A/N: Sorry guys, I marked it complete by mistake. This story is not ending anytime soon, sorry about that.

It was like rainfall after drought. His lips were soft, wet, and warm, even more so than he remembered.

Holding him in place by the arms, he flicked his tongue in between his lips, biting down a little. A low moan escaped as Sungjong opened his mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss. By now, the soft, light kiss had turned heated.

Myungsoo’s hands left his arm to twist in his hair, fingers dragging along his scalp. The kiss was firm and frenzied, and he was in control. After a few more moans have elapsed, they parted for air. Sungjong raised his hand to wipe his mouth but he was not done.

Gripping him by his collar, he half dragged Sungjong to the sofa set, giving him a push that sent him falling down on the sofa on his back. Myungsoo leaned down, hovering over him as he took in long, dragging breaths.

“I love you,” he said, his voice husky, caressing Sungjong’s cheek.

Sungjong didn’t know how this happened – only a minute ago, they were both in tears, and now....his face burned, but he was unable to look away.

“I love you too,” he replied, his breathing erratic.

Myungsoo’s face shone pale with bliss, like an evening star in a navy sky. Sungjong was moved to a strange exhilaration as he cupped his cheeks in his hands, pulling his face towards him so that their lips met again. Once again Myungsoo wasted no time in accessing Sungjong’s mouth and exploring it, their tongues dancing against each other in harmony.

Sungjong could taste the remnant of coffee as he closed his eyes in pleasure. He didn’t open them even when Myungsoo bit down on his lips quite hard. He was afraid that if he opened his eyes, the man he loved would disappear and this would just be a wonderful dream.

But Myungsoo felt so real, his arms were around him, and then his fingers skipped to his head and tightened in his hair.

This is not one of my dreams…

Then the kisses became hot, swift, and impatient. Feeling the heat, Myungsoo took off his jacket and tie, while Sungjong wriggled out of his coat. They went at it for what seemed like ages, or maybe just minutes; time made no sense at all. Finally, Myungsoo sat back, his chest heaving and his eyes glinting.

Sungjong propped himself up on his elbows, watching Myungsoo, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off him. His gaze was piercing, like he could see through his soul. It took little imagination to decide where this was headed. The thoughts running though his mind right now were frantic and wild - most of them didn’t make sense. He was embarrassed to think that the elder could read those thoughts, know what it was like in his heart.

“Should-should we talk about this?” he asked tentatively. He actually had no idea what he was talking about – his mind was a mush. He only knew he needed to breathe, to stop for a moment before his heart gave out. Dropping his eyes to Myungsoo’s torso, he waited as his chest rose and fell sharply, his palpitations calming down.  

“We’re getting married in less than two weeks and you’re shy?” Myungsoo asked incredulously.

It sent a jolt up Sungjong’s spine. Right now, the elder was probably just teasing him but his body reacted violently, his heart speeding up.

Without warning, Myungsoo latched his lips onto his lower jaw. His breath caught in his throat and he remembered how he used to go around telling everyone that he was proud of his jawline, that it was his best feature. Now Myungsoo’s kiss at the exact same spot brought a deep blush to his cheeks, but the elder was too busy to notice. He had started on the skin; it felt oddly ticklish and he let out a giggle, followed by a yelp and a moan as Myungsoo’s teeth scratched his skin.

Myungsoo dragged his tongue down his neck, causing him to turn his head sideways as his breathing hitched. The elder continued to bite and on the skin along his neck, no doubt leaving marks. A part of him thought that he might be doing it intentionally, so that next morning he didn’t wake up and wave it off as a dream. This way, he would have solid proof of what had happened, marks that would tie them together.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Sungjong panted, trying to catch his breath while the elder did the same.

“Feels like a dream, pretty much,” he replied, caressing his cheek gently with the back of his hand. “If someone had told me I’ll be getting married to you…” He shook his head, smiling more to himself.

Sungjong gulped, suddenly remembering Jiyeon’s previous outburst at the office. There was no way it had been a mutual break-up. Wasn’t it cruel of the elder to just cast her away? He felt conflicted – he wanted this, he wanted to be with Myungsoo but at the same time, how could he not feel any sympathy for Jiyeon? He could have been in her place. In fact, he would have been in her place, watching her lover getting married to someone else.

“What is it?” The sign of his worry must have showed on his face, if he were to go by Myungsoo’s concerned voice.

“Just…I’m worried about Miss Jiyeon. It’s not fair on her…” he mumbled, almost apologetically. The elder placed a hand on top of his.

“Don’t worry about her. She – she will get over it.” His voice trembled but he looked otherwise determined.

“But-”

“We were not in love, not really. It was more of a pretense for the public, and ourselves. We never talked about it but we both had this understanding…I guess.” Myungsoo cupped his head in his hands. It was probably difficult for him to talk about his faux relationship. To tell the truth, Sungjong wasn’t that surprised. He had seen the couple before, arm in arm, but he hadn’t felt the warmth or radiance a young couple like them should have given off. He had wondered, but at that state of mind, he had been ready to believe the worst – that the two had been in love. However, that didn’t mean Jiyeon would be any less humiliated. She had been stripped of her dream wedding; she couldn’t be alright.

“Please don’t think about, please. I’ll make it up to her in any way I can help, I promise,” the elder pleaded. He believed him; Myungsoo wasn’t as cruel as he seemed. He just hoped there was some way he could make it up to her or else he would spend the rest of his life feeling guilty.

I’m sure he doesn’t want the burden either.

The elder looked miserable, the corners of his eyes turned down. He was biting his lips, a wrinkle between his eyebrows.

“Anyway, where were we?” he purred shyly, hoping to distract him from the sadness he had brought upon. He hoped it was y, the way he enunciated the words. Until now, he had only shown his weak and worst side to him; this time, he hoped to offer something more presentable.

There was a time when he had thought he was y, he believed it from the bottom of his heart because that was what people told him, right and left. Even strangers were left gaping when he walked down the street, undulating his hips to a rhythm that was only in his head. He had known at what angle to stick his hips out, how to notch down his voice to the right volume and bite on his lips at the right moment. But those days were gone – he hadn’t attempted anything like that in ages. He might not have it in him anymore even.

Was he being pathetic? Was he being superfluous? Well, he was definitely turning Myungsoo off, by the smile on his face. It looked more adoring than .

He was about to say something when his phone bleeped loudly. With a look of utmost disgust, he fished his phone out of his pocket, checking the screen. Heaving a deep sigh, he looked up, his eyes already apologizing.

“It’s the CEO, he wants to see me.”

“Now?” He stretched his neck to loom at the time on Myungsoo’s phone – it was 7 pm already.  He looked up to see a sudden greyness in his animated eyes. He was probably worried. Was it because the CEO was against their marriage?

Myungsoo had probably noticed the question in his eyes. His shoulders relaxed and he said with a small smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I have a lot to do about the wedding so I guess I’ll be busy. And you should start preparing for moving out.” He waved his hand at the room.

Sungjong about to ask why he would need to move out when Myungsoo got to his feet, ready to leave, kissing him lightly on the lips. Then, frowning, he went back for another kiss, and he kept that up, kissing him over and over again. Sungjong would have loved for him to continue, but he was feeling weary. The day had been anything but quiet and he was worn out, both physically and emotionally. Besides, the elder needed to go see the CEO. He stopped Myungsoo, forcefully pushing him away; then got up from the sofa, feeling wobbly on his feet.

Damn Myungsoo, making my legs go all jelly-like. I’m 23, for God’s sake, not some teenager!

“Good night,” he said softly, smiling at his to-be husband.

My what?

“Night,” the elder replied, sending a flying kiss his way, making his already weak knees weaker as he tried to wrap his head around the unbelievable truth.

---

There hadn’t been a lot of times when the CEO had surprised Myungsoo. The middle-aged man was predictable, as competitive and money-hungry as any other businessman out there. But today, today the man had showed how less he knew the chief editor of his company.

Having already informed the CEO about his wedding to Sungjong, Myungsoo had thought that there was nothing else to talk about to the man. So he was confused when the CEO had asked him to visit him at his place without delay.

To be honest, Myungsoo was anxious – not because he was worried that his career would come down crashing or anything like that, he was worried about Sungjong. Since the CEO now knew about the younger’s identity, the possibilities were a little too disturbing for him to consider.

To his surprise, he found Sunggyu at the CEO’s place when he arrived. Judging by the numerous cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of him, he had been there for a while.

So they were planning something together, he mused, having a bad feeling about it.

The CEO, while selfish and greedy, wasn’t a mastermind. That was not what he could say about Sunggyu though – time and again, he had proved be an asset for the company, simply because of the brilliance of his strategies. Of course these strategies had all been to the benefit of the company, but given the situations, Myungsoo wondered what Sunggyu might do to protect the company and keep him away from Sungjong.

“Myungsoo, I have called you here to discuss something important,” the CEO started gravely, pouring himself a drink. Sunggyu was laid back on the sofa, legs crossed, a distasteful expression on his lips.

“You probably don’t understand how stupid it is, whatever you’re doing…but listen to my offer, listen closely. Chief Editor of Star Magazine until you decide to retire, $50 million extra every year above your salary, a new Maserati, and $500 million when you finally retire – you get all that for calling off this-this nonsense and continuing your wedding with Jiyeon.”

Myungsoo’s mouth fell open – that was the most extravagant offer he had heard the CEO make, or anyone for that matter. It sounded ridiculous! How was him marrying Jiyeon so important that the CEO was willing to spend so much to bribe him? He turned his head towards Sunggyu – he had a sly expression on his face, his eyes narrowed and unblinking. His body was leaned forward, as if he was anticipating the answer. It was a bait; he had used the CEO to drop the bait into the water, now he was waiting to watch if he swallowed it.

Sending him a glare, he turned back to the CEO. The man had a bird beak shaped nose and thin lips – he had never thought he was ugly but today, under the light of the chandelier, the greedy expression on his face looked absolutely revolting.

It took him all his willpower not to sneer at the man. Tightening his expression, he announced firmly, “Sajangnim, I made it very clear that this is not up for bargain. I’m not trying to increase my price or anything like that. And it might come as a surprise to you, but money can’t buy everything, certainly not me.”

The CEO’s eyes flashed with unrestrained anger and he glared at Sunggyu, who had snorted when Myungsoo had answered. There was an almost victorious expression on his face. Myungsoo was genuinely puzzled – what did Sunggyu actually want? There was no doubt he cared about the company but it seemed he wasn’t completely against bribing him to marry Jiyeon instead of Sungjong. And yet, it was well-known that he had no patience for the CEO, whom he had called greedy and selfish on many occasions without restraint.

Whose side are you on?

“You do realize if I fire you right now-”

“I will gladly resign,” he stated coolly. He wasn’t afraid of this – when he had made his decision, he had been prepared for this. Star Magazine might be his dreamchild but he was willing to give it up for Sungjong, without regrets.

The man visibly broke down, cradling his temple in his hands, his shoulders drooping. When the CEO didn’t speak for a long time, Sunggyu drawled, “Sir, I suggest ending this. Myungsoo here has obviously been taken in by the young man at his office; he wouldn’t listen to reason.”

“Fine, do whatever you want,” the CEO snapped, looking up at him. “But if something happens to the company…” he ended in a warning note.

Myungsoo got to his feet, deciding the meeting was over. He was glad that he could keep his job – he hadn’t hoped for as much. He had been prepared for a dismissal, but maybe the CEO was weaker than he looked.

To his surprise, Sunggyu got up as well. They both bowed to the CEO, who waved a dismissive hand at them. The two boarded the lift together, Myungsoo not acknowledging the others presence. He had counted on Sunggyu to be his friend, to be there when he needed him. But it turned out that he cared more about the company than him.

“That old hag,” Sunggyu muttered, loud enough for Myungsoo to hear. He didn’t reply and when they reached the ground floor, he walked out of the lift quickly.

“Myungsoo wait,” Sunggyu called. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t support your decision but…you’re right. I’m sorry. I hope nothing has changed between us. I told the CEO that you’d never listen to his proposal but he insisted. He expected me to convince you but…I know you’ve made up your mind. I’m sorry, once again. You deserve happiness and if you think Sungjong is how you’re going to get it, then I’ll support you.”

To say he was shocked was an understatement. He hadn’t expected Sunggyu to finally realize that this was what he wanted and to support him – the man had seemed determined to do anything to put an end to the wedding that would apparently put their company in danger. But maybe, he had thought the very same thing Myungsoo had – they had been friends for too long and it suited them ill to fight.

“I mean it when I say I’m sorry. I just want to see you happy.” Sunggyu extended his hand forward. On the inside, Myungsoo had actually been disappointed by his friend’s behavior, so he was glad that he was making amends. Nodding at him, he shook his hand. Sunggyu finally smiled at him.

“I wish you all the best,” he said, smiling at him. “I will inform the PR team then, about the wedding?”

It seemed like Sunggyu was taking charge again; even if he couldn’t be his best man, at least he could help him clean up the mess and do it a bit more sensitively than he would have done.

“Thanks,” Myungsoo replied gratefully. “And can you send a copy of the invitation to my brother in California?”

Munsoo had still not been informed about the change in arrangements. Truthfully, Myungsoo was feeling apprehensive about telling his brother about him and Sungjong. True, he had been the one who had pushed him to finally confess, but he couldn’t bring himself to break the news to him, not when he knew how he felt about Sungjong. Maybe if he got the card before he spoke to him, he would be a bit more prepared.

I don’t want to catch him off-guard.

Thinking about Munsoo brought him to his next predicament – his parents. They had to be informed as well, even though he already knew their reactions. He would be lucky if his mother threw a smaller tantrum than Jiyeon. She would be furious and would do anything to convince him to not marry Sungjong, but of course, it wasn’t something his mother could do easily.

The next morning, the news broke in the fashion tabloids – Kim Myungsoo was getting married to his assistant PA. Speculations ran wild, some people even bringing up ridiculous things such as love potions. As expected, reporters had flocked to Star Magazine to talk to Sungjong, whom he had briefed on not to talk to anyone. Sungjong had seemed terrified when he had heard that he might be hunted down by reporters. He felt sorry for him – he hadn’t wanted to be under limelight in this way.

What’s done is done…

During lunch, he left for his parents’ house. Sungjong had yet to inform his parents and he seemed terrified by the idea, but Myungsoo had to set an example.

His parents were surprisingly oblivious to what was going on. When he asked them if they'd heard the news, they blinked blankly. His mother quickly asked if Jiyeon was alright. Sighing, he sat down on the couch - it was going to be a long conversation, or short, depending on how his mother reacted.

“Sit down, mom,” he said. His father was already seated on his favorite armchair beside the bookshelf. He liked to read. After he had retired from his job, he had dedicated his time to gathering a huge collection of books. Strangely, none of his sons had gotten the habit. Myungsoo’s hobby from a very young age had been photography and while he had studied well, he hadn’t read anything that hadn’t been required by his coursework. He had always preferred pictures to words – exactly the opposite of his dad – a reason why they had never had the type of connection fathers and sons usually had. Munsoo was the same. Even if he felt disappointed, his father didn’t show any of it. He was content being in his own world with his books.

Myungsoo had a strange relationship with his father. He had always seen the man through a veil that was his mother. As far as he remembered, the man, who resembled him so much, had never expressed an opinion different from his mother’s. Maybe that was why the couple had never argued – whatever his mom said was final. But that also meant that if the brothers had felt wronged by their mother’s decision, they had no one to appeal to. Whether their parents just mutually agreed on everything or his father never voiced his opinion so as not to bring about confrontation - he didn’t know. But he did know that growing up, he would have liked a second set of opinion, to know that his mother wasn’t the only voice of reason.

“The wedding - there are a few changes,” he said, mainly addressing his mother because his father would agree with her anyway.

“What changes?” she asked, narrowing her eyes, her hands clasping the arms of the chair.

It was actually nerve-wracking, no matter how determined he was. He knew what his mother’s reaction would be and he wasn’t looking forward to fighting her.

But it had to be done. The sooner he got this over with, the better. The worst thing about fighting with family members was that he would actually miss them. He quite often gave his parents the silent treatment when they did something to annoy him; he had reserved the same for Munsoo right after the incident, eight years ago, but it had hurt. They were a family, no matter how dysfunctional, and it hurt if he cut off contact. However, in this situation, there was nothing he could do about it, not really.

Taking a deep breath, he announced, “I’m not marrying Jiyeon.” He saw a confused look pass between his parents.

“What do you mean?” his mother asked urgently. She looked puzzled, as if she was hoping that she had heard him wrong.

There was no point beating around the bush so he cleared his throat, “I’m going to marry Sungjong. Yes, the same Lee Sungjong, Munsoo’s friend from middle school.”

His mother was familiar with Sungjong, having met him recently, but it had been quite some time since his father had heard of him. He chanced a look at him - he looked bewildered.
The expression on his mother's face was the scary part - he knew very well that if he had been a teenager, she would have slapped him. But she couldn’t do that to her grown up son so she stared at him, her eyes dancing with a dozen distasteful emotions - rage, craze, disgust...

“Before you try to convince me or threaten me, let me very clear,” he pushed on before his mother’s voice buried his, “I’m going to marry Sungjong, with or without your blessing. I love him. He loves me. Please don’t try to question our feelings.” His mother’s breathing had quickened, he could see her chest rise and fall visibly, her cheeks turning redder by the second. It wouldn’t be long now until she lashed out. “I’m very sure about this I would never make a rash decision, you know me,” he paused as his mother’s nostrils flare and she clenched her teeth. It was a sign she was ready to burst out but he wanted to avoid that.

Dropping an envelope that carried the new invitation card he had had reprinted on the coffee table, he rose from his seat, ready to leave. “I love him and if you love me, then you’ll respect my decision. I’m not asking you to love Sungjong, although as my life partner and someone who makes my life complete, you should. I just want you to respect him, that’s all,” he pleaded, desperately hoping he could soften his mother’s heart. After all, he was her son – if she saw how sincere he was, would she still be able to be mad with him? “I’m sorry if I disappointed you.” He looked into her eyes but all he saw there was hatred, hatred and devastation in the two hot black coals that were her eyes, ready to attack.

“You're my family and I want you to be there on the happiest day of my life.” he finished calmly, knowing he had not been able to win the war. He glanced at his father pleadingly, but his eyes were glued to his wife, who was now shaking.

“That that boy, no that monster...what has he done to you?” she growled, her voice shaking as much as her body. “I have lost my son to that devil!”

Sighing, Myungsoo passed his hand over his eyes. He had hoped to appeal to his mother’s soft side but by the looks of it, she had no such thing. Till the end, she would go on attacking Sungjong. He couldn’t have that – he couldn’t let Sungjong be treated that way.

“Minah, don't, think about your health,” his father said weakly, trying to rub her arm but she jerked his hand away, getting to her feet angrily.

“That monster, that filthy monster...”

Myungsoo closed his eyes, trying to breathe evenly. He could feel his temperature rise.

“He got him! Can’t you see he got him too! He got my poor Munsoo and now Myungsoo...that witch won’t stop until he destroys my family!”

“I’m not going to stand here, listen to you insult my fiancé,” Myungsoo stated firmly. He had expected this but that didn’t make anything better. He had wanted to avoid this.

“Can’t you see, you’re under a spell,” she screeched, spit flying from . There was a manic look in her eyes as she held onto the front of his jacket, shaking him vehemently. “He’s a monster, he’s a monster who sleeps around for money and-”

“That’s enough I’m leaving.” He freed himself from her clutches and walked out of the apartment. His mother’s evil words rang in his ears, making his blood boil. Couldn’t she see how happy Sungjong made him? Did she even care about his happiness?

When he had reached the ground floor, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. He turned around to find his father, out of breath.

“Myungsoo, wait,” he panted, having followed him down the stairs.

“Your mom, you have to understand her side…it was a huge shock for her.”

Great, he’s here on behalf of mom.

Out loud, he said, “Fine, I’ll forgive her if she apologises to Sungjong. I’m ready to give you a chance but you cannot treat the person I love like this.”

“Son, we love you.”

“Then why can’t you accept who I love?”

“I do,” he replied quietly, looking down.

Myungsoo thought he must have misheard him.

“What?”

His father blinked, heaving a big sigh. Taking him by the arm, his father said softly, “Myungsoo, one day, when you were 20, I saw true happiness in your eyes. I saw the way you looked at Sungjong - it was the way I look at your mom. I saw you that day and I knew you’d fallen in love, in the worst possible way, because there’s no backing out of that kind of love.”

He listened in utter shock. He had never thought his father had actually noticed. His father had always been a shadow of his mother; he had no individual identity. It was strange to hear that he had seen, no, observed him with Sungjong, let alone remembered something from such a long time. He inspected his father closely – he hadn’t changed much throughout the years. More of his hair had turned grey and the wrinkles had deepened on his forehead, but he had never heard the man share something so intimate. It was the first time he heard his father speaking to him and not hearing his mother’s voice from the shadows.

“I don’t understand how two men can get married to be honest,” he admitted, shaking his head. “But I know how much you love him and how happy you will be. I can only hope he loves you the same. Because your mom made me a happy man, I want the same happiness for you.  I wish you two the best.”

“Dad…” he didn’t know what to say. He felt a lump in his throat. His father had actual feelings and opinions, separate from his mother’s, and yet he chose to live in her shadow. He didn’t know whether to be impressed or irritated. “I know you love mom but what she’s doing is not right. You can’t insult Sungjong just because she does.”

“I’d never,” he replied earnestly.

“Then tell her, tell her how you feel, tell her you’re okay with this. You’ve kept silent all these years for mom’s sake but can’t you do this one thing for your son’s sake? Do I mean anything to you?”

He could see the struggle in his eyes as he tried to decide. Finally, he nodded slowly.

“I will try my best.”

“Thank you, dad.” Giving him a quick, one-armed hug, his father started up the stairs, leaving Myungsoo with the slightest ray of hope.