Writing an update only takes a few hours, but to me it feels like I've been writing the whole day Q_Q (spammed my poor twitter followers too much today - curious? -> shinegiramen)

Thanks a lot for the new upvotes <3 so many people love this story *honored* *moved* *happy* also thank you for subscribing and staying with me through this long "novel" xD
Maybe you will feel that everything gets rewarded with this chapter. Do not scroll down (because there is a small cliff hanger kekeke). Read it properly :p

*bows and throws hearts*
 

[SUNGGYU]

Sunggyu glanced at the crowd in front of the museum with anxious eyes. He felt like a coward, because he thought of giving up again. But Woohyun was even wearing the suit that Sunggyu had bought for him. What good was the present if he they turned back now? He bit his lower lip and averted his gaze. Staring at the mob of people wouldn’t help him with his nervousness. It would only make it worse.

‘Just park the car.’ Sunggyu signed.

His father gave him a worried glance in the rearview mirror. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he only nodded in the end and continued looking for a free spot. They were lucky and found a parking spot really quick. Sunggyu wasn’t happy about it though, since he didn’t feel ready at all to leave the car. Woohyun squeezed his hand again, when his parents got out of the car first.

“Hyung, are you sure about this? You don’t have to push yourself.”

‘I’m not pushing myself. I want to do this.’ Sunggyu answered. The good thing about sign language was that it couldn’t convey much emotion. If he had a voice, it would be shaking at this moment and give away his frightened heart.

Woohyun frowned. “Gyu-hyung, if I see that something is wrong with you, I will drag you home even if it is against your will! I won’t let you out of my sight.”

The brown-haired man smiled slightly. He felt better, knowing that Woohyun would be right by his side to protect him. Sunggyu didn’t want to be the weak “princess” in need but he was powerless right now. He could only depend on others because of his disability. He knew that he needed to change, if he wanted to be someone stronger. He wanted Woohyun to depend on him too, to be someone who could stand his own ground again. For now he had no other choice, but to borrow the strength of his friends and family.

“Wait, eyes…hyung, is that eyeliner?” Woohyun squinted. “The light is so bad that I can’t really tell, but that’s eyeliner, isn’t it?”

Sunggyu turned his head away, because the younger was staring at him intensively and the gesture made him embarrassed. 'It’s not.’

Woohyun chuckled. “It looks good on you, hyung. Your eyes seem much bigger now! I love it and also the suit and your new hairstyle - it’s perfect.”

He blushed slightly. You look perfect, too. His mother opened Sunggyu’s door suddenly and they separated their hands quickly. “What are you discussing so long? Do you want to go home instead, baby?”

‘No, let’s go.’ He answered and got out of the car.

Sunggyu closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in the chilly evening air. He tried telling himself that he could do this. He glanced at the black-haired man, who gave him a warm smile in return. His parents linked arms and walked ahead.

“Just hide behind us. They will probably ignore us, since we’re not famous enough to gossip about.” Mr. Kim said with a smile.

Woohyun nodded. “Thank you for inviting me again, Mr. and Mrs. Kim!”

Sunggyu’s mother turned her head. “What are you thanking us for, Woohyun? It’s not our invitation that you’re using. We merely drove you here.”

“I know, but thanks anyways!”

“What a humble and nice man, right honey?” His father said and turned to his wife.

“Indeed, darling. Don’t disappoint us today, Woohyun.”

“I’ll make sure that Sunggyu-hyung has a lot of fun today!”

The brown-haired man turned his gaze towards the ground and concentrated on the sound of their footsteps again. He noticed small details like Woohyun's and his feet that were walking in synch and that Woohyun had changed his perfume. Sunggyu recognized a waft of mint. Those small details helped him to ignore the crowd, as they approached it slowly. The people in front of the theater weren’t very loud but their voices combined to a deep, buzzing sound. It reminded him of an angry swarm of bees. He walked a little closer to Woohyun unconsciously and their hands touched for a moment. Sunggyu’s heart made a jump and he wished they could hold hands. He felt safe when Woohyun touched him, but the thought of so many people seeing them like that frightened him a lot.

“Hyung, if it helps, just close your eyes until we’re inside.” Woohyun whispered into his ears, which sent shivers down Sunggyu’s spine. “Or are they closed already?”

The older man raised his head and stared at him with wide eyes. Here, they’re open! He wasn’t mad at the comment though. It even made him smile a bit, because Woohyun was trying to lift his mood. Sunggyu wiped his sweaty hands against the black fabric of his pants. He fought the urge to just drop to the ground and give up, when they walked to the entrance. He kept his eyes straight ahead and tried to block out the crowd, but their attention seemed to be somewhere else anyway.

They made it into the building without a scratch and Sunggyu let out a sigh. Woohyun fanned him some fresh air with his hands. The brown-haired man gave him a thankful smile. He glanced back outside, where the fans and spectators were still waiting. They seemed more tame and harmless now.

“See, it wasn’t so bad, was it?” Woohyun said with a smile.

Sunggyu nodded and looked around. The lobby was big and filled with people as well, but not as many as outside. Someone checked their invitations, before they were allowed to walk around freely. The security guy gave them a quick explanation.

“The opening ceremony will be in the garden behind the main building and it will start in around 20 minutes. You can walk around in the gallery or go outside already, which I would advise because the number of seats are limited. There’s still enough time to look around the exhibition after the opening. The public will only be allowed to enter tomorrow.”

Sunggyu’s parents exchanged a look. “We will go to the garden. Thank you for your help, sir.”

They walked ahead again and Sunggyu followed close to Woohyun’s side. He dared to glance at the other guests from time to time, but most of them didn’t pay much attention to the newcomers. There was no music inside the building, but he could hear faint noises from the outside.

“Hyung, I’m nervous.” Woohyun told him with a lowered voice.

Sunggyu gave him a glance. ‘And you think that I’m not nervous?’

The younger man nudged him against the shoulder. “Sorry, Gyu. I’m just worried, I might make a fool out of myself tonight.”

‘Everyone already knows that you’re a fool.’ A handsome fool that everyone loves. Sunggyu smiled at him. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’

Someone called his mother’s name out loud. She turned around to the other woman and they hugged. The two younger men watched the scene from the distance, while Sunggyu’s father joined them. They started talking. Sunggyu couldn’t hear what they were discussing, but they were laughing a lot. A younger woman soon joined them and they exchanged short bows.

Woohyun gasped. “Isn’t that Park Shinhye? She’s a pretty famous actress! How do your parents know her?”

He shrugged. How am I supposed to know? “What are your parents’ occupations, hyung?”

Sunggyu tilted his head to the side. His mother was the owner of a publishing house. They published magazines and books for women as far as he knew. He didn’t read them since he was a man. His father had his own company for electronic devices like computers, smartphones and tablets. Sunggyu knew that he had founded the company so that he could work from home - to have the freedom of being his own boss. His father had wanted to have more time to take care of his ‘disabled’ son. The brown-haired man told Woohyun everything he could possibly describe with his hands.

“Maybe she was featured in your mother’s magazine once.” Woohyun said in awe.

He shrugged again. Sunggyu didn’t really care for any celebrities, though he had to admit that she was good-looking. The only celebrity he would relatively care about now was Nell and the band would surely not appear at an event like this. Besides, Sunggyu would be too scared to even look in their direction for more than a few seconds.

The two women looked in their direction for a moment and both of them froze. Shinhye gave them a small smile and a bow, before she walked away with the other woman. Sunggyu glanced at Woohyun, who seemed love-struck by her smile. He pouted slightly. Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t let me out of your sight? Why are you staring at her for so long?

“Boys, come on. Let’s go to the garden. The opening ceremony will start soon.” His father called them over.

Sunggyu didn’t wait for the younger and walked over to his parents’ side. Woohyun caught up to them a moment later. “Hyung, don’t leave me behind! We need to stick together!”

He ignored the other man. Sunggyu knew that he had no chance against women like that. He couldn’t expect the black-haired man to only look at him. He didn’t want to be cold to Woohyun but Sunggyu was scared that he could get left behind for one of those pretty girls. He didn’t say anything