Epilogue
It Started With A LieOne Year Later
Siwon stared at his phone and hesitated.
This was stupid. He was the CEO of Korea's most successful entertainment magazine, the poster boy of Esquire and the Business Herald, the envy of all men with the world at his feet. Yet his emotional state had somehow regressed ten years, back to when he was a pathetic teenager grappling with his first experience of love.
Love. The thought of it mortified him, but there it was, the image of a boy with smiling eyes and a head of messy hair, pulling him further down the beach...
Siwon eyed his phone again.
He had taken all the necessary precautions, instructed his secretary to shoo everyone away, to tell them he's busy and not to be disturbed unless they wanted a pink slip in the morning. He was safe within the confines of his office, surely. And he had no one else to ask about things like this.
So Siwon pulled up his browser, and typed in:
How to propose to your boyfriend
Google came up with several pages of answers. Siwon clicked the first link, where a poster called StrongHeart had written a long column entitled 'Top 10 Ways to Make Him Say Yes'.
It started off with, 'As a relationship counsellor who has counselled dozens of couples about taking the next step, their stories have taught me many things...'
Siwon found that credible enough.
"Marriage is a big step, and you want to be sure that you're taking that step for the right reasons. Marry because you've found someone that you honestly want to spend the rest of your life with--not because all your friends are getting married or because you are being pressured by people around you, and you think you need to."
Siwon took out a small, leather notebook and took notes. At times, he found himself nodding along with StrongHeart's advice. Maybe he could shoot the man an e-mail and invite him to join Devil, he thought distractedly. This StrongHeart knew what he was talking about. And there were plenty of men out there with Siwon's problem (surely there were) who could use his help.
After an hour of reading through StrongHeart's marriage advice archives (he had finished 'Is It the Right Time?' and 'The Do's and Dont's of Planning your Wedding', and was halfway through 'In-Style Wedding Suits'), Siwon popped into the toilet for a piss. When he came out, Minho was sat on his chair, scrolling idly through his phone.
"Bull," he exclaimed. "Cream suits are not haute coutere! They just make you look fat!"
Siwon could only flap his mouth stupidly. "You."
Minho pointed at Siwon's phone. "What are you reading this guy for? He talks absolute !"
"I locked the damn door!"
"Oh please. Like that's stopped me before..."
"And I explicitly said no visitors!"
"Like that's stopped me, either," Minho said a little too happily. He waved the phone in Siwon's face. "So, what's this about wedding ideas?"
"I... am helping out with an employee's wedding," said Siwon a little too quickly.
Minho raised an eyebrow. "You, helping out with a wedding? How?"
"Er... helping out with the... wedding coverage?" Damn it. Siwon wanted to slap himself.
"With all due respect, hyung, the best help you can give this 'employee' of yours is a wedding bonus," said Minho. "Are you sure this has nothing to do with Ryeowook-hyung's wedding?"
"Of course not." Siwon replied quickly, earning a raised brow from Minho.
Siwon sometimes wondered if he was such an open book for Minho and Kyuhyun. They knew him so well, he didn't know whether he should be thankful or embarrassed at the amount of favors or blackmail they could easily ask from him.
Siwon would rather use one of those favors now than admit to his brother that witnessing Yesung and Ryeowook's wedding hit a spot in his heart.
"So explain yourself properly, or I'm going to assume the best-case scenario possible."
"Oh no, please don't."
Minho waggled his eyebrows. "You're planning to propose to--"
Siwon slapped a hand over Minho's mouth. "Shut up!" he hissed.
The younger Choi rolled his eyes. "No one's going to hear," he mumbled through Siwon's hand.
"No one's going to hear about it, ever." Siwon raised a pen threateningly between Minho's eyes. "Understand?"
Minho scoffed. "There's nothing to hear about anyway," he said, batting away the offending pen. "You don't even have a plan yet. If you did, you won't be taking notes from a guy who calls himself StrongHeart."
Siwon hated how smart his brother was, sometimes.
"More importantly, you should have called me," Minho added with a righteous pout. "I'd be more than happy to help you out."
"Yeah, help make things worse. Disastrous, the moment you inevitably tattle to Kyuhyun-ah."
"But I'll still help you out," Minho insisted.
Siwon rolled his eyes. "If you have no business here other than being a general nuisance, then go away, Minho. I have plenty of work to do."
"Grumpy," Minho muttered. He was about to reach for the doorknob when a thought struck him.
"Hey, isn't Donghae a huge soccer fan?"
Siwon frowned. "Yeah, why?"
"Strongheart-sshi said to use his hobbies." Minho beamed. "I think I know the perfect place and the perfect moment to pop the question..."
When you're plotting how to ask him, think about his hobbies and interests and use those as a way to make the proposal special. Not only does this show that he's important to you (since you are, after all, asking him to marry you), you're also showing that you pay attention to his interests, and that you support them.
Donghae was bouncing as they drove towards their destination. Siwon's sanity just barely survived Donghae's persistent interrogation about today, though he found Donghae's childish eagerness completely endearing.
Siwon only wished he could share the same enthusiasm for his own plan. He wondered, and not for the first time that week, if trusting Minho on this was the right thing to do. Siwon hoped his rusty soccer skills could save him.
When he made the turn into the car park beside Hyochang Stadium and Donghae's face brightened with awe, Siwon was reassured he had done the right thing. Even more so when Donghae let out an unmanly squeal as he pulled out a South Korea national team shirt with Lee Donghae, 9, emblazoned on its back.
"Are we going to watch a soccer match?" Donghae asked excitedly, taking Siwon's hand in his.
"You'll see," was Siwon's short reply.
They found Minho sitting on the bench, fully kitted out in his amateur football team's colours. Minho waved enthusiastically when he spotted them.
"Glad you could make it, Donghae-hyung," he said, grabbing both of his hands excitedly. "Equally glad you haven't chickened out on me, brother."
"Chickened out on what?" Donghae asked.
Siwon grinned tersely at him. "This idiot has talked me into playing a soccer match with his team. He wants to offer you a place in the team, too, if you like."
Donghae's eyes widened. "I... I couldn't possibly..."
"I have your full kit and gear prepared in the locker rooms, if you want to join in the madness," said Minho. "But it's totally cool if you want to pass. You can watch my brother make a complete tit of himself from the dugout."
Siwon scowled at him. "I can play football, you know."
"Well, yeah, you're not hopelessly bad, but you sure have your moments." Minho grinned. "Remember that time when you tried to scissor-kick the ball out of defence and ended up scoring an own goal?"
"That never happened!"
"Course it did. Cost us the three points, too, but nobody had the heart to be angry. It was the most beautiful own-goal any of us had ever seen..."
Donghae giggled as the two brothers immaturely stuck out tongues at each other. He wound his arm around Siwon's placatingly. "I'll take you up on the game, Minho-ah, though I might be a little rusty. I haven't played proper football since I left Mokpo."
"Not to worry, we've got Ronaldinho here to cover for you," said Minho, clapping his brother's shoulder. "Just needs a little reminder on where the correct goal end is from time to time."
"I'm sure Siwon-ah will find the back of the net this time," Donghae said sincerely.
Siwon smiled back nervously. If only that was the biggest of his worries.
The plan was this:
The final whistle is blown, and they win the game comfortably at 2-0. Siwon, Donghae, Minho and his teammates celebrate on the pitch as the stadium announcer reads out the final score. "But let's hope there's more reason to celebrate in a few minutes," he adds.
On cue, a few supporters unfurl a huge banner from the stands. It reads:
Lee Donghae is a keeper
And as the team and the fans cheer them on, Siwon pulls out the ring from his pocket, gets down on one knee, and seals the deal...
It was a pretty straightforward plan. Minho had gotten in touch with his fan group for the banner which, to Siwon's suprirse, was taken on with great enthusiasm. Siwon had personally called up the stadium staff, resulting to the most embarrassing 10-minute phone call of his life.
It started off well. Siwon was deployed as a defender--his intimidating eyebrows made him the ultimate and imperious wall of defence, said Minho--but seeing Donghae a few feet away gave Siwon an extra boost of confidence. He made a few crucial interceptions, then almost scored a goal from a set-piece, heading the ball just a few feet wide off the post from Minho's cross.
Even Minho was gobsmacked at Siwon's turn of form. "The power of love is amazing," he muttered to Siwon in disbelief at half-time.
Siwon, however, wasn't in the mood to gloat. All his attention was focused on visiting player no. 99--Minseok, if he remembered right--and on restraining himself from snapping the bastard's legs into two.
"He's been sneaking in little kicks and pushing Donghae since the game started!" said Siwon furiously. "I can't believe he's gotten away with all of it. He should at least have a yellow!"
"Football's a contact sport, hyung," said Minho warily. "Being physical is totally acceptable."
"He's on a mission to take Donghae out!"
"Okay, okay, I'll keep an eye out on 99." Minho squeezed his brother's arm. "Just--don't do anything rash, okay? Stick to the master plan, man."
The away team was trailing 1-0 at half-time, and when the second half started, they became more aggressive. Fouls were called left and right as the tussles grew more heated. Despite Minho's reassurance, Siwon kept a close eye on Minseok, who stalked Donghae at a distance too close for Siwon's comfort.
Siwon lobbed the ball to Minho, and watched as Minho cut through the defence with slick one-two passes with Donghae. Donghae ran into the box, his eye on the goal...
...Only to be brought down by a bruising tackle from Minseok that sent him rolling for a few feet.
Players in red and blue shirts swarmed the referee as Donghae remained grounded, his face twisted in pain as he clutched his ankle.
Siwon saw red. He stormed from the other end of the field and into the huddle in seconds. Minseok's face drained of colour at the sight of cold murder.
Siwon's arm instinctively rose for the punch, but Minho deftly caught him by the wrist. "Don't, hyung," he warned.
"Let me go, Minho."
"You have to stay calm," said Minho reasonably. "We can't afford to lose a man in this game. And especially not you."
Siwon's eyes darted towards the worried fans on the stands, who came in expecting a good game and a little fun with Siwon and Minho's crazy plan. Siwon certainly can't let their effort go to waste.
He hated it when his brother was the reasonable one.
He pulled his hand back from Minho's grip and walked to Donghae's side, his heart hammering as the medic prodded at Donghae's ankle. The medic looked up at Siwon. "Seems like he's picked up a mild knock," he said. "Best to sub him off, to be on the safe side."
Donghae shook his head. "No! I'm playing on!"
"You're injured, Hae," said Siwon worriedly. "You need to have that properly checked."
"I've had worse injuries than this," said Donghae stubbornly. He stood up, brushing away help from his concerned teammates. He did look alright, but Siwon did not miss the slight wince Donghae made when he put a bit of weight on his injured foot.
Minho stepped forward. "Donghae-sshi, I agree with my brother on this one. I won't be able to live with myself if you get a permanent injury because of this game." He glanced at his brother. "In fact, I won't be able to live, period. Siwon-hyung will definitely kill me. So please have it checked, for my sake."
Donghae was still visibly hesitant, so Minho added, "You can come up to the dugout when it's over. We need your support. My brother's game today has been nothing short of phenomenal, and it's probably all down to you..."
"That's overdoing it," Siwon muttered.
Donghae smiled sadly. "I'll leave it to you, Minho-sshi, Siwonnie."
Siwon threw a dirty glare at Minseok, who was cowering behind his teammate.
They played on, and Minho scored a beautiful volley at the 75th minute, extending the home team's lead. Siwon's eyes were trained on Minseok as the man hovered by the left flank, seemingly more reluctant to bomb forward than the last hour. Good, Siwon thought. Let's see him try...
The ball rolled forward and Minseok gave chase. Siwon was more than ready for him, and he charged forward to meet Minseok with a crunching tackle. Minseok tumbled and doubled over, clutching his shins with a groan.
The whistle rang, and the referee jogged towards them, notebook already in hand. Minho shook his head at Siwon before meeting the ref to reason with him, but the ref remained stone-faced. He scribbled Siwon's name on the pad and pulled out a card from his pocket.
Siwon's heart dropped when he saw red.
Minho turned to him, defeated. "That's it for our plan, then."
Siwon walked off the pitch, his eyes trained on the ground, unable to meet the disappointed faces of fans and teammates alike.
"Siwonnie," a soft voice called out. Siwon looked up and saw Donghae's worried face.
Donghae saw everything. Well, .
"Sorry," he mumbled, and went straight down the tunnel.
His first proposal attempt was a disaster, and he had no one to blame but himself.
A place that is special to the two of you will be more impressive than the most romantic place in the world. If you take her to your favorite restaurant instead of the fanciest restaurant in town, or to the place where you first met or fell in love, the proposal will be much more special than if you picked a cookie cutter romantic destination.
Siwon resisted the urge to bug Yesung about his special order for--well, he lost count--and resorted to pacing his worries away. Yesung was Mouse Rabbit Cafe's owner and a renowned barista. Apparently, he was also someone who left phone numbers on coffee cups of boys he's taken a liking to. Donghae infamously got one. Siwon wondered if this was how he got Ryeowook, too. (Ryeowook would have fallen for it straight away, the sap.) The two are even married now, rekindling a lost romance once upon in time. Siwon had warmed up to Yesung considerably after ensuring that there was no competition between them to win Donghae's affection.
"Yah!" Yesung greeted as he lightly smacked Siwon on the head. "Stay still, will you? You're making my head hurt."
Siwon, on instinct, raised an arm to hit Yesung back, but restrained himself. He focused his attention instead to the entrance of the cafe in the hopes that Donghae will arrive soon.
"You're no fun." Yesung continued, once Siwon calmed down for a bit. Siwon just waved him off.
After his first failed attempt, he decided to plan everything himself. Listening to Minho was a mistake; having Donghae almost seriously injured was not part of the plan. He wanted to surprise Donghae by taking him home to Mokpo, to the place they got to know each other. But just like his meddling brother, he didn't think Donghae's own family would allow him to do as he pleased--Heechul and Leeteuk would definitely never allow it. In the end, Siwon was left with no choice but initiate his plan in the place Donghae will least expect it.
Siwon unlocked his phone as he felt it vibrate in his pocket.
Siwonnie, can you order me the classic burrito? I don't have much time for lunch as I'm running late with my deadline :( But I'm on my way down. See you in a bit! :3
"Is Hae on his way?" Yesung asked, as he tried to look at Siwon's phone.
Siwon elbowed Yesung away from him. "He'll be here soon. Can you get him a classic burrito? Some waffles for me too. And the coffee."
"Aye Aye, Captain Choi!" Yesung saluted as he returned to the kitchen.
'Lucky bastard. Just cause he's married now.' Siwon muttered as he typed a quick reply and waited calmly for Donghae. He resumed staring at the cafe entrance, turning the different possible scenarios over and over in his head. His chest tightened when his mind traitorously supplied images of heartbreak, of Donghae smiling sadly before saying--
He was jerked back to reality when he felt a hand against his forehead.
"Siwon-ah, are you sick?" Donghae asked worriedly.
Siwon quickly shook his head, forcing a smile at Donghae's concerned face. "I was just thinking of something." Siwon said, reassuring.
"You shouldn't have waited for me." Donghae continued, shrugging off his laptop bag and his jacket as he tried to make himself comfortable.
"Well, well, well. Not even five minutes in my shop and you're already acting lovey dovey with each other." Yesung greeted.
"Hyung!" Donghae said, blushing furiously.
"Here are your orders." Yesung continued, serving the couple their food.
Yesung chuckled as he left the couple. "Enjoy your meal."
Siwon and Donghae stared at each other after Yesung left. They have not seen each other for a few days now, Donghae being neck deep in a project proposal. It was a good shot at getting promoted to senior editor, and it was an opportunity Siwon would never deny him of.
"I'm sorry, I can't spend more than lunch time with you." Donghae finally said, breaking the silence.
"I thought we were going to celebrate your freedom?" Siwon asked.
"Revisions were sent this morning." Donghae replied exasperatedly. "And then the morning meeting got rescheduled this afternoon."
Siwon sighed. Maybe today wasn't the right time to execute his plan.
The couple was wrapped in awkward silence as Donghae munched on his food. Meanwhile, Siwon just picked at his waffles, caught in between wanting to surprise Donghae and leaving the plan to a later time.
"Are you sure you're not sick?" Donghae asked, breaking Siwon's internal dilemma. "Your mind's been wandering since I arrived."
Siwon smiled a little at Donghae's concern. "I'm fine, Donghae-ah. Just thinking too much, as usual."
Donghae raised a brow, daring Siwon to tell the truth.
"Okay, I just miss you." Siwon said honestly.
Donghae blushed at that, almost choking on his burrito. "Yah! That's unfair, Siwonnie..."
Siwon chuckled, coming to the conclusion that he shouldn't add to Donghae's worries. He tried to gesture at Yesung to cancel his order, but the barista just winked and sent him a quick thumbs-up.
Seconds later, Yesung came back with two cups of hot coffee. Siwon tried to vehemently stop Yesung (to Donghae's bewilderment), shooing the man back to the counter with frantic flaps of the hands, but to no avail. Yesung only frowned at him and placed two cups of coffee on the table.
Siwon did not miss the barista's encouraging note on his own cup: "Make your move, stallion!" He wanted to bury himself six feet under at that moment, safely away from the embarrasment.
Siwon glared at Donghae's cup. It seemed he will have to go with his plan unprepared.
"What's this?" Donghae asked, pointing to the cup of coffee.
"A little something for my favorite customer." Yesung said, ruffling Donghae's hair.
"Hyung, I can't possibly--!" Donghae protested but Yesung was already moving away from their table.
"--I still have a meeting," he finished weakly.
Siwon took a sip of his coffee, almost spitting it back out after burning his tongue.
"Yah!" Donghae yelled in surprise, standing up to wipe Siwon with napkin. "Geez, why are you so out of it today?"
Siwon merely shook off Donghae, too embarrassed at his obvious absent-mindedness.
"Okay, something's up," said Donghae. "You are in for some explaining."
"Don't mind me, just... finish your coffee," said Siwon lamely.
"What do you--" Donghae trailed off when his watch started to beep. He glanced at the time and groaned. "Crap, I have to return now."
Siwon lifted his head in surprise. "Already?"
"I'm sorry." Donghae pouted as he took a sip of Yesung's steaming hot coffee. "Oh, that's delicious--argh, I can't even enjoy this!"
"Tell them you're having a business meeting with me." Siwon said desperately, trying to stall more time for Donghae to finish his cup.
"Well, that would have worked." Donghae said and gave a small laugh. "If they didn't know we were dating."
"Damn it." Siwon cursed. There was no time.
Without thinking, he stood up to confess his feelings and his intentions.
But before Siwon could even come up with a good speech, Donghae stood up as well and headed towards the counter, his coffee in tow. Donghae pouted at the cafe owner.
"You can't take it out." Yesung said exasperatedly at Donghae, giving Siwon a furtive glance.
"Hyung! I can't waste such good coffee." Donghae explained, almost acting like a child throwing a tantrum.
"You." Yesung pointed at Siwon. "Stop your boyfriend!"
Donghae huffed, reached over the counter and into the staff area with the agility of someone who was going to be late to an important meeting, grabbed a takeout cup and poured his drink.
Yesung and Siwon merely stared at Donghae in shock, the former gaping at Donghae for disregarding him just like that.
"YAH, DONGHAE-AH!" Yesung snapped out.
"Sorry, hyung. Promise I'll make it up to you after this meeting." Donghae said as he pulled Siwon back to their table. Donghae grabbed his laptop bag and his jacket before turning to Siwon, cupping his face.
"I'm sorry for ditching you again, Siwon-ah. I'll make sure this will be over today. I'll pay you back for lunch, too." Donghae gently pushed Siwon to his seat. "Now finish your cup. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Donghae smiled and kissed an unprepared Siwon on the lips. "Thanks for the coffee," He whispered, and made his way out of the cafe.
Siwon could only gape at Donghae's retreating back, then at the discarded mug on the counter. At the bottom of the mug, the words Will you marry me? should be visible. Siwon thought it would make for a nice, ingenious surpise, but Donghae had been too busy to notice.
Too busy. It was poetic justice, almost, for all the times he didn't pay Donghae enough attention because of work.
"Sorry, Siwon-ah," said Yesung quietly. "These things take time. But patience reaps rewards, like they say." He raised a cup. "So hang in there, stallion!"
But Siwon only sunk further into his chair, sighing at yet another failed attempt.
Opt for a change of scenery...
With a surprise picnic at Yeouido Park. At least that was the plan, until the sky broke down on him with a raging downpour.
Siwon was out of plans, really. Weeks of careful planning and failed execution had made him sullen and insecure. (He was starting to believe that StrongHeart, as Minho said, was full of .) He knew Donghae was close to losing his patience with him, but Siwon couldn't bring himself to utter the million dollar question without the whole she-bang. He was only going to do it once, and he's going to do it right.
Currently, Siwon was lounging by the kitchen with a cup of coffee, twiddling with the Piaget box containing the rings he bought for Donghae and himself. Donghae was still holed up in his room, probably still knocked out and dead to the world, as it was the first Saturday he finally had for himself after all the work he's been doing the past few weekends. Siwon didn't bother waking him. Donghae needed the rest. He was also supposed to pack their food and blankets for the picnic then, only to be disappointed when the weather took a turn for the worse.
Siwon sighed. Watching the torrential rain dampened his mood more than ever.
Siwon heard the faint rustle of movement and quickly crossed the kitchen to hide the box in one of the many drawers he knew Donghae wouldn't be opening any time soon.
"Wonnie?" Donghae called as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes to awareness.
"Morning, Hae." Siwon greeted, smiling at the adorable and y image of his boyfriend.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Donghae asked, stifling a yawn as he pulled a chair and sat himself by the kitchen counter.
Siwon grabbed an empty cup and poured Donghae some coffee. "You were tired and needed the rest."
"But, it's the first weekend that we're both not entirely busy."
"I know, but I want your whole attention, and not sleep on me midway through our conversation." Siwon replied. "Anyway, the rain is too heavy to do anything. Looks like we have to stay in."
Donghae padded softly towards the living room, and Siwon followed like a puppy. He carefully set his coffee on the small table and sat on the couch. Siwon immediately followed suit, throwing an arm around his boyfriend, making himself comfortable as Donghae snuggled closer.
Siwon was fast becoming used to lazy, comfortable silences like this. He Donghae's back slowly, almost lulling him to sleep again.
"Hmm, staying indoors doesn't seem so bad." Donghae mumbled sleepily.
"There's still plenty of time before I need to prepare for lunch." Siwon said. "Come on, let's get you to bed."
"Yah!" Donghae blushed, hitting Siwon softly on the chest.
Siwon blushed as well, realizing the hidden meeting. "To let you sleep more, pabo." He added, flicking Donghae on the forehead.
"You're coking for me now?" Donghae asked teasingly.
"You'll love it." Siwon replied.
"We'll see." Donghae said, raising his brow. He paused as something under the coffee table caught his eye. He reached under the table and pulled out a box of Scrabble. He cocked his head inquiringly.
Siwon chuckled. "I usually play with Minho and Kyuhyun when they come over."
"Of course. A game that has something to do with words. How fitting." Donghae said, opening the box and setting up the game.
"You want to play?" Siwon asked surprised.
"Wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe I can join you guys next time." Donghae said.
Siwon smiled at the thought. Donghae has been spending more time at his apartment, and Siwon realized how much he missed living with another person, especially when he wakes up to Donghae's presence. How adorable he is snuggling to his side and hogging most of the bedspace. Those simple but precious moments of cooking together; of cleaning up their apartment together, only to make a right mess of it afterwards...
Kyuhyun jokingly called it marital bliss. It was definitely blissful even if it was a domestic routine. But there was that problem of marriage on hand...
They started out slow, practicing their vocabulary, until Donghae formed the word LOVE and winked at Siwon.
And just like that, an impromptu idea formed in Siwon's head. The picnic he planned for that day may not have happened because of the rainy weather. It seemed like even Donghae was giving a sign by making that turn.
With his plan in mind, Siwon collected the words to form the ever elusive question. He already had a W, Y, R and some vowels. He only needed to place them properly on the board.
At Siwon's turn, he decided to form the easiest without giving a way the rest of his plan. He spelled out YOU and finished his turn.
"Are you sure that's it?" Donghae asked, confused.
"It's your turn now, Donghae-ah." Siwon answered, trying to keep his face neutral and not give away how much he was excited to finally succeed on his plan.
Donghae made a few more turns. Siwon almost had a mini heart attack when Donghae almost placed some letters on the word WILL, before deciding he had other better options.
"You're not making me win, are you?" Donghae asked, raising a brow after Siwon made a couple of poorly placed words.
"Of course not." Siwon argued. Damn. He just needed another R and this will be finally over.
Siwon wanted to kiss Donghae right then and there when he spelled OTTER. The space above and below it was still blank. He drew a new letter and almost danced with joy when he picked the letter Y.
"Someone's excited," Donghae giggled upon seeing Siwon's attentive state.
"Wait right here," Siwon said. "Don't look at my letters!"
"As if." Donghae replied competitively.
Siwon almost ran into the kitchen to grab the box of rings. He smiled widely. Finally, it was time.
He slid the box into his pocket and walked back into the living room. He picked the relevant lettes and formed the word MARRY on the board.
Donghae stared at the board in silence, his heart picking up pace. But it wasn't wise to assume anything...
Siwon turned his letter rack towards Donghae and placed it beside "marry". His last letters spelled out the word ME.
"You've been asking me why I've been so out of it the past few days." Siwon grinned apologetically at Donghae's surprised face. "The truth is, I've been planning several times on how to ask you this question."
"I've waited for the perfect moment for this, but every single time, it just wasn't happening for one reason or another." Siwon took the box from his pocket and flipped it open. "But you're here now, and even if we're both in our pajamas trying to keep warm from the crappy weather, I feel like this is the perfect moment."
Donghae's face had turned a bright shade of red, but his expression betrayed disbelief and confusion. Siwon pressed on.
"Our relationship didn't start the right way but being with you this past year has been amazing. And I don't want it any other way, even in the future."
Ever the gentleman, Siwon knelt in front of Donghae. "So Hae-ah, will you marry me?"
Donghae opened and closed his mouth, staring blankly at Siwon.
"Say something, please." Siwon said, caressing Donghae's hand.
"I--yes." Donghae replied softly. "Oh God, yes, Siwon-ah!" Donghae repeated with conviction before throwing himself towards Siwon.
"Thank God." Siwon chuckled, his voice shaking with relief. "This was almost as bad as that time when I first confessed..."
"Pabo! I thought you were about to break up with me." Donghae said as he hugged Siwon tighter.
"I would never." Siwon said. He cupped Donghae's face, tenderly brushing his cheek with a thumb. "I love you."
"I love you too." Donghae whispered.
Siwon plucked out one of the rings from the box--a simple silver band with a small crystal embedded in the middle. He slipped the ring into Donghae's finger -- it was a perfect fit.
"They're beautiful. Thank you, Siwon-ah." Donghae said. His lip quirking up naughtily, he added, "Now come here and give me a kiss."
Siwon smiled brightly before indulging his fiance to seal the deal -- for real, this time.
A/N: Yay! We made it! Thank you for reading. Please stay tuned for our new stories but prolly not any time soon. See you on our next adventure. Ciao :3
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