Ilay made sure to call it a date whenever they went out, which Taeui found cute but didn't mention anything since Ilay seemed happy about it. There was nothing different from their normal routine, apart from calling it a date.
Three weeks later, Ilay and Taeui went on another date, but somehow, it felt different. Ilay chose Taeui's clothes, telling him they would go to an expensive place that required formal attire. Both of them walked out of the house in three-piece suits, and Ilay drove them to the restaurant in the Bentley he had given Taeui. They took almost two hours to get there, and Taeui was mesmerized by the view. The interior design and panoramic view of the city below were a good distraction from watching Ilay drive.
Ilay was a good driver, and contrary to his normal attitude, he wasn't a reckless driver. But seeing those beautiful white hands manoeuvring the wheel did things to Taeui's mind. Even though he tried to enjoy the scenery outside the window, his eyes kept looking back at Ilay's hands. The way they gripped the wheel and slid around to turn it made him remember how they deftly caressed his body in their moments of passion and how hot that touch was. And if Ilay had realised where Taeui's thoughts were heading, Ilay might have stopped the car before getting to the hotel's restaurant.
It happened once before when they went on a road trip, and Ilay, to let Taeui rest after a passionate night, drove. Taeui couldn't look away from his hands, and as soon as Ilay noticed it, he made his movements more suggestive. Taeui knew Ilay was sensitive to being stared at, and he knew he was aware Taeui was watching him, so when those suggestive movements began, Taeui looked away. But soon enough, his eyes drifted again to those silky hands, handling the wheel.
When Taeui saw the car taking an exit different to what showed on the GPS to what looked like back roads in the country, he looked at Ilay, about to ask where he was going. But he couldn't utter a word when he saw Ilay's expression. Ilay had a mischievous smile on his lips that he couldn't control, even though he softly bit down his lip. Taeui knew he should try to dispel the situation and try to calm the beast, but when the car stopped and those hands turned to him, one gently caressing his cheek and lips and the other gripping his thigh, all of his thoughts disappeared.
Long story short, they took way longer to reach the inn they would be staying at and from that day on, Taeui made sure to be the one to drive long distances. However, today, Ilay didn't give him a choice when he told him he would be the one driving.
The restaurant occupied an entire floor, and there was even a live performance in the centre on a small stage. For a moment, as they were led to their table, Taeui wondered about Ilay's childhood, knowing the man in front of him didn't listen to music, unlike his older brother. He wanted to hear stories about Ilay as a kid, but good ones. Not the ones he beat people up for calling his name. But then something clicked.
"Do your parents know about our relationship?" Taeui asked after Ilay ordered their food. Ilay looked surprised at the random question.
"They are aware I have a lover, yes."
Taeui wanted to ask more, but since Ilay rarely talked about his parents, he assumed their relationship wasn't that good, so he decided to ask at another time. As they ate their food, Taeui could tell Ilay had something on his mind, and he only wished it wasn't something that would lead them to another argument.
Near the end of their meal, Taeui's instincts kicked in, and he knew something was about to happen when Ilay's cold stare locked on him for the first time during their dinner. It wasn't a bad feeling, but the energy around Ilay had changed, and he seemed somewhat annoyed. Ilay tapped the table with his finger, looking straight into Taeui's eyes for a long moment. Then he clicked his tongue and looked away. Taeui, unsure of what had triggered Ilay, kept quiet and looked at the night view to gather his thoughts.
"Taeui," Ilay said tenderly after a moment. Taeui turned to look at him, and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
Ilay took a black box from his pocket and held it in front of Taeui. His eyes jumped from the box to Ilay's eyes repeatedly. Only when Ilay opened his mouth to speak again did Taeui focus on him.
"Taeui, marry me."
Despite the lack of question intonation, Ilay was asking him to marry. More like, his voice almost sounded pleading. He opened the box to show a simple ring with soft edges, with indiscernible writing on the inside.
Taeui's brain stopped.
His wide eyes stared at Ilay and the ring. He tried to speak, but no words left his open mouth. As if somewhere far away, he could hear people murmuring and feel their stares as the tension rose with each passing second.
The waistcoat Taeui was wearing felt too tight, and if he could see himself in a mirror, he knew he would look like a boiled octopus. He brought his hands to hide his face and nodded. Applause was heard around the nearby tables and even from the staff, but Taeui couldn't look directly at Ilay. Ilay brushed his fingers on Taeui's left hand and pulled it softly. Taeui couldn't take his eyes from Ilay's hand as it softly grabbed his hand and slowly put the ring on his finger. Through his open hand that tried to hide his embarrassment, Taeui saw the smile he loved planted on Ilay's face.
"You crazy beast," murmured Taeui, unable to look elsewhere. Never in a million years would Taeui have guessed that Ilay was going to propose. "Why?"
"Are you saying you don't believe my feelings?"
"It's not that," Taeui said, still hiding behind his hand. However, his eyes kept jumping from his finger to Ilay. "It's not like you ever cared about marriage or anything like that, so why now?"
"Well, one thing led to another, and I ended up talking with Richard about us, and he suggested to give you something that you could show off so those pests can see I care about you properly. I know you won't show off a house or private jet or anything like that, but this seemed a good idea."
"Since when do you care what they think?"
"I don't," said Ilay. Seeing Taeui's doubtful expression, he explained. "But you care. You don't like it when people think badly of me when you think otherwise, and it's not like we can avoid them."
"Aren't you cute." Taeui chuckled. And only when he saw Ilay's expression did he notice he had called him cute out loud. As unbelievable as that sounds, there have been times when Taeui thought of Ilay as cute for brief moments, but he never dared say it to his face. His reaction explained simply why. Ilay's smile turned colder, and the temperature around them decreased a few degrees. Still, that didn't help clear the redness invading Taeui's face.
"Don't look at me like that, I may go back on my word to marry you."
He had no intention to do that, however, he was more familiar with this Ilay and knew how to handle him better. What if he let him have his way and, after asking to marry him, he would make him take his last name?
'Taeui Riegrow.'
That thought made him giggle, and he couldn't hide the goofy smile on his face. Ilay's expression became even colder, and only a word left his lips. His name. Taeui felt a shiver run through his spine in warning. But despite Ilay's cold eyes, it was too stifling inside the restaurant, and Taeui needed to leave and get some fresh air.
"We are going to get married, so why can't I say you are cute?" Taeui said, crossing his arms, containing his mischievous smile. He was pushing it, he knew that, but he wanted to push his embarrassment away, or he might burst.
Seeing Ilay's seething expression, he put his hands up. "Okay, I'll stop. Let me just go to the toilet before we leave."
Taeui walked to the toilet, but once he was out of sight, he slipped away to a different corridor. As he made his way out of the restaurant, he messaged Ilay.
– If I think you are cute, then you are cute (￣ヘ￣) - Taeui
– Also, people are staring too much, and it's too hot in here, so I'll leave first. - Taeui
The reply came right away.
– Taeiu... don't you think you are being too bold? Just come back while I'm being nice. - Ilay
– What if I don't? (￢_￢) - Taeui
– You were glaring before I left and I bet you look really pissed off right now. - Taeui
– I'll give you 5 minutes to come back.... - Ilay
– Thank you for the head start... (*＾3＾)/ - Taeui
– Did you forget what I would do if you ran away again? - Ilay
– You won't kill me. You can't kill your husband-to-be. - Taeui
– Taeui... You are mine. No matter how far you run. You. Are. Mine. - Ilay
– Yes... And you mine ❤️ - Taeui
– Your time's up.☠️ - Ilay
Taeui chuckled when Ilay waited exactly the five minutes he had given him. He was already running away at full speed, not sure where he was going, but he was too excited, too euphoric to be sitting in the restaurant. He could only imagine Ilay's expression as he got up from the table and headed out alone. He was definitely pissed. But part of him was probably excited, too. He liked the thrill of a hunt, and even if Taeui didn't want to admit it, he liked the thrill of being hunted by him.
After more than five minutes running, Taeui saw a local night fair full of people and decided it would be a good place to rest. He wondered if Ilay would even be able to find him right away. He had turned off his phone the second Ilay sent his last text and ran the opposite way to throw him off in case he tried to track him.
Taeui remembered he left his jacket in the restaurant when he unbuttoned his vest while looking around at the attractions. However, his eyes kept going back to the same place, back to the ring on his hand, and he couldn't contain his smile.
Exactly ten minutes later, he felt a shiver run up his spine.
'Ah, he found me.'