Wu Yi Fan        Kim Joon Myun

“What’s the time of the reservation again?”

 

 

Yifan blinks, distracted from buttoning his shirt up as his boyfriend walks out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel attached to his hip. He closes his eyes, trying to clear out his thoughts as the sound of Joonmyun’s footsteps is approaching his wardrobe just a few feet away from where Yifan is standing.

 

 

“Eight-thirty,” he answers, finally taking the courage to open his eyes and finishing on the buttons. The white cotton shirt still fits his frame well, despite that Joonmyun bought it for him two years ago. He hasn’t gained much weight, but the workouts he has done for past five months have definitely done something for his figure. He picks up the pot of styling gel, pausing to turn to look at his boyfriend.

 

 

Joonmyun is struggling with a pair of pants that Yifan hasn’t seen him wearing for quite a long time. He knows that Joonmyun isn’t comfortable in that too tight pants, but that’s the finest piece that he has in his wardrobe. He only wears it on special occasions.

 

 

“Ah. I haven’t dried my hair,” Joonmyun muses, after he finally manages to zip up his pants. He slightly shivers as he looks for a top to wear. Yifan takes three long strides across the room to find the air con remote and turn it off. “Thanks,” Joonmyun blinks in surprise at him. “I’ll take a few more minutes. Perhaps you would want to heat the car’s engine now.”

 

 

“Okay.” Yifan walks up to him to press a soft kiss on his slightly wet temple. “Don’t take too long,” he says before retreating out of the room.

 

 

They are going to celebrate their fifth anniversary tonight. Yifan has arranged the dinner reservation at a restaurant Baekhyun recommended. It’s definitely the setting you would want to have, his friend said, totally the romantic shit Joonmyun hyung always dreams about. It only takes about thirty minutes from their apartment to the restaurant, and Baekhyun has spent most of his time listening to Joonmyun’s rambling during college times, so Yifan boldly took the advice.

 

The thing is, he wants tonight to be memorable to both of them. Not only because it’s their fifth anniversary celebration, but also because Yifan has something to surprise Joonmyun with.

 

 

Yifan lets out a sigh as soon as he is sitting on the driver’s seat in the car. He lets his hand touch the left pocket of his pants, where a bulge of small box could be felt, but not visible. Feeling slightly relieved, he turns on the car engine to heat it up. It’s going to take a while.

 

 

Leaning back on the seat, Yifan finds himself touching the ghost line of the box again. It has been in his mind this entire week: to propose to Joonmyun.

 

 

He knows for sure that he wants to spend his future with that certain man, to be the first face Joonmyun sees in the morning and the last face he sees in the night. He wants to wake Joonmyun with kisses and cuddles every morning and stops him from leaving the bed. He wants to drink the coffee Joonmyun makes in the morning and the tea he makes when Yifan feels down. He wants to be able to pull Joonmyun’s glasses away when he is working in front of his laptop and kiss the frown away every night. He wants to share his life with Joonmyun.

 

 

Yet there still are doubts prickling underneath his skin as he thinks of the possibilities of Joonmyun refusing the ring. There is no doubt that Joonmyun wants the same, of course. But the timing…

 

 

The passenger door opens, startling Yifan from his thought. He smiles as Joonmyun slides into the seat next to him. The younger decides to put a coat over his forest green sweater, the whiff of his signature cologne catches Yifan’s nose, making him feel slightly dizzy. He squeezes Joonmyun’s thigh, mostly to assure himself of the other’s presence next to him.

 

Joonmyun chuckles. He clasps their hands together briefly before he lets go. The brief warmth goes away too quickly. “Let’s go, before the food goes cold.”

 

 

ʚɞ

 

 

“Good evening. Can I help you, Sir?”

 

 

A waiter is waiting in front of the grand wooden door that leads them to the restaurant. Joonmyun shifts on his feet, feeling a little bit uneasy after their long trip to the 33rd floor with the elevator. Yifan feels apologetic, so he puts his hand on the small of Joonmyun’s back, comforting him silently.

 

 

“Reservation under name Wu Yifan, please.”

 

 

The waiter seems to be confirming to his friend who sits behind the reception table, and turns to smile at them. “Please come this way, Sir.”

 

 

Yifan lets Joonmyun walk in front of him, following the waiter diligently. He smiles in delight when Joonmyun lets out a soft squeal as they are being led to the table next to the glass window where the cityscape lies before their eyes. On the corner of the room there is a band playing live music, some jazzy songs Yifan couldn’t recognise. It sets the mood right. He is glad he chose the place.

 

 

“You’re kidding me,” Joonmyun says as he presses his nose to the window, ignoring his twenty-something-almost-thirty age and acting like an easily amused five year old kid that he actually is. “I can’t believe you actually reserved us this table.”

 

 

Yifan grins. “I was hoping you would like it.”

 

 

Joonmyun turns to look at him. His expression is intense; there are so many going on his eyes. “I love it, of course.”

 

 

“I’m glad,” he smiles.

 

 

Another waiter comes up to their table, bringing their wine. He carefully pour each of the glass the same amount of wine. Joonmyun watches it intently, his eyes glinting with excitement. Yifan has to smile at that. He nods as the waiter bows, finishing his task already. He lifts up his glass, encouraging Joonmyun to do the same.

 

 

“For the five years we have spent together, and more years we are going to,” he says, causing Joonmyun to chuckle delightfully.

 

 

“Cheers,” says Joonmyun, the corners of his lips almost reaching his eyes, before he tips the glass to take a sip of the wine.

 

 

ʚɞ

 

 

Joonmyun finishes the last bit of his lemon sorbet just as Yifan puts back his phone into his pocket. The younger smiles at him, “Who was that?” His hand reaches up to take the tissue to clean the little mess on the corner of his lips.

 

Yifan smiles apologetically. They usually have rules to put away their gadgets on their anniversary nights, because the night is meant to be their only own. “No one, I’m sorry.” He reaches out to take Joonmyun’s hand in his and squeezes it briefly. “Is the food good?”

 

“You’re avoiding my question,” says Joonmyun, frowning slightly. “But yeah, it’s good. Thanks for taking me out tonight.” He frees his hand away from Yifan’s grip. He rummages through his coat’s pocket, fishing out a small brown gift box with a yellow ribbon tied around it. He puts the box in Yifan’s neglected hand. “Congratulations for succeeding on keeping up with me for these five years. It’s a reward.” Joonmyun leans back in his chair, smiling excitedly as Yifan examines the gift box.

 

“Should I open it?” He asks, quirking up an eyebrow at him.

 

Joonmyun laughs. “It’s not much, though. Please don’t expect a Maserati key inside.”

 

“Hmm. Ducati, then?” Yifan teases him, finally opening up the box.

 

He doesn’t find any keys inside. Instead, he takes out a simple plaited dark grey leather with stainless steel ends and a tiny silver charm in the form of a crescent moon attached to it. In the box is a card that reads:

 

I love you to the moon and back

(beyond all the stars in the sky)

xx,

KJM

 

“It’s a couple,” Joonmyun says, his face looking flustered as he pulls the sleeve of his coat enough to reveal a matching bracelet.

 

“Thank you.” Yifan beams. He lets Joonmyun put the bracelet around his left wrist. It is a nice addition, he has to admit. His boyfriend sure has taste. “I have a gift for you, too.”

 

Joonmyun smiles, “I would be angry if you don’t.” Yifan chuckles nervously. He can be pretty sarcastic sometimes.

 

He puts his gift, wrapped in forest green paper that actually matches his sweater, in front of his boyfriend. “There is a rule, though,” he says. “Only open the gift when I’m in the toilet.”

 

“Why? I would not be disappointed with anything you give to me, even if it’s a novel.” Joonmyun eyes the gift, which is obviously a book. It’s okay, though, Joonmyun loves books.

 

“No, it’s not that.” Yifan shakes his head, slowly standing up. “Wait until I disappear okay?”

 

Joonmyun narrows his eyes, feeling suspicious. But he doesn’t ask. “Okay. Don’t go too long.”

 

“I won’t,” assures him.

 

Joonmyun doesn’t actually wait until Yifan disappears behind the wall with a toilet sign to open his gift up. He is a curious man, after all. It is a book, as he has expected. A version of The Little Prince that reminds Joonmyun of his first meeting of his boyfriend in the bookstore. It still feels weird, to accept a sudden love confession after he was just reading a book to a little girl. He smiles at the memories, slowly flipping the book open.

 

In the first page, just in the empty space below the title, is Yifan’s neat handwriting in black ink, highlighted in yellow: things that fall

 

He flips through the pages, noticing how Yifan has highlighted some words with the same color as he did in the first page. They have connection, Joonmyun realizes, as he keeps finding words that fall. By the end of the book is another of Yifan’s handwriting in the same highlight: and i, for you.

 

Joonmyun couldn’t help but chuckles, flipping through the pages again as he puts the words together.

 

things that fall

 

petals

tears

snow

sun

 

and i,

for you

 

“This song is dedicated to the smiling mister that sits by the window.”

 

Joonmyun’s head snaps up at the familiar voice booming through the restaurant. In the corner where the band plays, his boyfriend is standing behind the mic. “What in hell—” he mutters under his breath, suddenly embarrassed that almost everyone’s attention in the restaurant is now directed at him.

 

“What are you doing?” he mouths, hoping Yifan would catch it from across the room. But the tall man just smiles, leaning into the mic again once the music plays.

 

Forever can never be long enough for me

To feel like I've had long enough with you

Forget the world now, we won't let them see

But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted

Love has surely shifted my way

Marry me

Today and every day

Marry me

 

Yifan finishes the song smoothly. He doesn’t forget any of the lyrics, which is a miracle. He comes down from the stage stumbling, almost losing his balance as the whole restaurant claps and makes some catcalls. He hopes Joonmyun would be okay with the publicity, and that he’s not adding any pressure to his boyfriend by doing so. People stand and pat him in the back as he walks down to where Joonmyun is waiting for him, face flushed pink.

 

He stops right in front of Joonmyun, eyes locking with him. He falls on his knees, pulling out the small box that has been residing in his pocket since the beginning of this evening. Opening it up, he reveals a simple silver band that took him hours to pick even with the help of Kyungsoo and Jongdae, Joonmyun’s long-term best friends that Yifan has often relied on for gift choices.

 

“Five years you have been in my life, and I couldn’t see my future otherwise. I know this is a grand gesture to our relationship. We haven’t talked about this, but I thought about it over and over and the answer is always the same,” he takes a deep breath, “Will you marry me, Kim Joonmyun?”

 

“Wu Yifan,” Joonmyun’s voice is soft and calm, washing over Yifan’s nervous body as he leans down and asks, “Are you sure about this?”

 

Yifan chuckles, hoping to ease the tense, “I wouldn’t have done this if I was unsure, Joonmyun.”

Joonmyun bites on his lower lip. His eyes look like they are glistening, but that’s probably his imagination.

 

“Sit on the chair,” he says after a pause. He ducks his head down, obviously not comfortable with how some people are still looking at their way. Yifan starts to feel bad.

 

He gets up on his legs and sits on his chair, hesitating if he should pull the ring box and put it back in his pocket. “So, um—“

 

“Well?” Joonmyun looks up at him, his cheeks still flushing pink, his eyes glinting with challenge. “When are you going to put the ring on my finger?”

 

Yifan’s eyes widen up in surprise. “Are you saying yes?” He asks, almost stuttering as he speaks.

 

Joonmyun laughs in delight, “Were you thinking that I would say no?”

 

“Honestly? Yes.” Yifan smiles. He could feel his cheeks starting to heat up as he picks the ring and slides it down Joonmyun’s finger. It fits him perfectly. “I love you so much. Thank you for willing to spend your future with me.” He pulls Joonmyun’s hand, pressing a kiss to the ring, and then up to his knuckles.