─── ·𖥸· ───

Hokkaido wakes up with the sound of the guitar, accompanied by a dreamy, honey and warm voice singing along.

Minhee is on the bed, with her back resting against the headboard and eyes closed. With her phone against the ear, she is smiling with occasional chuckles in disbelief.

» [► ⅠⅠ - Your Eyes Tell] «

"Why are my eyes filled with tears? Hey, stay by my side and laugh"

"Continue your success story, Jeon?"

"A future without you is a world without colour"

"For the record, I never needed the saving," she hisses when she sees Jeongguk glare at her, "Not by you, at least. I don't like you."

"You don't like me?" Jeongguk verifies. He's beyond irked with Minhee's behaviour. So much for being nice. "And yet, how ironic is it that you're stuck with me?"

"Filled with monochrome coldness."

"Why can't you clean your car?" Jeongguk whines. He can definitely smell grease in there, probably a lot of food parties go on here.

"I didn't ask you to sit in my car, you insisted to! Suck it up, my car is clean."

"It is not! It looks like a shipwreck of the Titanic except instead of a painting of a nude woman we find chips!" Jeongguk says in one breath and then gasps for breathing.

Minhee laughs, if Jeongguk couldn't see the upturn of her lips he would assume she is gasping for air. "It would be weird if you found a painting of a nude woman in my car."

"I don't judge people's preferences. Unless!" he turns his body towards Minhee, resting his back on the door, "You have a nude painting of a woman and she is wearing a necklace of chips instead of diamonds."

"Even the darkness we see is so beautiful"

"I'm not," he raises his hands in the air in mock surrender. "Why would I back out? Do I look like someone who doesn't take his words seriously?"

Minhee steps closer, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed, "You seem to be the type to turn the world upside down for your love."

"Please believe me, looking only directly at you"

"Buy me an ice cream."

Jeongguk turns, with hands in his coat's pockets. "You'll freeze, snowflake."

"Don't call me that and for your information, I didn't ask for your opinion." Minhee says, jogging a little to walk beside Jeongguk.

"So you don't go away"

"Don't do that," Jeongguk's voice is soft, and Minhee melts a little bit more at the sound.

"Don't do what?" she whispers.

"Closing your eyes..." Jeongguk trails off, unsure, but curious. "You look like you want something from me."

It'd been three months since Minhee came to New York and Jeongguk casually called her one day, asking her to spend the weekend with him. A weekend with him, and she didn't expect it to be here. Hokkaido, from where she can see the flowers stretch to the horizon.

On days when she missed him a lot, she would get tipsy and blabber out about how Jeongguk reminds her of the sunset between the sunflowers— Minhee almost cried when he told her they'll be spending the weekend here. The moment they had stepped into their private stayhouse, Jeongguk's hands were all over Minhee and the bed was christened even before they could unpack.

Minhee doesn't know why they are here and if she asks him, he'll only ask her to wait or "Can't I bring my wife to a vacation now?"

But Minhee knows there's more to this. Early in the morning, he had asked her to come somewhere with him but she had refused, saying she was still sleepy and woke up to an empty bed.

But now, there's more to why he's calling from somewhere here and singing a song to her.

"Even it seems to be the beginning of the end"

"Such a good girlfriend I have."

"Fake." she says, eyes moving away from the crowd towards her glass.

Jeongguk frowns. "What?"

"Fake girlfriend."

"I know that."

"Ofcourse, you know. It was your plan, you should know."

His eyes remain fixed on her posture, unmoving and he blinks. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'll call your name"

Jeon Jeongguk. The name rolls off her tongue like acid. Bitter, rancid and unwelcomed.

"Welcome home, Ms Yoon."

The song seems to fade when she goes around a little tour of their memories.

And it's not until Jeongguk appears in front of her sometime after, does she pull him into a kiss. "I thought you were mad at me when I didn't find you here."

"Sorry," Jeongguk sheepishly smiles, falling back on the bed as Minhee climbs over him. He holds her still as she leans down to kiss him senseless. He almost moans when Minhee gets her hands under his t-shirt, "I was trying to find a guitar, borrowed from the son of the owner of the shop down the lane."

Minhee languidly kisses him up and down the expanse of the barred throat, humming at his reply. "I was genuinely worried."

Jeongguk sighs, closing his eyes. "Well, I can't guarantee me, never, not being mad at you," his hand comes up to cup Minhee's cheek to make her look at him. "But if I ever will be, I'll solve it patiently and be considerate."

Minhee's heart soars hearing the words. She chuckles, nuzzling his nose with hers. "Is that how you would have said your marriage vows to me?"

Jeongguk smiles, "No," and he sits up, wrapping his arms around Minhee to lift her with him, "But you'll know in some time."

Minhee furrows her eyebrows, still smiling "What?"

Jeongguk tilts his head slightly, "Wifey, will you marry me again?"

Minhee gasps, in surprise and in disbelief. She nods, leaning down to kiss Jeongguk again. "I can marry you daily."

Jeongguk laughs, putting her down and patting her ass gently. "Budget issues, babe, otherwise would love to fuck you like it's our first night, daily."

Minhee shakes her head before pouting, "You didn't tell me! I would have prepared my vows for you, you know like a PowerPoint presentation—"

"—No, please—"

"And photoshop you on the Taj Mahal and call you my king."

"Thank god, I didn't tell you." Jeongguk huffs a fake breath of relief.

"Rude, Mr Jeon."

A few moments later when Jeongguk reveals a beautiful white silk dress from his suitcase, apologising how he wanted to buy a gown but storage issues, Minhee cries.

Jeongguk kisses her for the whole afternoon, feeds her a dessert after lunch and kisses her some more before he asks her to get ready. He does too, in a tuxedo (he has worn it only once at an award show) — and announces he'll be outside, near the field while Minhee is having a bath.

Hokkaido is warm, the flowers mesmerising as they stretch beyond one's eyes and all the colours, Jeongguk thinks, would be no match to Minhee in that white silk.

And it indeed is like that.

Minhee steps outside their stay, only for the setting sun to make her glow as if she's a moon of its own.

He doesn't realise a tear slipping down his cheek.

Minhee gives him a soft smile, holding the awfully tissue paper flowers she managed to make in a few minutes in her hand.

"Spin for me, love." He says, wiping the stray tear and when Minhee does, she is radiant, she is lovely and fuck, Jeongguk has fallen in love, more.

"Won't you spin for me, too?" Minhee asks, scanning her eyes down at his body. Jeongguk chuckles, raising his hands up in surrender before he's turning around. "How do I look, M'lady?"

Minhee nods, placing a hand on her hip, "Totally waiting to be mine."

And Jeongguk pulls her close, making her gasp. "I am already yours."

The wedding ceremony commences after a tripod stand is set up and Jeongguk starts the recording. Jeongguk clears his throat, suddenly feeling nervous. "Um, wait, I think we should redo this part—" he says, looking at Minhee, "Maybe you can walk down from there."

"Oh shut up," Minhee holds his hand, "The sun will set soon, we don't have time."

"But—"

"Jeon Jeongguk," Minhee says, looking at the camera and Jeongguk is unsure about how it will turn out to be. "Do you promise to love Yoon Minhee forever?"

The smile on Minhee's face is enough for him to put his worries aside and squeeze her hand. "I do," he says, leaning down to place a wet smooch against her cheek, making Minhee laugh. "Do you, Yoon Minhee, promise to love Jeon Jeongguk forever?"

"I do," and she is tip-toeing to place a kiss on his cheek too.

"And do you promise not to pour milk before cereals?" Jeongguk says, immediately leaning down and puffing his cheek, to show what he wants.

Minhee laughs, "I do," and pushes his cheek away, "Stop it..."

Jeongguk pouts and before he could step away to switch off the recording, Minhee pulls him back. "Wait, we are not done yet."

Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows, tilting his head.

"We are yet to exchange rings."

Jeongguk blinks, "But we already have them—"

"But I didn't put it on you," Minhee says, stepping forward and taking his head in hers. "I wanna do it the right way."

Jeongguk exhales, shuddering when Minhee removes his ring and slips in hers instead. It has YMH engraved on the bottom part of it with a small infinity sign at the front with diamonds embedded on it. She smiles, "Oh, it fits you!"

Jeongguk wants to say it's a little tight, it will probably block his blood and make his finger numb but all he does is cry again. Fuck, he can't help it.

"If you show this video to your Secretary Kim, he'll probably get the photo of you crying engraved on BE's walls, won't he?"

And Jeongguk laughs, holding her hand and slipping his ring into her finger. Minhee hisses, her other hand instinctively wiping his tears as she looks at the ring, "It's a little loose, will I have to tape it?"

Jeongguk shakes his head and holds the hand wiping his tears, kissing her palm. "I love you."

Minhee smiles, cupping his other cheek as well but Jeongguk takes it in his hand and brings it up to his lips. "I love you so much," he sighs out and kisses her ring. It's her ring now.

In every breath he takes for himself, Minhee is there. In every breath he takes from others, Minhee will be there. Love, perpetually fervent and amorphous, 2022 whenever they're together. Unsaid words previously illusory manifest as reality in the way they look at each other. Their eyes speak of a forever that can never be. He experiences it then, experiences it right now.

He laces their fingers with utmost care and looks at Minhee the way poets look at the world. Art, love, inspiration in the breathing of every creature.

That Jeongguk's world is just her.

"I love you," she says.

Then her soft lips are against his, for a second longer than forever.

And the sun melts at their love, leaving behind the stars to watch two people shine brighter than them— the moon that hides in the clouds, because he's found his earth just a heart away.

─── ·𖥸· ───

and that was a 122k word rollercoaster. i just want to thank each one of you for joining these two in their journey and also, for me.  look forward to more from this universe, i know there are a lot of unanswered questions about some characters here. but for now, goodbye and take care!!