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“What if he says no?” Seoho heard Geonhak’s deep voice from the other side of the phone. The man was nervous, Seoho could notice in the way he spoke, but only because he had known him for years.
“Geonhak, come on. He’s been in love with you for… I don’t even know anymore. The probability of him refusing is… what, one percent?”
Seoho heard a huff, then: “THAT’S A HIGH PROBABILITY HYUNG!”
He distanced the phone from his ear, wincing when Geonhak shouted. Keonhee chuckled from the corner of the room, but Seoho threw him a very threatening glare, making the younger bite his lower lip to keep from laughing. He exhaled before correcting himself. “It’s not that high! And I meant zero point one. PLEASE DON’T SHOUT FROM THE PHONE!”
Geonhak clicked his tongue.
“Seriously, Geonhak hyung, I doubt Dongju would say no. Especially if you do it like that.” The younger of the three said.
“Keonhee’s with you?!” The man exclaimed, in full surprise. “Hyung, did you tell him?!”
“Actually, it’s not his fault, I made him tell me.” Keonhee saved the older.
“He wouldn’t shut up, Hakkie~”
“Save it, hyung. I’m not telling you anything again. I’ll just ask Youngjo hyung-”
“Ah, c’mon Geonhak~”
“Besides he already knows.” Keonhee chirped.
“KEONHEE YOU TOLD HIM?”
The younger slapped his mouth, whispering a “shouldn’t have said that, shouldn’t have-”
“Did you tell Hwanwoong too?”
“I didn’t!” Keonhee said, and Geonhak let out a breath of relief. “Youngjo hyung might, though- OW! Hyung!”
“Hahaha don’t worry Geonhak,” Seoho quickly said, trying to save everything that was falling apart, “I’ll take care of that so you just focus on Dongju. It’s gonna be alright, don’t worry about it! ... We’re just gonna go because it’s late here but tell us what happens, see you! Oh and Merry Christmas!” He hung up, ready to fight the younger who was now sitting next to him. “Seriously, Keonhee? Did you think that Hwawnoong would probably tell Dongju by mistake at all?!”
“... to be honest, no. Hwanwoong can keep that secret!!” The younger defended Hwanwoong (though he was probably just trying to persuade himself).
“You better tell Youngjo hyung not to tell him anything if he hasn’t already,” Seoho said, massaging his temples with his fingers. “It might not be too late. Why are you staring at me?! Go tell him!”
“Fine, fine!” Said Keonhee, leaving the room in a hurry. Seoho could hear him muttering under his breath on his way out.
“Hyung! Look, it’s Minnie!” Dongju squealed, dragging his boyfriend by their intertwined hands, Geonhak tripping on nothing as he tried to follow the younger’s fast steps. When Dongju was excited, he tended to forget he wasn’t, in fact, seven years old, but twenty-two. He also tended to forget his boyfriend needed to have a heads-up before they started running recklessly among adults and little children.
“Okay, okay, I got it, don’t run that fast!” The older complained, but Dongju wasn’t listening; all he was focused on was the human-like mouse with the giant head ten meters away, standing right next to the Christmas tree in the middle of the streets’ intersection.
They’d come to Disney World for a trip, just the two of them. Geonhak had prepared it for Christmas, knowing how much Dongju loved Disney. It was fitting, because he had prepared something else along with this surprise trip for Dongju. The hand that wasn’t tightly holding the other’s, clutched around the little box in his coat’s pocket. He had to be extra careful of it. Bringing it with him in all the rides was perhaps not the safest plan, but leaving it alone with their bags in the cloakroom was far more risky to him.
“I’ll take a picture of you, so just stand beside her.” He said, letting go of Dongju’s hand, as the other hopped happily next to the mouse. Geonhak got out his phone and pressed the button as Dongju striked a pose with a peace sign, his eyes almost forming crescent moons from how hard he was smiling, and his teeth shining brightly like the lights on the Christmas tree behind him. When Geonhak nodded, the other thanked the mouse and waved happily, returning to his boyfriend.
“Let me see the picture!”
The blonde didn’t even have time to pass his phone to him; Dongju had swept it away at once, opening the Gallery app to check the pictures. And Geonhak’s heart swelled with pride when the younger chuckled in contentment. “They’re perfect!”
“Only because you’re in them,” he said, kissing his temple lightly.
“Ah! Hyung, you’re corny again!” Dongju said, in a pretend-to-be annoyed voice, but his cheeks were tinted pink.
Geohak laughed, because it was corny, but when he was with Dongju, these things popped into his head so suddenly, and he never had time to process them. He just said them, automatically. Corny or not, to him they were true. He would have never cared about a picture of a huge mouse in Christmas season if his boyfriend wasn’t in it, oozing with joy. “Says the one whose life-long dream was to come to Disney World.”
Dongju ignored him; or rather, he may not have heard him at all. It was their last day there, and he was trying to absorb every detail of the scenery unfolding in front of him. The longer he looked around, the more things appeared. They had gone on all sorts of rides the past days, but there was one left Dongju wanted to try. Besides that, he just wanted to enjoy the remaining time with his boyfriend, walking together and being content in the presence of each other.
“Hyung, are there any rides you want to try?”
Geonhak thought for a second before replying. He did like the Pirates of the Caribbean, but even if he didn’t go on any pirate related rides, he didn’t mind; Dongju was having much more fun in the rest of them. “There is, but I don’t really want to go unless you ’ve done everything you wanted to.”
“Oh but hyung! I’ve done many things I've been wanting to, so let’s go on a ride that you'll choose this time.”
Minutes later they were standing in front of the line for the Pirates of the Carribean ride, Dongju and Geonhak arm in arm. The weather was cold, but it wasn’t freezing, and they warmed each other up enough. Dongju lay his head on Geonhak’s shoulder, but the older didn’t have enough time to look at him in adoration because some puppy barked nearby, which, of course, sparked Dongju’s attention.
“Oh? A puppy?!” His arm slipped out of Geonhak’s as he was about to walk straight towards the dog, but Geonhak was used to this and his reflexes were quicker than the other. He grabbed Dongju by the hood of his hoodie just as he had walked two steps away, and forced Dongju’s body to come to a stop. “Ah- Hyuuuung! Let me go, it’s a puppy on a leash, I can’t call it over!”
“I’m gonna need to put you on a leash. If you go to that puppy now, we’ll miss our turn, because then I’ll have to come and get you. If the puppy’s still here afterwards you’ll pet it. Now come back here.” He said, pulling his boyfriend back to him, embracing his waist with one arm from behind. Dongju pouted, but he obeyed; he knew Geonhak was right.
Their turn came soon, and Dongju’s pout faded into a beautiful smile and eyes wide, devouring everything surrounding them. The place was really similar to what pirates in the Caribbean depicted in the movies, and even the music playing in the background sounded enthralling. The inside was even more exciting; places taken from the movies, robotic characters that moved when you passed them by. When they finally reached the end of the ride, Dongju was even happier than before, clapping in joy, the puppy long forgotten (thank god, because it didn’t seem to be closeby anymore).
The next ride was chosen by the younger; a speedy train ride. Geonhak wasn’t a great fan of them, but he didn’t mind them per se, so he got into the same seat with Dongju, who was giggling quietly.
“We didn’t even start yet, what are you so happy about?” Geonhak mused, as the little boy next to him shifted eagerly in his place.
“I’m happy just being here.” Dongju said, turning to look at him. Then, without a notice and holding onto Geonhak’s shoulder for support, he managed to place a peck on the other’s cheek. “Thank you.”
The older’s eyes opened up further in surprise, his lips curving upwards in the corners and his neck hot. He was also sure he might have blushed, but he could blame that on the weather. Geonhak was used to kisses and pecks, but not when Dongju stupefied him like that. His smile didn’t weaver once to the end of the ride. The younger kept shouting whenever the train made a sudden dive, but Geonhak wasn’t worried; he knew Dongju wasn’t scared. It was just his way of having fun. And Geonhak found that adorable.
“Eat this,” Geonhak said after getting off the train, feeding the younger a biscuit from the packet he’d gotten earlier in the morning. “And don’t bite me.” Dongju looked at him with a guilty look, but he gently bit the cookie, Geonhak’s fingers free of harm. He lifted their interlocked hands and kissed the back of Dongju’s hand softly, then put the packet of cookies in his palm, as he let go. Dongju smiled, shyly. “There’s a treat spot over there. I’m gonna go get us drinks. Coffee?”
“Yes. Thanks, hyung.”
The older only smiled, ruffling his hair and walking away.
Dongju found an empty bench in front of the fountain, decorated with lights that blinked and Christmas wreaths. He closed his eyes, inhaling the winter air of Florida. Surprisingly, it didn’t smell any different from Seoul. The only difference was the fountain behind him and the atmosphere, full of kids, teens, adults, all there for the same reason. He was happy the one he came here with was Geonhak. He may have a strong outer shell, but truthfully, Geonhak was the softest person, with him at least. He’d take care of him since the day they met, up until now. The brown haired was ultimately thankful for that. Sometimes he wished there were more things he could do for the older. But he loved him a lot, and he was sure Geonhak was aware of that.
His phone interrupted his train of thought, buzzing in his pocket once, then twice. He had turned off the wi-fi so as not to be distracted, so the message must have been urgent. Swiping the screen to unlock it, the notification showed Hwanwoong’s profile. He opened the message and, amongst his joy, the light of the Christmas lights faded. He felt as if he was falling from the highest cloud he had climbed.
Hwanwoong:
Geonhak's going to break up with you.
His heart in pain, his mind clouded, he couldn't sit there and wait for his boyfriend to return. He stood up and left.
When Geonhak got back, with two coffees in his hands, Dongju was nowhere to be seen. He guessed Dongju had spotted some character to take a picture with or found yet another ride to go on to. So he sat in front of the fountain for some minutes, waiting for the other to come back on his own; Dongju did have that habit of disappearing at random times when he found something that enchanted him after all. Geonhak had partly meant what he’d said about putting him on a leash.
But the minutes passed, the people kept walking while laughing, and the christmas lights grew brighter each passing second, yet no sign of Dongju. He was an airhead with Disney, but Dongju was definitely not that stupid to leave him completely alone for so long. He took out his phone and texted the other.
He relaxed when the first message got through; the sign said delivered. But there was no reply, so he tried again. And again. But the messages were not delivered after that first one; they were only sent. Then he tried calling him; the phone was turned off.
Geonhak briefly wondered if anything could have happened to the younger in a place like this, with so many people and security present and whatnot. He looked around for the last time, seeking a brown haired man with a short mullet, but the younger didn’t seem to be close, and the place was filled with people, there was no way Geonhak could find him just by looking around. He had to search for him.
His heart pacing, he got up with his mind racing with places Dongju would go.
Dongju couldn’t believe it. That his relationship of three years would end this way. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of his life, yet again, somehow it was ruined. The past three days had been amazing at Disney World. But all of the magic he experienced here now felt long gone.
His tears stained his favourite hoodie with the disney castle print on it, but he couldn’t even care at that moment. He should have known, Geonhak wouldn’t do something so huge for him without some intention behind it. The man didn’t even like Disney all that much.
He desperately wanted to cry and let his sobs out, but he was in public space and he felt way too defeated to look for the WC in this huge place. Instead, he was sat on a bench, little lights shining around him, the people getting less and less. However, even the ones that were there didn’t really pay attention to him; he was grateful for that. His english was fine at this point, but he was not in the mood to chat with randoms.
Dongju sniffled, the tears still coming out.
“You don’t seem too well; did the Evil Queen feed you an apple, perhaps?” Came a nonchalant voice somewhere above him.
The man quickly swept his tears with the back of his sweater paw, patting his cheeks to dry the remains, and looked up. Maleficent was staring at him, her face expressionless; almost uninterested. Yet she was talking to him.
“Oh, no, though it does hurt.” He said, trying to speak clearly. He smiled a little, but it faded away quickly.
She seemed to understand his reply as an invitation to sit beside him, or at the very least, the permission to. The sun had set a long time ago; the place was illuminated by christmas lights and decorations, lamps on the street. Maleficent kept the distance between them and sat cross legged at the other end of the bench.
“May I ask what it is that keeps you in pain? Was it Ursula? I’ll cut her tentacles if that makes you feel better.” She said, not looking at him, as if speaking to no one specifically.
He tried to laugh, but only half a huff came out. “It wasn’t a vi- I mean, it wasn’t anyone with magical powers. It was a human.”
“Oh, a peasant. What did they do?”
“He broke up with me.” Dongju said quietly, trying to contain the hurt, and steady his voice.
“He broke up with you here? Right now?”
“No, well, he’s about to. After we leave this place.”
She went quiet for a little while. Dongju was glad not many people were around, because if there were, they would all have lined up to talk to Maleficent and take pictures with her. And although he understood their excitement, his own enthusiasm had vanished in the meantime, so a horde of people would only make him feel worse.
“And why are you not heading towards the end show, little peasant?”
“I’m not in the mood anymore…”
“Mood? Oh, sweetie, please.” She said, in the fakest, most pretentious mocking tone she could manage. Dongju was happy she was trying to make him feel better, but his heart still felt broken. He knew it would only get worse once he heard the actual words from Geonhak’s mouth. “Don’t let a man limit you.” She continued. “You came here to enjoy the magic, enjoy the magic. You don’t need him for that. Do you see me? The man I loved cut my wings, but I feel free as a bird soaring in the sky, even without him. Even without my wings. Do you see what I’m saying?”
Dongju hesitated for a second before replying. “That I should go and watch the show anyway.”
“Correct. It starts in an hour so you have time to get there and find a good spot.”
Dongju nodded. She was a villain, well, pretending to be, but what she said was on point. This was his only chance to experience something as phenomenal as this, a chance he couldn’t let go of that easily. He wasn’t going to be in Florida for long, or the USA in general, and he was not going to come back any time soon either. The time for this was now, even if he felt sad, even if he was in pain, and his heart was breaking.
“You’re right. Thank you.” He said, finalizing his decision and standing up, ready to leave. “Are you not going to go? Aren’t you making an appearance?”
“Oh sure I am,” she said, finally looking at him with one of her cold stares, but her lips were smiling. “I am waiting for someone to take me there. Or whatever. Now, shoo shoo. Enjoy the show.”
Dongju nodded once again, trying to lift the corners of his lips to form a smile himself, wanting to show his gratitude. “Thank you.” He repeated, and ran towards the castle.
“YOU TOLD HIM WHAT? ” Geonhak yelled at the phone, which probably wasn’t such a good idea, because it attracted the people’s eyes on him and frankly, he didn’t like being stared at. Not that he had the time to worry about that right now; Dongju was ignoring him completely, had even turned his phone off and had gotten the totally opposite idea of what Geonhak had planned to do. It just wasn’t all that great.
“I didn’t do anything! It was Youngjo-hyung who messed it up-”
“Hey!” Youngjo was heard interrupting Keonhee on the phone.
“Well it’s true!” Keonhee shouted back at him.
“KEONHEE! FOCUS! What did you tell him exactly?”
“Well Hwanwoong overheard my and Youngjo hyung’s conversation about the damn proposal but I think he didn’t hear all of it, and then he asked Youngjo hyung about it, and I’d just warned hyung not to tell him anything under no circumstances, so he panicked and uh… ended up telling him something close to… you’re going to break up with him and that’s why you’re doing all this.”
“So not only did you make me an asshole, you made me double the asshole. Do you know that I haven’t been able to find Dongju for almost four hours now? Couldn’t you have picked up the phone earlier?”
“We were asleep, hyung! You’re like, fourteen hours behind?”
Geonhak sighed, walking so fast it was partly running at that point, looking for any sign of a Korean brown, long haired male. “Why did Hwanwoong even tell him that? It’s not his problem.”
“He just wanted to ease him into it, hyung, he was worried too.”
“Whatever. I’m hanging up, gotta find Dongju.”
“Okay. Good luck-
Good luck Hakkie!
-shut up Youngjo hyung!”
Geonhak put his phone in his pocket after checking the time. He had known way before they were the ones to mess it up, because Seoho texted him (before falling asleep apparently) that “It wasn’t my fault”. After that everyone drifted off and they only woke up because Keonhee’s phone - the only one that wasn’t on silent - kept buzzing, so they were forced to pick it up. Thankfully. Not that it made any big difference, but at least he knew it was not a mistake he made, and he knew how to fix it.
It was a problem going to be solved no doubt, but the plan he’d made ever so carefully should be out of his reach by now. He had really needed this day to be perfect, but Dongju would probably either be crying in a bathroom stall, in a corner of this whole park, or may have even left the park completely out of hurt. Geonhak had ruined the night that should have been Dongju’s happiest, on Christmas day, on top of that. Telling Seoho was his idea, his choice. If he hadn’t, this whole thing would not have happened. It was his fault if Dongju missed the show he was so eager to watch, for so many years now.
He still had perhaps a little more than thirty minutes before its end; the special Christmas show had started. Geonhak hoped he would manage to find the other before it ended, so at least he would catch a glimpse of it, but even then, the whole show would have passed by in feelings of sorrow and Geonhak was pretty sure resentfulness and anger for the other. The most magical night of his life had been destroyed before he could see it end.
Geonhak himself was disappointed, partly in himself, partly in this whole situation. He loved the younger so much, he wanted to see him happy, see his eyes sparkle in excitement and his face beaming with eagerness. He’d wanted to see that happy face from the start to the end of it. He’d wanted Dongju to have a precious memory, the most magical one he could ever fathom, one that would make his heart beat faster and bring tears in his eyes. But euphoric tears, not resentful ones.
This was not how it was supposed to go.
He kept running, but the chaos of people moving towards the Castle was slowing him down. More than that, some of them were not even moving ; so many lined up to treat spots or last minute rides, or just huddled up in a corner chit-chatting and warming up together.
Seeing them that way made Geonhak want to hug Dongju tightly in his own arms, tell him how much he loved him already, how he could never break up with him, because Dongju was the most valuable gift he could have ever gotten. Almost like a Christmas wish. Something he had thought to be beyond his reach, out of reality for it to happen. Because Geonhak did not believe in falling stars, did not believe in wishing upon them. But it did, Dongju was his and as much corny as it sounded, Dongju was his one and only person in this world. The person he loved most in the universe. (Nevertheless he would never admit to anyone else he had just thought that, with the exception of, maybe Dongju.)
Exactly because Dongju was the most precious thing in his life, he had to take care of him well. Because Dongju’s happiness was his. And his sparkly eyes and smiley face brought him butterflies and filled him with appreciation. Someone as pure and pretty inside and outside as Dongju had fallen in love with a guy whose only hobby was working out. Geonhak was very grateful for that.
Yet, instead of telling all of that to Dongju and asking the question that had been torturing him for days now, weeks, he was alone on Christmas day, running around a place filled with Disney nerds and sloths that wouldn’t move an inch. And more importantly, Dongju was alone on the supposedly most beautiful day of all his living days. For Geonhak Disney may not have been as important, but it was to Dongju, and failing him scared him most.
He had been running all over the place for ten minutes before he decided that, in the end, if Dongju was still here, he would probably still watch the show. It was rumoured to be the most important part of all after all. And so, just as You’ll Be In My Heart started playing, Geonhak spotted Dongju, a little further from the castle, his eyes filled with tears, probably both from the emotional scene unfolding in front of him and the pain that Geonhak’s supposedly break up would soon bring upon him.
But Geonhak couldn’t think anymore. He couldn’t stand and wait for the show to end just to tell Dongju everything he needed to tell him. There was no way he could stand there and watch the hurt in the younger’s eyes. Already panting, his insides turning cold from the need of oxygen, he let his feet carry him once more to Dongju, running so fast he thought he was going to die, embracing the younger in his arms. His one hand came to rest on the other’s waist, bringing him closer, the other on the back of his head, making him suffocate in the side of his neck.
“I was never going to break up with you,” he said, and he could hear the song behind him saying ‘From this day on, Now and forever more, You’ll be in my heart…’. The only reason he started to tear up was because he had recently watched Tarzan with Dongju. That was surely the only reason.
At first Dongju struggled to get out of his strong hold. But once Geonhak spoke, he came to a stop, his hands falling down, then he started sobbing as the song changed to ‘I see the light’.
“I was never going to break up with you, Dongju, how could you ever think that?” He whispered in his ear, and even though the noise of the people and the song playing in the background was way too loud, Geonhak was pretty sure Dongju heard him, because he sobbed harder, and his hands balled into fists, holding onto the older’s coat. Geonhak could feel his clothes getting wet, but he didn’t care one bit. “I love you so much. Let me see your face.”
Dongju sniffled, but he turned to him with eyes glistening, tears still hanging from those long eyelashes of his. Geonhak sweeped them with his thumb, then placed a soft kiss on his lips, and it felt wet and salty but once again he didn’t mind, before turning him around to watch the show. “I love you.” He said, leaning into his ear. “I would never break up with you. So watch this and we’ll talk afterwards.” Dongju nodded, and Geonhak found his hand and intertwined them together, holding it tightly. I won’t let you go.
He was so relieved he kept staring at Dongju rather than the castle in front of them. Scenes from so many disney movies were projecting on it, combined with songs, but he could only observe the way the christmas lights on the castle projected in Dongju’s eyes, how his still wet from the tears cheeks, red from the excitement and the cold shined with the blue lights around them. How his mouth was left open in awe and the frozen breath he exhaled every now and then disintegrated in the air. How his hand, cold still, felt interlocked with his own. Dongju’s expression was beaming, and it was strange because the sky should have been coloured blue above them, because the sun was right here, in front of him.
The only thing that snapped him out of his trance was the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, which reminded him of his surroundings and the fact that, if he was to do it in the end, he should do it soon. He had to make up his mind now.
The last song started playing, he recognized it because he had planned this moment countless times in his head. Dongju had to see the fireworks. Thus, he had very little space left between the end of the song and the narrator speaking. But he could do it. He could propose.
Just as the first fireworks exploded in the night sky, and the whole place lit up in colours, as the song went “I can go the distance” for the last time, Geonhak had already knelt down on one knee, had already taken out the box with the ring in it and was holding it tightly in his fist.
“Dongju.”
The younger turned around, expecting to see the older beside him, then his eyes travelled downwards, where Geonhak was kneeling. The older could see how Dongju’s breath hitched at the sight, how his already watery eyes were about to burst. He slowly brought the small black velvet box in front of him, opening it with both hands, revealing a golden ring with two small diamonds embellished. But Dongju wasn’t looking at the ring; he was looking straight into Geonhak’s eyes. And that’s exactly what pushed him forwards to say the next words.
“Son Dongju,” he said, encouraged by how beautiful and happy Dongju looked already, the feelings of worry from before slowly fading. “Will you be my happily ever after?”
It felt like a minute had passed, but he knew it had only been a second. Dongju had barely had time to process the thought, it had barely registered, but he only looked at him, his eyes wet with tears for yet another time, as he nodded, and said with voice cracking and his lips turned slightly upwards: “Yes.”
Geonhak got up, taking the ring out of the box, then, carefully holding Dongju’s left hand, he placed the ring on his finger. They both looked at it before looking back to each other, both emitting a strong euphoric aura around them, both smiling to each other stupidly.
“Is that what it was?” Dongju dared to ask. And Geonhak understood that Dongju had realized; indeed Geonhak would never break up with him. Because they saved each other. Before, now, forever.
The other didn’t reply. Instead, he leaned in, cupping with his hands Dongju’s face and turning his head to the side slightly, kissing him softly, slowly. Sweetly. He could feel Dongju’s smile as their lips collided, as Dongju returned the kiss. Their mouths moved against each other, and even though it was freezing cold, the warmth in his heart was so powerful he felt it in his whole body.
“ And so, our journey comes to an end , ” the narrator said. “ But yours continues on. ”
Indeed. They had their whole life left together. Geonhak didn’t let go.
“ Grab ahold of your dreams and make them come true. ”
Geonhak’s dream was right here, right now. He was holding it tightly.
“ For you are the key to unlocking your own magic. ”
And Geonhak had managed to unlock the most powerful form of magic known to the world.
“ Now go. Let your dreams guide you. Reach out and find your happily ever after. ”
Another song started playing, as Geonhak let go of Dongju, so they could watch the final fireworks together. He blindly found the other’s hand and slipped it into his. He was going to hold on to Dongju and let him guide them both. Because he trusted him with all his being.
The fireworks ended, the final colours faded in Florida’s black sky, yet their eyes lingered there, in the void, still seeing colours, their minds playing tricks. They felt just so happy.
Dongju was here. He was with him. And Geonhak was with Dongju. Their story didn’t begin now, and neither did it end. But they’d found, in each other, their
Happily
Ever
After.