The door to Minseok's office slowly and soundlessly swung open and clicked quietly closed. Yejin only knew it happened because she saw the man walk in out of the corner of her eye as she stared intently at his cellphone in the center of the desk. The call with Luhan had ended a while ago and she couldn't find the strength to leave the chair, her fingers digging into the padded arms as she worried at her lower lip while Luhan's brief words spun her world sideways.

“Yejin,” Minseok said. He sounded only mildly surprised to find her in his office, the real shock came with his follow up. “What's my phone doing out? Did you call someone?”

Yejin kept her gaze on the phone not trusting herself with looking at Minseok directly, if she did there would only be another fight on their hands and there was already enough to deal with: GD's information, Yixing's escape, Suho's death, them.

“No, I answered a call,” she answered flatly.

Minseok was standing across from her on the other side of his desk, retrieving his phone and looking through it. Even as he did that he still asked, “From who?”

“Luhan, we even had a pretty civil conversation too,” she tried humor, but it didn't come out in a joking way. It sounded more like Yejin had gargled the jest and spat out the line like an order at a drive-thru mic.

“You spoke to Luhan? Why?” he questioned.

Yejin's gaze was still firmly fixated on the desk where his cellphone had been, the knot in her stomach tightening with every ticking second that he was in the room. “Because it was ringing,” she deadpanned.

Minseok fell silent for a moment as he pocketed his phone. Yejin could feel his gaze on her, urging her to look at him, but she couldn't. Her nails clawing at the chair's arms as she clamped her teeth around her tongue to keep the words from bursting from her.

“What did you two talk about? You're not exactly his biggest fan,” he spoke with an edge of caution to his voice.

“We bantered a bit, he told me about Suho firing Dragon, he bragged about his info networks, and,” she paused.

“And?” Minseok prompted.

Now Yejin looked up, something snapped shut in her as she did. For once in her life she had control over the emotions racing about inside her, and there was no Tao crying next to her or screaming in absolute fury. It was all Yejin, even though it took every ounce of her will to control the expression on her face and the words that left . She was the lineage of Poseidon she should have been capable of at least this much.

A small smile turned up the corners of as she met Minseok's eyes with her own that she hoped only showed a warm calm, but she couldn't confirm it was warm from the even stare he returned to her. Loosening her grip on the chair she finished saying, “And we talked about you a little.”

She watched his guard go up and his shoulders tense as his brows dipped down in skeptical curiosity. “What about me? Some dumb story that Luhan likes to whip out at the wrong times I'm sure.” He tried to sound lighthearted and amused, but his attempt fell flat much like his tone.

Shaking her head Yejin stood up from his desk and stepped around it so she was standing next to him. Minseok turned so they were facing one another and Yejin almost lost her control as she looked up at his face that was so much closer. Swallowing the bitter lump in she steeled her resolve and went through with it even though the voice in the deep recesses of her mind – that sounded much like Tao – yelled at her to stop and not do it.

“Xiumin,” she said softly. His face contorted at her use of that name in this room. She saw the look, but didn't let him speak up as she said what she had to say. “I love you.”

The man froze, and he never froze. He went rigid and still around Chiwon, but never froze. Yejin didn't think he knew how to hesitate, but she was clearly wrong.

Then the girl simply walked out of his office and back to Tao who was already half asleep in his bed. She wormed her way into his bed, Tao groaning sleepily and from the slight pain as he shifted over to give her room. It had been years since she had done this, but she thought it was fine since she confronted one of her problems solo and without completely breaking down.

“What's wrong Jinjin?” Tao yawned. He nuzzled into his pillow while his good hand wound under her neck and patted her back.

“Nothing. I just used your advice this time,” she muttered.

“Which advice is that?” he asked. His hand patting soothing circles on her back.

“I drew the line between human and the other,” she informed.

Tao's hand stopped for a moment and she felt his tired gaze on her. After a breath his hand resumed the relaxing and soft motions on her back as he spoke. “Oh. Which side of the line are you standing on?”

“It doesn't matter. It's not going to go anywhere.” She felt the unwelcomed prickle of tears at her eyes as she let her own words sink in, and it was far heavier hearing it said out loud then muttering it to herself in her head. Her heart clenched as she buried her face against Tao's shoulder, he grunted in pain. “Sorry,” she sniffled.

“I'm good,” he uttered as a blatant lie. “But Jinjin are you sure about it going nowhere? I just talked –,” Tao tried to ask.

“Yeah, I'm sure. Now you should go to sleep you're still recovering.”

Tao didn't fight after that.

“Now is this Xiumin, or is it still you darling?” came the sound of Luhan's playful and cocky tone.

Minseok was in no mood for joking around nor was he about to entertain Luhan's need for useless jabber. “What the did you say to Yejin?”

“Why am I getting such an attitude? Did she dump you or something?” Luhan retorted.

Yes! Maybe. . . I have no ing clue, Minseok's mind screamed while his mouth said, “What did you tell her Luhan? I have no patience for your jokes.”

“Damn, it sounds like she actually did dump your ,” Luhan commented with a low whistle.

“Luhan,” he growled.

“Fine, fine,” the blond grumbled back. “Well for starters she asked and I only answered,” he stated defensively.

“Asked what?” Minseok questioned. He was pacing about his office like a madman wanting to tear it apart for answers, but the mess afterward would have been pointless and a bother to his neat and tidy ways.

“She asked about how seriously you take your relationships, so I told her,” Luhan said like it was nothing, as simple as throwing away a wrapper.

Minseok's pacing stopped abruptly leaving him standing next to the coffee table as he glared off into space like he was looking at Luhan himself. His grip on his phone tightened to a trembling force as his jaw clenched. “What did you tell her Lu Han?” he ground out between grinding teeth.

““Xiumin is serious in every relationship up to the very end, and they all come to an end. I love you and goodbye,”” Luhan quoted.

There were many