Fiancé (2)

The day he had chased after Liu's limousine as it headed for the airport.

After taking fever medicine and sleeping soundly, Yeehyeon felt, belatedly, a creeping embarrassment at his own actions. He couldn't even understand what state of mind he had been in to do such a thing. It hadn't come from thought.

The usual Yeehyeon would have told Liu to go back after waking up. He would have said he was fine, that Liu could leave, that there was nothing to worry about. But that Yeehyeon hadn't done that. Because he hadn't felt like he would be fine.

"It must be due to hormonal imbalance. It makes you suddenly anxious, or makes you act impulsively. It's a natural phenomenon."

There's no need to blame yourself for acting unlike yourself, Liu had reassured him, gently, as always.

Liu's words about the hormonal imbalance might well have been true. But the commotion had led Yeehyeon to a clear realization, whatever the cause.

Watching the tail of the departing car, he had felt an indescribable anxiety take hold — instantly, without warning. The intensity of it was unlike anything he had experienced before, something close to a threat against his own life. His legs had moved before his mind could catch up. Like a drowning person flailing to survive, it had been pure instinct.

And in Liu's arms, after he had run back and pulled him close, Yeehyeon had finally seen the emotion that had risen so clearly within him. An emotion too vivid to dismiss or misread.

Yeehyeon had already decided to propose, right there in that moment.

Liu was reluctant to leave Yeehyeon alone even to go grocery shopping. Yeehyeon was surprised by his own reaction to that — but Liu was even more so. He called Yuni and asked her to come stay, only heading out with his shopping bag once she arrived.

This time, Yeehyeon reacted differently than before. He didn't insist he was fine and could be left alone. On the contrary, he welcomed it. He had something he wanted to ask Yuni — a secret from Liu.

As though he had been planning it for a long time, Yeehyeon laid out the whole scheme without hesitation. As she listened, Yuni's eyes welled up. It wasn't often they saw her cry. Yuni herself seemed surprised by her own reaction.

"Is it because I've watched you and the Director come so far together? Why am I tearing up like this?"

"Thank you — for all the grief you must have gone through because of us during all that time, nuna."

"So you do know?"

Yuni wiped her tears with the tissue Yeehyeon handed her and gave him a look that was almost a glare, though not an unkind one.

"Just know that when you two broke up, I thought I was going to die. Okay?"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't forget that I was there the night you got completely wasted, either."

"Yeah."

"I stayed up the whole night, thinking maybe — just maybe — you'd finally admit how much you missed him while you were drunk. But you never once mentioned the Director."

"I guess I'm just stubborn."

"Not stubborn. Strong."

"Maybe so."

"I could see you still loved him, and I couldn't understand how you were holding on. But now I think I do."

"......"

"From the beginning, neither you nor the Director ever intended for it to end like that. Because you didn't believe it was the end, you held on. With hope."

Yuni's words felt true. They had only needed time and distance — neither of them had ever actually said the words let's break up. He had never doubted that the other was thinking of him, that both of them were trying to understand what that time apart was meant to mean.

If he hadn't done that — if he had let the incident fade away unresolved because he couldn't bear the distance — they wouldn't have been able to look at each other without reservation today. He didn't doubt that for a moment.

"To think the little bee who used to just follow Manager Han around when he first came to 'Phantom' is getting married."

"I know, right? I still can't believe it myself."

"And to Liu Weikun, of all people."

Yuni and Yeehyeon looked at each other and laughed again.

"The Director better treat you well."

"He already does. You know that, nuna."

"I know. I know he'd lay down his life for you. But I can't figure out why I still end up so firmly on your side."

Yuni was laughing and shrugging when she suddenly burst into tears again. After a long stretch of crying and laughing both, she seemed to think of something, and she grabbed Yeehyeon's shoulders with an expression of sudden gravity.

"Yeehyeon. Seo Yeehyeon. You're not... pregnant, are you?"

"......"

"Is that why you're rushing the wedding?"

"Nuna, my manifestation isn't even complete yet."

"I know. I know, but..."

"......"

"It just feels like anything might be possible with the Director."

The look in Yuni's eyes, her face entirely pale, was so dead serious that Yeehyeon couldn't even laugh this time.

After Yuni left, Yeehyeon ate the pancakes Liu had made and suggested,

"Kun, why don't we take a walk to Île de la Cité tomorrow?"

"If you're feeling up to it, I'd love to."

"I'm not sick — I just want some fresh air. I feel cooped up after two days inside."

"Alright. But if you feel like you're getting a fever, we're turning back immediately."

Yeehyeon was worried Liu might notice how strangely excited he was, but Liu accepted the suggestion without any suspicion. A walk in Paris was routine for them — when the mood struck, they would walk all the way to the Luxembourg Gardens and back, a round trip of over two hours.

The next day, the slightly cool weather was perfect for walking.

They headed south along the Boulevard Saint-Martin, then turned into the Marais district, wandering past various shops.

Before reaching the Rue de Rivoli past the Place des Vosges, they stopped briefly at a flower shop. Liu had spotted a basket of Jana roses with large, lush buds.

"They'll be so pretty when they bloom fully."

Liu asked for a small bouquet — two Jana roses mixed with ranunculus, small enough not to be a bother to carry.

Up to that point, Yeehyeon had no idea the flowers were being bought for a proposal. Liu gave him flowers often. And he never passed Jana roses without buying at least one for Yeehyeon — those were the flowers that had decorated the terrace during the half-proposal at the Ritz Hotel. So there was nothing unusual to question.

Besides, Yeehyeon was so preoccupied with his own nerves, consumed by the need to make his proposal succeed, that even if Liu had bought a hundred roses, he wouldn't have thought anything of it.

As they reached the bridge, Yeehyeon grew impatient. His steps quickened, pulling Liu along. Liu, oblivious to his state of mind, was unusually unhurried that day.

"Yeehyeon, look. The sunset is prettier than usual."

At the tug of Liu's hand, Yeehyeon turned around. Liu had stopped right there, looking at him and smiling.

In that moment, a shiver moved through Yeehyeon for no apparent reason. Before Liu could kneel, before he could open his mouth to speak, Yeehyeon already knew what was about to happen. As if someone had whispered it to him.

Their eyes met, their hands still clasped, and Liu lowered himself onto his right knee.

Everything around them seemed to slow. It wasn't an illusion. Many of the people crossing the Pont Neuf slowed their steps and watched from a distance.

"I'm sorry for being an impatient man."

He started with a joke, smiling — but his facial muscles were completely rigid, betraying just how nervous he was.

"I said I would wait for your decision, yet here I am, asking again. But this time is different. This time, I know for certain. I have to say this to you now. Or perhaps I should have done it sooner. Perhaps I was just foolish."

Then he held out the bouquet from his left hand toward Yeehyeon — looking up from below, as if offering his own heart.

"Seo Yeehyeon, let's get married."

His voice trembled violently within those few short words.

Yeehyeon's mind couldn't keep up. He had been rushing headlong toward his own destination — and then he realized he had already arrived. He couldn't help but be bewildered.

But before he could even process it, tears fell.

Just as his legs had run toward Liu before his mind could tell them to.

Yeehyeon's hands, receiving the simple, small bouquet, were trembling. The onlookers cheered and applauded, and Liu rose and pulled him into his arms.

"I said it too late, didn't I? I'm sorry."

Wrapping his arms around Liu's waist in return, Yeehyeon shook his head firmly.

"Now is the right time. This is when it was meant to happen. Kun knows it too."

"Yes. You're right. It's now. It's now, Yeehyeon-ah."

Yeehyeon's hot tears spilled from between his tightly closed eyelids and soaked Liu's shoulder. When they looked at each other again, Liu's eyelashes were damp as well. He carefully wiped Yeehyeon's wet cheek. Both of them smiled at each other through tears.

Someone passed by offering congratulations, and Liu nodded with a smile in acknowledgment.

Having gathered himself somewhat, Yeehyeon gently stroked Liu's fingertips with the hand not holding the bouquet. Then he took Liu's hand and led the way forward. The people who had applauded dispersed, walking again toward their respective destinations.

On the Pont Neuf, they descended via the stairs behind the equestrian statue of Henri IV toward the Square du Vert-Galant. Liu followed, still entirely unaware of what was ahead.

Yeehyeon led him to the abutment at the far end of the square, beneath the piers of the bridge on the opposite side. A small boat was moored there. A middle-aged man standing watch spotted them, removed his hat, and greeted them with a polite smile.

"I asked Yuni nuna to arrange it. She put it together with Ben and Jun."

"This is... why you wanted to take a walk?"

"Didn't you know? Didn't you notice?"

Yeehyeon's voice came out higher than usual, nerves making him chatter.

The boat, finished in dark wood, had a charming, understated elegance. It could be rowed at leisure or run by motor.

Toward the stern, a small table held a red-and-white checkered tablecloth spread with simple snacks — crackers, jam, honey — along with white wine, all arranged with care. Tea lights burned beneath transparent covers to keep the river breeze from extinguishing them. It was clearly a boat prepared for lovers.

"It's not a grand cruise — but it's wonderfully charming, don't you think?"

"It's more than charming. It's perfect."

"Kun has a boat license, you know. That's what gave me the idea. Though this one can just be rowed."

They sat facing each other across the table. The middle-aged man helped them on board, handed Yeehyeon the key, and waved them off warmly.

Without any need to row, the boat began drifting slowly downstream — from the Pont Neuf toward the Eiffel Tower. Golden light shimmered across the waves of the Seine as if someone had scattered tens of thousands of diamonds across the water.

"So while I was out shopping yesterday, you and Baek Yuni cooked up this plan?"

"That's right."

"Is this your way of making it up to me because I couldn't go to Seoul?"

Instead of answering, Yeehyeon offered an enigmatic smile. He rose from his seat and moved to sit beside Liu. Liu held his hand to help him keep his balance. They settled side by side at the stern, watching Paris unfold slowly around them.

Leaning his temple against Liu's shoulder, Yeehyeon took his left hand. He fidgeted with the ring on his left ring finger and spoke.

"At the Ritz Hotel, when you gave me this ring, you said..."

"......"

"...that you wanted to propose in a place where you were certain it wouldn't disappear for a very long time."

"You remember."

"Of course I remember. That's why I chose here, too."

Lifting his head from Liu's shoulder, Yeehyeon looked up at him. The man who had proposed a second — no, a third time — just minutes ago was looking down at him with only a warm smile, still entirely unaware. Whenever their eyes met, even the beauty of Paris faded into backdrop.

"Because the Seine isn't going anywhere, at least not while we're alive."

"......"

"I wanted to propose to Kun in a place that wouldn't disappear either."

"Ah..."

Liu let out a breath of awe and gripped Yeehyeon's hand tightly, without realizing it.

"You asked me to marry you, remember?"

"......"

"This is my answer."

As if in a trance, Liu reached out and cupped Yeehyeon's cheek. Their lips met as naturally as the flow of the river. The boat passed beneath the Pont des Arts. The kiss continued — past the Louvre, the Tuileries Garden, the Place de la Concorde, until the Alexander III Bridge. The Seine and time itself seemed to slow.