's a habit of mine, but my mother really recommended this stylist so…" she started rambling as she reached up to tuck her hair and slapped her own hand away again. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little stressed. Everything has to be perfect tonight. Everyone is watching and I haven't afford…"
"Hey, hey, hey," Woobin interrupted as he placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "Everything is going to be fine," he reassured her as he looked her directly in the eye. "You look perfect and nothing is going to go wrong. You need to just relax and enjoy tonight."
"Enjoy? You've got to be kidding me. How can I possibly enjoy tonight? Remember, my family is under constant scrutiny…" she started to argue.
Woobin shook his head as he pulled her into a gentle hug. "You're not alone," he reassured her as he could sense her relax.
"Thanks, I needed that," she smiled as she stepped back and took a deep breath. "Shall we?"
Woobin offered his arm and Yoona took it. They walked together up the last flight of stairs to their entrance. When Yoona have the cue, their entrance was announced to the guests. Both doors in front of them were pulled open and they stepped into the room as their guests clapped and celebrated their arrival. They entered onto the top platform of another staircase that lead down in front of them to where a group of guests had already gathered to greet them. Two stair cases also extended down to each side of their platform.
Yoona smiled and inhaled deeply through her nose, holding her composure as she looked out over the crowd and made eye contact with her parents across the room. She stepped forward and realized that Woobin wasn't following. Realizing that this was a big step for him too, she decided to give him a moment to process and take the heat off of him, so she started to pull her arm out of his. Quickly, Woobin caught her hand and held her there.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she turned to look at him, concerned.
"Nothing, I just…" Woobin cleared his throat, his nerves starting to get the better of him.
"The ring," Yoona sighed in realization. "Don't worry; you don't have to give it to me yet. You can slip it on my finger later in front of our parents; it doesn't have to be so public."
In the crowd, the other members of F4 and Jandi shifted to the bottom of the stairs to get the best view. Jandi grabbed a fist full of Joonpyo's sleeve as he pulled out his phone and zoomed in on the couple at the top of the stairs.
"He's gonna do it," Jandi whispered excitedly as Joonpyo started recording.
"Just give me a minute," Woobin asked as he stepped back, pulling her back up to the platform.
"Are you okay?" Yoona asked, starting to panic.
"I'm fine," Woobin smiled as he unhooked her arm, never releasing her hand.
"What is…" Yoona's words trailed off as Woobin lowered onto one knee.
"Tae Yoona," Woobin addressed her from his knew kneeling position as he held her hand with both of his, "We've known each other for a long time."
"What are you doing?" Yoona whispered, her panic growing as she bent her knees to get closer to him. Woobin reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box. "I said you didn't have to do this here," she insisted as her bangs fell into her face. Once again, she moved to tuck her hair behind her ear and slapped her hand away. As Woobin started to open the box, Yoona closed her eyes and sighed, figuring that he just wanted to get it over with. "Fine, just hurry up," she gave in as she held her left hand out for the ring.
Woobin pulled the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. Then, he held her hand as he rose to his feet. "Yoona, I have to confess something," his voice was serious as he stepped closer to her. "I made a promise as a child that I haven't kept and I've been lying to stay by your side."
Yoona opened her eyes, "What are you talking about?" she demanded.
Woobin reached up and tucked her bangs behind her ear gently, "I love you," he whispered, and then brought his lips to meet hers. When she didn't push him away, he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer. When he felt her hand touch his chest he thought it was over, but she still didn't push him away, in fact, it felt for a brief moment, like she was kissing him back. His heart was pounding, everything was going perfect. Maybe Jandi was right and this would work out after all.
From the bottom of the staircase, the crowd started clapping and cheering for the couple. Joonpyo even let out a whistle of excitement.
As the whistle reacher Yoona's ears, her eyes popped open again and she pulled away from Woobin. Her eyes lowered to her hands resting on his chest and narrowed in on the ring on her left hand.
"What happened to the ring my mother picked out?" she asked as she ran her hand over the simple ring, she would never admit it but this ring was a million times better than the one she had seen before.
"I couldn't give you that ring," Woobin admitted as he held her hand. "If I had, none of this would mean anything."
"It's not supposed to mean anything," Yoona insisted as she pulled her hands away from him and pulled the ring off her finger. As the light scattered across the inside of the ring, the inscription caught her eye. All my love always and forever. "Oh my god," she gasped as she dropped the ring in shock. "You're serious about this!" she tried to keep her voice low enough that the crowd at the bottom of the stairs couldn't hear, but she was losing it, her perfect plan was falling apart before her very eyes, and what was worse, it was falling apart in front of so many people. She couldn't be any more embarrassed.
Woobin sighed as he gripped her left hand once more and lowered to one knee to retrieve the ring. "Tae Yoona," he started, raising his voice confidently.
"Don't do this," she begged as she tried to discretely pull her hand away.
"When we first agreed to get married, we were both just children trying to escape our biggest fears of turning into our parents. When I agreed, I never imagined how much I would grow to love and care for you so deeply," he continued, never breaking eye contact. "I am no longer afraid of becoming my parents because I have realized how special you are to me and that nothing will ever be more important than that. I can only hope that through the years I have proven to you that your biggest fears will not be realized with me."
"Woobin," Yoona begged, trying more forcefully to pull her hand away while resisting the urge to cover her ears and tune him out.
"Tae Yoona," Woobin once again raise his projection as he held the ring up, wanting the whole world to hear this proposal, "will you make me the happiest man in the universe and marry me?"
The crowd at the bottom of the stairs cheered again in excitement, having never expected such a romantic moment to happen at this particular engagement party.
"I promise," Woobin continued in a softer tone under the cheers, his eyes begging her to listen to him, "you will never feel the shame that you have felt while watching your parents. I will never cheat on you or make you feel alone. As long as you take my hand now, I'll never even ask you to love me," he insisted. "Just being by your side for the rest of my life will be enough."
Yoona breathed out in disbelief. Woobin felt a sense of hope wash over him as he watched her eyes soften and what he could only interpret as a sense of relief and happiness wash over her. However, Yoona's mind was reeling. She couldn't think of a graceful way to get out of this predicament, but she knew she had to do something. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Fine."
