When Jaemin returns from his and Mark’s room, he finds four pairs of owlish eyes waiting for him at the breakfast table.

Renjun speaks first. “Is he—?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Well—not at the moment, but he’s going to be,” Jaemin assures.

“What does that even mean?” Jisung asks.

Jaemin grabs a box a cereal and pours himself some in the bowl Jeno set out for him.

“Manager spoke to a doctor on the phone and said Mark was probably having a nervous breakdown. Said he needs rest.”

Jeno scratches his head. “Is sleep all it takes to cure a mental breakdown?”

“What is he even mentally breaking down over?” Jisung asks. “We’ve barely had any activities lately.”

“Don’t be dumb, Jisung,” Renjun retorts, reaching over the table and flicking his ear. “You can have a mental breakdown at any time. All it takes is stress or anxiety.”

Jisung retaliates by flicking a dry cheerio back. “I know THAT, I meant what would be the reason then? Like why do you think, doofus?”

“Because he’s stopped writing?” Chenle suggests, and it hangs in the air like a heavy rain cloud… That is, until Jaemin speaks up.

“Nope, that’s not it,” Jaemin says after downing down the rest of the milk in the bowl. “He was writing last night. I fell asleep before him and that never happens.”

Jeno playfully wipes the milk-stache from Jaemin’s lip and the other three pretend they didn’t see anything.

“Regardless of what caused his quote-on-quote ‘mental breakdown’, it's important that we make sure he knows he can rely on us,” Jaemin says, changing the pace around. “I think we all might have dropped the ball on moral support these last couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jeno says, and of course no is surprised. “Mark does so much for this group—for us—and I think we’ve become too comfortable.”

“We’re BnB, guys, not Mark Lee and friends,” Jaemin continues. “We should contribute, if not the same, then just as much as him.”

“Are we done being cheesy here?” Jisung asks, and after a moment, it prompts everyone to laughter.

“Way to ruin it!”

Mark ends up sleeping for the entire day and during that time, Jaemin, Jeno, Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung all work on writing lyrics to some of their unused beats.

Ms. Aphrodite is out on “Olympus business” by the time Haechan returns to the Clouds, but he really can’t afford to wait with this Orpheus energy leak situation. He needs to talk to someone, and although he’s reluctant, he has no other choice but to pay HER a visit.

It’s just unfortunate that the next person who’s the most knowledgeable on the topic of Reincarnates and Antiques happens to be one of the few people legally capable of hunting them down.

Yerim was her real name, but she dropped the “M” after dropping her first rogue Antique.

“Haechan! You NEVER come to visit me!” Yeri shouts from the ice cream bar. She waves him over and he plops himself down on a stool next to her. She orders him a vanilla cone and sends the bartender away before he can protest. When he gets the cone, it’s already begun to melt.

“So, what's the occasion, Haechan-my sweet?” Yeri chirps, away merrily at her own rainbow sprinkled delight. Her taste in toppings suited her personality, at least on the surface.

“Irene put me on an Antique case where the Antique ended up also being a Reincarnate.”

Yeri frowns. “Since when do you do Antique missions?””

Haechan rolls his neck around dramatically. “Since now apparently.”

“And your first Antique ended up being a Reincarnate? Tough break.”

“Tell me about it.”

“And who-”

“Orpheus.”

“Damn,” Yeri laughs. Haechan joins.

“Didn’t he go to the Underworld to get his wife back and when they were leaving, he couldn’t look back at her until they were both out?”

“Yeah,” Haechan mumbles over a mouth full of ice cream.

“Oh, I think I almost cried learning that in Clio’s class.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was a sad story,” Yeri says, “When he finally made it out of the Underworld, he was so eager to see his wife that he turned around, but in his excitement, he hadn’t realized that she didn’t make it all the way out yet herself. And bye-bye she went. How unfair is that?”

Haechan inhales sharply. “Yeah, that is unfair—” then exhales  “—but so is me getting stuck on this mission. WHICH, by the way, is why I wanted to meet you. I need some help.”

“Changing the subject are we?” Yeri says with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. “What is it?”

Haechan ignores her inquisitive stare and tells her about the leak.

“Oh, Haechan, that isn’t good… You need to tell Irene.”

“Irene’s not here, why do you think I came to you, instead?”

“If the Orpheus energy inside of your Antique overpowers his soul then…”

“I know. No more Mr. Mark Lee.”

“Wait, WHAT did you just say?”

Yeri practically headbutts him as fast as she leans forward. Haechan has to put some space between them to remain comfortable.

“I said, ‘no more Mr. Mark Lee’, why?”

Yeri’s head almost falls from her shoulders.

“Who the hell put you on him?” she growls, suddenly standing up. “He’s been on my list-to-hunt for weeks now!”

It’s Haechan’s turn to be shocked, now. “Your what?” he shouts, not caring how loud he is in the once peaceful ice cream parlor. “You can’t ‘hunt’ Mark Lee, no way!

“Haechan, you idiot, I don’t think you understand. Once an Antique is placed on my list they’re not taken off until I take care of them.”

“No, I don’t care. I already started the matchmaking process, he’s mine.”

“Matchmak--” Yeri laughs. “You can’t matchmake an Antique, idiot?”

“Umm, yes, I can, and I will,” Haechan says and he’s adamant on that.

“Are you hearing yourself right now? You just said there’s an energy leak inside him. In case you forgot, a leaky Reincarnate-Antique has NEVER been cured by a Cupid.”

“I’ll be the first, then.”

Just thinking of that 2% increasing to 3% on his permanent record just sends shivers down his spine.

“I’m sorry, Yeri,” Haechan starts, ”but I can’t let you do anything to him. Had I known he was on your list, I would have never came to you for advice.”

Yeri clenches her teeth.

“I… can’t believe… that I am going to say this… but Lee Donghyuck…  you have… however as much time it takes for me to get through my queue… before I come for Mark Lee. You are extremely lucky I don’t skip order.”

Haechan lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Zeus, yo—”

“I’m not done,” Yeri snaps, and Haechan holds his tongue. “When I’m all caught up, though, and Mark Lee’s name is next on my list, I won’t hesitate to go after him, and I won’t give you a head’s up, either.”

Haechan scoffs. “Better move quick then.”

Smirking, Yeri sniffs the air. “Hmm? What’s this… aroma? Jealousy? You haven’t been bitten by a lovebug, have you, my dear Haechannie?”

“Oh, please,” Haechan huffs. “You say that everytime we’re together. When am I’m NOT wearing lovebug repellent?”

Yeri snickers.

“Well, you know they say when you’re dealing with certain types of Antiques that sometimes repellent will wear off faster~” Yeri’s smile is ear to ear and Haechan isn’t having it.

“If you’re too close to them, that is,” Haechan counters. He knows his stuff, too. And he hasn’t...

...even been that close... to... Mark...

.

Haechan swallows and takes a deep breath, forcing his thoughts not to betray his stone-faced expression in front of Yeri.

“Anyways! If we’re done here, I have some names to cross off, don’t I!” Yeri blows him a kiss, then leaves.

Have I been bitten by a lovebug?, Haechan wonders. When I was in the field? He tries to remember back to any moments where he felt… DIFFERENT for a moment, but he can’t THINK of any! He convinces himself that Yeri was trying to get under his skin like always and distract him.

He tucks all of doubts and suspicons away knowing it’s just what Yeri wants him to have. He has bigger fish to fry. With Yeri’s threat looming over his head, Haechan realizes he has to speed things up. He’ll have to matchmake Mark Lee ASAP. He had some work to do.