Chapter Text
“He’s late", Seungmin thinks as he checks his phone for what seemed to be the fifth time, looking at the time and, perhaps, hoping for some sign of life from whoever "he" was. He had spent thirty minutes at the city square, seated by the edges of its wonderful fountain. Waiting
It had been his favorite place, actually. A place that reminded him of when times were simple, when he’d only ever look forward to playing games with his friends and making wishes to the fountain by throwing coins into it like they’d see tourists do. He looks over and stares at his reflection in the water, no coins left at the bottom of the fountain, no signs of wishes, new and old. Seungmin sighs, he’s too old to believe in such things either way. It's not like it ever did him any favors.
If it did, he wouldn’t have to do this.
He looks back up and sees someone running towards him. Said someone nearly trips but catches himself quickly, flashing a smile as if to say “I’m alright!”. Seungmin nearly smiles back until he remembers why he called this guy over. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, however, the other straightens up and slowly approaches the fountain, towards the edges where Seungmin sat upon.
“Minnie?” He says, trying not to seem so anxious (even though he really was but still, he didn't want to show that).
“Oh, Jisung, you’re here. Good,” Seungmin gestures to where he could sit. The other young man, apparently called Jisung, nods and sits next to him. They sat in silence and the air was filled with awkwardness for a good 2 minutes before Jisung finally spoke up, “Yeah…so um about the thing we were supposed to talk about?” Seungmin looks at him then looks down “Right…that.” He fidgets around with his fingers, unsure where to start.
“Look,” he says, “I know that these past few years between us were…something. But we can agree that we’ve got a good thing going on?” He receives a puzzled look from Jisung who then awkwardly chuckles in response, “Um hello? What kind of question is that? Of course! I wouldn’t even trade it for the world!”
He feels an unfamiliar pang in his chest, he has no clue why. Seungmin clears his throat before continuing, “And I guess neither would I. But listen, I’ve been thinking—"
“Thinking of what?” the other immediately interjects, the knot in his stomach starting to grow. His anxiety only worsens hearing the frustrated sigh from Seungmin, “Let me finish.” Jisung meekly apologizes, head down. He starts to pick at his fingers as his boyfriend starts again (not that he can actually call him his boyfriend considering that they never made it official, but still Jisung hopes this might be a turn around.)
“I just…I feel like we can’t keep this up any longer.”
Jisung felt his heart drop. Has his worst fear started coming to life? Was it finally time? What did he mean? Questions spiraled out of control in his head but he needed to keep his cool. He needed to know.
So he asks, “Can’t keep what up?”
Seungmin looks at him as if he had said something incredibly stupid. He gestures to himself then to Jisung as if trying to make it easier for the other to understand what was going on,“This. Us. Whatever this thing is that we have? We can’t keep this up. Not anymore.”
Jisung could only manage a faint “what?” in disbelief. Seungmin, however, takes this as a sign that he still doesn’t get it. “You heard me clearly I’m sure.”
Jisung laughs. Not the “Oh hahaha that’s hilarious” kind of laugh but the bitter kind, the kind that makes you know that it hurts. “Yes but that doesn’t make it any less confusing I mean—”
And that was it. He didn’t want to be too straightforward, he didn’t want to have to hurt him knowing how his bluntness sometimes has that effect, yet Seungmin needed him to take the hint, he had to. “Do I really have to spell it out for you?” He asks, trying to keep his composure yet his words were laced with a hint of frustration and maybe even desperation. Don't make me say it.
But knowing Jisung? It would be a miracle if he accepted it all gracefully. Immediately the moment it sinks in, he starts panicking, rambling about how it just doesn’t add up in his head. He pleads, wishing to know what he did wrong or if he did anything at all. Unable to take in Jisung’s reaction, Seungmin stands up as if to walk away only to be held back by the tight grip on his hand.
“Seungminnie, please! Let's talk this over!” Jisung begs, voice audibly breaking as he tries to maintain his grasp on the other’s hand despite clearly shaking.
Seungmin doesn’t look his way. He can’t. He knows the moment he sees the way tears threaten to fall on Jisung’s face it would be over, and this facade he’s kept up from the beginning would start crumbling down. He nonchalantly tries to assure him that it wasn’t anything that he did, but he knows Jisung wouldn’t buy that. It was clear with the way he retorts, calling it bullshit and continously begging to know if he did something wrong.
Finally out of patience, Seungmin yells, “Don’t you get it?! Just because it was good doesn’t mean it’s going to work out in the end! It’s stupid to think otherwise anyway!”
Silence. The grip on his hand starts to loosen.
He regains his calm then coldly adds, “Let’s stop this. We’re done. I’m done.”
“Now let go of me.”
Jisung is stunned but he does not relent. He tightens his grip once more, pleading once again for them to talk things out, desperately trying to save whatever he can. But it was all futile as Seungmin continued to ignore him, not even daring to look back at him. Instead, in that same cold tone, he tells him to let go. Without waiting for a response, he forcibly yanks his hand away and leaves.
He doesn’t turn back.
He doesn’t even say goodbye.
And there by the fountain sits Jisung, now completely dumbfounded and staring as Seungmin’s figure fades into the distance. The tears fall, and he laughs. Not because it was funny, but because he felt defeated.
“Ha…what a joke.” he says, to no one in particular “And here I hoped you’d finally give in and make it official. Wow. Just wow, Kim Seungmin.”
The theater was filled with claps and cheers from the audience as soon as the actors on stage took their final bow. Months that almost spanned into a year’s worth of rehearsals paid off as the curtains fell for the last time, marking the end of the run for their local (licensed) production of the well known musical play “Hadestown”. The energy from the audience radiated even after the actors had gone backstage and straight into their dressing rooms, celebrating the successful shows held throughout the month. As they started preparing to say goodbye to their costumes and dress for home, a knock was heard.
“I’ll get it!” said a young girl, Yuna, as she hurried over to check the possible visitor.
What greeted her was a charming young man, with long blonde hair and freckles that scattered across his face like the stars in the night sky, carrying a large bouquet filled with roses. He smiles warmly but before he could say who he was there for, Yuna flashes a knowing look and a mischievous smirk before yelling,
“Special delivery for the one and only, Hwang Hyunjin!”
Hyunjin, upon the mere mention of his name, immediately stands up and runs toward the door. His other cast mates laugh as he lightheartedly scolds Yuna for yelling. “It’s kind of embarrassing, you know?” he says, face much redder than it was before. The young man by the door, Felix (also called Yongbok), giggles, telling him to “let her be.” He hands over the bouquet to his lover, offering his sincerest greetings of congratulations for their successful last show. In return, Hyunjin smiles and, setting down the flowers, pulls Felix into a kiss. Cheers erupt from his fellow cast mates, getting louder even when they pull away.
Felix blushes and lightly hits Hyunjin on the shoulder, “Seriously? In front of them?”
Hyunjin simply shrugs saying something about how he “shouldn’t be the only one getting shy around here”. He kisses him again, on the cheek this time, and picks up the flowers once more as Felix moves around, congratulating the rest of the cast. He chuckles hearing some comments from them ranging from the usual heartfelt thanks to relief that their vocal lessons were not done in vain (one such comment that he found particularly hilarious, was from Wendy, who expressed a lighthearted complaint about how their rumored next show was going to be a Sondheim musical, much to the distress of Junhui, the resident pianist.)
It was then he remembered what he had actually planned that day, knowing Felix was to watch him as promised. So with that, Hyunjin approaches him, “Ah by the way, is it okay if we speak somewhere more private? There’s actually something I’ve been meaning to give you.” the freckled young man looks at him in curiosity, “Oh? And what could that be?”
He takes his hand into his own and smiles, “It’s a surprise, you’ll see.” They excuse themselves and leave to go to Hyunjin’s personally assigned dressing room backstage. Once they’re there, that’s when Hyunjin feels his heartbeat move faster.
Sure, he had prepared for this moment for weeks now, all while balancing his rehearsals performances but as it stands, rehearsals always give a different feeling compared to the actual thing.
Perhaps he had been so nervous that he hadn’t realized that he hadn’t moved. Felix had to snap him back to reality, “So…what is it that you were going to show me?”
“Actually, my sunshine,” Hyunjin starts, taking a deep breath, “I was debating on whether to show you right then and there but after giving it some thought I believe it would be best if this moment were witnessed by just you and I. If you’ll allow it.” His nervousness dissipates seeing Felix light up with curiosity. Oh how he loved seeing him like that. The blonde nods enthusiastically, “Of course, I allow it! What I’d give to the world for any moment with you.” He pauses, expression changing to something close to unease, “But what exactly is this? Should I be worried?” Hyunjin merely shakes his head, “That would…depend on how you see it. But whatever, I should not keep you waiting after all.”
He takes one more deep breath then holding both of his partner’s hands he goes, “Yongbokkie, my love, who shines brighter than the sun itself, who had never left my side despite the stormy days and nights in my life, who made me think that perhaps angels do exist and they exist even in this world, the one whose love I thought I could only ever find in books and films.” He fights the urge to laugh as he sees his beloved's expression, knowing that Felix is seemingly on the verge of tears. Nonetheless Hyunjin goes on, “You have always been so supportive of me and everything that I do, which is why in turn, I wish to do the same for you, perhaps even more. I want to protect you, to give you everything that you deserve, to be the reason your smile never fades, to be the reason you keep seeing the goodness in life and keep going. I want to be someone who you can call home.”
Felix looks over in anticipation, as if knowing what to expect next but wishing to see it play out on its own.
“In short, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me.”
It was then that Hyunjin, letting go of Felix’s hands, kneels, taking out a little box from his costume pocket and opening it, revealing a beautiful sapphire ring.
“Lee Yongbok, or as you usually prefer Felix Lee, my little sunshine, will you marry me?”
Felix doesn’t realize the breath he had been holding until then. He stands there in shock, the words refusing to properly come out of his mouth as he stutters. “Hyunjin… I—, are you really—?” What else could he say, after all? When his entire being was seized with an unexplainable joy? Instead he bursts into tears and tackles Hyunjin in a hug, knocking him over and almost losing the ring in the process but luckily they both caught it so quickly. They look at each other and laugh as Hyunjin swipes a finger across that freckled face, wiping the tears that flowed out. “Yes, yes of course!” Felix finally answers, smiling so wide his cheeks start to hurt, “But God, you’re insane!”
“In a good way or a bad way?” Hyunjin asks teasingly. Felix rolls his eyes and just laughs. “Good in my standards! But oh my fucking god, it should be you we’re celebrating! I mean you just nailed that final performance a while ago and I couldn’t be more proud!”
And it's true, Felix was immensely proud of his boyfriend having watched him come a long way from his very first theatre gig to this latest one. He knew how much it meant for Hyunjin (though admittedly a part of him wishes he too could try it out, it had been a childhood dream of his to perform onstage as well. Yet the path of an artist was not what his father wanted for him).
Hyunjin shyly smiles, rubbing the back of his neck, “I know, I know. Thank you for the flowers by the way, I really appreciate it but I have been meaning to do this for some time especially since we’ve been together for how many years? Almost five?”
“Five and a half actually,” Felix corrects “but close enough”
“There, exactly and well I kind of wanted it to be a special proposal so I thought maybe it would be nice to propose here in the place closest to my heart.” Hyunjin explains. He remembers the time their high school held an event relating to Shakespeare at this very theatre and that’s how he and Felix first became friends despite being in different sections. He laughs seeing Felix pout (“Cute”, he thinks to himself), who then complains that he is taking advantage of his sentimental tendencies. Hyunjin continues to tease him before he is stopped completely by a kiss.
“I love you.” they say to each other at the same time, making them giggle like they were back in high school. Taking the ring, Hyunjin slips it on Felix’s finger, both of them admiring the perfect fit and the glimmer from the sapphire stone.
Eventually, after checking the time on his watch, Felix stands up, helping Hyunjin to get on his feet as well. “Now come on and finish removing your makeup and all, I had actually planned to treat us to dinner tonight to commemorate the final run of your show.” He casually says.
“Really? How sweet of you. I guess now we have two things to celebrate.” Hyunjin then looks down, as if ashamed before quietly adding, “Next time dinner’s on me though, I promise.” Despite the (deliberately) low volume of his voice, his boyfriend (fiancé) still heard him. Felix assures him that he need not pay back the favor.
“Marrying you will be more than enough.” He says, his warm smile putting Hyunjin at ease.
Of course, Hyunjin thinks, why else should he second guess, when all the world will finally be his?