Archive of Our Own ^beta

The fates were playing with him.

That much Younghoon could be sure of—there's absolutely no way he should be seeing himself in one of his clients' readings, in the same way that he isn't able to see what lies in his own future. And yet, here he was, getting a glimpse at the same dark hair, smooth skin, and sharp jawline that he sees in the mirror every day. It isn't entirely clear when the client doesn't look at lover boy's face directly, but surely those features are enough to conclude that it's Younghoon himself, right?

The thought causes a shiver to run down his spine. "I see myself in your future," slips out of his mouth as he continues trying to observe the details in the vision.

"Is that a terrible pickup line or are you serious?"

Younghoon vaguely notices that Juyeon is laughing. It makes him realize that neither option was a good one really; a pickup line would imply that he's interested in him, while seeing himself in his client's future certainly implied a lot more than that. Perhaps he silently prays to the fates that those words didn't make their way to his boss in the other room.

But as the scene progresses, there are some other details that he notices. The kitchen in the background doesn't look familiar at all, nor does he recognize the light fragrance of oranges surrounding him. Not a bad scent, though it isn't one he has lying around at home. What lover boy is wearing is different from anything he owns too, which could only indicate that he was wrong: lover boy has to be someone else.

"Nah," Younghoon shrugs, quickly trying to brush off his mistake, "I was just kidding."

That earns him a bemused smirk as Juyeon raises an eyebrow, entirely unconvinced. "You sure about that?"

With a nod, Younghoon quickly pulls his hands back to break out of the visions. Internally cursing himself for being stupid enough to think that the lover boy in the visions had been him—just how delusional was he now? Sure, he's always been a head in the clouds type of person, falling in love with the possibility that everywhere he goes, the next person he meets might just be the love of his life. Eye contact with the cute dog walker at the park turns into getting lost in their eyes while walking under the stars. A brush of hands with the hot barista at the local coffee shop turns into holding hands while reciting wedding vows.

And though Juyeon was indeed good-looking, even with his face half hidden under the shadow of his baseball cap, this wasn't the same. He was a client and Younghoon was working. It was silly to have thought of the possibility of being in his future in the first place, but even more ridiculous to say it out loud.

Younghoon immediately shakes off the thought when he catches Juyeon staring.

"So?" Juyeon leans forward, looking like he has some big secret to share. "What did you see?"

"Um, your love life will be just fine."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." The small piece of lint on his sleeve becomes so interesting when trying to avoid Juyeon's gleaming gaze. "Things will run smoothly with your partner. I could sense your love for them and how committed to them you are. And similarly, how in love with you they are." 

This was always the part that he hated the most about the job. Sangyeon may have thought that hiring a "real psychic" was a good idea, but Younghoon thinks otherwise—surely anyone who knows anything about palm reading would immediately be able to tell that he's a fake. A fraud. He's not here to look over the love lines and life lines on his clients' palms when the visions come to him as naturally as breathing; they let him see a few scenes from the client's future, usually scenes involving a lover from what he's gathered over the years. And while it's no surprise that Sangyeon put him on love readings because of this ability, it's not like he could tell clients about the exact scenes he saw.

Hence resorting to vague summaries of the reading that made him feel like an imposter.

"Really?" Juyeon narrows his eyes, "Anything else?"

There were three scenes that Younghoon witnessed: holding hands across the table at what looked like a dimly lit restaurant, with tiny scars on the lover's hands. "There might be some dark times in your life or your partner's, but the two of you will be able to support each other." A kiss in what seemed like an open-air market, with the sweet taste of apples on his lips and the warmth of sunshine against his skin. "They'll bring you warmth." Then there was the final scene where he thought he'd seen himself—slow dancing in the kitchen at midnight, faint music playing in the background. Juyeon's soft whispers reaching his lover's ears. "And your partner will make you believe in love again."

A fairly normal set of scenes compared to some of the other things he's seen from other people, although he finds it strange that they happen to be scenes where Juyeon isn't looking directly at his lover.

"Hmm, that's interesting," Juyeon purses his lips seemingly deep in thought, "since I'm single as hell."

It takes Younghoon maybe five minutes to wipe the shock from his face. "It's probably your future partner then."

"Nah, I'm never going to date again."

Younghoon opens his mouth to give a retort, to defend himself somehow, but nothing comes out. Plenty of skeptical people have sat in that very seat before, but he's never dealt with someone who openly refuted his words like this. For a second, it almost seems like a big prank or a test that Sangyeon's giving him to gauge how well he can react in these types of situations.

"Things didn't really end well with my ex, so why go through all that again?" Juyeon shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "But I am curious as to how you came to that conclusion."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you saw something didn't you? Something that made you," he gestures vaguely, "conclude all of that." And it could simply indicate that Juyeon doesn't know anything about how palm readings are supposed to go, but it comes out sounding like a taunt instead. As if Juyeon knows that this wasn't what regular palm readings were like, as if he knows that Younghoon was a complete fraud. "What exactly did you see?"

"Um, well. I—"

"How about I make you a deal?" Juyeon leans forward again, lowering his voice slightly. "If you can show me and convince me of what you saw, then I'll be your date to that party."

"Wait, you... heard that?" Younghoon's never speaking again.

"Couldn't help but overhear."

Right, the party. He'd been complaining to Sangyeon all day about his lack of date for Eric's party, ever since receiving the invite and finding out just who else would be there. While it usually wouldn't matter whether he had a date or not, this would be the first time he's reconnecting with his old college crowd since graduating. And since leaving certain people behind.

"Nah, it's fine." He shakes his head. "I'll just ask Sangyeon to be my date—"

"Younghoon, you know I can't go to that thing," Sangyeon's voice comes floating in from the other room. "I have a business to run."

Juyeon gives him a pointed look, and he has to resist the urge to sink into the ground. "Right, so how about it? I'll help you make your ex jealous if you show me exactly what you saw."

Younghoon nearly asks him why he would care to know what was in the reading, and whether he would even believe any of it if he is shown the scenes. But at the prospect of being handed a solution to this dateless party problem, he decides to bite his tongue. Showing Juyeon a few locations that he saw in the reading would surely be better than being alone with certain people from his past.

"Who said it was about an ex?" he mutters under his breath.

Juyeon stands. "If not, that's cool. I guess you don't really need a date—"

"Okay, fine." Younghoon plasters on a smile. "Let's do it."

A few minutes later, he's watching Juyeon leave the shop with a little wave and a new contact saved into his phone. Wondering exactly what he's gotten himself into.

"You good?" Sangyeon raises an eyebrow, stepping out of the back room as he gives a look that says he heard everything. His glasses are halfway down his face and hair ruffled like he'd tugged on the strands in frustration way too many times, which isn't surprising when the shop was on the verge of needing to be shut down. "Were you serious about asking me to be your date?"

"No, forget I ever said anything." Younghoon quickly shakes his head. "And I'm great. Wonderful. Amazing." He's definitely not. "Everything is fine." It definitely isn't.

The only reaction he gets is a teasing grin. "Well," Sangyeon pats him on the shoulder, "let me know how it goes. Maybe you really did see yourself in his future."

Great.

It was at this moment Younghoon knew he fucked up.

***

"You look like you're about to cry," is the first thing Younghoon hears before he even gets the chance to close the apartment door behind him. There Hyunjae sits on the couch, eyeing him with concern, his phone screen in hand flashing with probably some show he's been bingeing. Which is something Younghoon would never understand when the TV was literally a few feet away. "Should I leave?"

Younghoon kicks his shoes off, too worn out to think of a smart retort tonight. Then he slumps onto the couch beside his roommate. "Is it that bad?"

"Uh huh. You want to talk about it?"

With a sigh, he starts from the beginning. Juyeon had been friendly when he walked in that evening, all charming smiles and lingering stares. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about him; Younghoon may have thought he was good-looking and may have been a tiny bit glad that he made a last-minute decision to switch from the career reading to the love reading. Perhaps Sangyeon's suspicious look at the time wasn't about Younghoon taking a customer away from him, but rather about Juyeon specifically asking for whatever reading Younghoon did.

He tells Hyunjae about the readings, dragging on the details until the boy is waving him on impatiently. And then comes the end—he'd made a deal with Juyeon to show him what he saw in the reading in exchange for having Juyeon be his date to Eric's party.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Hyunjae narrows his eyes, stare seeming to bore into Younghoon's skull. "He was hot, wasn't he?"

"Um, well..."

"I knew it." Then, hands are gripping his shoulders. Shaking him a little. "Younghoon," he looks him dead in the eye. "You need to stop being so nice to people you find hot. Well, except for me; I'm an exception."

Younghoon scoffs. "It's not that. I need a date for this party, okay? You know he's going to be there so there's no way I'm showing up alone."

"Forget the party," Hyunjae gives a dismissing wave, "how are you going to show him everything? The guy seems like someone who doesn't believe in this kind of stuff."

"Yeah," he mutters, "he refuted everything I said and probably thinks I'm a fraud anyway."

If that's what Juyeon had been thinking, he wouldn't be wrong. After all, Younghoon only learned about the different palm lines as a cover for the real abilities he used for these readings. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to switch over to regular readings now though. If only he'd been blessed with Sangyeon's bullshitting skills instead of this ability that's starting to feel more like a curse.

"Really? Who does he think he is?" Hyunjae abruptly gets up from the couch, hands balled into fists. "No one forced him to go to you. And besides, we all know that fortune telling is a big sham; surely he should know to take everything with a grain of salt."

But then he thinks back to the reading. "Well, I did think that I might be wrong. The reading—it was weird. I couldn't see his lover's face. It either went by really fast or he wasn't looking at him at all."

"Those scenes don’t necessarily have to be with this ex he mentioned, right? You have no control over what point of someone's life you see."

As reluctant as he is to admit it, Hyunjae's right. He couldn't control what timeframe of one's life he would witness, so it's plausible that the love interest is someone else entirely. Perhaps from a future relationship, or maybe Juyeon and his ex would get back together one day.

Or maybe the visions could be wrong. Just because they haven't been wrong before doesn't mean it couldn't happen.

"Or," Hyunjae flops back onto the couch excitedly, "do you think it's because he has bad eyesight?" He leans in until his face is mere centimeters away from Younghoon's, pretending to examine him through squinted eyes. "Maybe he never sees his lover's face that clearly anyway."

"You have bad eyesight too, you know."

"Then do you want to use me as practice?" Hyunjae holds out his hand, placing it on Younghoon's knee with his palm up. "You can check if futures can change or if eyesight really does affect the readings."

Younghoon gives him one last skeptical glance before going along with it. Two thumbs at the edges of his palm, eyes closed, and then he waits for the visions to arrive.

Even though it's been years since he's glanced into his friend's future, he immediately recognizes the images. There's Hyunjae laughing while on a picnic with Jacob in the same sunny field, Jacob playing the guitar in the apartment Hyunjae shares with Younghoon now, and a final close up of the ring on Hyunjae's slender finger. He wonders if Hyunjae still remembers this last one; they were at the age where all of their friends were getting engaged left and right, and he was expecting a wedding invitation any day now.

But just before he could pull his hands back and ask his roommate if the first two events had already happened, the vision changes. A new scene takes shape this time and it confuses him at first because the view starts off with an unfamiliar ceiling. Then as Hyunjae glances down, Jacob's face comes into view and—

"What the hell?" He immediately jerks back, scrambling to break out of the vision. "Please don't get me to do your reading ever again."

Hyunjae shoots him a confused glance. "Why, what did you see? Did it change?"

"Let me just say that I really don't need to see the things that you and Jacob do."

"You—you saw what?"

"I heard it too." Younghoon buries his face in his hands, trying to wipe the memory away. "The visions really just had to give me first person seats to a show I never wanted to see."

Hyunjae chokes on his spit.

***

It wouldn't surprise him if Juyeon had forgotten about this agreement entirely once he left the shop. Besides, people are always telling their friends to make plans and hang out but never end up doing it, so this could simply be the same case. But what does surprise him is when Juyeon texts him a few days later.

So Younghoon tells him all about the first scene he saw—the restaurant with the hand holding across the table. A dinner date, essentially. At least this was the easiest scene to re-enact; maybe after this, Juyeon will decide that he's had enough of this fake fortune telling stunt while still upholding his end of the agreement.

But the thought of doing this makes him all kinds of nervous. This wouldn't be like interacting with a client at work, and his stomach twists uncomfortably at the thought of spending a whole night on the receiving end of Juyeon's intimidating stare. What do people talk about during these kinds of events anyway? And what if whatever they're eating gets really messy? What if—

"Wait, where are you going today? Hyunjae didn't tell me about this." Jacob glances over at his boyfriend in confusion before turning back to him. "And what did you agree to do?"

"Um," he says slowly, glancing between the two perched on the couch. "I offered to show a client what I saw in his reading."

"But why?" Jacob puts his hand on Younghoon's knee, leaning over with concern written on his face. "You haven't done anything like this before for your other customers, have you?"

"No way. I wouldn't be doing this if he hadn't agreed to be my date for Eric's party."

Maybe it was weird to have agreed to do this—the look on Jacob's face said as much. He didn't know anything about Juyeon other than the flashes of his life he witnessed through the reading after all. But shouldn't it simply feel like an awkward first date? All he has to do is take Juyeon to a restaurant that resembles the one he saw and hold hands across the table. It shouldn't be too challenging when they don't exactly need to do much talking nor get to know each other.

"Oh. Because of..." Jacob trails off, giving him a feeble smile. "Right."

"Well, don't mention him," Hyunjae elbows his boyfriend in the ribs.

Jacob waves him off, turning to Younghoon instead. "I'm not sure how you're going to make this client believe you, but your time with him today doesn't have to be a bad thing."

"But babe, you didn't see how upset he was that night after agreeing to this." The dramatic pout on Hyunjae's face has Younghoon rolling his eyes. "He might be hot, but he could still be an asshole. This guy seems like bad news. What if Younghoon gets kidnapped? What if he goes missing? Who's going to help pay the rent then? And—"

"Don't act like you're not waiting for me to move out so that Jacob can move in," Younghoon reaches over to flick him on the forehead. "Thanks for your concern but I think I'll be just fine."

"At least share your location with us, okay? If you need an emergency phone call to get you out of there, I have my scream perfected."

"Unfortunately, I am very aware of that." He definitely doesn't want to think about the last time Hyunjae called to pull him out of a group meeting back in college and nearly made his entire group go deaf. "Okay, I'm really going to go now."

"Oh and," a hand wraps around his wrist just as he stands, "don't fall for him."

"Shut up, it's literally one meeting."

One meeting wouldn't be a big deal. A nice dinner date, some innocent hand holding, and then he wouldn't have to see Juyeon again until the party. Nothing could go wrong when they'd be in public the whole time anyway.

Hyunjae shouts something that sounds like, "At least wear something nicer!" but he’s already out the door.

***

"You're late," Juyeon comments, raising a brow the moment Younghoon steps into the restaurant. "I almost thought you didn't need a date to that party anymore."

Younghoon gives him a tired glance. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

As easy as it was to blame his annoying roommate for holding him up, it was actually his tumble at the park earlier. Even if Younghoon isn’t normally clumsy, he should've known that rushing through uneven ground was a recipe for disaster. It was times like this when he wished his ability would let him see more useful things than random points in other people's futures.

Something else he wishes he'd seen is how his choice of restaurant is nothing like what he'd expected. He'd picked the place after scavenging through the depths of Google Maps, digging up pictures left and right from various reviews, and the single review of this place was the only one that seemed to match the one in his visions. In the photo, the restaurant had been just as dim, and looked like a casual place. But now, in front of him, is a restaurant that looks nothing like the one in the photo.

It's much fancier with small chandeliers hanging above every table, and elegant decorations lining the walls. In other words, the restaurant must've gone through a major upgrade since the local reviewer posted those pictures from five years ago. Now not only was his attempt at finding the restaurant in his visions futile, but this place made him wish he'd chosen a different occupation entirely. Preferably one that paid more than the meager amount his reading was worth.

"Well, this is an interesting choice," Juyeon comments, eyes travelling along the walls of the restaurant. "Seems like a nice place."

Younghoon debates pulling him right out of there. "Um, actually, it's not—"

"Hi, do you have a reservation?" the hostess asks, looking between the two of them. And before he can even answer, there are two menus in her hand and she's leading them to their table. Great. Perhaps he'd just have to take off one of his rings and fake a proposal for the sake of a free meal if it turns out to be too expensive. He'd heard that it worked for a friend of a friend once upon a time.

Once seated, he nearly does a double take. There's no hat hiding Juyeon's handsome face this time, and under the glow of the chandelier, Younghoon can finally see his smooth skin, sharp nose, and eyes that seem to twinkle when he glances at him for whatever reason. As attractive as Juyeon had seemed the last time, he has to admit that he somehow looks even better today.

Younghoon turns to the menu instead, studying it intensely despite having immediately picked out the cheapest option. Five minutes go by. The waitress comes by to take their orders. Another five minutes. Were first dates always this awkward? It's been years since he's gone out with anyone, but if this were the reality of the dating scene, maybe third-wheeling his friends for the rest of his life wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Juyeon clears his throat. "Should we start with the basics?"

"What?"

"A story to tell people at the party if they ask." He swirls his drink around, eyes flickering to Younghoon’s occasionally. "We need to be on the same page with our answers to make it convincing."

That was something he hadn't even thought about, but Juyeon's not wrong. "Oh. Um, okay. So how did we meet? It probably won't be through mutual friends because most of them would be there. Maybe a dating app?"

"Hmm," Juyeon hums, eyes tracing over everything on the table as he thinks. "We met at your shop when I got a reading done. Then I asked you to show me how everything happens."

"We're just going with the truth?" Younghoon asks, slightly unconvinced of whether people would believe this story yet relieved he wouldn't have to be lying. Hyunjae's always said he was a terrible liar. "I guess that works. So then how did we fall for each other?"

Juyeon presses his lips together, pretending to think. "Through re-enactments of the things you saw in the reading." And as if for emphasis, he moves his drink out of the way before putting his hand on the table between the two of them. Then cocks his head a little as he beckons for Younghoon to do the same.

"Oh. This is what you meant by re-enact it." It's a dumb statement, and he hopes Juyeon doesn't notice the way he's stalling.

While he knew this might've been what Juyeon wanted and he was fully prepared to re-enact this with him, the fresh scrapes on his palms tell him to stop in his tracks. There is no way he would want to show Juyeon the ugliness of his battered hands.

He attempts to plaster on a smile. "Um, yeah it was just hand holding. You know, we don't have to actually—"

"Come on, Younghoon." Juyeon's lips form into a pout, and his stare starts to have the effect of puppy eyes. "Just humour me?"

Reluctantly, he reaches out his hand and rests it on Juyeon's. Palm up. Showing him exactly why he doesn't want to be re-enacting this.

"Whoa, what happened?" Juyeon's eyes widen before he's holding Younghoon's hand up to examine it closely. "Did you fall on your way here? Is that why you were late?"

He nods.

"Hey, you should've said something. I'll go ask for some bandages, okay?"

"No, it's fine—"

But Juyeon only shoots him a smile before he's off. Looking down, he can see that his palms already appear to be much better than earlier—the red splotches are mainly dry now, and the dirt has been wiped off. Thankfully, Juyeon didn't see the worst of it. A few minutes later, when he comes back waving a handful of bandages, Younghoon starts to wonder if this injury was enough to get the meal for free.

The other thing he doesn't expect is for Juyeon to insist on putting these bandages on his wounds. His fingers are light where they graze skin as he carefully places them on the scrapes, and it's such a nice gesture that Younghoon’s suddenly taken aback—this was supposed to be a quick dinner, and Juyeon was supposed to hate him for the bad reading. But now he questions if any of that is true when Juyeon continues to act so kind and friendly.

"This is not how it was supposed to go." He frowns, trying not to stare at Juyeon's face as he works on the bandages in total concentration. "Not at all."

Because his hands may be in Juyeon's across the table as they wait for their food to come, but Juyeon was only holding them to bandage his wounds. And while this restaurant did seem romantic, it was nowhere close to the look of the one in the visions.

There's amusement in Juyeon's eyes when he looks up. "Holding hands across the table as we wait for our food, right? Isn't this close enough?"

"You're bandaging me. This isn't remotely romantic."

"Love isn't always supposed to be romantic, Younghoon," he says dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Haven't your readings shown you the small things that people do for each other?"

Younghoon wonders just what kind of readings he thinks he does. "Um. I guess."

But Juyeon does have a point. Maybe this moment, no matter how embarrassing or ridiculous it seemed, was better than having to sit through faking or pretending everything. It might've forced Younghoon to be vulnerable, but each gentle brush of fingers and each press of a bandage against his palms hinted at a vulnerable side of Juyeon too.

Younghoon tries to study him, to really figure out just what kind of person Juyeon was. Why was he being so kind when they were practically still strangers? When this meet-up should've been a quick meal at a casual food place, and involved no more physical contact than two seconds of hand holding? Well, perhaps five seconds. But now, it seems like they've gone beyond his plans of fake pleasantries.

"All done." Juyeon lightly presses the last bandage onto his palm, and Younghoon's grateful for the arrival of their food as an excuse to pull his hand back.

"So, um," he racks his brain for literally anything to say, "why did you come in for a reading that day?"

"There was a career decision that I was stuck on," Juyeon picks at his food then looks up with a twinkle in his eyes. "I don't believe in this whole fortune telling thing, but I guess I just needed some advice on what to do. Figured that maybe while you were telling me to look deep inside myself and to follow my heart or something, I'd suddenly get an epiphany about what to do."

"And did you?"

His lips curve into a bright smile. "Yeah."

"Even without the reading? The boss would've done a good job on it, you know." That part was true; Younghoon may be the real psychic of the two, but he couldn't deny how good Sangyeon's readings were. Heck, he'd rather believe Sangyeon's words over what he sees in his own visions.

A nod. "Just going there gave me what I needed. I decided it would be good to start fresh, to try something new." Juyeon pauses to take a sip of water, but then his eyes snap to Younghoon's. "Wait, hold on. Did you say he's your boss? You were going to ask your boss to be your date? For the party?

"Oh, Sangyeon?" He wants to laugh at the incredulous expression on Juyeon's face. "Nah, he's not exactly my boss. We met in college as classmates."

All previous thoughts about not needing to talk completely disappear as he tells Juyeon about how this little psychic shop started. It had been Sangyeon's idea, a backup plan for a backup plan essentially. He'd always joked about starting a business if nothing else works out after graduation, and the opportunity came around sooner than expected.

"Damn, I wish my boss was chill like that. Mine really makes everyone stay back to finish the projects that he deems urgent when they aren't."

"You mean you're not in school?" Younghoon tries to wipe the shock from his face. "I would've thought that you were some popular star quarterback in college."

Juyeon stares at him blankly, blinking a couple of times. "You know, I'm not sure if that was a compliment or insult." He frowns. "Well, I guess it's good that my job hasn't aged me too much yet. But star quarterback?"

"Hey, maybe that should be our cover instead," he teases. "Star quarterback Juyeon who I met at a game, years ago, but only recently reconnected with."

The blank look on Juyeon's face makes him laugh, and soon, Juyeon joins in too.

The rest of the night goes by similarly, allowing him to forget all his worries about awkward first dates. And as the two of them walk back to the shop afterwards, their time together leaves Younghoon thinking about how Juyeon's not the person he thought he would be. Maybe he should've known that already based on the glimpse into Juyeon's future because the warmth that he'd seen from those scenes alone could've been an indicator.

"There are two more things you saw, right?" Juyeon turns to him, eyes twinkling with the reflection of streetlights right outside the shop. "Are you free next weekend too?"

"Wait," Younghoon has to process the words. "You—you want to see the rest of them? Of what I saw?"

Juyeon blinks at him, seemingly unable to understand the surprise that must be on his face. "Yeah, of course."

"Oh." This was a possibility that he hadn't considered at all. He doesn't get why Juyeon would want to see him or spend time with him again, and how would showing him what was in the reading possibly convince him that it's real? "I didn't think you would be interested."

"Of course I would be. Besides, we'll need to figure out more of our cover for this party." Juyeon shrugs a little, raising a hand up in a wave. "See you next week?"

"Yeah, okay," he manages to reply. "Next week."

Right when he opens the door to his apartment, Hyunjae drops his phone mid-scroll, giving him a onceover that makes his eyes as big as saucers. Then he's running over. Right, Younghoon had completely forgotten about his state of being until this reminder.

"What the fuck happened to you? Did the Juyeon guy do all of this?" Hyunjae stops him in the middle of the hallway, hands on his shoulders to spin him around. Eyes glancing over every inch of the mess of blood and dirt on his clothing. Younghoon understands what it would look like from the outside though—the result of his fall must be fueling Hyunjae's thoughts about Juyeon being a bad guy. Maybe it looks like he bravely jumped out of a moving car and managed to crawl back home.

"No—"

"See? I told you he was bad news," Hyunjae huffs, guiding him into the kitchen and sitting him on a chair. "What happened? Did he pull something weird? Should we be calling the police?"

A laugh threatens to escape his throat, but he bites it back. These questions are so absurd that he almost wants to keep quiet and make Hyunjae frustrated by his overwhelming curiosity; that'd be one way of annoying him the way he always annoyed Younghoon.

"No, nothing like that," he says instead, shaking his head. "I tripped and fell while walking through the park." The bandages are peeling at the corners when he holds up his palms. "Then he bandaged me at the restaurant."

Hyunjae nods slowly, unconvinced. He narrows his eyes. "Okay, but you look like he beat you up. And why would you go through the park?"

"You're the one who made me late, okay. I had to take the shortcut," Younghoon pushes him away then instantly regrets it when the contact makes his palms throb. "Anyway, he was really nice. Though the, um, re-enactment didn't really go as planned."

Then he begins to update him on everything that happened during their date, from the restaurant and how it didn't even match the visions, to the fall and the bandages. But as he goes over all of the moments, he realizes there are a few things he intentionally leaves out, like the tiny crinkles that appear at the corners of Juyeon's eyes whenever he smiles. His soft hands that bandaged him so tenderly. Maybe Juyeon was right that love is all about the small gestures—even though Younghoon initially thought the moment paled in comparison to the one in the reading, the more he replays the day over in his mind, the more he realizes that it was indeed romantic in its own way.

"And? Is that it?" Hyunjae gestures wildly. "You don't have to see him until the party, right?"

Younghoon feels the smile on his face fade. "Um, actually. He wants to meet again for the next scene that I saw."

"Don't tell me that's the kiss scene?"

"Yeah... the kiss."

"Well, good luck with that one." A mischievous smirk spreads on Hyunjae's face as he pats Younghoon on the back. "Try not to fall for him."

As his roommate leaves the room, he can only sigh. This was exactly why he'd left out those details about today's outing—Hyunjae would be making fun of him forever. Yes, that must be the reason. It definitely wasn't because he considered those moments special.

***

All week, Younghoon had been trying to come up with a plan to avoid showing Juyeon this next scene from the visions. He'd thought about making up a more PG-rated scenario since there's no way Juyeon would know if what he's showing is real or not, but how could he lie about these things when Juyeon will see them eventually in his future? Besides, Hyunjae thought the scenarios he came up with were lame anyway.

So his choices for today's scene were limited—either he would have to share a kiss with Juyeon in public or watch as Juyeon's face contorts with disgust at the thought of having to kiss him. Or perhaps he would be dealing with the awkwardness of dead silence between them once Juyeon turns down the kiss. Either way, today was not looking good for him.

The market bustles with the afternoon crowd of couples on their date and the elderly running their errands. Younghoon hadn't exactly gathered much information from the second scene; without being able to use his sight, he only knew there was kissing, the smell of the outdoors, and light chatter in the background. A park would seem too public, too open of a space to be doing this, and a forest trail might be too isolated and not sunny enough compared to what he'd felt.

A nice date at the market seemed like the perfect balance. And when he looks at Juyeon, his hypothesis is confirmed—beside him, Juyeon watches the rows of vendor carts and tents with amazement in his eyes.

"You've never been here before?"

"Nah," Juyeon shakes his head. "I've been meaning to, but just haven't had the chance to yet." Then he turns to Younghoon with a sheepish grin. "You chose the perfect spot. It's like you actually read my mind."

"Oh. I can assure you I'm not psychic like that," Younghoon mutters, stunned for a second. He clears his throat. "Let's just take our time exploring and see everything today."

Though watching Juyeon marvel at different items from each of the stalls they stop by is merely an excuse. He still hadn't told him about what's supposed to happen in the second scene, and he'd tried to dance carefully around the topic when Juyeon asked. How is he supposed to blatantly say that they're supposed to kiss? He hopes that the wonders of the market would distract Juyeon enough for him to forget why they're here at all.

"So how long have we known each other?" Juyeon turns to ask as the two of them walk to the next stall. "And what kind of party is it? Don't tell me I unintentionally agreed to going to a wedding with you."

"It's not that much better actually—it's an engagement party."

Juyeon stops dead in his tracks. Younghoon laughs.

"A year minimum," he continues like Juyeon's not giving him a deadpan stare. "Maybe two. We should be pretty serious about... each other."

"Do you think I could watch over the shop for you while you take your boss to be your date?" Juyeon pauses, looking at him with hopeful eyes that immediately dim when Younghoon shakes his head. "What have I gotten myself into?" Then he's walking to the next stall with dramatically loud steps, though Younghoon definitely doesn't miss the smile he tries to hide.

The rest of their cover story slowly comes together over the course of the date—Juyeon was the one to ask him out, some of the places they frequent are last week's restaurant and today's market, and he sometimes spends the weekend at Juyeon's place which is why Hyunjae and Jacob haven't met him yet.

It's a while later when they've explored the majority of the stalls when Juyeon finally turns to him.

"Hey, let's head over there," he tilts his head at the field behind the market, breaking into a smile when he takes Younghoon's hand.

Younghoon prays he doesn't hear the startled sound that escapes from the back of his throat.

There's an empty picnic table tucked away at the corner of the market behind the row of vendors. And while he isn't sure if this is how the kiss happens in the vision, something tells him that maybe Juyeon knows. The bit of privacy behind the stalls and the way the noises of the market gradually fade into the background as they approach the table—if they were going to get any moment to re-enact the scene today, it would be here.

He climbs onto the table, letting his legs dangle off the bench while Juyeon follows suit beside him.

"You haven't said anything about why we're here today," Juyeon eyes him up and down with amusement playing on his lips. "Why? Is it something bad?" The teasing lilt in his voice paired with a slight eyebrow raise is enough to have Younghoon's cheeks quickly burning up.

Then the embarrassment kicks in. He knows that there's no avoiding it when the two of them are already at the location of the next scene in his vision, and now it's just a matter of telling Juyeon. But no matter how he tries to phrase it in his head, what could possibly be a good way of telling your client that you're supposed to kiss him? That's what Juyeon was, right? Still a client that had wanted to see and experience the things in Younghoon's vision of his future.

"Um—it's... a hug," he says hesitantly, testing the way it sounds in his mouth. Picturing the way Juyeon's face would fall at the word 'kiss' is enough to scare him into changing his mind at the last second. "It's a hug that's supposed to happen here."

And as if Juyeon could see through the lie, he narrows his eyes. "Oh yeah? Here of all places?" Maybe it really was a bad idea to lie; Younghoon should've believed Hyunjae when he said he can't tell a lie to save his life.

"Yeah." He swallows the lump in his throat. "I'm not sure why it's here either."

If Juyeon does detect the lie, he doesn't say anything about it. Instead, his expression morphs into something softer. "Love can be found everywhere, Younghoon," he murmurs. "Even in a hug at the market if you want it to." Then he gets up and holds his arms open, waiting for Younghoon to walk into them. Eyes twinkling with the question of whether he wants this.

And does he want this? It might be too soon for them to be hugging when they barely knew each other, but it's also too soon for his heart to be speeding up the way it does. For him to feel a small burst of butterflies in his stomach every time Juyeon so much as stares at him for a moment too long, and for this cover story and the re-enactments to feel more tangible than the abstract concepts they're meant to be.

Yet he finds himself getting up from the table and carefully stepping into Juyeon's arms. Letting himself slowly relax in the warmth of his embrace and letting the faint scent of Juyeon's cologne envelop him. It's a tender, loose hug but one that allows him to feel the steady beating of Juyeon's heart against his own.

"Is this how it happens?" Juyeon whispers, and Younghoon can feel the rumble of his voice vibrating through his chest, and feel the rises and falls of his every breath.

But he's unable to respond. Younghoon doesn't know how to answer, nor does he know why Juyeon's even the slightest bit willing to act out a scene from a stupid reading that he probably deems a scam anyway.

So the obvious answer would be saying yes and then calling it a day. It's at the tip of his tongue before something stops him from continuing the lie. "No, not quite."

And it tells him to cup Juyeon's cheek and bring him closer. It makes him lean forward until he can see the little moles that dot Juyeon's skin like stars in a clear night sky, and the eyelashes framing his beautiful eyes as they slowly close. It makes Younghoon squeeze his eyes shut and bring his lips to Juyeon's. Kissing him, like how it happens in the reading.

Except it doesn't quite turn out like the delicate kiss he felt in the reading, for Juyeon kisses him back like he wants this. Like he wants him. Those supple lips glide across Younghoon's, consuming him, making him feel like he's sinking into the depths of Juyeon's touch and his body. The little breaths that escape from him. And all he can do is hang on, grasping weakly at Juyeon's collar as every essence of his being is filled with want for a person he shouldn't want.

Before he could have a passing thought that this is too intense to be done in public, Juyeon breaks the kiss. His breath comes out in light pants as his hand comes back to caress Younghoon's cheek.

"Oh, so that's how it happens?"

For a second Younghoon feels like he must be lightheaded from the kiss. Otherwise, why would Juyeon suddenly look so bright? And why had it felt so real?

"Yeah," he can say it easily now. "It is."

When Juyeon takes his hand a moment later, all the thoughts about cover stories and readings and Eric's party disappear from his mind. Leaving only the warmth of Juyeon beside him and the memory of his lips in his mind.

However, reality hits him very soon. There, by one of the nearby stalls, is a boy who looks like the one in the visions. He has the same hairstyle as Younghoon, the same smooth skin, and even the same sharp jawline. Without directly glancing at the boy's face, he could've assumed that he was looking at himself.

But even though the boy doesn't make a glance at Juyeon as they walk by him, simply seeing him has Younghoon's heart sinking. It sinks at the thought that Juyeon's kiss might've been nothing more than a figment of their imagination—a world where they're both pretending that Younghoon really is the lover boy from the visions. That Juyeon's eagerness to kiss him, to want him, wasn't actually meant for him at all, but rather for someone he hasn't met yet.

And Younghoon doesn't get it. He doesn't understand why he's disappointed by this when it isn't even real. It shouldn't ever be real. Regardless of whether it was a good kiss, of whether it had felt wonderful and realistic and enticing, he should know that it wouldn't mean anything.

Because he's not the lover boy from the reading.

***

Surprisingly, Juyeon agrees to re-enacting the third and final scene of the vision. Younghoon was sure that he would say no, that he definitely wouldn't appreciate having a stranger barge into his home for this one. At this rate, maybe if Younghoon told him they were going skydiving he'd have agreed to that too.

It isn’t difficult for him to tell Juyeon what happens this time when it’s just slow dancing, which should be easy to re-enact at least compared to the kiss at the market. All he has to do is rest his hands on Juyeon's shoulders and then step side to side to the beat of the music. How hard can it be?

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hyunjae peers at him from the doorway of the bathroom. "You barely managed to escape from this guy during your first meeting, and now you're walking right into his home." He comes closer to where Younghoon is fixing his hair in front of the mirror, and says in a loud whisper, "Where you'll be alone with him."

Right, that was the part he was trying not to think about.

"You sure you can handle it? After," Hyunjae gestures in the air, "what happened at the market and all."

Internally, he grumbles. Externally, he ignores Hyunjae.

"I know you're picturing that steamy kiss," Hyunjae rolls his eyes, which Younghoon can see all too clearly through the mirror. "But anyway, if you're sure about going to his place tonight, just remember to be safe, yeah? Share your location just in case. Hold your head if you're about to jump out of another moving car."

"Don't you have a boyfriend you should be bothering instead?"

That earns him an enthusiastic nod. "He should be coming soon. So take your time on your date tonight."

There's peace when he finally steps out, leaving his roommate mid-sentence about how he picked another terrible outfit.

Younghoon is the first to arrive at the restaurant, though it isn't long before he spots Juyeon a block away—he's late for their date and clearly running to make up for it by the way he zooms by other people on the street, nearly knocking them over when he gives a big wave.

"Sorry for being so late," he pants as he bends over to catch his breath. "Thank you for waiting."

Younghoon shrugs nonchalantly. "Guess that makes us even. But I hope you didn't trip on your way here."

"Nah," that puts an instant grin on his face. "I just had to clean up the apartment a little. Well," Juyeon pauses, frowning, "a lot. Couldn’t have it be a mess for when you come over tonight."

"Oh." Younghoon still doesn't know why Juyeon would agree to all this, especially if it took that much work.

The dinner goes well. It's one of the few moments of peace, considering their first meal together was ruined by the remnants of his nasty fall, and their market date was ruined by an abrupt awakening. Though he doesn't exactly see these events as losses when his memories were still brimming with Juyeon's gentle touch when bandaging his hands, and the warmth of his lips fitting so perfectly with his own. And tonight? He knows that there will be another moment for him to commit to memory forever.

When they arrive at their destination, he finally understands why Juyeon was late for their dinner. The place is spotless: unlit candles filling the room, a bottle of wine with empty glasses on the counter. Flowers in a beautiful vase on the table. It's like Juyeon had spent all day running around just to set up for this moment.

"It's presentable, right?" He cracks a smile, slipping off his shoes and sliding his jacket onto the rack, followed by taking Younghoon's coat as well. "Not sure how it's supposed to happen, but I figured I should at least try to make it—well, as romantic as possible."

"Wow, you didn't have to do all this," Younghoon manages to get out. He's still standing right in his spot as Juyeon goes over to light the candles, in shock and confusion over why he would possibly do such a thing.

Juyeon turns back to give him a small shrug. "I wanted you to have a good time."

When Juyeon finishes lighting the candles, he puts on some music. He selects it on his phone, seemingly having put together a whole playlist for the occasion. And if Younghoon hadn't known any better, it would be so easy to believe that he'd simply put together a romantic date night at his place for the two of them. That he'd done all this because Younghoon was someone special to him. That all of this meant something.

Well, if Juyeon could pretend for a night, then maybe he could too.

Younghoon shakes the thoughts from his mind and replaces them with a smile instead as a song he doesn't recognize starts softly in the background. Juyeon heads to the table, beckoning him to follow, and then pours two glasses of wine.

"You know, I'm really glad I went to you that day." Juyeon takes a sip of his wine and then swirls it when he sits it back down. "For the reading. I'm glad I met you. And um, I should thank you for showing me all of this."

"Shut up," he rolls his eyes. "Don't lie. You still don't believe in any of this fortune telling stuff, right?"

Juyeon bursts into laughter. "You're right, I don't. I guess I wanted to see some acts of love. Honestly though, I thought you would make up random scenarios just to date me," he waves dismissively at Younghoon's frown. "But it doesn't matter to me. Real or not, I like spending time with you, and... well, maybe you've convinced me."

"I convinced you that the reading was real?"

He's met with a shrug as Juyeon takes another sip of his wine, and in that brief silence Younghoon ponders about what he’s referring to. There's no way he believes in fortune telling, so what else is there to convince him of?

But then something else pops into his mind.

"Can I ask you something?" He takes a deep breath, letting out a sharp exhale when Juyeon nods. "What happened with your ex?"

It's clear that he hesitates with the way he swirls his glass, pressing his lips together.

"Never mind. We don't have to—"

"It's okay. It was a long time ago; I'm over it." Juyeon's eyes meet his before flickering away. "Actually, I think I knew it was over long before it was really over. But I kept hoping that things could be fixed. I was stupid and kept trying."

"Hey, no, that's not stupid." Something urges him to reach over and take Juyeon's hand. "You were willing to put in the effort to save your relationship, and that shows you care."

But the man in front of him merely shrugs. "Seems like a waste when he was busy cheating on me."

"That's not your fault. And it's not a waste; the love that you show the world is never a waste." There's a flood of emotions running through him, Younghoon belatedly realizes; he's clutching the glass so tightly in his free hand that he begins to fear it might crack. It's directed at Juyeon's ex, at the thought that someone would hurt him like that when he's done nothing but fight for their relationship.

"It's kind of ironic, now that I think about it," Juyeon continues swirling his wine. "Right before I found out he was cheating, I went to a psychic and got a reading done on my relationship. Apparently the reading said everything would be fine, and I just stupidly believed it."

"Juyeon... is that why you don't believe in this stuff anymore?"

He nods.

"I wish I didn't either." Younghoon swallows the lump in his throat, setting down the glass. It's not only the mention of Juyeon's ex that's making him feel this way, but also the lover boy from the visions. He wants to hate him, to curse at him and at their fate for ripping this beautiful thing away from his grasp before it's even within reach.

But it all makes him want to try harder to prove it to Juyeon. That he's worth more than what his ex had made it seem, and that he doesn't need to be closed off to the idea of love because someone in the future is going to walk into his life and show him exactly that.

"Why?" Juyeon squeezes his hand lightly. "What makes you say that?"

"It's also because of an ex."

It was Chanhee. Or rather, what he saw in Chanhee's future. Two years after the start of their relationship and four after the start of their friendship, he'd trusted Chanhee enough to tell him about this little fortune telling party trick, and in turn, Chanhee had trusted him to take a look at his future. Maybe that's where things went wrong.

Looking back, he isn't surprised that he saw someone else in Chanhee's future. They appeared so happy together, the lover made Chanhee laugh, and he seemed to fit in all the ways Younghoon didn't. But there was no point in waiting for fate to inevitably bring Chanhee closer to his future love and further from Younghoon, so he ran. He didn't want to stick around to find out what would happen.

"Wow." Juyeon blinks at him, seemingly unable to speak after his story. "Do you know if they ever met or got together? Your ex and the person you saw in his future."

Younghoon shakes his head. "Haven't heard anything about him since we broke up."

"And he's the one who's going to be at this party?"

"Yeah. He's one of Eric's close friends."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Juyeon drops his gaze as he gently traces circles into Younghoon's palm with his thumb. "I see why you don't want to believe in that stuff now. Actually, it's kind of funny how it was this fortune telling thing that screwed both of us over."

"Right? I should get Sangyeon to close the shop and we could open a boba store instead or something." He rolls his eyes, chuckling at the thought. "Probably makes better money than this ever will."

"That's not a bad idea." Then Juyeon sets his glass down and stands, coming to his side to pull him into a hug. "But Younghoon, don't beat yourself up for what happened, okay? You didn't know what you would see, and you have no control over it."

"I guess."

"Besides, I'll be such a good date that you won't even notice him the entire night." Juyeon releases him and steps back, smile turning shy as he holds out a hand. "Shall we?"

"I have to warn you that I'm not great at dancing," Younghoon mutters, taking his hand anyway and letting Juyeon guide him towards the space in the living room. "Don't hold me accountable for any injuries you might sustain."

When he puts his hands on Juyeon's shoulders, he can feel himself tense up—his body is awkward, and arms are too stiff as if not wanting to rest his weight on him. But when he hears a bubble of laughter and sees the way Juyeon looks at him so fondly, he feels the same pull as he had at the market. The pull that makes him want to relax and sink into the warmth of Juyeon's body.

Juyeon's touch is gentle when he places his hands on Younghoon's waist, all too carefully and all too delicately. It makes him wonder if it was even possible that those were the same hands that his ex had willingly let go of, and if those light steps that Juyeon takes when swaying to the music are the same footsteps that will walk into the life of the lover boy in the visions. He wonders if this Juyeon, glancing back at him so tenderly, is the same as the one that will forget about him as soon as this moment is over.

But most of all, he wonders if the Younghoon that had originally agreed to do this is the same as the Younghoon whose heart beats faster and faster when Juyeon holds his gaze now. If the Younghoon who had only wanted a date, any date for the party, could possibly be the same as the Younghoon who finds himself wanting to lean into Juyeon's touch, wanting him to want him.

"You okay?" pulls him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. Perfect."

Juyeon breaks into a soft smile. "You know, I've always wondered what you keep thinking about. When you get lost in that vast world in your head, what do you see? What do you dream about?" 

"It's different every time," he murmurs, trying to ignore the way his palms feel all too hot against Juyeon's shoulders. "But these days... it's you."

He doesn't tell him that it's also getting to know him, falling for him, and imagining how he should be the one doing all those things with him like in the visions. It's picturing a love that flourishes ever so slowly, one that silently rests between them, growing steadily until a day when it becomes the only thing they can hear.

And though he leaves all that out, his answer seems to be enough for Juyeon.

"Me?"

"Yeah," Younghoon says softly. "Whatever happened in the past—I really hope it doesn't keep you from experiencing the kind of relationship you deserve. You're not hard to love, Juyeon." He hesitates just the slightest before admitting, "Not at all."

His words feed the twinkle of hope in Juyeon's eyes as well as the one that seems to have been blossoming in his own heart for a while now. Maybe he can finally admit it; this would be the last time they see each other, so maybe it wouldn't matter what happens tonight.

The thoughts swarming his mind are soon forgotten though. For Juyeon pulls back slightly if only to gaze at him with a bright grin, one that sends his heart back into the frenzy it never recovered from. And a moment later, when Juyeon's lips are on his, the dancing, the music, and the entire scene are long forgotten in the background.

This time, Younghoon lets himself believe that it's real. He falls into a world where he is the lover boy from the visions; a world that contains just Juyeon and him. And this time he isn't afraid to kiss Juyeon back like he wants him, because he does. He pulls him close until their bodies are inseparable, and he allows himself to be overwhelmed by the heat of Juyeon's mouth and the burns of his touch. He lets himself want, even as his back hits the wall and he's trapped between it and the weight of Juyeon's body pressing against him. And he lets himself take, lets his hands trace over the defined lines of Juyeon's muscles, the smoothness of his skin, and the softness of his hair.

They kiss until they're breathless, until his knees are weak and he's sinking once again. Until Juyeon's little breaths come out in fuller moans, and hands are wandering into dangerous territory.

"Is this how it happens?" Juyeon whispers, gaze dropping as he leans in to press his forehead against Younghoon's. "Is this how we fall for each other?"

No, Younghoon immediately thinks, not at all. The apartment now is dim with only the small lamps at the sides of the room and the candles lining the table as the only sources of light. The music, despite being slow and romantic, feels much too loud for some reason. It feels forced. And the way that Younghoon had managed to step on Juyeon's toes on all the wrong beats surely couldn't be the right path to falling in love.

But maybe he isn't afraid to admit it anymore. "Yeah," he says instead, "it is."

Juyeon's eyes snap to his, and what he finds in them makes him want to repeat his answer again and again. It's uncertain to him why Juyeon would be hoping for this answer, why he would be satisfied if his own creation were to match perfectly with the one that Younghoon had seen. Even more uncertain, is why Juyeon had chosen that particular set of words to say. But none of it matters when Juyeon's lips are back on his, writing an answer of their own.

And for one night, Younghoon lets himself be Juyeon's lover boy from the visions.

***

One thing becomes painfully clear after that—he could not be seeing Juyeon ever again. Not even for one last party date.

On the surface, he knew that his job was done. He'd shown Juyeon all of the moments that are supposed to happen in his future, and he'd upheld his end of the deal. But the truth was that every time he saw Juyeon, it became a little more difficult to remember that he's not the lover boy from the reading. And every time he talked to Juyeon, he found himself wanting more and more to be that person.

Younghoon’s plan to avoid him doesn't go as expected though, for Juyeon keeps texting him. He sounds normal, continuing to send memes and share posts like he'd been doing for the past while. And when he asks Younghoon for a movie date the following weekend, he acts as if the past three meetups were exactly that—dates. It's like it never occurred to him that Younghoon was there only to show him how everything happens, and not to actually date him. Though now, he's no longer sure if that's true.

So he says he's busy, he limits his texts to once per day, and he doesn't pick up when Juyeon calls. He follows the textbook formula for ghosting for days to the point where Hyunjae hides his buzzing phone under the couch cushion while spewing threats about throwing it out the window, and even Sangyeon's telling him to just call Juyeon back.

And yet, a while later, he finds himself sitting at a cafe with Juyeon across from him.

"Hey, thanks for agreeing to meet with me. This won't take long." There is no smile on Juyeon's face this time, and Younghoon realizes that it might really be the first time seeing him like this—eyes devoid of emotion, his face a neutral mask.

He nods slightly in acknowledgement, trying to hide the way his heart sinks at his words. They're something he should be relieved to hear, but he knows he's still clinging onto the inkling of hope that they can go back to pretending they mean something to each other.

"Have you been doing okay?"

"Just busy," he repeats the same kind of boring answers from his texts. "You?"

"Yeah," Juyeon says slowly, dragging out the word. Then he takes a deep breath. "Are you avoiding me?"

Yes. "I didn't really see any reason we should stay in touch." A partial lie. It barely makes it out of his mouth.

"Are you for real? Younghoon, where is this coming from?"

"I did what I said I'd do." The mask on his face was threatening to crack, especially after seeing the flash of pain in Juyeon's eyes. "I showed you all of the scenes I saw in the reading. What more is there?"

"I—well, yeah," Juyeon frowns. "That might be what we initially agreed, but you can't deny that we had something special. There's no way you didn't feel anything when we were together."

Younghoon merely shrugs, trying his best to harden his eyes instead of giving in to the tears that threaten to spill. Because how could he tell him the truth? How can he give Juyeon hope just to crush it with the reality of their doomed fate?

"So—so what, all of it was just pretend? The things you said—you lied, didn't you? When you said I'm not hard to love..." Juyeon looks away, biting his lip. "I should've known."

"Hey, no. Everything I said was true, but this has nothing to do with that."

"Did you even want to do this at all? Or did you hate every moment of it?"

"Juyeon, stop. Okay, you're right. Let's say I did feel something and that I do like you. But does any of it matter? You're forgetting that I'm not the one in your future. You might not believe in this stuff, but my readings have never been wrong before." It's hard enough hiding it, and he can't do it anymore. Now everything comes tumbling out all at once when Juyeon looks so broken. "You're going to meet him someday, and you're going to love him. Whoever he is. It just won't be me."

Juyeon's jaw goes slack, mouth opening but nothing coming out. As if finally realizing the truth that both of them had forgotten along the way.

"Oh and also," this last part is yet another difficult lie that he has to clench his fists to tell, "you don't have to hold your end of the agreement. I'm not going to the party anymore."

Younghoon knows that what he said would change things—people are always averse to anything that goes against what they believe to be their fate. He also knows that Juyeon won't chase after him when he leaves.

He's right.

***

Juyeon stops texting him.

It should be a good thing; now they would both return to their normal lives and pretend like this entire thing never happened. But even though he knows all this, there's still something weighing him down. It weighs down each step he takes, becoming a salient presence that he can't seem to wrap his mind around.

And despite knowing that their relationship was just temporary, that he would be no more than a filler until the person in Juyeon's future arrives, he still looks over at his phone with the hopes that the notification would be from him. He can't help but want Juyeon to still want him.

"You're in your head again, you know," Hyunjae jabs him in the arm, bringing him away from the thoughts and back to where they're seated in their living room. "Can't you think more quietly?"

"Can't you shut up for once?"

"See? I told you he was an asshole!" Hyunjae flicks a piece of popcorn over at him, hitting him perfectly on the head. "I told you that he was all kinds of bad news. Didn't I tell you you're too nice for your own good? I knew something like this would happen."

"You said," Younghoon rolls his eyes at him, throwing the piece of popcorn back, "that he might try to kidnap me. And to stop being so nice to hot people—no, I'm not making an exception for you."

"He really said that last part?" Jacob asks incredulously.

Younghoon nods. Hyunjae shakes his head.

Jacob clicks his tongue at his boyfriend and sighs with disbelief. "So about this fate thing. I know you believe you're not the one in Juyeon's future, but do you think a relationship with him is something worth pursuing regardless?"

"Why would it be worth pursuing if I know it'll just end?"

"Well, how do you know that for sure?" Jacob puts a hand on his shoulder and pats him comfortingly. Shakes his head a little. "Younghoon, maybe you weren't meant to see his partner's face. Look at the rest of us—we don't have your abilities and we all go through it blindly. I started dating Hyunjae because I liked him, and not because I knew that he was the one who would be appearing in my future."

"But—" he starts, and then stops. It takes a few replays of Jacob's words to let their meaning sink into his head.

"Hey," Jacob continues, "if you think this is something worth going for—and by the way you've been moping around, it sure seems that way—then you should talk to him. See what he thinks."

Maybe Jacob is right, and part of him really wants to believe him, but he can't help but think that he should be using the information he has to his advantage. Surely, his ability has to be a blessing at some point, right? Wasn't it a good thing to put an end to his relationship with Juyeon now so that it wouldn't hurt even more later?

"You never know what could happen in the future." It's as if Jacob could hear his thoughts. "Maybe the future can change. Or it really could be you; there may be other people who could fit into what you saw but that doesn't discount the possibility that it's you."

"Yeah, yeah. All this talk is nice but that doesn't mean that Juyeon isn't an asshole who's playing with you," Hyunjae stuffs a handful of popcorn into his boyfriend's mouth and turns to Younghoon with a serious look. "You need to think this through, okay? Do you really like him or do you just like the attention he gives you?"

"He can't possibly fall for someone that easily, right?" comes out muffled from where Jacob is still trying to chew through the popcorn. He raises a brow at Younghoon.

Hyunjae rolls his eyes. "You'd be surprised." Then he turns back to Younghoon, "Do you really like him or do you just like kissing him?"

It's as if he's being scrutinized when Jacob also peers at him, searching his face for answers. Maybe the heat on his cheeks is enough to provide one.

"Do you really like him, or do you just enjoy fixing broken people?"

"Um—"

"Do you really like him or is he just hot?"

Jacob snorts. "By that standard, I'm surprised that he never had a crush on you."

"He did—" Hyunjae quickly stops himself, but it's too late. Jacob's judging eyes are already on Younghoon, making him slowly sink into the couch, hoping he could disappear.

***

Not going to the party was a lie that he told Juyeon—an excuse so that they would have no reason to ever see each other again. The problem was that this agreement hadn't only left him with a broken heart, but it also brought him back to square one: he still does not have a plus one for Eric's party.

From the outside, Eric's house looks massive. He has fancy lights installed at every corner, lighting up the exterior walls every couple of feet. Jacob pulls into the driveway slowly and turns back to give Younghoon a worried glance just before the three of them step out.

The interior of his house is just as impressive. A chandelier hangs in the front foyer, and symmetric spiral staircases spread off to either side. Eric stands near the front, a drink in hand, and his permanently loud smile written all over his face. He greets Younghoon with an equally loud hug.

"Congrats on your engagement," Younghoon manages to squeeze out from beneath Eric's tightly wrapped arms.

"Younghoon, how long has it been?"

"Considering the last time I saw you was when you were single," he laughs, "yeah, it's been a while."

Eric lets go to peer behind him. "Oh, where's your boyfriend?"

"Um, he wasn't feeling very well so..." A lame excuse but it's the best he could come up with at the moment. "Yeah, he's not coming."

"That's okay," Eric's face falls for the briefest second before it lights up again. "Oh, you even brought the Hyunjae? What a rare sight!" And then he goes off to wrap Hyunjae and Jacob in a big hug before dragging them off into the living room. At least he wouldn't be the one questioning Younghoon about his non-existent fake boyfriend tonight.

Younghoon follows along, sticking to the walls in the hopes he'd be just as invisible as wallpaper. Even though he hasn't spotted Chanhee yet, this was what he feared the most—being amongst his college crowd brought back feelings he hadn't touched in years. But soon, it gets a little easier when Eric pulls him along to greet everyone around the room, and so he catches up with Haknyeon and Kevin, and then later says hi to Changmin.

It isn't until he reaches the kitchen when he finally spots him. Chanhee has his back turned to him, helping with preparations, and beside him, Eric's sister greets him silently with a nod as their eyes meet. But before Younghoon could plan his escape, he sees someone familiar. From far away, the boy looks like just another face in the crowd, but Younghoon can't shake off the feeling that he's seen him somewhere before. Perhaps in one of his clients' readings that he's done over the years. He read somewhere that the brain never forgets faces, after all.

The guy greets him and then heads over to the kitchen.

"Hey. Chanhee, right? So this is how we finally meet," he says, holding out a hand. His voice seems just as familiar as his face, and now Younghoon's sure he's seen this guy before. "I'm Sunwoo."

Then this Sunwoo guy smiles as Chanhee takes his hand. It's a full smile where he flashes his teeth and gums, and his eyes seem to sparkle and—

The drink Younghoon's holding falls to the floor.

He's all too familiar with that smile when he'd seen it in the scenes of the fateful reading he did years ago. On an amusement park ride, with one hand in the air and the other in Chanhee's. On a dancefloor at a wedding—that he now assumes to be Eric's—with arms wrapped around Chanhee and later, lips against his. And then there was this very moment where their handshake was interrupted by Younghoon's own glass of wine hitting the floor.

This was the moment when they would meet. The one that he'd been running from all those years ago. The one that would start everything between them.

This is how it happens.

"Are you okay?" Sunwoo comes rushing to his side without missing a beat, paper towels in hand. "Be careful of the glass."

But Younghoon's frozen on the spot, unable to feel bad about dropping the glass, and unable to help clean it up. All he knows is he has to get out of there as fast as he can. He hears his name being called a few times as he makes his way to the door, but he doesn't stop until he's outside and halfway down the steps.

It's quieter outside and the air is cooler, enough to slow down the thoughts running through his head. He ends up sitting on the steps and leaning against the cold metal of the railing in the hopes that it might numb his feelings.

"Younghoon? You okay?" a voice mumbles above his ear. It's familiar for a different reason this time, and he looks up to see the person he least expected but wanted the most.

"Juyeon? Why are you here? I told you I wasn't going to the party."

"I hate to break it to you, but it wasn't exactly a believable lie," Juyeon gives a weak smile then sits down beside him on the steps. "I wanted to make sure you'd be okay."

"I really should've stayed home. I knew this would be a bad idea but—" Younghoon quickly turns away, trying to get rid of the tear slipping out.

"Hey, Younghoon. Talk to me. What's wrong?" Juyeon puts an arm around him and slowly moves him until he's leaning into the crook of his shoulder. "Was he who you saw in your ex's future?"

"Yeah, but it's—it's not just that. This was the moment that I saw in his reading. This is how they meet."

"This was in your reading?" Juyeon tenses slightly. "I'm sorry. I should've gotten here earlier to be here with you from the start like we planned."

"It's okay, it's not your fault. But Juyeon, what have I done? I broke up with him thinking that he would leave me for the person in his future one day, so I didn't want to find out if and when they would meet." He has to swallow the sob in his throat. "I've always held onto the hope that it would be wrong. But now, I got to witness it anyway. Right in front of me."

"Do you regret your decision?"

"No," he shakes his head. "I'm over him but I just—I hate it so much. Feeling so helpless and unable to do anything about fate."

A silence stretches out between them, with only the music from the house and the distant rumble of cars filling the night. Even though it hasn't been a long time since Juyeon got there, the warmth of his arms around him and even the rising and falling of his chest are enough to slowly wipe away the worries from earlier.

"Look, I thought about what you said," Juyeon breaks the silence, pulling away to meet his eyes instead, "and I don't think it changes anything."

Younghoon immediately knows what he's referring to. "How does it not?"

Juyeon takes a deep breath. "You want to know why I don't believe in fortune telling? This is exactly why. I don't like the idea that we are locked into our fates, or that certain things will or won't happen no matter what choices we make."

"What about when you really meet them one day? And inevitably fall for them?"

"I get why you would be afraid of that, Younghoon, I really do. But none of that matters. When I say I want to be with you, this is my choice. It doesn't matter who it is that you saw in your reading; I want to choose you and love you on purpose. Not by accident, and not by fate."

Younghoon knows he's right and Jacob was too. This entire time, he'd been trying to run away from a fate that he couldn't escape, and what he saw today only proved that.

But maybe now, it's time to stop running.

"Do you really think that we could change things?"

"We can do anything we want to do." Juyeon nods firmly. Then he takes Younghoon's hand, squeezing it gently. "But first, let's get out of here?"

"Yeah." He smiles for the first time that night and lets Juyeon lead the way.

***

A small diner at the corner of the street near Younghoon's place is what they decide on. When they enter, the first thing he notices is how much it reminds him of the "before" images of that nice restaurant. Half of the diner is dark with the overhead lights flickering once in a while in an attempt to turn on, while the other half is cast in an unpleasant fluorescent light. There are pieces of garbage on the floor that an employee tries to sweep up as she greets them. In short, the state of it almost makes him want to walk right out.

But instead, they order their food. They sit down at a table towards the darker half of the room as they wait.

Juyeon clears his throat. "You know," he starts, a shy smile on his face, "I can read your palm too."

"What?" That wasn't remotely close to anything he imagined Juyeon would say. He gives him a questioning look, frozen with confusion as he puts his hand on the table, palm up. "Um, sure. Go for it."

Juyeon gently runs his fingers over the lines on his palm, tracing them as he closes his eyes and pretends to envision something the way Younghoon does. Soon, his confusion fades into amusement at the effort that he's putting into this. Each of his feather-like touches causes Younghoon's heart to speed up a little, and he has to try to will his palms not to start sweating because that would not be attractive at all.

"So? What do you see?"

"Shh," Juyeon whispers with his eyes firmly shut. "The spirit is still talking."

Younghoon uses the chance to really glance at him. Not much has changed since the last time they'd seen each other, but somehow Juyeon looks even better now though—perhaps healthier or more radiant, like he's completely healed from the remnants of a broken heart plaguing him before. Maybe even happier. He wonders if what Hyunjae said about him healing broken people is true.

Juyeon catches him staring. "I saw a lot of things," he says lightly, lips curling into an amused grin. "First, I saw myself in your future."

"And what were we doing?"

"We went on a picnic and ended up getting chased by bees," he chuckles. "Then we went to a bookstore but ended up making out between the shelves. And well, we got kicked out by a tired employee who looked like it wasn't his first time kicking people out for doing that."

Younghoon stifles a laugh. "Why does it seem like our dates are always being interrupted?"

"Hmm," Juyeon hums, "there was one where we had some peace, actually. It was when we were skating, and I fell right on my butt. Then you asked if it hurt when I fell for you. Well, you tried to say it as a pickup line, but you messed it up." He pauses for a second, biting his lip. "Instead, you ended up asking me if I've fallen for you."

"And? What did you say?" Younghoon's heart speeds up tenfold.

"I said yes, Younghoon. I've fallen for you." The corners of his mouth start to curve upward. "I suspect you already knew it by the time I said it, but you just smiled. And then you fell too, and we laughed about it."

If he'd been afraid to confront his feelings before, now he's no longer afraid. The insecurities that had been plaguing him suddenly fade away, leaving only one thing clear in his head: there would be no more running.

"Then I said I fell for you too, right?"

"Yeah, you did." The initial shock on Juyeon's face turns into a beam, his eyes disappearing into thin crescents. "And if you want, I can show you how each of these scenes are supposed to happen."

"Okay, sure. Show me."

Juyeon lets out a loud exhale. "That's a relief. For a second I thought you were going to argue with everything the way I did with your reading."

"Hey—I'm nicer than you are," Younghoon shoots him a glare. "Who even does that?"

"Yeah, I'll admit that wasn't the greatest impression. Maybe we can start over?"

"Well," he pretends to think about it but can't help the smile creeping onto his face. "This is kind of a shitty place for a first date."

"Maybe our first date will be that picnic I saw in my reading then. But without the bees, yeah?"

"Okay, sure."

"Oh yeah, have your wounds healed? They didn't leave any scars, did they?" Juyeon lifts Younghoon’s hand to examine it carefully before taking his other hand as well. Turning them over to look at the rest, and then simply holding them.

And suddenly, it clicks into place. The small scars he'd seen on the hands in the vision, the dimness of the diner, and the blurred face of the lover boy. Everything seems to line up so perfectly that it has Younghoon's head spinning for a second with deja vu. Had it really been him in the vision? Was the lover boy not someone with his hairstyle, nor Juyeon's ex, but actually Younghoon himself? And wasn't this moment at the diner—with his hands and the tiny, healing scars on them enveloped by Juyeon's much larger ones—the first scene in the vision? Maybe this is how it happens. He really hopes that this is how it happens.

He doesn't know whether he should tell Juyeon or not, but when he looks up and sees the small smile dancing on his lips, and the sparkle in his eyes, he gets the feeling that Juyeon already knows. And whether he's purposely trying to recreate the scene or whether he merely lets it occur, the gesture ignites a sort of warmth in Younghoon's heart. It fuels the seed of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, he won't have to say goodbye one day.

***

A few days later comes their picnic date as promised, though it isn't so much a picnic when it turns into apple picking. Juyeon picks him up at his apartment, something that has Hyunjae warning him about needing to jump from a moving car once again. Even after he goes downstairs, he’s almost sure that he sees Hyunjae peering from their seventh-floor balcony. And knowing him, he's probably got the binoculars out too, watching their every move.

The drive takes a while with the busy traffic of the city around them, but time flies when Younghoon finds himself relaxing into his seat. And when Juyeon asks about his roommate, he's ready—he tells him about all of Hyunjae’s stupid antics. From avoiding baking because he didn't know to use oven mitts when taking things out of the oven, to setting an eight-hour timer every night in place of an alarm. There was also a time when Jacob had unknowingly poured salt into Hyunjae's coffee instead of sugar, and being the considerate boyfriend he is, Hyunjae drank it without so much as a grimace.

And Juyeon laughs at his stories like they're the funniest thing. The way he turns to him at each red light, if only to briefly smile and stare while ignoring the cars honking impatiently behind them when the light turns green. Juyeon takes him in like he's committing each moment to memory.

It continues when they get to the orchard—they get through half of their first bushel when he catches Juyeon staring at him. Staring as Younghoon reaches up to grab another apple, staring as he adds it to their collection.

"What?"

A nonchalant shrug. "Just appreciating the view."

"So tell me," Younghoon glances at him up and down, "what's supposed to happen here? What did you see?"

"Hmm, we picked two bushels of apples."

"That's it?"

"Yeah," Juyeon confirms enthusiastically. "And they got quite heavy to carry."

"Oh."

"Were you expecting something more? Hmm?" There's a smirk on Juyeon's face when he leans in a little closer. So close that Younghoon has his mouth parted and eyes nearly shut, anticipating the feel of soft lips on his. But then Juyeon pulls back, an apple in his hand. "Found a good one right behind your head over there."

He rolls his eyes, turning to leave so Juyeon doesn't see the embarrassment on his cheeks.

"Hey, I'm kidding. But if you wanted to kiss me you could've just done it." Juyeon stops him from leaving, and this time he traps him with hands on the branches on either side of him. "I'm all yours."

Then he finally closes the distance. Younghoon had expected it to be like the last time, for hands to wander and for lips to consume him. But Juyeon's lips are barely there, like a gentle breath against his lips, as sweet as the taste of apples lingering between them. It's almost achingly slow the way Juyeon kisses him so tenderly, lighter than he thought possible. Hands reach up to caress his jaw as if any more pressure would break this fragile moment, and then his senses are overwhelmed by sweetness. The sweetness of apples, the sweetness of Juyeon's lips and the warmth of his mouth, and the sweetness of the sun against his skin and breeze in his hair and voices floating over from a world away.

When they pull apart, he suddenly remembers something. The reason why he'd thought the second scene was a market date—the faint taste of apples in that scene had reminded him of the cider at the market. But maybe the answer wasn't the market but rather an orchard. And maybe it was this particular moment.

His heart races a little faster at the thought that it really could've been it. He could really be Juyeon's lover boy from the visions.

"Oh, watch out," Juyeon steps back, pulling him aside from a bee flying by.

"Hey—I thought you said no bees?"

That gets him a laugh as Juyeon takes his hand and tugs him along. "Maybe it's good that it interrupted us."

And Younghoon simply smiles, brushing off his thoughts and letting himself enjoy the moment.

***

"I know you said he's hot, but I didn't expect him to actually," Hyunjae gestures, "be hot."

"I am offended," Younghoon quickly turns away from the rink to shoot him a glare.

Initially, he'd thought Juyeon's idea for turning their skating date into a double date could've gone terribly. How was he supposed to let Juyeon meet the two friends who thought he was a creep? Especially Hyunjae—he was sure that Hyunjae would make some crude comments that would entirely sabotage their budding relationship. But surprisingly enough, a charming smile and an offer to help lace up their skates was all it took for Juyeon to have them wrapped around his finger.

Pretty privilege, that's exactly what it was.

"Hey! I wasn't sure if you were serious or if you only found him hot because he gave you attention—" The rest of Hyunjae's words get cut off as he goes to dodge Younghoon's punch. "Anyway, you're treating him well, right? Are you nicer to him than you are to me? Don't hurt him, okay? Don't break his heart."

"I can't believe you," he snorts. "Whose side are you on?"

"Well, he clearly holds the looks in your relationship so..."

"Yeah? Then what do I hold?"

Hyunjae glances at him up and down. Purses his lips slightly. "You hold the cold drinks for him, so his hands don't freeze."

Younghoon gives him the middle finger before turning back to the ice to watch Juyeon and Jacob lap each other around the rink. He doesn't know whether to laugh or to cry at the situation. It's too ironic how a pretty face is all it took for Hyunjae to go back on his words about not being so nice to hot people.

A while later, he's on the ice with Juyeon, one hand in his and the other trying to clutch at whatever he could to avoid a hard collision with the ice. It doesn't help that the pain of falling at the park was still too fresh in his mind.

"You're not going to fall," Juyeon raises an eyebrow at him, eyes brimming with amusement. "I was only joking about that."

Younghoon eyes him warily. "You said that you would."

"Maybe, but only for you."

When Juyeon smiles, he finds himself smiling too. Slowly relaxing like he's basking in the warmth that radiates off of Juyeon's happiness. And luckily, they make it safely around the rink without falling.

Just when he's starting to wonder where Hyunjae and Jacob are, he vaguely realizes there's a bit of a crowd gathering around the opposite side of the rink. A silence lingers in the air as the voices die down, seemingly waiting with bated breath. And when he pulls Juyeon over with him to join the crowd, that's when he sees it: Jacob on one knee, Hyunjae covering his mouth in shock, and a ring resting in the box in Jacob's hands. The same thin, silver ring that he's familiarized himself with from seeing it in Hyunjae's future. This must be the exact moment he's seen.

There's a bright smile on Hyunjae's face when he gives an answer that they’re a little too far to hear, though he doesn't doubt it's a good one judging by the looks on their faces. The crowd erupts into applause and then Jacob's tackled to the ice by Hyunjae enveloping him. While Younghoon thinks it's less than ideal being on the ice like that, it's like the two of them are lost in their own world, too busy to notice anything or anyone else.

"And this is how they fall for each other," Juyeon murmurs into his ear. "Guess my reading was wrong; it wasn't us. It's them."

Once the crowd dissipates, the two of them wait for the newly engaged couple by their bench. Hyunjae flashes the ring on his finger before heading to the snack bar, and a while later, Jacob joins them with an endearing grin on his face.

"Wow, congrats!" Younghoon pulls him into a hug as soon as he steps off the ice. "But why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you prepare for it, or we could've taken pictures."

"That was..." Jacob lets out a loud exhale. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I was going to do it over dinner—I had one of those private rooms booked out at a nice restaurant and all. But the ring fell out of my pocket when I fell, and well. It landed right in front of him. So," he gives a wry smile, "I didn't really have a choice."

Juyeon pats him on the back reassuringly. "Hey, it's about the simple things. Love doesn't always have to be romantic."

Younghoon remembers him saying these exact words from their first date at the restaurant but hearing them again now makes him wonder if he's gotten it wrong this entire time. Maybe he's been focusing so much on making their re-enactments romantic to match the scenes in the visions that he never realized the scenes are meant to happen anywhere. They're meant to happen in between the normalness of everyday life. They're simple acts of love, just as Juyeon had always said.

Later when the four of them are sufficiently warmed up with hot drinks and laughter in the air, Younghoon thinks he has it figured out. Each of these moments could easily be something that he witnesses in a reading, but maybe the point isn't to go out searching for these moments or to run away from them. Maybe it's to make choices that will create a future that he wants—on purpose, and not by fate.

"You okay with that, Younghoon?" Juyeon pulls him out of his thoughts, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"What?"

"You can stay at my place tonight," he suggests. "Since Hyunjae will be out all night anyway."

"Wait, are you sure? I don't want to intrude or—"

"Yeah, it's totally fine. Besides, you haven't seen my new place yet."

His heart gives a loud thud at the thought of being alone with Juyeon again like that, all too reminded of what happened the last time. But he swallows the nerves away, puts on a smile, and agrees.

They leave the couple to go to their fancy dinner as fiancés, and afterwards, Younghoon finds his hand in Juyeon's as they walk back to his place.

The strangest thought is that he's relieved to see there's nothing set up when they arrive at Juyeon's apartment. There are no fancy candles lining the room, no vase of beautiful flowers on the table. No strings of warm lights hanging above. Juyeon's place looks entirely normal, albeit a little messier than before.

"Don't judge," Juyeon quickly goes to collect the few pieces of clothing left in the living room, avoiding his gaze. "I just moved in recently."

It's a smaller space than his previous apartment, but much nicer. Newer looking, without any cracks at the seams like there were in his old apartment. As if it were a fresh start for a fully healed heart, one that was ready to love again.

And later on, he's drowning in the scent of Juyeon's clothes enveloping him, the faint smell of oranges from the body wash mixed with a hint of citrusy detergent. The warmth of Juyeon's body pressed against his as they settle on the couch, the taste of his lips as they ignore the movie in the background.

It has to be past midnight when the movie comes to an end, with the credits slowly fading out. Juyeon gets up to refill his glass of water and Younghoon follows him into the kitchen when there's suddenly a blast of music coming through the walls. It's noticeably loud at first but soon quiets into a faint melody in the background.

Juyeon frowns, pausing to listen to the song. "These walls sure are thin, huh. It's generally been pretty quiet around here until now."

"You could probably Shazam their entire playlist like this," Younghoon jokes. Maybe he should Shazam it because there's something familiar about the song, but he can't quite place it. It feels like an itch he can't scratch.

The corners of Juyeon's lip twitches. "It's okay, maybe they also have something to celebrate."

Younghoon's still thinking about why the music sounds so familiar when Juyeon gently takes his hands and guides them to the back of his neck, and then wraps his arms around Younghoon's waist, pulling him in. And when he looks up, everything clicks. The familiar walls, the familiar music. Snacks on the counter, the light scent of oranges from the body wash, and even the clothes that he's wearing—Juyeon's clothes. This was the final scene he saw in his vision. This was how dancing in the kitchen at midnight was supposed to turn out.

"You're not going to step on my toes again, are you?" Juyeon's eyes twinkle with amusement as he starts to slowly move with the music, dragging Younghoon with him.

The two of them step and they sway, and it's not quite to the beat of the music. He does end up stepping on Juyeon, they bump their knees a few times and nearly their foreheads too. It's every bit as awkward as the first time they did this, and even more so without the blanket of darkness or the pretense of romance.

And yet, he hears the endless bubbles of laughter coming out of his own mouth. He sees the sparkles in Juyeon's eyes, the bright smiles like he can't contain his happiness. He feels it in the way the two of them dance at a rhythm that belongs to no one else but them.

Younghoon knows it when Juyeon leans in, breath but a whisper at his ear as he says, "Thank you for making me believe in love again."

Now he doesn't have to look into Juyeon's future to know that all the scenes he'd seen were about him. Now he can picture it—Juyeon looking up from their laced hands on the table and seeing his smile, face no longer out of focus. Pulling away from their kiss in the orchard has him seeing his own gaze, surprised but content. And then there's this very moment when he sees himself in Juyeon's eyes and he just knows.

This is how they fall in love.