Forget Me Not

Chapter Thirty-One

Korn arrived in Bangkok to sweltering heat and midday traffic. Arriving at Mew's apartment he found it already open. "Hello?" He shouted as he walked in dragging his suitcase—large enough to hold the gift he'd bought for the happy couple.

"Hey!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I happen to live here," Mew said giving Korn a quick kiss. "But in all truth, I wanted to be here when you arrived. And...now I have to get back to work."

Korn pulled him into his arms when he tried to get passed. Keeping him in place, he kissed him properly. Taking his time exploring his mouth and savouring the taste of him. It had been a long time and he'd been thinking about this for a while. Mew's groan in response was very satisfying but it didn't last. Mew pushed him away and gave him a reproachful look.

"Hold that thought. I really have to get back to work."

"Think of it as motivation."

"You are bad. Make yourself comfortable. I'll probably be late but I think you'll be too busy having fun without me to notice."

It was an offhand comment. But not for the first time, Korn wondered if he should have asked Mew to accompany him. He'd already seen the pictures of the bachelor and bachelorette parties and it looked like they'd had a great time. Red was not the only colour they'd painted the town that night—yet he hadn't felt like he'd missed anything.

Unable to attend that party, Yihwa and Cho had insisted he made it in time for the family dinners.

"Why aren't you having dinner together?" Korn had asked Yihwa while making his way to the airport.

"Because it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other on the night before the wedding."

"And nobody thought of this before?"

"How was I supposed to know my aunt has complete influence over my family and she's the most superstitious person on the planet?"

It was the strangest explanation but Korn had not been about to rock an already unsteady boat.

"Okay...so what exactly is happening?"

"You are going to hang out with Cho and the rest of your friends," Yihwa had said.

There was nothing wrong with hanging out with the groom and the other guys. He just knew it would be awkward. Sure enough, he arrived at the venue just after six and was ushered into the cosy dining area reserved for the occasion. Korn was not the first to arrive and that set him at ease as he headed over to join Cho, Knock and Nine.

"Hi," Korn greeted

"Really?" Cho shouted at him for his half-hearted greeting then pulled him into a hug. "I'm getting married tomorrow, you better bring only good vibes here. I'm nervous enough without anyone else adding to it."

"What are you nervous about?"

Korn was prepared for a speech about the loss of his freedom or some such thing but Cho gave everyone a serious look and whispered, "What if she changes her mind at the last minute?"

Cho earned a smack on the head from one of his friends and everyone else groaned like they'd heard this a thousand times already. But he kept on with his worry that Yihwa would realize he wasn't what she wanted and leave him.

"Yihwa is as crazy about you as you are about her," Korn said bluntly. "Otherwise, she'd have thrown you over by now."

He didn't mean to come across as cynical but it was there in the tone of his voice. Luckily, everyone was caught up in the spirit of the occasion and they didn't notice. It was the reassurance Cho needed and he seemed to calm down enough to remember to play host.