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If someone had told Hanbin a week ago that the love of his life would suddenly appear on a random Friday night and turn his whole world upside down, he would have just laughed it off. It’s not that Hanbin was allergic to love or romance—of course not; on the contrary, he considered himself quite adept at it. The thing is, for Hanbin, love was something that was built, not something that dazzles you for a second with a pretty face or a charming smile, but rather something that must develop and grow, something you have to invest time in. And of course, from his perspective of “I only get involved with people who are worth my effort”—our man Hanbin, who “has every step of his life planned out”—at 30 years old, never considered that both ideas could be true, coexist, and complement each other.
Here’s how it went down: After months of trying to get him to meet his boyfriend, his best friend Matthew planned the meetup inviting Hanbin to a private concert his boyfriend was giving. Resigned to the situation, Hanbin decided to pick up a bouquet of flowers on his way to the venue, and when he arrived, he saw that Matthew was already waiting for him in the lobby with a giant bouquet of sunflowers.
“Hyung! I was starting to think you weren’t coming,” he smiled when he saw the small bouquet of assorted pink flowers in Hanbin’s hands. “You’re a genius! I’m so glad you brought a bouquet for Hao Hyung."
“Excuse me? Who? What?”
“Hao hyung?” Matthew said, not understanding Hanbin’s surprise. “I told you my boyfriend’s best friend would be performing with him tonight. Obviously, we had to bring a bouquet for him, too.”
“Matthew,” Hanbin said, taking a deep breath “You didn’t mention anything about a friend, let alone why I should meet him.”
“Bro!” said Matthew, letting out a chuckle of disbelief. “After the concert, the four of us are going to dinner. Did I mention that yesterday in the voice messages I sent you?”
And then suddenly Hanbin remembered that he had transcribed the voice messages instead of listening to them because he was in an important department meeting, and as usual, the transcript had blank spaces between the phrases “bouquet of flowers,” “dinner,” and “you’re going to love him.”
“I’m sorry, I was distracted by work.”
“Well, I’m not surprised,” Matthew added, patting him on the shoulder just as some bells began to ring, signaling they should take their seats.
The room darkened, and slowly the curtain began to move, revealing a beautiful stage; candles of various sizes were scattered throughout the theater, illuminating the entire space, leaving only a clear path leading to the microphone next to a stool and to a gleaming grand piano on one side of the stage. Amid the expectant silence of the audience, a round of applause began slowly, like rain gathering strength, as a man he recognized as Taerae, thanks to photos his friend had posted online, walked in.
Without further ado, Taerae began to sing, and even Hanbin—who didn’t consider himself a fan of that kind of music—was amazed by his best friend’s boyfriend’s beautiful voice. When the first song ended and after the enthusiastic applause and cheers that filled the small theater, Taerae picked up the microphone and turned it on
“First, I’d like to thank everyone who’s here with me on this special night. What a wonderful 10-year career!”
Hanbin turned to look at his friend for a moment and the expression made him certain that Matthew was truly in love.
Once again, the room filled with deafening applause as the figure of a tall man entered from the side, smiling as if the human race had created the verb “to smile” just for him. And it was then that Hanbin felt as though everything he knew about himself and the world was being swept away by overwhelming waves within him, leaving all that space available to be filled with purpose and intention under the name of… Wait, what's his name?
“This is Hao, my Taerae’s best friend.” Oh, Matthew—his best friend, guardian angel and savior.
Hanbin spent the rest of the concert wishing it would end soon and yet never, because that man who had him on his knees—figuratively now, literally later if luck was on his side—not only played the piano incredibly well but also demonstrated impressive skill with the violin and sang in such a way that Hanbin would gladly have thrown his ship onto the rocks just to fall into his arms.
At dinner, Hanbin pulled out all the stops with his seduction tactics; he didn’t care if he seemed desperate with the very embodiment of beauty sitting across from him.
“So, Hao, are you in a relationship right now?” Hanbin said, diving headfirst into the untamed ocean that lay before him.
Matthew kicked him under the table, Taerae burst out laughing, but luckily for Hanbin, Hao smiled.
“Wow…” he said slowly, “Are you always this straightforward?” Hanbin could see Hao’s eyes light up, as if by hundreds of shooting stars.
“No,” Hanbin replied, leaning slightly toward him, completely lost in the gravitational pull Hao exerted on him. “Only when I feel that if I don’t say something, I’ll regret it later.”
Hao stared at him. “And what would you regret?”
“Not being able to see you again.”
Hao looked down for a moment and then looked back at him, with something deeper in his eyes. “You’re a little intense.”
“I know.”
Hao tilted his head, moving just a little closer. “And you don’t mind looking like an idiot?”
God! If looking like an idiot guaranteed that he’d get to taste those lips at some point, he was more than willing. “For you… not in the least.”
Hao let out a soft laugh, and Hanbin felt like he was floating in a bright, warm summer sky.