𝓦𝓱𝓸 𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾? - 𝓡𝓮𝓷𝓱𝔂𝓾𝓬𝓴

十五 (Fifteen)

The next part of the plan was what Haechan was so nervous for.

While everyone was distracted with Chenle and Jisung, he pulled Renjun to his feet, the elder clearly surprised. "What is this?" he asked.

"You'll see." said Haechan. "Come outside with me. I have a special gift for you."

"You didn't have to get me anything in the first place-" said Renjun, but Haechan held up a hand to silence him.

"Someone as beautiful as you deserves an equally beautiful acknowledgement." said Haechan patiently.

He led Renjun to the backyard. The sky was dark, the ground being lit by the light of a million stars. Renjun looked around in awe.

"It's so pretty out here..." he breathed.

"Not prettier than you." said Haechan, before mentally cursing himself. Mark had warned him about this, was he going too fast?

Renjun blushed. "Shut up, I'm not that pretty."

"Nonsense." said Haechan, looking directly into Renjun's eyes. "You're the prettiest thing I've ever known, both in and out."

"Why are you being like this? I'm getting embarrassed." said Renjun.

Haechan smiled. "That's the point..."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "Here. Open it."

Renjun took the box gingerly and lifted the lid. Inside were two matching rings, a heart engraved into their metal. He could make out initials on each one; L.HC and H.RJ.

"Haechannie..." he muttered, not sure how to feel.

"Don't take this the wrong way, it's not a proposal or anything." said Haechan quickly. "But it's not far off. These are promise rings. With them, we promise to always stay with each other and never leave. They mean that we'll never stop loving each other, just like we do know."

Renjun sighed. "Haechannie..."

"What? Do you not like them?" asked Haechan, internally panicking.

"I can't accept this." said Renjun sadly. "You shouldn't have spent so much money on me to have these custom-made. I don't deserve it."

"Renjunnie, I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it. You deserve all the love in the world." said Haechan.

"But if that's true... this isn't the kind of love I want."

For the first time in his life, Haechan was speechless. Renjun looked up with tears in his eyes.

"I don't want a love based around money. I don't want a love with expensive gifts, like this. As much as I love the gesture... I just want a love that's true. I want a love where we don't need to spend money to show how much we love each other. We should be able to express our feelings safely and openly without buying fancy things. The love that I want values simplicity over money. So I'm sorry, but I can't accept this."

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry." said Haechan, starting to pull Renjun into a hug, but the elder slapped his chest.

"You always say that! Why should you be sorry, when you have everything?" sobbed Renjun. "You have money, you have friends, and most of all, you have memory! I lost everything that night, the night of the crash! You have nothing to be sorry about, because you're perfect, and I'm just useless!"

By now, Haechan was crying too, unable to hold it in. "You're not useless, Renjunnie-"

"Don't call me that." snapped Renjun. "That's what you call me when you pretend to love me."

He turned on his heel and walked off.

"Where are you going?" called Haechan, running after him.

"Home." said Renjun coldly. "And don't follow me. I want to be alone."

***

Ten minutes passed, and Haechan and Renjun still weren't back. "Shouldn't someone go check on them?" asked Jaemin, worried.

"I will." volunteered Mark. "Jeno, you're in charge. Don't let Jihan blow the house up with her mini fireworks."

He hurried out the back door. "Renjun? Haechan?" he called out. What he didn't expect to hear in return was small sniffles coming from the backyard.

He ran towards the sound and saw Haechan, lying with his back against the bushes, crying into his knees. Renjun was nowhere to be seen. The tiny box lay forgotten on the ground, both rings still inside.

"Haechannie." he said softly, walking towards him slowly. "Can I sit with you?"

Haechan nodded, keeping his head buried in his knees.

Mark carefully knelt beside Haechan and stroked his hair. "What's wrong?"

"We had a fight." said Haechan in a muffled, broken voice. "Me and Renjunnie. And now he's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" asked Mark.

"Home." sniffed Haechan. "Alone. He told me not to follow him."

"Can I ask what happened?" asked Mark, his tone as gentle as possible. He knew the friends had never gotten into a fight before, not once in their entire life. This was bound to be hard on them.

"He said he couldn't accept it." choked Haechan. "He said the love he wanted wasn't based off gifts and money, but rather simplicity. Then I told him I was sorry, and he said I shouldn't be sorry, because he lost everything. He said I was perfect and he was useless. He said that I only pretended to love him. Then he just... left."

Mark rubbed small circles in Haechan's back. He knew the younger didn't want advice, he just wanted someone to sympathize with him. And Mark would gladly do that.

"I don't get it." said Haechan after a moment. "I've shown him so much love. How can he say I was only pretending?"

"He's manipulated himself into thinking he's a monster of some sort." said Mark, speaking carefully so he wouldn't say the wrong thing. "He doesn't understand how anyone could ever love him. He doesn't realize how much you adore him, so he thinks it's all an act."

"How can I show him that I mean it?" whispered Haechan desperately.

"Only you can decide how you go about this, Haechan." said Mark. "But if I were you, I'd text him tomorrow. Don't say anything about tonight unless he mentions it first, it might make him uncomfortable. Just make sure he feels comfortable around you, and everything should be fine."

"Thanks, hyung." said Haechan suddenly.

"For?" inquired Mark.

Haechan grinned. "Being there for me."

***

That night, as a taxi drove Jeno and Jaemin home (Jaemin was staying at Jeno's house), Jaemin turned to his boyfriend.

"Do you think Renjun and Haechan will be okay?"

Jeno hesitated, choosing his words carefully so as not to worry his boyfriend even more. "That depends on whether Haechan can keep his patience." he said after a moment. "And you know how sweet he is, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"But what if they don't make up?" asked Jaemin.

Jeno sighed heavily. "Well, in that impossible scenario, we have to do our best to be there for both of them. But don't worry, they're literally soulmates. They'll always find their way back to each other, even in the darkness."