5 years later...

 

 

Kyuhyun and Jongwoon had been together for 5 years now, though their relationship still remained as a fiance. That was because they were both busy with their job that they didn't have time to consider getting married. Besides, they had already lived together anyway, so it really didn't matter much if they married or not. Right after Kyuhyun graduated from college, his father passed down the family's business to him. As for Jongwoon, he became a psychologist specialized in children's behavior. He established a charity organization for children with a fund from he got from appa as a gift for his graduation. His organization worked with many orphanages to help children find a loving and permanent home. So far, he had helped many children and it was the proudest achievement he had ever done. Well, actually, his proudest achievement was probably making Kyuhyun fall in love with him.

Speaking of their relationship, when Kyuhyun first became the CEO, they were many people boycotting him and his company because of their homoual relationship. But Kyuhyun had never given up on their relationship. He proved to everyone that uality had nothing to do with conducting business. Soon, support came from everywhere, especially from new generation people. Combining with the fact that Jongwoon's charity work significantly improved society, their relationship was accepted in the end. (Not that they cared about it either way).

Donghae and Hyukjae, now a fourteen years old boy, had been nagging the couple about when would they get married. Kyuhyun didn't mind whether he got to marry Jongwoon or not. So, when Jongwoon told him that he wasn't ready yet, Kyuhyun was more than happy to wait until his fiance was ready.

 

************************

 

One day, Kyuhyun who had a very rare free day woke up to an empty and cold bed. He frowned and quickly got up to look for his beloved fiance, but couldn't find him anywhere. After taking a bath and changing his pajama, Kyuhyun came down to the kitchen and found Donghae and Hyukjae having breakfast before going to school. As soon as the kids saw him, they happily greeted him and gave him something.

 

The Star card.

 

"What? Why are you giving me this?"

"Woonie hyung told us to give you that."

"He also said that he'll wait for you at the end of this fortune. We don't know what Jongwoon hyung is planning, but he seems deadly serious about it."

""Good luck!""

 

With that said, the boys gave Kyuhyun a quick hug and went to school.

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It took Kyuhyun some time to get the meaning of the card. The Star. Stars. He recalled that there was a Starry Night painting in the twin's room. He went there and found the twin getting ready to go to school. They squealed in joy and came to hug him.

 

"We're waiting for you oppa!" Seulmi said after pulling away.

"We're supposed to give this card to you, it's from Jongwoon hyung!" Seulhyun gave him a card.

 

The Moon.

 

"Oppa, hwaiting!"

"I know you can do it hyung, hwaiting!"

 

The twin then left Kyuhyun to continue his adventure.

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After Kyuhyun knew how to play Jongwoon's game, it took him only a short while to find the next card. He went to his sister's room next. He remembered that she had a moon-shaped locket, a wedding anniversary gift. As he expected, Ahra was already there waiting for him with a huge grin. She couldn't stop giggling as she gave the card.

 

The Sun.

 

"You'd better hurry and solve this puzzle! Jongwoon-ah is eagerly waiting for you!"

"Do you know where he is? I want to skip everything and just go directly to him now."

"Nope, I don't know, but I won't tell you even if I know anyway! Don't cheat!"

 

Ahra didn't wait to listen to her brother's complaint and quickly pushed him out of her room.

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The Sun card took him to his brother-in-law's study. He stepped into the room, his eyes falling on a large rug at the center of the room with a picture of the sun on it. He found his brother-in-law working on some documents at the desk. Hearing footsteps, the older man looked up and smiled at him knowingly. He opened a drawer and took out a card to give it to Kyuhyun.

 

The Emperor.

 

"You two really remind me of Ahra and me when we were younger. Good luck Kyuhyun, I hope you don't make him wait too long."

 

Kyuhyun thanked the older man and ran out of the room. He couldn't wait to reach the end of this game and see what Jongwoon had in stock for him.

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The next card was easier to find. The emperor in his household could only mean one thing, his father. He went to his father's study and found the older man reading a newspaper. Looking up, his father nodded at him and took out a card from his shirt pocket.

 

The Empress.

 

His father didn't say anything, but he did give him a small smile and a thumb up before he went out of the room.

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The next card was easy to find too. If the Emperor was his father, then surely his mother would be the Empress. At this time of the day, his mother would normally have tea in the garden. He went there and as he thought, his mother was having a little tea party at a gazebo. Seeing him approaching her, his mother placed down the cup in her hand and smiled softly at him.

 

"Dear, why don't you take a short rest and have a nice cup of tea with me?"

"I'm sorry umma, but I'm in a hurry no-"

 

He stopped talking all of sudden when he saw a half-empty cup of tea on the table. Tracing his finger along the porcelain cup, he could tell that the owner of this cup just left not long ago because the cup was still warm.

 

"Was Jongwoon here with you just now?"

"Sigh... Yes, I asked him to have a tea with me. We didn't expect you to solve the puzzle this quick so he had to leave in a hurry. I should stop you now to buy Jongwoon-ah some time, but I know you want to see him as soon as possible. So, here is the card."

 

The Tower.

 

Kyuhyun didn't even thank his mother and just ran off, hoping to catch up with Jongwoon.

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Sadly, he couldn't catch up with his beloved fiance because he couldn't solve the puzzle this time. The Tower. That was the card he got. He couldn't think of anything related to a tower in his mansion, not at all. After searching aimlessly for a while, his stomach protested since he hadn't had breakfast yet. He stubbornly continued the search ignoring his crying stomach, only to stop when he got a message from Jongwoon.

 

Yah, eat something! I'll be very angry if you don't have a proper meal now!

-My Jongwoon

 

How did you know that I haven't eaten anything yet?

-Handsome Kyu

 

Doesn't matter. Just eat something already. Umma has aunties prepare breakfast for you now.

-My Jongwoon

 

Kyuhyun snorted when he saw the latest message from Jongwoon. So, it was his mother then? He chuckled and put the phone back in his jeans pocket, before heading to the kitchen to fill his stomach.

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He just realized that using a brain on empty stomach was a bad idea. After he had breakfast and felt fully energized, he suddenly understood the meaning of the Tower card. He was looking too much into it. The card didn't have any hidden meaning behind it, rather, it was meant to look in a literal way. The tower, a tall building, the highest place in the household. He headed to the rooftop where they sometimes stargazed together. Lying on the floor beside a telescope was another tarot card.

 

The World.

 

"You're my world, Kyuhyun,"

 

Smiling warmly as he recalled the fond memory, he confidently headed to the next destination where the card waited for him. Their bedroom.

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Walking into their shared bedroom, Kyuhyun saw a tarot card lying on top of a neatly-folded black wool coat. There was also a post-it note accompanying the two items. He picked it up and read it. His heart immediately skipped a beat faster, a warm sensation of happiness spreading over his body.

 

It's cold out there. Wear this  :)

 

He happily put on the coat and checked the card after that.

 

The Chariot.

 

He grabbed the car key from the bedside table and headed to the parking lot.

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Inside his car, he found another card on the driver seat.

 

The Fool.

 

Kyuhyun just sat there holding the card for a few minutes as he absolutely had no idea what it represented. The Fool? Someone who was stupid? How did that relate to Jongwoon or him? After a while, he gave up and tried to look for any clue on the internet. That was how he found out that the character on the card could be interpreted as a jester too. Finally realizing where the next card would be, he started the engine and drove out of his mansion.

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Due to heavy traffic, it took him almost two hours to arrive at his destination, the amusement park where he and Jongwoon and the kids spent time together on Christmas night five years ago. He saw two female staff standing in front of the gate while looking around as if they were waiting for someone. As soon as they saw his car, the women waved at him, a tarot card in one of the woman's hand. Parking by the footpath, he rolled down the car's window and greeted them.

 

"Hi, were you two waiting for me to give me the card?"

"Yes, here it is. And Jongwoon-ssi told us to give these to you too."

 

Kyuhyun took a cup of hot chocolate and a cup of tteokbokki and placed them on the passenger seat beside him. After that, he received the card and another post-it note from the woman.

 

The traffic is hellish, right? Here are some snacks! Be careful while driving though  :D

 

"At first, Jongwoon-ssi planned to only give you that card, but when he saw how bad the traffic was on his way here, he went to the food zone personally to buy you something to eat!" The staff who gave him the card told him excitedly.

 

"I see, thank you,"

 

Grinning like an idiot, he thanked the women and drove back into the heavy traffic, though with his stomach full and his heart warm.

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The Hermit.

 

That was the card he got from the two female staff. It gave him yet another difficulty, being unable to find its meaning. By now, Kyuhyun had already parked the car because he didn't want to drive aimlessly. Frowning, he tried to think of all possible meanings of the card. Hermit. Someone old. Old wise man. A man who lived in solitude. Solitude.

 

His eyes widened.

 

It was a bit stretching, but he could see it worked. With the destination settled in his mind, he turned the wheel and flowed back into the sea of cars.

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He arrived at Jongwoon's old apartment around one in the afternoon. It was the only sensible answer that he could come up with. Solitude. Even though it was only a day, they did live in solitude here during the Christmas Eve day five years ago. He got off his car and headed to the building entrance. At first, he thought of checking Jongwoon's old room, but an old lady who was the owner of the building stopped him as he walked past the glass window of her office.

 

"Young man, are you by any chance Jongwoon-ah's fiance? You fit the description he told me."

"Yes, I'm. Did Jongwoon drop by here?"

"That's right, and he asked me to give this card to you."

 

The Death.

 

"Thank you so much, auntie,"

 

Kyuhyun took the card and went back to his car.

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It didn't take him too much time to know where he could find the next card. The Death. Death. The Grim Reaper. That was the name of the Italian restaurant where he often took Jongwoon and his brothers to. As soon as he took the first step into the large restaurant, the manager of the place who was also the manager of the hotel quickly came to greet him.

 

"Welcome, young master Cho! Please have a seat!"

"I'm alright, just give me the card that Jongwoon gave you."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that," the manager smiled gleefully, "Jongwoon-ssi specifically told me that I can't give the card to you unless you have lunch first."

 

Looking at his wristwatch, he saw that it was a quarter past two now. He wasn't that hungry thanked to the tteokbokki and hot chocolate Jongwoon bought him. Still, he knew better to just listen to whatever Jongwoon said. His beloved fiance did it all because he cared about him anyway. Kyuhyun shrugged and obediently sat down at the table, waiting for his lunch to be served.

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After he finished the meal, the manager gave him the card and wished him the best of luck. By now, he had already seen through the pattern of Jongwoon's game. He even knew where the last card would be. He felt very tempted to just skip to that place to see his beloved Jongwoon. However, he knew that Jongwoon would be sad if he didn't properly play this game. Because of that, he obediently headed to his next destination after just one glance at the card.

 

The Devil.

 

Kyuhyun stepped into the restaurant where Jongwoon used to work a part-time job. Even after five years had already passed, waiters and waitresses working here still had to wear the devil horns headband. He chuckled to himself. He still remembered how upset he was when Jongwoon wore that thing and people wouldn't stop gawking at him. Now, however, he didn't have to worry about that anymore. Looking around for someone who might have Jongwoon's card, his eyes landed on two people whom he was familiar with.

 

"Sungmin! Ryeowook!"

"Oh, long time no see, the great CEO Kyuhyun hyung!"

"Such a rare occurrence for Cho Kyuhyun-ssi the great CEO of the Cho group to visit us."

"You two, what the hell you mean by that? The four of us just went to a double date last week!"

 

Sungmin and Ryeowook just got married last year after the younger man graduating from college. Of course, Kyuhyun and Jongwoon were invited as their best man. After getting married, this sadistic couple always sought pleasure by teasing him about his unchanging title as Jongwoon's fiance. Problem was, they only when Jongwoon wasn't aware, so his lover never believed him that the 'cute and sweet' MinWook couple were actually a devil!

 

"Enough teasing, just give me the card already, I want to see Jongwoon!"

"Tsk, can't you let us have fun for a bit more? Who knows if we'll ever have a chance like this again."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Kyuhyun hyung, didn't you say that you want to see Jongwoon hyung? Here, take this and hurry up, you're almost there!"

 

The Wheel of Fortune.

 

The couple literally shooed him out of the restaurant as if he was some nuisance.

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As he said, he had long figured out the pattern of the game. Although he didn't know why yet, he knew that Jongwoon had him go to the places they used to visit five years ago, from the most recent to the oldest. Many years might have passed but he still remembered all the times they spent together. That, and the meaning of the card, money, made him drive to the local supermarket not far from Jongwoon's old apartment without hesitation.

Walking into the building, every employee quickly nodded and greeted him. That was because he was the owner of this place. Two years ago, this place was supposed to be closed because the ex-owner couldn't pay back the loan he borrowed from a bank. Thinking of all the memories he had with Jongwoon, Donghae and Hyukjae at this place, Kyuhyun bought it from the ex-owner without a second thought and personally ran it himself.

Walking past the row of meat freezers, he couldn't help but smile as he recalled the first time he went shopping with those three. He specifically remembered that Donghae and Hyukjae sneakily put Wagyu meat in the cart more than what Jongwoon wanted. Looking at the Wagyu meat shelf, he was surprised to find a tarot card hidden beneath the styrofoam package.

 

The Magician.

 

Kyuhyun quickly went back to his car and headed to the next destination, the last destination of this game.

 

********************

 

At Seoul College where they first met, Kyuhyun looked around trying to find his beloved fiance. He was pretty sure that Jongwoon was here, but he couldn't find the man. He was busy multitasking between looking for Jongwoon and thinking of when they first met. That was why he didn't see that someone was running straight to him. They bumped harshly and that person dropped something to the ground.

 

"Sorry!" Kyuhyun quickly apologized, "I didn't watch where I was go-"

 

He stopped saying all of sudden when he saw the dropped item lying on the ground.

 

The Lovers card.

 

 

"Oh my," A familiar voice that sent his heart jumping against his chest spoke up, "Look, I think the card is trying to tell us something."

"Really?" Kyuhyun smirked and picked up the card, "Well, what does it try to tell us then?"

"I don't know, why don't you take a closer look at the card?"

 

Kyuhyun observed the card more carefully. At the backside of it, he found a short message written there.

 

In your coat pocket.

 

Frowning, he put his hands in both coat pockets. His eyes widened when he found something in the left pocket. Taking it out, Kyuhyun's heart couldn't beat any faster when he found out that it was a tiny sapphire blue velvet box.

 

"Jongwoon-ah, you have me run around all day just to find that the answer is right inside my pocket all this time!? Your humor is really weird but I love that part of your too-"

 

There was nothing inside the box.

 

 

Shocked and disbelieved, he carefully check the box, even took out the little cushion and held the box upside down, shaking it furiously. Still, nothing came out. It was really just an empty box. All hope and happiness in his chest immediately deflated like a balloon without air. He looked at his beloved fiance and pouted. At first, Jongwoon still kept a straight face, but after Kyuhyun pouted more, the shorter man finally lost it and laughed out loud heartily, annoying Kyuhyun even more.

 

"Jongwoon-ah, this is not funny at all!"

"Haha, sorry, but you're just too cute pouting like that! Forgive me, alright? And look at what I have for you!"

"No, I won't believe you anymo-"

 

 

A ring.

 

Jongwoon held a ring and smiled softly at him. It was a platinum ring adorned with a beautiful blue diamond exactly like the one he gave Jongwoon that night five years ago. While he was still shocked, Jongwoon calmly put the ring on his left ring finger. After that, Jongwoon used his left hand to hold Kyuhyun's and intertwined them. Raising their joined hands up, Jongwoon admired their matching rings with a huge grin.

 

"Do you know how much this damn ring costs? It takes me five years, five years to save enough money to buy it! But seeing it on your finger makes it all worthwhile!"

"Wait, did you just say five years? Don't tell me when you told me that you weren't ready, you mean you didn't have money to buy the ring? Christ, Jongwoon! We'd have celebrated our fifth anniversary by now if you just tell me that you want to buy it!"

"It'd be meaningless then," It was Jongwoon's turn to pout now, "It's our wedding ring, right? You give me one so I want to give you one too, one that is bought with my own money. Who'd have thought that a blue diamond is that expensive? It's not my fault that I'm just an ordinary child psychologist and my salary is a laughingstock."

"Jongwoon-ah,"

"You think you're the only one who wants to get married? I want to marry you too but it takes forever to save money and I can't even tell you about it! That's why I decided to prank you a bit when I finally get to buy the damn ring. You thought you suffer alone in this game? I had to wake up earlier than you and ran around placing cards here and there and now you pout at me?"

"Jongwoon-ah,"

"I haven't talked about five years ago yet when you played with my heart making me go crazy over you when you could just tell me that you also love me so I didn't have to do all that stupid plans and almost lost my ity while in drag which is still the most embarrassing moment I've ever-"

 

 

Getting tired of listening to Jongwoon's rant, Kyuhyun shut up his annoyingly adorable soon-to-be husband with a kiss. Still remembering that they were at a public place, he made the kiss short and simple, though he playfully nipped those plump lips to tease Jongwoon before pulling away. Kyuhyun chuckled softly when he saw the way Jongwoon stared at him longingly.

 

"Let's not waste our time any more than this, shall we? I'll prepare everything tonight and we can hold the wedding tomorrow!"

"Wait, tomorrow, that's too sudden!"

"Aren't you the one who said that you really want to marry me?"

"Yes, but still! Tomorrow is a bit..."

"No, no," Kyuhyun purred, "No objection, no turning back, there is no escape, none whatsoever. Ever since that day you bumped into me, my heart only yearned for you. You must take responsibility for making me fall head over heels with you, Kim Jongwoon, my beloved con man."

 

 

Kyuhyun kissed Jongwoon again to completely cut off whatever protest his husband was about to say.