The Way It Burns - BbangNyu

[17]

Quickly, Chanhee's attention turned to the corset. He had no idea his mother wanted him to wear something like that. "What's so special about it?"

"I'll let you work that out for yourself." She winked, tucking the corset under her arm. "Anyway, under strict instructions, you aren't allowed to wear this until your wedding day. I'm not sure who hung it here, but I'll remove it now." Binna continued, leaving the room once again.

"I'm not the only one who thinks that a bit strange." Chanhee commented, something wasn't right, but he couldn't work out what. 

Changmin nudged Chanhee, completely oblivious to what he was talking about. "Pfft wearing a corset isn't strange, I've seen lots of people wear them."

"Not that." Chanhee rolled his eyes. "The fact I can't wear it until my wedding day. Maybe it's just me."

"No I agree with you." Kevin muttered. This was the first time he had spoken all day. "Your parents are too obsessed with perfection, to not check if your outfit looks right all together." He added.

"No one asked you Kevin! Stop with talking like something weird's going on, you're ruining the mood." Changmin snapped, glaring at the angel.

Kevin shook his head, ignoring the boys rude comments. He regretted speaking now, and in all honesty, he regretted coming. The fitting had barely begun, yet, he already wanted to call Juyeon. He told himself to stick it out a little longer, this fitting was important. Taking himself over to the sofas, Kevin slouched into the seat, crossing his arms against his chest.

Chanhee watched his friend walk away, feeling very relieved that he didn't leave. This fighting was really getting out of hand, literally no one was winning. He had to find a way to fix this soon.

Binna returned without the corset, fiddling with the tape measure around her neck. Dealing with the tension between his friends, and the fact that Kevin seemed upset about something, was stressing Chanhee out so much, he decided to just forget about the strange corset. 

"We'll start with the groom. Take this suit, you can get changed behind that curtain." Binna said, handing the suit to Chanhee.

After a few minutes, Chanhee returned to the group, dressed in his suit. It almost fit perfectly already, but was a little big in a few areas. The angel stared at himself in the mirror, things felt real now. This is what he'd be wearing to marry Sangyeon, it didn't feel as bad as he thought.

"You look so handsome! I only need to make a few alterations, it seems. You're making my job very easy Chanhee." Binna laughed. 

A lady had joined her while Chanhee was changing, she was some sort of assistant. Binna measured, folded and pinned everything that needed to be, while mumbling words to the lady next to her, who wrote it all down. 

"Please ignore the pins, but this should be the final look. What do you think?"

"It looks great." 

"What about you young men? He looks wonderful, doesn't he?" Binna asked, turning Chanhee to face the boys.

Changmin immediately clapped, making Chanhee wince from embarrassment. Kevin just nodded, keeping his mouth firmly closed. It was reasonable to assume he had no plans of speaking for the rest of the day. 

"So who's next? How about the best man?"

The best man, Chanhee hadn't even picked yet. He was indecisive, because it wasn't just his decision. Thinking back to a week ago, when they met up to discuss the wedding outfits, they had spoken about this very thing. 

"Why did you tell them that Changmin's my best man? I haven't decided yet!"

"I'll put this very simply, this is not just your wedding, it's also mine. You're lucky I'm even letting Kevin come still, I will not let you chose him as your best man."

"If you get to pick Jacob, why can't-"

"This is final Chanhee!"

It was clear who Sangyeon wanted him to pick, if he doesn't choose Changmin, it'll surely worsen their already broken relationship.

"Have you picked a best man?" Binna questioned, noticing the long period of silence. "It's alright if you haven't, it's a big decision."

"Oh um, I have. It's Kevin."

Both boys looked shocked, Changmin even started chocking at the announcement. Kevin sat up, shooting Chanhee confused looks. No one had expected Chanhee to pick Kevin.

"What?! Kevin! Why would you pick him?" Changmin blurted out, pouting after finishing his sentence.

"Because I wanted to." Chanhee stated. Kevin always had his back, always looked out for him, and always had his best interests at heart, he was the only person Chanhee would want as a best man. He wasn't going to let Sangyeon make this choice for him, even if it would negatively affect their relationship. 

Changmin sulked, scoffing at Chanhee's response. "Whatever, it's not that important, don't get cocky Kevin."

The angel next to him had no intentions of being cocky, he was still surprised by Chanhee's decision. This wasn't just a choice, it was more of a statement. Sangyeon will lose it when he finds out, but Chanhee didn't seem to care. 

"Alright, Chanhee you get changed, and Kevin will go next."

The fitting carried on for the next hour, with all the boys needing alterations to their suits. When they left the room, Sangyeon's group weren't anywhere to be seen. They spotted Minjun walking down the hall, who informed them that they had already left.

"I'm leaving." Changmin said, his tone rather sharp. He swiftly walked out of the tailors, before Chanhee could even say goodbye.

The two boys stood their for a moment, neither speaking. They really needed to have a talk.

____

Chanhee waited along the cold, brick planter, that sat beside the river. The scent from the lavender planted behind him, filled his his air ways, bringing him a sense of comfort. After a minute or so, Kevin returned, carrying two cups of hot chocolate. He sat down, handing Chanhee the cup, which the boy took in his sweater paws.

"Do you want to explain why you're upset with me?" Chanhee asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Kevin let out an exaggerated sigh, he placed his cup to the side, brushing his hand through his hair. "Ugh I don't know, I don't want to fight with you."

"Same here." Chanhee agreed. "That's why I want to know what's wrong."

The angel hesitated, he really hated Chanhee this morning, but now, he really couldn't imagine losing his friend. "Juyeon saw you at Younghoon's apartment. It's frustrating, we all put ourselves on the line to help you last time. It was like you threw it back in our faces."

Chanhee held a slight frown, nodding while listening to Kevin. He wasn't taken aback by Kevin's words, he knew he'd find out eventually. Though, he never wanted to disrespect his friend, he wasn't thinking about how it could affect the other. "I get that, and I'm sorry."

"It's fine, just don't keep stuff from me." Kevin said, grabbing Chanhee's hand. "I want you to trust me. I don't want you think of me, like you do about the other guys."

Clutching Kevin's hand tighter, Chanhee lets out a small chuckle. "They'll never be comparable to you Kevin. I mean if they were, you wouldn't be my best man."

"Well it was pretty simple choice, I think we both know Changmin has no sense of responsibility." Kevin laughed, he picked up his cup, and took a swig from it.

The wind had really started to pick up, bashing the cold air against the angels faces. Chanhee shivered from the feeling, shoving both of his hands into his pockets. At that moment, he felt a small vibration from his phone. Pulling it out, Chanhee read a text that made him want to scream.

"I'm going to kill Changmin."