Seungcheol slipped quietly into the house and found Jisoo standing in the kitchen sipping a tall glass of lemonade with ice. “Hey…” he said quietly. “What happened out there?” Jisoo asked as he turned towards Seungcheol in confusion. “Jeonghan came running in, he said he was looking for Chan Chan, he was soaking wet.” “We, um, we kind of fell in the pool….” Seungcheol said as he stared awkwardly at the floor and the tiny puddle he was making as water ran out of his jeans. “Why did he look so upset then?” The look on Jisoo’s face was scary. Scarier than anything Seungcheol had ever seen, scarier even than Jihoon’s rage, but there was something else making him feel even worse.

Jeonghan was upset.

“I’ll go find out…” Seungcheol turned to walk down the long hallway. He had an idea where Jeonghan would be. He walked up to the door leading to the luxury bedroom they’d used for the shoot today and when he tried to turn the handle he found the door locked. Seungcheol took a deep breath and pressed his ear against the door and heard the sound he’d dreaded most. The sound of Jeonghan softly crying.

“Jeonghan,” Seungcheol called out through the door, “are you okay? Let me in…” he tried the handle again and go no response from inside. “Jeonghan please…” Seungcheol didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know whether to say sorry, beg for forgiveness, promise he’d never do it again. But something inside him told him this was wrong. He wasn’t sorry he did it and he couldn’t promise he’d never do it again. Because as he leaned against the heavy wood door and closed his eyes all he wanted to do was go into the bedroom and pull Jeonghan against his body again. He wanted to hold him and soothe him, protect him and cherish him, more than anything he wanted to beg him to stop crying. To make him smile instead, that smile that made Seungcheol feel like he was drowning, dark irises too deep to escape from sparking in the neon lights of the pool.

And he hated himself. Jihoon was right. What was he thinking? Luda was somewhere by herself totally unaware that their relationship was more than likely already over and all he could think about was getting to Jeonghan. He listened to the soft sobbing of Jeonghan on the other side of the door and felt his heart break into a million pieces. Luda had never made him feel any of the ways he’d felt in the last hour.

“Jeonghan let me in. I want to say sorry…” it sounded so pathetic. It wasn’t what he wanted to say at all. But Seungcheol was gutless. He made his living off being brave, being stoic and heroic and dependable, being a protector and a guardian. But in reality, when it came to his own feelings, he was a coward. He was used to taking the easy way out.

“Please open the door,” the plaintive tone of his voice wavered and gave away the truth of his emotions. But Jeonghan was unmoved. “NO.” he called out with a trembling voice. “I want Jisoo. Now.”

Defeated, Seungcheol went back to the kitchen to find the Manager still standing by the sink, finishing his drink. “He won’t let me in,” Seungcheol conceded to the delight of the manager. “He only wants you.” Jisoo put the cup down and walked out of the kitchen area towards the bedroom. Seungcheol sat on a stool in his cold wet clothes and tried to pretend he wasn’t jealous as the manager slipped in through the now-unlocked door.

“Hannie?” Jisoo called out softly as he found the blond man curled up inside a thick quilt. The huge bed, just hours ago the location of so much triumph, was now a safe cocoon for the miserable singer. “What happened?” Jisoo cooed as he sat on the edge of the bed and Jeonghan just shook his damp hair and burrowed further into the quilt. “Please tell me Jeonghan. Did someone hurt you? Did you get scared?” Jisoo sighed as two huge dark eyes blinked up at him from under the quilt. Then it moved and Chan Chan squirmed his way out to curl up on the pillow next to Jeonghan’s face dominated by his sad red-rimmed eyes. “It was Seungcheol,” Jeonghan sighed, “I think he wanted to kiss me.”

“He what?” Jisoo’s temper flared immediately. He was usually so calm, so cool and level headed, but he couldn’t believe the nerve of the man. “Jeonghan we employed him to protect you, not scare you, and definitely not to kiss you. He needs to be fired.” Jisoo got up from the bed but Jeonghan reached up and quickly grabbed his arm pulling him back down. “NO!” he called out as Jisoo sank heavily back onto the bed. “No, you can’t fire him, I won’t allow it.” Jisoo turned back to Jeonghan and was surprised to see his expression had changed from sad to fierce in an instant. “You fire him and I’ll fire you and don’t think I won’t Jisoo because I’m serio