Donghyuck was glad that his dad didn't scold him for anything that happened inside the house across the street. Taeyong seemed disappointed that Donghyuck never said what he was doing, but instead just said that he could imagine how hard it was for the boy to keep it a secret.
"I hadn't told you this because I didn't want you to feel burden more," Donghyuck confessed. "It's way easier when you don't know something. Once you said it yourself."
And that was true. Just because Taeyong didn't know Donghyuck's secret, it was a low chance that some enemies would know it too.
The next day was already planned without Donghyuck's interference. Taeyong and Johnny agreed on taking Donghyuck to the wedding shop to plan an outfit and accessories. At least, they tried to make it look like a real wedding, not a wedding with casual clothes.
"That was my idea," Taeyong told when he and Donghyuck exited the house to go to the black van. "Johnny didn't mind connecting you two the same day."
Donghyuck shook his head, imagining a scene where he's wearing his dirty pajama and meeting Mark with casual clothes, with a priest trembling in fear as mafias have their guns out. Then he began thinking... what if they would marry each other in the forest? That was like a Johnny thing to do.
"Can't we go there ourselves?" Donghyuck openly asked when he saw Jungwoo getting out of the van.
"Nope," Jungwoo leaned shook his head. "My boss doesn't want you to wander around yourselves."
"He doesn't trust us, right?"
"Not at all. You see, you might be a target for someone. Who knows?"
Donghyuck remembered the thieves. He gave the phone to Johnny the same day and didn't get it back. Well, that wasn't that bad, maybe the mafias found it so useful that they decided to watch it thousands of times. Donghyuck believed that they didn't check his gallery or messages. When he realized that he had messages between him and mom, he felt a cold sweat on his back.
Even so, Donghyuck got into the car and didn't get surprised when he saw that there was also Lucas inside. Now he was sure that Johnny wanted them to keep eye on his relatives. Two tall and loud guys were not just helpers to pick wedding stuff.
Donghyuck enjoyed how awkward Lucas was. The brunette was dressed as himself for the first time in a while. There was no trace of Dongsook on his body, just a normal boy that seemed to trigger Lucas. But he wasn't the only one. Donghyuck noticed that even a chill guy like Jungwoo was looking at him up and down as if it was hard for him to believe that it was another person than Dongsook.
Everyone had a hard time adjusting to the idea, except for Donghyuck and maybe Mark.
────────⋈────────
Donghyuck started to regret that he was searching for a white suit instead of a dress. The staff kept bringing him boring-looking white suits when there were so many pretty dresses around. Nevertheless, Donghyuck promised to himself that he would wear a suit at the wedding, not a dress like Dongsook would do.
He was measured to find better clothes but even if the staff brought him the suits that fit him, they looked so bold and ugly. Donghyuck wanted some patterns on them or maybe even laces.
"Maybe we can sew just for you, sir," one of the female staff asked.
"I'm afraid that's impossible," Taeyong grimaced. "He's marrying in 24 hours."
Donghyuck enjoyed their reactions which soon made them look away when they recognized who was before their eyes.
"This shop sucks," he whispered to his dad.
"Johnny picked it himself."
"He's obviously never been to someone's wedding."
Taeyong showed a mysterious smile, getting Donghyuck's attention.
"What that smile supposed to mean?"
"You might not know this one, but your uncle actually was planning to get married before. Two times."
"But it was a failure as he's still single."
"The funniest part is that he was trying to marry the same guy twice without knowing that it was the same one. That happens when you decide to marry someone when you're drunk. He fell in love at the first sight once and asked the guy to be his husband but got rejected. Then he met him again but didn't remember him from the last time and was brave enough to ask that again. And guess what?"
"He was rejected twice by the same guy."
"Yes. And when he found out that, he decided to do background search about him only to know that he's a gang member, sometimes working as a wedding organizer."
Donghyuck didn't tell it out loud, but he was sure that the gang in this context was somehow related to the Chinese gang.
"He should have started from dating," Donghyuck shrugged.
"He doesn't have time for dating. He wants to marry right away," Lucas said, obviously listening to their conversation.
Well, that explained why Johnny wanted Mark and Donghyuck to marry the same day they met.
Donghyuck was told to open the curtains whenever he was finished changing. Jungwoo was telling Donghyuck that he looked great in everything but the brunette was hesitant. He thought he looked fat in one suit while in another his ass looked like Kim Kardashian's. The pants were obviously too big while the jacket was so tight Donghyuck thought the buttons will pop out.
"We'll take this one."
Donghyuck glared at his dad, who lost the patience in seeing his son disagreeing with everything.
"This one is ugly!" Donghyuck sounded like a whining kid.
"I don't really think Mark would even look at your clothes. They would be on the floor at the night anyway," Taeyong growled under his breath, making Donghyuck blush.
"Still! I want to look pretty. It's the first and the last time I'm marrying someone."
"I'll see what I can do to make it look better," Taeyong let out a sigh as in defeat but didn't think about staying in this section more.
Yes, it was only one section. There was a lot Donghyuck still had to go through. When they reached the wedding garter section, Donghyuck thought they were chokers. He tried to put it on his neck, almost tearing it apart and cursing when it didn't work as he thought it should. Taeyong facepalmed, while the staff ladies ran to Donghyuck and explained what it was.
"A Bridal lingerie?" Donghyuck asked, confused. "Where do I even put it?"
"On your thigh, under your pants, sir," the staff explained. "Your husband will have to remove it, sensually or not, and throw it to someone behind. The one who catches it will be marrying next."
"What do you mean sensually?" Donghyuck furrowed his eyebrows.
"He can take it off with his teeth or simply use his hands–"
"Teeth!" Donghyuck excitedly shouted and turned around to pick the prettiest one.
After that went other accessories. Donghyuck wanted a lot of things to be in his hair. He loved the hairpins and fake flower crowns. He almost lost his mind when he reached the section that had beautiful and expensive necklaces and accidentally shifted to Dongsook. Just by the sight of jewelry.
The staff was confused why the boy suddenly started crying and ranting that he didn't want to marry anymore. They tried to calm him down, saying that it was normal to feel stressed before the wedding.
"Dongsook," Taeyong cleared his throat and walked to the girl.
The girl was laying on the floor with the staff ladies all around her as if welcoming her to heaven. Taeyong gently pulled the girl back on her feet, feeling weird that she didn't have any difference in her appearance but her personality was the one that separated her from Donghyuck.
"We don't have any choice," he whispered to her. "Just imagine it as a game and help join to help Donghyuck to plan the wedding outfit."
"But I don't want him to marry! If he marries, it means I'll marry too. I'm too young! I don't even love him."
Dongsook was ranting for a whole half an hour. Taeyong thought that maybe soft Dongsook was way more challenging than savage Donghyuck. It was so hard to keep her quiet, especially when Taeyong didn't know her that well. He succeeded to calm her down when he showed how beautiful the necklaces were. She agreed to pick it for Donghyuck, although she still didn't look that happy.
"I hope I'd learn how to love him," she said, having Mark in mind. "I can feel what Donghyuck feels, but it's hard to love a killer."
Donghyuck changed back when Taeyong was paying for every single shirt they bought. He blinked a few times, getting confused when he noticed the things, he didn't remember picking. A wave of wear went all over his body when he realized that Dongsook went out of control. He facepalmed, blaming himself for not taking the medicine when it was obvious that Dongsook would come out whenever there were pretty things around.
But for the first time, he didn't feel embarrassed by it. Yes, it was embarrassing to know that the staff saw everything but Donghyuck didn't fear being judged by his dad or two mafias. They already knew it and seemed to accept it.
"What now?" Donghyuck asked when they got back into the van. "Can I pick a cake or decorations?"
"Our boss is taking care of everything else," Jungwoo explained and started the engine.
The van turned in the direction where their homes were.
"That's not fair. It's my wedding, I should be the one deciding everything and also Mark– "
"Mark is on his punishment," Lucas gave Donghyuck a look. "He can't do anything. Johnny picked a suit for him too."
Donghyuck gritted his teeth, annoyed that the best moment in his life would be planned by his uncle. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't as bad as he thought. It meant Johnny was the one paying for everything. Fewer expenses for Donghyuck.
────────⋈────────
Donghyuck had nothing to do at home now that he had his wedding suit. He thought about visiting the mafias and steal some glances at Mark. Heck, he really felt like he was also punished he was separated from the assassin for whole 24 hours and even more. Just how Donghyuck missed Mark's touches and kisses. It was driving him insane, spending hours alone in his bedroom when he used to spend them with Mark.
So, he did. He went to the other house but no one let him in. Jaehyun answered the door, blocking the entrance, showing that he wasn't allowed to go in. Donghyuck came back home in disappointment, meeting with his dad's eyes. Taeyong looked amused which annoyed Donghyuck more.
"You seem happy that I'm not allowed to go there."
"Maybe I am," Taeyong shrugged. "There's no reason for you to be there."
"I want to see my groom. Isn't that enough?"
"Are you really head over heels for him? It sounds weird that my Donghyuck cares for a person that used to be his entertainer."
"He wasn't only my entertainer, dad," Donghyuck chuckled. "We both enjoyed what we were doing."
"I see. If he tried to shield your lying ass, that means a lot."
Donghyuck thought it meant that Taeyong finally understood the relationship he and Mark had. It should be hard for a parent to let go of a child who soon would marry. Especially when they promised each other that they will be together. Always.
They heard a doorbell which made both of them face each other again. They silently asked if one of them was waiting for someone. As Donghyuck shook his head, Taeyong went to see for himself as he too didn't wait for anyone.
He saw a woman standing at their porch and thought that it was one of Johnny's women. Taeyong opened the door for her, ready to ask if she needs something but stopped before he could even open his mouth.
"Long time no see," Hwasa smiled and invited herself inside.
Taeyong saw Jaehyun starting at him out of the window, questioning who was that woman. He also spotted more heads out of other windows which only proved that they were watched almost every single hour.
Donghyuck's eyes widened when he saw his mother coming inside. He took a step forward, thinking about hugging her but decided to stand there and do nothing when he saw how displeased Taeyong was.
"What are you doing here?" Taeyong sounded cold and unfriendly.
"I came to see my son before his special day."
Taeyong's eyes shifted on Donghyuck. The latter slouched.
"Did you call her?"
Taeyong seemed betrayed.
"No, he didn't," Hwasa defended Donghyuck. "I decided it myself."
There was a minute or two when both Donghyuck's parents stared into each other until one of them looked away. It was Hwasa as she noticed someone passing by their windows, obviously trying to peek inside.
"You don't have anything to do with this," Taeyong remained cold. "I don't even know how did you find it out but I will ask you to leave."
"I will. I just wanted to see my son."
"Listen," Taeyong was losing patience. "Johnny is here. If you don't want his wrath, you should leave–"
"That's perfect. I came here to see him, actually," it looked like Hwasa didn't hear Taeyong's threat. "I have something to tell him."
Hwasa and Donghyuck had short eye contact but it was enough for the boy to know that she was ready to tell the truth.
The door opened and Johnny walked there himself. His eyes found Hwasa almost immediately. From his expression, it was obvious that he hated her as he looked like he just tasted a lemon. He was frowning a lot.
Everyone recognized her right away as if she didn't change. Donghyuck felt dumb that he needed a bit of time to recall who she was the day he was kidnapped.
However, Johnny's reaction wasn't as dramatic as Donghyuck expected.
"So, you really came," he said as if he knew she would come.
Donghyuck was confused. Soon he remembered his phone, though, and it started to get clearer. He believed that something happened when the phone wasn't with its owner and it looked like he wasn't wrong.
"I don't have any single weapon but I have useful information."
Johnny grimaced and motioned for her to go outside. Hwasa turned to Donghyuck and waved him goodbye then went left the house with Johnny tagging along. Taeyong was confused but smart enough to catch what was going on. He also left the house and called for Johnny.
"Are you cooperating?"
"We might do."
"So that means..."
"Your ex-wife also belongs to the crime world," Johnny explained shortly. "If you want to know more, ask your son. He knows more than I do."
Taeyong turned to Donghyuck, the latter showing a soft smile. Taeyong shut the door.
"How did you manage to get involved in so much during this short time?" he raised his voice. "You participated in the meeting of the thieves, never told me about your true self and now it turned out that you met with your mom who is actually a criminal. Everything behind my back!"
"It may look like I initiated everything, but it's not true. They all came to me themselves and everything started because Johnny decided to accommodate that fricking house across the street."
"I told you so many times how dangerous people can be and you still did whatever you want. How many times you've sneaked out when I didn't see, huh?"
Taeyong sure had a lot to say but instead, he shut his mouth and went upstairs. It told a lot about his disappointment in Donghyuck. Well, it was understandable. It took years for Taeyong to take care of Donghyuck and protect him from bad people and now it turned out that his son was doing just dad behind his dad's back.
────────⋈────────
The lights in the mafia house were lit even in the middle of the night. Donghyuck was sitting alone in the living room and looking out the window, waiting for something to happen. Mark told Donghyuck that Johnny likes to hold long meetings and Donghyuck hadn't seen his mother leaving. Could it be that everything started to sort out?
If it was that easy, Donghyuck felt angry that they didn't do it before. He wasted all of his teenage years fearing for bad people and even his uncle. Even if his mom would have talked about her true background, they'd had lesser problems.
────────⋈────────
The big day came and Donghyuck was angry at himself that he didn't get his beauty sleep. His face was tired which forced him to try out many face masks before he could leave his house to the place where everything would start.
Taeyong, although still angry, fulfilled Donghyuck's wish and sew pretty laces on the boy's suit. The brunette found his suit in his own room with no trace of Taeyong in the house. Only when Johnny came in, Donghyuck found out that his dad was already on the other part of the island, taking care of the wedding things.
"I bet he's angry because he said to not wake you up," Johnny shrugged.
"How's yesterday?" Donghyuck changed the topic. He didn't need Johnny to open his wound more. It already hurt that his dad was angry.
"We're making our gangs into one," Johnny tried to hide his excitement. "She will rule another district, but we'll step in if something happens."
"Wow, so interesting," Donghyuck purred. "I wonder what happened for you to come on good terms."
"She has a list of my enemies, in short, everyone who's ready to attack us. I just couldn't let that opportunity slip."
Donghyuck wasn't surprised as much as he expected. He kind of guessed that his mom would succeed with this. The moment she said that many gangs were after Johnny meant that she was asked a lot to join other groups and attack him together. Donghyuck noticed that she didn't want that to happen because she knew what would they do to her son. So now Donghyuck was definitely sure that everything happened because of him.
"She wants to take you to her gang," Johnny told, unaware that Donghyuck already knew it. "But I can't let that happen."
The brunette didn't argue as he also knew that Johnny would keep him close to make sure that he stays out of trouble. Donghyuck's inexperience made him dangerous.
"Take your things and go outside. I'll drive you to the palace."
Donghyuck's eyes widened. Johnny chuckled.
"Why do you look surprised? I won't let you marry at some shabby house."
"The beach would be enough..."
"The beach is an open place. Everyone can shoot you."
Donghyuck kept repeating it in his head all their way there. Palace. Palace. Palace. It was so exciting! Donghyuck let himself imagine how the place would look like and wanted to get there in a spot. He made mafias in the car smile and for the first time, he won over them as Donghyuck.
It was easy to love Donghyuck just as they did to Dongsook.
can you feel the ending approaching? :)