Extra special thanks to American Bobtail, who sent me the absolutely breathtaking cover that is being used for this chapter. It's by STONEE and I'm in love with it. TBH, this cover was one of the things that inspired the way this chapter ends. Anyway. Here it is, the final chapter.

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Trash Soulmate (3:32 am): hey

Trash Soulmate (3:33 am): you’re incredible

Trash Soulmate (3:33 am): and you’re really smart and handsome and I don’t deserve you and I’m really really glad you gave me a second chance.

Trash Soulmate (3:35 am): I miss talking to you

Trash Soulmate (3:36 am): like actually talking. Or texting I guess. Like we did before when you were Xiumin and I wasn’t your soulmate.

Trash Soulmate (3:36 am): BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR SOULMATE I DO

Trash Soulmate (3:38 am): I just really miss you.

Trash Soulmate (3:38 am): a lot

Trash Soulmate (9:01 am): Minseok I am so sorry I went out with Junmyeon last night and I drank and I’m so so so sorry. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.

Minseok held his phone out to Yifan, his messaging app open. “What do I do Yifan?” he whined. “Do I reply? Do I ignore it? Do I call him?”

“Definitely don’t call him,” Yifan replied, frowning as he read the messages. “I’d ignore it. I mean, honestly Min. What are you hoping to get out of this?”

Minseok pouted, snatching his phone back. “You’re the one who told me to give him a chance.”

“I told you that maybe you should have a conversation with him. Not fall in love with him all over again like a .”

“But it worked out for Jongdae and Yixing.”

“Again,” Yifan rolled his eyes, “That’s not the same and you can’t use them as a comparison. Jongdae didn’t outright reject Yixing. He didn’t even know who his soulmate was. Meanwhile, Chanyeol told you to your face that he didn’t want you.”

“But he wants me now.” Minseok held out his phone again. “Look Yifan, look.” He pointed at the message in all caps. “He says he wants to be my soulmate.”

“Fine,” Yifan groaned, rubbing his forehead. “So he says he wants to be your soulmate now. That’s great Min, it really is. But it’s only been a few weeks, and you guys are barely talking again, and as much as I love you and I want you to be happy, I do not love him, and would happily watch him be miserable for the rest of his life. All right? So just, be careful, okay? Don’t jump all in again if you aren’t sure he means it.”

“Fine,” Minseok huffed, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “I’ll be careful okay. Happy?”

“As happy as I’ll get,” Yifan sighed. His own phone buzzed, and he grabbed it off the kitchen table to check it.

Tao (10:26 am): yo is your friend still being an idiot about his soulmate?

Yifan hid a grin, typing back a quick message.

Fan (10:28 am): yep. Also why are you awake. Isn’t it like one am in China?

Tao (10:32 am): something like that ;P

Yifan snorted, tucking his phone back into his pocket, quietly grateful that even in this mess, he had at least someone at his back, even if that someone was one of Yixing’s Chinese friends who he’d probably never meet. Hell, at least the guy’s blackout tattoo idea had helped Minseok.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Huh?” Yifan turned to Minseok, who was staring at him with a calculating look.

“Yifan,” Minseok began, tone dangerously sly, “who were you texting?”

“A friend,” Yifan shot back, aiming for casual but landing on uncomfortable. “You wouldn’t know him.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, his gaze appraising. “I see,” he said, and dropped it, pulling a yogurt out of the fridge and slumping at the kitchen table to eat. Yifan let out an unconscious sigh of relief, suddenly glad that Minseok now—thanks to the recent trauma he’d dealt with—had mellowed out some. There was a time in the past where Yifan was sure that Minseok would have stopped at nothing to discover who was on the receiving end of Yifan’s text, and Yifan was starting to realize that for some reason, he wanted Tao to stay his own secret for a little while longer.

Trash Soulmate (11:12 pm): Hey Minseok, I know it’s late (and sorry again about drunk texting you) but I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be in LA for a shoot next week from Monday until Thursday. If you’re willing, I’d love the chance to take you out?

Trash Soulmate (7:09 am): sorry didn’t mean to overstep just ignore me if you don’t want to see me

Minseok blinked at the bright light of his phone screen, reaching up to rub at his eyes before refocusing, barely reading the overly formal text message in favor of reading the frantic apology. For a moment, he regretted going to bed early, since it was obvious that his reply—or lack thereof—had made Chanyeol backtrack. But at the same time, going to bed before ten o’clock was a particularly glorious thing. He groaned, rolling over on his back, holding his phone above his head as he formulated a response.

Hey Chanyeol, no worries. I’d love to—no. Too eager. It’d be fun to hang out. Too juvenile. Good to hear from you. Not that either. Too formal.

Minseok shook his head, gnawing on his lower lip as he thought. He didn’t want to make Chanyeol panic more, but he didn’t want to come across too excited either. He was still on the fence about taking Chanyeol back after all, even if Yifan might disagree. He groaned, giving up and settling for simple.

Minseok (8:03 am): I was asleep. I’m free on Tuesday.

The reply was instantaneous.

Trash Soulmate (8:04 am): Awesome! (so glad you aren’t mad I was freaking myself out) see you Tuesday!

Minseok’s lip twitched into the barest hint of a smile, entertained by Chanyeol’s bare honesty. It’d been a bit of an adjustment—a thing he’d noticed about Chanyeol back when they hadn’t known each other’s identities that only became even more obvious afterward—Chanyeol’s almost tactless honesty. It was the same brutal honestly that had allowed Chanyeol to reject Minseok outright during their first conversation—his cruel analysis: that Minseok was nothing but a boring businessman in a suit, still cutting.

Trash Soulmate (8:06 am): um what do you want to do?

Minseok stared at the message, considering. What did he want to do? He didn’t really know, but he knew that he definitely didn’t want to pick. He glanced around his room, eyes lighting on a painting of moon jellyfish that Yifan had left, part of the gallery’s private collection and stashed from a previous exhibit.

Minseok (8:07 am): I like fish.

Chanyeol shifted in his chair, leg bouncing up and down so fast that even Junmyeon was beginning to shoot him dirty looks. It was 1:43 pm, and the business meeting—that Junmyeon assured him would result in another exhibition and hopefully a magazine contract—was dragging long, clock creeping ever dangerously towards 2:30, when Chanyeol had promised to pick up Minseok from LIA Gallery, a full thirty-minute drive away. He glanced down at his phone, where two tickets had just been added to his wallet.

“Mr. Park, is something distracting?” It was one of the stuffy looking men who spoke, a guy with perfectly gelled hair and a skinny dark blue tie. If Junmyeon’s panicked look was anything to go by, he was also important. Chanyeol pocketed his phone, forcefully willing his leg to stop bouncing. He shot the man a lopsided smile.

“I apologize. It went off a few times, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t an emergency.”

“Pray tell, Mr. Park, what could possible constitute as an emergency, when we are discussing you potentially very lucrative future?”

Chanyeol let his lips twist into a seemingly abashed grin. “My soulmate.” He scratched at the back of his head. “I uh, I just recently met him, and it’s been a little tough.” Chanyeol pointedly ignored that look of absolute judgement that Junmyeon shot his way. The man’s face softened.

“Soulmates are a blessing,” he allowed, his face softening the barest bit. “You are lucky to have met yours. Nevertheless, there is still a contract here that needs to be signed. Shall we continue? Without distractions this time.” He reached for the papers in front of him and Chanyeol followed suit, determined to finish as quickly as possible.

Junmyeon pulled him aside as soon as the meeting ended, all but accosting Chanyeol in the parking lot. “Your soulmate? That’s ing rich Chanyeol. What the . I get it, you don’t like business meetings. That’s fine. That’s why going to them is generally my job. But ing around on your phone? What the hell was so damn important that you’d use your soulmate—who you don’t even talk to—to cover it up?” Junmyeon snorted. “A little tough, my . What a load of bull.”

Chanyeol stepped back, gently pushing Junmyeon’s hands off his shoulders. “Look Joon, I know how it sounded, but I swear I wasn’t lying. I was really on my phone because of Minseok. I’m taking him on a date today.” He glanced down at his watch, strapped carefully over where Minseok’s name inked his wrist, trying not to let his nerves shine through. “I’m picking him up in thirty-six minutes.”

Junmyeon’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?” He grabbed Chanyeol’s shoulders again, this time in excitement. “Yeol, that’s great. He actually agreed to see you again? What are you going to do?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol replied, Junmyeon’s excitement only making him feel more anxious. “He um, he said he was free today when I asked if I could take him out, so I’m doing it. It’s a date? I think? I’m taking him to the aquarium.”

Junmyeon raised an eyebrow. “The aquarium?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol shrugged. “I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he liked fish, so I got tickets to the aquarium. And reservations at a sushi restaurant.” He groaned, burying his face in his hands. Junmyeon cautiously rubbed his back. Chanyeol moaned. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Junmyeon coughed, still rubbing at Chanyeol’s back but looking distinctly awkward. “A sushi restaurant? After the aquarium? Isn’t that, you know, kind of bad taste?”

Chanyeol wailed. “He said he liked fish!”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. When are you picking him up?”

Chanyeol pulled his wrist closer to his face, jolting upright when he read the time. “In twenty-four minutes. I’m gonna be late. Sorry Junmyeon I’ve got to dash. See you tonight!”

Minseok stared at his hands clasped together in his lap, trying not to let the awkward atmosphere get to him. Chanyeol was visibly tense. He had been ever since he had shown up at the gallery to pick Minseok up, two minutes late and panicking about it. He’d said barely a word beyond hello before hustling Minseok into the car, refusing to give Minseok a single hint about their date destination beyond a muttered, “you like fish right? You’ll like it.”

The response had been enough to keep Minseok curious the entire ride, mind running through the possibilities, trying to remember what fish-related things there were in Redwood City. He occasionally looked out the window, trying to see if he recognized anything, but the drive was far enough and Minseok was still new enough to the city that after only fifteen minutes Minseok was lost. Once he’d realized he had no idea where he was or where they were heading, Minseok allowed himself to drift, contenting himself with trying to answer the questions swirling in his mind.

Did he like Chanyeol? Did he really want to give Chanyeol a second chance? Or was he just grasping to the idea of what he’d hoped his soulmate would be? Was he stupid, to hope that he and Chanyeol could ever recover? He traced the black bar on his wrist, painfully aware of everything it symbolized. Rejection. First from Chanyeol, and then from him. Total rejection. How did soulmates come back from that?

The car jerking to a halt surprised him, jolting him from his head. Chanyeol glanced over. “We’re here,” he said. He swallowed, eyes flicking momentarily down to where Minseok’s fingers still pressed against his wrist. Something dark and alone flashed in his eyes. “I hope you like it.”

Minseok peeked out the window, staring at the building in front of him—and all concrete and glass structure with the word AQUARIUM stamped across the big windows facing the parking lot. Minseok couldn’t help himself. He snorted.

“You really took the I like fish thing seriously, didn’t you?” he asked, getting out of the car.

Chanyeol blushed a furious red. “It’s what you said. Of course I took it seriously.”

Minseok grinned, bumping up against Chanyeol as he brushed past him, headed for the front door. “It’s great. I’ve actually never been to an aquarium before, but it looks cool. I’m not obsessed with fish, but I do like them. Come on.” He jerked his head in the direction of the door, the universal ‘come hither’ sign. Chanyeol offered a small smile back, shoulders relaxing the slightest bit as he followed Minseok inside.

“So, if you don’t love fish why did you tell me that you did?”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, shooting a look at Chanyeol, who did his best to appear enraptured by the tropical fish exhibit in front of them, not meeting his eyes. “I said I liked fish, not loved them. And I do. They’re cool. Like that one.” Minseok pointed to a bright blue and yellow fish that had been darting through the coral. “That one is really pretty. They’re fun to watch. Like a screen saver.”

“A screen saver?”

Minseok nodded, puffing out his cheeks. “Yeah. Back when I worked in the office David, he was my manager, had everyone’s screen savers set to look like aquariums. It was nice. Especially when I stayed late. Everyone’s monitors had fish on them. It felt a little bit like the sea.”

“Huh.” Chanyeol scuffed at a tootsie-roll wrapper on the floor, before bending down to pick it up. “Do you miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“The office,” Chanyeol said. “Where you used to work.”

Minseok shrugged. “Kind of? I mean, David was a bit of a pain, though he was nice enough, I guess. And the work could be a lot, but I really enjoyed the regular schedule, and my pay was really good. I mean, I work with Yifan now, and the gallery is cool and it’s nice to have a bit more flexibility? But yeah, I miss it. It was a good job, and I was good at it. Business.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol replied, falling silent. He saw a trash can at the end of the hall and shuffled forward to throw the wrapper away. On his way back, Minseok noticed he was slumping more than before. In the next tank over, a crab burrowed under the sand.

“Look!” Minseok exclaimed, desperate to break the tension. “Gift shop!”

“Oh?” Chanyeol followed his finger, looking where Minseok was pointing. It was the gift shop. They’d apparently made it through the entire aquarium in the past two hours. It hadn’t felt that long. “Cool.” Chanyeol smiled. “Want to check it out?”

Minseok nodded, grateful that the subject change had worked, and thankful that Chanyeol had let it slide. He wandered through the door, hyperaware of Chanyeol just behind him, tall and broad at his back. Chanyeol let out a high-pitched squeal.

“Minseok! Look! It’s so cute.” He shoved a plushie seal into Minseok’s face.

It was a cute stuffed animal, with big shiny eyes and the softest fur. Minseok reached out to hug it, but Chanyeol refused to let go. When Minseok yanked on the plush Chanyeol jolted closer, close enough that Minseok could make out the gold flecks in his brown eyes. Minseok swallowed and let go.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

Chanyeol started shaking his head. “No no no. I’m sorry. That was all on me. Here,” he held the plush out to Minseok. “Do you want it? It’s really soft.” He shoved the plush into Minseok’s hands, before standing and all but running way—at least as much as was possible in a tiny gift shop.

Minseok turned the little seal plushie over in his hands, relishing the softness and trying to ignore Chanyeol, back to him, perusing the magnets across the room. He stood and walked over to the cashier.

“Hi.” He grinned, placing the plush on the counter. “I’d like to buy this please.”

Chanyeol ushered Minseok back into the car, eyes drifting to the gift bag that he knew held the seal plush that had caused all the awkwardness before. Why would Minseok buy it? Sure, it was cute. But it wasn’t cute enough to justify the $34 that Chanyeol knew it cost.

“So, what are we doing now? You taking me back?”

Chanyeol jerked, suddenly remembering that he was still on a date. He scratched at the back of his head. “Ah, uh, no. I mean, I can if you want to? But also, it’s almost five and I thought I could buy you dinner? If that’s okay?”

Minseok’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment Chanyeol was afraid that he would tell him to take him home. But then Minseok let out a huff and said, “Yifan isn’t home till later anyway. Let’s do dinner.”

Chanyeol grinned. “That’s awesome. Let’s go then.”

“You already have a place in mind?” Minseok looked surprised.

Chanyeol bit his lip, fiddling with his watch. “I may uh, um I may have made reservations somewhere.”

Minseok laughed. “Good thing I said yes to dinner then, yeah?”

Chanyeol nodded, not wanting to explain to Minseok how awkward it would be to call the restaurant back and cancel after he’d spent half an hour begging for a reservation the day before. He doubted Aoi, who’d eventually given him the reservation, would be forgiving.

He waited for Minseok to buckle in before leaving the parking lot, hyper focusing on the road to distract himself from the man next to him. Minseok smelled like spice, like the cardamom oil that Junmyeon sometimes used in his cooking. He’d noticed back in the gift shop, but now, sitting in the car, aware of it, the scent was even more distracting.

Twenty minutes later Chanyeol stopped the car, luckily finding street parking only a few minutes’ walk from the restaurant. Minseok perked up. “We here?” He looked across the street to where a neon sign proclaimed the city’s best hamburgers.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Almost. We have to walk a bit.”

“Ah.” Minseok unbuckled and got out of the car. “So no burgers then?”

Chanyeol nodded. “We can go next time if you want though.” Minseok hmmed, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“All right. So where are we headed? I’m starving.”

Chanyeol smiled, pointing to his left. “That way. It’s a little small, but the reviews said that it was really good.”

“Oh?” Minseok made an interested noise. “What kind of food is it?”

“Uh,” Chanyeol gnawed a bit on his lower lip. “It’s sushi.”

Minseok burst out laughing. “Sushi? For real?” He doubled over, laughing harder. “I say I like fish, so you take me to an aquarium, and then you take me to sushi, where we’re going to eat the stuff we just saw?”

Chanyeol shifted, trying not to feel stupid. “Well when you put it that way it sounds bad.”

Minseok straightened, wiping at his eyes. “Admit it Chan, it is a little bad.”

Chanyeol froze, unsure that he could trust his ears. Minseok was still laughing, little half-snort chuckles that made him look suddenly adorable and Chanyeol was paralyzed. “Did you—did you just call me Chan?”

Minseok straightened, laughter tapering off as his brow twisted in confusion. “I—yes. I think I did.” He looked up at Chanyeol, painfully unsure. Chanyeol had a sudden and overwhelming urge to hug him. When Minseok spoke again his tone was uncertain. “Is that—is that okay?”

Chanyeol was sure he was dreaming. “Minseok. . I mean yeah, yes. That’s okay.”

After that date, it was like the floodgates opened. Minseok and Chanyeol texted constantly, about dumb and scary and everything in between. They face-timed every weekend, and sometimes on weekday evenings, if one of them had a particularly bad day. Minseok could feel it—knew it was true and probably more terrifying than he would admit out loud—but he was falling in love with Chanyeol.

His soulmate. And wasn’t that a bit of a joke, because he had a soulmate but didn’t have a name anymore, that tattoo hidden under a thick bar of ink, and for the first time in his life ho thought that maybe he understood a little bit what the one bitter tattoo artist had meant when he said that Minseok would regret it.

Because he did. A little. Sure, covering Chanyeol’s name might have saved his life, and for that reason alone, even if Minseok could go back in time he would still black it out. But There was something new now, an uncomfortable, painful dynamic that Minseok noticed every time Chanyeol looked at his wrist.

They never talked about it. In a way, it was the one thing they hadn’t discussed. They’d talked about Minseok’s illness. Chanyeol’s immaturity. Minseok’s move in with Yifan. Chanyeol’s friend Junmyeon and his constant advice. But they never talked about Minseok’s own rejection, his pitch black and permanent response to the way that Chanyeol had callously ripped his heart out. Instead, Minseok did his best to wear long sleeve shirts and watches, and when he forgot, Chanyeol said nothing but stole glances, eyes drooping sad and more regretful every time.

Minseok mentioned it once to Yifan. Yifan, to his credit, only reminded Minseok that what he’d done had been necessary, even if it hurt—that Chanyeol, at least in Yifan’s opinion, could handle that little bit of pain. Then he pulled out his phone, undoubtedly texting his mystery person again. Minseok tried not to feel miffed that Yifan still hadn’t told him who it was.

It was a little over a month later when Minseok and Chanyeol met in person again. Chanyeol had texted Minseok earlier that morning, a brief message that said he was in town, did Minseok want to get lunch? Minseok replied, yes, his did, but could they meet at the restaurant? He had a job interview and wouldn’t be at LIA Gallery. Chanyeol replied it wouldn’t be a problem, and they made plans to meet up at Chachi’s, where they’d first eaten burritos, Minseok finally beginning to forgive him all those months ago.

It wasn’t until Minseok was halfway to the restaurant that he realized that he was wearing a suit for the first time since that awful day in Starbucks where Chanyeol had rejected him as boring. It sent him into a panic. Because sure, Chanyeol liked him, and they were friends, and maybe they would even be soulmates again eventually. But that didn’t mean that Chanyeol had suddenly decided that boring businessmen in suits were his type. Minseok almost turned around, tempted to tell Chanyeol that something had come up and that they’d have to skip lunch. But he couldn’t. He could picture Chanyeol’s dejected face in his mind and the thought of being the cause for it hurt worse that the memory of disgust on Chanyeol’s face that first meeting.

He walked into the restaurant with his heart hammering in his chest. He looked around, eyes finally landing on Chanyeol folded into a booth in the back corner. He was on his phone. He looked up when Minseok drew closer, mouth opening to say something, only for a strangled sound to come out.

Minseok swallowed. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t. He had to though. “Hi Chan,” he held up a hand in an uncomfortable wave. “Sorry I’m late. Interview went late.”

Chanyeol’s face twisted into a grin, his eyes flicking up and down Minseok’s body. “That’s uh, that’s fine. I um, I uh just got here. Like only ten minutes ago. I mean five. Five minutes.” He finally made eye contact, cheeks oddly flushed. “It’s fine. Want to order?”

Minseok gave him a confused look, reaching out, before thinking better of it and taking his hand away. “Sure. Let’s order.” He headed for the counter, hearing Chanyeol cough, and then scramble out of the booth behind him.

After ordering their food—a carne asada burrito for Minseok and a California burrito for Chanyeol—they slid back into the booth. Chanyeol still seemed unnaturally red.

“You okay?” Minseok asked.

Chanyeol frowned. “What?”

Minseok repeated the question. “You don’t look good. You’re kind of flushed. Are you sick?”

Chanyeol brought a hand to his face, feeling his cheeks. He shook his head. “I’m not sick. Just a little warm. It’s kind of hot in here.” Minseok nodded slowly, choosing to let the explanation rest, even though there were goosebumps on his own arms.

“How was the interview?” Chanyeol asked.

Minseok grinned, unable to stem his excitement. “It went great actually. They were really understanding about why I was fired at my last company, and apparently David gave me a really positive recommendation anyway. They were excited to meet me, and they offered me a second interview.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol replied, looking surprised. “That’s great. Do you uh, do you want to work for them?”

Minseok nodded. “It’s a great company, honestly. But more than that, I don’t want to have to keep sponging off Yifan. I’ve lived with him for free for basically a year, and he’s spent a lot of it taking care of me. I’m helping out in the gallery, yeah, but I don’t want to do that long term, and I’d like to be able to at least pay Yifan rent. Besides, I think he’s planning to go to China soon to visit Yixing and the rest of his family, and usually he stays for a few months, so the gallery will be closing down for a bit soon anyway and then I won’t have any work to do. So it’s better if I get a job. And it’s a good company with good benefits and good pay.”

“Huh,” Chanyeol took a giant bite of his burrito, chewing slowly. He swallowed, then took a few sips of his soda. “So, second interview. When is that?”

“Thursday,” Minseok replied, around a mouth full of food. “Ten am.”

“Is that when they offer you the job?”

Minseok shrugged. “I mean, kind of? Technically they’ve already offered me the job. The second interview is so I can ask any questions I have and to hash out the details like salary and hours and stuff.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol replied, sounding even more surprised. He wiped his hands on his napkin, his burrito eaten. “So when are you going to start working?”

“Not sure.” Minseok crumpled up his wrapper, stuffing it into his empty cup. “I told them I can start asap, so hopefully I’ll be working by next week or the week after.”

Chanyeol stood, gathering up his trash to throw out. “That’s exciting. Congrats. Also um, I know you only said lunch but there’s this outdoor art festival type thing happening a few blocks away and I was wonder if maybe you’d want to walk through it with me?”

Minseok paused, his own trash half picked up. “I uh, sure? That could be cool.” He looked down at his suit, stomach churning. “Do you mind if I stop by the gallery first though?”

Chanyeol frowned, looking like a sad puppy. “I mean, no. But can I ask why?”

Minseok gestured to his clothes. He offered a wry smile. “I’m a suit. I don’t think I’ll fit in with all the artists.”

Chanyeol froze, his face suddenly washing pale, his eyes panicking. “No. . I mean, you can if you want, but you can stay in the suit. Like, that would be totally okay.” He looked flush again. “You look good in it,” Chanyeol muttered.

Minseok stepped back, shell shocked.

“You think I look good?”

Chanyeol nodded.

Minseok floundered. “But you said I was boring. A guy in a suit.” Chanyeol choked, understanding dawning, and he reached out for Minseok’s arm, dropping the trash he’d been holding back onto the table.

“Look Minseok,” he said, eyes serious. “I ed up. Bad. You are the most incredible, interesting, funny, smart, clever person I have ever met. I am so so happy that you’re my soulmate. I know I messed up, and I know you aren’t mine.” His eyes flickered to Minseok’s wrist, where the black bar felt like a brand. The gaze prickled uncomfortably on Minseok’s skin. Chanyeol continued. “I’m in love with you. I think I have been for a while. And I understand if you aren’t interested in me anymore, especially not after what I did to you. But I mean it. You look good. You always look good. I love you. And your suit,” Chanyeol trailed off, biting his lip, and Minseok was afraid that he was dreaming. “Look,” he said. “I know what I said about suits and being boring and I take it back, because I haven’t been able to think straight ever since you walked in the door.”

“,” Minseok breathed. Chanyeol stared at him, eyes wide and earnest, expression begging. “.” Minseok repeated. “Just kiss me.”

And Chanyeol did. It felt like coming home.

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So there it is. The end. 

Stay tuned for the epilogue (which is coming) and the sequel (which is also coming) about everyone's favorite best bro, Yifan.

I hope you all liked it. Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end. I love you all.

xoxo,

Jay