Bab 27: Truth Revealed.
In the other side of Seoul,the morning sun, a gentle caress of warmth, painted the luxurious penthouse suite in shades of rose and gold. Tae-joon and Min-hyuk lay tangled in the sheets, their bodies still warm from their passionate embrace. The air was thick with the lingering scent of jasmine and sandalwood, a sensual reminder of their intimacy.
Min-hyuk, his eyes half-closed, snuggled closer to Tae-joon, inhaling the scent of his cologne, a mix of sandalwood and citrus. "The Met Gala," he murmured, his voice husky with contentment. "I can't believe it's just a few days away."
Tae-joon, his gaze fixed on Min-hyuk's handsome features, chuckled softly. "It's going to be a spectacle, as always. A sea of diamonds and designer gowns, all vying for attention."
"And you, my love, will be the most captivating one there," Min-hyuk said, his voice laced with admiration. "You always steal the show."
Tae-joon's lips curved into a smirk. "I wouldn't be caught dead in a designer, darling. But I do have a knack for making an entrance."
Min-hyuk laughed, his hand tracing the outline of Tae-joon's sculpted jawline. "I'm not talking about your clothes, Tae. It's your presence, your charisma, the way you command attention."
"You're making me blush Kitten," Tae-joon said, his voice tinged with amusement. He leaned down, his lips brushing against Min-hyuk's ear. "But you're not wrong Angel. I do have a certain… allure."
Min-hyuk shivered at the touch, his eyes meeting Tae-joon's. "You're irresistible, Taetae. And I can't wait to see you shine at the Met Gala."
Tae-joon's gaze softened, his hand gently cupping Min-hyuk's cheek. "I'm looking forward to it, darling. Especially since I'll have you by my side, Kitten."
Min-hyuk leaned into the touch, his heart swelling with love. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, his voice filled with warmth. "But tell me, who else are you looking forward to seeing?"
Tae-joon's smile faltered slightly, a flicker of something dark crossing his features. "Well," he said, his voice turning a little cooler, "I hear that Junseong will be there."
The air between them shifted, the warmth of their intimacy replaced by a subtle tension. Min-hyuk's brow furrowed, his eyes searching Tae-joon's. " Junseong? The one from your high school that's now a billionaire?"
Tae-joon let out a dry laugh, a sound that held a hint of disdain. "The very same. He's managed to climb the social ladder quite successfully, hasn't he?"
Min-hyuk knew that the mention of Junseong's name was a sore spot for Tae-joon. They'd never discussed the details of their high school feud, but the lingering animosity was palpable.
"Are you… worried about seeing him?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice soft, cautious.
Tae-joon's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Worried? No. He's nothing to me anymore. Just another face in the crowd."
But the way he said it, the way his eyes hardened, told a different story. Min-hyuk sensed a simmering tension beneath the surface, a hidden resentment that Tae-joon refused to acknowledge.
"You know," Min-hyuk said, his voice a gentle probe, "maybe it's time to let go of the past."
Tae-joon's gaze snapped back to Min-hyuk, his expression unreadable. "Let go of the past? Easy for you to say, Kitten."
The words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the unspoken history that shadowed their relationship. Min-hyuk knew that Tae-joon was holding onto a secret, a wound that refused to heal. And he knew that the Met Gala, a night of glittering facades and carefully constructed personas, would be a dangerous stage for their past to come to light.
" Tae" Min-hyuk said, his voice soft but firm. "Tell me what happened."
Tae-joon's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing Min-hyuk's soul. "It's not important, Angel. It's just a silly high school misunderstanding."
"It's clearly more than that," Min-hyuk insisted, his hand reaching out to touch Tae-joon's cheek. "You've been carrying this burden for years. Let me share it with you."
Tae-joon hesitated, his gaze flickering between Min-hyuk's hand and his own troubled expression. He knew that Min-hyuk was right. He had been holding onto this secret for too long, allowing it to fester and poison his heart. But the thought of revealing his vulnerability, of exposing his deepest fears, filled him with a paralyzing dread.
"I can't," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "It's too painful."
Min-hyuk's heart ached for him. He knew that Tae-joon was struggling, that he was afraid of being hurt again. But he also knew that he couldn't let Tae-joon carry this burden alone.
"I'm here for you, hubby," Min-hyuk said, his voice filled with love and compassion. "I'll listen, no matter what."
Tae-joon's gaze softened, a flicker of hope replacing the shadows in his eyes. He knew that Min-hyuk was the only one who could truly understand him, the only one who could help him to heal.
"Alright," he said, his voice a mere breath. "But promise me you won't judge me."
Min-hyuk leaned closer, his lips brushing against Tae-joon's ear. "I would never judge you, Tiger. I love you, and I'm here for you, always."
Tae-joon closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. He knew that he was taking a leap of faith, but he also knew that he couldn't keep this secret hidden any longer. He needed to share his pain, his fear, his vulnerability, with the one person who truly loved him.
"It all started back in high school," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "We were both different, you know? Junseong, born with a silver spoon, and me, who was on a scholarship,struggling to make ends meet. But we found a connection, a shared dream of escaping our realities, of building something better together."
"You were that close?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
Tae-joon nodded, a wistful smile gracing his lips as he reminisced the old days. "We were inseparable. We spent hours brainstorming business ideas, sketching out plans, dreaming of a future where we could control our destinies."
"And Junseong's family? They didn't mind his friendship with you?" Min-hyuk asked, his brow furrowed.
Tae-joon chuckled, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "They tolerated it, I suppose. But they never truly accepted me. They saw me as a poor kid, a threat to Junseong's privileged life."
"But you two were determined to make it work," Min-hyuk said, his voice filled with admiration.
"We were," Tae-joon said, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and regret. "We made a promise to each other, a promise to stick together, to build a business, to make it big. We were going to be partners, best friends, forever."
"And what happened?" Min-hyuk asked, his heart aching for Tae-joon.
"My parents got a job offer in Japan," Tae-joon said, his voice catching slightly. "It was a chance for us to start a new life, but it meant leaving everything behind."
"And Junseong didn't want you to go?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice filled with understanding.
Tae-joon buried his head in hus hands, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and regret.
"It's not your fault," Min-hyuk said, his voice firm. "You were just trying to make a better life for yourself and you couldn't disobey your parents."
"It doesn't matter what my intentions were," Tae-joon said, his voice filled with pain. "I left without saying a word. I didn't have time to meet up with him, to explain. I just… left."
"And Junseong?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice filled with concern.
"He found out from one of our friends," Tae-joon said, his eyes filled with remorse. "He was furious. He begged his parents to find me, to use their influence to track me down. But they couldn't find us. We were gone, vanished without a trace."
"So he thought you abandoned him?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice filled with sympathy.
Tae-joon nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and regret. "He thought I betrayed him, that I chose my own path over our promise. He was filled with anger, with hatred. He blamed me for everything."
"And you never tried to contact him?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I tried," Tae-joon said, his voice filled with a mixture of pain and longing. "But I was just a kid, in a new country, struggling to adapt with my parents. I didn't know how to reach him, how to explain. And I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Min-hyuk asked, his eyes searching Tae-joon's.
"Afraid of his anger," Tae-joon said, his voice filled with a mixture of shame and regret. "Afraid of what he might do."
"But you never gave up on him," Min-hyuk said, his voice filled with understanding.
Tae-joon shook his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and regret. "I tried. I tried to reach out, to make things right. But it was too late. He had moved on, built a new life. And I was left with the weight of my guilt, the burden of my broken promise."
"And now?" Min-hyuk asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Now," Tae-joon said, his voice filled with a mixture of hope and fear. "Now, I have a chance to try again. To face him, to apologize, to explain. To try to mend the broken pieces of our friendship."
"And you're scared," Min-hyuk said, his voice filled with empathy.
Tae-joon nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and regret. "I am. I'm afraid of his anger, of his rejection. But I'm also afraid of what will happen if I don't try."
"You'll be okay," Min-hyuk said, his hand squeezing Tae-joon's arm. "I'll be here for you, every step of the way."
Tae-joon looked at Min-hyuk, his eyes filled with a flicker of hope. "Do you think it's possible?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Min-hyuk smiled, his gaze filled with love and encouragement. "Anything is possible, Tae. Especially with a little bit of courage and a lot of love."
Tae-joon nodded, a sense of determination replacing the shadows in his eyes. He knew that he couldn't let the past continue to haunt him, that he couldn't allow a broken promise to define his future. He had to reach out to Junseong, to apologize, to try to mend the broken pieces of their friendship.
"I'll do it," he said, his voice firm. "For us, for our past, for our future."
And as Tae-joon made his decision, the sun rose higher in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the city below. The Met Gala, a night of glittering facades and carefully constructed personas, was just days away, but for Tae-joon and Min-hyuk, it was a night that promised a different kind of revelation, a chance for healing, and a journey into the depths of their shared past.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Amyratu
Amyratu
"The Met Gala, a night of memories and carefully constructed personas, is a stage for Tae-joon to confront his past and face the ghosts of his high school years. But can he find redemption, or will the weight of his broken promise crush him beneath the surface?"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone