Kihyun sits up rigidly when the door opens to Hyunwoo’s room, earning a light, teasing chuckle from the older. Hyunwoo pulls him close to his side, and Kihyun focuses on the warmth emanating off his boyfriend as he ignores the almost accusatory glare of the maid stepping into the room.

“Your parents are requesting your presence in the library, sir,” she tells him, nodding once to him and only him. Hyunwoo hums, nodding as he stands. Kihyun settles back down on the bed, getting comfortable with nothing but pillows as support, but Hyunwoo gives him a questioning glance.

“Come on,” he says simply, holding out a hand. Kihyun raises a skeptical brow, and Hyunwoo can’t help but laugh again. “They’ll have to get used to you stepping in on family meetings.” The younger purses his lips, still unsure, but he trusts Hyunwoo enough to follow him into a simple family meeting. So, he takes his boyfriend’s hand and allows himself to be pulled up and led from the room.

They descend the stairs and make their way to the study. Portraits of Hyunwoo’s family line the walls, each frame filled with important people sitting with other important people. It’d be intimidating. That is, if Kihyun weren’t used to such auspicious surroundings by now. But, he and Hyunwoo have been dating for a year now, so of course he’s gotten used to it.

Especially with Hyunwoo dropping hints about popping the big question more and more often.

They come to a stop in front of the large oak doors. The attendant swings them open, and Hyunwoo tightens his grip on Kihyun’s hand as they step into the study. His mother and father are there, each with a look of utter contempt on their faces. Her eyes, too similar to Hyunwoo’s own small ones, glare at the couple with disgust, her thin lips drawn back in a sneer. Her hair is pulled tight into a bun, only accentuating her severe cheekbones. Hyunwoo’s father, a generally muscular man with plump lips and tan skin, stands behind his wife, stoically watching the two young men walk into the study.

“We asked only for you,” he says as the doors close behind them, his powerful tone reverberating off the walls of books. Hyunwoo visibly ripples, but Kihyun only squeezes his boyfriend’s hand to keep him calm. The last thing he wants is to be the cause of another fight between Hyunwoo and his parents.

“… This could be better,” the mother comments, glancing to the man behind her with an unreadable gaze. “This way, they can both know at the same time.” Hyunwoo’s father hums, glancing between the two with an apprehensive light before nodding once.

“Very well,” he relents. Hyunwoo’s shoulders visibly relax, and Kihyun can’t help but silently agree. It seems what they have to say can’t be too serious, if they’re willing to let him hear it from them.

“You know the Chae family, yes?” his father asks, drifting to his wife’s side on silent feet. He sits down beside her on the plush loveseat, sitting perfectly straight. The woman throws her right leg over her left knee, the Prada-covered foot dangling just so. Hyunwoo nods slowly, careful to keep the confusion clear from his expression. “You’ll be marrying their daughter, Dodo, in a month’s time. We’ve discussed it with her parents, and they’re more than agreeable.”

Hyunwoo’s grip on Kihyun hand tightens, nearly making the shorter boy cry out in pain. He remains silent, however, careful not to draw attention to himself as he tries to process.

“But…” Hyunwoo says slowly, the disbelief obvious in his tone, “I’m with Kihyun. I’ve been dating Kihyun for a year. I want to marry Ki—”

“It’s been decided,” his father interrupts, holding up a silencing hand. “Now, we’ll give you a moment to say your goodbyes to one another, then you must go back to your room and get dressed. You’re meeting your fiancée in an hour.” He drops his hand then, waving off the two boys. Kihyun swallows thickly, his tongue flicking out to swipe across his bottom lip anxiously as he moves on autopilot to lead Hyunwoo from the scene.

His head spins as the attendant outside leads them towards the front door. He guesses… He guesses they’re over now. He guesses everything is over now. After all, he won’t ask Hyunwoo to give up all this for him. Kihyun glances around the house, with its high, vaulted ceilings and its spiraling staircases. His eyes shine with a watery, wistful light as he thinks of how all this would’ve been his one day, if this hadn’t have happened.

“This isn’t over,” Hyunwoo says suddenly, his usually-comforting voice tense. Kihyun can’t help but chuckle, though the sound is empty and vacant. He feels so numb inside, as if he can’t even begin to fathom what’s just happened. A year-long relationship over in a single conversation, thrown out by a third party, even.

“I knew your parents didn’t like me,” Kihyun jokes, his voice dry and rigid, “but I didn’t think it was this bad.” The butler opens the double doors leading out to the front drive, Kihyun’s motorcycle already waiting for him. Wow, they had this all planned out so well…

“I’ll sort this out,” Hyunwoo assures Kihyun, though the younger doesn’t believe it in the slightest. “I’ll make this right. I swear it, Kihyunnie, I’ll fix everything and find you.” Kihyun doesn’t say anything. He just pulls his hand free from Hyunwoo, giving him a distant smile. He takes in Hyunwoo’s appearance, his adorably small eyes, his plump lips. He memorizes his beauty and seals it away in his heart, silently vowing to never forget.

He leans up on his tiptoes, giving him a small kiss at the corner of his mouth, and then walks out the door. Hyunwoo remains on the doorstep, dumbfounded.