Broken hearts can heal - Choi Minho SHINee Fanfic - Chapter XII - Company dinner
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Chapter XI / Chapter XIII
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Chapter XII - Company dinner
word count: 3k words
Since your mother-in-law was spending time with Haru, you took the time you needed to relax, sleep in the afternoon, pack for the trip, then get ready for the dinner party.
It was the first time in a while when you went out, and you were really in need of socialising face-to-face with some adults.
You picked a knee-length dress and some black thighs, and you felt a bit self-conscious of your stomach that still didn't completely disappear after giving birth, but chose to ignore it and just go out and have fun.
"Ready?" Minho smiled at you. "You're really beautiful!"
"Thank you!" You smiled back. "You don't look too bad yourself."
He was wearing a casual black suit, and he looked like a model, as usual. His shirt had one too many opened buttons, and you took a peek at his chest shamelessly.
The ride to their company wasn't too long, and as soon as you arrived and Minho took you to one of the rooms upstairs. You were glad to see that the boys were already there.
"Da-Eun! I missed you sooooo much!" Taemin hugged you tightly, and you sat down next to him.
Onew waved at you over the table and mouthed a "Hey, beautiful", making you smile.
The drinks were pouring as you and Taemin were playing a funny would you rather game that consisted of dilemmas. You found a Facebook page about it and knew he would most definitely love it, but you didn't want to send it to him, even if you messaged almost daily.
Your messages mostly consisted of him sending pictures of his cat or food, and you sending back Haru's cute sleeping poses and little toes.
Well, you only sent toes once, actually, because Taemin shocked you by sending back a picture of his feet as well, so you figured that whatever you sent, he'd send back. This was indeed a weird power to have.
"So, the next one says: 'There's always a fog in your house' OR 'There is moss growing on your bed'. What would you choose?" You asked him, laughing.
"Would a moss bed be comfortable?" He contemplated, supporting his chin on his fist.
"To be honest, having fog in the house would be pretty fun. Like a concert or something." Jinki answered, making you raise your gaze and look at him. He must've been bored out of his mind to participate in your silly game.
You saw something in the eyes of the girl next to him, who was sitting directly in front of Minho, and you wondered if it was just your imagination. Why would she look annoyed at you?
You didn't pay it much mind at first.
"I think I'll go with moss." Taemin replied after careful consideration.
"I'm definitely picking the fog." Jinki laughed. "I mean, think about it, it's pretty cool."
"How's that cool? What if you can't see where you're walking?" Taemin scoffed.
"Or like, if you burn something up while cooking. Would it be fog, or smoke?" You added.
"Woah, you're thinking far!" Jinki exclaimed.
"What about you, Da-Eun?" Taemin asked. "Settle the debate."
"Hmmm. Depends how thick the fog is, but I'm not sure I'd like sleeping on moss."
"Come on, it would be fluffy!"
"You do have a point." You chuckled.
"So, you're on team Taemin then, or are you joining the dark side?" Jinki asked you with a grin.
"The fog side-" Taemin started.
"I'm team Fog." You shrugged.
"That means it's 2 vs 1, so we won." Jinki boasted.
"No way! Not fair. Minhooooo!" He shouted, but he didn't hear Taemin at first, being immersed in a conversation with the woman in front of him. You softly bumped your elbow into his side, making him give you attention.
"Yea?" He smiled. "Sorry Ji-an, just a sec." He excused himself and turned to the three of you. The girl rolled her eyes.
"We are having an intense debate," you explained, deciding to ignore what you just saw, "and wanted another opinion."
"Let's hear it."
"So, would you rather sleep on a bed where moss is always growing, or would you rather have fog in our house at all times?"
"Well, I can always cover moss with bed sheets." He shrugged. "So I guess moss is better."
"See?!" Taemin grinned. "Moss is the obvious choice."
"What idiots would pick the fog?" The girl next to Jinki and in front of Minho, who he was just talking to a moment ago – Ji-an, if you understood correctly, who rolled your eyes at you talking to your husband – intervened.
"Guess we're idiots." Jinki shook his head and looked at you.
"No, we're definitely smarter." You replied serious. "Minho, look-" You now turned completely to him, and his eyes stayed fixed on yours as you explained your rationing.
"Even if you cover the moss with bed sheets, moss means there's a lot of humidity. The bed sheets would always be damp and uncomfortable, and who knows, you might even have fog, since fog is normally formed where it's humid. The room would definitely be humid-"
"Yea, Minho! You can't pick moss and force Da-Eun to sleep on a damp bed! Ew." Jinki exclaimed, referencing the fact that you two are married so you probably sleep together.
That felt like a rock fell on your head, because you've never slept next to Minho, not even last night, when he didn't bother returning to the bed. Jinki's words made you over analyse. Minho was your husband, why did you never sleep next to him? Did he even like you romantically, or was he just caught up in the moment last night? You definitely started to have a thing for him. Heck, you sucked his dick and masturbated to the thoughts of him moaning your name.
Your gaze moved again around the table, and you saw Ji-an's cold eyes on you again, as Minho captured your hand and spoke. "You're right, you're right. I'll pick fog as well if my dear wife picked it." He tapped on your hand a few times soothingly, then resumed his conversation with the girl in front of him.
"Okay, let's just move on." Taemin waved his hand around. "You've cheated, Da-Eun!"
"I didn't! Oh God! Okay, the next one says: 'every time someone tries to sell you a membership, you say yes', or 'every time you want to dance, the music stops'. What would it be?"
"That's kinda unfair." Onew remarked. "We wouldn't be able to do our job if we picked the second option."
"We can just sing, though?!" Taemin exclaimed.
"Yea, imagine singing the instrumental parts." You laughed.
"Having to get every membership is a bit much, though." Jinki thought.
"I don't know how to dance, but imagine like going to the club with friends and the music stops everytime you move."
"Or at a concert. Fans would be so shocked!" Taemin burst out laughing.
"Do we all agree that the membership is the lesser devil?"
All the three of you nodded.
"Hey, I'm gonna go get some air, I'll be back in a bit." Minho whispered in your ear, and you just nodded, getting back to playing with the guys.
"Just a question before we start again. What's with that girl? Maybe it's in my head, but it feels like she's been throwing daggers at me the whole evening." You asked, chuckling nervously, as soon as you noticed Ji-an getting up from her seat and leaving the table as well, following Minho.
"Oh, it's definitely not in your head." Taemin laughed.
"Yea, she and Minho had a thing a while back, but they broke it off due to very little time to see each other." Jinki clarified.
"She definitely still has a thing for him."
"Oh." Was all you could reply, while you let the information sink in. "Anyways, let's get back to our game. Next one is: 'every week, you have to send a detailed report of your week to your friends'-"
"Taemin already does that." Jinki laughed.
"OR 'you can flush the toilet only once a day'." You continued, ignoring the interruption.
"I don't send you detailed reports! There's so much more I could send!"
"Like what? At this point, I swear you're even texting me when you go to the bathroom."
"No, I'm not!" Taemin defended himself, and you raised a questioning brow.
He scoffed, and seeing the gaze you and Jinki threw at him, he finally admitted. "Okay, I am. I guess I'll pick this one since I'm already doing it!" He laughed. You loved Taemin's energy so much.
~
You continued playing for a while, the three of you having a lot of fun and getting drunker with each passing minute as you downed the 7th bottle of Soju together.
While Taemin contemplated on the answer to your latest question, you noticed it's been a while since Minho left the table. Ji-an wasn't back either.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Wait for me." You declared, while standing up with resolve. On your way to the bathroom, you turned a corner and saw Minho and Ji-an in a pretty compromising position. She was holding his collar, while his hands were on her wrists, but you couldn't tell if he was pushing her away or keeping her close.
You considered turning around and giving them privacy, but there was a sinking feeling in your stomach, and you didn't know if you actually wanted to give them any more privacy.
Minho was your husband.
Why should you let other women touch him?
If that's what he wants, he should tell you and you should just get divorced, then.
You shrugged and started walking towards them, slowly. They didn't notice you at first, so you overheard bits of their conversation.
"Look, I'm sure we could make this work. After I heard you got married-"
"Please let go." Minho replied with a sigh. "I really don't want to do this here."
"Let's go back to my place, then?" She asked, hopeful.
"Ji-an, that's not what I meant." He sounded tired. "I obviously don't want to get back together, I have a family-"
"A fake one." She intervened and tried pulling him closer by the collar, but he didn't budge.
You got fairly close to them, and as soon as he saw you, Minho's eyes grew wide.
"Sorry to interrupt." You showed them a smile that didn't reach your eyes.
"Da-Eun, I swear it's not what it looks like-" He pushed Ji-an's hands away and turned to you. "I didn't-"
"Come on, Minho, stop pretending! I know you still have feelings for me too!"
"We broke up ages ago, Ji-an..." He frowned.
"Bullshit! What, don't you think I know that you two don't love each other?" She shouted and looked at you, as if threatening you.
Ji-an was beautiful, undoubtedly so. You understood that Minho might have had a thing for her in the past. But you were his wife.
Why should you cower in front of her and let her disrespect your relationship like this, with no shame whatsoever?
"Look," you started calmly. "I don't care what was between you." You grabbed Minho's left hand and noticed the gold ring on his finger. Ever since you told him you liked seeing him wear it, he never took it off.
That gave you courage.
"But we are a family, and we have a child to raise, so I will say this respectfully only once: leave my husband alone. Yea? The past is the past." You continued smiling fakely, and Minho held your hand tighter.
"I won't have it. You're just taking advantage, having everything handed to you on a silver plate, and you preach 'family'?! Minho is just a cosy blanket for you to fall on, while he is my whole world!" She continued. This was a personal vendetta against you.
"Why did you break up, then?" You shrugged. "But you're right about that. He does hand me everything on a silver platter." You looked at him, noticing Minho's worried gaze on yours. "But you know what? That's not a problem, because... I'm willing to give him back a golden one instead." You glanced into his eyes, confessing the feelings you've been harbouring for a while now.
Going to therapy helped you understand that you shouldn't feel guilty for feeling love for someone else. You could start loving Minho while still being in love with Kibum and his memory, and that was okay. It took you a while to comprehend this, so you were glad you brought it up in therapy three months ago. It gave you plenty of time to adjust to the feeling growing in your chest and the happiness you felt whenever he was around you.
"You're such a whore, you know that? Your boyfriend died not even a year ago, and you already want someone else?!" She mocked you, but her words didn't even registered. They were empty, like all those comments you've been reading on the internet. "And the thing you said earlier about the child, you really think he could ever love some other man's baby?!" she pushed your buttons, but you didn't have to say anything in response, because Minho started ripping her ear off about how disrespectful she was. He seemed sick of staying silent and didn't want you to go through this battle alone, since it wasn't even your battle to begin with.
It was his fault that things escalated to this point.
"That was the dumbest shit you've ever said." Minho replied coldly. "Who are you to tell me who I can and cannot love?! Who do you think you are to speak like that about Da-eun when you don't even know her?!"
"Minho, I didn't-"
"Don't ever say something like that about my wife or my baby again. About me? Go and bullshit all you want. But don't you dare say that ever again about them, Ji-an. Got it?"
"But-"
"Got it?!" He repeated harshly.
Her face dropped as she realised that she said the wrong things. Minho continued on and on about how inappropriate she's been, he let her know there was never going to be anything between them again, and she should just leave the two of you be and stop trying to get between you, especially when it came to things she knows nothing about.
You were truly happy that he stuck to your side, and his hand tightly holding yours as you started to walk away from Ji-an amplified that growing love in your heart a million times.
Still, you unloaded all these feelings on Minho without actually knowing how he felt about you, so as you were walking through the hallways, you saw the door to the stairs and decided to suggest a small detour.
You nudged Minho towards the stairs, and as soon as you passed through the door, you looked at him.
"Da-Eun, I'm so sorry..." He started. "That was Ji-an, my ex-girlfriend. We dated for a while before... but you know I was away for a year during filming. We broke up, and I haven't spoken to her since, I swear."
"Minho, you don't have to explain." You shook your head. "There's nothing to apologise for, and I'm not mad at you."
"You aren't?"
"Why would I be?" You tilted your head with a frown.
"The way she was touching me... I would be upset if another man held you like this." He replied and grabbed your wrists, placing your hands on his neck, similar to the position he was in earlier with Ji-an. "She grabbed me, and I didn't want to outright smack her hands away, although I should have... I was just taken aback."
"That's okay."
"I'm serious!" He added, almost desperate.
"I appreciate you telling her off when she spoke like that about me and Haru."
"Of course. It's the truth. We are a family." He affirmed, and damn was it hard to not kiss him right then and there.
But you had to find out something first. To hear it from him.
"Minho, I... I need to know something." You glanced into his eyes, and you realised how much you loved how sparkling and alive they looked.
"Anything."
"But I'm fairly intoxicated, so bear with me."
"That's fine." He chuckled.
"I need to know where I stand. I mean, I prefer being rejected than being confused, so... Uhm, I'm having feelings for you, so if you don't feel the same way, please do me a favour, and reject me loud and clear-" You said, but before you managed to finish your rambling, Minho was already capturing your lips with his in a fevered kiss. Your hands moved to his nape as he started pushing you against the wall, and you couldn't get enough of his raw passion.
When your tongues made contact, you felt euphoric. You couldn't taste him enough. You wanted him closer, you needed him, but it was not the time, nor the place to have such an intimate encounter. The steps and voices that you started hearing from above told you as much, so, much to your dismay, Minho broke off the kiss and glanced into your eyes instead.
"I like you so much, Da-Eun. You have no idea."
The voices were getting closer.
"You are simply breathtaking. I can't get enough of you." He continued in a whisper, and despite your bodies creating distance, his eyes told you that he wanted you as much as you wanted him.
"Hey, if it's not Choi Minho!" A man you didn't recognise greeted him. Next to him was a woman that looked around your age. "And this must be your beautiful wife, right?" He continued, looking at you. You were sure your cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, so you just hoped the make-up was enough to cover it.
"Hey! Yes, this is Da-Eun. Love, these are our stylists, ..."
You continued chatting for a while before the pair excused themselves, and you decided to head back home as well. After you greeted Taemin and Onew goodbye, you hopped in your car and went to the apartment to rest before departing in the morning.
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(A/N) I'm back with another chapter.
We only have 3 left, so this feels a bit bittersweet hahah.
I hope you enjoyed it.
They finally confessed!
Let me know what you thought.
Love,
Storm
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Chapter XI / Chapter XIII
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