I'm Okay
Pretty Boy Across the Halljust another reminder THIS font means they’re speaking in Chinese xD
“What do you mean you’re not home?!” Seungcheol screamed into his phone receiver as he got out of the cab.
“I had to go somewhere,” Wonwoo replied from the other end. “Sorry, Seungcheol, but I didn’t know you needed Jihoon’s gift this early.”
Seungcheol groaned as he punched in the building entrance code. As the main door opened, he headed inside towards the elevator. “What’s the point of you hiding his present if you’re not here when I need you?” he complained, waiting with an annoyed look on his face.
“You make me feel so special, hyung,” Wonwoo said, sarcastically.
his hair back as he waited for the elevator, Seungcheol couldn’t help but chuckle and loosened up a bit. “I know, yeah. Sorry, I’m just excited. I called Jihoon and he didn’t pick up. I texted him, too. Do you think he forgot?”
“It’s your 100 day anniversary. Trust me, I don’t think he forgot.”
With a ding, the doors opened and he stepped inside. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am. Look, just knock on the door when you get there. Maybe Mingyu’s home.”
Seungcheol closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting a smile rest on his face as he moved upwards. “Thanks man.”
On the other end, Wonwoo chuckled, “See you soon.”
“Bye.” Without moving anything but his hand, Seungcheol hung up the phone and just stood there as he passed floor after floor. It was amazing how still he could be while filled with so much anticipation. Seungcheol was way too excited to celebrate his and Jihoon’s first anniversary. Something very special. As he went up, Seungcheol just reminded himself of everything Jihoon was to him. To Seungcheol, Jihoon was the best roommate he’d ever had, always keeping him warm in their bed. To Seungcheol, he was the loyal friend who was always there for others. To Seungcheol, he was the classmate he regretted never having, because he would’ve looked so adorable falling asleep during lectures. To Seungcheol, he was the guy who always bought the same coffee from Seungkwan’s shop every single morning. Seungcheol knew him in different forms, but at the end of it all he was still the same Jihoon. Someone very special.
When the doors finally opened on the ninth floor, Seungcheol couldn’t shake the smile off his face as he stepped out. “Please be there,” he muttered to himself. After rushing past several doors and making all the necessary turns, he made it to Wonwoo and Mingyu’s place, apartment 917B. “Please be there,” he repeated under his breath before he started banging on the door. “MINGYU!” he cried. “MINGYU! YOU HOME?!”
There was no reply.
“Damn it!”
Slightly annoyed and disappointed, Seungcheol sighed and slammed his back against the wall, sliding down to rest on the floor. If it were any other day, he might’ve been a little more frustrated, but he was still caught up in his Jihoon thoughts. Instead, he just closed his eyes and imagined the boy with the pink hair sitting next to him, as if it were their first encounter all over again. Seungcheol felt this fuzzy feeling in his chest until his moment of cheerful silence was interrupted. “You call?”
Seungcheol’s head shot up as he sprang to his feet. “Mingyu! Why didn’t you answer the door?!”
Stretching out his arms as he yawned, Mingyu apologized, “Sorry, hyung. I was taking a nap.”
Seungcheol rolled his eyes. “It’s fine,” he said as he made his way past Mingyu. “I just need to get Jihoon’s—” But then he paused.
For a second, Seungcheol just stood in the middle of the room and stared at what was in front of him. Finally, he asked, “Mingyu, what’s that?”
Mingyu smiled and crossed his arms. “It’s for you.”
“Well, I can see that.” In front of Seungcheol was one of Mingyu’s canvases on an easel. Done in cursive and black paint, it read, “To Seungcheol.” There was an arrow pointing down. Taped underneath was an envelope. “What is this?”
“Just open it,” Mingyu insisted, pushing the hesitant boy forward.
Seungcheol obliged and carefully took down the envelope to find what was inside. Quickly opening it, he pulled out the letter. “What the hell?” As he unfolded it, Seungcheol smiled like an idiot, half from shock and half from excitement.
“Hi dear!” it read. Seungcheol could just hear Jihoon’s voice. “Happy 100 day anniversary! I know we haven’t really been talking about it lately, but I assumed you were planning something. Hate to break it to you, but I was planning too. I thought it’d be fun to have you run around a little. If you have any questions, just ask Mingyu…”
Seungcheol immediately looked up. “What the hell is this?!” he laughed, holding up the letter.
“Jihoon set up a scavenger hunt,” Mingyu explained with a grin. “He put a bunch of hints in a ton of different locations and you have to figure out where each one leads.”
“Oh my god,” Seungcheol mumbled, unable to contain his blush. “I can’t believe him.”
“Read the hint!” Mingyu insisted.
Nodding, Seungcheol finished reading.
“Hint #1: Seungcheol, you’re really corny and your friend who works here knows it all too well. Hope to see you soon. Love, Jihoon.”
“Oh my god,” Seungcheol said again, flushing a shade as deep as his boyfriend’s hair.
Mingyu grinned and crouched down to look him in the eye. “You know where you’re going?”
Seungcheol chuckled. “I think so.”
— — —
“Vernon, shouldn’t you be at the park or something?” Seungkwan asked from behind the register at Akkinda.
Hansol laughed and proceeded to join his friend on the other side. “He won’t be there for a few more hints. According to Mingyu, he just left. I’ve got time.”
“Can you believe Jihoon did all of this?” Seungkwan sighed. “He’s becoming just as cheesy as his boyfriend.”
“I think it’s kinda sweet,” Hansol commented.
“Don’t get me wrong, it is,” Seungkwan explained. “But don’t you think it’s a little cliche?”
Hansol smirked and leaned on the counter. “What? So you’re saying you wouldn’t want someone to do this for you?”
Seungkwan resented how squirmy Hansol’s face could get him sometimes. Ignoring that queasy feeling, he fiddled with the register. “I don’t know. It depends.”
“Okay,” Hansol said with a nod. “Okay, then what if I was your boyfriend.” Seungkwan tensed up as the other boy easily spoke. “You wouldn’t want me to do this for you?”
Seungkwan scoffed. “You’re incapable of something like this.” Insulting him was the only way Seungkwan knew how to escape his spells.
But sometimes it wasn’t enough. “Oh, trust me,” he laughed. “I’m very capable of going to great lengths for someone I’m crazy about.”
“But who on earth would be crazy about you?” Seungkwan teased.
“Plenty of people!” Hansol argued, feeling challenged.
Enjoying himself, Seungkwan pushed. “Yeah, I’d like to see that,” he sarcastically replied.
“Hey, hey, with the person’s permission…,” Hansol started to say. As he was talking, he slowly made his way over to stand behind Seungkwan. Gently placing his hands on the boy’s hips, he pressed his chest up against his back and rested his chin on the other’s shoulder. Softly, Hansol whispered in his ear, “...I can make them crazy.”
Seungkwan was completely frozen. Evidently, he didn’t want to move. Thank god Hansol couldn’t see how wide his eyes were. But just as Seungkwan was starting to believe the boy’s claim, the store door flew open.
“SEUNGKWAN!” Seungcheol screamed as he frantically rushed inside.
Immediately, Seungkwan stepped away from Hansol and gave off a small squeal. For some reason, Hansol’s first instinct was to duck and hide. “HYUNG!” he yelled back.
Fortunately for them, Seungcheol was too preoccupied to notice what was going on. “YOU KNOW HOW CORNY I AM!” he cried.
Coming back to his senses, Seungkwan smiled and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
Trying to catch his breath, he managed to ask, “Do you have the next one?”
Seungkwan reached into his pocket and pulled out another envelope. “You’re a really lucky guy, hyung.”
Beaming, Seungcheol grinned as he eagerly tore this one open.
“Good job dear! I knew I didn’t have to worry about you going to the wrong place ;) Hint #2: I feel like our love story’s even better than the ones you’ll find here (specifically this section). Love, Jihoon.”
“Love story,” Seungcheol muttered. After a second, he got it.
His face just glowing with excitement, he leaned over the counter and hugged Seungkwan. “Thanks buddy.”
Seungkwan laughed. “No problem.”
With one last pat on the back, Seungcheol released and ran back out the door. After he was gone, Hansol sighed and stood up. “It must be nice to be that happy.”
Fondly staring at the door that swung shut, Seungkwan replied, “He deserves it.”
— — —
Jeonghan locked his phone after reading Seungkwan’s message. “He’s on his way.”
“Cool,” Jisoo replied as he skimmed the shelves. Squinting at some of their bindings, he laughed. “These titles are terrible. No wonder no one comes to this section.”
Jeonghan chuckled and walked over to see which ones he was reading. “The Shore Will Feed Our Love. To Destiny and Beyond. A Heart Needs a Soul. Wow, okay, those are pretty bad.”
Jisoo reached up and pulled one down from the top shelf. “This one’s my favorite.”
“Recipe for Temptation,” he read before flipping to the back. The cover had a man wearing only an apron. “‘When the chef is just too delicious to resist, what do you do?’”
“Prepare to be served,” Jisoo said with a playfully smug look.
Jeonghan burst out laughing as a shiver ran down his spine. He shoved the book back into Jisoo’s hands. “Can you burn that or something? I’ve never been so uncomfortable.”
Jisoo smiled and put it back. He subsequently hugged his boyfriend from behind. “Am I too delicious?” he asked sarcastically.
Unable to contain his giddiness, Jeonghan tried to squirm out of his arms. “Eww, never say that again!”
Jisoo tried to stay in character, but the words were just too gross rolling off his tongue. “You’re cute, love.”
Jeonghan settled and looked over his shoulder. Leaving a peck on his boyfriend’s lips, he smiled. “So are you. Now let go before Seungcheol gets here.”
“Too late.”
Both of them turned to find Seungcheol coming down the aisle, a pleased look on his face. “I guess I should’ve expected just as much, especially with this being the romance section and all.”
“Trust me when I say this spot is less than romantic, hyung,” Jisoo commented.
Seungcheol laughed and held up a piece of paper. “Well, you guys definitely have something pretty romantic to me.”
Jeonghan grinned as Jisoo let go. Walking backwards, he said, “You’re a lot brighter than I thought, Seungcheol.”
“I’m gonna have to thank Jihoon later for not making these too hard,” he joked. “He knows I’m no detective.”
Jeonghan laughed and pulled out a frilly book titled The Boy Next Door. He pulled a slip of paper out from the top and handed it to Seungcheol. “Here you go, Sherlock.”
Seungcheol quickly opened the next note.
“Wow baby, Jeonghan was wrong. You can figure this out ;)”
Seungcheol glanced up to glare at the teasing Jeonghan before he finished reading.
“Hint #3: Ya know what one of the hardest things to do is? Pick a freakin movie. I remember the first movie we saw together was here. You remember the theater, don’t you? Love, Jihoon.”
With a sigh of relief, Seungcheol shoved the paper in his pocket and started to back away. “Thanks guys. Go back about your business.”
“Will do,” Jisoo laughed as they all waved. Once he was out of sight, Jisoo turned back to smile at his boyfriend. “Ya know, what Jihoon and Seungcheol have…”
“Yeah,” Jeonghan grinned as he glanced around them, “It’s the type of love people write about.”
— — —
“He does it all the time?” Wonwoo asked as he rested his feet on the seats in front of him. As the two were waiting and chatting, the empty theater proved to be very comfortable.
Minghao nodded and leaned back. “Mm hmm.”
Wonwoo tossed some popcorn in his mouth. “And none of your friends know about it?”
He reached over for the bucket. “Except Chan,” Minghao corrected.
“Wah,” the other exclaimed. “That’s pretty ballsy.”
Minghao scoffed and stuffed his face. “More like cowardly.”
Glancing over, Wonwoo asked, “Oh come on, that takes a lot. Confessing in front of a ton of people and always getting rejected. You gotta give Junhui some credit.”
“He’s been doing this for years,” Minghao explained. “If I gave him credit, I’d have to go out with him. It’s easier to just take it as a joke. Besides, I doubt he’s truly serious about all of this.”
Taking a sip of his soda, the other boy squinted at the black screen in front of them. “Ehh, I’m not too sure about that.”
“You think he’s serious? That all of his ridiculous confessions were real? That he actually loves me to the point where he just can’t hold it in anymore?” Minghao questioned, the sarcasm just oozing through his voice.
Wonwoo chuckled. “Look, you told me not to tell anyone, and I won’t, but you guys have been going through this charade for a while. If it really were just a joke, he would have no problem doing it in a language you all could understand.”
Minghao thought it over a little. Wonwoo was the first person he’d ever actually talked to about this matter. He only chose to explain because Wonwoo had overheard Junhui calling him cute in Mandarin the other day. Minghao had never taken the matter seriously, but hearing someone else’s opinion was really...interesting.
But not insightful enough. Minghao rolled his eyes and ate some more. “You’re delusional.”
Wonwoo laughed and gripped the boy’s shoulder. “I just know love when I see it. Don’t be afraid to give him a chance, Minghao.”
With a sigh, Minghao shook his head. “I’m not afraid. I just...can’t tell. What if the reason he does this is cause he’s embarrassed to want me? He’s too embarrassed to show our friends so he puts up this whole front.”
“I HIGHLY doubt that,” Wonwoo argued. “If that were the case, he’d never ask you out in the first place.”
But Minghao still wasn’t certain. “Maybe.”
Wonwoo could sense his former roommate’s confusion. With a weak grin, he was about to say something a little more comforting when…
“WONWOO! MINGHAO!”
The two of them immediately looked to the main aisle and found Seungcheol running towards them. Wonwoo laughed at his frantic friend and held up the bucket of popcorn. “Hyung! What took you so long?” he joked.
“Yeah!” Minghao added, gesturing towards the screen. “The movie’s about to start! It’s called ‘Jihoon Put Way More Effort in This Scavenger Hunt than Anything Else Ever’!”
Seungcheol smiled and shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll catch the next showing.”
“Suit yourself,” Wonwoo replied, eating some more.
Leaning over one of the seats, he said, “But I would like to see the next clue, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” Minghao said. “But first…” he took the bucket from Wonwoo and held it in front of Seungcheol. “...have some popcorn.”
Raising an eyebrow, Seungcheol stared at both of them. “How’d Jihoon manage to get this whole theater, anyway?”
“Don’t ask questions, hyung,” Wonwoo asserted. “Just have some popcorn.”
“I don’t really want—”
“Just have some!” they both shouted, looking like they were ready to pounce on him.
Seungcheol jumped a bit before scowling. “Okay, okay. You guys are so weird together.” He reached in to take a handful, but felt something else instead, something plastic. He looked down and pulled out a ziploc bag hidden under the popcorn. Inside was a folded up piece of paper.
He gave a weak chuckle before looking back up at the others. “I get it now,” he jokingly said while wagging a finger at them.
Minghao laughed but Wonwoo just rolled his eyes. “You are so sad, hyung.”
Ignoring the insult, Seungcheol read what was inside.
“Seungcheol-ah, you’re getting closer. Hint #4: Sometimes I think about that plan you and Seungkwan made to get me back. A plan that you totally failed at by the way ;) This was the place you said you came up with it. Love, Jihoon.”
Seungcheol bit his lip. Every hint made his heart explode. He looked up and quickly nodded before running for the exit. “Thanks guys!” he called back.
“GOOD LUCK!” Minghao cried.
“BYE, HYUNG!” Wonwoo added.
They waited to hear the loud door close. When it did, Wonwoo chuckled. “Those two have it pretty good.”
“Yeah, they really do.”
Wonwoo softly elbowed Minghao in the ribs. Raising his eyebrow a few times, he said, “You could have that too, ya know.”
Minghao laughed. Without even thinking, he considered that for a second. But just for a second before he looked back at Wonwoo. “You sound just like Junhui.”
— — —
“I’M HERE! I’M HERE!” Hansol screamed as he screeched to a stop in front of Junhui.
Junhui hopped up from the bench and checked his phone. “It’s about time! Seungcheol’s on his way over! Where’ve you been?”
Hunched over, Hansol tried to catch his breath. “I...I got caught...up somewhere.”
Junhui squinted suspiciously at him. “Uh huh.” He watched his friend struggle to breathe evenly. When he finally stood up straight, Junhui noticed the crumbs on his face. With a smug smile, he crossed his arms. “You were with Seungkwan again weren’t you?”
Hansol plopped himself down on the bench. “And how would you know that?”
“You’ve never been the cleanest eater, Hansol,” Junhui laughed, pointing to the corner of his face.
Rapidly wiping it away, Hansol complained, “Aw crap.”
Junhui kept laughing as he put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Hansol, you don’t have to hide the fact you hang out with Seungkwan. We all know it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, removing the last of the muffin residue. “It’s not like I’m hiding it. I just don’t have to always tell you.”
“That’s true,” Junhui agreed. “But I’ll always find out.”
Hansol finally managed to laugh before replying, “He’s a really cool guy and we really hit it off. Plus he’s like a genius. I ask him anything and he knows the answer.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t know some stuff,” he teased, trying to push Hansol’s buttons.
With a scoff, Hansol acted like he had been insulted. “Like what?”
“Like how you feel about him,” Junhui said, appropriately winking at his friend.
Hansol just stared at his friend before he sighed and looked away. “Well how’s he supposed to know that when even I don’t.”
“Oh come on, Hansol, if you like him, just come out and say it,” Junhui pushed.
But Hansol just laughed. “You’re one to talk!”
All of a sudden, both of them paused. Junhui’s eyes grew wide and Hansol gritted his teeth. Seungkwan told him to make sure no one knew he knew. That may just have blown his cover. But Junhui wanted the benefit of the doubt. Cautiously he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
And cautiously Hansol answered, “I mean...you’ve never told any of us if you’ve liked anyone!” Trying to save his own back, Hansol kept going. “In all the years I’ve known you, hyung, you’ve never had feelings for someone! What have you ever had to come out and say?”
Junhui tried his best to hide his relief. So did Hansol. Still covering up, Junhui just laughed, “I don’t have to feel love to know you may be developing it.”
Getting back on the subject at hand, Hansol tilted his head back. “Maybe. I don’t know yet.”
Junhui smiled and patted his friend’s leg. “Just let me know when you do.”
Hansol was about to say some more when…
“JUNHUI! HANSOL!”
They both turned to find Seungcheol dashing towards them. Junhui quickly stood up and started applauding. “Bravo, Seungcheol!”
“Thank you, thank you,” the out-of-breath boy replied. “Damn, Jihoon’s got me running all over the city.”
“He wanted to make sure of that,” Hansol laughed. “He didn’t want it to be too easy.”
“Well, it wasn’t easy for you either,” Seungcheol pointed out. “I mean, Akkinda’s pretty far from here.”
“You saw me!” Hansol blurted out.
Seungcheol laughed and stood up. “Yeah, just a fair warning: hiding on the ground usually isn’t the best.”
While Hansol’s face turned a deep pink, Junhui couldn’t control his laughter. Clutching his stomach, he screamed, “Hansol-ah! You are so not stealthy!”
Unamused, Hansol glared at both of them. “Just give him the hint.”
Still laughing, Junhui reached under the bench and pulled out a slip of paper. He handed it to the eager Seungcheol who immediately unfolded it.
“Getting warmer, my dear! Hint #5: This was the place everything came back together. Remind me to thank Seokmin again for letting me in. Love, Jihoon.”
Seungcheol didn’t even need to give it a second thought before running in the right direction. Waving his arm in the air, he called back, “THANKS GUYS!”
“KEEP IT UP, SEUNGCHEOL!” Junhui hollered.
Hansol, who was now back to his normal shade, stood up and watched the boy happily run away. “How hard do you think it is to find what they have?”
Junhui grinned and looked back at him. “Probably really hard. It’s not just hiding on the floor.” He choked on the last few words because of his laughing.
Hansol just glared at him again as his friend lost control. “Shut up.”
— — —
“Alright Chan!” Soonyoung yelled as he shut his eyes. “Time us again!”
Chan chuckled and held up his phone. “Okay...go!”
Immediately, Soonyoung and Seokmin shot their eyes open and stared at the other opposite them. Sitting criss cross on the couch, they had their knees touching as they tried their best not to blink. But after four rounds, it proved to be way too much. Seokmin cracked and shut his eyes in a huge smile. “AGH!” he cried laughing. “No, we can’t do that again!”
With no point of going on, Soonyoung joined him. “Chan, how long was that?”
“Like 12 seconds,” Chan disclosed, an amused smile on his face. He was always happy to accompany these two, even though he wasn’t the biggest fan of being the third wheel.
“Come on!” Soonyoung exclaimed, slapping Seokmin on the thigh. “You can’t give in so easily!”
“I’m sorry!” Seokmin happily argued. He leaned over and clutched Soonyoung’s face in his hands. “It’s just I can’t stare into those eyes for too long. I’m scared I’ll get in.”
Blushing a little, Soonyoung tapped their foreheads together. “I’d like it if that happened.”
Seokmin laughed and leaned closer. “Maybe one day,” he whispered before leaning in to close the small gap.
The two of them held their kiss for less than half of their staring time before Chan broke it up. “OOOKKKKAAAAYYYY!” he hollered as he pulled their shoulders away from each other.
Startled and embarrassed, Soonyoung looked over to his friend. “Chan—”
“No, no, don’t you ‘Chan’ me,” he said, shaking his head and standing up. “If you don’t want me telling the others about this yet, then you have to keep the PDA to a minimum.”
Seokmin laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “What PDA? We’re not in public.”
“Fine,” Chan said. “We’ll call it...DAFC.” Seokmin and Soonyoung looked at him confused before he sighed. “Displays of Affection in Front of Chan.”
“Ohhh,” they both uttered.
Soonyoung laughed and gestured for his friend to sit next to him. “Okay, we’ll keep that to a minimum.”
“We promise Chan. Just, please don’t tell anyone just yet,” Seokmin added.
Chan found out about this relationship not too long after it developed. Obviously he was overjoyed to see the two of them so happy, but they didn’t want to go public yet. With the friend groups becoming so intertwined, they feared what their relationship may do to the dynamic, especially if it didn’t work out. So, again, Chan was the only one who knew.
“I know, I know,” Chan reassured them, coming over to sit down. “You guys are so happy, though. I wish you’d tell the others already. I hate keeping everyone’s secrets.”
The other two paused. Soonyoung squinted and leaned in closer to him. “Who else’s secrets are you keeping?”
Now, any of the others would have been freaking out just about now, but Chan was horribly used to it. Without flinching, he shrugged. “No one’s. I just hate keeping them.”
Soonyoung glanced over at Seokmin, who also felt suspicious, but before either one of them could question him more…
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Chan shot up and went to the door. “I’ll get it!” Opening the door, he smiled to find who was obviously on the other side.
“The...stupid...elevator still...isn’t...working,” Seungcheol panted as Chan helped him inside, shutting the door behind.
Seokmin laughed at his friend. “Yeah, sorry about that. You must’ve been running all day.”
Seungcheol rapidly nodded. Breathing heavily, he smiled. “But...it’s...worth it.”
The others all beamed at him as he sat down. Seokmin went to get him some water. After he chugged it down, he wiped his mouth and finally asked, “Alright. Where is it?”
Soonyoung tilted his head. “Where do you think it would be?”
Seungcheol paused. He looked around the apartment he briefly lived in before remembering which bedroom he stayed in. He jumped to his feet and hastily ran into Seokmin’s room. The three chuckled as they watched him fumble from exhaustion.
In the room, not much had changed except for the fact Seokmin’s things were back where they were supposed to be. He turned to the bed and lifted up the pillow. He smiled, pleased that he was right. He read this one even more eagerly.
“I thought this was the cutest spot to hide something XD Alright, last hint my love! Hint #6: To be honest, I wanted to do 17 hints because...well, you know why. But we don’t have 17 friends. So, I’m just gonna have to settle for the last location to deal with 17. This was where we first talked, shortly after we first met. There’s furniture now, but I still really like this spot. Love, Jihoon.”
With a giant smile, Seungcheol held onto the last note and walked out of the room. “Last one. Thanks you three.”
Soonyoung and Seokmin beamed at him, just feeding off his energy. Chan nodded and gestured towards the door. “Go get him.”
Seungcheol ruffled the boy’s hair and speedily left the place where he and Jihoon had officially gotten together.
Seokmin turned to smile at his boyfriend. Taking his hand, he softly asked, “You think we’ll ever get there? Where they are?”
Filled with so much for the boy in front of him, Soonyoung grinned and leaned in. “I think we can.”
Seokmin flashed a huge smile before the two of them kissed again, enjoying the start of their own journey.
But Chan wasn’t exactly in their same state of euphoria. Grabbing the nearest pillow, he chucked it at their faces. “NO!” he shrieked. “DAFC! DAFC!”
— — —
Seungcheol sprinted down the hallway and skidded to a stop in front of his apartment door. He immediately gripped the doorknob, but didn’t turn it. For a moment, he just froze.
Standing there, all of a sudden he got really nervous. His heart was beating faster than it had all day. His palms were sweaty, and not just from the running. He felt fireworks explode in his head as thoughts of Jihoon just flooded him. All day, he couldn't wait to hold that boy, to kiss him and smother him with all the love he deserved. Now the moment was right behind that door. He just had to be ready to open it.
With one last second of hesitation, Seungcheol’s smile came back and he flung the door wide open. What he found in front of him made him stop all over again.
Jihoon gave his boyfriend a huge smile, so big it forced his eyes into those little half moons. “Congrats baby,” he laughed spreading out his arms. “You found me.”
Seungcheol didn't move. In the middle of the room, Jihoon was standing there in the cleanest tuxedo. He was surrounded by rose petals scattered along the floor. It was like the scene out of your typical romance movie, but to Seungcheol those cute details were just side decorations. He was more mesmerized by the pink haired boy’s face. That smile was so perfect, and his cheeks looked so gentle. He was glowing with pure joy. Seungcheol had never seen a more beautiful sight.
He stared for about a minute. Jihoon, who was also captivated by Seungcheol’s disheveled appearance, chuckled a little. He'd been waiting all day for this. “Baby?”
Then all of a sudden, Seungcheol bolted towards Jihoon, hardly slowing down when they embraced. “WOAH!!” Jihoon screamed. On impact, Seungcheol squeezed Jihoon tight, but the two of them still came crashing to the ground.
Jihoon couldn't stop laughing through the pain. He gripped his back and looked up at Seungcheol on top of him. “Ow! Seungcheol-ah, you’re so—”
But he didn’t get to finish. Seungcheol muffled his words and buried his boyfriend in a long awaited kiss. And Jihoon didn’t object. He wrapped his arms around Seungcheol and let himself fall a little further. Seungcheol couldn’t believe how emotional this was. He had just kissed Jihoon that morning, but for some reason it was even much more now.
After some time, Seungcheol finally unlocked his lips to smile down at the boy. His clean hair was now a little ruffled, but it looked even better. Seungcheol said, “You...made me run all over the place today.”
Jihoon chuckled and the other’s cheek. “I wanted you to work a little.”
Seungcheol smiled even harder before pecking the boy on the forehead and rolling off of him. He sat up and helped Jihoon. “You're amazing, you know that?”
“You always remind me,” Jihoon gently replied, straightening out his blazer. For a moment, they just dreamily stared into the other’s eyes. “Happy anniversary, Seungcheol-ah.”
Seungcheol laughed and took the boy’s hand. “Happy anniversary.”
“I hope you liked your present,” Jihoon said. “I was really worried someone would screw it up.”
“It was awesome, dear!” Seungcheol exclaimed. “I seriously can’t believe you put this all together. Have you been home all day?”
Jihoon nodded. “Yeah, after you got the first hint, Mingyu helped me out. Wonwoo told me you’d be heading to their place for some reason today.”
Seungcheol’s eyes grew wide as he remembered earlier that day. “Right!” he shouted as he jumped to his feet.
Startled, Jihoon asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”
Seungcheol smiled. “Nothing,” he replied before letting go of his hand. “Just give me a second. I’ll be right back.”
Jihoon didn’t even get to say anything before he watched his boyfriend run out the front door. Amused by his dorky ways, Jihoon chuckled and proceeded to miss him while he was gone.
— — —
“What do you wanna do for dinner?” Mingyu asked from the couch.
“I don’t know,” Wonwoo replied, coming over to join him. “We could go where Jihoon and Seungcheol are going and spy on them,” he joked.
Mingyu laughed. “Wouldn’t that be a pleasant surprise.” He watched his boyfriend sit down and scroll through his phone. How was he so good looking? Unable to resist, Mingyu leaned over and laid his head down on Wonwoo’s thigh so he could marvel up at him.
Wonwoo looked down and chuckled. “Hello there.”
Mingyu smiled. He proceeded to close his eyes and cross his arms, making himself comfortable. “When are we gonna celebrate our anniversary?”
Wonwoo paused and moved some of the hair off his boyfriend's forehead. “What do you mean? Shouldn’t our 100 days be soon?”
Mingyu shrugged. “Do we celebrate that anniversary? Or do we celebrate our original one?”
Wonwoo looked up to think about it. “Well if we celebrate the old one, we should just do it yearly, right? So that’d be in a few months.”
“Then what about the two we missed?”
Wonwoo thought of the years they lost together and sighed. “I guess we just ignore them.”
Sensing his boyfriend's uneasiness, Mingyu opened his eyes. “Or…” Wonwoo looked down. “...we could celebrate those too.”
Wonwoo looked at him questioningly. “How would we do that?”
“I don't know,” Mingyu replied, thinking things through. “How many months until our old anniversary?”
“Five.”
“Five months,” he said. “Okay! So in two months, we’ll celebrate one each month. And each will be bigger than the last. We’ll have two months to plan it all.”
Wonwoo chuckled, happy with his boyfriend’s effort. “Aww, that sounds like a lot of trouble. We don’t have to, baby.”
“Hey! They’re my missing anniversaries too ya know! It won’t be any trouble! We'll plan together. Wonwoo-ah, it’d be so much fun. And we’d make up for lost time,” Mingyu enthusiastically explained. “Come on, baby. We really have something to celebrate.”
Wonwoo took a second to just stare at that goofy smile. He finally submitted. Leaning down, he placed their foreheads together. “Okay. Let’s do that.”
“Yes!” Too excited, Mingyu gripped Wonwoo from the back of the neck and lifted himself enough to meet the boy’s lips. Upon release, he fell back onto his leg. A satisfied smile, he said, “It's gonna be great, baby. I promise.”
Rolling his eyes, Wonwoo lightly smacked the boy’s stomach. “You’re a loser.”
“Submitted.”
Wonwoo laughed and was about to say more when there was a knock at the door.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Shoving Mingyu’s head away, Wonwoo got up. “I’ll get it.”
“Ow!” Mingyu complained. With a chuckle, he rubbed his neck and sat up. “You’re so gentle.”
Wonwoo smiled and opened the door. “Oh, hey hyung. You know the last hint was for—”
“Yeah, I know that!” Seungcheol exclaimed, making his way past his friend. “I need to get Jihoon’s present!”
Mingyu laughed. “It’s still in my desk drawer.”
“Thanks!” Seungcheol quickly went into the bedroom to get what he was looking for. He came out holding a small white box with a red bow on top. “Thank you, boys. But if you’ll excuse me.”
The other two nodded and watched him walk out. As he went back into his apartment, they caught a glimpse of all the rose petals.
Wonwoo closed the door and went to sit back down. “Should we do something as big as Jihoon?”
Mingyu laughed. “Baby, this is only their 100th day. We have YEARS. Trust me, it’ll be even bigger.”
With a smile, Wonwoo kissed the boy on the cheek. “Can’t wait.”
— — —
“GOT IT!” Seungcheol shouted as he flew past the door, letting it shut behind him.
Jihoon was still sitting on the floor in his fancy clothes. It was an oddly adorable sight. He looked up and laughed. “What is it?”
Seungcheol came and returned to his seat next to him. He placed the box in Jihoon’s hands. “Open it.”
Jihoon hesitated before undoing the ribbon and slipping off the lid. He stopped when he found what was inside. “Oh my god…,” he laughed.
Seungcheol blushed. “I know it’s not as grand as your gift—”
“No! Baby!” Jihoon slowly took out the keychain. “Is that me?!”
Seungcheol nodded. He pointed to the other one. “And that’s me.”
Jihoon couldn’t wipe away his smile if he tried. He held up the keyring that held three key chains. One of them was a cartoony guy with pink hair and blushy cheeks in a sweater and jeans. Another was a taller cartoony guy with dark hair and a dorky smile in a comfy T-shirt. “Seungcheol, where did you get these?”
He chuckled. “I got them custom made a week ago. Look at how cute you are!”
Jihoon smiled at his character. “Pretty freakin cute.”
Seungcheol grinned and reached for the last keychain. “Look at this one.”
The last one was in the shape of a heart. There was something engraved on it. “To the pretty boy across the hall,” he read as his heart raced.
“This way you’ll never forget your key again,” Seungcheol teased, overjoyed by Jihoon’s reaction.
But then he saw something he hadn’t seen for a long time: Jihoon started to tear up.
“JIHOON-AH!” Seungcheol exclaimed in shock. He immediately threw his arms around his boyfriend and held on tight. “BABY! ARE YOU OKAY?”
Jihoon sniffled and managed to laugh a little. He wiped away some of his happy tears and smiled up at the boy he loved so much. This was the first time he was experiencing tears of joy. Words couldn't describe how good it felt to be in that moment. “Yeah,” he softly replied. “I’m okay.”
im so sorry i hadn't updated in so long but i'm sorry to say that yes this is the last chapter of this fic :( i really hoped you guys liked it and thank you so much for everything. i'm gonna write and post an author's note or a thank you in the next few days to really express my gratitude towards you guys through all of this and talk about a new fic ill be working on if you guys are interested XD if you guys have any questions about anything please let me know thank you so much seriously dont know how much all of this meant to me!!!
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