After composing themselves, the boys all grouped together again and Yong Guk and his brother's sadly said their goodbye's again as they exited the house.  Zelo and his brother's watched and waved goodbye as Yong Guk and his brothers climbed down the stairs making their way to the car. Yong Guk waved to Zelo and mouthed “I love you” to the boy and was rewarded with a deep blush from Zelo who mouthed “I love you too” back.  
Him Chan blew a kiss to Jong Up who grinned happily and brought his hand up to catch the floating kiss and pressed it tenderly against his lips.
Young Jae was a tearful mess and just waved and cried and blew so many kisses that DaeHyun struggled to catch them all.
The boys finally climbed into the car and arms extended from the open windows waving to Zelo and his brother's who continued to wave back.
Zelo and his brother's watched with heavy heart's as the bright red taillights of Yong Guk's car got smaller and smaller until they were eventually swallowed up by the darkness.
They watched a while longer, wiping at their eyes before retiring back into the house for the night.  They could barely sleep, so many emotions flooded their young bodies, seeing their lover's again after being apart for so long, being able to touch them again and the prospect of going to live with them is the pinnacle of their happiness.
They all slept peacefully and dreamed sweet dreams of their lover's until the sun rose the next day, disturbing them from their joyful slumber.
It was a very exciting morning for them, all they could talk about was the upcoming party and the prospect of seeing their boyfriends again.  They spent all morning talking on the subject and trying to calm the butterflies fluttering in their stomachs.  The boys felt a rush of excitement as they talked about the party and their bodies tingled with a restless mixture of nervousness and radiant happiness as the day wore on and the time for the party drew near.

Meanwhile, at the Bang household it was a tornado of activity and Yong Guk and his brother's were all awake and huddled in the living room making last minute plans to DaeHyun's birthday party.
They were also very, very excited about the upcoming party and they wanted everything to be perfect for the Choi's when they arrived.  This party meant so much more than just a belated birthday party for DaeHyun, it was also a party to celebrate their rekindled friendship with the Choi's, it was a time to celebrate and enjoy each others company and strengthen the bond between the two families.
Young Jae pretty much had the final say-so and Yong Guk and Him Chan had to present their ideas to the dark-haired boy for approval because even though the party held another meaning, it was primarily for Dae.

“So I think we should have it kind of late in the evening, Him Chan was explaining “I saw these beautiful Chinese lanterns that I think will be perfect for his party”

Young Jae nodded his head in approval “That sound's really cool” He grinned.

“I think we should also have a great feast, all kinds of grilled meats and vegetables.” Yong Guk suggested.

Young Jae's eyes sparkled with happiness “Oh, Dae would love that!" He squealed happily.

“What kind of games should we have?” Yong Guk then asked, setting his plush lips into a thoughtful frown.

“Ssireum?” Him Chan asked, grinning a sly grin.

Yong Guk paled a bit, he couldn't see himself wrestling his delicate baby, nor did he want anyone else to wrestle him.  If they played that game, then he would make sure that Zelo was not a part of it.

Young Jae shook his head.  "I will not be wrestling on the ground in my clothes and getting dirty.  Any other suggestions"

“Ka-Wi-Ba-Wi-Bo!!” Him Chan shouted happily, knowing that it was Jong Up's favorite game.

“OK, that's fun," Young Jae approved, flashing Him Chan a thumbs up.

“Music, lots of good music, so we can dance all night” Yong Guk suggested, grinning widely.

“Yeah!  You pick the songs, Ok?” Young Jae asked.  Yong Guk nodded in confirmation.

After making the plans, the boys set to work getting party together, their father watched them all hurry around the house, barking out orders and making sure that everything was perfect, it made him smile to see his son's so happy again, he was very glad that the whole ordeal with Zelo being framed was over and they can move forward with their lives.
He was really ashamed of the way he acted and then to find out that Zelo was actually innocent made him feel even worse.  He recalled how he yelled and called them thieves and cringed when he remembered the hurt look in Zelo's eyes.  Chung Do wanted to do everything he could to make it up to the Choi family, which was why he happily agreed to have DaeHyun's belated birthday party.  He also wanted to personally see the Choi's and offer a personal apology.  Chung Do made a solemn promise to himself to never overreact in that manner again, he promised that he would approach the situation in a calm and rational manner and hear the person out before he passed any kind of judgment.

“What are you thinking about?”

Chung Do heard a soft voice behind him, and he turned slightly to see his wife watching him.
He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled softly.

“Just.....how happy our son's are, and how happy I am.” He answered wistfully.

She chuckled softly and moved closer to him and snuggled into his arms as he wrapped an arm around her.

“And....how much I love you, so very much.” He breathed into the crook of her neck as he pulled her close to him.

She let out a contented sigh and settled into his arms and watched the boys working hard to prepare the house for the upcoming celebration.
Yong Guk saw his parents snuggling and immediately thought of Zelo, his heart fluttered wildly just thinking about the blond haired boy and a goofy grin formed on his plush lips.  He was very excited that he would be seeing Zelo again soon.
Him Chan passed him with some large colorful boxes with ornate decorations on the sides and Yong Guk stared at them.
They must be the Chinese lanterns, he thought to himself.  They are really pretty, I'll be sure to get those when we celebrate Zelo's birthday.
Yong Guk grinned a wide gummy grin and went to help Him Chan set up the lanterns.  Young Jae was quite busy as well, he wanted everything to be perfect for DaeHyun and as the time wound down for the party to start he checked everything and gave it a final thumbs ups.
It was now an hour before the party and the boys were each in their rooms getting dressed for the party, this was to be a dress to impress party and so the boys dressed up sharp, crisp and polished.

 Yong Guk wore tan colored pants with a white dress button up shirt and black and white tie.  He also wore a white slim V-neck vest that had a silver chain dangling out of one of the pockets.  He parted his hair and had some of his bangs sweep over his eyebrows.  He wore a pair of tan loafers on his feet and stood in front of the mirror eying himself up and down.  He nodded in approval and headed out to greet the guest who would soon began to arrive.

Him Chan decided to wear a pair of marbelized greyish pants with a white cotton shirt.  He wore a Mandarin blazer with gold buttons and black ankle boots.  He studied himself in the mirror and being satisfied with his look, he also headed out the door.

Young Jae went thru 50 outfits before he finally decided upon a long sleeved grey and white designed shirt.  He wore a pair of black pants with a brown leather belt and tan shoes.   He checked himself once more in the mirror before heading out.

The servants were busy putting the final touches on the party when Young Jae arrived out on the lawn, he saw his brother's and parents were just arriving as well.

“Is everything ready?” Young Jae asked, looking around excitedly at everything.

There was a long table set up underneath a bright canopy and colorful lawn lanterns were decorated around the table. There were all kinds of mouth watering foods on the table and at the end of the table there was 5 table grill's for the guest to have their meats and vegetables grilled.  There was another table with a music player and some awesome Kpop music was pouring from the speakers.  Balloons and brightly colored streamers were all over lawn and a large “Happy Birthday” sign was hung on the back of the house.  They couldn't find a “Happy Belated Birthday” sign, so Young Jae just decided to go with the “Happy Birthday” sign.
Everything appeared to be in order, the party just needed the party-goers.

*DingDongggg*

Young Jae squealed loudly, barely containing his excitement as he watched the head butler disappear into house to answer the door.  He watched anxiously for the guests to appear, more specifically he watched for DaeHyun.
Yong Guk watched wide eyed, as he waited for Zelo to appear and Him Chan fidgeted impatiently as he waited to see Jong Up.
After a few heart pounding moments, they heard talking and then the faces of their beloved boyfriends appeared.
They all rushed forward at once, grabbing and hugging their counterparts, who blushed madly from all the attention.

“I missed youuuuuuu!!” Young Jae cried as he ran forward and wrapped his arms around DaeHyun, pulling him close.

DaeHyun grinned widely, turning his eyes into round crescent moons.

“I missed you too.” DaeHyun said lovingly, hugging Young Jae close.

Yong Guk swooped forward and embraced Zelo gently.

“Hi” He said simply, blushing slightly.

Zelo giggled at Yong Guk's cuteness.

“Hi” Zelo said back, flashing Yong Guk a loving smile.

Yong Guk grinned that fabulous gummy grin and led Zelo to where the food and drinks were and began to prepare a plate of food for both of them to share.
 

Chung Do was watching his son's happily greeting the Bang boys and he smiled warmly at the sight, he was truly happy to see his children so happy.  He turned his attention to Woo Jin who apparently had been watching him quietly the whole time.  Chung Do walked over to Woo Jin, he was feeling so guilty for how he had behaved and he wanted let Woo Jin know that he was very sorry.  His heart felt very heavy, so burdened.  He had to get this heaviness off of his heart and make things right with the Choi family.

“Woo Jin,” Chung Do began. “Hyo-sung, to you both.  I am very, very sorry for my behavior towards you and your family.  I am asking for your forgiveness for my actions and my harsh words.  I lost my senses and I wrongly accused your son of stealing and for that.....I am very sorry.  I was wrong.  I was so very wrong.”

Chung Do's voice wavered, tears rimmed his eyes as he waited for Woo Jin to answer.

“I realize that you made a mistake," Woo Jin said slowly and thoughtfully,  "and I see that you have recognized that mistake.  I accept your apology.”
Hyo-sung smiled and nodded in approval.

Chung Do smiled gratefully and grabbed a hold of Woo Jin's hand, shaking it furiously.

“Thank you!” He cried out happily “Thank you so much, I hope that we can move forward from this and remain very good friends.”

Woo Jin and Hyo-sung both smiled.  “I would love that very much.” Hyo-sung said softly.

"As would I." Woo Jin agreed.

Chung Do felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he felt very fortunate to have been granted a second chance to remain friends with the Choi's.  He really liked the family, and he liked their boys, he just wished that he hadn't been so fast to accuse Zelo of stealing.  He acted rash in that situation, but the Choi's were very forgiving and Chung Do was very grateful for their forgiveness.

“I will go and talk to Zelo, I owe him the biggest apology.” Chung Do said sadly. “Please enjoy the party.  There is food, drinks, music. Please enjoy and have fun.”

Woo Jin and Hyo-sung both thanked him and began to enjoy themselves at the party.

Chung Do looked around and saw Yong Guk over at the table preparing a plate for Zelo, he slowly approached the two giggling boys.

“Ah......Zelo?” Chung Do asked hesitantly.

Zelo turned towards the sound of the voice and his brown eyes widened slightly.  He gave a quick bow and glanced at Yong Guk before turning his attention back to Chung Do.

“Yes?” He answered softly.

“I want to tell you......how terribly sorry I am for the way that I treated you and your family.  I feel really bad about it, now that I know the truth.”

Zelo listened quietly.

“Zelo, I am very sorry for the decision I made.  I am sorry for putting you and your family thru so much pain and for not giving you the chance to defend yourself.  I feel so bad about it.  I made a hasty decision and I realize that now, I made a horrible mistake.  I'm so very sorry.  I hope that you won't think ill of me in the future, I'm not normally like that...I just made the wrong choice.  I am very sorry.” Chung hung his shoulders and head, he lifted his head when he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder.

“It's Ok.” Zelo said smiling softly.  “I don't hold an ill feelings towards you, I accept your apology.”

Chung Do's eyes widened in awe.  This kid was simply amazing, anyone else probably would have told him to just drop dead, but this kid just forgave him....just like that, after all that he went thru!!   How can someone be so kind?  Chung Do stared at Zelo in amazement, he could see why Yong Guk was so entranced with him.  Zelo had such a pure and kind heart.

“Thank you Zelo!  Thank you so much!  You are a very kindhearted person.”

Chung Do wiped at the tears forming in the corner's of his eyes, he felt like another weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  It was a really good feeling.

“Please enjoy yourself.  Have a lot of fun, eat a lot of food. OK?” Chung Do said earnestly.

“Have you got enough?  Yong Guk, put more food on his plate” Chung Do ordered pointing to the table filled with food.

“It's OK.” Zelo said giggling softly, “I have enough.”

Chung Do nodded.

“Please let me know if you need anything.  Anything, OK?” Chung Do asked.

Zelo nodded and bowed as Chung Do gave him a gentle pat and then left them alone.

They watched him go for a moment and then found a spot to sit and enjoy themselves and watch the others playing table tennis.  Yong Guk couldn't be any happier to have Zelo back by his side.  He watched as Zelo laughed at the others playing table tennis.  Him Chan was fussing that Young Jae and DaeHyun was cheating somehow.    DaeHyun and Young Jae exchanged innocent looks and just laughed.  Him Chan scowled when he saw Jong Up join in.

“Traitor!” He cried, as he began to tickle Jong Up who giggled until his face turned red and he fell to the ground in hysterical laughter.

“You are just not good at this game Him Chan” Young Jae laughed.

“I am good” Him Chan insisted confidently, as he helped Jong Up off the ground.

 “I'm watching you two” Him Chan said ominously as he lifted his hand and took two fingers and pointed them first at his eyes and then pointed his fingers at DaeHyun and Young Jae.

The two huddled together in mock fear, pretending to be scared.

“Ooooo, I'm so scared” Young Jae laughed,  “I'm shaking”.  He lifted his hand and wiggled one finger.  

DaeHyun, Zelo, Yong Guk and Jong Up all burst into laughter.

“Yah!' Him Chan cried out and attacked Jong Up again.

“Haha, that was so funny.” Zelo laughed,  He took a deep breath and looked around at everything happily. “Ah, I'm having so much fun here.  This is really nice.” He laughed as he flicked the blond fringe of his air out of his eyes.

Yong Guk grinned, “I'm glad that you are having fun.”

 “The food is really good and I'm so glad that you would have these!”  He cried out, taking a small handful of cherry tomatoes and stuffing them into his mouth.

“Mmmmm, so good!” Zelo's eyes closed in blissful happiness as he savored the sweet vegetable.

 Are they good?” Yong Guk asked, watching him closely.

“MmmmHmmm” Zelo breathed out happily as he munched on the tomatoes.  

Yong Guk smiled happily, he had remembered that Zelo loved cherry tomatoes and so he made sure that they had some at the party. He glanced over his shoulder and looked at the table and saw the large box with enough cherry tomatoes to feed a small army.  Yong Guk shrugged, eh I might have gone a bit overboard, but Zelo is worth it.  He is worth so much more, He thought to himself as he turned back to gaze at Zelo.

A bell dinged and they both looked up, Young Jae was waving to everyone to gather around, there was a box in front of him.

“The sun is setting and now is the perfect time to light the Chinese lanterns.” He called out.

“Chinese lanterns?” Zelo asked, his eyes wide. 

Yong Guk nodded and grabbed his hand and the two made their way over to where the other boys were gathering.
Young Jae gave a beautiful lantern to each pair.  Yong Guk and Zelo.  Him Chan and Jong Up and DaeHyun and himself.

“Ok, so one person will hold the lantern, like so.” He demonstrated, by holding the delicate lantern in front of him. “Then the other person will light the wick inside, you both hold it and then once you feel the lantern start to rise, you both let go and it should float into the air.”

“Should?” Him Chan asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Well...I mean if it's done right.” Young Jae shrugged.

The boys each took their lanterns and spread out to give each other room.

Him Chan inspected their lantern, it was a really pretty one.  He held it gently and brought it up so he could peer inside.

“It sounds simple.  I will hold it and then you can light it.” He said, as he continued to inspect the bright red lantern.

Jong Up nodded and prepared to light the wick using the box of matches that Chung Do gave them.

Him Chan held the lantern up and Jong Up struck the match and carefully lit the wick inside.

They stared into each others eyes lovingly and suddenly they could feel the lantern began to rise on it's own and they both let go and stared in amazement as it began to slowly ascend into the air.

Yong Guk held their lantern and Zelo lit the wick.  They both held it carefully, the light from the wick cast shadows across their faces as they stared deeply into each others eyes.  The lantern began to rise and they watched in silent fascination as their lantern joined Him Chan's and Jong Up's in the evening sky.

DaeHyun and Young Jae had just finished lighting their lantern and held it carefully while staring into each others eyes.  DaeHyun blew Young Jae a kiss and Young Jae blushed and blew one back as their lantern began to rise.
The boys all watched as their lanterns slowly rose into the darkening sky, it was really beautiful the way the bright light inside the lanterns made them stand out against the night time sky.

They stood close together, arms wrapped around each other, watching the lanterns until they got smaller and smaller.

“Wow, they are so beautiful.” Zelo whispered as he strained to see the rapidly diminishing lanterns.

“Yes, you sure are.” He heard Yong Guk say and Zelo looked over to see Yong Guk staring at him.

Zelo blushed and started to duck his head, but then he stopped himself and looked up fully and gazed into Yong Guk's eyes.  He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, the love he was feeling while gazing at Yong Guk was overwhelming.  It was such a sweet feeling, so very powerful.
Zelo felt a powerful urge and he stepped forward quickly and wrapped his arms around a very thrilled Yong Guk.
Yong Guk immediately returned the hug, pulling Zelo closer to him.  He wrapped his arms protectively around Zelo, and then began to gently run his fingers thru Zelo's hair.  Zelo snuggled his head underneath Yong Guk's chin and closed his eyes, enjoying the hug.
Another bell dinged and the two broke apart and looked around and saw Young Jae again waving for everyone to gather around.
Chair's had been set around another table that had been brought out and Young Jae was motioning for everyone to sit at the table.
Yong Guk and Zelo went and took their seats.
DaeHyun was sitting at the head of the table looking around beaming happily at everyone as they took their seats.

“I hope everyone is enjoying themselves, at the party.  I hope you are having a lot of fun and enjoying the food.” Young Jae began as everyone settled down.

There were murmurs of approval from the crowd.

“I'm really, really, really happy that I have the opportunity to celebrate my DaeHyunnie's birthday. I am so happy that the Choi family is here and we can all enjoy this time together, it makes me very happy because I really didn't think that I would see Dae again.” Young Jae's voice cracked a bit and DaeHyun grabbed a hold of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

The yard lights dimmed and the head butler and head maid appeared from around the corner, wheeling in a large, beautiful, delicious looking cake.

They wheeled the cake next to DaeHyun and he stared in amazement.

“Wow!! This is really beautiful. I love it.” He said.

Everyone began to sing Happy Birthday, as DaeHyun looked on, grinning widely from ear to ear.
As the final notes were sung, DaeHyun closed his eyes and leaned forward and blew out the candles.  Everyone erupted into applause and DaeHyun gave a small bow.  Slices of cake were passed around and everyone sat down to eat.

Zelo and Yong Guk sat on the ground and Zelo next to Yong Guk.  He started to take a bite of the cake, but Yong Guk had took his own fork and pulled a piece of the cake off and was holding it up, waiting for him to take a bite.

Zelo blushed and opened his mouth.

“Mmmmoohhhh!” Zelo moaned, his cheeks full of the moist cake.  “This cake is really good”

Yong Guk smiled and put the plate down and then moved so that he was sitting behind Zelo, he pulled his legs apart so that Zelo was sitting in between his legs.  He pulled Zelo towards him so that the boy could lie on his chest.

“Mmmm” Zelo moaned as he leaned back onto Yong Guk's chest.

 He smiled as he felt Yong Guk's strong chest supporting him, and arms wrapping around him.  With each breath that Yong Guk took, Zelo could fell the slight rise and fall of his chest.  It was very comforting.  Zelo took Yong Guk's hand and began to trace the lines on it, he marveled at how soft Yong Guk's hand was.  He intertwined his hand into Yong Guk's and studied the interlocked mesh of fingers.  It looked so perfect.  He sat quietly, holding Yong Guk's hand in his.  His eyes were closed and there was a soft, peaceful dreamy expression on his face.  It was so perfect.

“Zelo.”

Zelo opened his eyes slightly.

“Yeah” He answered softly.

He felt Yong Guk take a really deep breath, his body lifted up and then gently settled back down.

“I want to make a promise to you.” Yong Guk said.  “I promise that I will always stay by your side.  I promise that I will always do my best to make you happy.  I promise that I won't hurt you again.  I promise that I will love you forever.”

Yong Guk pulled Zelo even closer to him and ran his hands up and down Zelo's arms, massaging them.

“I thought you said “a” promise” Zelo giggled.

Yong Guk chuckled softly “Yeah...I should have said “promises”

He turned Zelo around to face him and looked at him deep into his eyes.  He took Zelo's hand and placed it on his chest, Zelo could feel Yong Guk heart beating.  Zelo lifted his eyes and stared into Yong Guk eyes.

“I will never break those promises baby.  I love you Zelo and I will be with you forever.”  Yong Guk stared deeply into Zelo's eyes, he moved forward placing a gentle kiss on Zelo's lips.

“Gukkie” Zelo breathed happily as they parted. “I love you too”

He settled back onto Yong Guk's chest and they both enjoyed their time together silently, contented and peaceful.  Loving the moment and loving each other more and more with each passing secound.

There was an air of peace and happiness, contentment, love and total euphoria.  From that day on,  the boys had become even closer to each other and had begun to form a stronger bond with each other, even stronger than before.   All was forgiven, and it was time to move forward and not dwell on the past.  They had been thru so much and had managed to overcome all the obstacles that were put in front of them.  They were strong, their love for each other was strong and as time wore on it became stronger and stronger.

It was strong, when the boys graduated top of the class from their High School together.

It was strong, when they all went to the University together.

It was strong, when they graduated top of the class.

It was strong, when the boys began to plan for their futures together, the uncertainty of it and the unknown.

It was strong, when they boys began to take on responsibilities of their own.

It was strong, as they experienced happiness and sorrow.  Fun times and sad times.

It was strong, when the boys became mature adults and life pressed on.

It was strong, as the circle of life came to an end and they had to say goodbye to their parents.

It was strong, as time continued on for them and their hair slowly lost its color and their skin began to show signs of aging.

It was strong, when Young Jae said an emotional goodbye to DaeHyun.

It was strong, when Zelo said a tearful goodbye to Yong Guk

It was strong, when Jong Up promised to see Him Chan again.

It was strong, as the three remaining boys held on for a bit longer.

It was strong, even though their lovers were no longer there.

It was strong....until their end.

It was strong.  Until The End.

A/N:::AIGOOOOOOO!!!   This is the end!! *cries uncontrollably*  My kpopheart is just in shambles, I'm happy and sad that this fic is done.  This has been the most awesome experience and I am so proud of myself and so happy and the love is just asdtfhk;lakjgds!!!!!   The comment's really helped me to continue to write.  I found strength in your support.  Thank you to everyone who subbed, commented, read silently or even if you didn't like it!!  Thank you anyway.  I'm so happy right now and so sad!!

I do plan on going back a little later on and doing some editing in the fic and making some small changes here and there, but for the most part the fic will be the same.  Again thank you so much to everyone.  Thank you for staying with me to the end!!!! 

                      I love you guys so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!