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Tae Hyun frowned for real. “Oh.” Then he nodded. “You probably don’t think it’s a good idea anyway.”
“What?” Jason swallowed his frustration. He understood why Tae Hyun still expected that Jason wanted to control him somehow. Everyone else in Tae Hyun’s life seemed to want that. But he wished that would go away at some point. “Why would that even matter? When have I ever told you no?”
Tae Hyun smiled. “Okay, good. Because I still want to go shopping.”
After finishing their champagne, Jason summoned the Songs to accompany them for some outdoor enjoyment and shopping. Jason and Tae Hyun were masked, with Jason in a baseball cap and Tae Hyun in a bucket hat. Seong Min walked ahead and Seong Hyeon a few steps behind to make them less noticeable. Being recognized had grown into a riskier proposition lately, and neither one of them wanted to deal with fans, let alone protestors. But the shopping was hassle-free. Spend enough money, and shops would bend over backward to respect your privacy.
After Tae Hyun picked up several new outfits for himself–and one for Jason–at the Maximilien Cuvier, Haruhito, and Grammatico stores–all to be delivered to the hotel–they walked over to visit the park. The mid-afternoon sunshine was warm and pleasant, so the boys took a paddleboat out onto the lake while the Songs nervously stood by on the shore. But it was hard to pretend they were just hanging out, and Jason had to fight to keep from grabbing Tae Hyun’s hand. So they decided to head back to the hotel. Jason and Tae Hyun were hungry anyway, and Jason wanted to give the Songs a break.
Jason ordered dinner to be sent up while they showered and changed. It was served by their bowtie-clad attendant, who Jason couldn’t think of as anything except a butler. But the food came from the hotel restaurant Flore, the newest of Chef Derek Goh’s growing Seoul-area dining empire. Named for Goh’s French wife, the French-Korean fusion menu was daring and unexpected. It started with a pea and mint mousse with fish egg, pickled cucumber, and burrata. That was followed by scallops with asparagus, lemon and soy sauce, crumbled parmesan, and fennel. They finished with pear sorbet and almond milk ice cream with a kiwi and avocado sauce. Silence fell at the table each time a new course was served, and Jason and Tae Hyun anxiously tried the new dish.
The attendant had dimmed the room’s lighting except for a pair of glass pendants hanging over the table, which set a deliciously romantic mood. And each course was paired with a new wine, which meant that Jason and Tae Hyun were comfortably buzzed by the time dessert came.
Jason raised his glass before trying the pear sorbet. “To our first Korean dinner date.”
“Is it?” Tae Hyun tilted his head, his brow furrowed. “I guess it is.” He lifted his glass. “And to a wonderful hyung who planned it and almost managed to surprise me.”
Jason chuckled. “Almost.” He sipped his wine. Then he dipped his spoon into the sorbet and had a taste. “Damn. So good.”
Tae Hyun nodded. “Should we hire Chef Goh for our restaurant?”
Jason shook his head. “No way. This stuff was good, but I love your cooking so much more.”
Tae Hyun bashfully grinned. “You’re not just saying that?”
“I’m not.” He leaned forward and winked. “There’s nothing of yours I won’t eat.”
Tae Hyun chuckled as he patted his belly. “I don’t think that’s on the menu tonight, hyung. I’m too full.”
Jason nodded. “Same here. Besides, I’ve got something better for us to do.”
Something better was the hot tub on the veranda, which one of the hotel staff had set up for them while they ate so it would be ready by the time they were done. They changed into their swim briefs–with Tae Hyun wearing the pair he’d gotten from Jason in Thailand–while the attendant and his team cleared the table. And they found another champagne bottle chilling beside the hot tub, with two flutes already filled. Jason climbed in first, so Tae Hyun could hand him the champagne. The water’s intense heat immediately went to work, loosening the stress-tightened muscles of his lower back. Then Tae Hyun gingerly climbed in beside him, slowly sliding down into his seat until only his head and shoulders poked above the water.
“Oh, hyung,” Tae Hyun seductively moaned. “This is amazing.”
“I know, right?” Jason sipped his champagne, set it on the edge of the hot tub, and quietly groaned as he slid further down into the hot, bubbling water. “I keep saying I should get one for the house, but I never do.”
“Oh, we definitely should. I’d be out there soaking and enjoying the view every night.”
Jason was surprised to hear that. While Tae Hyun had definitely made himself at home in Jason’s house, he’d made it clear more than once that it was only because he had to stay somewhere in LA. “Really?”
Tae Hyun snorted. “Of course. This is so nice.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Tae Hyun frowned. “What did you–oh.” He smiled and grabbed Jason’s hand under the water. “I know I’ve complained about being homesick. But I’ve been home, and I’m not welcome there anymore. So, yes. Really. My home is wherever you are.”
Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the heat. But Jason unexpectedly felt himself tearing up from Tae Hyun’s frank and simple admission. “I love you, Tae Hyun.”
Jason squeezed Tae Hyun’s hand as he leaned in for a kiss, finding Tae Hyun’s warm, soft lips that tasted of champagne and pears. Tae Hyun draped his free arm around Jason’s shoulders as he returned the kiss. It was slow, deep, and passionate, with the blurred mumble of the city streets and the twinkling lights of Songdo in the background.
Tae Hyun stopped, grinning as he pulled away from Jason. Then he shifted, moving into a semi-crouch before Jason, and began to sing.
You’re my gravity,
Always pulling me closer.
No matter the distance,
