Destination Wedding

3

His cell phone rang. Jeeze. So loud. It startled him awake and he sucked a deep breath of air through his nose. After pushing a curtain of tangled, raven black hair from his eyes, he rooted around for his phone and answered with a sigh, relieved this unplanned alarm had ceased.

"Hello?" Jeongguk muttered, voice heavy with sleep.

"What the hell are you doing Jeongguk? It's noon!" Namjoon scolded.

"Joon-hyung, its Saturday. Let me sleep in peace!" Jeongguk flopped his head back onto the pillow, fluffy black hair splayed in all directions.

"Late night last night? Did you hit the town or what? Busan night life for the win!" Namjoon's volume at this time of day reminded Jeongguk of a rooster. Cocka-doodle-doo.

"Joonie, your enthusiasm is hurting me. No, the work week was just hellish. Why do you always assume I'm hitting the town so hard?"

"I don't know, Gguk, your young and attractive and fun, why not? Listen, I was calling to see if you could help me out this afternoon. I need to get a wedding gift for Jinny and I'm stumped. I thought I could go shopping and FaceTime with you. Help me pick something out for him?"

Jeongguk rolled over in bed and sighed. He was awake now. "Of course hyung. My day is pretty open. I can help."

"Oh, thank God!" Namjoon breathed a sigh of relief. Jeongguk was Namjoon's younger cousin and he was standing up in his wedding. He was actually his best man. When Namjoon asked him, Jeongguk cried. Namjoon didn't have any siblings, but Jeongguk was always like a little brother to him. And while the two grew up in different areas (he in Seoul and Jeongguk in Busan), they always maintained a deep bond. Growing up, Jeongguk was a quirkier kid, but Namjoon embraced his uniqueness and helped him develop the confidence to thrive, to be himself, to be playful and enjoy life.

Jeongguk felt he owed a lot to Namjoon. Without his sense of confidence and self-awareness, or maybe just self-knowing, he probably wouldn't have been as competent and successful in the business world.

At the young age of 25, he was the owner and CEO of a motorsports business in Busan that had really taken off. That being said, he was pretty serious about work-life balance, for himself and his employees. He as an individual needed to de-stress to function properly, and having a life outside of work kept him and his team energized. He only worked on weekends when there were events like motocross competitions, vehicle expos or special occasions that were open to the public.

Now, Jeongguk was gearing up for a solid 10-day break in just one week, as his Joonie-hyung was finally marrying his high-school sweetheart. The thought made Jeongguk smile. He didn't date much. A guy or a girl here or there, but nothing very long-lived. He just never felt the need to draw things out if it didn't feel like it could be forever.

One might not have assumed that Jeongguk had such a romantic side at first glance. He was pierced, tatted, ripped and basically a walking thirst trap to the average onlooker. But he was pierced and tatted because he had an artistic side. Ripped because he needed to decompress by moving and pushing his body. A walking thirst trap because... well because he was just fucking hot and you can't blame him for his genes.

He knew how to communicate effectively when it came to business, but at the core, he was shy. An introvert at heart. People who tried to catch his romantic attention and fail would argue that he was an enigma. An expert-level puzzle. But he was unaware of the effect he had on most people, maybe because he wasn't there to "bag" boys and girls. He was a beloved family member, successful businessman, and for now, single. He liked to think that he'd pursue someone seriously if it felt right.

"What are you thinking about getting for Jinny?" Jeongguk asked.

"Okay. I have some ideas. I'm thinking some like, super swaggy resort wear for the trip. And I found this jeweler near Honolulu that makes these really amazing necklace pendants and I thought it would be a perfect momento for our big day."

Jeongguk laughed. "Psh! What do you need me for? These ideas are perfect. Sounds like Jin is marrying somebody who knows him well."

Namjoon was laughing in relief now. "Oh my god, really? Well, I better know him after all this time. Glad to know you approve though. So why don't we hit the mall in an hour. Well, I'll hit the mall and FaceTime with you. A little virtual shopping sesh... and we'll pick out some amazing outfits for him to wear in Hawaii. And tonight I'll email the jeweler and place an order. Maybe you can help me out once were in Hawaii... pick it up for me from the jeweler so that Jinny doesn't know."

Jeongguk smiled, feeling honored over and over again to be Namjoon's right-hand man at his wedding. "Of course hyung. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. That's what I'm here for. I'm sure Jin's best man and I will be running all sorts of errands. Who's all standing up in the wedding with Jin?"

"Okay so, his brother is his best man, and Park Jimin is his other groomsman. Haven't we talked about this?"

Jeongguk was suddenly bicycling down memory lane. Taehyung and Jimin were regulars at the block parties, holiday celebrations, and big gatherings that Jeongguk's family would travel from Busan to Seoul for, to be with Namjoon's family. Those boys always made Jungkook feel welcome. Never gave him a hard time for being lanky or quiet or quirky. They would always invite Jeongguk along on bike rides or walks to the convenience store. He would quietly marvel at them because with their hive-brain tendencies, you'd think they were twins. Jimin was chaotic and funny. Taehyung was kind and warm, but the two were always, always on the same page. Jeongguk never admitted it to anyone but he always thought Taehyung was pretty.

"Holy shit. I haven't seen those guys in years. Have they been good?"

Namjoon smiles, also reminiscing about their younger years. "Jimin's been doing well. He's been killing it at this elite dance company. He's been missing Taehyungie though."

"Missing him? Why?" Jeongguk was a little confused. Last he checked, Taehyung and Jimin had always been inseparable in Seoul.

Namjoon pursed his lips through the phone. "Umm... did you ever meet Chim's older brother, Bogum?"

Jeongguk rakes his memory. "I don't think I ever did. He was away at college when we were in high school... I don't think we ever crossed paths. Why?"

"So he and Tae dated for like two fucking years... we all thought it was an endgame situation, but six months ago, Tae found out he was cheating on him and he was understandably devastated. He decided to move to the US shortly thereafter and just like... get space and start over. Shit, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be saying all of this. Anyway yeah, he's been really struggling and it's been an adjustment for Chim too. We're hoping that this trip helps Tae get his mind off things."

Jeongguk's face scrunched up in pain despite the fact that there were several degrees of separation between him and this situation. How shitty. "God, that really sucks, man."

"Yeah. Don't... don't bring it up to Tae when you see him. We all just need to have fun, you know, celebrate. Enjoy all the family and friends that are going to be together after all this time. I think it'll do all our hearts some good."

"Yeah. Sounds like we're all ready for a break."

"When are you flying in to Honolulu?" Namjoon asked.

"So there's this big expo in LA... a bunch of vintage American dirtbikes being showcased and sold the weekend before the kickoff of wedding festivities on Monday. I'm going to be take the red-eye from LA to Honolulu on Sunday night and I'll be there Monday morning for the Welcome breakky. Don't let me sleep through it, hyung."

Namjoon scoffed. "What is breakky even?!"

"Dude it's breakfast. Americans say breakky. Get with it."

"Ha! Well good. Glad you won't miss breakky. Tae's flying out of LA too. Not sure when... maybe you'll see him!" Namjoon exclaimed.

"Mmm. Maybe."