Archive of Our Own

“My love, please wake up! I don’t want to lose you! Please! Jinki! Wake up!”

He kept screaming his name but Jinki’s eyes were still closed. As he begs for him to wake up, Jinki slowly fades and disappears from his sight.

“No! No! Please don’t leave me Jinki! Please! I love you!” he screamed while trying to reach his hand but he couldn't. When Jinki completely disappeared, he just dropped on the floor and sobbed his heart out.

Kibum woke up screaming in the middle of the night. The room was dark and the moon was the only source of light in his bedroom. He immediately looked and touched the other side of the bed but he found out that it was cold and empty and when the realization hit him, he started to sob.

He hoped it was just a nightmare but it turns out to be his reality.

Jinki wasn’t there by his side.

He can only wish that he can turn back time. He can only wish that unfortunate night didn’t happen at all. He can only wish that his nightmares will stop. He can only wish that he will come back to him. 

But for now, he can only whisper his wish to the moon and stars and hopefully, all of his wishes will finally come true someday.

It was a rainy Saturday night and Kibum had already arrived at the restaurant. He’s waiting for his boyfriend, Jinki, since they are celebrating their fifth anniversary together with a dinner date at the same restaurant where they had their first date and they even got the same exact table where it happened. 

Jinki was already 45 minutes late and Kibum is now worried and a little pissed about him. He keeps checking his phone for any new texts or calls but his notifications are empty. He looks at the blurry glass window beside him, hoping he will arrive but to no avail. Jinki was never late ever since they started their relationship and he always tells Kibum his whereabouts. Jinki also knows that Kibum doesn’t like people who are always late.

He decided to call Jinki and fortunately, he answered the call.

“Hello? My love? Where are you? You are running late to our dinner date.” Kibum asked.

“Hi baby! I am really sorry for being late. I am already on my way to the restaurant. The heavy rain isn’t helping with the traffic. Hopefully, I will be there in 15 to 30 minutes if the traffic gets worse. I just picked up my gift for you.”

“My love, you should’ve picked that up days before or earlier today so you were not rushing.”

“I am really sorry baby. They just contacted me an hour ago to say that it was ready for pickup since it was custom-made.”

“What is it and why did it take you so long to get it?”

“If I reveal it, it will not be a surprise anymore. Just wait for me and you will see.”

“Okay, my love. Should I order our food while waiting for you?”

“Sure thing baby. You know my usual order, right?”

“Of course, love. Please be careful while driving okay?”

“Yes baby. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me too, my love.”

“Happy anniversary, baby.”

“Happy anniversary, my love.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, baby. See you later.”

The call ended and Kibum called the waiter to place their order so the food would come out just in time for Jinki’s arrival later.

On the other hand, Jinki was looking at his gift for Kibum which took him months to choose because he wants the best for his boyfriend. He even asked Kibum’s best friend, Jonghyun, to help him choose the perfect one.

An engagement ring with an emerald-cut diamond on top and small diamonds around the band. The inside of the ring has “J&K” engraved.

Jinki will propose to Kibum tonight on their anniversary.

He’s smiling while looking at the shiny ring inside the red velvet box as he waits for the traffic light to turn green, caressing the sparkling diamond on top of the ring. The song “You’re Still The One” by Shania Twain was playing on the radio. He can’t wait to see Kibum and say the words he wanted to say since they met.

Kibum Kim, the love of my life, will you marry me?

The words keep repeating in his head and he can’t stop smiling. As the traffic light turned green, he started driving towards the intersection and the next thing he knew, something hit his side of the car at full speed and his vision started spinning as the car rolled over the slippery road.

When his car stopped rolling, even though his vision was blurry and the car was upside down, Jinki was still trying to reach for the ring box but he couldn't. 

“Kibum.” The last thing he whispered before his vision went black.

One hour later, Jinki still hadn't arrived at the restaurant and Kibum was growing impatient. He tried calling him again and again but he’s not answering his phone and their food was already served at their table and getting cold. He called the waiter and settled the bill when his phone lit up. An unknown number was calling him and at first, Kibum was hesitant to answer it but there was something inside him that urged him to answer the call.

and so he did.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Hello? Is this Mr. Kibum Kim?” The other line answered.

“Uh… yes. Who are you?”

“This is Police Officer Chanyeol Park. We have some news for you.”

“What did I do? Did I do something wrong, officer?”

“It’s about Mr. Jinki Lee. We found his wallet and it says that you are one of his emergency contacts aside from his parents. We already informed them about what happened.”

Kibum started to think of a hundred worst possible scenarios on what the hell happened to Jinki when he heard the word “emergency.”

“What happened to him?! Is he okay?!”

“I am so sorry sir but he got into an accident at the 4th Avenue intersection. They are currently rushing him to the nearest hospital.”

Kibum was so shocked with what he heard that he wasn’t able to speak. He felt that his world stopped and just crumbled in an instant.

“Sir? Sir? Are you still there?”

“Y-yes. I am still here.”

“We can pick you up at your current location so we can escort you to the hospital. May we ask where you are?”

“I am still here at Le Bistro, the restaurant on 5th Avenue.”

“Copy, Mr. Kim. We will be there in 5 minutes.”

“Thank you, officer.”

After the conversation with the police, Kibum immediately called his best friend, Jonghyun, to break the news to him.

“Hello? J-jjong?”

“Kibum! How are you? Anyway, happy anniversary lovebirds!”

Kibum can’t find the words to say to Jonghyun that he started to cry and the other line got worried.

“Kibum? Is everything okay?”

“Jonghyun… Jinki… he-”

“What happened to Jinki?”

“H-he got into an a-accident on the w-way here at the r-restaurant.” he answered while crying uncontrollably just like the clouds pouring the heaviest rain.

“What?!”

“The police called me and they will pick me up here at the restaurant.”

“Let me know which hospital. I will call Minho and Taemin as well. We got you okay?”

“Thank you Jjong.”

“Everything will be okay. Jinki will overcome this, okay?”

“I hope so. Anyway, the police just arrived. I will text you the location.”

“Sure, Kibum. Be strong, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

Kibum was trying his best to compose himself when Officer Park and Officer Byun arrived at the restaurant to pick him up and escort him to the hospital where Jinki is.

But deep inside, he was about to crash and fall any second. He was on the brink of having the worst breakdown he will ever have because one second, he was talking to his boyfriend on the phone saying “I love you’s” and then all of a sudden, he discovered that his boyfriend got into an accident.

When he arrived at the hospital, he immediately saw Jinki’s parents waiting outside the emergency room and he rushed to hug them. He cried his heart out while Jinki’s parents were comforting him and trying their best to be strong for their child and Kibum.

“Did the police tell you what happened?” Kibum asked.

“Witnesses told the police that a car was overspeeding and hit Jinki’s side of the car so hard that it rolled over thrice before it hit the lamp post.” Jinki’s father answered.

“Is h-he okay?”

“They are still treating him, Kibum. We still don’t know his status.”

“I was just talking to him on the phone because he was running late on our dinner date and now, he’s at the hospital, fighting for his life I-”

“Code blue! Get the crash cart stat!” one of the doctors shouted in the emergency room.

Kibum and Jinki’s parents rushed to the direction where the doctor was and what they witnessed next was both of their breaking points.

They saw Jinki, who was lying on the stretcher covered in blood, and the doctors and nurses were scrambling to resuscitate him. The sound of flatline from the patient monitor and the doctors shouting “clear!” repeatedly were ringing to their ears like sharp knives stabbing them continuously. The nurse then closed the curtains so they could focus on Jinki’s resuscitation.

Kibum can only cover his mouth due to shock while looking at Jinki’s direction. Jinki’s mother started crying and his husband hugged his wife to comfort her.

This can’t be happening. They should be celebrating more anniversaries, more milestones, more years of loving each other. They are going to buy a big house, get married, and start a family in the future.

Their love story should not end in a tragedy.

Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin finally arrived at the hospital and they saw Kibum crouched down on the hospital floor, staring blankly in a specific direction and Jinki’s parents were crying.

This can’t be good.

“Kibum.” Jonghyun called.

When Kibum heard Jonghyun, he immediately ran towards them and started to cry as if his tears were the never-ending raindrops. Jonghyun, Minho, and Taemin gathered around and comforted him.

“What happened?” Minho asked.

“T-they are trying to r-revive him. I can’t lose him. I just can’t!” 

“He will overcome this. He will not leave you. He will not leave his parents. Believe in him, okay?” Jonghyun said.

“I-I don’t know what to do.”

“We got you. We will be here for you. Let’s go to Jinki’s parents, wait for the doctors and pray that he will be okay.” Taemin added.

The four sat beside Jinki’s parents who were waiting for the doctors to come out and hopefully tell them the good news. All of a sudden, they heard a beeping sound and Jinki’s doctor went out and approached the parents. 

“Doc, how is he?” Jinki’s mother asked nervously while Kibum and the rest of the boys were waiting for the doctor’s response.

“Fortunately, we were able to revive him. However, he will be under a medically induced coma to minimize the brain damage as much as we can. He will be transferred to the ICU for further monitoring since we also need to check the full extent of his injuries.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Jinki’s father asked further.

“We can’t say for now. We still need to conduct numerous tests to check and address his injuries properly. We will update you once we have the results and the treatment process.”

“Thank you doc.” Jinki’s father answered.

When the doctor left, Jinki’s father talked to Kibum.

“Kibum, we just need to work on some hospital paperwork and talk to the police. If you guys wish to stay, you can do so.”

“We will all stay here, dad.”

“No problem. Just let us know if you need anything.” Kibum just nodded in response. 

When Jinki was transferred to the ICU, Kibum was just looking at him from the outside through the glass window while Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin were looking at Kibum.

To see his boyfriend hooked up with a lot of tubes in his body, unconscious, full of bandages and wounds on his body and still fighting for his life was the most heartbreaking scene that he ever saw.

“Kibum.” Jinki’s mother called him and all of them looked in Jinki's parents' direction.

“Yes, mom?”

“Officer Baekhyun Byun recovered some of Jinki’s belongings found on the scene like his broken phone and wallet but I think there are two things that you should have. Here’s the first one.”

Jinki’s mother handed Kibum a small bouquet of ruined flowers. Jinki always gets his favorite flowers on their anniversary which are tulips and sunflowers. On top of the bouquet was a small card and Kibum’s tears started to fall as he read the note.

“Happy anniversary, my beloved.

Here’s to more years of loving you until my last breath.

I love you so much baby.

Jinki.”

“Kibum, dear, I think you should have this too.” 

Jinki’s mother gave Kibum a small red velvet box. His hands were shaking while opening up the box and when he finally saw the ring and the engraved letters inside, he just fell on his knees and started bawling. 

“Kibum, he told me that he was planning to propose to you on your fifth anniversary. He loves you so much, my dear.”

“I-I just wish he made it at the restaurant. I would’ve answered yes a million times to him.” Kibum answered while looking at the ring on his hand and caressing the engraved letters on the ring with his finger.

“Please be strong and wait for him. We want to see both of you get married. We have to be patient and help him to recover. Do this for Jinki, okay?” Jinki’s father said.

Kibum just nodded and Jinki’s parents hugged him.

They should’ve been planning their wedding.

They should’ve been checking venues.

They should’ve been celebrating their engagement.

But here they are, waiting for him to wake up.

Waiting for him to come back to his arms.

Kibum was able to go inside the ICU to talk to Jinki, hoping he would be able to hear him. He held Jinki’s hand just like the old times.

“Jinki, my love, please wake up. I hope you know that I will always say yes to you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I will always choose you even in the next lifetime. I want to start a family with you. Please… just open your eyes. I miss you so much. Please come back to me. I don’t know what to do without you.”

Kibum looked at Jinki’s hand and his own hand where his engagement ring is and the tears streamed down his face.

“I will wait for you, my love. Always.”

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Kibum made the hospital as his second home, waiting everyday for any development on Jinki’s condition. Every time Jinki’s parents went home to rest for a little bit, Kibum was there to look out for Jinki until the end of visiting hours. He even mastered how to take a nap while sitting down outside the ICU. He will tell him stories even if it’s just for 30 minutes and Jinki wasn’t there to respond since he was still unconscious.

Three months after the accident, Kibum’s birthday came and Jinki was still unconscious. He originally doesn’t want to celebrate his birthday and just wanted to spend the day with Jinki at the hospital but Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin convinced him (with the help of Jinki’s parents) to celebrate at his house later that night because the three wanted to prepare a simple celebration for him.

“Kibum, for the love of God, give us your house keys so we can prepare.” Taemin asked him.

“I don’t trust you. The possibility of you burning my kitchen was 10 out of 10.”

“You really don’t trust me and my cooking skills?!”

“Taemin… the last time you were in my kitchen, you almost placed a metal bowl inside the microwave oven. Let’s be real here.”

“I promise you, I will keep Taemin out of your kitchen. Just give us your keys.” Jonghyun pleaded.

“You better make sure that my house isn’t on fire when I come home later.”

“Got it! We will text you once we are done preparing. Just don’t go home unless we tell you.”

“Alright, alright. Now, go away before I change my mind!”

The three laughed as they left the hospital, leaving Kibum and Jinki’s parents.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to look after Jinki later? I wouldn’t mind it at all.” Kibum asked them.

“Dear, you have already sacrificed many sleepless nights here and we really appreciate you accompanying Jinki here but it’s your birthday today and you deserve to celebrate your birthday at your home. We will be fine, Kibum. If Jinki was awake, I just know that he wants you to celebrate it with your friends. Don’t worry, I will call you immediately if there is a significant development on Jinki. Just enjoy your birthday.”

“I will bring food for us tomorrow. Thank you mom and dad.” Kibum gave them a small smile and hugged both of them.

“Go ahead and talk to Jinki. He’s probably excited to listen to your stories. We will be right here if you need us.”

Kibum nodded and went ahead to the ICU just like what he does on a regular basis.

“Hello, my love! How are you? Guess what? It’s my birthday today! I wish you were here with us to celebrate it. I miss you so, so much. To be honest, I really don’t feel like celebrating it but our friends convinced me to celebrate it later tonight. Don’t worry because I made sure that Taemin will be off-limits in the kitchen. I hope that you will recover soon so we can celebrate our birthdays together. Promise me, okay? You will wake up and recover and I will make sure that I will be here once you open your eyes.” Kibum talked to Jinki, still wishing he would respond. He just looked at his boyfriend for quite some time and silently prayed that a miracle would happen on his birthday.

“I have to go now before our friends burn the house down. See you tomorrow, my love. I love you so much.”

Kibum caressed Jinki’s hand and left the room. When he left, one of Jinki’s fingers unexpectedly moved.

Maybe, just maybe, his wish will come true sooner than he thinks.

Kibum arrived at his home later that night and he’s thankful that it was still in one piece. They really kept Taemin out of the kitchen. When he entered the house, it was pitch black and as he turned on the light, he was startled since Jonghyun popped the confetti while Minho and Taemin blew the party whistle and wore silly birthday party hats.

“Happy birthday Kibum!” they all shouted in unison.

“Thank you everyone!” Kibum smiled at them.

“Come here! We prepared your favorite food and we even got your favorite cake.”

Jonghyun pulled Kibum towards the kitchen and sure enough, they got his favorites.

“Do you want to eat first or blow your birthday candle?” Minho asked.

“I’ll blow my birthday candle first.”

While Jonghyun and Minho prepared the cake and the candles, Taemin placed a birthday hat on Kibum’s head.

“Taemin, come on! I am old enough to wear this!”

“Oh shut up Kibum! There are no rules when it comes to birthday hats! Just wear it.”

“Here’s the cake, Kibum!” Jonghyun handed over the cake and Kibum almost teared up when he finally saw it.

“Lemon meringue? You guys remembered. I thought you would just buy me a random chocolate cake.”

“Of course. How will we ever forget your favorite cake? Duh! If we didn’t buy your favorite cake, Jink-” Minho was cut-off abruptly by Jonghyun and nudged him subtly, not to remind Kibum of his reality. Taemin gave a stern look at his boyfriend.

“Okay! Enough of the cake discussion! Time to sing everyone!” 

While the three of them were singing happy birthday, Kibum was just staring at the cake and it was like slow motion. The fire on his birthday candle started to blur and so was his surroundings. His last birthday celebration with Jinki keeps replaying in his head.

He should’ve been there.

***********************

“Where is Jinki?” Kibum asked.

“He’s probably on his way here. The traffic was really bad earlier when we travelled.” Jonghyun answered.

They were doing a simple celebration for Kibum on his birthday at his house but even though he’s the birthday boy, he decided to cook for them instead of buying takeaway food. Minho and Jonghyun were helping Kibum prepare the food while Taemin was just watching them do their thing in the kitchen and casually help them get certain things.

He got a permanent restraining order inside Kibum’s kitchen when he almost caught the kitchen on fire because Kibum let Taemin cook something in the middle of the night during one of their sleepovers a few years ago aside from almost placing a metal bowl inside the microwave oven.

They were almost done preparing the food and Jinki was still nowhere to be found. He’s not late to be fair, it’s just that they are just way too early to prepare. Kibum started to overthink.

What if he didn’t show up?

What if something bad happened to him?

What if he doesn’t love him anymore?

Kibum pouted while thinking about it but all of those thoughts vanished when he heard the knock on his door and when he opened it, Jinki finally arrived, holding his cake and balloons.

“Hi baby! Happy birthday!” Jinki greeted him and Kibum was still pouting.

“Hey, what happened?”

“I thought you’re not going to come.”

“You’re silly! Why would I miss the most important day of your life? You know that I was never absent on every occasion, especially your birthday! It’s just that the traffic was really bad. There was an accident at the intersection so the traffic was crazy. But look baby, I am now here. I even got your favorite lemon meringue cake! Let me see that beautiful smile now!”

“Where’s my birthday kiss?” 

“Oh baby, come here!”

Jinki gave Kibum the sweetest kiss and the latter couldn't help but to smile at him. God, he really did get lucky to have Jinki as his boyfriend.

“Baby, as much as I want to kiss you longer, it would be really great if you take the cake off my hands so I can bring the balloons inside and get your present in my car.”

Kibum took the cake while Jinki carefully brought the balloons inside the house.

“Baby, I will be right back. I will just get your gift real quick!” Jinki kissed Kibum’s cheek before leaving the house.

Jinki came back just in time with his gift when Kibum finished preparing the table with the cake at the center. They gathered around Kibum while singing him happy birthday.

“Now, make a wish.” Jinki whispered.

Kibum closed his eyes as he made his wish: to be with Jinki until the end of time, be surrounded with his closest friends and to have a happy, fulfilling life.

Kibum blew out his candles and his friends started to clap.

“Happy birthday, my beloved.” Jinki slid his arm around his waist and kissed Kibum’s temple.

Kibum just smiled at him and gave him a few kisses on the lips.

“I love you. You are the best birthday gift ever, my love.”

“I love you more, my baby.” Jinki answered while their foreheads were pressed against each other.

“Enough of the cheesiness and sappiness! Can we eat now? I’m starving!” Taemin asked.

The four of them laughed at Taemin and they started eating dinner. After eating their food, Kibum started to open his gifts in front of them.

Jonghyun gifted him his dream home decor he’s been eyeing at the mall.

Minho got him a few long sleeve tops from his favorite clothing brand.

Taemin gave him a pair of dress shoes that Kibum keeps sending at their group chat for them to buy for him.

And Jinki? He gave Kibum his dream bag: the Hermès Birkin 25 in Noir and a necklace with a heart locket pendant. Inside of the locket consists of their picture together from their first anniversary and the day they became an official couple on the other side.

“My love! This is so expensive! You don’t have to spend so much on me. The necklace was more than enough for me.”

“But you deserve all the good things in life plus I got the bag for a really, really good price so I can’t pass up the opportunity.”

“Promise me that you will not spend so much on birthday gifts and even on our anniversaries, okay?”

“I promise!”

“Anyway, can you help me with the clasp? I want to wear the necklace now.”

Jinki helped Kibum with the necklace and the pendant sits perfectly on Kibum’s chest.

“It’s perfect.”

“Just like us, baby.”

Finally, it feels like the stars are aligned for Kibum. To celebrate his birthday with the most important people in his life was more than enough for him.

***********************

“Kibum? Kibum, make a wish. The candles are already melting on your cake.” Jonghyun said.

Kibum came back to his senses, subtly shook his head and closed his eyes to make a wish. He stared at the cake way too long that the candle wax started to drip off onto the cake.

His only birthday wish was for Jinki to wake up and fully recover. All he wanted was for Jinki to be okay and get out of the hospital.

Kibum blew out his candles, hoping the universe would finally grant his wish.

“You guys can eat. I’ll just go to the restroom.”

Kibum excused himself while his friends started to grab a plate to get food and as he turned around, he saw the closed front door. He was still hoping silently that a miracle will happen, that Jinki will arrive at his doorstep just like before.

But he knows that’s impossible at this time.

When he entered the restroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. The sleepless nights start to catch up on his face with the eyebags showing up. His gaze goes to the locket necklace and to his engagement ring.

“He should’ve been here.” He whispered to himself while holding the locket and he started weeping, hoping his friends would not hear him from the restroom.

Jonghyun, on the other hand, felt the need to look for Kibum because he just knew he misses Jinki more today since he knew that Jinki was always present when they celebrate Kibum’s birthday. He knocked on the door which made Kibum startled and immediately wiped his own tears away.

“Kibum? Are you okay?” Jonghyun asked.

“I-I’m fine. I will be out in a minute. Don’t worry!” Kibum lied.

He’s not fine. He’s in pain. He’s trying to hold himself together but he was really close to crumbling down.

Kibum fixed himself before he went out, only to find Jonghyun waiting for him.

“Do you need to use the restroom, Jjong?” Kibum asked.

“Nope. Just checking on you because we both know that you are not okay. I can hear your sniffles here. It’s okay to cry, to miss him especially today and we do too. You don’t need to hide it. We are here for you. We are your friends and we will do anything to make you feel better as much as possible.”

Jonghyun hugged Kibum and he just cried. He’s really grateful for his friends during these challenging times.

Minho and Taemin followed Jonghyun and formed a group hug around Kibum. Minho patted Kibum’s head while Taemin was patting Kibum’s back, trying to comfort him.

“I am really sorry guys if you saw me crying again especially on my birthday.”

“It’s okay to cry, Kibum. We all know what you are going through right now and if crying helps you feel better for the meantime, then do it. We are not going to judge you for that.” Minho answered.

“I feel a bit better now. Thank you guys! Let’s go back to the dining area so we can finish our dinner.”

“Oh you will not believe the number of chicken legs Taemin ate while you were gone!” 

“Minho you little piece of shit! I hate you!” Taemin chased Minho who was running away from them.

“No, you don’t! You still love me!” Minho teased his boyfriend while running away.

Kibum chuckled at them and wiped his tears. Jonghyun just patted Kibum’s back, reassuring him that they will not leave his side no matter what.

Kibum visited the hospital earlier than usual so he can share his birthday food from last night to Jinki’s parents before they go home to rest. Even though he was still a bit sleepy since the birthday celebration ended a little late, he still managed to get up considering he was not a morning person.

“Hello, my love! I miss you! I wish you were there for my birthday celebration but I will tell you what happened last night. Taemin broke his personal record of chicken legs he ate! Imagine he ate 12 chicken legs alone! They only prepared 30 pieces of chicken legs for us! They also gave me my favorite lemon meringue cake like the one you got me last time. Then we had the usual birthday karaoke night. I know that if you were there, you would get a perfect score.” 

Kibum also reminisced about his past birthday celebrations with Jinki until he felt sleepy. He ducked his head on the side of the bed while still holding Jinki’s hand. Ten minutes later, Kibum felt Jinki’s hand suddenly move. He woke up immediately to see if he wasn’t dreaming and sure enough, his hand was slightly moving and Jinki’s eyes were about to open up.

“Jinki? Can you open your eyes for me, my love?” 

And Kibum’s prayers were now answered: Jinki finally opened his eyes, however, he’s looking blankly at him.

“You’re finally awake!” Kibum smiled at him and his eyes were glistening.

Jinki groaned and it seemed like he wanted to say something.

“I will be back okay? I will just call the doctor, your parents and our friends!” Kibum gently squeezed Jinki’s hand before leaving the ICU.

The doctors examined Jinki and they still kept him in the ICU for close monitoring. They were able to extubate him after 2 more weeks since he can now breathe on his own.

When Jinki was finally transferred to the recovery room after extubating him, all of them gathered around him and the room was filled with happy tears. Kibum was standing beside Jinki’s parents on one side of the bed while Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin on the other side.

“Mom? Dad?” He asked weakly.

“Yes, Jinki?”

“What happened? Why am I here in the hospital?”

“You were involved in a car accident a few months ago. We almost lost you but thank you for coming back to us, baby.” Jinki’s mother answered.

“Oh. Also, who is he?” Jinki’s parents got confused with his question.

“What do you mean?”

“Who… are… you?” and his index finger slowly pointed towards Kibum.

“Jinki, is this a prank?” Kibum asked.

“I don’t know you. Who are you?” 

“Please tell me you are just joking, Jinki.” Kibum answered, starting to get nervous with what’s happening at the moment.

“Jinki, are you serious? You don’t know him?” 

“Yes, mom. I don’t know him.”

“Can you tell me the names of the people on your left?” Jinki’s father asked him.

“J-Jonghyun… M-Minho… T-Taemin.” He answered slowly.

“How about your name?”

“J-Jinki Lee.”

“Can you tell me his name?” His mother asked while pointing at Kibum. Jinki really tried to remember his name but he couldn't.

“I-I really don’t know.”

Kibum’s eyes widened and gasped as the shock and realization set in.

Jinki forgot his existence, their relationship and their memories together. He thought the most devastating thing he would experience was him almost losing Jinki but the most heartbreaking one was Jinki not remembering him and everything they had for the last 5 years.

All of the people in the room looked at Kibum worriedly and he turned around to avoid their gaze and compose himself. He took a deep breath before facing Jinki again.

“Oh. Uhm. Hi! I’m Kibum. I’m your bo- uhm friend! I’m Jonghyun’s best friend. We met after college.” He smiled at him while the tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

“Hi Kibum. Nice to meet you.” Jinki gave him a small smile.

“Please excuse me. I just need to take this call.” Kibum lied so he can leave the room because if he stayed there for one more minute, Jinki will witness the most gut-wrenching breakdown he’s about to have. He ran out of the hospital as fast as he could, as if he’s trying to escape the tragic reality.

Jonghyun nodded subtly to his friends and to Jinki’s parents and then he followed Kibum outside the room. He found him in the parking lot standing against the wall, hands covering his face while crying his heart out.

“Kibum.”

“Jjong… he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t remember anything about our relationship. What am I gonna do?”

“We will ask the doctors about his condition and how we can help him to remember you, okay?”

“What if he doesn’t love me anymore because he doesn’t remember me? I was just a stranger to him now.”

Jonghyun didn’t know how to answer Kibum because everything is uncertain now. He just hugged Kibum to comfort him because he knows how painful it is for his best friend. He witnessed how their love story bloomed and to see Jinki not remembering Kibum was truly hard for him as well.

“After further observation, aside from fractures on his left arm and leg, he has retrograde amnesia which makes him forget people and memories before the accident.”

“If he has retrograde amnesia, how did he forget his boyfriend but he remembered his friends?” Jinki’s mother asked the doctor.

“There are different cases of retrograde amnesia. Most people only forget their recent memories but there are rare cases that people forget someone they felt a deeper emotional feeling with, just like in Jinki’s case wherein he forgot his boyfriend.”

“How can we help him remember his boyfriend?”

“You can help him by using memory aids. Show him pictures, tell him stories if you can but just make sure you don’t pressure him to remember everything all at once because it will be counterproductive and it will not help him recover and remember his boyfriend. Let him slowly remember it, at his own pace and time.”

While Jinki’s parents were discussing with the doctor how his treatment process is, Kibum was sitting down across the room, looking at Jinki who was sleeping at the moment.

He can’t believe that this is happening to him. He prayed for him to wake up but at what cost?

Now, all he wanted was for Jinki to remember him.

After they discussed how to help Jinki recover, his mother talked to Kibum.

“Dear, we have decided that Jinki will stay at our home for the meantime once he’s discharged from the hospital so we can assist him while he’s still recovering. I know it’s going to be hard for you since you guys live together.”

“It’s okay, mom. Besides, it might not be helpful if he stayed in a house he wasn’t familiar with. I mean, I’m just a stranger to him now.”

“Don’t worry. We will do our best to help him remember you. You can accompany us also with his therapy sessions and check-ups so you can see his progress as well. Would that be okay with you?”

“I will do everything to help him recover. That’s how much I love him.” Jinki’s mother held Kibum’s hand to comfort him.

“Also mom, can I ask you a favor?”

“What is it, Kibum?”

“If he ever asks anything about me, just tell him that I was just his friend.” Kibum pleaded while trying to hold back his tears.

“Why dear?”

“I don’t want him to feel the burden of trying to remember me immediately and the memories we shared if he ever finds out I’m his boyfriend. The doctor said that it will not be helpful for his recovery if he pressures himself to remember everything right? I’d rather see him heal slowly but surely even if he only sees me as Jonghyun’s best friend for now.” Jinki’s mother immediately hugged Kibum.

“Thank you Kibum for loving my child, for being by his side until now. I am really sorry for what’s happening right now.”

“It’s not your fault mom. Don’t be sorry about it.”

“Please don’t give up on him. He will come back to you. I just know that. I believe he will overcome this.”

“I will not give up on our relationship, no matter how long I have to wait for him to remember me.”

“I wish this didn’t happen to both of you.”

“Me too, mom. Me too.”

Three weeks later, Jinki was finally discharged from the hospital. Kibum decided to help Jinki’s parents by driving them home. 

“Kibum?”

“Yes mo- Mrs. Lee?” Kibum almost slipped, trying to mentally take note not to call his parents as mom and dad for the meantime.

“Can you stay a little longer at our house? You can eat lunch with us.”

“Thank you for the offer but I need to go home immediately because I need to catch up with my work.”

“Are you sure dear? I’d pack you some food instead so you can bring it home.”

“That would work. I miss your cooking as well. Thank you for the food, mom.” Kibum slipped and he just wanted to slam his head on the steering wheel for that careless mistake. Jinki heard the conversation and it confused him but he let it slide for the meantime. 

When they arrived at his parents’ home, Kibum prepared the wheelchair while Jinki was assisted by his father out of the car. When Jinki was settled, his father pushed the wheelchair into their home while Kibum and Jinki’s mother were following them.

“Dear, can you wait for me in the living room while I prepare your food? Are you sure you don’t want to eat lunch with us?”

“I’m okay, mom. It might confuse Jinki as to why am I staying longer at your house.”

“Okay, if that’s what you want. This will be quick I promise.”

Jinki’s mother left the living room and his father went to Jinki’s old room to prepare it, leaving Jinki and Kibum alone.

“K-Kibum right?”

“Yes, Jinki?”

“Thank you for driving us home. You didn’t really have to do that.”

“It’s okay. I want to help you and your parents as well.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“I am so sorry if I can’t remember anything about you. I really don’t know why. I just want to remember how we met and how we became friends. You seem nice.”

“It’s okay. Don’t pressure yourself into remembering anything about me because it will not help your recovery process. Just focus on your healing. Don’t worry because either me, our friends or your parents will tell you stories soon. For now, focus on your therapy and your check-ups in the next couple of months.”

“May I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Why did you call my mom mom?” Kibum was taken aback by the question. 

“Oh… about that. Well, uhm, when I came to this city, I didn't have any family members here aside from Jonghyun, who is my best friend. When your parents met me, they said I can call them mom and dad so I can have a family here.”

“So… we were like brothers before?”

Kibum doesn’t know what to feel. From being his boyfriend… to (almost) fiancé… then he became a stranger… and now as a brother?! The universe was truly testing him.

“I… guess you can say that? I hope you don’t get weirded out when I call them mom and dad.”

“I won’t mind if you call them mom and dad as well. It seems that they love and adore you.”

The conversation was cut short when Jinki’s mother entered the living room carrying the food for Kibum.

“Dear, here’s your food. Make sure that you will finish it, okay?”

“Of course… mom. Thank you so much for the food.”

“Don’t be shy to drop by if you want to come.”

“I will. I have to go home now. Call me if you need any help.”

Jinki’s father went out of Jinki’s room and he saw that Kibum was about to leave.

“You’re going home? You should’ve joined us for lunch.”

“Yes… dad. I need to catch up with some work.”

“Thank you so much for everything, Kibum.”

“No problem, dad.”

“Take care, son.”

“Get well soon, Jinki.”

“Thank you, Kibum.”

Kibum waved goodbye to them and gave Jinki one last look before closing the door behind him.

***********************

“Jinki! Come here!” A familiar voice called him from afar but he couldn't see the face. He squinted, trying to figure out who it was but he really couldn't see the person who was calling him.

“Me?” He asked while pointing at himself.

The person didn’t answer. Out of nowhere, the blurred person ran towards him, grabbed his hand and pulled him to the picnic setup, facing the sunset. Everything was crystal clear except the person who was holding his hand. In all fairness, their hands were soft… and it fits quite nicely with his hand.

“Do you like it, my love?”

He raised his eyebrow in confusion. Why does this person call him my love?

“Who are you?” He asked.

“You’re so silly, Jinki. It’s me, your boyfriend.”

“You’re my boyfriend?!”

“Of course! Come! Sit here!” The unknown person pats the spot next to them.

Jinki sat on the picnic blanket and just looked at the person in front of him babbling about random things he can’t understand, face still blurred but the voice was so familiar and he can’t pinpoint where he heard it and who it was.

“My love, are you okay?” The unknown person asked him.

“I-uhm I mean yeah. I just can’t believe that you are my boyfriend. Is this real?”

“Yes, Jinki. It is real.”

“I-I don’t know you. I can’t even see your face.”

“Soon, Jinki. You will find out soon. Don’t worry because I will always be right here waiting for you.”

Jinki’s eyes snapped open in the middle of the night. It was the first time he dreamt of something after leaving the hospital two weeks ago. The dream was too vivid and felt too real. He tried to go back to sleep but he can’t because it keeps replaying in his head.

What does it mean? Is it true that he has a boyfriend? Or is it just a figment of his imagination and his brain was just playing with him?

He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he will be able to sleep again… and maybe find out who the other person in his dream is.

On the other hand, Kibum couldn't sleep and it was already 2:00 AM. He was just sitting on a chair near his bedroom window, staring at the night sky and trying to finish his glass of moscato. If Jinki was here, they would probably talk about the constellations up to the possibility of existence of life on another planet or galaxy. He was exhausted but he couldn't find himself to sleep for some reason.

Maybe it was too hard to sleep on a bed that was just enough for two people but too big for one person.

Ever since the accident happened, Kibum always slept in the living room so he would not be reminded that Jinki wasn’t there at their home. This is the first time he will sleep in his bedroom since Jinki was finally discharged from the hospital. He promised himself that he will start to sleep again on his own bed instead of the sofa once Jinki was finally out of the hospital.

When he finished his glass of moscato, he walked back to his bed and he saw the dried bouquet of flowers on the nightstand, the same bouquet that was given to him at the hospital after the accident. He still kept the bouquet and the small card that comes with it even if the petals had already turned brown. He sat on the bed near the nightstand and picked up the framed polaroid beside the bouquet. It was from their picnic date during their fourth anniversary. They were lying down on the blanket and Jinki was looking at him while he was smiling at the camera. Kibum looked at the polaroid, silently wishing that he would smile again just like in the picture. 

He’s also hoping that Jinki would at least visit him in his dreams and relive the memories they had before everything changed.

It’s been a month since Jinki left the hospital and it’s his first check-up post-accident to see if his injuries were healing properly. Kibum decided to drive Jinki and his parents to the hospital. While they were on the way to the hospital, Jinki asked Kibum.

“Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t really have to do this. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

“You are not a burden to me and I promised your parents that I will be there to help you in your recovery process.”

“But why?”

Because I love you and I promised to be with you for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.

“Because you are my… uhm friend and that’s what friends are for, right? Helping each other during difficult times?”

“I mean… yeah. But I feel ashamed that I don’t remember anything about you, yet you are still helping me here. I feel like I don’t deserve this from you.”

“Don’t think about it. Like what I have told you before, just focus on recovering. If you want to ask me something or you want to know what our friendship was before, just tell me and I will be happy to do a storytime for you.”

“Thank you Kibum for everything.”

“I got you Jinki. Always in all ways.”

When they arrived at the doctor’s office, Jinki and his parents entered first but Kibum decided not to enter the room.

“I will be here outside. Call me if you need anything, mom.” 

“Wait.” Jinki called him as he was about to close the door.

Kibum turned around and looked at Jinki.

“Why?”

“Please stay.”

Well, that’s something.

“Doc, can he stay?” Jinki’s mother asked.

“Yes, he can. May I ask how you are related to the patient?”

“I’m his b- uhm friend! I will be helping him during the therapy sessions.” Kibum almost slipped but he was able to cover it up quickly.

“Sure. Come inside so I can show you how to help him.”

“Your fracture’s healing really well. We can start with your physical therapy twice a week for your arm but I just want to inform you that your leg requires a longer therapy session to heal so we will do three sessions per week.” His orthopedic doctor told Jinki after examining his arm and leg.

"Also, in order for us to address your retrograde amnesia, you can do memory exercises to improve and enhance your memory like puzzles or flashcards but again, like what I have mentioned before, do not force yourself to remember everything all at once. It will not be helpful with your recovery. If you think you remembered something, you can do journaling so you can keep track.” his neurologist added.

“Doc, I remembered I dreamt about something for the first time but the person in my dream was blurred. Do you think it was one of my forgotten memories?” Jinki asked.

“We can’t say for sure. There are cases that it might have been false memories or it can be real memories as well.”

“What should I do if I have another dream like that?”

“Just write it down in your notebook and maybe ask someone to see if that was one of your forgotten memories or just a normal dream.”

Jinki made a mental note to do that and… buy a notebook so he can start journaling. They also discussed his hospital visit schedules, his treatment course and how Jinki’s parents and Kibum will be able to help him recover at home.

After their visit at the hospital, Jinki asked his mother.

“Mom, can we go somewhere else before we go home? I am stuck in the hospital and our house way too long. I really want some fresh air.”

“Jinki, I know a park nearby and we can eat some ice cream. Would that work for you?” Kibum chimed in.

“Yes!” Jinki’s eyes beamed with excitement and Kibum missed seeing him like that.

“I will just drop by the bookstore first and buy something. Is it okay if I leave you guys here in the car? I will be quick I promise.”

“No problem, Kibum.” Jinki answered.

When they reached the bookstore, Kibum got out of the car, leaving Jinki and his parents inside. While he was watching Kibum from the glass window of the bookstore, choosing the items he will buy, Jinki felt like this bookstore meant something to him but he doesn’t know why. He knows that this is one of his favorite spots to chill but he felt like this bookstore is not just a simple bookstore to him.

It seems like something important happened at this place.

Kibum, on the other hand, was welcomed with flashbacks and memories with Jinki upon entering the bookstore. The familiar scent of the books brought him back to the time where he met Jinki first. 

****************************

Kibum entered the bookstore, looking for something to give to Jonghyun as a birthday gift. He was not yet familiar with the whole neighborhood since it was just two weeks ago when he moved to this city and the only thing he knew was the supermarket, the bookstore and the antique shop across the street. Kibum was waiting for Jonghyun’s schedule to free up so he could properly tour him around.

After browsing through the shelves, he was choosing between the black and brown leather cover for the notebook he’s planning to buy. His best friend loves writing and that’s why he’s planning to give him a versatile notebook, some cute pens and a hard copy of a novel from one of his favorite authors.

He was staring at the two notebooks for quite some time because he couldn't figure out the format of the pages inside since it was sealed and he couldn't find an opened one as a sample until an unknown voice spoke behind him without notice.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I was looking at you from afar and it seems that you are having a hard time choosing between the two notebooks?”

When Kibum looked at the person behind him, the other person was immediately stunned. When their eyes met, he already knew that Kibum was something special. He never met someone this charming within his lifetime.

“I mean… yeah. I was thinking which one was better because I will be giving this as a birthday gift to my best friend. I can’t peek at the pages because it was sealed.” Kibum answered.

“Well, uh, uhm, I have both of them at home so maybe I can help. The black looks elegant and easier to maintain plus it has the magnetic strap closure but the brown gives the classic and nostalgic look with the snap button on the side. The black one is lined while the brown one is dotted. Personally, I prefer dotted because I like to draw and do some junk journaling but if your friend loves writing alone, you can choose the black one instead.”

“Oh. I see. Well, my best friend loves writing and doodling so I’ll choose the brown one instead. Thank you uhm-”

“Jinki. My name’s Jinki.” He offered his hand and Kibum shook hands with him.

“Kibum. Nice to meet you, Jinki! Thank you for helping me out! I gotta go to the cashier so I can pay. See you around I guess?”

“See you around.”

Kibum left him at the notebook aisle and walked towards the cashier but Jinki was still looking at Kibum, who was smiling at the lovely lady at the cashier while paying for the items. When Kibum left the bookstore, Jinki was smiling widely even if there was nothing to smile about the stack of notebooks on the table in front of him.

“Jinki?” 

“Yes, auntie?”

“You were so smitten with the lovely boy earlier hmm?” the cashier teased him.

“Auntie!”

“Why?! I can even see you blushing from where I am standing!”

Jinki just chuckled shyly at the cashier and went back to picking out new books to read. 

He’s silently wishing they would cross paths again and to be his friend… or maybe something more.

***********************

“Kibum! Long time no see!” the cashier greeted him.

“Auntie! How are you?”

“I’m good! Where’s Jinki? Usually both of you come to the bookstore together.”

“Oh… uhm… he’s in the car. By the way, I will be buying these.” Kibum answered while placing the items on the table, waiting to be scanned.

“I miss that boy! Tell him I said hi!”

“I will, auntie.”

Kibum bid goodbye to the cashier and they continued their journey to the park.

When they arrived at the park, Kibum was pushing Jinki’s wheelchair while Jinki’s parents were following them and suddenly, waves of hazy memories hit Jinki while they were nearing their usual spot where they used to stay during their picnic dates, to do people watching and watch the sunset. 

“Mom, dad, I will just buy some ice cream. Still the usual flavor?” Kibum asked once they reached their spot. Jinki’s parents nodded in agreement.

“I will be right back real quick.” 

Kibum immediately left to go to their favorite ice cream shop. While waiting, Jinki asked his parents.

“He knows your favorite ice cream flavor?”

“He does especially your favorite ice cream flavor.” His mother answered.

“Really?”

“He usually brings us a tub of ice cream every time he visits us at the house.” 

“Or when we go to the park, he would usually buy us ice cream cups.” His father added.

“Oh. So we were that close before?”

“Uhm… Yes, dear.”

“I am really sad I can’t recall any memories with him. He seems like a really nice person.” Jinki pouted.

“It’s not your fault, my dear. One day, you will remember everything about him. Just be patient.” His mother reassured him.

A few minutes later, Kibum came back with 4 ice cream cups with different flavors.

“Here’s the salted caramel ice cream for you, mom and dark chocolate ice cream for you, dad.” Kibum said while handing their respective ice creams and bottled water.

“Strawberry for me and for you Jinki, I hope cookies and cream are still your favorite.” Kibum handed him his ice cream.

“You knew?”

“I do. You never fail to order this specific flavor every time we go out with our friends. You usually ask the ice cream seller to add more cookie crumbs so I did with your ice cream right now.” 

Jinki looked at his ice cream and Kibum wasn’t kidding when he asked for more cookie crumbs, just how he liked it. He really knew him so well.

Jinki’s parents looked at them and then gave each other a knowing look.

The look of giving Jinki and Kibum their alone time with each other.

“Jinki, we will be going to the shops nearby. Is it okay if we leave you with Kibum for the meantime? We will go back as soon as we’re done buying things we needed at home.”

“Sure, mom. We will just be here eating our ice cream.”

“Kibum, take care of Jinki, hm?” Jinki’s mother winked at him and he already knew what she meant.

“No problem. I got this.”

When Jinki’s parents left them, they continued eating their ice cream while watching little kids in front of them playing around.

“Hey Jinki! I got you a gift.”

“Really?”

“Let me get your ice cream first so you can hold the paper bag.”

Jinki handed his ice cream to Kibum and when their hands touched, Jinki felt something different yet so familiar but for Kibum? He was longing to hold his hand again without all the tubes from the hospital and even if it’s just less than 3 seconds, it was more than enough for him.

It feels like coming home to him.

When Jinki opened the paper bag, he saw a familiar brown notebook, word hunt, sudoku and crossword books and a couple of pens inside. 

“The doctor said that it should help to improve your memory so I bought them for you. The word hunt, sudoku and crossword books might help you if you get bored. Also, I got your favorite notebook if you want to start journaling.”

“You don’t really have to do all of that.”

“It’s okay, Jinki. All I want for you is to recover and as your bo- uhm friend, I want to help you as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Kibum. I will definitely use them.”

Kibum gave back Jinki’s ice cream and continued watching the kids playing frisbee while eating.

“Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“I feel like something happened in this park but I can’t remember.”

“Oh. Maybe because we used to go to this park with our friends playing frisbee.”

“We did?”

“Yeah. I think I have a picture here on my phone. I’ll show you.”

Kibum was scrolling through his phone while Jinki was just watching him. He was really careful on choosing what photo to show to Jinki to avoid suspecting that they were more than friends.

“Here! Jonghyun took this picture because he was resting that time after Minho made him run so many times because he was throwing the frisbee way too long that his legs couldn't keep up so I subbed for him.” Kibum chuckled while reminiscing that moment and Jinki was just staring at the photo of them with Kibum, Minho and Taemin happily playing frisbee.

Kibum was still watching the kids playing frisbee in front of them while eating his ice cream when Jinki accidentally swiped the screen to the right, revealing a picture of him and Kibum. Jinki was smiling at Kibum without him knowing and his arm was wrapped around Kibum’s shoulder and Kibum’s smiling while looking at the ground.

Jinki tilted his head because he felt like he had already seen this before but he doesn’t remember. 

***********************

It was a bright, sunny afternoon when Minho decided that they should play frisbee at the park. Knowing Kibum that he wasn’t into physical activities that much, he decided to watch them from the bench while Jonghyun, Jinki, Minho and Taemin were busy playing. At first, he was laughing at his best friend since he was running long distances trying to catch the frisbee because Minho always threw it with full force.

“Minho! You always keep throwing the frisbee way too far!” 

“Jjong, it’s really not that far!”

“You only said that because you have long legs so catching the frisbee is just a walk in the park for you while I look like I was running for a marathon just to chase the goddamn disc! I’m tired! I want to rest for the meantime!”

Jonghyun went back to the bench where Kibum was sitting and took a gulp of water to recover.

“Kibum! Please sub for Jjong!” Minho shouted.

Kibum just shook his head but his friends were persistent. Jinki, Minho and Taemin went to the bench to persuade him into playing.

“Come on Kibum! Join us!” Taemin added.

“Kibum, for the love of God, join them for 1 game. You can’t be sitting here just watching us play!” Jonghyun teased him.

“I will buy your favorite strawberry ice cream before we go home. Please Kibum? Join us even if it’s just for 1 game. Please please please!” Jinki pleaded in a very cute way that even Kibum can’t even resist.

“I will only do this for ice cream and I will only do one game!” Kibum stood up and everyone cheered.

“I will make this easy for you I promise!” Minho assured him.

Minho taught Kibum the basics before starting the game. As time passed, Kibum was able to get the hang of it and enjoyed the time playing with them. It was Minho’s turn to throw the frisbee and he was making it easy for Kibum but this round, he threw it way too far unintentionally.

Kibum was running while looking for the frisbee that was flying in the air while Jinki was also anticipating the frisbee from his position because it looks like he will be able to catch it from where he was standing.

The only thing Jinki didn’t anticipate was Kibum was running towards him at full speed without looking at him and the next thing he knew was Kibum bumped into him, making both of them fall on the grass and ending up Kibum being on top of him.

Kibum gently opened his eyes and slowly lifted himself up with his arm on the grass when he realized that his face was just inches away from Jinki’s face. They got lost in each other’s eyes long enough for Jinki to realize that he is really in love with him and Kibum thought that Jinki was something more than a friend to him.

“A-are you okay?” Jinki asked him, trying to break the tension between them.

“Oh… uh… yeah. I’m okay. How about you? Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I should’ve looked at my surroundings while I was running.”

“Yeah. I’m okay.” 

The eye contact still didn’t end until Minho cleared his throat and Taemin was just smirking at them.

“Are we still going to play frisbee or are we going to have a staring contest here?” Minho teased them. 

Kibum's eyes widened and stood up hurriedly, shaking off the dirt and loose grass on his clothes while Jinki slowly stood up and did the same.

They continued playing but Jinki’s eyes were fixed at Kibum’s direction and not on the frisbee anymore. When the game ended, Minho and Taemin walked towards the bench where Jonghyun was watching them while Jinki and Kibum followed them. Jinki wrapped his arm around Kibum’s shoulder as they walked.

“I think you should join us more often when we play frisbee.” 

“Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. I was so tired from all that running. I understand Jonghyun now.”

“You were good at it though. I think you deserve an additional ice cream scoop and toppings for that.”

“As I should. That game was exhausting. If it wasn’t for the ice cream treat, I wouldn’t have joined that game.” Kibum laughed.

Jinki looked at Kibum endearingly and he thought that if Kibum falls again, not only in frisbee but also in love, he will make sure that he will catch him no matter what.

***********************

Jinki stared at the picture way too long and when Kibum noticed that he was looking at their picture together, his eyes widened.

“Kibum?”

“Yeah?” Kibum blinked and pretended that he was not panicking internally.

“What was the context of this picture? Did Jonghyun take this one?” Jinki shows a picture of them together.

“Oh… I think it was the time when you said that you would buy me ice cream if I joined the game, which you did. Also, Jonghyun loves taking random pictures.”

“Oh. I see. When I am fully recovered, let’s play frisbee again with our friends?”

“Sure thing. I will tell them. We need you back here playing with us.”

“Also, let’s do this again.”

“What do you mean?”

“After my therapy sessions, let’s go to the park and eat some ice cream. This was really nice. It will be like my little reward after therapy.”

“No problem. We can also bring you to other spots if you want a change of scenery.”

“Thank you again Kibum for everything you’ve done for me.”

“You’re welcome, Jinki.”

“I hope one day, I will remember everything about you or about us.”

Kibum was also hoping and praying for that too.

A few minutes later, Jinki’s parents went back and they all headed home after their time at the park. Jinki’s mother invited him to eat dinner with them, which Kibum politely declined but Jinki insisted that he should stay for dinner. Kibum couldn't say no to him so he changed his mind and decided to join them.

The dinner was fun just like the old times but they were really careful not to accidentally tell anything that might get Jinki curious about his true relationship with Kibum while reminiscing past memories. After eating dinner, Kibum decided that it was time to go home.

“Mom, I really miss your home-cooked meals.”

“Try inviting your friends here as well. I’m sure they miss Jinki and we really miss the noise here every time they come.”

“I will tell them and if ever we all have a free day together, we will inform you as soon as possible. Anyway, I really need to go home now.”

“Thank you again Kibum for helping us.” 

“No problem, dad.”

“Kibum?” Jinki called him.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for the gift. I will make sure to use it. Good night, Kibum.”

“Good night, Jinki.”

Kibum smiled at him before he left the house, feeling more hopeful than before.

When Jinki was in his bedroom and about to sleep, he remembered the notebook Kibum gave him. He decided that he should write his first dream after the accident to document it.

“I forgot the date when I dreamt about it but I remember the dream vividly. I was at the park and someone called me ‘my love’. I don’t know who it was but I was certain it was a man and he mentioned that he was my boyfriend. I tried so hard to figure it out but I can’t. We even held hands in my dream. It was nice and soft. He said that I will find out soon who he was.

Who are you? Is it real that I have a boyfriend or is it just a random dream?

P.S. Also, I would like to thank Kibum again for the nth time even though he’s probably tired of hearing it from me. I am really grateful and not gonna lie, ashamed that he was helping me even if I don’t even remember anything about him. Sometimes I wonder why, out of all the people I know, he's the only one I can't remember. What was the reason? Why is he always there to help me? What did I do to deserve this treatment from him?”

As months passed by, Kibum always accompanied Jinki and his parents to his therapy sessions. He was present at every appointment. There were times that Jinki got frustrated because he couldn't do some of the exercises successfully during one of his therapy sessions.

“I feel like I’m a failure.” Jinki said after he failed the last exercise instructed by his therapist.

“You’re not a failure, Jinki. Look at me. You can do this, okay? I believe in you. Just be patient.” Kibum encouraged him while looking straight into Jinki’s eyes.

With Kibum’s encouragement, Jinki was now determined and he tried and tried again until he did the exercise successfully. Jinki cheered and Kibum was happy for him.

“Thank you Kibum for believing in me.”

“Of course, Jinki. I will always support you no matter what.”

Every time Jinki gets frustrated, Kibum will always motivate him not to give up and be patient and when Jinki’s arm cast was finally removed after a few months of continuous therapy, he looked and beamed at him. Kibum clapped his hands and smiled at him like the proud boyfriend  friend that he is. After every therapy session, they would always drop by the park as he promised and sometimes, they would eat ice cream or snacks from the food stalls around or Jinki’s mother would bring them food so they could eat together. Kibum was also present on every holiday including Jinki’s birthday.

***********************

“Happy birthday, my love!” his unknown boyfriend showed up again in his dream.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“I have a present for you! Let’s go to the living room?”

His mystery boyfriend took his hand and Jinki had no choice but to follow him until they reached the living room that was unfamiliar to him.

The living room was cozy. The fireplace was lit up, keeping them warm. There were two cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows on top sitting on the marble table but Jinki noticed something unusual. 

There were picture frames displayed showing both of them but the face of his unknown boyfriend was all blurred and only his own face can be seen clearly on those frames. He picked up one of the picture frames to take a closer look but the face was still blurred no matter what.

His mystery boyfriend grabbed one of the paper bags under the Christmas tree and he handed it to Jinki.

“Here’s my present! Open it!”

Jinki carefully unwrapped his present and it revealed a camcorder, a locket necklace and a ring. He opened the locket and it showed pictures of them but it was the same situation with the ones inside the frames. His boyfriend’s face was still blurred.

When he looked up to ask about the locket, his boyfriend was nowhere to be found. He tried searching everywhere but he wasn’t able to find him. He went back to the living area and a note suddenly appeared on the table.

“I will wait for you, my love. Always.”

Jinki woke up baffled about his dream. It was the second time that his unknown boyfriend showed up and he’s puzzled about the meaning of the gifts that he saw in his dream. 

Are those clues to unlock what he had forgotten?

Jinki slowly got up from his bed and asked his father to assist him with his morning routine before he leaves for work. When he was done, he went out to the living room to see his mother preparing food for his birthday.

“Happy birthday Jinki!”

“Thank you mom!”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“What is it, mom?”

“Can you invite your friends to come here later tonight so they can celebrate with us?”

“Sure, mom. I’ll give them a call.”

Meanwhile, Kibum was sipping his coffee on the kitchen island while looking at the empty living room in front of him.

If Jinki was here, they would’ve been celebrating his birthday together.

They should’ve been planning what they should do for the whole day.

But here he was, staring blankly at the vacant living room that was once full of happy memories.

As he was about to finish his coffee, his phone lit up and when he saw Jinki’s name on the screen, his heart started beating rapidly.

“Hello? Kibum?” 

“Oh. Hello, Jinki! Happy birthday!”

“Thank you Kibum. By the way, are you free today? I would like to invite you to our house for my birthday dinner.”

“Good thing it’s my day-off today at work so I’ll be there. Do you want any specific food? I will cook and bring it later.”

“I think we’re good. Can I ask you a favor though?”

“What is it?”

“Is it okay if you can come earlier since Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin will come after their work. I can’t help my mom in preparing the food so I don’t know what to do for the rest of the day.”

“I got you, Jinki. Wait for me. I’ll be there before lunch.”

“See you later, Kibum.”

“See you later, Jinki.”

Kibum immediately rummaged through his closet to look for his camcorder and polaroid camera. Luckily, he was also able to keep the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle box he got for Jinki last Valentine’s Day that they were never able to open.

After making sure he got everything he needed, he went to their favorite cake shop to get Jinki’s favorite carrot cake and to the gift shop to buy his birthday gift for Jinki.

When he reached the doorstep of Jinki’s house, he started to get nervous but he shook it off and rang the doorbell. Jinki’s mother was shocked when he saw Kibum in front of her.

“Dear, you’re way too early and you’re carrying way too much stuff.”

“It’s fine, mom. Besides, it’s my day-off and he asked me if I could come earlier since our friends will arrive later tonight. He’s probably bored out of his mind because he can’t help you out in the kitchen. I don’t have anything to do at home either so I have decided to come now. Also, I’d rather be here spending time with him than to be miserable and alone at home. By the way, where’s Jinki?”

“He’s in his room right now. Here, let me get the cake off your hands so you can call him.”

Jinki’s mother got the cake and went to the kitchen while Kibum went straight to knock on Jinki’s bedroom door.

“Jinki? It’s me, Kibum.”

“Come in!”

When Kibum entered the room, he saw Jinki writing on the notebook he gave to him.

“Hey.”

“Happy birthday Jinki! I got you a gift.” Kibum showed him several paper bags containing his gifts.

“Whoa. That’s a lot. You didn’t have to buy so much.”

“It’s fine. Do you want to go to the living room so we can solve some puzzles while waiting for our friends?”

“Sure.”

“Can I push your wheelchair to the living room?”

“Go ahead.”

When they reached the living room, Kibum pulled out the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle and placed it on the center table.

“This is a massive puzzle!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you out.”

They started completing the puzzle piece by piece until Jinki’s mother called them for lunch.

“Mom, your pork stew is so good! I miss this!”

“Oh thank you dear! Go ahead and eat more! Don’t worry since I still have enough until dinner time!”

The family enjoyed their simple lunch and when they were done eating, Kibum offered to help in washing the dishes. He was about to scrub the plates when Jinki’s mother stopped him.

“Dear, please. Leave the dishes in the sink. I got this.”

“But mom-”

“Kibum, I’d rather see you spend time with my son than seeing you here in the kitchen. I know that you miss him so much so please, go ahead and be with him. I got this, hm?”

“Just call me if you need any assistance, okay?”

Jinki’s mother nodded and Kibum went back to the living room to help Jinki finish the puzzle.

“Oh, I forgot! I brought my camcorder and my polaroid camera so you can have a remembrance on your birthday. Do you want to see it?”

Kibum pulled out the camcorder and the polaroid camera from his bag and Jinki was looking intently at the camcorder.

It seemed familiar to him.

“Can I record a video on the camcorder so you can have a remembrance on your birthday?”

Jinki agreed and Kibum started recording and placed it on top of the table where the TV is. Jinki went back on looking out for the missing pieces of the puzzle. Sometimes, Kibum would help Jinki by pointing out where the puzzle pieces should go and assist him if he finds it hard to attach the pieces together.

“Smile at the camera, Jinki.”

Jinki grinned at the polaroid camera while holding the two puzzle pieces in one hand and this is the first time he saw Jinki smile like that after the accident.

Seeing him smile makes everything worth it. 

A few hours later, they were able to finish the puzzle earlier than expected. Jinki was quite sleepy so he decided to take a nap in the meantime while waiting for their friends.

“You’re sleepy?”

“Mmm-hmmm…”

“Do you want to take a nap here in the living room or in your bedroom?”

“I’ll just take a nap on the sofa.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. Can you help me out though?”

“Of course.”

Kibum helped Jinki in transferring him from his wheelchair to the sofa.

“Do you feel comfortable?”

“I think I need a little more elevation on my head.”

Kibum tried every pillow he found including his bedroom pillows but it was still not yet comfortable enough for Jinki until he thought of something as the last resort. Kibum grabbed a pillow and placed it on top of his thighs.

“Are you sure about this? Your legs might fall asleep.”

“I will be okay. There’s no harm in trying.”

Jinki slowly laid his head on the pillow and surprisingly, he found it comfortable enough.

“Do you feel comfortable now?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“Now go ahead and take a nap. I will wake you up once our friends are here.”

“Are you sure you’re fine with this?”

“I’m positive. Just go to sleep.”

“Thank you Kibum.”

“I always got you.”

Jinki slowly closed his eyes until he finally fell asleep. While Jinki was sleeping, Kibum couldn’t help but to look at him and gently comb his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. He tried his very best not to tear up at the sight in front of him.

He really misses him so much and if he could only take his boyfriend’s pain, he would do it in a heartbeat.

Eventually, Kibum fell asleep while sitting down on the couch until their friends finally arrived. When the door opened, they were immediately shushed by Jinki’s mother.

“Shhh. Be quiet. They are still sleeping.” Jinki’s mother pointed in the direction where the sofa was. Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin were surprised to see Jinki and Kibum sleeping together. They tiptoed inside the house and placed the cake on the table and their gifts in the living room. Jonghyun made sure to take a photo of them so he can show it to Kibum later. Jinki’s mother slightly nudged Kibum to wake him up.

“Dear, wake up. Your friends just arrived.” Kibum immediately fixed himself before waking Jinki up.

“Jinki? Jinki, wake up. They are here.”

Jinki slowly opened his eyes and adjusted his vision to the light. When he finally saw Kibum’s face in front of him, he couldn’t help but to stare at him.

“Jinki, are you okay?” Kibum asked.

“Oh. Uhm, yeah. Can you help me though?”

Kibum immediately helped him sit up straight and he was startled when their friends greeted him in unison.

“Happy birthday Jinki!” He chuckled and thanked his friends. 

“Come on! Let’s eat!” Jinki’s mother invited everyone to dinner. 

Everyone settled around the dining table and they started eating the food in front of them. Minho and Taemin were devouring the pork stew that Kibum loved too.

“Oh auntie! Your pork stew is still my favorite!”

“That’s true, auntie! I am this close to ask you the recipe for it.”

“I’m glad both of you loved it.”

“Can we do a karaoke session tonight, auntie?” Jonghyun asked.

“I knew that you’re going to ask for it. Don’t worry because dad already set it up for you.”

“That’s why I love you auntie and uncle!”

“Uncle, please say that you have 3 microphones available because I am sure that Jonghyun will not let go of one of those mics!” 

“Don’t worry, Taemin. We already bought an additional microphone because I remembered the last time you guys had a karaoke session here and you were fighting over 1 microphone and Jonghyun doesn’t want to let go of the other microphone.”

Everyone laughed at Jinki’s father’s response because the last time they did it, the whole house was in chaos. Kibum and Taemin were fighting over the microphone, Jinki and Minho were laughing at their partners and Jonghyun was minding his own business and belting high notes as if it was just a random Tuesday for him.

“By the way, I’ve heard that there will be a pyrotechnics show nearby later around 8:00 PM. I think we can see it from the backyard. Let’s watch it after dinner.” Minho announced and everyone agreed.

When everyone was done eating, Jinki’s mother brought out the cakes from the fridge and they all sang around Jinki. Kibum, on the other hand, was busy taking a video of Jinki looking at the cakes in front of him.

“Make a wish, Jinki.” Kibum said.

Jinki closed his eyes as he made his wish to have a full recovery and regain his forgotten memories. Hopefully, it will come true at the right time.

After dinner, they all went to the backyard to watch the pyrotechnics show. While the fireworks were lighting up the sky, Jinki was glancing at Kibum who was recording the show through the camcorder and smiling as the colors burst from above.

He’s thankful to Kibum for being there by his side ever since he got out of the hospital and he will make sure to repay his kindness in the future.

“Are you happy, Jinki?” Kibum suddenly asked.

“Yes, I do. Thank you Kibum.” Jinki smiled at him.

After the pyrotechnics show, they all went back to the living room to do the karaoke session (no live brawling happened because there were actually 3 microphones available) and Jinki finally opened his gifts from his friends.

Minho and Taemin’s gift were books from one of his favorite authors.

Jonghyun gave him a watercolor sketchbook and a paint set because he remembered that Jinki wanted to try painting.

Lastly, Kibum’s gifts were adult coloring books together with some coloring supplies and mini puzzle packs so he can do something at home while he’s recovering.

“You guys don’t need to give me gifts. Your presence on my birthday is more than enough for me. Thank you guys!”

“It’s fine! These gifts will help you to overcome boredom while you are still healing. We know that you can’t live without doing something even if it’s a miniscule task so we gave you things that you might need here.”

“You know me too damn well, Taemin.”

They spent the rest of the night talking about random topics usually initiated by Taemin and Jonghyun. It was almost midnight when Jonghyun, Kibum, Minho and Taemin decided to go home.

“We need to go home now. Happy birthday Jinki!”

“Thank you Jonghyun.”

“Once you get better, we will do our weekend board game night tradition again.”

“I will be looking forward to that, Minho.”

Minho and Taemin were the first to leave, then Jonghyun was the next one. Kibum decided to help Jinki’s parents to clean up the mess they created.

“Dear, we’re fine. You can go home and get some rest. You’ve been here the whole day and I’m sure you’re tired now.”

“As long as it’s for Jinki, I will never get tired of helping.”

“You can sleep here if you want to.” Jinki’s father offered him.

“It’s fine, dad. I’ll go home once I’m done cleaning up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, mom.”

After a few minutes, the house was now spotless thanks to their collective efforts. Kibum also helped Jinki’s father to transfer his boyfriend from the wheelchair to the bed.

“Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you again for everything you’ve done for me and my parents.”

“No worries, Jinki. I’m glad I am able to help you as much as I can. Anyway, I need to head home now. Good night, Jinki. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you Kibum. See you next week. Good night!”

Kibum slowly closed the bedroom door before bidding goodbye to his second parents.

“Mom, dad, I will be heading home now.”

“Can I hug you dear?”

Kibum went straight to Jinki’s mother to hug her.

“Thank you so much for making my son happy today. It means so much to us.”

“You’re welcome, mom. His happiness will always be my priority.”

“Drive safely, okay?”

“I will, dad.”

“Good night, Kibum.”

“Good night, mom. Good night, dad.”

Kibum finally left the house and he’s hoping that whatever Jinki wishes will come true.

Before Jinki went to sleep, he wrote his short journal entry.

“Hello journal!

Today, I dreamt about the mystery boyfriend of mine again. He greeted me with a happy birthday and gave me gifts but one thing I noticed is that we had pictures framed but I can only see my face but not him. I don’t know why his face was always blurred.

Anyway, Kibum came early and we did a gigantic puzzle and I took a nap with my head on his lap while waiting for my friends. Not gonna lie, I was happy and touched for some reason because we were able to bond outside my therapy sessions and park visits. My parents love him too and I understand now why.

I hope we will be able to bond more and repay his kindness once I’m fully healed. Also, I hope I will remember more memories I have forgotten. 

Good night, journal. See you tomorrow.

P.S. I don’t know why but there are coincidences between my mystery boyfriend and Kibum today. I don’t know if it’s just pure coincidence or the universe was trying to tell me something more. I hope I will be able to find my answers soon.”

Eventually, Jinki felt comfortable with Kibum’s presence and he enjoys his company but he feels like Kibum was hiding something from him that he can’t figure out based on how Kibum tells stories about them. The stories he tells him feels incomplete but he doesn’t want to dig deeper into it and just let Kibum tell him when he’s ready.

Maybe he was just being careful so he will not be overwhelmed in trying to remember those memories.

Occasionally, when Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin are free, they would also come and watch his therapy sessions. They would also cheer for him every time he did the exercises successfully for his physical therapy. After one of his leg therapy sessions, they went to the park to play frisbee again. Jinki was able to transition from using the wheelchair to using crutches since his arm was fully healed. When they arrived at their usual spot, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin started the game, leaving Kibum and Jinki sitting on the bench. 

As usual, Jonghyun got tired easier than the lovebirds so he decided to rest and sit beside Kibum. The three of them watched Minho and Taemin from playing frisbee to chasing each other and there was a point that when Minho caught Taemin, they spin around while hugging just like in romantic movies. Jonghyun and Kibum grimaced seeing the couple being so cheesy but Jinki was just admiring them endearingly.

“It must be nice, isn’t it?” Jinki said while looking at the couple.

“What do you mean, Jinki?” Kibum asked.

“It must be nice to experience the kind of love that Minho and Taemin have. They have been together since we were in college. I wish I also experienced that. I wish I had a partner too. It’s funny because I remembered I had a dream before that I was at the park like this one and someone called me ‘my love’. It was so vivid that it felt so real during that time.”

Kibum and Jonghyun looked in Jinki's direction, eyes wide when they heard that while Jinki was still looking at Minho and Taemin. Did he finally remember Kibum and their relationship?

“Do you remember who called you that in your dream?” Kibum asked nervously.

“I didn’t see the face. Everything was clear except the face. It was blurred for some reason. However, the unknown person said that they were my boyfriend. That’s why I asked the doctor during my first check-up after the accident if those dreams were my forgotten memories or not but he said that it was uncertain so I don’t know now if the person in my dream was real.”

Kibum wanted to scream at Jinki. He wanted to say that it was real, that all he needed to do was to remember him, that the love of his life was just beside him. He wanted to say right on the spot that they were in a relationship but he couldn't. He doesn’t want to pressure him and make his recovery process more difficult.

Jonghyun, on the other hand, wanted to smack Jinki’s head because he was seeing his best friend in pain again but he remembered that Jinki literally has amnesia so he would let him pass this time.

Kibum tried his best not to tear up in front of Jonghyun and Jinki so he calmed himself down before answering him.

“Maybe someday, your dream will come true. You will find your partner at the right time, Jinki.” Kibum answered and Jonghyun subtly patted his best friend’s back to comfort him.

Minho called Kibum (read: bribed him with ice cream) to join them on their frisbee game which he agreed to just so he can distract himself from thinking about what Jinki told him. Jinki and Jonghyun were watching the game but Jinki was just looking at Kibum. In the middle of the game, Kibum was chasing the frisbee and suddenly, he tripped and fell on the grass. Minho and Taemin immediately checked Kibum if he was okay. He just nodded, shook off his clothes and continued playing.

Jinki tilted his head and closed his eyes when he saw Kibum fall because it felt like déjà vu to him. He thought that he already saw this before but he wasn’t sure about it. Jonghyun noticed Jinki and got worried.

“Jinki, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Jjong. I just thought I remembered something but I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m okay, I promise. Thank you Jjong.”

They went to Jinki’s house after their stay at the park and played board games just like when they were still in college. Kibum helped Jinki’s mother prepare their food for dinner while the four boys were playing Monopoly. Jinki would sometimes sneak glances at Kibum in the kitchen, busy chopping the ingredients while talking to Jinki’s mother. Whenever Jinki sees Kibum smiling or laughing with what his mother said to him, it warms his heart all of a sudden. Even if he thought he was sneaky enough, Jonghyun and sometimes Minho and Taemin will catch him looking at their friend.

“Jinki?” Jonghyun asked him.

“Yes, Jjong?”

“What do you think about Kibum?”

“He's a really, really nice friend. He helps me during my therapy sessions. He was patient with me. Sometimes, I think I don’t deserve him.”

“Why?”

“I mean… ever since I woke up at the hospital, I was really clueless about who he was but he was there to help and support me throughout my recovery process. What did I do to deserve that kind of treatment from him?”

“Well to be fair, you are his boyf-” Taemin’s mouth was shut by his boyfriend’s hand. Jonghyun gave Taemin a “shut the fuck up” look while Jinki was confused at his friend’s remark.

“Friend! Well, you are Kibum’s friend and he’s really like that to all of his friends.” Minho answered on behalf of his boyfriend.

Jinki raised his eyebrow in confusion with how their friends reacted with what Taemin was about to say before he was cut off which he thinks is harmless. Fortunately, the conversation was cut short when Kibum called them.

“Guys! The food is ready! Let’s eat!”

They all stood up upon hearing it and when they reached the dining table, they were greeted with everyone’s favorite food.

“Whoa! Auntie! This is a lot of food and you cooked our favorites!” Jonghyun gasped with the amount of food in front of him.

“It’s fine! Besides, it’s been a while since you guys were here and we miss the noise when all of you visit us.”

“It’s Minho’s fault every time they play board games!” Kibum answered and all of them laughed while Minho just furrowed his eyebrows at him.

“Anyway, let’s begin eating dinner.” Jinki’s father announced.

After having one of the best dinners they had filled with laughter, they continued playing board games. Jinki, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin were playing scrabble while Kibum was watching them. This also helps Jinki to recover from amnesia since it stimulates the brain. A few hours later, they called it a night and they bid their goodbyes to Jinki and his family.

Jinki had so much fun that he decided to write in his journal so he can document this day.

“Hello journal!

Today was such a fun day. After my therapy session, me and my friends went to the park and they played frisbee while I watched them. Also, Kibum fell on the grass because he tripped while chasing the frisbee but why does it feel like I’ve seen it before? It looked so familiar to me, like a déjà vu.

Anyway, we went home and had a really good dinner and played board games with them. However, with all the chaos inside the house, my eyes were just drawn at Kibum for some reason and I don’t know why. 

Do I still look at him as a friend or is there something more? I don’t know what to do.”

***********************

“Jinki, wake up.” 

“Hmmm… 5 more minutes.” Jinki’s eyes were still closed, not wanting to wake up.

“My love, wake up.” the unknown voice called him again.

Jinki slowly opened his eyes and he saw the same person in his previous dream but his face was still blurred.

“It’s you again?”

“Of course, silly! Get ready now or we are going to be late for Jonghyun’s birthday party.”

“Is it today?”

“Yes, my love. Start getting ready hm? I love you!”

Suddenly, the mystery guy kissed him on the cheek and left the room. Jinki was dumbfounded while caressing his cheek. It was the first time that he was kissed in his dream by the mystery boyfriend of his… and it felt so good. The butterflies in his stomach were having the time of their lives.

Jinki woke up with the sunlight directly hitting his face and he was confused about his dream. He looked at the calendar and it was indeed Jonghyun’s birthday today. It also marks his second week free from crutches because his leg was finally healed with the help of physical therapy for months. He was also done with the therapy and he just needed to be careful while walking. He was almost back to normal as long as he was doing his routine including leg exercises at home consistently.

On the other hand, Jinki wasn’t able to see Kibum often and the last time he saw him was on the day his leg cast was removed two weeks ago since he mentioned that he will be busy with work again. He’s also busy with his own work since he was able to go back to his current job when his leg cast was removed. Even though they were not able to see each other physically, they were still talking from time to time through text or sometimes through phone calls, updating Kibum about his recovery, his work or sometimes, just talking about random things he could think of. It was understandable but at the same time, he misses Kibum and their park visits after every therapy session.

Jinki remembered that Jonghyun loves books and journals so he decided to go to the bookstore to buy something for him before he goes to the birthday dinner party at the nearby restaurant.

The same restaurant where Kibum and Jinki saw each other again after their first meet-up at the bookstore a few years ago.

It’s been a while since he went to the bookstore due to the accident and it feels nice that he was able to come back again and look for new books to read. When he entered the bookstore, the cashier immediately greeted Jinki.

“Jinki!”

“Auntie!”

“It’s been a while! How are you? Where’s Kibum?”

Jinki was perplexed with the question. Why did the cashier ask him about Kibum’s whereabouts?

“Why?”

“Well, both of you always visit the bookstore together, reading books at the reading nook up there!” the cashier pointed at the nook at the second floor of the bookstore.

“We do?”

“Yes! You don’t remember?”

“Oh auntie, I-”

“Auntie!” A familiar voice greeted the lady cashier upon entering the bookstore. Jinki turned around and he finally saw Kibum again after a few weeks of not seeing him.

“Well there you are! I was just asking Jinki where you are! I miss seeing both of you together! He doesn’t even remember that you guys were always at the reading nook upstairs!” the cashier chuckled and Kibum’s eyes widened with what he heard. Oh bless the innocent lady cashier’s heart on what she’s going to discover next.

“Oh… auntie! Can we talk privately for a second?”

The cashier was confused but agreed anyway. They walked to the side, away from Jinki who was looking at them bewildered.

“Auntie, Jinki got into an accident last year which caused his amnesia. Therefore, he doesn’t remember me as his boyfriend. All he knew was I was just his friend.” Kibum whispered, making sure Jinki didn't hear anything. The cashier gasped at the discovery.

“Oh dear, I am so sorry to hear that. I didn’t know.” The cashier hugged Kibum to comfort him.

“Auntie, I’m going to ask you a little favor. Please don’t tell anything that was related to my relationship with him or don’t mention that I was his boyfriend since we don’t want to make his recovery process more complicated if we tell him stories that he doesn’t remember. The doctors mentioned that it will not be beneficial for him and just let him remember at the right time.”

“Sure, dear. Thank you for telling me. Don’t worry because I just know that he will come back to you. He will remember you, okay? Don’t lose hope.”

“Thank you, auntie.”

Kibum hugged the cashier again before coming back to where Jinki was. The cashier subtly composed himself before talking to Jinki again.

“Oh dear, just let me know if you need anything, okay? Let’s catch up once you are free.”

“Sure thing, auntie.”

Jinki walked away from the cashier with Kibum, confused on what the hell just happened. 

“Kibum?”

“Yes?”

“What did you tell to auntie?” 

Kibum was panicking internally but he composed himself so Jinki would not suspect anything.

“Oh… about that. Well, I told her that you got into an accident and you had amnesia. That's why you didn’t remember that we used to stay at the reading nook.”

“Oh. It was true that we used to hang out here before?”

“Yeah we do. We read books and do journaling sometimes as well.”

“Oh, I see. I wish I could remember those memories.”

“It’s okay, Jinki. I understand. Don’t stress on it too much.”

“Anyway, what brings you here?” Jinki asked.

“I will buy Jjong a gift. He said his notebook was already full so I was planning to buy him a new one. How about you?”

“I was going to buy him a gift also. Do you have any ideas on what I should buy since it’s your best friend’s birthday?”

“I can recommend some books that were on his wishlist. Would that work for you?”

“That’s good! Thank you Kibum!”

“I’ll just go to the notebook section. You can check the book aisle for the meantime so you can browse around while I go pick up what I will buy for Jjong.”

“Can I come with you?” Kibum was surprised by Jinki’s question.

“Uhm... yeah sure. Let’s go to the notebook aisle then the pens section. I will buy the fountain pen he’s been bugging me to buy for him.”

When they reached the notebook section, Kibum picked up a black and brown notebook to see if he wanted to buy the same notebook or if he would choose a different type this time.

When Jinki looked at Kibum, he tilted his head again and closed his eyes as if he had already seen this scene before but he can’t pinpoint when. He can’t shake off the feeling of familiarity. Suddenly, his mind shows flashbacks in the bookstore but it was all vague. Even though it was vague, he knows deep inside and he really believes this has already happened before. Kibum noticed how Jinki’s expression changed.

“Are you okay?”

“I-I feel like I’ve seen this before but I can’t remember when.”

Kibum looked at him, feeling hopeful that at least he would remember the first time they met at the bookstore at that exact spot but he’s not sure if it’s happening today so he decided to finally reveal it to him. Just a little nudge to Jinki’s memory, hoping that he will remember it.

“Hmmm… Jinki, I think it’s about time you should know this.”

“What do you mean?”

“This? This is exactly how we met a few years ago. During that time, you approached me because I was having a hard time choosing which notebook should I give to Jonghyun for his birthday.”

Realization dawned on him. He finally remembered the reason why it was so familiar to him.

“Oh. So that was the reason why. Now I remember.”

“I am sorry if I told you about it just now. I just don’t want to inundate you with memories of us so you will not be too overwhelmed about it.”

“It’s fine. I understand. Also, please don’t hesitate to tell me more about it. I would love to hear it and maybe that will help me to regain some memories from it?”

“Sure, Jinki. I will tell you more stories once my schedule is free. I am really sorry if I wasn’t able to see or visit you more often. I was catching up with my work.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s okay, Kibum.”

Jinki looked at Kibum’s eyes and he felt his heart skip a beat for some reason. He brushed off the thought and went back to looking at the notebooks Kibum was holding.

“Hmmm… I think the brown one was the better option since it has dotted pages. I’m quite biased because I prefer dotted notebooks.” Kibum chuckled at what Jinki said.

“Why are you laughing?” Jinki asked.

“It was funny because that’s what you recommended to me when we first met. You haven’t changed after all these years, Jinki. Thanks for the recommendation though. I was always like this: picking and choosing between the two notebooks but I always ended up choosing the brown notebook.”

Jinki just smiled at him and they proceeded to buy their respective gifts. When they reached the cashier to pay for the items, the lady at the register was smiling at them like there was something behind that teasing smile.

“Auntie, why are you smiling like that?” Jinki asked.

“Nothing!” The lady was trying to suppress her smile.

“I know that smile, auntie!”

The cashier looked at Kibum like she was asking for some sort of silent permission to tease them because she used to do it to the couple every time they visited the bookstore. Kibum knew what she meant and he shrugged and smiled at her like giving her a silent “yes”.

“I mean… you two look so good together! Look at Kibum! Isn’t he cute?”

Jinki slightly blushed and Kibum just chuckled at the lady’s remark. Well, he’s lying to himself if he thinks Kibum isn’t cute because he really is. He’s cute, charming and all of the adjectives he can use to describe how good-looking Kibum is.

“You’re right, auntie. He’s really cute.” Jinki answered without hesitation and it was Kibum’s turn to blush. The cashier was smirking and acting like a cupid to them while putting the items in the bag.

“Here you go! Visit us more often. I have so many stories to share!”

“We will, auntie! Thank you!” They answered in unison.

When they left the bookstore, Jinki asked Kibum.

“You’re coming to Jonghyun’s birthday dinner tonight, right?”

“Of course I will! I can already see Jjong whining in my head if I didn’t come!”

“Good. See you later, Kibum.”

“See you later, Jinki.”

They parted ways but Jinki kept glancing back at Kibum. For some reason, he’s now excited for what’s going to happen tonight.

It was raining during that night. Jinki, Jonghyun, Minho, and Taemin were already at the restaurant, waiting for the food and Kibum who was still not yet arriving.

“Where is Kibum? He’s usually the first one to arrive.” Minho asked.

“He texted me that there was a sudden road construction on his way here. He will be arriving soon since that text was an hour ago.”

Ten minutes later, Kibum finally arrived. When he stepped out of the car, he took a deep breath while looking at the restaurant’s signage. Flashbacks come to his mind the last time he was there. 

It was the same restaurant where he found out about Jinki's accident and ever since, he didn’t step his foot again so he will not be reminded about the worst day of his life. He was hoping that those memories will be replaced with new and happy memories tonight.

The four boys heard the sound of the wind chime by the door, signalling that someone opened the entrance door and when all of them looked at it, Jonghyun, Minho, and Taemin were cheering because Kibum finally showed up.

However, Jinki was not cheering with them. When Kibum slowly entered the restaurant while the wind blew his hair softly, he was just looking intently at him because it felt like it was a slow-motion moment in the movies.

He was so captivated by his ethereal presence even if he was just wearing denim pants and white long-sleeved polo with the three top buttons unbuttoned. All of a sudden, he was seeing hazy flashbacks again and now, with the number of times he has seen vague memories, he was convinced that this has already happened to him before and it was happening again tonight.

He’s slowly realizing that this might be how he fully met Kibum a few years ago.

*************************

Jinki, Jonghyun, Minho, and Taemin were enjoying their dinner since it was Jonghyun’s birthday. They were talking about Minho and Taemin’s upcoming anniversary, Jinki’s recent promotion at work and Jonghyun’s new song that he composed and produced for one of his favorite singers. When Jonghyun excused himself to use the restroom, Jinki shared something with Minho and Taemin.

“Guess what guys? I met someone at the bookstore earlier and he was really cute! I helped him pick out his gift for his friend.”

“Here we go again with his fantasies inside his head! He really thought he was in a romantic movie.” Minho teased him.

“It was not a fantasy! It was real! He was really, really cute and the way he smiled at me? Oh God, I almost melted right on the spot.”

“Oh… he was down bad for that guy. Did you get his name by any chance?” Taemin asked.

“He told me but I forgot what it was. But one thing for sure is that I will never forget that beautiful face!”

“Jinki! You had one job! How did you even forget the name but not his face?! How are we going to help you get a boyfriend when you can’t even remember the name! How am I going to do my investigative research?!” Taemin scolded Jinki.

“I don’t know! I was so stunned that my brain shut down after that encounter.”

“This is ridiculous! And you’re asking us why you are still single when you can’t even ask or remember their names!” 

Taemin just did a facepalm while his boyfriend shook his head in disappointment with Jinki. He really fumbled the bag real bad with that. 

Jonghyun finally came back to the table and made an announcement to his friends.

“Hey guys! Just so you know, my best friend from my hometown will be joining us here tonight! I can’t wait for you guys to meet him. He moved in this neighborhood like two weeks ago so please be nice to him, okay?”

“Once I meet him, I will tell him all of your embarrassing moments while you were staying here in this city.” Taemin teased Jonghyun.

“If you don’t shut your big ass mouth, let’s see if Minho will still love you if I tell him your own embarrassing moments that he didn’t know.”

Jonghyun and Taemin continued bickering while Jinki and Minho were just watching them and shaking their heads when they heard the wind chime hanging on the entrance door of the restaurant.

“Jjong!” An unfamiliar man called Jonghyun. 

They all looked at the direction where the voice was coming from and when Jonghyun realized who it was, he was smiling from ear to ear.

“Kibum! Come here!”

Kibum slowly walked towards their table and smiled at Jonghyun’s friends. Minho and Taemin smiled back at him but Jinki was so dumbfounded that he just put his hand on his mouth and gasped when he realized that the guy he met at the bookstore earlier was Jonghyun’s best friend that they were just talking about.

“Happy birthday, Jjong!” Kibum handed him his birthday gift.

“Hey! Let me introduce you to my friends first. Here’s Minho and his boyfriend, Taemin.”

“Nice to meet you!” Kibum shook Minho and Taemin’s hand.

“And here’s my other friend, Jin-”

“Jinki! It was nice to see you again. It’s a small world after all.”

Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin furrowed their eyebrows in confusion while Jinki just awkwardly smiled at Kibum.

“Wait… you guys know each other?!” Jonghyun asked.

“Oh. We just met at the bookstore earlier. He helped me pick my gift for you. I didn’t know he’s your friend!”

Jonghyun looked at Jinki while Minho and Taemin gasped when they connected the dots. Then they smirked at him and thought of the same thing: they will be Jinki and Kibum’s matchmakers for tonight.

“And you didn’t tell me about this, Jinki?!”

“To be fair, I didn’t know that he was your best friend! I was just helping out, that's all!”

“Anyway, by any chance, are you single?” Taemin asked Kibum.

“Oh. Uhm… yes, I am single. Why did you ask?”

Minho and Taemin grinned at each other and jumped on their seats. The plan was working really well in their favor.

“Perfect! I just want to let you know that our friend here is single too!” Minho pointed at Jinki.

“Oh come on! I just told you guys to be nice to him! It was not even 5 minutes since he arrived and you guys were already asking him if he was single and teasing Kibum to Jinki…

…but they were right! Jinki is single!” Jonghyun joined the matchmaking game.

“Jjong!” Kibum hit his best friend’s arm playfully.

“Ow!”

“I thought this was a birthday dinner but why does it look like a matchmaking event?!”

“Shush it! Now, go sit beside Jinki!” Jonghyun clapped in excitement and Kibum hit his arm again before sitting down between Jinki and Jonghyun. He already knew that it would be a long night for him.

“I’m so sorry about my friends. They have been like that ever since.” Jinki whispered to Kibum once they settled down on their seats.

“It’s okay, Jinki. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Kibum smiled at Jinki before turning his focus on the food served on the table and Jinki did the same. It was now the time to sing Jonghyun a happy birthday and they were all smiling at the birthday boy. After a few seconds, Jonghyun blew the candle and all of them cheered.

“What’s your wish?” Kibum asked Jonghyun.

“I don’t want to tell you my personal wishes but I can say one of my birthday wishes that was related to you.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I hope that you will be able to have a comfortable life in this city and…” Jonghyun paused mid-sentence.

“And?”

“And I hope that you and Jinki will end up together!” Jonghyun grinned widely at them.

“Oh my God!” Kibum and Jinki said in unison and they both buried their faces in their hands due to embarrassment. Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin burst out laughing at their friend’s reaction.

Deep inside, Jinki was hoping for that wish to come true.

*************************

“There you are!” Jonghyun greeted his best friend.

“Happy birthday Jjong! I’m sorry I’m late! The road near my house turned into a one-way street all of a sudden. It turns out that one of the underground water pipes got broken so they closed the road to fix it.” Kibum apologized as he handed his gift.

“Don’t worry about it! You’re just right on time. The food had just arrived anyway. Go sit beside Jinki.”

Kibum high-fived Minho and Taemin before going to his usual seat, the one in between Jinki and Jonghyun. When he finally settled on his seat, Kibum noticed that Jinki was looking at him.

“Hey, is there something wrong?”

“Kibum, correct me if I’m wrong but is this how we met again after the first encounter at the bookstore a few years ago?”

He was taken aback because it seems like he finally remembered how they met. It was one step closer for Jinki to remember who Kibum truly is to him.

“Oh. Yes, that’s true. How did you know?”

“I saw flashbacks while you were walking towards the table. I just want to confirm if this was one of my forgotten memories before.” 

“It’s nice to hear that you are slowly regaining your memories now. Just let us know if you feel like you remembered something and we will tell you if that’s your forgotten memories resurfacing.”

“Thank you Kibum. You look good tonight by the way.” Jinki complimented.

“And so are you, Jinki.”

Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin were silently observing the two throughout the whole conversation while slicing their steaks and trying to hide their smiles. 

When it was the time for the birthday cake, Jonghyun took his time wishing before he blew his candles.

“What’s your wish?” Kibum asked him as usual.

“You know that I don’t say my personal wishes but this year, I have a different wish that I can share and it was related to Jinki.”

“Me? What do you mean?”

“I wish for your complete recovery… and that includes regaining your memories, Jinki.” Jonghyun answered and then he looked at Kibum.

The look that says “I wish that he will finally remember my best friend as his boyfriend” and Kibum already knew what he meant with that look.

“Oh. Thank you, Jjong. I hope so too.”

While they were talking and enjoying dinner, Jinki noticed something sparkling beside him and it turns out that it was Kibum’s necklace. It was a heart-shaped locket necklace and a ring hanging on the chain. Jinki felt like the necklace was familiar to him even though he only saw Kibum wearing it for the first time tonight… or so he thought.

“Hey. I love your necklace, Kibum.”

“Oh… uhm… thank you Jinki.”

“I was wondering why there is a ring on your necklace? Why don’t you wear it on your finger? The ring looks really nice.”

Kibum froze on the spot, caught off guard with Jinki’s question. He’s debating if he should tell him the truth now or maybe some other time, when the situation gets better. Jonghyun, Minho, and Taemin stopped eating their food, waiting for Kibum to answer. Everyone was anticipating what would happen next.

“Uh… hmmm… well, let’s just say that this was given by someone special to me and I didn’t want to wear this ring on my finger right now because I want to wear it at the right time so I put it on my necklace for the meantime.”

The right time meaning once Jinki will finally remember him as his boyfriend and that he was supposed to propose to Kibum on their fifth anniversary if the accident didn’t happen to him.

“Oh, I see. To be honest, I feel like I’ve seen it before but I just don’t know where. It looks so familiar to me.”

Kibum’s breath hitched upon hearing those words. He was so close to telling him the whole truth but he was contemplating if this is the right time to do it. Even more, there’s one thing that he’s mostly concerned about: if he ever revealed the whole truth, what will happen to Jinki? Are they going to be back together because he developed his feelings for Kibum or will it break them apart even more because Jinki doesn’t love him anymore like the way he used to since he only thought they were just friends?

At this point, he feels like he’s suffocating. His heart tells him to finally reveal the whole truth to Jinki but his brain tells him to give Jinki some time to sort things out, to remember more things about them before revealing it to him and not overwhelm him with too much information. All eyes are on Kibum and he felt like he needed to get some fresh air before he makes a move that either he will be thankful for or regret later on.

“Excuse me. I just have to make a call. I’ll be back.” Kibum calmly stood up and walked towards the front door, leaving Jinki confused and the rest of them were quiet and looking at each other, silently trying to resolve the unspoken tension at the table.

When Kibum got out of the building, he finally broke down on the street, not caring who could see him. He was so overwhelmed and confused on what he should do. Jonghyun knows his best friend too much so he excused himself and followed Kibum outside the restaurant. 

“Kibum.”

“Jjong.” He instinctively ran towards his best friend and cried his heart out. Jonghyun hugged his best friend tightly, trying to comfort as much as he could.

“I-I don’t know what to do. I was so close to telling Jinki that it was him who gave me that necklace and the ring but I can’t because I don’t know what to expect when he finally learns the truth. What if once he knew our true relationship, he would stay away from me instead of coming back because I told him we were only friends? What if he feels betrayed because I was hiding who I really was to him? I am so scared, Jjong.”

“Kibum, we all know why you didn’t tell him the whole truth because it will not help his recovery in the first place if he gets too overwhelmed. At the end of the day, he will finally learn the truth sooner or later but for now, let him remember more memories about you. I mean, he finally remembered how you guys met. He was so close to remembering you as his boyfriend. Just have faith and trust in him. He will come back to you because if not, I will shake his goddamn brain.”

“Jjong!” Kibum playfully hit Jonghyun’s arm.

“What?! I was just kidding! But in all seriousness, I just know he will come back to you. With the way he looked at you earlier when you arrived at the restaurant? He was about to drool!”

“Oh come on!”

“Now, wipe your tears and let’s come back to the table! If they see you crying, they are going to blame me for it!” Kibum chuckled and wiped his tears away. 

“I am sorry for ruining your birthday dinner.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. Stop being silly. Let’s go?” Jonghyun pats Kibum’s shoulder.

Kibum looked at the restaurant’s window to see if his eyes got too puffy with all the crying he did and took a deep breath before they entered the restaurant.

While Kibum and Jonghyun were outside, Jinki was very confused on how Kibum reacted when he asked about the ring on the necklace. He asked the couple in front of him who were now silently eating their food.

“What happened to Kibum?” 

“Hmm?” Minho asked.

“What happened to Kibum? He froze when I asked him about the ring. Is there something wrong with it?”

Minho and Taemin looked at each other, trying to do some telepathy on how to answer Jinki’s question without revealing the whole truth to him.

“Jinki, I am so sorry but it is not our story to tell. Let him tell you about it when he’s ready.” Taemin answered.

“Is it that bad?” The couple nodded in agreement.

“Oh. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know about it and you just asked out of curiosity. We understand.”

Kibum and Jonghyun entered the restaurant again and went back to their table. Minho and Taemin looked at Kibum and even if he tried his best to cover up his breakdown earlier, the couple still noticed the slightly puffed eyes.

“I’m sorry, Kibum.” Jinki apologized.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I’m sorry for asking about the ring. I noticed your expression changed when I asked about it.”

“It’s okay, Jinki. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Kibum went back on finishing his food and the rest followed suit but not Jinki. When Jinki heard that line, his brain immediately goes back to the exact moment when he apologized to Kibum during Jonghyun’s birthday because his friends were teasing him and that was Kibum’s exact answer to him.

But his memory was still failing him because he can’t remember the reason why his friends were teasing him and why he apologized to Kibum. All he remembers are patchy memories of Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin teasing him that night but he’s still wondering what is the connection of the teasing to Kibum that he had to apologize.

Jinki was racking his brain to get some answers that it came to a point he didn’t notice he was looking at Kibum like a lost child long enough that the rest of the boys were also looking at him.

“Jinki, are you okay?” Kibum asked and Jinki snapped out of his trance.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry for zoning out. I’m seeing flashbacks again but they were vague. Don’t mind it. I’ll probably remember it soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry again.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s fine. I understand.”

They all finally went back eating the rest of the food and talking about their lives, reminiscing memories during their college days and teasing Jonghyun again to the bartender named Junmyeon at their favorite bar two streets away from the restaurant.

After the dinner and bidding their goodbyes, Minho and Taemin went home together while Jonghyun drove home alone. At the end, Kibum decided to drive Jinki home.

Jinki sat on the front passenger seat and when he’s trying to fasten his seat belt, he was struggling because it was jammed. 

“Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you help me with my seat belt? I think it’s jammed.”

“Oh wait, I'll help you out.”

Kibum leaned into the passenger seat and tried to untangle the seat belt. While Kibum was fixing the seat belt, Jinki’s face was inches away from Kibum’s face and he was just staring at him. He can’t help it that his heart was beating erratically at the beautiful sight in front of him. At that point, he realized he developed his feelings for Kibum… again.

Thinking about how Kibum took care of him ever since the accident happened, how he cherishes and loves his parents and being patient with him when he had zero recollection of their memories together, there’s no reason for him not to admire or love Kibum. Maybe he was denying it initially since he doesn’t have memories with him before but as the time passes by, with every park visit after therapy, with every game night with friends, the way he always looked at Kibum, he just knew that he was definitely special to him, that it was more than friends for him.

When Kibum was able to untangle the seat belt, he slowly pulled himself away but when he saw that Jinki was staring at him, he stopped in his tracks and stared back at him, inches away from each other’s faces. 

The tension was high, eyes locked at each other and Kibum’s yearning to kiss him after a long time intensified. Jinki looked at Kibum’s lips and his urge to kiss him grew more and more as every second passed by. 

“Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I kiss you?” Jinki asked out of the blue.

Kibum was astounded because it felt like Jinki read his mind. He tried his best to be rational and thinking Jinki might be just overwhelmed with all the memories he remembered tonight but he let his heart prevail and decide for him this time.

“Yes.”

Jinki slowly leaned in, holding Kibum’s cheek ever so gently until their lips closed the gap between them. It was slow at first, trying to familiarize what they lost before and when they finally found their rhythm and pacing, both of them never wanted it to end. They were just perfectly in sync.

After all those months they were apart and treating each other as “friends”, they still found their way back. They were like two perfect match puzzle pieces together. Jinki was savoring every single moment and he felt like kissing Kibum was a muscle memory to him. For Kibum? Heaven knows how he truly missed kissing Jinki and it felt like a dream came true when it happened.

Jinki can’t get enough of it so he deepens the kiss and Kibum kisses him back, more fervently than before. But when Kibum realized that it might escalate further, he pulled away from the kiss and tried to catch his breath.

“Jinki, let’s stop. I think we should go home.” He subtly pushed Jinki away and started fixing himself by looking at the mirror from the sun visor of his car. His face was flushed and his lips were swollen.

He really looked like he just had an intense make-out session.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s already late so let’s go home.” Kibum just started the car and started driving back to Jinki’s home.

The whole car ride was awkwardly quiet. Jinki was just looking out the window while Kibum was so focused on driving. No one spoke after the kiss and the car radio was the only source of noise. When the song Crush by David Archuleta played on the stereo, it did not help their awkward situation at all because the lyrics seemed like speaking on behalf of their unspoken thoughts, mostly for Jinki.

Jinki was glancing subtly at Kibum, testing the waters of the aftermath of their kiss but he couldn't decipher Kibum’s reaction to it. When he couldn't figure out Kibum’s expression, he went back to looking at the lamp posts. Kibum glanced back at Jinki but he couldn’t see his face since he was looking out the window. He decided to just focus on driving him home.

When they finally reached Jinki’s home, they still remained silent and no one wanted to speak or even breathe inside the car. 

“Thank you for driving me home.” Jinki broke the silence between them.

“No problem, Jinki.”

“Kibum… I…” Jinki wanted to talk about what happened but he hesitated. 

“What is it?”

“Nevermind. Drive home safely. Text me once you arrive.”

“I will.”

“Good night, Kibum.”

“Good night, Jinki.”

Jinki got out of Kibum’s car and walked towards the front door. He looked back at him and Kibum just nodded before Jinki entered the house. When Jinki was finally out of sight, Kibum started slamming his head on his hands that were gripping on the steering wheel. He’s re-evaluating his decisions in life (mainly the one he did tonight) and asking himself what kind of spirit possessed him that made him say yes to Jinki when he was asked if he could kiss him. Is it the spirit of boyfriend yearners who did that? Maybe.

Before he went insane, he started his car and drove home. While he was driving, all he could think of was the kiss and it kept replaying in his head to the point that he needed to physically shake his head just so the vivid memory would go away from his system.

Did he like the kiss? Of course, he does. That’s more than he could’ve wished for. Did he regret it? Kind of.

Mostly because he doesn’t know what to do after that. What if Jinki was just carried away? What if he will stay away from him from now on once he finally realized what he had done? The chances of Jinki finally remembering him as his boyfriend was almost within his reach but he felt that he fucked it up with that kiss. 

But a part of him was hoping that it was the sign that he will come back to him and that he will remember him completely as his boyfriend because he thought, if he was just a friend to him… why did he initiate the kiss? What was the reason?

When he came home and about to sleep, he texted Jinki that he had arrived safely out of habit since it was his routine every time they were done with the therapy session and park visits, forgetting what happened to them for a brief moment and when he realized it again, he ended up not sleeping through the night because his mind was preoccupied with two things: the kiss that keeps replaying in his head and overthinking what will happen to them after that and it turns into a cycle.

Jinki, on the other hand, was also confused and asking himself what was going on inside his brain and why he did that all of a sudden but the difference is he didn’t regret what happened. Furthermore, it only solidified his realization that damn, he must really liked Kibum so much that he really had the audacity to ask if he could kiss him and if he could do it again, he would do it a million times without hesitation. 

He was lying on the bed, ready to fall asleep when he received the text from Kibum that he got home safely. His eyes lit up at the message, kicking his feet, and giggling even if there’s nothing special on the text message.

In short, he was already down bad for him and probably more than he ever did before.

*************************

“My love, I’m so scared.” His mystery boyfriend showed up again in his dream. His face was still blurred just like in his previous dreams with him. They were in an amusement park and they were looking at the flying disc ride that looked quite extreme for them.

“We don’t need to ride that if you’re not comfortable. Do you want to ride the Ferris wheel instead?”

“Hmm… I guess that would work.”

As they walked towards the Ferris wheel, their knuckles were brushing against each other and Jinki was really tempted to hold his hand.

“Can I hold your hand?”

The mystery boyfriend didn’t answer him. Instead, he let their hands intertwine as they got nearer to the Ferris wheel. 

While they were riding the ferris wheel, the mystery boyfriend asked him.

“Are we going to be okay after this? You’re coming back to me, right?”

“We are okay. There’s nothing to worry about. I will always come back to you.”

“I love you, Jinki. Always in all ways.”

“I love you too.” Jinki finally said it to the mystery guy for the first time.

While they were kissing on the peak of the Ferris wheel, the face of his mystery boyfriend starts to get clearer and clearer and when they pulled away from each other, Jinki gasped because he finally saw the face of his mystery boyfriend that’s been showing up constantly in his dreams ever since he got home from the hospital.

“Kibum?!” 

“Yes, my love. It’s me.”

“Is this real?”

“It is real.”

Suddenly, Kibum started to slowly fade from his sight. Jinki tried to reach out for him but he couldn't. Before he disappeared completely, Kibum said something that left a mark on Jinki’s mind.

“I will always wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”

Jinki woke up and sat bolt upright in bed, puzzled about the meaning of his dream. It was the first time that he saw the face of his mystery boyfriend and he was surprised that it was Kibum who showed up. He’s confused if it was real that Kibum was his boyfriend or if it was just because he misses him so badly. Suddenly, his phone on the nightstand lit up.

It’s been four months since the kiss and neither of them talked to each other again about what happened aside from the usual “I just got home” text every time Kibum comes home from driving Jinki to the hospital for his check-ups to address the amnesia. Kibum tried his best to act normal with Jinki during the car ride but he couldn't find the words to say to Jinki. No one attempted to bring up the topic, scared that it might cause further damage.

At night, Kibum kept overthinking on what he should do about the situation and it always ends up with him drinking several glasses of moscato while sitting near the bedroom window and looking at the night sky, hoping the stars will provide the answer for him. There were numerous times when he was drunk that he almost called Jinki and planned to tell him the truth especially during their supposed sixth anniversary. He was inches away from pressing the call button but the little bit of sanity remaining in him always prevailed, ending up turning his phone off completely. It was his routine for the past few months ever since the kiss happened until one Saturday in August came and he decided to go out and drink at their favorite bar for a change of scenery.

“Kibum, long time no see!” Junmyeon greeted him.

“Hi Junmyeon! One bloody mary and one kiwi martini please. Thank you.”

“Is Jonghyun coming here tonight?” Junmyeon asked.

“No.”

“Your boyfriend, Jinki?”

“Jinki’s not coming tonight. Both drinks are mine.”

“Oh. Got into a fight with Jinki?” Junmyeon asked while preparing Kibum’s drinks.

Kibum forgot that Junmyeon knew Jinki and their friends since they were all batchmates during college and he was introduced when they went to the bar to celebrate their first anniversary. Unfortunately, he wasn’t aware of the current situation since it’s been a while since he visited the bar.

“Worse.”

“You guys broke up?! Please say sike! Please say sike! You better not break up! I was rooting for you guys!” 

“Much worse.”

“Then what happened to the both of you?!” Junmyeon handed the drinks to Kibum.

“Long story short: Jinki got into an accident last year, currently suffering from amnesia and the worst part of it? He didn't know who I was when he woke up. He literally forgot about me and the memories we shared. He didn’t know that I am his boyfriend and up until now, he only knows me as Jonghyun’s best friend. I even had to pretend that we were just friends to avoid complications during the recovery process for his amnesia.”

“Wait what?! I didn’t know that! I am really sorry to hear that, Kibum.”

Kibum just sighed and gulped the bloody mary and kiwi martini straight down his throat and Junmyeon, being the nosy guy, was already invested with the story that he even asked the other bartenders to serve the other guests for the meantime so he can focus on Kibum’s rambling about his current situation.

After several glasses of kiwi martini, bloody mary, margaritas and telling the whole story to Junmyeon, Kibum finally revealed the reason why he was drinking tonight.

“You guys kissed out of the blue?! After Jonghyun’s birthday dinner?! Kibum, come on! That’s four months ago!” Junmyeon gasped upon knowing the bombshell Kibum just dropped.

“Y-yeah. To be honest, I didn’t even know w-what I was thinking that night. I was so s-scared of the aftermath like what if he will avoid m-me completely after that so I ended up not t-talking to him about t-that ever s-since.” Kibum answered, slurring his words. The cocktails he ordered were already taking effect on him.

“To be honest Kibum, you can’t run away from this forever. The only way to resolve this was to discuss this with him. Besides, if he decided to stay away from you or if he doesn’t like you for the second time around… then why did he initiate the kiss in the first place?”

Kibum was just silent while Junmyeon continued talking.

“The only thing that holds you back is yourself. One way or another, both of you need to address the elephant in the room. It’s almost September now. If he didn’t really like you, he should’ve avoided you immediately like a plague last April or May but the fact that you are still accompanying him to his check-ups and he’s still okay with that setup, that should say something.”

“I think you’re r-right. I think I should call him.” Kibum fished out his phone from his bag and immediately called Jinki. Even though his vision was blurry, Jinki’s number was on the top of his contact list so he can still press the right number.

“Kibum! Call him when you’re sober and not when you are drunk!” Junmyeon tried to stop him but he couldn't reach Kibum’s phone.

When Jinki didn’t answer the phone during his first call, Kibum made the second mistake of his life by sending drunk texts to him.

“Jniki, I msis yuo.” (Jinki, I miss you.)

“Pls come bcak to me.” (Please come back to me)

“Cna we talkk?” (Can we talk?)

“I lvoe you alwyas n forver” (I love you always and forever)

“Pick me upp at the bar plssss?” (Pick me up at the bar please?)

Kibum called Jinki for the second time, hoping he would answer. Junmyeon just facepalmed at Kibum’s actions and he knew he was already a hopeless case so he will let him reap the consequences (or a blessing in disguise) of his actions for tonight. 

While Jinki was processing what just happened in his dream, he saw Kibum was calling his phone. He immediately answered and he was surprised with how Kibum spoke to him.

“Helloooooo Jinki!”

“Kibum, are you okay?”

“I’m okayyyyy! Just a little bit t-tipsy but I’m okay! I promise!”

“Where are you?”

“I’m here at our f-favorite bar! Can you p-pick me up?”

“I will call Jonghyun to help me pick you up at the bar. Just stay right there, okay?”

“I miss youuuu! Can we t-talk?”

“We will talk once you’re sober.”

“Okayyyy! I will wait for you here! I love youuu!”

Kibum accidentally ended the call and fell asleep on the table before Jinki could even respond. Jinki, on the other hand, froze on the spot because the parallelisms between his dream and the conversation he just had with Kibum was eerily similar. He also saw the texts Kibum sent to him.

He just knew that Kibum was so drunk he wouldn’t remember a single thing once he woke up the next day.

Jinki called Jonghyun as soon as possible and luckily, he answered the call immediately.

“Hello Jjong?”

“Hey! Jinki, what's up?”

“Can you help me pick up Kibum from the bar? He called me and he was drunk.”

“Sure! I will pick you up in 15 minutes.”

“Thank you Jjong! See you later.”

“Bye Jinki!”

Jinki changed his clothes and told his parents he’s going out to pick up Kibum.

“Mom, dad, I’ll just go out for a bit. I will fetch Kibum from the bar since he’s drunk. Jonghyun will pick me up here.”

“Sure! You got your house key with you?”

“Yes, I do have it right now in my pocket.”

“Be careful, okay?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Jinki, let Kibum stay here for the night, okay? I’m pretty sure he will have the worst headache of his life tomorrow morning so I will cook his favorite hangover soup. At least we can look after him for the meantime instead of him being alone at his house during this situation.”

“Got it, mom.”

“Also, I want to share something.”

“What is it?”

“Every time Kibum was drunk, either from the birthday parties or just casual drinking with his work friends, he would always call you to pick him up and you always did, Jinki. It’s nice to see that it hasn’t changed after all this time.”

Jinki was about to ask his mother to elaborate the story but he heard the car honk from the outside, signalling that Jonghyun had arrived.

“I need to go. Bye mom and dad!”

His parents waved goodbye before he closed the door and ran towards Jonghyun’s car.

“Hey Jonghyun, I’m really sorry for calling you this late.”

“Don’t worry about it. What’s important is that we get Kibum safely.”

The car ride was short since the bar was quite near Jinki’s house. When they entered the bar, they saw Junmyeon looking out for Kibum who was completely knocked out.

“Junmyeon! Long time no see!” Jinki greeted him.

“Y-yeah! Long time no see!”

“I am really sorry for the inconvenience caused by looking out for Kibum during your shift.” Jonghyun apologized.

“It’s no big deal, Jonghyun.”

“DId he already close his tab?”

“Unfortunately, not yet.”

Jonghyun slowly shook his head before getting his credit card to pay Kibum’s tab. He will make sure to smack his best friend’s head once he’s sober to reimburse what he paid tonight.

“Did he tell you what made him drop by the bar tonight?” Jonghyun asked.

Junmyeon glanced at Jinki before looking back at Jonghyun and he gestured to him to come closer so he can whisper the whole context why Kibum was drunk. Jonghyun loudly gasped when he discovered the reason while Jinki was completely oblivious and still looking at Kibum who was sleeping peacefully. He also noticed that Kibum was wearing the locket necklace again.

After settling Kibum’s tab, they tried waking him up so he could walk towards Jonghyun’s car outside.

“Kibum? Wake up.” Jinki slightly nudged Kibum and he just groaned in response.

“Kibum, wake up. Let’s go home.” Jinki tried again.

“Who are you?” Kibum asked slowly, almost incoherently and eyes were still closed.

“It’s me, Jinki. I’m here with Jonghyun. Please wake up so we can go home.”

Kibum peeked with his one eye and even though his vision was quite blurry, he knew his boyfriend’s silhouette.

“Whoa. You came! Yaaay! I miss you!” Kibum tried to open his eyes and sit up straight but his body was giving up on him. Luckily, Jinki and Jonghyun were able to catch him.

Jinki and Jonghyun looked at each other and sighed. They realized Kibum will not be able to walk straight or even stand up. They decided that Jonghyun will carry Kibum on his back because he will not risk Jinki to have another injury since it’s only been a few months since he completed his physical therapy. Jinki will pick up Kibum’s things instead.

When they got out of the bar and reached Jonghyun’s car, Jinki helped Jonghyun so they could settle Kibum on the backseat. Jinki decided to sit with Kibum at the back to help him in case something happens like if Kibum throws up.

“Jjong, is it okay if I bring Kibum to my house tonight? My mom requested it so he can prepare his hangover soup for him tomorrow morning.”

“No problem, Jinki. I’ll pick up his car from the bar tomorrow then I will bring it to your house.”

“Thank you Jjong!”

Jonghyun started the car and drove their way back to Jinki’s house. While they were on the way, Kibum fell asleep again and his head slowly leaned onto Jinki’s shoulder. Their knuckles were brushing up against each other and Jinki was looking at it. He was debating internally if he would hold his hand or not. Later on, he decided to slowly reach out to hold his hand and let their fingers intertwine and he felt the same feeling when he kissed Kibum a few months ago. Jinki also leaned his head to Kibum and closed his eyes.

Jonghyun peeked through the rearview mirror and he saw Jinki and Kibum holding hands, eyes closed and he couldn’t help but to smile because he knew that Kibum’s only wish will finally come true sooner than he thought.

Jinki suddenly opened his eyes when he realized that they had already arrived at his house and Jonghyun opened the door beside him.

“We’re here.” Jonghyun said.

Jinki rushed to go outside the car so he could assist Jonghyun in carrying Kibum and bringing his things inside the house. When they reached the doorstep, Kibum whispered something.

“I think I’m going to throw up.”

Their eyes widened and Jinki scrambled to open the door with his keys. When they finally went inside, they rushed Kibum to the bathroom inside Jinki’s room and Kibum threw up his guts out while Jonghyun was rubbing his best friend’s back. Jinki remembered the necklace Kibum was wearing.

“I’ll just take out his necklace before it gets ruined with his vomit.” 

Jinki successfully unclasped the necklace and placed it on the nightstand. When Kibum finally stopped vomiting, they helped him to the sink so he could rinse his face and mouth. Once they were done cleaning him up, they carried Kibum to Jinki’s bed and helped him settle on the bed.

“Thank you Jjong for helping me pick him up.”

“No problem, Jinki. Thank you also for letting Kibum stay here for tonight. I’ll text you tomorrow once I am on my way here to bring his car. I also have his spare car key so don’t worry about it.”

“Sure! I will also let Kibum know about it once he wakes up. Also, I want to ask something.”

“What is it?”

“My mom told me every time Kibum was drunk, he would always call me to pick him up. Is that true?”

Jonghyun sighed before he answered.

“Yes, it was true. You never failed to pick him up every time he called you up until now. Every time you drop him off at your parent’s house, your mom will always prepare the hangover soup for him the next day so he will feel better before going home.”

“Oh.” 

“Anyway, I need to go home. Bye Jinki.”

“Bye Jjong.”

When Jonghyun left the house, Jinki went back to his room and looked at Kibum who was sleeping peacefully. He realized that he really needed to catch up on remembering those forgotten memories with Kibum.

It was a long night for both of them so Jinki decided that he should probably sleep by now and when he was about to switch off the lights, the necklace on the nightstand caught his attention. He sat on the bed and examined the necklace and the ring attached to it because he felt like the necklace had a connection to him until he saw the engraving inside the ring.

J&K.

He felt like a lump in his throat starts to form and his heart started beating fast. Suddenly, he started seeing flashbacks that involved him looking at the ring inside the box while waiting for the stoplight to turn green.

His focus was diverted to the locket. He was looking closely at the pendant, contemplating if there was a picture inside the locket. Half of him wants to leave the necklace alone but the other half wants to see what’s inside the heart locket. 

It took him a long time before he decided to open it up out of curiosity and Jinki wasn’t prepared for what he saw next.

He saw two pictures of him and Kibum on both sides. The left side shows a picture of them wherein Kibum was holding a bouquet of sunflowers and tulips and their heads were leaning against each other, smiling widely at the camera. The right shows a picture of them wherein Jinki was kissing Kibum’s cheek while the latter was smiling.

He never saw those pictures before… or so he thought.

Jinki immediately closed the locket and placed the necklace on the nightstand again. He just blinked in disbelief, not knowing how to process all the discoveries he just learned tonight. Immediately, he remembered what Kibum said about the necklace and the ring during Jonghyun’s birthday dinner.

“Let’s just say that this was given by someone special to me and I didn’t want to wear this ring on my finger right now because I want to wear it at the right time so I put it on my necklace for the meantime.”

Kibum’s words kept replaying in Jinki’s mind over and over again. There are so many questions inside his head but there’s only one question that he really wanted to be answered:

What is his true relationship with Kibum? 

While Jinki was re-evaluating his whole existence and trying to connect the dots at 2:00 AM while lying down in the dark, looking at the ceiling and only the moon was his source of light in the bedroom, he heard someone crying and when he turned to his side, he saw Kibum crying in his sleep, whispering “please don’t leave” and “I’m sorry” numerous times. Jinki gently wiped Kibum’s tears and wrapped his arm around him.

“Shhh. I’m right here. I will not be going anywhere.” Jinki whispered, hoping he would hear him.

“I love you.” Kibum whispered back unknowingly and instinctively snuggled Jinki even if he was still asleep. Jinki smiled at the gesture and he kissed Kibum’s forehead before closing his eyes.

“Good night, my baby. I love you.”

The next morning came and Kibum heard the birds chirping outside and the sunlight hitting his face directly. However, he felt that someone was cuddling him. Kibum slowly opened his eyes and suddenly, his eyes widened when he discovered the person in front of him.

Jinki was sleeping peacefully, face inches apart from him, his arm wrapped around his waist.

A lot of questions popped in his mind while looking at him.

What happened last night?

Where is he?

Why is Jinki here with him?

What did he do?

Why is he having the worst headache of his life?

Kibum didn’t even realize he was hugging Jinki back so he slowly pulled his arm and carefully moved some of Jinki’s stray hair to the side so he can fully admire the wonderful view he’s seeing right now. 

He really missed seeing that face first thing in the morning before the whole catastrophe happened that changed the trajectory of their lives.

Jinki slightly moved and pulled Kibum closer to him while he’s still asleep. Kibum couldn’t help but to smile and shed a few tears while gently caressing Jinki’s cheek, trying not to wake him up because he couldn’t believe that this was happening to him. 

It felt like a dream and if this was a dream, he doesn’t want to wake up from now on.

Kibum decided to go back to sleep and hugged him back again, not wanting to end this moment between them as long as he can.

An hour later, Jinki slowly woke up and the first thing he saw was Kibum sleeping in front of him. He couldn’t help but to smile and kiss Kibum’s forehead once again. As he looked at Kibum endearingly, he realized one thing.

Even though he had a thousand questions in his mind right now and he still can’t remember some of his memories with Kibum, the only thing he was sure about was that he had fallen truly in love with him. 

As much as he would love to stay like this forever, he really needed to use the bathroom so he slowly removed his arm around Kibum’s waist and slowly got up on the bed, not wanting to wake him up.

When he was able to get out of the bed successfully, he went to the bathroom and did his morning routine. After a few minutes, he got out and went straight to the bed, attempting to wake Kibum up since it was almost time for breakfast. Jinki sat on the edge of the bed and slightly tapped Kibum’s arm.

“Kibum?” Jinki asked and Kibum just groaned in response.

“Kibum, how are you? Do you feel better now?”

“Mmmh… My head hurts.” Kibum answered while his eyes were still closed.

“I will bring you food and some medicine for your headache, okay? I will be back.” Jinki patted Kibum’s arm before he left the bedroom. When he entered the living area, he saw his mother cooking in the kitchen and his father entered the house, holding his morning newspaper.

“Good morning, mom! Good morning, dad!”

“Good morning, my dear! How was Kibum? Is he okay now?” his mother asked.

“He said his head still hurts so I think I will let him rest more for the meantime.”

“Well, you can bring his breakfast to your room instead.” his father suggested.

“I mean… I was kinda planning to do that.” Jinki answered while getting the bed tray from the kitchen cabinet.

“Awww! Look at our baby growing up being a lover boy!” his mother teased him while serving their breakfast on the table.

“Mom!”

“I was just kidding! Now go sit down and eat your breakfast. I will prepare Kibum’s breakfast after you eat.”

Their family started eating their breakfast and their morning topic was Kibum who was still sleeping in Jinki’s bedroom.

“Mom, please be honest with me.”

“What is it, dear?”

“Before the accident, uhm, me and Kibum… are we more than friends?”

Jinki’s mother dropped her spoon on the plate upon hearing the question. His father also stopped eating when he heard it.

“Jinki… why did you ask?”

“Because I saw the picture in his locket necklace and the engraved letters in his ring. I also saw hazy flashbacks with the ring when I looked at it.”

Jinki’s mother stood up from her seat and went to the master’s bedroom which made Jinki confused. Five minutes later, she went out holding a familiar object in his hand.

“Do you want to get some answers? It is best to ask Kibum directly about it. However, I will give you this and be the judge on what you are going to see here.”

Jinki’s mother handed him his old phone.

“Mom, this cellphone is broken. I can’t even open this.”

“I know. I asked a technician to check your phone a few months ago if it was still fixable but they couldn't. However, they also told me that the external memory card inside was still functional so I think you should check that. You may find the answers that you have been looking for. I think this is the right time.”

Jinki stared at the phone in his hands. 

Is he ready to see and unlock his past through the small memory card?

While the Lee family were having an important discussion on the dining table, Kibum slowly opened his eyes and reached out on the other side of the bed and when he saw nobody beside him, he thought that Jinki cuddling him on the bed was just a dream. However, when he sat on the bed and looked around the room, he realized that he wasn’t in his house. He started to get anxious because he doesn’t know where he is. It was familiar but he couldn't figure out which house was this. He then decided to walk towards the door to see who adopted him last night.

To his surprise, when he got out of the bedroom, he saw Jinki and his parents were talking and eating breakfast on the dining table. He blinked in disbelief and then he realized that seeing Jinki beside him on the bed was not just a dream but a reality. He was so shocked he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Good morning dear! Come join us!” Jinki’s mother gestured to join them on the table. Jinki suddenly hid his old phone in the front pocket of his shorts and acted as if he didn’t discover anything last night. Kibum slowly walked towards the dining table and sat beside Jinki. 

“How are you? Does your head still hurt?” Jinki asked.

“A little bit, yeah.”

“I’ll get you some food and meds, okay?” Jinki’s mother went to the kitchen to get Kibum his favorite hangover soup and a painkiller. 

“What happened? Why am I here?”

“Well… you called and texted me that you were at the bar last night and you were pretty drunk so Jonghyun and I picked you up.”

Kibum gasped and then he buried his face in his hands out of shame. He didn’t remember anything he did last night aside from telling Junmyeon what happened to Jinki.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry for bothering you last night!”

“It’s okay. What’s important is we got you safely.”

“Please tell me if I did anything stupid while I was drunk.”

“You didn’t really remember anything last night?”

“I completely blacked out last night. I didn’t even know how I got here.”

Jinki was contemplating if he should tell him what he said to him last night but he decided not to. Besides, the drunk texts will summarize it for him.

“I think you should ask Junmyeon if you did something at the bar because on my end, aside from throwing up your insides in the toilet, you just slept the whole time.”

Their conversation was cut short because Jinki’s mother served Kibum’s breakfast on the table.

“Mom… you cooked my favorite soup.”

“When Jinki said you called and you were drunk, I just knew I had to cook it for you.”

“You don’t really have to do it, mom. Also, I am really sorry for the inconvenience last night.”

“Dear, it’s okay. You know that our house is always open for you.”

“Thank you, mom.”

They all continued eating their breakfast and they discussed Kibum's upcoming birthday.

“I would love to see if all of you could come to my birthday. Besides, I just want to celebrate it at home, probably we will just cook food again just like what my friends did last year.”

“We will come for sure and don’t even bother to cook your food because we will bring your favorites as a way of showing gratitude for what you did to our family. Also, we were not able to attend last time.”

“But mom that’s too much-”

“We insist. You’ve done so much and we are really grateful for everything you’ve done for Jinki, for us. Let us do it this time. You deserve to rest on your birthday.” Jinki’s father answered.

“Can I at least make a dessert for us?”

“If that’s what you want, Kibum.” Jinki’s mother smiled at him.

After eating their breakfast and when his headache finally subsided after taking painkillers, Kibum went to Jinki’s bedroom to get his things since he was about to go home when he realized something.

“Wait… where is my car? How am I supposed to go home?”

“Jonghyun will bring your car here from the bar. He texted me earlier that he will be here in 15 minutes.”

Kibum sighed in relief and held his chest until he discovered that his necklace was missing. His eyes widened while trying to search for his necklace on his neck frantically.

“Oh shit! No, no, no, no! Where is my necklace?! I can’t lose it!”

“Hey, hey! Calm down. It was on the nightstand. I removed it because it might get ruined while you were throwing up last night.”

Kibum looked at the nightstand and there it was. He walked towards the small table and grabbed his necklace. Kibum tried clasping his necklace on his own but he couldn't.

“Come here. I’ll help you out.”

Kibum gave the necklace to Jinki and turned his back on him so he could clasp it properly. While Jinki was clasping the necklace, flashbacks of him doing the exact same thing and seeing Kibum smiling at him and saying “it’s perfect” suddenly resurfaces in his mind. When Jinki was done, Kibum turned around to look at him.

“Thank you, Jinki.” Kibum smiled while holding the locket and the ring.

When their eyes met, there was silence and only their hearts beating were heard. Kibum felt that he was running out of air with that stare while Jinki was admiring the person in front of him.

“Kibum?” Jinki broke the silence between them.

“Hmm?” He asked nervously.

“When you called me last night at the bar, you said that you wanted to talk.”

“I… did?”

“Yes… and I think we really should. Can we go to our usual spot at the park later in the afternoon?”

Kibum was dumbfounded and anxious. He doesn’t remember saying that to Jinki last night and that’s the last thing he wanted to do because he doesn’t know how their talk will end. Eventually, he knew that he needed to address their current situation… and maybe, tell Jinki the truth about their relationship.

“I mean… yeah, sure. However, I need to go home first because I do smell like the whole bar threw up at me.” Kibum chuckled nervously.

“No problem with me so you can also get more rest once you’re home. Just text me once you are on your way at the park.”

“I will.”

Suddenly, they heard a car beeping outside the house. Both of them went out of the bedroom to see who it was. When they saw Jonghyun outside and walking towards the door, Kibum let out a sigh of relief. 

“Look who’s finally awake! Here’s your car key. Are you sure that you can drive or should I drive your car to your house instead?” Jonghyun asked Kibum as he entered the house.

“It’s fine. I can drive. Do you want me to drive you to your house before I go home?”

“As you should. I was the one who paid your expensive ass tab. Who in the right mind ordered 5 glasses of bloody mary, 5 kiwi martinis and 3 glasses of margarita and drank it in one sitting? No wonder you almost threw up every single internal organ that you have in the toilet last night. It was a miracle that your liver was still functional at this point.”

“Oh God.” Kibum covered his face.

“I need to go home before my dog wakes up from his nap and destroys the whole house while I’m away.”

“Where’s mom and dad?” Kibum asked Jinki.

“Wait, I’ll call them.” 

While Jinki was away, Jonghyun whispered something to Kibum.

“Junmyeon told me what happened last night at the bar. I’ll tell you later in the car. Also, when are you going to tell me what happened between you and Jinki after my birthday dinner huh?”

Kibum was dumbstruck when he heard it. He was now sure that he would hear an earful from his best friend on their way home.

“You’re going home?” Jinki’s mother asked Kibum.

“Yes, mom.”

“Drive safely, okay?”

“I will, dad.”

Jinki’s mother walked towards Kibum and hugged him while she whispered something to him.

“Kibum, I think you need to tell Jinki the truth as soon as possible.”

“Why, mom?”

“You’ll find out sooner than you think.”

Kibum just nodded in agreement even though he’s confused on what she meant. They both waved goodbye to the family and Kibum started driving back to Jonghyun’s home.

“Now, tell me what the fuck happened last night.” Kibum urged Jonghyun to spill what he knew while they were on their way home.

“Junmyeon said you told him what happened to Jinki and the reason you almost burned your internal organs with alcohol last night. You didn’t even bother to tell me that you guys kissed after the dinner party and ever since, you guys didn’t talk about it?! Kibum, what the hell are you thinking?! You’ve been waiting for him to remember and love you back for so long and that kiss was a big ass sign that he wants you or most likely, he developed his feelings for you again and your response was to be distant with him and drown yourself with work?! Instead of talking it out, you’d rather kill your liver with alcohol?”

“In my defense, at first I thought he just got carried away or something like that when it happened. I was scared that he might regret it the next day and it might end up with him avoiding me for good.”

“I know that you’re scared and anxious during that time but it’s been 4 long months since it happened. He didn’t avoid you and the fact that he was okay with you to accompany him to his check-ups? That means he didn’t regret anything about it. You even said that you miss him and you love him on the phone while you were drunk but he still decided to pick you up at the bar in the middle of the night.”

“I said that while I was drunk?!” Kibum gasped.

”Yes. Your drunk, dumb ass did that. Also, these past few months, I noticed Jinki looks at you just like when you guys are still together compared during the first few weeks after the accident. The eyes never lie Kibum so please, for the love of God, stop being so stubborn and tell him the truth. I think this is the right time to do it.”

“Jinki’s mom told me the same thing.”

“See? Even his mom agrees with me!”

“But I don’t know how. I am so scared.”

“Remember when the doctor said in order for him to remember things, showing him pictures might help? Just bring your photo album or anything Jinki gave to you in the past. Maybe that would work. Kibum, this is your only chance to bring him back.”

“Jinki asked me to meet him at the park later because apparently, I asked him if we could talk while I was drunk.”

“Remember, your drunk words are your sober thoughts, Kibum. The universe was doing you a favor already so don’t mess this one up.”

Kibum realized that maybe, the signs were already in front of him. He just needs to take a leap of faith.

When Jonghyun and Kibum left the house, Jinki immediately grabbed his laptop and inserted the said memory card from his old phone and he got overwhelmed by the amount of pictures and videos of him and Kibum.

He saw pictures of Kibum on the other side of the table, smiling at the camera during their dates. There were pictures of them riding the ferris wheel at the amusement park. There were also photos of them at home cuddling and kissing and screenshots of their old conversations but there is one video that stood out the most.

It was a video of them having a picnic at the park. Jinki was setting up the camera in the first few seconds and when it was settled, it shows both of them on the frame talking about random things. As he watched the video further, he saw that there are similarities to the very first dream he had with his mystery boyfriend who turns out to be Kibum.

He realized that those dreams were not a figment of his imagination. It was the actual reality and his mind was slowly reminding him of the memories he had lost during the time he was recovering.

*************************

“Jinki, come here!” Kibum called him from afar.

Jinki walked slowly towards him but Kibum got impatient so he ran towards him, grabbed his hand and they ran towards the picnic setup Kibum made. Jinki was just smiling at his boyfriend’s antics.

“Do you like it, my love?”

“Yes, baby. It’s beautiful just like you.” Jinki kissed Kibum’s cheeks and the latter rolled his eyes playfully.

“Oh here we go again with your sappy antics! Anyway, let’s sit down and eat.”

While they were enjoying the food prepared by Kibum, Jinki set up his phone by the picnic basket.

“Can I take a video, baby?”

“Why?”

“I just want to have a remembrance of this day.”

“Sure thing, my love.”

They spent the whole afternoon eating, taking pictures through Kibum’s polaroid and film camera and talking to each other. While Kibum was looking over the polaroid pictures they took, Jinki couldn’t help but to smile and stare at his boyfriend fondly.

“My love, are you okay?” Kibum asked when he caught Jinki staring at him.

“I just can’t believe that you have been my boyfriend for four years now. Sometimes, I’m asking myself if this is real or am I just dreaming? Because if this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

“You’re so silly, my love! Of course, this is real! Do you want me to pinch you right now?”

Kibum pinched Jinki’s cheeks and the latter laughed at him.

“Well, I’m lucky indeed because this is not a dream. It is real that I found the love of my life.”

“You’re extra mushy today. I can't believe those words come out of your mouth.”

“I can’t help it when this beautiful man is in front of me.”

Kibum rolled his eyes again and smiled at him. Even though he’s used to it, sometimes he can’t believe that Jinki was saying those words to him.

“Happy anniversary to us, baby.”

“Happy anniversary to us, my love.”

“Here’s to more years of loving you until the end of time.” Jinki leaned on Kibum and kissed him on the lips.

“I love you always, in all ways.” Kibum whispered to Jinki while their foreheads were pressed against each other.

Kibum leaned his head on Jinki’s shoulder and the latter kissed his boyfriend’s hair as they looked at the sun setting in front of them. 

At that moment, Jinki knew that Kibum was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

*************************

When the video ended, Jinki was just staring blankly at the laptop screen until his eyes grew wide when the realization hit him at last.

He finally knows the truth. Kibum is his boyfriend and they have been in a relationship ever since.

All of a sudden, flashbacks of every special moment with Kibum during their relationship resurfaced in his mind as if someone pressed the replay button of his entire life inside his brain. He also remembered the little slip-ups by Kibum and that one slip-up by Taemin during one of their game nights.

He realized that they almost told him that Kibum is his boyfriend.

Jinki immediately ran outside his room to go to his mother.

“Mom!”

“Yes, my dear?”

“I-I saw the contents of the memory card. Me and Kibum… w-we are in a relationship. He is my boyfriend.”

Jinki’s mother teared up and immediately hugged her son.

“Oh my God! You finally remembered. Kibum would be so happy to hear this.”

“Can you help me mom?”

“How?”

Jinki whispered his plans to his mother and she agreed enthusiastically. 

He can’t wait to see Kibum after knowing the truth.

The time has finally come. 

Kibum was looking for Jinki at the park. Equipped with his photo album and a few things Jinki gave him, he’s finally ready to tell him the truth.

“Kibum! Come here!” Jinki shouted.

Kibum walked slowly towards their spot, trying to delay the inevitable as much as possible on his end. Every step felt like his heart was about to pop out of his chest but when he saw Jinki run towards him, grabbing his hand and running back towards the picnic setup, all of his worries suddenly disappeared.

When they reached the picnic blanket, Jinki immediately sat down and patted the space next to him and Kibum followed suit. No one spoke first and they just watched the kids playing frisbee in front of them.

“Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay now?”

“The meds worked so I’m feeling good now. Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

“You’re welcome, Kibum. Anyway, let’s eat first.”

They ate the food in silence while glancing at each other, gauging who will be the one to start to address the elephant in the room.

“Jinki?”

“Hm?”

“I’m so sorry for being distant these past few months. Aside from work, I don’t know how to face you again after what happened on Jonghyun’s birthday.”

“What do you mean?”

“The kiss.”

“Oh. You don’t have to apologize for it. In fact, I should be the one to apologize for what I did during that time without me thinking if you are comfortable doing it. I’m really sorry about it.”

There was a long pause before Kibum asked him again.

“Did you regret it?”

“The kiss? I wouldn’t have asked you in the first place if I knew that I would regret it later on, so my answer is no, I didn’t regret every second of it. How about you? Did you regret it?”

Kibum felt like his pounding headache was about to go back when he heard that question but he had no choice but to answer it truthfully.

“Yes and no.”

“What do you mean?”

“I regretted it in a sense that it might be the reason for you to avoid me. You know, making things more awkward between us and I-I just don’t want it to happen. But if you are asking me if I regretted the kiss itself… well… the answer is the same as yours. I didn’t regret it either.”

They looked at each other’s eyes and Jinki knew that it was the right time to ask him the truth.

“Kibum?”

“Yes, Jinki?”

“I do have a question and please be honest with me.”

“W-what is it?” Kibum asked nervously.

“Last night before I went to sleep, I looked at the locket pendant of your necklace. I was hesitant to open it but my mind says that I should do it and I saw pictures… of us. I want to ask… are we… more than friends before the accident happened?”

Kibum was too stunned to speak. His heart starts racing and the tears are starting to form in the corner of his eyes. He finally realized that this is the moment he has been waiting for.

Kibum grasped the locket and took a deep breath before answering him. It’s now or never.

“...Yes. We are in a relationship and you…are my boyfriend, Jinki.”

“For how long?”

“Six years now, Jinki.”

“Oh… well… I can say that I’m a lucky man.” Jinki reached out for Kibum’s hand and started caressing the knuckles with his thumb.

“What do you mean?”

“During the time that I was lost and in pain, you were there to support me in my recovery. You were there during the highs and the lows of my life. Even though I didn’t remember anything about us during that time, you were patient with me and still didn’t leave my side. As we spend more time together every after therapy or during our game nights with friends and getting to know you deeper, I realized that you are special to me and as months went by, my feelings for you grew as well.

That’s when I also started slowly seeing flashbacks and dreams. I saw bits of patchy memories every time we were together but there’s one specific dream that I remember vividly after the first dream that I told you and Jonghyun at the park. It was last night when you called me from the bar. I was at an amusement park with that mystery boyfriend in my dream and we were in the Ferris wheel. We kissed and when I looked at him… the face that was blurred in my previous dreams were suddenly clear as a day… and it was you who showed up in my dream.

I was confused at first but deep inside, I was silently hoping it was real. I was looking for signs that night until you called me. I should’ve known that it was an obvious sign but I shrugged it off because I thought it was just a coincidence… until I saw the pictures inside the locket. At that moment, I was really wishing that you were truly my boyfriend because I was at the point that I knew I had already fallen in love with you.

While you were sleeping earlier this morning, I asked mom about it and she said it was best to ask you directly but she also gave my old phone to retrieve the memory card from it since it was still functional and maybe, that small card will give me the answer to my questions… and it did. I saw a video of us during our fourth anniversary. After watching the video, I saw flashbacks of us together and I couldn’t be happier that my dream turns out to be my reality.

I remember telling you before that I wish to have a partner and experience the kind of love Minho and Taemin have, not knowing that I already have you all this time and I really think that I am so lucky that I found you again even if I got lost along the way.”

Kibum wasn’t able to speak upon hearing those words from him. Instead, he just hugged Jinki tightly while crying.

His wish to the stars came true at last. Jinki finally remembered him as his boyfriend. 

“Shhhh. It’s okay. I’m right here.” Jinki rubbed Kibum’s back to comfort him.

“Is this real?! You finally remembered me as your boyfriend?! I can’t believe it!” Kibum asked him in between sobs while holding Jinki’s face.

“It’s real, Kibum.”

Kibum sobbed even harder. The only thing he wanted in life finally happened.

“Thank you for coming back to me… my love.”

“I’m finally home… my baby.” Jinki kissed Kibum’s forehead.

“I missed you so, so much.”

“I miss you too, baby.”

“I am really, really sorry if I didn’t tell you that you were my boyfriend when you asked me who I was at the hospital. I was so shocked and scared of how you would react if I told you that from the get go when you don’t even remember me at all. I also heard from your doctors that it will not be beneficial for your recovery if we inundate you with memories you don’t remember all at once. Even though it was really painful for me, I had to do it. I’d rather witness and support your recovery even if I was just a friend in your eyes that time than not to see you at all. In the end, it was all worth it because you are now here.”

“I am sorry that you had to experience it because of me.”

“It’s okay. Look at you. You were able to completely recover and regain your memories as well. It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“The ring. I saw the engraved letters inside.”

“Oh. Uhm… the ring? Uh… the police found it near you when the accident happened and then your mom gave it to me.”

“It’s our initials right? Are we… like… married or getting married?”

“Almost.”

“Almost what?”

“You were on your way to the restaurant at 5th Avenue, the same restaurant where Jonghyun celebrated his birthday a few months ago. We were supposed to celebrate our fifth anniversary that night and…” Kibum sighed, contemplating if he should tell him or not.

“And?”

“And uhm… this ring… was supposed to be… an engagement ring. Your mom told me that you were planning to propose to me that night but the accident happened.” Kibum answered while fidgeting the ring hanging on his necklace.

“Oh.”

“I almost lost you that night. You almost died and that was the scariest thing ever happened to me and especially to your parents. Fortunately, the doctors were able to revive you. I can’t imagine what will happen to me if I lose you on the day of our anniversary.”

Kibum couldn’t help but to tear up again while recalling the worst night of his life. Jinki squeezed Kibum’s hand gently to comfort him.

“I hope it will not happen again. I don’t want to lose you forever.”

Jinki cupped Kibum’s cheeks and wiped his boyfriend’s tears with his thumb.

“Look at me, Kibum. I promise that I will never leave you from now on, okay? I will always be here by your side.”

Kibum nodded in response and wrapped his arms around Jinki.

“I love you so, so much and I never stopped loving you.” Kibum whispered in his ear.

“I love you more, baby.”

Kibum pulled away from the hug and looked straight into his boyfriend’s eyes.

“I think it’s my turn to ask now.”

“What is it?” Jinki asked.

“Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t need to ask, baby.” Jinki smiled before leaning in to kiss Kibum on the lips.

This time, their longing to be with each other finally comes to an end.

This time, Jinki felt like he’s finally complete because he found his way back home.

This time, Kibum wasn’t worried about what will happen to them after because he knows that no matter what, Jinki will always be there by his side.

“God knows how much I missed kissing you.” Kibum said in between kisses.

“It shows, baby. It really shows that you can’t get enough of it.” Jinki teased him.

“Lovey!” Kibum hit Jinki’s arm lightly.

“And to be fair, I love it when I kiss you. Imagine all the missed opportunities I had just because my brain isn’t working properly.”

“Jinki…”

“Anyway, at least we have all the time now to catch up and kiss you every chance I get to make up for the lost time.”

“Speaking of catching up, I brought our photo album full of polaroid pictures we took together through the years. You want to see it?”

Jinki nodded and Kibum fished out his photo album from his bag. While Jinki was looking at the photos, Kibum would tell him the backstory of every picture.

“This photo seems familiar but I can’t remember the context.” Jinki pointed at one of the polaroid pictures.

“Oh. It was the day when you asked me out on a date.”

*************************

Jinki and Kibum were eating the food made by Jinki’s mother while watching Minho, Taemin and Jonghyun playing frisbee from afar. While they were eating silently, Jinki was stealing glances at Kibum. Their hands were dangerously close to each other and Jinki was so tempted to reach out and hold Kibum’s hand.

“You know what? I can see you looking at me. You aren’t subtle at all.”

Kibum finally faced him and Jinki was like a deer in the headlights.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was just uhm I-”

“What is it?”

“It’s just that I… uhm… I don’t know how to say this.”

“Come on, Jinki! Care to share something?”

“Oh. Nevermind. Let’s take a picture instead?”

“Good thing I brought my polaroid camera with me!”

Kibum happily brought out his polaroid camera and started taking photos of them.

Their first picture was both of them smiling. 

For the second picture, Jinki was looking at Kibum affectionately while the other one was oblivious about it.

However, for the third shot, Kibum was smiling at the camera with his eyes closed and Jinki couldn't help it but to steal a kiss from Kibum on the cheek when he finally clicked the shutter button. Kibum gasped and turned his head quickly at Jinki, blinking in disbelief.

“Jinki! Why did you do that!”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help it!”

“Huh?”

“I know this sounds cliché and cheesy as hell but ever since I met you at the bookstore, you already captured my heart and as I know you more and more, I am sure that I have fallen in love with you and I’m so sorry if this will make things awkward between us but I really need to say it now because I might explode if I-”

Jinki’s rambling was cut off with Kibum’s lips on his.

“Kibum! Why did you do that!”

“You are not the only one who can steal a kiss. I can do it too.”

“Oh my God!”

“You’re funny, Jinki. You were just a little brave earlier, huh? What happened now?”

“I mean I-I was just shocked that’s all.”

Kibum just smirked and went back on watching their friends play.

“Can I ask you out on a date?” Jinki suddenly blurted it out and Kibum chuckled before answering him.

“Well, I literally kissed you earlier. If that isn’t an obvious answer, then I don’t know what will.”

“Oh. Well then it’s settled. You want to go to the restaurant on 5th Avenue? The same restaurant where we first met?”

“I wouldn’t say no to that.”

“This Friday at 8:00 PM sounds good to you?”

“Of course. See you on Friday, Jinki.”

“See you on Friday, Kibum.”

Kibum continued watching their oblivious friends that are still busy playing frisbee. However, Jinki was still looking at their hands close to each other. Little by little, his hand crawled towards Kibum’s and when he reached Kibum’s pinky finger, Jinki was surprised because Kibum grabbed his hand, made it intertwined and rested his head on Jinki’s shoulder while still watching their friends.

Jinki couldn’t hold back his grin because he felt like he won the lovelife lottery with Kibum.

*************************

“Kibum?” Jinki asked while they were on the way back to his parent’s house.

“Yes, my love?” 

“Can we recreate the things we used to do before? Like I remembered auntie from the bookstore said that we used to stay at the reading nook and stuff like that? Maybe that would help me remember more memories about us.”

“I would love to. Let’s do it next weekend? I’ll pick you up at your house around 10:00 AM.”

“Sounds good, baby. I’ll bring my notebook with me so we can do journaling together.”

When they reached Jinki’s home, they saw his mother sitting on the chair at the porch, smiling at them.

“You look happy, Kibum.” Jinki’s mother opened his arms to hug him, which he happily obliged.

“I do, mom. I really do.”

“I promised you before that I will make sure that he will remember you.”

“And he did, mom. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us.”

“As long as both of you are happy, then I am happy too. Anyway, I will leave you guys alone.”

“I’ll go inside in a few, mom.”

“Okay, Jinki. Good night, Kibum.”

“Good night, mom.”

Jinki’s mother went inside the house, leaving the two on the porch.

“Well, I need to go home now.”

“Can you stay here for the night?”

“Jinki, I literally slept here last night.”

“But baby-”

“Let’s make a deal. How about you sleeping at my house on my birthday instead?”

“Baby! September literally just started. Do I really need to wait for three more weeks?” Jinki pouted and Kibum couldn’t help but to giggle.

“I need to deep clean the house first! It was and still is a mess up to this day. Also, I will be busy at work in the next following weeks prior to my birthday.”

“Aw. I really want to cuddle you tonight.”

“How about I sleep at your house next weekend?”

“Okay. That would work.”

“Stop sulking, my love. You can always call me anytime you miss me. Anyway, I really need to go home. You and I still have work tomorrow.”

“Good night, baby. Drive safely, okay?”

“I will. Good night, my love.”

“I love you, Kibum.”

“I love you always, Jinki.”

“Kiss?”

“As long as it’s you, I will say yes to that all the time, my love.”

Jinki held Kibum’s waist and Kibum’s arms found their way around Jinki’s neck as their lips met in the middle. The kiss was sweet, warm and comforting just like drinking a cup of hot chocolate during a cold, rainy night.

So this is what coming home feels like.

“My love, I really need to go home. It’s getting late now.” Kibum said while trying to catch his breath.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to sleep here tonight, baby? Isn't the kiss not enough to change your mind?”

“Lovey! Come on. We have work tomorrow! I promise I will sleep here next weekend, okay?”

“Okay but before you go home-”

Jinki suddenly showered Kibum with kisses on the forehead, the cheeks and of course, a few pecks on the lips and Kibum let out a chuckle at his boyfriend.

“You’re sappy as hell!”

“I know you love it.”

“Of course! Duh!”

“See you on Saturday! God, I am so excited!” 

“You’re so silly! You’re more excited than me. Anyway, I really need to go home.”

“You’ve already said that three times. Just admit that you don’t want to leave me and you will stay here tonight.” Jinki teased him.

“How am I supposed to leave when you’re acting all goofy right now?”

“You can’t resist my charm, don’t you?”

“Oh shut up! Bye Jinki! See you on Saturday!”

Kibum kissed him on the cheek before walking towards his car and driving away from Jinki’s house. When Kibum’s car was finally out of sight, Jinki entered the house smiling from ear to ear. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he immediately hugged them.

“Thank you mom and dad for everything you’ve done.”

“We always got you, son.”

“We will do anything to make you happy, my dear.”

“Anyway, I’ll go to my room now. Good night!”

When he entered his room, Jinki couldn’t control himself from jumping with joy, sinking himself onto the bed and muffling his scream with his pillow.

His heart was about to burst because he can’t believe that they are finally back together and he can’t wait for the weekend to come so they can revisit old memories and make new memories together.

Saturday finally came and Jinki can’t wait to see his boyfriend again. When he heard the car honk outside, he couldn’t resist smiling widely while looking at Kibum from the window.

“Baby!” He cheered as he opened the door and engulfed Kibum into a warm embrace.

“My love, you are way too cheery today.”

“Who wouldn’t? I was able to see my baby again after a week.”

“You’re so clingy!”

“I’m not going to deny that.”

Suddenly, Jinki’s mother went out of the master’s bedroom and they caught them being all lovey-dovey in the act.

“Oh dear! You’re here!” Jinki’s mother was surprised by Kibum’s presence.

“Yes mom! I will be picking Jinki up since we will go to the bookstore and probably the park later on. By the way, where’s dad?”

“He’s in the backyard doing some gardening. You know that it was his morning routine.”

“Can Kibum stay here for the night?”

“Jinki, you’re a grown man. Why are you asking me for permission if he can sleep for the night? Of course he can! Just remember that the walls are thin.”

“Mom!” They said in unison.

“I was just kidding! Now go ahead with your date or whatever. Just go back before dinner because I will cook food for you guys.”

“I promise we will be back by dinner time!” Jinki answered.

Jinki and Kibum hugged her before leaving the house. When they reached the car, Jinki encountered the same problem with his seat belt.

“Baby, the seat belt was jammed again.”

“Again? Let me fix it.”

While Kibum was about to reach and fix the damn seat belt again, Jinki suddenly kissed him on the cheek.

“Lovey!”

“You didn’t kiss me earlier so I grabbed the chance.”

“Are you using the seat belt as an excuse to kiss me?”

“Oh no! The seat belt was not working properly!”

“Are you sure?” Kibum looked at him suspiciously.

“I promise! Cross my heart!”

Kibum reached out again on the passenger side to check and it turns out that the seat belt was truly jammed. He’s taking note mentally to have it checked on his next car maintenance schedule. When he was done fixing it and about to go back to the driver seat, Jinki stopped him.

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“I think you forgot something.”

“What is it?”

“This.”

Jinki leaned in to kiss Kibum again but on the lips this time. It was slow at first but Jinki wanted more so he kissed him deeper, making Kibum feel how much he missed him. Kibum hummed in response while kissing him back which gave Jinki shivers down his spine.

“I swear if your parents saw us kissing here, we’re fucked.” Kibum said in between kisses.

“Your car windows are tinted for a reason.”

“Jinki!” Kibum slapped his boyfriend’s arm lightly.

“I miss kissing you.”

“We literally kissed last week.”

“And that’s still one whole week of not kissing you.”

“But I booked a reservation at the restaurant for lunch so we need to go or we will be late.”

“Aww.”

Kibum laughed at his boyfriend pouting because their make-out session was cut short.

“You’re ridiculous! As if I will not be sleeping at your house tonight!”

Jinki cheered loudly as if he won the lottery when he heard it.

“Oh God! My boyfriend is such a silly man!” Kibum shook his head while Jinki continued clapping.

“We are going to have a sleepover!” Jinki chanted in a sing-song manner.

Kibum just smiled at his boyfriend and finally started driving to the restaurant where their story started. When they arrived, the waiter led them to the same table where they had their first date and the same, exact table where he found the news about the accident. Jinki was about to sit down but Kibum was just staring blankly at the table, unable to move.

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Oh, uhm, yeah.” Kibum came back into his senses and proceeded to sit down across from Jinki.

“Hey. Is there something that you want to share? Your expression changed when you looked at the table earlier.” Jinki asked.

“This is the exact spot where we had our first date and… uhm…”

“What is it?”

“This is where I found out that you got into an accident. It’s just a bittersweet feeling that’s all.”

Jinki held Kibum’s hand from across the table and caressed the knuckles with his thumb.

“From now on, we will change that sad memory into a happy one today, okay?”

“Thank you, my love. Anyway, I already ordered the food ahead of time so we can avoid the longer waiting time. Is that okay with you? Don't worry because I ordered your favorite food here.”

“I’m fine with that.”

They spent their lunch date catching up about what happened during their work week and asking Kibum about certain things Jinki still can’t remember.

“Baby, do you have your polaroid camera with you?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Can I borrow it?”

“Yeah, sure. Here you go.”

Kibum handed the polaroid camera and Jinki started taking photos of his boyfriend.

“Another one! Smile, baby!”

Kibum was just beaming at Jinki. He can’t believe he was able to go on a date with him again just like how they used to after all the things happened to them. When Jinki was done taking photos of him, it was now Kibum’s turn to take pictures of his date.

“1, 2, 3! Smile, my love!”

Jinki grinned from ear to ear as Kibum continued taking polaroid pictures of him. After a few shots, they started taking pictures together and collected the polaroids they got.

“Can I keep some of the copies? I will include it in my journal entry today and probably place one of the polaroids at the back of my phone.”

“Go ahead and choose the polaroids you want to keep.”

“Thank you baby!”

When they were done with their lunch, they started their journey to the bookstore and when they reached their destination, the couple planned a small surprise for their favorite lady cashier.

“Auntie!” Jinki entered alone as a start of their plan. Kibum was peeking at the store window, trying not to be caught by her.

“Jinki! It’s been a long time since you visited the bookstore! How are you?”

“I’m good! I got busy with work and that’s why I wasn’t able to visit the bookstore as much as I used to. How about you?”

“I’m fine! Anyway… where’s Kibum?”

“Oh. I don’t know auntie.” Jinki discreetly signalled his boyfriend to go inside the bookstore.

Right on cue, Kibum entered the bookstore and the cashier auntie smirked at him.

It’s time for her to transform as the cupid once again… or so she thought.

“Well, speaking of the angel, there you are!”

“Auntie!”

“Kibum! Long time no see! How are you?”

“I’m good! How about you, auntie?”

“I’m good! I’m good! It’s been a long time since I saw both of you and after all this time, you still look good together as a couple!”

“Auntie!” They said in unison.

“Jinki, are you sure you didn’t like Kibum more than a friend? I mean, come on kid!” The lady cashier bluntly asked him.

“Oh. Auntie, about that…” Jinki smirked at Kibum and lifted up their intertwined hands.

The lady cashier shrieked so loud that the other people inside the bookstore looked in their direction. She apologized to everyone and rushed to hug both of them.

“Oh my God! Jinki, did you finally remember him as your boyfriend?!”

“Yes, I do.”

“I told you Kibum that he will remember and come back to you! My instincts never fail!” 

“He finally did, auntie!”

“My prayers were finally answered! My favorite couple is back!” The lady cashier was clapping and jumping from joy and the couple laughed at the lady cashier’s actions.

“Auntie, can we use the reading nook upstairs?”

“Sure, go ahead!”

“Thank you auntie!”

They hugged her one last time before going to the reading nook. The universe was on their side today because their favorite spot on the reading nook was available.

When they were settled to their spot, they pulled out their notebooks and started working on their own journal entries together. They sat in comfortable silence while writing their hearts out.

“Baby, I want you to read something from my journal.”

“Are you sure, my love?”

“Yes. It’s here.”

Jinki handed his journal to Kibum and pointed out a specific page where he would read.

“Hello journal!

This is going to be a short entry but today, I am the happiest man on earth. My memories came back and I found out that Kibum has been my boyfriend for six years now. I would like to thank the stars aligning for us and guiding my way back to him. I couldn’t be any more grateful that the man I realized that I love and cherish a few months ago has been my loving partner for so many years now.

When I kissed him a few months ago, it felt like I finally found my home with him. When we were apart after that, I really miss him so much my heart hurts but I don’t know how to say it to him without making us more awkward than before and I realized during that time as well that I have truly fallen in love with him. When he said I love you while he was sleeping because he was drunk, I really wished he would say it to me when he was sober… and he did. Thank God it all worked out in the end.

To Kibum, I can’t believe that you are mine and I am yours. You have the most beautiful soul and I am so thankful that you were by my side, for being my guiding light all this time even if my brain failed me to remember what I had for more than a year. I promise you that I will always be here and I will never leave you from now on.

I love you and I will always choose you every single day.

Jinki.”

“My love, I-I don’t know what to say. I-I’m lost for words.”

“I just want to say that I am so thankful and lucky that I have you in my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

“I am more thankful that you came back to me, my love. I am thankful that the universe conspired for us to get back together.” Kibum hugged his boyfriend tightly.

“I love you so much, my baby.”

“I love you too, my love. Always, in all ways.”

Kibum kissed Jinki’s cheek and so did his boyfriend. They continued finishing up their journal entries when their phones lit up. 

“Jonghyun texted me if we could join them at the park for a frisbee game. Should we do it?” Kibum asked.

“Minho and Taemin asked me the same thing as well. Wait a minute… baby, did you already tell them that we were back together?”

“Nope. Not yet. Not even Jonghyun. I was busy the whole week and I wasn't able to tell him what happened.”

“Baby, what if…” Jinki smirked at Kibum.

“Oh… I think I know what you are thinking. Shall we surprise them?”

“Oh yeah. It’s about time!”

The couple conspired a plan to surprise their friends that their wish finally came true.

Jinki and Kibum arrived at the park and they saw their friends waiting for them at their usual spot. Jonghyun was shocked that they came together while Minho and Taemin were oblivious about what’s happening. The last thing the couple knew was that Jinki and Kibum were still okay after Jonghyun’s birthday, they didn't know about the kiss either and they just got busy with their lives and planning their wedding since Minho and Taemin got engaged recently.

“Are you okay to join our frisbee game now, Jinki?” Minho asked.

“The doctor gave me the go signal to do it. They said I’m all good now to do physical activities again.”

“That’s my boy! Welcome back Jinki!” Minho patted Jinki’s back.

“Are you going to join us, Kibum?”

“Only for 1 game, Taemin.”

“Whoa. That’s the first time that you are joining us, not because you are subbing for Jonghyun when he’s tired.”

“Okay! Let’s begin!” Minho announced.

While they were walking to their spot, Jonghyun whispered something to Kibum.

“Care to share what happened to your talk with Jinki?”

“I’ll tell you what happened later after the game.”

They started playing frisbee happily just like the old times even though it was exhausting. In the middle of the game, Jonghyun threw the frisbee way too far and Kibum was trying his best to catch it without looking again on where he was running into. Jinki saw his boyfriend running towards him.

“Baby, watch out!” He shouted and their friends’ eyes grew wide when they heard it. They all stopped to watch what would happen to Kibum.

Kibum bumped into him and almost fell but Jinki caught him fortunately, holding his boyfriend by his waist. When their eyes met, they knew it’s time to reveal the truth to them.

“Are you ready to surprise them, baby?”

“I am more than ready, my love.”

Jinki and Kibum kissed in front of their friends and being shocked was an understatement. Their mouths agape at the sight in front of them.

“What the fuck is going on right now?!” Minho asked.

“Wait! When, how, why, what?! What?!” Taemin gasped.

“Oh… Oh! Oh my God!” Jonghyun was too stunned to speak coherent sentences while he was watching his best friends kissing.

The three of them ran towards their friends who were still kissing in the middle of the park.

“Goddamn! Can someone enlighten us what the fuck is happening?!” Jonghyun asked. Jinki and Kibum pulled away from the kiss to look at their friends.

“Well, Jinki might want to answer that.”

“About that… I would like to announce that my memories finally came back and…”

“And what?!” The three of them asked in unison.

“And we… are finally back together as well!” Jinki held Kibum’s hand and proudly showed it to them. Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin audibly gasped at their newest discovery and the three immediately lifted Jinki up to cheer.

“Jinki’s back! Jinki’s back!” Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin chanted while still lifting Jinki up in the air.

“Be careful! He might hit his head again and forget me the second time around!” Kibum said jokingly while watching their friends. They immediately brought him down and continued cheering him.

“Fucking finally! When did your memories come back?” Minho asked.

“About a week ago.”

“How did you tell him about it?”

“Oh. You guys will not believe what happened before that.” Jonghyun chimed in.

“You know something?” Taemin asked.

“It’s better to ask Kibum to tell the story about it.”

“I think we should all sit down because it’s a long story to tell.”

They all sat down on their usual spot and when Kibum was starting to tell them what happened starting from Jonghyun’s birthday until the confrontation last week, Minho and Taemin were just gasping, trying to process everything. Jonghyun was listening quietly on the side since he almost knew everything except what happened when Jinki and Kibum met at the park.

“You guys kissed 5 months ago and we didn’t know about it?!” Minho blinked in disbelief.

“It’s Jinki’s fault by the way.” Kibum answered.

“But you said yes when I asked so we’re just quits, baby.”

“And your way of dealing with the aftermath was… not talking about it immediately? Kibum, you’re dumb in that aspect not gonna lie.”

“I know, Taemin. I already had an earful when Jjong found out about it last week.”

“And how did you know about it, Jjong?”

“Junmyeon told me.” Jonghyun answered

“You saw Junmyeon?!” Minho asked.

“Of course when we picked up Kibum’s drunk ass and when I picked up his car from the bar the next morning! Duh!”

“All that gossip and no one asked out for a date?! You’re dumb as hell too.” Taemin teased him.

“Why is it about me now?! We are just friends that’s all! Stop pulling narratives out of your ass!”

“Me when I’m lying. Friends my ass!” Minho joined the teasing game.

“Oh shut up!”

“Jonghyun, not gonna lie but when we picked up Kibum from the bar, he looked at you just like how I look at Kibum. The eyes never lie.”

“Oh come on! Now you too? How did we go from roasting Kibum’s cowardly ass during that time to teasing me and Junmyeon?!”

“We will never leave your ass alone until you date him.” Kibum added.

They continued teasing Jonghyun to Junmyeon and catching up until it was time to go home. Jinki invited their friends but the couple will not be able to join them since they will be having dinner with Taemin’s family and Jonghyun needs to go home because he will be picking up his mother and sister from the airport since they are going to stay with him for the whole week.

When they arrived at Jinki’s home, they were just in time because his parents were done preparing the food on the table including Kibum’s favorite pork stew.

“Let’s eat!” 

The family enjoyed their dinner while talking about what Jinki and Kibum did the whole day including the reactions of their friends when they found out that Jinki finally remembered Kibum as his boyfriend. Jinki’s parents were laughing when Kibum was telling the story enthusiastically while Jinki was just looking at his boyfriend endearingly.

After Kibum helped Jinki’s mother wash the dishes (which he insisted on continuously until she gave up and let him help her), their parents bid good night to the couple since they are going out of town early in the morning to visit their relatives in the province so they need to take a rest earlier than usual. The couple decided to watch a movie in the living room before going to bed.

“Wait a second baby, I haven’t seen your overnight bag.”

“Oh. I just brought my skincare and other essentials. I have clothes in your closet that have accumulated over the years.”

 “Really?”

“Yeah. At the bottom of your drawer which I assume you don’t open that much since your clothes were located on the top drawers. Don’t worry since you have more clothes in my house.”

“Wait what?!”

“Well, here’s the thing: we used to live together and it started like 3 years ago… until the accident happened.”

“Oh. I’m sorry baby if I forgot about it.”

“You don’t need to say sorry, my love. There are a lot of things that you still can’t remember and that’s fine. You don’t need to rush yourself in remembering every single little thing. The fact that you remembered me as your partner and some of our memories was more than enough for me. We have all the time now to reminisce on those memories that you forgot.”

“Thank you baby for being patient with me.”

“It’s okay. I got you.”

“I think you forgot about something though, baby.”

“What is it?”

“When are we going to continue our unfinished business in the car earlier today?” Jinki smirked at him and the next thing he knew was a pillow landed on his face.

“Ow! Baby!”

“Jinki, I swear to God! You’re making me lose my sanity! We already kissed in the middle of the park!”

“That’s not counted!”

“Yes it does count!”

“Aw.”

“Anyway, I think we should call it a night. Do you want to take a shower first or should I go in first instead?”

“I think the best solution here is that we do it together.”

“Oh hell no! Remember what your mother told us earlier? The walls are thin, lovey.”

“Oh baby, I said we are just going to shower together. You know, maybe conserving water and time… unless you are thinking about other things aside from showering.” Jinki's voice got deeper while whispering into Kibum’s ear, which made the other shiver internally.

“Jinki, every time we do that before, it always ends up into something more than showering so my answer is no and we will be showering separately.”

“Are you sure?”

“Hmmm. Thinking about it, maybe we can do that next time.”

“I will be looking forward to that, baby.”

A few minutes later, they were done taking a shower (take note: separately) and doing their skincare routine, Jinki and Kibum were on the bed, cuddling and getting ready to sleep.

“Your birthday is approaching, baby. What do you want for your birthday?”

“Hmmm… to be honest, as long as you, your parents and our friends are there, I will be the happiest person ever.”

“How about your parents? Should we invite them?”

“Jinki… my parents are now my angels even before I moved to this city.”

“Oh shit I forgot! I am so, so sorry baby.”

“It’s okay. I just know that they are happy for me and for us. They would probably love you more than me if they met you.”

“I would love to meet them.”

“Maybe when I come back to my hometown, we can visit them. Okay?”

“Sounds good, baby.”

The two went completely silent as if an angel passed by the room. Kibum looked at Jinki and he still can’t believe that he really came back to him.

“I love you.” Kibum suddenly kissed Jinki on the lips.

“I love you more, baby.” Jinki kissed him back and he slowly flipped Kibum under him to kiss him better.

Jinki started kissing Kibum’s neck until he reached his sweet spot and Kibum swore he almost saw the white light from heaven when Jinki started kissing his sweet spot continuously.

“Lovey… no hickeys please. I have work on Monday.”

“Don’t worry, baby. I won’t be giving any love bites tonight. I just want to kiss you.”

“Jinki…” Kibum moaned as Jinki continued kissing him.

“Baby, remember the walls are thin, right? You need to be quiet.” Jinki whispered quietly and Kibum was squirming under him and gasping for air even though nothing was happening yet aside from the kissing. He started craving for more.

“Lovey…”

“Yes, baby?”

“I-I want more.”

“Oh baby, as much as I want to do it, my parents are asleep and seeing the way you act right now? I am sure as hell that you won’t be as quiet as possible. Do you really want them to hear you moaning loudly in the middle of the night, hm?”

“B-but Jinki-”

“If you really want it, we can do it tomorrow once my parents leave the house. Would that be okay with you?”

“I guess that would work, lovey. Maybe showering together was a good idea after all.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Jinki went back to kissing Kibum and even though he already kissed his boyfriend numerous times today, he still can’t get enough of it. He was trying to catch up on those missed opportunities during the time that he didn't remember Kibum as his partner.

“I think we should sleep now lovey before this escalates further.”

“I agree. It’s getting late now.”

Jinki gave Kibum a one last kiss on the lips before going back to his side of the bed. Kibum immediately snuggled Jinki and he couldn’t help but to smile.

He’s finally home.

“Good night, my love.”

“Good night, my baby.”

A few weeks later, it was Kibum’s birthday at last. Jinki was busy helping his parents prepare the food that they are going to bring to Kibum’s house later while Kibum was busy deep cleaning the house for his guests coming over.

“Do you need more help mom?”

“We got this, dear. Now, go ahead and greet your boyfriend or whatever.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, dear.”

Jinki chuckled before leaving the kitchen and going to his room to give his boyfriend a call. After a few rings, Kibum picked up the phone.

“Hello, my love?”

“Happy birthday baby!”

“Thank you lovey!”

“Did you receive the text I sent you at midnight?”

“I did! You didn’t have to stay up late just to greet me but I do appreciate it. You’re so cheesy!”

“But I want to. I missed your last birthday so I’m making up for it. Anyway, do you want to request any food for us to cook?”

“As long as it is your mom’s cooking, anything is fine with me.”

“Okay! Are you done cleaning?”

“I’m done cleaning so you can come anytime.”

“I will text you once we are on our way. Anyway, I need to go now since I need to pick up a few things before we go there.”

“Sure thing. By the way, congrats on the new family car, lovey!”

“Thank you baby! I think dad will drive the car for the meantime. I don’t know when I’m going to start driving again.”

“It’s fine. Take your time. You don’t need to rush it.”

“See you later, baby. I love you!”

“I love you too, lovey! See you later.”

Jinki asked his father to drive him to pick up the flowers, balloons, his gift and the cake he ordered. He’s eternally grateful for Jonghyun because he asked him about Kibum’s favorite cake and flowers which he forgot due to his amnesia and he made sure to remember it from now on.

When the food was all set and ready to go, they started driving to Kibum’s house. It will be the first time Jinki will see his house after the accident and he’s excited to see the home he used to live in.

As they arrive at Kibum’s house, Jinki suddenly has flashbacks of him arriving and Kibum waiting for him at the door, smiling widely at him. His parents went out first and walked towards the doorstep.

“Oh! Hi, mom! Hi, dad! Come in!”

“Happy birthday, son!”

“Happy birthday, my dear!”

“Thank you dad and mom! Where’s Jinki?” 

“He’s still in the car grabbing some things. We will just prepare your food, okay?”

“Sure, mom. I’m just going to wait for him at the door.”

When Kibum opened the door, he saw his smiling boyfriend carrying a box of cake, his gift, the flowers and balloons and he didn't know how he managed to hold it all together.

“Hey, baby! Happy birthday!”

“Thank you, lovey!” Kibum gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Can you help me out though?”

“I’ll take the cake box! I can’t believe you managed to hold it all.”

“I don’t want to do two trips to the car that’s why!”

After arranging the things on the kitchen island, Jinki finally had a proper look at the interior of the house and he gasped when he realized something.

“My love, are you okay?”

“Baby, I-I saw this in my dream.”

“What do you mean?” Kibum asked.

“I remember seeing your living room in my dream during my birthday last year. Your face was still blurred in my dream during that time but you greeted me with a happy birthday and you asked me to go out to the living room so I could open my presents. I tried figuring out your face that time but the pictures in the frames I found in the living room were all blurred as well. The gifts in my dream finally made sense as well. It was the camcorder you brought on my birthday and the locket necklace that comes with the ring. All this time, my dreams have been slowly guiding me back to you, baby.”

“Oh, lovey…” Kibum hugged his boyfriend.

“I can’t believe we’re here now. Starting from not remembering you and now, you are my boyfriend again.”

“And we will not be separated from now on, okay?”

“Good. I don’t want to lose you again, baby.” Jinki kissed Kibum’s cheek which made the birthday boy smile.

“Anyway, let’s prepare the food before our friends arrive. Jonghyun said that they will be here in 30 minutes.”

When they were done preparing the table, Kibum grabbed the flowers given by his boyfriend.

“Lovey, you remembered my favorite flowers?”

“Not gonna lie, I asked Jonghyun about the flowers and the cake I usually bring because I forgot. I’m sorry baby.”

“It’s fine! I understand! The flowers are beautiful and at least, you got my favorite lemon meringue cake. Thank you lovey!”

“Check the card!”

Kibum opened the small card on top and he smiled when he read the message.

“Happy birthday, my baby!

Here’s to more birthdays that we will celebrate together.

I love you forever and always.

Jinki.”

“Aww. Thank you, my love! I’m going to put this in my journal, that's for sure!”

A few minutes later, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin finally arrived.

“Happy birthday, best friend!”

“Thank you Jjong!”

“Happy birthday Kibum!” Minho and Taemin greeted him.

“Thank you lovebirds! Anyway, let’s do the birthday cake first before we eat!” Kibum announced.

Kibum’s friends and family gathered around him and started to sing happy birthday to him. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be able to celebrate his birthday again happily with his boyfriend, his second parents and his friends considering what happened last year.

“Make a wish, baby.”

Kibum closed his eyes and he thought all of his birthday wishes finally came true: Jinki came back to him and he was celebrating his special day with his loved ones. There’s nothing he could ever wish for… maybe except for one thing: to be with Jinki for the rest of his life.

He finally blew out his candles and everyone cheered for him.

“Happy birthday, my beloved.” Jinki kissed Kibum’s temple.

“You are still the best birthday gift ever, my love.” Kibum looked at him fondly and kissed him on the cheek.

“After all this time, you guys are still sappy as hell. Can we eat now? I’m literally drooling over auntie’s pork stew as we speak!”

The room burst out with laughter with Taemin’s remark. He doesn't change after all these years every time he sees Jinki and Kibum being sweet to each other as if he doesn’t do that to Minho all the time.

“Let them be, darling as if we’re not like them all the time and you were always the clingy one.” Minho answered back.

They all started eating dinner and as usual, they all loved the food prepared by Jinki’s mother including the classic pork stew which was devoured by everyone within minutes. After enjoying the dinner, they started the birthday tradition which is the karaoke session. 

Jonghyun sang first and as usual, he got a perfect score because he treated the home karaoke session as if he was a grand finalist in a singing contest. Minho and Taemin sang next and they also got the perfect score with their harmonization skills.

Jinki was the next one and he chose his favorite song: You’re Still The One by Shania Twain and throughout the song, he was just looking at Kibum’s eyes as if he was dedicating every lyric to him.

He’s still the one that he runs to.

He’s still the one that he belongs to.

He’s still the one that he wants for life.

Kibum sometimes would harmonize with him and he felt that the song was made for them.

He’s still the one that he loves.

He’s still the only one he dreams of.

He’s still the one he kisses good night.

“I’m so glad we made it. Look how far we’ve come, my baby.” Jinki sang the last line of the song and Kibum couldn’t help but to tear up a little. Jinki immediately hugged his boyfriend to comfort him.

“This is the first time I cried in this song. We definitely made it, my love.”

“You’re still the one that I will love for the rest of my life, my baby.”

A few hours later, Jinki’s parents and their friends decided to go home since it was almost midnight when they finished the party. Kibum was cleaning up the kitchen counter when Jinki suddenly hugged him from behind and kissed his shoulder. Kibum turned around to look at him.

“Are you happy today, baby?”

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I mean who wouldn’t when I have the love of my life, my second parents and my best friends on my special day?”

“I’m happy when you’re happy, my baby.”

“I know you’re probably sick of me every time I say this but thank you for coming back to me. That was my birthday wish last year and it finally happened.”

“Then what’s your birthday wish this year?”

“My birthday wish? I can only think of one thing.”

“What is it?”

Kibum looked straight into Jinki’s eyes as he said his birthday wish.

“To be with you for the rest of my life.”

“I would love to spend the rest of my life with you too, my baby.” Jinki smiled before he slowly leaned to kiss him on the lips and Kibum automatically wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s nape while Jinki found his way to Kibum’s slender waist.

As every minute passed by, the kiss got deeper and deeper and no one wanted it to stop. It even got to a point where Jinki lifted Kibum up while still kissing him.

“I think we should take this to your bedroom.”

“But the kitchen lovey-”

“We will clean it up tomorrow.”

Kibum didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed his boyfriend more passionately than before. Jinki carefully carried him towards the bedroom and laid him on the bed gently while still kissing him.

“Jinki…”

“Yes, baby?”

“I want you.”

“I’m all yours, Kibum.”

Jinki slowly unbuttoned Kibum’s polo and threw it haphazardly on the floor, revealing his milky white skin and he made sure that every inch of his skin will be taken care of with kisses.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful, my baby.” Jinki whispered as he kissed Kibum’s sweet spot repeatedly.

“Jinki.”

“Hmm?”

“I think it’s unfair that you’re still fully clothed while I’m half naked here.”

Jinki chuckled at his boyfriend before removing his own shirt and Kibum loved that view. 

“Is this fair now, baby?”

“Oh definitely.”

Kibum pulled him again for a kiss and he couldn’t help but to grind on him for a bit of friction that he wanted so badly.

“Baby…”

“Please, Jinki. I want you so bad.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes my love.” Kibum answered while biting his lip and Jinki couldn’t resist that face.

“I mean… who am I to say no to you, baby?”

The moon and the stars were the sole witness as they made love that night. Jinki made sure that Kibum will have the best birthday sex he will ever have and that was proven with how loud Kibum was when he was moaning his name with every thrust Jinki made inside of him.

“We need to take a shower.” Kibum said after they made love, looking at the ceiling and trying to absorb what just happened between them.

“Together?”

“What are you trying to imply, Mr. Lee?”

“All I’m asking is if we are going to shower together to save time. I am not asking for round 2… unless you want it though.” Jinki smirked at him.

“There’s no such thing as showering together to save time when it comes to you. We are going to take a shower separately because I am sure as hell that I will be sore tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, baby. Am I too rough on you earlier?”

“Nope. That’s just how I like it. Besides, I miss doing that with you.”

“I can tell by the way you moan my name earlier.”

“Lovey!” Kibum hit Jinki’s bare chest which made the latter laugh.

“Anyway, go ahead and take a shower while I clean up the room. Our clothes were all over the floor.”

“That’s your fault, Jinki!” Kibum shouted before he entered the bathroom.

When Kibum went out of the shower wearing only boxer briefs that showed his flawless thighs and a silk pajama top while drying his hair with a towel, Jinki almost lost his sanity at the irresistible view in front of him.

“Did you know that you’re so fucking sexy, my baby?”

“Oh, tell me something I don’t already know.” 

Jinki walked towards Kibum and pinned him against the closet door.

“Tell you something you don’t know? Be thankful that you already took a shower because if not, I will make sure that your neighbors will hear you moaning my name the second time around.”

“Are you challenging me, lovey?”

“Keep dressing like that and I will make sure you will not be able to walk straight for days.”

“Then prove it.”

“Oh, so you want a round 2 now? What happened to showering separately because you are going to be sore tomorrow?”

“If you keep acting like that, I wouldn’t mind being sore for a couple of days.”

“You just showered, baby.”

“And so? I can take another shower after this.” 

“You’re getting feisty hm?”

“Only when it comes to you.”

Kibum initiated the kiss this time and when he bit his boyfriend’s lower lip, Jinki knew it’s game time. He will make sure that Kibum will not forget this night and the aftermath will be evident for the next couple of days.

Weeks and months passed by and there were changes that happened in Jinki and Kibum’s life. Three months after Jinki regained his memories, he moved out of his parents’ house and started living together again with Kibum. His parents knew it was the right time to do it and they couldn’t be any more happy for their son.

A lot of things happened to their friends as well. Minho and Taemin finally got married after 9 years of being together. It was a small wedding and only their family and closest friends were invited; then they went straight to Switzerland for their honeymoon. Jinki, Kibum and Jonghyun were so happy that the first couple in their friend group tied the knot at last.

After all the teasing their friends did, it finally came to fruition because Junmyeon and Jonghyun started dating. When Junmyeon confessed that he had liked Jonghyun since college, he was shocked, but it was not a brand new information to their friends. It was like an open secret and only Jonghyun was the oblivious one. They are taking things slow but Jonghyun was slowly realizing that maybe falling in love with Junmyeon was a good thing after all.

For Jinki and Kibum, their relationship isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. They still had a fair share of misunderstandings and arguments along the way but they were able to overcome all of it and their relationship got stronger than ever. After all the things that happened between them, Jinki and Kibum were still sure that they still wanted to be with each other for the rest of their lives.

Two years after the accident, they are now celebrating their seventh anniversary together. Jinki was planning to surprise Kibum for their anniversary and he asked their friends to help him set it up because it is impossible for him to do it when his lovely boyfriend is currently sleeping and snuggling with him.

“Baby, wake up.” Jinki caressed his boyfriend’s hair softly to wake him up but Kibum just snuggled closer to him.

“Mhmmm… 5 more minutes.” 

“Baby, it’s almost 9:00 AM. You need to wake up because we have a long day ahead.”

Kibum peeked with his one eye to see his boyfriend and when he saw Jinki smiling at him, he couldn’t help but to smile back at him.

“Good morning, baby.”

“Good morning, lovey.”

“Happy anniversary!”

“Happy anniversary, my love!”

“Kiss?”

“Goddamn Jinki! Can I at least brush my teeth first before that?” Kibum asked while covering half of his face with the blanket.

“I don’t care.”

Kibum grimaced and threw the pillow on Jinki’s face before getting up to go to the bathroom. Jinki burst out laughing before he got out of the bed to follow Kibum in the bathroom.

When they were both done doing their morning routine, they went straight to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.

“Do you fancy anything for breakfast, my love?” Kibum asked while looking at the fridge for something to eat.

“Maybe a sandwich? I made a reservation at the restaurant for lunch so I think something light for breakfast would suffice.”

“Bacon and egg sandwich sounds good to you?”

“As long as we split the sandwich in half, baby.”

“Got it, lovey.”

“Americano or latte for you, baby?”

“Latte please. Thank you!”

This is what their morning usually looks like. Kibum will start cooking their breakfast while Jinki will be making their morning coffee. Jinki would help Kibum prepare their food after making their coffee and sneak in some morning kisses in between.

Kibum loved every single morning with him and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

While eating the breakfast they prepared, the couple started talking about their anniversary plans.

“What are we going to do today, my love?”

“After eating lunch at the restaurant, I was thinking if we should go to the park later in the afternoon.”

“That sounds good. I miss eating ice cream at the park.”

“Do you want to do anything else after, baby?”

“I saw a flea market at the park earlier this week that I wanted to check. Maybe we can go there after lunch while eating our ice cream?”

“If you want anything at the flea market, just tell me and I will buy it for you.”

“Lovey… you don’t have to do that.”

“It’s our anniversary so I will give everything that you want, okay?”

“Thank you, my love.” Kibum kissed his boyfriend’s cheek which made Jinki smile.

“Let’s finish our breakfast so we can start getting ready. You can go in the shower first while I wash the dishes.”

“What if we shower together so we can save time?” Kibum said jokingly and Jinki almost snapped his neck when he heard that from him.

“What did you just say, baby?!” Jinki started blinking numerous times, trying to check if he heard it correctly.

“I said what if we shower together so we can save ti-” 

“Say no more, baby.” Kibum wasn’t able to finish his sentence because Jinki lifted him up and carried him on his shoulder towards the bedroom.

“Lovey!”

“I told you earlier that I will give everything that you want.”

“I was just joking!”

Jinki immediately brought Kibum down to the ground when they reached the bedroom.

“You know that I always take it seriously when you say that we should shower together.”

“I mean…” Kibum looked at him seductively while biting his lip and his hands started tracing his boyfriend’s chest.

“Kibum…”

“What do you think about showering together later tonight instead? And maybe doing something more after that? Take that as one of my anniversary gifts for you.”

“You know I wouldn’t say no to that, baby.”

“Then it’s settled. I’m going to take a shower now. I’ll be quick I promise.”

“You forgot something.”

“What is it, lovey?”

“All that teasing but no kiss, hm?”

Kibum smirked at him before kissing Jinki on the lips and as always, Jinki’s hands found their way to Kibum’s waist.

“You’re such a tease, Kibum.” Jinki said in between kisses.

“That’s what I do best, Jinki.”

“Now go ahead and take a shower before it escalates further.”

“See you later, lovey.” Kibum winked at him before entering the bathroom and Jinki swore he’s the cause of him losing his own sanity. Anyway, he’s going to make sure to lose Kibum’s sanity at the end of the day to make it even.

When they were both done getting ready, Kibum made a final check to see if he got everything he needed inside his bag before leaving the house.

“Are you ready, baby?” Jinki asked.

“Yep! I brought the camcorder and the polaroid camera as well!”

“Okay! Let’s go?”

Kibum nodded in response and Jinki finally started the car. He started driving again a few months ago and Kibum was so proud of him for overcoming his fear of driving ever since the accident happened.

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the restaurant and even though it was quite busy since it was almost lunchtime, they still got their favorite spot. While waiting for their food to be served, there was a live band performing and they were asking for volunteers who would sing.

“Is there someone in the audience who wants to join us here on stage?” The vocalist asked the audience and Kibum was astounded when Jinki unexpectedly raised his hand to volunteer. The band's vocalist saw Jinki and invited him on the stage.

“What is your name, Sir?”

“Jinki.”

“What brings you here at Le Bistro?”

“It’s me and my partner’s anniversary today. He’s sitting right there!” Jinki pointed out where Kibum was and the band’s vocalist waved at him.

“Congratulations to both of you! How long are you guys together?”

“Seven years today.”

The crowd collectively said “aww” and Kibum got shy with the attention they were receiving.

“What song do you want to sing, Jinki?”

“You’re Still The One by Shania Twain.”

“Okay! Let’s give a round of applause for Jinki!”

“Baby, this is for you.” Jinki proclaimed as the band started playing the introduction of the song and Kibum was blushing because he didn’t expect Jinki to volunteer to sing in front of people and proudly dedicate a song for him.

Throughout the entire song, Jinki was just looking at him while singing as if he were the only person in the restaurant and Kibum was watching his boyfriend perform on stage lovingly.

Kibum just fell head over heels with Jinki all over again.

When Jinki finished the song, the guests inside the restaurant applauded him and he was just thankful that he didn’t mess up the impromptu performance.

“Thank you for that wonderful performance, Jinki! You have a really good voice! You should be a singer.” The band vocalist complimented him which made Jinki get shy. After thanking the band, he went down the stage to go back to their table.

“Lovey! You did so well! I am so proud of you!”

“Thank you, baby!”

“I was shocked that you volunteered! What made you go up to the stage to sing in front of many people?”

“I don’t know to be honest, baby. Maybe I just want to show how much I love you by singing our theme song in public?”

“You’re so sappy, my love!”

Jinki just laughed at him and they started eating their food. Their date isn’t complete without them taking pictures because they promised to each other that they would document their lives through photos and videos so they can have something to look back to when the time comes that they get old and forget what happened in the past.

After enjoying their lunch date, they started their trip to the park. They were singing along to the songs on the radio and laughing while reminiscing about their past memories. When they arrived at the park, they went straight to their favorite ice cream shop and ordered their go-to ice cream flavors, which are strawberry for Kibum and cookies and cream with extra cookie crumbs on top for Jinki.

They started walking to the flea market while eating their ice cream. As they looked around the area, Kibum spotted a stall selling vintage cameras. While they were browsing, Kibum found the digicam and film camera he had been looking for so long.

“Lovey, look! They have the digicam and film camera I wanted!”

“Go check on it then I’ll buy it for you.”

“Lovey…”

“I told you that I will buy anything you want, right?”

“Are you sure, my love?”

“As long as it makes you happy, I’ll do everything for you.”

“You’re so sweet, my love. Thank you!”

Kibum kissed Jinki’s cheek and checked the cameras he wanted excitedly. When he knew that both cameras were fine and working, Jinki paid for both and Kibum was over the moon when he finally had the cameras on his hands.

They continued strolling around the flea market and Jinki found a stall selling jewelry.

“Pick anything you want, my love. I’ll pay for it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, lovey. Go ahead and take a look!”

Jinki scanned the table and he found a heart locket necklace that was quite similar to Kibum’s.

“Hey baby, look! It looks quite the same as your necklace. I want this one!”

“Go get it my love so we can match!”

Jinki happily took the necklace and Kibum paid for it. Jinki was struggling to clasp the necklace so Kibum helped him out.

“It’s beautiful just like you, baby. I’ll make sure to put our pictures inside the locket.”

“Lovey! Goddamn you’re so cheesy!” Kibum laughed at him.

As they reached the end of the flea market, someone called Jinki on his phone.

“Hello?”

“We are done setting up. You guys can go now to your spot. Good luck Jinki!” He also heard Minho and Taemin saying “good luck” in the background.

“Thank you Jjong!”

“Jonghyun called you?” Kibum asked once the call ended.

“Yes, baby. It’s just something related to what I asked him about work a couple of days ago. Anyway, shall we go to our favorite spot?” Jinki offered his hand and Kibum gladly accepted it. 

They started running towards their favorite spot at the park. Kibum’s world suddenly slowed down as he looked at Jinki smiling at him and holding his hand while running and damn, he felt the same feeling when he realized he had fallen in love with him seven years ago.

When they reached their favorite spot, Kibum was shocked when he saw a picnic set up in the middle.

“My love?! What is this?”

“Surprise, baby!”

“H-How did you do that?! We were together the whole day!”

“I may or may not ask our friends to help me set this up.”

“Oh… now I know why Jonghyun called you!”

Jinki just grinned at him and escorted his boyfriend towards the picnic blanket. Unbeknownst to Kibum, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin were hiding behind the trees near them and waiting for the next events to unfold.

“I can’t believe you were able to pull this off without me knowing!”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise anymore if you found it sooner, baby. I was thankful you asked me to drop by the flea market because Jonghyun was panicking if they would be able to finish it on time!” Kibum laughed because he can already imagine their friends’ faces scrambling while setting up the surprise. 

“Damn, Jinki. After all this time, you still never fail to surprise me with your cheesy antics!”

“Of course, baby! Anyway, can I borrow the camcorder? I just want to document this day.”

Kibum handed him the video camera and Jinki set it up on top of the picnic basket and made sure they were both in frame before he pressed the record button. While Kibum was busy eating the food prepared, Jonghyun sneakily placed the bouquet of flowers on Kibum’s back without his best friend knowing and Jinki slowly pulled it out to show it to Kibum.

“Flowers for you, baby!”

“Oh my God! Lovey! Where did you get these flowers?!” Jinki just shrugged his shoulders and smiled mischievously at him.

“Damn! How many surprises are you planning for today huh?!”

“It’s for me to know and for you to find out!”

“Lovey!”

“Did you like it?”

“I love the flowers, my love! Thank you so much!” Kibum peppered Jinki’s face with kisses and the latter couldn’t help but giggle at him.

“Let’s test out the new cameras you got! I will take pictures of you, baby!”

Jinki started taking pictures of Kibum with the bouquet using the digicam and the film camera and he even directed Kibum on how to pose for the next pictures.

“Baby, stand up, turn your back on me and look at the fountain. At the count of three, look and smile at the camera, okay?”

“Got it, lovey!” Kibum stood up and turned his back on Jinki, waiting for his boyfriend’s go signal.

“One…” 

Jinki placed the film camera on the picnic blanket.

“Two…”

Jinki pulled out a small box from his pocket and got down on one knee.

“Three!”

When Kibum looked at Jinki, he took a step back and the tears started falling. His hands were shaking while covering half of his face due to shock.

“Jinki…” 

“Kibum, my beloved, you are the greatest blessing the universe has given to me. Thank you for being by my side ever since and I am so grateful to the heavens above for giving me a second life, a second chance to show how much I love and cherish you every single day. We have faced many challenges for the past couple of years and we are still here, standing stronger than ever. I want to create more beautiful memories with you for many years to come and if I lose my memories again and forget who you are, I will make sure that I will find my way back to you because you are still the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with.

I will always love you and choose you for eternity and even in my next lifetime. Kibum Kim, the love of my life, will you marry me?” Jinki started tearing up as he ended his speech.

“Yes, my love! Of course, I want to marry you Jinki! As long as it’s you, I will always say yes even a million times.”

Jinki stood up and slid the ring to Kibum’s left ring finger and Kibum couldn’t contain his happiness. He cupped Jinki’s face and kissed his lips more than he could ever count.

“Oh my God! Is this real?! Is this real, my love?!”

“Yes, it is real, baby.”

“Oh my God!” Kibum hugged Jinki tightly, trying to absorb what just happened.

“I love you so, so much, Kibum.”

“I love you so much, Jinki. Oh wait! I forgot something!”

“What is it, baby?”

Kibum unclasped his necklace and removed the ring from the chain which made Jinki confused.

“I told you before that I will only wear this ring when the right time comes and it finally happened.” Kibum smiled at him while his tears were still falling from his eyes.

“Give me the ring, baby.”

“Why?”

“Just give it to me. Trust me on this one.” Kibum gave the original engagement ring to him.

“Kibum, let this ring symbolize that from now on, I will never leave you and I will always be by your side no matter what, okay?” Jinki slid it on top of the new engagement ring. Kibum nodded at him and looked at the stack of complementary rings on his finger.

“Guys, he said yes!” Jinki shouted and all of a sudden, Jonghyun, Minho and Taemin popped out from behind the trees and Kibum audibly gasped when he saw their friends running towards them.

“What the fuck are you guys doing here?!” Kibum asked while wiping his tears.

“We did this whole picnic set-up when Jinki asked us for help, duh! Also, we wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see the proposal with our own eyes!” Jonghyun answered.

“Thank you guys for helping me set up this surprise for him!” Jinki high-fived their friends.

“We got you, Jinki! Also, it’s about time for you guys to get married!” 

“We’re going to follow your footsteps now, Minho and Taemin!”

“If you guys need any tips for wedding planning, just ask us and we will help you guys as much as we can!” Taemin added.

“Anyway, we have to go so you guys can enjoy your date! Happy anniversary lovebirds!” Jonghyun hugged Jinki then Minho and Taemin followed suit.

“Thank you Jjong!” 

Jonghyun then went to Kibum to hug his best friend.

“Thank you Jjong for everything you’ve done for us.”

“Seeing my best friend happy makes me happy too. Your prayers finally came true, Kibum.”

“I know. My only wish finally happened. I promise that you will be my best man!”

“You better do it! Imagine the amount of hair loss I had for you guys to get back together! Anyway, we took a video of the proposal and I will send it to you later so you can see how you look like a crying mess while Jinki was giving the speech of the century.”

Kibum laughed before he went to hug his other friends. When their friends left them, they sat down again on the blanket while admiring the sun setting in front of them.

“You’re full of surprises, Jinki but you didn’t know I do have a surprise for you as well.”

Kibum pulled out a small box from his bag and when he opened it, Jinki saw a beautiful ring inside.

“Baby?!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I was planning to propose to you at this exact spot but you beat me to it! I even prepared a speech but I literally forgot everything when I saw you on one knee and holding the ring. Anyway, I may have forgotten my speech but I just want you to know that I love you endlessly and to spend my days and years with you by my side will always be the best thing I could ever ask for.

So, Jinki Lee, my only love, will you marry me?”

“Yes, Kibum. I will marry you a million times if we have to.”

Kibum slid the ring on Jinki’s ring finger and they looked at their hands with the rings side by side. The skies were made of orange and pink hues, making it the best background for their hands.

“It’s perfect, my love.”

“Just like us, baby.”

Jinki looked at Kibum and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend fiancé.

From now on, they will be inseparable as long as they live.

From now on, they will start building their future together.

From now on, no matter what life throws at them, they will be able to conquer it because their love for each other will always prevail.