Amongst the building bass sounds, the fast beat of drums and Seungkwan, who somehow managed to take over the stage, there was one hidden spot in the hall. It was away from all the flickering lights, that were bouncing off a large disco ball. Too silent, too dark, but all too perfect for Jihoon. It was already half an hour into the so-called ‘mild’ after party, and the recently married male was too numb to move. He did not have to look into a mirror to know that his face was the same shade as the red wine in his hand.

Jihoon was burning.

The intense heat in him wasn’t from the booze as he had only taken a small sip. He knew it could have been from the kiss earlier, but he refused to admit that it was the cause for the waves of uneasiness washing over him. For his heart was beating so rapidly, so loudly, that he had to clutch onto his chest to prevent its frantic thumps from drowning the loud drums accompanying the band.

Jihoon couldn’t take it anymore.

He then downed the remnants of his glass, chugging until he drank it dry. A familiar buzz instantly washed over him.  Despite the fact that the jitter in his chest was almost forgotten, Jihoon knew he needed more to keep himself at bay. However, when he was about to raise his hand at a nearby waiter, longing for a refill, the glass was suddenly taken out of his hand. Jihoon fumed, turning around to glare at the offender. Until he saw him. His husband, his Seungcheol.

Wait, my Seungcheol? I should really cut down on m-

“What is the groom doing here, drinking alone?”

Just when Jihoon thought that he had it all under control, Seungcheol crouched down, eyes boring into his. Once again, he felt it; the goddamn hot breath on his ing lips.

- scratch that, I need 5 more glasses.

The brunette was looking at him with so much anticipation, that he found himself frozen. He could only stare at the empty glass in his supposed husband’s hand. Tongue-tied under the given attention, Jihoon shifted in his seat, desperately trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“Then how about you?”

“Me?”

“Well, you are the other groom here if you haven't noticed, Seungcheol. Didn’t see you around for the past few minutes," though Jihoon promptly stilled as the glass that was originally his went further away as Seungcheol passed it to the same waiter he had spotted earlier. There was no ing way he could survive the night without alcohol in his system.

“Hey, I needed that!”

“No, what you need is to be sober,” Seungcheol bopped his nose and all of a sudden Jihoon felt like a child again, a rebellious one at that.

Jihoon stood from his little seat in the corner and to his luck, a completely clueless waitress trudged closer towards them, one hand balancing a tray of white wine. Grabbing two glasses this time, he managed to down one before getting the other taken away by Seungcheol.

“Seungcheol!”

“You’ve had enough.”

The thing was, Jihoon needed more. It was not ‘enough’ as Seungcheol had claimed it to be. His husband didn’t know, couldn’t understand, the stifling sensation that unraveled in his chest. He craved for some wine, he craved for some diversion.

However, there was something in Seungcheol’s eyes that made Jihoon stop in his tracks. Those rounded eyes were almost begging, and he didn’t know why but when the other asked him to stay abstemious for the next few hours at least, Jihoon nodded, hands now free of drinks.

Without anything in his system, Jihoon felt anxious, undoubtedly afraid. He clasped and unclasped his laced fingers repeatedly. A sigh managed to escape from his lips as he breathed and the blaring music was starting to give him a headache. It was already half past 8 and he only had little time left to be himself.

Lee Jihoon.

An Indigent.

The title itself was not something he’s proud of, knowing the struggles he had went through with Seokmin ever since the hierarchy had been established. Despite so, he had to admit that it was what made him the person he was now. Without it, he would neither have known the hardships of the cruel world, nor would he had learnt to appreciate the little things. Being an Indigent made him aware of how ed up the system was, including how biased the government could be.

But in the end, there he was, hours away from ironically turning himself into an Opulent. A government’s gem, a monster in his book.

Staring down at the black stripes of bars on his left wrist, a sigh broke through his lips. When suddenly another hand came into his vision, covering the barcode.

“It’ll be fine,” Seungcheol had tried to comfort him.

Yet Jihoon couldn’t find himself to believe in those words, for he could still feel the weight of the divisional tattoo despite it being concealed. It had been etched onto his skin for so long that it had become part of him. A part of who he was supposed to be. A part he had vouched not to give up; especially not for sickening ravenous Opulents.

In the end, he was the biggest hypocrite of all.

Though when he looked over at Seungcheol who had since been sitting beside him with a smile on his face, the voices in his head disappeared, leaving a complete silence. A light of hope enlightened his previously dark cave and Jihoon came to a conclusion - that maybe, just maybe, it was for the best after all.

So when Seungcheol unexpectedly offered his hand to Jihoon, asking him for a dance, the latter easily took his outstretched palm.

“Mind you, I don’t know how to do this.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you through.”

Somehow, Jihoon had a hunch that Seungcheol wasn’t implying the dance. 

- - - - - - - - - - -

It had been a long period of time since Jihoon had experienced such tranquility.

Although he was in the middle of the dance floor, under the intense stares of friends and family, he was at complete peace. With hands rested on the dip of his waist, while his own were draped on Seungcheol’s squared shoulders, the initial nerves of opening the first dance noticeably washed away. And all that’s left were two sets of identical smiles and dimples on both grooms’ faces. Over the soft ballad Jihoon had recognized to be his favourite, he swore he had heard Soonyoung whistling at them from behind.

Not that it was romantic. It was somewhat similar, but different so to say.

Being there, with his friends smiling at him, along with Mr. and Mrs. Choi who were watching with similar curves on their lips, for the first time in many years, Jihoon irrevocably felt like he belonged. While he did wish for the two empty seats (Seungcheol specifically requested for them, saying that a spot should be reserved for Jihoon’s parents) beside his new parents-in-law to be occupied with his own parents, having Seokmin there cheering for him was more than enough.

It had never crossed his mind that he would gain an extended family from his marriage. Especially not after that one rainy night.

The night that changed both Seokmin’s and his life forever.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Seungcheol whispered, evoking a shudder from Jihoon as the taller's breath hit his right ear. “You’re thinking too much, tonight.”

“And you mister, are being obnoxiously touchy. Remember our clause-”

“It’s part of the dance, Choi Jihoon.”

And Jihoon almost lost his footing because did Seungcheol just call him ‘Choi Jihoon’ - not ‘Lee’? If he did, then was it honestly? It would be all too surreal. Given the fact that they were married, that he was going to be an Opulent, and that Choi Seungcheol, was his other half had yet to be fully digested. Particularly when they were only married for an hour or so.

Yet hearing the new surname from the male before him managed to knock in the needed air into his screaming lungs. Guess he hadn’t needed that wine after all.

Besides, ‘Choi Jihoon’ did have a nice ring to it. As much as Jihoon wanted to deny it, he kind of wanted to hear it again. So he asked, “What did you call me?”

At that Seungcheol raised an eyebrow, “Jihoon?”

Jihoon couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

"Full name, dummy.”

However, instead of a full blown blushing Seungcheol, the younger was up for a surprise when a playful smirk emerged as Jihoon felt long fingers tapping against the back of his waist. As if they were plucking non-existent strings, sending heatwaves up to his face.

What the is this.

“Why? Did you like that, Choi Jihoon?”

Flushed from both embarrassment and heat, Jihoon took a step back when the still smirking male pulled him closer. Seungcheol proceeded to lock Jihoon in his place, with threaded fingers resting on his lower back, making it a little harder for him to squirm free. They were too close for his comfort and he was again gradually running out of breath. Until the band thankfully moved onto the next song, and others to flood the dance floor, causing Seungcheol to loosen his hold.

Yet it still wasn’t enough to stop both the heat and frustration in Jihoon. With clenched teeth, he whispered, “Choi Seungcheol, I swear to god. If you do that again, the contract will be off.”

“You’re too cute.”

Jihoon swore he was this close to give Seungcheol an uppercut to his jaw.

- - - - - - - - - - -

“It’s time.”

Taking in another lungful of air, Jihoon nodded at Soonyoung and hugged Seokmin, with Seungcheol idling beside him, giving him the space he needed. They were at the main entrance, a limousine already waiting for them at the foot of stairs as the newly married couple bid their respective goodbyes.

It started off rather mellow, with both of Seungcheol’s parents hugging the two, wishing them to “have fun”. They got the ball rolling from one person to another, starting from friends of Seungcheol who were all jubilant, mainly Hansol who broke into a rap, insisting that it was a special wedding gift of some sort for the couple. Jeonghan did end up hitting the boy when Hansol unknowingly reeled Jisoo along into his verse, reprimanding them with a “You guys are embarrassing”.

To which Jihoon laughed because it was a mess and Seungcheol seemed to agree too as he was shaking his head at the two, face contorted. Though one thing for sure, Jihoon knew he wouldn’t mind being surrounded with these people for the next 6 months.

However, it started to go downhill when he got to the other side.

His friends, his everything.

Junhui and Minghao, both congratulated Jihoon and Seungcheol with the widest smiles on their faces, while Mingyu on the other hand, was being the silly giant he was. He did hear someone laughing at a joke Mingyu made – was that Wonwoo? – and of course, Seungkwan had to cut in.

“Hyung, have I ever told you that you’re not funny?” he grumbled, ostensibly unimpressed at Mingyu’s last minute improvisation on his supposedly ‘pun-ny’ wedding wish. Although, the bourgeoisie did not do all that well either when he stumbled upon a few words, and brazenly blamed Mingyu for making him “lose his mojo.”

Through it all, there was nothing but a smile on Jihoon’s face. Until he reached the end of the line.  

“Seokmin-ah.”

It was short, just a word, but millions of thoughts and ‘what-ifs’ began to rush in. Suddenly, Jihoon found himself at a forked road, neither knowing what to do, nor what to say. He wanted to take Seokmin along, as it would make his heart at ease to be with his brother when the procedure was carried out. Better if they could do it simultaneously. However, he had to get ‘marked’ first for Seokmin to get his – it was a cross-sectional process that Jihoon himself had yet to understand.

In the end, he had to leave his precious little brother behind.

Unable to find any words with his tongue tied and lips clamped, Jihoon dove in for a hug instead, and almost sent Seokmin stumbling backwards as he clung onto the younger.

“Remember not to leave the stove on after you cook.”

“I won’t.”

“Don’t go out after midnight.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Lock the door when you’re alone.”

“I won’t be. Soonyoung hyung will be here with me.”

“I don’t trust him, though,” Jihoon finally released a guff of air he had been holding and detached himself from a smiling Seokmin when he heard a protest from a blonde by the side.

“Hey! I can take care of the kid!” Soonyoung grumbled, arms crossed.

“Hearing that from you Kwon, doesn’t make it any better,” and others laughed because Jihoon was right. The 20 year old would manage to find ways to get himself in trouble, though he was one of the trusted few. Jihoon had befriended him for a long time and there was no one he could put his trust in more than Soonyoung himself.

The one person who loved Seokmin greatly, even though he was too lily-livered to confess his feelings.

“I’m hurt,” Soonyoung faked a pout, putting his hand over his heart before he broke into a genuine smile. “But I won’t say a word as it is a special day after all.”

Eventually, Jihoon hugged his friend, whispering a low, “take care of him.” Soonyoung gave him nothing but a pat on the back, nodding a subtle yes as Jihoon gave one last hug to Seokmin, who then hugged Seungcheol next. He did catch a slight exchange between the two, but he didn’t ask further for it was time to leave.

“Now run along. You’ll be late,” Mrs. Choi chirped in, hands waving them off.

Bidding the group goodbye, both Seungcheol and Jihoon loaded into the back of the car, windows rolled down as they waved at the rest, their smiles not once faltered.

“Wow, he is sure sapped today.”

Mingyu should thank god because before Jihoon could kill him, the driver drove off, only allowing him to drop the f-bomb at his giant friend.

- - - - - - - - - - -

“Seungcheol?”

“Yes, Jihoon?”

Casting another glance at the night view outside, Jihoon cleared his tightening throat, “Where are we going?”

Judging by the scene unfolding before his eyes, he knew for damn sure they weren’t heading towards the sanatorium. As scheduled, (if he remembered correctly) Jihoon was supposed to be checking in for his appointment in 15 minutes, but the white building with tinted windows was nowhere to be seen. And strangely enough, all he could perceive was a dock at a distance with a never-ending stretch of the dark sea, hidden by the lack of stars in the night sky.

Looking back at Seungcheol, who stayed mum at his side of the car, Jihoon knew something was not right.

Damn, something definitely feels off.

“Seungcheol, aren’t we supposed to go to the sanatorium – you know, to get my code done?”

“Well, the thing is, we have a slight change of plan,” Seungcheol mustered a smile, one hand went up to his neck, rubbing the same spot nervously. “You see, we are going to get your code done, but not at the official sanitarium.”

Seungcheol completely had Jihoon lost by that point.

“Then where?”

There was a trace of hesitance, one Jihoon had learned about the other male as he gnawed on his lower lips, face a little distraught, “Somewhere safe. Done by someone who could make it even less painful.”

“And where is that, may I ask?”

Jihoon had expected a private sanitarium, or one somewhere that might have belonged to an acquaintances of Seungcheol’s. However, when the car halted and Seungcheol guided him out of the black vehicle, he did not expect to see a grand yacht in front of him, waiting for the two at one of the docks.

The yacht was huge, and it even had a ing red carpet laid out, leading into the one entrance. There were around 10 females standing in a line, smiling at them, their hands clasped neatly. To be completely honest, it looked so exclusive and grand that Jihoon nearly knocked himself out thinking that-

It can’t be…

“We’re going to my private island.”