<Rose Quartz HQ - Seokmin's Cabin>

"What is it?" Seungkwan paused after which he added, "Sir?"

Seokmin scoffed to himself. His previous behavior, which was influenced by those pills, had caused a lot of trouble, surely.

Seungkwan, Vernon, Jun and Minghao were sitting across the desk while Seokmin and Joshua were seated on the other side.

"I'll introduce first." Seokmin began, "He's Mr. Hong Joshua, a well known advocate. And hyung, he's Boo Seungkwan, Chwe Hansol or Vernon, Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao."

Everyone greeted each other.

"But what is happening?" Jun asked, "Si-"

"Please don't." Seokmin intervened, "Please, all of you, don't call me sir."

Minghao raised a brow, "What's wrong with you now?"

"Nothing. Everything is finally right with me." Seokmin looked down, "I know I've hurt you all a lot in the past few months. What scares me even more is the fact that I might not even remember all those incidents.

But, I'm genuinely very sorry for it. We all are a family-"

"Were." Vernon rectified, "We used a to be like a family, until Seungcheol hyung was arrested."

"And until he himself gave the statement that we were just his co-workers." Seungkwan added.

"And until you didn't set the boundaries between us." Minghao sighed, "That we're the investors with low shares and hence you're the boss."

"We really don't associate with the Choi's more than business, do we?" Jun averted his gaze with disappointment.

"The truth is much more different than all this." Seokmin muttered.

Seungkwan chuckled bitterly, "Both of you Choi brothers had asked- no warned us to stay out of your personal lives."

"After spending years with each other, filling each moment with promises, you were the ones who pushed us away." Minghao stated.

"It hurts." Jun muttered out, "It hurts to know that you guys never trusted us enough to share your problems."

"And now why do we have an advocate with us?" Vernon asked, "To probably split the business."

"Guys!" Joshua spoke up, politely, "Please, listen to us, once. I know that all those hurtful scars are of months, everything must have piled up since a long time.

But you need to know. Mr. Choi Seungcheol, still trusts you all and Seokmin's true self never looked down on you."

"Yeah?" Minghao raised a brow, "So were we dealing with a made-up Seokmin for the past months."

"Exactly." Joshua remarked.

"What?" Jun scrunched his brows, "Do you consider us stupid or something?"

"Not at all. I know it's a bit hard to digest-" And with that, Joshua explained everything to the other four, patiently.

"And about Seungcheol hyung, he claimed not to be associated with you to keep all of you away from this mess." Seokmin added, "He just couldn't keep away Hoshi hyung because he was way too stubborn."

"Exactly. He just didn't want your names to be associated with someone who is declared guilty in court." Joshua nodded, "No matter how innocent he actually is."

The four of them remained bewildered for a moment, everything was too much to digest.

"These are the laboratory reports of those pills and the other reports we had made with the help of Dr. Yoon and Dr. Lee." Joshua showed them all the documents.

All of them took their time to comprehend everything after which they kept all the documents on the desk and exhaled deep breathes.

"I know all of this won't excuse my behavior for all these months but at least I can say I never did anything willingly." Seokmin muttered, "Disrespecting you was never my intention. I'm genuinely very sorry."

"Mr. Choi himself recommended you to us by saying that he trusts you guys blindly." Joshua added.

Silence prevailed in the room. Although it was too much to take but Seokmin and Joshua waited patiently.

"So-" Jun spoke up, "What do we have to do?"

<Choi Mansion - Seungcheol's Room>

"Seungcheol!" Jeonghan barged into the older's room, closing the door shut and rushing towards his bed, "Everyone agreed! We're finally a team! And today, I even talked to Jun, Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino, clearing all the formalities and forming a squad."

"What? Seriously?" Seungcheol sat up straight.

"And you have a letter." Jeonghan handed him the piece of paper.

"What is it?" Seungcheol asked.

"I don't really know." Jeonghan nodded, "Seokmin handed this to me, saying that it was for you."

Seungcheol opened the letter as he began to read.

Seungcheol hyung!
Although we know your situation but we hope that you're doing well. It has been months since we have talked and now all we can hand you is this letter. We're sorry, really. During the times when you were protecting us while being in trouble yourself, we thought you've abandoned us. We couldn't stand by you when you needed us, hyung! We're really ashamed of ourselves. We're glad to know that you still trust us this much. Don't worry hyung, we're with you. We'll bring you out of that hell really soon!
-Jun, Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon.

Seungcheol read the letter silently, feeling a mix of emotions stirring within him. To know that his friends still cared for him, despite the months of silence, meant a lot.

He could feel the guilt and the shame they expressed through their words, and a part of him longed to reassure them that they had nothing to apologize for.

But more than anything, he felt a sense of hope. Hope that they were still on his side, despite everything that had happened.

"Seungcheol-" Jeonghan held his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Seungcheol looked up at Jeonghan, the letter still clutched in his hand. He was quiet for a moment, processing his thoughts. "Yeah," he finally said, his voice a bit hoarse. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just... they shouldn't apologize. They didn't do anything wrong."

"It's okay. If that helps them and you, let it be." Jeonghan assured as he took the letter, "I'll keep it safe."

Seungcheol ran a hand through his hair, a sigh escaping his lips. "I just... I wish I could see them. Just for a moment."

"Soon." Jeonghan stated, "Very soon."

It was when a knock was heard at the door. Jeonghan went to open the door when two men walked into the room. As expected, they had the pills in their hand.

But what they didn't know was the fact that the pills were now changed, according to Jeonghan's plan. And all Seungcheol was going to do, was just act.

They made Seungcheol intake the pills after which they tugged at the chain attached to the cuffs of his right hand, to make sure he was bound well.

Seungcheol played his role perfectly, feigning submission as the men handed him the pills. He swallowed them without protest, his expression blank.

"We heard your brother came to talk to you?" One of the men mocked, "And we also heard that you both had a fight?"

Only if they knew that the fight was also a fake one, just to bluff them all.

Seungcheol's expression remained neutral, his gaze steady as the man spoke. He didn't react to the mockery, or the mention of his "fight" with Seokmin. He nodded stiffly in response, his jaw clenching under the guise of anger.

"We love the fact that you can never act upon your anger." They laughed in unison.

Seungcheol felt a flash of irritation at the men's words, but he kept his composure. They were right, he couldn't act upon his anger. Not yet, at least.

But the laughter grated at his nerves. He wanted nothing more than to lunge at them, to make them regret their taunting. But he held back, his fists clenching tightly.

"Oh my-" They looked at Jeonghan, "We must appreciate doctor, you've tamed him well. Or we can say, you have started minding your business."

"I'm his therapist, that's what I'm supposed to do." Jeonghan muttered.

Seungcheol's jaw tensed further at the men's words. He hated being talked about as if he wasn't there, as if he were nothing more than a mindless animal.

"Tamed," the word echoed in his mind, the word burning like acid. But he stayed silent, his expression a mask of calm obedience.

"Anyways, our work is done. We'll leave." The men left after their mockery as Jeonghan locked the door. He went to the older's bed, "Seungcheol- Are you- uh- fine?"

Seungcheol took a shaky breath, his body taut like a bowstring. He was seething inside, the men's words still ringing in his ears. "No," he said through gritted teeth, "I'm far from fine."

Jeonghan reached out for his arms, the veins tensing harder than usual, "Please calm down."

Seungcheol turned his gaze to Jeonghan, his eyes burning with barely suppressed rage. "Calm down?" he repeated incredulously. "How am I supposed to stay calm when they treat me like some goddamn puppet?"

"If you act over your frustration right now, we will lose the final game, Seungcheol." Jeonghan stated worriedly, "Please, just a little longer."

Seungcheol's fists clenched tighter, his breathing ragged. He knew Jeonghan was right, that they didn't have the luxury to act prematurely.

But the wait, the constant restraint, it was slowly chipping away at his sanity. He forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to quell the storm of emotions raging within him.

Jeonghan sat close to him as he planted assuring kisses on his lips and forehead, "I know it's hard but please!"

Seungcheol felt Jeonghan's comforting gestures, the gentle kisses a stark contrast to the tempest within him. He wanted to pull the younger into his arms, to bury his face in his hair and vent his frustration.

But he held back, his body rigid with the effort. "It's killing me," he mumbled, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Jeonghan stood up on the floor, standing beside the older who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled Seungcheol's face close to his embrace while gently caressing his hair, "Calm down, it will be okay! I promise!"

Seungcheol leaned his head against Jeonghan's stomach, wrapping his arms around the younger's waist. "How much longer do I have to endure this?" he muttered, the edge of desperation in his voice.

"I don't know." Jeonghan muttered, "All I know is that the time is not far away. We just have to patient, as always."

Seungcheol closed his eyes, his cheek pressed against Jeonghan's stomach. The younger's gentle touch and comforting presence was like a balm on his frazzled nerves.

He wanted to trust Jeonghan's words, but the wait felt endless. It was a thin line he was walking, trying to control his anger while pretending to be docile.

He tightened his arms around Jeonghan's waist, as if holding onto a lifeline. "I'm trying," he mumbled, "I'm trying."

Jeonghan rubbed the older's back, "Yes. And you're acing it!"

Seungcheol let out a shaky breath, Jeonghan's words sinking in. "Acing it," he repeated, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Doesn't feel like it sometimes."

He leaned more into Jeonghan, basking in the younger's embrace. It was the one place he could be himself, even if just for a moment.

Jeonghan felt the older's grip tightening, "I know but I'm right here, okay? It's just a matter of time, Seungcheol."

Seungcheol nodded against Jeonghan's stomach, taking comfort in the younger's words. "Just a matter of time," he echoed softly.

He took another deep breath, his heart rate slowly returning to normal. Jeonghan's presence was a soothing balm, the one thing keeping him from snapping entirely.

Jeonghan sat on the bed, in front of the older again as he began to caress both of his shoulders, trying to ease the tension.

Seungcheol leaned into Jeonghan's touch, the younger's hands working magic on his tense shoulders. The knot of tension in his body slowly began to loosen, his breathing steadying.

He kept his head bowed, letting Jeonghan's fingers soothe away his anger and frustration, if only momentarily.

"You should take rest now." Jeonghan mumbled.

Seungcheol nodded, exhaustion finally catching up with him. The emotional turmoil of the day had taken its toll, making his body feel like a lead weight.

He slowly laid down on the bed, his eyes heavy. He reached for Jeonghan, as if asking him to stay.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Jeonghan assured.

As Seungcheol drifted to sleep, Jeonghan got a text from Joshua.

'Will see you tomorrow. Woozi and Hoshi won't come to the mansion anymore. I'm pretty sure someone is keeping an eye on me so I can't keep frequent touch with Rose Quartz but I'll see them once in a while. We'll connect Woozi and Hoshi over the calls when I'll meet you and then they will transfer the plan to the others.'

Jeonghan quickly typed up a reply, 'It will work fine! All the best!'

A/n : The plan should start now!!!

Anyways take care everyone!
-Jeonghanneyonghaseyo