Twenty-Seven

The Road To Me

"Hey."

Minseok shifts his attention to the voice and sees Luhan stop in front of him, hands holding two drinks before offering him one. He accepts, smiling. "Thanks." He takes a sip and notices something is missing. "Where is Chanyeol?"

"Still at the table." Luhan tilts his head a little, letting Minseok see pass his body where the food and refreshment tables are before straightens himself back and sips his drink. "Can't decide what to drink."

Minseok nods, noticing how his little brother towering other guests and pacing around the table. The younger is always like that when he is given too many choices but once he has decide he likes something, he will try anything so that he can have it.

Luhan furrows when Minseok turns away from him, letting a small sigh. "What are you looking at?" He follows his friend's line of sight and a familiar face catches his eyes. "Isn't that..." He sees Minseok nodding from the corners of his eyes and focuses back to the male across the room. "I didn't know they knew each other."

"I think he is his father's guest." Minseok takes another sip of his drink, his gaze still locked at the male from before. "You know he is an architect."

Luhan blinks as he remembers the time his friend that is getting married today introduced his father to him and Minseok before. "If he is here, then where is..." He purses his lips when a tall figure emerges from the crowd and stops beside Joonmyeon, talking to him before leaning down to meet their lips.

Minseok hears the gasp his friend let out and watches how Yifan let Joonmyeon intertwined their fingers before he being pulled to walk and disappeared from his view. He turns back to Luhan, finishing the rest of his drink. Joonmyeon looks happy and he just hope that nothing going to happen tonight.

"What about Chanyeol?" Luhan waits but Minseok just staring blankly at him. After that night, Chanyeol didn't mention Joonmyeon to him and Minseok anymore but he knows the younger still contacted Joonmyeon.

"Hyung!"

Minseok lifts his chin to see Chanyeol smiling at him, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Where's your drink?"

Chanyeol just shrugs, ignoring Luhan's question and moves to stand beside his brother. "The wedding is done, right? Can we go?" He throws his gaze to the crowd, sighing as people he doesn't recognize fill his view. He doesn't even know this friend of Minseok and Luhan but his brother asked him to come since Luhan will be going too.

Luhan glances at Minseok and he receives a small nod from his friend. Although he feels bad leaving a friend's wedding so early in the night, they don't have a choice. Chanyeol doesn't seem to know about Joonmyeon being here at the wedding and he knows how Minseok wants to keep it that way. "Chanyeol."

"Hm?"

"You go and start the car. We will meet you there."

Minseok sees his little brother nodding a little too eagerly before leaving him and Luhan as he pass through the other guests. Chanyeol is his brother but Joonmyeon looked so happy with Yifan that he doesn't want Chanyeol to interfere. He follows Luhan after they put away their drinks, looking for their friend to let him know that they are leaving. He turns to Luhan when the male grab his hand, stopping his track. "What?"

Luhan gestures to his front and a faint sigh catches his ears as they watch Joonmyeon alone talking to their friend a few feet away. "Maybe we should..." He sees Minseok nod. They are being rude, not informing their friend of their leaving but they just couldn't take any chances. They just going to apologize to him later.

"Hyung, you got the keys."

Minseok freezes in his spot, eyes locked at Chanyeol that is slowly walking toward him. He reaches inside his slack pocket and sighs at the feeling of coldness brushing against his fingertips. How can he forget he was the one that drove them here?

Chanyeol blinks, eyebrows arched as he stares at the two people in front of him. Both Luhan and Minseok seem anxious about something as they keep glancing over their shoulder. "Hyung, what's wrong?"

Luhan stares at the younger tilting his head up before Chanyeol's eyes go widen and his hand raised up. He turns his body slowly as Chanyeol passes between him and Minseok and he exhales, watching Chanyeol wrapping his arms around Joonmyeon and starts walking towards the two friends when Joonmyeon notices his presence, his friend that was talking with the younger is no longer there. He forces a smile, following Minseok that started first, when Chanyeol releases Joonmyeon.

"I didn't know you guys were here too." Joonmyeon lets Minseok squeeze him in a hug, nodding a little at Luhan that is standing behind the older. "Did you guys just arrived?"

Minseok releases the younger, shaking his head. "We are leaving actually. Chanyeol wanted to go..."

"...that was before I knew you where here." Chanyeol smiles as he stares at the older. He had been meaning to see Joonmyeon after that night but Joonmyeon kept declining his invites to lunch and dinner. Luhan had his eyes on him and he got caught every time he tried to sneak out. He misses Joonmyeon and maybe because of that the older looks more beautiful since the last night he saw him. "So, you just arrived?"

Joonmyeon nods. "I had to look at some reports and rushed here as soon as I finished. But, I still missed the reception."

Luhan smiles, noticing how Joonmyeon keeps rubbing his stomach. "You haven't eaten?"

"No, and I'm starving."

Chanyeol beams and peels Joonmyeon's hand from his stomach. "So, why are you standing here? Let's go eat." He turns and pulls the older to walk, only to pauses at the sight of someone familiar. So, 'he' is here too.

"Yifan!"

Chanyeol looks down as the small hand in his hold slowly slipping away until it isn't there anymore. And he watches the same hand curls around a bigger one, slowly molds together, and he never seen such beautiful smile on Joonmyeon before. Luhan did a good job. What had happened?

"Minseok hyung, you haven't meet Yifan, right?"

Minseok nods, looking up at the tall Chinese male standing in front of him. "I'm Minseok." He holds out his hand and smiles when Yifan accepts it, introducing himself. He lets go of their hands, listening as Joonmyeon tells Yifan who he is. Luhan had told him about the tall male and Yifan is more than what he had imagined. And they way Joonmyeon looks so happy tells him that Yifan has treat the younger right, and he is glad. "Joonmyeon."

"Hm?"

"Me and Luhan are going to find our friend before we leave."

Joonmyeon furrows. "Are you really going to leave? I thought maybe we could talk some more. I don't know most of the guests and was so relieved when I saw Channie, and then you and Luhan."

"We are sorry." Luhan smiles apologetically. "Something came up and we have to leave." He glances towards Chanyeol to see the younger is staring at Joonmyeon with no expression on his face and focuses back to the couple in front of him. "Can we leave Chanyeol with you for a moment? He's a little bit cranky because it is already passed his bedtime."

Minseok watches Joonmyeon chuckle at Luhan's words and he turns to his little brother. It is cruel but it has to be done. Chanyeol need to face the reality that Joonmyeon will never be his. It was Joonmyeon that took Yifan's hand in his and for someone as shy as Joonmyeon to do that means Yifan is 'that' important to him. "We'll be back."

Joonmyeon nods, sending the two people away into the crowd before turning to Chanyeol. "Do you want to sit down while we wait? Yifan found a table over there."

Yifan stares at Chanyeol when the male didn't say anything and he tightens his grip on Joonmyeon's hand, doesn't miss the slight twitch he sees in the younger's eyes. The last few days he spent with Joonmyeon had made him forgotten about this person and what happened that night but seeing the younger here tonight made him remember everything. The smile Chanyeol had, the way Joonmyeon refused to look at him and how heartbroken he was. But now, just like he said that night, Joonmyeon has him and he intends to keep it that way.

"Yifan."

Yifan hums in response as he looks down at Joonmyeon.

"Do you mind if we go back too when Minseok hyung and Luhan come back?"

Yifan looks into Joonmyeon's eyes before nodding slightly, earning a small smile from him. Joonmyeon didn't say anything but he knows how tired Joonmyeon is. The male didn't sleep last night because of his work and insisted to come to the wedding even though Jongdae said he doesn't have to go. Jongdae had told him to make sure Joonmyeon eat at the wedding because he skipped his lunch but he guesses they could stop somewhere later.

"Myeonie."

"Hm?" Joonmyeon looks up at Chanyeol, his thumb mindlessly caressing Yifan's finger.

"I miss you." Chanyeol notices how Yifan moves his and Joonmyeon's laced hands slightly to the back, hiding them from his view, as if silently telling him that he will hide Joonmyeon too, from him. But, what they have isn't real. Yifan doesn't have the right to do that. Because Joonmyeon will let Yifan go and when that time comes, he will be the one holding Joonmyeon's hand.

"I miss you too. We all should really go out for dinner sometimes." Joonmyeon smiles at the thought. Maybe he can invite Chanyeol, Minseok and Luhan to his house. It has been a while since he had friends over. And Jongdae can go all out, cooking all his best dishes.

"Is that you, Joonmyeon?"

Joonmyeon turns to his sight and an older male enters his view. "Uncle!"

Yifan has to let go of Joonmyeon's hand when the older male pratically yanking Joonmyeon away from him, hugging Joonmyeon tightly, swaying left and right as he squeezes Joonmyeon in his embrace. He watches silently, listening to the conversation of the two people and his gaze falls on the older male's face. He has met several friends of his late father-in-law and he barely remembers them all but somehow this particular male is different. He knows they have met before but he just couldn't figure out where and when.

"I'm just glad everything working out well for you."

Joonmyeon smiles, nodding. He has been searching for the older male, as he is the only reason he came here, but there were just too many guests that even when he asked the son he doesn't know where his father went. And thankfully, the older male didn't mind about him wanting to leave early.

"Ah!"

Joonmyeon furrows at the exclamation and notices the older male has his gaze towards Yifan before he turns to face him, grinning as their eyes meet. "Uncle, what..."

"You guys finally did 'it'. That explains the glowing I've been seeing"

Yifan blinks and everything comes back to him. Months ago, the night of his first event, a week after his and Joonmyeon's marriage, there was an older male, one of Joonmyeon's late father's friend, talking about 'that' too, and that male is the same person standing in front of him now. He glances down at Joonmyeon and unlike that night, Joonmyeon just stands there, eyes locked on the floor, tints of blush visible on his cheeks as the older male keeps teasing him.

"I hope both my son and my son-in-law will live happily like you guys too."

Yifan's eyes meet the older male and he nods a little, watching Joonmyeon being pulled into a hug before the older male excuses himself from their little group to talk to his other guests. He stares at Joonmyeon's small back and he remembers, how he thought he and Joonmyeon were just business partners, because that was the sole reason of their marriage, and falling for him is something that would never happen, but he was wrong.

"I can't believe he remembered."

Yifan smiles at Joonmyeon whispering to himself and he takes the small hand, locking their eyes when Joonmyeon looked at him, and brushes his lips against the lithe fingers, earning a soft smile from the owner. Giving his heart to the male standing before him is something he will never regret and for that, he would do anything to make him happy.

Joonmyeon breathes, smiling as he watches Yifan kissing the ring on his finger. A few days have passed since 'that' night and Jongdae has stopped teasing him about it. Instead, there's a small smile on his face whenever the younger saw him and Yifan together, even when they were just sitting, across each other, having a quiet meal. He lets Yifan lace their fingers together and moves to stand beside Yifan, looking up at Chanyeol. "Minseok hyung is late."

Chanyeol stares at the older. He sees Joonmyeon's mouth moving but he couldn't hear anything. His mind is still playing the conversation he heard earlier. He sensed, he noticed something was different with Joonmyeon when he first spotted him. Joonmyeon looked like, he was beaming. And he had thought it was because he hadn't see the older for days but then, 'he' came. Of course he knew staging that 'accidental' meeting isn't enough to brake them completely but it should created a crack.

"Yifan."

Chanyeol couldn't hear anything else beside the name even though Joonmyeon's lips are still moving and his gaze falls at the taller male's face and down at his body. He sees an arm move and he follows it downward, stopping at a pair of hands that molded together. And those words echo in his ears. They did it. He missed calculate. There was a crack, he still remembers how Joonmyeon looked that night, but he didn't act fast enough, that the crack was fixed before he could strike the final blow. And the glow on Joonmyeon tells him, that nothing could ever touch it again.

"Luhan." Joonmyeon raises his hand as the male approaches them but furrows when he notices Luhan is alone. "Where is Minseok hyung?"

"He is already waiting at the car. I'm just here to fetch Chanyeol." Luhan sees Joonmyeon nodding understanding. "Sorry he couldn't say goodbye properly."

"It's fine. Me and Yifan are going too. It is no fun without you guys."

Luhan smiles when Joonmyeon and Yifan gives him a curt bow and he waves them goodbye as they turn around, walking away, leaving him with Chanyeol. He breathes in, holding it for a few moments before letting it out and shifts his view to the younger. Chanyeol's expression hasn't changed from before he left him and he knows he and Minseok did the right thing. "Chan..."

"...us..."

Luhan furrows but Chanyeol's eyes still locked at the direction where the couple went.

"Why can't they be like us..."

Luhan sees Chanyeol stare at his hand and the glint around one of the fingers catches his sight. He exhales, curling the same hand of his own into a fist. "Because, they are not us..."

 

 

 

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Kakshu
#1
Chapter 35: Amazing!❤️im happy for krisho and specially jongin!
ephemeral24
2452 streak #2
Chapter 35: such a beautiful ending sis!
love conquered all! that's what you do Jun, when you love someone, you at least fight for it!
tho, Yifan was lucky everyone was on his side... but why wouldn't they? he's been nothing but patient and understanding to Jun, since this whole situation happened, it was always Jun who chose to run away without saying anything

but no more running! since Jun was cornered! HAHAHAHA really admire Yifan for coming up with this plan to finally convince Jun that running away from what they really feel wasn't the answer... Yifan's reason for throwing the necklace tho! HUHUHUHU

reading this again now made me realize that i should've read this again from time to time, so beautiful! thank you so much for this wonderful story sis!

ps. need the hidden chapter sis! please HAHAHAHA
ephemeral24
2452 streak #3
Chapter 34: Yifan taking actions into his own hands coz Jun is too busy running away from him! HUHUHU go get your man! nice to see the pieces falling together in the end, it just needed a bit of action from even one of them

honestly tho, if i were Jun, i won't be able to forgive Soo immediately, but the Jun from this au is such a kind person, i should strive to be like him
ephemeral24
2452 streak #4
Chapter 33: Jun, who only wanted to help Soo, was unfairly seen as the bad guy by everyone, even those by his side coz why would he do that to Yifan? why did he assume it was Jongin hurting Soo? why did he easily let go of Yifan? a lot of whys tbh and that's just really unfair but if they're not really annulled, then there's a chance to make it right! don't miss it Jun!
ephemeral24
2452 streak #5
Chapter 32: WHAT SINCE WHEN WERE YEOL AND LU MARRIED??? WTF I REALLY DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING HERE
ephemeral24
2452 streak #6
Chapter 31: Yifan loves Jun so much, he was fine being deemed not needed anymore by the person he loves and was also okay with being let go probably coz he didn't want to be a "burden" to Jun... HUHUHUHU

why did Jun have dinner with Yeol tho, it's too early for that :(

and oh Kyungsoo!!!
ephemeral24
2452 streak #7
Chapter 30: all of this wouldn't have happened if only the two cousins talked things out from the very start! HUHUHU this whole mess has gotten out of hand!

and yes, ofc Soo and Sehun were brothers! coz Jongin actually loves and cares for Soo! UGHHHHHHHHH
ephemeral24
2452 streak #8
Chapter 29: why??? i can't even recall why this is happening and i still don't know if Sehun and Kyungsoo are siblings or best friends!
ephemeral24
2452 streak #9
Chapter 28: it could've been a better version of the previous meet the family they did... but aigoo Jun! missed opportunity!
ephemeral24
2452 streak #10
Chapter 27: THE PRIVY UNCLE IS BACK LMAO