"Tell me again why I am doing this, noona?" Jonghyun raised one of his eyebrows at his sister who was happily ignoring him while she laid out several outfits for him to wear. Pouting, he continued to whine. "This stupid Valentine's day is a bad idea. Other than the fact that it deviated from its original meaning, it had became so commercialized and expensive." He rolled his eyes as he ranted, now getting a little heated up as he recalled his past experiences. "Places gets crowded and everywhere you can only see couples making out... Why can't they spare the eyes of the young ones?"

"My dear sweet and cute brother...  Think of this as doing your noona a huge favor?!!" Sodam pleaded after she rolled her eyes at Jonghyun's whining. "You know I don't want to go on this blind date that Umma arranged for me. At least, if it was you who went, you can just go to him and tell the guy that I'm not interested." She sat down on his bed and sighed. "Times like this, I really wonder why Umma wants me to get married so quickly. I'm perfectly happy just the way my life is right now."

"You know why... Umma just wants to see you settle down because you are a girl and she worries about you alot." Jonghyun sat beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Ever since dad left, she's been working very hard for us so it's natural that she would want to see you settle down first... Besides, she knows that I couldn't be bothered by her naggings to find myself a partner."

"Well, actually..." Sodam blushed before she confided her deepest secret. "I... I have someone in mind. He's my new colleague and... and I thought of asking him this weekend before mom dropped this bombshell onto me earlier this morning."

"Really?" Jonghyun's eyes widened. He never even knew his sister liked someone. A hint of jealousy rose within him but he tried to play it cool and asked her casually. "So, who is it? Have we ever met him before? How does he look like? Why is it that you never told us before?"

"Slow down with the questions. His name is Jaeho. Sorry, kiddo. He's taller than you." Sodam laughed while she ruffled his hair and smiled when he growled at her. "He's very polite and shy. A bit silly but most importantly, he makes me laugh all the time. It feel comfortable to be with him. I... I think I can be happy with him, baby brother.."

Jonghyun felt genuinely happy for his sister, however, it still did not tell him anything about why was he the one who had to go out later in the evening to an unknown restaurant to meet this unknown person whom Umma had suddenly revealed to be Sodam's potential husband. "In that case, why do I still need to go and meet this guy? You could just tell Umma that you have your partner in mind and we can just forget about this date and I can stay at home where I know I would not be grumpy and annoyed..."

"Think about it as my way of trying to be your matchmaker." Sodam mehronged him before she started to tickle his sides. Jonghyun tried to get away but he was weak against his sister's powerful tentacle arms. He couldn't stop laughing before he decided to take revenge and tickled her back. After a few minutes, both of them laid down on the mattress, each trying to catch their breaths. Sodam then turned towards him before she continued. "Who knows... The guy might fall for you instead? How long has it been since your last relationship, baby brother? It's time for you to move on... I want you to be happy too..."

Looking into her eyes, Jonghyun wanted to protest but knowing her personality, she would end up trying to pair him with any guy that happened to pass by. In the end, he just gave a slight smile and nodded, praying hard that his 'date' will be disastrous so that he would have an excuse to escape later on.

                                                                          ******************************************************************

"Tell me again why I am doing this, hyung?" Minho whined as his brother started to get ready for his Valentine's Day date with his girlfriend from work. "As I recall, Umma told you specifically to go for this blind date with her friend's daughter, not me?" He pouted his lips and whined even louder when he saw Minseok not paying attention to him at all. "Hyungggggg........"

Rolling his eyes, Minseok paused in combing his hair to the style which his girlfriend loved to walk towards his baby brother and flicked his forehead. Ignoring the 'ouch' from Minho, he repeated his words once again. "First of all, I hate Umma's meddling ways to get us married.. I love her but I just hate the fact that she would want to plan our lives for us. We are old enough to handle our own lives but the problem with talking to Umma is that there's no way to talk to her once she had her mind set. Besides, I'm not ready to introduce Jieun to Umma yet. I don't want her to get intimidated by Umma. This is where you come in. Being single and available, you could go in my place instead."

"Um, hyung... Aren't you forgetting something?" Minho's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not exactly a good candidate for me to meet this girl. I like guys, not girls. I want a guy to pound me, not me doing the pounding. So, you see, this equation will not work no matter what.... Why are we wasting time on this dreaded Valentine's Day thing for me to go for this blind date instead of me hanging out with Taemin and Jinki hyung at thier house for a night of gaming?"

Minseok's grin grew wider. "See.. The perfect candidate. The girl will have no choice but to refuse her mother's wishes as you are both batting for the same side. Only a desperate woman would continue to go out with you.."

Feeling offended, Minho gasped. "Hey..!! I'm doing you a huge favor here. Don't you belittle my looks, okay? I may be interested in guys, but I do have a line of girls wanting to get into my pants." Minho puffed out his chest. "Some even are willing to wait for me to turn back to being a 'normal' guy.. Like that would ever happen.." Minho shook his head in amusement. He looked at his older brother and sighed once again. "Fine, I'll go for this date of yours. Just remember when you have kids later, they must say that I'm their favourite uncle."

"Haha.. Sure... Sure, little brother... But seriously, it's been years, Minho. Shouldn't you be moving on?" Minseok's eyes softened as he looked down at the most precious being in his life. The years had been rough for Minho but he was glad that his brother was slowly coming out of his shell and started to interact with others again. He thought Kibum would be the one but alas, it was not to be.

                                                                  **************************************************************************

"Hi, I have a reservation for two under the name Choi Minseok." Minho informed the host of the posh restaurant that his Umma had made the reservations. He had arrived about half an hour earlier simply because he hated to be tardy and plus, being there early would give him an advantage to gauge who was this person Umma was so interested in. While sipping on his red wine, Minho decided to look around and admire the ambience. Well, normally he would admire it,except that since it's Valentine's Day, it was filled with pink balloons and red roses all over. Suppressing his desire to gag, Minho just settled for rolling his eyes in disgust.

As he waited, memories started to flow into his mind. Surprisingly, they were not of his ex-boyfriend, Kibum, who had left for Milan to pursue his career path and left Minho in a heartbroken stage for many months before he could even come to terms with the fact that Kibum was never coming back. His mind drifted further to a time when his innocence was still intact. A time when he was not jaded with words like love and affection. A time when he met his first love.

Flashback to 15 years ago....

"Hyung.... Hyung... Hyung...." The 12 year old Minho shouted to his older brother who had been playing football with the kids in the neighbourhood. He was allowed to join in by his Umma as promised when he was able to finish all of his homework before she finished her cooking. Minho quickly ran out of the house to the neighbourhood park nearby to look for his hyung. "Hyung, Umma say I can join you all.. Can I? Can I? Can I?"

Minseok was forced to pause the match when Minho started to cling to him while asking for permission. He was getting frustrated and was about to scold his younger brother when a voice interrupted. "Seok, it's okay. Since your brother wants to play, let him... We are going to need one more player anyway. Doo Joon needs to go back home. His mother is waiting for him to go to his grandmother's house."

Minho, who was on the verge of tears because he was being ignored by his older brother, paused to look at the owner of that smooth, velvety voice. His eyes roamed across the field to see this other boy who was smiling brightly, causing eye wrinkles to appear on his face. Minho's heart fluttered, a strange sensation washed over him as the other boy came closer. Frightened, Minho was about to cry when he put his hand over Minho's head and ruffled it. "Cute dongsaeng you have here, Minseok... Here.. Take my hanky... Don't cry no more... If you want, we'll let you play, okay?"

Minho furiously nodded his head, his heart turning a sudden 180 degrees, from being frightened to feeling of overwhelming happiness as his heart rate increased. Giving his new role model a shy smile, Minho quickly wiped his tears and snot away and vowed to make his role model proud of him. Upon his first goal which he later suspected was assisted by his role model, Minho found out his name. From there as the years went by, his tiny spark of admiration grew into a truckload of butterflies in his tummy until he finally found a label for it from his best friend, Taemin. They were messing around as usual when Taemin suggested they sneak into his older brother's room to play with the latest R18 computer games on his new laptop. It was fun initally, blasting zombies and vampires, until Taemin accidentally clicked on a ographic ad and images of people in different ual positions appeared. Although he blushed at the graphic images, Minho's eyes could not tear away from this particular one where two guys were kissing. The moment he reached home, Minho locked his bedroom door and started researching more of what he had seen.

He had thought there was something wrong with him when all the boys in his class started talking about girls and their s and how they can't wait to finally be able to one of those but yet, he could not bring himself to feel the same kind of excitement. In fact, the only one who could make him feel weird was his hyung's friend and his role model. All Minho knew was that his heart would beat faster each time they eyes met or when he heard that melodic laughter or even when his hyung's friend ruffled his hair in a playful gesture. Soon, after numerous research, he finally narrowed down to a simple truth. He was in love with his hyung's friend. No doubt about it. Not a crush, not even puppy love. This was the real deal. He had fallen deeply in love and there was no way out.

Minho knew that he would be coming over that day as he had overheard him talking to his hyung about a sleepover at his house. Internally, Minho was jumping for joy but he had to pretend to be cool about it when Minseok told him the news. In his mind, he had decided that he would confess his feelings to his first love. The feelings would be mutual and they would live happily ever after. With that scenario, Minho waited for his arrival on the front porch as he waved goodbye to his parents who would be going to their grandparents' house in Incheon to take care of a last minute family affair, leaving Minseok and Minho the whole house for themselves. Minseok, being the hot-blooded teenager, invited a few friends over to their house which then grew to alot of people with alcohol involved. Minho hid in his room  to escape the loud noise while he simmered in his frustration of his perfect plan going down the drain. He would have missed the knock on his door if not for the fact that whoever that was on the opposite side was persistent.

"Sheesh...!! I'm coming... Don't have to knock so many times... The door is not going to magically unlock itself, you know."

Any other words got stuck in his mouth as his jaw gaped open seeing his first love leaning against the doorframe of his room as he held a beer can on his right hand. He smirked upon seeing Minho's cute expression before he sluggishly entered his room, eyes roaming around before it settled onto his bed. As his first love staggered towards the bed, Minho closed the door. He saw the picture of both of them posing after a football match and quickly turned down the frame by his beside table.

"Um, hyung... A.. Are you okay?"

"Minho-ya.... Hy... Hyung is fine. Just a bit frustrated with things at home but I feel a lot better after I look at you. You... You have always been a sweet little boy. Always smiling and friendly and approachable. You know what? H...Hyung loves you a lot...." His first love slurred out as his hand reached for Minho's hand to pull him nearer to him. " Minho-ya.. Can you keep me company until these feelings disappeared? Can you stay with hyung...?? Setting aside his can of beer onto the bedside table, his first love pulled Minho closer to him as the arms went around his waist before he started to cry.

Unsure of what to do, Minho did the only thing that he could think of. He caressed his wavy locks while Minho whispered words of encouragement, hoping that it will help. Minho had thought that his first love has fallen asleep but he was proved wrong when he lifted his head. Looking into his first love's watery eyes, Minho could see the turmoils within and felt so helpless. Wanting to chase away his demons, Minho cupped his face and took a deep breath before planting his lips over the older boy's soft ones. Shocked at his own actions, Minho wanted to pull away but the arms around him tightened as a tongue slowly glided along his lips before sliding into the small opening between his lips. Minho moaned aloud as the feelings of butterflies in his tummy exploded into a thousand senses, electrifying every fiber of his being.

Hands that was hesitant soon became bolder as each small actions caused the temperature in that room to raise higher and higher. Clothes were discarded one by one as the older one worshipped every part of Minho's body which fed into the desperation of wanting to be joined with the one he loved. Minho's ity was at stake but he could not bring himself to care.He wanted to erase the hurt that his first love was feeling. He wanted to experience the deep connection that would bind them together. He just wanted to love and feel loved.

He felt a slight apprehension when his first love's lubricated finger first entered but it was washed away when he saw the concern in his eyes. Bringing him close, Minho nodded before kissing him with all the love he could give as the pleasure turned into pain before it gradually built up again into one massive overwhelming sensory overload. Each was simply not enough as Minho begged his first love to go faster and harder until he could not take it anymore. Squirts of white burst out from within while his body tightened in pleasure. Minho heard a soft grunt from above and forced his eyes to open. Seeing his first love's distorted face when the pleasure overtook him made him smile. As his first love's body laid beside him tiredly, Minho's eyes closed, his heart singing in joy and happiness. Tomorrow would be a brand new day and they would talk then. For now, sleep was much needed.

The next morning, Minho was surprised that he was alone in the room. However, he guessed that his first love would not want Miseok hyung to suspect anything since he was, after all, still underaged. A small detail since his birthday would be in three weeks time and he would be legal by then. Wincing at the ache over his lower back, Minho slowly made his way to the bathroom before he showered. Minho was a bit reluctant to wash away the evidence of the lovemaking but he knew that he would not want Minseok hyung to get into any fight with his friend over him. Internally groaning at every movement, Minho made his way down to the kitchen where Minseok hyung was cleaning up the evidence of the party before their parents returned home.

"Morning, hyung..."

Looking at Minho, a haggard-looking Minseok looked relieved. The task of cleaning alone was something he hated and he was currently regretting his stupid decision to host that party. "Oh, hey, Minho... Help your brother out here? Umma and Appa messaged to say that they will come home at 5 pm. We have 4 hours to get this house back to how it's like yesterday... Help, please...." Minseok pouted before fluttering his eyelashes before he winced in pain. "Darn hangover.." He grumbled.

Laughing at his brother's antics, Minho shook his head. He picked up an empty garbage bag before he started to throw all the empty bottles and beer cans inside. As he got closer to his brother, Minho stuttered before he finally managed to ask the most important question in his mind. "Um... Um... Um.. H.. Hyung?"

"Yes, Minho?"

"Um.. Where's....?"

"Oh.. That idiot bailed out on me early this morning. Woke me up just to mumble something about how he's sorry and that he had to go. That idiot.. Didn't even see him last night and this was supposed to be his farewell party..." Minseok just continued on rambling about how that idiot's parents were getting a divorce and how he had to move away to a different part of the country as his mother found a new job elsewhere, not noticing that his younger brother had stood still, frozen like a statue.

Minho's heart broke into a million pieces, his mind not knowing what to do. Before his body could reconnect back to to his brain, Minho found himself running out of the house, ignoring his brother's shouts. He ran the familiar pathway to his first love's house, a pathway that had given him so many wonderful memories. The moment he saw the house, his legs buckled before he fell to the ground with tears in his eyes. There was a 'Sold" sign out at the front gate. Just like that, his first love crushed him. There was no explanation whatsoever. Not even a letter.

It took Minho years before he could even trust anyone else, fearing any commitment or relationship to anyone else other than those that he was close to before that incident. Minseok was puzzled over the changes in his younger brother but Minho chose to keep quiet about it and there was nothing Minseok could do. There was only one person Minho ever told and it was to Taemin, his best friend who had to beat it out from him after Minho lost weight and looked sickly to the point that he was hospitalized for a few weeks. Taemin held him tight when Minho broke down eventually while trying to fight the urge to hunt and kill that idiot, not caring that he was older and bigger than him.

Not even Kibum knew what exactly happened in his youth, maybe that was why he left. Perhaps Kibum knew that there was one part of Minho that he could never reach. Years of trying to get Minho to be more committed would have worn him down eventually. Kibum gave Minho an ultimatum to commit or he would leave. Minho tried.. He really did. Kibum was the only one who was able to crack his barrier when he persistently chased after him. Minho was not interested but something about the dimpled man caused a slight crack to appear especially when they found out they were of the same age and had many similar interests. Minho knew that it was his fault that Kibum left. He just could not forget that particular face even though he tried so hard to ignore his longings.

Shocked to feel tears running down his cheeks, Minho discreetly used the napkin to wipe them away before checking his watch. He let out a long sigh when he saw that the date was already 5 minutes late. In his mind, he was willing to wait up to 20 mins before he would call it off and tell his hyung that it would not work.

Meanwhile a few blocks away from the restaurant....

"Noona... I said I'm sorry, okay?" Jonghyun huffed out while he walked briskly towards his destination. "How would I know a short nap would turn out to be a 4 hour nap?" Using his eyes to glare at the pedestrian crossing, he hoped that the lights would soon change to green. His ears were already turning red from all the scolding from his sister. He had thought of taking a short nap after chasing Sodam Noona out of his apartment since the dinner was still a few hours away. Although it was his fault that he forgot to set an alarm, his sister should not have screeched into his ears about the dinner date, causing him to fall out of his bed when he answered her phone call. "Okay.. Okay... I'm finally here... So what's the name of the blind date's reservation?"

"Um, Choi Minseok.."

"Choi Minseok?? Really, noona?" Jonghyun's eyes widened. "No... Could it be?? No way..."

"Huh?? What are you talking about? Anyway, just go in. I'll talk to you later... I'm still on that date with Jaeho.. Okay, bye..."

Jonghyun's heart went into overdrive the moment he heard that name. No way it was the same person, right? It was a fairly common name and anyone could be named Choi Minseok. It was not like it was the same Choi Minseok who had a younger brother named Choi Minho. Fate would not be so cruel to him, right?? Jonghyun thought as he walked beside the waiter who was escorting him to his seat. He remembered it like it was yesterday. The first time he met Minho, Jonghyun was just trying to be friendly to this tiny kid who obviously looked up to his brother and wanted to play along. The moment his watery, big, brown eyes landed on him, Jonghyun felt a sudden jolt in his heart. Years passed by and that jolt did not disappear, in fact, it grew bigger and bigger each time he saw how caring Minho was, how competitive he was and how often each laughter brought a smile to his face. He knew that what he felt was forbidden, not only because Minho was still underaged, it was also because Minseok was his friend. Friends do not betray each other's trust especially when it comes to their siblings.

Jonghyun thought he could bear with the agony of unrequited love at least until he went away after graduation. By then, his circle of friends would be wider and he would be able to forget a certain big-eyed froggie. However, any plans he had fell apart the day his parents dropped the bombshell to both Sodam Noona and him. They were going to get a divorce and that his mom would be moving to Busan together with both of them in a few days. His entire life felt like a lie. He had thought his parents were loving towards each other and that they were a happy family. Little did he knew that his dad had cheated on his mom and was planning to live a new life with the new woman. Feelings of hurt, anger and frustrations rose within him, causing them to fester but there was no way to release them. Until that night......

He had not planned on going to Minseok's house that day as he was supposed to be packing for the move but his dad came with that woman to collect his items. He wanted to punch his dad for hurting his mom but he had to clench his fists when his mom signaled him for him to stop what he was thinking about and not act on it. Frustrated, he called Minseok and agreed to the farewell party, wanting an excuse to leave the house. The moment he arrived, he started chugging cans after cans of beer, hoping that it will ease his heart. Soon, even the beers were not enough to dull the ache. Feeling slightly woozy, he walked towards the second floor towards the room which he knew would comfort him. The door was locked but it did not prevent him from trying to break it as he kept on knocking until the owner opened up.

Not even Minho's exasperated expression could deter him from his purpose in seeking the warmth of his beloved.

"Um, hyung... A.. Are you okay?"

Trying to focus his attention to Minho, Jonghyun squinted as he tried to talk and walk at the same time. "Minho-ya.... Hy... Hyung is fine. Just a bit frustrated with things at home but I feel a lot better after I look at you. You... You have always been a sweet little boy. Always smiling and friendly and approachable. You know what? H...Hyung loves you a lot...." Somehow, he managed to walk to the bed and sat down before he reached for Minho's hand to pull him nearer to him. " Minho-ya.. Can you keep me company until these feelings disappeared? Can you stay with hyung...?? Setting aside his can of beer onto the bedside table, Jonghyun pulled Minho closer to him as he tried to inhale Minho's sweet scent. This... This was his comfort zone. Whenever he was with Minho, he could feel like everything would be all right. He tried so hard to hold it in but it was choking him. Tears ran down his cheeks the more Minho tried to comfort him.

After that much needed cry, Jonghyun felt a lot better and was about to say his final goodbye before he leave when their eyes met. Sparks shot throughout Jonghyun's body, entering his soul. He did not even knew that he held his breath when Minho cupped his cheek to give an innocent kiss. An innocent kiss that made him craved for more.

When he woke up early the next morning, his head was pounding. For a moment, he felt disorientated. With his hand pressed against his forehead, Jonghyun regretted his alcohol consumption which caused his senses to be all fuzzy. Looking down his chest full of hickeys, Jonghyun's eyes widened the moment it registered that he was . A bad taste filled his throat when he realised that the other body was Minho. Quickly rushing to the bathroom, Jonghyun vomited out whatever that was in his stomach as feelings of guilt overcame him. He had defiled that innocent young boy and betrayed his friend's trust in him. Jonghyun quietly wore his clothes before  Minho's cheek for the last time. He knew he was a coward for leaving this way but he feared that he would not be able to leave if he was to see Minho's eyes.

The days after his move to Busan was among the worst he ever experienced. He wanted to pick up the phone to call Minseok every single second but he could not bear to do so. Besides, Minho would have been better off with someone not like him. If the days were bad, his nights were excruciatingly unbearable. His dream were filled with either visions of different Minhos in various stages of their lives or reliving the rapture of having Minho underneath him, to hear his low moans, to feel his walls clenching him when he ed.

Time being time, Jonghyun thought that it would at least masked the hurt in order for him to move on. He tried going out with others, hoping to bury that part of him but in the end, it still felt like something was missing. That was why he had decided to remain single and not enter any relationships. Maybe, karma was finally catching up to him. Maybe this was his punishment for leaving Minho all those years ago.

His train of thoughts were interrupted when the waiter gestured for him to take a seat at the reserved table. Thanking the waiter, Jonghyun turned to smile at this Minseok person only to have his jaw dropped when it was revealed to be the person who was haunting his dreams.

"YOU....!!!"

"What the...??"

Both occupants in the table had sported similar expressions and those outsiders who happened to see the sight would have found it funny but not to Minho. Minho was furious. The very person whom he was trying his hardest to forget was sitting right across him. Glaring at the face that he once admired so much, Minho was about to get up to walk away when he felt a hand on top of his own.

"Stay, Minho... " Jonghyun whispered. He was stunned to see Minho sitting there, looking a thousand times better as his body filled out, no longer a boy but as a man. Minho's baby looks were gone and replaced by a chiseled, suave look that made Jonghyun's heart jolt once again. He knew that Minho would be angry to see him again, well, who would not be after what Jonghyun had done but Jonghyun was not stupid to ignore the chance to make things right between them. "Stay, please..."

Seeing Minho's hesitation, Jonghyun continued. "Look.. I don't know what's going on either but since we are here, can...can I say something first?" Brushing away the slight ache when Minho pulled his hand away, Jonghyun was grateful when Minho did not leave and stayed. Unable to look at Minho due to his guilt, Jonghyun decided to focus onto the napkin infront of him. "Minho... I.... I want to apologize for what I did that day. I... You... You were my friend's younger brother and I... I should not have taken advantage of you. It was wrong of me to do so and I... I was a coward.. I just could not bear to you again after I took advantage of your innocence. Your first time should be with someone you love, not forced onto you by your brother's friend.. I'm.. I'm so sorry, I know no amount of sorry can ever compensate for that lost innocence b... but.. Minho.. Please forgive me? Tell me what to do to make it up to you."

Feeling the pressure of the silent table, Jonghyun rambled on. "T.. To be honest, you were the best thing that happened to me. From the moment I first saw you in the park, I felt something weird. I.. I found that I liked your personality, your passion and most of all, your laughter and I.. I was determined to make you laugh always because that was what made me fall in love with you." Ignoring the slight gasp from Minho, Jonghyun decided to lay his cards on the table. With nothing else to lose, he might as well confess to everything. "I know I should not have those feelings towards my friend's underaged younger brother but I could not help it. The feelings I have inside was growing day by day until I feared that it would explode. I knew you saw me as someone you admired and that was enough for me. I was hoping to keep my unrequited love to myself until I moved away." Jonghyun gave out a self deprecating laugh. "I just didn't expect it was that soon. A few days before the party, my Umma and Appa decided to get a divorce and I would be moving away with my Umma to Busan. I thought this was it. That should be the end of my unrequited love towards you, but when my Appa come to our house with that woman, I.. I lost it.. I had to find you. I need you to make me feel better. I was selfish and I knew it, but I need your warm smile to tell me that things will be okay again."

Fiddling with his napkin, Jonghyun took a short breath. "That.. That night was magical. I could not even believe that you would want to hug me, let alone kiss me. I was surprised but when you showed no resistance, I caved. I let my desires for you to force you to give your ity to me. I didn't even asked you.. I never asked for your permission. I felt like a scum the next day. Seeing your innocent face lying beside me, I felt like a monster. I betrayed your trust in me. I betrayed the trust of the person I loved the most in this entire life... So, like a coward, I ran.. I ran and continued running until today. Perhaps it was fate that we met up like this. Now I can properly seek for your forgivness...."

"I... If you had asked for permission, do you think I would have said no?"

Jonghyun tries to resist looking at Minho, but when that question was whispered out, he whipped his head up only to see Minho's eyes full of tears, looking similar to the boy he fell for 15 years ago. "I... I..."

Minho used his hands to wipe those tears away. "I said, do you think I would have said no if you had asked??" It was a good thing that Minho was seated because he did not think he could stand up when he just heard his first love confessed that he loved him too. Minho laughed bitterly, thinking of all those wasted years. "Did you know I loved you?" Putting up his hand when Jonghyun sputtered and wanted to say something, he continued on. "I was going to confess to you.... On that day... I knew that technically, I was still underaged but I really could not wait until my birthday to confess.  I loved you so much that I could not bear any more days without you by my side. Minseok hyung told me that you were coming over so I planned to make the fort like what we used to do when I was younger. I totally didn't expect all those people coming over. When you... When you knocked on my door, I was so excited to see you. My heart ached when I saw the hurt you were in and I prayed hard for God to take away those pain from your eyes. The moment we kissed was magical for me too and when we finally joined as one, I felt so happy that for that moment I became yours as how you became mine....When you left without a word, the pain was unbearable. I became sick.. I even thought that you hated me because I was not good enough for you."

"No... Minho... I.. I... I'm so sorry...It's never about you. I'm the one at fault.. Blame me.. I was wrong..."

Minho's eyes hardened at those words. "Yeah, you are right.. It's all your fault.. It's your fault that I became dysfunctional, that I could not even commit to any relationship, not even to my wonderful ex-boyfriend who left because he felt that he could not compete with the memories of you inside my mind..." Jabbing Jonghyun's chest with his index finger, Minho emphasized each word. "So..Yes, Kim Jonghyun.. All of these is your fault. If you had just stayed and listened to me, we would not be wasting these past 10 years of our lives."

Minho stood up before his temper caused him to do far worse things to the man who made him go through a living hell and yet, still managed to make his heart flutter again after all these years. Either that or clutched Jonghyun's shirt to pull it towards him and kiss him senseless before begging him to make love to him on the table. "Now that I heard your side of the story, thank you for your explanation. Since this dinner date is obviously a disaster, I will take my leave. I don't think I will ever see you again, so here's a proper goodbye from me. I wish you well and you.... you are forgiven."

This time it was Minho who fled first, not listening to Jonghyun's words. His eyes were blurry from the endless tears that coursed down his cheeks, his heart felt as though it was pierced by a million sharp needles, Minho just walked without any specific destination in mind. He just wanted to find a place where he could sit and cry his heart out for all those 10 years of pain. Without realising it, Minho walked back to the old neighbourhood park where they first met. He sat down on a bench, hidden by the trees surrounding it. Feeling the dam bursting out, Minho's quiet sobs became louder as he beat his aching heart only for the action to be stopped by someone embracing him while he cried.

"Hush... Hush, baby... I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry.. Punish me if you want.. I cannot stand it when you cry.." Jonghyun tried to console but failed when Minho's cries became louder. "I love you, Minho.. Back when I first saw you here in this park 15 years ago until now... I never forgot you, Minho.. Not once.." Jonghyun leaned back before he cupped Minho's face. "If you don't mind spending the rest of your life with this ignorant, stupid jerk who needs to learn alot about love, I swear I will make use of this lifetime to pamper you, to cherish you and to love you always. Please forgive me, baby.."

Minho's sobs subsided as he sniffled in the aftermath of his crying bout. Overwhelmed, he could only answer the only what he knew how to. He pulled Jonghyun's face closer and kissed him as fireworks boomed above them in a colourful display of lights and sounds.

                                                   *************************************************************************************

In a bush nearby, another couple was hiding but not for the usual reasons...

"Minseok, hand me the binoculars... Did you see what's happening? Did my idiot brother finally made things right?"

"Sodam Noona.. I'm not too sure. The trees are making it hard for us to see anything, but he better be.. It's been way too long... See.. Isn’t it lucky that I found you in Tinder...”