Work Text:
How many minutes had passed since Jungwoo started preparing?
He looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall above the countertop. It was already eight seventeen in the evening. He had exactly forty-three minutes until his other half would arrive.
Jungwoo sprinted towards their shared room and grabbed the vase that he had bought two years ago when he started his interest in horticulture. Since then, he regularly changed the flowers every week, but this time, it was particularly empty. He went back to the dining area and placed the ceramic vase on top of the table before rushing into the bathroom.
The sink was half-full of water. The bouquet of roses that he purchased five blocks away was submerged from the liquid in order to maintain its lifespan. He grabbed the flowers and picked six of the best roses in the batch.
“Yep, these are the ones.” He muttered particularly to no one. He went back to the dining room and placed two roses inside the vase. He put the remaining ones on the countertop.
Jungwoo’s eyes averted back to the wall clock. Eight twenty-one. The time was slowly ticking.
“Ugh. I hope that I’ll make it in time…” Sighing in vexation, he snatched a white cloth inside the cupboard alongside two long candles and a matchbox. He then placed them beside the vase.
After readjusting the flowers for a few extra seconds, he went to the extra room that was supposed to be a guest room before they decided to convert it into a storage room as their belongings increased. As expected, the room was dusty and full of various things from his and significant other’s work. Pursing his lips, he had no choice but to venture deeper inside the room so he could try to locate the candleholders he got ages ago in an antique shop back in his trip to Jeju.
A spider crawled outside a bookshelf which startled the man. He creased his forehead and sighed out loud but he didn’t stop searching. He saw the most random things inside the room – an old sprinkler, a dusty pitchfork, a stack of papers, a golf club, and even a diving helmet. Jungwoo took a mental note about opening a garage sale in the upcoming summer season.
“Ah, finally...” He saw the bronze candleholders inside a huge metal chest that was already starting to dilapidate. He grabbed two of them and realized how heavy they were before he went back to the kitchen to rinse the dust and grime off. He grabbed the towel and wiped the water off, and with careful hands, he placed the two candles inside the holders.
Eight thirty-five. Damn those candleholders! They really took a lot of his time.
Jungwoo rolled his eyes. He grabbed the white cloth he snatched earlier and covered the dining table in one go. He fixed the moires and made sure that the glass table was properly and completely hidden with the help of the cloth. He placed the two candleholders, completely parallel on each other, trapping the vase in between them.
But then, his fastidiousness kicked in. The set-up was not perfectly aligned so it took him another three good minutes before he got satisfied with the arrangement of preparation he made.
“Damn it, I got carried away!” He shrieked when he saw that it was near quarter to nine. With clumsy hands, he quickly plucked the petals from the roses he had handpicked earlier and randomly scattered them on top of the table. He didn’t like how disorganized the pattern of the petals was but he remembered that it was supposed to look that way or else doing a fixed pattern like a heart or a parallelogram seemed too inappropriate.
“Internet, I’m going to trust you with this one…” Eight forty-nine. He placed the table napkins and the silverware on the table. He even got the most glamorous plates they had in their humble home. They never used them, by the way. They were intended to be served to the visitors.
“G-Gah!” A picture frame fell when Jungwoo tried to snatch the tissue papers. Luckily, the shattered glasses didn’t disperse on the ground and he was able to clean them up fast with a broom. There’s a piece of bad news, though. The picture frame that just got broken was the most prized possession he had.
It was a photo of their wedding.
“My goodness, Jungwoo you’re such a prick!” He chastised himself. He quickly hid the photo inside the photo album and placed the book inside the innermost part of the shelf, He wouldn’t notice that, right?
Eight fifty-two. Jungwoo’s heart was starting to palpitate.
The oven ticked, indicating that the meat that he was baking was now done. A large thorn was plucked out of his chest, “A-Aw!” He exclaimed for he got burned when he touched the metal tray with his bare hands.
He worea pair of gloves and released the tray out of the oven before placing it on the countertop beside the stove. He got his final ingredients in a flash – black paper, the secret glaze he mixed earlier, a touch of lemon vest and some cilantro, and bam, the main course was done. He swiftly cut the meat in half and placed each one of it on the extravagant plates he fetched in the cupboard a few minutes ago.
To complete the setup, he grabbed two wine glasses and placed each one of them beside the plates. He covered the plates with a special lid to retain the food’s freshness and to keep its aroma from quickly dissipating.
Eight fifty-six.
Jungwoo looked so disheveled and smelled smoky. He got his lover’s favorite wine and placed it diagonally across the vase. He checked the table if everything that he needed was there – Simple yet sophisticated cloth? Check. Glamorous plates and never been used silverwares? Check. His favorite vase with roses placed in it? Check. The goddamn antique candle holders with the candles inside them? Check.
Wait a minute…
“It’s not freaking lit yet!” Jungwoo clasped his brown locks and rushed to the kitchen. He grabbed the forgotten matchbox and ran back to the dining area. Eight fifty-eight. His hands were now badly trembling. He tried to light one match but it didn’t produce any flame. He tried another one until the fifth matchstick took pity on him and decided to give him the fire that he needed.
“F-Finally…” He exhaled as soon as the candles had been lit. He wiped the sweat running down from his temples. His eyes glanced at the clock. Nine o’ one.
Oops.
“Crap, crap, crap!” He cursed out loud as he shambled but his foot had accidentally hit the couch, “Aw!” He exclaimed and grabbed his injured foot. He then shook his head and hopped towards the room. He went to the closet and grabbed the first cloth he saw – a navy blue long-sleeved polo. It was his least favorite dress because it was so loose.
He also grabbed the first jeans he saw and quickly put them on his long legs. While he was buttoning up his polo, he multitasked as he put on his favorite perfume which smelled the mixture of peaches and a hint of vanilla. He looked in the mirror and combed his messy locks. For him, he still looked awful but it was better than nothing.
Jungwoo dashed back into the dining area and was relieved when he saw that the candles were still brightly shining. Nine o’ seven. Anytime now…
He turned off the lights, and immediately, the light coming from the candles and the outside world had illuminated the area. He also sprayed the rose-scented air freshener that he bought earlier across the room.
“There…” He breathed. Jungwoo took one last glance. He did his best… right?
“Argh, it still isn’t enough!” He stomped his feet on the ground like a child. He then suddenly remembered the grumpy couple living downstairs. He didn’t want to deal with their complaints again.
He sat on the couch, lips still pouting in annoyance. He wasn’t satisfied with his work. What would his other half say once they see the little surprise he just prepared?
Jungwoo shook his head and firmly closed his eyes, No, Jungwoo. Get a grip! It’s already been made, so deal with it!
He heaved a heavy sigh and fixed his sleeves. His heart was wildly banging against his chest. He tried to smile but he couldn’t.
Suddenly, the front door opened which immediately interrupted his train of pessimistic thought. He leaped in shock and ran towards the foyer to meet the newcomer.
C-Crap! It’s now or never!
Jung Yoonoh looked awfully tired. Black circles were starting to form under his eyes. He opened the lamp near the front door and diligently returned his work shoes on the shoe rack. He noticed the weird lighting in the hallway but he couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. Shrugging his shoulders, he removed his coat and loosened his tie.
He heard footsteps stomping towards his direction. A very familiar person welcomed him, wearing mismatched clothes. Yoonoh’s first expression was a surprised look but it immediately subsided upon seeing the face of his other half.
“H-Hi…” Jungwoo squeaked. His arms were hiding behind his back. He was looking on the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, “W-Welcome back!” He stuttered.
Yoonoh flashed a smile, “Hey.” He greeted. Jungwoo glanced a bit and snatched the former’s coat. Yoonoh approached him, his wide grin still evident before he wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist. He then kissed his forehead.
“Hi. Why are you wearing that? You’re supposed to be in your pajamas now, right?” He asked. Jungwoo blushed madly.
“A-Ah… About that…” Jungwoo averted his gaze. There’s no way in hell he’ll let Yoonoh see how beet red he was, “D-Don’t you remember something important today?”
Yoonoh looked at him with an indifferent expression. He scratched his raven hair, not understanding what he meant, “Uh… I-I’m sorry baby. I can’t remember something special today…”
Jungwoo sighed and rolled his eyes. He then grabbed his lover’s arms and pulled him towards the living room. Instantly, Yoonoh saw the lights and the setup in the dining area.
“W-What…”
“H-Happy birthday, you dummy!” Jungwoo fumed, his cheeks madly burning, “I can’t believe that you have forgotten your birth date!”
Yoonoh’s mouth widely opened. To make the atmosphere funnier, the top button of his work clothes had popped out, revealing some of his skin. He then turned his attention to the pouting man as he continued to gawk like a fish, “B-Baby I…”
“You don’t really remember?” Jungwoo repeated. He slowly sauntered in front of his other half, “Yoonoh-yah. Please don’t be so hard on yourself. I thought that you were just too busy to remind me yesterday, it turns out that you have completely forgotten about it!”
Yoonoh shook his head before putting his one arm behind his head, “I-I can’t believe I forgot my freaking birthday…” He snickered, “J-Jungwoo, this is…” His eyes darted at the romantic setup, “I-I…”
“D-Don’t say it!” Jungwoo exclaimed, “I-I know that I did my best but it resulted really bad… I’m sorry---“
He was silenced by a bone-crushing hug, “What are you saying, baby?” Yoonoh muffled on his shoulders, “This is perfect. I-I can’t believe that you really did this for me… T-Thank you so much, Jungwoo.”
Jungwoo ruffled his hair, “D-Dummy. Of course, I w-wanted to do something for you…” Yoonoh let him go and caressed his lover’s face. Jungwoo attempted to turn away his head but the older was fast enough to stop him, “Jungwoo, thank you.”
With a smile still painted on his face, Yoonoh slowly leaned in and closed their gap, kissing his lover gently. Jungwoo swore his heart had stopped for a second. When they pulled apart, Yoonoh was bearing the most handsome face Jungwoo had ever seen.
“All of my exhaustion from work has completely vanished. Once again babe, thank you.” He pecked Jungwoo’s lips. Then another. Then another one.
“O-Okay, stop it now!” Jungwoo reprimanded. Yoonoh chuckled and tightened the grip around his lover’s face, “You really never fail to surprise me every single day, huh? I’m really glad that I married you.” He then rubbed their noses together, “I love you Jungwoo.”
“Mhmm. I-I love you too, Yoon-ah…” Yoonoh grabbed Jungwoo’s hands and kissed them with so much love, “Let’s stay for a moment like this, please?”
Jungwoo remembered the expensive steak that he just cooked. Suddenly, Yoonoh seemed more interesting to entertain than the setup that he just made.
Sighing contentedly, he wrapped his arms around the older’s neck, “M’Kay. Just a head start. I brought your favorite wine.”
“I don’t have a favorite wine.” Yoonoh disagreed. Jungwoo tilted his head, “Huh? I thought---“ The raven-haired interrupted him with a kiss. He was smirking when he returned his gaze to Jungwoo.
“Although I have the most beautiful person in my arms right now.”
Jungwoo almost melted like a puddle. His panicking for almost forty-five minutes was worth it, after all.