I Told You Not To Fall For Me ♡ HunHan

Nine

Kai accepted the golden coloured card with a tiny smile, being one of the last people to receive it.

It wasn't like Luhan purposely left him out in the first place but Kai would ask so many questions about the wedding that Luhan himself couldn't answer. Luhan knew that Kai could sense something fishy about his and Sehun's relationship -- it was far too risky.

"Congrats! Finally, huh... you still ended up marrying that bastard." Kai uttered with a mischevious smile.

Luhan smacked him playfully with his journal. "Don't call him that!"

"What? It's true!" Kai exclaimed, grinning when he had to fend off another smack in his direction. "Really, though. As long as you're happy."

Luhan knew he wasn't happy -- happiness wouldn't come unless he could also truly give it to Sehun. However, it seemed that Miyoung would be the only person who could do it. It was why Luhan knew that he had to cancel the wedding somehow. What kind of marriage would it be if one of them was completely miserable? There was no way Luhan could be happy in it as well. If Miyoung reappeared, Luhan knew his heart would break again but in some way, he knew that it'd be even worse if Sehun continued to pine for her during their marriage.

"Of course, I'm happy, I'm going to marry Sehun," Luhan answered, hoping Kai believed the excited smile he gave him. Kai raised an eyebrow, his fingers playing with the edges of the gold envelope.

"Are you really? You're always sacrificing your own happiness for him, Luhan. When he was gone, you called and sent gifts all the time and he never answered. Yet you still loved him all the time and he's never given a thing back. All I want to see is you being truly happy for yourself... just this once." Kai sighed, fixing his eyes sternly on Luhan's weakening smile. "I hate seeing you cry."

"Why? Do I resemble a monster when I cry? Are you afraid I'll come and eat you?"

"Luhan!" Kai pursed his lips. "I was completely serious."

Somehow, Luhan had known things had suddenly turned serious and his friend was no longer the friendly jokester he was used to. If he kept up this line of conversation, he'd surely get Luhan to admit that he wanted the wedding cancelled and it was another risk that he couldn't take. He rolled his eyes, leaning over to hit Kai's shoulder with what he hoped sounded like a genuine laugh.

"Since when are you ever serious? Stop joking around! You're being so dramatic." Luhan watched as Kai's stony expression eased into another wide grin, rubbing his shoulder as if Luhan had hit him with a heavy weight.

"Ow! You know, you're a lot stronger than you think." Kai whined, lower lip jutting out. "I was just trying to practice my acting -- you know, I was just pretending to be serious. I thought it was pretty good. You didn't have to hit me!"

"You're ridiculous." Luhan rolled his eyes with another grin, this one much more real than any other he'd given Kai today. Being with his friend always managed to cheer him up, even if his wedding was far too close for comfort. It briefly made him forget the reality of his parent's expectations and having to convince Sehun to call the whole thing off.

However, staring at the gold envelope in Kai's hands, Luhan knew that he couldn't keep pretending to be happy any longer. For his sake and Sehun's sake, the wedding couldn't go on. He had to be with Miyoung again.

Even if Luhan's heart shattered into a million pieces one more time, it would be worth it to watch Sehun be with the one he loved.

Even after he could put his heart together again and look at all the cracks in its surface, he'd be able to forget it knowing that Miyoung and Sehun were together once again.

He wanted to be selfish one more time and defy his parents, his wedding guests, the expectations. He wanted to do this one last thing for himself -- because Sehun being happy was the only way Luhan could feel the same way too.


_


A week passed by in a flash and Luhan did nothing but observe as his mother and the wedding planners busied themselves preparing the perfect wedding. Everything was Mrs. Oh and his mother's ideas, seeing as Luhan had no desire to give a single thought of his own.

Luhan stepped into the elevator and slumped against the wall. Like always, he had gone down to check the progress of the wedding ceremony and did nothing but keep himself in a corner, dozed off to the thought of running away.

The door beeped and Luhan entered his hotel room dejectedly. He dumped his jacket on the bed and proceed to take a hot bath to soothe his nerves. Once he was done half an hour later, he felt refreshed and tied a silk robe around himself, sitting on the bed.

After his encounter with Sehun nearly a month ago, Sehun hadn't contacted him at all. Luhan had the feeling that he was purposely avoiding his calls. Luhan was starting to worry because he couldn't do anything if he couldn't get a hold of Sehun. This wedding wasn't supposed to happen.

The door beeped again to reveal his mother smiling brightly at him. "Honey, it's getting late and you need lots of sleep. It's your big day tomorrow!" She exclaimed happily. Luhan smiled rather forcefully -- his mother, of course, hadn't noticed it. She bid him goodbye and hurried out of his room.

Call him selfish, but this wasn't the perfect marriage Luhan had dreamed about. He was just an ordinary guy who craved affection and love from the one he adored. This was all forced. He was never happy from the beginning.

If Luhan could end it himself, he would have proudly stood up and told his parents that he opposed the whole marriage. But Luhan was just a good, obedient son and he valued all the trouble that his parents had gone through in order to raise him perfectly. He wouldn't let that happen unless Sehun was the one ending it.

How am I supposed to marry someone whose love clearly isn't for me?


_


Luhan pressed his phone against his shoulder as he closed the elevator door. He tapped his feet impatiently and waited for the call to connect. "Hello, it's Luhan. Is Sehun there? Can I please talk to him?"

A muffled voice told him to wait for a while. Luhan had to guess it was one o the maids based on the thick accent.

"Hello?"

"It's Luhan. Meet me at the park near the Han River right now. I'm not going home unless you're here." Luhan hung up without waiting for a reply. He dashed out of the elevator and bowed to the receptionists who gave him a strange look. But Luhan didn't care -- they were the last thing that Luhan should have been thinking of right now. They were probably wondering why he was running considering that he was the bride for tonight's wedding ceremony.

His steps came to a halt when a double-decker tour bus suddenly parked in front of the lobby. One by one the passengers exited the vehicle and Luhan gulped.

Crap! He knew all of them!

He inhaled deeply, shutting his eyes and praying that they were too busy to notice him passing through.

He blinked and his vision cleared to see Mrs. Lu hugging his relatives who had just arrived from China. Oh, great. Life couldn't get any better. His mother wouldn't even let him touch a dish, afraid that he could get hurt. How was he supposed to get out of the hotel?!

Luhan gathered his courage and walked closer to the entrance. He was about to sprint to his car from the entrance but Mrs. Lu blocked her arms, looking at him suspiciously.

"Where are you going?"

"Uhm, I left my charger in the car..." He lied and left the next second. He would have felt sorry if something didn't matter more.

Luhan arrived at the Han River in about twenty minutes. He felt anxious, thinking about how to best convey his message calmly unlike last time. Luhan leant against the hood of his car and enjoyed the warm breeze. Luhan was getting cranky because Oh Sehun still hadn't shown up after an hour.

His annoying habit of never being on time still hasn't changed. Luhan puffed his cheeks out.

Only thirty minutes later Sehun's Audi appeared and Luhan got out of his own car, waiting for Sehun to park.

Luhan breathed in, trying to gather his courage that seemed to fade away when his fiance's face came into view.

"What's the important matter?" Sehun ran his fingers through his hair and took off his sunglasses.

"I'm begging you not to come to our wedding tonight," Luhan said, having to get straight to the point now that time was running out.

"What's gotten into you? First, you asked me to break off our engagement, now you're telling me to not come to our wedding tonight? What's wrong with you?"

"You'll know and understand why I did this later."

"For the same reason as the one you gave me before? I apologise, Luhan. I won't even try to understand... Why, Luhan? Why?" Sehun's face was becoming red, a clear sign that he was trying to contain his anger.

"Do you really want to know why?" Even though Luhan's voice was barely above a whisper, Sehun didn't miss the stressed word.

"This is why!" Luhan shoved the piece of paper that he took from his room that night onto Sehun's chest. Sehun was caught off guard by the sudden push before quickly regaining his composure.

"I'm really sorry for taking it without your permission. It wasn't my intention to intrude on your privacy's life but I deserve to know what you've been hiding from me, don't I?"

"You don't have to feel guilty about it about whatever happened between us. It wasn't your fault -- even if it was, I wouldn't blame you for it. Maybe this is my fate. So, please Sehun-ah, don't come to our wedding tonight. Just... disappear." Luhan forced his voice out between muffled sobs.

Sehun kept quiet for some time."I've never thought that this card here would be able to kill your love for me. Why are you always sacrificing your happiness for me, Luhan?"

"I'm not that cruel enough to build my happiness on someone's sorrow. Even though I've never met Miyoung before, I know that your love belongs to her forever. I know that you're mad at what she did but please... don't let your anger control you because it won't do any good. No matter how mad you are at her, you won't be able to stop loving her. So, please..." Luhan finally let the tears escaped, staining his cheeks.

"I'm scared. I'm afraid that she'll come back after we're married and snatch you away from me. You were never mine in the first place." Luhan chuckled miserably to himself. "I didn't marry to get divroced. I'm sorry."

Luhan wiggled his engagement ring off of his finger and placed it inside Sehun's palm. He turned away and wiped his tears, not wanting Sehun to pity him any longer. Sehun kept his head down, even after Luhan drove away.

Judging from his reaction, Luhan knew that this had finally come to an end.

I gave you the happiness that I promised a long time ago, Sehun.


_



Foundation was packed heavily on Luhan's face, hiding every little blemish beneath it, a thin layer of eyeliner carefully filled in above his lashes. The makeup artist finished with a soft pat of gloss to Luhan's lips, admiring him like a dress-up doll.

He stared back at himself in the mirror blankly, looking at his porcelain skin and wide eyes and full lips -- he looked beautiful.

He was supposed to look beautiful on his wedding day. But despite the fawning of his mother and the make-up artist, he couldn't find any reason to feel happy staring at his perfect reflection. He might have looked pristine in his white suit and carefully made-up face -- but the outside didn't reflect the inside, the inside that threatened to break apart any second.

He knew everybody else was putting on a facade as well. His mother sat next to him, hands folded nervously in her lap as she tried to assure Luhan that he was beautiful and everything would be okay. It was easy to hear all of the guests murmuring from where he sat in the dressing room, their voices curious and pitying. It was an hour after the wedding was supposed to start and the groom still hadn't shown up, absolutely nowhere to be found.

As relieved as he was that Sehun had followed through with his promise, he hated seeing his parents worked up like this. He wished he could tell his mum the truth so she could stop worrying, looking at him as if this was her mistake. All he wanted to do was tell her it wasn't her fault but he couldn't risk being cut off from his family, to never see her again like his dad had threatened.

Speaking of dad... Mr. Lu had been pacing outside of the door for nearly the whole hour, trying to assure the crowd the wedding would go on while typing away on his phone. He'd been trying to get a hold of Sehun and the Oh's, making call after call that all ended in a dial tone. His face was growing redder by the minute as he stepped into the dressing room, shoving his phone back into his pocket. His dad looked like he was about to have a heart attack any minute.

"I'm sorry." Luhan finally blurted out, his vision watering a bit. "I think... maybe we should cancel the wedding."

Luhan's mother was quick to give him a weak smile, patting his arm. "Don't be silly. Traffic is bad right now... I'm sure Sehun is just running late."

"No, he's not... I'm really sorry." Luhan whimpered again, hoping they understood the weight of his tone, that Sehun not showing up wasn't merely bad timing. "He really isn't going to come."

The dressing room fell quiet, his mother looking at him in surprise and disbelief, her hand tightening on his arm. His father narrowed his eyes at him, stepping forward and grabbing Luhan by his shoulders, making his son squeak in fear. "What do you mean he isn't going to come? What the hell did you do, Luhan?!"

The crowd of guests outside grew quiet at the sound of his raised voice, whispering frantically to each other with wide eyes. His father gritted his teeth, lowering his voice so that it seemed to shake as he spoke. "What did you tell Sehun?"

"I'm so sorry." It was all Luhan could manage to say, closing his eyes weakly. He didn't want to tell them but he had felt so bad watching them run in circles trying to figure out where Sehun went. It wasn't fair to keep them in the dark -- he wouldn't tell them exactly what he'd done but he knew his parents deserved a bit of the truth.

They deserved to know that Sehun would definitely not show up today and that Luhan knew why, that Luhan may have caused it. His father looked ready to erupt again, tightening his grip on Luhan's shoulders when there was a voice from the doorway.

"Luhan, are you okay? This thing hasn't started for an hour yet. I wanted to say hi to the bride before he goes to the altar." Kai grinned at him from the door, looking meticulously handsome and put together in his black suit. His smile seemed to fade a bit when he saw Luhan's wide, teary eyes and Mr. Lu's furious expression both pointed at him. He looked between the two of them in surprise, gaze softening on Luhan's shaken smile back at him.

"What's going on? Are you hurt?" Kai asked worriedly. "Why isn't Sehun here?"

"Luhan did something and now nobody can find Sehun! He's ruined his wedding and his whole life! How am I supposed to show my face to anywhere after this embarrassment?" Mr. Lu yelled, turning his face back towards Luhan. "What the hell did you do? There has to be a wedding!"

"Stop it!" Kai stepped forward, pushing himself between Mr. Lu and Luhan. "You said there has to be a wedding, right? Does it matter who the groom is?"

Luhan blinked in surprise, grabbing Kai's hand in shock. "What are you talking about? I'm supposed to marry Sehun."

"He can't just marry some stranger! We didn't pay all of this money to marry our son to anybody but Sehun!" His mother finally spoke up, looking at everybody hysterically.

"It wouldn't be a stranger," Kai reassured them, looking surprisingly calm for the situation. "You want a wedding so bad? I'm willing to be the groom."

Everybody in the room froze, staring at Kai as if he'd grown another head. Luhan's mouth parted in pure bewilderment, blinking his eyes up at Kai -- he couldn't be serious. There was absolutely no way Kai meant it.

"Kai, stop-- stop joking around, it's not funny." Luhan protested, stifling a sob. "Please be serious for once."

"I'm absolutely serious," Kai answered, his gaze reflecting how stern he was. "Mr. Lu, if you need a groom, I'll marry him. You know I come from a good family like Sehun."

Luhan could hardly believe what Kai was saying. Kai was engaged! How could he be serious about this? It would ruin his life as well. But the look Kai had given him was genuine, looking completely sure that he was going to go through with this. Luhan couldn't let Kai do this -- he was being too good of a friend. Now it was Kai sacrificing his own happiness instead. Luhan had to put a stop to this.

"No, Kai, you're already--"

"Just be quiet, Luhan." His father snapped, his son immediately shutting up with a whimper. "Kai, are you serious? Are you willing to do it?"

"Absolutely. I'd do anything for Luhan." Kai nodded, giving Luhan a reassuring smile that did nothing to calm the smaller boy's nerves. "We can have this wedding."

Mr. Lu's face tightened, staring at his wife for a few seconds before turning back to the two of them. "If you're serious, then let's hurry up and have this wedd--"

There was another knock on the door and they all turned to stare, wide-eyed at the wedding planner who seemed to be out of breath, her hair in disarray. She took a deep breath, her eyes directly on Luhan.

"The groom has arrived!"