“Oh… that’s truly meaningful.”
Kwon Juhan’s playful expression vanished. As if embarrassed for having chattered on about the diamond’s price, he wrinkled his nose and rubbed the back of his neck.
“The moment I decided to propose, that was the only necklace I could think of. When I told my mother I wanted to propose to Yeehyeon with that diamond, she agreed very readily, right on the spot. She was truly delighted.”
Upon hearing about the proposal from Liu, Suki Kim immediately contacted a high-value security and delivery company and had the necklace sent to Paris. The next day at dawn, Paris time, while Yeehyeon was sleeping, Liu successfully received the necklace. After they returned from their walk, he presented the necklace and solidified his proposal once more.
The atmosphere among the guests shifted. Their interest turned from the price of the diamond to the touching story behind it.
“Aha, so you even proposed with your mother’s diamond? Weren’t you the one who loathed that kind of proposal, calling it the truly old-fashioned way of European aristocrats?”
Only Choi Inwoo continued to tease Liu mischievously. It seemed he had decided to poke fun at Liu to his heart’s content for the day. If that was part of the price for taking Yeehyeon as his partner, Liu was more than willing to play along. It felt like nothing could ruin his mood today.
Liu nodded with a smile that seemed to admit defeat.
“Yes, I was ignorant. I talked a big game, but in the end, I fell in love too, and I found myself wanting to give my partner anything and everything. Diamonds, or whatever else.”
“What’s wrong with that? People’s minds can change anytime.”
Someone came to Liu’s defense. It was Michelle. Like Ben and Jun, she was following the conversation a beat late, thanks to the interpretations from those around her.
“Proposing with a special jewel that holds your parents’ story… I think that’s a dream. It doesn’t even have to be an expensive gem. A turquoise bracelet passed down from a great-grandmother, a 0.1-carat wedding ring a grandmother received from a grandfather during their poorer days… things like that are wonderful, aren’t they? It also feels like you’re being welcomed and respected not just by your partner, but by their entire family.”
Finishing her words, Michelle looked warmly at Yuni, who was seated beside her. Yuni returned a similar smile to Michelle.
“It sounds romantic when you put it that way.”
Everyone watched the two of them with fond expressions, with the sole exception of Kwon Juhan. Still thinking that Michelle had stolen his soulmate, he was still jealous of the two of them.
Liu, who had been waiting for the right moment, set down his champagne flute and drew the guests’ attention.
“Well, then… are all your questions about the proposal answered? We’re going to step away for a moment. We have a few last-minute things to check.”
“Oh? Has it gotten that late already?”
“There’s less than 30 minutes until the main ceremony!”
The guests, more worked up than the grooms themselves, made a fuss. Liu also placed Yeehyeon’s glass on the table and led him by the hand toward the main ‘Phantom’ building, where the ceremony would be held.
The sight of the two men in their handsome formalwear, walking hand in hand, made it seem as if the wedding had already begun. Everyone gathered here was a witness to the history of their love. Theirs was a love that would be steadfast even without laws, but they were people who did not doubt the fact that they should also be legally recognized as each other’s partners. Even Choi Inwoo, who had been teasing them relentlessly, felt the same.
Once the two had rounded the corner of the building and were no longer in sight, Kwon Juhan posed a question.
“Inwoo hyung, what’s that famous copy you mentioned?”
“What copy?”
“The diamond one. You said the trend of proposing with a diamond ring started because of some company’s ad copy.”
“You guys don’t know that copy?”
As if it were unbelievable, Choi Inwoo slammed his glass down with a clatter, a shocked look on his face.
“We’re not old-timers like you or the CEO, you know.”
“What does that have to do with age? It’s one of the greatest ad copies of the 20th century. It’s common knowledge.”
“Enough with the nagging. So what was the copy?”
“A diamond is forever.”
A diamond is forever.
As he gave the answer, Choi Inwoo had a realization. No matter how blinded by love Liu Weikun was, the object of that love was Yeehyeon. He wasn’t the type of person to doubt Liu’s sincerity just because he proposed without a diamond. So why, of all things, a diamond?
The reason was Seo Yeehyeon.
Hiding his lips with his glass so no one would notice, Choi Inwoo smiled, devoid of any playfulness.
A diamond for Diamond Dust. What better reason could there be?
■ ■ ■
As he was all but pulled along by Liu, Yeehyeon asked in an anxious voice.
“Didn’t we finish the final check earlier?”
“Come here.”
Pushing the heavy main door open with his shoulder and pulling Yeehyeon’s hand, Liu was like a mischievous boy. A boy sneaking away from the group to find a sanctuary, to secure some time alone with his first love.
“Did Javier call for us?”
“No, I just said that.”
The interior of the building where the wedding would be held was, like the garden, brightly decorated with Zanna roses, lavender, ranunculus, and eucalyptus. The banister, from the elegantly curving staircase all the way to the edge of the upper floor, was a field of flowers.
The lower floor was quiet, with only the voices of Javier and a few others audible from the second-floor hall where the ceremony would take place. Liu stood facing Yeehyeon and gently lifted his chin.
“You seemed so nervous, so I brought you out to catch your breath for a moment.”
“How did you know I was nervous?”
Liu let out a low laugh.
“I’m the man who’s marrying you today. What good would I be if I couldn’t even notice that much?”
Then, still cupping his chin, he gave him a short peck on the lips.
“Hey, you grooms over there, what are you doing? Save the kissing for the wedding.”
Javier shouted, looking down from the railing.
Liu asked him for just ten minutes alone with Yeehyeon. Since the preparations were perfectly complete, Javier had all the waiting staff clear the area.
The surroundings grew quiet. It felt as if they were the only two people in this magnificent building.
Liu fiddled with Yeehyeon’s bow tie for no reason, a pleased smile on his face.
“My husband is so attractive.”
For their wedding attire, the two had chosen elegant tuxedos in a creamy white. They didn’t divide into one black, one white. It was the same color and the same fabric, with only the design of the tuxedos differing.
Liu had emphasized a classic charm with a double-breasted tuxedo with a wide satin lapel, while Yeehyeon had chosen a single-breasted tuxedo that suited his long limbs and calm image.
“How many times have you said that today?”
“No matter how many times I say it, it’s not enough for what I’m feeling right now.”
“……”
Yeehyeon’s face drooped downward again, and Liu gently lifted his chin to make him meet his eyes.
“Is it really true that you’re about to become my husband?”
“It’s really true. If it’s not… I’d be in trouble, too.”
Liu smiled at Yeehyeon, who, despite his shyness, whispered sweet words back. Pressing the tip of his nose against Yeehyeon’s and rubbing it lightly, he spoke in a voice like a sigh.
“Does it feel real? That in 30 minutes, we’ll be getting married here.”
Liu’s lips, which had been hovering just shy of his, slid to his ear. The warm breath tickled his hearing, making Yeehyeon’s shoulders tense up.
“Tonight, we’ll have our first sex as a married couple.”
At the secret whisper, Yeehyeon gently bit his lower lip.
“Sleeping with a married Seo Yeehyeon. It’s a real turn-on.”
Instead of chiding him for his embarrassment, Yeehyeon laughed and gave Liu’s shoulder a light push. With a very charming smile that was part boyish and part manly, part happy and part sexy, Liu let himself be pushed back before returning to Yeehyeon’s side and holding out his hand.
“This staircase… want to try walking up it together first?”
“……”
Yeehyeon looked up at the grand, curving staircase that led to the second floor.
The plan was for the two of them to walk up the carpeted stairs together, which was different from usual. The guests would celebrate their entrance from the second-floor railing. Once they reached the top of the stairs, in the hall where bright light poured down from the skylight, they would exchange vows and kiss in the very spot they first met. They would become a married couple in front of the people they loved.
Yeehyeon thought he understood what it meant to walk up this staircase together first, what Liu intended with the suggestion. A ritual for just the two of them.
Yeehyeon smiled at Liu and took his outstretched hand.
Hand in hand, they walked up, one step at a time, in perfect sync.
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