word count: 1,543

note: italics is the past (what happens after the first chapter), normal is the future.

one day, many years later, junhoe received a wedding invitation from kim donghyuk. he flipped the card between his fingers. it was simple, white and neat. the words were written in printed golden ink, and the sight of it made his heart pound with unspeakable feelings.

☆

donghyuk disappeared not long before the second semester. disappeared, literally. he never replied to the thousands of texts and calls coming from junhoe and the teachers never mentioned a thing about him. it was as if he had never existed and his existence was completely erased.

many times junhoe tried to go to his house but there was no one anymore, and it didn't take a long while for new comers to inhabit it.

saying junhoe was left alone would be lying, but he truly felt like he was. besides donghyuk, he had yunhyung and hanbin who were prep students, jiwon and jinhwan who were at uni but still visited often and a junior, jung chanwoo who was nice but not as nice as donghyuk.

everyday after class junhoe would still do the short countdown in his head, not just out of habit, but out of hope. he went to the library on his own but barely studied, just staring at the empty spot next to him, with donghyuk's voice echoing in head, mocking him and whining about how he was dumb for not understanding this exercise because it was so easy, ugh. junhoe also used the umbrella he had never given back. in fact, he always had it with him even when it didn't rain, just in case he would see donghyuk again. he could already picture the scene in his head. "hey, it's been a while, idiot, you could have texted. anyway, here's your umbrella." but he knew that if it happened, it wouldn't go as planned.

junhoe was a pessimistic. his mood was always gloomy, and he didn't believe in miracles. the only thing close to what you could call a miracle that ever happened to him was that one time he'd gotten an A in physics without studying. (but of course, donghyuk had gotten an A+).

donghyuk. donghyuk. donghyuk.

junhoe now understood the phrasing "never take what you have for granted", and he ing hated himself for understanding it too late. he hated himself for having hated donghyuk at first, he hated himself for rolling his eyes at each nerdy passion donghyuk found himself having, he hated himself for trying to drag donghyuk down for being at the top of their grade, and, above all, he hated himself for finding out about his own feelings too late. the people around him were all idiots, but junhoe was the biggest idiot of them all.

☆

people come and go, and each individual becomes a shadow in one's mind as they cross different paths in the end. most highschool acquaintances, friendships even, were to turn to dust at some point, or that was at least, what people said. it had been six years, yet, junhoe however, had never forgotten any of the faces he had met during his highschool years, and considered himself lucky for that. he caught himself staring at the wedding invitation in his hand too long, and he chuckled on his own before rolling his eyes. he then threw the card somewhere onto his night table and reached for his phone to make a call.

☆

junhoe's phone rang, the sound of it almost deafening to his ears as he was still half asleep. he took the call without even checking the number, which he should have had done, because he almost fell off his bed.

"donghyuk?!" he said, astonished, now fully awake.

"hey, junhoe," the voice at the other end of the line said smoothly. "i'm at incheon airport right now, and i still have a couple of hours before me so... come?"

"okay..?" junhoe replied, and donghyuk hung up.

junhoe stood there simply dumbfound. he couldn't believe donghyuk was contacting him again months after having vanished. phoning him like they had just seen eachother the day before.

without wasting any more seconds, junhoe put on some clothes and made his way outside.

☆

junhoe found donghyuk sitting alone at a table in a paris baguette inside the airport. he didn't quite recognize him at first. it had been a few months, but donghyuk's hair was now swept back and light brown. it looked good on him. 

"hey," junhoe said, uncertain, as he approached his best friend.

"junhoe!" donghyuk said, standing up. he first appeared to go in for a hug, yet ended up refraining to do so.

"it's been five months, donghyuk," junhoe said, feeling the tears tugging at the corners of his eyes already. he didn't remember being such a weak puppy before. "where were you? i don't want an apology, i want an explanation."

"junhoe, i... i'm sorry," donghyuk still apologized, looking down and biting his lower lip. he looked as if he were about to cry himself as well. "my stepdad found out about, huh, me being gay and he threw a tantrum. he cut all contacts i had and is sending me to a private school in the usa. i had to call you from a phone cabin, goddammit!"

once again for the second time of the day junhoe was standing there agape. only this time donghyuk was standing there too, in front of him, and as much as he was trying to avoid the other's gaze, junhoe couldn't help but notice a small tear pearl down his bestfriend's cheek. 

"it ," junhoe said awkwardly, yet unconsciously wiping donghyuk's tear away. "i'm sorry."

they then just stood face to face for a couple of minutes and no word was spoken.

"remember the song i wrote back then," junhoe finally said, shoving his hands in his pockets and suddenly finding the ground interesting. "honestly, i... i'd written it for you."

"i know," donghyuk just said, smiling, and god how junhoe had missed that smile.

junhoe's mind then went blank. the next thing he knew, however, was that he was capturing donghyuk's lips into his, his hands cupping the other's cheeks. the kiss was soft yet craving, craving for the time their lips had gone without ever meeting, for all those lost opportunities.

junhoe felt his heart drop when they parted and shivered at donghyuk's fingers still tangled in his hair. 

"i have to go," donghyuk breathed, smiling sadly. "better not to get caught by my stepdad, right?"

"yeah."

"well, until we meet again, junhoe," donghyuk added, before grabbing his backpack and walking away, leaving junhoe behind.

at this moment millions of thoughts exploded in junhoe's mind at once. the highlight was that he was a ing idiot and wanted to punch himself. he felt an empty spot grow inside his heart, a warning that he was missing an opportunity once again. he his heels and started running after donghyuk, who was already quite far away in the crowd.

"donghyuk!" he shouted, finally spotting the familiar figure.

"yeah?" donghyuk said, eyes widening as junhoe joined him, out of breath.

"here. your umbrella," junhoe mumbled as he handed the umbrella that had been in his possession for longer than originally intended.

"oh. thanks."

"wait, donghyuk," junhoe added quickly. "i like. hum, no. i love you. i'm ing in love with you."

and junhoe had to blink several times, not because he was overwhelmed by what he had just confessed, but because the smile that had appeared on donghyuk's face was brighter than any ing thing in the world that was considered bright, and it wasn't an exaggeration, as he liked to put it years later. 

"i love you, too," donghyuk said, reaching for junhoe's hand and squeezing it. "goodbye, junhoe."

and he left once again, and this time, junhoe was crying for real as donghyuk left him for good.

☆

junhoe dialed the number. it was faster than going into his contacts since he knew the number by heart, better than any lesson he had had to study, better than any song he had written, composed and sang before.

"hello?" said a voice at the end of the line, and junhoe smirked.

"kim donghyuk," he whispered archly, "is it a trend nowadays to send a wedding invitation to your future husband to his own house?"

"oh my god," donghyuk breathed, and junhoe could picture him facepalming himself hard. "did i? really? send an invitation to our own appartment? i'm so clumsy, i'm sorry."

"you should be careful next time," junhoe said, not helping but smiling. "you could end up sending an invitation to a serial killer's house, kim donghyuk-ssi. is this really the top student i fell in love with back in the days?"

"shut up, junhoe" donghyuk said before hanging up and leaving a dying of laughter junhoe.

he had been in love with kim donghyuk since what seemed like the dawn of times and it would keep being like this until the end of times.

☆

the wedding invitation read the following;
together with their families
kim donghyuk and koo junhoe
request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their union, 
friday, the fourteenth of may two thousand and twenty one, at five o'clock in the evening.

so that's where the journey ends, huh? *dies* finally. i can't believe what started out as a distraction to stay awake until 6am ended up as this poop, low quality writing. due to popular demand of sequel or alternate ending, i made an ALTERNATIVE ENDING SEQUEL? is this even a thing? anyways, i hope this will satisfy every one because i am satisfied. thanks for the 100+ subs you guys keep me alive !! don't forget to comment pls, and upvote if possible!! good bee!! ps: the day which junhoe and donghyuk get married is my birthday :^)! !! pps: you can ask me anything abt this on my twitter or tumblr.