"I'm heading out now, hyung is outside waiting for me." Jihoon said to Minji who was still half asleep, "where are you going?" Minji muttered out.
"To the Airport, I'll be back in the afternoon, we're going to pick up Hyeon."
"Ah, right," Minji mumbled, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up fully. "I forgot your brother's flying in today."
Jihoon leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to Minji's forehead. "Yeah, I'll be back before you know it. Try to get some more sleep, okay? It's still early."
Minji nodded, his eyelids already growing heavy again as Jihoon grabbed his coat and headed out the door.
Even though Minji was still half-asleep, a small wave of excitement bubbled up in his chest. BaekHyeon's arrival meant that the holidays were officially starting, and soon they'd be meeting Jihoon's family for the first time. As nerve-wracking as it was, a part of Minji couldn't help but feel like this was a step toward something bigger, something better for them both.
He just hoped everything would go smoothly.
With a sigh, Minji turned over in bed and let the sound of the early morning lull him back to sleep, knowing that the next few weeks were going to be busy.
At the airport, Jihoon stood next to his hyung, JaeHoon, and their uncle JaeHwa, scanning the crowd for any sign of BaekHyeon. The chilly morning air had followed them into the terminal, but Jihoon's thoughts were elsewhere.
"Are you nervous or something?" JaeHoon asked, noticing Jihoon's fidgeting.
"Just thinking about stuff," Jihoon replied, shrugging it off.
JaeHwa, their uncle, was sitting on a nearby bench, arms crossed, looking at his watch. "BaekHyeon's flight should've landed by now. Why's it taking so long for him to come out?" he grumbled.
Jihoon chuckled. "You always get impatient at airports."
"Well, he hasn't been home in what? Two years? We're all eager to see him."
A few minutes later JaeHwa spotted him "There he is!" JaeHwa suddenly exclaimed.
Sure enough, BaekHyeon was making his way through the crowd, waving as soon as he spotted them. He looked exhausted but happy, dragging a suitcase behind him. His face lit up when he saw his family, and Jihoon felt a rush of warmth.
"About time!" JaeHoon laughed, stepping forward to give his twin a tight hug.
BaekHyeon returned the hug with equal enthusiasm, then turned to Jihoon, pulling him into a quick embrace. "Missed you, man. It's been too long."
"Too long," Jihoon agreed, smiling as they pulled apart.
JaeHwa clapped BaekHyeon on the back. "Come on, let's get out of here. Your mom's been asking about you non-stop. You're all she talks about these days."
BaekHyeon laughed. "I'll bet. Let's get home, then."
———————-
As we pulled up in the parking lot of the house everyone was outside waiting for me, as I walked out of the car my nephews and nieces came up jumping into my arms. "Look at you guys all grown up now."
"Look at my poor baby, you've lost so much weight," Mom remarked as she walked up to me giving me a big hug. "I've missed you too ma, now please let go I can't breathe."
As I embraced my family and felt the warmth of their love surround me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. Despite the weight of the past few years and the complexities of my emotions, being here with them brought a sense of peace and belonging that I had been longing for.
As we made our way into the house, laughter and chatter filled the air, reminding me of the joyous moments we had shared together in the past. The aroma of home-cooked meals wafted through the air, tantalizing my senses and evoking memories of holidays spent gathered around the table with loved ones.
Taking a deep breath, I allowed myself to fully immerse myself in the present moment, letting go of the worries and uncertainties that had been weighing me down. Here, surrounded by the familiar faces and comforting embrace of family, I found solace and renewal.
...…
"I've been thinking about something lately." Jihoon said to Hyeon as they laid in Hyeon's bed. "What is that?" Hyeon asked as he turned to look at his twin brother.
"I love Minji, and I want to spend my whole life with him." Jihoon started, "I want to propose to him, but lately we've been having arguments nonstop. And most are my faults."
BaekHyeon raised an eyebrow, shifting to face Jihoon fully. "Propose? Like, marriage?" He asked, a mix of surprise and excitement in his voice.
Jihoon nodded, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it for a while now. I love him, Hyeon. More than I've ever loved anyone. But… things have been tense lately, and I know it's mostly because of me. TaeHyun coming back into the picture hasn't helped either."
BaekHyeon frowned, trying to process everything. "Wait, TaeHyun? What's going on with him?"
Jihoon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He reached out a few months ago. He wanted to clear the air or whatever, and I thought I could handle it. But it's just been… messing with my head. And Minji's too. He's upset, and I don't blame him. I told him not to worry about TaeHyun, but now it feels like I've done the opposite."
"Jihoon…" BaekHyeon started, his tone softening. "If you really want to propose, you need to make sure things are stable between you and Minji first. No one wants to bring past baggage into a marriage, especially not something as big as TaeHyun."
"I know," Jihoon replied, his voice quieter now. "But what if it's too late? What if I've already messed things up beyond repair?"
BaekHyeon shook his head. "It's not too late. Minji loves you, and you love him. But you need to show him that he's the priority, not TaeHyun or anything else. You've got to prove to him that you're committed, and that starts by cutting ties with the past."
Jihoon sighed, feeling the weight of his brother's words. "You're right. I don't want to lose him over something as stupid as this."
BaekHyeon smiled. "Then fix it. Talk to him, be honest, and most importantly—don't let TaeHyun get in the way. If you're serious about marrying Minji, then show him."
———————————
Later that afternoon once Jihoon got back home, he found Minji in the living room on the phone and munching on some Gummies.
Jihoon let out a sigh of relief as he walked over to the couch and sat next to him hugging him, "who are you talking to?" He asked his voice stopped, Minji looked at him and ignored him.
"Honestly I don't know how to answer that question." Minji said to the person over the phone, "Why is that? His he doing something stupid again?" Yuna asked over the phone.
As Minji continued to talk Jihoon was getting inpatient, he hugged him even tighter and started kissing him.
Suddenly Minji got up from the couch and let Jihoon sitting there, "honestly, I'm getting tired of everything." "It just feels like I'm never good enough." He said to Yuna.
Jihoon felt a pang in his chest as he watched Minji retreat upstairs. He had just gotten back, ready to make things right, but it felt like the distance between them was growing instead of shrinking. He could hear Minji still talking on the phone, his voice muffled but filled with frustration.
"Minji, wait!" Jihoon called after him, but he didn't respond. Instead, he heard a door slam shut upstairs, leaving Jihoon alone in the living room with his thoughts.
He leaned back on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. This wasn't how he wanted the day to go. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew he had to talk to Minji, to explain everything that had been bothering him, but he also knew that pushing him right now would only make things worse.
After a few minutes of internal debate, Jihoon decided to follow him upstairs. When he entered the room he found Minji laying in bed scrolling through his phone.
"Can we talk." Jihoon said as he walk towards the bed, Minji let out a sigh as he got up and placed his phone.
"I admire your awareness, you know you're doing something wrong and you come to talk to me." Minji started, "but after all of our talks you go back and do things that you promised me you wouldn't do, it's like my feelings mean nothing to you." He stated.
"Not only did you not block TaeHyun, you're now also talking to some guy named Jamie! Who the fuck is Jamie Jihoon?!" He snapped.
"Jamie is a friend, and the TaeHyun thing….I did block him that's a different number his using to contact me." Jihoon said.
"You know what I don't care about your shit with TaeHyun, it's always Him over Minji so I've learned not to care. But where did this Jamie come from?!" He asked.
"You've been talking to him nonstop, is he one of your ex or one of your ex fuck baddies?!"
"Jamie is nothing to me, his just a friend. Can't I talk to a friend?!" Jihoon added, "His not your friend, he obviously wants to get fucked by you!" Minji exclaimed.
"Why are you talking like this Minji?!"
"Cause I'm tired! I'm sick and tired of you entertaining these people, can't you see they are trying to take you away from me!" He snapped. "It's obvious they want to ignite the flames you guys had back then."
Jihoon felt his heart racing as Minji's words pierced through him. "That's not true!" he argued, feeling the tension in the room rise. "I'm not interested in anyone else. I only want you. You should know that by now!"
Minji shook his head, frustration etched across his face. "Then why does it feel like you're letting them back in? I thought we were supposed to be working on this together, but every time I turn around, it's like you're opening the door for your past."
"I'm not opening any doors!" Jihoon shouted, running a hand through his hair. "Jamie is just a friend, yes I used to sleep with him back then but he means nothing to me now.
Minji shot him a pointed look. "Friends? You think being friends with your fuck buddy from the past will make things better between us?!"
"What do you want me to do, just to make you happy?" Jihoon asked letting out a sigh, "I want you to do what you promised me, to not let them get in between us!" Minji replied handing him his phone.
"Block them, delete their contact details and everything of them in your phone."
Jihoon looked down at the phone in Minji's hand, his heart racing. "You want me to just erase them? Like they never existed?" His voice was shaky, a mix of frustration and desperation.
"Yes! That's exactly what I want," Minji insisted, his eyes locking onto Jihoon's. "If you truly love me, then you need to prove it. Show me that you're willing to cut ties with your past for the sake of our future."
Jihoon swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the ultimatum hanging over him. "From the looks of it, they matter more then I do." Minji said dropping the phone.
"No they don't" Jihoon said. "Then why are hesitant, why is it taking you so long?!"
Jihoon's chest tightened at Minji's words, each accusation striking deeper than the last. "It's not that simple," he replied, his voice rising defensively. "You're making this sound like I don't care about you, but that's not true!"
"Then why can't you just do it?" Minji shot back, his frustration evident. "I'll do it." Jihoon said as he grabbed his phone off the bed.
Jihoon felt a surge of determination as he unlocked his phone, his heart racing. He navigated to his contacts, each name reminding him of the weight he carried. Minji watched him closely, his eyes filled with a mix of hope and anxiety.
"I'll block them," Jihoon said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. "I'll prove to you that you're my priority." He found TaeHyun's number and hesitated for a moment, memories flashing through his mind—the laughter, the love, the pain. But he shook his head, reminding himself of what was at stake.
"Good," Minji said softly, though the tension remained palpable. "That's the first step."
With a deep breath, Jihoon pressed the "block" button, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. It was liberating yet terrifying at the same time.
He then scrolled through his messages, finding Jamie's contact. "And you too," he muttered, blocking Jamie as well.
Minji's expression shifted, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Thank you, but for the time being I want to be alone." He said.
"This whole thing is to much for me and you know, so please give me some space." He added.
"If that's what you want." Jihoon sighed as he slid his phone into his pocket and walked out the room.
TBC