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Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok were getting married; after years of being a direct witness of the love and belonging they had for each other, Gi-hun can finally feel like a proud dad when he got the invitation. The reception was due in 3 weeks and held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Odd, but realistic. Ji-yeong had dreamt of getting married on Jeju Island, however gay marriage was still unrecognized in South Korea, ultimately deciding Honolulu was the closest thing in aesthetic and meaning they could think of.
Gi-hun smiles as he analyzes the invitation, a small card falling to the floor when he turned the gold envelope upside down to check if he was missing anything, quickly picking it up.
A small pass which read ‘Valid for one guest’ laid between his fingertips, turning it around just to find another message, this time written with a black pen and beautiful calligraphy from Kang Sae-byeok herself.
You know who.
Gi-hun grins as he shakes his head, but understands the message, pulling out his phone from his pocket and dialing the person Sae-byeok meant.
“Hey, hyung,” Sang-woo greets him from the other side of the call, his voice muffled by something.
“Good morning, Sang-woo-ah! Did I wake you up?” Gi-hun asks when he guesses his friend was probably face-palmed against his pillow considering the time.
Sang-woo scoffs, the bed creaking before his voice gets clearer, “Yeah, kind of, what do you need?”
Sitting on the closest chair to him, Gi-hun wails, “Sae-byeok’s getting married!”
“Oh really? She finally summoned up the courage to do it!” Sang-woo answers him just as excited, the young girl digging her place in his heart after all the time he’s known her. “I haven’t gotten my invitation though, maybe she still hates me in secret,” The younger man jokes.
Gi-hun chuckles at his comment, “That’s why I’m calling you, I just got it and you’re coming with me as my guest.”
Sang-woo’s eyes widen, taken aback, “Weird, but it’s alright I guess, when’s the wedding?”
“In 3 weeks, but guess where’s taken place.”
The younger man leans against the head of the bed, thinking of a possible answer. “It’s not here for obvious reasons, uhm… Maldives Islands?”
“Nope, but close answer.”
“Miami?”
Gi-hun whistles, “You’re almost there,”
“Hawaii?”
Gi-hun gasps dramatically at his answer, making Sang-woo break into a laughing fit. “The mastermind of Ssangmun-dong strikes again, why am I not surprised?”
Sang-woo sobers up, sitting up abruptly, and in the most offended tone he could improvise, muttered, “So I’m not your pride and joy anymore?”
The older man rolls his eyes, familiar with Sang-woo’s need to victimize himself as much as he could, “You know you are, and always will be, Sang-woo-ah.” Gi-hun responds a little too honestly, realizing it when Sang-woo went quiet.
In his room, Sang-woo feels his cheeks burning furiously, his heart and body reacting naturally to his hyung’s comments; he was still a boy inside his thoughts, a lovesick boy whose feelings have been bottled up for decades.
Gi-hun was started to get worried when the younger man cleared his throat, laughing nervously, “So, I-I – I’ll buy the tickets, alright? And let’s meet up at the airport that day.”
“Hey, don’t you want to go pick a suit with –?” Sang-woo hangs up before he can even finish his question.
Ah, classic Sang-woo, Gi-hun thinks, resting importance to his behavior. As he gets up from the chair to start planning everything for the trip, Sang-woo’s reaction to his comment slips off his mind.
Exactly 19 days after their call, Gi-hun arrives at Incheon Airport with two grey suitcases in each hand, spotting Sang-woo in the distance checking his phone. And oh my God, Gi-hun would be lying if he denied how handsome the younger man looked.
Dressed in a pair of dark jeans that suited his slim but muscular legs, Timberland boots, and a breathtaking black leather jacket, the fucker looked like he was on his way to Seoul Fashion Week instead of getting on an unpleasant eight-hour flight.
Gi-hun didn’t know if he would be able to survive that long. Not with Sang-woo looking like a sex symbol with that outfit.
Shaking his head to erase any of those thoughts from his mind, Gi-hun walks to him, being cautious so Sang-woo doesn’t notice him. Once behind him, he looks over his shoulder, curious about what Sang-woo was so busy doing with his phone.
He expected everything but seeing his chat open, Sang-woo typing a million ways of asking him if he was on his way and erasing them, apparently unable to find the correct words to use. Gi-hun also didn’t miss how he debated between adding hearts or not at the end of the messages, his thumb hesitating above a sparkling heart emoji.
“Hey, Sang-woo,” Gi-hun whispers in his ear, Sang-woo’s phone falling from his hands as he flinched and looked behind him with a hand over his heart.
“Jesus, hyung, don’t do that!” Sang-woo complains, pinching his nose bridge as he picked up his – thankfully still in one piece – phone from the floor. “You’re lucky nothing happened to it or else –”
“Or else you’d beat my ass, I know I know, you never fulfill your promises so I just agree with you so you won’t feel bad.” Gi-hun teases, making his way to the check-in with Sang-woo walking behind him with an annoyed expression on his face.
After going through the necessary process to travel, they get on the plane, still not talking to each other. Gi-hun starts to feel bad at the small prank he played on his friend, looking at how tensed Sang-woo’s jaw is and swallowing continuously.
Sitting side by side, Gi-hun finally speaks, “Sang-woo, are you angry?”
Sang-woo ignores him wholeheartedly, looking at the small screen in front of him.
“Sang-woo.”
The younger man pulls out a pair of headphones from his handbag, connecting them and putting them on, scrolling through the different movies available.
“Cho Sang-woo!”
Sang-woo gives him the deadliest stare he’s ever seen in his life, keeping his eyes fixed on his before turning his head back to the screen, selecting ‘Parasite’ and getting comfortable on the barely big enough seat.
Gi-hun huffs, what a way to start a supposedly unforgettable trip.
Four hours later, Gi-hun’s finishing the sequel of Train to Busan after trying and failing numerous times to talk with Sang-woo, being ignored each time. He’s getting kind of annoyed as well at the childish demeanor of the younger man, it was just a little joke; it wasn’t like he made the meanest, most disgusting prank on the planet.
Amongst his internal dilemma, he feels a small weight settling in his right shoulder, taking him off-guard. Gi-hun looks to his side to see Sang-woo’s head resting against him, with his headphones still on and his arms crossed over his chest, breathing slowly.
His protective side takes place and being careful to not wake the younger man, Gi-hun removes the headphones from his ears, aware they would cause unpleasant pain on Sang-woo if he kept them on. Once done, Gi-hun feels more than sees Sang-woo shivering, the air conditioning getting colder as the minutes passed by; wearing leather not being the smartest decision the younger man has taken.
Sang-woo shrinks in his seat, heavily leaning against the warmth the older man emits, his subconscious forgetting he’s angry at him. Rubbing his nose onto Gi-hun’s arm, Sang-woo murmurs sleepily, “’m cold,”
Gi-hun knows he doesn’t have a spare jacket in hand, the only thing he could lead to Sang-woo in one of his suitcases. Thankful he’s wearing a sweater underneath, Gi-hun pokes his friend’s cheek gently, “Raise your head for a minute, will you?”
Sang-woo obeys, straightening up for a few seconds; Gi-hun then removes his corduroy jacket in record time, guiding Sang-woo’s head back to his shoulder as he wrapped the clothing item over his friend’s shoulders. Sang-woo sighed at how pleasantly warm the jacket was and fell back asleep.
They arrive at Honolulu Airport at 1:00 PM local time, instantly getting rid of their jackets as the hot and humid breeze of the archipelago welcomed them. Gi-hun puts on a pair of sunglasses as soon as the sun hits his face, eyes swollen and irritated at the almost inexistent sleep he got in the flight. Sang-woo on the other hand walked out with a smile on his face, feeling refreshed after sleeping for 5 continuous hours.
Gi-hun spots the Kang siblings at the bottom of the electric stairs, Cheol holding a sign that read ‘Uncle Gi-hun & Uncle Sang-woo’, impatiently balancing on his heels and looking to every direction possible, Sae-byeok saying something to his ear – probably asking him to calm down.
Cheol sees Sang-woo first, jumping on his place as he waved his hand from side to side excitedly, running to him when only a few feet separated them. “Uncle Sang-woo!” The now 12-year-old exclaims, hugging him tightly.
While waiting for his turn, Gi-hun embraces Sae-byeok, lifting her a few inches from the ground with a smile on his face. “I can’t believe you’re getting married,” He tells her with a hint of emotion in his voice.
The girl rubs his back, knowing how emotional the man gets at the simple mention of growing up, remembering all the times Gi-hun called her for advice to deal with Ga-yeong. “Well, believe it because it’s happening tomorrow.”
Cheol’s arms embrace him from behind, and with the same emotion he hugged Sae-byeok, Gi-hun lifts Cheol in his arms for a longer time, telling him how much he’d missed him. Leaving the boy on the ground, Gi-hun notices how much Cheol has grown up.
“You two are going to be the death of me, look how tall you are now!” The older man cries out, ruffling Cheol’s hair.
Sang-woo watches the scene with an immense smile that doesn’t pass unnoticed by Sae-byeok, the girl suspecting for a long time what’s that unreadable expression on Sang-woo’s eyes whenever he looks at Gi-hun.
Finding suspicious how similar it is to the way Ji-yeong looked at her before confessing her feelings.
“And, where’s Ji-yeong?” She hears Sang-woo asking her, his dark eyes losing the shine she had previously seen.
Running a hand through her hair, Sae-byeok responds, “She’s having lunch with some of her friends; her last lunch before being a married woman,” The girl clarifies with a small chuckle.
Sang-woo smiles and then Gi-hun’s hand is leading him towards the exit, an employee carrying their suitcases behind them. They are greeted by a man in classic Hawaiian clothes, standing in front of a van belonging to Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort, who informs them transportation was included on the package they selected.
Both climb happily, Sae-byeok and Cheol following behind on Ji-yeong’s Mercedes Benz, arriving at the designated Resort after a rather short trip.
After encountering Ali Abdul in the lobby, who’s talking to the one and only Oh Il-nam, Sae-byeok informs there are no planned activities for the rest of the day, telling an at-the-edge-of-collapsing Gi-hun to go to their room and rest, promising the following days will be ‘the greatest of their lives’.
“Hyung,” Sang-woo says when they are in the elevator on their way to their designated room. “Why are you so tired?”
Gi-hun scoffs, removing the sunglasses off his face, “Oh, I don’t know, you tell me.”
“I can’t, because I don’t know either.”
The older man corners him against the elevator wall, putting his arms on each side of Sang-woo’s head, “Listen Sang-woo,” Gi-hun whispers, low enough Sang-woo almost can’t hear him. “I’m tired as fuck because of your little tantrum back at Incheon, because of how hard I tried to talk to the princess only to be rejected every goddamn time.”
Sang-woo swallows harshly, holding onto the handrails for dear life. “Hyung, I –”
“Save it,” Gi-hun cuts him off, grabbing him by the collar. “I swear if you continue with that attitude you won’t hear from me again.”
The elevator doors open and Gi-hun lets go of his hold on Sang-woo’s shirt, grabbing his luggage and walking to their room, leaving a shocked Sang-woo inside the elevator trying to understand what the fuck just happened.
A pair of eyes peek from the hallway, Hwang Jun-ho’s tall form appearing before him, “Sang-woo-hyung! It’s so good to see you again!”
“Hey Jun-ho,” Sang-woo manages to speak, rubbing his throat.
Jun-ho gets inside the elevator to grab his suitcases, carrying them through the hallway with a smile on his face. “I saw Gi-hun-hyung walking out like a rabid dog, everything okay between you two?”
Sang-woo nods, indicating Jun-ho they’re on the right door. “He’s just tired, it was a long flight.”
Jun-ho nods, bringing Sang-woo into a side hug, taking advantage of the small height difference between them. “Alright, I’ll leave you to rest too, see you tomorrow!” The younger man excitedly exclaims, waving his hand as he walked away.
When he enters the room, he sees Gi-hun laying down on his bed with his back to the door; by the rhythm of his breathing, Sang-woo assumes the older man is asleep, leaving him be for the rest of the day.
The wedding is as beautiful as one can imagine, being the moment when Sae-byeok read her vows that brought tears to everyone’s eyes; touched by the love and fidelity the girl had promised to her – now – wife. Gi-hun will never admit it, but Cheol saw him saying under his breath ‘That’s my girl.’ as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Finally, as the night fell into the Island, the real celebration began in an indoors-space at the Resort, decorated mostly in shades of golden and white; as if it was a Royal Wedding. Cheol ran inside the venue, picking the nearest table to the ballroom available.
Ali – alongside his wife, Jun-ho, Sang-woo and Gi-hun followed the kid, seating in that order, Il-nam joining them soon after. Waiting at their table, they watch every chair being occupied by people they didn’t know but bragged about what a wonderful union Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong are.
They enter holding hands, Ji-yeong now wearing a short and elegantly detailed white dress while Sae-byeok rocked a long and comfortable one, big smiles on their faces as they walked to the center of the ballroom, Sleeping At Last’s ‘Turning Page’ being played by the present band.
As the first dance as a married couple unfold, Ali’s expression softened at the wonderful lyrics of the song, making him remember his wedding. With his hand on top of his wife’s, Ali reads the room, noticing everyone looking at Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong with their phones out.
That, until he looked at his own table.
Jun-ho and Gi-hun were recording the moment on their respective phones, the latter with still that proud-dad-smile he’s been wearing all day, but what surprises him the most is Sang-woo. His eyes aren’t fixed on the girls but Gi-hun, lip-syncing the lyrics of the song with his eyes laid upon his best friend.
Best friend? The Pakistani wonders, searching for Jun-ho’s eyes, the younger man looking back at his intense stare. Ali gestures what he witnessed with his head, Sang-woo and Gi-hun too focused doing their own thing to notice their interaction. Jun-ho’s eyes widen, and holding his open hand up in a clear sign for Ali to wait, they let the time pass by.
With a final kiss, Sae-byeok abandons the dance floor with Ji-yeong holding onto her, the place resonating with applause and cheering.
“Uncle Ali?” Cheol asks when the music changes to a much happier rhythm. “Can you accompany me to the bathroom?”
With the perfect opportunity being put before him, Ali nods, getting up and holding Cheol’s hand in his.
“I’ll go with you!” Jun-ho announces, sneaking to their side as they walked together.
Once the three of them are far enough away from the table, Jun-ho groans, rubbing his eyes with his hand. “Sang-woo-hyung can’t be more obvious, can he?”
Ali hums in agreement, straying out of their way to take Sae-byeok’s arm and drag her with them to the bathrooms, the girl is confused at first but with a feeling these guys had something in their hands.
Jun-ho gestures Cheol to go to the bathroom, convincing him they’ll be waiting outside for him. Sae-byeok and Ali wait for the kid to agree, the moment they see his smaller body getting inside the restroom walking towards Jun-ho.
“You guys are going to tell me what is going on right now, you can’t just snatch me away from my wife like that,” She reprimands Ali, slapping his shoulder gently. “You either saw something or are planning it, so talk.”
“We need to get those two together!” Ali and Jun-ho shout at the same time, Sae-byeok putting her hands on their mouths at the loud exclamation.
The girl waits for both to calm down, getting closer to them, “Sang-woo was giving him that look, wasn’t he?” She whispers, the men before her nodding. “This guy needs to get his shit together, I mean, they’ve known each other for decades and he’s never been able to tell Gi-hun how he feels?”
“I know, right?!” Jun-ho mutters, checking if Cheol was still out of sight. “And Gi-hun-hyung is so oblivious about it, he gives him a one-second look and continues with his life as nothing happened.”
Ali shrugs, looking at the floor, “He isn’t oblivious,” He explains, a mocking smile forming on his lips. “I think he’s just dumb.”
They laugh at Ali’s observation, unaware Cheol is standing beside them, hearing their entire conversation without being noticed. “Are you guys finally planning how to get Uncle Gi-hun and Uncle Sang-woo together?”
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Jun-ho exclaims, hiding behind Ali in pure terror. “Cheol! You have to let us know you’re here!”
Cheol stays alternating his eyes between their faces, expecting one of them to answer his question. “I may be of use, but seeing no one wanted me to be involved, I guess I’ll –“
“No no no no,” Three sets of voices harmonize and Cheol smiles, he had everything in his hands to finally get both men to admit their feelings.
Half an hour later, with Ji-yeong now included in their plan, Ali, Jun-ho, and Cheol go back to their table, meeting the surprised and annoyed glances of Gi-hun and Sang-woo, the latter with his hand around the back of Gi-hun’s chair.
Biting his tongue so he won’t laugh, Cheol looks at them with shining eyes, playing pretend. “What’s the matter? You’re looking at us like we did something wrong.”
“Where were you?” Sang-woo questions, leaning forward and looking at him defiantly.
The youngest Kang quickly accepts the challenge, copying Sang-woo’s movements. “In the bathroom, are you deaf or something?”
“Alright –” Jun-ho sits Cheol on his chair, feeling terrified he’s sitting between them. “It took us a long time because Mr. Kang here present didn’t inform us he had the stomach flu.” Cheol looks at him offended because said comment wasn’t part of their plan.
Ali disguises a laugh with a dry cough against his napkin, Gi-hun staring at him with a raised eyebrow, not convinced of the story they were telling them. But Sang-woo accepts it, shortly nodding with his eyes still focused on Cheol, ready to identify any abnormal behavior.
A soft melody starts playing in the venue, meaning only one thing: the game is on.
“Sang-woo-hyung,” Ali calls him out, gaining the younger man’s attention. “Have you ever been in love?”
Sang-woo crosses his arms over the table, relaxing his shoulders a little too much, making him look vulnerable in front of them. He seems to be lost in thought, looking up to the ceiling and opening and closing his mouth repeatedly but no sound coming out.
Gi-hun’s laugh astonishes everyone, snickering as he put a hand on Sang-woo’s shoulder. “This guy? In books probably!”
Ali wants to get up and slap him as hard as he can; he was right at his statement: Gi-hun’s an idiot. Jun-ho looks as mortified as him, and Cheol does everyone the favor of being the most honest and face-palms at the older man’s comment.
However, Sang-woo ignores Gi-hun’s unnecessary remark, swallowing hard before answering, “I have,” He admits, his cheeks blushing in embarrassment. “But I’ve lost hope at this point that it will do anything if I say it out loud.” The dark-eyed adds with a melancholic smile on his lips.
Ouch. Jun-ho grimaces, feeling bad for the poor guy.
“So it’s a… Uhm, how do you call it? Unrequited love?” The Pakistani digs the subject carefully, watching Gi-hun’s incredulous look upon Sang-woo.
He nods, looking down. Jun-ho’s scared expression confuses Ali, only when he hears Sang-woo sniffling he understands what’s about to happen.
“Excuse me.” He mutters before disappearing into the crowd, ignoring Gi-hun’s desperate calling. Gi-hun unbuttons his jacket and gets up as well, looking at them with disappointment and going after his friend.
“I kind of feel bad.”
Cheol sighs, “Me too.”
“Guys, come on! It’s going according to plan!” Jun-ho encourages them, “I know it was hard to see him that vulnerable but he needs that push to finally confess!”
“Yeah, but…” Ali pauses, struggling to find the appropriate words to use. “Don’t you think we were too obtrusive with that question?”
Jun-ho smiles, “Nah,” Only to add in a serious tone, “They’ll be slow dancing by the end of the night at the latest, trust me.”
Ali and Cheol don’t have another option other than trust Jun-ho’s words.
Sang-woo walks as fast as he can towards the bathroom, pushing everyone out of his way with tears streaming down his face. He can’t understand how he confessed his feelings towards Gi-hun so recklessly, with the man himself sitting beside him.
He enters the first stall available he can find, sitting on the toilet with his face in his hands, taking deep breaths to stop himself from falling into an unnecessary panic attack. The door opens and Gi-hun’s voice politely requests the people inside to leave, soon awkward silence fulfilling the area.
“Sang-woo, I know you are in here,”
Resigned, the younger man comes out of the stall, his eyes still red and teary.
“What do you want, hyung? Wasn’t what happened back there very embarrassing already?” Sang-woo questions, walking past him towards the sink to splash some water on his face. “Or was it not enough for you?”
“Your perspective of me couldn’t be more wrong, Sang-woo-ah,” Gi-hun points out, standing beside the younger man. “I’m worried about you, you don’t tend to be so open about your feelings.”
Sang-woo huffs, rolling his eyes, “People change, now if you excuse me,” He attempts to pass him by, Gi-hun quickly standing between him and the door.
“It’s okay to love someone, Sang-woo, you shouldn’t be ashamed of saying it.”
Losing his patience, Sang-woo explodes, “You don’t understand! You never will, Gi-hun, let it go!”
“Then help me understand!” The older man shouts back, grabbing Sang-woo’s arm so he doesn’t leave the room. “Sang-woo, I’m your friend; your best friend. I just want to help you.”
Sang-woo shakily inhales, looking at Gi-hun’s eyes, “Maybe I don’t need your help,” Gently, he removes Gi-hun’s strong grip around his forearm, a painful knot forming in his throat. “And maybe I don’t want you as my friend anymore.”
When Sang-woo leaves the bathroom, he’s surprised to see Sae-byeok with her arms crossed leaning against the wall beside the door, looking at him with those round and curious eyes.
“Everything alright?” She asks him, putting his hand on Sang-woo’s back and leading him to his table.
The dark-eyed shakes his head, adjusting his glasses, “I think I’ve made a huge mistake.”
“And why’s that?” Sae-byeok inquires, pointing with her hand behind her back towards the bathroom, Ali and Jun-ho running there.
“I confessed,”
Sae-byeok frowns, “You confessed… What, exactly?”
“I confessed I’m in love with him.”
The girl stops abruptly, making Sang-woo do the same, the latter looking at her bemused. “What?”
“You confessed to Gi-hun you’re in love with him.”
“Not explicitly,” The older man corrects, letting his walls down in front of Sae-byeok. “But I think it was really obvious who I was referring to.”
Sae-byeok hums, arriving at Cheol’s side at the empty table. “Wait here, I’m getting you a drink.”
And for a drink, I mean your knight in shining armor.
When his sister’s gone, Cheol sits on Gi-hun’s chair, observing Sang-woo staring at his folded hands in his lap, a couple of dry tears on his pale cheeks.
“Uncle Sang-woo, are you okay?” The named raises his head and smiles as kindly as possible, only it doesn’t reach his eyes.
Ruffling his hair, Sang-woo says, “Yeah, kiddo, don’t worry about me.”
Cheol waits in his chair, laying his chin on the table; they should’ve gotten Gi-hun out of the bathroom by now, the dance floor getting full of couples as the band announces a soft ballad was about to be played.
In the distance, Cheol spots his sister-in-law giving him a thumbs up, Adele’s cover of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Bob Dylan echoing in the Ballroom. Just then, he hears hurried footsteps behind him; Gi-hun followed by his sister, Ali, and Jun-ho.
“Sang-woo-ah,” Gi-hun says slightly out of breath, stretching his hand towards him. “May I have this dance?”
Sang-woo stares incredulously at him, glancing at Sae-byeok and Ali nodding repeatedly with big smiles on their faces, Jun-ho mouthing he needed to get up now.
Gi-hun’s hand starts to tremble, nervousness and anticipation alike, until Sang-woo holds it tightly and rises, giving him a timid smile. “Sure.”
He could’ve said no and humiliate the older man out of spite, but truth be told, Sang-woo wanted this like a dying man.
They both walk to the center of the dance floor, hand in hand, Sang-woo’s entire anatomy shaking in panic, Gi-hun squeezing his hand to soothe him. The attention is immediately focused on them, their strong presence removing people of their way.
Once they are standing face to face, Gi-hun's left hand wraps itself around Sang-woo’s side-waist as the right grasps his hand tightly. Sang-woo on his part drops his right hand on the older man's shoulder, looking at him with glossy eyes and a nervous giggle.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I will never do you wrong
The rhythm of the song is slow, romantic; and they move according to the music, ignoring the small crowd that is gathering around them. Gi-hun then does something Sang-woo wasn’t expecting at all.
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
The older man’s arm embraces his waist completely, pressing their chests together so Gi-hun can feel Sang-woo’s heart pounding aggressively. Sang-woo’s hot breath comes out in ragged exhales against his neck, goosebumps running wild through Gi-hun’s skin, tightening his grip around the younger man.
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
Sang-woo’s shaken to the core, still unable to fully process he’s dancing with Seong Gi-hun, holding hands and glued together in front of dozens of strangers and their closest friends; that he, the Cho Sang-woo who thought had buried deep down his feelings towards his hyung 20 years ago, was finally getting the dance he needed but never asked for.
No there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
His mind continues to wander around his memories with Gi-hun; from the moment they met to when he realized what he was feeling wasn’t brotherly love anymore; everything with a stupid smile on his face, grateful Gi-hun can’t see him.
“The storms are raging on the rolling sea, and on the highway of regret,” A raspy, deep voice he recognizes even in his sleep softly sings against his ear, almost killing him on the spot. “The winds of change are blowing wild and free, you ain't seen nothing like me yet,”
Gi-hun’s grip on his left hand vanishes, feeling misplaced for a sole second before a calloused hand cupped his cheek, Sang-woo holding onto the older man with both hands so he won’t lose balance. “I could make you happy, make your dreams come true,”
The words are murmured against his lips, their closeness erasing any insecurity they had in the past regarding their feelings; this was the moment to fearlessly risk it all.
Unaware of the expectation on Jun-ho, Ali, Sae-byeok, and Cheol’s faces, Gi-hun starts stroking Sang-woo’s cheek affectionately, “Go to the ends of the Earth for you” He leans even closer, their noses touching slightly. “To make you feel my love”
Sharing the same breath, Sang-woo whispers the final verse of the song, his eyes falling shut. “To make you feel my love.”
Facing complete darkness, Sang-woo’s heart races with uncertainty and fear; the music dies within the air and the younger man can’t help but start to question himself in the few milliseconds he’s been blind: was he dumb enough to think Gi-hun would kiss him? After the entire altercation in the bathroom? Sang-woo feels like crying, grasping Gi-hun’s jacket to make sure he’s still there.
A desperate sob escapes his throat, feeling how his lips are squirming as well and in a last attempt to not lose this moment roams his hands to the older man’s face, barely reaching his cheeks when Gi-hun’s lips cover his own, taking away the breath he’d been holding on for dear life and giving in to the everlasting love that has been before his eyes for so long.
The faint thundering of applause can be heard in their very own bubble, but all that mattered at that moment was Gi-hun. Seong Gi-hun. Gi-hun-hyung. His Gi-hun.
Both plunge into the abyss that is the world around them, clinging to the peacefulness their first kiss brings to them; annihilating with a simple brush of lips years of loneliness and regret that were being forgotten as Gi-hun broke the kiss, opening his eyes to find the beautiful sight of Cho Sang-woo bearing his soul out for him.
They stare at each other’s eyes out of breath, grinning when they hear Cheol and Ji-yeong yelling in the distance.
Finally, Sang-woo thinks when Gi-hun’s lips kissed him again.