𝟮 𝗛𝗢𝗧 | 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗵𝘆𝘂𝗰𝗸 || 𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗪

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗳

The cozy evening was winding down, and the trio—Haechan, Hope, and Mark—found themselves diving deeper into a more serious conversation than they had anticipated. Laughter still echoed lightly in the room, remnants of previous jokes, but the air grew thick with the weight of decisions about the future and the misunderstandings of the present.

Haechan, leaning forward with an earnest look, reiterated his desire for them to live together. "Why don't you move in with me and Hope? It just makes sense," he said, looking directly at Mark.

Hope nodded in agreement, her voice soft yet convincing. "Yeah, we hate seeing you go. It feels right when we're all together."

Mark, who had been listening quietly, sighed and set his mug down on the coffee table. "I know, and I love being with you both, but I wanna wait. There's a lot to consider, and I don't want us to rush this decision."

Haechan, half-joking and half-serious, threw a cushion lightly at Mark. "You're being a bully, always putting off decisions."

Mark caught the cushion, laughing. "Wow, that's crazy," he joked, his tone light but his eyes serious. "But seriously, it's not about delaying. It's about making sure it's the right time."

The conversation took a turn when Hope brought up another issue that had been bothering her. "We are in a poly relationship, yet our neighbors think we just have threesomes for fun," she said, frustration evident in her voice.

Haechan grimaced, recalling a recent encounter. "FR, yesterday Ms. May saw me kissing Mark and told me to not keep secrets from Hope," he shared, rolling his eyes. "It's like they can't imagine we have a real relationship."

Mark rubbed his temples, the trivial judgments of others adding an unnecessary layer of complexity to their situation. "It's the stereotypes. They see what they want to see," he said quietly.

Hope leaned back, her expression thoughtful. "Maybe we should be more open about our relationship. Not just to shut down rumors, but to be true to ourselves in front of the world, or at least our community."

Mark and Haechan exchanged a look, considering Hope's suggestion. "It's a risk," Mark finally said. "But maybe it's worth it if it means we can be ourselves without whispers and wrong assumptions."

Haechan nodded, a determined look crossing his features. "Let's do it. Let's plan a casual meet-and-greet in our building. We can invite our neighbors, explain who we are on our terms. It might help, or at least give us some peace."

Hope smiled, touched by their willingness to confront the issue head-on. "I love that idea. Let's be proactive about this."

The trio spent the rest of the evening planning how they would approach their meet-and-greet, discussing what they would say and how they would handle potential negative reactions. It was uncharted territory, but they felt ready to face it together, strengthened by their love and respect for each other.

As they finally said goodnight, each felt a renewed sense of purpose and unity. Despite the challenges from outside and the decisions still looming about their living arrangements, they were a team, ready to face the world together. The night reaffirmed their commitment to each other, and they went to bed with hearts full of determination and hope.