It's frantic at the hospital, but they manage to find Wooyoung in the correct wing after what seems like a mad dash through the building.
It's later in the day, and the time difference has completely fucked with Hongjoong, but his adrenaline is so high, he swears he could run three marathons.
"Where is he? Is it too late?"
Wooyoung is sitting on one of the plastic chairs in the lobby.
A man is sleeping next to him, curled up in two chairs with a jacket draped over him.
"They took him back earlier than expected because his father insisted on it," he relays.
His eyes a red-rimmed and his usually clear complexion is blotchy and dry.
He sighs.
"He's been in there for eight hours."
"Eight hours? But the surgery was only supposed to last five at the maximum, right?"
Hongjoong feels sick.
He might actually throw up right here, all over Wooyoung and this random guy, so he sinks to the floor and tries to calm himself by rubbing his temples.
San had shown him how to do it on the plane.
"Yeah, it was only supposed to take five. No one will talk to us either because the translator is with Seonghwa's father."
"And where is he?" San questions, looking around with disdain.
Wooyoung grimaces and runs his hand through the sleeping man's hair.
"I don't know. He went back with Hyung when he was getting prepped but he never came back out and they won't let us back there obviously."
"When I see that man again, I swear.." Hongjoong ceases his rambling and whips his head up to Wooyoung.
In all his exhaustion, he almost forgot what he was here to warn them about.
"Wooyoung!" He exclaims, startling the elder. "Seongie is—"
"My half-sister, I know. Jun Ki," he motions to the man sleeping next to him, "found out about it a week or so ago. He was under the impression that their father told Seonghwa-hyung but once he got here and it became obvious that no one knew, he let the secret out."
"And Seonghwa-hyung still decided to go through with the surgery?" San asks, motioning to Hongjoong on the floor.
"Even after finding out that his father is using him?"
"Using him?" Wooyoung cocks his head. "I mean, sure, he was upset over getting lied to all these years but—"
Hongjoong rises to cup Wooyoung's face and focus all his attention on the nurse.
"You don't understand. His father has been paying off Seongie's family for years to keep quiet about her because your mother made him sign over part of the company to Seongie and her. They own it together but now that they're both... gone, that share goes to you."
Wooyoung blanches and turns an unholy shade of white.
"What?"
"Seonghwa's father doesn't own the whole company, he never has. He has a share, your father has a share, and when your mother got pregnant with Seongie, she made him sign over a share to them, probably as some sort of reassurance that they would get taken care of. But something is happening. He mentioned to Seongie's father— the one back in Jinju—that he was worried that his investment in his son would go wrong and that he needed to buy Seongie's share immediately."
"I don't understand..."
Next to them, Jun Ki stirs, sitting up with a groan.
It seems that he had been listening intently.
"He's afraid," the man says.
"Before I extended my service, he said that the board of directors was on his ass about consolidating the company down to one primary owner, which would be impossible since the shares are split between two owners with neither of them wanting to give up stock. So he wanted me to be the heir because if it came down to it, he didn't think they would mutiny against me, someone who they saw fit to lead the company, but Seonghwa—"
Wooyoung gasps.
"But they would definitely see Hyung as unfit and end up siding with my father, unless something changed."
"Which is why that bastard is forcing this on Seonghwa-hyung," San adds, shaking his head.
"He's trying to make him more worthy of the board but he wanted to secure his own future..."
Hongjoong lets out a frustrated sigh.
"He wanted Seongie's share.... Which is now your share, but he doesn't know that."
Silence settles in while everyone contemplates this new development.
"Holy fuck," Jun Ki exclaims suddenly. "We could take the company from him."
Wooyoung sputters.
"W-We?"
"Yeah, your family has majority share now and I'm tired of seeing my father waste his fortune and influence on computer chips that help weapons kill things better."
"But I don't really want the company and my father would never betray his best friend like that..." Wooyoung pouts and Hongjoong lets go of the man's face.
San snorts.
"He probably would if he knew his best friend and business partner had an affair with his wife and fathered a child with her."
"But is it my place to tell him?" Wooyoung snaps, obviously exasperated and anxious. "My mother just died."
"Everyone calm down," Hongjoong interjects carefully. "We have a lot to think about, but first, we need to make sure Seonghwa-hyung is ok—"
His sentence is interrupted by Wooyoung practically jumping out of his seat and gaping at the room behind Hongjoong.
The nurse turns around to find a doctor coming out of the double doors with an Asian man following him.
"That's not the same translator as before," Jun Ki notes, but soon, both men make their way across the room to stand in front of the group.
The translator looks them over.
His face is nearly expressionless.
The foreign doctor begins to say something, gesturing with his hands and even though Hongjoong has no idea what the man is saying he can instantly tell by the tone of voice that something is horribly wrong.
He feels faint again.
Collectively, the group of Korean men all snap their attention to the translator expectantly.
The man swallows hard and pulls his lips into a thin, tight line.
"He is sorry to announce that there were complications during the surgery. The man... he did not make it."
The doctor begins speaking again, this time with a quivering voice, but Hongjoong can barely focus.
Everything is blurring around him into a cacophony of sounds and sight and smell.
He can barely stand up and he realizes belatedly that San is actually holding him up.
The translator begins again.
"The damage was too extensive, so they tried another technique but the patient's body rejected it immediately. The heart became too stressed and the blood loss increased rapidly until there was nothing they could do. He offers his condolences and would like to speak with the next of kin privately."
Wooyoung is the first one to react.
He screams at the top of his lungs and lunges for the doctor, grabbing him by his surgical gown and shaking him.
San tries to pry him off, which means he has to let go of supporting Hongjoong, who falls to the floor dumbly.
Jun Ki is frozen in place; he doesn't even appear to be breathing.
"No!" Wooyoung is screaming. "No, no, no! It can't be! You fucking bastard! You did this— He did this— oh god, Seonghwa, no!"
Above Wooyoung's screaming there is a singular noise— a high-pitched wailing that Hongjoong recognizes as his own voice.
As Jun Ki falls to the floor beside him, Hongjoong swears he can hear the droning beep of a flatlined heart somewhere in the distance, the very same sound he never got to hear when Seongie left this world.
And all he can think in this moment is that it's happening again, only this time, he can't go on.
Because Seongie was his first love, but Seonghwa—
Seonghwa was the love of his life.
__
___
____
Hongjoong watches the little boy draw patterns over the memorial stone, tracing the words with his small, chubby fingers.
Surrounding him are pictures of the family members of the deceased, and the boy stops to stare at one photo in particular.
"Who is this, Appa?" Songmin asks, looking up at his father.
Sitting down on the marble floor, Hongjoong picks up the boy and pulls him into his lap.
He leans over his son's shoulder and picks up the framed photo.
"Why don't you name all the people you can and then I'll tell you."
The picture is really a collage of different people, not one photograph of them all together.
The boy points to an older, stern-faced man and Hongjoong tries not to frown.
"Halaeboji," he says, then moves on to an older woman. "Halmeoni... then Seongie-noona."
The boy pauses over the picture of a man in a wheelchair and furrows his little brows.
"Who is this, Appa? Why is he in a chair like that?"
Hongjoong cuddles his child closer and places the photo back into the cubby alongside the flowers and candles.
"Remember how I told you that Seongie-noona, the woman we came to visit today, had a brother?" Songmin hums out an acknowledgement.
"Well, I fell in love with that man. He was in a car accident and couldn't walk after that. That's why he's in a chair."
"Really?" Songmin gasps out. "That's scary!"
"It is."
A minute later, Hongjoong hears footsteps and looks up to find Wooyoung leaning against the doorway of the memorial building.
He smiles warmly at them both.
Songmin pouts and looks up at Wooyoung then back to Hongjoong.
"Does Abeoji know about the man in the chair?"
Glancing over to Wooyoung, Hongjoong takes a moment collect himself before smiling down at his son.
"Yes. He was very special," he relays, tapping on the picture.
"Do you want to hear about him? About the time when I knew we truly loved each other?"
Songmin seems reluctant and confused, but soon he reaches over and grabs the picture once more.
"Yes, Appa. Tell me about the man in the chair."
__
___
____
Wooyoung only stops shaking the doctor when security shows up and forcibly pulls him away.
San is distraught.
Hongjoong and Jun Ki are still on the floor.
There are threats being thrown around; the hospital staff wants to kick Wooyoung out and have the rest ushered outside for the time being.
Then Jun Ki— seeing as Seonghwa's father is nowhere in sight— will be escorted to a room to talk with the doctor about Seonghwa's final moments and what happens next.
But none of that happens, because as Hongjoong is staring blankly at the double doors leading into the operating area, they open, and out rolls Seonghwa, dressed in a hospital gown and looking positively pissed.
His hair is a mess, there's the imprint of bedsheets on one side of his face, and his eyes are swollen and red.
Hongjoong doesn't even realize that he's running or that he's screaming until he's already in front of Seonghwa, blubbering like a baby.
The elder stares up at him in astonishment.
Behind him, he can hear Wooyoung yelling:
"What do you mean you had the wrong patient? Not all of us Asians look alike! No, he is not Dong Seo Kyun! How the fuck do you make a mistake like that?"
Oh.
It was a mistake, a miscommunication.
So this is.... awkward.
But Hongjoong hardly feels it when Seonghwa looks at him and squints through one eye.
"Hongjoong? What are you doing here?"
The nurse doesn't even bother with a reply.
"Don't tell me. Tell him and only him. Feelings like yours, they're meant be to shown, not spoken."
Instead, he picks Seonghwa up out of the chair, not even caring that his patient is complaining about his ass hanging out of the back of his hospital gown and Hongjoong wraps the man's legs around his waist and kisses him.
Really kisses him— full on lips, tongue, teeth— a "swallowing Seonghwa whole" kind of kiss, like this is the last time he'll ever see him.
Seonghwa, for his part, is stunned for the first ten seconds or so and then he just mumbles "it's about fucking time" against the nurse's lips and they go at each other, hot and heavy and practically humping mid-air.
Hongjoong is so happy.
He's crying and moaning and his arms are shaking and his lips are bruising from the force of the kiss but he doesn't fucking care.
He wants this.
He wants Seonghwa to yell at him when he burns the cookies and the kitchen is all smokey.
He wants to come around the corner and witness Seonghwa baby-talking Joy who is dressed like a bumblebee.
He wants to lay under the stars at the park and listen to Seonghwa rant about things only to quiet down and tell Hongjoong to stop staring at him like a creep.
He wants popping rock candy foaming out of Seonghwa's mouth and long nights of Seonghwa playing the piano, his fingers brushing deftly across the keys.
He wants to roll over in bed and see his love sleeping soundly, so at peace with the world because he feels safe and loved.
He wants it all, and it starts with this moment.
Eventually, they part for air and Hongjoong rests his head against Seonghwa's and breathes deeply.
He looks his patient right in the eye and grins.
"Hello."
Seonghwa narrows his eyes and shakes his head like he can't believe how ridiculous Hongjoong is.
"Hello," he replies sarcastically. "What's with all of this?"
"I literally thought you were dead just seconds ago," the nurse explains breezily, like it wasn't the worst moment of his life.
"Oh— well that's not good." Seonghwa blinks at him.
"I decided not to go through with it— Sorry?"
It comes out as a question rather than an apology and Hongjoong laughs and cries and finally puts Seonghwa down because his arms are killing him now but he doesn't care.
The nurse drops to his knees in front of Seonghwa's chair.
"No, I'm sorry for not telling you about Seongie sooner, for not making sure that you knew that I was interested in you for you. I should've never taken the risk, even if I thought you would be hurt or offended. That was selfish of me, but Hyung, you have to know that—"
"Hongjoong, stop." Seonghwa brings a shaky hand up to caress Hongjoong's tear-stained cheek.
"I'm sorry for asking you to throw away a part of yourself that made you into who you are today. Because without her, you wouldn't be here, we wouldn't have ever met. I don't hate her. I don't resent the fact that you love her. I was just tired of always feeling like nothing was truly mine— not my childhood, not my sexuality, not you— and I projected all of that shit onto you and I was a dick."
"You were a dick," Hongjoong concedes with a breathy giggle.
More tears stream down his face.
"But you're my dick."
Seonghwa quirks a brow.
"As far as I know, I've been your only dick."
Hongjoong doesn't laugh.
Seonghwa's face drops.
"Hongjoong, what is it?"
Slowly, the nurse cups Seonghwa's face in his hands and leans in close, so close that their lips brush together.
"I just... When I thought I lost you, I remembered every moment we spent together and I don't think I could go on if I didn't have you in my life. You're much more than a patient, you're the smile on my face, the sun coming in through the windows. The flowers that Joy likes to eat and—"
"Hongjoong, what did I tell you about those sappy dramas?"
Hongjoong snorts with laughter through the haze of tears.
"Hyung, this is a sappy drama. I love you. I love you so much and I'm never leaving you alone again."
Seonghwa blinks at him in surprise and then his doll lips open to say the sweetest words that Hongjoong has ever heard.
"Kim Hongjoong, I love you too, but our communication really fucking sucks. Let's work on that because I don't want to deal with these bullshit misunderstandings for the rest of my life."
"The rest of your life?" the nurse teases, looking into his lover's eyes.
The way Seonghwa pouts momentarily is absolutely adorable.
"I can take it back," he says, looking at the floor. "I just thought that— You're so— And we get along really well—"
"Park Seonghwa," Hongjoong begins, still holding onto the elder's face.
"We can talk about it later, but for right now, I just want to be with you, my little lone wolf."
A breathless laugh; Seonghwa's eyes scrunch up in amusement.
"Ok, butterfly boy."
They begin to kiss again and when Hongjoong pulls Seonghwa into his lap on the floor, security is called to remove one angry Asian man screaming at the doctors and two men tempting the line between affection and public indecency.
__
___
____
Songmin traces his fingers over the picture in his hands, digesting his father's story.
"What happened to the man, Appa?"
Hongjoong begins to speak but he's quickly interrupted by a familiar rasp.
"Hongjoong, why are you talking to our child like I'm not here?"
Whipping his head around, Songmin breaks out into a grin.
He looks down at the photo and back at Seonghwa in astonishment.
"It's Abeoji! The man is Abeoji! Appa loves Abeoji!"
"It sure is," Hongjoong chirps, grinning like an idiot.
He looks over to Wooyoung standing in the doorway.
"Why don't you go get ready with Samchon and I'll see you soon, ok?"
Songmin practically leaps for his favorite uncle and the two walk off, hand-in-hand.
Pleased with himself, Hongjoong rises to his feet and looks over to the love of his life.
"Was I bad for tricking him?"
"It was kind of a dick move, but I don't blame him for being confused. I look different now."
Seonghwa truly does.
He's standing in the doorway, his hair an auburn color, complementing his tailored suit.
Beneath the pant legs are the braces his company now makes for accident victims— the braces that support rehabilitated legs and help people walk again.
It had taken nearly six years since the accident, but Seonghwa had promised himself he would never give up again.
He had promised the rest of them that he would work even harder in therapy.
And when he and Wooyoung took back the company from his father, he promised to use technology to make a difference in people's lives.
He kept every single promise.
"My mother isn't coming," Seonghwa says after a while, leaning against the wall.
The braces help a lot, but he still can't use all of his legs yet.
He gets tired easily but he pushes himself everyday.
Hongjoong isn't surprised.
Things had not gone well for the Park family over the last two years.
For one, Seonghwa had refused the surgery after Jun Ki revealed the secret about Seongie's true heritage.
His father and him had gotten into an explosive argument right before he was to go into the operating room, while Seonghwa had just gotten his IV to go under anesthesia.
Apparently, he was still lucid enough to deny the surgery, but he still fell unconscious.
Seonghwa's father just left him there.
So when Seonghwa came to, he spent the next hours in a bed recovering while he requested privacy to make some important calls.
And within twenty-four hours, he had gone from Park Seonghwa, disowned and invalid, to Park Seonghwa, acting CEO of Park Incoporated, with Wooyoung's blessing of course.
Wooyoung's father had been happy to step down; he needed to deal with personal matters anyway.
But because of the takeover, Seonghwa's mother was upset and refused to see him.
She didn't visit him for birthdays, holidays, or even when Seonghwa called to tell her about the adoption of their son.
Songmin had been an unexpected surprise, but the woman didn't want anything to do with a Seonghwa's "family".
Hongjoong had calmed his boyfriend down and reminded him that they were doing the right thing.
Songmin had been a patient at the pediatric clinic Hongjoong went to work at after Seonghwa regained most of his independence.
The poor kid had been involved in a house fire in which he lost his parents.
His legs were severely burned but he was a determined little boy who immediately attached himself to Hongjoong.
When it came time for the boy to go into government custody since he had no kin that wanted him, Seonghwa had looked over at Hongjoong in bed one night and merely said "You would make a great father, Joong."
"You think so? Is this moving too fast? I mean, Wooyoung just moved out and we're so young..."
Seonghwa simply smiled and ran his fingers over his boyfriend's cheek.
"If you can give him half the love and attention you've given me, then he'll grow up with the most amazing father ever."
"Seonghwa, you're going to be a wonderful father too. I just know it."
That night had been filled with the slowest and deepest sex they had ever had, sweat-slicked bodies writhing against each other as Hongjoong helped his lover reach his peak several times before Seonghwa's recovering legs needed to rest.
After that, the decision was clear as day, something so simple and natural, welcoming Songmin into their homes and hearts.
That first night with the boy, Seonghwa became "Abeoji" and Hongjoong went from "Hyung-nim" to "Appa".
But even their joy, Seonghwa's mother didn't want to experience.
She was never there.
Not when Seonghwa invested in bio-medical technology and began to walk again.
Not when Hongjoong threw a party with everyone in attendance— Yeosang, San, Yunho and his partner Mingi, Wooyoung, Jongho, and Jun Ki— in order to propose; she never returned the call.
And now she wouldn't be here, even on his wedding day.
"I'm sorry, baby," Hongjoong says, pulling Seonghwa into a hug.
"I know this is important to you."
"Of course it's important to me. I'm marrying the most frustrating, annoying, weirdest person on the planet and I want to share it with the world."
"I'm sure there are weirder men than me."
"Yeah, but none that I'm in love with."
The nurse grins as Seonghwa runs his hands through his shaggy black hair.
He's let it grow out to a decent length but decided to dye it recently, and he likes it a lot better now that it's not constantly bleached to death.
He still puts it ponytails every so often.
Songmin likes to tug on them and laugh hysterically at his father's face.
"Hey, I'm not weird—"
"You're unique," Seonghwa finishes and leans in for a kiss. "Speaking of which, are you still trying to do those western traditions?"
Hongjoong lights up.
"Yes! I've got something old," he points to his worn converse and Seonghwa rolls his eyes.
"Something new." He wiggles his finger with the titanium wedding band.
"Something borrowed—" he spins around in the vintage designer suit that San had lent him, "and something blue..."
When he turns around and pulls up his hair in the back, he hears Seonghwa let out an exhale.
"A fake-ass butterfly tattoo," the elder drawls. "Why am in not surprised. That's so Hongjoong."
The nurse spins around and grins.
"Unique, right? Now what about you?"
"I still think it's stupid but you're so excited about it, so—" Seonghwa points to his suit which is also vintage, "something old."
He wiggles his own ring finger which flashes glimpses of sapphires.
"Something blue. Something borrowed—"
He pulls aside his shirt to showcase a necklace that Seongie's adoptive mother had given Seonghwa to wear in remembrance of his and Wooyoung's sister whom they never got the opportunity to meet.
"What about the something new?" Hongjoong pouts.
Seonghwa just grins mischievously before making his way over to Hongjoong as best as he can.
He places his lips next to the nurse's ear.
"I've got a new tattoo too, but you'll have to wait until later to see where I put it."
Laughing, Hongjoong kisses his fiancé.
"Mmm, or we can just find out now—"
"In my sister's memorial? You pervert!"
"I don't know," the nurse begins, winding his arms around Seonghwa's waist.
He kisses his neck and begins to sway them back and forth, supporting both their weight.
"You're the one who insisted we do it in your chair that one time..."
Seonghwa groans.
"I honestly thought it could withstand all the... bouncing."
"And that time in your office..."
"It's a good thing that rug was already white."
"And how could I forget about the fact that you sometimes like it when I keep my scrubs on, Patient Park."
Seonghwa makes the strangled sound that tells the nurse that he's blushing furiously.
"See? I win." Hongjoong grins into his lover's neck. "But fine, I'll wait until tonight to see your tattoo, but please let it be the werewolf again. That was so hot."
The smile on Seonghwa's face is part annoyance, part endearment, and all teeth.
Hongjoong has never seen anything more beautiful.
__
It's been six years since the accident.
Six years since Seonghwa stumbled into that car, high out of his mind, and decided that he didn't care.
Even after, when he was pushing himself to walk again, when he would fall flat on his face only to get up again and keep trying, he never thought that he would get to this point.
It's not perfect, and some days his legs hurt too much to use the braces, but today—
Today is perfect.
They traveled from Seongie's memorial site to Hongjoong's grandparent's farm and here they are, all gathered on a vibrantly green pasture while cherry blossom trees flower all around them.
At the front— near the arbor overgrown with flowering vines— Jongho, Yunho, Mingi, Yeosang, and San stand, dressed immaculately and beaming like the proudest friends in the world.
In the audience, seated in crisp neat rows, are the rest of their guests.
Jun ki and his family are in the front, and Seonghwa notes how tired his brother is with two twin girls on his lap, but he looks so happy.
Hongjoong's mother and grandparents are present as well, looking upon the scene with fondness.
Around them are a smattering of colleagues and acquaintances that both grooms have collected over the years.
Seongie's parents had sent gifts, but felt it was best if they did not attend personally.
All in all, it's such a lovely scene on this glorious spring day.
When the recording of Seongie playing the piano starts to play, everyone rises to their feet, staring down the aisle expectantly.
Wooyoung leads first, holding little Songmin's hand as the child tosses petals onto the lush grass.
Joy, who Hongjoong eventually 'adopted' from Maddox, follows after them and tries to eat the petals until Wooyoung scolds her.
When they make it to the front and stand next to the other groomsmen, everyone holds in a collective breath.
Seonghwa lets his out.
He turns to Hongjoong.
He wonders if his fiancé can tell that he's nervous; his hands are shaking.
"You don't have to help me get down this thing, you know," he tells his soon to be husband.
"Tradition says that you should be up there waiting for me or something."
With a warm smile, Hongjoong holds Seonghwa's hand in his, brushing his thumb over the skin there.
His eyes are round and filled with so much love that Seonghwa finds that he can finally fill the hole inside him with the things that this man has taught him— about life, about love, about himself.
It's been a long road and things aren't always perfect.
There are fights and misunderstandings and sleeping on the couch when they can't seem to reconcile.
But there's also Seonghwa waking up early to roll into the living room and kiss his lover awake and apologize.
There are heated kisses and whispered promises before Songmin comes running into the room with Joy requesting Uncle Yeosang and "English" aunt Chloe's cinnamon rolls.
There are date nights where Yunho watches their son and teaches the boy the finer points of cleaning houses while they go to the park and try unusual food.
There's ganging up on Jongho to tease him when he mentions he has a girlfriend and there's grossing Wooyoung out with their displays of affection while at nightclubs even though Wooyoung has no room to talk since he's been spending all his time with San lately....
It's not perfect, and yet, it is.
Seonghwa takes a moment, on this beautiful spring day, to remember the feeling of sorrow all those years ago back when he was chasing fleeting feelings of acceptance from all the wrong places, only to find that he doesn't recall such feelings at all.
All he can see are choices and actions that brought him here, where he finally understands the meaning of serendipity.
He's never felt more at peace than he does in this very moment, holding onto the hand of the only person in the world that truly sees him.
The man with hair too long and wild, with lips covered in cherry balm, and a heart so big Seonghwa has found a home there.
"Joong, I can do this by myself," he reassures his fiancé once more.
He can.
He knows he can, but....
"You don't have to," Hongjoong whispers softly.
"I told you, Seonghwa. From this moment on... You never walk alone."
And for the rest of their lives, that promise is kept, an undying echo of the past, present, and future— a glorious reprise.
"You know it all,
You're my best friend.
The morning will come again.
No darkness, no season is eternal."