fade | jookyun

09

jooheon clambered out of bed, slightly panicked. he spotted a sticky note on the bedroom door. written in changkyun's handwriting were the words, "had to leave for work and didn't want to wake you up. there's breakfast on the table. i love you." jooheon sighed in relief. he'd gotten worried. he stumbled sleepily into the dining room, where there was a plate of pancakes waiting along with a cup of coffee. he inhaled the scent of the food and exhaled in satisfaction. what a lovely morning. jooheon -

suddenly, jooheon swore he could have seen someone outside, peering through the window sinisterly. but when he looked again, the person was gone. jooheon rushed to close all the blinds and double check that the door was locked. "changkyun," he cried as he bolted up the stairs. "changkyun!"

-

minhyuk was sitting at home with hoseok and hyungwon, who he had invited over for brunch. however, all they could talk about was jooheon and changkyun's wedding.

"and to think he was the last one out of all of us to find his soulmate, yet he's getting married first!" hyungwon exclaimed.

"not if we get married before them." hoseok interjected.

"hoseok," hyungwon sighed. "i told you i'm not ready..."

"why not?" hoseok asked. "don't you love me?"

"i do, hoseok. don't act like that." hyungwon sighed, rubbing his temples.

"then why don't you want to get married? i want to spend my life with you, hyungwon, but you always say you're not ready. it's been six years already." hoseok shot back.

"it's not the time." hyungwon replied.

"but why not?" hoseok asked.

minhyuk watched the couple argue. maybe they weren't going to get married now, but at least their future was secured. and no one was in the way in their relationship.

just then, hoseok pushed hyungwon away, sending him with a thump to the ground. hoseok burst into tears as hyungwon stared up at him, wounded. and suddenly, minhyuk had a plan.

hyungwon got up, avoiding eye contact with his soulmate. "i'm leaving. thanks for inviting me, minhyuk." he stalked out of the house, leaving his partner sobbing. it was almost a bit comical to minhyuk, seeing the muscly man crying like a child. hoseok crumpled to the floor and continued to wail.

minhyuk crouched down next to him and patted his back. "listen, you did a good thing."

hoseok looked at him with shock. "how? i sh-shoved him and he's mad."

"not that, hoseok," he said, standing and gazing down at the man crying on his floor. "you gave me an idea."

-

"you know that i'll always be here, right?" changkyun asked gently. "you know that i'll never leave you."

"i know." jooheon sniffled.

"good." changkyun held him closer, pressing his lips against the older's forehead.

"i don't deserve you." whispered jooheon.

changkyun looked questioningly at his soulmate. "what do you mean?"

"i'm such a burden. you have to take care of me constantly when it should be me doing that. i'm the older one," jooheon confided. "you should leave. but i know that you won't."

"jooheon, you're not a burden..." changkyun said, bringing their faces closer together.

just as their lips brushed against each other, there was a knock on the door. jooheon screamed, wrapping his arms around his soulmate.

"calm down, i'm here," changkyun murmured into his ear. "i'll go check who it is, okay?"

jooheon shook his head, but changkyun was already peering through the curtains. "it's just hoseok."

jooheon's tense muscles relaxed as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"and minhyuk," changkyun added.

strangely, the relief was suddenly replaced by a sense of danger. but before he could tell changkyun about it, the door opened to reveal the two men, one crying and one exasperated.

"what happened?" changkyun asked worriedly.

"he can explain. can you do me a favor and take him off my hands? i have somewhere i need to be," minhyuk said coldly. "anyway, where's jooheon?" he peered around changkyun to see jooheon on the floor, his eyes puffy and red. "were you hurting him?" minhyuk asked furiously.

"no! i would never hurt him!" changkyun exclaimed.

minhyuk pressed his mouth into a straight line. "alright then. so can you take care of this one for me?" he motioned to hoseok.

changkyun glanced at jooheon, who nodded slightly. "yes, we can. come in, hoseok."

"i'll be going, then." minhyuk turned and left without even a goodbye.

changkyun shut the door and led hoseok, who was sobbing harder than before, over to a couch. "what happened, hoseok?" he asked soothingly.

jooheon went to sit on the other side of hoseok and rested his head on hoseok's broad shoulder.

"i-i-i," hoseok stuttered. "hyungwon hates me!"

"no he doesn't. he would never hate his soulmate." changkyun replied with surprise.

"i-i was pressuring him. i-i kept asking h-him why he didn't want to get m-married. a-and he said he w-wasn't r-ready. and we were f-fighting and i pushed him!" hoseok wailed. "i hurt him!"

jooheon and changkyun locked eyes. "i'll make you some tea and we'll talk." changkyun said.

-

as soon as he shut the door behind him, hyungwon dropped his stiff, chilling demeanor. it was almost as if he was wilting. he staggered into the bedroom and laid down on the bed. the house felt empty. he felt empty. he shouldn't have overreacted like that, especially when he knew how hoseok would always blame himself for everything. hyungwon felt terrible, sharp pains in his heart. it wasn't hoseok's fault. it was his own. hyungwon didn't want to get married because he was afraid. not of marriage — of losing the man he loved. what if wonho didn't want him anymore after they were married? what if hoseok thought they weren't right for each other anymore?

hyungwon shook his head. no, this was stupid. he should just marry hoseok already. they were soulmates, and that bond couldn't break either.

could it?

hyungwon closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the stabs at his heart kept him wide awake.

-

hoseok could not be comforted. he was absolutely convinced about the fact that hyungwon despised him. "he hates me. i hate me." he cried.

"well, we don't hate you. nobody hates you, hoseok." changkyun said firmly, jooheon nodding in agreement.

"hyungwon hates me," hoseok whimpered. "he hates me..."