Archive of Our Own ^beta

On the night of his 23rd birthday, Son Dongmyeong swears off love.

His whole life he has been unlucky with men and none of his relationships have ever worked out; either they didn’t click, he was cheated on, they preferred his brother, or they simply couldn’t handle the fact that Dongmyeong loves with his entire being.

Frankly, Dongmyeong is tired.

Love simply isn’t meant to be for him.

***

“Boss wants you to come in right away,” Keonhee tells Dongmyeong over the phone the next morning. He sounds intimidated so Dongmyeong can only imagine how he has faced their boss’ wrath already.

Dongmyeong sighs defeatedly. “She realizes that it’s supposed to be my day off, though, right?”

“She told me to tell you that you don’t have anything better to do anyway. Her words, not mine,” Keonhee says, his voice quieting down toward the end of his sentence.

Dongmyeong rolls his eyes at his inconsiderate boss. Not like she’s wrong, though. Regardless, there is absolutely no need to rub it in.

“I’ll be there in 20,” Dongmyeong finally caves.

He hears a rustling on the other side, followed by a yelp – undoubtedly from Keonhee – and the next moment his boss’ voice: “Make it 10, Son, or it’s your job! Chop-chop!”

Beep.

“Up yours, too,” Dongmyeong murmurs sourly before he ultimately resigns himself to getting ready. Despite his awful boss, he actually quite enjoys his job as an editor of the city’s fourth-biggest fashion magazine, so he’d better hurry.

He makes himself a coffee to go and heads out, checking an e-mail from his team, regarding some of the latest editorial choices made in his absence. He is so focused on the device, brows furrowed and already mentally preparing a speech of disapproval for when he gets to the office, that it comes as no surprise when he runs into somebody. His coffee tumbles to the floor, spilling all over the sidewalk.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you,” the stranger he ran into says. His voice is low and pleasant, but Dongmyeong only spares him a quick glance.

“No worries, it was my fault. Sorry.” He waves off the guy’s offer to buy him a new coffee and hurries along. He vaguely registers the fact that the guy is tall and even kind of cute. On top of that, he also seems rather good-natured with an unwavering charming smile, considering Dongmyeong blatantly walked into him.

Dongmyeong shakes his head and tries to focus back on work. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since he waved goodbye to the idea of men.

And it’s not like he’s ever going to see this one again.

***

“Hey, did you have a good birthday?” Keonhee asks when Dongmyeong walks into his office and unceremoniously shrugs off his coat.

He’s lucky to have his own little space, separate from the big office where his team works. Only Keonhee is allowed to spend time in here in his absence as he’s the only one Dongmyeong actually trusts to keep things relatively in check when he isn’t around.

“Hardly. I was supposed to have a date with this guy I’ve been seeing these past few weeks, but he blew me off. Something about his mom being in the hospital,” Dongmyeong huffs.

Keonhee gives him an incredulous look. “That sounds like a perfectly valid excuse to me.”

“It would have been,” Dongmyeong agrees as he lets himself fall into his chair, “if I hadn’t come across his Insta story an hour later and seen him partying – with someone who looked very cozy in his lap, making out with him.”

Keonhee makes a face. “Oh.”

Dongmyeong nods. “Yeah. So, I’m done with guys once and for all.”

“You don’t mean that,” Keonhee says, but Dongmyeong only shrugs. “I know you. You're a love machine!”

“Yeah, well, Cupid’s arrow has missed one too many times,” he says. Now, I should handle this debacle the team caused before we’re all out of a job tomorrow.”

***

Dongmyeong is lucky he works well under stress, but he’s still more than glad when he finally gets to go home. He still has tons of work to do but now he can do it with a cup of his favorite tea. Or a bottle of white wine. He’s still on the fence about which one he’ll pick.

However, it seems as though the day isn’t quite done surprising him yet. When Dongmyeong gets out of the elevator on his floor, a guy is leaning against the wall opposite his apartment door.

“Um...” Dongmyeong trails off warily.

The guy perks up at the sound of his voice and, to his utmost surprise, Dongmyeong vaguely recognizes the charming smile and the low voice that now greets him with an excited: “Oh, hey, there you are!”

It is the guy from this morning...

Dongmyeong takes a tentative step back. “Care to explain why you’re in front of my apartment? Do we know each other?”

The guy seems undeterred by Dongmyeong’s distrust and continues to smile brightly like they’ve known each other for years. “I was waiting for you. I didn’t want to let myself in, that would have been rude,” he explains casually.

“Let yourself in?” Dongmyeong feels as if he landed in some kind of twisted reality. Is that what happens when you’re overworked?

“Who are you? Do I need to call the police?”

The stranger raises both hands and waves them, finally seeming to realize that Dongmyeong isn’t taking well to his presence. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to harm you! I– realize that I probably look like a stalker right now, but I’m not.”

Very convincing, Dongmyeong thinks sarcastically. “Then who the hell are you?” He goes to unlock his door in case he has to make a quick escape.

“I’m Cupid.”

Dongmyeong turns in his doorway, his brow raised. Of all the things the stranger could have said, this was... nowhere on the list at all, actually. This guy must clearly be ill if he thinks of himself as Cupid of all things. “Yeah right. Wrong address, buddy.”

“My name is Yonghoon,” the guy says, putting that disarming smile back on.

“I thought you were Cupid,” Dongmyeong points out, audibly skeptical.

Yonghoon is once again completely undeterred. “Well, technically I’m a Cupid. There are thousands of us. My name, though, is Yonghoon.”

“Okay, Yonghoon, I’ll bite,” Dongmyeong says, although he’s not sure why. “What exactly is it you want from me? Are you gonna shoot me with a heart-shaped arrow? Because I’m not actually looking for love at the moment.”

Against his expectations, Yonghoon perks up again. This guy seems more like an excitable puppy rather than a stalker – or a “Cupid” for that matter.

“Ah, see, that is why I’m here. You’ve given up on love, although you yearn for it, still. My job is to help you find it.”

At that, Dongmyeong rolls his eyes. “Not interested.”

Before Yonghoon can retort anything, Dongmyeong shuts the door in his face. He’s heard enough. Exhaustion seeps into his body and with a sigh he turns away from the door, ready to forget all about this strange encounter.

“Dear heavens!” Dongmyeong exclaims, jumping nearly three meters into the air when he comes face-to-face with Yonghoon. The very same Yonghoon who was just on the other side of that door.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Yonghoon says, and he’s at least got enough decency to look apologetic. “It’s just that I can’t leave until you’ve found and accepted your true love, your Prince Charming, The One!”

“Alright already, I get it!” Dongmyeong cuts in with a raise of his hand. He can’t believe this. Just as he’s finally ready to move on from the idea of love, fucking Cupid breaks into his home. And with that little teleportation act, Dongmyeong has no choice but to believe Yonghoon’s story.

Which means, he’s now stuck with a being that is trying to help him find the one thing he doesn’t want to find anymore.

“So what? You’re gonna be some kind of magical Tinder or something?”

Yonghoon laughs heartily. “Or something. Don’t worry. Just let me do my work.”

“Whatever. Speaking of work... I’ve got tons of it, so can we please pick this up another time? Love is the last thing on my mind right now.”

“Sure, just don’t put it off for too long,” Yonghoon says cheerfully before he vanishes with a little poof in a cloud of pink smoke.

“Unbelievable...” Dongmyeong murmurs to himself before he sets off to change into something more comfortable. He definitely needs that bottle of wine now. He pours himself a big glass before getting out his laptop and getting to work.

Still, Cupid-Yonghoon won’t leave his mind. How can he just show up? Does this happen to everyone who gives up on love?

Also... are all Cupids this cute?

Dongmyeong huffs at himself for his thoughts, but it’s not like he doesn’t know a cute guy when he sees one.

***

Over the course of the next week, Dongmyeong gets asked out a grand total of twelve times. He turns every single one of them down, seeing as he doesn’t know half of them and isn’t remotely interested in the other half.

The week takes its toll, what with his boss raining down on him harder than ever and he is beyond glad when the weekend comes around and he at least gets to work from home.

A text from Keonhee disrupts him on Sunday morning when he’s comfortably lounging on his couch in sweats, scrolling through his work e-mails.

Keonhee Bun
so, i’m at the office, right?
gotta catch up on some things...
and then The Intern comes up to me
asking for you!!!

Dongmyeong rolls his eyes. He is by no means a stranger to attention, he does get asked out fairly often, but he finds, it has increased steadily since his little run-in with Yonghoon.

Me
Not. Interested.

Keonhee Bun
are you sure?
he’s cute...

Me
you go out with him then
I gotta work

“Is this really all you want to do for the rest of your life?”

Dongmyeong startles at the sound of Yonghoon’s voice, almost sending his laptop flying off his lap.

“Jesus H. Christ, have you ever heard of knocking?” He places a hand over his racing heart as he stares back at Yonghoon incredulously. One might think he’s Dongmyeong’s roommate with how casually he pops in and out of here...

Yonghoon isn’t dressed like Dongmyeong figures a Cupid would be. He’s actually quite glad he’s not running around in diapers and with a bow and arrow. Instead, he’s wearing gray slacks and a dark blue knitted sweater – he even has sweater paws. His chestnut brown hair looks intentionally unkempt.

“Dongmyeong,” Yonghoon says in exasperation, “your life shouldn’t just revolve around work.

“I– What else am I supposed to do? Love doesn’t pay the bills,” Dongmyeong exclaims. “At least not in a way I’m comfortable with...”

Yonghoon takes an uninvited seat on Dongmyeong’s coffee table, right across from him. “But this isn’t what you want.”

“You don’t know me,” Dongmyeong retorts.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Yonghoon says with a little smile. “You’re my charge. Of course, I know you. I know you’re driven, and you’ve worked hard to get where you are at such a young age. But I also know that you love romance, you love to be romanced. You crave passion, and, one day, even a family.”

All of these things are spot-on, of course. Dongmyeong, however, only crosses his arms over his chest, unwilling to give Yonghoon the satisfaction of telling him how right he is.

“Instead of finding these things you’re either working or lounging around at home in sweats, glasses on your nose...” Yonghoon trails off as he gives Dongmyeong a once-over, but he doesn’t even have the chance to feel bad or insecure, because Yonghoon continues: “You’re beautiful...”

Dongmyeong splutters at the sudden compliment. He would hardly call himself beautiful in his highest form of couch-potatoism.

Yonghoon shakes his head once, seemingly snapping out of whatever compelled him to say that. “I’m sorry. But I can’t let you bar yourself from love when that's not even what you want.”

“Well, you’re too late,” Dongmyeong tells him. “I’ve sworn off men.”

“Dongmyeong...” Yonghoon whines.

“Yonghoon...” Dongmyeong says in the same tone, just to be annoying. “Have you ever been in love?”

Yonghoon’s eyes widen as though he’s surprised by the mere suggestion. He blinks owlishly. “No, it’s against the rules.”

“Cupids have rules?”

Yonghoon nods. “Yeah. Don’t shoot love arrows at people, don’t give anyone a love potion without their consent, don’t fall in love with your charges. It’s pretty simple, actually,” Yonghoon recounts.

Dongmyeong sets his laptop aside and sits up straight. “Then how do you know anything about love at all?” Yonghoon seems stunned into silence at that. “I’ve tried, haven’t I? I’ve loved people and all they have done is break my heart over and over again. I’m tired.”

Yonghoon wordlessly waves his hand over Dongmyeong’s face once.

“What–” A pink-ish glow emerges from Dongmyeong, causing him to jump to his feet. “What are you doing?”

Yonghoon gets up too, frowning. “You’ve shielded yourself from it. No wonder nothing I’ve been doing has worked.”

“Shielded myself from what?” Dongmyeong asks, relieved when the weird glow starts to dim and finally fades completely.

“From love, of course. I’d like to know why,” Yonghoon murmurs the last part to himself.

Dongmyeong huffs. Rehashing his messed-up love life isn’t exactly how he imagined spending his Sunday morning, but if it gets curious Cupid off his back...

“By all means... do you want a story time?”

Yonghoon shakes his head and holds out his hands. “If you don’t mind, I’d much rather see for myself.” Dongmyeong furrows his brows. See for himself? How on earth...? He looks at Yonghoon’s outstretched hands. “Trust me?”

Dongmyeong wants to tell him that he hardly knows him enough to trust him. How can he? But his gut tells him that this guy, strange as he may be, means him no harm. So he takes his hands, but he closes his eyes on instinct, unsure of what to expect.

He feels nothing, but when he opens his eyes again, he finds himself in a different location than his living room, though no less familiar.

“This is my old college dorm,” Dongmyeong says disbelievingly. “But how–”

He’s cut off by the door opening and – himself entering?! This version of himself is visibly younger, but it is undoubtedly him. It’s weird to see himself from this perspective, Dongmyeong thinks. His first instinct is to hide, but Yonghoon puts a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, we can’t be seen...”

Dongmyeong thinks he needs to sit down. How the hell did they wind up in the past?

His 19-year-old self slams the door and runs a hand through his blotchy bleached hair. He’s holding back tears.

Dongmyeong realizes he remembers that day. And he also remembers who is about to follow him through that door any second now. And truly, the door opens and in comes someone Dongmyeong hasn’t seen in years.

His first love. His first heartbreak.

“Go away, Giuk...”

Lee Giuk.

Dongmyeong’s heart nearly breaks all over again at the sound of his choked-up, defeated voice.

Giuk steps up to him, his face contorted into something akin to despair. 19-year-old Dongmyeong turns away from him, wiping his thumbs underneath his eyes to catch the escaped tears threatening to run down his cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Dongmyeong,” Giuk says. “It’s not like I wanted this. I love you so much...”

“Just not like that,” young Dongmyeong retorts, his voice sounding thick. “You could have at least told me straight up.”

Dongmyeong lowers his head, unable to watch the scene in front of him any longer. He and Giuk used to be neighbors. They knew each other for years before starting to go out at 17. They went to college together and for a while, Dongmyeong thought that Giuk would stay by his side forever.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you,” Giuk says, and now that he hears the words four years later, he believes them.

“Then you shouldn’t have led me on,” his young equivalent says. “Please go.”

“Dongmyeong... I don’t want to lose you.”

“Giuk, please!”

Giuk’s shoulders sag but he turns and leaves the room, not without a last pained glance at Dongmyeong hunched over himself, crying into his palms.

“I see...” Yonghoon murmurs, alerting Dongmyeong to his presence again. He momentarily forgot about him. “He fell out of love and failed to tell you?”

Dongmyeong nods. “I overheard him asking a friend for advice on how to break it to me gently. He wanted to be friends afterwards, but it hurt too much.”

“Do you miss him?”

Dongmyeong looks at the door Giuk disappeared through. Their best efforts weren’t enough to help them remain friends and he can’t deny that he’s spent a few sleepless nights wondering what his life would look like with Giuk still in it.

“He was my best friend...” is all he says. It seems to be enough for Yonghoon who wordlessly holds out his hands again. Dongmyeong throws one last glance at his crying younger self before taking them.

He half expects to be taken back to his apartment, but he’s mistaken. Instead, he and Yonghoon are outside an apartment door labeled 5A. Yonghoon looks momentarily confused before his gaze lands on something over Dongmyeong’s shoulder.

Dongmyeong turns and sees another version of himself coming down the hallway. In contrast to his 19-year-old self, this Dongmyeong was smiling. He had a better hairstyle too, copper instead of blotchy blonde.

“Oh...” Dongmyeong realizes, watching himself pass and head for the door to apartment 5A. His younger self nearly bounces with excitement. He fixes his denim jacket and unlocks the door.

Dongmyeong exchanges a short glance with Yonghoon before they follow him inside.

It’s quiet in the apartment and young Dongmyeong looks around, his smile not yet wavering. He doesn’t call out for his boyfriend so as to not ruin the surprise. Finally, after checking every room in the apartment and finding each of them empty, he heads for the bedroom.

Dongmyeong braces himself for what’s about to happen. He’s not sure he wants to see this again...

His younger self opens the bedroom door to dimmed lights and two people in a more than compromising position. He gasps, effectively getting their attention.

Dongmyeong vividly remembers the feeling of seeing his boyfriend tied to his bed with a leather-clad man sitting on top of him, whispering dirty things to him.

“Dongmyeong!” His boyfriend exclaims. “What are you– Why are you here early?”

Young Dongmyeong’s eyes fill with tears, and he covers his mouth with a trembling hand. “I was coming to surprise you... has... has this been going on?”

“You’re too vanilla for him, darling...” the stranger throws in.

Dongmyeong turns away from the scene. He doesn’t need this again. “Can we go, please?”

Yonghoon nods, clearly stunned. He’s the one grabbing Dongmyeong’s outstretched hands this time.

When Dongmyeong looks around this time, there’s no second-guessing where and when they are. He’s 21, nearing 22, at the airport entangled in an embrace with a man both taller and broader than him. Even though he can’t see his face in this position, Dongmyeong knows exactly who he is.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” younger Dongmyeong murmurs into the fabric of the other man’s plain white shirt. He has a guitar case strapped to his back, his blue hair standing out in the crowd.

Dongmyeong sighs wistfully as he takes in the scene.

“A good one?” Yonghoon asks with a knowing smile.

“The best...” Dongmyeong agrees.

Kang Hyungu. The gentlest of souls, the biggest romantic hiding behind a mask of dorkiness and sarcasm. Nothing has ever quite touched Dongmyeong’s heart like the soft strumming of Hyungu’s guitar in the early hours of the morning.

But alas, Hyungu was destined for more. Dongmyeong watches his past self clinging to him, convinced he won’t ever find someone like him again.

“Don’t cry, Myeongie,” Hyungu tells him with a sad chuckle, pulling back to wipe young Dongmyeong’s tears with his thumbs. “I’ll stay...”

21-year-old Dongmyeong immediately shakes his head. “This is your dream. I would never forgive myself if you didn’t pursue it because of me.”

Hyungu smiles and kisses his forehead. “Why did I know you would say that?”

“Because you know I love you...” younger Dongmyeong replies, his smile sad. “Don’t forget me when you’re famous, yeah?”

“I’ll never forget you, Myeongie. I love you.”

Dongmyeong feels like crying suddenly. He knows full well that it never would have worked out between them in the long run. It was the right decision to let Hyungu go, to let him thrive. But he wonders if by doing that, he messed up his only shot at love.

“He’s as close to true love as I’ll ever get,” Dongmyeong voices his thoughts.

“I don’t believe that. Though he is cute, I gotta say,” Yonghoon retorts. Dongmyeong doesn’t stifle his laughter, though his eyes shine with tears.

The last boarding announcement rings through the airport.

“Seems like this is it, huh,” Hyungu says in an attempt to be light-hearted but no matter how much he tries to hide it or play it off, his emotions are always clearly visible on his face.

“Goodbye, Myeongie.” Hyungu cups younger Dongmyeong’s tear-streaked cheeks and kisses him. From an outside perspective the scene looks like something out of a movie.

Though, of course, Dongmyeong knows all too well that there won’t be a happily ever after for this couple.

Hyungu pulls back and gently caresses young Dongmyeong’s cheek with that fond smile he only reserves for him. Then he turns and heads toward a brighter, more promising future.

And Dongmyeong remains alone.

“Have you seen enough?” Dongmyeong asks Yonghoon who gives him a warm smile.

“Sure,” he says and this time when Dongmyeong takes his hands, he’s glad to finally be back in his living room.

“Those weren’t all of them, just so you know. There were two more cheaters, someone who dated me to get to my brother, and the sorry-ass excuse of a man who stood me up on my birthday to – surprise, surprise – cheat. Just to name a few highlights.”

Yonghoon hums in thought. “I see how all of this would raise a blockade.”

Dongmyeong plops down onto his couch. “Are you ready to give up now?”

“Of course not,” Yonghoon says vigorously. This time he sits down next to Dongmyeong. “None of those guys were The One. Not even Hyungu.”

Dongmyeong deflates. Can nothing throw this guy off?

“Here let me show you something.”

“More breakups? Because I’m done...” Dongmyeong protests. It was weird, seeing them all again. He was under the impression that he was over it, but it hurt more than he ever would have expected. He can't decide, however, if Giuk or Hyungu hurt worse.

Yonghoon smiles and shakes his head. “Don’t worry. No breakups.” He pulls out a pendant from under his knitted sweater. It’s a pink crystal in a heart shape.

“What’s that?”

“A rose quartz. It’s a symbol for love and compassion. Every Cupid wears one. Take my hand.” Dongmyeong hesitates for a second but ultimately does as Yonghoon asks. Luckily, this time, they remain right where they are on the couch. “I want you to think back to the times you knew you were in love. The spark you felt when you met their eyes.”

Dongmyeong’s mind takes him to a day years ago when he and Giuk went to the amusement park. He remembers an excited Giuk running toward him with cotton candy in both hands, a wide, gleeful smile on his face.

Then he thinks back to the first morning he woke up next to Hyungu. The way he felt being wrapped up beneath the sheets in his tender embrace. He remembers feeling as though he was on top of the world.

And he finds he misses that feeling.

He drops Yonghoon’s hand and sighs. “All of this would be really nice to have again, Yonghoon. But it’s not in the cards for me and that is hardly my fault.”

“If it weren’t in the cards for you, I wouldn’t be here,” Yonghoon says, and he sounds so confident, wearing that charming smile, that Dongmyeong is almost inclined to believe him. “Let me help you.”

“Can you really only leave once you’ve succeeded?” Dongmyeong asks defeatedly. Yonghoon nods, still smiling. Dongmyeong heaves another sigh and sinks into the backrest of the couch. “Well, then you better make yourself at home because you’re in for a long ride.”

***

Dongmyeong almost falls out of his desk chair when he looks up from his computer screen to find Yonghoon standing in the middle of his office.

“You have got to stop doing that! You’re gonna give me a heart attack,” Dongmyeong exclaims, frantically looking through the window separating his office from the team’s main office.

“Sorry. I got you a date!” Yonghoon says enthusiastically.

Dongmyeong sighs. “Okay look, I know I said I’d let you help me, but I wasn’t lying when I said I was busy.”

Yonghoon pouts and sits on the edge of Dongmyeong’s desk. “But he’s cute...”

“I’m sure he is, but...” Dongmyeong trails off, his voice quieting down when he catches Yonghoon’s puppy-like expression. “Alright, fine.”

Yonghoon cheers. “Fantastic. Tonight, 8 o’clock. And bring your dancing shoes.”

“Dancing? Are we going to a club?” Dongmyeong asks perplexed. A club doesn’t seem like the best place to find true love.

“No. It’s a bit more old-fashioned and classy than that. I found this really nice restaurant and it has this gorgeous dance floor in the middle of the room,” Yonghoon clarifies. From how excited he sounds, it could almost seem like he is the one going on a date. Dongmyeong is almost sorry to dim his excitement, but there is one little flaw in the plan.

“I don’t really dance...”

Yonghoon gapes at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I don’t dance,” Dongmyeong repeats. Aside from uselessly swaying from side to side at parties or concerts, Dongmyeong has never been much of a dancer.

Yonghoon looks at him like he has just said the most outrageous, unfathomable thing imaginable. “Get up, I’ll show you.”

“What?! We’re at my workplace!” Dongmyeong protests, spluttering as Yonghoon hops off his desk, rounds it, and promptly pulls Dongmyeong to his feet. He stops in the center of the office, looking down at Dongmyeong with a giddy smile.

Dongmyeong chuckles faintly, resigning himself to his fate. “We don’t even have any music.”

Yonghoon’s smile widens. “We don’t need music. Just follow my lead.” His hand hovers over Dongmyeong’s waist for a moment. “May I?”

“Um, sure...” Dongmyeong says, hoping he won’t blush. Yonghoon’s large hand comes to a rest on Dongmyeong’s waist, its warmth sending a pleasant shiver up his spine.

“Okay, ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Dongmyeong says, though he’s suddenly feeling a little nervous. The last thing he wants is to step on Cupid’s toes.

“And... one, two, three...” They set into motion with Yonghoon’s counting. Dongmyeong lets himself be led, feeling as if he’s floating on a cloud. Yonghoon’s counting soon ceases and they’re just moving now like they were born to do it. Dongmyeong isn’t even thinking about his steps.

“You’re really good at this,” Dongmyeong points out.

Yonghoon grins at him. “Basic Cupid education. You’re a natural, though...”

“Pfft, hardly. It’s only a matter of time until I trip over myself,” Dongmyeong waves off, but Yonghoon shakes his head.

“Give yourself a little more credit,” he says gently. “You’re pretty amazing, Dongmyeong. At everything you do.”

Dongmyeong is definitely blushing now. “Except finding love, of course.”

“That’s what you’ve got me for, isn’t it?” Yonghoon says, laughing. Dongmyeong looks up at him again. Yonghoon’s gaze is fond, his eyes sparkle with emotion, looking as though they hold the universe within.

It’s a shame Yonghoon is not allowed to date. Someone as handsome as him would probably have no trouble at all finding anyone. Maybe Dongmyeong would even consider–

The door to his office opens, shattering the moment.

Keonhee walks in, cutting himself off mid-sentence when he takes in the scene. “Um, bad time?”

“Not at all,” Dongmyeong says, taking a step back to get some distance between Yonghoon and himself. “What’s up?”

Keonhee is still gaping, looking back and forth between the two of them. “You know what, I’ll just come back later! Continue!”

“Keon–” But Keonhee doesn’t wait around and shuts the door on his way out. When Dongmyeong looks at Yonghoon again he finds him grinning. “What?”

“Nothing. So... about that date...” Yonghoon trails off.

“Date? What da– oh, yeah! Sure, tonight, 8 o’clock, right?”

Yonghoon nods enthusiastically. “Dancing shoes, okay?”

Dongmyeong smiles and motions for Yonghoon to go. Then poof, Yonghoon disappears in a cloud of pink.

Keonhee comes back 20 minutes later, knocking this time.

“You can come in, I’m alone,” Dongmyeong says, waving him inside.

Keonhee looks around as if he expects Yonghoon to be hiding behind the door. “Who was that guy earlier?”

Dongmyeong flushes. “Just... a friend.”

“Mhm,” Keonhee looks skeptical. “He was kinda cute, that friend of yours.”

“What exactly did you want to talk to me about?” Dongmyeong deflects; he can’t deny, however, that he’s silently agreeing with Keonhee.

“Oh right... I need you to have a look at this file...”

Dongmyeong shifts his brain back into work mode, banishing Yonghoon’s smile to the far back of his mind.

***

The restaurant is fuller than Dongmyeong expected. His date, a guy named Minhee, leads him over to a table and promptly orders wine.

“I’d rather not drink tonight,” Dongmyeong cuts in. He’s learned the hard way that drinking on a first date can go very wrong, so he prefers to play it safe. “Can I get a water instead, please?”

The waiter jots it down and hurries off. When Minhee smiles at Dongmyeong, it seems a little pressed. “So...”

“So...” Dongmyeong repeats. “This is a nice place, right?”

Minhee looks around. “It’s alright.”

Dongmyeong exhales and resigns himself to waiting for their drinks.

They quickly run out of things to talk about, which makes dinner a quiet affair. Dongmyeong eyes the dance floor a few times, wishing Yonghoon was here with a lighthearted quip or a pep talk. Or maybe even for a dance.

“Should we get the bill?” Minhee questions almost as soon as they're both done eating, surprising Dongmyeong.

“I thought we could dance for a bit first,” he says, causing Minhee to throw a glance at the dance floor and laugh disbelievingly.

“Not really feeling it. Sorry.”

Dongmyeong can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. He’s not exactly confident in his dancing but after Yonghoon made such an effort to show him, he has mentally prepared himself for it, almost looked forward to it even.

“Alright, then,” he concedes.

Minhee pays the bill and takes him home. When they reach his building, Minhee turns to him with a hesitant expression and Dongmyeong knows what’s coming before he even opens his mouth.

“I don’t think this is gonna go anywhere.” Ah, jackpot. “I just feel like your heart isn’t in it.”

Right back at you, asshole.

“I think you’re right. Thanks for tonight anyway,” Dongmyeong retorts, simply because he has manners, as he gets out of the car. “Drive safe.”

He heads inside and when he unlocks his door, he doesn’t even startle at the sight of Yonghoon lounging on his couch, watching a random cooking show.

“Hey, how’d it go?”

“Swimmingly,” Dongmyeong says sarcastically. “He was a total bore. I’m glad it’s over.”

Yonghoon pouts at his words. “Sorry. I’ll do better next time.”

“Oh, please...”

“No, really. I actually have somebody in mind already!” Yonghoon tells him. “I’ll set it up. Don’t give up just yet, Dongmyeong. For the quest of true love may be long but fruitful!”

Dongmyeong chuckles at his everlasting enthusiasm. “Not to mention excruciating.”

Yonghoon laughs and scoots over on the couch. “How about a movie to lift your spirits? A nice rom-com?”

“Only if I get to pick it,” Dongmyeong says, letting himself fall onto the couch next to Yonghoon.

***

“I can’t believe Cupid cries at rom-coms,” Dongmyeong chuckles, throwing a piece of popcorn at Yonghoon.

“Excuse me, I am the epitome of romance. Of course, I cry at rom-coms,” Yonghoon defends himself. His eyes still shine with tears. It’s kind of cute, actually. “Are you feeling better at least?”

Dongmyeong smiles. “Much. Thanks for the company.”

Yonghoon gives him another one of these fond looks. “Any time. This is fun. I never get to just hang out with my charges. Now I know why my friend Harin does it all the time.”

“Colleague of yours?”

Yonghoon nods. “Yeah, he’s one of the best. He shows himself to his charges more often, likes to really work with them, you know. I don’t usually do it like this, but this time I thought I’d try it out.”

Dongmyeong sits up straight, sets the popcorn bowl aside, and rests one arm on the headrest of the couch, turning to face Yonghoon.

“Really? What does your job usually look like?”

“Oftentimes I just give my charges a little nudge and they do the rest. Most times I don’t even have to reveal myself to them,” Yonghoon explains.

“Wow, I’m a real lost cause then, huh,” Dongmyeong jokes.

Yonghoon shakes his head with a smile and takes his hand on the headrest. “You just need more time. And that’s perfectly fine. Your true love is one lucky guy.”

Dongmyeong huffs to hide how much these words fluster him. “You really know just what to say, huh...”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it. For you to give up on love would be a travesty.”

Dongmyeong looks at him again, stunned by the sincerity of his tone.

Maybe it’s the way Yonghoon keeps talking about love, maybe it’s his tender eyes or the gentle touch of his hand, but Dongmyeong finds himself wondering where this guy has been all his life.

Not that he could have him...

Not that he should even want him...

“I should go to bed,” Dongmyeong says, reluctantly pulling away his hand before his mind throws itself into even more of a spiral. “It’s getting pretty late.”

“Oh sure,” Yonghoon says. “I’ll get back on Bachelor no. 2 first thing tomorrow morning.”

Dongmyeong wishes he wouldn’t, but he doesn’t say it. Yonghoon seems to be having fun doing his job.

“Good night, Dongmyeong.” He vanishes, shrouded in pink once more.

“Good night...”

***

When Yonghoon spoke about having somebody in mind for Dongmyeong, he didn’t expect it to be somebody from work.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Dongmyeong exclaims when Yonghoon suggests none other than The Intern. Hyunsik, Dongmyeong believes his name is.

“What?” Yonghoon asks. “He’s interested in you, he understands your work and he’s a great romantic!”

Dongmyeong raises a brow at the last part. “One time I asked him what he thought of the magazine’s latest cover and all he had to say was that I picked a hot model. I don’t even pick the models...”

“He was probably just flustered to talk to you,” Yonghoon waves off.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea...”

“Come on. Give him a chance, at least. You’ll never succeed if you don’t take risks. Be brave,” Yonghoon tries to encourage him.

Dongmyeong is getting increasingly worse at saying no to Yonghoon’s pleading eyes, he realizes. “Fine...”

“Romance prevails again!” Yonghoon cheers.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Dongmyeong says dismissively. “He has to turn out to be The One first.”

Yonghoon grins at him. “Baby steps!”

***

Apparently, Hyunsik’s Cupid works just as hard as Dongmyeong’s does because that same afternoon, Hyunsik intercepts him just as he’s about to head home.

“Dongmyeong? Do you have a minute?” He looks shy, timid almost. His ears are bright red and he can barely hold eye-contact with Dongmyeong.

“Sure, what’s up?” Dongmyeong asks.

Hyunsik fidgets nervously. “Do you maybe want to get coffee with me?”

Dongmyeong’s brows shoot upward. He didn’t expect Hyunsik to be so forward given his shy approach. “Right now?”

“Unless you’re busy...”

“No, um... let’s go,” Dongmyeong says and Hyunsik perks up, a smile taking over his face. They get on the elevator together and head to the café across the street. Hyunsik orders an Iced Americano while Dongmyeong opts for a vanilla latte.

“You know, I really admire you,” Hyunsik says when they sit down by the windows after receiving their orders.

Dongmyeong isn’t one to turn down a compliment. “Thanks.”

Hyunsik smiles at him. “Really, you’re only a year older than me and you’ve made it this far. I’ve spent weeks trying to figure out a way to approach you.”

“What made you finally do it?” Dongmyeong questions.

“I figured someone as gorgeous and desired as you wouldn’t stay single forever.” Dongmyeong stifles a chuckle. If only this guy knew how close to the truth he actually is with that. “You’re so glamorous, the way you carry yourself. Your work reflects that too, actually. And it’s always the highlight of my day to see you, even when you’re just passing by the printing room. You have a way to light up the room, you know.”

Wow, Dongmyeong thinks. He didn’t think the guy liked him that much. It’s nice though, he finds, to be desired like that. It’s been a while since he’s heard such nice words from anybody.

“So, I decided to embark on the quest of true love in hopes you would give me a chance.”

Dongmyeong’s pleasant thoughts skid to a halt. “Sorry, what did you just say?”

Hyunsik flushes, his eyes flitting around nervously. “I’ve said too much, haven’t I? Sorry, I didn’t mean to lay it on so thick. This,” he gestures between them, “can be totally casual too! Like, you’re hot. So... whatever you want.”

Dongmyeong touches his own forehead. “Dear heavens...” He gets up, ignoring Hyunsik’s confused question of where he’s going.

Dongmyeong walks out, coffee in hand, and doesn’t look back.

***

“Yonghoon?” Dongmyeong calls as soon as his apartment door falls shut.

A poof of pink smoke and Yonghoon is standing in front of him, smiling expectantly. “How was your date?”

Dongmyeong rolls his eyes. “Disastrous. He tried romance and then reverted right back to hot.”

Yonghoon makes a face.

“Be honest...” Dongmyeong starts. “You fed him those words, right? All that stuff about how he sees me and the thing with the quest for true love?”

Yonghoon doesn’t deny it which Dongmyeong appreciates immensely. “Are you angry?”

And how could he be angry? Especially when Yonghoon looks at him like a kicked puppy.

“No,” Dongmyeong says finally. “But please, no workplace romance.”

Yonghoon perks up immediately, seemingly glad about having escaped Dongmyeong’s wrath. “I promise!”

“Good. Now, you get to redeem yourself with another movie night. And takeout,” Dongmyeong says. He doesn’t ask how he even came up with all these nice things he had Hyunsik say to him. He’s a little scared of the answer, to be honest.

Yonghoon grins at his faux-sternness. “Whatever it takes.”

***

Unfortunately, things don’t seem to shift in Dongmyeong’s love life despite the help of a literal Cupid. Yonghoon keeps trying to set Dongmyeong up only for him to end up coming home disappointed.

He’s trying, really. It’s just that he finds himself thinking about Yonghoon on every single date. Frankly, he’s spent so much time with him that he almost misses him when he doesn’t show himself for a whole day.

It seems like his heart truly isn’t in this, because a part of him dreads the possibility of finding someone. Not because he’s still scared of love and heartbreak, but because he knows that once he finds The One, Yonghoon will have done his job and move on. And Dongmyeong will never see him again.

He has gotten so used to Yonghoon being there for him, encouraging him, telling him how special and beautiful he is – even if it was through the mouth of someone else once.

In reality, it’s Yonghoon who is beautiful. He is love personified and Dongmyeong realizes that he’s doomed one sleepless night.

He really went and fell for the one man he can never have. It’s the only reason, he figures, why he keeps up with Yonghoon’s tireless attempts to set him up; to keep him by his side.

What happens when Dongmyeong tells him? Will he leave? Is there a way to bend the rules? Does Yonghoon even want to bend the rules?

Dongmyeong sighs. Love, as he’s been saying from the start, just isn’t in the cards for him.

***

Dongmyeong doesn’t know how long he can keep doing this.

He really tries this time, but he knows that it’s fruitless. The guy he’s out with tonight is a perfect gentleman, he listens to Dongmyeong – not that he talks a lot – and he even shares his dessert with him.

Still, he isn’t Yonghoon, so it’s unfair more than anything, of Dongmyeong to string him along.

It’s as though Yonghoon felt that the date wasn’t going well, because he’s waiting for Dongmyeong right outside the restaurant, offering to walk him home.

Dongmyeong is quiet on the way back, his arm looped through Yonghoon’s, enjoying their proximity. How long is this going to go on? Will he just go on dates forever to keep up this charade? Or will Yonghoon realize why none of his attempts are working one day? Will he get mad?

“I need to stop...” Dongmyeong says when they’re in the elevator of his apartment building. Yonghoon looks at him, alarmed. “There has to be some other way for you to be able to move on, but I can’t do this anymore...”

“Dongmyeong, come on... I’m sorry,” Yonghoon says, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Why are you apologizing?”

Yonghoon lowers his head. “I don’t know. I guess, I haven’t been putting my best effort into finding The One for you,” he admits. “I’m a lousy Cupid, actually.”

Dongmyeong shakes his head. “You’re doing great. I’m just... not into any of them.”

“You can’t give up,” Yonghoon says determinedly. “We’ll get there just...”

Dongmyeong waves off as he unlocks the door to let Yonghoon in first. He shuts it behind himself, bracing himself to tell Yonghoon the truth, and when he turns to face him again, he’s presented with a single red rose.

“Don’t give up?” Yonghoon pleads, holding the rose out to him.

Dongmyeong takes it, his eyes welling up with tears. Yonghoon looks alarmed, like he's about to apologize again.

“Oh, Cupid, what have you done? No wonder I’ve fallen for you, instead.”

Dongmyeong can’t even be mortified at the blatant confession. This was not how he planned to tell Yonghoon, but now it’s out.

“Y– you did?” Yonghoon asks, his eyes wide as saucers.

Dongmyeong lowers his gaze, sniffling. “I’m sorry. I know this goes against your code or whatever. But I can’t help it and that’s why I haven’t been able to muster the energy to even pretend to be into any of those guys... I wasted your time and it just sucks because I know it can never work–”

“Dongmyeong,” Yonghoon cuts in, his voice gentle as always. He comes up to Dongmyeong and cradles his face in his hands. “The reason most of these guys weren’t it is because I fell for you too.”

Dongmyeong can’t believe his ears. He tries to blink away his tears, to no avail. “So... this whole time...?”

“Not the whole time, just... I started slacking off after our first movie night,” Yonghoon admits, a blush dusting his cheeks. “I never thought you would actually...”

“I do, though,” Dongmyeong says before he stands up on his tip toes and presses his lips to Yonghoon’s.

No kiss has ever felt as right as this one. He remembers what Yonghoon said about the “spark.” This must be it, the moment he knows for sure that he loves Yonghoon.

Yonghoon gets over his initial surprise and puts his hands on Dongmyeong’s waist, deepening the kiss. He finds he missed having them there ever since he showed him how to dance.

One kiss turns into two, two into three and soon there are frantic hands pulling off clothes and eager lips exploring endless planes of skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” Yonghoon tells Dongmyeong in the dimness of his bedroom.

Dongmyeong feels warm all over at the words. It’s not the first time Yonghoon has said them to him, but it’s the first time in this context, with them tangled up together, aware how they feel about each other.

“That’s coming from you... you’re literally the embodiment of love. Tell me about beautiful.”

Yonghoon laughs quietly and kisses him again, his hands tracing Dongmyeong’s bare sides and ultimately ending up where he needs them most.

***

Against his expectations, Yonghoon wakes up, not in as he thought in Dongmyeong’s bed, but at home – if he can even call Cupid’s Central that.

It’s more of an office, not unlike Dongmyeong’s but held in soft pastel pink. Cupid statues are to be found in every corner and there’s a bustling of busy Cupids to be heard out in the hall.

“Yonghoon...”

He gulps. His bosses sit in front of him at one long desk, their expressions grim.

“I know what you’re going to say–” Yonghoon starts but he is cut off by the raise of his bosses’ hands.

“You broke the most important rule of them all,” they said. “Falling in love with your charge. Giving in to... temptation.”

Yonghoon lowers his gaze. “But he loves me too.”

“That does not matter. A Cupid and a mortal cannot and shall not be! You’re being commanded back to the central. Effective immediately.”

Yonghoon’s eyes widen at their words and he stares back at them, pleading. “Please, don’t do this. I know that I’m his true love, I felt it. And I love him. Please–”

“Yonghoon,” his bosses interrupt. “You shall have your goodbyes. But the two of you have no future, so there is no use in unnecessarily dragging this out.”

Yonghoon wants to protest, wants to tell them to shove their rules where the sun doesn’t shine, but he should be so lucky as to ever even get another charge again. Pissing off his bosses will not only cost him Dongmyeong, but also grant him eternal paperwork.

“Very well. 10 minutes should suffice.” His bosses say and send him away.

***

Dongmyeong doesn’t quite know what to think when he wakes up and finds Yonghoon gone.

He also doesn’t know what to think when he poofs in a few minutes later, looking stricken. He tries to give Dongmyeong a smile, but something isn’t right. It’s nowhere near as vibrant as it usually is.

Dongmyeong sits up. “Are you alright?”

Yonghoon lowers his head. “I was just with my bosses...”

Dread settles in Dongmyeong’s stomach. That doesn’t sound good at all. “What did they say?”

“I’m afraid I can’t stay here with you, love...”

Alarmed, Dongmyeong scrambles out of bed. He takes Yonghoon’s hands in his. “Why not? Is it about what I said last night?”

“I said it too, didn’t I?” Yonghoon’s smile is pained, and Dongmyeong hates the sight of it. He can’t believe this is happening again. “Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that it’s against the rules, Dongmyeong...”

“So what?!” Dongmyeong exclaims, mortified to find his eyes spilling over with tears. “You tell me I have to believe in love again, to find The One, and then it turns out to be you – the one person, cupid, angel, whatever I can’t have – and now? You’re just gonna leave?”

Yonghoon sniffles, not looking at Dongmyeong. “I wish it were different. But I didn’t know it would turn out like this. I didn’t expect to fall in love with you...”

Dongmyeong lets out a sob and buries his face in Yonghoon’s chest. “This sucks.”

Yonghoon runs his gentle fingers through Dongmyeong’s hair. “I know, my love. Whoever said that ‘it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all,’ has clearly never felt like this...”

Dongmyeong wraps his arms around Yonghoon’s waist. It’s so unfair. He finally thought things were looking up for him, he finally knows for sure that Yonghoon is what he has been looking for. And now it’s about to be ripped away from him because of a stupid, twisted rule that forbids a Cupid from falling in love?

“Don’t go...”

He hears Yonghoon attempting to hold back a sniffle and his heart breaks once again. “I’m sorry. I have to... but I promise you, I’ll never forget you. I’ll never forget what you’ve given me. I finally got to experience love rather than just watching it happen from the sidelines. Even if it was only for such a short time...”

He pulls out of the hug and caresses Dongmyeong’s cheek. “I love you, Dongmyeong.”

“I love you too...” Dongmyeong cries.

Yonghoon reaches for own neck and pulls the necklace with the rose quartz pendant over his head. Dongmyeong can’t even ask what he’s doing before he finds the pendant dangling from his own neck. Yonghoon leans in to kiss his forehead.

“Don’t give up on love, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise...” Dongmyeong says, although he isn’t sure about how he’s going to fulfil said promise when the man he loves is about to be taken away from him.

Yonghoon cups his cheeks again and leans down to kiss him once more. Their lips taste like tears, but Dongmyeong doesn’t care. He holds Yonghoon like it’ll be enough to keep him by his side.

It doesn’t help, because the next moment Yonghoon vanishes in the familiar poof of pink smoke.

Dongmyeong sinks to the floor, sobbing as his heart shatters into a million pieces. He closes his fist around the crystal heart around his neck, hoping it’s going to bring Yonghoon back by some miracle.

It doesn’t.

Love is not in the cards for him yet, after all.

***

“For heaven’s sake Yonghoon, this is the third time you’ve messed up this file!”

“Sorry, ma’am, I’ll redo it right away,” Yonghoon says monotonously, not even looking at his superior when she hands him the charge’s file with a sour expression. It has been three days since he was sent back to Cupid Central, and he couldn’t be more miserable.

Dongmyeong will be assigned a new Cupid in a few weeks; Harin, ironically, Yonghoon’s old friend. Yonghoon doesn’t know what he would do if Harin came back here, proudly declaring his assignment complete.

Would Dongmyeong really fall for someone else?

“Yonghoon!” His superior snaps at him, effectively ripping him out of his thoughts. He doesn’t seem to have moved from the spot since she handed him the file.

“Sorry, ma’am!”

She rolls her eyes. “Just go back to your room, you’re doing more harm than good today.”

Yonghoon bites his lip, guilt washing over him. “Sorry, ma’am, I’ll do a better job.”

“Tomorrow. I can’t have you messing up any more of my paperwork! Get your head out of the clouds!”

That’s what he wants, Yonghoon thinks, but his bosses won’t let him. He misses Dongmyeong so much, especially with how things were going right up until their interference. “Yes, ma’am...”

Defeated, Yonghoon trots back to his tiny living accommodation. His bed is barely big enough for him to fit into and once again, he misses Dongmyeong and his spacious bed, and the way he fits into his arms. He misses Dongmyeong’s citrusy scent and his beautiful smile.

How can his bosses be so cruel?

***

It takes three weeks and insistent begging from both Keonhee and Dongju for Dongmyeong to leave the house for anything other than work. Dongju finally ends up talking him into meeting up with him at his favorite café to which Dongmyeong reluctantly agrees.

Of course, Dongju isn’t Dongju if he’s not running late.

Dongmyeong busies himself with the menu while he waits. It’s not as though he has much of an appetite, especially not for sweet things.

The past few weeks have been difficult. It still feels like a cruel cosmic joke to finally get with the man of his dreams only to have him ripped away from him the following day.

Dongmyeong wants to make good on his promise to Yonghoon and not give up on love, but it is easier said than done. It just seems pointless, doesn’t it? If Yonghoon is The One, why should Dongmyeong continue believing in love? Is there another One out there for him? Dongmyeong can’t imagine that to be true, and even if it is, he doesn’t want anybody but Yonghoon.

Still, he’s trying his best, for Yonghoon’s sake. It’s going to take some time, though, until it sinks in that he won’t ever see him again.

Somebody pulls out the chair across from him and he lowers the menu, ready to give Dongju a scolding for making him wait when he spots a stranger sitting across from him.

“Um, can I help you?”

The stranger grins. “Hi, I was sent here to take over for Yonghoon.”

Dongmyeong rolls his eyes when it dawns on him. The Cupid bosses or whatever they were called sent another Cupid. Like that would fix anything.

The new Cupid across from him is handsome, dark hair, kind eyes that are formed like crescents due to his bright smile. “Let me guess, you’re Harin?”

The Cupid seems surprised. “How did you know?”

“Yonghoon’s mentioned you before,” Dongmyeong waves off. He gets to his feet. “I’m sorry to be wasting your time, but I don’t need your assistance. My true love is gone.”

Harin follows him when Dongmyeong storms out of the café.

Dongmyeong rolls his eyes and stops in his tracks, turning around to face Harin. “Okay, I don’t have the patience for this again. I realize you’re only doing your job, and none of this is your fault, but I do not want another cupid!”

“So, it’s true then? I picked up the rumors in Cupid Central. He fell in love with you?” Harin asks and luckily – for him, or Dongmyeong, he doesn’t know – he doesn’t sound accusatory or judgmental. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

Dongmyeong raises his brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, I didn’t know it was possible for Cupids to fall in love. It’s never happened before. At least not that I know of...”

“Well, it happened,” Dongmyeong said, picking up his steps. “So, what’s the point of this?” He gestures at Harin.

“I don’t know, but I’ve been sent here. I trust you’re familiar with the whole concept of me not being able to leave until you’ve found your true love,” Harin explains.

Dongmyeong groans in annoyance and continues his way home. Harin follows diligently. They get back to Dongmyeong’s apartment, and he feels the strong urge to shut the door in Harin’s face before he can enter, but he knows it’s no use.

“I’m really sorry,” Harin says when they’re standing in the middle of Dongmyeong’s living room. “Yonghoon is my friend, and the last thing I want is for him or any of his charges to be miserable. And you’re clearly more than a charge...”

Dongmyeong deflates and sits down on the couch, bringing his knees up to his chest. “I just don’t understand why it’s so against the rules...”

Harin carefully sits down next to him. “They tell us it’s doomed...”

“But why?” Dongmyeong exclaims. “How can people who claim to know so much about true love forbid their own employees from experiencing it? How can they just take him away...”

Dongmyeong was under the impression that he’s cried all of his tears, but he’s promptly proven wrong. He wipes his eyes and turns away from Harin, not too keen on letting him in on his emotional breakdown.

Harin hands him a tissue which Dongmyeong accepts gratefully.

“I just don’t know how you’re supposed to do your job when I literally can’t get to my true love...” Dongmyeong tells him, sniffling.

Harin frowns, leaning back against the couch. “Yeah, that does kind of pose an issue. I’m sorry, Dongmyeong, I wish there was something I could do.”

Dongmyeong shrugs. “Not like it’s your fault...”

“Still, I’m Cupid, for crying out loud. I want to help,” Harin tells him.

Dongmyeong sends him a half-smile. “I appreciate that. But unless you can get Yonghoon back here, you can’t. And you’re stuck with me. I’m sorry.”

Harin shakes his head, a determined expression on his face but before Dongmyeong can ask him what’s on his mind, Harin disappears in a poof of pink smoke and Dongmyeong is left alone.

***

Yonghoon’s heart almost stops when he sees Harin exiting the bosses’ office. It hasn’t even been a month yet, Harin can’t possibly have succeeded already. Dongmyeong can’t possibly...

“Yonghoon!” Harin spots him and throws a glance over his shoulder at the office he has just come out of before he approaches him.

Yonghoon’s voice trembles a little when he speaks: “Why are you here?”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t completed my assignment. That’s actually why I’m here,” Harin tells him with a small smile. “I thought that maybe I could convince the bosses to reconsider their decision.”

“And?” Yonghoon asks, almost hopeful.

Harin’s shoulders sag. “They grilled me for coming here before the end of my assignment and reminded me of why they did what they did. I tried to tell them that Dongmyeong is miserable–”

“He is?”

“Of course, he is, what did you think?” Harin exclaims. He looks around again. “Look, I’m not supposed to talk to you. You’re not supposed to be in any form of contact with Dongmyeong, but you’re my friend. And I can’t help Dongmyeong find his true love if you’re stuck up here...”

Yonghoon’s heart instantly warms at Harin’s words. His best friend’s support means more to him than he could ever put into words. “Thanks... but I don’t know what to do.”

“Yeah, I’m still a little bit stuck on that too...” Harin says with a defeated expression. “You know what, though? Despite how much this situation sucks right now, I’m kind of jealous, actually.”

Yonghoon frowns. “Jealous? Why?”

Harin shrugs. “I didn’t know we could fall in love. It’s never happened to me. And seeing this unfold right before me, I’m kind of wondering what it would be like for me.”

“Well, it would be all the much easier if we could just clip our wings...” Yonghoon trails off. He paused. “Wait a second...”

Harin’s eyes widen when he catches on. “Yonghoon. That’s drastic. And unprecedented!”

Yonghoon nods. “I know, I know. I’m not going to do it...” But now that the thought has crossed his mind, it’s hard to banish it.

“Harin, what are you still doing here?” The bosses’ secretary bellows when she pokes her head out of the office. Harin gives Yonghoon one last pat on the shoulder before he disappears. “Yonghoon, back to work, please.”

Yonghoon makes more mistakes at work today than usual, which makes his superior mighty unhappy. He can’t really bring himself to care, though.

He can’t get the thoughts out of his mind, and he finds himself trying to rationalize them more and more. What is the point of being a Cupid if he’s stuck doing paperwork? Why would he want to remain a Cupid if he failed Dongmyeong like this? What’s the point of knowing love if he can’t ever experience it?

But being a Cupid is all he has ever known. He loves helping people fall in love, and there has never been a time he’s thought of quitting. What if, for some reason he doesn’t even want to think about, he and Dongmyeong don’t work out?

Yonghoon sighs. His superior glares at him. “If you’re not going to do your work properly, get out of my sight. This is real work too, Yonghoon!”

“Sorry ma’am, I’m just distracted...”

“Yes, I’ve heard about your distractions.”

Yonghoon gapes at her. This is another thing. Everyone in Cupid Central seems to hate him for daring to fall in love with his charge. None of them knew what it’s like, none of them have experienced it. And yet, they all judge him for it.

“Now, get back to work, will you?”

Yonghoon swallows down a snide comment and tries to focus on his files. He doesn’t succeed, and his superior sends him more than just a few dirty glances, but he can’t exactly bring himself to care anymore.

***

“So, basically, you went up there and all they did was yell at you?” Dongmyeong asks after Harin relays the events up at Cupid Central to him.

Harin nods once, looking slightly defeated. “Basically. I don't know what I expected.”

“Great,” Dongmyeong mumbles under his breath. “Is Yonghoon alright?”

“Aside from the fact that he’s faring no better than you are, I think so,” Harin tells him which doesn’t soothe Dongmyeong in the slightest. So he and Yonghoon are both miserable. Wonderful. Dongmyeong is this close to poofing up to Cupid Central himself somehow and giving those ominous bosses a piece of his mind. “I’m sorry, Dongmyeong.”

“It’s okay, you tried,” Dongmyeong says. “Thank you.”

“Anything for true love,” Harin tells him with a small smile.

If only his bosses had the same mindset...

***

“Yonghoon. The bosses want to talk to you.”

Yonghoon perks up from where he’s hunched over documents. Two months of this haven’t exactly done wonders for his back and he stretches his arms over his head until his spine cracks before he makes his way to the office. At this point, whatever the bosses would throw at him couldn’t be worse than what he is already going through. They are probably about to chew him out for the lousy work he has been doing.

He knocks and enters after they tell him to.

***

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Keonhee starts, taking a huge sip from his beer before turning to Harin again who watches him attentively. “You’re Cupid.”

“A Cupid,” Harin corrects him.

Keonhee waves off. “A Cupid, then. And... and that cute guy who danced with Dongmyeong,” he turns to Dongmyeong who stares down his own glass of beer at the memory of him and Yonghoon sharing that little moment. “He’s a Cupid too?”

“Basically,” Harin confirms.

“And you’re both only here for Dongmyeong?” Dongju questions, frowning.

Harin chuckles and looks at him. “Well, I’m well aware of the fact that you don’t need a Cupid. Aren’t you in a committed relationship with a dance instructor.”

Dongju grins. “Yes. So, did one of you set that up or...?”

“Oh no, you did that all by yourself,” Harin assures him. “Well, you both did. But Cupids are mostly sent to people who are close to giving up. Or people who have trouble going out on a limb.”

“Or people who have given up,” Dongmyeong throws in. “Which is why after they took my old one away from me, they sent a new one right away.”

Harin frowns, as he always does when he feels bad for Dongmyeong’s predicament. Harin has been a good friend over these past few weeks, has helped Dongmyeong in these trying times, but Dongmyeong wishes he would stop feeling bad for him.

Dongmyeong doesn’t want to give up on true love, he really doesn’t. Especially since he knows Yonghoon is up there, doing just as bad as he is. How can he give up on him? But it’s difficult, knowing that there’s a big chance that he will never even see Yonghoon again.

Keonhee is still trying to get a grasp of the situation. “So, what you’re saying is you fell in love with love itself?”

Harin grins. “That’s a romantic way of putting it.”

Dongmyeong only smiles half-heartedly. “Yeah...”

“So, Cupid,” Dongju starts and Dongmyeong rolls his eyes at his tone, knowing that whatever’s coming next will probably embarrass at least one person in the room. “Are you single then?”

Harin splutters. “Um, yeah? Being single is kind of the whole point of the anti-dating policy I told you guys about.”

“Right, right,” Dongju says contemplatively.

“Weren’t we just talking about your committed relationship?” Keonhee asks with a sour expression.

Dongju smirks. “Honeybun, I wasn’t asking for me.”

Harin seems confused but Dongmyeong catches on to the pointed look Dongju gives Keonhee. Keonhee’s ears turn bright red which actually elicits a real laugh from Dongmyeong for the first time in a while. Of course, how could he have overlooked the fact that under normal circumstances, Harin would totally be Keonhee’s type?

“Anyway, why don’t they let you guys date anyway?” Keonhee says, still beet red.

“That’s the age-old question, isn’t it?” Dongmyeong asks bitterly.

Harin sends him one of those sympathetic glances again that Dongmyeong dismisses with a shrug. “They say it’s doomed to fail, but they won’t...” Harin trails off, looking skyward.

“What is it?” Dongju asks him.

Harin looks at them again. “I think I’m being called on.”

Dongmyeong perks up. “Your bosses?”

Harin nods. “It seems as though I’ve gotta go. I won’t be long, hopefully.” He disappears in a cloud of pink smoke, thoroughly startling Keonhee who spills beer over his sweatshirt.

“Does he do that a lot?!”

“Oh yeah,” Dongmyeong says and rises from the floor before he begins picking up the empty beer bottles and taking them to the kitchen.

He tries his best not to be worried about Harin, but he doesn’t really have a lot of trust in the bosses of Cupid Central. Maybe they have finally given up on Dongmyeong and are calling him back to assign him to someone who isn’t hopeless.

Dongmyeong sets down the bottles and rests his elbows on the kitchen counter, burying his face in his hands. He doesn’t know how long he can keep it together. He doesn’t know how long he wants to delude himself into thinking that this can have a happy ending. He misses Yonghoon so much.

He exhales heavily and straightens his back. He turns, ready to grab another beer from the fridge when he – once again – jumps in shock when he finds somebody behind him. His heart stops and it seems as though it goes from 0 to 100 right away when he sees who is in the kitchen with him.

There, across from him stands none other than Yonghoon with his bright smile, his cozy sweater, and his purposefully messy hair.

“Wha– am I dreaming?” Dongmyeong stammers. He’s afraid to blink, lest Yonghoon disappears again.

But no, he stays. His grin broadens.

“Not at all, my love. It’s really me.”

Dongmyeong almost falls over himself in his haste to throw himself at Yonghoon. There is only one question burning in his mind:

“How?”

“I’ll explain everything in a minute. I just need to hold you for a bit,” Yonghoon murmurs, wrapping his long arms around Dongmyeong’s middle.

Dongmyeong can’t believe it. Tears spring to his eyes when he breathes in Yonghoon’s familiar scent. It’s a dream, it has to be, there is no way he just suddenly shows up here after two months.

Somehow Yonghoon seems to have a knack for showing up just when he’s on the verge of giving up.

“You’re staying though, right?”

Yonghoon pulls back and looks at Dongmyeong, his eyes sparkling as though there’s a galaxy trapped inside them. Dongmyeong has missed those eyes so damn much.

“Believe me,” Yonghoon says, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Dongmyeong surges in to kiss Yonghoon. This feels like a fairy tale. A scene from a movie. Only, contrary to his previous thoughts, he actually feels like there might be a happy ending, finally.

“Explain,” he demands once he finally manages to part from Yonghoon long enough to let him speak.

Yonghoon smiles and squeezes him gently. “Alright, so, I got back up there after having to leave you behind. My bosses were anything but pleased with me. It’s unprecedented for a Cupid to fall in love with his charge and give in to temptation.”

Dongmyeong smirks. “Temptation, huh?”

“No word more suitable for you,” Yonghoon agrees. “Anyway, I was banned from working with charges until further notice. But I was heartbroken. I was miserable. And a heartbroken Cupid is no fun for anyone, believe me. So... after Harin went there to talk to them and I just kept messing up every file I touched, they wanted to speak to me. They weren’t thrilled with me, but I told them I wouldn’t apologize for what happened between us. And they accepted that, albeit reluctantly.”

“So, they just let you come back?” Dongmyeong asks, then, because that detail is hard to forget with how often Harin has talked about it, he adds, “Despite the, uh... doom?”

“Not exactly,” Yonghoon replies. He must catch Dongmyeong’s alarmed expression because he hurries to clarify. “I mean, I am back for good, don’t get me wrong. I’m just... not a Cupid anymore.”

Dongmyeong halts, causing Yonghoon to do the same, as he looks up at him in sheer disbelief. “What?!”

Yonghoon shrugs, as if he hasn’t just dropped a huge bombshell on Dongmyeong. “I told them that if they couldn’t approve of me being with you as it is, there is always the chance of me becoming mortal. Clipping my proverbial wings, so to speak.”

“And... you did that? For me?” Dongmyeong asks, awed.

Yonghoon takes his other hand as well. “For you. For love. I don’t think I could ever be a Cupid again, knowing full well that you lost your true love right after finding it. And besides, I’ve been doing it for years. Now that I got a taste of love, I want it all. With you.”

Dongmyeong pulls him into a hug. It’s still so much to process, but as long as the bottom line is that he’s got Yonghoon back, he’s not going to complain in the slightest.

“I really thought I’d lost you...”

“But you didn’t give up on love,” Yonghoon points out, his fingers carding through Dongmyeong’s hair. “I guess I have Harin to thank for that too.”

Dongmyeong pulls back just enough to look at him again. “How’d you know?”

Yonghoon gives him a look so fond, Dongmyeong feels as though he’s melting into a puddle right on the kitchen floor. His fingers softly graze Dongmyeong's neck as he pulls out the crystal pendant from under his shirt. Dongmyeong shivers at his touch.

“If you had, I would have forgotten all about you the moment my bosses sent me back down here. Their final test.”

Dongmyeong huffs. “Your bosses play too many games.”

“They’re not our problem anymore,” Yonghoon says with a shrug, cupping Dongmyeong’s face. “I’m all yours now.”

It’s nice to be able to do this any time now, just because they can. No bosses, no Cupids, no pretenses. Just them.

Love is finally in the cards for Dongmyeong, and he’ll never ever let it go again.