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honeyhotteoks · 2 months ago

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across stardust - four (j.yh)

summary: you and yunho have worked together for years, idol and makeup artist, but until today you’ve never touched him skin to skin. when the world tilts on its head from just a brush of his cheek, you realize he’s so much more than a crush, he’s your soulmate. three | four | five | series masterlist 🔗read on ao3✨across stardust pinterest board

note: okay we're um.... getting into it now. hold onto your lightinys, and trust me.... part five isn't too far behind.

tags/warnings: idol!yunho, makeup artist!reader, fem!reader, soulmates au, soulmate identifying marks, soulmate tattoos, tattoed!reader, anxiety/nerves, mentions of insomnia/serious exhaustion/being overworked, no smut in this one but there's some definite fluff, some sexist language used towards reader, not by any of our boys

pairings: yunho x reader

genre: fantasy, romance, smut || soulmates au

word count: 11.2k

Be additionally cautious means that this time, instead of secret rendezvouses, you don’t see Yunho at all.

What no one really remembered that night in the studio is just how jammed the next few weeks if not months of their schedules were. The hidden truth about idol life is that even when you’re not in the middle of a comeback, schedules are just as tight and days are still a minimum of ten to twelve hours. If you’re not promoting one album, you’re recording or filming context for the next, planning the tour, writing music, filming variety content, and being active on social media. There’s a constant, required drip of content that requires a constant, required effort from every single member of the team.

It’s a job that burns people out regularly, especially at a company this size.

So you’ve seen Yunho at the office, but not much more than that, and since you don’t even do his makeup regularly there’s not an opportunity for even an hour of closeness even if it’s just in stolen glances.

You’ve been getting regular text updates though, and you and Yunho communicate on Kakao Talk like you're in a long distance relationship even when you’re feet away from each other.

They’ve met and worked out their own requirements for early renegotiation, but now comes the secret meetings with lawyers and planning their approach, which is hard to do between all of their schedules on top of a quick promotional week in Japan for three stages, two special appearances, and multiple fansigns for their last album.

The hours have been near comeback levels of workload, and while management has promised vacation time once it passes, that seems farther and farther away with every minute you’re not sleeping and every minute you’re not with him.

Today is more of the same.

Now back in Korea, you at least have access to your own bed, but today is an early morning shoot at four thirty so that the music video directors can have optimal light, so you still have barely slept. Yunho’s awake, you can feel that through the bond, but he and two other members haven’t arrived to set yet, a product of winning the ladder game and getting a little more time to themselves in the morning before call time.

After you finish Seonghwa’s base, he asks to take a quick break and you sink into the chair to get off your feet for a moment, yawning heavily.

That’s a cute sweater - Your phone vibrates with the message and you smile, eyes flicking up to the mirror to catch Yunho, Wooyoung, and San just coming in the far studio door.

Morning x - You reply.

You watch him in the reflection as he smiles softly at your message, typing out a response.

How’s it been so far? - He asks.

You sigh - Quiet, everyone’s exhausted after the trip.

You had all returned from Japan only yesterday, and though you’re not contending with jet lag, you’re all still balancing heavy schedules and the switch up between home and away.

This should help then - Is Yunho’s next message, and you’re not sure what he means until you hear him behind you.

“Morning,” Yunho says to the room, getting everyone’s attention but keeping his voice soft, “we’ve got coffees on the back table for everyone,”

There’s a collective groan of appreciation.

“Thank god,” Dahan says, “I’ll get ours,”

You jump up before you can stop yourself, “I got it,”

“Oh,” She takes a step back, smiling, “thanks girl,”

“For sure, Hwa’s on break anyways,”

Eunji and Dahan both return their focus to the members in front of them, but Iseul gives you a sly smile. You shoot her an eye roll and head towards the loosely formed circle around the back table.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” You hear Wonshik say as he grabs a cup.

“Ah,” San shrugs, “it’s too early to film, we couldn’t let everyone go without a little strength,”

Jongho slips through the side, a roller and clips still in his hair, to find the iced americanos, “Let me know what we owe you,”

Yunho waves him off, “You’re good,”

As you get a little closer, you finally meet his eyes and you trade a little smile. You keep it professional, as always, but the warmth in both your chests at just stepping a little closer to one another is undeniable.

“Thanks for this,” You tell all three of them.

San and Wooyoung both grin, but step away fast, leaving you almost alone at the table with Yunho.

“Here,” He picks up a cardboard carrier with four hot cups, “this one's for you and the team,”

“Oh,” You smile, “thank you, Yunho,”

“Mhm,” He taps the lid on one cup and nods, “this one’s yours,”

You glance to the side, but no one’s lingering around too close so you look back as you take the cups, eyebrows raised.

“Extra shot,” He murmurs, “and vanilla,”

You could kiss him.

“Anyways,” He leans back and puts some space between you, “I hope it’s still warm enough.”

“It’s perfect,” You hear Seonghwa’s voice behind you, you have to go back to work, “thank you,”

He nods, and you force yourself to turn around, to put your face back on and get back to work. At your station, you slip your coffee cup out of the carrier and leave it on your side table.

”Lattes,” You place one on each station behind the other makeup artists.

“Perfect,” Eunji turns from Hongjoong and snaps the cup up, “I’m so tired I could inject this,”

Everyone laughs softly and nods, and you yawn as you get back to your station, taking a long sip of your coffee.

“Mm,” Dahan says as she wipes her lip and nods towards you, “what’d you get?”

“Hmm?” You don’t really understand her question.

She nods towards your coffee, and you lift the cup to glance at the side.

There’s a hastily drawn English initial there in sharpie, matching your name, and you laugh, “Oh, mine just has vanilla,”

You’re getting good at fighting through those waves of panic that people might be catching on, better at lying around every turn, so you keep yourself relaxed and shrug this off.

”I like vanilla,” Eunji comments.

Your eyes connect for a hair with Iseul.

Seonghwa interjects smoothly though, “I’ll tell Sannie for next time, we were just talking about coffee at that spot in Hyogo, he must have remembered,”

“That’s thoughtful,” Dahan nods, “you take care of us too well,”

“Ah,” Hongjoong adds, bringing the attention away from you, “please, it’s the least we can do when you’re always awake an hour before us.”

“I’ll never complain about coffee,” Iseul smiles and then shifts the conversation like a professional, “Eun, do you have any spare cotton buds? I’m smudging this mascara,”

“You’ve got to use the guards,” Eunji says, going off on one of her favorite tangents, shifting through her station for her beauty gadget of the moment, and you let Iseul take the reins on that so you can fade right out of their thoughts.

Seonghwa gives you a quick smile when you turn to him, and you quietly rotate the lid on your coffee so that the initial faces away from them and towards your body.

“So,” You focus again, smiling at Seonghwa, “how much glitter today? A subtle wash, or a truly tragic amount?”

He laughs, relaxing into your chair again, “Somewhere in the middle, but I really want these contacts to pop in the closeups,”

“Got it,” You find your favorite palette for him, setting your coffee to the side, your thumb unconsciously brushing over Yunho’s handwriting as you do.

The morning gets a little easier after that. The surprise caffeine has put everyone in good spirits, and filming days, while stressfully tight and complicated, are still some of the more fun days you get to have at this job. The pressure is a little lighter without a live performance, and there’s always room for the members to relax and joke around a bit which tends to spread infectiously towards the staff.

You watch them work with quiet affection, thinking of how quickly they fell into step with you and Yunho the moment they realized what you were to each other. That night in the studio has brought you closer to them in many ways, even if subtle and unspoken, and Yunho looks like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders now that his brothers know.

He feels happier, despite the stress and long hours, and you’ve relaxed considerably with him as such a pillar of strength.

Early into the afternoon it’s time for solo and unit shoots, and you find yourself in a largely unoccupied area of the set with Wooyong as you finish cleaning off his first coat of makeup. As you prep your tools, he gently nudges your leg with the tip of his boot.

“You good?” He asks softly, with a friendly expression.

“I’m good,” You answer automatically, plastering back on your smile.

“You don’t look good,” He says plainly.

You glance around the room, but it’s still empty, “Uh, thanks?”

“You look exhausted,” He clarifies.

“We’re all exhausted, it’s no big deal,”

He cocks his head slightly to the slide as you mix a fresh batch of his foundation shade together on the stainless steel pallet in your hands, “Are you sleeping?”

You shrug, “When I can,”

”Because he’s not sleeping,” Wooyoung points out, “which is weird, he used to be able to nap anywhere,”

Your mouth snaps shut, lips pressed together. Wooyoung has always been painfully observant, but this goes the extra step.

“Yeah,” Is all you can muster up.

“Damn,” He murmurs, “can you not sleep if the other person is awake?”

Your eyes scan the room again, “Uh,” you shrug again, “kind of? I mean, you can, definitely, but I don’t know… things are weird right now, and new.”

He nods, tilting his face up so you can start his foundation again, “The physical separation affects you?”

He’s not going to let it go, so you sigh, “I think so,”

“Hmm,” He chews the inside of his lip for a moment as he considers that, “that makes sense,”

“Does it?”

“Sure,” He says like it’s only natural, “I mean, you’re literally connected. It would make sense that it gets stronger or feels better when you’re together and it’s the opposite when you’re apart.”

You’ve read articles that propose that same idea, but so much of the scientific research into soulmates and bonds just isn’t there. Especially not on something like separating soulmates or testing physical proximity, not when the pull towards each other is so strong, it’s practically obvious you’re not supposed to be apart and a study like that would be unnecessarily cruel.

You’re quiet for a moment, thinking that through, but then Wooyoung asks a question softly, “Does it hurt?”

You blink, “Does what hurt?”

“Not being with him?”

As if on cue, your chest aches, and you nod, “Yeah,”

“Like pain?” Wooyoung’s brows draw together.

“Not… pain exactly,” You try to explain, “it’s just this… weight, maybe? Or ache?”

”I’m sorry,” He murmurs, “that sounds hard,”

You feel Yunho deep in the bond, a tiny tug on the cord that connects you, a wordless question.

You smile at the sensation and Wooyoung looks more confused. You shake your head, “Sorry,” you laugh softly, “he’s checking on me,”

Wooyoung’s mouth drops open, “That’s amazing,”

You nod, before brushing your fingers over your mark, sending a wave of reassurance back to him.

Wooyoung’s eyes flick down to watch the motion and back up, “And you’re…”

“Telling him I’m fine,” You feel your face warm up a bit.

“Wow,” He murmurs, a grin spreading on his face, “I can’t wait to know what that feels like,”

You smile, returning your attention to the makeup palette in your hands.

“y/n,” He says, “I really think it’s going to work out, I think people will be so happy for you both.”

For a moment his earnestness makes you believe him, and you thank him softly before you focus on his makeup, you don’t tell him about all the things you’ve seen online that tell you otherwise.

In the weeks that have gone by, you haven’t been able to stop yourself from researching.

In your deep dives you’ve found very little to comfort you.

Two idols have found their soulmates, but their relationships were announced quietly years into retirement from public life, and even then the articles were full of negative comments.

Plenty of idols have gone through dating scandals, and that always seems to end one of two ways. Either the company says nothing and the rumor fades into nothing, or the evidence is too damning and the destructive cycle of public outcry and idol disgrace continues until companies and contracts break down.

Yunho has popped up in a couple of unfounded dating rumors, but even those comments made you ill. The way they turned on him, and the way they speculated about his non-existent mystery partner certainly contributed to your sleepless nights.

Wooyoung’s confidence is almost sweetly naive for someone in the industry.

You finish his makeup and make it through several more hours of standing around on set ready to hop in and touch up your members between takes. You hold on to the feeling of Yunho’s adrenaline while he practices and performs for the camera to keep you going.

Hours later, the shoot has started to dwindle down to the people left who still have filming to go or members on set but both Wooyoung and Seonghwa wrapped and went home by the time you make it back to the set’s break tent.

It’s quiet here, just a collection of plastic tables with snacks and water bottles, some seats, and organized chaos of everyone’s belongings. You could fall asleep right here.

You’re nearly drifting, your body exhausted after a day of standing, and you sink into one of the break tent’s folding chairs, eyelids heavy. It’s empty for now, a good number of staff already gone for the day, but Yunho’s solo shoot is last and all you want is to see him one more time before you drag yourself home.

Your head lolls to the side and you don’t know if you really sleep or not, but the next thing you register is a gentle hand on your hair.

Sucking in a sharp breath, you blink your tired eyes open, “Mm,”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Yunho murmurs softly, “time to wake up,”

“Y-Yun?” You blink again, yawning as you shift out of the awkward position.

“What are you still doing here?” He murmurs.

“I guess I fell asleep,” You sweep a hand under your eyes, “is the shoot over?”

He nods, “It’s already nine,”

You look to your watch, surprised to see he’s right, “God,”

He lovingly strokes your hair again, “Let’s get you home,”

You sigh into his touch for a brief moment and then he steps back and you push yourself to standing. He takes one fast glance towards the tent opening before dipping down and kissing you once, just a quick indulgence of his lips on yours before he takes a few large steps back to leave a healthy gap between your bodies.

“How was your day?” He smiles, starting to gather his belongings.

“Good,” Your skin is still buzzing from the kiss, but you shake it off and look for your own bag, “long,”

“Mm,” He nods, “same,”

“How was the shoot?” You start to say, but voices outside catch both of your attention.

You didn’t realize many people were still here.

You quickly pull on your coat and snap up your bag.

Wonshik, one of their managers, steps into the tent, all of his focus on the phone in his hands, “You ready?”

“Yep,” Yunho nods, and you notice the other voices of your coworkers are hovered by the door as they talk animatedly about something you can't quite catch.

Wonshik responds but you miss his words, your mind still foggy with sleep.

“Hyung,” Yunho says, “can we give y/n a ride, it’s late,”

Wonshik looks up from his phone and finally notices you in the room, “Oh,” he nods, “sure, hey y/n,”

”Hey,” You normally would protest, but you’re dead on your feet, “you sure you don’t mind?”

”All good,”

The tent flap opens again and San, Eunji, Iseul, and a few BB Trippin dancers start to step in, still mid conversation.

Wonshik catches your attention though “Where do you live?”

“Seongsu,” Yunho says it before you can open your mouth and a strike of alarm twists in your chest before he smoothly recovers, “you were just saying how close you are to the studio,”

”Yeah,” You nod, catching on to his misdirection, “super close, I usually walk,”

Wonshik nods, “No problem, do you have everything? Another early one tomorrow,”

“Sure, I’m ready when you are,” You nod to them both.

Wonshik turns, reaching into his pocket for his keys, and heads for the entrance again. You and Yunho exchange a quick look, and he nods for you to go first.

“Good night,” You say to everyone as you pass by.

They give you a good night, and as you pass each other, you feel Yunho’s tall presence behind you. He says something to San, and gives one of the BB dancers a fist bump for something that happened on set, but then for the first time in weeks he moves without thinking.

“See you in the morning,” Yunho says, and then turns to follow you, his hand settling on your mid back to guide you forwards out of the tent.

It takes you both a second to realize what you’ve done, the weight of his hand feeling familiar and right against your back, but you hear San say something loudly enough he could only be making a distraction and your gut twists.

Yunho drops his hand, shoving it in his coat pocket.

You feel the rapid pick up of his heart, the apology that he wants to give you but can’t in front of other people. You want to tell him it’s fine, no one saw, and even if they did it was the most mild, brief touch imaginable, but you bite your tongue and climb into the waiting car.

Wonshik drives you home, and despite the closeness of your bodies in the backseat of the car, Yunho keeps his eyes on the window and an ocean between you.

Two more days of shoots like that have you propped up on coffee and sheer force of will alone.

You keep almost falling asleep everywhere, and you’re sure that to any of your coworkers who don’t know about Yunho and your sudden soulmate insomnia, you look terrible.

“You’ve got to figure out this sleep thing,” Iseul says, nudging your shoulder as she collapses next to you on the couch in your offices at the KQ main building. It’s getting late, finally time to go home, but you just need a second to yourself before trying to muster up the strength to catch the train or risk falling asleep in another Uber.

You sigh, “I know.”

“Is Yunho still avoiding you?” She asks.

“He’s not avoiding me,” You huff a tired laugh into your sweatshirt sleeves, “he literally can’t when we’re literal soulmates.”

He’s been a little distant since the other night, but it’s to be expected. You don’t need him to explain, you can feel it. He’s been looping through the line of mistakes from that night; the kiss, knowing your address, the back touch, all brought on by your joint exhaustion and the constant magnetic energy of the bond that tugs inside you, willing you to touch, to be close.

“y/n,”

“Sorry,” You sigh, “I’m tired, but no he’s not. He’s just keeping some distance after the other night, he slipped up and he’s beating himself up over it,”

“It’s a platonic enough touch,” She says, and you’ve heard this argument from her before, “and no one saw,”

“Mm,” You nod, “this is just how he deals.”

“By shutting you out?”

“By hyperfocusing on work,” You correct, “we’re texting, it’s fine, Iseul,”

“Fine,” She says with a sigh, “I just want my best friend back to healthy and happy,”

You give her a close lipped smile, “Soon,”

The door opens and you look up as Eunji, Dahan, and Eunwoo from the hair styling team come in, Hongjoong rounding the corner behind them. Hongjoong and Eunwoo are mid conversation, and the other members of your makeup team are carrying an arm full of vending machine snacks.

“How bad do you think I’ll break out after only living on Turtle Chips and caffeine this week?” Dahan groans and you smile.

“I’m telling you,” Eunji shakes the clear box in her hands, “the vending machine salads are surprisingly good,”

“How? It’s a literal vending machine,” Dahan’s nose crinkles.

They keep bickering, almost ignoring you and Iseul completely, but then you hear your name out of Hongjoong’s mouth and it catches everyone’s attention.

“y/n,” Hongjoong says as he steps towards your group and makes eye contact with you, “I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about, do you have a few minutes while I’m already down here? Seonghwa wanted me to pass a bit of feedback back to you,”

Your eyebrows raise, “Um, sure,”

Your teammates glance at each other in a bit of confusion, it’s rare for the boys to give you feedback like this, if at all after working with each other for so long, but they let it lie and don’t interject.

He waits for you, and then nods towards the hall.

“Right,” You pull yourself up and brush your hands over your wrinkled trousers, “no problem,”

“Text me later,” Iseul says as she stays with Dahan and Eunji, and as you step away you feel their curious glances at you, leaving a strange pit in your exhausted stomach.

Hongjoong steps into the hall and walks down towards the lobby on this floor, an empty space between elevators with no office doors or onlookers to overhear.

Once you’re alone with him, you cross your arms over your chest, “Hwa needed you to give me feedback? What did I do?” You smile, keeping it light.

He waits until he’s sure everyone’s out of earshot, and then he looks back at you, “Nothing, I just needed an excuse to talk to you for a second,”

“Oh,” You relax.

“My office,” He starts, “my recording booth, you know where it is?”

You nod, “Sure,”

“When the red light is on, no one ever bothers me, not even a knock,” He tells you.

“Okay,” The word stretches on your lips, confusion on your face to be sure.

He sighs, “Sometimes when comebacks get tight like this, members will use my studio to get a quick hour of sleep,”

“Ah,” You nod, “okay,”

“People will start heading home soon,” He points out, “but we’re all working late and have practice,”

“I know,” You nod, “Yunho said it would be another late one,”

“He’s in my studio,” Hongjoong continues, “and you both look exhausted. Wooyoung said you’re not sleeping either,”

You shake your head a bit, “I’m fine, you all have enough to worry about,”

He smiles softly, “I worry about my members,”

Your shoulders drop, “You’re worried I’m affecting Yunho’s work,”

“No,” He waves a hand to dispel that thought, “that’s not it, y/n. I know we haven’t spoken since that night at the studio, so I can understand why you’d think that, but no. I admit, I also wanted to apologize to you for how I reacted, the things I said.”

“Thank you,” You manage.

“I did some reading,” He admits, “I was… wrong, what I thought the connection was for you both, I didn’t understand and after what Yunho said that night, I did research.”

“Oh,”

“What I’m trying to say is,” He glances quickly to make sure you’re still not being overheard, his voice maintaining his low tone, “If I’m worried about Yunho, that means I’m worried about you too. You’re feeling these schedules just like he is, and your exhaustion is feeding off each other. I’m worried about you both, and I can only imagine how much worse the stress is making things,”

If you weren’t so tired, down to your marrow, his words might not make you so emotional but you take a sharp breath and nod, feeling a pinprick of tears behind your eyes.

“So,” He says with a small smile, “Yunho’s in my office trying to get a couple hours of rest, and I think you should join him. Get some sleep, we’ll text him if something comes up and we’ll cover for you both. Just be careful going in and out, but at this hour things should be pretty quiet.”

“Hongjoong,” You say his name in a breath, “I don’t know what to say,”

“You’re good,” He waves that off too, almost uncomfortable with the sudden emotion you’re trying to keep tamped down.

“Thank you,” You smile, “really,”

He nods and steps away, “Alright, I have to get to a schedule,”

He doesn’t, and he knows you know that, but you let him off the emotional hook with ease and make your way to the stairs.

Hongjoong’s office is close, which means Yunho is too and your chest starts to warm with anticipation.

Quietly, you make your way down the recording studio hallway and it’s blissfully, absolutely silent. Ahead is Hongjoong’s door, a red light above acting like a do not disturb sign, and with one more fast second glance up and down the empty hall, you turn the handle and step over the threshold in one smooth move.

The room is dark, but you hear the shift of a body on the couch before Yunho says, “Did you need me afterall?”

“Hey,” You whisper.

Yunho rolls over, and in the dim light you see him sit up, “Baby?”

“It’s just me,” You confirm, flicking the lock on the door just for good measure before walking over to the couch, “Hongjoong said you were up here.”

“Is everything alright, you okay?” He rubs a hand over his tired face before reaching out to you.

“I’m fine,” You assure him, stepping into his gentle hold, “but scoot over, let me in here,”

He shifts on the couch so you can slide next to him, but you can see the confusion on his face.

“Joong said they’d cover for us to get a quick nap,” You tell him softly, “can I lie down with you?”

He sighs, a smile stretching over his face, “Of course,”

You both shuffle onto the couch, and it’s too narrow for his big body and yours, but you wind your legs together and make little adjustments until you’re comfortable, Yunho’s arm banding protectively around your back to keep you from rolling backwards.

“Come here,” He murmurs as you adjust your head, cheek nestled into his bicep, “is that alright?”

“Mhm,” You sigh, feeling the tension of the day and of the past week unspool inside you, “missed you,”

“I missed you too,” he presses his lips to the top of your head and lets out a long, relieved breath, “so much,”

You nod, but your eyes have already started to grow heavy. The safety of his arms, the warmth of his body on yours. Faintly you can catch threads of his scent, clean skin and something earthy, soft cedar and juniper.

You nestle into his chest a little more, taking a deep breath and letting yourself relax, “Love you,”

He hums softly, but you feel him relaxing right alongside you, “Love you,”

You don’t even remember falling asleep. No sooner do you hear his soft reply, an alarm is sounding above your heads and you start out of sleep, Yunho gasping sharply and pulling you closer as he bursts back into consciousness alongside you.

“Mm,” You burrow into his chest, “that’s too loud,”

He searches above his head for his phone, the alarm still blaring.

“Yunho,” You groan.

“I got it,” He says, clicking the snooze button, “sorry, sorry,”

You sigh, “I think everyone in this building heard that,”

He snorts a laugh softly and sighs, “I can’t sleep through it,”

“That’s for sure,”

He wraps you back up in his arms and tucks his head against yours.

“Did we sleep?” You murmur.

“Mhm,” He says, his voice rough with sleep, “almost three hours,”

“I feel like I died,” You yawn, “oh my god,”

He stretches his legs out, joints cracking as he adjusts. Neither one of you moved an inch during sleep, and you’re both feeling all the stiffness that comes with that now that you start to come out of it.

“Did anyone message you? Are we good?” You prod Yunho gently.

“Um,” He finds his phone again, wincing when the bright light hits his eyes, “fuck, um, no, we’re good,”

“Good,” You sigh.

”I want to ditch practice and take you back to your place and just sleep for a hundred years,” He groans, winding his arms around you and rolling you artlessly on top of his chest so that he can stretch his long back and still keep you on the couch, “how much trouble do you think I’d be in?”

You smile, pressing a kiss to his chest, “A lot,”

“Yeah,” He yawns, “probably,”

You hum softly, relaxing into him, “Do we have any time, or do you need to go?”

He winces, “Five minutes, maybe?”

You can’t hide your disappointment at that.

“I know,” He strokes your back, “I’m sorry, I wish schedules were less…”

“It’s okay,” You soothe him with another kiss, “it is what it is,”

His lips press closed, and he nods, “Yeah,”

“Only a few more days,” You sigh.

A few more days of schedules like this, of early mornings and late nights and commitment after commitment stacked on top of each other.

He nods, but then he says, “We’re going to start negotiations next week,”

“You are?” Your head pops up and you meet his gaze.

“We have a day off after these schedules,” He says quietly, a tentative smile on his lips, “after we sure things up with the attorney, and then we just have to request the meeting.”

“That’s fast,” You admit.

“None of us want to waste any time,” Yunho admits, “between us and the potential our contracts could be better for all of us? I think we’re all ready,”

“When do you think,” You let your words trail off, but he picks up on your point with ease.

“A couple of weeks, I think we’ll know,” He smiles, “just a little longer,”

You smile, pushing up from your position to capture his lips in a kiss.

Yunho pulls you closer, shifting you higher on his chest as he hums pleasantly against your mouth, kissing you gently, tenderly, like all good sleepy, intimate kisses should be.

Yunho’s phone lights up with a second alarm and you jolt, breaking the kiss and sighing.

He silences the phone much more quickly this time, “I’m sorry,” he gives you a squeeze, “I really have to go,”

“It’s okay,” You slide off him, taking quick stock of your clothes and how mussed your hair is as he gets to his feet.

His phone dings with a notification and he checks it, before quickly tapping out a reply.

“All good?” You check.

“Mhm,” Yunho yawns and tucks his phone away, “Joong says the hallways are pretty quiet.”

“Should I go first, or you?” You ask, reaching out to smooth the collar of his shirt.

“I’ll go,” He leans in and presses a fast kiss to your forehead, “let me double check the coast is clear,”

“Okay,” You nod.

He takes a deep breath and shakes out the nap, “Only a couple more weeks,” he repeats, as much for himself as it is for you, “I love you,”

“I love you too,” You kiss him quickly, just a peck before he gets on with the rest of his work day.

“Let me know when you get home safely, okay?” He kisses your again, his warm hands cupping you close, “Try to get some more sleep,”

You nod, but you both know you won’t be sleeping until he’s in bed too, “Text me when you’re home later,”

“I will,” He says, “but try to sleep, okay? You need your rest too,”

“I promise I’ll try,”

His phone dings again, and he exhales sharply with a little exasperation, checking his phone again, “Alright, I have to go, I love you. Be safe.”

“Love you too,”

He kisses you fast, and then his hands are off you and he’s out the door.

You sink back down onto Hongjoong’s couch and collect yourself, pushing through all the post-nap brain fog now that you have a second. You wait until he messages you it’s safe to leave, and then quietly you turn off Hongjoong’s recording light and slip out unseen into the hall.

Downstairs you gather your things and get yourself back together so you can go home, darting quickly towards the exit when you hear that you aren’t completely alone in the building. Far off voices down one of the halls by your workspace, the sound of someone else in the lower break room, you don’t wait to see who could be working late.

Walking to the train you take a deep breath of cold air.

Only a few more weeks.

You can do a few more weeks.

───────────────────────── ✧₊⁺───────────────────────

Not everyone would agree with you, but you love night schedules. As one of the staff members who has to be there before the members, you love any schedule that means you get to wake up at a normal time and not the three or four in the morning call times for morning shoots.

A night shoot means you get the morning off.

Last night after days and days, you finally slept, sinking into sleep alongside Yunho, even though he was across town at his own apartment. It was the best night you’ve spent without him by your side since that first night after the European tour.

You woke up without an alarm, natural light and feeling fully sated. Today was going to be a good, good day.

You get to the office with a brightness in your body. An afternoon coffee in hand, a cute outfit, and you took the extra time to put a soft curl in your hair just to see Yunho’s eyes light up when he sees you later today.

He had texted you good morning and that he loved you.

You had joked about ordering the same thing for dinner later and eating over FaceTime for a virtual date.

Tomorrow was their meeting with the contract lawyer.

Everything was going right.

You’re almost there.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary until it does.

At the office, you scan your keycard to enter just like always, but you only make it halfway across the lobby before you’re intercepted by two of the largest men you’ve ever seen, dressed in simple black suits with armbands identifying them as security.

“Miss y/n?” One of them stops you with an outstretched hand, blocking your access to any more of the lobby.

“Yes?” Your heart speeds up.

“Come with us, please.” The other says plainly.

Your fingers tighten on your bag, “What’s this about?”

“Come with us, please,” He reiterates, and you can tell the please is a polite formality.

”Can you tell me what this,” You start to say, but you barely get a full sentence out before you’re cut off again.

“Miss,” The first one says, “let’s not discuss this in the hall. Follow us.”

They start walking, one in front of you and one behind, and you can sense people in the foyer starting to notice an employee being escorted by security, stopping to stare, but you keep your eyes ahead and try not to look as terrified as you feel.

It could be nothing.

It could be a keycard replacement or a problem with a clearance for one of the filming locations, it could be anything.

They walk you swiftly towards the back elevators and take you up until you’re passing your normal floors and going higher, towards the offices with better views and higher salaries.

Your stomach clenches when you get off and follow them further back to a corner office.

“This way,” The one in front says as he opens the door to the office, and your eyes flick over the name on the door.

Han Minchul - Attorney

Everything in your body is telling you to turn around, to get out of this hall and back to the elevators, to never step foot in this man’s office, but it’s just not an option.

Stepping over the threshold, you come face to face with Han Minchul himself.

“Ah!” He says, “Miss y/n,”

You greet him, professionally and cordially, “Mr. Han,”

“I don’t suspect you know who I am,” He gestures towards the chairs in front of his large dark wood desk, “please, have a seat,”

Slowly you step forwards and take the seat. He’s perfectly average in every way with the exception of his nice office and even nicer suit. You clock the watch on his wrist and the decorative table in the corner with the crystal bottle of expensive scotch.

“Well,” He says with a slight smile, folding his hands over a red file folder on his desk, “I do wish we were meeting under better circumstances,”

Your stomach drops out, “What circumstances are those?”

His smile falls away and he taps the folder, “We have some serious and very credible information about you and one of our idols, Miss y/n.”

It feels in a split second like your chest is collapsing in on itself.

“Nothing to say?” He leans back from the desk and sits comfortably in his desk chair.

“What would you like me to say?” You manage.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” He sighs, “and there’s no point in lying. You and Jeong Yunho have been seeing each other secretly for some time, though we were only made aware of the nature of your relationship this week.”

“I see,” Your throat feels hoarse, your stomach rolling.

You feel a tug inside you, a press against the bond, but you stay focused on the conversation.

”It took us a few days of digging and corroborating information, but you are both less secretive than you think you are,” He adds, “we’ll be speaking with him later today, but for now, if you’ll turn over your keycard and identification badge,”

“You’re firing me,”

“Very good,” He says, and then he taps on the folder again.

Your ears are ringing, and you see his mouth moving but things feel like they’re falling apart all around you. Your heart is thundering in your chest and you feel another distinct touch of Yunho’s consciousness to yours.

Mr. Han clears his throat and looks at you with a withering stare.

“What did you say?”

He purses his lips at you like you’re an annoyance, and then nods to the two stocky security officers at the doorway, “I said, we can make this simple, or we can make this difficult,”

You swallow tightly, fear pooling in your gut.

“Simple includes signing these two documents,” He finally folds open the folder and reveals a stack of contracts that are tabbed on multiple pages for your initials and signature, “and then you will quietly leave the premises. You will be let go without recommendation, but you will receive a lump sum of six months salary, still subject to tax of course.”

“Y-you’re buying me off?” Your head feels like it’s spinning.

“You’re a smart girl, y/n,” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, “now do I need to explain what difficult means, or do we have an agreement?”

As if on cue, both of the security officers take a step from the door towards you. They linger behind your chair like menacing pillars, and you have no doubt they’ll drag you from these offices kicking and screaming if necessary.

“I,” You start, fumbling over your words, “I’m sorry, but there’s been a misunderstanding,”

“Oh?” For a split second you think he’s going to listen, but then he leans back in his chair as he shakes his head, “No, I don’t think there has,”

Nervous knots tighten so hard in your gut you feel sick, “No, please, you have to listen to me,”

“Does listening get you to sign these papers faster?”

”We’re soulmates,” You finally get the words out, “we would never have broken the rules if that weren’t the case, but I know you can understand that, that we’re supposed to be together, that it was out of our control,”

The man across from you barely blinks, “Well,” he shrugs, “I’ve heard that one before,”

“But our marks,” You insist, “if you just let us show you, you’ll see,”

“Let me stop you there,” He shakes his head and sits forward in his chair, “because I can tell you exactly how that happened,”

His words don’t make sense, “What?”

“You developed a little crush,” He gestures towards you with his meaty hand, “and your crush turned into an obsession,”

He doesn’t even need to say it, you know exactly what this story will be. You’ve feared it from the second you realized he was yours, and to see it laid out in front of you is a cold reminder that you were right from the start.

That doesn’t stop the ringing in your ears though, and the way your heart starts to beat faster and faster like a bird in a cage, pure panic lacing through your body. Something sharp pulls in your chest, and distantly through the bond you feel Yunho’s own fear, his own sudden panic.

Mr. Han continues, even as the blood drains from your cheeks, “No, I think you’ve broken your contract so severely you’re lucky I don’t contact the police.”

“But,”

“How did you do it? A peek down one of his costumes? Did you walk in on a wardrobe fitting to get a good look?” He sneers, “Or did you seduce him first and get your own tattoo later?”

“I-I didn’t,” You feel cornered, trapped, fear pulsing through you, “I wouldn’t do that,”

“You,” He levels you with a hard stare, his eyes flicking down to your exposed forearm, “wouldn’t get a tattoo?”

You tug the fabric of your sweater down over your skin, “That’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying I wouldn’t get a fake soulmark, I wouldn’t deceive someone like that,”

He has to believe you, he has to. But instead, he only shrugs, “I doubt it, but it doesn’t matter.”

“It,” You feel lightheaded, sick, dizzy at the way the floor has all but dropped out from under you, “it has to matter,”

“y/n,” He sighs, tapping the papers before him, “my job is to protect the company from liability, to protect our idols from things that would be catastrophic for their careers, and you, my dear, are catastrophic.”

Panic slices through you, hot tears pricking at your eyes, “But I love him,”

His nose crinkles slightly, disgust masked with mock pity, “I’m sure you do,”

His words, the way he looks at you, you feel small and silly. A foolish girl with a crush clinging to a fairytale, and your eyes land on the file folder of contracts, beneath them no doubt all the evidence he alluded to before, thick and likely full of a false version of your love story, crafted so that you look like nothing more than a rabid fan. You think suddenly of the girl in the airport who pushed you aside for her chance to touch Yunho’s skin, and you can see exactly the rumors they’ll spread about you if they have to.

Underneath the panic and the pulsing dizziness though, you feel Yunho. His own heartbeat seems to knock against your ribs, and distantly you know it, he’s coming for you.

“I’ll offer you one last time,” Mr. Han says, and your eyes flick up to his, “I urge you to be smart about this. Sign the papers, take the money. I’m sure you can find somewhere that will hire you to do hair anywhere, it just won’t be alongside any other idols you can dupe.”

This time all you feel is the popping sensation of rage, crackling through your body so quickly you can’t catch your tongue, “I’m a makeup artist.”

“Yes, well,”

“No,” You cut him off, leaning forwards and fisting your hands to keep them from shaking, “I’ve sat here and listened to you insult me, and insinuate that I am some kind of delusional, love-sick fan, and threaten me, I’ve worked here for five years.”

“Congratulations.” He says dryly.

“What is wrong with you?” You stand up, the chair pushing back behind you as it bumps into the security officers, “You haven’t even talked to Yunho, you dragged me in here like you’re a cop and I’m some sort of criminal, this is our lives!”

”No, this is a place of business,” He shakes his head.

You rub at your temples, a headache bubbling in your brain, “How?”

“How is this a place of business?” He smirks.

“No, how did,”

“I know what you’re asking,” He interrupts and taps the stack of papers on the table, “it seems your friend thought you were behaving inappropriately in the workplace,”

A wave of dizzy nausea passes through you and you grip the back of the chair for stability, “My friend?”

“Your friend, one of the other makeup artists,” He repeats, “she had quite a lot to tell us.”

“She,” You feel unmoored, “she told you?”

“Everything we needed to know.” He confirms.

“I,” You stumble over your words and then find the stability to straighten back up, “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Believe whatever you want,” He shrugs, “it won’t make a difference. It’s my job to ensure,”

“No liability,” You roll your eyes, anger bubbling hot inside you, “and a steady paycheck for you while KQ’s biggest group stays nice and profitable, and a soulmate for one of their idols would really cause a scandal, wouldn’t it?”

His jaw tightens, muscles tensing in his jaw before he recovers and nods again to security, “The difficult way then,”

One of the security guards steps smoothly to your side, his large hands closing over your upper arms tightly and he tugs you back.

The ringing in your ears gets louder, but you taste bitter adrenaline on your tongue and feel the bond inside you thrumming, you feel him closer.

The other security officer grabs your bag from the floor though, and it pulls your attention, “What are you doing?”

He ignores you, swiftly finding your phone and passing it over to Mr. Han who stays comfortably behind the desk.

“Let me go, give that back!” You jerk an arm, trying to push free, but it only makes the man holding you still grip harder, pressing angry bruises into your skin.

“Liability, remember?” He says as he flicks through your phone, “once this is cleaned up, you’ll be escorted out. Your access badge will no longer swipe into the building, and staff will be made aware that you are no longer welcome on the premises.”

“Fuck you,” You wriggle a little harder, only to get yanked back into the chest of the security officer.

“Very nice,” Mr. Han comments dryly, “very professional,”

You want to scoff, to tell them there’s nothing professional about anything that’s happened since you sat down in this room, but you hear fast footsteps in the hall, a distant shout.

The men in the room look up, towards the door, and you take the moment to your advantage. You twist sharply in the security officer’s arms and duck to the side, breaking his hold while he’s momentarily distracted and rushing to the opposite end of the room by the door.

He takes two steps towards you, but the door bursts open between you.

Yunho pushes over the threshold with a kind of reckless purpose, his eyes focused and searching, cheeks flushed from running and chest heaving, Mingi and Hongjoong hot on his heels.

He finds you in a second, and without a single thought to the room around him he rushes towards you, “You’re alright? You’re alright?”

His hands cup your cheeks, thumbs smoothing over your cheekbone, and you shake your head, “They want me to go,”

His brow furrows, and it takes him a moment to register your words. He felt fear and panic and dread so distinctly in your body that he didn’t know what he would find behind this office door. All he knew is that you were terrified and he was running, straight out of the recording studio with Hongjoong and Mingi stumbling behind him. But you’re here, alive and unharmed, and it takes a moment for the blood rushing in his ears to calm, to understand what you meant, but when he turns his head towards the room, he finally takes in everything in front of him.

The paperwork, your phone on the desk, the attorney, the guards, it all threads together.

You reach up and gently take his wrists, drawing his hands down from your cheeks so you can both face the room, and you thread your fingers tightly together with Yunho’s.

”What’s going on here?” Yunho asks.

“They know,” You explain, “I’ve been asked to leave,”

Mr Han sighs, finally standing, “I was trying to handle this situation professionally, I don’t know what you think calling them is going to change,”

“I didn’t call them,” You shake your head incredulously, “you have my phone, you can see that,”

He pauses, a brief flicker, but then shakes his head, “Regardless.” You watch him push together the contracts, gathering them to tuck them neatly away and your hand tightens on Yunho’s.

Hongjoong steps swiftly forwards, snatching the papers and bringing them back a few steps, “What are these?”

“Contracts,” He replies, and for the first time this whole meeting you can hear a little tension in his tone, “standard for employment termination.”

“Employment termination,” Yunho shakes his head, “that’s insane.”

“You can’t break the rules like this an expect there to be no ramifications,”

“Fire me then,” Yunho’s eyes narrow.

“Yunho, be serious,” Mr. Han says.

You feel a flash of Yunho’s anger in his chest, but then Hongjoong interrupts, his head shaking as he flips through the papers.

“These are unethical,” He glances up at you both before continuing to flick through, and Mingi leans over his shoulder to read more.

Yunho turns his head towards the two of them as Mingi reads aloud, “I, y/n, hereby acknowledge and agree to the terms of termination and the accompanying settlement as outlined above. Terms including, but not limited to, defrauding a member of the idol group ATEEZ, defrauding other KQ Entertainment employees in an attempt to establish co-conspirators, and intention to defame and devalue the aforementioned member’s career using these lies through public channels such as social media and the press. I understand and accept that by signing this letter, I am waiving all claims against KQ Entertainment, agreeing to the terms set forth in this agreement, and accepting the settlement outlined above.”

Read aloud, it’s even worse.

“This is a lie,” Hongjoong flips through the papers again, “all of it,”

“Defrauding me? Defaming me?” Yunho’s voice is low and steady, but you can see the look of betrayal on his face, you can feel the hurt, “You seriously wanted her to sign this? This bullshit?”

“Yunho,” You warn him gently.

”No,” He shakes his head and drops your hand, pulling the papers from Hongjoong, “this is ridiculous,”

“This is how it works,” Mr. Han replies, “this is is how we insulate you, and minimize liability,”

“Liability!” Yunho’s voice is sharp, “This is a mile from the truth,”

“It’s a smear campaign,” Mingi interrupts, calmly as he steps to Yunho’s side, “you get her to sign this and if the story about the two of them got out, you have it on record that she’s a liar and a manipulator.”

The attorney’s jaw tightens.

Hongjoong snatches back the papers and shuffles through them until he finds a subsection, “By means of seduction and false representation…. fabrication of a soulmark.”

Heat burns your cheeks even though the words aren’t true, and you swallow tightly to bury any threat of tears.

“What the fuck?” Yunho manages, pulling the papers closer.

“We don’t do this,” Hongjoong’s face is pinched in disgust, “we’re better than this. You make her sound like… you make her out to be some,”

“Gold digging whore?” You offer, a sick laugh in your throat at the absurdity of it all.

Yunho bristles, tossing the papers onto the desk and shaking his head, “She’s not signing this,” he says, “and she’s not fired, if you had just asked me instead of assuming I could have just told you that it’s true. We’re soulmarked, we found out while we were on tour. It wasn’t expected, but we’re happy. If you had just asked me, instead of treating her this way, we have nothing to hide.”

“But you’ve been hiding,” He counters.

“We were waiting for the right time,”

“And let me guess, that was her idea?” He nods towards you.

Yunho leans forwards, “Speak about her like that again and this conversation won’t be so professional.”

Hongjoong closes a hand around Yunho’s forearm in warning.

Mr. Han sighs and rubs his eyes, “Yunho,” his voice softens up and you brace yourself, “you need to think about your career, your livelihood. No one wants an unavailable idol, they want the fantasy.”

“We’re not objects,” Hongjoong bristles, “we’re not dolls for you to dress up as you please and play boyfriend,”

“Aren’t you?”

“Fuck you,” Mingi curses.

”Be serious,” He continues, “I know you like the girl, this is certainly not the first time someone’s broken a dating ban and it won’t be the last, but it always ends the same. I am telling you, no girl is worth your career.”

“She’s not some girl,” Yunho says sharply, taking a step back to you and finding your hand again, “she’s my soulmate, and I would have thought that would be different,”

The beat of silence stretches into two

”He doesn’t believe us,” You murmur, “he thinks I saw your tattoo and copied it, that I tricked you,”

“We’re bonded,” Yunho counters, “you can’t fake that,”

Mr. Han sighs again, “I’ve seen it more than once,”

You can’t help the flurry of rage that bubbles in your gut, and your hands fly to the buttons of your blouse. All eyes fly to you as your shirt starts to open, and Yunho reaches for your hands, “Stop, baby, stop, you don’t need to do this,”

You push his hands away, your shirt parting open, “You think I faked this?” You tug down the band of your bralette, “You think I’m lovesick and crazy, and would trick him like that? My tattoo is red, so is his, both of them used to be black. I have pictures of mine to prove that, and I’m sure your files have pictures of his.”

You let the band of your bralette slip back into place, covering the mark, “But that’s not what this is about at all, is it? It doesn’t matter if it’s true. All that matters is me disappearing, and the money flowing.”

His lips close into a tight line.

”Would you have convinced him it was a lie? After I was dragged out of this building by your goons, would you have told him all the stories of other idols who have been fooled?” You take a step towards the desk and press your nails into your palms to keep steady, “How many real bonds have you broken? And for what? A nice house? A nice suit? You’re disgusting,”

His jaw tenses again, “We’re done here,” he says, flicking a hand to security, “get her out of here.”

They step forward on command, but Yunho takes a swift step between you, putting his body between you and the room, “Don’t touch her.”

“It’s over,” Han Minchul says, exasperated, “she’s fired. You can be angry with me all you like, but the decision is final.”

“Then I quit,” Yunho drops the sentence like a bomb.

Mingi and Hongjoong snap up to look at him, and you press forwards to touch his back, “Yunho, don’t, don’t do that.”

“She’s right,” He nods, “you and this company have had a positive working relationship for years, don’t throw it away for a woman.”

“You son of a,” Yunho darts forwards, but Mingi is faster, locking his arms around his best friend and dragging him back.

You suck in a sharp breath of air and shake your head, tears threatening. It’s all coming down, just like you knew it would. When you look up, the attorney looks almost pleased. He holds your gaze as Mingi and Hongjoong get Yunho under control, a final challenge, and even though it kills you, you nod.

With your stomach in knots, you touch Yunho’s arm and bring him back to you, Mingi's hold breaking, “Yunho, it’s done, it’s over.”

“What?” He swivels to you, surprise across his face “y/n, we can’t,”

“Not us,” You assure him, pulling him closer, “never us, but this is over. Even if we could work it out, I wouldn’t want to stay where I’m clearly unwanted and we’re being watched.”

He studies your face, a tense crease in his brow, “But,”

”Let me go,” You squeeze his hand.

“This isn’t fair,” He breathes, cupping your cheek, “it wasn’t supposed to happen like this, we had a plan,”

“But we always knew it could,” You remind him softly.

Hongjoong steps close, keeping his voice low, “We’ll find a way to take care of this, but y/n is right. There’s nothing we can do here,”

“So you’ll go?” The lawyer pipes in, “Because as much as I appreciate this tender moment, I have a one o’clock,”

Yunho’s jaw sets hard.

”I’ll go,” You say from behind him, “just give me a moment,”

You go to move, but Hongjoong clears his throat softly, “Your blouse,”

Your cheeks flush, and you step back to Yunho who straightens up and tucks you closer to his chest while you hastily do up the buttons of your shirt.

You want to cry, to scream, to throw something and run away into the sunset with the man you know is yours, a truth so deep it’s in your marrow, but you can’t.

Yunho drops a kiss to your hair, checking to be sure your blouse is closed before he turns back to the room, “She goes, but she’s not signing those papers.”

“That deal is off the table,” The attorney says, “but our official position will be a downsizing of the department. You’ll be let go without severance, and without reference, but we will not interfere with your future job prospects negatively. Security will see you out of the building.”

Yunho doesn’t move, he keeps you tucked behind him and you can feel the tension rolling off him in waves even without the bond.

Hongjoong nods towards the desk, “Her phone?”

“Ah, yes,” He stretches out a hand with it towards you, but Yunho intercepts before passing it back.

One glance tells you all you need to know - Yunho’s contact is gone, your chat history is gone, and when you click on your photo library you see that every photo is missing.

You make a soft, involuntary sound, “Our photos,”

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that you are still bound by your original Non-Disclosure Agreement as an employee,” Mr Han says, “if anything is published online or otherwise about your relationship, you will be in breach of that contract and we will be forced to bring forward a suit. I trust you’re smart enough not to do that, but you’ll have to forgive me for taking additional precautions.”

“Liability,” You breathe.

“Exactly,” He nods.

Yunho spins back to you, kissing your forehead and gathering you close, “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

“I know,” You murmur, “I know,”

“I’ll fix this,” He presses, “it’s just a job, we’re still us.”

Mr. Han makes a non-committal sound, “In case you’re planning on maintaining whatever relationship and contact you have, Yunho, I will remind you that your employment contract still maintains a romantic entanglement clause.”

Your stomach drops out, and Yunho turns.

“You can consider this a formal warning,” He continues, “but if you break your contact again, you will be terminated, and that includes paying back a considerable amount of debt.”

“This is insane,” Mingi manages.

”This is business, standard business.”

Yunho finds your hand, pressing your palms together. Slowly, he exhales and looks up, “Understood.”

Your heart aches in your chest. You wonder if he can feel it too.

“Those contracts expire in a little over a year,” Yunho says, “I can tell you now that I will not be renegotiating.”

Your heart starts to pound.

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Mr Han says, “groups lose one or two members after rookie contracts all the time, that’s not a concern to the company, that’s a probability.”

“And if you lose eight?” Hongjoong says sharply, “Because I won’t renegotiate if this is the new climate at KQ, and I know the rest of the members will be right behind us.”

“Yep,” Mingi nods, “Count me out.”

Yunho’s stunned silent, so are you.

“You’ve treated us terribly,” Hongjoong says, “but what you’ve done to y/n might actually constitute harassment, and I intend to find out.”

“You’ll never,”

“We understand the terms of our contract well,” Hongjoong interrupts, “and you will not catch us breaking those terms, but let me know how the CEO feels about their debut group walking away with grievances after that contract expires. Do you think that will be good for business? I know exactly how much profit we generate for this company, and if you think all we’ve done for six years is sing and smile on command, you’d be sorely mistaken.”

Mr. Han takes that in, eyes flicking over the room, “This meeting is over.”

”Meeting,” Mingi scoffs.

”Miss y/n,” Mr. Han clears his throat and addresses you, “your final check will be mailed to you.”

You have nothing to say, so you nod.

“Security will escort you out,” He reiterates.

Both of the security officers step forwards, looking at Yunho squarely, almost a challenge to see if he’ll let you go.

Panic lances through you at the thought of not seeing him again.

Yunho turns, tugging you close. With his lips at your ear he murmurs something just for you, “I love you,” he promises, “I’ll come, I promise,”

Tears track down your cheeks and you nod, “I love you,”

“It’s you first,” He squeezes your hand, “I promise, y/n, I swear,”

Your breath hitches, “I know,”

“Yunho,” Mr. Han says firmly, “that’s enough.”

Taking a step back from Yunho, the tears come faster but you scrub them away quickly with the sleeve of your shirt. The security officers nod and you step closer to them.

One of them secures a hand to your elbow and Yunho takes a step forwards, “Take your hands off her,” he says

You pull your arm away from the unwelcome touch, “I know the way out,”

“Yunho,” Mr. Han interjects, “stay. We have things to discuss, everyone else can go.”

“Let me walk her out,” Yunho steps towards you.

“No,” Mr. Han grows serious and gestures to the chairs, “sit. I’m done entertaining this,”

Yunho’s name is trapped in your throat and you press your nails into your palms.

“Miss,” One of the security officers nods towards the door.

Yunho’s looks to you, his eyes glassy with unshed tears and his lips parted, there’s more to say but he can’t.

“I’ll walk her out, I got her,” Mingi interjects, locking eyes with his best friend.

Yunho nods, words still trapped in his throat.

“Mr. Song,” The attorney says, “don’t you have somewhere to be?”

Mingi clenches his jaw, muscle jumping and he shakes his head, “Just the lobby, what a coincidence,”

Mr. Han looks briefly irritated, but looks to security.

They don’t touch you, but they do guide you with their hands outstretched, and it’s clear this is fully over. You stumble out, eyes still glued to Yunho, but Mingi swiftly steps to your side and falls into step with you.

“y/n,” Yunho manages, a stricken look across his face.

“Do not make a scene,” You hear as you leave the room.

Yunho lays a hand across his chest, a firm press to his soulmark that echoes in your chest and hot tears rush to your eyes. Security pushes you down the hall with their unrelenting pace though, and you’re forced to face front.

Behind you, you hear the door shut but not before Hongjoong’s sharp voice gives you all the comfort in the world, “No, I think I’ll stay.” You’re deeply, deeply grateful Yunho won’t be in that meeting alone.

“Mingi,” You manage as you all file into the elevator.

”It’s going to be okay,” He assures you softly, “keep your head up. We’ve got him, you know we do.”

You nod, swiping away the emotion from your eyes.

“How did they know?” He asks quietly as the elevator descends.

”He said Iseul,” You can barely say it without the idea turning your stomach, “but she wouldn’t have done that.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes track the floors as you descend.

“I’m sure,”

There’s a ding as you hit the lobby, and you breathe through the anxiety of knowing your coworkers are about to watch you be escorted out of the KQ offices.

“Miss,” Security gestures forwards and you step out.

“You got this,” Mingi says softly.

The walk to the doors is a blur, surreal and strange. Five years of your life, gone in a second.

You barely remember the walk home.

Curled up on the couch you wait for something, anything. A phone call, a text, a single message from anyone but you get nothing.

He doesn’t call.

He doesn’t text.

He doesn’t come for you.

The bond is strangely quiet, and it feels like your world is shattering around you.

In the morning you call the one person you know will be there, sobs wracking your chest the moment the moment your sister picks up the phone. She doesn’t need to know a thing before she’s in the car and driving to Seoul.

You want to go back, you’d keep hiding if it meant you could have even a little of him, but this.

You can’t stay here, choked by the ghost of him everywhere you look.

For a little while, life really was beautiful.

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