Not another cinderella story

9

Meanwhile, back in Seoul, the sound of the alarm clock had just woken Jiwoong up for yet another day of work. As he picked up his phone to turn it off, the text Ricky had sent after landing greeted him, eliciting a sad smile. He quickly typed a response, before getting up to get ready:

>I miss you too
>I was asleep, sorry
>Enjoy your trip!

After sending the messages, Jiwoong tried to divert his attention to the tasks ahead on his day, determined to push aside the persistent ache in his heart. Yet, despite his efforts, he couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness, knowing Ricky was off having fun in Paris without him. They both came from two vastly different worlds, and while Ricky was used to a life of luxury, Jiwoong had to settle with the simple pleasures. The gaping divide between their lifestyles weighed heavily on Jiwoong, sometimes stirring a bit of envy and longing within him.

Throughout the day, the boy found himself distracted, his thoughts wandering to Ricky and the time they had spent together. He caught himself stealing moments to check his phone, hoping for a message from his boyfriend. Each time he saw a notification, his heart skipped a beat, only to sink when it turned out to be a work-related email or a notification from a bill reminder app. He worked tirelessly, pouring his energy into his job, a job that barely paid enough to cover his basic needs. But he persevered, driven by the hope of a better future. He knew he had to work hard to make a better life for himself, and hopefully one day, he and Ricky could travel the world together without any worries.

As the day drew to a close, Jiwoong returned home, exhausted both physically and emotionally. He collapsed onto the couch, his mind drifting once again back to Ricky and the memories they had shared. With a heavy sigh, Jiwoong pulled out his phone and typed out a message to his boyfriend, pouring out his thoughts and feelings in a heartfelt text:

>I hope you're having an amazing time in Paris, Ricky.
>I miss you more than words can say, but I'm glad you're getting to spend time with your friends.
>Take care of yourself, and know that I'll be here waiting for you when you get back.
>Love you.

With a bittersweet smile, Jiwoong hit send. As he settled in for the evening, he couldn't shake the feeling of longing in his heart. He missed Ricky terribly, but he also knew that their love was strong enough to withstand any distance or difference in wealth. And as he drifted off to sleep, he held onto the hope that one day, they would be able to experience all the wonders the world had to offer together.

Back in Paris, the five boys were walking around the city after having a nice brunch, heading to a museum to spend the afternoon. As they wandered the halls, after a couple of hours, four of them grew tired of walking through the exhibits. Yujin, sensing the tiredness, suggested they ride the ferris wheel located in the gardens, almost in front of the museum. 

Ricky immediately thought of his boyfriend, who loved amusement parks, and his mood instantly dropped. Not wanting to be a burden and with a lot more things to see in the museum, he told his friends to go without him and they could meet later on, and so they left him.

"Hey, we could pull a prank on Ricky! Tell him something crazy happened or we saw someone and he missed it!" Yujin suggested, with a mischievous grin spreading across his face, as they headed to the gardens.

Hanbin chimed in, laughing. "Yeah!! Let's tell him I proposed to Hao and he missed it!" He side-hugged his boyfriend, who only chuckled a little. "I'll go get us the tickets."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Yujin worriedly turned to Hao. "Hey... Are you ok, hyung?"

The oldest amongst them smiled weakly. "Yeah, why would I not be?"

"Well, I thought you looked kinda sad after Hanbin made that joke about proposing..." Yujin trailed off, with an uncertain tone in his voice.

"I'm fine. I knew I'd never get any of that stuff when we first started dating." Hao forced a wider smile, tinged with bittersweet acceptance, as he tried to reassure the youngest. 

Hanbin convinced the others to first ride the merry-go-round a couple of times, where they took a lot of pictures. One hour later, they were finally on the line to ride the ferris wheel, Hanbin's hands sweating and shaking, catching Hao's attention. He didn't remember Hanbin being afraid of heights, but intertwined their fingers. The sweet gesture, however, instead of calming Hanbin down, seemed to almost make him jump.

"Hey. We don't have to go if you're not comfortable. It's okay, baby," Hao reassured him, placing a gentle kiss on Hanbin's cheek and caressing his hair with his free hand.

"No, let 's go. We need a picture on the top," Hanbin replied, seeming more confident now. He still kept a firm grip on the other's hand as they settled side by side in the cabin, with Yujin and Gyuvin in the next one. As the wheel slowly began its slow ascent, Hao held tightly onto Hanbin's hands, until they finally reached the top. The Chinese boy was looking around anxiously, his concern for his boyfriend evident as he kept chatting and trying to distract him.

Suddenly, Hanbin plopped down on one knee inside the small cabin, making his boyfriend laugh as he took his hand. As the wheel came to a stop, Hao glanced over to the next cabin, where Gyuvin was filming the whole scene.

"You're taking this prank too seriously, Bin... Get up," he managed to say between laughs, as he slapped the younger's shoulder playfully.

"Come on, Hao hyung... Don't you wanna marry me?" Hanbin said, with a sassy smirk.

"No, not really..." Hao laughed, waving his hand in a dismissive manner.

"Awwww," Hanbin fake pouted. "What should I do with this thing then?" he asked, pulling something from his pocket, a light blue velvet box.

Hao's eyes went wide, mouth open in shock. "Hanbin. I swear, if you're pranking me I'm gonna kill you!" His entire body trembled as Hanbin opened the box showing indeed an engagement ring, making Hao's eyes fill with tears as he tried to speak, "Hanbinnie..."

"They'll probably give me a refund... You know, since you don't want to marry me," Hanbin closed the box again, sitting next to Hao, who draped his arms around his neck, crying into his neck.

"Of course I want to, Sung Hanbin!! I thought it was a joke! Ask me again, please?" Hao sat up again, anticipating, as the wheel started turning again and Hanbin huffed.

"Fine. Zhang Hao, will you marry me?" he opened the box again in front of Hao, this time sitting by his side.

"Yes! Yes, Binnie! Yes!" Hao exclaimed, the tears of joy he had been holding now freely streaming down his cheeks. He extended his left trembling hand, eager to accept the ring that symbolized their commitment to each other.

Hanbin beamed with pride and relief as he carefully slid the ring onto his now fiancé's finger, smiling and softly kissing him afterwards, while the two boys on the other cart cheered.