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It was a perfect sight. Well, at least for Yoo Joonghyuk, it was.
Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung, arguing over the remote control, fighting over which television channel to watch.
Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung were bickering, over wether beasts or insects were superior, with Lee Jihye cheering them on.
Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa were discussing how the prices of items in the supermarket had surged, both engrossed in the conversation.
Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon were both laughing, over a joke Jung Heewon had made.
Yoo Joonghyuk was watching this scene, while in the kitchen cooking dinner, his sister, Yoo Mia, helping him.
Everything was dreamlike, and he took a moment to appreciate it. The way he now had someone who he loved dearly, and the fact that there were friends who would help him in his times of need without a second thought, with him doing the same.
“Oppa, I can take it from here. Go join Ahjussi and the others.”
Yoo Mia smiled, noticing how Yoo Joonghyuk had been staring at the others.
“It’s fine, Mia-ya.”
Soon enough, the siblings finished cooking. They called for everyone, and gathered at the dining table.
A feast had been cooked, effort and love visible.
Items on the table ranged from a bowl of salad to an entire roasted turkey. It was mouth-watering, and Yoo Joonghyuk watched in satisfaction as his husbands eyes lit up upon seeing the array of food.
Kim Dokja quickly sat down in his designated seat, rubbing his hands together.
“Thank you for cooking, Joonghyuk-ah!”
The man was beaming, eyes locked with Yoo Joonghyuk.
Everyone soon joined in and the house was filled with noise once again.
Although it was bustling with voices, the only one Yoo Joonghyuk could hear belonged to Kim Dokja.
He was rambling, to whoever was listening, on a recent Webnovel he read. To the older man, he probably thought he was talking to air, but little did he know that Yoo Joonghyuk had been quietly listening, absorbing every detail.
After a while, dinner was over. Everyone complimented Yoo Joonghyuk and his sister on their cooking. Unlike his sister, Yoo Joonghyuk’s expression remained stoic, lips flat. He appreciated their words, he really did, he just… had no idea how to show it.
Yoo Joonghyuk cleared the dishes, gently picking each one up and stacking them, biggest at the bottom, smallest at the top. Kim Dokja lingered around, watching him.
“Joonghyuk-ah! I’ll help you!”
He exclaimed cheerfully, as he trailed after his partner, who was heading back into the kitchen.
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded his thanks, as he placed the plates in the sink, the plates landing with a clatter.
It remained silent for a while, before Kim Dokja spoke up.
“Joonghyuk-ah, what would you do if I died?”
It was an odd question, but Yoo Joonghyuk answered anyways.
“I would never let you die.”
“But what if it was something you couldn’t prevent?”
“Then I’d kill myself too.”
He replied, without any hesitation.
“You’re so dramatic.”
Kim Dokja said, chuckling.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t respond. It was true. Without Kim Dokja, he didn’t know what he would do. His husband had become such a big part of his life that he couldn’t picture a future without him.
__________________
Crystal clear water, the sea practically glimmering. White sand, Yoo Joonghyuk’s toes digging into them. Tall palm trees, providing shade to the man.
Kim Dokja was right beside him, a wide grin plastered on his face.
“We picked the right day to come, didn’t we?”
It was their anniversary, and they had come to this resort, just the two of them.
Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah had agreed to take care of the kids for them, allowing them to take a much needed break.
“Should we go swimming now?”
They had just arrived, and were simply checking out the area. Still dressed in their normal clothes, they couldn’t possibly go swimming now.
“Why don’t we go back and change first?”
“Alright, alright.”
Kim Dokja dragged Yoo Joonghyuk by the hand, pulling him back towards their hotel.
Once in a while, Kim Dokja would glance back to check on the other, flashing a quick smile, before returning his view to the front. It seemed as if they time was moving slower, and Yoo Joonghyuk was able to catch a glimpse of Kim Dokja’s face for longer periods of time. It was extraordinary.
__________________
Those eyelashes. Those goddamn eyelashes which were too long for their own good. Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to touch them so bad.
They were at the beach, feet covered with sand.
The sun was setting, the sky covered with hues of red, orange and pink streaking across the evening sky.
Kim Dokja had fallen asleep, beside Yoo Joonghyuk who had been watching the sunset.
The other hotel guests long gone, only the two of them remained.
Yoo Joonghyuk observed the way Kim Dokja’s chest rose and fell, his breath tickling Yoo Joonghyuk’s skin whenever he breathed.
How lucky he was to have met this man.
It was getting late, but Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t have the heart to wake the man. He looked so peaceful as he slept.
With slow movements, Yoo Joonghyuk picked up the other, careful not to wake him up. He placed one hand underneath Kim Dokja’s knees, and the other under his back, holding the man close to his chest.
Kim Dokja muttered some incomprehensible words, before leaning closer into Yoo Joonghyuk.
When they got back to the room, Yoo Joonghyuk gently placed Kim Dokja onto the queen sized bed.
“Ah..? Did you carry me back, Joonghyuk-ah?”
Kim Dokja asked groggily.
“Did I wake you?”
He whispered, brushing the bangs out of the man’s eyes.
“No, it’s fine.”
Yoo Joonghyuk sat down on the floor beside his husband, admiring him shamelessly.
“Sometimes this feels too good to be true.”
He whispered, closing his eyes as he nuzzled closer to Kim Dokja.
“Maybe it’s not real then.”
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Kim Dokja ignored his question, yawning as he turned his back to face the other man.
_________________
The two men had just picked up the kids from school, and were at the playground, as requested by the kids.
Shin Yoosung gave a quick wave to them, before chasing after Lee Gilyoung and Yoo Mia.
“Hah.. it’s humid today.”
“Hm.”
“You and your one word responses.”
Kim Dokja laughed, gazing at the younger.
“Hm.”
He sighed.
“What, are you mad or something?”
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t answer. He wasn’t mad.. not that he would ever admit it. He was just.. disappointed? Was that the right word? Today was his birthday. And nobody had wished him a happy birthday yet.
It was silly and stupid, really. He shouldn’t get grumpy. He wasn’t a kid anymore. He knew that. But.. he just couldn’t get rid of this annoying feeling gnawing at his heart.
“No. Of course not.”
“If you say so.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the kids play.
Kim Dokja discreetly checked his phone. He had received a text from Han Sooyoung. They still needed half an hour to finish preparing his husbands surprise birthday party.
Kim Dokja had been tasked to stall Yoo Joonghyuk, to make sure the man didn’t enter their shared home at all costs.
Hopefully the kids would just stay here long enough and Kim Dokja wouldn’t have to think of other ways to entertain Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Hey, Joonghyuk-ah.”
“Yeah?”
“If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?”
“Mm. I don’t know.”
“Cmon. What about a mansion? Or a trip to Hawaii?”
“I’m already content.”
Yoo Joonghyuk replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
Yoo Joonghyuk laid his eyes on Kim Dokja, curious.
“Like.. you know, just asking.”
Soon, half an hour passed, and Kim Dokja was given the all clear sign to bring back Yoo Joonghyuk. He called for the kids, and hurriedly dragged the four of them home.
When they arrived home, he knocked on the door thrice, signalling to the rest in the house that they had arrived.
“Why are you knocking at your own home?”
Yoo Joonghyuk inquired, suspicious.
“Ah.. nothi-“
“Happy birthday!!”
The door opened, and everyone yelled the greeting, all smiles and laughs.
To say that Yoo Joonghyuk was shocked was an understatement.
Han Sooyoung, Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, everyone was wearing colourful party hats, ranging from bright red to electric blue.
Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon were throwing confetti at him, grinning from ear to ear.
Kim Dokja smiled, before pushing Yoo Joonghyuk into the house, the kids trailing behind them.
“You..”
On the countertop at the kitchen, there was a three tiered cake, the bottom tier being the largest and the top being smallest. It had light blue fondant, edible pearls resting on each tier, evenly distributed.
And on the very top, the words ‘ happy birthday, you sunfish!’ Was written in squiggly handwriting.
Yoo Joonghyuk was speechless. This was the first year he had celebrated his birthday with people he could truly call his family.
Kim Dokja, without uttering a word, gathered everyone, and they sang him a happy birthday song.
It wasn’t perfect, with most of them singing out of tune, but it was spectacular to Yoo Joonghyuk nonetheless.
“Thank you..”
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
Kim Dokja whispered into Yoo Joonghyuk’s ear, among all the chatter.
“Yeah.”
“You know what would make it even better?”
Kim Dokja asked cheekily.
“What?”
“If you celebrated it with your real family.”
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Kim Dokja, a confused expression on his face,
“What do you mean?”
Kim Dokja scoffed.
“You don’t actually think this is real, do you?”
Kim Dokja was gently cupping Yoo Joonghyuk’s chin now.
“Kim Dokja?”
“Wake up.”
“What do you-“
“Wake up.”
The others had stopped talking now, all staring at Yoo Joonghyuk, who’s confusion had turned into horror.
“Wake up.”
“ I don’t want to..”
There were tears in Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes now. He didn’t recall the last time he cried. He didn’t want to wake up. Everything was so goddamn perfect here. It’s not that he never noticed, the way everyone seemed rather unnatural. It was ignorance. He had gotten his version of heaven, and before he realised, he had gotten addicted to this dreamlike place, unwilling to leave.
_________________
Kim Dokja gazed longingly at his husband, who was asleep, if you could call it that.
“Wake up soon, Joonghyuk-ah.”
He whispered, as he toyed with one of the younger man’s string of hair.
“Lee Seolhwa-ssi said that they’d pull the plug soon.”
He wore an unreadable expression.
“Stupid sunfish. Why’d you have to leave me here alone.”
He let out a small bittersweet laugh.
“I bet you’re dreaming about me, aren’t you? I’ll murder you once you wake up if you aren’t.”
He will wake up. Kim Dokja was sure of that. Well, not entirely.
They did have a pretty big fight, causing Yoo Joonghyuk to end up in this state.
He’d said some harsh words, making Yoo Joonghyuk to storm out of their apartment.
It was raining heavily that day, the memory still vivid in Kim Dokja’s mind. He remembered chasing after Yoo Joonghyuk, desperate. He wanted to apologise, as all the syllables, words and sentences were uttered without any meaning behind them, just pure rage.
When he saw his lover, Yoo Joonghyuk was crossing the street. It was a green light, nothing was wrong.
Yoo Joonghyuk was soaking wet, from head to toe, having forgotten his umbrella. Like he stated, the rain was relentless, and it was impossible to see much.
In a matter of seconds, Yoo Joonghyuk had been hit by a large vehicle.
At that moment, everything seemed wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Why the hell was Kim Dokja’s head spinning? Why did all the screams and shout sound so distant, so far away? He was frozen in his spot, unable to move.
“Yoo Joonghyuk..”
That was all he could mutter.
Thinking back to that incident now, Kim Dokja was overwhelmingly stupid. Why didn’t he even bother to call for help. He just ran away, he didn’t exactly care where he was going, all he wanted was to increase the distance between himself and his husband, like the pathetic coward that he was.
“I’m sorry. Just come back. Is this your silly way of revenge?”
“If it is then it’s not funny..”
Of course, Yoo Joonghyuk never woke up.