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“Do they have a twelve-tier wedding cake?” Chenle tried again, for the fourth time probably. Next to him, Yangyang snorted despite still having his headphones on. Guanheng sitting in shotgun laughed louder while Kun – his dear cousin, the designated driver of the trip – let out a desperate sigh. It wasn’t their first gig together per se, yet Chenle had been so excited for this wedding they’re heading to because it’s the first to be out of Seoul.
Chenle had never been anywhere further than his local bus routes can take him (plus Kun’s free rides!) so Busan should be as fascinating as he imagined it to be.
“Come on Lele, if Kun said it’s a gig then that’s it.” Guanheng finally recovered from his wheezing, He placed a reassuring hand on Kun’s shoulders, Kun deflating at his words. “If you stop bugging the man, he might even let you stay longer to see the Gwangandaegyo bridge.”
“Or try out the famous gukbap place that Yuna recommended to me.” Yangyang nodded along. It’s amazing that he could still follow the conversation despite the massive AirPods Max on his head.
“Really? Oh come on, Kun! We have to go there!” Chenle exclaimed, springing forward to shake continuously on Kun’s shoulders. He almost steered the car to the other side of the lane and gave Chenle a warning glare through the rear view window – the reply was an apologetic pout.
Chenle is usually more well-behaved than this, even if it’s a one-of-a-lifetime road trip with his wedding bandmates. It was originally a local group started by Kun in his gap year in college, then spiraled into a pretty well-known band for weddings and ceremonies alike. During his first year after transferring from China to Korea, Chenle was already tagging along to many of Kun’s gig (cousin/favorite child privilege) and got to perform his favorite songs. He loves those types of songs, singing for the joy and hope of love, something he had always wanted for himself.
Call him hopeless romantic or whatever, but on Tuesday nights in his apartment all alone, he really wishes there was more to his life than soggy ramen noodles and 2000s romcom on rewind. So when Kun pinged his phone with a text about his next gig, Chenle couldn’t wait to inject more romance into his loveless storyline.
“Okay since you guys cannot behave for the life of me, and there’s more than…” Kun glances at the clock on the car’s monitor. “…an hour left with you devils, I have to tell you guys something.”
“Ah-hah! I know there’s something fishy about this gig.” Guanheng exclaimed, clapping his hand on his knee. Kun’s expression at that moment was pure “I thought you were on my side?!”-betrayed.
“They are my college friends.” He started, eyes still on the road but there’s nostalgia in his look. “Me and Ten helped matchmaking them during our second year. I can’t believe they’re getting married now.”
Kun spares a long pause for the others to react, but only Yangyang draws out a desperate sigh, muttering about the Lakers losing their three-pointer.
“That’s it?” Chenle asked, visibly deflating from the excitement. No twelve-tier cake in sight.
“What else do you want?” Kun retorts, agitated. “You guys want the full back story or something?”
“Yes!” Both Guanheng and Chenle perk up, while Yangyang nods along. Not sure if he agrees with the other two or he’s just grooving with his song. Nevertheless, Kun is no match to their energy, and well there is another hour to go.
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He regrets it awfully, an hour later, while backing his car into the parking lot of the building.
“You obviously have feelings for Ten hyung.” Chenle deadpans, his smugness reappears while smiling from ear to ear. He resembles a cat like this, waiting to get a rise out of Kun. “That double date was so obvious.”
Guanheng starts to gather his bag and empty Starbucks cup (bless him for being the grown up here) and then urges Chenle to do the same.
“That has nothing to do with it. I gave you the back story, that’s all!” Kun grumbles. The car comes to a stop and Yangyang finally pulls out his headphones, flashing a toothy smile that looks like he knows something.
“Well I just text Ten huyng and he told me…” Yangyang wiggles his brows, his smile widens while Kun’s face falls. “Nothing, he told me nothing. Don’t mind me.” That doesn’t calm Kun down one bit.
It takes a dreadful fifteen minutes for Kun to haul them all into the elevator, bringing all of their instruments as well as dodging multiple questions about his private life to reach the ground floor. A man waits for them at the reception table, donned in a casual oversized t-shirt and khakis shorts, Starbucks in hand, looking like he’s ready for the beach. As they approach him, Chenle couldn’t help but realize that the same man is also one of the grooms in the picture posted behind him.
“Please tell me you’re not getting married in that outfit.” Kun said, already opening his arms to give the man a big hug, laughing in a manner that Chenle would describe as very dad-meeting-old-friends. The younger three steps to the side awkwardly, but the man is quick to notice.
“These must be your favorite three.” His smile is gummy and charming. “I’m Doyoung, thank you so much for coming.”
Kun sweeps in smoothly to spare the awkwardness and introduce their names, following with handshakes.
“Kun promised a twelve-tier wedding cake so we agreed to come.” Chenle said, smiling widely at Kun. His cousin smirks back, shaking his head.
“Oh, you’re in luck because I’m marrying a baker.” Doyoung is so amused he bursts into laughter. “Not a twelve-tier but you guys can stuff yourselves full.”
Then, he takes a closer look at Chenle. “Say, Chenle, how old did you say you were again?”
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It’s a shame they couldn’t see the sunset on the beach, Chenle thinks briefly as he watches the sky above them splashes orange and pink fading into the horizon. The wedding was outdoors in the open air area just outside of the building they arrived at, spacious and natural, glimmering in warm yellow light as night fell. Despite the preceding hot days, night in Busan was pleasantly warm and breezy, although he’s starting to sweat a bit under his tux.
Kun is confident with his piano and his signature “Marry you” that’s forever the crowd’s favorite. Both grooms are milling around with the guests, Chenle can even spot some familiar faces from Kun’s SNS, the atmosphere is too comfortable he almost forgot this is not his usual friend get-together.
“So, do you come here often?”
It was hard to refrain from laughing, but for the sake of his new friend, Chenle bites his tongue. Jisung reddens immediately, a habit he seems to do often even in casual conversations as Chenle had noticed for the past hour or so.
“No, what I meant was,” he looks like seconds from crying. “Do you do these wedding performances often?”
“Mm, better.” Chenle nods, smiling cheekily. Teasing Jisung comes naturally even though the two had just met when Taeyong - the second groom of the night - asked Chenle to accompany his cousin, who is too INFP for his own good. Yangyang mocked him that he had to babysit while the rest could go eat cakes and get drunk, and to be quite honest he wasn’t up for the idea. Taeyong got him in a chokehold though (figuratively) with his pleading anime eyes and Chenle just couldn’t say no, not on his wedding night.
“I’ve done quite a lot of gigs with Kun-ge, yeah.” Chenle admits, pleased to see Jisung relaxing in his seat. “Singing ones. Babysitting gig is a first.”
They both burst into laughter, Jisung shoves Chenle just lightly to start a little raffling back and forth. It’s not so bad, Chenle realizes, seeing the blush blooms on Jisung’s cheeks and his lips form a shape like a heart. The sweet piano by Kun filters in and out of his mind and it’s making him tipsy, even though he hasn’t had a drop of wine yet.
“I’m not a baby. You don’t have to sit here with me if you don’t want to.” Jisung sits back in his chair, picking at invisible lint on his tux.
It’s fascinating to look at him, really, when his attire was almost the opposite of his personality. When Taeyong first introduced them, Chenle was flustered by his sky blue matching suit and gel-swept hair, looking like a model for Calvin Klein not just a regular guest for his cousin’s wedding. Even Yangyang was a bit shorter than Jisung (he doesn’t want to admit that) when he came to greet Chenle, and it’s annoying to crane his head a little further up to meet his eyes. The fluttering daze snapped when instead of a simple handshake, Jisung threw a scissors hand at him.
It was so stupid it’s endearing, and Chenle burst into laughter. Knowing Chenle, the boy has a volume of a dolphin and it’s contagious, making the atmosphere less awkward for them all. Everything turned out to be fine after all, as time passed and Chenle found no reasons to detest his unexpected company.
He stays quiet for a moment, considering, then gets to his feet. The music is jazzy and everyone is in the mood to dance, wouldn’t it be a waste to not join in?
His hands are slightly cold and sweaty, but when he holds onto Jisung they both giggle because Jisung is no different, nervous and hesitant and tingling with joy.
“Wanna dance?”
“You’re literally dragging me into the dance floor, Chenle.”
There is some tumbling back and forth but they find a groove together, starting with silly moves for the other to laugh then turning into a dance battle. Some of Kun’s friends notice him and it somehow becomes a messy group of dancing people, wiggling their butts and bumping along to the tune of Guanheng’s drums. Chenle shrugs off his blazer while Jisung loosens a couple of buttons on his dress shirt, and it’s really hard not to stare, the blooming smile on his face, the glistening sweat on his collarbone-
“Busan is really hot, isn’t it?”
It almost made him trip over by surprise as Ten appeared out of thin air. He’s a regular friend of Kun, always lounging around in his apartment everytime Chenle comes to visit and delight in teasing the hell out of Kun (that, Chenle fully understands).
“Ten hyung, you came!”
Ten is dressed in comfy sweats like he just came straight from the airport, which he might as well be. Kun had moped around for days because Ten couldn’t come to the wedding because of his workload abroad and Chenle doubts that’s why his cousin had dragged them all to this gig with him.
“Wait, does Kun know you’re here? I thought you’re in Bangkok?” He asks, bewildered and a bit breathy from dancing. Ten gives him a hug and his clothes smell like he really just went through a five-hour flight, but he looks charming nevertheless. “And the grooms! Kun told us about the story, you gotta meet them!”
“Okay Chenle, it’s nice to see you.” Ten smiles fondly at him while gesturing towards Jisung. “And your friend too.”
“Hi.” Jisung doesn’t seem as nervous when greeting new people like the first time Chenle saw him, his scissor hand instead of a normal handshake is quite a smooth move. When he looks back at Chenle, the faint blush is still there, but it’s not clear if it’s the heat or something else.
At the back of his mind, he wants to keep Jisung in his pocket and not let anyone else see him like this, truly glowing and pretty like a late-blooming flower. He can imagine the both of them walking side by side on the golden beach, Chenle will say something a little mean just to gauge to Jisung hit him while laughing until his eyes turn crescent. His lips will curve into the shape of the heart under the gradient sunset sky.
“Hey kid, it’s time!”
“Will you people stop scaring me!” Chenle shrieks when this time it’s Kun creeping up on him. Maybe it’s partly his fault he’s daydreaming. “Oh, hey Kun-ge.”
“You’re the one scaring me.” His cousin shakes his head, a dimpled smile on his face. “Did you have fun with Jisung?”
It’s not advantageous to let others see him actually flushing (Kun would badly embarrass him in a very dad way in front of Jisung) so Chenle ignores his question and retrieves his jacket from the chair.
“Sorry, I have this piano duet with Kun.” He turns to Jisung, who is downing his last gulp of iced tea. “You’ll be alright until I come back?” His grin is widening to the point it hurts.
He earns a slap on the arm from Jisung.
“Hah, like I care.”
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Duets with Kun flow easily because the two of them will play random songs together whenever they get the chance, yet it’s more exciting knowing there are people watching them performing them tonight, hearts filled with love and joy and a bit of wine. Doyoung stands up from his seat and starts clapping as soon as the both of them come on stage, Taeyong following suit although he seems to be a bit too tipsy already.
Kun taps on the mic after the applause dies down, eyeing the crowd as he starts his mini speech.
“It’s been a real pleasure to perform for my favorite couple of all times tonight, sorry Johnny.” He points at a couple standing a few meters from the grooms, who then throw middle fingers back at him in laughter. “To Doyoung and Taeyong, my best friends since the first days I’d set foot in Seoul and had been the best support system I could ever ask for. May I gift you this last song as a good luck charm to more days spent together.”
He pauses for a moment.
“I also want to dedicate this song to a friend of mine who couldn’t make it today.” Then Kun flashes that smile again, nostalgic and fond. “To be fair, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be here today. He’s been with me since day 1, so if you can, please send your love to all of your Day-1.”
Taeyong starts sobbing again while Doyoung drapes him on his broad shoulders and they dance to the soft piano.
You'll always be my day one
Day zero when I was no one
I'm nothing by myself
You and no one else
Thankful you're my day one
On cue, Yangyang joins in with his violin, slowly pulling everyone into a slow waltz. The shimmering lights sprinkle a halo on their faces, brimming with emotions that words can yet describe.
I got lucky
Finding you
I won big the day I came across you
'Cause when you're with me
I don't feel blue
Not a day goes by that I would not redo
Kun is singing his heart out, unknowing that Ten is lurking somewhere in the crowd. Chenle joins in as the song builds up gradually, in the corner of his eyes Jisung is watching him with a gaze that shines like stars.
Everybody wants to love
It's easy when you try hard enough
(That's right)
You'll always be my day one
Day zero when I was no one
I'm nothing by myself
You and no one else
Thankful you're my day one
I'm thankful you're my day one
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There’s no music now, the buzzing in Chenle’s head dies down as he breathes in the faint salty wind, the lapping melody from the waves, and the radiating heat from where Jisung holds onto his waist. There’s no music except for the crackly sound from Jisung’s beat up iPhone, playing his recording of Chenle’s performance from earlier.
“We only know each other for what, four hours?” Chenle laughs when Jisung steps on his shoes and stumbles a little. “And you’re already obsessed with me?”
“Five hours.” Jisung corrects him, pouting. “There’s still a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“Mm hm,” Chenle nods. His hands on Jisung’s shoulders tighten around his neck, bringing them closer. The sea harmonizes with their heartbeats, slowly, slowly. He recalls the road leading them to this beach, their sweaty palms find each other again as he finished his duet with Kun and Jisung pulls him into a secret adventure into the moonlight.
Hour by hour
Minute by minute
I got mad love for you and you know it
I would never leave you on your own
I just want you to know
“Park Jisung from Busan, coffee hater, scrapes his knees in third grade trying to save a cat, is afraid of cats, doesn’t know how to ride a bike…”
“Stop, okay, stop.” Jisung sways him back and forth to try to shut him up, but Chenle is persistent.
“You hate pork rinds but will eat it if someone else cooks it for you, you’re almost as tall as Stephen Curry but won’t play basketball,” The list can go on and if he wants, because he loves listening to Jisung’s small anecdotes and registers them all in his minds when Jisung thought he wasn’t listening. Dancing becomes pushing and pulling as they waltz around each other on the sand, risking their tuxedo being soaked in sea water while they toe around the shoreline.
“You’re a lot of things, Jisung.” Chenle finally gives in, positioning his arms back onto Jisung’s shoulders and they slot back together perfectly. “But I think I’m ready to find out more.”
When I first met you
It just felt right
It's like I met a copy of myself that night
I don't believe in fate as such
But we were meant to be together, that's my hunch
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