Chapter 21: Chapter 21

“You didn't really have to come. I mean, you can still go and get rest at home. I know and I understand how difficult things have been for you, Mr. Kim.” The woman immediately covered her mouth when she realized that she used that certain title again.

“Apologies, Mr. Moon. It's just…”

“That is alright, Miss Seungwan. I know it's not always easy to adapt to new changes in a sudden and you really don't need to force it either. Just go with the pace you're comfortable and it'll just happen itself. Besides, you can just call me Taeil whenever you want, you know.”

It was the annual pre-graduation ceremony day and Donghyuck and Taeil thought this was the best time to reveal their secret with all of their allies. It could be either good or but it was also now or never. They couldn't bear to go with the term 'never' so this was it.

“I am really amused that you still get to keep your pace and confidence even after all those unfortunate events. You really are an inspiration, Taeil. We all are so proud of you.”

Maybe after today, you won't be anymore.

Taeil chuckled sadly and said, “I hope I won't let that proud down.”

“You won't. We trust you. And so should you. Before anything else, you must trust yourself.” The woman assured as she rested a hand on the younger's shoulder gently.

“Besided, making someone proud doesn't mean that you are always supposed to reach their expectations. The ones that actually care about you, will be proud of you as long as you trust them enough to show your honesty.”

Both the dean and professor turned their heads towards the direction where the voice had come from.

“As long as you believe them to show the real you, they'll be proud.”

“I would say that I am surprised but since now all the campus know how amazing you are, it just became a habit to have amazing thoughts from you, Mr. Lee.” Seungwan commented.

Donghyuck chuckled as he continued. “I feel appreciated more every single time. Anyways, I hope I didn't interrupt you two?”

“Oh no, no.” The woman answered while slowly standing. “I was just checking on Taeil. I'm just about to join the others as the speech sessions are about to start. And, I believe that your turn will be up soon so see you two at the auditorium.” She concluded, clarifying while exiting the common room, leaving the duo alone.

Taeil looked at his lover who just stood in front of him.and sighed after seeing Taeil's dull expression.

“Just, how do you always manage to keep your confidence up?” Taeil asked, sounding amused as always.

“You are my confidence.” The latter said slowly while lifting the shorter's chin up.

Taeil felt his eyes heavy as he spoke. “I wish I could be as strong as you, Hyuck-ah.”

“Hey, you are strong, babe. You are just yet to find your inner strength. And we'll find it out for sure. We're in this together.”

Taeil lifted his hand and caressed Donghyuck's cheek fondly. “I love you.”

“Love you more.” Donghyuck confessed back and the loud voice of MC took their attention, who was announcing the turn for the upcoming participants.

They both looked at the outside and then at each other for a moment in silence.

“Let's do this.” They said in unison.

______

“We're here, junior master.”

“It may take the entire day at the campus today so I think you may leave. I'll just get back at home by myself once the event is over.”

“Are you sure master? Your father won't like to hear this.”

“I am sure and I will handle him.” The latter said as he picked his belongings and exited the vehicle in an instant, not even giving the driver a chance to bid goodbye.

He started walking in pace towards the college campus, receiving a few amused stares at his aura as usual.

“You always bark that your love is extreme and you're not afraid of anyone when it comes to your love, huh Hyuckie? But still you didn't get the balls to utter a single word about your superior love. Hence, I'm just gonna make this done for you. I'm gonna reveal all your dirty secrets to the entire campus. Huh, just think how proud your beloved professor and your trusted allies will feel once they get to know about your wonderful deeds.” Mark sarcastically said to himself as he went nearer to the auditorium.

He was so close and was just about to barge in the crowd but stopped on his track when he heard the MC announcing, “And now, Mr. Lee Donghyuck will share his journey and experience he had with us. Please applaud him!”

Mark went nearer by the wall so that he could peek and listen without getting in anyone's eyes.

The audience, including Mark, frowned a little in confusion when they saw that Donghyuck didn't go on the stage alone. He had Taeil by his side. The MC also got somewhat confused but left the stage for the duo nonetheless.

“First of all, I'm sincerely, extremely thankful to everyone, for everything, that I learned here. Whether they're knowledge of new or traditional things, understanding and accepting others' backgrounds and perspectives, environment development and so on.” Donghyuck finished his first statement which was followed by a round of applause. He smiled at the audience as he got the courage to move ahead with his next words.

“But the thing I'm thankful for most, is the feeling of love, that I got to know when I fell in love with Moon Taeil.”

Silence…

The entire hall had a pin drop silence as if there wasn't a large crowd cheering loudly just a moment ago. Everyone had a horrified gasp on their faces including Mark as well. Though, he wasn't shocked. He was surprised, at the sudden event which didn't expect to be happening in this life. He didn't expect Donghyuck to go for his love this way for real.

Donghyuck looked in silence at the crows and was about to continue when he felt a light grip on his arm. He looked at Taeil and said, “Taeil, for our love, we gotta do this.”

“Yes. It's 'we', not only you. It's always been you to stand for our love. Let me, this time,

Donghyuck.”

The sunkissed man smiled encouragingly and let the latter move forward. Taeil took a deep breath when he saw the view in front properly.

“It's not only Donghyuck who fell in love. I also love him the same way. We both love each other and have been keeping our relationship secret because we knew… We knew that it was a sin. We knew it was forbidden… We knew that it was wrong.” He stopped for a moment after completing his statement.

“But I just want to ask, why? Why is it wrong? Why is it unacceptable? Isn't love meant to be unconditional? Then why do people always put these schemes, rules and categorization? The mind would even listen and control for a second. But this stubborn heart just doesn't listen. It keeps falling and falling stubbornly until it gets captured. My heart kept falling until it was captured by Donghyuck.” The shorter man then looked at his lover, who came forward, intervening their hands as they stood on the spot together.

They both looked at each other and nodded in unison as Donghyuck started, “Yes, the things we did to make our love work were wrong in many aspects and that's why we are here today, because we have realized and want to apologize…”

“And to start a whole new journey. Leaving the past behind, and moving ahead with our own kind. We know that we may get disapproved, disowned or even hated. But it's better to be hated for being who we are than to be respected for faking ourselves for the rest of our lives. We apologize if you can't respect. But this is who we are, our very real aspect.”

There was another series of silence as the couple explained what they had and they were expecting their companions to put their honest views. But since the crowd just stayed still, they also started getting even more nervous than they already were. Taeil could feel like shedding tears but calmed right when Donghyuck wrapped his arms around him in an assuring and protective way. He looked at the audience once again and was a bit surprised to see that no one was gasping or had a horrified face anymore. But the silence still killed him inside.

“I respect.”

The entire auditorium including the newly announced couple and hiding Mark moved their heads towards the direction of the voice.

“Yes, love is indeed unconditional. Yes, you indeed did it wrong by not letting us know before and maybe doing even more things which we are not aware of. However, we are also at fault, by not making an open and healthy environment for these kinds of events. As a society and especially your companions, we should have been more considerate. Though, we weren't. Which is why we are also guilty. We are on the same page. Let's move ahead to reach our happy ending together.

And so, I, Wendy Shon, respect your decisions, your relation.”

“Me too.” The new voice took everyone's attention after Seungwan finished her speech. “I mean, even in our musical and poetry sessions, we always learn how superior and inferior the love is.

How it should be always cherished. Yes, like Miss Seungwan said, things weren't it in the past, that doesn't mean we can change for the good of our future.Therefore, I, Na Jaemin, also respect!”

The certain statement made Donghyuck and Taeil feel delighted immediately. Even if two of their allies had accepted them, they already felt complete and accomplished.

“Well, I don't really have much to judge, Hyuck-ah. As long as the people I care about are happy, I respect.”

“I respect.”

“I respect…”

“I respect.” Came a whisper instead of a loud declaration and Mark realized as to why it was a whisper. He lifted his hands and reached his mouth as he repeated. “I respect. Yes. I respect. I do.”

“We can't really explain in words as to how grateful we are to all of you. Especially my best friends, Jaemin and Renjun-ah…” Donghyuck looked at his friends who showed a thumbs up to him.which made him chuckle lightly. “I personally can't describe how best you are.”

Donghyuck felt a tap on his shoulder and looked at his lover who seemed to be wanting to say. The younger man let him.

“It's really like a dream that everything is happening so positively. Let us keep our positive pace this way up. You know, you'll never really know when the feeling of love gets you.”

The last lines of Taeil's statement felt déjà vu to Mark. His heart instantly started feeling the same way whenever he thought of…

“Your love, someone who you love or someone who loves you… These feelings are not something you choose, they just happen. You only realize them when they actually get away from you. Or when you resist but your heart doesn't. The surroundings and the people around us sometimes make us feel that maybe we should not commit ourselves to love because it just doesn't feel right to go on… But trust me, once you commit, you'll get to know that nothing can be more right than this. Nothing can be more right than letting yourself fall in love.”

Mark felt his eyes filling with fresh tears and his nose making sniffles. It was just too difficult.

Everything felt just too difficult.

“Regardless of what you have been all this time, or how you did it till now or how you felt before, if right now you are feeling that way, now is the time to get your way, to your love. It's now or never. If you are in love, go and get it before it's too late.”

Now Mark was letting his tears fall freely. That was it. He couldn't hold them anymore. He couldn't hold himself anymore and mostly, he couldn't hold his feelings. Maybe… It was the actual time.

He looked at Donghyuck and Taeil one last time and they both seemed extremely delighted. Mark didn't know why but he didn't feel anything negative at that very moment. Instead, he wanted to go and congratulate them. Though, fate might be soft but never really easy and so, he just smiled to himself while shaking his head. He then stood and just simply left the two and the others have their

moment.

“Ahem, ahem” Donghyuck cleared his throat taking the cheery crowd's attention. “Well, now that we all are being all open here, I have another big thing to get done and I think it's the time…” He then looked at Taeil who just smiled as a confused expression appeared on his face.

Without wasting another second, Donghyuck kneeled and presented an elegant object in front of the latter, making not only Taeil but everyone else gasp in surprise.

“People say, red represents love. But purple made our love bloom.

As our love kept blooming, it kept turning deep, and now it's maroon.

You are already my universe, but I still want that space of your heart, that certain room.

I need your permission, your decision...

Will you marry me, my beloved Moon?”

There was another trail of silence. Taeil just couldn't believe that it was happening and all of a sudden. Well, not really sudden but it did feel like that since everything seemed somewhat either shocking or surprising to him lately. Everything was surely delightful but still everything was too much to process. Just like his heart was already roaring wildly inside his chest while his body was just stunned.

“Say yes!” Came from the crowd followed by the series of cheerful encouragement and series of, “Say yes!”

Taeil felt tears in eyes as he got his consciousness and said, “Yes! Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes.”

The younger got immediately and kissed Taeil on the lips. The shorter man blushed intensively and tried pushing the latter away but the cheer and applause of the audience calmed him and he let himself enjoy the moment.

After a few seconds the couple pulled away as Donghyuck started doing another announcement.

“You all are obliged to attend our wedding ceremony!”