Chapter Text
That day began with light.
Soft golden light filtering through gauzy white curtains that danced in the breeze of an early summer morning.
The kind of morning that was clear, sweet-smelling, and slightly unreal.
Birds had chirped like background music composed just for them, and the world outside the tall windows of the bridal suite was a patchwork of laughing guests, glistening glasses of champagne, and silk-draped tables waiting for the celebration.
Inside, Alberu Crossman stood before a mirror, staring at himself in a crisp cream-colored suit tailored to perfection.
The jacket hugged his figure like it had been stitched by the gods themselves, and his long umber hair was pulled back into a low, elegant tail that only emphasized the sharpness of his cheekbones and the warmth of his smile.
His fingers trembled slightly as he fastened the final button on his shirt, not from nerves, per say, but from the gravity of it all.
He was getting married today to Lee Soo Hyuk.
Lee Soo Hyuk, who once asked him with a deadpanned expression to please stop looking like a walking Calvin Klein ad during breakfast.
Who had read lines with him at 2 A.M. in the kitchen while making ramyeon in nothing but pajama pants.
Who kissed him on the forehead every time he left for a shoot.
And who had somehow, quietly and irrevocably, become his home.
Alberu took a slow breath, before turning at the sound of the door opening, his eyes confused.
And there, Soo Hyuk stood in a black tuxedo so finely cut it could probably stop traffic.
His dark hair was slicked back just enough to look devastating, but loose enough to still be him. And the second their eyes met, something in Alberu softened.
“Hey,” Soo Hyuk said, his voice warm and low.
“You’re not supposed to see me before the ceremony,” Alberu teased as he folded his arms.
“You’re not supposed to look like that,” Soo Hyuk replied without missing a beat as he walked toward him. “It’s unfair.”
Alberu laughed merrily at that.
“We’re already married in the eyes of the press anyway. Might as well speed things up.”
“That's true,” Soo Hyuk smirked back, and then in a more soft voice, he asked. “You ready?”
Alberu felt himself calm down, tension melting from his shoulders as he looked at the man who made him realize things he didn't even know.
“I’ve been ready since the moment you said my name like it mattered.”
And that was true.
The ceremony was held in a garden surrounded by tall trees and white flowers blooming like stars.
Guests lined the aisle, an eclectic mix of the elite fashion world and Korea’s entertainment industry, all dressed to the nines and whispering excitedly behind their sunglasses.
Kim Rok Soo, dazzling in a silver jumpsuit, officiated with solemn dignity.
Raon, in a tiny suit, proudly carried the rings down the aisle while grinning like the world’s happiest nephew. Ohn and Hong, wearing matching clothes, followed after him while throwing petals as they walked.
Even Choi Han had cried quietly behind his sunglasses (Choi Jung Soo passed him tissues without a word).
But none the flashes from the cameras, the clapping, or even the lavish setting could compare to the way Alberu looked at Soo Hyuk as he walked down the aisle.
Soo Hyuk hadn't left his eyes off of him the moment he appeared.
Beside him was his aunt, Tasha, who walked him down the aisle but before she passed Alberu's hand to Soo Hyuk, she whispered a veiled threat.
Alberu looked sheepish at her actions but Soo Hyuk looked seriously at Tasha as he swore with all his heart that he would cherish and protect him.
That earned him too teary looks and a sniffle before Tasha finally passed her nephew.
And later, they exchanged vows in soft voices meant only for each other.
“I never believed in forever until you,” Soo Hyuk said, his hands warm around Alberu’s.
“I never believed I could be loved this gently,” Alberu whispered back.
And when the kiss came it sent the crowd into a frenzied cheer.
There were now finally husband and husband.
The reception, on the other hand, was legendary.
The three kids accidentally set fire to the cake while trying to light the candles (they applogized)
Cale and Choi Han ended up locked in an impromptu dance battle with a group of actors who were way too competitive (Kim Rok Soo and Choi Jung Soo).
Eruhaben gifted them a honeymoon trip to an undisclosed paradise location, it was inside an envelope glittering gold.
Alberu and Soo Hyuk danced once with their foreheads pressed together, before escaping the spotlight with vague smiles and an excuse of “rest.”
Which, of course, was only partially true.
The hotel suite they returned to was lit only by the city skyline glowing through the windows.
The noise of the reception was a soft memory now, replaced by the thrum of their hearts and the sound of a zipper being slowly undone.
Alberu stood in the center of the room, his jacket already tossed somewhere onto the bed and his shirt unbuttoned halfway down.
He looked at Soo Hyuk with a lopsided grin and tired but happy eyes.
“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” he murmured in a husky voice.
“Finally,” Soo Hyuk echoed back. “Gods, that took so long.”
Alberu snorted a laugh, then crossed the room in a few slow steps stopping only when they were chest to chest as his fingers brushed against skin.
His hands curled into the lapels of Soo Hyuk’s suit jacket as he gently pulled him close.
“You know,” he said thoughtfully, swirling circles on the clothed chest. “the tabloids think we’re the couple of the century.”
“They’re wrong,” Soo Hyuk replied, before nuzzling against his temple. “We’re the softest married idiots alive.”
“You love it.”
“I do,” he agreed. “In every sense of the word.”
Their kiss was languid, deepened with each sound that escaped each others lips, and their bodies pressed together with the ease of two people who had long since memorized each other.
Eventually, shirts dropped to the floor as laughter spilled between kisses.
Soo Hyuk tripped over a shoe and pulled Alberu with him onto the bed, earning him a breathless wheeze and a very uncomposed “ow.”
Alberu tugged a pillow under his head, laughing quietly as Soo Hyuk loomed over him with messy hair and soft eyes.
“I married an idiot,” he giggled with a grin.
“Yeah,” Soo Hyuk replied, brushing his thumb over Alberu’s cheek softly. “But he married you back.”
Far away, the paparazzi still speculated, the fans still posted edits of the two, and social media lit up like wildfire with the headlines.
[THE KING & THE MUSE: SUPERSTAR COUPLE ALBERU CROSSMAN AND LEE SOO HYUK TIE THE KNOT!]
But in the bubble of their own world, in a tangle of limbs and affection, they were just two people finally coming home.
And gods, had it been worth the wait.
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EPILOGUE END