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Jihyun isn’t sure what he was expecting when he arrives at the RFA party. He knows they aren’t expecting him; as far as he’s aware, the last that Jumin has been able to keep track of him was when he was still in northern Canada, exploring the beautiful mountains of the northern Rocky Mountains, or waiting for the aurora borealis in Alaska. Beyond that, he has been unwatched. Untethered.
Free.
The last leg of his journey surprises even him; as he does when his sudden waves of homesickness become overpowering, he is browsing for flights back home, back to her, when it occurs to him that it is nearing the end of the second year since he left.
And, as the time for his flight draws closer, for once, he realizes he has no desire, has no need, to cancel it.
The fact that he is due to arrive shortly before the start of the first RFA party since… everything is mere chance, but auspicious enough that he wonders if it isn't fate.
It feels a little less like fate when he discovers that his arrival will be delayed several hours due to a storm along the flight path, but that is life, after all.
By the time he finally lands, he is tired but almost vibrating with nervous energy. Never has the chatter of Korean felt so warm, so welcoming than after the past two years abroad, even compared to his previous trips. But this time…
This time, he truly feels like he’s coming home.
Two years ago, the RFA saw him off at the airport for his travels and he has no intention of disrupting the party to ask Jumin to send a car, so he waits instead for a cab, hardly taking his eye off of his phone and the clock counting down the minutes until the party ends.
When it finally arrives, he gives the destination and they are off. He watches the buildings as he drives by, both familiar and not at the same time and so different from the open lands and natural landscapes he has spent the past months pursuing. But instead of feeling stifled, caged and claustrophobic, he welcomes the crowd, grins at the busy streets and building fronts, especially as the cab weaves closer and closer to the hall that they have always used for RFA parties.
He is so—nervous? anxious?—excited that he nearly forgets about his luggage after he pays, only remembering when the laughing driver, an older man with an indulgent, almost fatherly smile, calls him back. “With enthusiasm like that, I bet you’re looking forward to being reunited with your special someone, hmm? But I bet she’ll be all right waiting the extra minute it takes to get your suitcase before you lose all of your things.”
He opens his mouth to contradict the assumption before pausing and closing it again. While they may not have said anything officially, he cannot deny the truth: she’s been in the forefront of his mind for years, almost since she first stumbled into the RFA through her own innocence. Even while he was gone… she was never far from his thoughts.
Instead, he can only grin ruefully at the knowing look he receives before the driver ushers him on. “Go on, then. I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
A steady trickle of guests are leaving the building as he approaches, and he pauses briefly to glance over them for familiar faces. There are more than a few, artists and actors and even politicians, all appearing well-pleased by the situation. It is a testament to the amount of work that his friends—his family—have put in to make it a success, even without any of his input, and his heart swells with pride as he weaves between them.
None of the guests seem to recognize him, a fact that, in all honesty, doesn’t surprise him. Even he can hardly recognize himself compared to the man he once was, hollow and simply going through the motions, an intruder glancing through a thick sheet of glass to see the world in all of its expressive brilliance. And, he has to admit, he hardly looks like a guest, clad in a casual shirt and pants rather than the formal outfits around him and arriving as all the others leave.
The first person he sees inside is her, and suddenly he doesn’t see anyone or anything else. In the two years since he left, she hasn’t changed much, still as warm and bright and beautiful as he remembers her. His angel, his guiding light. He sucks a breath through his suddenly tight chest as she turns, her dress, a simple but elegant and utterly bewitching ensemble in pale green, swirling around her knees, and says something, her face softening into a smile.
She still hasn't noticed him, and he has a sudden desire to catch her by surprise. Laughing silently to himself at the absurdity of the situation, he adjusts his hold on his suitcase before sneaking around her back, waiting out of sight as she finishes her conversation with Jaehee. Both women laugh openly at something that she says, and it occurs to him that he is not the only one has been changed, who has blossomed under Eunbyeol’s influence.
But it’s something to consider later, as Jaehee moves away, presumably to find the other RFA members, and she is left alone.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he says softly as he moves to stand directly behind her.
For one, long, wonderful moment, he wonders if she is going to throw herself at him; her arms raise as her face brightens with delight and she turns towards him. Before he can brace himself, however, she hesitates, arms floating back down to her sides, though her smile doesn’t waver.
He hides his disappointment behind an admittedly genuine smile of his own, the hand halfway prepared to catch her instead shifting to wave. He notes her eyes dart to it but she does not comment on it, and nor does he. There are so many—too many—other things he needs to tell her, now that he is himself, Jihyun Kim and not V. Now that he knows, for sure, that he chooses to be hers, if she’ll have him.
She says little as he explains himself, rambling about his art and desperately wondering, hoping, that she can see him for who he is, for who he has become.
“I love you, Eunbyeol, just as I love myself,” he says simply because he knows, now, that it is. He loves her, and he loves himself, and there is nothing in the world as straightforward, or as dear to him, as that fact.
For a moment, her lips seem to tremble, and a frisson of doubt runs up his spine. Was it too late? Did he wait too long?
The next second, he is dropping his bag as she flings herself at him, his arms catching her around the waist as hers wrap around his neck in a warm embrace. He laughs openly, burying his face into the crook of her neck as she clings to him. She smells like flowers and sunshine, warm and sweet and dizzyingly, impossibly intoxicating.
He almost wants to never let her go.
Several blissful heartbeats pass before she pulls away just enough to look him in the eyes, smiling in spite of the tear streaks down her cheeks. “I love you too,” she whispers, laughing slightly as he brushes away a tear with his thumb.
“Are you…?” He indicates his hand, not entirely sure what exactly he’s planning on asking, but she shakes her head before he can finish.
“I’ve never been happier.”
“No, nor I.” Her eyes sparkle up at him, face tilted up towards his, tantalizingly close…
“Hey, look who it is!”
They spring apart instantly, she wiping surreptitiously at her eyes while he bends to retrieve his suitcase. When he looks back up, it’s to find Luciel grinning at him unapologetically as the rest of the RFA crowd around them with greetings.
He’s not sure whether Jaehee is particularly perceptive to their current circumstance—and not quite as obnoxious as Luciel—or simply being thoughtful, but the suggestion to leave with Eunbyeol is the most welcome he has heard in a long while and he accepts it with relish.
The parting taunt that Luciel delivers brings a blush to both of their faces, but that doesn’t stop him from taking her hand in his free one. He’s sure they’ll both have plenty of questions to answer from the rest of the RFA later about that, but for now, he doesn’t care.
The sun is slowly setting as they meander slowly back outside, not talking but simply enjoying each other’s company. It’s a gentle silence that he is loathe to break until he notices Eunbyeol pause, glancing around the parking lot. “How did you get here?”
“I took a cab straight here from the airport.”
Her eyes glint with amusement. “Really? A cab?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt the party to ask Jumin for a ride. Besides, I’m used to them by now. And you?”
“I drove.” She nods to a small car parked amongst the fancier limousines and the bright red sports car that must be one of Luciel’s. “Come on. I’m sure you could use some food and a place to unwind. Where did you say you flew from?”
“I didn’t.”
She manages to suppress her curiosity until they are on the road, navigating deftly through the crowded streets. She doesn’t give any clear sign that she can sense his gaze trained on her, though the slight flush to her skin belies that.
At the next traffic signal, she pauses, turning to return his look. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Where you were. I figured you would tell us if you wanted us to know, so all we’ve had were your occasional updates and whatever Jumin could gather.”
He smiles. “I flew from Hawaii.”
Apparently, it catches her so much by surprise that she fails to notice the light turn green until he points it out, much to his amusement. She scowls, an expression that is far more endearing than intimidating, though he knows better than to point that out, as she taps the accelerator with slightly more force than necessary. “What were you doing in Hawaii?”
“Sightseeing, mostly. I was looking for inspiration.”
She nods, then, her eyes flicking to him briefly before settling back on the road. “Painting?”
“Essentially.”
“Well, you must be exhausted. We’re almost there. Then you can take a shower while I order dinner or something? Or would you like to take a nap first or…?”
He grins. “A shower and dinner sounds amazing.”
When they arrive, she ushers him straight to her door with efficiency, though he has to admit that it’s appreciated; the exhaustion of the past day’s travel caught up with him as she pulled into her parking spot and it’s no surprise that she, thoughtful and kind as she is, catches on immediately.
She gives him a cursory tour to her apartment, ending it partway at the bathroom with a gentle shove and a command to freshen up. He can only laugh as she rolls his suitcase in after him with a spare towel, and shuts the door before he jumps to obey her order.
It is welcome, he has to admit. His travels have taken him all around the world, but even the finest hotel cannot compare to the comforts of a private residence.
Of home.
Freshening up quickly and feeling far more awake, he makes his way back to the hallway and into the main room, her name on his lips.
Eunbyeol stands by the window, dressed in a much simpler skirt and top instead of her previous gown, her long brown hair pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. She turns as he enters, smiling as she pulls aside the curtains to reveal the cityscape, brightly lit against the night sky. “Feeling refreshed?”
He nods, immediately making a beeline to her side though he comes to a hesitant stop a few steps away. “Very much so, thank you.”
She hums. “I thought you might need that. You seemed like you were falling asleep earlier.”
“I was. It’s better now though.”
“Good. Dinner is on its way.”
“Sounds good.”
A minute passes in silence, he watching her reflection in the glass as she stares off towards the rising moon. “The view is beautiful,” she says at last.
Grinning, he deliberately catches her eye. “It is.”
“Hey.” She laughs, swatting lightly at his arm. “None of that. I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
He watches as her reflection in the glass rolls her eyes, but still spies a telltale blush on her cheeks. The smile she offers him is warm, inviting, and he finally steps up beside her, giving in to temptation and wrapping his arms gently around her waist.
“Thank you.” The words are a sigh, so quiet that he nearly misses them as she leans back into his embrace.
“What for?”
“For coming back. For being here now.” She’s still for a few heartbeats, eyes again flickering to the moon hanging low in the sky. “I didn’t move here until after… Something just didn’t feel right about going back to my old place, not after everything that happened, and it was strange to accept your offer and stay at your apartment when you weren’t there. Jumin helped me get a place here, said that the view was almost as wonderful as from your place.”
“I’d say it’s better because you’re in it,” he murmurs, but his heart isn’t really into it, and she knows, offering a small smile but not commenting on his words. Instead, her brow furrows slightly, as though thinking, or perhaps remembering.
“I used to stand here at night and wonder whether you were looking at the same sky,” she says in a rush, her voice very soft. “It’s a bit silly now that I say it, but whenever I missed you, I liked to imagine that we were looking at the same moon and stars, no matter where you were.”
The melancholy and loneliness in her tone shake him and he tightens his arms around her, pressing her against his chest as though that alone could make up for his absence. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what it must have been like for you, not knowing where I was or what I was doing. I only thought that I wished to find myself and face you as my own man, perhaps prove to myself that I was worthy of being here, but…”
She shakes her head. “No, I understood completely. There’s nothing to apologize for. You needed that time and I knew that. Everyone knew that. Besides…” Her arms tighten around his for a moment before she turns in his hold. “Besides, you're home now and that’s all that matters.” Her head is tilted up to meet his gaze, and he can't look away from her lips as she murmurs his name, warm and tender. “Jihyun…”
Without thinking, he buries his hand in her hair, feels more than hears her quiet gasp as he leans closer, and then his mouth is on hers and he knows nothing else. Her lips are soft, her arm gentle and sweet, and it’s better than anything he could ever have imagined.
He’s not sure how much time has passed before they part, though she remains near enough that he can still feel her breath on his skin. He opens his eyes to find hers sparkling at him, warm and tender and real.
“I love you, Eunbyeol.” The words are a prayer, whispered to the angel of his heart, and she smiles, at once both beatific and wonderfully, unfathomably human.
“And I, you,” she says before finding his lips once more.
She tastes, he thinks, like home.