mc’s attempted forced engagement
submitted by @manacharlotte
hello!! thank you for your lovely request, and sincere apologies it took so long for it to be posted :) i think i might be getting back into the swing of things now though ^^;;
sorry it’s so long btw! some of it also became repetitive but, i did my best ^^;; hope you like it!! enjoy! xoxo
it had been easy for mc to open up to jaehee, likely because their relationship had been based off of strong friendship and respect
also because jaehee was such a quiet person and a great listener
in fact, mc felt they had opened up to the other too soon
however, when they were kidnapped by one of their father’s loyal and unfortunately talented henchmen, jaehee was glad that mc had confided in her about their forced engagement beforehand because otherwise, jaehee wouldn’t have a clue as to where to start looking for mc
she wasn’t surprised that she didn’t even need to convince the other members of the rfa, but what did surprise her was jumin’s investment in finding mc
it made her feel warm that her ex-boss cared about her and her s/o this much despite them having rejected his offers to work for him
with jumin joinining in the search for mc and his many resources which he wasn’t shy to use, they were able to not only track mc’s whereabouts (they were kept locked up in their father’s mansion in a rural setting), but due to 707′s unparalleled research and hacking abilities, they were able to get a lot of info on mc’s father, his business dealings, and family background
707 also went so far as to research all about mc’s fiance and any flaws or shady areas in his family business or background
they all showed up to mc’s father’s mansion, and jumin ensured they did so in style
jaehee was surprised that even v took time out of his busy schedule to join them, and both him and jumin posed as her guardians of sort
with an impressive entourage that included a rising idol, a modern-day prince, a celebrated photographer, and well settled youths, jaehee knew they made heads turn, and she knew she was the envy and desire of many a high-society people
that wasn’t what she was interested in, and she knew neither was mc. however, to sway mc’s father, this was all very important
they were received well enough- rich people had traditions and protocols to stick to after all, if for nothing else then for appearance sake
they weren’t allowed to see mc, and jaehee was seething on the inside, but she kept a calm and professional facade
they were invited to have traditional style tea with mc’s parents, and jumin smartly led the conversation towards business
jaehee, having had more than sufficient experience working with jumin, and then running her own cafe with mc, easily joined the conversation and she could tell how impressed the old man was, although he didn’t outright say anything
mc’s mother on the other hand, looked fondly at jaehee and commented about how smart and experienced jaehee is especially for being so knowledgably at such a young age. jaehee tried not to let it get to her head, but she knew her face was warm
they stayed a week, only seeing mc at dinner time where everyone was to come dressed formally, and mc took every chance to sit next to jaehee and talk to their friends. it warmed jaehee’s heart and also pulled at her heart strings to see that mc had become so lonely in the few days apart that they tried to drag out dinner as much as they could, because as soon as their plate was empty, they were chaperoned back to their room. like a prisoner
it was v and 707 who revealed not only the failing business of mc’s fiance’s family business, but also their overall bad decisions which had led their company to be in debt now. money was the only reason they wanted their son to marry mc
mc’s father was horrified and at first blamed them for trying to ruin his business deal, but v calmly reiterated that even if the wedding happened, only the fiance’s family would benefit from their business and would soon run mc’s father’s business into the ground too
it was 707 who decided to open up about his research into the family business and told mc’s father that his business was struggling too and he needed to be careful with his deals
the engagement was broken off that very day by mc’s father, and they were allowed to at least roam the mansion freely, however, the job wasn’t done
they still ad to convince mc’s father to accept jaehee’s proposal, which they had yet to put forth. mc’s mother overheard some part of their discussion, and she was down for it. she told them a weakness even jumin hadn’t considered yet
just remind him his business, family, and mc would be looked down upon and questions would be raised about the sudden end of the engagement. and remind him that to show their was no weakness on his part, mc needs ot be married off or at least engaged again as soon as possible, she had told them with a knowing smile
they were grateful for the advice and knew what to do after!
touching all his pressure points at the next dinner, where he looked haggard already about the sudden end of a deal which would have sunk his business, jumin put forth jaehee as a candidate for mc to be engaged to
they were expecting for it to take at least a couple days for him to give them a response, so everybody was pleasantly surprised when mc’s father agreed to the proposal by the end of dinner!
the moment he returned to the penthouse and the staff were in a disarray, his first thought was that elizabeth 3rd had escaped again
he did feel frantic, but not so much as he once would have, assured that his cat wouldn’t have gone too far or for too long
but the moment the butler informed him that mc had left to go get some groceries hours ago and never returned, he heard sirens go off in his hed
he first called 707 to start immediately tracking mc, and secondly called v
he was secure enough in their relationship that he knew what happened to v and rika wasn’t what was happening to him and mc, but he needed his friend’s support
someone had taken mc, and he would find them and make the fools suffer by throwing them in jail
707 had mc’s location within an hour, and the three left immediately
only once on the way did jumin remember to inform jaehee and put her in charge till he returned, feeling some pity for the poor woman because she would be worried too despite being too professional to say anything outright
they tracked mc to a warehouse on their father’s land where mc was being held hostage, according to 707′s deductions probably because they attempted escape again
saying that jumin was livid at the information was an understatement
jumin didn’t waste time in having the warehouse surrounded by his security team and within half an hour, mc’s father came with a team of his own
seeing who it was, mc’s father’s temper immediately calmed down and he became almost jovial with jumin, who remained icy because of the man’s treatment of mc
it was v who turned on his charm, and handled the situation so it wouldn’t get worse
mc’s father invited them for tea to his favourite teahouse, and jumin joined very reluctantly, only after leaving 707 at the warehouse to ensure mc was safe and wel-looked after till he could come back
once at their destination, jumin wasted no time in getting to the point
“break off mc’s engagement with whomever you’ve arranged it. mc and i want to get married, and i want it possible without any... inconveniences,” he said it with a straight face and a controlled tone, trying very hard not to erupt at mc’s father. after all, he would be his father-in-law one day, and mc probably wouldn’t appreciate him disrespecting their father
v just calmly handled the situation as mc’s father spluttered at the sudden declaration and demand
they didn’t have to worry, though- it was clear that out of any bachelor’s mc’s father had been interested in, jumin was on a whole different level and class
jumin, v, and 707 went back home a couple days later, and they took a newly engagement-free mc with them, soon to be engaged to jumin in an extravagant celebration
it almost doesn’t come as a surprise when mc vanishes on him- after all, how can good things last for him?
however, he’s been working on getting better, thanks to mc, 707, and even rfa, although he still holds an uncalled for grudge against them
fighting the internal negative-talk playing in his head, saeran immediately contacts 707 about the situation and his suspicion that mc might be in danger, right before putting his own hacking skills to use
it’s just something to fall back on at this point and comforts him to know that saeyoung will be looking out for mc too in case his own emotions get the better of him
he finds the general area mc is being held in, but leaves 707 to hack mc’s exact location in favor of hacking their mobile and calling them
their phone has been altered and cut off to prevent calls, but saeran is grateful that the idiots left the device with mc so he is still able to hack past those blockers
707 drives them in one of his racecars, going for speed and stealth, while saeran continues to track the signals and try to call mc
mc’s voice on the other end is a bit confused, and also very hoarse. they must have been crying or screaming
he quickly asks mc if they’re okay and who the hell dared to kidnap them.
mc speaks in a hushed tone but he can hear the relief and excitement in their voice as they tell him that in was their father’s men who kidnapped them in order to force them into an arranged marriage
mc also tells him that the place is well guarded from the outside but that they are locked away alone in some sort of dark room as punishment for breaking off the engagement and not agreeing to marry
saeran’s heart breaks but more than that he is pissed. he wants to make mc’s father and fiance’s family suffer, but mc quickly tells him to not hurt their family or parents
“just get me out and away from here... i never want to come back here but i don’t want anyone harmed either”
it makes him smile to hear that mc didn’t even think twice about asking him to come pick them up from wherever they were, saeyoung seems to have heard it and also looks proud
“don’t worry mc! we’ll get you outta there in no time! you just stay put and ready!, he calls out in a loud and carefree tone, but saeran can see the tightness around his eyes from here. good, he thinks. saeyoung is also angry on behalf of mc
they reach just as the sun sets but wait till midnight, when the guards change shifts all over, to break mc out
having been given the exact of the change, and the general locations of guard placement, and the general layout of their family vacation home (because that is where mc figured out they were being held when saeran told them the general area of their location), both brothers break mc out within 15 minutes, and they are on their way out and away before someone even figures out mc is missing
out of a sudden bout of boldness and a mix of adrenaline, saeran proposes to mc on the drive back tot he city in their get-away car, and mc blushes and splutters and agrees even as saeyoung throws his head back and cackles, proud that his twin finally made this decision
it honestly took saeyoung a lot later to even notice mc was missing
it wasn’t that he didn’t pay attention to mc or didn’t care, but mc also generally kept to themselves, especially while he was busy doing his regular work
when he finally got done with his work for the day, the first thing saeyoung noticed was the absolute silence
he checked his texts and saw the last thing mc had texted him was a cat video from last night
saeyoung decided to call mc and see where they were at and if they want to have a midnight snack for dinner
when the call wouldn’t connect, he immediately knew something was wrong and started hacking into their device in order to reach out and track, but before that remembered to shoot off a text in the rfa group chat to see if mc was hanging out with one of the members
when the call connected, he was already anxious because tracking the device showed mc was far away at this point
mc’s voice was hesitant and confused on the other end, but saeyoung still sighed in relief because he knew they were unharmed so far
what he wasn’t prepared for was the knowledge that it was mc’s own family’s bodyguards who had tracked and kidnapped them in order to take mc back and continue on with their forced engagement
hearing this, he froze up for a moment- on the one hand, he couldn’t give mc much and if they were married off to this rich fiance, mc would have an easy life and be taken care of
on the other hand, he knew he loved and cherished mc and fully understood that mc loved him back
before he could think about what to do in this situation- to be selfish or ensure mc’s future, mc’s voice broke him out of his stupor: “saeyoung, come get me right away. i can’t do this... especially now that i’ve found you”
they didn’t sound defeated or frightened, instead, he was proud and happy to hear the note of determination in mc’s voice
thanks to mc’s words, his choice was already made for him
he took v to mc’s family home the veyr next day, both of them arriving in style- v having pulled all the stops for the first time to impress someone with his appearance and wealth
it warmed saeyoung’s heart to know that v did it for him!
with an impressive and reliable person like v posing as his guardian, and saeyoung managing to charm mc’s parents thoroughly with his humor, wit, and success at a young age, it was relatively easier than they’d expected to sway mc’s parents and get their blessing for saeyoung to marry mc
the whole fiasco with rika and her past role in v’s life meant that mc found an opening to tell v early on in their relationship about the forced engagement they had run away from
v had been nothing but understanding and supportive, even reassuring mc that if it came down to it, or even if mc just wanted to speak to their family, he would arrange it for them and accompany them
mc was thankful for the gesture but hadn’t wanted to reach out to their family yet, still feeling betrayed by their parents for trying to push them into that relationship
so, he immediately noticed when mc went missing, especially because they had a habit of updating him about their whereabouts when mc and v were away from each other
immediately employed 707′s help to contact mc as their mobile was being blocked
v, jumin, and 707 were already on the way to where the tracker was showing mc’s current location when 707 managed to connect the call to mc
despite being worried sick, v talked to mc calmly and ensured they were unharmed and in good health
asked mc if they could stall their parents and the engagement till v got there before mc could tell him what had happened
could feel mc’s instant relief that he understood their position and was on his way to them
when they reached mc’s family manison, they were given vip treatment because of jumin’s status, v’s fame, and seven’s apparent wealth
still, they weren’t able to see mc’s parents till dinner that night, but v did not waste any time
despite mc not being allowed to join them all for dinner, which v assumed was as punishment for running away and not agreeing to the arrangement, v managed to remain civil and pitch his proposal
he straight up confessed to being mc’s lover and wanting to get their parents blessings for marrying mc
their parents were a bit surprised, but didn’t hesitate for long to agree
the four of them left mc’s family mansion a week later, along with the rest of the rfa members, after having just celebrated v’s and mc’s engagement
yoosung returned home late, as usual, since he had internship at jumin’s office right after classes
mc was a busy person too but they would always be home when yoosung returned from his internship
he immediately felt something was wrong when he saw all the lights were out and everything seemed untouched
becausse even if mc went out, they would come home from work in order to freshen up before leaving with friends or going out on their own
but there was no sign of them having returned at all
not wanting to panic for no reason, yoosung checked his messages to first see if mc had sent any text telling him they would be coming home late or something
sure enough, there were no texts
BUT there had been a miscall around 3 hours ago!
now a bit worried, yoosung immediately tried calling them back but the call would’t connect
finally panicking, he did thoughtlessly called his boss in a frantic worry
jumin was less than impressed at having been called at this time of night but he understood yoosung’s situation somewhat. he calmly told yoosung to ask seven to track mc’s phone- if the device was with them, it could still be traced even if it was shut off
yoosung thanked him before calling seven
seven had mc’s location under 10 minutes, but when he told yoosung of the area, he felt a bit shocked and scared
he remembered that was mc’s hometown! if mc was there, then something horrible must have happened to theri family, or there must have been some other emergency!
jumin reluctantly allowed yoosung to take jaehee, because he understood this was a delicate situation and did care for mc as a member of the rfa and a friend. hearing of the situation, zen came along for protection and offering any help
when they reached the location, thanks to seven guiding them through call, they were shocked to see that mc came from considerable wealth
they were allowed inside after they introduced themselves as mc’s friends and they were invited into a fancy sitting area and served tea
jaehee commented that the house seemed pretty tranquil so it probably wasn’t an emergency reason that mc had come here, but that it was odd that they hadn’t come to see them yet
almost as if on cue, mc rushed in just then, breathless and looking a bit wild
yoosung froze up seeing them in such a state, but zen was on his feet immediately and steadied mc
upon seeing the three of them, mc calmed down a bit and took a moment to collect themself
it was jaehee who took mc’s hands and held them between hers till mc stopped shaking
“i thought i’d never see you guys again”
it broke yoosung’s heart to hear mc say that, their voice hoarse as if they’d been screaming or crying
then it hit him. “you mean you didn’t come here on your own mc?!”
mc flinched and jaehee told him to lower his volume just as zen grabbed his shoulder in support and warning
mc composed themself and shook their head. after looking about to make sure nobody else was there, they leaned forward and whispered that their family had basically kidnapped them to continue the engagement they had run away from
zen offered to break them out of there, but yoosung was looking livid
before mc could reply, yoosung spoke up instead, “hey, zen? hold that offer”
he got up and headed for the sitting room’s entrance, when jaehee asked him where he was going
“to talk to mc’s parents. if they reject my proposal, we’ll break mc out”
zen laughed, feeling immense pride at yoosung taking such a stance, and jaehee was pleasantly surprised
mc watched yoosung walk out, feeling proud and a bit bad because they knew that the four of them would have to make a run for it after all. but it warmed their heart to see yoosung ready to confront their parents for mc’s sake
zen and mc had taken the rare opportunity for privacy to spend time together
they went out for a pleasant stroll on a pleasantly chilly evening
they’d actually been about to go home after a lovely night out and were nearing zen’s bike when it happened
they were surrounded and mc dragged away from him
despite being outnumbered, zen got a few hits in, and received the end of a punch, but that didn’t stop him
he was on his bike and chased them to the outskirts of the city, but hsi bike soon ran out of gas and the van drove off with mc trapped inside
he felt frustrated and heartbroken wanted to scream as he picked up mc’s cracked cell phone from the ground
but before anything, he called seven
he couldn’t get used to technology easily and so he normally didn’t like it too much, but he was grateful for seven being on their team especially now
since zen was used to memorizing lines for his roles, he had actually managed to memorize the number plate of the car even in the relative darkness
he gave all that information, trusting that seven would find them, and moved the the side of the road in hopes of an empty taxi
seven told him it was bets to come back, regroup and then leave, but zen wasn’t having it
so, he was pleasantly surprised when seven drove up to him in less than half an hour, with yoosung in tow
“you’re so troublesome you know that?” he said, but zen could tell he didn’t mean it
yoosing was just frantic for mc’s safety and informed zen than jumin was sending a security team to go with them
ever since mc had come into his life, zen had managed to mostly smooth things out with jumin, because mc was also friends with jumin. although he sometimes still thought the man was a jerk.
it wasnice to know that he cared for mc too and sent security
seven moved to the backseat of his car and told zen that he would drive, “since i’ll be tracking those kidnapper’s van” he explained
sure enough, the promised security guards arrived in a black minivan just as zen got into the driver’s seat
they reached the mansion mc was being held hostage at just as the sun started to rise. it was massive, but zen was occupied with thoughts of how he’d mess up the face of whoever plotted this right after he had mc safe and sound with him
seven let out a low whistle before dropping another bomb on them- “this is actually the place mc grew up in!”
zen blanched just as yoonsung exclaimed “but what kind of kidnappers bring you to your house?!”
knowing mc wasn’t really on good terms with their family for some time, zen didn’t feel completely relaxed yet, “let’s find out”
the three of them emerged, immediately flanked by jumin’s security team
they were immediately approached by a stern looking man dressed in a black suit, asking who they were and what was their business there
seven reacted with his usual lack of tact (which surprisingly always worked) and claimed that they should be ecstatic that a famous star was visiting them
although zen appreciated what seven was doing, he didn’t have patience right now. he needed to make sure mc was alright. but before he could demand anything, he felt a sharp pain in his leg and looked down to see yoosung pinching his thigh without even looking at him
by then, the man looked the three of them up and down, his gaze lingering on zen, before taking in the security detail
he let them through, noticing that they were probably important people, and a butler opened the mansion doors before they could even knock, welcoming them inside
they were given vip treatment, and allowed to keep a guard each with them
they were allowed to freshen up before being taken to meet the head of the household, who they knew now would be mc’s father
the man immediately recognized zen, and was further impressed by their obvious wealth and status considering the cars they had arrived in and the security they had brought with them
after chatting with them for a bit, during which zen barely held himself back from demanding mc’s whereabouts, the father asked them, “i am confused as to what business fine, accomplished young men like you came here for”
not being able to wait any longer, zen spoke before seven or yoosung could, “we’re here to get mc”. when mc’s father simply raised a brow, zen continued, “i’m going to marry mc. and i was quite upset when they were kidnapped on our date”
“hm? i did hear the man with mc put up quite a fight”
zen could feel poor yoosung sweating bullets by the now since the turn of the conversation, but he could also feel seven’s resolve from next to him.
“where are you holding mc? they better be unharmed.”
the man scoffed, “i would never harm my child. or let them harm themself,” he added with a look aimed at zen
instead of responding to the jab, zen grit his teeth “i will never let you take away mc’s choice. i won’t let you do this to them”
if the words had any effect on the man, they couldn’t tell,
but the moment he was about to press a button, seven caught him. “if you do that, i will leak all your business weaknesses to your rivals,” he said brightly
zen almost laughed at the man’s face changing colours
before the situation could escalate further, he decided to take a slightly different route- after all, he wanted to be a partner mc could be proud of and make sure he didn’t burn any bridges with mc’s family
“listen. you’re mc’s father. i don’t want to cause you any harm. and if your information gets leaked, it will be hell for you. i actually want to do this peacefully. when mc was first taken, i feared the worst! i was ready to do anything. that still hasn’t changed. i’m not leaving without seeing mc. and if they want to go home with me, i’ll do everything to make that happen”
in the end, zen didn’t know if it was because he was impressed by zen’s earnestness and devotion to mc, or because he believed mc would listen to him, but mc’s father did allow the three of them to meet them
mc hugged him so fiercely that for a moment he forgot everything else. but then he was reminded that mc had missed him and longed for him just as much as he had missed them
after checking for their physical wellness and making sure they hadn’t been crying too much, he asked mc if they wanted to go home
he honestly thought mc’s father would throw a fit or start some drama, but the man actually allowed them to go, even if he looked reluctant
it was a week later, when zen and mc were curled up on their couch back at home, that mc got a text from their father saying that he would like to take care of the expenses for their engagement and that he hoped they had better times ahead
