Symphony | MINSUNG

♫ | thirty-four

Jisung was worried that Minho wouldn't go greet their guests when they arrived earlier that morning. He feared Benseuk would be mad and that he may have to face a consequence for that, but the man showed quite a neutral face when the two appeared only by the time breakfast was served to the family.

Minho's parents were already seated, and so was his brother with Ryunjin right beside his seat. Hyunjin stood behind the two, ready to assist them. 

On the other side of the table, Pan sat with her brothers seated on either of her sides. A chair was left empty on the Lee family's side, right in front of where Pan was seated. 

Minho sighed, walking to the table and sitting down, not even sharing a glance at the girl or her brothers. He didn't even look at his father. 

His gaze was set on the table where the dishes were neatly placed.

Pan looked at Minho when he sat down. 

She blushed ever so slightly, seeing how much he had changed during the years. 

He looked quite handsome- it was only normal to blush. But something kept her from being too drawn to him. 

The way he showed no interest to spare her a single glance made it as clear as day that he was not pleased with this arrangement, much like her. 

She wasn't going to fall for this man. She knew that. But she had to... for the sake of making her family proud. 

After all, that was all that she had been doing all her life. 

"You didn't come to greet your fiance this morning. Why is that?" Minho's father, Benseuk asked calmly from his seat, glancing at Minho.

The latter stayed silent for a minute before looking into his father's eyes, and putting on a slight fake smile. 

"I tried to dress up a bit" Minho responded and his father eyed the outfit he wore. It really was an accurate outfit for the occasion, and for once, Benseuk felt that someone did not disappoint him entirely. 

Besnseuk shifted his gaze to Jisung who stood next to Chan and some other butlers close by. 

Jisung immediately felt that it was all over, but when the older gave him a curt nod, approving his effort to help his son, he let out a sigh of relief.

If only Benseuk knew how hard his son had tried to wear something stupid to chase away the guests. He would've been much more impressed that Jisung actually managed to get Minho properly dressed and ready for breakfast with them.

"So Minho... after breakfast, please show your fiance around the mansion" The older male spoke, his eyes fixed on his oldest son who gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip around a fork he had picked up.

"She had visited us before. This isn't a new place to her" Minho said, lifting his glance to look at the girl who sat across from him at the table. She was pretty, he couldn't lie. But he wasn't attracted to her. His heartstrings were already tied with someone else's, and he knew nothing in the world could ever break them.

He quickly looked away from her, meeting eyes with his father instead. 
"That was years ago" Benseuk spoke, reaching for a wine glass next to him. "besides, she will be your wife. She should get familiar around here" 

Minho sighed once more and then looked away, mumbling out something quietly that only Felix, who sat next to him could hear.

For Jisung, it felt like torture to see his lover seated across the girl he was to marry. He noticed the small glances exchanged by them... and he couldn't blame either one of them. Both of them were equally gorgeous people. Minho was handsome, and Pan was beautiful. He could only pray Minho wouldn't look at her the same way he looked at him.

The two parties had the meal through light chatter. Mrs.Lee brought a cheerful atmosphere to the table until she brought up the times that the Park siblings would come to play with Felix as kids. The freckled boy had to hold himself from dropping his smile quite a few times and this did not go unnoticed by his partner who stood behind him.

Hyunjin felt bad... but there wasn't really anything he could do. He did try to comfort him by lightly brushing his hand against the younger male's as he served him and Ryujin food, and that did seem to ease Felix a little bit, but the fact that his childhood bullies were sharing a meal with him was obviously affecting the blonde, and Hyunjin did not like that.

Time ticked its way to the end of the meal and both the Lees and their guests had finished up their food just as soon as they started. 

Before Minho's father could remind him to take Pan for a walk around the mansion, Minho stood up and cleared his throat, looking down at the girl who sat in her seat, drinking her water from a fancy glass.

"Let's go" he muttered enthusiastically, having anything but emotion in his voice as he turned around. Jisung could see that the older's face was slightly tenseM as if he despised everything in that moment. 

"Mr.Han, I would like you to join us as well... I think I might need your assistance" Minho tried his best to speak formally to his lover, even though it would've been way easier for him to admit that he just wanted him to keep him company and not leave him alone with the girl. The older's expression softened a bit, as he felt relief when Jisung nodded in response to the request.

Minho smiled slightly and then made his way to the hallway, caring less whether the girl had finished her drink or not. Jisung just followed suit, staying close to the eldest heir of the Lee family as he walked. 

The girl quickly placed the glass stood up from her seat and made her way to the two, and their frames slowly disappeared into the hallway, making their way into the mansion while the rest of them watched.

"So.. Felix" The voice came as nothing but a startle to Felix. Even when he was younger, he could feel a sense of danger or threat from it. 

"How about you show us what our playroom looks like now?" Jiwon spoke, giving the freckled boy a fake smile that sent a slight chill down his spine. Haru, the younger brother of the male who spoke had a light smirk at the corner of his lips as he nodded to what his older brother had said.

"I think that's a splendid idea! go on Felix" Before Felix could talk his way out of it, or before he could even come up with a response to the curly-haired male, his mother had spoken up for him,.

She seemed happy. Excited even. 

In her eyes, they were the only kids who had ever played with Felix and had been his friends when her son was little- even though she knew nothing about the real truth of how they had treated the poor boy before.

It was only now that Felix wished he hadn't hidden everything from both his parents... would things have occurred differently if he once listened to that tiny little aching heart of his and told his parents? 

Probably not. His mother would care... but he doubted that his father would believe him. And in his family, that man had all the power... at least for now.