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Aiko
The next morning, the group had had enough of Heeseung and Aiko's constant bickering. The tension was becoming unbearable for everyone, and something had to be done. So, they devised a plan. A dumb, risky, "this-could-go-really-wrong" kind of plan, but one they all agreed might be the only way to get these two to sort out their shit.
It all started with Yuna coming up with the perfect excuse to lure Aiko into Heeseung's office.
"Hey, Aiko! Could you help me out with something?" Yuna called out in the hallway.
Aiko turned around, looking a bit suspicious. "Help you with what exactly?"
"Um... it's some files that got mixed up. I think they're in Heeseung's office, and I need a second pair of eyes," Yuna said, trying to sound casual while internally hoping Aiko wouldn't see through her lie.
Aiko raised an eyebrow, not completely buying it but too tired to argue. "Fine. But I swear, if this is another one of your dumb plans to get us to talk, I'm not gonna hold back."
"Me? A plan? Never," Yuna replied with an innocent grin.
Reluctantly, Aiko followed Yuna to Heeseung's office. As soon as they got there, Yuna motioned for her to go in first. Aiko walked in, her guard still up, scanning the room like she was expecting an ambush.
Heeseung was sitting at his desk, clearly annoyed about being involved in whatever this was. "What the hell are you doing here, Aiko?"
Before she could respond, the door slammed shut behind them. Aiko spun around just in time to see Yuna locking the door from the outside. She banged on the door. "Yuna! What the fuck? Let us out!"
Yuna's muffled voice came from the other side. "Nope! You two need to talk this out. We're not letting you out until morning, so figure your shit out!"
Heeseung groaned loudly. "Oh, for fuck's sake. This is so stupid."
"Stupid? You think I want to be stuck in here with *you*?" Aiko shot back, crossing her arms defiantly.
"You're acting like I'm thrilled about this either," Heeseung replied, standing up and pounding on the door. "Guys, seriously, let us out! This isn't funny!"
Sunghoon's voice chimed in, mockingly cheerful. "Nope! You two are gonna stay locked in there until you either kill each other or figure out how to be normal human beings. Good luck!"
"Fuck you!" Aiko yelled, still banging on the door in frustration.
"Yeah, we love you too!" Jake's voice was filled with amusement.
Heeseung and Aiko exchanged exasperated looks before they both gave up, stepping away from the door and leaning against opposite walls. The room fell into a tense silence, both of them staring anywhere but at each other.
After a few minutes of nothing but awkward quiet, Aiko broke the silence. "This is bullshit. I'm done with this."
"Yeah? Then maybe you should stop being so damn stubborn for once," Heeseung shot back.
"Stubborn? You're the one who's impossible to deal with! You're always so closed off and act like you're too good to talk to anyone," Aiko retorted, her tone laced with frustration.
"Well, maybe I don't want to talk because every time we do, it ends in a screaming match!" Heeseung snapped.
"Maybe if you weren't such an asshole—" Aiko started but then caught herself, letting out a sigh as she rubbed her temples. "You know what? I'm tired. I'm tired of all this fighting."
Heeseung looked at her, surprised by the sudden shift in her tone. "Same here."
They both fell silent again, the hostility slowly giving way to an awkward truce. Time passed as they just sat there, each lost in their own thoughts.
Eventually, Aiko sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall with a tired sigh. "This is stupid," she muttered to herself. "Why are we always like this?"
Heeseung sighed as well, running a hand through his hair before he finally sat down beside her. "You're right. It is stupid. We're always fighting, but I think it's just because... well, I'm bad at opening up. And that picture... it means a lot to me, okay?"
Aiko glanced at him curiously. "You never did explain why it's so important."
Heeseung hesitated, his eyes flicking to the ground as he tried to find the right words. "It's a picture of me and my little sister," he finally said, his voice softening in a way Aiko hadn't heard before.
Aiko's expression softened as she saw the vulnerability in his eyes. "Your sister? Where is she now?"
Heeseung stayed silent for a long moment, his jaw tightening as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "She's gone," he eventually said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aiko felt a pang of guilt for prying earlier. "I'm sorry... I didn't know."
Heeseung shook his head. "It's fine. I just... I don't like talking about it. She was everything to me, you know? Losing her... it fucked me up in ways I can't even explain."
The raw emotion in his voice was enough to make Aiko's eyes sting with tears. She'd never seen him like this before—so real, so human. For once, he wasn't hiding behind his usual walls.
"I get it," Aiko said quietly. "I mean, I don't know what that kind of loss feels like, but I understand why you'd want to hold onto something like that picture."
Heeseung nodded slowly, his gaze finally meeting hers. "I guess I've been a dick to you because I'm always on edge, always worried about losing more people I care about. It's easier to push people away."
Aiko offered him a small, sad smile. "You don't have to push everyone away, though. We're all stuck in this shitstorm together. Might as well try to get along, right?"
Heeseung chuckled softly. "You're right. Maybe we can stop being at each other's throats all the time."
"That sounds like a fucking miracle," Aiko said with a laugh, nudging his shoulder playfully.
They both sat there for a while longer, the silence no longer uncomfortable but almost... peaceful.
"Sorry for being a pain in the ass," Heeseung muttered.
Aiko smirked. "You're still a pain in the ass, but I'll survive."
"Likewise," he said, smiling back.
After a while, their exhaustion caught up to them. Without even realizing it, they both ended up falling asleep right there on the floor, side by side. The tension between them seemed to melt away as they drifted off, leaving behind a sense of understanding and maybe, just maybe, the start of a real friendship.
Meanwhile, outside the office, the rest of the group exchanged satisfied grins as they peeked through the small window, seeing Aiko and Heeseung finally at peace.
"Think they'll actually get along now?" Sunghoon asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Or kill each other the second they wake up," Yuna quipped with a grin. "But hey, at least they're not fighting for now."
With that, they all decided to call it a night, leaving the two inside to sleep off whatever remained of their grudge. Maybe this crazy plan actually worked, after all.
