[CONTENTID1] r e a l i z a t i o n [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Jisoo stopped visiting Mingyu in his section of the department.

Mingyu noticed it immediately, being so accustomed to having the smaller male work alongside him. The first day he just brushed it off, even if it did mean he had to stay an additional hour or so to finish all his work. But after a couple days had passed he wondered if something had happened.

“Wow, you really are hopeless without Jisoo,” Junhui commented as he watched Mingyu fumble around with the papers.
“Oh, shut up. At least I’m working.”
“I’m working too!”
“You’re texting Jeonghan.”
“It’s called multitasking, Mingyu.”
“Whatever.”

But yes, Mingyu really was beginning to miss seeing Jisoo’s delicate face, his dainty features and gentle demeanor that were uniquely him. Which is why he decided to ask Seungkwan at the front desk where Jisoo was.

“Oh, I wouldn’t if I were you,” Seungkwan advised. “Unless it’s for work related things. His…um, partner’s a bit...possessive.”
Oh, right. “It’s kinda work related,” Mingyu offered. Seungkwan rolled his eyes but showed where Jisoo was currently stationed. 

Possessive was right. Seungcheol and Jisoo were basically joint at the hip as the latter busied himself with paperwork and filing. He saw Seungcheol put one hand on Jisoo’s waist and keep his grip on the smaller. He could see Jisoo shifting around uncomfortably, but Seungcheol didn’t let go. What exactly was their relationship? he wondered. Why did Jisoo seem…almost afraid of Seungcheol?

He slowly began approaching the pair when Jisoo’s free arm coiled behind his back, his fingers crossed in an ‘x’ position. 

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows, confused, when he saw Jisoo’s hand slowly wave backward, motioning for Mingyu to back away.

Both Seungcheol and Jisoo were still facing away from him, so it was a mystery as to how Jisoo had even known that Mingyu was behind them. Then he caught Jisoo’s eyes in the reflection of the computer screen, Jisoo’s head shaking slightly, telling him "no". 

Mingyu got the message. He slowly backed away, leaving the pair alone.



Jisoo exhaled the moment Mingyu was out of sight, thanking his lucky stars that Seungcheol hadn’t noticed.

“You wanna do something later?” Seungcheol breathed onto Jisoo’s neck while Jisoo worked.
Jisoo gulped. “L-like what?”
“Anything.”
Jisoo nodded, trying to remain neutral. Seeming pleased with that answer, Seungcheol back hugged him.“I’m sorry for being harsh on you earlier. It was for your own good. You only belong to me.”

Ah, those same words being told to him like a mantra. Jisoo wondered if those were the words that would be written on his gravestone. Here lies Hong Jisoo. He belonged to Choi Seungcheol.

At least Seungcheol was being gentler now. He should cherish it while it lasted. “It’s okay.” It’s not okay. “I understand.” I don’t understand. 

Seungcheol hugged him closer. Only instead of feeling secure, he felt like it was a restrictive hold on him, cornering him from all sides.

He wanted to break free.

His mind instantly flew to Mingyu. Mingyu and his perfect facial features, his awkward smile, his willingness to listen to Jisoo’s troubles.  But Jisoo couldn’t see Mingyu anymore. Seungcheol had made that very clear. His heart hurt at the thought that he hadn’t even said a proper goodbye to the other.

At home, Jisoo sat on the couch while Seungcheol ordered take out. Then Seungcheol asked to see his phone.

“Just checking, you know,” he justified, browsing through Jisoo’s phone, looking at Jisoo’s call history, who he was texting, all the pictures on his phone. This was customary of Seungcheol to do, he’d often look through Jisoo’s phone, invading his privacy. Not that Jisoo had anything to hide, anyway.

“You have Mingyu in your contacts,” Seungcheol deadpanned.
“H-he’s a coworker, so I need–”
“I thought I said never to get close to him.”
“This is for work related purposes–”

But Seungcheol had already deleted the number, slamming his phone on a nearby table. “Now it’s all fine,” he said with a heavy smile. He the TV and the pair began watching some movie, only it was clear that Seungcheol’s real intent was to s