Chapter Text
The room is pitch black and smells of sweat and sex. Jimin opens his eyes to darkness, the sliding door to his bedroom closed. His hands reach out to the other side of the bed, trying to feel another warm body, but there’s nothing there but soft sheets.
A frown forms on his lips as he sighs. Maybe it was too good to be true, he thinks. Maybe Jeongguk realized this isn’t really what he wants and got up and left. Maybe he realized that it was a huge mistake. He should have known.
He remembers everything from the night before. Every touch, every caress, every word spoken, and every single time their bodies communicated what words couldn’t.
He drags himself off the bed and grabs a robe from his closet. He slides the door open and hears sounds coming from the kitchen. He glances out the window and finds the storm has passed but the sky’s still gloomy. Barefoot, he steps out of his bedroom and is met with the view of a topless Jeongguk, cracking eggs in a mixing bowl.
“I thought you left.” His mouth worked faster than his barely-awake brain.
Jeongguk’s head whips towards him, and he sees him smile. “I said I would stay… so here I am. I hope you don't mind that I raided your kitchen.”
Jimin approaches the table and stands next to the younger man. He looks at him, but immediately shifts his gaze to the table. He sees pancake mix, milk, and eggs among the ingredients laid out. “You're making breakfast,” he observes.
“I am. I thought of going down and looking for food but remembered I have no idea where to go. Then I thought of having food delivered, but I realized I don’t know your address. So, here we are. I remember these were your favorite.”
“Still is,” Jimin confirms as Jeongguk resumes with measuring the ingredients. A moment of silence passes until Jimin asks. “Can we talk?”
Jeongguk nods his head without taking his eyes off the bowl he’s working on.
He has a million questions in his mind, all begging for answers, but never really knowing where to start. So he starts with what he thinks is the biggest question, “Why didn’t you show up that night?” He sees Jeongguk’s lips narrowing. “I waited for you at the studio, but you never came.”
“I-” Jeongguk pauses. “I was on my way, but when I stepped out of the library, my dad was waiting with the car. He said we had somewhere to go to.” Jimin doesn’t miss how he closes his eyes and takes a breath. “I wanted to call you but my battery died on me, and I couldn’t charge at the restaurant. I called as soon as we got home, but you weren’t picking up. It was almost 3 in the morning, so I thought you were already asleep by then. But you never answered or texted even on the next day.”
Jimin just nods. He remembers it took him two and a half days to wake up since he was rushed to the hospital.
“And then I finally hear from you for the last time weeks later,” Jeongguk drops the wooden spoon in the bowl, “only to find out you left.” He raises his head and finally looks at Jimin, eyes sad.
Jimin looks at him and sees his eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry, Gguk. I should have given you the chance to explain. I should have tried hearing you out before freezing you out, too.”
“We both had our share of bad decisions, hyung.”
“That’s true.” He says as he pulls Jeongguk away from the batter he was mixing and holding his hand. He gives him a soft smile and it takes the younger’s breath away.
“Is this real? I’m not dreaming, right?” The raven-haired whispers.
Jimin pulls back, and pinches his cheeks, trying to lighten the somber mood that momentarily took over the apartment.
“Ow!” Jeongguk exclaims, eliciting a giggle from the blonde CEO.
“I still can’t believe this is happening.” He says as he rests his forehead against Jimin’s. After a while, he asks, “Don't you have to get ready for work?” Jeongguk asks Jimin grabs the whisk. He takes it back from the older male and he resumes with making his pancake mix in the bowl.
“I took some time off.” Jimin answers as he grabs 2 bottles of water from the fridge. “I was arranging stuff for Ma. I’m seeing her later. Do you wanna come with?”
“I’d love to. Are you still going on that trip?”
“Thanks to you, we are. I'm bringing Ma home.” He can’t help his voice from cracking, and before the tears can even fall, Jeongguk rushes to him and cups his face in his hands.
“No more crying. Not as long as I’m here.”
“I’m just…” Jimin sighs. He looks up and their eyes meet. “Thank you. You’re going to make her the happiest.”
“Are you?”
“Me?”
“Are you happy?”
He scans Jeongguk’s face with his eyes. “I feel like I am because you’re here and I’m bringing my mom home. But why do I feel like I shouldn’t be?”
“I’ll be happy for the both of us, then. For now. If you feel sad, then feel sad. If you feel angry, then do so. I’ve learned the hard way that suppressing our feelings just makes a mess of things. Look at the mess I made when I held back and denied what I felt for you.”
“Again, who are you and what have you done to Jeongguk?”
“A lot happened in 7 years, Jimin-ah.” Jeongguk chuckles, turning his attention back to the pancake batter he’s been mixing. He feels two arms snaking around his waist and he smiles. He could stay like this forever, he decides. He figures it is the best time for him to confess. “You know, I was actually coming here to find you.”
“What?”
He pours some more milk into the bowl. “I was actually going to buy a ticket to Tokyo the day you arrived in Seoul.”
"You were coming here?" Jeongguk felt the other let go of him, standing to his side trying to take a look of his face. But he didn’t dare look at his face, just concentrating on measuring the remaining ingredients for the pancake.
“Yeah, to look for you. And ask for forgiveness. Years late, I know. But I figured I would shoot my shot at least once.” He shrugs, eyes trained on the task at hand.
But Jimin takes his hands away from what he was doing and pulls to make him face him. His face was cupped between the small hands of the other. "Hey, please look at me." Jimin asks.
He locks eyes with Jimin and he sees crescent eyes in front of him, paired with a beautiful smile that he has missed seeing for years. The only other times he could recall Jimin giving him this smile was one time after their rehearsal in the beach house in Busan and, again, after their performance annual holiday showcase. Oh, how he has longed to see them again.
“You were going to come and find me?” Jimin asked again, and Jeongguk can hear the lilt in his tone.
“Yes, I was.”
"What if I turned you away?"
"I was prepared to stay here for as long as it took for you to forgive me."
‘And if I didn’t?"
His eyes move up and he juts his lips. "I- I don’t know. Didn’t think that far ahead."
"Prepared, huh? My bun’s still as impulsive as ever."
"It’s not impulsive. I saved up for it, and then hired someone to take over the shop while I’m here." He mumbled. "I just- I just knew I would do anything. I was prepared to beg for your forgiveness, you know."
"Aww, Jeon Jeongguk." Jimin cooed.
"Would you have forgiven me?"
Jimin doesn’t answer his question right away, but instead tilts his head to one side and scans JK’s face again. "Honestly?"
Jeongguk holds his breath.
"I don’t know." Jimin answers.
Jeongguk turns away and goes back to preparing the ingredients for their pancake.
"Oh, not the pout!" Jimin laments. "Aww, bun! Don’t do that!"
"I’m not doing anything." He mumbles.
Jimin pulls him back by his waist, and he almost drops the measuring cup into the bowl.
"You may have grown, but you’re still a baby deep inside," Jimin mutters as he wraps his arms around him. "You know how they say that everything happens for a reason? Maybe we were meant to meet again a different way, and we did. And if things happened differently, we wouldn’t be here right now."
"I guess you’re right." Jeongguk answers with a pout.
"Now stop pouting, or I will pout, too."
He doesn’t answer, but his pout remains as he wraps his arms around Jimin.
"You’re still upset?" JImin frowns, which eventually turns into a pout, matched with his puppy-dog eyes. After a few moments, he turns to leave, "Okay, I’ll talk to you later then. I’ll just be-"
"There it is! I was wondering when I would see that." Jeongguk says as he tickles Jimin on the sides, remembering vividly how ticklish the other gets when tickled by the ribs.
"Yah!" Jeon Jeongguk!" He exclaims between giggles as he tries to get away from Jeongguk’s tickling hands.
"Oh no, you’re not getting away from me." Jeongguk teases.
Jimin manages to get away from him for a second, but since Jeongguk’s stride is bigger than his, he catches up to Jimin fairly easily, and lifts him up from behind. Jimin kicks in protest, but Jeongguk just brings him to the bed, where he continues to tickle him, eliciting giggles from Jimin.
"Stop!" Jimin shrieks out as he wriggles underneath Jeongguk.
Jeongguk stops and sees a smiling, breathless Jimin beneath him, and makes him breathless. Every time. He thinks this is a view he will never tire of seeing every day for the rest of his life. His fingers find their way to Jimin’s face, running a finger against his flushed cheek, and caressing the other’s plump lip with his thumb. He bites his own lower lip and gulps and eventually lets his lip go, and licks it. He sees Jimin’s smile slowly fade, and his lips part just slightly.
"I’ve dreamed of this for so long, hyung. Having you in my arms like this. I thought I’d never get the chance to." He sadly remarks.
"Hey. We’re here now, aren’t we? I’m here."
He continues to caress Jimin’s face with his fingers, tracing each slope and each line, as if he was trying to etch them into his memory. "I’ve wasted so much fucking time. And I hurt you.” Jeongguk punches the side of the bed near Jimin’s head, wishing it was his own head he was hitting. “God, I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you and for taking your feelings for granted. I’ll forever try to make it up to you, Jimin-ah. If you’d let me. Please let me." He begged.
Jimin sees the pain in the younger’s eyes, and his heart clenches. They have a long way to go, but Jeongguk’s trying. He may not trust his words fully yet, but his actions have tried to make up for all the broken promises, and he lets it. He lets it, because even if Jeongguk has hurt him, he knows deep in his heart that his feelings for the younger one never faded away.
And now, his favorite pair of eyes in the entire universe is speaking to him, pleading, begging to let him in. Little does Jeongguk know that while Jimin built walls around him, Jeongguk always had the key. Jeongguk is the key.
So he grabs him by the neck and pulls him towards him, crashing Jeongguk’s lips against his own. He escalates it pretty quickly, his tongue asking for permission to explore the other’s mouth deeper.
His fingers card through Jeongguk’s silky hair, and the other sucks on his tongue as he adjusts himself, falling on his side to land beside Jimin. Their lips, tongues, arms, knees and legs tangled, and their cocks rubbing against each other.
His hands make it down the younger’s back, caressing it, gripping it, nails digging into it. He feels a high off of the feeling of the other against him, and Jimin can’t stop. He traces the ripples of Jeongguk’s abs and goes further, until he can feel his hard cock in his palms. As soon as he takes hold of it, he pulls away and moves down the other’s body, trailing kisses on random places. He pushes Jeongguk flat on the mattress as he crouches over him, licking his lips at the sigh of the other’s cock.
Without hesitation, he devours Jeongguk whole. He sucks on the tip a few times, earning moans from the younger man, encouraging him further. One of his hands grips the base of his cock, while the other plays with his balls. The other’s hips buck towards him uncontrollably, and he hums softly at the salty taste of the love of his life. He takes him in and out of his mouth, and Jeongguk’s groans echo off the walls of his apartment. He feels one of the raven-haired man’s hand around the back of his head and his hips thrust once. “Jimin,” the other breathlessly says.
He bobs his head up and down the hardened shaft, alternating between sucking and licking.
“Jimin, I won’t last,” He hears. So he hollows his cheeks, and plays his tongue up and down, from the head to the base, and then suckles Jeongguk hard and fast. “Ah, Jimin, I’m com-”
He feels warm, salty jets of cum across the back of his tongue and he closes his eyes as he swallows him down. He sucks him till Jeongguk pulls his head away, probably from oversensitivity.
He crawls up on top of the younger, who’s still panting from his orgasm, and he kisses him fiercely, the heat in his own core still burning up.
Jeongguk grips his hips and attempts to flip them over, but he pulls away, shaking his head. “It’s my turn to pleasure you, bun. Let me.”
“Fuck,” was the only thing the other managed to utter.
They kiss again, more fiercely than before, Jimin straddling Jeongguk’s torso. He pulls away momentarily, only to move to the younger’s jaw, neck, and chest. He flattens his tongue against one of Jeongguk’s nipples while he plays with the other with his fingers, and the other arches his back in pleasure. He feels the other’s growing erection against his stomach, and he leaves the other’s nipples to reach for a bottle of lube and a condom from the bedside table.
He rips the packet with his teeth and slides it on Jeongguk’s shaft. Jimin squeezes a glob into his palm, and he sees the other’s eyes darken further as he massages Jeongguk’s cock with his lubed fist.
He adds more lubricant to his fingers, intent on putting up a show for the younger and his hungry eyes. He circles the rim of his hole, breathing in and out, relaxing his muscles as he inserts a finger deep inside himself. He gasps as he feels his finger brush his prostate, but he knows he will never be full, never be satiated unless he feels Jeongguk inside him again.
So he takes Jeongguk’s cock in his hand and positions himself over his shaft, nuzzling the tip against his hole. He glances at the other’s face and sees him biting his lower lip, and he lowers himself a bit, moaning as the head pushes its way inside of him. He takes another deep breath and sinks himself down into Jeongguk’s shaft.
Jeongguk groans, his head rolling back against the headboard, eyes closed shut and mouth open. He knows Jeongguk is beautiful, but seeing him unraveled before him makes Jimin’s heart skip a beat.
He begins to slide up and down the other’s pole, giving his muscles time to loosen up and adjust, and waves of pleasure begin crashing inside him.
He moves faster, wanting the waves to build up and crash even faster. So he slides up and down harder and heavier. Jeongguk moves in unison with him, their bodies engaged once again in a dance of ecstasy, thrusting his hips up off the mattress to meet with Jimin’s body, and pulling back as he lifts away. It’s like their bodies were made to dance to the same music.
Jimin feels his toes and fingers tingle, while his cock bounces with the rhythm their bodies have made. “Ahhhh… Ohhhh… Jeongguk-ah.” He breathes out.
Jeongguk takes his unattended shaft in his hand and begins stroking it, collecting beads of precum from the tip, and using it to make the slide easier.
His groans grew louder, as his pace also increased, so does Jeongguk’s pounding and squeezing on his cock.
“I’m close,” he manages to rasp out.
Jeongguk pushes himself deeper into him as he rides him harder and harder. The younger’s hand pumping him faster. “I’m co… Gguk, I’m com-”
And before he could even finish his warning, his head rolls back, eyes closed and mouth open as a blast of cum lands over Jeongguk’s chest. The feeling seemed enough to give Jeongguk his own orgasm, and Jimin opens his eyes in time to see Jeongguk arch his back high, pushing deep into Jimin, hips rocking with pleasure. He is absolutely beautiful.
He grinds his asscheeks hard against the other’s pelvis, and he feels his body heat up with the feel of a cum-filled rubber inside him. Jeongguk pulls him down, his arms wrapped around his torso, their chests now pressed together. Their lips connect and they both rock against the other, milking the last of their orgasms, breaths hard and heavy, hearts soaring.
The snowstorms inside their hearts die down and are replaced with the warmth of the sun. The same can be said for Tokyo’s sky, where the first time since Jimin arrived from Seoul, the sun is seen peeking from the clouds, brightening up the whole city. The snowstorm has passed.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Jeongguk can’t stop fidgeting. From the moment they left Jimin’s apartment, to when they rode the train and the bus and are now walking towards Mr. and Mrs. Park’s home, he’s been a bundle of nerves. It was either his fingers were restless, or his knees wouldn’t stop bouncing, or he can’t stop biting his lips.
He feels like he will pass out anytime, the thought of seeing Jimin’s parents so unsettling in his core. But Jimin has never once let go of his hand. The whole time, Jimin held him, squeezing his hands in some moments, and intertwining their fingers during others, not letting go of him unless absolutely necessary.
He sometimes busies himself with the keychain on Jimin’s bag. They decided bringing just one overnight bag would be a better idea since they were just commuting, and Jimin retrieves one from the back of his closet. He also took one keychain from one of his jewelry boxes, hanging it on the handle. Jeongguk smiles and tears up when he sees it and realizes that Jimin kept his shell as well. And this time, he can keep his promise, too.
And it calms him down, until he remembers where they’re going and he goes quiet and his knees start bouncing again. But Jimin, never once, pressed him to talk. And he appreciates that. The silent squeeze he felt in his hand was enough to settle the crazy butterflies in his stomach.
Two hours and thirty minutes later, they stand outside the door to the Park’s home in Atami. It’s a little past four in the afternoon, and the sun is shining brightly in the sky. They left Tokyo quite later than intended because they fell back asleep after their lovemaking that morning.
He stands behind Jimin, head low, and one hand gripping their shared overnight bag and the other playing with the zipper pull of the jacket he’s wearing. Jimin pulls the key from his pocket, and turns to face him, taking his hand in his again. “You’ll be fine. They’d be glad to see you.” Jimin assures him.
Jeongguk doubts it, but he smiles anyway. “Do they know?”
“About?”
“That you were buying the beach house from me?”
Jimin shakes his head. “No, I haven’t told them. I didn’t even know you were the new owner till I saw you in the bookstore.”
Jeongguk sighs in relief.
“It’ll be fine. They won’t bite, I promise.” Jimin offers him a reassuring smile.
The house is beautiful and Jimin said it offers a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. It is an ideal getaway, and as soon as Jeongguk entered the gate, he just knew that it is a perfect place to go to for healing, for stress relief, for relaxation.
When they step into the house, Jeongguk is greeted by one of the most beautiful views he has ever seen in his life. The living room is spacious and shares the same space with the dining area, and the room opens into a beautiful balcony with the most gorgeous view.
A lady in scrubs emerges from another room, and they bow to her, which she returned.
“Good afternoon, Kangoshi,” Jimin greets her and introduces Jeongguk, and she greets back. “Where’s Ma?” He asks.
“She’s out at the Sakura Garden. I just left her for a bit to get her afternoon tea.” The nurse explains.
“Would you be kind and tell Hiro that I have someone with me? Also, please get some rest, I will prepare Eomma’s tea. Thank you, Mai.”
Mai bows before going into another room, while Jimin takes the bag from Jeongguk and sets it on the floor beside the couch, and then drags him to where he assumes is the Sakura Garden.
The garden is breathtaking. But somehow, Jeongguk can’t appreciate its beauty fully when he saw Jimin’s mom in a wheelchair, under the Sakura tree. He feels pain inside his chest because his memory of Mrs. Park is a far cry from the visual he is seeing now. As they approach her, Jimin calls her softly, making her turn her head slowly towards them. A soft yet fond smile forms on her lips upon seeing Jimin, but it grows wider as he sees him.
Jimin plant a kiss on her head as they reach her, and Jeongguk bows with a greeting.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Park,” he addresses.
“Jeongguk-ssi.” She acknowledges with a smile.
Jimin asks her how she’s feeling and she tells him that she is not in pain that day, much to the older man’s relief. They engage in a bit of small talk until Mrs. Park asks her son to get her afternoon tea, which he abides by, leaving the younger man with the elder woman.
“I had a feeling I would be seeing you again, Jeongguk-ssi.” She says once they were alone.
Jeongguk’s mouth gapes open as he turns to look at her, wanting to know if she said that as a joke, as a form of mockery, or what, but he only sees a smile on her pale face. She motions towards the bench near her wheelchair, and Jeongguk obeys by taking a seat.
“I’m sorry to hear about your father, Jeongguk-ah.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Park.”
“Thank you for saving the beach house from my brother and taking good care of it.”
For the second time, Jeongguk was caught off guard. Mrs. Park laughs lightly upon seeing the younger’s face.
“Y-you knew?”
“I knew since the moment my brother sold it to you.” Jimin’s mother says as she looks towards the view.
Jeongguk is disconcerted. He has a lot of questions that he wants to ask, but he doesn’t even know where to begin. Fortunately, Mrs. Park seems ready to answer his questions.
“It was my wish to revisit the beach house.” Mrs. Park admits. “But it was never for my own interest. Not entirely, anyway. I was hoping the two of you would meet again. I’m not-” The lady takes a deep breath. “I’ll be gone soon, Jeongguk. I just want my son to be happy. And I know you make him happy.”
Jeongguk looks down and shakes his head. “But,” he pauses. “How were you so sure he would forgive me, Mrs. Park? Or that his feelings never changed over the years? It’s been seven years.”
“Because I know my son.”
“I’m not a good person, Mrs. Park. I hurt him.”
“You are not your father, Jeongguk. You were young. You both were. And the eyes never lie, Jeongguk. You have kind eyes.”
Jeongguk is lost for words.
“Naming a store after our son’s favorite word is too oddly specific to be a coincidence, isn’t it”
The doe-eyed man turns beet red.
“Take care of him, okay?”
“Mrs. Park…”
She reaches out for his hand. “Please, Jeongguk, promise me you’ll take care of my son.” She pleads.
“For the rest of my life, Mrs. Park. I promise. If he’ll allow me.”
Mrs. Park just gave him a smile, a smile that reminds him of Jimin’s own.
“Now, what were the two of you up to while I was gone?” Jimin says as he approaches them, carrying a tray with teapot and some cups. Behind him is Mr. Park, who has a smile on his face, and who shook his hand after he bowed so many times, it made Mrs. Park laugh. They spend the rest of the afternoon talking and catching up.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Jimin sits on the deck, watching his parents fondly as they walk by the beach, his father pushing his mother on the ridiculous-looking beach wheelchair. The contraption has four wide wheels, allowing mobility on the sandy beach. It looked funny, but it allowed his mother to go near the water, so he is grateful to whoever invented it.
When they arrived at the beach house the day before, the beach wheelchair was already there, all set up and ready. Jeongguk ordered it while he was still in Tokyo, and he had to fly back to Busan two days before Jimin and his parents did, saying he had to take care of some stuff at the bookstore.
Jimin discovers as they get to the beach house that Jeongguk spent the last two days in Busan and not in Seoul, getting everything ready for their arrival. Jeongguk rented a nearby beach house for him and Jimin to stay at, considering he only has one bedroom. He also assembled the beach wheelchair, stocked the fridge, and the house with essentials. Jimin hugged him so tight upon realization.
He got startled a little when he felt two thighs cage his back but immediately relaxed when two strong arms wrapped his waist. He leans back and rests his head against Jeongguk’s chest, and puts his own arms over the younger’s. He closes his eyes and sighs.
They just sit there for a while in silence until Jeongguk asks, “Hyung, can I ask you something?”
He just hums in response.
“Why aren’t you dancing anymore, hyung?”
Jimin was taken aback by his question so he turned his upper body to look at Jeongguk’s face. “I-”
“You loved dancing, hyung. You wanted to do it professionally. What happened?” Jeongguk’s face at that moment reminded Jimin of how the younger looked when he was annoyed or frustrated about not being able to do anything about the situation when they were back in high school.
“I can’t do it, Gguk. The doctors said everything healed well with my knees, but every time I enter a studio, I get so paralyzed, I cannot even make a single step. I just freeze.”
“Why? And why did the doctors have to look into your knees?”
Jimin breathed out. He really didn’t want Jeongguk to find out this way. He wished it was something that stayed buried when he left Busan years ago.
Jeongguk may have sensed his hesitation. “Hyung, tell me. Please.” He begs.
“That night before Ma’s birthday, I got beaten up. I had to get surgery on my knees and was out for two days in the hospital post-surgery. A day before we were leaving for Tokyo,” Jimin pauses to look down, and Jeongguk faces him, taking his hands in his. “Your mother came to our house and spoke to my parents.”
“My mother?” Jeongguk’s eyes narrow and his brows furrow. “How did I not know about this?”
“I just learned about this, too. They told me the day before we left Japan.” Jimin gives him a soft smile. “My father, at the time, was consulting with some lawyers because he wanted to make sure he wasn’t breaking any Non-Competes before accepting the offer to work in Tokyo. I think your mother thought we were pressing charges, and she came by with some money to make sure we wouldn’t talk.”
“What?”
“We were so confused because we didn’t know what was happening. Until your brother came by a few hours later, apologizing for your mother for thinking our silence could be bought, and for what your father has done.”
“Hyung, I am so confused.” Jeongguk’s face is serious.
“Your father had me beat up, Gguk. One of the men he hired hit my knees with a metal pipe.”
Jimin sees Jeongguk lean back, brows tightly knit and mouth firmly pressed, and it worries him that the younger man doesn’t believe him. But what reason would he have for lying about this?
He can see Jeongguk’s wheels turning, trying to take in what he just said. His gaze is locked on the younger man’s face, wanting to make sense of what the other one is thinking. Or feeling.
“Bun?” He says, rooted on the spot.
Hearing that pet name seemed to have snapped the younger out of his engrossment. But what he didn’t expect is for the younger to crash into him and pull him close into a tight embrace. His mouth gapes, caught unaware by the action. “Gguk?”
That’s when he feels something moist from where the younger’s face was resting on his shoulder. He hears the other sniff, and he realizes Jeongguk is crying.
“You missed out on your dream because of me. I’m so sorry, hyung. It’s all my fault.” He sobs against Jimin’s shoulder, tone filled with remorse and anger.
“Hey!” Jimin moves, trying to pull away, wanting to look at the other’s face. “Don’t say that!” He exclaims, struggling to get out of Jeongguk’s hold. He was able to successfully distance his upper body, and he tries to cup his face in his hands. He closes the distance between their faces, but the doe-eyed man doesn’t want to meet his gaze. “Bun, look at me, please?” He pleads as he wipes the tears from his eyes.
“I couldn’t protect you.” The other says as he finally locks their eyes. “I hurt you, hyung.”
“Jeongguk-ah, you didn’t. Your father did.”
“Still. If I haven’t met you-”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence. Don’t you dare.” Jimin admonishes.
Jeongguk’s head hung low.
“Do you- Do you regret knowing me?” Jimin questions Jeongguk, and himself at the same time.
Jeongguk pauses, sniffling every few seconds, as he looks at Jimin’s eyes. Then he firmly states, “No,” he shakes his head. “Never. I’m sorry that ever crossed my mind. I just wish I had the strength to stand up to him much earlier. Maybe none of these could have happened. I’m sorry, hyung.”
“You were just a kid then, Gguk. We both were.” Jimin reassures him. “I think I should come clean and say I did blame you for what happened. I guess I needed to give myself a reason to hate you, and blaming you was more convenient than facing myself and admitting that I should have at least asked you why you didn’t show up. But I guess, I was scared with what I thought I would hear.” He looks him in the eyes as he takes his hand in his. “I’m sorry for not giving you the benefit of the doubt. I should have trusted you enough and known you had nothing to do with it.”
Jeongguk gives him a soft smile and plants a kiss on his lips. He remembers the words spoken to him by Mrs. Park when they were in Japan. He embraces Jimin tightly.
“Jeongguk-ah,” Jimin interrupts the silence.
“Hmm?”
“I know I’ve said this a lot, but thank you. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Eomma this happy.”
“Anything for you.”
“I think I’m ready.”
“For?” Jeongguk lets go from embracing the older man to look him in the face.
“I’m ready to let her go.”
Jeongguk just tightens his hold on the other’s waist.
They settle in silence again, until Jeongguk sees Mr. Park waving at them. “Hyung, I think they’re ready to come inside.”
They went to assist Mr. Park in taking Mrs. Park back to the beach house and the rest of the day went on. They had early dinner, gave Mrs. Park her meds, and then helped set her up on the bed. Jimin asked to sleep with her that night.
He saw his mother sleep with a smile on her face. Only for her to never wake again.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Jimin reads through the last set of documents Kira sent him, signs it, and sets it aside on the kitchen bar. He buries his face in his palms and sighs out, feeling relief that he’s already done with everything he needs to review for the day. He massages his temple for a bit, and when he opens his eyes, his sight is met with the sight of a very inviting bed.
But before he can get up and drag himself across the living room to his bed, the door opens and in comes Jeongguk, dropping a bag of groceries near the sink and then approaches him, planting a kiss on his forehead.
Before the younger can pull away, he pulls him closer and clings to him, locking Jeongguk’s waist in his arms.
“Did you get enough sleep? You look tired, babe.” Jeongguk whispers against his head.
“I had to review these documents so I can send them back to Tokyo. They’re needed before noon. I just had a chance to shower and grab these sweatpants when I got the email.” Jimin rests his head on his hand with his elbow resting on the bar..
It’s 10:13 in the morning, and Jimin landed in Seoul four hours prior. It’s been three months since they buried his mother, and Jimin’s been flying back and forth between Tokyo and Seoul once a month to check on the company and spend time with Jeongguk.
Being in a long-distance relationship is challenging, but they do their best. Jimin’s not about to lose his first love again, especially not to distance.
Jeongguk served as his pillar of strength. He was a mess, especially after his mother passed. In front of his father, he is a strong son. In the company, he is that responsible, calm, and collected CEO. But as soon as he is alone, grief grips on his heart and mind and renders him paralyzed. While he let her go before she passed, nothing can still prepare a child for the death of a parent. And the only time he gets to put his walls down is when he facetimes with Jeongguk every night before they go to sleep.
While traveling to and from Seoul every month is exhausting, he doesn’t mind. He’d fly anywhere in the world to be with the younger.
“I got you your favorite tonkatsu from that place across the shop,” Jeongguk tells him.
“Thanks, bun,” he replies with a smile.
“Babe, did you bring the beach house documents with you?”
Jimin’s eyes widened. “Oh no! I forgot to grab it from the safe before I left!” He facepalms himself. “I’m sorry, Jeongguk-ah. The meeting last night ran late and I had to hurriedly pack.” He slumps on the chair with a pout.
Jeongguk chuckles and cups his face. “It’s alright.”
“No! I can ask Kira to overnight it.”
“No, it’s fine.” Jeongguk gives him a reassuring smile. “I wanted to make some changes to it anyway. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Changes? Was it the price? Because we really need to update that price to the current market value. Plus you did quite a lot of improvements but you didn’t factor them in.”
“I actually have the new contract here with me.” He retrieves a brown envelope from his backpack and hands it to the blonde CEO. “You okay to go over it with me before we have lunch?”
“Sure.” Jimin smiles at him as he receives the papers. He opens it and slides the documents out.
Change of Title from Sole Ownership to Co-Ownership
Jimin’s mouth opens and his brows furrow. “Jeongguk-ah, what’s this?” His tone is low and serious. He continues to read through the document and his heart pounds loudly in his chest.
I, Jeon Jeongguk, of legal age, a resident of Seoul, South Korea, authorizes the transfer of the ownership of the property in xxxx, Busan, South Korea, from sole ownership to co-ownership with Park Jimin, of legal age, a resident of Tokyo, Japan.
He looks up and finds Jeongguk looking fondly at him. “Is this possible?”
The younger nods. “I consulted my lawyer, and he said it’s legal.”
“But, we’re not married.”
“We don’t have to be, babe. The beach house is as much as yours as it is mine.”
Jeongguk almost falls on his butt as Jimin surges from the chair to give him a tight embrace. “Thank you, bun,” Jimin says as he buries his face against the other’s chest.
He responds with a kiss on the other’s head. “But I want to, though.” He whispers.
Jimin pulls back and looks at him. “What?”
“I want to be married to you.” He says as he cups the older man’s face in his hands. “Anywhere. It doesn’t have to be legal. It can be a ceremony only for our family and close friends to witness. I just want to have the privilege of calling you my husband for the rest of my life. To be able to wake up next to you every morning, eat dinner with you every night, raise a furbaby together. I don’t care if the law recognizes it or not. I just want to be married to you.”
He sees Jimin’s eyes welling up, and the tears roll down his cheeks when he blinked. He wipes them gently with his thumb.
Jimin sniffs and pulls away. He wipes his face with the sleeves of his long-sleeved top before he starts hitting Jeongguk’s chest gently with his fist. “Jeon Jeongguk, did you seriously just propose to me in my sweats?”
Jeongguk laughs out loud as he shields his chest with his arms. “I wanted to catch you a little off-guard so you wouldn’t say no.”
“It occurred to you that I would say no?” Jimin gasps. “I’m so offended!”
Jeongguk laughs even more and pulls him close, arms around the other’s waist. “I’ll move to Tokyo with you, open a second branch of the bookshop, and call it Euphoria. Because that’s what you are to me. You are my euphoria.”
“God, you’re a cheeseball.” Jimin encases the younger’s neck with his arms.
“We can foster a young girl and name her Amber. Then we can get a dog and name him Bucky.”
“You seriously have it all planned, haven’t you?” The CEO smiles.
“Oh, you have no idea.” Jeongguk confidently says. “But right now, I have something else planned.”
Jimin yelps as Jeongguk lifts him off the floor, his legs automatically going around the younger’s waist.
The younger takes them to the bed, throwing the both of them on the mattress. Their giggles fill Jeongguk’s studio apartment, and they kiss in between. Or is it the other way around, and they giggle in between kisses. Jimin doesn’t know anymore. All he knows is that he has never felt this kind of happiness ever in his life. Being in Jeongguk’s arms like this is euphoric. Maybe “euphoria” will be another one of his favorite words now.
The giggles eventually died down and was replaced with more kissing. But it was never rough or wild, just really sweet and affectionate.
Then Jeongguk pulls away. “We’re going somewhere tonight, okay?”
“For dinner?”
“Hmmm. Yeah, and something else.”
Jimin narrows his eyes and pretends to throw Jeongguk a death glare. “At least tell me how to dress.”
“Just casually. You still look breathtaking even if you decide to wear a garbage bag.”
Jimin hits him on the chest and then laughs. “You’re a sap.”
After much protesting, Jeongguk successfully pulls Jimin from the bed to eat their early lunch. They clean up and Jimin takes a nap as Jeongguk goes back to the bookstore. He wakes up to an alarm set by Jeongguk, labeled as “Time to Shower, Sleepyhead”. He smiles as he gets up to prepare for their evening.
Jeongguk arrives as he got out of the shower, and after some time, they walk out of the apartment. He lets the younger lead the way, as he talks about a funny client that he had to meet up the night before his flight to Seoul.
He was so absorbed in telling his story, just walking next to Jeongguk, when he realized the younger man had stopped. “We’re here?” Then he looks around and finds them standing outside a studio, the name of which he was familiar with, Hope World Studios.
“Jeongguk-ah,” he grabs the other’s hand. “What are we doing outside of Hobi hyung’s studio?”
“Do you trust me?” The younger just asks, extending his hand.
His gaze shifts from the studio signage to Jeongguk, to the sign, and then back to his lover. He takes a deep breath and takes his hand. He wraps himself around the other’s arm, his free hand gripping the other’s forearm.
The doe-eyed man ushers him inside the studio reception, walking slowly, letting Jimin dictate their pace. Jeongguk opens the door to the dance room, and he can’t help but take a sharp breath. Jeongguk looks at him and gently squeezes his hand.
They take a few steps and he swallows as they make it inside the room, enough for Jeongguk to be able to close the door behind them. Jeongguk lets him take the lead this time. He just patiently waits for him, letting him take his time.
He takes another sharp breath before approaching the middle of the room. It surprises him how it isn’t as bad as he thought. He gulps and then takes another pace. And it’s amazing how each step seems easier than the one before. It’s not long before they reach the center of the space.
Jeongguk steps in front of him, face beaming with pride. “You did it.” He whispers. “You did it, and I’m so, so proud of you.”
He smiles.
The other responds with a kiss on his head and pulls back to retrieve his phone from his pocket. He fiddles with it a bit, struggling as he operates it with only one hand, the other still glued on Jimin’s waist. A few moments later, Jimin hears a soft song play through the phone’s speaker.
“You can dance if you’re ready, hyung,” Jeongguk says.
As the song plays through its first stanza, Jimin just gazes into the other’s eyes, and the other just smiles at him patiently. As the refrain kicks in, he wraps his arms around the younger’s neck and rests his head against his shoulder.
The chorus comes, and he sways them slowly, from side to side.
For as long as I live and as long as I love
I will never not think about you
You, mmm
I will never not think about you
From the moment I loved, I knew you were the one
And no matter what I-I do, ooh, mmm
I will never not think about you
As the last notes of the song fade, Jimin pulls Jeongguk close into a tight embrace. He whispers, “Thank you.”
“Anything for you.”
Jimin pulls away and tucks Jeongguk’s hair behind his ear. “And I will marry you.” He says breathlessly, but firmly. “Seoul, Busan, Tokyo, anywhere. It doesn’t matter, Gguk. As long as it’s you I’m standing next to in front of everyone. I’d marry you anywhere and everywhere.”
Jeongguk pulls him close, and crashes their lips together. And this time, it’s far from innocent. It’s a kiss filled with love and passion, one that Jeongguk hoped would communicate the amount of love he feels for him.
It snows lightly outside, but there is nothing but warmth in their hearts. The snowstorm has passed, and another may come again soon. But now, snow no longer stands for things they want to forget or mistakes they have made in the past. It is now a fond reminder of everything they went through to find each other again, in their perfect time.
❄️❄️❄️ Fin ❄️❄️❄️