So…. This is it! This is the end of twenty years, and this is all it’s going to be. I have included a little epilogue at the end *giggles* I hope you guys love it. I apologize I totally at updating, I can even go for a couple weeks without any update and you guys are all still here *huggssssss* I am really sorry for not replying to your comments, I read them all and I loved them all and I did not miss or skip any comment from you guys and I feel so loved *criesss*

I included a few details from previous chapters, hopefully it’s not too confusing and the ending isn’t too bad. As always comments are super loved <3333

28 years old, Reunion

Doojoon stood nervously in front of the full-body mirror in his hotel suite, checking the lapels of his perfectly pressed dark navy jacket, fiddling with his perfectly styled black hair and sideburns, inspecting the length of his perfectly cut and fitted black jeans, brushing the imaginary dirt on his perfectly clean and ironed white V-neck tee shirt.

He gave a quick glance to the VIP invitation on his bed, an excited shiver running down his spine. He was as anxious as a kid on his first day at a new school, his stomach squelched as a greasy sensation swirled around but he smiled at his reflection on the mirror nonetheless. It was all good, it was beyond good, the sensations were a reminder of his unchanging affection and love for Yoseob.

Finally he was going to meet Yoseob and Doojoon grinned in pure happiness.

This would be the first in three years that Doojoon would meet face to face with Yoseob. After the younger man left for Paris three years ago, of course they stayed in touch – they were best friends after all – but it was never intense. Yoseob kept enough contact with Doojoon – hand-written letters and random doodles and souvenirs from Yoseob’s traveling delivered by Mister Postman, emails and Kakao chats and twits, phone calls and occasional video calls – but none of them was ever intense enough, at least for Doojoon they were not. They were still best friends, always best of friends, but Doojoon wanted more and he knew Yoseob wanted more too, it was just not the right time yet.

Doojoon knew how important this scholarship was for Yoseob – although Junhyung begged to differ, Doojoon knew that deep down, Yoseob wanted this opportunity – and he respected the younger man’s decision, he would never want to mess anything up anymore. He respected the space Yoseob had established between the both of them, he understood Yoseob would need some time to heal, to break away from all of the madness and heartaches and sorrow which Doojoon had selfishly inflicted upon him. All that he could do was to stay by Yoseob’s side and be his pillar of support and be with him every single time he needed company and someone to talk to and when he missed home and when he hated the cold sandwich and wanted some hot kimchi jigae pots. 

Doojoon knew that when the time was right, they would once again be together. And this time it would be for eternity because Doojoon would make everything right and never let Yoseob go.

The VIP invitation came a week ago, Doojoon had expected it – had heard about it from Junhyung and phone calls from Yoseob – but when the real invitation came to his doorstep through a very important courier named Yong Junhyung, he could not help but feel extremely ecstatic. After the whole fiasco with Junhyung three years ago, they had become much closer, he was a fantastic man and Doojoon held such a high opinion of the younger man.

Sometimes, Doojoon would get more information of Yoseob from Junhyung and Doojoon was incredibly thankful of the slight information Junhyung had divulged because as insignificant as these details were, they convinced Doojoon that Yoseob would always love him no matter what happened. Doojoon was aware that Junhyung was doing this on purpose and he could not blame Yoseob and Hyunseung for loving the man, because really, Doojoon was starting to treasure him deeply.

Upon receiving the invitation for Yoseob’s private viewing in Paris, Doojoon wasted no time to arrange his trip as soon as possible. The invitation was Yoseob’s way of telling Doojoon that the younger man was ready to meet, ready to make amends, maybe ready to take the relationship further. Whatever it was, Doojoon knew this was the opportunity he had been waiting for the past three years and he would never waste any of it.

Doojoon glanced at his expensive watch and sighed in nervousness as he checked his reflection in the mirror one last time before walking out of the bedroom of his hotel suite. He strolled across the grand lobby and entered the back seat of a black Audi he had rented during his stay in Paris. It was a wet and cold night, the drizzle had not subsided but the roadside was bustling with people from all walks of life. Lights were pouring from the streetlights, the road shops, the tall buildings, the random LED decoration lights wound around a tree and over its branches – illuminating the city with a soft glow in its wake.

Once again, Doojoon’s mind drifted to Yoseob and nervousness creeping back up his spine. He was so caught up in his own world, he did not realize he had arrived at the exhibition place until the chauffer opened up the door for him to step out. Doojoon took a deep breath and stepped out to the pavement in front of a spacious brick-covered one-storey gallery, he brushed away a few drops of rain from his jacket for before walking to the front door and into the large entrance hall of the gallery. He walked down the short hall and was greeted by a closed double door and a friendly slender woman clad in a perfectly fitted little black dress with a perfectly set chignon at the back of her head.

“May I help you, Sir?” She greeted in perfect English, stunning Doojoon in his spot. After a slight pause, she seemed to recognize the shock in Doojoon’s face as she quickly conversed in perfect Korean, “May I help you, Sir? Are you here for Yang Yoseob’s private viewing?” Doojoon stuttered as he opened his mouth, “Ah, y – yes – yes I am.”

The woman smiled and stretched out her hand politely, “May I have your invitation, please, Sir?” Doojoon awkwardly handed her the invitation as she looked over it for a moment and smiled at him, “Ah, Yoon Doojoon-sshi, welcome. Yoseob-sshi is waiting for you,” her smile widened and her eyes twinkled, “Please come in and have a good evening.”

She opened up the double doors to reveal a room full of rows of cream colored walls and framed pictures of all sizes with soft yellow lights casting on all the right places. There were not many people inside, the size of the crowd was comfortable, it was perfect for a private viewing. Doojoon could not help but get mesmerized by the whole scene. He walked down the aisles of pictures, the framed fractions of Yoseob’s life that Doojoon had missed, that he wanted to know. Upon seeing the pictures, Doojoon realized that Yoseob had grown immensely, the quality of his pictures had improved tremendously; he was catching the right emotion, the right facial expression, the right lighting, the right atmosphere. He captured all of the right pictures through his lenses.

A familiar arm unexpectedly slung over Doojoon’s shoulder and he jumped slightly from the shock to see a grinning Junhyung. “So you have arrived. What do you think?”

Doojoon smiled in relief upon seeing a familiar face, “I have no idea how wide your connections are, but this is absolutely perfect.” Junhyung chuckled at the comment, “When you are in my field, connections run far from just Korea and Asia. I’m just happy I can get this private viewing together for Yoseob. “He shrugged nonchalantly, but the conceited grin on his face betrayed the action and Doojoon realized how powerful this man in front of him was.

“Where’s Yoseob?” Doojoon absentmindedly blurted out the question that had been burning in his throat.

Junhyung chuckled loudly and tightened his hold on Doojoon’s shoulder, “He’s here… somewhere… Anyways, let me show you something. Come on.” He ushered the older man to another part of the gallery that Doojoon had not visited yet.

It was a smaller room at the corner of the spacious gallery, separated by two standing signs which read ‘Private Collection’ in English. Doojoon frowned as he entered the smaller room, “Yah, Junhyungah, what does the sign mean?”

Junhyung swiftly turned Doojoon to the left to reach the back of the small room as he answered, “It means that the collections in this section are not for sale, they are Yoseob’s precious possessions and are only meant to be showcased but not sold.”

Doojoon was busy scanning through the private collections – some of them were pictures that Doojoon recognized, Yoseob’s family, his old home, the hill behind their school, the lake – and Doojoon could not help but smile at the familiarity.

“We’re here.” Junhyung announced with a satisfied sigh and a wide grin. 

And Doojoon was extremely taken aback at the life-sized framed picture on the wall in front of him. It was him. It was Doojoon in his sweatpants and blue long-sleeved soccer jersey. He was in the position of kicking a ball, his hands in mid air, his back facing Yoseob. It was the first picture Yoseob had taken with the cheap archaic camera in the middle of Doojoon’s soccer camp when they were seventeen. Doojoon read the small plate at the side of the picture.

Yoon Doojoon.

Best Friend.

First Picture.

Everything rushed back to Doojoon as memories flooded his brain, the first meeting with Yoseob’s hand in his when they were eight, the way Yoseob giggled and smiled at him when he was happy, they way Yoseob pouted and glared at him when he was angry, the way Yoseob blushed when he was embarrassed, the way Yoseob kicked and hit him when he was irritated, the way Yoseob’s smile faltered when he was tired, the way Yoseob cried when he was heartbroken, the way Yoseob chocked when Doojoon hugged him too tight, the way Yoseob responded when Doojoon kissed him, the way Yoseob called Doojoon’s name when they made love,  the way Yoseob filled his life.

Doojoon remembered the way Yoseob loved him. 

He did not even realize when Junhyung had gone and a new person had been standing on his left for the past five minutes.

“You don’t look so good, Doojoonah.”

Doojoon’s breath caught in his lungs, he stayed still, very still, for a few moments after hearing the voice he yearned to hear, the mischievous giggle he would die to hear again, the voice of the siren who had taken his whole being.

“Yoseob…”

Yoseob chuckled, “Yah, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost. Are you jet lagged?”

Doojoon swallowed thickly and turned his head towards the younger boy, still could not believe that Yoseob was standing in front of him. He wanted to hug the younger boy, to rain kisses on his cheeks and eyelids and nose and lips, to sweep him away from Paris and lock him up forever in Doojoon’s apartment, to declare endless ‘I love you’s, to be with him forever.

Doojoon smiled, “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… yeah.” He paused for a while before continuing, “So you’ve sold every single piece of your work out there?”

The photographer grinned at Doojoon, “Almost everything is sold. Only a few pieces are left and Junhyung are taking them for Phenomenon.”

Doojoon clicked in tongue in astonishment, “Junhyung is just beyond amazing. He has proven time and again his ability was much ahead of his age and what a wonderful friend he has been. I am so happy for you, Yoseobah. I really truly do. You deserve this and more.”

Yoseob smiled and locked his eyes with Doojoon’s, “Yeah, I truly love him for that.” Doojoon nodded but nothing more was said, there was a pregnant pause hovering above the two of them, a situation neither Yoseob nor Doojoon had ever experienced with one another before.

Yoseob smile faltered a little as he continued staring at Doojoon, a pair of eyes Doojoon had longed to see, “I’m sorry about you and Gayoon. I did not mean – “

Doojoon grinned at him, relief and totally happy that Yoseob was finally breaking the silence, “No, you are not. You are not sorry and neither am I.” Doojoon turned his head and looked straight to the life-sized picture of him on the wall, a wide grin still plastered on his face, as he grabbed Yoseob’s right hand with his left.

“Gayoon knew long before and when I told her the truth she smiled and wished me all the best. She knew that none of us would be happy with each other. She cried that day but it was not an ugly separation, she is beautiful and so is her heart.” Doojoon entwined their fingers together, every nook and cranny fitting perfectly.

Yoseob was silent as Doojoon continued, “I know that I have said this a thousand times before, but I need you to know and understand that I am so sorry for everything and… I miss you… I love you. I am unsure how you will respond to this but whatever it is, I will always love you.”

Yoseob did not say anything, he stayed silent, intently looking at their interlocking fingers, feeling every bit of skin on Doojoon’s palm and fingers against his own. After what felt like forever to Doojoon, Yoseob finally looked up to the older man and spoke softly, “Best friends don’t say ‘I love you’ to one another, Doojoonah. Lovers do.”

Doojoon turned his head to see Yoseob grinning mischievously at him, and a sincere smile bloomed on his face, “Then should we be lovers, Yoseobah?” Excitement flooded over his whole body as Yoseob’s grin widened and he continued, “Third time’s a charm, right?”

Yoseob chuckled because Doojoon still remembered. It had been years but Doojoon remembered. It was all Yoseob needed before he agreed with the older man and nodded softly, “Third time’s a charm.” He tiptoed and brought his face upwards until his lips met Doojoon’s in a chaste and quick kiss.

Doojoon had never felt better in his entire life, emotions of happiness and relief washed him over and over again, his heart felt so full of love to bursting and with that, he enveloped Yoseob in a tight embrace and rained kissed on the younger man’s face, “I love you.”

Yoseob clung tightly onto Doojoon and pressed his face onto the older man’s chest, “I love you. I miss you, Doojoonah.”

Doojoon buried his face on the crook of Yoseob’s neck and breathed in the younger man’s scent, a sigh of happiness escaped through his lips, it’s been a long time, too long. “Let’s go home, Yoseobah. Let’s go home.”

It took twenty years for them to realize they were meant for each other, but twenty years were a small compensation when Yoseob and Doojoon could spend eternity together. 

31 years old, Epilogue

A little boy no older than three years old stood in the middle of the humongous Incheon airport. He was hugging his beloved and most precious Thomas bolster tight to his chest, while his eyes wandered around his surroundings. The high window ceilings, the bright lights filtering through, busy people quickly passing by in confident steps, the endless stretch of scary moving belts on the grounds – they were just travelators, really – he had been to the airports countless times but still, everything amazed him and he was constantly wide eyed at every single thing.

He was smiling to himself as he rested his chubby cheek on top of his Thomas bolster, entertained by every single thing that moved – or did not move – in the airport.

“Baby.” A soft voice called for his attention.

The little boy immediately turned to the familiar voice and once he had found the source of it, he toddled towards his father, a wide grin on his face.

“Come on, baby. Stay near to Papa.” Yoseob extended his palm for the toddler to grasp, immediately closing around a soft palm and small fingers. Once the little boy’s hand was securely wrapped around his father’s, his grin widened as he looked up to see the same grin on his father’s face.

“We are going to see Appa, hmm?” Yoseob cooed and the little boy giggled, “Do you miss Appa, baby?” The toddler nodded softly with sad innocent eyes and hugged his Thomas bolster tighter to his chest. It had been 18 days since he had last seen his Appa, and this made him sad.

Yoseob chuckled at his beloved son and comfortingly threaded his fingers slowly through the little boy’s hair, “Your Appa is coaching the National Team right now, he is greatly needed by everyone. That’s why he cannot be with you at the moment.” The little boy nodded, but the sadness was still evident.

Yoseob crouched down and scooped the toddler into his arms, “Come on. I bet your beloved Appa will force you to play soccer with him every day and make you a soccer superstar or something. You will both be together in the National Team as coach and player, and all of us will be together forever.” Yoseob looked at the toddler in his arms, unsure if he could even register the rambling, “Do you understand Papa, baby?” Surprisingly, the toddler smiled and nodded, his eyes sparkled at the thought of being together with both of his parents forever.

Yoseob laughed and slobbered playful kisses all over the toddler’s chubby face and clothed stomach. The little boy giggled in happiness and Yoseob sighed in satisfaction, “How can we live without you, Jisungah?”

Jisung laughed back and threw his free hand – the one which was not hugging his most precious Thomas bolster – around Yoseob’s neck and continued to wiggle in his Papa’s arms to avoid the ticklish kisses.

BUSINESS CLASS BOARDING PASS

NAME   YOON/JISUNG

FROM   SEOUL

TO          MADRID

FLIGHT  KE913

SEAT      4D