As Minho and Seo-Jun shook hands, sealing their agreement, the atmosphere was charged with tension. Seo-Jun wore a playful grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief, while Minho's face reflected a mixture of determination and a hint of frustration, as if he was weary of having to go through the same deal all over again.
Seo-Jun, clearly enjoying the moment, raised his voice just enough for Sam, who stood a few steps away, to hear. "I am going home early tonight, Sam…" he declared, his gaze fixed on Minho, a smirk playing on his lips. The way he said it felt almost dismissive, as if Sam's presence didn't matter in that moment. Then, with a teasing lilt in his voice, he added, "You can stay and have more fun..." The words hung in the air, full of implication, as he pulled Minho closer, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "I have the responsibility to satisfy my sex toy all night." This sudden closeness caught Minho off guard, and he instinctively moved his head away, surprise flickering across his face.
Seo-Jun, unfazed, began to walk toward the exit of the bar, his grip on Minho's hand firm and unyielding, as if he were claiming him for the night. Minho felt a mix of obligation, embarrassment and confusion, unable to voice his thoughts as he followed Seo-Jun, his silence a reluctant acceptance of the situation. It was clear that this wasn't the first time they had been through this, and Minho's patience was wearing thin.
Meanwhile, Sam stood rooted to the spot, a knot of discomfort tightening in his stomach. He sensed that something about this arrangement felt wrong, but Seo-Jun's commanding presence left him with no choice but to retreat back to the others in the centre of the bar. With a heavy heart, he left Minho to take this unexpected turn as Minho followed Seo-Jun to his car.
As Seo-Jun hopped into the car, Minho followed right after, sliding into the passenger seat. The silence between them was palpable, but as Seo-Jun turned the key in the ignition, Minho felt a wave of relief wash over him. The engine purred to life, and a small smile tugged at the corners of Minho's lips as he gazed out the window, lost in thought. "Jin's plan really worked!" he mused, the memory of earlier flashing vividly in his mind.
Earlier that day, after Minho had wrapped up his workout, he and Jin had retreated to one of the nearby office rooms. The atmosphere was tense, charged with the urgency of what Jin was about to offer. Once inside, Jin wasted no time. "Now, I will explain my plan to you, but first I need to know something..." he began, his voice steady yet laced with an undercurrent of intensity. Minho, eager to engage, immediately replied, "Yes, ask anything!"
But then, Jin's face shifted, frustration flickered across his face as he tightened his jaw. "Do you think he enjoyed the sex with you?" he asked, his voice tinged with jealousy. The question caught Minho off guard, and he felt a rush of heat rise to his cheeks. He hesitated, the weight of Jin's gaze making it hard to think clearly. Finally, he mumbled, "I mean... probably he was satisfied..." as he turned his head away, unable to meet Jin's eyes, the embarrassment making his heart race.
Jin, noticing the faint blush creeping across Minho's cheeks, took a deep breath and said, "Sorry for being direct, but it's important for the plan." Minho, feeling the intensity of Jin's gaze, turned his hand to meet it, a mix of curiosity and apprehension swirling within him. After a brief moment of contemplation, he finally responded, "Well... he did say that he enjoyed it more than he had expected..." The words slipped out, causing Minho to blush even deeper, his heart racing at the implications.
Jin, still wearing a frustrated expression, nodded and said, "Good to hear, so I think he will fall for the plan then." Minho's confusion grew as he looked at Jin, still in the dark about the details of the plan. Sensing the need for clarity, Jin took a step back and began to explain, "Let me explain it to you... I will start from the very beginning. At the start of this mission, we questioned a few people who had already slept with him about what he enjoys doing during sex and what he was looking for in a guy, so that he could sleep with him."
Minho's confusion only intensified as he listened, his brow furrowing as he struggled to grasp the full picture. Jin continued, "Because... actually... we considered letting one of our team members be his sex buddy to find more information through doing this... But Seo-Jun had never had any interest in any of us until you showed up." Jin's voice trembled slightly, knowing how Minho would react to this revelation. And as expected, Minho's eyes widened in shock, and he shouted, "WHAT?!" His fists clenched, ready to confront Jin about all the time he had spent feeling extremely bad about "betraying" the team when actually they thought about doing the same thing he did.
Jin quickly said, trying to calm Minho down, "So... we weren't really mad at you when Jae told us about your deal with him. We were just a little shocked. We kind of knew you were really doing it for the team, but no one actually succeeded in persuading him to sleep with them. So our initial thought was that you had an affair with him... However, after you explained the situation, we were convinced that it wasn't true..." He said this while awkwardly giggling, but Minho's stone-cold expression made it clear he wasn't amused.
Jin then continued, trying to shift the mood, "But let's leave this aside. Back to the plan." Minho rolled his eyes, giving Jin the green light to move on from the uncomfortable topic. Jin pressed on, "So we know that it's hard for him to find someone to hook up with." Minho nodded, his expression softening slightly, and said, "Yeah, I know that too. He has this strange fetish of his name being called out during sex..."
Jin immediately responded, nodding in approval, "Yeah, we heard about this too..." They both shared a knowing look, realising that understanding Seo-Jun's quirks was going to be crucial for their plan.
Jin then continued, "So by knowing this, the challenge to find exactly what he is looking for became even harder... But I think," he looked at Minho directly, a slight smile playing on his lips as he locked eyes with him, "we found it now." Minho's body flinched, a rush of realisation washing over him as he understood that Jin was talking about him. The intensity of the moment was palpable, and Jin's gaze held a mixture of hope and determination.
"We just need to push it a little bit further now…" Jin said, his voice steady and confident. "Offer him to leave with you; that's the plan." The sudden finality of Jin's words sent a jolt through Minho, leaving him momentarily speechless. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed, his mind racing to comprehend the implications of such a bold move.
Jin, sensing the shock in Minho's reaction, quickly elaborated, "Tell him that we caught you having an affair with him and kicked you out of the gang. Then, offer him to let you leave with him in his house. And if you agree to do all of that, you can also tell him that you will continue being his sex buddy. But do it only if you want to." The weight of Jin's plan hung heavily in the air, and Minho felt the gravity of the situation settle over him as he contemplated the risks and benefits of following through with such a daring strategy.
After a minute of letting Minho think the idea through, Jin broke the silence, his voice steady and encouraging. "If you tell him that you will continue being his sex buddy, he will really consider it, and the possibility of letting you leave with him will raise."
Minho's brow furrowed as he processed this, a hint of disappointment creeping into his tone as he hesitated. "How do you know he hasn't already found another guy to hook up with?"
Jin leaned back slightly, exuding confidence. "Unlikely. From what I heard, he is a very picky guy. He probably hasn't slept with anyone since you left." A playful smirk crossed his face as he found Seo-Jun's behaviour to be quite ridiculous.
Minho shifted his gaze to the ground, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. But then, a spark of determination ignited within him. He turned to Jin, his expression resolute. "Then... I will try! But if I really do get in, how should I tell you without him finding out?"
Jin quickly ran through the plan in his mind, then confidently said, "Ease. I will give you a small live sound recording device to attach to the back of your phone. The device and your phone are both black, so it will blend in perfectly without drawing any attention. This device will connect to my computer in my office, allowing me to hear everything you and he say during your conversation."
He paused for a moment, making sure Minho was following along. "This way, I'll know if you're in or if you need any backup. Once your conversation is over and I find out whether you're in or not, I'll turn the device off so it won't bother you. And when you come back with the information, you can just hand it back to me."
Jin's eyes sparkled with determination, convinced that this plan would work seamlessly. Minho, feeling bolstered by Jin's confidence and thorough preparation, couldn't contain his excitement. He shouted, "Okay! Let's do this then!" The adrenaline surged through him, ready to take on the challenge ahead.
Jin smiled widely at Minho's determination, but a flicker of concern shadowed his expression. With a soft, caring voice, he leaned in closer and asked, "Are you sure you will be okay there alone?" Minho, sensing Jin's worry, nodded vigorously and replied quickly, "Yes, of course! Besides, he can't do much to me. If he rejects the deal, you will hear it and come to help me get out of there. And if he agrees to let me leave with him, he won't hurt me because he will need my body to satisfy his needs, so I will be okay either way. Don't worry!"
Still feeling a knot of hesitation in his stomach, Jin took a deep breath and continued, "Okay then... But when you get in, make sure to find a way to contact me during your time there. Change my contact name in your phone to something discreet, and text me anytime you want to let me know that you are okay and when you find out more about him." Minho, with a determined gleam in his eyes, nodded firmly and said, "Okay, I will!"
Then Jin smiled again, his eyes lighting up as he said, "Good. Today is Friday, so he might go to his bar. You can go and ask him this tonight." Minho nodded, a sense of determination washing over him, and replied, "Okay." Just as he was about to walk out of the room, Jin's voice stopped him, "And Minho..."
Minho turned around, a curious smile on his face, and asked, "Yes?" Jin's expression shifted, and he felt a heaviness in his heart, trying to avoid Minho's gaze. "I am sorry... that I didn't talk to you for the past week. I just..." He struggled to find the right words, knowing that nothing he could say would truly mend the rift that had formed between them.
Minho, however, sensed the weight of Jin's words and stepped closer, his smile reassuring. "I understand you, hyung. I was lying to you the whole time. I knew you would be angry with me about this." Jin quickly replied, his voice earnest, "I am okay now! I just wanted to apologise one more time."
Minho's smile widened, and he reached out to pat Jin on the shoulder, saying, "Don't. There is no need to apologise." The sincerity in Minho's voice melted away Jin's lingering sadness, and he felt a warmth spread through him. Their eyes locked, and Jin's lips curled into a genuine smile as he playfully rubbed Minho's head, a gesture filled with affection. Minho giggled, the sound light and infectious, and soon both of them were laughing, the tension between them dissipating as they embraced the joy of their time together once again.