The chaos reigned everywhere in the east terminal of Incheon International airport.

It was the one which usually hosted the biggest and busiest non-stop fligths coming from and going to Europe. However, that day it was getting crowded and crowded with unsatisfied people who suddenly got to see their perfectly on time scheduled flights growing into important delays without knowing the actual reason.

What was known and circulated as a gossip amongst the masses, like a news coming straight from a cheap celebrities magazine, was that apparently a traveler headed to Paris was about to board his 9am flight when, nearly close to the tunnel entrance that would have directed him into the plane, he halted in his tracks and began to run towards the opposite direction. 

Crazy.

There was no other word to describe such a last minute back off. It wasn't unlike for a traveler to suddenly renounce to a flight, but the way he looked while running to the already closed gates, banging fists on the transparent glass, crying and pleading the security to let him pass on the other side, was surely heartbreaking and unbelievable.

It took the staff very much time to talk him into getting aboard and follow the procedures to take off, and it took even more when, upon allowing him to leave the terminal, the plane workers had to recuperate his two giant suitcases from the plane hold. The faster they worked to restore the situation to normal, the better was for the entire airport, and not only...

Because Kim Ryeowook, famous pianist known all around the world - and now miraculously escaped unrecognized from an enraged crowd of passengers at the airport - was nervously shifting in his taxi seat, reading all over again the same text: a bunch of words sent by Donghae some time before, and that didn't have much sense to him, thus his attempts to find a hidden meaning by reading it again and again until exhaustion.

"What the hell are you doing right when your almost husband is currently busy at marrying a person that isn't you? Hurry up and try to stop him! I'll be attaching the location info"

Ryeowook was heading straight at high speed to one of the most expensive hotels of the capital, where often celebrities and wealthy people alike decided to hold their lavish wedding ceremonies to show off their overflowing money. What was Kyuhyun doing there then? Donghae was probably wrong, maybe Kyuhyun was there to attend someone else's marriage as a guest, perhaps someone from work who had requested his presence, there was no chance in the world that he could do what Donghae had written in the text.

That being his marriage? No, absolutely impossible!

After all, the couple had just planned to move its own marriage to the upcoming summer and hold a private party in Provence, where violet fields of wild lavender grew in endless planes, impregnating the fresh sea breeze with their strong, unmistakable scent; moreover Kyuhyun had sworn to take the first flight back home as soon as he was done with work. This crappy marriage thing didn't make any sense.

And of course it didn't, when one of the two groom was missing, which wasn't really a little detail to ignore, since a couple of two was strictly required in order to celebrate such an important union like marriage was.

Was Kyuhyun holding some kind of fancy rehearsals prior the great day?

The silliest and most incredible excuses came across Ryeowook's mind, which worked in great haze not to acknowledge what his heart was desperately pointing out as the only high probable hypothesis.

There was only one chance in a million others for Kyuhyun to marry a person that wasn't Ryeowook, and this chance unfortunately had a name, surname and carried a yet to be born baby.

If that was it, was Kyuhyun doing it out of pity, or sense of responsibility towards the little unborn creature?

Ryeowook gritted teeth while holding back the tears. He nervously rubbed his face with both hands and brought one to run through his hair, groaning and cursing the day. What a perfect timing to act all grown-up and responsible, Cho Kyuhyun!

Still, that little deluded part of Ryeowook wanted to positively think that what Donghae had said was just a gigantic prank pulled to get him back from the airport somehow. Perhaps Kyuhyun, who looked so sad to send him off that same morning, was already missing him so bad and had a change of heart. Maybe, he didn't want to embarrass himself if he were to run to the airport and keep Ryeowook from taking the flight back to Paris, so he had simply asked for a little favor from his friends, who invented the only right reason to scare the hell off Ryeowook and bring him back downtown.

While driving in the hellish traffic jam of Saturday morning, Ryeowook promised himself that, if that were just the case, he wouldn't have spared his greatest fury as he considered the option of repeatedly beating Kyuhyun back to that little good sense he used to keep.

Oh, he was angry, very angry, and Kyuhyun would have dealt with such a never seen before rage from the petite pianist, that he would have little left to do if not kneel on to the ground and beg for immediate forgiveness. Then Ryeowook would have had great fun to think of a good way to let him repent his sins.

"Good that you came right away!" 

He didn't have the time to get off the taxi and take care of the fare, that a familiar voice shouted out in his direction and he turned to see Donghae rushing to grab his hand and drag him under the porch, towards the impressive main entrance of a luxurious building.

Ryeowook planted heels and pulled away from Donghae, who stopped to look with wide eyes at the other man: "What are you doing?! Hurry up, there's no time!"

"Is this some kind of joke, right? Are you playing with me? I swear I'll beat Kyuhyun with all my strength, if it is just so" Ryeowook shyly smiled, more to gather a bit of lost confidence, than to show an amusement that was clearly missing in the whole frame.

"Come on! Get him in! I'll stay here to get his luggage and pay for the cab" Eunhyuk ran some stairs and reached the duo.

The two men were both dressed in nice ceremony suits and that didn't help Ryeowook to snap out of his mind the dreadful conviction of that being really Kyuhyun's marriage. They were invited and even stayed with Kyuhyun while he got dressed and ready to appear on the scene, uselessly talking him into calling it off and run after Ryeowook, who the groom had explained was about to take off, headed to Paris and its normality.

In front of such a persistence, Eunhyuk and Donghae were clearly forced to intervene, before it was too late, because they stubbornly refused to go along that idiotic put-up just to follow Kyuhyun's seemingly strange words about how he suddenly felt obliged to handle paternity in the best way possible.

Cho Kyuhyun had never been one to like children that much; heck, he was still one himself...after all. He would have never married Jiwon to take care of this child together, at cost of sounding mean and abandoning a little baby to his destiny. He had always been selfish, he had always put himself before anything else. Therefore that decision didn't make sense; those words felt more like excuses to cover up something bigger, and probably darker...or why in the world Yesung was missing the ceremony, whereas he had been expressly asked to attend the wedding as Kyuhyun's best man, if he were still to marry Ryeowook. They suspected there might be something going on that had forced Kyuhyun to give up on Ryeowook, notably known as "Kyuhyun's first true love", "Kyuhyun's future husband", simply "Kyuhyun's everything" and that didn't look like a bad joke at all.

So, decided that they would have never let a dear friend being tangled in unexplicable muddy plots, upon watching Kyuhyun uncertainly reaching the altar, Donghae had immediately contacted Ryeowook, praying that he hadn't embarked or wasn't flying somewhere above his head yet.

And now there he was, in front of the hotel entrance. Ryeowook was a piece of ice, blocked in shock and unwilling to cooperate.

Donghae then, still in disbelief, tugged Ryeowook's sleeve and urged him to move, flashing him with an unnecessary harsh glare that couldn't help but manifest all the man's disquietness: "I think you haven't figured out what's happening yet" he told Ryeowook, after successfully moving across the lobby and reaching the first empty elevator "Kyuhyun is here to marry Jiwon! We are already through the first half of the ceremony and you need to stop him before it's too late! This is a tragedy!" he shouted.

Ryeowook's face didn't show any emotion at those words. He simply stood by Donghae's side, helped by this one who supported him by holding him around the waist, since the smaller man looked on the verge of a dangerous collapse, and listened to what Donghae was telling him.

And Ryeowook might have seriously fainted when, as he walked down the hallway to reach the closed and guarded wedding hall, his eyes read bride and groom's names on the sign above the guestbook, already filled with signatures and wishes for a long and happy life together.

Choi Jiwon and Cho Kyuhyun. What kind of cruel joke was that supposed to be?

He halted before the sign with eyes already swollen by prickling tears, too painful to hold back at that point. Someone had surely stabbed him right in his heart without him noticing it, or he was at least shot to death somehow, because Ryeowook didn't breath anymore, he didn't blink anymore. He was too overwhelmed by the sharp pain that crossed his whole body, while desperately clinging to the hope of that being just the nth nightmare that haunted his messed up existence.

If he tried to force his eyes open, perhaps Ryeowook would find out that Kyuhyun was by his side to hold him in his arms and cuddle on the couch while the tv was switched on and they lazily surfed through channels; instead Kyuhyun looked like he was locked up in a hall full of unknown snobbish guests to proceed with a marriage that simply wasn't his.

Donghae's loud shouts snapped him out of his hurtful thoughts. Fighting against two wardrobe-sized security guards, his friend was trying to convince them to let Ryeowook in, explaining that the pianist was just one of the many invited guests who happened to be slightly late to attend the ceremony. Any kind of lame excuses was popping in Donghae's mind to let his friend get inside the venue and stop that farce, because he didn't want Kyuhyun to end up regretting his choice for the rest of his life.

Was his friend braver than Ryeowook was while staying tremendously still with little or almost no control over his limbs, as he was presented with a well detailed situation, that he for sure wished never to encounter in his so miserable life?

Mentally comparing their two different reactions, Ryeowook gethered a little bit of courage and stepped forwards, once, twice, step by step towards the scene he had dreamed many times in his sleep, but that now felt ever so surreal, like when getting goosebumps on the skin after watching a scary horror movie at night.

Still a bit confused, he tried to stretch both arms to the firmly shut doors, not quite ready to see what was concealed behind, not ready to see with his eyes the man he loved standing side by side with a woman that meant nothing in their lives, except for the little detail of her bearing Kyuhyun's child, that's intended.

So one second passed, maybe two in truth, before he could grab the lucid handles of the door and pushed it open to interrupt the ceremony, but with each pound of his heavy heart - a rhythm that articulated his uncertain steps - Ryeowook immediately encountered a first obstacle. One of the two guards, which were both temporary busy at fighting Donghae's annoying attempts for distraction in order to buy the pianist enough action time, turned around and busted Ryeowook right before he could enter the busy room. And he was after the little man, already grabbing him by both arms to keep him away from the main entrance to the hall.

"I need to see" Ryeowook stammered, a bit too quiet at first, but when he was literally lifted from the ground and about to be kicked into the nearby elevator, he began to wriggle from the brusque hold. Agitated, not yet used at feeling any other human contact that didn't came from Kyuhyun, his high pitched screams sliced the silence, accomapnied by fists in the air and kick to the door while shouting out with all the air stored in his lungs: "I need to see him! Don't touch me! Don't ever think of touching me! Let me go! I need to meet him, I need to get inside! Leave me be!" 

With sight blurred by warm tears and red in the face for the various attempts of setting himself free, Ryeowook didn't understand what was happening in the midst of that confusion. He didn't even see the moves made by Donghae to reach the bulky man and interpose in between them, clearly shouting curses at him for bothering Ryeowook and touch him in the wrong places, hurting him.

But what followed the dramatic commotion took aback everybody, because another man, perfectly dressed in his ceremony suit, appeared  on the other side of the door and looked at the four men in disbelief.

Ryeowook felt those fat arms winding him around the stomach suddenly release him and make him fall on both knees. Helped by Donghae, who immediately stood by his side, he understood that the man, who had opened the door from the inside, had also managed to intimidate the two guards with his stern look of disapprovement, perhaps because it was too obvious that all the ruckus coming from the outside had somehow interrupted the regular flow of the scheduled ceremony. 

By the look of it, they were somewhere near the exchange of final vows more or less, because all the attending guests were watching the scene going on between the young couple at the altar with breath dearly hold, as if in a contemplation of some sort of divine miracle.

However, right when the minister took his time to ask the final, long awaited question to the groom, Donghae supported Ryeowook with an arm around the waist and walked him in, keeping his head up high despite the awful judging stare he was being thrown by the people sat in the hall: "Cho Kyuhyun, you big ! You better stop right there!" he yelled, not caring to look fine and nice for submerging Kyuhyun in another long set of more inappropriate words in front of everyone.

"Kyu..." Ryeowook, worn out and broken, took the courage to lift his head and direct his eyes to the broad back of the man he loved, that day covered in an expensive cream ivory satin tuxedo, standing right before him with an exceptionally pretty Jiwon at his side, who was wearing a marvelous princess-like wedding gown that made him realize just how much real that scene looked. That was the last drop: his heart shattered in million pieces and he felt it right when it broke, leaving him to gasp for air, painfully breathless.

"Shall I continue with the service?" the minister was heard, very much embarrased, asking someone off the microphone at the farthest end of the hall, but Kyuhyun interrupted him with a simple hand gesture.

He turned around and, with a scaringly natural simplicity, climbed down a couple of stairs to walk the opposite direction of the altar, where Donghae was supporting a sick-looking Ryeowook. While still standing right in front of the altar he had looked upset, angry, mortified, and more as if he was containing all the bad emotions present on Earth and his body acted as the ultimate Pandora's Box, the only mean to retain all the bad and wrong from affecting the surrounding people. But that wasn't enough. Perhaps the guests couldn't understand what was going on within himself and just which kind of upsetting thoughts were secluded in his mind, as if chained, but the people he loved - his parents, his friends - could perfectly tell that Kyuhyun wasn't in his right self.

Of course his mood and state of mind were only determined by the fact he was marrying Jiwon and that he had to send Ryeowook away. However, as soon as he had heard Donghae's voice shouting right from the wide open doors and turned to take a look at what was happening, everything clicked. And he didn't have to smile, he didn't really had the strength to do so while Ryeowook was almost crouched on the floor, looking pale and sick, but just a little glimpse at that man, whose features he dearly loved, managed to make him crack a smile in relief.

Kyuhyun was tired. He had woken up at the crack of dawn, at 5:30am if he recalled right, scared to have too little time to check upon the last sight of a still sleeping Ryeowook before this one could get finally ready to head to Incheon. He stayed quite long in that same, uncomfrotable position, while he laid on the side and Ryeowook exploited his fully stretched out arm as a pillow, making it numb to feel for Kyuhyun. But that didn't matter. Nothing mattered as long as Ryeowook was safely cuddling in that little shelter and laid on a side as well, facing Kyuhyun and almost breathing the man's body warmth while his nose brushed against his old, large t-shirt and grinned in contentedness for a dream that surely tasted of love and protection, the everlasting promise of eternity.

He smiled then as well, dumbly, too stupidly drunk of that vision of ecstasy which was the extreme tenderness issued by Ryeowook sleeping so soundly by his side, totally oblivious that Kyuhyun had already spent one hour of his precious sleep to caress him everywhere: on his hair, on his visible cheek, on his arm, on his back, where he tried to leave the doodles of words that meant both his feelings and how much sorry he was, working them out as if they could be imprinted in Ryeowook's skin and mark there in painless fire everything Kyuhyun couldn't say or never had the courage to say before, hoping for an effort of understanding. 

Not even the pinkish daybreak spared any mercy that day, as the sky - with its millions shades of orange - cleared and left space to the sun, rightful dominant of the whole uncontested space. Ryeowook seemed to gracefully bathe in that strangely alluring light, wrapped in pink from head to toe even though the still too weak sunbeams couldn't reach him under the covers. Not until he had stirred and unconsciously pouted while trying to wake up, when Kyuhyun swiftly snatched a kiss from his groggy lover, and Ryeowook slowly opened his eyes to better understand what was happening. 

That morning he felt incredibly poetic and just when he could see his own reflection spreading in Ryeowook's lit dark eyes, Kyuhyun was even able to compare his lover's awakening to the miracle of life itself. Was it too much? Perhaps, but not surely enough to describe Ryeowook. Anything he did - anything normal, routine-like, maybe a bit too boring at this point - appeared in Kyuhyun's eyes like the most extraordinary of gestures. It was right then and there that Kyuhyun understood how much foolishly in love with the other man he was.

Even though he was perfectly aware that a smile under those heartbreaking circumstances was definitely out of place, Kyuhyun's heart leapt in joy upon identifying the only subject that could considerably lift his mood. He didn't have to act all that pleased, but after spending the earliest part of that morning as if hypnotized by Ryeowook's presence, which was soon to be gone, and tell himself that he wasn't living a dream because he seemed to already miss the other one very much even though he hadn't left the house yet, now Kyuhyun could finally drown in the firm conviction of Ryeowook's real existence before his eyes.

He closed the distance as his neatly polished shoes faintly clacked, suffocated by the red carpet stretched all along the aisle, and immediately opened his arms to welcome the pitiful angel whose watery eyes were still pointed at him.

"Kyu..." Ryeowook insisted, whining and wriggling free from Donghae's arms, until he managed some steps towards Kyuhyun and tripped, falling directly in between his lover's open arms "Tell me this is all a bad, bad dream..." he pleaded, sobbing against the lucid jacket Kyuhyun was wearing that day.

They had been separated for a few hours - the time that Ryeowook took to head to the airport, and Kyuhyun to get ready for the ceremony - but those same few hours had never felt so incredibly long and torturous; so when Kyuhyun closed his arms around Ryeowook's body, he felt lighter and reassured to know that Ryeowook was still by his side, even though on a sorrowful moment like that was. Yes, Ryeowook was already becoming a figment of his imagination after Kyuhyun had to bid him good-bye from their villa's main door and accompany the pianist to his waiting taxi with longing eyes, but now that hug had just made their closeness feel real and strengthened.

It was a matter of minutes, before he had to face the cruel reality again.

"I didn't want you to see this, I'm sorry" Kyuhyun murmured, kneeling on the carpeted floor of the aisle, to better hold Ryeowook's weight, now almost entirely scooped in his arms. From time to time he alternated sorrowful glances to the mass of dark hair whimpering on his stomach, with some deadly stares directed at Donghae for bringing Ryeowook in to see something he wasn't supposed to.

"Tell me... tell me that when I wake up from this nightmare, I'll find you in our bed watching over my sleep and cuddling until very late" Ryeowook's faint voice asked in between gritted teeth, because the pain of watching that scene was so sharp to take it all in at once, and it was even more hurting to assimilate if he tried to process it slowly, step by step.

"I'm...I'm sorry, sunshine. That's not possible" Kyuhyun heavily exhaled, while his hand moved to caress Ryeowook's silky hair and followed each sob that was making his shoulders rise and fall in despair. He felt the pianist's small, delicate hands using all their strength and anger to hold his brand new suit's jacket, and Kyuhyun could see how Ryeowook's knuckles paled while dealing with the efforts of clutching hard the man's clothes, scared to let go.

"Why? Why is that not possible?!" Ryeowook snapped out, now angry, lifting his head and looking straight into Kyuhyun's eyes, for that day almost too perfectly wearing a make up that he wasn't used to "Where you making fun of me when yesterday I was lost in my little fantasies about our wedding, right? You knew it, but yet you kept silent, once again you lied to me!" his wavering voice started to dangerously rise at each snap, totally unconcerned about the surrounding crowd that kept its religious silence to listen to the two desperate lovers.

Nothing mattered. His despair was the only factor, the only impulsive drive that made him move and tear up, plead in that heartbreaking way of his, a trademark action that always, unconsciously, hit Kyuhyun in the deepest parts of his soul. Ryeowook didn't care if a bunch of strangers was now witnessing their ever last moment together, their most painful separation, because he was pushing himself to the brink of insanity just so he could convince Kyuhyun to stop what he was doing and get back together. They were fighting in their little, well-known bubble, and there was nothing to interrupt them but the words and gestures they directed at each other.

"No, Ryeowook, I'd never dare to make fun of you" Kyuhyun looked intently into Ryeowook's teary eyes, feeling strongly disappointed at himself for managing to hurt once again the only person he would have rather protected exploiting any possible mean.

"Then why...?" Ryeowook's voice got back to an exasperated mutter, before being invested by a new wave of anger "How did you exactly feel when you held me in your arms yesterday, and planned with me our honeymoon, or when you talked about how you miss Paris and home, being alone with me, returning to our stupid, boring but nonetheless lovingly perfect daily routine! Tell me!"

Profiting of a pause that Kyuhyun used to draw in a deep sigh of a mixed pain and sorrow, not really able to give an explanation to all the contrasting feelings he was dealing with just the day before, Ryeowook went on to unleash his pent up frustrations, words that cut deeper than true blades: "You knew that you were about to leave me! I had to understand it from the way you felt overly clingy, and touchy, and devastated to send me away, or when you talked about her and the baby, and I was so clueless and stupid to push you in her arms with my good feelings about you making a wonderful father!" he shouted from the top of his lungs, shaking Kyuhyun by the jacket that still was grasped in his fists.

"I had to figure it out earlier, but of course I'm such a huge idiot for believing in your damn repetitive lies day after day! Is this why you told me not to depend on you anymore, because you were about to break up without even warning me? Tell me, is your love for me just one of the many lies? Did we base our relationship onto this? Because I'd not be surprised to know that you tricked me into a sort of delusion about good old days and..."

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Kyuhyun, furious, moved his hands on Ryeowook's upper arms and grabbed him with force, just to shake him into a bit of common sense, apparently lost after the bitter discovery.

The pianist couldn't help but stare Kyuhyun with both eyes and mouth wide open in shock for the brusque reaction this one was having. The grip on his arms was firm and led him to wince in pain twice more than just listening to what Kyuhyun was saying, by then a raging storm of words that for him made very little sense: "I want you to quit your stupid blabbering immediately! How can you say that my love for you is a lie? Don't you have a little bit of respect for me? I have my reasons for doing this today, and don't ever think of me like a cruel monster who doesn't know how to respect other people's sensibility, because it's not absolutely like this!" he began, trying to set his eyes on Ryeowook's face and sound convincing, even though he was slowly being affected by the heartbreaking view of his loved one crumbling, not to mention there was still the upcoming break up. He didn't want to let him go...

"Do you really think that I haven't been struggling with my decision and that my heart didn't cry out all its pain yesterday, when you looked so happy at the idea of being together for all our lives?! Do you think I'm such a horrible man not to consider your feelings and to toy with you all this time? If I had really wanted to toy with you, like you seem so convinced of, we would have been done a lot earlier than today, believe me. Do you think that what I told you yesterday, about being the only, special creature whose existence mean my reason to live is merely a lie? For all this time, have you trusted me just a tiny bit to believe that what I said could be true, that I'd die on this very instant for you if it means your happiness?"

"You don't seem to understand!" Ryeowook retorted in a frown "You always talk about my happiness, but do you really think that, for whatever reason you have to marry her today, I'd be totally happy without you by my side? How can you be so disgustingly selfish?! I'm not happy at all if you break up with me now and marry her!"

His words stirred poisonous comments and suspicious whispers about their cursed love among the attending guests, a crowd that up to that very moment was silently watching their little heartbreaking scene while keeping the most respectful silence, only to grasp in a better way the whole content of the verbal exchange.

"I'm not selfish!" Kyuhyun exclaimed, before he could turn his head to the opposite direction of the hall and take a look of the visible disquiet depicted all over his parents' faces, especially his father's. He had wished for them to bless the deep love he felt towards Ryeowook on the day of their - now hypothetical - long-dreamed wedding, but since the day he had to tell them he needed to marry Jiwon in order for the baby to live a steady life with his legit parents, they looked disappointed with that such a choice, one that could potentially ruin their only son's happiness. Despite being a very responsible choice towards the little child, they knew Kyuhyun better than anyone else after all, perhaps even better than Ryeowook himself at that point, and were aware that Kyuhyun might have ended up regretting it for the rest of his life.

The pianist was so confused and couldn't process any reasonment other than the truth that had been spat out on to his face with that tremendously fake ceremony: "Then elope with me somewhere else, it doesn't matter where or how. Do it now!" Ryeowook pouted, pleading with thin voice as he reached Kyuhyun's crook of the neck and hid his face there "If you dare to leave me, today I die heartbroken, everything will change between us and don't ever try to follow me, because all you'll have left to contemplate will be memories of an unreachable past and the prospect of a future that could never come true!" he threatened in a grimace of pain, while holding a hand on his pounding heart, too weak to handle even his own words then.

Scared by that unlikely resolution, Kyuhyun placed again his hands on Ryeowook's back and tried to hold him tighter than before, feeling that shivering body flatten against his, and he exhaled a long, resigned sigh: "Ryeowook, I'm not selfish. I'm doing this for the baby, you told me that I had to face my responsibilities and all, and..." he was cut off.

"Great time to be a responsible adult, Kyuhyun! You never gave a damn about the world until now! So, you need to be the hero of the situation in this case! Let me tell you that I'm really proud of you, my love!" Ryeowook reproached in a sarcastic way, spitting all the poisonous sentences he was keeping within himself for so long after getting to know that Jiwon was pregnant with Kyuhyun's child. Where was the good man that was worried about the baby and that told Kyuhyun he would have made a wonderful father, if he had only given it a try?

Screw it all up!

Ryeowook was never sure about his own words and spoke them unwillingly, more as a way to follow a stereotypical good behavior than nurtuing any meaningful intention. He only wanted Kyuhyun, what was there so difficult to understand?

Even though he was just holding him in arms and was forced to push him away soon, Kyuhyun was so desperately trying to figure out a last hope, a last promise to cling on, some strange calculations of what could be done next to save them both from that absurd self-destruction. There might have been something useful out there, besides all the suffering and pain, there was always something of the kind after all and Kyuhyun would have bet everything just for Ryeowook.

Then he realized.

Clearing his throat, completely taken aback by Ryeowook's new change of heart, Kyuhyun wished he could have talked with the other man privately for some minutes, but he simply couldn't. The ceremony was about to reach its end, assuming he would have walked again to the altar to accept to spend his life with Jiwon. However he was tempted, too tempted to ask for those precious minutes and drag away Ryeowook, so he could have a chat about the true reason that led him to opt for such a decision, but he felt the particular undesired presence of one of the guests to stop him, and he knew he couldn't speak that freely in front of such a numerous crowd of strangers.

Eric was in the crowd, sitting on the front row and not even bothering to watch the scene. He had just needed one glance at that desperate Ryeowook barging into the hall, to understand what would have happened next. The spiteful man was genuinely amused and confided in Kyuhyun's wisdom, at the thought of watching this one forced to reject his very much loved meaningful other to proceed with a marriage to another person. Was there supposed to be anything more twisted than that?

Then Kyuhyun just decided to go on with his own resolution and bent his head to reach Ryeowook's ear with his lips. There he whispered: "Listen to me carefully now, stop crying, shouting and acting like this, please. There are too many people and I've got too much to say to you right now" those silent whispers disappointed the crowd, who was, in a matter of seconds, estranged from the amusing scene and couldn't grasp anything else from the conversation.

They could just look at the way Ryeowook's disappointed anger was quickly shifting into a shocked one of fright. He had once again popped his eyes wide open right above Kyuhyun's shoulder, while this one kept of using his whispers to explain things: "I'm under foes' fire and can't tell you much about it, but there's another reason for which I'm doing this, and it involves your safety. I've been asked to leave you, or you'd have personally dealt with the consequences of my decision, and I absolutely don't want that to ever happen to you!"

Ryeowook held his breath while he tried to hide again in Kyuhyun's embrace and silently listen to the rest of the story. He was now mentally cursing himself for always being the only culprit of Kyuhyun's misfortune. Thinking about it, everything started right when he fell in love with the teenager version of the man who was holding him tight in a seemingly reassuring hug.

Summing it all up: when he understood his crush on Kyuhyun was very strong and went beyond simple infatuation, Ahra sacrificed her life in order to protect him and give her brother a little happiness. Kyuhyun suffered the incredible loss and pushed him away, assuming the wrong. His parents had to accept bribes to protect what remained of their little family, so that a powerful member of the government didn't have to use any other kind of drastic measures in order to save his nephew - the real culprit - from his rightful punishment. But when this huge ten-year-long misunderstanding was solved, Kyuhyun once again suffered the forced distance he had to impose himself in order to keep his liar parents away from himself, and that was just to follow Ryeowook on the other side of the planet and try to build their future together. Yes, an envisioned bright future to which he had better consent to way earlier than on Kyuhyun's birthday, because if only Ryeowook's timing had been different, his lover would have never tried to drown his displeasure in alcohol and consecutively slept with Jiwon, which led to the intricated situation of that day.

There were many things Ryeowook blamed himself for. He was actually very good at creating adversities with his own hands, after all. That included the unfortunate day of his suffered violence and now Kyuhyun's need to succumb to a threat in order to keep him safe.

Congratulations, Kim Ryeowook! For your constant wavers. Did you ask for more time to pursue happiness? Now you've got plenty of it starting from tomorrow, when you'll be bound to look for somebody else to rely on and build happy memories with.

"Is...is this just another lie?" Ryeowook's lips trembled in a low mumble.

"I wish it could have been a joke, a really bad one, but it isn't and I don't want to risk your life therefore I'm giving up my love" he announced, not caring to conceal the sadness that filled his low voice.

"You don't have to. We can work it out together, I'm not scared! Just tell me what happened, I'm sure you can call it off and..."

Kyuhyun imperceptibly shook his head in deny, still careful not to slip anything to the attentive radar-like ears that surrounded them and that intruded in their little bubble "I cannot tell you more about it now, but I'll try to look for a way out of troubles with Yesung again. He did it once when he discovered the truth behind Ahra's accident, and I'm sure he can do it again for us. You just need to believe me and trust my words for this last time. I'm not backing off my promises, I'll be back to you, I swear" he was resorting to his very last hope.

It wasn't like he was lying. He had really sought the help of Yesung right after Eric had mentioned that proof in his possession which could have unjustly incriminated Ryeowook, but he wasn't really sure of this plan's success. Everything happened too fast and he hadn't had any time to look thoroughly into it, and neither had Yesung. He needed calm and time and he prayed that Ryeowook could understand him finally.

"I don't want this to be the cliché farewell of one of those desperate couples in bad romance movies you like to watch so much. I want more, I want you and I'll keep fighting for that, trust me. Just, give me time with this marriage, I need to keep that baby safe, in the meanwhile I'll try to settle things here and when I'll have figured the true way out of this unbelievable situation, I'll come back home to you, in Paris. In a couple of months I'll be back completely free from my obligations and ready to be your only slave of love until death do us apart. And we will finally marry each other, we will be reunited once again, but only if you want it and help me by patiently wait for my return. Do me this last big favor, Ryeowook, please! I fear that if I were to give up on my deal now, something bad might happen to you right away, and I'd never forgive myself for that, can you get it? Can you get why I warned you yesterday about not trusting anyone but yourself?"

"Do you realize that I shouldn't trust you as well then?" Ryeowook's hands were placed on Kyuhyun's shoulders, softly sliding down on his chest where they felt the man's rushing heartbeat. His eyes had just stopped being overwflown with clear tears, but still they were red and puffy, not to mention both his cheeks that were streaked with dry drops "Tell me at least what it means that I'm in danger. Who threatened you, and why would someone pull threats on your marriage with me? Is it about work? Is some of your work partners against the fact that you're engaged to a man? Perhaps that could endanger your agency's reputation, is that it? Tell me Kyuhyun and we'll work it out together in the end"

"No, you're too much exposed unfortunately. It depends on me only" Kyuhyun announced in that intimate conversation, exchanged in each other's ears, too protected and far away from the spying public "Look at me" the younger one cupped Ryeowook's cheeks and wiped his tears away, gently, softly with both his thumbs after taking off his white silk gloves "Are you feeling a little bit better?"

"How can you ask me that? How can I feel better when I'm at my fiancé's marriage?" Ryeowook pouted, leaning into those hands he loved.

Kyuhyun cracked a bitter smile to loosen the tension: "Yeah, I think that feels weird..."

"I'd never feel better afer this, Kyu" the pianist admitted, responding to the little smile of his loved one while dealing with contrasting emotions; nevertheless, even though he now knew what was going on with Kyuhyun's sudden decision, he still couldn't approve any of that behavior.

"I love you, Ryeowook. I really do, and I'm hurt when you think otherwise. I tried to push you out of my mind and imagine that you might find your truly deserved happiness in someone else who's not me sooner or later, but the truth is that I am furious with myself only if I dare to imagine your sweet smile directed to another man, or that he might hug you, hold you, kiss you and own you better than me"

Ryeowook had grabbed both Kyuhyun's hands in his and was lowering them from his cheeks to his lap, so he could vigorously shake his head in deny, squeezing eyes ever so strongly, just purely disgusted at the idea of loving someone else but Kyuhyun: "Don't say it. Don't! I'll never enjoy love if you are not by my side and... I must apologize. I'm sorry...I think that this is all my fault. If only I had accepted your very first proposal back during Christmas, I would have been probably feeling a lot happier with you as my husband by now and..."

"No, no, no. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault, sunshine. This is destiny challenging us, testing our love. Probably we were leading a too boring life and needed to be shaken up a little bit" he lifted a corner of his lips in a little smile, affecting Ryeowook as well, who looped his arms around Kyuhyun's neck and brushed his nose against the groom's "I love you, Kyuhyun" he whispered, voice broken by a last sob.

"Promise me now, that you'll do what I suggested you, okay? Promise me that you'll wait for me at home"

Ryeowook nodded, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hands, while Kyuhyun still held him around the waist: "It'll be hard never to think about this huge paradox, but I'll keep the promise, I'll be faithfully waiting for you to come back to me"

"Good to know, because I'll be counting days, hours, minutes and seconds before we can get reunited again, and just knowing that is driving me incredibly crazy already" Kyuhyun pulled Ryeowook in his arms again and rested his chin on the petite man's shoulders, moving his palm on Ryeowook's back to soothe him and erase his sadness somehow.

"Kyu..."

"Yes?" Kyuhyun responded to that whisper pleading for attention.

"You're beautifully gorgeous tonight, it's not fair" Ryeowook commented, with shaking voice, despite the huge devoted smile that stretched on his mouth while he had his forehead glued to Kyuhyun's and watched intently in this one's trembling chocolate eyes "I wish this was our day, but I guess that at our wedding we will be dressed in black, clear? It makes you even more stunning!"

"You're terrible!" Kyuhyun added, snatching a wider smile from the petite man that was still a sobbing mess in his arms, though his tears nature was not clearly definable at the point. Whether he was crying his whole heart out of pain, sadness or relief wasn't knowledgeable either to the same Ryeowook, but he was undoubtedly feeling lighter for knowing that Kyuhyun had never consented to marry Jiwon out of his free will, but that instead he was tricked into it.

Although that didn't sound reassuring at all, Ryeowook knew what he had to do now and surely that was completely trust his instinct, the one that told him to unconditionally trust Kyuhyun, because everything will have eventually worked out in a better way, and he already looked forward to the day in which he could have embraced his lover again.

In the meanwhile, he'd have shaken skies and seas in order to fix his issues and be ready to abandon himself to the overwhelming, thirlling sensation that love brought him alongside Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun stood up and dustied his suit before he could stretch a hand towards Ryeowook and help him up as well. 

"I love you, baby" he said, not ashamed, embarrassed or obliged to talk with that same, required low voice from before "I love you" he repeated, as he once again caught the other man in a tight hug and lifted his chin, softly, gently, just to delete the gap between their faces and press a silent, breathtaking kiss on Ryeowook's lips. His mouth slowly responded to Kyuhyun's and moved just in sync, tasting the strange, bittersweet note of a sad goodbye, but nevertheless drowning in that addictive drunk feeling that Kyuhyun only managed to create with his insatiable kisses.

He felt hot all of a sudden, upon realizing that all the guests were keeping their judging stares pointed at the couple, but Ryeowook once in a while didn't care at all. The man was slowly facing his destiny and, knowing that he had soon to part from his soulmate, he was trying hard to imprint the memory of that particular kiss not only in his mind, but also and most importantly on his skin, forcing it to penetrate, not erasable, into his flesh.

"It's...time to go" Kyuhyun roughly exhaled like in a death sentence, a few inches away from Ryeowook's wet lips, while this one had still eyelids closed as if living in an endless bad dream. Upon hearing those words though, Ryeowook snapped open his eyes and bit his bottom lip, too tempted to tear up again in front of Kyuhyun and his sugggestion.

"No, please...please, just a little bit more...please Kyuhyun, please!"

Kyuhyun's hands slowly retracted from Ryeowook's hair, where he had decided to hold him just like he loved, and he felt those soft strands tickle his long fingers, until the silky sensation completely disappeared and the man moved his hands on both Ryeowook's arms to push him away, slow and careful not to hurt him, despite that horrendous pain that was instilling in both men's hearts at that point.

"Get him out of here and on that plane, please" receiving a glance from Kyuhyun, Donghae - although unwilling - moved closer to hug Ryeowook from behind and help Kyuhyun with the hurtful separation.

"No, no, no! Please! Kyuhyun!" Ryeowook was pulled in Donghae's arms, a chain that imposed on his body and prevented him to stand closer to Kyuhyun anymore. Although physically farther than before he was still able to grasp Kyuhyun's sleeves and stubbornly decided to exploit all his strength so not to let go of the grip. 

"Take care" Kyuhyun smiled, a smile that knew less and less about joy or happiness at that point. He took the time of a shrug to free one hand and move Ryeowook's right one off his arm, while the other Kyuhyun held it a little bit more in his, touching that warmth he was about to dearly miss, before his fingers slipped in the grip and removed it.

In a hook of fingers brushing one against the other, Ryeowook was pulled away and lost completely control of that last remaining connection, while Kyuhyun turned heels and swiftly, too fast perhaps, only wanting to put a stop to that day's sufferings, he walked towards the altar where he asked to proceed with the ceremony. The faster, the better.

"Ehm...yes. I was about to ask you if you'd like to take miss Choi Jiwon as your wife before..." the embarrassed minister tried to recap, only to be cut off once again by a rushing Kyuhyun, who didn't even wait for the formal question and simply consented to the request, making it effective before the law.

Yes

"No, Kyuhyun!!!" Ryeowook last heartbreaking shout of protest was heard echoing all around the wedding hall. The heavy ebony double door was closed after the two men exited and Kyuhyun would have never been able to witness those last clear tears rolling on the cheeks of who was once his all. He was oblivious to many things at that point, if only he had been just a little cleverer to handle things... but after all he had left a little hope for a future reunion, though resembling more like a faint flame flickering on a candle, endangered by strong winds all around and still stoically persisting in its fight.

He hoped then to be able to stich Ryeowook's shattered heart back again, to hold it in his hands, nurture and protect it... sometime in a far away future that would have come true perhaps, surely not now, but on that day Kyuhyun's chains of restriction would have set him free to enjoy the true taste of life, with Ryeowook by his side, and he couldn't help but begin his impatient wait.

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A/N: Back with this other chapter! First of all, let me inform you that this is the last chapter that describes scenes taking place in Korea. I'm maybe giving a hint? lol What else? I received many messages, hoping to get a not too cliché finale (starting from this very chapter) and help me to recall right: I have never read of a similar scene in other forced/arranged/secret/whatever-you-call-them-according-to-the-occasion weddings. I liked the idea of letting Ryeowook know about it and get a chance to intervene, instead of watching from afar or hearing about the news of Kyuhyun's marriage from a friend or acquaintance. After all he's gone through I think he needs a chance for redemption and a change. It's like a flowing chart that goes up and down and since "Midnight Blues" Ryeowook has had many of them. After a brusque fall, it's now time for him to quit being the passive character and stand up for his wishes (just like when he decided to be strong and leave Kyuhyun in MB, before the final reconciliation). Therefore, he not only knows that, but Kyuhyun couldn't take it in anymore and kind of gave hints about the true reason of the ceremony. They don't know it yet, but they're reaching out for each other right at the same time. That's where their last promise takes place. Ryeowook is willing to wait for Kyuhyun, no matter how much time this one will take to fix things in his fake marriage, and Kyuhyun swore to go back to him. After all they're connected by destiny's red thread or so they like to think kk

So, yeah...I had in mind this very same heartbreaking scene and didn't change anything from the initial plan, so I hope that you can enjoy your dose of reading, and don't forget to comment (or subscribe, or upvote, it's up to you ^^).

Last but not least! In the previous chapter I noticed an increase in comments and wow, I must thank you! That really made my day (and the following ones, whenever comments kept on coming lol) therefore don't be shy and keep leaving your thoughts below. I assure you, I don't bite I'm on a diet XD