The moment Sungjong had stepped into the office, he could feel the shift in air. People looked up from work, staring at him blatantly, putting heads together to discuss about his and Myungsoo’s engagement in hushed voices. All he could do was walk quickly, lower his head, and ignore all the whispers and stark gazes.

I have to use the back entrance from now on, he decided firmly as he took the elevator to the top floor. Most people in the office were obviously confused by the strange development. Of course Myungsoo hadn’t explained everything to the press, so they had no way of knowing. Right now, all they could do was speculate. It’s human nature to be curious, so he couldn’t quite blame them. No matter how many times he said it wasn’t any of their business, no one would listen.

So ignoring them was the best policy. However, ignoring Woohyun proved to be a challenging task. Sungyeol, true to his word, had not told Woohyun and Taemin anything he knew about Myungsoo and Sungjong’s relationship. It was a relief to know Sungyeol was trustable, but at the same time, it was tiring to have Woohyun stare at him all the time, clearing his throat at odd moments, and giving embarrassed smiles when their eyes met. The whole business was incredibly awkward – the only good thing that came out of it was that Woohyun didn’t bark orders at him anymore.

By lunch though, he would do anything to have the rude and bossy Woohyun back.

He was grateful when Howon called him to his room. He didn’t even care why the HR manager wanted to see him; he just wanted to get away from Woohyun’s inquisitive eyes. Curious Woohyun resembled a sad puppy – too adorable to resist. Even if he hated his guts, he couldn’t stand not telling him what he was probably dying to know. He was probably offended that he had no insider knowledge to the gossip even though he worked alongside Sungjong. Taemin also had paid him a visit, wearing a sickly sugary smile and making small conversation with him. Now that was something that didn’t happen often.

I don’t want to tell them everything and yet…

He would consult with Sungyeol and see what he suggested. He had better sense out of the two of them and if someone had to tell Woohyun and Taemin, it had to be him. But those two would never be able to keep a secret, not if they had access to such a juicy gossip.

However, the encounter with Howon put all those worries out of his mind. The manager had a strange look in his eyes as he asked him to take a seat. He placed his hands on top of the table, tapping his fingers lightly on the glass, a sign of intense irritation that Sungjong had come to recognize.

Fixing him with a stern gaze, he confirmed the press release Myungsoo had given earlier.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Sungjong?” he asked, his voice deep and low. He wasn’t angry, no, but more concerned perhaps; although Sungjong had no idea why that should be the case. He was responsible for him at the office – it wasn’t his headache what he did in his personal life.

Clearing his throat, he replied, as firmly as he could, “Yes, yes of course.”

“Myungsoo isn’t forcing you into this?” he growled, as if he suspected Myungsoo of doing such a thing.

“No! Of course not!”

Leaning forward, Howon said with a deeper frown, “You can tell me. I’m on your side. I promise to help you-”

“I love him!” Sungjong screamed, shriller than he had meant to. It was absurd, what Howon suggested, that he was being forced into this wedding. He was grateful for his concern but there was nothing odd about this wedding – he told him as much.

Howon’s shoulders relaxed considerably. Leaning back in his seat, he muttered, completely seriously, “I worry about you, you know. And then you go about doing something totally unexpected and I have no option but-”

Sungjong had no idea what he was talking about, or whether he was talking to him at all. He looked distracted, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Sir?”

Howon seemed to wake up.

“Okay, you can leave now. But remember, if you need anything, any trouble at all, let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any trouble, work-related or personal,” he made it clear.

Sungjong only nodded, before bowing his way out. It had been a very confusing meeting – every time he had met Howon, he had seen that frown on his face. In fact, he didn’t know Howon without the frown. He wasn’t smooth and charming like Minho; he was quite gruff, but he had always been concerned about him, maybe a bit too much. He doubted that every employee elicited that much concern form the man. It was strange – had he just decided to care for him out of the blue?

Maybe I’m overthinking this, maybe he’s like this with everyone.

Deciding to ask Myungsoo about Howon later, he pushed the button calling the elevator. He hadn’t seen his fiancé this morning – it was a good thing. He couldn’t really hide his blush when he saw the man and the office was hardly the place to feel weak in the knees and flush.

He almost skipped into the elevator – thinking about Myungsoo had that effect on him – and almost ran into the man who was already occupying it. He bowed quickly, apologizing, only to find on raising his head that it was none other than Minho.

Minho wore a haggard expression that his crisp suit and well done hair couldn’t hide. His eyes were red rimmed, his usual charming smile missing.

Before he could say anything though, Minho had gripped his upper arms tightly and slammed him against the wall. He felt his back hit the metallic wall painfully, but even scarier was the way Minho’s eyes had changed. He looked crazed, the look in his eyes wild.

When he spoke, he could feel hot air on his face.

“How could you? How could you?”

“I-”

“So I meant nothing? Or did you have fun playing with me? What is it that he lured you with? Money? Fame? His position? What?” the words tumbled out of his mouth in rapid succession, leaving Sungjong with no opportunity to reply.

It was strange to be confronted by Minho like this. The man didn’t care about him, did he? Wasn’t he just a douchebag who moved on with the snap of a finger? Was he displeased that he had been dumped instead of him doing the dumping?

“Hyung I told you I didn’t love you,” Sungjong finally managed to say when Minho paused for air.

“What did I do wrong? I gave you everything, I was there for you!”

It didn’t seem like the man was listening to him. He was feverish, as if he was possessed. It scared Sungjong – he had never seen–no he didn’t even imagine that Minho could transform like this. It made no sense. He should have a new girlfriend or boyfriend by now – he shouldn’t be here, demanding an answer out of him.

Suddenly, Minho’s grip on him strengthened as he started to laugh, a loud, raucous laughter that was in no way normal. Sungjong’s heart tightened with fear. It didn’t seem like Minho was drunk – his balance was intact – but he was most definitely not normal. Was it safe to be in this contained space with him? He tried to reach out to push a button but he was far away from the board to be able to pull it off. If only someone called for the elevator now…

“It’s funny, Sungjong, you know why? Because I never thought I would care about someone for more than 6 months.”

So it’s true, he is a player.

He had never wanted to believe the fact, despite the countless accounts from other people. Apart from one occasion, he had treated him right, and he was grateful to him for that. But…

“But I’m pretty much stuck here and you-” his eyes turned bloodshot as he breathed heavily, no smell of alcohol to excuse his appalling behavior. “You can’t do this to me. I get anyone I want, and I will have you, forever!”

“B-but hyung,” Sungjong stammered, as Minho’s nails dug deeper, the material of his shirt not forming an effective barrier. “I don’t love you. I never said I did.”

“I’ll make you love me!”

Without warning, Minho pressed his body into his, slanting his mouth over Sungjong’s violently. Completely taken by surprise, Sungjong squirmed with discomfort. Even in his state of wild whim, Minho had planned this well – his arms pinned Sungjong’s down with force against the wall, rendering them useless. He had placed his sturdy legs around Sungjong’s, making it impossible for him to move them in resistance. So, Sungjong was defenseless and at the mercy of Minho, who towered over him with his bloodshot eyes.

He tried his best to move his face away as Minho desperately tried to part his lips with his. He could feel his tongue dart forward but Sungjong determinedly avoided making it easy for him – he was not going to give in like this. He wondered how long it would be before someone called for the elevator and rescue him from this unfortunate situation. 

Not getting anywhere with the kiss, Minho’s mouth moved lower, against his jaw, then down to his throat, nibbling sharply and insistently. Teeth sunk into his skin, causing him to yelp in pain. It was as if Minho was blindly trying to mark his territory by marking his skin.

At that moment, he felt the elevator move with its metallic sound – someone must have called for it. He almost sighed with relief. Minho, who hadn’t noticed that the elevator was in motion, kept at nibbling and biting his skin while Sungjong waited desperately for the door to finally open. It did, revealing the person he wanted to see the least right now.

It was Sunggyu, glasses in place, perfectly groomed. When his eyes met the scene, his lips curved into a smirk, but his eyes went colder and fiercer.

“My, my,” he said in a lilting tone, “here’s a man who gets married in two weeks.”

“Please,” Sungjong sputtered, hoping to get some sympathy out of this man. Sunggyu’s interruption had not stopped Minho. In fact, he hadn’t even looked up and his teeth still insistently marked his skin.

“I think Myungsoo should have a look,” Sunggyu muttered, stepping forward to push a button inside the lift. “Don’t you?”

The last thing he saw before the metallic door shut smoothly again was the executive editor’s bright maleficent eyes.

“You’re mine,” Minho whispered possessively against his ear, sending a small shiver up his spine. It was in no way exciting, it was frightening. How long would Minho keep at it? And what had Sunggyu meant about Myungsoo having a look?

The elevator halted, the door opening silently to reveal a welcome face. It was Myungsoo, who took one look at the scene, and without wasting time, burst into the metallic box, grabbing Minho’s shoulder and pulling him off of Sungjong in one fluid motion.

Sungjong’s legs were trembling badly and without Minho’s support, he collapsed on the floor. But he had no time to faint as he watched, with wide eyes, as Minho roared like an angry bull and charged towards Myungsoo instead. His bawled up fist connected with Myungsoo’s jaw with a dull thud, the sound causing his stomach to sink.

“Myungsoo!” he tried to scream, but his dry throat emitted a whispery cry only.

“Sungjong is mine, you bastard!” Minho was howling at Myungsoo, who was trying with all his might to keep the man at bay. It was obvious from his defensive body language that he was not trying to start a fight. Maybe he had noticed Minho’s bloodshot eyes as well and realized he wasn’t in the right state of mind.

“Can we talk about this after you’ve calmed down?” Myungsoo announced above Minho’s growls.

“He’s mine, you stole him!” The executive editor threw another well-aimed punch at Myungsoo’s jaw but the chief editor moved just in time, avoiding the hit, and going for a counter-attack. At this rate, it would turn into a full-blown brawl.

Sungjong scrambled to his feet and grabbed one end of Myungsoo’s suit.

“Please, don’t,” he pleaded, trying to pull the man back from Minho. Whether he was weak by nature or the other two were just too strong, he didn’t know but he realized he was having no effect on Myungsoo.

So instead, he pushed his lips against his ear and whispered, as desperately as he could, “Please Myungsoo, please, stop.”

It worked – Myungsoo’s grip on Minho slackened and he backed away quickly, taking Sungjong by the waist and out of the elevator in a flash. Minho gave them a disgusted look.

“What’s going on here?” Sunggyu’s seemingly innocent voice reached his ear, causing bile to rise in his throat.

“Can you take care of him, he needs a doctor,” Myungsoo nodded towards Minho, who was now doubled over inside the elevator, clutching his heart.

“Are you okay? Sungjong?” Sunggyu turned to sweep them over with a concerned gaze, false concern, at least in Sungjong’s case, he had no doubt.

“We’re fine,” Myungsoo motioned towards Minho. “Look after him.”

“How dreadful,” the executive editor muttered without any sincerity before making his way towards the elevator.

Myungsoo wrapped an arm around Sungjong, steering him towards his office. Woohyun, who was sitting on his desk, couldn’t stop staring as Myungsoo guided him into his room. Sungjong was a bit embarrassed but he was too shaken to ponder anything else. Myungsoo’s arms were comforting around him and as they sat down together on the sofa in his office, he bundled up closer to Myungsoo, resting his head on his chest.

Immediately, he felt his heartbeat calm down as warmth flowed under his skin.

“Are you okay?” Myungsoo asked softly, kissing him on the top of his head.

“Yeah, just-it was unexpected.” His voice was steadier now. It seemed that mere proximity to the one he loved was enough to cure his disheveled nerves.

The power of love maybe, he guessed, moving closer to Myungsoo and snaking his arms around his waist.

“What did he want?”

“What he said. I don’t know why he would suddenly…” He didn’t finish.

Sensing that he didn’t want to talk about it, Myungsoo stopped questioning him and instead, remarked, “You called me by my name back there.”

“I did what?” Sungjong squeaked. He had no memory of using Myungsoo’s name out aloud. Had he really done something so disrespectful? And at the office too? “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t in the right mind-”

“I liked it,” he cut across him, kissing him again. “Call me Myungsoo from now on.” Seeing the indignant look on Sungjong’s face, he pouted cutely, giving the younger the urge to laugh at him. Myungsoo acting cute was endearing but also a bit strange, given the usual enigmatic aura he had about him.

“I can’t,” he replied timidly. He was older than him, he was his boss – how could he go around calling him by his name unabashedly? Back when they had been younger, he had called him hyung. After taking this job, he hadn’t really addressed him. Just the thought of calling him without honorifics made him feel queasy, especially so soon. He wasn’t feeling ready.

“Not even if I request it? Not for me even?” Myungsoo’s pout deepened as his lips quivered. He had no idea if the elder was doing this on purpose but Sungjong had to force himself to not kiss his pout away.

“I-” he was lost for words, but before he could find something to say, Myungsoo’s attention was drawn to his cell phone, which was beeping furiously. The chief editor’s expression changed, his eyebrows furrowed immediately and his lips were pressed together into a thin line. It suited Sungjong just fine, because he found the cuter version of his fiancé was too much for his poor heart to handle. But it soon became clear that Myungsoo was highly perturbed by the text he had just received.

“Is everything-”

“I’m sorry I have to go.” Myungsoo stood up abruptly, causing the comfortable warmth Sungjong had been enjoying to vanish. “This is really important I–I’m sorry.” With that, he was out of the door, leaving Sungjong sitting by himself on the sofa, wondering if it was another obstacle in their path.

Will this be the one that will stop us?

---

Myungsoo thudded up the stairs, his heart beating loudly. He met Mrs. Han, his housekeeper, at the top of the stairs, wringing her hand nervously and looking like she was at the end of her wits.

“Why did you let her in here?” he asked her sternly, but felt sorry immediately as he saw a tear leak out of her eyes.

“I didn’t want to. I opened the door and she immediately ran up the stairs and-”

He had no time to listen to her story. Bypassing her, he threw the door to the rooftop open. His stomach dropped as he saw a familiar figure on the ledge.

“Get down from there, Jiyeon,” he shouted at her, striding across the huge expanse of concrete towards her. She turned to face him with a big smile on her face. Spreading her arms to her sides, she said, “Oh Myungsoo, you came! I knew you’d come to save me. I know you love me.”

Myungsoo shivered, watching her shoes almost take up the narrow ledge. Jiyeon was a model; he wasn’t particularly worried about her balance, he was more nervous about her threat – the text she had sent thirty minutes ago that had caused him to drop everything and drive to his house as fast as he could. How could he not come when she had written something that had caused his blood to run cold – ‘If you don’t come now, I will jump from the roof of your house. You’ll never see me again.’

“This is enough! Come down right now,” he ordered, approaching her slowly now. Any sudden movement on his part might startle her and cause her to fall.

“First tell me you love me, tell me you’ll marry me,” she cried stubbornly, placing her hands on her hips.

Was this just a game to her? Every moment she was up on that ledge, Myungsoo’s heart thrummed painfully.

“Do you want me to lie to you?”

Jiyeon’s eyes flashed dangerously and for a moment, he thought he saw a crooked grin on her lips. The next moment, she had tears in her eyes. Her lips quivered as she looked straight at him, as if trying to set his soul on fire with her gaze.

“You used to love me. What changed? Why?” she sobbed, her hands falling to her sides limply.

He wasn’t sure how honest he should be right now; the situation was delicate. One false move and she would go flying towards the merciless concrete. But his conscience held him back from lying to her face. This situation had to be solved, not just patched up for now and stowed away.

Taking a deep breath, he said calmly, “I never loved you Jiyeon, and you knew that. And you didn’t love me either.”

She bawled loudly, but her feet stayed firm in their place, to his relief. Pointing an accusing finger at him, she thundered, “How can you say that? After everything…after I’ve been there for you and loved you more than anything!”

At the blatant lie, he closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts. He had half a mind to rage at her but that wouldn’t be wise at this moment. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not but even though her face was distorted with distress, her eyes seemed awfully cold beneath the tears.

“That’s not true Jiyeon, and you know it.”

“How dare you-”

“You had an abortion about 6 months ago, I met your doctor.”

“You were spying on me?” she snapped irately, her eyes narrowing in anger.

That’s right, she’s not even denying it, he thought mournfully.

“I met him by chance and he thought it was mine. But I don’t blame you for that. I’m just saying we never loved each other and it’s alright. I don’t want to know who your boyfriend is, I hope you two will be happy.”

Her tears had dried by now and an ugly look had replaced her expression of anguish.

“He lied,” she said, smoldering him with her gaze. Myungsoo had never seen this side of her, the hard lines on , the attacking tilt of her neck. There were many rumors about Jiyeon being overly ambitious but he had never paid heed to them. In this ruthless business, everyone had to be on their feet, but he had never imagined that marrying him might be a part of her bucket list.

Instead of answering her, he held her gaze steadily, hoping she would be ashamed of her lie. After several minutes, she severed the gaze, her nostrils flaring.

“I don’t know what he had done to turn you so blind,” she seethed, “but I’m going to find out and he’ll be sorry he ever set his eyes on you.”

With that, she jumped lightly down onto the floor, ignoring Myungsoo’s extended arms. Hitching her shoulder bag up her arm, she scorched him with one final look.

“Don’t think you can be happy without me.” 

Myungsoo sighed heavily, feeling relief wash over him. He had been worried – despite all her ambition and cleverness, he had been concerned because people who had been emotionally unhinged were prone to doing silly things, like Minho at the office today.

I hope Sungjong’s not too scared.

He didn’t really care for Jiyeon’s threats – they had probably been spoken out of anger more than anything else. But still, he didn’t like the fact that everyone knew where to find Sungjong. Even the paparazzi knew he worked at Star. The only solution to this was for Sungjong to leave work, but would he like the decision? It was for his own good of course but he might take it differently – he might think that Myungsoo didn’t want him around.

Debating both sides, he went down the stairs to the living room. Calling Mrs. Han for a cup of tea, he picked up the phone and dialed Sungjong’s number.

“Is everything alright?” came Sungjong’s concerned voice immediately.

“Yeah everything’s fine now,” he comforted, imagining how frightened the younger must have been. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Oh I thought…is-is the wedding still on?”

“Of course it is!” Did he think that something would come up that would make him call off the wedding? “Darling, come hell or heaven, we are going to get married on the 16^th. No change of plans.”

“Oh.” He could tell by the way Sungjong breathed out that he was relieved. There might be a lot of people against their wedding, but as long as Sungjong agreed, nothing would stop him from getting married to him, under no circumstances, he was sure of that. “What if – what if my family doesn’t agree?”

“I’m not going to marry your family,” Myungsoo joked lightly.

His own family had been difficult to handle; right now, he didn’t even know if they were going to attend. Ever since speaking to her, his mother had sent him a flurry of text messages, some of them pleading, others angry and threatening - to break off this ‘abomination’, as she called the wedding now.  He had turned a blind eye to all of them; knowing his mother, she would persist until the very last second. His father had promised to try and persuade her but he didn’t know how much power he actually had over her.

Sungjong whimpered on the line. If he was beside him, he would have hugged all his anxieties away. Now all he could do was say in a consoling voice, “You’re all the family I need, Sungjong.”

The younger chuckled. At least he had improved his mood.

“I’ll come over tonight,” he told him.

“Why?” Sungjong’s voice was unusually high-pitched. He was probably thinking about the last time they had been together. It was surprising how shy he seemed to be with him; it was as if he almost felt guilty about the kisses and touches they had shared. Of course things hadn’t been able to develop farther due to circumstances but it seemed that it would take some serious convincing for Sungjong to shed his coy veil.

“We need to talk about your job.”

“Are you going to fire me?” he asked nervously.

“No, no, not fire-”

“Because I want you to let me go. I don’t want to work here and be subjected to all these accusing glares. I’ll find another job. I’m sorry for being a coward but I really…can’t.”

He was surprised Sungjong would suggest it himself, for different reasons of course. But it made sense – everyone at the office now knew their involvement, and no matter however he instructed them, someone would talk about it. It wouldn’t be pleasant for Sungjong to overhear those things.

“I understand, I’ll let Howon know,” he assured the younger.

“He’ll be disappointed,” Sungjong muttered. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Say my name.”

“What?”

“Say my name,” Myungsoo whined. He had liked hearing Sungjong calling him by his name. He didn’t really care for the rules - in the relationship, they were equals. It was ridiculous to have him address him with an honorific just because he was older.

Sungjong mumbled something incomprehensible before disconnecting the line. Myungsoo stared at his phone, feeling content. Talking to Sungjong always gave him a feeling of satisfaction. Knowing that he could kiss him if he wanted to, knowing they would be spending the rest of their lives together filled him with inexplicable bliss. It was strange how he loved him just the same as he had on the first day he had laid eyes on him. Even after years, his feelings hadn’t changed.

And they never will.