My Dear Butler

3. Dinner

"How do you feel, Y/N?" Your father inquired. As your carriage inched closer and closer to the Lee Estate, your nervousness increased. Your parents sat across from you and your butler. Sensing your uneasiness, Yesung tightened his grip on you, which eased your troubles a bit— but not enough for you to fully calm down. You pursed your lips together, not knowing how to respond.

"Y/N? Is everything alright?" Your mother asked gently. You nodded quickly, but you were unable to lock eyes with your parents.

"Are you unwell? Please let us know if you're feeling even a bit off..." your father glanced at you with eyes full of worry.

You exhaled deeply, and shook your head. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just... not sure whether I'm actually ready for this or not..."

Scoffing, your mother placed a hand on your lap. "Honey, it's going to be fine. We've met Donghae before, and we know the two of you will be a perfect match."

Yesung turned away and cleared his throat loudly.

"He's respectful, polite, caring, and so handsome— he's totally your type! If I hadn't married your father, I would've surely went for him—"

That earned a slap from your father, the two of them giggling loudly. "Hey, I think I'm pretty good looking myself! He doesn't look that good, okay?"

"I think you look fine sir, if I do say so myself," Yesung commented.

"Why, thank you! An intellectual right there," your father commented as Yesung dipped his head and chuckled. 

"Perhaps, but you can't compare yourself to a youngster like him," your mother joked. He responded by rolling his eyes. "Hush, you married me anyway. So obviously, I should be your only one that has your heart."

Your mother snorted. "Yeah, sadly."

You couldn't help but laugh at your parents' savageness at one another. Sighing, you could only hope your relationship with your future husband would be as light-hearted and lovely as this.

Before long, the carriage had arrived at the front of the Lees' house. Your parents exited first, then your butler, who helped you down from the carriage. The Lee House was huge and grand. It stood proudly, the house towering over you. The walls were a crisp ivory, lined with gold and everything screamed luxury. You were astounded by the size and the fanciness of this place— maybe it won't be so bad, after all.

A servant from the household led the four of you inside, and the interior was just as magnificent as the exterior. As you walked past artifacts, portraits and different pieces of artworks that decorated the hallway, you couldn't help but smile in awe.

When you finally reached the dining room, a maid opened the door to another grand room. A huge table was laid out, and sitting at the end was none other to Mr. Lee. To his right was his wife, Mrs. Lee, and down another chair...

Was none other than Lee Donghae himself. 

Mother wasn't wrong.

You couldn't help but gasp, but nobody seemed to catch it besides your butler. He eyes you amusingly before glancing away.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Kim! And of course, Miss Y/N as well," Mr. Lee exclaims as he bows along with his wife and son. You curtsied back, your eyes never seeming to leave Donghae. He strolls over to you and kisses the back of your hand, and you chuckled.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Y/N," he spoke, each word sweet and perfectly enunciated. You bit your lip before you returned the greeting.

"The pleasure is all mine," you said, almost breathless at the sight of him. Your voice wavered a bit, causing him to chuckle.

"Don't be nervous. Come, won't you join us for dinner?" 

You felt Yesung tense up just a bit, but your attention was all on Donghae. You nodded immediately, and his smile widened. He leads you to your seat and politely pulls out the chair for you, and you nodded your head in thanks. He settles down next to you and you couldn't stop admiring him. Yesung had chosen a seat a few from yours across the table, next to your mother.

The table immediately erupted with conversation. However, most of the talking was at the front of the table, especially between the two men. You seemed to have lost your ability to speak— you just didn't know how to speak to someone like him. Donghae seems to realize your nervousness and initiates a conversation instead.

"So... how have you been?" He inquired curiously. You felt his eyes scanning your body up and down, and you felt rather uncomfortable.

"Uh— I've been fine, and you?"

"That's good to hear. Erm, do you have any... say, hobbies or interests? It must be boring around the house sometimes, is there anything you do to help kill time?"

Your mind wasn't functioning properly with the amount of questions he asked you— two— but combine that with the image of his flawless face. Your mind was already sent into overdrive.

"I really enjoy exploring the villages around us, and visiting people! If I'm unable to leave the house, I do a lot of reading and journaling. But if I'm feeling adventurous that day, I might just sneak out into town and well, hope that I didn't earn myself another scolding from my father," you grinned. Donghae chuckled. Your heart seemed to stop— every little thing he did amazed you.

Stop feeling this way—

"You're lucky, you seem to have a lot of freedom in your life! But for me... it's always either meeting up with other families and companies, in which the meetings get so boring that I doze off, or getting bombarded by girls. There's nothing in between," Donghae places the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. "Donghae-oppa!"

You immediately crack up at his imitation of the said girls that he was always surrounded by. "That was so on point, it's exactly how I imagine them to be."

"Really? Wow, smart girl!"

You blush. "Well, I don't know about that—"

"Nah, I can tell you are one."

As you conversed with Donghae, you felt eyes burning into the side of your skull. However, you paid it no heed as you were focusing on trying to enjoy this dinner— and to your surprise, you were.

Until your father publicly mentioned you in his conversation with Mr. Lee, and he sends a wink in your direction. You shake your head but a smile lingered on your lips.

"So, Miss Kim— is my son treating you well?" Mr. Lee smirked at you. You blinked nervously, your heartbeat picking up once more as each pair of eyes were turned to you. Donghae chuckled beside you, which lightened the atmosphere a little.

"Y-yes, he is very kind," you managed. Mr. Lee laughs at your response.

"I know, Donghae can be rather..." he cleared his throat.

"Father, not now," Donghae chimed in, to your amusement.

"I'll tell you all about him later!" Mr. Lee nods at you, ignoring his son's comments. You smiled back— genuinely— and continued with your meal.