Peace Offering

Luckily for both Seungdae and Jieun, that Sunday was free of early plans. Their love-making session extended almost until 4 am until their exhausted bodies melted into each other and fell asleep in their embrace. After some well-deserved hours of sleep, he woke up feeling the warmth emanating from Jieun's body. The thick curtains blocked any harsh sunlight from entering the room, creating the perfect space to separate themselves from the world outside those walls.

He remained there for a while, contemplating her bare face as he had done plenty of times before, but this time, that little part of his brain that always kept the possibility of her choosing Jongsuk over him was nowhere to be found.

A bit later, Jieun slowly woke up, rubbing her face on his skin and taking deep breaths to inhale his scent. He pretended to be asleep while she delicately moved over him to see his face. Her arms slowly moved around him until her small fingers reached for his face. Just like him, she contemplated his face. She outlined his features without touching him, at least until her index finger traced the lines his eyebrows made every time he worried. She sighed at the thought of how many times she had caused that over the years.

"You really want to relive Thailand, don't you?" He teased her with a raspy voice, forming a smile while she jumped over him, startled by the scare.

"How long have you been awake?" She panted, trying to control herself.

"No idea," he chuckled. "Not much." He pulled her towards him for a kiss to start their day.

They spent some time by themselves, not caring about anything else, until they got hungry. Jieun brought up her idea about Tzuyu. They agreed on what they would do, who they would ask for help, and when certain parts of the plan would take place. As much as they wanted to rush it, the pressing reality of everyone's packed schedules, except for Seungdae's, limited their options.

Similarly, they thought it was best to ask Jongsuk to go with them as soon as he could so they could give him some good news. Confused, he agreed and got to Jieun's apartment at night.

"We're not pregnant yet, are we?" He joked with a wide smile as soon as he got in. He welcomed the news by hugging them tightly and softly punching Seungdae's shoulder, telling him he could have waited another month just for him to be right.

Late at night, while the three of them were chatting on the same couch in the living room after having dinner. Jieun was lying over her new boyfriend, resting her feet on the actor's lap. Then, Seungdae's phone began ringing.

"You can answer, we'll stay quiet," Jongsuk laughed for a moment before seeing their smiles vanish. "What is it?"

"I'm not picking up," Seungdae sighed, muting it, but not rejecting it. His eyes remained on the phone screen.

"Mina?" The actor mouthed at Jieun, and she nodded, pursing her lips. "Didn't you say you understand why she did it?"

"I understand what pushed her. Doesn't mean I think it's okay. That doesn't mean I'm okay with being used to hurt someone else intentionally. Seriously, if you had seen Chaeyoung's face, you wouldn't want to talk with her either."

"You'll have to do that eventually," Jieun remarked, staring up at him and raising her arm to play with his hair. "Have Tzuyu or Jihyo said anything?"

"Not at all. Tzu spent her day with Dahyun. I have no idea what Jihyo's been up to."

"For the way you've talked about Jihyo, it's only a matter of time before she finds out. Especially with their comeback around the corner," Jongsuk stated, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows.

"I'll pick up before their comeback, alright? Today has been too good a day to ruin it with this."

"Promise me you'll answer her," Jieun tugged his hair softly, just enough for him to look at her. She had widened her eyes as she does when she wants to be intimidating. "A comeback by itself is stressful enough. They have a tour and a ton of other stuff to make this number of hers bigger than they can afford it to be."

Seungdae sighed, shaking his head while Jongsuk held his laugh. "Yes, my queen," he smirked, kissing her forehead.

"Does this mean she has even more power over you, now, oh, Great One?" The actor joked to lighten the mood, understanding his friend wanted to move on from the subject.

"Oh, he knows as well as you that my word is final," she replied in a cocky tone, pulling Seungdae for a kiss.

"I think the new queen is asking to be overthrown," Jongsuk leaned forward, taking her by the waist, breaking their kiss.

"You know I can with both kings!" Jieun teased him, wrapping her legs around him, resting her arms over her lifelong partner.

"Coup d'état?" Seungdae grinned, looking at his friend, holding their girlfriend by her wrists. They smirked.

"It's a coup," Jongsuk agreed, holding her jaw to kiss her.

Monday morning forced the throuple to depart before the sun was up. Both actors were booked, and Seungdae had to get back home to work as usual. He got there earlier than expected, giving him a chance to reply to Tzuyu's morning messages and ignore another call from Mina. 'Not ready yet,' he thought, imagining the hundreds of possibilities of how that could go.

The day went pretty much as expected, minus a new bug caused by the latest update his team had launched. After spending most of his day talking with his team to figure out the best way to fix it and start working on it, his working day was over, and he threw himself on his couch.

The phone rang. Mina. Muted. If not for the endless meetings at work, he felt he would have answered her then.

Before he could close his eyes again, he received yet another call. An unregistered number. He sighed.

"Chaeyoung?"

"Thank you for picking up," she replied.

"Mina's with you, right?"

"Yes…" Chaeyoung admitted

"Hi," Mina said shyly.

He sighed audibly. "What is it?"

"Why haven't you picked up her calls?"

He could hear Mina trying to stop her and give up after she asked. "I didn't feel like it. I thought of answering after work, but I'm mentally drained."

"Sorry," Mina whispered in a regretful tone.

"We'll make it quick then. Can you meet us this Wednesday?" Chaeyoung requested.

"I don't think seeing each other would be the best idea right now. I was thinking maybe talking with you, with Mina, on the phone."

"Come on! If you don't want us to meet for her, do it for me!"

He sighed again. "Chae…"

"Please! Please! Please!"

"You'll keep insisting until I agree, right?"

"You bet!"

"I'm not going to regret this, am I?"

"You won't!" Mina voiced in a hurried tone. "I promise."

"Wednesday, then?"

Reluctantly, Seungdae agreed to meet them at Mina's apartment an hour after their practice. Jieun was relieved they would meet before their comeback and asked him to go there with a clear mind. After all, 'if Chaeyoung seemed alright around Mina, things must be better between them already,' she told him.