Just as Jeonghan was settling into Seungcheol's hold, a loud buzz interrupted the quiet.
Seungcheol groaned, refusing to lift his head from where it was buried against Jeonghan's shoulder. "Ignore it," he mumbled, voice muffled. "It's probably just Mingyu being an idiot."
Jeonghan snickered, glancing down at Seungcheol's phone, which was lighting up with nonstop notifications.
Seungcheol sighed and reluctantly pulled his phone closer, unlocking it with one hand while keeping the other firmly wrapped around Jeonghan's waist.
As expected, it was his group chat with Mingyu, Wonwoo, Vernon, Jun, Hoshi, and Woozi—except the chat was already a mess.
Wonwoo: Okay, I just need to clarify something real quick.
Wonwoo: Was I literally the ONLY one kept in the dark about this entire thing?!
Wonwoo: Because I feel like a damn FOOL right now.
Mingyu: To be fair, I didn't even know about fake Jaehyun.
Vernon: Yeah, no, I called that immediately.
Hoshi: Vernon, shut the hell up, you VERY MUCH DID NOT call that. You were just as clueless as the rest of us.
Seungcheol sighed, rubbing his temples. "Why do I feel like I'm about to get a migraine?"
Jeonghan smirked. "Because you probably are."
Seungcheol ignored him and typed a reply.
Seungcheol: Mingyu, how the hell did you not know about Jaehyun? He was literally standing next to you.
Mingyu: I just thought he was a really solid bodyguard.
Seungcheol: Unbelievable.
Mingyu: How did YOU even get out of those handcuffs, by the way?
Seungcheol scowled at the memory before replying.
Seungcheol: I pulled hard enough and snapped the chain on those damn things.
The chat went silent for a moment before—
Mingyu: Wait, WHAT?!
Vernon: Bro, are you serious?
Hoshi: There is no way that should've worked.
Seungcheol: Well, it did. So screw those handcuffs.
Mingyu: At least you were the only one handcuffed lmao.
Seungcheol narrowed his eyes.
Seungcheol: That's not funny or even logical. What does that even mean?
Jeonghan choked on a laugh beside him, and Seungcheol shot him an unimpressed look.
Meanwhile, Jun was still sulking in the chat.
Jun: I can't believe they got Ten and Jaehyun to help instead of me. I thought we were closer than that.
Hoshi: Oh, don't even start. There was NO WAY in hell you were going to let The8 do something that dangerous.
Jun: ...
Hoshi: Exactly.
Woozi: Also, let's be real. The8 would've still done it with or without your permission.
Jun: That's not the point!
Vernon: The real tragedy here is that I didn't get to do anything. This was like some high-stakes mission, and I was just chilling on the sidelines.
Seungcheol: Okay, can we STOP comparing this to some action movie?
Vernon: But it WAS—
Seungcheol: NO, IT WASN'T.
Jeonghan outright cackled at that, hiding his face in Seungcheol's chest as he shook with laughter. "You do realize they're never going to let this go, right?"
Seungcheol groaned, tossing his phone onto the bedside table before dramatically collapsing back onto the mattress. "I hate every single one of them."
Jeonghan smiled, kissing his forehead. "No, you don't."
Seungcheol sighed, finally loosening his grip just enough to let Jeonghan roll onto his side. "I really need a vacation."
Jeonghan hummed, running his fingers through Seungcheol's hair. "We did just finish a pretty intense mission. Maybe we should take a break."
Seungcheol glanced up at him. "Are you actually suggesting something reasonable?"
Jeonghan smirked. "Don't get used to it."
Seungcheol groaned again, but this time, he pulled Jeonghan even closer, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
Jeonghan just laughed, melting into his warmth. "Good luck with that."
