[ C H A P T E R   S I X T E E N ]

They spent that entire night deciding on where to go instead of sleeping, and Yongsun came to a conclusion that this would be their getaway trip and an advanced honeymoon altogether — Greece, they’re going to Greece, and Yongsun might have been a little bit over the moon that entire night that she completely forgot what was happening on the Internet. 

When she told her members about it, they screamed not because they were mad at her for escaping the mess, but because it was Greece they were going to. Byul joked if she could go along as her personal camerawoman, and her two youngests tried to convinced her that they wouldn’t mind her sneaking them in her luggage as long as she brought them along. They jokingly grumbled when she said no, before insisting that she at least brought her camera with her to vlog the entire trip — she didn’t have to upload them if she doesn’t want to. Perhaps as something you can look back on later in the future, Wheein said and Yongsun  didn’t know why they were trying really hard to get her to film the trip, but that didn’t sound too bad of an idea, so she brought her vlog camera with her. 

They were actually contemplating on visiting Dubai again, this time just the two of them without cameras and a whole filming crew followed them all days, just for the sake of reliving their memories from the past again and to fulfilled their promise that they’d go back together again, but Eric insisted that they visit Dubai again together with their kids in the future. Yongsun blushed, and punched him on his arms. 

Cuddling against each other on the bed of their hotel room somewhere on the cliff of Oia, Yongsun drummed her fingers against the back of Eric’s hand as she reminisced about what they had been doing this entire trip. They took everything at their own paces, they travelled like any other tourists, played like any other best friends, and loved like any other couples. It sounded almost crazy and surreal to her, because this was what she has been dreaming about — to just live and love like anyone else without constantly minding the too many eyes around them just because they have a job in the creative field. 

Closing her eyes, she heaved a sigh. She has been too happy these entire few days during the trip that she felt guilty about being here all by herself without the girls. She knew the hate from the mess they created weren’t just directed at them, at one point these people were going to dragged her members into it as well even though it was none of their faults, but that was the funny thing about these netizens. They always had too much to say about someone else’s lives, like they owned them in some sort of ways. 

She felt a slight poke on her cheek from her side, and turned to look at Eric. 

    “Are you okay?”

    Shifting in her position, she turned so she’d be facing his side instead of laying with her back straight on the bed. “I don’t know if we’re supposed to be this happy all by ourselves… I feel guilty to everyone that I’m having fun alone.” 

Eric knew it wasn’t just her members that she was feeling bad for, it was also her fans. What Eric has learned from these several years in this industry, there weren’t entirely fans who don’t understand in the fandom. There were some who wouldn’t understand, some who would understand, some who didn’t care much about their private lives and just wanted their musics and performances, and he knew exactly which groups of fans Yongsun was worried about. She never cared about the negative opinions people tried to throw in her ways, but whenever someone vented out a really negative comment, she wasn’t the only one getting hurt. The rest of her fandom who understood and accepted her for everything would also got hurt, and knowing Yongsun, Eric knew how much her fans meant to her. They’re almost like her second family, and she’s very protective of them.

Wrapping his arm around the small of her waist, he gave her a comforting hug just so she’d be reassured that everything would be fine. Before they came here, she was the one to suggest that they completely stayed away from the Internet world for the entire trip so they didn’t have to stress over anything, but a few other nights when she thought he was asleep, Eric caught her curling into a ball with her back facing him as she scrolled through the supporting messages her fan left for her, and every time, he caught her sniffing and wiping her tear. He pretended to unconsciouly pulled her into a hug while being asleep, and she would pretended that nothing was wrong the next morning. 

    “I heard you decided to take legal actions on her without hesitating at all.” She started, her voice muffled in his chest. “Why did you do that?”

    “I told you I’d do anything to protect you, and she really crossed the line this time.” 

    She wiggled her body out of his embrace a little, so she could looked up at his face. “But, you two used to love each other once.” 

    “Used to, yeah, but when she does something like this with the intention of ruining us, it’s not love anymore, Yong. I don’t even know who she is anymore, and I don’t even want to imagine what she would do out of her ways to you, that’s why I’m taking pre-caution so you’d be safe. We could have ended on a good terms, or perhaps even stayed as friends, but she was the one who kept on turning things along the difficult path.” 

Yongsun smiled, and sighed. She wasn’t planning to initiate a heavy topic on a good day like this, so instead she rolled on her backside and took a few minutes to decided what exactly was making her a little bit too emotional about everything all of sudden — her stomach rumbled loudly, and they both stared at each other. She blushed a deep shade of red. Eric laughed and volunteered to order room service for the both of them. 

Their dinner for tonight was on the sea-facing terrace attached to their room, a table decorated in white cloth and a vase of stunning flower in the middle of it, a bottle of champagne on their side and Yongsun was genuinely surprised this time that Eric actually wanted to drink with her first. 

    “It’s a waste to not have a glass in this atmosphere.” 

He defended, and Yongsun only laughed. As the night deepened, the cold breeze of air from the sea softly blew around them, and it felt a thousand more times better than the fine restaurant they used to go to back in Korea. They had been going around visiting places and eating at restaurants for too many days, she didn’t notice how stunning the view from their room was. Sometimes, Eric would be sneaking a few pictures of her without her knowing, and a few times when she caught him, she would posed for the camera, and they would just laughed over it. 

    He raised his glass of champagne to her, the night sky and fairy lights around them looked so good on him that she was a little bit too focused on just staring at him. “To us?” 

    She smiled, and brought her own glass to clinked with his. “To our new chapter.” 

The champagne was bitter, and she cringed every time she took a sip. Eric laughed at her obvious grimaced expressions, she was never good at drinking and Eric found it amusing that she kept on trying to have some even though she really hates how it tastes like. Folding his hands on the table, he leaned in and watched her enjoying the cake they were having. Her hair flew every time the wind brushed against them, and her big grin every time she looked at him after eating a spoonful of the cake generated a thousand delight melodies and lyrics in his brain, but none he could really caught nor remembered because with Yongsun, he’d always be too distracted by her to focus on anything running through his head.  

    “Yong, I have something to tell you.” 

He spoke out of nowhere, his words slipped a little and Yongsun wasn’t sure if it’s because he was tipsy, but he sounded almost nervous to her. Raising her brows with her spoon in , she looked at him confusedly. 

    “I love you.” 

She made a face at him playfully, and told him she knew just to a little.

    “Geez, Yong. Let me finished.” He joked and she grimaced at him, but giggled anyways. The cake was too good, at this rate she might finished the whole cake by herself. “I know I say it a lot, and you’re probably tired of hearing it by now, but I love you so much that I don’t even know how it is possible. I was never the kind of person who loves a little bit too hard, cares a little bit too much, get jealous over anyone who gets a little too close with you, nor gets really protective over anything about you, but somehow you changed me for the better — I think I learned to love in a different kind of way, one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

    “I love you, and I intend on making sure you know you are loved and you are getting all the love you deserve for the rest of my life I’m going to spend with you. I can’t promise that I’ll be the perfect husband everyone would always think I would be, I might make mistakes, I might messed up a little at one point, I might make a really stupid decision, but I’ll try my best so I can be the best I can be for you.” 

Yongsun was astonished, the cake in front of her long forgotten and she didn’t know what prompted him into saying all of this. He puts into words perfectly what she has been feeling about him, and she was glad to know he shared the feeling as hers. 

Suddenly, he’s on one knee and he pulled out a ring from his pocket. It all happened so fast that she barely registered what was happening, Yongsun almost spit the champagne she was drinking as she watched him completely stunned and bewildered, and perhaps too happy for words. 

    “Will you marry me?” 

She laughed, but then felt something dripping down her cheeks and she didn’t know nor really care if she was a mess right now. 

    In a small whisper in between her attempt to not straight up bawl at his surprised proposal, she said, “I thought I already gave you an answer that night?” 

    He laughed. “I know, I just want to give you a proper proposal — to be very honest, that previous one was a little bit disappointing.” 

She laughed, and threw herself into his arms all too quickly that he almost stumbled backwards a little. Eric wrapped his arms around her waist, she smelled of her favorite peony and blush suede perfume, the scene that would always made him feel a sense of comfort and giddiness whenever she swiftly brushed against him.

    With a little grin on his face, he asked again, “So… are you going to marry me?” 

Yongsun giggles, and holds out her hand for him. The proposal that night felt surreal, but he had to take this one to another level that if she was a little more tipsy than this, she would have thought it was the alcohol brainwashing her into imagining things again. But she’s sober, still very sober and this really happened — throwing her arms around his neck, she leaned in for his lips. A rush of all the happiness and butterflies she could ever felt rushed inside of her. The bitter taste of champagne and her newfound favorite chocolate flavor of the cake she was eating linger in his mouth, the slightest bits of stubble on his face gently rubbed against her skin, and Yongsun giggled, it was ticklish and he should have ate a bit more of the cake, because she could tasted too much champagne for her own liking from him, but she didn’t care at all. 

She ate enough cake for the both of them.

Yongsun could have sworn her heart beats a range faster than usual when they pulled apart, she bit her own lips a little and broke into another fit of giggles that made him followed along. She was delirious, not from the alcohol this time, but from all the giddiness swarming inside of her. 

God, she loves him. 

    “I can’t believe you really went out of your way and gave me three real proposals.” 

    “Hey, I was gonna stop at two but you’re the one who told me that was a little bit disappointing than the virtual one I did.”

    She huffs, her brows slightly raises and she whines. “I was only joking, who would have expected you would actually prepare another proposal?” 

Eric laughs, and this time he gives her a quick kiss on her lips. He loves teasing her until she gets really whiny about it, he feels bad, but it wasn’t his fault she had to be too cute whenever she whines. 

    “I know, I just really wanted to give you a proper one.” Giving her another mischievous grin, he continues. “So later on, you won’t be able to complain that my actual proposal compared to the one we did on a show.” 

Yongsun whines and punches him on his arm, too hard this time that he yelps out loud, but that's what he deserves.