By Zephyria 
Seo Baek-han’s large hand overlapped Joo Tae-hyun’s hand, which was holding the phone in a daze.
“Sorry. I kept thinking about it, and my temper is a bit… you know.”
“…….”
“I never intended to tell you like this, but I ran into you at the diner by chance.”
I couldn’t resist, or rather, I felt like I shouldn’t.
Seo Baek-han said firmly, holding Joo Tae-hyun’s fingertips as if supporting them. It was like a knight pledging allegiance rather than a proposal.
“I’ll keep waiting until you feel better. So, if you’re okay with it… I hope you’ll consider becoming a family with me again someday.”
“…….”
“Like the family in Seoul… I’ll work hard so that Tae-hyun, you take my love for granted. I’ll make it happen no matter what.”
I’m sorry for being greedy and wanting so much. I’m sorry that even while apologizing like this, I have no intention of giving up my place next to you, that instead of showing you a completely different side of me like a reborn person, I’m making promises to dedicate all my dreams and ideals, and that this is how I express my love. I’m sorry for everything.
“I love you, Tae-hyun.”
So much.
The words added at the end were so quiet that he wondered if he had imagined them.
The hard skin on the tips of his nails gently brushed over Joo Tae-hyun’s bent fingers.
Tourists gathered under the flag were busy taking commemorative photos in front of the famous building and paid no attention to them.
Some passersby, seeing him kneeling, were about to applaud and cheer, but they clicked their tongues and turned away when they saw the phones in their hands. They whispered that whatever it was, the guy kneeling on the bare ground must have done something seriously wrong.
It must be a strange sight to others. A man kneeling and handing over a phone instead of a ring or even a bouquet of flowers.
“Um… was it that bad?”
When Joo Tae-hyun didn’t give a proper answer, Seo Baek-han tilted his head and asked. Revealing his face at the angle he particularly liked… it couldn’t be a coincidence. He must be doing it on purpose.
“…It’s too much.”
There were so many things he wanted to say, but uttering those three syllables was all he could manage.
“This is too much.”
“What’s too much when I’m giving it to you? There’s nothing ‘too much’ among the things Tae-hyun, you will receive from me in the future.”
He didn’t cling to him, watching his reaction. He didn’t beg or plead. He just asked him to open his heart again someday, to accept him.
If the other family members saw this scene, wouldn’t they get angry and say that he was calling that a proposal?
But… Joo Tae-hyun couldn’t. Even if everyone in the world gossiped about his strange proposal, he couldn’t.
Because Joo Tae-hyun was the one and only person who could perfectly understand what Seo Baek-han was trying to give him.
Because he was the only ‘unique’ person in the world who knew how powerful his vow to stake all his dreams and ideals was. Joo Tae-hyun couldn’t just laugh off Seo Baek-han’s proposal.
Joo Tae-hyun put strength into their overlapping hands and pulled up Seo Baek-han, who was kneeling on one knee. Contrary to his worries that he might be stubborn, he moved his body obediently, like a machine programmed to respond only to his words.
“Anyway, I don’t have to give you an answer right away… do I?”
“Of course not.”
Seo Baek-han added in a calm tone, saying that he had no obligation to do anything, so he should just watch and take what he wanted.
“Just know that I’m this determined. That’s enough.”
“I understand… so let’s end it today.”
Seo Baek-han had definitely said a little while ago that he would do other things for him, but there was something that had to be done first, wasn’t there?
When he scolded him, emphasizing that he should never do such a proposal again, especially not on the street, Seo Baek-han nodded. He didn’t know if he was taking it seriously…
“I’m only saying this just in case.”
“Yeah.”
“Hyung might not have thought about it, but I’m so embarrassed right now…. I’m really, just in case, asking you-.”
“It’s okay, speak comfortably.”
His hand, which had become cold from standing on the street for a while, was quickly pulled into Seo Baek-han’s coat pocket. His large hand held the tips of his fingers, then intertwined them tightly.
When he glanced up at him, he only got a sly answer, “You don’t like being cold.”
“You said you had something to say to me?”
“…Anyway, just in case. If you were planning to propose again at the Guardian Lion lounge, or a hotel in Pyongyang, or a Ferris wheel… I’ll decline in advance.”
Seo Baek-han had returned the misguided beginning intact. The method of proposal that was his last resort was only the beginning for him. Even if it wasn’t the places he mentioned, he wanted to block him in advance if he was preparing a proposal that was too much to handle.
“…….”
“…Hyung.”
He had braced himself to be teased for saying that he hadn’t even thought about it, but… he avoided answering, clearing his throat awkwardly a couple of times as if he had been stabbed in the side.
…He was already preparing up to that stage.
“How far are you going to go? Are you going to storm the Lotus Flower Palace again? Do you want to make up for the beginning again?”
“Well… the Crown Prince knows our situation well too.”
What?
“Hyung, don’t tell me you’ve already asked Yi-hwang, no, the Crown Prince for a favor?”
“Umm.”
“Baek-han hyung!”
How far ahead was he going alone? When he nervously shook off his hand, which was clasped in his coat, Seo Baek-han made a stern expression and pulled his hand back.
“Your hands are still cold.”
His gestures were as careful as if he were holding cotton candy, compared to his solemn face. He unknowingly swallowed the words he was about to say, asking if that was important right now… probably because of his infinitely gentle touch.
“But you understood, right? What I wanted to say?”
“Of course, so-.”
In the middle of saying the words, he raised his head at the gaze that felt new. Seo Baek-han gave a short nod with a relaxed smile, as if he had been waiting for that answer.
“Yes, that’s enough. You don’t have to answer separately.”
Then let’s go back now, to my place.