Archive of Our Own

“Will you be my best man?” was the “big question” that Taehyung was so nervous to ask Jeongguk. It was underwhelming and incredibly heartbreaking.

Because Taehyung still thought so highly of him to be his best man. Except Jeongguk thought the world of him. But it wasn’t enough.

Who was he to say no? Taehyung is first and foremost his best friend even if his own heart crumbles at the thought of getting a front row seat to watch his love be handed over to someone that isn’t him and to even hand them the rings himself as if he’s not killing himself inside. 

He watched Taehyung love someone else for years now. Why would this one day be any different than the last 3 years? So that’s why, with glossy sparkling eyes that he plays off as tears of joy, he says, “I will.”

It’s the closest he’ll ever get to saying “I do” for Kim Taehyung.

When they’re discussing suits and tuxedos, it’s not a surprise that Taehyung didn’t have a sparing thought about it. “You have to choose, hyung,” Jeongguk scolds.

“Ugh,” he groans, “I’ll just choose the one that looks the best on you.”

“You mean yourself?”

“I mean you, Koo.”

That’s how Jeongguk ended up in the fitting room of their local tailor for at least 3 hours for Taehyung to judge each suit he wears. Taehyung tried to explain it as something about “you look good in everything so the best on you is the best overall.”

Whatever…

After one particular suit that Taehyung seemed to adore, as Jeongguk went back to the fitting room, the tailor helping him out asks, “isn’t it bad luck for your fiancé to see what you’re wearing before the wedding?”

Jeongguk pauses, solely because he felt his heart fall apart.

There it was again. The stupid sliver of hope that won’t leave him alone. “I’m uhm… the best man…” he corrects.

“Oh!” The tailor exhales with genuine shock as they pull Jeongguk’s suit jacket off his shoulders. Then gives a sympathetic look to him in the mirror.

He doesn’t even try to deny it. It’s clear the tailor has seen this exact situation happen one too many times to somebody else and by the remorse in their expression for the rest of their conversation, it never got better for any of those other people.

When Jeongguk is tasked with organizing the bachelor party and he asks Taehyung what he wants to do, the groom says, “I don’t want anything big. I’d be happy just getting a drink with you.”

And Jeongguk wants to laugh because he’s still stringing him along with hope. Like today’s gonna be the day Taehyung drops everything he’s been working for in the past 3 years and tell him “it’s you, Jeongguk. It was always you.”

And, like a fish playing too close to the surface, Jeongguk takes the bait and lets himself get strung along, helpless.

Anything Jeongguk had hoped, wished, maybe even prayed to happen at the “bachelor party” didn’t happen. No drunk confession that told him he was loved back, not even an inch of regret or remorse over the wedding on Taehyung’s end. No, outbursts or arguments or angst.

It wasn’t even awkward, because what actually happened so much worse, he wished it turned out horribly wrong.

What happened? They hung out like they always did and for an entire night, Jeongguk forgot that Taehyung wouldn’t be his the next morning. For a night, it was like high school again, just Taehyung and Jeongguk against the world. They talked about their dreams like little kids, looked back on their memories of childhood, and talked about their plans for the future as if Jeongguk was still gonna be in Taehyung’s future after this.

~

When Taehyung told Jeongguk he was proposing, he noticed a shift in the way his dearest friend behaved around him. His eyes weren’t as bright as the smile he always sported stopped reaching the puffs of his under eyes, giving nothing but an empty tight lipped grin.

He kept his distance from him both emotionally and physically, never agreeing to carpool anymore, scooting to the far side of a couch away from him, avoiding his eye contact, and never being affectionate. His soft and comforting touches that Taehyung was so used to.

It was heartbreaking feeling like Jeongguk was letting him go after all these years. And as his best friend stayed away, he looked for solace in his fiancé to fill only partial of a void in his chest. It was an emptiness he hadn’t felt before and it scared him deeply.

He was desperate to keep him in his life, Jeongguk who’s been by his side for as long as he can remember. He didn’t know what to do but he knew no one else deserved to be his best man but Jeon Jeongguk.

He was so nervous to ask because what if Jeongguk really did want to let go. To even think about Jeongguk rejecting his offer, telling him he doesn’t want any part of his life anymore, Taehyung just wouldn’t know how to move on. He chokes up just at the thought of his other half not being there on his wedding day, how could he handle a life without him?

So when Jeongguk did accept his offer with ambiguous tears in his eyes and when they spent months together with just the two of them like Taehyung had wanted, the groom-to-be felt their connection tighten again and the void in his chest was becoming whole. But it wasn’t the same.

Something was still missing. Something Taehyung hadn’t thought to look for before. Something Taehyung didn’t know existed first in the place. But now he needs it. Desperately. Because it will not only keep Jeongguk in his life but repair something that’s been torn between them.

At this point, there’s less than a month left until the wedding and Taehyung’s been putting off the most important and significant thing to prepare. The thing that he’s been dreading to do and hesitant to ask Jeongguk for help for.

“Kook-ah, will you help me write my vows?”

That’s when Jeongguk knew he lost his chances completely. All the love he felt for this man dwindling further and further into its own disappearance & that alone felt so much worse than the heartbreak he expected. Because now there was no light at the end of the tunnel to chase.

As of now, Jeongguk has stopped caring enough to chase and decides that backtracking to how things were before would be safer. Right now, Jeongguk is Taehyung’s best man and best friend. That will never change.

“Of course, I’ll help you, hyung,” he agrees with a grin.

The writing process was difficult for both of them. Aside from Jeongguk’s feelings getting crushed after every pen stroke, aside from Taehyung’s heart palpitating with embarrassment for not being to convey his emotions properly, finding the correct words to describe his love with his fiancé was not easy. Because Jeongguk doesn’t know what it’s like having Taehyung love him let alone another person, and Taehyung, for the life of him, comes up dry on anything sentimental or romantic.

“Your favourite memories?” Jeongguk suggests to get the ball rolling.

Taehyung shrugs.

“Your first time meeting?” Jeongguk tries.

“I don’t remember…”

“Taehyung…” he scolds in disappointment, “are you losing memory at your old age,” he teases.

“Hey!” The groom-to-be throws a crumpled piece of paper at his chest.

“You’re almost as old me so you shouldn’t be talking!”

Jeongguk chuckles and shakes his head, grabbing a piece of paper for himself. “I’ll have you know I remember a lot of things.”

“Do you?” Taehyung contests.

“I can remember as far back as elementary school,” he gloats.

“So can I,” Taehyung brags as Jeongguk grabs himself a pen.

“Prove it,” the best man challenges as he begins to scribble on his paper.

Taehyung licks his lips in thought, leaning forward on the table, trying to make out what the other is writing down and failing.

“I remember in 9th grade finding you on the swing set of our old elementary school at 3 in the morning,” he starts, rubbing his chin as he continues to watch the best man scribble, “you said the noise at home was giving you nightmares and you didn’t know where else to go.”

Jeongguk pauses in his chirography as Taehyung goes on with their shared memory.

“I called you a moron for staying out at that hour for all the mosquitos to eat you alive when you could’ve just come to my house.” He says with his chin in the palm of his hand, feeling nostalgic.

Jeongguk looks up to stare at the other who’s looking off into space with a grin as he retells the story.

“And then I dragged you back to my place, treated you with afterbite cream, and then we went to sleep in my room,” he finishes and meets Jeongguk’s eyes.

“The next morning, you told me you had the best the dream of your life. But I couldn’t get you to tell me what it was,” he adds.

Jeongguk looks down while fidgeting with his pen. “That wasn’t an elementary school memory, that was high school.”

Taehyung shrugs. “My bad.”

Jeongguk blinks and behind his eyelids he sees that tiny flash of light at the end of the tunnel again. That microscopic piece of hope that’s enough to get his heart rate pounding with an adrenaline to chase after it for a little bit longer. But instead he just taps his pen on the table, suppressing the need to hold on to something that’s not there, shaking his leg under the surface while his heart beat subsides.

“Yknow, I can tell you how you and Mirae first met,” Jeongguk starts, steering the subject away from his own hope, “you were a mess.”

Taehyung groans and hide his face in hands. “Please, I don’t need the reminder.”

“Oh I think you do since you couldn’t tell me about it 6 minutes ago,” Jeongguk retorts, hearing another whine from Taehyung. “I would think the day you first met should be nice to look back on…”

“Are you kidding? I was so nervous and you were definitely no help,” the groom-to-be argues.

Jeongguk makes a face feigning offence. “Hello? I’m the one who chose your outfit and did your hair and basically coached you for the entire date.”

“You told me ‘act like you’re talking to me’ and then all I could do was compare them to you and how y’all are nothing alike,” Taehyung defends. “God, the date was so humiliating I blocked out more than half of it and didn’t process what just happened until it was over.”

Jeongguk shakes his head in disappointment. “So what’s the other half that you can remember?”

Taehyung scratches his head. “Uhh, I remember we made out in my car before I dropped her off and then… I called you because I was completely ashamed of myself.”

“I don’t get it… the date obviously went well in some shape or form, I mean you’re getting married in less than a month, how are you cringing at this?” The best man questions.

“I don’t know, okay. We all have unpleasant memories at some point, this is one of them.”

The next thing Jeongguk says he didn’t mean to say. He thought about not saying it. But not as much as he thought about saying it. And it wasn’t out of self-interest, but genuine concern. But the reaction he gets from the other definitely flips that switch of hope in his brain.

“Is it gonna be like that on your wedding day?” He asks and immediately regrets it, watching Taehyung’s expression falter.

“What?” The groom-to-be exhales quietly.

Jeongguk shakes his head and looks down. “Nothing… I’m sorry… forget I said that,” he tries to take back.

“Jeongguk, what are you insinuating?”

Jeongguk shrugs but avoids making eye contact. “Nothing! I was just asking a dumb question.”

“You think I don’t love my partner?” Taehyung interrogates.

“I never said that!” He raises his voice.

“You implied it!” Taehyung matches him.

“Taehyung, all I want is what’s best for you. I’ve been by your side supporting you for everything, I just—”

“Have you? Or for the past year since I proposed were you avoiding me and I had to spend months figuring out why my best friend just couldn’t stand to be in my presence?”

Taehyung’s voice is heavy with frustration, remorse, and a hint of insecurity that Jeongguk almost picks up on. “You don’t approve of my relationship so much you had to physically stay away from me! What kind of support is that, huh?”

“You have NO idea what I’ve been doing for the both of you!” Jeongguk is seething as the love he has for him is swiped completely under the rug. All of the pain he endures seeing his love belong to someone else on a daily basis just so they can be happy should mean something.

“Well I wouldn’t know, would I? You’ve completely closed yourself off from me. I’m trying so hard to bring you back to me but you won’t let me!”

He just doesn’t understand. He can’t. All Jeongguk wants is to move on without being roped back into something there’s no hope for.

“Taehyung, please just…” he almost begs.

“Just what?”

Jeongguk takes a deep breath, holding onto the last of his strength that keeps him from spilling his emotions into a mess on the floor. He stands.“You know what, I can’t write your vows for you,” he says before leaving.

Taehyung’s left at his diningroom table surrounded by thoughtless blank papers & an empty feeling in his chest. Twirling his pen in his fingers, trying to find the words to express his love for his Mirae but can only find guilt for Jeongguk. All he’s been thinking about is him.

If he can’t write about his love, he’ll write about what he wants. He doesn’t care anymore, vows be damned, it’s not as important as losing the one person he’d trade everything for.

His first pen strokes on the paper in black ink write, “There is no choice when it comes to you.”

The words just flow, they pour right out of him and there’s no telling when he’ll stop. He writes and writes until the page is full, not even registering the sentences that fill the page. He doesn’t look back to read it over and crumples the paper in his hands, tossing it aside.

Grabbing another page, he writes it all over again, pressing so hard into the paper that the ink bleeds over and smudges as he swipes his palm over the lines. By the time the second page is filled the words are completely illegible. He crumples that one up too and throws it away.

Hours go by as Taehyung lets the word vomit spill over the pages, yet not one sentence spilled revealed anything about his love for his fiancé.

Eventually Mirae comes home and finds Taehyung in the dimly lit diningroom scribbling away. They approach him gently. “Whatchu doing?”

As she comes up behind the man, Taehyung quickly crumples up the page he currently had in front of him. “Oh, Mirae… you scared me,” he gasps.

Mirae giggles. “What are you scribbling about?” She tries taking the ball of paper from him but he keeps it out of their reach.

“Ahh,” Taehyung sighs, taking Mirae’s hands in his own, “I’m writing my vows, sweetheart. You can’t look at them.”

Mirae pouts into Taehyung’s hair, leaving a kiss on the crown of his head. “Hmph,” they whine before noticing a flat page in front of the seat across from Taehyung.

“What’s that one there?” She asks, gesturing to the forgotten page.

Taehyung notices and shrugs it off, focusing on his own page that now has significantly less words on it than before. “I don’t know, something Jeongguk must’ve been doodling probably,” he says with indifference.

She makes her way over the other side of the table. “Oh, Jeonggukssi came over?”

“Yeah… more best man things for him to do,” Taehyung lies partially.

“I see…” Mirae acknowledges as they reach the other side, picking up the abandoned page to examine it carefully.

Taehyung looks up from his paper, finding Mirae with furrowed brows and her lip between her teeth as she looks over Jeongguk’s paper. Taehyung swallows, suddenly getting nervous.

“Mi? Is something wrong?” He asks.

They let out a shaky breath, “everything’s fine,” Mirae answers.

They fold the paper in half and tuck it under their arm. Taehyung raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” He asks.

Mirae nods with a grin.

“What did the paper say?” He presses.

“Oh nothing, just a to-do list for the best man,” they laugh, “I’ll send it back to him later.”

“Oh alright…”

Mirae nods awkwardly before returning to her natural bright presence. “Now finish up and clean up your mess so we can make dinner. Your parents are coming over, we should make something they like!”

Taehyung nods with a smile of relief. “Yes, chef,” he jokes.

Mirae watches him clean up the piles of discarded paper into the recycling bin and throws the page they found in the bin with the rest. They move on with the night with dinner and a lovely evening with Taehyung’s parents.

But after everyone’s gone to sleep, Mirae digs up as many pages they can find in the bin and reads them, feeling her heart sink farther and farther into the soil with every piece of paper she turns to. It’s all the same. The yearning, the pining, the denial, the rejection and the betrayal. And Mirae can’t do anything about it.

In the few days leading up to the wedding, Taehyung & Jeongguk moved on as if their argument that night never happened & in most cases that could be considered a good thing. But the looming clouds over their shoulders that make everything slightly dimmer than usual say otherwise.

The overcast that still simulates a brightness but the sun would never shine through which turns their steps into the right direction a trudge, making it impossibly slower to go anywhere.

And Mirae… for them it’s raining as the wind pulls her between contrasting directions.

Everyday that Taehyung promises he loves her and everyday that the smile on his face doesn’t reach the roundness of his cheeks when he’s with her, Mirae lets their thoughts get tossed around carelessly and destructively in the forceful winds that follows her. Pulling her hair when it insists that Taehyung is marrying them for love, then tugging on her clothes when it convinces them that Taehyung will never look at her in the same way he looks at his best man, the rain pounding on her head when they can’t make a decision anymore.

It’s the day of the wedding and sun is still yet to show through in all of their gloom. As Mirae gets ready for the day with the vows of love spewed over notes that weren’t addressed to her tucked away in their vanity drawers, waiting for the right time to bring them up.

And just across the way, Taehyung and Jeongguk get ready for the ceremony together while the sun hides away behind the grey stagnant clouds above their heads.

The room is silent as Jeongguk stands in the mirror & Taehyung subtly watches him through the reflection of his vanity.

The best man ties his tie swiftly with a finesse that has the groom mesmerized. He swipes his hair back with his fingers before noticing the poking eyes on the back on his head. When he turns around, Taehyung pretends to pat his face lightly with fake foundation in the mirror.

Jeongguk comes up behind the groom who sits in front of the vanity that shines 8 bright lights in their eyes. He places his hands on the other’s shoulders and massages him gently as Taehyung tries to keep himself occupied.

“Are you nervous?” Jeongguk asks with a low voice.

Taehyung swallows and tilts his head to the side as he reaches for his lip balm across the table. “Um… no… not really…” he responds quietly as if the softness in his voice would conceal his lie.

Jeongguk grins a lopsided one. “Well, you should be with this hair,” he jokes.

The groom stares at Jeongguk in the mirror who runs his fingers through the former’s hair. “Is their a hair straightener here?” Jeongguk asks, reaching for a drawer on the side.

“What wrong with my hair?” Taehyung asks curiously and slightly offended.

“It’s a mess, trust me,” Jeongguk says as he pulls out the item he’d been searching for. He plugs it in and lays on the table top, waiting for the straightener to heat up. “Careful,” he says mindlessly to Taehyung who’s hand rests close to the item.

“Alright,” Taehyung chuckles.

Jeongguk finds clips and hair brushes & combs and begins to section off pieces of Taehyung’s before he gets working.

Taehyung watches him, smiling at his concentrated eyebrows as he focuses to make his groom look handsome. “This is just like old times,” Taehyung remarks.

Jeongguk pauses and looks up curiously at the other with an adorable hum. “Huh?”

“When we’d be going out to parties or events, you were always touching me up at the last minute,” he recalls with a smile, “not even a speck of dust could get by you.”

Jeongguk smirks which fades into a plain smile laced with sadness in it. “That’s what the best man is for, right? Making sure you’re perfect,” he says before clipping off another section of his hair.

Taehyung shrugs. “You’re not my best man forever. You’re my best friend first.”

The best man sighs then grabs the straightener from off the table. He holds his hand near the heat to check if it’s hot enough then starts to work on the groom’s hair.

“This reminds me of your first date with Mirae,” Jeongguk says, expecting a reaction from his best friend.

“Except you’re not nervous this time. I think that’s a good sign,” he says genuinely.

“Yeah, definitely,” Taehyung swallows, “do we have any wine in here?”

Jeongguk tilts his head at the abrupt question before looking around the room, spotting a mini fridge in the corner.

“Umm, probably in the fridge. I’ll check for you after I’m done, okay?” Jeongguk compromises.

“Please do,” Taehyung says with gratitude, “I’m gonna need it when I say my vows.”

Jeongguk finishes a section in his hair and removed the clip, dropping it on the table.

“Is it really so hard for you to express your feelings?” Jeongguk scolds with a tsk.

Taehyung makes a face that’s paired with a whine. “You know what it’s like, Koo. Even proposing was difficult, I didn’t think I could do it.”

The younger shakes his head in disappointment. “If I hadn’t known you all my life, I woulda considered you a walking red flag,” Jeongguk admits.

Taehyung feigns offence that Jeongguk can’t help but coo at, a cute expression that makes him weak for the elder. “Luckily both you and Mirae can see through that.”

Jeongguk hums in agreement, finishing off another section of his hair. This time when he removes the clip, Taehyung takes it from his hand & places it on the table for him. “I’ve seen what love looks like on you,” he says casually without thinking and no plans to elaborate on it.

“You have?” Taehyung asks with slight surprise & waits for an example.

Jeongguk pauses just before straightening another strand of his hair. “What?” He exhales instinctually.

“You’ve seen what I look like when I’m in love?” The groom asks, suddenly feeling his cheeks get warm.

Jeongguk gulps nervously, revealing the slight dimples in his cheeks that Taehyung has learned to adore whenever they appear. “Yeah, of course…” he admits with hesitation, “with Mirae.”

“Oh,” Taehyung nods, feeling a pang of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach.

The best man is now working on the last section of Taehyung’s hair, swooping the front bangs up into a fringe, exposing his forehead and bold brows.

In a tone that matches the boldness of his brows, Taehyung says, “I think I’ve seen what love looks like on you too.”

Jeongguk bites on his lip, holding a breath as he tries to keep his composure together and not burn the groom’s scalp off with the hair straightener. He can’t just say stuff like this to him, especially not today. “Have you?” The best man mutters.

Taehyung hums with narrow eyes.

“I’m sure I’ve seen it,” he taps his chin.

Jeongguk huffs a nervous laugh, fixating his gaze on the other’s hair, happy to be occupied away from the groom’s gaze. “Okay…” he breathes, hoping to drop the subject.

Taehyung hums, deep in thought, which scares the younger.

Soon enough, Jeongguk finishes up with the straightener, turning it off and placing it on the vanity out of harms way. He then finds hair gel on the side and begins to style the groom’s hair strategically.

Taehyung watches thoroughly, focusing on Jeongguk’s twinkling eyes.

Those eyes that emit a love in its purest form and Taehyung thinks that’s where he sees it. In his eyes. It’s amazing how often he gets to see something so beautiful. Such a gorgeous,  delicate, and subtle form of love that he forgets it’s even directed toward himself.

It’s a thought that doesn’t even cross his mind because he’s so familiar with Jeongguk’s eyes. For all the years they’ve known each other, his best friend’s love stricken eyes were always the same, so Taehyung’s never known anything different and never considered it was for him.

As Taehyung dozes off in his thoughts, Jeongguk makes his final touches to the groom’s hair then pats his shoulders before announcing he’s finished.

“What do you think?” Jeongguk asks, referring to the hair.

“Gorgeous,” Taehyung replies instantly, not referring to his hair.

Jeongguk chuckles, rolling his eyes as he heads for the mini fridge to grab the wine Taehyung requested. “Don’t get too cocky now,” he teases but Taehyung doesn’t get the joke until seconds later.

“Right,” Taehyung sighs, snapping back to the present moment to examine his hair.

Jeongguk opens the fridge and examines the selection of beverages, tapping his fingers on the fridge door. “Ah, let’s see… there’s Chateau Margaux… Domaine de… I can’t even read this—“

Taehyung stands up with fidgeting fingers. “The first one is fine,” he interjects.

The groom watches with a swirl in his stomach as Jeongguk takes out the wine, setting the bottle down on a table and pulling out two glasses. Just before he can get the cork off, there’s knock on the dressing room door.

“Come in!” Jeongguk says and Taehyung wishes he hadn’t.

The person who peers through the door is the maid of honour, Miyoung, who toes into the room with a concerned expression.

“Is something wrong?” Jeongguk asks as they’ve worked together to make this wedding possible.

“Ah,” she turns to the groom, “Mirae wants to talk to you.”

The groom sends a nervous look to his best man who looks back to him with much less concern. It puts Taehyung slightly at ease but nevertheless, the man’s heart doesn’t stop pounding.

The maid of honour guides Taehyung to Mirae’s dressing room, telling him to wait by the door.

She enters quietly, closing the door behind her as Taehyung waits to be let in, rocking back and forth on the ball and heel of his feet. He hears muffled voices behind the wooden barrier until Miyoung opens it just a crack revealing only her face with a judgemental expression.

She walks out and shuts the door behind her with a sigh, giving Taehyung a look that makes him nervous.

“Is everything alright?” He asks.

The maid of honour crosses her arms and sucks her teeth. “Go in. I’ll be back in 20,” she says before heading off somewhere.

Taehyung walks in slowly, peeking his head through the door cautiously before fully entering. “Hun are you okay?” He asks sweetly.

When he walks further into the room he finds Mirae sitting on the sofa in her wedding dress with two pieces of paper on the coffee table in front of her.

Taehyung yelps and scrambles to shut eyes and turn away from the bride. “Honey! Oh my gosh!”

“Tae, what are you doing?” Mirae questions.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t see your dress!” He adds.

Mirae sighs. “Can you just look at me, Tae?”

“Mirae, it’s bad luck for me to see you before the wedding!” He explains.

Mirae stands up and approaches her fiancé. “I’m not worried about that right now.”

They turn him around gently to face her but his eyes are still shut. “Just say what you wanna say, dear, I’m listening,” he says.

“Kim Taehyung, the way you look at me now is not gonna change the way you look at me down the aisle,” they plead, “I need you to look at me. Please.”

Taehyung opens his eyes slowly, hearing the heartache her voice. And when he meets their gaze, the heartache pangs on his chest.

The nervous gulp and the shaky hand that tucks one side of Mirae’s curtain bangs behind their ear is all she needs to see how much Taehyung is forcing himself to be infatuated with her.

“You’re beautiful,” Taehyung whispers softly, gently nodding to show assurance.

Mirae sighs, shutting her eyes and leaning into their fiancé’s touch as her shoulders drop in dismay. Dressed in all white, with a veil draped from the crown of her head and her groom holding them gently, but cannot say with 100% certainty that this man belongs to her anymore.

Mirae steps away from Taehyung’s touch, the movement feeling like ice relieving a charred wound on their skin. She bites her lip looking down, swallowing down the insecurities that almost spill off their tongue.

“You chose black,” they say instead, staring at the groom’s suit.

“Of course,” Taehyung replies, “that’s what I’m supposed to wear, isn’t it?”

“Supposed to…” Mirae mutters, letting the words sink in as she paces around the room to sit on the sofa where the letters they tried neglecting for so long lay in front of her on the coffee table.

They wipe their palms on her lap out of nervousness. “Sometimes the thing you’re supposed to do… isn’t the thing you have to do…” her voice shakes as she stares down the papers in front of her.

“Mirae…” Taehyung breathes out, taken aback before coming to sit down next to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t like black?” He asks and it makes Mirae laugh pitifully, shaking their head in disbelief.

“This isn’t about your suit,” she admits.

Taehyung shifts closer, taking one of their hands in both of his own, resting their enclosed hand in his lap.

“Hunny, you’re scaring me…” he strokes his thumb along the back of her hand, “what’s wrong?”

His gaze is so sweet, so caring, so pretty, it’s no wonder Mirae mistook this endearing quality as an undying love toward them. Except it’s just who he is. And it’s not a look of love.

They know he cares for them, can sense in the tone of his voice and the gentleness of his actions. And maybe you could argue it was love, an endearing love between two congruent souls but now as they look back on everything, it’s hard to say how romantic it was meant to be.

“I’m sorry,” Mirae sniffles, taking a pause to prevent herself from crying, embarrassed by the insecurities that cloud their mind.

Taehyung’s eyes widen with concern, leaning in close, trying to get Mirae to look at him. “Why are you sorry?”

“Do you want to marry me?”

The man’s expression falters into something Mirae can’t quite place. “Mirae,” he stammers, “of course I wanna marry you. I got down on my knee 10 months ago so that you could be my wife today.”

The bride stares holes into papers in front of them, swallowing down the urge to cry.

Taehyung can feel his heart start to pick, suddenly getting nervous like he’s done something wrong. He leans in close desperately trying to get Mirae to meet his eyes.

“Why would you ask such a thing?” He asks softly then tracks her sight to the papers on the coffee table.

They don’t answer until Taehyung tries to pick up the folded letters and see for himself what’s got his fiancé so distressed. “What’s this, hun?”

As his hand is about to grab the paper, Mirae stops him, instead grabbing it their self and clutching it to her chest.

“Mirae?” Taehyung pulls away, feeling slightly disturbed at his fiancé’s sudden secrecy.

She closes her eyes as they take a deep breath and release with a shaky sigh. When they open their eyes, the look Taehyung receives envies what grief looks like.

“Uhm…” Mirae starts.

“That night when you were writing your vows to me… I… found some of your drafts…” their voice shakes. “I read them…”

Taehyung furrows his brows in confusion, having no memory of what those drafts could’ve said. He blocked out that night because of his fight with Jeongguk.

All he knows was that he was struggling to get the right words out. “Mirae, I’m no Shakespeare but I promise my vows aren’t as bland as those drafts.”

She shakes her head. “No, honey, I— do you not remember what you wrote?”

He shakes his no.

Mirae is speechless.

How can someone be so in denial of their true feelings that they don’t even bother to remember spilling it all into a letter that was meant for someone else?

They laugh because admittedly, these letters are beautifully written. But these words weren’t meant for her.

Mirae unfolds the paper, skimming through the words briefly in her head. Every intent in this letter is laid out perfectly in the words, between the words, and the messiness of the handwriting. Every emotion Taehyung felt that night, Mirae could read it all in this letter.

“Taehyung… what’s written in these letters weren’t… meant for me…” they explain.

The groom feels his throat go dry suddenly. “What are you talking about?”

Mirae lets out a sigh and hands Taehyung the letter to read for himself. “Read it, Taehyung,” she says.

Taehyung takes the paper hesitantly, gazing into Mirae’s troubled eyes that are practically begging for him to understand what’s gotten them so forlorn.

He glances down at the paper and, by the first line, something falls in the pit of his stomach, making him breathless.

There is no choice when it comes to you.

You and I, we could be everything together. But because it’s you, my choice was already made for me. You and I, our limits have always been a friendship. That’s just the way things are, but I could tell you hated that. You and I, friendship doesn’t describe us. I think I agree, but then what does that make me? What does that make you? Who does Mirae become? Why do I have no choices when I picture you and I? I can’t live with limits like these. It was just easier, simpler to not have to fight these limits anymore.

But god, you and I, the things we’d accomplish if we had that freedom.

As Taehyung’s finished reading it over, he doesn’t dare let his eyes leave the page, biting on his lip, feeling terrified of what he’s written; what he’s confessed and permanently recorded onto paper.

Mirae touches the groom’s knee gently. “Please tell me what you mean by this.”

Taehyung shrugs. “I, uh… I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” Mirae repeats in disbelief.

The groom licks his lips that have suddenly gone dry. “I got into an argument with Jeongguk this night, I just must’ve been angry…”

“Angry?” They repeat back, voice cracking.

Taehyung nods but still, his eyes never leave the paper as if scanning the words over and over again would somehow change what’s already permanently inked on the page.

“I don’t believe you, Taehyung,” Mirae says outright, lip quivering.

Eyes still glued to sheet, his eyebrows furrow as he tries to organize and make sense of the conflicting thoughts in his head. “I don’t know what to tell you, hun…” his voice now rasps. “What do you think this means?”

Mirae scoffs. “What I think? I think it means you don’t want to marry me. That you don’t love me.”

He drops the page in his lap and shifts closer to his fiancé, crumpling the paper between them as he does, and gently caresses Mirae’s cheek, bringing them eye to eye.

“Mirae, I love you. So much. And this letter doesn’t change that,” he assures.

Mirae shakes their head. “Then why are you asking who I am in your life if you have more than just friendship with Jeongguk? Who am I to you? Do I only matter when he’s not with you?” She weeps.

Taehyung shakes his head with vigour, the furrow in his brows leaving a heavy crease in his forehead.

He takes her hands in his as Mirae looks down, letting their slow tears free fall into her lap to not ruin their makeup.

“No no no, that’s not true, Mirae. Yes, Jeongguk is more than a friend, we’ve known each since we were kids. We’re just childhood best friends!” He starts.

“Maybe even more than that but you, Mirae— you will always be my first love. My girlfriend, my fiancé and soon my wife,” he wipes the tears from their eyes with precision as to not smudge her mascara. “I love you, and when I tell you my vows you’ll understand how I truly feel.”

Mirae stares her glossy tear flooded eyes into Taehyung’s remorseful ones with their breath held so that the heaving and sobbing bubbling up in their throat can subside. With a weak and restrained voice, she musters with the last bit of hope, “Why can’t you tell me right now?”

“Well, I—“ Taehyung starts but is cut off by a knock at the door accompanied by Jeongguk’s voice from the other side.

“Taehyungie? You in there? The wedding starts soon, you should come line up now…” Jeongguk calls out.

Taehyung swallows nervously as he stares at the door.

“I’ll be right there!” The groom answers before turning his attention back to his fiancé.

He caresses her cheek softly as he stands. “Don’t cry anymore okay,” he says softly, “I’ll see you at the altar. I’ll be the one in black.”

He smiles as Mirae holds his hand one last time.

As he leaves the room with Jeongguk waiting for him at the door who will no doubt be making Taehyung smile more than she could have right now, Mirae has to hold back the depreciating thought that “this wedding feels like a funeral,” as they picture their self approaching Taehyung at the altar dressed in all black and looking at her with the same remorseful eyes that he looked at her with just 5 minutes after reading that letter.

Why won’t he stop the wedding already? Mirae then eyes the letter that Taehyung hadn’t seen and thinks this will be the end.

Taehyung and Jeongguk walk side by side toward the entrance of the ceremony where the bridesmaids and groomsmen have all lined up with their arms linked. Jeongguk stands in line waiting for Miyoung to accompany him as Taehyung steps in behind him where his mother was waiting.

She takes her son by the cheek with a death gripping pinch. “My handsome boy,” she praises as Taehyung fights to be free of her hold, soothing his cheek with his palm.

“I’m so proud of you, son… You bring pride to our family, keeping this lineage alive for decades!”

Taehyung huffs a nervous laugh.

“I can’t wait to be a grandma!” She squeals, then turns to Jeongguk just in front of her. “And you mister, when are you getting married, hm?”

“Me?” The best man questions.

“Yes you. Don’t you think Taehyung’s children should have some company?”

Jeongguk shared a nervous glance with Taehyung as he rubs the back of his neck. “Uhm… well I don’t… uh… have any plans for that sort of… uhm… thing… right now…”

Taehyung’s mother makes a tsk noise. “What does your mother think of that, hm?”

The best man shrugs.

“She doesn’t really care for that kind of thing, if I’m being honest. She just wants what’s best for me,” he says fondly.

“I see,” Taehyung’s mother nods but doesn’t show approval. Regardless, she moves on from the topic and both the groom and best man are thankful for that.

The time is nearing until the wedding starts and, as Jeongguk looks around from where he stands waiting for Miyoung to accompany him, he can hear Taehyung’s mother go on and on and on about the wonderful family her son’s going to have. The family that he won’t be a part of.

She mentions something about godparents and that Jeongguk would be best suited for the role. He ignores her, only wondering what Taehyung is thinking. The groom probably agrees with her and it makes his chest feel heavy and uneven.

This is what he signed up for as best man.

“Eomma, please… enough about grand kids,” Taehyung pleads, feeling embarrassed.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of dear,” the woman says, rubbing her son’s back, “excuse me while I go to restroom really quickly.”

Jeongguk overhears her with worry, “but the ceremony starts in—“

But the woman has already left before Jeongguk can finish his sentence.

The best man sighs as Taehyung shows him defeated expression, shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry about her…” he apologizes.

“It’s fine, we don’t have to start on time.”

“No, not that,” Taehyung corrects.

With nimble fingers, the groom fiddles with the sleeve of Jeongguk’s tux, getting the other’s full attention. “I’m sorry she said all those things… about your personal life…”

The best man takes a moment to pause, going stiff under Taehyung’s touch. He shakes his head, barely a jerk of the head. “It’s fine. We’ve been friends for 16 years, she’s probably just as curious as any parent would.”

“You’re not upset?” Taehyung asks, as if digging for something else Jeongguk could be keeping from him.

Jeongguk holds the hand that twiddles with his sleeve.

As he holds the gaze of the man he loved for more than half his life, the next words that come out are born out of contentment for their parting futures that are creeping up to them very soon. “I’m fine,” he smiles, shaking the groom’s hand like a deal has been made.

And it will soon become a deal that Taehyung will find he doesn’t want any part of.

So as the groom is about say something even more emotionally ambiguous, Miyoung arrives from Mirae’s dressing room.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she says, coming to stand next to Jeongguk.

The two let each other’s hands go with a tug much stronger than either had anticipated. The force had a pull on their arms, enough to shock them internally but not enough dwell on.

Miyoung turns to the groom, pulling out a piece of paper. “Mirae wanted you to read this.”

Taehyung takes the page nervously while Miyoung and Jeongguk discuss the ceremony, reception, and other wedding obligations that they planned.

With their backs turned, the groom unfolds the paper, slowly revealing the words scribbled in handwriting he knows not to be Mirae’s.

-10 minutes earlier-

Miyoung arrives back to the dressing room to her poor best friend holding back sobs with tear stained cheeks that leak with eyeliner and mascara.

She rushes to the bride’s side not without a handful of makeup wipes she snatched from the vanity to wipe away their tears.

“Mirae…” Miyoung whispers softly, “what did he say?”

Mirae closes their eyes and swallows down the sob in her throat. “He said he— that he loves me…” she hiccups.

“That’s good!” The bride shakes her head but Miyoung still tries. “He loves you! Isn’t that what you want?”

She hands Mirae another makeup wipe and tissue before retrieving the makeup bag from the vanity. When she sits back down on the sofa to touch up their face, Mirae looks at her, heartbroken.

“I didn’t believe him,” they croak, clutching the paper she’s been obsessed with all day.

“Didn’t believe him? You’re about to get married, Mirae. Why would he lie?” Miyoung questions.

Mirae says nothing, gripping the letter in their hands tighter.

Miyoung looks down at the crumpled page pensively before carefully prying it out of her best friend’s hands.

She reads it slowly, recognizing these are Taehyung’s words, getting angrier and angrier the more she goes down the page.

“That cheating fucking ass—“

“Miyoung, please,” Mirae stops her while sniffling on stifled weeps, “he wasn’t cheating.”

Miyoung shakes her head furiously.

“Mirae, why are you letting this happen? Why are you marrying him?”

Mirae grumbles, feeling their eyes well up with tears again. “Because I’m a coward,” she admits with a shaky voice.

“What?” Miyoung holds their face in her hands gently, eyes warm and imploring.

Mirae swallows, bites on the dryness of their lip, before speaking. “Being with Taehyung brought a lot of comfort into my life, dating, living together, meeting each other’s families… marrying… it feels safe… and familiar. Like I don’t see any other way for my future to go.”

“What are you saying?” Miyoung asks, concern wrecking the lines along her forehead.

The bride looks into their best friend’s eyes for courage and finds a twinkle instead. It makes her nervous. “I’m saying if I leave him… I’ll be heading into my future completely blind.”

Mirae sniffles, pulling away from Miyoung’s affection. “And that’s really fucking scary…”

“So you’re using him… as a safety net?” Miyoung asks.

“Don’t say it like I’m a monster, Miyoung…” they wipe their tears away, “I’m not brave like you… I can’t walk away like you did.”

Miyoung scoffs, resting her somber eyes on her twiddling fingers in her lap. “I didn’t walk, I ran… straight to you. And I’ll be here for you for when you decide to walk away too,” she tilts the bride’s chin up to look them in the eyes. “You can walk blindly into me.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Mirae holds her best friend’s hand, watching their fingers smooth over the back of her hand. “After all these years, you still have faith in me…”

Miyoung shakes her head. “It’s not faith…”

Mirae sighs, feeling hopeless and undeserving.

“That makes you biased then,” the bride jokes, deprecating, dancing around the unspoken bond they share. Afraid of what could come out of it. “As much as I would love to… I don’t know how to do it.”

Miyoung wipes away the last of their tears and begins to touch up her makeup.

The maid of honour lets out one last passing thought of advice before letting Mirae make their final decision. “Think about what Taehyung would want for you and for himself.” She doesn’t say anything more, understanding this is no longer her responsibility.

The bride sighs before turning her head toward the abandoned letter on the coffee table. They pick it up, unfold it and read the familiar heartbreaking words from a man who is going through the exact same thing as their maid of honour. Funny how life can rhyme like poetry.

Mirae takes one look at her best friend, feeling utmost regret and remorse for what she could be doing to her by going on with this marriage.

“Miyoung,” the bride exhales, folding it up again & handing her the letter, as her chest feels lighter, “can you give this to Taehyung?”

“Mirae wanted you to read this.”

Taehyung takes the page nervously while Miyoung and Jeongguk discuss the wedding obligations that they planned.

With their backs turned, the groom unfolds the paper, slowly revealing the words scribbled in handwriting he knows not to be Mirae’s.

One look at the first line, not even reading the words but instantly recognizing the scrawl at a mere first glance. This was Jeongguk’s handwriting.

He snaps his head up to the preoccupied best man in front of him. When did he have time to write this, he thinks to himself.

The groom makes a move to reach out for his best friend and ask him what this is, but it’s only just a twitch in the arm because his mother returns to his side from the restroom the moment he tries.

“Honey, what’s that?” She asks regarding the letter in his hands.

He folds the letter away from her view, suddenly feeling nervous as his heart pumps into his ears. “Uhm… my vows…” he lies.

She smiles at him with adoration. “You’re so cute, my son.” She pinches one of his cheeks before pulling out a pocket mirror to reapply her lipstick.

He breathes a sigh of relief as his mother decides not to pry like usual. He takes a small step back before opening the letter again, reading it away from everyone else’s view.

As he reads the first word, the music inside the chapel begins to play & the first pair of bridesmaid and groomsman begin to enter the church.

His eyes widen and he panics but makes this letter his first priority. Luckily they enter slowly, giving him more to time.

And by the first line, his ears start ringing and his heart, and all the time that goes with it completely stops.

If it were me, I vow everything

If it were me, I completely surrender myself to you

If it were me, I’ll go the rest of my days giving all my love to you and I hope that you’d take it all.

But something about me won’t let it be me. Is the love I suppressed for you not enough? No, it won’t be me. So I’ll let you go. And you should let me go too so I’m not taken hostage by the way I love you. But if you keep me, then I surrender. You made me love you and I can’t turn that away.

His hands tremble so he grips the page until it’s crumpled, barely ripping, as if to steady himself from fainting. It doesn’t work & he sways into his mother’s shoulder.

She laughs it off obliviously, too enthralled by the magic of the wedding that’s unfolding right before them.

Taehyung’s mouth runs dry and the hoarse squeak he lets out is barely audible. “Jeonggukie…?” He wheezes, lungs completely lost of its air, it doesn’t catch the best man’s attention.

Taehyung looks up and calls out his name again. “Jeonggukie!” He says with more urgency but the moment the first syllable leaves his tongue, the best man, along with the maid of honour linked to his arm, takes his first steps into the church to walk down the aisle.

“Wait!” Taehyung pleads trying to go after him but his mother’s hold on his arm keeps him still.

Jeongguk looks back over his shoulder, locking his unsuspecting eyes with the remorseful ones of the groom.

Jeongguk senses it immediately, heart dropping to his stomach & his expression falls once he spots the page in Taehyung’s hands. He read it. And he can’t reach out to him.

Their hearts are both stunted, their breathing shallow, & their focus is crossed. Jeongguk is pushed forward down the aisle by Miyoung, walking past the families of his best friend on autopilot. And his best friend, the groom, follows behind him staring holes in Jeongguk’s back.

Taehyung walks the aisle paying no mind to his family in the pews who are so eager to watch him get married. Suddenly, his enthusiasm for this wedding to go onward is non-existent and it’s torture to walk behind his best friend like this. Constricted by all these expectations.

The paper is still crumpled in his fist that hangs tensely by his side. The walk down the aisle feels like miles and it takes the shaking of his tight fist to resist the urge to just throw this letter at the back of Jk’s head. Take him back to high school when they passed notes. Take him back to when the only weight on his shoulders were mid-term exams & whether or not the food from the cafeteria was actually edible. Take him back to when he didn’t have to make appointments just to hang out with his best friend. Back to when he didn’t feel so torn apart.

How long has Jeongguk felt this way? For how long in their childhood friendship did Tae remain completely oblivious? How long was he suffering holding onto to these feelings that Tae completely dismissed? How much has his best friend done for him purely out of his love for him? He was right. On that night of their fight. He really had no idea how much Jeongguk had been sacrificing just for Taehyung and Mirae.

How could he ever pay him back? How can he make it up to him? And… why does the answer feel like it should be to cancel the wedding?

Taehyung doesn’t realize it when he makes it to the end of the aisle, standing in front of the alter with his back turned away from the crowd. His mother kisses his cheek before sitting with the rest of his family but he doesn’t reciprocate nor does he react.

Next to him, Jeongguk stands with his hands together and his head bowed, refusing to look at the groom. And what the groom can’t see is the watery eyes the best man tries desperately to blink away.

Behind the groom, he hears the rustling of everyone in the pews standing up.

When Taehyung turns around, everything seemed perfect as the choir begins their harmony and the chapel doors open wide revealing Mirae in their pristine and elegant dress. When his eyes first land on the bride at that moment, everything was set up to be a perfect night to start the rest of their lives together. His heart was supposed to pound in excitement, his eyes were supposed to water with joy & his love should be overflowing from all over.

None of that happens when he sees the bride for the second time this day— when this should’ve been the first.

Yes, his heart pounds but only from realizing that he might have made a terrible mistake. 

Yes, his eyes start to water but only from the knowledge that there is no turning back.

Yes, his love is overflowing but only as he realizes it’s not for the person he’s about to marry.

Mirae steps down the aisle with a heavy heart, gripping their father’s arm who gives her a way. They don’t dare look up, horrified of locking eyes with her friends and family in the pews who are expecting the perfect wedding to unfold in a few minutes and terrified of seeing the man who is promised to be her husband in the next hour looking at them dishonestly with a love that can’t measure up.

Mirae’s steps are shaky as they walk totally blind down the aisle. Blindly into her future with a man she thought she could see it clearly with.

Scared of being in the dark, Mirae finally looks up in search of clarity and what she sees is the groom & the best man standing side by side, letting their hearts unravel into her control. What they see are two men who, would rather be looking at each other, are looking to her.

As she turns their gaze to the maid of honour just on the shoulder of their fiancé, they see it very clearly, the futures they both desire. It’s so clear but the path she walks on makes her blind. She’s lost… can only continue straight bc it’s easy to lose track of left & right.

In a moment that comes far too quickly to either of them, they’re standing in front of each other, face to face at the altar and everyone is watching them.

The look they share, it tears them both to bits and makes them weaker to let each other go no matter how much they wish to.

As the bride and groom feel the fire in their hearts to fight slowly diminish to weak flames, the maid of honour and the best man who watch as their loves get handed over to someone else only grow stronger. But what use is strength on someone with no power to make a change?

As the ceremony, so painfully slow, continued on, the bride and the groom could not take their eyes of each other. And from any other point of view, one would perceive it as irresistible insatiable passionate love.

Only four people in the entire hall knew what it really meant.

It was fear.

Neither of them possessed the courage to face change let alone make it themselves. But there was a larger fear deep inside the both of them. One much stronger and much more difficult to uncover through words. It was the fear of regret.

With that came something slightly stronger. The only thing stronger than fear. Hope. They both saw a glimpse of hope for a future they idealized. Two futures. Where they each live their separate lives with their own lovers… whom are currently not standing with them at the altar.

It’s lucky that their fear of living a resentful life and their hope for living a loving life each can be solved with just one solution. And if it wasn’t the fear that would push them over the edge, it would be the hope that everything would be okay. Because it’s easy to live in fear. At least then you always know what your battle is. But to live in— no… to live 𝘧𝘰𝘳 hope… for a greater unknown that could rush into your life at any second. It’s terrifying and yet, once faithful to it, there’s nothing stopping you from achieving greatness.

Jeongguk stands as the lead of the groomsmen just to the side of the altar. He digs holes into the polished marble church floors with his glossy stare, not daring to let a tear fall. He can handle it, he thought long ago when he agreed to this position, he’ll get over it.

But those are thoughts of the past. A past when he was already hopeless enough. But now it’s real, it’s happening, less than 4 feet away right in front of his eyes the love of his life is being taken from him.

And his mind wanders to the paper Taehyung was holding that had painted an expression Jeongguk has never seen on his best friend before. He doesn’t want to think the familiarity of that page is true. All papers look the same. But a voice in the back of his mind screams that the groom of this wedding just read Jeongguk’s love letter to him.

“Do you, Park Mirae, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Jeongguk hears the officiant say in muffled garble behind his nightmares unfolding.

God, we’re already at this part?? Jeongguk thinks to himself, the urge to break down and get out of here getting stronger.

There’s a beat of silence from the bride, not too long but just slightly long enough that it would only cause alarm between four people in this room. In that beat, all four hoped Mirae would say no. But instead…

“I do,” she answers, cowardice taking over her.

Mirae’s sight falls to the floor as does a single tear that drops loose from their eye. It lands on the top of the groom’s shoe, a new shine on the faux leather that suddenly holds an impressive load of weight that Taehyung must choose to carry on or not.

But what could be heavier than the brunt of your best friend’s broken heart caused by your hands? What could be heavier than losing a love you never had for yourself?

“Do you…” the officiant starts, echoing loudly in Taehyung’s mind, “Kim Taehyung, take this woman…”

The groom’s heart pounds at a speed that rivals the light that leaves Jeongguk’s eyes as the officiant continues, “…to be your… lawfully… wedded…” Taehyung prays he doesn’t finish, “…wife?”

The word bounces all over; the walls, the ceiling, the pews, and on the guests.

It shakes his entire being and suddenly every noise he’s never heard before is ringing louder in his ears than ever before. The taps of feet, the shifting in chairs, the creaking of old windows, to the white noise of the AC. He hears everything so distinctly until…

A sharp inhale of breath through gritted teeth from behind him, directly behind him, pulls him out of his static. He focuses on it, waiting for it again but it doesn’t and then the static slowly trickles back. So he turns toward the needle of a sound that poked him to peace.

And if that head turn alone didn’t already solidify his next move, if the mere seconds of hesitation from saying “I do” didn’t already guarantee what was gonna happen, the sight of Jeongguk’s red glossy eyes hiding under his hair and the purse of his lips holding back a sob did.

When they lock eyes suddenly, Jeongguk feels anger boil in his chest. How dare he? How dare he look at him right now after everything he put him through? What more could he possibly ask of him? He has no fight left in him anymore. Just say “I do” and end it all, he begs silently.

Taehyung turns back to the bride who’s eyes are watering with hope that her mistake could be rewritten if the groom would make the choice that she couldn’t make their self.

He hears whispering from guests already, all their hopes and expectations placed on him.

Taehyung turns back toward his best man again, looking for more signs but when he looks, Jeongguk has turned his back toward him. A cold and unforgiving shoulder that makes the groom shudder.

Finally he turns to the altar and, with a shaky voice, he breathes out, “I can’t…”

A wave of gasps and murmurs overtake the guests, coating the hall layer by layer with the echoes of their confusion until it’s suffocating. Mirae & Taehyung share a look of concern to each other. “I’m sorry,” Taehyung mouths to them.

“Me too,” Mirae mouths back with a sad smile.

Taehyung turns immediately to his best man who shuns him and the rest of the audience with his back. “Jeonggukie?”

At the same time, Mirae feels their heart pound faster and faster as the unknown path of her future slowly unravels to somewhere she cannot see.

“Koo, look at me…” Taehyung pleads, moving to rub Jeongguk’s back gently.

The best man flinches away from the groom’s comfort and throws him a glassy look of offence that seems to say “how dare you?”

Mirae’s breath becomes shallow, her chest feeling hollow. Nothing but the pounding of her heart creating unsettling indentations in their lungs.

“Mirae…?” Miyoung comes up behind them, placing a hand on her shoulder to ground her, “are you okay?”

Nothing about this is okay. There was a plan. A perfect plan for everything after this marriage. Jeongguk was supposed to move on gracefully & live a life on his own & Mirae was supposed to have a perfect little family with Taehyung that their parents would be proud of.

That was the plan set in stone for months & now it’s gone, all those years ahead of them turned to dust. It’s so scary. I’m so scared I’m so scared, over and over in Mirae’s head. They drop the bouquet to the floor and as her mother stands up from the pews to collect her, the bride runs back up the aisle and out the door away from all the prying eyes.

“Mirae!” Her mother calls.

Taehyung tries stepping closer to Jeongguk but the latter steps back, shaking his head. The groom tries to speak until-

“Taehyungah?!” The sound of his own mother’s voice standing up in the pews. “What are you doing?!”

They both look at the woman like a deer in headlights. A mistake on Jeongguk’s part, revealing his teary sob written face to her. “What’s wrong with Jeongguk? What’s going on??” She demands.

Anger sparks in the best man and he too steps off the altar and exits the church.

“Jeongguk!!” Taehyung calls and immediately chases after him.

Miyoung calmly steps off the altar and briefly greets Mirae’s mother. “I’ll go check on her,” she says softly.

As the four are off, the rest of the guests are left in the dark in a church with an empty wedding arch.

Miyoung finds the runaway bride in their dressing room crying their make up off at the vanity. She enters quietly and hesitantly as her eyes immediately lock with Mirae’s in the mirror.

“Mirae…” she breathes out with relief.

Mirae stands up and rushes into her friend’s arms.

She allows the bride to sob into her shoulder until they can breathe steadier. “Mirae… you have to—”

“No!” She interrupts, “don’t make me face them. Please!”

Miyoung pulls Mirae from her chest to face her. “I’m so scared. I have no future…” Mirae whimpers.

Miyoung shakes her head. “That’s not true,” she wipes the bride’s tears from her cheeks, “you’re in control. You have a choice.”

“No!” Mirae pries her friend’s hands off her face, stepping back, “I don’t. I need to make it up to everyone,” she’s manic, breathing fast & shallow.

The other girl stares at them confused. “I don’t understand.”

Mirae lets their silence speak for her. As she cries harder and steps farther away from the woman she loves. Soon Miyoung gets it and it fills her with disappointment and bitterness.

“Oh… I see…” she exhales.

“Please don’t misunderstand,” Mirae begs. “You know I’ll always love you.”

Anger seeps into Miyoung’s disappointment. “You really think that’s enough?” She laughs in disbelief. “Why did I get my hopes up? I should’ve known.”

“Stop it-”

“You don’t understand, Mi,” she bites.

It wasn’t enough for Mirae to love her back to fight for what she deserves. Because this underlying expectation of Mirae to marry a man and the lack of expectation of her to marry a woman, to marry for love and free will, is stronger and, overall, more beneficial.

That expectation just might hurt more than Mirae not loving her back. Because then, her love means nothing. Then, no matter how much their hearts yearn for each other, Mirae is always going to value the privileges they reap from these expectations more than Miyoung’s love.

“I will never be enough for you,” Miyoung realizes out loud.

“That’s not true!” Mirae cries.

“Then why did you say ‘I do’?!” She throws back in her face. “Why did it take Taehyung to say no for this to stop? And even then, why won’t you choose me?!”

“I can’t!”

“Bullshit, Mi!”

“Everything you’re expected to have with that man you can have with me! Is that so hard for you to see?” Miyoung argues as tears well up in her eyes.

Mirae collapses to the floor, curling in on their self to cry in their hands.

“I never expected you to love me back,” Miyoung starts softly, “I always wanted to encourage you to do what you want. So whatever your plan is after this, if it’s not for yourself then I’m not gonna stick by to watch.”

The bride sobs harder and when she looks up, her maid of honour has already walked out of the room.

Taehyung catches up to his best friend quickly, grabbing him by the arm just outside of the church hall and foyer. “Jeongguk, please stop!”

Jeongguk turns with an expression that makes Taehyung’s heart sink. “What do you want from me?” The younger asks rasped and weakly.

The hopelessness in his voice has Taehyung taken aback. He sounds exhausted. “I just…” he takes the note out from his pocket, “I need to know what this is…”

The best man sighs like speaking brings him pain. “Is it not clear enough just by reading it?” He sniffles.

“I just…” Taehyung stumbles over what he wants to say and how to say it, figuring out anyway to make it up to his best friend after all these years. “I don’t know what to think. You loved me the whole time? The whole time?!”

“Yes!” Jeongguk admits, tired of it.

“I loved you the whole. Damn. Time. But it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m getting over you— I was supposed to get over you!!”

Taehyung can feel the way Jeongguk shakes with a whirlwind of emotions and attempts to hold him steady, taking his shoulders in his grasp.

He shakes his head, feeling immense regret overtake him and suddenly his own eyes feel heavy. “No, don’t. I don’t wanna lose you.”

“I was suffering all these years. I can’t go through that anymore,” Jeongguk says, wincing as he suppresses his cries, a lump forming in his throat.

“How is that fair for me?” Taehyung counters, “how could I have known if you didn’t tell me? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“What was the point?!” Jeongguk raises his voice, “you had a girlfriend, you got engaged, you were getting married! It wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

“How do you know I wouldn’t have changed anything?” The elder defends.

“If you’re trying to say you loved me back, that doesn’t make me feel any better…” Jeongguk groans.

The ex-groom raises his shoulders. “I can’t be sure…”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes, sniffing back a sob.

“Then why did you back out of the wedding?” He asks lowly looking to the floor, his voice almost giving out.

Taehyung takes a moment to gather his thought process, taking a deep shaky breath before saying, “because I knew I was losing you somehow. And this letter confirmed it.”

Taehyung steps closer to him, forcing the man to look him in the eyes. “I can’t lose you. I refuse. I’m keeping you even if I have to lose everything else. Don’t get over me… and if that makes me selfish than I’ll gladly be so. Please love me so that I can love you back.”

Jeongguk shuts his eyes, swallowing down the lump in his throat then gazes back into the wide imploring eyes of his best friend. “How do I know you’re gonna love me?” He says with a gravely tone.

“You’ve seen what love looks like on me, haven’t you?”

Taehyung recalls what Jeongguk said from earlier, “it was with you, wasn’t it?”

Jeongguk shakes his head, reluctant to believe Taehyung’s word. “That doesn’t count, I was wrong.”

“I’m sure you weren’t. Do you see it on me right now?” Taehyung asks.

“I do.” The words coming out of his mouth makes him want to laugh. He never thought he would say it like this, to this man, on this day.

“What does that tell you?” The elder asks.

“That you love me?” Jeongguk says softly like he’s scared of the sentence.

“I do.”

~ 2 months later ~

It’s the first time since the failed wedding that Jeongguk is seeing Taehyung’s family again. It’s true that the younger man is utterly and hopelessly in love with the elder and has been for as long as he can remember, waited years for the day Taehyung would say I love you back.

But he’s not a fool.

He made it clear, whatever he and Taehyung have, it still needed to wait.

Because Taehyung hasn’t told his parents anything since the wedding day and, though they know nothing, he still can’t imagine it made Jeongguk look good in their eyes.

Whatever the outcome is tonight, whether his parents hate him and forbid him from seeing Taehyung again, just knowing that the man has loved him back at one point is enough for him.

He doesn’t wanna get his hopes up, but there’s something about being optimistic that makes him feel giddy and warm inside. The thought of him and his best friend finally being together with no worries, a thought he’s only dreamt of for years suddenly having the slightest chance to come to fruition. It makes his cheeks warm and his nose tingly.

It may sound like a fairytale ending but there’s still an underlying sense of guilt within him. He broke up a marriage before it started. Home-wrecked a couple of 6 years. And they can say it’s not his fault all they want, that it was ultimately their decision to make. But the damages it caused between Mirae and Taehyung and both of their families and their comfortable futures together always lingers in the back of his head. Because he was just as prepared for it as they were.

Though, just a few words in Taehyung’s voice that echo in his memory always comforts him. 

“I choose you over everything. That’s MY choice. And I wouldn’t want anything else.”

It lets him know he’s not a beacon for destruction and loss but for change and new beginnings.

Jeongguk puts on his best look, dark checkered dress pants that make his legs more defined and a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, the bottom hem tucked in to the waistline of his belt. It’s funny, he’s known Taehyung’s family since he was a child, had their dinners, went to their parties, lived in their homes, he did all of that as Kim Taehyung’s best friend. But now, the context is different and even having all this history with his family, it’s as if he’s a total stranger again. In some ways he is, because now he’s a person openly in love.

He’s never been openly in love before. He’s not even sure what kind of person he’ll become with all this freedom. Will he be clingy? Jealous? Super laidback? An avid PDA user?

Don’t get too ahead of yourself, he thinks to himself, you’re still not together yet.

As he kept fixing himself up in the mirror, going over any potential conversations in his head and preparing eloquent answers to make a good impression, his phone dings with a text from Taehyung.

Hyungie: I’m here

He reads it, feeling his heart drop and speed up immediately.

Every move he makes before getting in the car feels like it never happened. As if he just blinked into being, suddenly in his bathroom & in a split second in Taehyung’s passenger seat.

When he does take his seat, Taehyung stares in just one second of what could feel like hours.

Jeongguk doesn’t notice, too focused on the perspiration coming from his palms that he wipes dry against his thighs. His legs, defined by dark checkered patterns, shaking up and down with nerves. But all Taehyung sees is a beautifully crafted body sitting right beside him.

“I was a fool…” Taehyung breathes out in awe.

Jeongguk is brought out of his nervous trance, turning his attention to his friend obliviously. “Huh?” He says with wide worried eyes.

The elder sees his anxiety and softens his look, moving closer and placing a stable hand on the younger’s trembling thigh. “You look great,” he says softly with a smile.

Jeongguk turns his head away shyly, the nerves transferring from his thigh to his twiddling thumbs which the elder notices.

“It’s gonna be okay…” he assures, “…no matter what, you’re my first choice.”

Some of the tension leaves Jeongguk’s body, breathing steadier. He still twiddles his thumbs but the mind-numbing anxiety has gone quiet for bit & he finally speaks like normal.

“You promise a lot to someone who’s not yours yet,” he jokes gently.

“Yet?” Taehyung repeats with a teasing lilt in his tone. “So I still have a chance?”

Jeongguk huffs a shy laugh, smiling to one side as if that’ll hide the dust of pink that creeps up his ears.

Soon after, Taehyung starts the car and they drive in thick reflected silence to his parents’ house.

When they pull up to the house, the building itself seems to have its own haze to it, emitting an ominous frequency that rings in Taehyung’s ears. Their sight of the house looked wavy and unsteady and they couldn’t if it was house moving or themselves.

They stood cautiously tense on Taehyung’s parents’ doorstep. Jeongguk wipes his shoes on the doormat in minuscule swipes that Taehyung just finds adorable. Of course, his best friend fidgeting with the sensation of his soles scraping against the rough mat out of anxiety is not exactly ideal to be fawning over, he just can’t help it.

Taehyung takes a deep breath and grabs hold of the brass knocker shaped like a tiger’s head in the centre of the large dark oak door. He knocks it twice then retreats his hand into the warm comfort of his pants pocket.

When the door opens and they see the housekeeper on the other side of door, the tension leaves their bodies briefly, only to creep right back in as the conversation they’ve been dreading to have gets pushed further and further away.

They’re lead deeper into the home, the light from the outside dissipating behind them and only the dim vignettes of the hallway into the living room eats them up. There, Taehyung’s parents sit on one of the sofas patiently awaiting their arrival.

When they enter the room, his parents don’t stand up to greet them with a hug and a kiss like they usually do. They don’t even say hello and it feels wrong for either of the boys to speak up first. It felt wrong for them to make any sort of move first until finally Taehyung’s mother breaks the silence bluntly.

“Sit,” she says, nodding subtly to the other couch across from her and her husband.

The boys do as they’re told and sit directly across from the parents, knees together, hands folded in their laps, and their backs completely upright.

A beat of silence passes as both pairs wait for the other to begin their peace. Taehyung is still just their son and a situation like this reverts him back to his childhood self; too afraid to talk back.

“Well,” his father starts, “do you have anything to say to us?”

“I’m not really sure what you wanna hear from me…” Taehyung admits with a low and small voice. He feels embarrassed to seem like a hopeless grown man who can’t speak up for himself against his parents in front of Jeongguk.

Taehyung’s parents regard the man who sits next to their son then share a look with each other.

“Uhh…” his mother’s voice rasps, “Jeongguk, dear, I love you like a son but I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be here for this conversation.”

Taehyung feels his chest burn and his resentment for his parents is no longer silent. His dormant anger rips through his lungs and he can’t help the tone at which he speaks.

“He has every right to be here!” Taehyung retaliates, his heart picks up and his voice shakes as it tries to catch up to its speed. “Jeongguk is the most important person in my life. He’s here because he needs to be here. And I need him too.”

Taehyung’s mother looks to her husband with concern. His father nods as if giving approval before his mother speaks again. “Fine. He can stay—“

“We weren’t asking permission,” Taehyung interjects.

“Young man!” His father speaks up this time in a tone akin scolding a teenager. “Don’t you talk to your mother that way!”

Taehyung will not have it. “What is this? The 1800s?? Parents aren’t treated like gods anymore. You, my family, will mean absolutely nothing to me the more you continue behaving like this.” He hears his heartbeat in his ears. “Let’s be for real. You don’t want Jeongguk here for this because you don’t want his perception of you and this so-called ‘dream family’ to be ruined. You look down on his upbringing and would do anything to look like gods in front of him.”

“Tae… it’s okay—“ Jeongguk tries to calm him down. 

“No, it’s not.” Taehyung scoffs, “you call him your son then treat him as a secondary human. He’s an incredible man and the most important person in my life. Show some goddamn decency!”

Taehyung’s mother shoots up from her seat in anger. “We did not invite you into our home to throw these repulsive accusations at your own parents! How about YOU show some decency! Walking out on your wedding and leaving everyone in the dark for months?!”

“I don’t owe anyone an explanation!” Taehyung spits.

“So much time and money wasted, Taehyungssi! I mean have you even spoken to poor Mirae since then?” His mother asks sitting back down but closer to her husband this time.

Taehyung’s body tenses as Jeongguk watches him swallow and his composure falters. He lets his silence answer for him because he is truly ashamed for not reaching out to his ex-fiancé.

His father sits perfectly poised and seemingly unaffected by his son’s behaviour, as if he thought nothing less of him from the beginning. “What a prize son I’ve raised…” he starts sarcastically, “…running away from your problems as always.”

“I’m not running away,” Taehyung defends, grabbing Jeongguk’s hand and pulling him closer, “I’ve found who I want, who I’ve always wanted and who I should’ve been with for a long time.”

Taehyung’s mother looks between both boys shocked, bringing her hand to her chest. “Taehyung, you’re not saying that you’re…”

“Does it matter?” He questions, “You’ve known Jeongguk for as long as I can remember. You’ve accepted him as part of this family before.”

His mother scoffs with offence and a mock laugh of disbelief. “Oh please, don’t try to put your political correctness on this and act like this is okay. Jeongguk,” she turns her attention to the boy she claims as her second son, “how dare you?”

“Mom!”

“Enough!” She cuts in, frustrated to be interrupted again and continues, “How DARE you draw my son into infidelity?! Never did I expect you to be a home wrecker! I’m very disappointed in you… and your mother would be too…”

Jeongguk scoffs, tongue in cheek. He prepared himself for all sorts of obscenities to be thrown at him today but nothing is more absurd than this woman genuinely believing she knows his own mother more than him. His face contorts into amusement, nothing about this was offensive to him, as makes a complete joke out of this entire situation. 

For the first time in this meeting, Jeongguk decides to speak up. He sits forward with such venomous intent, Taehyung’s mother slightly cowards backward in her posture. 

“I’ve kept my silence for more than 8 years all for the sake of your son’s quality of life. I’ve kept my silence for him, not for you. So I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t care what you think of my family. Because you mean nothing to me and I mean nothing to you. But if you truly cared about your son, I suggest you put your pride away, shut your bitchy little mouth, and listen to what he has to say before you suddenly mean absolutely nothing to him.”

His mother shakes with intense anger and his father stands. Taehyung watches him step closer with fury in his eyes. “You insolent…” Taehyung sees the man’s hand wind up and it clicks to him what’s about to happen, “little…” His body revs up and in a flash he reflexively springs forward with no hesitation, “PUNK—“

Before his hand could swing at all, Taehyung snatches his father’s wrist and holds him still with all his might as his best friend flinches away in between them.

“Get your hand off me!” His father growls.

“You’re done,” Taehyung hisses, letting go of the man’s arm, ripping himself free with a strong step backward. He’s stunned.

Taehyung turns to Jeongguk, who’s expression is unreadable and so, naturally, that means he’s numb and exhausted. He kneels down so his face is his level. “Let’s go,” he whispers to the younger, caressing his cheek briefly before pulling him to stand up. 

They head for the door without another word to his parents. 

“Where do you think you’re going??!” His mother calls out after them, standing up and marching only up to the threshold where the living room meets the hallway. 

Taehyung doesn’t answer. 

“TAEHYUNG!” His mother calls out again with a crack in her voice. She almost sounds remorseful. “You come back here right now!!” She cracks again, pleading but the aggression doesn’t disappear.

Taehyung opens the front door and ushers Jeongguk out. The younger walks ahead of him to the car as Taehyung pauses by the door. When he turns back, his mother’s eyes light up believing that her son is changing his mind. “Come…” she breathes out weakly.

“Goodbye,” he says. He slams the door behind him, officially leaving his family behind, accepting nothing less than unconditional love and respect.

When he leaves the house, he feels a rush of grief and guilt overcome his body. This life he’s been promised for the entirety of his upbringing all gone in a flash and it scares him how fast and how drastic changes may come. But when he gazes toward the man who had been by his side for it all, the only part of his life that had never changed, he knows that it was worth it for the life he gets to live with Jeon Jeongguk. 

Jeongguk sits in the car passenger seat forcing his tears back down, his throat going sore swallowing the lump of panic lodged inside. As soon as Taehyung sits next to him with his own glossy eyes, every strong piece of him breakdown and he sobs.

“Oh no,” Taehyung mutters over his own teary eyes, leaning over the console to comfort his friend, “Jeongguk, I’m so sorry!” He says with a shaky voice, grabbing Jeongguk’s face in both his hands.

The elder rests their foreheads against each other, letting their tears fall freely on the console between them. They breathe each other’s air in quick huffs and hiccups, surrendering their vulnerability to each other.

“You… *hiccup* shouldn’t be with me…” Jeongguk whimpers, shaking his head.

“No,” Taheyung shakes his head even more as if the harder he shook it, the more convincing he could be. “No, don’t say that.” He lifts Jeongguk’s head and holds his gaze with assurance. “Why? Because of my parents?”

“You deserve a happy life, Tae! A big family! I can’t give you that…” Jeongguk reasons.

“Are you kidding?” Taehyung’s voice softens and so does his eyes. “You already have everything I need. You give me more than you can afford. What more could I ask for? You’re everything I want in my life and I was so stupid thinking I could find that from someone else. From Mirae or my mom or dad or the rest of my family, they can’t do what you do. There’s only you, Jeongguk. You’re my life.”

Jeongguk sniffles, feeling another sob bubble in his chest as his heart warms. “You’re my life too,” he says weakly but sincerely. 

Taehyung rests their foreheads against each other as their breaths eventually fall in sync. The sound fills the car, encapsulating them in their own world of serenity and passion. The ringing in their ears stops and the heaviness in their hearts has lifted. And as their lives finally rest in their own hands, Taehyung takes one long look at his life and kisses him.

~ 3 Years Later ~

Dearest Taehyung,

I guess I should thank you for doing what you did at the wedding as well as congratulate you for being so brave. And please tell Jeonggukssi thank you for checking up on us. I’m holding up fine. Better than the last few years. Mirae continues to quarrel with their family about her future. It’s unclear whether she’s making progress or not. Until then, I’ve decided there’s no space for me in her life. Not until they make the space their self. I’m sure Jeonggukssi knows what I’m talking about.

I’m not hopeless but I’ve accepted my place so far. It’s been a lot easier to move on after that day she said “I do”. It may seem like your situation and ours is very similar and on some levels that’s true, but the reality is that being a woman on this end of the line makes it so much more dangerous for us. Her choice for comfort and safety is as valid as yours is for love. I hope one day I will be on the end of those choices for someone as Jeongguk is for you. Cherish each other and remember the moments you lost together.

Sincerely your friend,

Lee Miyoung

Miyoung’s letter came at a time of wondrous change for Taehyung and Jeongguk. The elder, having just proposed to his best friend not two days before, took Miyoung’s words with a heavy heart. There’s no doubt he’s unbelievably happy with the life he’s chosen, but there’s still a lingering feeling of guilt having put Mirae through all this hardship just for none of it to pay off with the one she loves. And it only makes him cherish everything he has with Jeongguk even more.

The last time he spoke to Mirae was about 3 months after the wedding and the conversation was brief. Mirae’s family had seen the event as a failure of character on her part. They blamed her for Taehyung’s choice. And he can’t even imagine the torment they’d put them through if Mirae pursued their relationship with Miyoung. All he could muster out of his mouth were frantic apologies and sympathetic words but the shame had gotten to her already. They cut the conversation short and never answered any of Taehyung’s follow-up calls the days and months after. Perhaps their family had pressured them to cut Taehyung out of her life, but even so, he doesn’t blame them if it was their choice alone. 

The next time the boys see Miyoung was the day of their wedding. It was a small ceremony, a backyard wedding in the comfort of their newly purchased home in Hawaii’s middle of nowhere with no one but their closest friends and family attending. No more than 20 people, not even 15. But that’s all they needed. None of the theatrics of a church choir at a grand location with hundreds of distant relatives you barely keep in contact with staring at you. Heck, if their friends weren’t so romantically insistent on seeing them get married, they would have done it completely privately.

Mirae’s invite was apparently never received. Though the countless messages Taehyung left to her about the event were accessible, they didn’t show up. He can’t say he’s surprised but disappointed nevertheless.

Taehyung’s family never attended but that was to be expected. He said to Jeongguk, ever the considerate angel he always knew him to be, to not waste anymore time on the lost cause that is his parents. And their absence was nothing but a reminder for Taehyung that they’re gone for good and so was his hope that they’d return to him. But if he had to lose them in a hundred life times just to see his dazzling best friend for the last 15 years under the wedding arch with him, he would.

It was a small wedding but a big day. The biggest day of Jeongguk’s life that he had only ever fantasized about since he was a teenager. He had always imagined this moment like the movies, somewhat, give or take a few hetero qualities to this very gay wedding. As much as he would’ve wanted the grand scheme, extravagant gowns and suits and a decked out banquet hall with a DJ and party lights… the underlying truth is that dream was nothing but a manifestation of the expectations put on Taehyung’s life that he had envied for not being able to meet them. 

Planning this wedding was infinitely easier than the fail of Mirae and Taehyung. And the effort was far more thorough on Taehyung’s part. Watching him get excited about cake flavours and flower arrangements and the wedding arch they’d stand under felt like 10 years ago when they were kids in a toy store. And, as far as Jeongguk’s concerned, Taehyung hadn’t sought any help with his vows this time. He was giddy at the thought, yet nervous, having no clue what the man might say.

The ceremony was simple and intimate. Their backyard was nothing but an open field of grass lined with natural foliage enclosing the property. Simple white chairs in three rows face a view of a mountain peak with an overgrown grapevine wedding arch as the centrepiece of the yard. 

The ceremony began as the sun fell from its pinnacle. When the sun kissed the mountain peak they professed their heartfelt vows. And finally, they promised their most significant “I do” as the sun painted their skin gold. Their first kiss as husbands was the last thing the sun saw before it fell away behind the mountain and dusk overtook their celebration. A collection of warmth and light gathered into the promise of a glowing future for a pair with a colder past.

What once used to be Jeongguk’s little secret is now the sun’s privilege to witness and to show off in its shine. Vows of trust and courage were exchanged as the world around them fell away. There’s no pride without choice and no choice without risk, and, having been through it all, Taehyung couldn’t hold anymore pride for choosing the man he loves to be his husband.

The End ♡