- CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN -

“Really, baby, I don’t know why we have to attend Choi SiWon’s gallery opening. Everything’s over between the two of you. What’s he planning?” HyukJae huffed from inside of his walk-in closet, choosing the accessories for DongHae while the said man puts on the outfit HyukJae assembled for him. 

He chose the silver Mougin & Piquard watch, gold tone aviator sunglasses and finally a pair of black shoes to finish the whole set.

“My dearest Lee HyukJae, the man means no harm, okay? He’s a friend of mine, he was my mentor once upon a time,” DongHae replied, his voice a little louder to reach HyukJae.

“Not to mention your former lover,” HyukJae mumbled with a hint of distaste obvious in his external monologue.

“Not to mention you look kind of hot, all possessive and jealous, especially with that layered bow tie,” the whisper in his ear sudden yet welcomed, he shivered at the hot breath fanning his nape. 

DongHae seemed much more relaxed now, after that night they came back from Japan, more open and touchy even. Well, long live Japan! He turned around, and took the hand that found its way around his waist. He put the watch on, and folded the extra long cuff back, forming a neat and even line at the end of the sleeve. He secured a cog cufflink and repeated the same steps on the other hand.

“And, you, my cute little boyfriend, look so fu*king hot in a waistcoat, don’t ever take your suit jacket off, understand?” He looked at DongHae, more like glared, and the other male eventually blushed. 

Automatically, HyukJae launched himself forward and kissed DongHae on the lips. Who cares if it wasn't that perfect? Who cares how sloppy it was even after numerous kisses they shared? HyukJae sighed into the kiss as he dominated and turned their position, DongHae now trapped between the floor to ceiling mirror and him. His tongue its way around the puffed up lips, teeth nipping and teasing when access wasn’t granted. HyukJae’s hands roamed around DongHae’s waist, travelling south and he squeezed the younger man’s substantial backside. A gasp left his lips vulnerable, his attention elsewhere and HyukJae tasted mocha bread. 

He wanted to laugh at the cuteness, but DongHae wouldn’t appreciate it for sure. Tasting every corner and recess of his charming lover, his hands traced the beautiful flushed body against him, the waistcoat doing things that sent his mind into overload. The hands that found their way into his hair pulled him closer, wanting more, insisting for more, craving like blazing fire. The massage against his scalp calmed him and it was DongHae’s turn to dig himself into HyukJae, the older male letting him do so as he let himself lose the dominance battle. He shivered at the hands that touched the right parts of his body, leaving traces of tingling sparks, invisible yet electrifying.

If they continued, the couple might not have made it to the opening on time, heck; they might not even be there at all. HyukJae’s hands cupped the younger’s boyish face and gently, he released himself from DongHae. DongHae pouted and whined, pressing one hand greedily against the front part of his trousers and the other pulling his bowtie. HyukJae was really torn then, lust overriding all logical decisions, but he knew his lover better. 

“We, have a friend to visit now, don’t we?” His strained voice rasped. 

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Sorry, Hyukkie,” he pulled his hands away, too rapidly for HyukJae’s liking, but, oh well, they have some other time for that. 

DongHae giggled and readjusted HyukJae’s bowtie and brushed imaginary dust off of his white collar shirt. 

“Right, let’s get your hair done, and I think I have to do something about mine,” HyukJae winked and pulled DongHae into the bathroom. 

For hair and some make up, okay? Get your heads straight, people.

“Oh my God, DongHae! There you are!” An unfamiliar voice greeted them and they both turned to be met with the – rather fashionable, smoking, hot, suave – host who gave DongHae a friendly hug and shot a charming smile towards HyukJae. 

“Hi, Lee HyukJae-ssi. I’m Choi SiWon, DongHae’s good friend and former mentor. It’s so great to be able to meet you. It’s an honour to me and my modest gallery,” SiWon introduced himself, and HyukJae can’t help but smile at the formal male in front of him and took the male’s hand in a firm shake. 

“Indeed, Siwon-ssi. Thank you for taking care of DongHae,” HyukJae said and he could see DongHae smiling at their interaction, like a firefly buzzed with an extra shot of espresso. 

The owner of the gallery ushered them in and regretfully, had to leave them while he welcome the rest of his guests. Drinks were served, and HyukJae opted for simple non-alcoholic drinks. About 15 minutes later, the corner-lot bungalow-turned gallery shushed down when SiWon’s voice floated through the sound system. 

“Hello, everyone, I’d like to thank you for coming to my gallery’s opening. Your presence today is highly appreciated. To my family members, friends, photography team, and sponsors, I’m very thankful of your support. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for all of you. I hope that there will be a great future and opportunities ahead of me and may God bless all of you. Cheers!” 

They toasted for the gallery owner and the event went well for SiWon.

In a week’s time, HyukJae and HeeChul’s fashion show would come into full swing. Everything happened in a blur, the designing, and the trips that caused the design, the inspiration behind the design. Right at that moment, they finally had a moment to themselves instead of the workload compiled to get things to come together. Their fashion show would be held in Paris, courtesy of HeeChul who insisted on having it in France for the romantic feel added to their show. 

HyukJae shook his head as he cuddled closer to the male beside him on the bed, their presidential suite giving them a view of the exquisitely lit Eiffel Tower. DongHae had been ecstatic when he found out about the location. HyukJae and DongHae had a heated discussion on the steward’s job, HyukJae persuading the male to stop working since he could financially manage both their lives until the next, next, next, Lee generations.

For DongHae who was devoted to his work, they had quite an argument over the matter. It caused quite a havoc; HyukJae almost resulted in searching for his hidden stash of alcohol – since DongHae and HeeChul hid it at a different place – and DongHae stayed over at KyuHyun’s place for about a week. HyukJae have HeeChul to thank for when he had a ‘good long chat’ with DongHae. He believed that it was indeed just a chat, since DongHae wasn’t hurt anywhere and HeeChul seemed to favour the younger male more than his own designer brother. 

So, here they are, ily , ually sated, and solely comfortable in each other’s embrace. He breathed DongHae’s scent, overpowered with sweat and some other substance DongHae would be too embarrassed to mention, yet his usual traces of posh cologne, HyukJae’s favourite strawberry bath gel and simply DongHae. He leaned in to kiss the younger’s forehead and finally fell asleep.

“HyukJae, I can’t do this,” the first word uttered with a cringe when DongHae stretched on the bed beside him. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I-I don’t think I could be your model today. It’s impossible. I might ruin everything,” he covered his face and groaned. 

HyukJae didn’t respond to DongHae’s silly insecurity. He’s the perfect person for the show, HyukJae wanted to show him to the world, wanted to show Lee DongHae and shout it to the world that he loves the male more than anything else. He released a chuckle and tried to pry DongHae’s hands off his face. It was a vainly endeavouring attempt, DongHae was stuck in the position, unmoving and beautifully leaning against the headboard. Slowly, the bed dipped at places he crawled on, going lower and he lowers himself, until he positioned himself in between DongHae’s legs and . Hard. it earned him both a whimper and a moan.

The backstage was chaotic all around him, models changing clothes after clothes, heat rising, damp sweat tracing his own back, HyukJae and HeeChul running around, with their last minutes addition or just simply rip-anything-off because they’re ugly according to HeeChul. It was amusing really, his first experience backstage and DongHae was the most relaxed one in the room and everyone around him look like they lost their child. He stared at the piece set for him to model on the ending scene, as he was briefed thoroughly by the Event Project Manager, a certain young Kris Wu, over and over again about how important it is that he does his best. DongHae thought that if the tall Chinese fellow could put it into simpler words, he would say: “Don’t things up.” But of course, he was being polite seeing as DongHae’s position as his employer’s lover could either ruin things or give his CV a good profile.

“Hyung, I don’t know if I could do this,” HyukJae muttered behind a folder he used to cover his mouth as the rehearsal took place. 

This was a much more relaxed pace, Kris going through the flow by shouting orders over the booming music they played in the background. The seats decorated were different, the stage presented was different, and even the songs lined up were different. Hangeng was helping DongHae while he walked down the runway, coaching him slightly from the large opening at the beginning. HyukJae looked at the male who was nervously making his way towards the very centre. HeeChul looked up to wave at the boy while HyukJae threw his lover a small smile, undeniably proud that the male would be walking on the runway with him on the long awaited day. 

“Look here, Lee HyukJae,” HeeChul said when DongHae finally turned from his pose, “you wanna do this , then you better do this right. This is DongHae we’re talking about. He’s the one thing that matters to you the most, well after me of course, so don’t go thinking that you’d it up, ‘cause you won’t.”

A few seconds after, the elder added, “I trust you.” 

HyukJae wondered what kind of sorcery did DongHae put on his hyung to become like this, the I-trust-you sentence never came out of his mouth before, not even to Hangeng, but who knows what goes on behind closed doors. That aside, he was glad that HeeChul blesses their relationship. 

“Thanks, hyung. I know you do,” he said with a smile which earned him a smack on the back of his head.

And so, the long awaited fashion show of ‘Angels and Demons’ took place when the clock struck 8p.m local time.  The music flowed through the sound system, the media with their cameras flashing blindingly against the runway; the buzzing of it all gave DongHae an excited shiver down his spine. Once again, he stared at the suit designed for him for the runway. He was still convinced that he might fall at any given moment while he was out there, parading the outfit. Even after hours and hours of perfecting his silly stumbles or turning too fast or staying stock still for too long at the very front of the runway, Hangeng was still very patient and smiled every time he corrected DongHae. He stayed outside in the first half an hour, enjoying the show live for the very first time. Later on, he sneaked his way backstage and that was where he was seated. 

Before he could get into another one of his own silly flashbacks, a voice called him from across the room, “30 minutes, you’re up next, DongHae-ssi!” He shouted a reply  and got up. 

The stylists swarmed him once his name was mentioned. The outfit taken off its place and into his arm – albeit a little carefully since no one wanted HeeChul at their necks for mistreating DongHae – and DongHae was pushed to a securely draped side that covered him just enough to get changed. The pants fitted his figure well like it was meant for him in the very beginning, the white dress shirt with its amazing material that made DongHae feel like he was wrapped in soft cotton, its black suit and HeeChul’s shoes seem like they were designed for him as well. Once the belt looped safely around his waist, DongHae stepped out and the pretty stylist fussed around him with another girl in tow with her makeup kit. He sat down on one of the chairs and the girl who introduced herself as Jimin worked her magic on him. Right beside him was the model nicknamed Kahi, the girl who he was partnered up with, the other half to his outfit.

She looked amazing. The square neckline with its horizontal bodice that meets with the straps perependicularly showed the soft, milky skin of her shoulders and neck. The waistline of the dress hits at the natural owner’s waist, showing the crowd how slim the girl was. The back of the dress an x-cross that displayed a peek of her infinity tattoo just below her shoulder blade and the black dress ended just right above her knees. The smell of hairspray engulfed him as they both were styled to fit one another; DongHae swore the emptied cans of hairspray could froze an army. His eyes were traced with kohl and indeed he was given a magic touch by the tiny voiced Jimin when he almost couldn’t recognize himself. Kahi looked to her side and smiled at him with both of her thumbs up. 

“You can do it, just like how we practiced, DongHae-ah!” He nodded, heck, even with the makeup, Kahi could still see through him.

“Alright, last pair, 5 minutes, front stage!” Kris shouted and they both rushed for the opening. 

The loud thumping of the music perfectly masked his thundering hearbeat. He had to breathe deep and laborious a few times and the cue came when the music’s beat change and DongHae was blinded by the flashing lights. He counted his steps, he took his time, calculated moves along with the music, he found it growing easier and easier for him as he reached to the very front, alongside Kahi. They stopped at the very front and before he could count up to three seconds, everything went pitch black and people started screaming! 

DongHae lost his bearing and he almost lost his footing if it wasn’t for Kahi who clasped onto his arm and steadied him. It was chaotic but everything settled down gradually when a single spotlight was toward a figure across the room on the red carpet path.

The music started playing and the lone figure began dancing. It was so enticing that DongHae was rooted to the spot and he didn’t notice the change that was happening around him feat a frantic HeeChul who was running around silently just to make things perfect. He didn’t even notice that Kahi left him a few seconds ago. The figure took his time and the closer he got to the runway, the more familiar DongHae thought the masked figure was. It started with a pop song; moves were pulled and executed like it was nothing. 

Bent of body, sway of hips, wave of hands, he owned the stage so easily. The music toned down to slower and slower beats that the dancer himself slowed his steps, deliberate in his moves, fluid like the water. That was when he realized with an open mouth, the perfect resemblance from the hair, the height, the built and those goddamn y arms. 

“Hyukkie?” The name came out in mere gasp.

He decided before he danced that it was now or never. It had been a long time since HyukJae danced and he was thankful that his dongsaeng was willing to help him get back in shape. Although he was a bit rusty, he could see that DongHae was wowed by his performance because he was stuck on that spot ever since the spotlight was . With a last sway and the song coming to an end, he jumped up to the runway and he stood a few steps from the man who gave him life. A few smaller steps brought them face to face. 

“Lee DongHae,” HyukJae started and went on his knee, the microphone tugged onto his outfit a reminder for all to hear his proposal, “I lost track of time when I stopped designing, and I was a lost soul for I lost a cherished person. The ice rink, that was the first time I saw you and I thought I saw an angel. Your face, your smile, even from afar, I thought you looked so handsome, so happy. You sparked my interest that I had to have you. But I lost you before I even had the chance to approach you. Then, I decided to run away from Korea and fortunately, I had to come back when I met this steward who served my strawberry milk. He was the angel I saw last time and I thought it was fate that brought us. I fell in love with you even before it all began and I wanted you in my arms. I thought you were going to leave me back then, and I became the past me, the immature me who turned to alcohol when anything went wrong. But you came back, and you didn’t run away when I was ugly and revolting, you didn’t run away when I told you about my past. I want to make you happy, and I want the whole world to know that I love you more than anything.”

HyukJae swore he heard a scoff somewhere among the crowd and he almost broke into a fit of laughter if not for the man in front of him. He could feel it, his eyes stung. He blinked back the tears. 

HyukJae continued after clearing his throat once, “Lee DongHae, will you marry me?” 

DongHae’s eyes widened, both hands flew up, covering his mouth. He was just like HyukJae, fighting back the tears. HyukJae watched the man fall to his knees, their eyes meeting each other. DongHae’s hands reached out to take the mask off of his face and placed it on his side. 

“Yes, HyukJae, yes!” The crowd cheered, the lights were on a riot mode, the shutters clicked, the flashes blinded everything and DongHae leapt into HyukJae’s arms.

“I call dibs on the maid of honour!” HeeChul’s voice was heard and HyukJae laughed, hard. 

“I love you, Hyukkie.” 

“I love you more, Hae baby.”    

Fin

A/N:

*Heavy breathing* Yes, indeed Design My Heart has come to an end. I'm really sorry if it lacked the fluff or romance or whatever it is that you guys wanted. Up to 3K, I'm rather proud of myself. I apologise for the super delayed update. I thought I promised this around 2 or 3 months ago. I am really sorry for that you guys. To my 277 subscribers and upvoters and even readers, I'd like to thank all of you who had been through this journey with me. 

I am very fond of each and every one of you. Thank you for leaving comments, they were all positive and supportive, virtual hugs to all of you amazing people who stayed with the lame me. It has been a wild journey for me. DMH means a lot since it's my debut fic and I hope that it would mean as much to you guys as it is for me. But, no worries if you don't care, 'cause yeah, me alone is enuff. Enough of me yapping, lemme just go grab an ice cream or something.

Yours 'till the end,

El :)

p.s I'd like to credit the owners to all of the dresses I used in this fic. They were very much so inspirational. I actually chose a real wedding dress, but I don't wanna cross them either one of them, so yeahhh XD And also cred to the poster + background artist. I love it, as always.