ROUND 2. 

a song

EVERYTHING YOU DO

lyrics | audio

prompted by Kwuintessence

"And I believe

Some things are meant to be

As sure as there is love

Yours is meant for me."

Seungyoon closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. He breathed in and out, giving it his whole attention, and tried to switch off the voices around him. Ten wasn’t enough, so he needed to count down from twenty and then up to thirty five, with each number building up an invisible wall of indifference around himself.

It was really hard to retain his composure today. He had worked with many couples in the past but this one would surely find its place among the most memorable ones. And the memories they had been leaving so far weren’t good at all.

Lim Jinju and Park Dongwoo, both originally from Hanam, aged twenty five and twenty eight respectively - a good-looking and outwardly well-matched couple turned out to be one of the biggest challenges in his rather short career as a wedding photographer. Nothing had foreshadowed that they would be having this kind of trouble when they had been signing the contract. It was fairly easy to find the right dates, decide when and where they should meet to discuss any details of the pre-wedding shooting, and how to finalise the transaction. Even the actual date of their wedding fitted into the busy schedule. 

But on the day of the shooting the perfect image was quickly distorted. The couple, who looked marvellous together in almost every shot, kept complaining and changing their minds all the time, which spoiled the atmosphere in the studio. If the problem wasn’t the setting, their outfits, or their positions, they would pick on each other in a manner which in Seungyoon’s eyes was far from loving. He had to constantly remind himself that he wasn’t doing it for free and they were his clients, and for that reason it wouldn’t be appropriate to tell them to shut up. Instead he opted for his countdowns and numerous breathing exercises, at the same time feeling sorry for the rest of the crew who had to cope with the noisy couple as well. 

He had always seen himself as a quite patient man, but Jinju’s and Dongwoo’s bickering made his patience vanish. The usually pleasant job was a burden for the first time in a very long time. Seungyoon questioned how it was possible that his co-photographer managed to appear so calm. The couple would make a dead man go mad, but somehow Kim Jinwoo did not look affected by their nasty remarks to each other. In fact, his positive aura and composed attitude let the moods cool down at the most heated times, but it seemed that the volcano was still yet to erupt.

“Let’s try something else, shall we?” Jinwoo suggested, disturbing yet another dispute. He smiled gently at Jinju and Dongwoo as if they had just been having a sweet chat over a cup of tea and not commented harshly on each other’s dropping postures. “I think you need something less… heavy.”

The idea made the couple exchange curious looks but they agreed to what Jinwoo was saying. The assistants helped them change their outfits while Jinwoo and Seungyoon rearranged the setting and lighting. It seemed that Jinju was very satisfied with the shorter dress Jinwoo had personally chosen for her from their garment collection. Seungyoon doubted she truly had anything against the earlier arrangements - they had been as fine as this one - but finally everything appeared to click. The moment she saw her husband in the new suit, her eyes shone, and Seungyoon knew that this was it. Dongwoo enjoyed her loving gazes and for a few minutes nobody said a thing, which was a welcome change. The clicking of the cameras and shuffling of the bride’s chiffon dress blended with the very soft background music, creating a soothing symphony, far more comforting than the constant grumbling.

Everyone was pleased with the good work they were doing; the relieved expressions on the assistants’ faces told Seungyoon he wasn’t the only one who had trouble withstanding the couple’s attitudes. Only Jinwoo was as engaged and enthusiastic as before, his approach did not alter even a little bit. Working with him was always a real pleasure. Seungyoon couldn’t wish for a better business partner, who was also his good friend. Despite their three-year , Jinwoo never showed any kind of superiority to Seungyoon. He was usually so vigorous and cheerful as opposed to rather level-headed, practical Seungyoon that people often misjudged their hyung-dongsaeng relations, thinking that Seungyoon was the older one. How big was their surprise when he referred to Jinwoo as “Hyung”! Seungyoon loved those confused or astonished faces.

“How can you be twenty eight?!” The brides-to-be would ask, claiming that he didn’t look older than twenty two. 

Seungyoon chuckled soundlessly at the recollection of the last situation of this kind. He looked at Jinwoo working by his side and when he caught a glimpse of his profile, he had to agree with their female clients. Jinwoo did look as if he had found the fountain of youth and drunk from it on a regular basis, aiming to retain the appearance of a teenager. His skin was fair and unblemished, his lips full and rosy. There wasn’t a single wrinkle on his forehead - probably because he rarely got angry or extremely worried - and the tiny ones which appeared in the corners of his eyes whenever he grinned made him even more charming. Jinwoo was like a fairy with a camera in his hands; maybe not always ideally graceful, but magical enough to put his working environment under the spell of his positive aura.

His magic finally worked on Jinju and Dongwoo, and after a half an hour they were done. Together with this one, they had photographed around ten different scenes, so the couple would have plenty of photos to choose from. The first stage of their contract could almost be ticked as completed. Seungyoon sighed out happily and smiled to himself, stepping back from the set. He was so exhausted after the whole day of listening to complaints, but at least it was quiet now.

Jinwoo was still circulating around Jinju, taking close-ups of the flowers, her jewellery and make-up. Such kind of shots was his personal favourites. She definitely liked what he was doing and afterwards demanded to see the pictures on his camera. They usually refused to let the couples see the photos before the retouch, but Seungyoon knew why Jinwoo allowed Jinju to take a look. If the couple looked as good in Jinwoo’s shots as they did in Seungyoon’s, there was no problem with that at all.

Dongwoo stood by her side and glanced at the camera screen over her shoulder as Jinwoo was showing them the results of their work. There was nothing more pleasing to Seungyoon than the sight of the three smiling faces, and although his gaze lingered on Jinwoo, he quickly noticed the change in Dongwoo’s expression when Jinju said something about making all of her past boyfriends jealous by posting these photos to her SNS.

“Everything you do is just for the show,” the groom-to-be said reproachfully. “What am I to you? An accessory that makes you look prettier? Just a prize you can boast about?”

Everyone fell silent and froze amidst what they were doing. Seungyoon knew that would be it for the good atmosphere. He hoped they could finish the photo shoot in good moods, but one remark was enough to bring it back to the previous state.

Jinju knitted her neatly-shaped eyebrows together and got ready to retort with something equally impactful, but before she could do so, Jinwoo put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her calmingly. He smiled, making her forget what she was about to say, and then moved his gaze to her fiancé.

“Dongwoo-ssi, you should see her as your prize,” he said with confidence. “You’re the one who won her, after all. Not any of those men. You’re the lucky one who is going to marry her. Everyone would want to take your place when they see the photos, that’s what Jinju-ssi meant, am I right?”

The woman blinked but nodded her head, which made Jinwoo smile in satisfaction.

“There is nothing to be angry about,” Jinwoo emphasised and turned off his camera. Seungyoon was very impressed with the easiness with which he dealt with the situation. He might have had enough of their quarrels as well, even if he hadn’t shown it before.

“It’s just the stress…,” Dongwoo sighed in response and Jinwoo told him that he understood.

That was how some of the couples were. The prospect of getting married in just a few days was surely stressful. The nervous anticipation could make people behave different from how they usually were. Seungyoon could only hope that Jinju and Dongwoo weren’t normally so mean to each other, otherwise their marriage wouldn’t last too long.

He shook his head, internally scolding himself for having this kind of thoughts. This wasn’t his business. They were hired only to take their wedding photos and they would finish their task the best way they could. He certainly wasn’t the one to judge the prosperity of the relationship of his clients.

Yet, he had to ask Jinwoo for his opinion about the couple when they were left alone in their studio. Sat by the two-screened computer in the corner of the big hall, which served as a provisional office, they took a first look at the photos, instantly deleting all the out-of-focus and blurry ones. It was more appropriate to ask him now than during the breaks when somebody could have heard them.

Jinwoo propped his head up on one elbow and sighed, “They made me very sad, but I tried hard not to show it. I mean, why would people who love each other behave like this? But a grumpy photographer wouldn’t have made it better.”

Seungyoon nodded, wondering if he hadn’t been too grumpy himself. He wished no one had noticed his counting sessions and found out how much he had been struggling to stay composed throughout the photo shoot.

“You always think about other people first, Hyung,” the younger man said and Jinwoo flashed him a wide smile.

“This is how I am,” he confirmed, chuckling. A tingling sensation overtook Seungyoon’s chest as he observed Jinwoo’s mirthful face. He pushed his hair back from his forehead and leant towards Seungyoon, looking him right in the eyes. “But you know what?” he said. “There is something that I found very annoying, too.”

“What?” Seungyoon asked rather breathlessly, suddenly intimidated by their short proximity and the playfulness in Jinwoo’s eyes.

“Their song.”

“Their song?” Seungyoon had to repeat it, at first not realising what Jinwoo had on mind.

“Yes,” his hyung confirmed and rolled his eyes. “It was awful! I asked one of the assistants to turn the volume down, but I still could hear it.”

Right, Seungyoon did recall that there had been a song, the couple’s favourite, which they’d requested to be played on loop. He listened to it for a few times at the beginning of the photo shoot, but it was nothing special, typical cheesy stuff for lovers. It was good for their first dance or something of that kind, but he doubted anyone would actually like to listen to it on and on. He had switched it off in his brain and ignored it for the rest of the day, but apparently Jinwoo had been unable to do the same.

However, he had a chance to go through what Jinwoo had gone a few days later, on the day of the wedding.

In the morning of each “Big Day” the two photographers worked separately, one documenting the bride’s preparations, the other following the groom with his camera while he was getting ready himself. Through the months of practice, they had established it was best to make Jinwoo stick with the ladies. They generally enjoyed his company and were rarely ashamed of his presence in the dressing room. There had been some situations when they felt so comfortable with him that he left the bride’s house with make up on, because her friends thought it would be fun and he couldn’t defy too long. Seungyoon still had those selfies saved on his phone, even though he’d promised Jinwoo he would delete all of them. He joked that one day they would make him put on a dress, just because he couldn’t say “no”. But if that happened Seungyoon would be more doomed than he would ever admit to himself.

For now, he had to focus on taking photos of the men gathering in one of the rented hotel rooms. He had his phone by his side, hidden in the pocket of his trousers, awaiting any updates from Jinwoo, but his job prevented him from thinking about his friend.

He was slipping past the groom’s family and friends, trying to be as invisible as he could. At first, everyone was tense whenever they spotted him, but eventually they got used to being photographed and soon began behaving more casually. Seungyoon always waited for the moment when the guests would get accustomed to him appearing around them with his camera. Making anyone uncomfortable wasn’t the reason why he was there after all. Luckily, it didn’t take long before the men almost stopped noticing the camera. They joked and laughed, teased Dongwoo, and some even chatted with Seungyoon as if he was one the groom’s friends, not a man hired to take photos of them.

Some light cocktails were being served, and Seungyoon assumed that it partially helped to relax the atmosphere. Dongwoo needed a few to improve his mood and soon appeared to enjoy himself more. He got changed in the separate room with the assistance of his brothers and then posed for pictures with his closest friends. Seungyoon got introduced to almost all of them, but he quickly forgot the names as there were far too many for him to remember at once. Only one got stuck in his memory; a set of curiously slanted eyebrows and a middle-parted hair made a man called Nam Taehyun a rather unforgettable sight.

Seungyoon was genuinely pleased that this time Dongwoo wasn’t quarrelling with anyone. This made his task considerably easier. But unfortunately for him, it still wasn’t as easy as he would like it to be.

Having in mind what Jinwoo had said about the couple’s song, he recognised it immediately when the music was changed from classics to something more modern. His opinion about it did not change, but his attitude sadly did. It reminded him of some Christian songs he knew from church, but he never cringed so hard while listening to them. After he heard it being played for the fifth time, he thought that one more would give him a headache. He didn’t even have to wait till the end of the song for that to happen.

He looked around the room, but no one else seemed to mind. Everyone was occupied with chats or their coffees; only Seungyoon stood there, counting down the seconds till the song would finish and start again. He wanted to blame Jinwoo for that, but he knew it was his own fault that he couldn’t make himself focus on anything else.

He took his phone out of his pocket and opened KakaoTalk to type a text message to his hyung. Before he could press send he got one from him.

I’m on my way! We’ve already finished. Jinju has been a different person today ㅋㅋㅋ

Seungyoon smiled to himself, suddenly excited that he was going to see Jinwoo a bit earlier than he expected. His hyung had started work two hours before him and had to drive all the way from Seoul to the bride’s house in Hanam, but finally he was going to join Seungyoon in the hotel and get ready for the ceremony and reception with him. He should arrive here in less than half an hour, Seungyoon calculated, now in a much better mood. He deleted everything he had written about the annoying song, and tapped in a new message.

Any make-up selfies today? Or a dress?

He bit his lip, hesitating for a second before sending the text, but did that in the end, certain that Jinwoo would know that he was joking.

He didn’t have to wait long for a response.

In your dreams~!

“How do you know, Hyung,” Seungyoon muttered under his breath and chuckled. He didn’t reply this way, though. Instead he sent a simple See you soon! and returned to the guests.

Ignoring the song was easier now as he had an image of Jinwoo occupying his thoughts. Subconsciously, however, he still listened to the lyrics, associating them with his friend, if he wanted that or not. If only the singer’s voice wasn’t so sickening and the melody was just a bit more pleasing to the ear. He sighed, shaking his head, and decided to make another round among the people in the room, using the time left to take some more pictures. He already had plenty, but it would do him no harm to be productive for a while longer before his break.

He got caught by Dongwoo’s brothers and father, and spent the next twenty minutes on photographing them and chatting about his job. If the reception was going to pass in the same nice atmosphere, he was looking forward to it. He would have Jinwoo with him, which made things even better. He looked at his watch and as if on cue, heard a familiar laughter somewhere in the room.

Turning around, he scanned the faces of the people, looking for Jinwoo among them. He found him by the door, all smiles and giggles, talking to that peculiar guy, Taehyun. The joy of seeing him was preceded by a strange sting in his heart, but he brushed it off quickly. Having bowed to the Park family, he excused himself and walked towards Jinwoo slowly enough not to make it look like he was rushing to him. A part of him waited for Jinwoo’s reaction when he would notice him approaching, but the older man seemed so engaged in the conversation that he barely looked away from Taehyun’s face. Seungyoon made up his mind that he was going to disturb them, but then Jinwoo’s eyes found themselves on him and his face broke into a wide grin.

“Seungyoon-ah!” He waved to him happily. He bowed slightly to Taehyun, and Seungyoon could hear him thank the man for something. With that he walked away, directing his steps to the other photographer.

“Hyung.” Seungyoon greeted him with a gentle smile and a nod. “Want me to carry any of your bags?”

“No no, it’s fine. Don’t worry. They aren’t that heavy,” Jinwoo assured him. “Just show me where I can leave them!”

“Right. Come this way then.”

He led him to the adjacent room, where the groom had changed earlier and which was now free for them to use.

“How has it been going so far?” Jinwoo asked, securing his equipment on one of the tables. “Jinju was surprisingly easy to work with today. Everything went smoothly with getting her ready, even if they’d been worried about the corset. Her hair and dress are very nice.”

“That’s great then.” Seungyoon nodded. He watched his hyung unpack his suit from the clothing bag and smiled, seeing that he had chosen the one Seungyoon particularly liked on him. “Everything’s been okay here as well. No quarrelling or complaining,” he answered Jinwoo’s question. “The only bad thing is that they’ve been tormenting me with the song.”

Jinwoo looked up at him, apparently amused. “Told you!” He laughed melodiously. “They played it at Jinju’s house, too. A real nightmare.”

Seungyoon nodded in silent agreement, his ears full of the echo of Jinwoo’s laughter. This is how things were supposed to be. Jinwoo should laugh for him, not some random guys with slanted eyebrows.

“Hyung, do you know that guy with whom you talked by the door?” He asked, letting his curiosity win. He could leave it alone but there wasn’t anything wrong in asking, right?

Jinwoo clearly wasn’t expecting that question. He blinked, surprised, but seeing that Seungyoon was waiting for the answer, he explained, “I only met him just now. He was smoking outside the hotel and helped me find the way up here, because I wasn’t sure if it’s even the right place. It was pure luck that he turned out to be Dongwoo’s best friend.”

“Oh, I see.” Seungyoon shrugged his shoulders. “You could have called me to come and get you.”

“I didn’t want to disturb,” Jinwoo stated simply, getting his outfit ready. “Shall we get changed now?”

They did, in the opposite corners of the room with their backs turned to each other. Not to peek was one of the biggest challenges Seungyoon had to face, but consciously or not he stood near the mirror. He did not look when Jinwoo was changing his jeans to suit trousers, but he couldn’t refrain himself when he proceeded to put on his shirt. Seungyoon caught a glimpse of his toned, slender back, and looked away quickly, feeling his face grow hot.

“I’m done now. I’ll wait outside!” He rushed to the door, still fumbling with the buttons of his jacket. He didn’t turn around to see Jinwoo’s reaction to his rather suspicious escape. As the door closed behind him he counted up to fifteen, but when that didn’t help he decided to go to the restroom and try to get a grip on himself there.

Something strange had been happening to him recently. It was beyond his understanding why he could not control himself around Jinwoo anymore. It was hard to say when exactly it had started, but Seungyoon was getting more and more confused by his own reactions. There was something in the way Jinwoo smiled that made him lose focus on anything else; hearing his voice was enough to get him strangely excited. He was thinking about his friend way too often, and if he didn't put an end to it, it could seriously complicate their business relationship. They had established there would be no romance at work, not with any of the assistants, not with anyone. Seungyoon personally insisted on that, knowing how hard it could get to work with person with whom you share your private life as well. He had a girlfriend in his production team at the university. Being her leader did not affect their relationship in any positive way.

But was he even considering becoming something more than friends with Jinwoo? He could and did imagine that, but decided it should never cross the boundaries of his imagination. Co-workers and friends, that was what could be considered acceptable.

However, when he left the restroom a while later and planned to go back to the smaller room to get his camera, his resolution ceased being so strong. He clearly did not predict that he would see Jinwoo face to face with Taehyun, who by the looks of it was fixing his tie.

What was wrong with this guy? Seungyoon asked himself and stormed in their direction, miraculously preventing himself from pushing Dongwoo’s friend away from Jinwoo.

"Hyung, I've been looking for you," he lied to get his attention. Why the hell do you let a stranger touch you? He almost added.

"Ah, Seungyoon! I couldn't find you either." Jinwoo smiled at him apologetically. "I undid my tie again and needed you to help me. But you weren't anywhere."

"So I did it," Taehyun turned to him as well, a mocking smirk spreading on his lips. He scanned Seungyoon with his eyes; his eyebrows going higher up his forehead the lower his gaze went. He glanced at his face again before looking back at Jinwoo, this time with no scorn in his expression. "I'll teach you how to do it properly, Hyung. So that you won't need assistance anymore."

Seriously, he couldn't be more impudent. Seungyoon wasn't sure what made him angrier, the way Taehyun talked and looked at Jinwoo, or Jinwoo's sweet giggling following what he had said.

How old was he anyway? He referred to Jinwoo as hyung, obviously not knowing that Jinwoo was Seungyoon's hyung only and nobody else was allowed to talk to him like this.

Before he realised how stupid his reasoning was, Taehyun had already gone away, not even waiting for any kind of response from Seungyoon who stood there like a fool, curling his fingers into tight balls in the pockets of his trousers.

"He's very nice," Jinwoo said, probably more to himself than to Seungyoon, following Taehyun with his eyes as he went to join his friends who were getting ready to leave for the main hall, in which the ceremony was to be held in less than an hour now.

"Doesn't seem nice to me," Seungyoon opposed, but Jinwoo looked like he didn’t hear him at all.

He touched his tie with his fingers, and turned to Seungyoon only a few seconds later. “I think we should go now,” he said as if nothing had happened.

Seungyoon wished it really had been nothing, but he thought he knew why Jinwoo was like this. He liked this Taehyun guy, didn’t he?

He tried to convince himself he didn’t care. As long as he kept himself busy with preparations for the ceremony and taking photos throughout it, everything was going to be fine. But the plan was easy only in theory. Just like with the song that couldn’t get out of his mind, he found himself unable to quit thinking about Jinwoo and the possibility that he might have took interest in another person for real. He kept looking for him with his gaze whenever they separated as he needed to check if Jinwoo was anywhere close to Taehyun. It was pointless, and he was well aware of it, because what would he do then? Tell Taehyun off as if Jinwoo belonged to him? He didn’t, and that was the problem, whether he was willing to accept it or not.

He could only hope Taehyun did not follow Jinwoo to the antechamber, in which the bride was waiting with her closest friends for the ceremony to start. Meanwhile Seungyoon had to accompany the groom and his family by the entrance and take photos while they greeted the guests, shaking their hands, bowing, and thanking them for coming. He entered the wedding hall with them when everyone had arrived and took a good spot at the front of the room. He exchanged encouraging smiles with Dongwoo and when the music started playing, both of them turned their heads in the direction of the door.

Everyone’s eyes were on Jinju when she entered the wedding hall holding her father’s arm. Gasps of amazement filled the room, but Seungyoon admired her briefly before he shifted his attention to Jinwoo, who must have come in before the bride and was now taking one photo after another as she strolled down the aisle towards her groom. He stared at him, anticipating at least a look or a smile from Jinwoo, but he didn’t receive any. Jinwoo was too preoccupied with his task to look around. Another few seconds had to pass for Seungyoon’s eyes to widen in the shock of realisation that he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to do the same. He spun towards the groom, pressing the switch of his camera, and took a sequence of photos in the hope that he would manage to capture Dongwoo’s reaction to seeing his fiancée.

This moment of distraction made him very disappointed with himself, so he did his best not to let it happen again. He worked hard documenting the most important moments and reprimanded himself harshly in his thoughts whenever his concentration began to slip.

Luckily for him the ceremony didn’t belong to the lengthy ones and finished quite soon. Seungyoon was very relieved when the couple performed several final bows to the guests and the official part was over. He couldn’t wait to have a drink at the reception, and was quite hungry as well. He hadn’t eaten anything since morning and the roller coaster of emotions he had been on because of Jinwoo made his stomach painfully empty.

They had taken some group pictures with the guests and it was finally time for the bride to throw her bouquet for her best friend to catch. But when Seungyoon saw how strong her throw was he knew it was never going to fall in the girl’s hands. Instead it flew right above all the women gathered behind the bride’s back and chose the other photographer as its victim. It hit Jinwoo right in the head, making him stumble backwards with a yelp of surprise. The girls were shocked as well but started laughing almost immediately. Jinju covered her lips with her gloved hand, and eventually giggled too, but Seungyoon did not feel like laughing.

He rushed to Jinwoo, who was massaging his head with a rather uncertain smile on his lips. A bunch of flowers couldn’t hurt him too much, but Seungyoon was worried anyway.

“Are you okay?” he asked him, ignoring the flowers lying by their feet. “Did it hit you hard?”

Jinwoo shook his head and took a step closer to Seungyoon. He looked up at him and Seungyoon could see gratefulness in his expression.

“I’m fine,” he said quietly. “I simply didn’t see that coming.”

Seungyoon ached to hug him but instead he awkwardly rubbed his back and smiled sympathetically.

“You have some petals in your hair.” He noticed, and raised his hand to remove them gently one by one. He let them fall to the floor but one stuck to his finger. He kept it there, deciding to put it in his pocket when Jinwoo wouldn’t see.

“Thank you, Seungyoon,” Jinwoo whispered. Seungyoon knew he wasn’t thanking him only for taking the petals out of his hair. He was still shaken by the flower attack, even if he tried not to let it show. The fact that he was so delicate made Seungyoon want to take care of him all the time.

Jinju and Dongwoo approached them to ask whether Jinwoo was alright and the bride apologised for her unfortunate throw. She bent down to take the bouquet from the floor and handed it to Jinwoo, saying that it belonged to him now. Jinwoo was reluctant to accept it at first, but in the end, he did, chuckling along with the people who gathered around them. It was good to see him cheer up.

The couple led them to the reception hall and showed them their table, insisting that both of them should rest for now. Neither complained about it as they really needed a while to sit down, unwind, and fill their stomachs. The waiters began serving food, starting with the soup, and the MC announced that it was time for the speeches. Seungyoon devoured his janchi guksu at a speed of light and waited for Jinwoo to finish his, in the meantime taking some photos from their spot.

One of the couple’s mutual friends was giving a speech, entertaining everyone with the story he was telling. Although Seungyoon didn’t know them well enough he found it very amusing. He loved the bit about their first meeting during a car race, when they sat next to each other but rooted for different drivers. They ended up quarrelling, but when neither of the drivers won and both finished in the last ten, they could do nothing but laugh. Dongwoo asked Jinju out for a drink as an apology for his outburst and that was how their story started.

“It looks like arguing is their thing,” Seungyoon said, leaning in to Jinwoo.

He replied with a nod and giggle as his mouth was full of noodles. Seungyoon thought he was really adorable like this. He liked seeing him enjoy food, and he clearly was very hungry just like Seungyoon.

Intentionally or not, the light-hearted speech carried an important message as well. It made Seungyoon realise that he might have misjudged Dongwoo and Jinju. No matter how flawed their personalities could be, they seemed to finish every argument with something positive. They had just got married. Maybe it was destiny for the two so quick-tempered people to meet. They were so similar and probably this is how they knew how to treat each other. There was probably nothing wrong in quarrelling as long as none of them was hurt and they reconciled every time.

But no one started an argument today. Love filled Dongwoo’s eyes whenever he looked at his bride during the ceremony and the speech, and Jinju’s every gesture showed how much she cared about her husband.

Seungyoon looked at Jinwoo and the bouquet lying by his side on the table. Was he aware how much Seungyoon cared about him as well? He had never told him that he couldn’t be happier about having Jinwoo as his co-photographer. Never explained him the reason why he didn’t mind staying in the studio for long hours if Jinwoo was with him. Never said anything about how he makes him feel.

This was more than complicated but Seungyoon was finally coming to terms with the fact that he would do anything to fight for Jinwoo, against Taehyun or anyone else.

They spent the next hour eating and chatting, and Seungyoon felt way better now that he reached peace within himself. Even the song that the couple danced to after the meal didn’t annoy him that much. He returned to work, this time taking photos side by side with Jinwoo. It was best this way, to feel him close and know that no one was trying to steal him away.

Taehyun was sitting in the far corner of the room with his friends and did not pose a threat anymore. Seungyoon considered that maybe he had seen him and Jinwoo after the older man was hit with the bouquet and decided to give up. He was looking in Taehyun’s direction from time to time, waiting for the moment when he would turn around and look at them.

He chose it to wrap his arm around Jinwoo’s waist and whisper into his ear, “I’ll go and get the key for our room now, okay?”

Jinwoo nodded, having no idea that Seungyoon’s eyes were fixed on Taehyun’s face. He’s mine, he was nonverbally telling the other man and hoped that he got the message. He could now leave Jinwoo, but for no longer than ten minutes.

He was smiling to himself on his way to the reception desk. Having collected the key, he took all their belongings from where they had left them before the ceremony and moved them to the room with the help of a hotel staff member.

The room was quite spacious and had its own bathroom with a shower. There were two single beds with nightstands, a flat TV on the wall, and a desk, on which Seungyoon located their equipment. He put Jinwoo’s bag on the bed near the window, assuming that he would prefer to sleep there, and chose the bed by the wall for himself. Looking at it made him realise how tired he was. The reception would be over soon and he really couldn’t wait to sleep. He was glad they didn’t have to drive all the way back to Seoul tonight. They were usually so drained after the day full of events that Seungyoon could claim the newlyweds were nowhere as exhausted as they were.

After using the toilet and fixing his hair a bit he was ready to return to the reception hall. He couldn’t wait to tell Jinwoo what a nice room they got this time, no shared bathroom or a double bed, but the moment he arrived he noticed that someone had taken his seat next to Jinwoo. It was no one else but Taehyun.

Seungyoon felt the blood in his veins boil at the sight. To make matters worse the song was playing again, apparently because no one felt like dancing anymore and they assumed it would serve well as background music. In Seungyoon’s opinion, it only served well to make him even angrier.

He walked over to their table and halted behind Taehyun with his arms folded across his chest. He stood there without being noticed and listened to bits of their conversation about Taehyun’s career as a composer and his graduation from Korea National University of Arts a year ago. That would mean he was probably the same age as Seungyoon, as he also graduated a year ago, but from Seoul Institute of the Arts.

“I bet you’re very talented, Taehyun-ah,” Jinwoo said with an approving smile. “I’d like to listen to your music one day.”

“I’m sure we can arrange that, Hyung,” Taehyun replied. Seungyoon couldn’t see his face but he imagined him saying that with a satisfied smirk on his lips.

They continued the rather flirtatious conversation full of compliments and praises, completely ignoring Seungyoon, who listened to all of it standing there invisible like a ghost, as if each other’s company excused them from paying attention to what was going on around them.

When Taehyun said something about writing a song about Jinwoo’s beautiful eyes, Seungyoon had enough. Only counting down from ten stopped him from grabbing Taehyun by the collar to keep him as far from Jinwoo as possible. He gritted his teeth and cleared his throat loudly.

Both Taehyun and Jinwoo turned around, slightly startled.

“This is my seat,” he said harshly, urging Taehyun to disappear with his strong glance.

Jinwoo opened his mouth to speak when Taehyun stood up with a sigh, but the hurtful look that Seungyoon sent him rather uncontrollably made him remain silent. He lowered his head, looking at a piece of half-eaten cake on his plate, and only waved at the groom’s friend when he was leaving.

Seungyoon took his seat, still deeply upset by what he had just witnessed. He thought he had made it clear to Taehyun that he shouldn’t come anywhere close to Jinwoo, and there he was, using Seungyoon’s leaving as an opportunity to approach the older photographer once again.

“That was rude, Seungyoon,” Jinwoo said in a quiet voice. “We were just talking.”

So Jinwoo considered it rude? Why didn’t he see a problem in the fact that he was letting another guy take Seungyoon’s place, both literally and figuratively?

“As far as I’m concerned it is called flirting, Hyung,” he said, trying to make his voice less shaky.

“Flirting?” Jinwoo repeated like an echo. “With whom? Taehyun?” He questioned in disbelief and laughed, but his expression turned serious. “It’s called kindness, Seungyoon. I’m kind to people.”

His tone betrayed that he felt offended by what Seungyoon had suggested, but the younger photographer didn't want to back down this time.

“I don’t think so… The way you talk to Taehyun…” He tried finding good words to describe it, but the more he thought about it the more painful it was. “It isn’t only kindness,” he finished sadly.

He could feel Jinwoo’s eyes on him and when he looked up to meet his gaze, Jinwoo spoke again.

“What if I’m flirting? What’s wrong with me flirting with people?” He didn’t ask it in an accusing manner; it sounded more like curiosity with a hint of something else Seungyoon had trouble to identify.

“You never do that with me,” he stated before he could bite his tongue.

They stared at each other, equally surprised by that remark. Seungyoon could sense how uncomfortable he made Jinwoo feel, but he wasn't going to take his words back.

“You told me not to,” Jinwoo choked out after a few seconds of heavy silence hanging between them. “Have you changed your mind?” He stood up from the table, not waiting for the answer.

“Hyung!” Seungyoon attempted to stop him, but Jinwoo grabbed his camera and ran to the door without turning back.

It was hard to prevent himself from hitting the table with his fist, but he miraculously managed to. What had he done? He shouldn’t have assumed that Jinwoo had forgotten or stopped caring about what had happened between them that one night not long after they started working with each other. Seungyoon felt like it was a closed chapter for Jinwoo, but he was wrong.

He hid his face in his hands and closed his eyes but the images of that night flooded his mind together with feelings of regret and shame, followed by a bitter taste of lost opportunities on his tongue. It happened less than a year ago, but the memories were blurry and hazy because Seungyoon had tried so hard to push them back to previous century.

Yet Jinwoo's happy face was as clear as if he had it right in front of his eyes. They got drunk in a bar where they celebrated their first feature in a popular wedding magazine and ended up in Jinwoo’s apartment, where they couldn’t keep their hands away from each other. Despite being so intoxicated, the softness of Jinwoo’s hot skin under his fingers and the taste of his lips, a mix of beer and vodka, became rooted in Seungyoon’s mind. He didn't appreciate what he had back then and run away, leaving his hyung half-undressed and craving for more. None of them showed up in the studio for the next two weeks and when they eventually did, they established the no-relationship-at-work rule. He had been such a coward.

It took him time to accept the fact that he liked Jinwoo and liked what they had been doing that night. The memory, however, remained so distressing and shameful that he preferred to pretend that it had never happened.

But he couldn’t pretend anymore. He was the one who brought it up in a way, reminding Jinwoo of the time when they almost splitas business partners after only two months of working together.

Without any more hesitation, he stood up to find Jinju and Dongwoo. He wished them all the best again and apologised for leaving before the end of the reception. The couple didn’t mind as some of the guests had already gone home. They decided to keep in touch to establish a date to look through all the photos together, and Seungyoon was free to go.

He left the reception hall with a wildly beating heart, praying that he would find Jinwoo somewhere in the hotel. Luckily, he was still able to think reasonably and asked the receptionist whether she had seen a handsome young man with a camera.

“Oh, yes, he had asked me about the number of the room booked under his name, but I couldn’t provide him with the second key,” the woman explained. “It was just a few minutes ago. I think he went upstairs.”

Seungyoon didn’t waste any time. He took the lift up, but it was so slow that he regretted not opting for the stairs. When the door opened, he dashed down the hallway, hoping to see Jinwoo by their door.

He was actually there.

Seungyoon slowed down. He approached Jinwoo without hurrying, not to make him run away again.

“Hyung…,” he said softly when he stood in front of him. “I’m sorry.”

Jinwoo didn’t reply immediately, still keeping his head bent low.

“I need my car keys. You locked them inside.”

He looked up, eyes red and traces of tears on his cheeks. Seungyoon never felt more terrified about losing him for real.

“I’m tired. I want to go home,” Jinwoo urged, but Seungyoon could only shake his head. A need to embrace Jinwoo overtook him again but it wasn't the right time to do it.

“I can only let you in, Hyung. But you’re not going anywhere tonight,” he told him calmly, but stubbornly. “You’ve been drinking. I can’t let anything happen to you. Please, stay for the night.”

Jinwoo’s fingers curled into fists, before he whispered, “How am I supposed to sleep in the same room as you tonight?”

His words gave a painful squeeze to Seungyoon’s heart.

“Just like every other night,” he replied, but all confidence disappeared from his attitude. “Please, stay,” he repeated miserably.

To his relief, Jinwoo nodded after a while of consideration. Seungyoon had been sure he was going to insist on having a single room instead, but he didn’t and entered the room without another word spoken when the younger photographer opened the door with the key.

“Go take a shower first,” Jinwoo ordered, heading towards his bed and taking a TV remote from the nightstand.

Seungyoon didn’t dare to object, even though he felt that they needed to talk. He had never seen Jinwoo like this and it made him feel awful knowing that he was the reason of it. He grabbed his towel and shower gel and headed to the bathroom, trying not to look at Jinwoo removing his jacket. The shower didn’t help him to clear his mind, but he did manage to reach a conclusion that maybe Jinwoo wasn’t so upset only because of that memory. It was better to ask him, not to feed himself with delusions. He was determined to do so, but when he left the bathroom he was greeted with a sight of his hyung sleeping on his bed by the window. He was still in his clothes, but his shirt was fully undone, revealing his chest and tummy.

Something curled in Seungyoon’s stomach. Instead of taking his pyjamas from his bag and returning to the bathroom, he sat on his bed, forgetting that he was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He stared at Jinwoo sleeping with his lips slightly parted and hands curled into loose fists, completely enchanted by how pretty he looked like this. The amount of skin his ed shirt exposed made Seungyoon’s mouth go dry. He knew he should wake Jinwoo up and tell him that he could use the bathroom now, but he found it impossible to force himself to do it.

The TV was still on, the remote control lying next to Jinwoo. Seungyoon moved from his bed to Jinwoo’s and sat by his side. The movement did not seem to wake him, so Seungyoon took the remote and switched the telly off, as if he wished to prolong this tranquil moment. He watched Jinwoo breathing calmly, his chest rising and falling, his lips parting sweetly like petals of the most gorgeous flower, and marvelled at his flawless beauty, before taking his chance and softly brushing the hair out of Jinwoo’s face.

“What are you dreaming about, Hyung?” he asked quietly, letting all the negative emotions leave him without a trace. All that mattered was the beautiful Jinwoo sleeping in front of him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for loving you so selfishly. And being so jealous.”

He touched Jinwoo’s cheek with his fingers, but didn’t expect a smaller palm to cover his, keeping it in place.

“Do you?” Jinwoo asked, opening his eyes to look at Seungyoon, who blushed immediately, but didn’t not withdraw even a little bit. “Do you really love me?”

Jinwoo's question and action caught him by surprise, but he had an answer ready for much longer than he was aware of it.

“I do,” he replied. “I love you, Jinwoo Hyung.”

It felt like a dream to say it out loud. Those simple words had a power of releasing something inside Seungyoon's chest, setting it ablaze with the flame he had been struggling to tame for weeks.

“How do you know?” Jinwoo asked, his expression still uncertain.

“Everything you do tells me that,” Seungyoon replied with a soft smile. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to be with you wherever you go.”

“Are quoting the song now?” Jinwoo chuckled, but the rosy tint on his cheeks didn't let him hide that he appreciated what Seungyoon had said.

“Maybe I am? We’ve listened to it far too many times." He hadn't done it on purpose, but Jinwoo was right. He had been referring the lyrics of the song both of them hated to confess his love. It was quite unfortunate, but amusing at the same time.

Jinwoo's smile grew bigger when Seungyoon started humming the chorus, and he joined him, wrapping his arms around Seungyoon's neck and bringing him closer.

They laughed in unison, both aware how ironic it was to keep using the song.

“But Hyung, I’m serious." Seungyoon was the one to stop the folly. "I do love you. I need you to be mine, not anybody else’s. Not Taehyun’s.”

Jinwoo shook his head.

“No one could ever take your place,” he sang softly in English and smiled. “No matter how hard I try to like somebody else it never works out. I thought I would always keep loving you without you loving me back.”

Seungyoon couldn’t resist any longer. He pressed his lips against Jinwoo’s and kissed him slowly, this time fully conscious of what he was doing. It wasn’t the alcohol or physical desire; it was his love for Jinwoo which turned out to be reciprocated that made the kiss so full of emotions. Mutual relief could be felt in every movement of their lips as they slid against each other passionately. Seungyoon’s chest felt like it was about to explode, but his mind was surprisingly empty, cleared from all the worry and uncertainty. It felt right, so right that he craved for another kiss even though this one didn’t finish yet.

They separated. Seungyoon held Jinwoo tight, and looked into his glimmering eyes which probably reflected the happiness that could be seen in his own. The cold tips of Jinwoo’s fingers traced Seungyoon’s lips, as if he wanted to nonverbally tell him how much he had missed them. The sweet gesture meant more to him than any words would.

“You’re my everything, Hyung. I can’t afford to lose you,” he whispered and pressed a soft kiss against Jinwoo’s forehead.

“I’m here.” Jinwoo caressed his hair. “Not going anywhere.”

They lay in each other’s embrace for a longer while before Seungyoon announced he was a bit cold and Jinwoo probably would like to take a shower. Jinwoo’s protest made him laugh as he insisted on sleeping like this because he didn’t feel like moving. In the end, he agreed to let Seungyoon go, but only because he didn’t want him to catch a cold. He ran to the bathroom and the time he spent there was way shorter than usual.

Seungyoon was already dressed in his pyjamas and covered with a warm duvet when Jinwoo returned to the room and turned the light off. He expected a goodnight kiss maybe, but when Jinwoo slid into Seungyoon’s bed and hugged him he couldn’t be happier.

“Is there enough space for me?” Jinwoo asked, despite already claiming a half of Seungyoon’s duvet and pillow.

“Always,” Seungyoon replied with a chuckle. “But you need to pay me for that.”

“Will a lullaby do?” Jinwoo nuzzled Seungyoon’s hair with his nose and began humming Jinju’s and Dongwoo’s song close to his ear.

It wasn’t bad at all when it was Jinwoo singing it. He really had the power of making everything better.

Seungyoon closed his eyes and listened to the soft melody, gradually falling asleep in Jinwoo’s arms.

It was their song now, too.