Love Director [ENG]

Special chapter 1 - After that... we'll take care of each other

In the master bedroom, where the bed was in disarray, two men, both naked, were loosely embracing each other. Paint was smiling to himself as he gazed at the plain white gold ring on his left ring finger. The more he looked at it, the more his smile grew, his heart still racing just like when he was first proposed to.

Meanwhile, Aphros also smiled with satisfaction, reaching out to lovingly stroke the ring he had personally chosen. This gesture caught the eye of his soon-to-be bride (who absolutely refused to wear a bridal gown), making her look up and meet his gaze.

"Do you like it?"

"I do, because you chose it."

"So if I had tied a twig around your finger, you'd like that too?" The tall man teased, causing the nong to break into laughter.

"Yes, even if it was just a twig. Why spend so much money on an expensive ring?" the nong teased back with a smile, making the one who had spent nearly two months finding the perfect ring feign surprise.

"I'm heartbroken. I thought my boyfriend would be happy, but instead, he's complaining about the money."

Paint held back a smile, looking into Aphros' eyes before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, you know, no matter how cheap the ring is, if it's from you, I'd love it. Even if it was a simple silver ring that tarnishes easily, as long as you gave it to me and asked me to marry you, I'd take care of that ring better than one worth millions. And just by looking at this ring, I can tell how much care you put into choosing it. Plus, it's engraved with both our names. How could I not smile?"

"I know you're not materialistic, but I wanted to give you something worthy. I actually think this is too modest, but if it had more diamonds, I was afraid someone here wouldn't dare wear it." Aphros pulled Paint's hand up to kiss it, then nestled his head against Aphros' chest.

Now, he wasn't embarrassed anymore; he was just happy.

"Did you choose it yourself?"

"I went to every store, but buying the ring wasn't as hard as measuring your finger size."

That caught Paint's attention. When did Aphros measure his finger?

As if reading his mind, Aphros kissed his temple firmly and continued. "I looked it up online. They said to use a thread to measure while you're asleep. It was harder than I thought. It wasn't precise; when I held one end, the other slipped out. The thread was so thin, and I was afraid you'd wake up. I was sweating bullets. I took the size to the store and ordered it, but to be sure, I re-measured because the size had changed. I still don't know if you've lost weight or if I messed up the first time."

The more he listened, the more Paint's smile widened, his heart swelling with emotion. Aphros did all this for him. "Thank you, Aphros."

"Why are you thanking me? This is my first time proposing."

"Hmm?" Paint's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, earning him a playful smack on the lips from the older man.

"Look at you. I never proposed to June, or even to Kim. I only thought about it, but never actually asked."

Paint closed his mouth but kept looking into his sharp eyes, curious but too shy to ask. Aphros smiled.

"You're the first person I've ever proposed to, and I think you'll be the last." As he spoke, Aphros raised his left hand, admiring the silver ring on his finger, knowing just how happy it made him.

"Back when I was with June, she insisted we get married. I figured I was getting older, so even though I didn't love her, I thought I might grow to love her after marriage. So, I never proposed or picked out a ring; she handled everything. My only job was to pay, and I wore that ring until she said she was pregnant, then I took it off and threw it away."