❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

The hot water in the shower started to rush and Joshua rested his head on the dashboard, waiting for Dokyeom to finish showering, despite another bathroom being downstairs.

He was trying to waste time.

He didn't want to go to work, which was rare because he was someone who was so devoted to his work, it scared others away.

Yet here he was, trying to while away time so he could close from worker faster and go right back to indulging himself in the only person that mattered, his heart, Dokyeom.

While waiting, Joshua hummed a song, rocking his head back and forth until something caught his eye.

Peaking out the pocket of Dokyeom's dress shirt was an envelope. Joshua got out of his bed, his curiosity piqued by the rectangular, beige casing.

He walked towards the chair the shirt hung on and reached out his hand, grabbing the envelope. As he wanted to open it, the bathroom door opened and Dokyeom stepped out, rubbing his wet hair with a towel while another surrounded his waist.

Once Seokmin saw what was in Joshua's hand, he quickly rushed towards him, snatching the envelope out of his hands.

Joshua, surprised, instantly let go of the casing. What was inside the envelope? What was so important that Joshua couldn't see?

Didn't they know everything about each other at this point? Was the envelope perhaps for Park... or whoever Dokyeom's mystery contact was?

The speculations tugged at Joshua's heart, but he calmed himself down, not wanting to gaslight himself or coerce Dokyeom into revealing the truth.

If he needed more time to open up, Joshua would give him more time. He would always be there for Dokyeom, waiting with his arms wide open.

That was why they were in love, to protect and to cherish each other. Love wasn't always about proactiveness and passion, sometimes it was also about patience and allowing your partner to heal in their own time.

Seokmin's heart pounded so much, he wondered how Joshua couldn't hear it. His eyes flickered to the envelope in his hand, his breaths irregular as he stared at it.

Should he have just let Joshua read it? It was for him anyways, it had been for him from the start. He wanted to let Joshua know about everything, he really wanted to but he was afraid.

And fear was a lethal weapon, an emotion that ruled over all others, sustaining its victim in an endless cycle of constant overthinking which was often followed by pain.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have." Joshua apologized, his tone so sincere it almost made Seokmin burst into tears right then and there.

He could've said something, told Joshua he should have because it was for him, dispelled any contradictory thoughts he was bearing or could bear but he failed to say anything.

His mouth was screwed shut with the memories of his past and the foreshadowing of his future.

Joshua brushed past him, headed for the bathroom with the intention of forgetting what had just happened.

Unfortunately, the animosity clouded the house with its strong flames, choking them.

Joshua couldn't stop himself from ruminating on it.

What didn't he know about Dokyeom?

.............

"Don't go anywhere. Just stay by my side." Joshua ordered, his tone so demanding, Dokyeom didn't dare to move or defy him.

With unspoken words dangling in the air and lumps shoved down their throats, the pair walked into the hall where dozens of guests flooded, sitting and chatting.

Seokmin sighed, folding his arms. He would have to follow Joshua around again and help him with his boring investment plans.

"Joshua?" The sudden call flew through the air, Joshua and Seokmin's heads turning in sync to the owner of the pretty voice they'd both just listened to.

While Seokmin turned out of curiosity, Joshua turned with trepidation, the voice was too familiar, so intimate that it played with Joshua's heart, making it beat as he rotated.

There, standing in front of the two, just a few feet away was Yoon Jeonghan.

Joshua's ex-husband.

Still looking as ethereal as ever with his long hair which had now been dyed blond and slightly curled, his slender body that fit perfectly in his white tuxedo and his dainty eyes that retained their innocence and gentleness, a fake, manipulative one.

What was he doing here?

Joshua's chest tightened, the sight of Jeonghan after all those years reignited his complete detest for the man in front of him. The man who had hurt him, broken him down when all he wanted was someone who would build him back up.

The one who had tainted his definition of love, linking it to pain and abuse. Ignorance.

Seokmin recognised Jeonghan right when Joshua did, his eyes narrowing to capture Joshua's expression and as he did, he knew, Jeonghan was bad news.

Seokmin didn't know all the details of Jeonghan and Joshua's marriage, since the file didn't include it, but he did know that they had gotten divorced three years ago, after being married for almost two.

He thought it was just a mutual decision, a falling out of love.

But seeing Joshua's reaction was an eye-opener, it wasn't a mutual decision and Joshua had been hurt by Jeonghan.

"It's actually you Joshua!" Jeonghan came closer and Seokmin instinctively held Joshua's hand, pulling him right to his side.

Jeonghan's brows furrowed as he observed the two, his patience fleeting as he waited for a response from Joshua, a clarification, something, anything.

"What's this?" His eyes moved back and forth from their hands to their faces. The man beside Joshua was extremely familiar but Jeonghan just couldn't place his finger on where he'd seen the tan, muscular man before.

"A new bodyguard...? Or did you eventually find someone to replace me?" His words were laced with a malicious undertone as he spat them out with an innocent expression.

Seokmin rolled his eyes, irked by Joshua's deliberate actions. Joshua refused to say a word, his fingers intertwining with Dokyeom's in a tight hold, not wanting to let go.

Seeing Jeonghan again was the universe's way of tormenting him. Bringing his past to his present, showing Dokyeom that Joshua was a bad person to be engaged with. That he didn't need Joshua as much as Joshua needed him.

To show him that Joshua was too broken to be fixed.

"Are you not going to say anything? It's been 3 years Joshua." Jeonghan stretched his hand out to touch Joshua's shoulder but a sharp pain spread through his arm as Seokmin slapped it away with a strong force.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" Jeonghan looked back at Seokmin with a scowl, raising his hand to hit Seokmin who simply held his wrist with little to no effort, keeping Jeonghan's arm in one place.

"Let me go you asshole!" Jeonghan spat, using his other hand to hit Seokmin on the chest. Seokmin hissed, rolling his eyes as he pushed Jeonghan's arm down, releasing it from his hold.

Just as Jeonghan prepared to retaliate, Seokmin grabbed him by the collar, dragging him forward. Jeonghan yelped, his eyes opening in shock as Seokmin's gaze burned into him, frightening him.

"Kindly fuck off before I do very unkind things to you." He dragged Jeonghan closer then pushed him back, his force making Jeonghan stumble and fall on the floor, attracting attention from the guests.

"Dokyeom, let's find a table." Joshua's eyes glossed over the room, looking at everyone but Jeonghan. "And don't you ever dare to look at Joshua, speak to him or touch him. If you do, I'll fucking kill you." He warned before walking off, Joshua noticing the plain terror in Jeonghan's eyes before he turned around.

He glanced at Dokyeom whose eyes had darkened and whose jaw had tightened. For the first time, he looked different. Strangely dangerous.

His threat back there, didn't sound like a threat to Joshua. It sounded like a promise.

It sounded like something Joshua would have said to anyone who dared to hurt Dokyeom.

Not something Dokyeom would say.

And it made Joshua's skin heat up and his face redden slightly. Why was Dokyeom threatening his ex-husband's life such a sexy scene to watch?

Seokmin poked his tongue through his cheek, cooling himself off. For a moment, he had let Seokmin out of the cage he'd been trapped in the past few months but he didn't panic because it was a reasonable outburst.

How dare Jeonghan try to touch Joshua? Or even look at him or talk to him like they were anything more than acquaintances?

He didn't care that Jeonghan was so fragile and tiny, he would break him into a million pieces if he ever thought of hurting Joshua again.

Just like Seungcheol, Seokmin would eradicate Jeonghan with no hesitation if he tried to go beyond his limit.

Joshua was his everything and anyone who thought they could take his everything away from him would be sorry because he wouldn't hold back.

"Dokyeom, over there." Joshua's gentle voice pulled Seokmin out of his dark thoughts, a smile spreading across his face as his eyes landed on Joshua.

He looked at what Joshua was pointing at. A table with three men and two women.

"Who are they?" Seokmin asked, the powerful aura of the quintet reaching them even though they were quite far from their table.

"The Moretti siblings, Mon Coeur, people I need to befriend." Joshua informed Seokmin who sighed, ready to be dragged into Joshua's world of business, a world he hated and couldn't care less about.

However, it was a world Joshua cared about so automatically, it became his concern too.

"Then let's go befriend them." Seokmin forced the yawn back down his throat as he let go of Joshua's hand, folding his.

"Let's do this?" Joshua's lips fought back a smirk as he took out his sunglasses. Seokmin smiled, doing the same. The two wore their sunglasses regardless of the hall that had already been illuminated by a dark blue light.

As they looked at each other, confident smirks infected their faces and their expressions. A smug tone present as Seokmin replied.

"Let's do this."

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

𝐀/𝐍 - not the real seokmin coming out to say hi, lmao 🤣

Ⓒ︎𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 06/10/2024
𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 - N/A