Author's note:

How this chapter ended up being 8.3k words, I also have no idea.

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Kang Daniel – 33 years old

 

Vows were said. Smiles were abound. And the crowd erupted into applause as Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo kissed, their hands interlocked.

It was a wedding under the night sky. A crescent moon peeked from behind thin clouds, along with the stars.

The place was quite large. It was a vast garden of some sorts, with soft grass under their feet and tables and chairs scattered about. There were dozens of light strings hanging from trees and polls, connecting each other, casting a warm glow on the scene below. The alter stood proudly in the front, decorated with flowers just like the ones all around the garden. The newlywed couple was still there, grinning from ear to ear, and Jaehwan felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

Then he realized that this was the exact moment that was captured on camera— in which the photograph now hung on the wall of Kang Daniel’s house by the sea. He had seen it when he trudged up the stairs.

The feeling was completely different when witnessing it right in front of his eyes. Or witnessing it in a memory, to be exact. Still, he could feel the tenderness of the moment, the flooding emotions.

Beside him, Minhyun said, “There’s Jisung-hyung.”

Jaehwan nodded. “He’s crying.”

Yoon Jisung was, of course, Kang Daniel’s best man. It took a while to recognize him, since the doctors had seen him about twice the age he was at now. As Daniel and Seongwoo stepped off the altar, Jisung began dabbing at his eyes, trying to hold back his tears.

Jaehwan remembered reading articles of the private wedding in which only close friends and relatives were invited. Yet there was still quite the crowd of men in suits and women in dresses, and the two doctors deemed that it was possible for them to walk around without being noticed by both Daniel and Seongwoo.

“After this will be the reception,” Minhyun said. “That’s our chance to interact and try to get as many information as possible. Daniel and Seongwoo will be among them, so we should be extra careful.” He looked around. “Gotta find a place to appear, though.”

Jaehwan nodded. The two doctors were still invisible, still clad in their Sigmund Corp uniforms. They had to quickly get changed and slip into the crowd, so the first thing they had to do was find a safe place to make their appearance. They couldn’t just casually stroll in through the entrance like any other guest— after all, they weren’t invited.

“We could try there,” Minhyun said, pointing to what Jaehwan thought was just a large bush. It turned out to be the entrance of a small, round hedge maze.

“Looks good.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

The two doctors weaved through the crowd, disappearing into the maze and away from sight. They didn’t go in too deep— just enough to make sure nobody saw them when they materialized out of thin air.

“So let’s go over our plan,” Minhyun said, tapping a couple buttons on his wristwatch. His clothes flickered like a broken television screen. “We split up to save time. I’ll pretend to be Daniel’s friend, so I’ll be talking to Seongwoo’s friends and relatives. You pretend to be Seongwoo’s friend, and you talk to Daniel’s friends.” The flickering stopped. His white lab coat had disappeared, replaced by a dark-colored tuxedo suitable for semi-formal to formal occasions— including weddings. His pants and shoes also changed to match the suit. “It’s not like everyone from Daniel’s side would recognize everyone from Seongwoo’s side, and visa versa. There’s bound to be some unfamiliar faces. Er, at least that’s that we hope.”

“If we get caught, we could just restart the memory,” Jaehwan suggested. His clothes stopped flickering as well, and he now wore an attire similar to Minhyun’s. “It’d be a waste of time, though.”

“Yeah. So let’s try our best not to get caught. And also to make effective use of the time we have.” Minhyun took a step towards his friend, trying to pat down the mess that was Jaehwan’s hair. As he focused on the task, he continued to talk. “We need to ask the right questions.”

“Yup.” Jaehwan paused. “Oh, we should also go over the list of Daniel and Seongwoo’s friends and relatives.”

“Okay.”

“For Daniel, of course there’s Yoon Jisung. I know we could ask the real older Jisung himself, but who knows? Maybe young Jisung could remember little details that old Jisung couldn’t.” He then thought for a bit. “Besides Yoon Jisung, there’s also Daniel's close friends. Jinwoo. Jaehan. And Taewoong.”

“As for Seongwoo’s side,” Minhyun said, giving Jaehwan’s hair a final pat. “It’d be a great idea to talk to his cousin, Doyeon. They grew up together and were really close.” Minhyun then began fixing and straightening his friend’s tie. “Doyeon will probably be here with Yoojung, who was also a close friend of Seongwoo. I’ll try talking to them both.”

Jaehwan nodded. “Daniel is 33 years old and Seongwoo is 34. What should we pretend to be? We can’t say we’re their friend from school. Maybe a neighborhood friend? Or a coworker?”

“Yeah, that could work.”

The younger doctor wished that Sigmund Corp technology could also make doctors look older, for the sake of making up stories to fit their needs. But alas, Jaehwan and Minhyun still looked like men in their 20’s.

Then something completely unrelated dawned on him.

“Hyung...”

“Yeah?”

“Did you see Daniel’s father?”

Minhyun shook his head. “No, I didn’t see him yet. But I read that he did attend the wedding. Maybe we just didn’t see him yet.”

“I see.”

“Alright.” Minhyun gentle gave Jaehwan’s tie one last tug. He then pressed a button on his wristwatch. “Visibility and audio on.”

Both of the doctors flickered for a split second. They looked exactly the same to each other, but there was a difference. The occupants of Kang Daniel’s memories would finally be able to see and hear them. To interact with them.

“Let’s go, hyung.”

Together, they began to make their way out of the maze. The older doctor then hummed before saying, “Isn’t it a bit weird for people to suddenly come out of a maze in the middle of a wedding? I mean, what would two people be doing in the first place... in a maze?”

Jaehwan shrugged. “I dunno. Making out, maybe?”

Minhyun suddenly stumbled, nearly falling over.

“You okay, hyung?” Jaehwan quickly scanned the ground, trying to find what had tripped his friend. There weren’t any rocks or holes in the ground. What the—?

“Y-Yeah. Just keep walking.”

“You should watch your step more. Anyways, I said maybe. I mean, just in case people actually are suspicious. At least we could use that as an excuse.”

Minhyun cleared his throat. “If you say so.”

The wedding party was in full motion by the time the two doctors returned to it. Food and drinks covered the tables, and Jaehwan could see a large wedding cake placed on a round table in the middle of the garden. The guests were scattered about, some seated, some standing and sipping wine, and some roaming around and chatting. Jaehwan could hear a bright, happy song being played live in the background, and it was then that he noticed— oh, there’s a piano?

It was quite crowded. Some people noticed the two doctors, and Jaehwan tensed up for a bit. But no one reacted negatively, so he finally relaxed.

“We need a meeting point,” Minhyun said, glancing around. “The maze again, maybe?”

“Sounds good.”

“We shouldn’t take too long, though. We should finish in half an hour, then get to the next memory.”

“So we should keep an eye out for the memento, too.”

“Yup.” Minhyun patted his friend’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

Jaehwan flashed him a thumbs up. “See you later, hyung.”

And they separated. The younger doctor weaved through the crowd, casually grabbing onto a glass of wine from a nearby table. His eyes roamed, trying to find a familiar face.

A minute had passed when he finally spotted both Yoon Jisung and Joo Jinwoo. They were near the alter, away from the crowd. Jaehwan stood at a safe distance, pretending not to look at the two men.

Jisung was bent over and sobbing in Jinwoo’s arms. Jinwoo patted his friend’s back, saying, “There, there.”

“Daniel, he’s—” Jisung’s voice was muffled as he buried his face in the other man’s shoulder. “He’s all grown up— and getting ma— married.”

“Hyung, these are tears of joy, right?”

“Of— c-course—”

Jinwoo smiled. “Good.” He slowly pulled away, cupping Jisung’s tear-stained face. “I’ll go get some cake. You know how many hours Daniel spent deciding on that cake.”

Jisung nodded. Jinwoo gave him a warm smile before turning around and leaving for his cake-quest. Jisung then let out another sob and hid his face in his hands.

Setting down the glass of untouched wine on the table next to him, Jaehwan took that as his cue to step in. From the same table, he also pulled out a wad of tissues from its box.

He slowly walked up to Jisung till he stood right next to the other man. Then he held out the tissues, a comforting smile on his face.

Jisung looked up, their eyes connecting.

“I thought you could use this,” Jaehwan said.

Staring hard at first, Jisung’s expression quickly softened. He took the tissues, dabbing his eyes with it. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I don’t think we’ve met before.” Jisung’s voice was still slightly shaking. “Are you Seongwoo’s friend?”

“Yeah,” Jaehwan lied. “We lived in the same neighborhood.”

“I see.” The older man held out his free hand, pulling on a smile. “Yoon Jisung. Pleasure to meet you.”

Jaehwan shook his hand. “Oh, so you’re the Yoon Jisung that Seongwoo-hyung always talked about?”

“He talks about me a lot, huh?”

“Yeah. He’d talk about how Jisung takes good care of Daniel like a good mother.”

Jisung laughed, eyes crinkling with joy.

The young doctor thought about how soft and warm Jisung looked when he was smiling. He really did give off these motherly-vibes.

“I’m Jaehwan. Nice to meet you too.” There was no harm in giving out his real name. Jaehwan wasn’t even born yet in this timeline.

“Well, Jaehwan. Now you’ve got me all curious. What else did Seongwoo say about me?”

“He told me about how Daniel-hyung asked for your blessings before they started dating.”

Jisung laughed again. “Oh my. He told you that?”

“Yup.”

“Well, then you know that I gave them my immediate blessing.” Jisung wiped his eyes one more time. “Just like how Daniel’s dad gave his immediate blessing for when Daniel wanted to get married.”

Jaehwan’s ears perked up, though he pretended not to be intrigued. “That’s nice of Daniel-hyung’s dad. I thought that blessings would be hard to get, considering that Daniel-hyung’s a celebrity and all.”

“Yeah... I guess he saw how much Daniel was struggling through his hiatus.” Jisung sighed. “At least, I did. When I saw Daniel with Seongwoo, I—” He sniffled. “I saw how happy Daniel was. Seongwoo made him so happy. Daniel returned to his bright, happy self again after meeting Seongwoo. Maybe Daniel’s dad saw that too.”

Jaehwan nodded. “Speaking of the hiatus...” He treaded on his words carefully. "What happened?"

Jisung paused, staring at him. He frowned. “Why do you want to know?”

“Well, Seongwoo-hyung’s someone really important to me.” Jaehwan said. “I practically grew up with him. I’d like to know more about the man he just married.”

“Uh-huh,” Jisung said slowly.

Jaehwan continued confidently. “And I need to hear it from someone other than Seongwoo-hyung himself. Cuz of course Seongwoo-hyung would only say good things about Daniel-hyung.” He shrugged. “I just want to make sure Daniel-hyung didn’t do anything shady during those two years.”

“And Seongwoo didn’t tell you about what happened during Daniel’s hiatus?” Jisung asked.

Shaking his head, Jaehwan sighed. “He wouldn’t tell me. I’m even wondering if he knows about it himself.”

There was a silence. The doctor tried to ignore how his heart was pounding against his chest.

Finally, Jisung nodded. “Honestly,” he said. “I thought that Daniel told Seongwoo. But I guess not. Or maybe Seongwoo knows and just won’t tell you about it.”

“Seongwoo-hyung is good at keeping secrets.”

“Honestly again...” Now it was Jisung’s turn to let out a sigh. “I was hoping you’d know.”

“You mean you don’t know either...?”

Jisung shook his head sadly. “Unfortunately, no. Daniel just told me that he needed some time alone and then kind of isolated himself.”

“He needed time alone for two years?” Jaehwan asked.

“Not completely alone. He would always let me visit him at his home. Sometimes I would bring our other close friends. He would sometimes even hang out with us when we asked— or more precisely— begged him to.”

“And during those two years, he didn’t tell you guys anything at all about why he went on hiatus?”

“Well... We tried to inconspicuously pry off the reason for his hiatus, but he would avoid the topic altogether. But at least we were still able to see him and look after him. To make sure he was doing okay.” Jisung suddenly paused.

Jaehwan waited with bated breath. Jisung seemed hesitant on whether to continue or not.

He continued.

“But... during the second year, sometime in November, he was suddenly hard to contact. We tried calling him but his number was deactivated. We tried visiting him at his home but he wasn’t there. We asked his dad but he reassured us everything was fine.”

The barrage of information took Jaehwan by surprise. He wasn’t acting anymore. He was genuinely both confused and concerned.  

“That November... I don’t know, I feel so uneasy about it. Something happened. Same for December, we still couldn't get ahold of him. Maybe he just really needed to be alone and collect his thoughts. Whatever it was, January came and he finally began working again. He then met Seongwoo for the first time, and his smile returned.”

Jaehwan wasn’t sure what to say. He was trying to come up with a suitable reply when Jisung spoke again.

“The reason I’m telling you all this...” The older man looked at him seriously, “...is because I’m that worried for Daniel. I also need to know what happened during his hiatus.”

Jaehwan tried not to shake under Jisung’s intense gaze. “And I’m that worried for Seongwoo-hyung,” he replied.

Jisung’s gaze softened. “You seem close to Seongwoo. Maybe one day he’ll tell you. If he really does know, that is. So if Seongwoo ever tells you anything... Please contact me, okay?”

“S-Sure...”

By the time they had exchanged numbers (Jaehwan using a Sigmund Corp device that resembled a cellphone), Jinwoo had returned carrying two plates of cake.

Jaehwan bowed politely. “I’m Kim Jaehwan, Seongwoo-hyung’s friend.”

Jinwoo nodded in response. “Joo Jinwoo,” he answered, as Jisung retrieved one of the plates. He then shook Jaehwan’s outstretched hand. “I recommend the cake.”

“Yeah, I should get some too,” the young doctor answered.

“Very recommended,” Jinwoo said with a smile, before turning to look at his friend. “Jisung-hyung, Niel’s looking for you. He wants to see you before the first dance.”

“Okay,” Jisung replied. He gave Jaehwan’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It was nice meeting you, Jaehwan.”

“Likewise,” the young doctor said, as Jisung and Jinwoo politely made their exit.

The two men disappeared into the crowd, leaving Jaehwan alone with his churning thoughts.

Yeah. He had a lot to tell Minhyun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minhyun, on the other hand, found both Doyeon and Yoojung fairly quickly.

Doyeon was a rather loud person, her voice easily heard over both the chattering of people and also the music. Yoojung, in return, would reply with just as much enthusiasm. They wore matching dark blue dresses that reached their knees.

The first thing that Minhyun noticed was their height gap. Yoojung stood on her tiptoes, whispering something into Doyeon’s ear. Doyeon herself bent down to adjust their height, and when she leaned back to laugh, she kept glancing down to keep their eye contact.

Both women were four years younger than Seongwoo. And just like Seongwoo, they gave off a youthful energy that didn’t quite reflect their age.

Minhyun thought that the most natural way to talk to them would be to join them in their current activity— which was eating. Doyeon and Yoojung stood in front of a table heaped with food, next to the wedding cake.

He walked up to them, pretending not to notice them at first. His eyes roamed the table, locating a plate and fork.

“The cake is really good,” a voice said next to him.

Minhyun looked up to see Doyeon grinning at him, a meter away. She waved her spoon, her other hand holding tightly onto a plate. “I think I just finished my third slice,” she continued.

Yoojung’s eyes were also on Minhyun. She blinked, as if assessing him at first.

“Thanks for the recommendation,” Minhyun answered with a polite smile. He then glanced around. “Quite a wedding we have here.”

Doyeon nodded. “Yeah. Can’t believe that old man Seongwoo’s getting married before me.” She shrugged and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Doyeon.”

“Minhyun,” the doctor answered, grateful that Doyeon was the outgoing type.

“Yoojung,” the shorter girl finally said.

“I know you both,” Minhyun said. And it was true. The two women were quite famous dancers, and people from his generation still knew them for their work. The Dance Avengers, they were called. “I didn’t think I’d meet Kim Doyeon and Choi Yoojung here.”

Yoojung was smiling now.

“Aww well, thanks for recognizing us.” Doyeon took another bite of cake. “So, Minhyun. Are you one of Seongwoo’s actor or model friends?”

Minhyun shook his head. “No, Daniel invited me. We were coworkers together.”

“Ohhhh. You have a model’s face, though.”

Flustered, Minhyun scratched the back of his head. “Th-Thanks.”

Doyeon flashed him a smile. “Maybe you should try auditioning for a model agency. Maybe even at old man Seongwoo’s agency.”

Minhyun chuckled. “I’ll consider it. Why do you keep calling him ‘old man’, anyways?”

With a shrug, Doyeon said, “It’s either ‘old man’ or just plain ‘Seongwoo’. It feels weird to call him ‘oppa’.”

“Seongwoo-oppa,” Yoojung tested.

Doyeon visibly shivered. “So weird! I grew up with him. When we kids and around the same height, people even thought we were twins. And I honestly keep forgetting that he’s four years older than me. He just doesn’t seem... ‘oppa’ material to me." She set down her spoon and empty plate on the table. "But now that he’s old... It just feels right to call him an old man.”

“But he’s a good guy, right?” Minhyun asked. “Daniel would only say good things about him, so I wouldn’t know.”

“He’s a very nice person,” Yoojung said. “When I’m feeling down, Seongwoo-oppa would cheer me up. He can do this weird thing with his ears.”

“He folds them,” Doyeon explained.

“And then unfolds them,” Yoojung finished. “With his own sound effects. He says it’s a talent. Whatever it is, it always cheers me up.”

“He’s been a good person since he was little.” Doyeon looked off into the distance, as if getting lost in thoughts. “When we were kids, we’d fight over little things. Maybe a toy. Or snacks, or something. But he’d give in most of the time, for my sake.” She laughed, face bright. “I remember this... We were still in elementary school... After finishing our classes, Seongwoo came over to play at my house. My mom would give us this big bowl of peaches, as a snack. Seongwoo would crinkle his nose because he didn’t like peaches.” She laughed again. “But he ate them anyways because he wanted to be polite— and he didn’t want to hurt my mom’s feelings. Mom then thought he loved peaches, so she kept preparing more. It was hilarious and cute at the same time.”

“Little Seongwoo would go that far,” Yoojung said with a nod of approval.

Doyeon wiped away an invisible tear. “I’m so proud of him.”

“Then I guess Daniel-hyung is in good hands,” Minhyun said. “Seongwoo-hyung sounds like a perfect man.”

“Far from perfect,” Doyeon said, shaking her head. “We’re all human after all. A human that can be nice, sad, and mad. But trust me, Seongwoo’s an overall good guy.”

Minhyun nodded. “Does he get angry easily, though?”

“Hmm... Angry...” Doyeon pondered.

“I just wanna know about any potential fights that might happen between Daniel-hyung and Seongwoo-hyung,” Minhyun explained, trying to be as casual as possible. “I mean, they will be spending the rest of their lives together.”

“Well,” Doyeon said. “It’d have to be something really bad to get Seongwoo angry. Like I said, he’s a really nice guy. I even accidentally ripped open his stuffed animal when we were kids, but he forgave me easily. Even when we’re already adults, he’d forgive me if I messed up here and there.”

“He’s not the type to hold grudges then?” Minhyun said.

Doyeon shook her head. “No. He’s not that kind of person. He never even held a grudge against his ex-boyfriend.”

Yoojung coughed loudly, but Minhyun had heard it.

“Ex-boyfriend?” he asked.

“Oh ,” Doyeon muttered.

“I think you had too much to drink,” Yoojung said quietly.

“Yeaaahhh...” Doyeon let out a guilty sigh. “I really shouldn’t be talking to people when I’m tipsy. This dumb mouth of mine.”

“I didn’t know Seongwoo-hyung had an ex,” Minhyun said. “Is he someone I should be worried about?”

“Seongwoo-oppa wants to keep it a secret,” Yoojung said, her face serious.

“Yeah.” Doyeon nodded. “He told me and Yoojung not to tell anyone.”

“Now I’m all worried,” Minhyun muttered, putting on his most concerned face. “This ex sounds like a scary person if Seongwoo-hyung kept it a secret all this time.”

Doyeon was quick to deny. “It’s not like that! It’s for privacy’s sake. He doesn’t want the media all over his ex, so he kept his relationship a secret.”

“The media that will freak out if they hear about this,” Yoojung added. She glared menacingly at Minhyun, and the doctor was surprised how such an intimidating glare could come from someone so small.

“I swear I won’t tell anyone,” Minhyun said. “I swear.”

The two women stared at him, carefully watching his face.

“I’m just simply concerned for Daniel-hyung, that’s all,” he continued. “If Seongwoo-hyung had an ex, that’s fine. I just want to know that the ex won’t do anything bad to Daniel. Especially if they had split on bad terms.”

“Even I don’t know,” Doyeon said softy.

Minhyun blinked. “Wha—”

“Seongwoo’s ex-boyfriend has always been a mysterious figure to me,” Doyeon continued slowly, as if carefully choosing her words. “Seongwoo loved him a lot. But the reason why they broke up... Even he wouldn’t tell me.”

Minhyun nodded, his thoughts running a million miles an hour. “I see... Were they together for a long time, though?”

“They were. They dated for years.” Doyeon furrowed her brow.

“And Daniel-hyung..?” Minhyun said. He had a bad feeling about all this. “Where does he come in?”

Doyeon shook her head quickly. “No, no. Please don’t go having any bad thoughts. They broke up before Seongwoo met Daniel-oppa.”

Minhyun let out a relieved sigh. “That’s good to hear.”

“Five years before Seongwoo met Daniel-oppa,” Doyeon said, a small smile reaching her face, “Seongwoo comes running to me and gushing about this amazing boy that he met. We kind of tell each other everything.” She wrapped an arm around the small girl next to her. “I gush to him about Yoojung a lot. So it’s only fair that I listen to his own love stories.”

Yoojung leaned her head against Doyeon’s shoulder, not saying a word.

“They started dating,” Doyeon continued. “But of course they had to keep it a secret. Seongwoo looked really happy with him. So happy. He’d always come running to me, his eyes bright, as he told me about that boyfriend of his. I honestly wondered when they were going to get married. But... But then something happened.”

“Something...?” Minhyun asked.

“Seongwoo wouldn’t tell me what happened, but he suddenly stopped gushing to me about his boyfriend.” Concern was all over Doyeon’s face as she talked. “I tried asking him about it but he refused to answer. He was really, really sad. But not even once did Seongwoo speak badly about his boyfriend. I even asked Seongwoo if he hated him at that moment, but he said no. He told me how he could never hate him."

Minhyun nodded, the blood roaring in his ears.

"I guess it’s safe to say that they broke up, because he eventually met Daniel-oppa and then dated him.” Doyeon's gaze softened. “And Seongwoo began to smile again.” She then looked around them, at the altar, at the guests, at the lights above. “And now here they are, getting married.”

Minhyun felt that he was treading on thin ice. But he decided to take the plunge. “Seongwoo-hyung's ex-boyfriend... What was he like?”

Doyeon pursed her lips, thinking hard. Finally she replied, “Like I said before, Seongwoo’s ex was a mysterious figure to me. Seongwoo would always talk to me about him, but...” She paused. “But I never met him myself. Seongwoo wouldn’t even tell me his name. I guess Seongwoo wanted to protect him that much.”

Yoojung nuzzled against Doyeon’s shoulder, and the taller girl smiled gratefully.

“Whoever that person was,” Doyeon said. “He treated Seongwoo well. That I can say. Whatever their reason was for breaking up, I won’t force Seongwoo to tell me. It’s his privacy. It’s his past. He has the right to keep it close to just himself.”

Minhyun nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry if I pried too much...”

“It’s okay.” Doyeon clutched a little tighter onto Yoojung’s shoulder. “Honestly, I think that I said too much.”

“The secret’s safe with me,” Minhyun reassured her.

Doyeon hummed. “Oddly though, I feel that I can trust you, Minhyun. Or maybe I’m just a little too drunk. Either way, I really do hope this conversation stays between us.”

“Also,” Yoojung said, standing up straight. And there it was again, that intimidating glare. “Keep in mind how crazy the public can be these days. And how they react to dating ‘scandals’.” She put an emphasize on the word ‘scandal’, making quotation marks with her fingers, clearly indicating how she felt about it. “If you tell anyone, and the media hears about this... Not only does it have the potential to ruin Ong Seongwoo’s career...”

Minhyun felt a shiver run down his spine.

“...But it might also ruin Kang Daniel’s,” Yoojung finished. “Remember that.”

Minhyun nodded, trying to calm down his heart. “I understand.”

“We trust you, Minhyun.”

Minhyun nodded again.

And then Yoojung smiled. She was once again a small, cute, and bubbly girl. “Great to hear that.”

Clearing his throat, Minhyun was eager to change the subject. He looked around. “So where are the newlyweds now? Daniel-hyung’s not answering my calls.”

“I think they’re preparing for the first dance,” Doyeon said. She glanced at her watch. “It should be soon. After that are the fireworks.”

“Wow, fireworks?” The doctor let out an amazed whistle.

Doyeon laughed. “Yeah, they wanted their wedding to go off with a bang.”

“Literal bang,” Yoojung commented.

“We should have fireworks at our wedding too, Yoojung-ah.”

At Doyeon’s words, Minhyun glanced automatically at their fingers. It was then that he noticed the rings glistening on the two women’s hands. He let out a surprised breath, a smile making its way onto his face. “Congratulations, you two.”

Doyeon grinned. She threw her arms around the shorter girl. “Choi Yoojung is a handful, but I love her so much.”

“Doyeon nearly flung the ring off a cliff when she proposed to me,” Yoojung said with a poker face.

“DON’T TELL HIM THAT,” Doyeon screeched. She then calmly cleared . “Anyways. Like I was saying, she’s a handful. She may have her weird habits of falling asleep on the floor, usually in the living room when she’s exhausted. She may call me occasionally, sobbing and begging me to come home early to kill a giant bug on the well— while I was still in class. And she may be too lazy to take a bath at night, and I’d have to nag her all the time—”

“I’m right here,” Yoojung said.

Doyeon pulled her fiancée into a tighter hug. “—and she sometimes even falls asleep with her makeup on, and I would be the one to wipe the makeup off for her, while she’s still sprawled all over the floor—”

“I’m right here.”

“—But!” Doyeon said, smiling ever so widely. “I love her. And I enjoy all those little moments. So much.”

Yoojung made a pouting face, but she returned the hug. “Admit it. I’m the best roommate ever.”

“You’re the best roommate ever,” Doyeon said.

Minhyun laughed. He couldn’t help it. All of this was reminding him of a certain someone.

Doyeon grinned at Minhyun. “I could tell you more of Yoojung’s weird habits, if it makes you that happy.”

“Please don’t,” Yoojung squeaked.

Shaking his head, Minyun couldn’t help the smile that refused to leave his face. “No, it’s not that. It’s... It’s just that you two kind of remind me of someone.”

“Oooh.” Doyeon’s eyes shined with glee. She put her hands together. “Do tell.”

“He’s, uh...” Minhyun felt the giddiness taking over his body— A normal reaction when he thought about that certain someone. “He’s a mess. On a regular basis, I’d have to nag at him to tidy up and wash up. Bugs freak him out, and I’d have to get rid of them for him. He’s both my roommate and my work partner so we spend all our time together, and...” He trailed off. “People might think that I’m annoyed with him, but honestly... I enjoy the time we spend together.”

Doyeon and Yoojung looked at him intently, urging him to continue with their eager expressions.

“He makes me happy,” Minhyun finished. He realized that he was blushing. Did he actually get that excited? He could only wonder.

“Are you two engaged as well?” Yoojung asked.

Minhyun was glad he wasn’t eating or drinking anything. He would have undoubtedly choked on it. He blushed even harder. “N-No— It’s not like that—”

“Oh, you haven’t proposed yet?”

The doctor was sure that his brain malfunctioned right there. “We— We’re not even dating.”

“Oh.”

Yoojung looked apologetic. Doyeon patted her head, saying, “There, there.”

There was no reason to feel sorry, Minhyun knew. It wouldn’t be the first time someone assumed that he and Jaehwan were in a relationship. That kind of relationship, that is.

Still, it didn’t stop the fact that his heart ached just a little more now that he had admitted it himself— with his own words, his own mouth.

“We’re just friends,” Minhyun said quietly. “Really close friends.”

A silence overtook the three of them. The soft sound of the piano continued to drift over the garden. Finally, Doyeon spoke.

“I know we just met, Minhyun, and I know that I shouldn’t be intruding into other people’s private lives...” She paused. “Whatever you do is up to you. But believe me when I say that there was a time when I was also hesitant. When I was also afraid of what would happen if I told Yoojung how I really felt about her. We were best friends after all, and I was afraid I’d screw everything up.”

Yoojung took her hand, giving it a squeeze. The rings glistened under the glow of the lights above.

“But here we are now,” Doyeon finished with a smile. “Here we are.”

Minhyun didn’t know what to say. But a million thoughts were running in his mind, his heart feeling a million things as well.

“Whatever you do, Minhyun,” Doyeon continued. “Whatever choice you make. Do what you think is right. We’ll support you all the way.”

Minhyun smiled. “Thanks.” And he meant it. He really did.

Doyeon grinned. “There’s that handsome smile! I swear, you should be a model.”

“You’d make a really great model,” Yoojung commented.

Minhyun knew that the tips of his ears were probably very red by then. He hoped it wasn’t too noticeable.

“You’re welcome,” Doyeon then said, grinning widely.

It was at that moment when the people around them erupted in cheers. Minhyun flinched— he had momentarily forgotten that he was in a crowd of people, in the middle of a mission.

He whirled around to see that the guests had formed a large circle. The cheering continued, growing louder as Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo walked towards the center, hand in hand.

Minhyun was tall enough to have a clear sight of it all. Daniel turned to face Seongwoo, a hand on the other person’s back. The piano struck a bright and happy note, and a cheerful song poured over the audience.

Then, the two men began to dance.

In their elegant tuxedos and warm smiles, they looked like a couple straight out of a fairy tale. After seeing Daniel’s complex freestyle choreography during the previous memory, it was quite new to see Daniel dancing to something so simple yet still looking exeptionally graceful. Seongwoo himself seemed to have a talent, as he moved fluidly along with his husband.

And their smiles. Words didn’t need to be said— their gaze was enough to tell the whole world just how in love they were. And Minhyun knew that no matter what happened in Ong Seongwoo’s past, no matter how the relationship he had with his ex-boyfriend and the reason for their separation— What mattered was now. Now, where he and Daniel held each other close, the happiest smiles on their faces, holding onto their promises of forever.

Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo were happy. That was all that mattered.

Minhyun let his eyes wander across the crowd, seeing the smiles on other people’s faces. It warmed his heart, and he let the feeling wash over him, just for a little bit.

Then he spotted someone from across the garden, and his heart skipped a beat.

Jaehwan was smiling brightly as he watched Daniel and Seongwoo. He was in the middle of the crowd, and yet... And yet Minhyun found him immediately.

Since when did it become so easy for him to find Kim Jaehwan in the middle of a busy crowd?

Jaehwan had his eyes fixed on the newlywed couple, clapping once in a while like a little kid. Minhyun chuckled. Someone’s having a good time, he thought.

Then Jaehwan glanced in his direction, and Minhyun felt his heart skip a beat again.

Promises of forever, Minhyun thought in his head. Huh...

The younger doctor squinted, as if making sure that he was seeing the right person. Then his smile grew as recognition made its way onto his face, and he waved excitedly.

Chuckling, Minhyun waved back.

Jaehwan pointed at Daniel and Seongwoo, and then clapped again. Minhyun flashed him a thumbs up. Then they both fixed their eyes on the dancing couple again.

The song ended and Seongwoo wrapped his arms around Daniel’s neck, pulling him close. As they kissed, the crowd erupted into cheers yet again.

Minhyun couldn’t help but smile. He glanced over his shoulder to see Doyeon wiping away a tear.

Doyeon caught his eye and blushed. “I’m happy for him,” she said simply. Minhyun understood.

He turned back to the crowd to see that the couple had pulled away, and guests were now pouring into the circle in pairs. A new song started, and the pairs began to move to the music.

Minhyun could hear Yoojung’s soft voice from behind.

“Doyeon, let’s dance.”

There was a happy laugh from Doyeon, and soon the two women passed him, hand in hand. They succeeded in giving Minhyun an encouraging fist pump before disappearing into the crowd.  

Minhyun smiled, mouthing ‘thank you’, one last time.

The circle of people was dispersing quickly as guests grabbed a partner and danced. Minhyun made his way around the crowd, his eyes fixed on a single person. They didn’t need to regroup at the maze now that they were right in front of each other.

Seconds later and Jaehwan was gripping onto his arm, squeezing it. “Minhyun-hyung, I have a lot to tell you. I talked to Jisung-hyung. And... Well... He told me a lot.”

“I met Doyeon and Yoojung,” Minhyun said, a little breathlessly. They stood a few meters away from the bustle of people, not wanting to risk anyone eavesdropping on them. “You’ll be surprised at what they told me about Seongwoo.”

Honestly, he felt a little guilty. He did promise Doyeon and Yoojung that he would keep it all a secret— But then again this was just a memory. No harm would be done.

The two doctors then launched into their recollection of Ong Seongwoo and Kang Daniel’s stories. By the end of it, Minhyun’s mind was spinning. He felt dizzy with all the new information, and he wondered if he actually needed to grab onto his friend’s shoulder to keep himself steady.

What in the world happened during Kang Daniel’s hiatus? he thought. What could it be that none of Daniel’s friends knew about?

November, December, January. He needed to remember those months.

“A former boyfriend...” Jaehwan was muttering under his breath. “What...”

“They really did a good job at keeping it a secret,” Minhyun said, trying to grasp onto his thoughts. “The media knew absolutely nothing about it.”

“Yeah, I didn’t even hear any gossip at all.”

“Hmm...” Minhyun had a bad feeling about all of this. His mind was still spinning, going all over the place, forming the worst and farfetched conclusions possible—

No, he thought. It can’t be.

“Hyung... What if...” Jaehwan trailed off, hesitating.

“What?” Minhyun urged.

“I dunno, what if... What if Daniel’s father had something to do with Seongwoo’s ex-boyfriend?”

Minhyun froze. It was one of the conclusions that had popped in his mind.

Jaehwan continued. “What if Daniel’s father... did something to Seongwoo’s ex-boyfriend?”

“You mean, Daniel’s father might have some sort of connection to Seongwoo breaking up with his ex?”

“I dunno!” Jaehwan threw up his hands. “It’s just a wild hunch. It sounds crazy, but it’s just a possibility. I mean, it’d make sense why Seongwoo's so furious with Daniel’s father.” Then he frowned. “But on the other hand, there might not be any connection at all.”

“It could just be two completely separate things,” Minhyun said, though he had the same wild hunches as Jaehwan. Some hunches took a much darker turn. But of course, he shouldn’t even consider them— not when there was absolutely nothing to back up such theories. Minhyun quickly chased away the troubled thoughts. “Seongwoo and his ex were together years before Seongwoo even met Daniel. Seongwoo and Daniel’s father... Their paths didn’t cross yet. There’s no reason at all.”

Jaehwan nodded, his eyes showing how uneasy he was. “Yeah. We shouldn’t even consider this.”

Minhyun agreed. “Let’s just... Calm down a bit.”

“Yeah, hyung...”

“By the way, did you see Daniel’s father anywhere?”

Jaehwan shook his head. “I didn’t. But after talking to Jisung, I got to interact with some of Daniel’s other friends. They told me that Daniel’s father was here for the ceremony— I guess we just didn’t see him. But he left before the reception because he had urgent business to attend to.” He paused. “I highly doubt it, but could that possibly be the reason why Seongwoo’s angry at Daniel’s father? Because he left before the reception?”

“Can’t be,” Minhyun quickly replied. “Doyeon emphasized how Seongwoo was a very forgiving person. He didn’t get angry easily. I don’t think a reason like that would be enough to make him hate Daniel’s father for years.”

“You’re right. There has to be something else. Also, Daniel’s friends told me that Daniel and Seongwoo accompanied Daniel's father to the parking lot before he left. And both Daniel and Seongwoo looked totally okay with him leaving early.”

“I see.”

Jaehwan then glanced around. “Did you find the memento yet, hyung?”

“No, not yet. I looked around before I saw Doyeon and Yoojung, but I didn’t see any flickering objects.”

“So I guess we should look for it now.”

It was then that Minhyun noticed some people glancing in their direction— as if wondering why two people were standing still and chatting while everyone else was on the dance floor.

He shifted uneasily on his feet. A part of him knew that what he was about to do next was for the sake of not drawing suspicion. Another part of him simply just... wanted to grasp onto the chance, wanted to just do it.  

Without giving himself time to reconsider, Minhyun looked Jaehwan straight in the eye. He then held out his hand.

The younger doctor blinked. “What?”

“Jaehwan, will you dance with me?”

Silence.

“...What?”

“Dance. With me. It’ll be fun.”

Jaehwan stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. “Hyung, I would ask if you’re drunk. But we both know very well that drinking is prohibited during work hours. Plus...” He stared at Minhyun’s hand. “You don’t drink, anyways.”

“Everyone else is dancing,” Minhyun urged. “We’d stick out if we just stay still like this.”

Glancing around, Jaehwan confirmed his friend’s words. Still, he looked hesitant. “I can’t dance.”

“That’s okay.”

“I’d be stepping all over your feet.”

“That’s okay.”

“It might hurt. Like, a lot.”

“Jaehwan. It’s okay, really.”  Minhyun’s hand still hung in midair. He waited with a composed expression, wondering if his heart was beating at a normal pace.

Then the shorter doctor finally took his hand. A soft grip at first, then a firm one. Minhyun smiled, gently tugging his friend closer.

“Okay, uh,” Jaehwan said, looking at their interlocked fingers, then at their feet, and then finally at Minhyun’s face. He really had no idea what to do with his body. “What now?”

“Well,” Minhyun replied. “For starters, keep holding onto my hand.”

Jaehwan tightened the grip. “Okay. And then?”

“Put your other hand on my arm.”

“Um.” Jaehwan clamped his free hand on Minhyun’s right arm. “Like this?”

“Yup. Now...”

The older doctor launched into a short lesson on how to do the simple box step. Jaehwan stared at him as if he had just given an extremely difficult and complex mathematical problem. Minhyun laughed and held their hands up at a comfortable angle. “Okay, forget that. Just... follow my lead. If I move forward, you move backward. If I move left, you move right. Visa versa.”

“Alright. I trust you, hyung.”

“Okay, then.” Minhyun placed his free hand on Jaehwan’s back, over the shoulder blade. “You ready?”

“No.”

“Here we go.”

And they danced. Somehow. The two doctors kept a slow and steady pace, blending into the crowd of people. At first glance, they actually looked quite decent. But at second glance, one could easily see the mess happening.

“Sorry,” Jaehwan said, after he had stepped on Minhyun’s foot for what must have been the eleventh time.

Minhyun just continued to smile. “It’s okay. You don’t have to keep staring at your feet, Jaehwannie.”

Around two minutes had passed since they started to dance, and the whole time there was zero eye contact as Jaehwan busied himself with looking at the ground, making sure he was placing his foot on the right places.

“If I don’t, your shoes and feet are gonna get murdered by the end of the song, hyung.”

“No, they won’t. They’ll be fine.”

“Really, though—”

“Jaehwan, look at me.”

And Jaehwan did look up, a guilty and uncertain expression on his face. Minhyun held back the sudden urge to pinch his friend’s cheek right there.

“It’s fine. You’re doing fine.”

“Really, hyung?”

“Really.”

Under the younger doctor’s intense gaze, Minhyun tried to pull on his most reassuring smile. Jaehwan was eventually convinced and they continued to move, maintaining eye contact this time.

The song changed. A different person had taken a seat behind the piano, playing slow and gentle notes. The crowd shifted, matching to the tone and pace of the new song.

After minutes of not stepping on Minhyun’s feet, Jaehwan finally relaxed. The tenseness disappeared from his shoulders. His grip on Minhyun’s hand slackened, but still maintaining its firm hold. The two doctors moved more naturally, more calmly. “You know...” Jaehwan said. “This is actually quite nice.”

“Yeah?”

Jaehwan smiled, his face bright. “Yeah.”

If Minhyun had to be honest, it felt that the world around them had suddenly darkened, blurring everything else, the lights illuminating just the two of them. In their own little, happy world.

He smirked, feeling a little playful. Without any warning, he placed an arm around his friend’s waist, bending forwards.

The dip was a simple dance move that should have been very graceful and very romantic. But for Hwang Minhyun and Kim Jaehwan, it was a complete disaster.

Surprised, Jaehwan let out a string of curse words when he lost his balance, almost falling backwards. His feet, though planted on the ground, were useless at this angle. He felt suspended in midair as Minhyun kept a hold on him, an arm around his waist and the other on his back.

“ —”

“Language, Jaehwan.”

“Hyung what are you doing oh my gosh I’m gonna fall—”

“It’s called a dip. We’re dancing.”

“I’m gonna—” He let out another shriek as Minhyun actually let him fall, just a little, before catching him again. Instinctively, Jaehwan wrapped both arms around his friend’s neck, as if clinging on for dear life.

“Oops,” Minhyun said, grinning.

“Are you trying to kill me, hyung?!”

“What makes you say that?”

Jaehwan held onto him tighter, face buried in Minhyun’s shoulder. “Is this revenge for not doing the laundry when you asked me to, because if it is then I’m sorry—”

Minhyun laughed. He then stood upright, helping Jaehwan get back steadily on his feet. “Hwannie,” he said. “You won’t fall. I’m not even holding onto you anymore.” And it was true. Minhyun’s hands were laying limp at his sides.

It took a couple seconds for the younger doctor to reassure himself that he was safe. Pulling away, Jaehwan finally released his tall friend. “I never knew dancing could be so dangerous,” he mumbled, glaring at Minhyun. “Can’t we just dance like two normal people?”

“When has anything been normal with us, though?”

Jaehwan hummed, giving it some thought. His expression softened, and a smile made its way to his lips. “True.”

“Not that it’s a bad thing,” Minhyun said reassuringly.

“Not a bad thing at all,” Jaehwan replied.

 

 

  ♪♪♪

 

 

The world around them continued to move. People continued to dance, the music continued to play, and the lights continued to shine from above.

And Minhyun tried not to realize how the lights casted a warm glow on Jaehwan’s face, making the younger man look even more gentler than before.

Then he felt Jaehwan take his hand. “Let’s continue our not-so-normal dance. But, hyung, don’t give me heart attacks again, please.”

“I won’t.”

They danced again, with Minhyun leading. And this time, Jaehwan seemed to genuinely enjoy himself. He grinned from ear to ear, excitedly shaking their intertwined hands. “Wow, hyung, I’m so good at this!”

“See? All you had to do was try.”

“I’m main dancer material! I should be in a boy band!”

Minhyun chuckled.

But he grew increasingly aware that the song wasn’t going to last forever. The smile slowly faded from Minhyun’s face. Something came over him. His heart clenched.

He realized very well how he didn’t want small, tender moments like this to end. Realized how comfortable their close distance was. Realized how much he simply didn’t want to let go just yet.

Realized that he had felt this way for the longest time, despite his many attempts of trying to cover it.

“Hey.”

“I know, hyung, I just stepped on your foot again. Sorry. Bye bye to my main dancer life.”

“It’s not that.”

Minhyun wondered what it was that made him suddenly gather the courage that he had desperately been searching for. What it was that gave him the final push.

Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was meeting Doyeon and Yoojung— two best friends who were now so very happily in love. Maybe it was just the moment, being this close to Jaehwan, holding his hand like this, that made Minhyun sure that he shouldn’t— and couldn’t— hesitate anymore.

“I’ve wanted to tell you something. Since a long time ago, actually.”

Concern made its way to Jaehwan’s face. “What is it? Are you okay, hyung?”

I’m more than okay, Minhyun thought. And he was sure. He was so sure of what he was about to do. Chasing away any residual hesitation and fears, he pulled on a warm and confident smile.

“Jaehwan, I—”

A noise like a high-pitched whistle cut through the night. It was followed by a large bang and colorful lights suddenly illuminated everything in sight.

Jaehwan jumped, the deafening noise giving him quite a shock. His hand slid off Minhyun’s arm, dropping to his side. He turned to the direction of the sound, and his mouth opened to let out a loud “Whoa!”

Fireworks were exploding in the sky. A spectrum of colors, scattered across the black. The sound of subsequent whistles and bangs followed. It was a barrage of them. The display continued, getting brighter and brighter.

People around them cheered and clapped, in awe as they watched the lights.

But Minhyun kept his eyes fixed on the person in front of him. On the person that he knew quite well to be an easily distracted man. On the person whose eyes never lingered for a single second away from the night sky.

Minhyun also knew that it was useless. Knew that his voice couldn’t be heard over the noise.

The fireworks continued to explode. His hand on Jaehwan’s back felt weak and shaky. He let it drop.

But his other hand was still interlocked with the younger doctor’s. Jaehwan continued to hold onto his hand, and Minhyun returned the grip with whatever strength he had left.

At that moment, it was the only thing he could do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Author's end notes:

Oh, Minhyun...