Yeonhee snapped her gum bored while watching Heiran pack things in boxes. She was seated on the edge of Heiran’s mattress after an out-of-the-blue call, “What am I doing here?”

“Can you pass me the tape?” Heiran asked from inside her closet. 

Yeonhee rolled her eyes and grabbed it off the bed and tossed it to her. This was the first time she had seen Heiran since left the four of them in her extra apartment hoping that GOT7 didn’t get to them. 

Too much had happened since then.

GOT7 and DS had been dissolved, Mark was serving a jail sentence and she was counting her lucky stars that she wasn’t serving a sentence herself. Part of her was glad that she wasn’t around to see the aftermath because according to Jinyoung it wasn’t pretty. Heiran had been a mess. A mess you couldn’t tell if you saw her because her hair was always washed. her makeup was perfect, her clothes were always neatly pressed. 

But it was in her eyes and the corners of her lips that never really curved up properly when she smiled, like a part of her soul was gone. Yeonhee hadn’t seen it herself but she thought Heiran looked better, more determined and driven. 

Heiran caught the tape roll and ripped a piece off with her teeth, “I called you over because I have an offer.”

“Whatever it is, no thanks.” Yeonhee deadpanned while checking her nails. 

Heiran raised a brow, “You don’t even want to hear it? Wow.”

“You realize that because of you I’m out of a job and most of the people I know are in jail, right? I used to make 6 figures. I’m not even making a fraction of that now.” Yeonhee muttered. If it didn’t put a dent into her savings, she would’ve been impressed with what Heiran accomplished.

Heiran stepped out of her closet and stood in front of Yeonhee, “I’m glad you brought that up. It’s not a 6 figure paycheque to be fair, but I want you to work for me.”

Yeonhee stared at her before laughing, “Nice one, I almost believed you.”

Heiran tucked a loose strand of hair back into her ponytail. “I'm not joking. I’m starting my own consulting firm, I have my business license and all the paperwork is in order. Sunshine Consulting is a legitimate business and I want you to work for me.”

She scoffed, “Doing what? Making you coffee?”

“Sure, if you want, but I was thinking more along the lines of being a business consultant.” Heiran said matter-a-factly.

Yeonheee shook her head, knocking her ankle against the base of the bed, “I don’t have a degree or know the first thing about how to run a business.”

"I know. You’ll have to learn, maybe even take a few courses online, I can help pay for it if you want. But when you were working as SmartLogic, you were good, sharp, you might have been fed what to tell me but you know how to deal with people, you handled an entire boardroom yourself. If you had hard facts and numbers to work off of, I think you could be phenomenal at telling people how to run their business to be more profitable.” Heiran said while crossing her arms, “The number side might be daunting at first but I think you’re a quick study, and with a few classes, you’d nail it. Plus I’m sure Jinyoung could always help you with the math stuff since you’re living with him now.”

Yeonhee snapped her head at her, the blush on her cheeks already betraying her, “How—“

“Jinyoung gets gossipy when he’s had a few glasses in him.” She said with a little smile.

Yeonhee looked away with a glare, “It’s just until I can afford my own place. He’s the one with a job, I’m just his roommate.”

“Hmm, well, either way, this is a serious offer, and maybe taking it can help you afford your own place, or at least a nicer place for the both of you.” 

Yeonhee stared up at her in disbelief, “Why are you doing this? I thought you hated me.”

Heiran sat down next to her, “I don’t hate you, don’t be silly. You can be childish, annoying, bratty, and rude but I don’t hate you. I think you’re smart, way smarter than you pretend to be. I always had a soft spot for Yuna, I think Yuna isn’t all too different to Yeonhee.”

“You’re seriously offering your boyfriend’s ex-hookup a job. A job where it’s only going to be me and you?” She asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, I am.”

Yeonhee’s awestruck look turned into a little smile, Heiran didn’t even deny the boyfriend comment, which, spending the last few months around her and Mark, was very unlike her. “Fine. But I’m not wearing a ing pencil skirt.”

“What about blazers?” Heiran asked. 

“Only when I’m meeting clients.”

“Deal. Welcome aboard.” Heiran said while holding her hand out. Yeonhee shook it, letting go when Heiran stood and walked back to her closet. 

Yeonhee’s smile grew as she looked around at the now empty room, “You’re really leaving this place, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s too big for just the two of us and now that I have my own startup I can’t really afford it anymore. And I think I need a fresh start, there’s just too much hanging onto this place.”

-----

6 months into his sentence, Heiran showed up on visitation day instead of Jinyoung. 

It took the entire 6 months for her to build up the courage and when she saw Mark walk into the room, she was glad she hadn’t waited for a second longer. The surprise was evident when he spotted her, his eyes growing wide and his jaw tightening. 

Once his cuffs were undone, he sat down across from her, studying her face. She took the time to do the same, fighting off the pain in her chest when she noticed how his face looked thinner and she swore he walked in with a limp. But seeing him after so long felt like a rush. His hair had grown out a little and the rest of his demeanour just seemed more fatigued and tensed. 

“What are you doing here?”

His voice stayed the same though. 

Rough, warm, strong. 

“Visiting you.” She said softly. “How are you holding up?”

The ice covering his eyes started to thaw, “I’m fine, duchess.”

“You’re in jail.” She deadpanned. 

His lips twitched and it was like something hard cracked to reveal a softer inside, “I’m fine for someone who’s in jail. Turns out being in a gang gets you street-cred, people don't really try to pick fights with me.”

She nodded but her eyes seemed distracted like she was holding something back. She just pressed her lips together before shaking her head in despair.

“I hate you.” She whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me what you were going to do?”

He paused, blinking at her in surprise before speaking, “I’m sure Jaebum told you why.”

“I want to hear it from you. From the man who said he loves me.” Her voice cracked, the only indication that she was near tears. 

He scanned her face and reached out, lacing his fingers with hers. She shivered at the sensation, after being deprived of his touch for long, it was so nice to finally feel him, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to see your face when I told you.” 

She gulped and dropped her gaze, squeezing his hands. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, “You look good, baobei."

A sob escaped her and she shut her eyes willing her emotions to stop. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You didn't do anything wrong.” He whispered, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

She opened her eyes and forced the tension out of her shoulders, “Do you need anything?”

“Just wanna look at you, how do you manage to look even prettier?” He said with a smile that he put on just for her, “It’s been some time, huh?”

She nodded, “But everything you did paid off. This stupid, idiotic, selfless plan worked.”

“I’m glad.” He murmured. “I hear your business is doing well.”

Her eyes widened, “You know?”

“Jinyoung is good at finding creative ways to bring you up when he’s here.” He said teasingly. 

She smiled weakly, “It’s going well, we’re just starting and a few clients followed me out of my old company. BamBam helped us get off the ground, he was a godsend. Yeonhee’s doing well too, it’s a learning curve but I think she’s excited.”

“Did you hear they’re living together?” He asked in an attempt to distract her. 

She nodded with a half-smile, “I know, I think they’re dating but they don’t want to tell anyone.” 

“I was thinking the same thing.” He said. He sighed and squeezed her hands. Somewhere along the way, he had found the family he had been desperately searching for his entire life. Even if it was for a short while, Lucy and Heiran would always be a part of him, “I missed you.”

Her grin fell and she wished she could get closer, “I miss you too. So does Lucy.”

“How is she?” He asked curiously. 

“She's ready to beat you in a game of soccer, better watch out.” She teased. 

He smiled and almost looked relieved, “I’m glad things are going well for you, I’m serious.”

“Would be better if you were around.” She said quietly. 

He shook his head, “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Just focus on your life, your future. You’re doing the right thing with this new business and Lucy. Keep going, duchess. Don’t look back.”

After that day, she had gone to visit Mark every week. They’d fill the 45 minutes with stories, mainly from Heiran, he didn’t like talking about what his week was like. He just smiled with a sad look in his eyes when she’d tell him about Lucy and her new company. It was going well and they started to build a new sense of normal until the 4th time she went to visit him. 

She was immobile when Mark walked in with a black eye, his lip split and a bruise on his cheekbone. Her eyes never left his face when he sat down across from her but he refused to look at her. 

“What happened?” She breathed out. 

His brows furrowed, “A fight.”

“Does it hurt?” She asked shakingly. 

He shut his eyes for a second before lifting his head to stare at her, “Why do you keep coming to see me?”

“W-What? What do you mean? It’s because I want to see you and talk to you.” She was taken aback by the hard glare he gave her. She could feel her vision blur, she hadn’t realized how fast the tears were building. 

He just tensed his jaw, “Don’t you have a business to run? A daughter to raise? How do you have time to drive up here every week?”

“B-Because I want to. I make the time because I miss you and want to hear your voice.” Her own voice cracked and the tips of her fingers started to feel cold, she wasn’t used to this tone from him. “Seeing you makes me feel better.”

“Well, has it ever crossed your mind that seeing you makes me feel like ? And every time I walk in here it hurts watching you pretend like you weren’t just crying? Visitation days are miserable for me ever since you started coming.” He rasped out. 

She pressed her fingers against her eyes, “Why?”

“Because no matter what I tell you or how being here is what I deserve, I’d rather be with you. I’d be anywhere but here and when you come in here it just reminds me of what I’m missing out on and it’s the worst feeling in the world.” His voice was stiff that it felt like every bone in her body was breaking. 

“I’m sorry.” She said meekly. She wanted to beg him to not do this to her, to plead him not to take himself away from her because she wasn’t ready to let him go. But that would selfish.

He shook his head, “Just stop coming, I don’t want to see you, it’s too much. You shouldn’t even be here anyways, just go and live your life, stop staying stuck in the past by coming to see me. Don’t waste your time with me anymore. You’re starting fresh, clean, without GOT7 or your dad meddling in your life. Keep it that way. Please.”

She frowned, “Wait, are you telling me not to see you because it hurts you or because you think I’m better off severing ties with you?”

He just stared at her as if he was memorizing her face for the last time, “Don’t come back, baobei. Just do me this favour and move on.”

She opened to protest but he called to return to his cell and she could only watch as a guard led him away from her. 

Heiran came back to visitation 4 times after that and each time, she’d wait at the same table and each time a guard would come and awkwardly tell her that the prisoner didn’t want to see her. Still, she’d wait the entire 45 minutes before driving home. 

On the 5th time, Mark waited in his cell, laying on his back staring at the ceiling. The bruising had healed up without a single scar, but the guy who had started the fight with him was still nursing his wounds but Mark didn’t care. People knew they couldn't win a fight against him now. 

The problem was that he felt worthless sitting across from Heiran. A convicted felon who was getting into fights. That wasn’t the type of man he wanted to be for Heiran and it wasn’t the type of man she deserved. The pained look on her face when she had seen his bruises made him sick. And the thought that the other guy had it worse didn’t help ease the ache. He used to feel like maybe he could be good enough for her like maybe things would work out. 

But when the medic pressed cotton pads to his lip, he knew he had been living in a delusional fantasy.

It was better to just not see her at all.

Just because he turned himself in and put her father away, didn’t mean that he was suddenly a person deserving of Heiran’s love and attention. 

Maybe if he didn’t see her he could forget what she looked like, what she felt like, what she sounded like and what she made him feel. Maybe with time, he could feel nothing when he saw her and maybe she’d find someone else and forget him. 

The truth was they wouldn’t have ended up together if they weren’t forced into each other’s lives. They spent weeks trapped