“Why are you late?” Ilhoon complained as he opened the door of his apartment. Hyunsik smiled as he stepped through the front door and smiled in reply. He knew the other male was only whining to cover his nerves.

“I was buying you chocolate.” Hyunsik offered out a small red box that was wrapped with a silver bow to his date, hoping that the treat would make up for his tardiness. “I wasn’t sure what kind you liked, so I went with the one that looked the prettiest.” The other male quickly snatched the box out of Hyunsik’s hand and turned away, concealing his flushed face.

“T-thank you.” Ilhoon mumbled under his breath as he the top of the box with his fingertips before setting the box down on his kitchen table. He cooed at the sweet gesture, before recollecting his composure. “But it doesn’t make up for the fact that you were late.” He whined again. "I also like chocolate covered caramels, just for future reference." 

“Well, it’s good to see you.” Through all the scolding, the whining, and complaining; however, Hyunsik’s smile never faltered. Once again, he knew the other male only continued to whine to cover his nerves. He wrapped his arms around Ilhoon with just the right amount of firmness. “Shall we?”

Hyunsik was a minimalist, showing up dressed simply in a crisp blue and white Ralph Lauren button up that he left open over a simple gray t-shirt which read UCLA Soccer, a subtle reminder that he was interested in college athletics. His sleeves were rolled to the middle of his forearms, a small touch that brought  Ilhoon weak to his knees. He wore a pair of questionably tasteless, tan-colored, cog-like shoes, that would definitely be a topic of teasing for later, but at the time Ilhoon found them to be oddly charming.

Ilhoon wondered how he had managed to attract the attention of someone like Hyunsik. The man was a goddamned gentleman with a perfectly dimpled smile who always opened doors, remembered birthdays, and seemed to have no problem making friends, that it came to a surprise when Ilhoon suddenly found himself walking hand in hand with the man of his dreams.

Everything about that evening was cliché. Walking through a park was such an overplayed fantasy. Hyunsik was the textbook example of someone who personified perfection. It was almost unrealistic… almost. The evening followed the storyline of an 80’s romance movie, and as Ilhoon realized what the final piece of the formula was, he could feel his heart racing. The kiss, the final kiss. The kiss where doves flew and fireworks exploded in the sky above as the end credits rolled as a soft rock ballad played in the background. There was only one problem; however, and it was that Ilhoon had actually never been kissed.

“Hm?” Hyunsik suddenly stopped as he noticed a white screen with a soft light projecting against its translucent surface. He watched as couples disappeared behind the screen, while a photographer snapped pictures of kissing silhouettes. “That seems like fun.”

Ilhoon’s face flushed as Hyunsik suddenly pulled him behind the screen, now standing face to face with his date. “I, I don’t know about this…” He coyly traded glances with Hyunsik whose smile seemed to travel up to his eyes. “I’ve never been kiss...”

Ilhoon soon found his eyes fluttering closed as he felt Hyunsik’s soft lips pressed against his. They tasted like peppermint, the minty cool menthol causing Ilhoon’s lips to tingle as they connected. The apples of his cheeks flushed, his breath hitched, and it was like time had slowed down in those few seconds their lips were attached. Ilhoon’s hooded eyes slowly opened, a smile stretched across his face for the first time that evening, followed by a youthful schoolboy giggle.

“Y-you can’t just go kissing people like that!” He retorted, stuttering over his words. Ilhoon pressed his hands against his warm face and nervously fidgeted, playing with the strings of his jacket.

Ilhoon suddenly felt Hyunsik’s press another kiss against his lips. “Come on, it’s getting late and I think I should be getting you home before it gets too cold. I noticed you shivering earlier, but didn’t want to say anything.” Hyunsik teased as he offered his hand out to Ilhoon.

They stood together nice and warm, fingers laced, feeling safe and secure. Ilhoon smiled, realizing that now that he had his kiss, the end credits of his love story could finally roll. As they headed home, he looked forward to see what the sequel had in store for him.