"Seoul, Langley Penthouse – 20th Floor – Saturday Afternoon"
The skies over Seoul were steeped in the full hues of autumn—a golden light blanketing the city, tender and calm.
Bathed in the soft afternoon light that poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Celeste sat elegantly at the edge of the sofa, leafing through a collection of documents with quiet intent.
Before her, three men sat in a row—each wearing a look of grim determination.
There were only four souls in the room.
No distractions, no excuses.
"…So,"
Jinwoo was the first to speak, breaking the silence.
"We're all… back now. And from the looks of it, there's going to be a lot of overlap in our daily lives."
"And?"
Celeste didn't even lift her eyes from the page.
Daniel took over.
"Right. So the three of us had a little talk—"
"About the harem. We, uh… made a weekly schedule."
"…Excuse me?"
Celeste's hand froze mid-page.
Jinwoo took over.
"You and Noah mentioned it that one time, remember? Monday through Friday, weekends off? Well… we adjusted it a little. Made it weekly rotation. Fair turns. Time divided up with you, so no one gets greedy—"
"Enough."
She shut the folder with a firm snap and finally looked up.
Her gaze struck like lightning.
"Do you even hear yourselves? Are you serious?"
Daniel flinched slightly, then mumbled,
"I mean… it's not that crazy. If you think about it, it's actually—"
"You're proposing a reservation system for dating me?"
Her voice rose, sharp as glass.
Jinwoo waved his hands defensively,
"No! Not reservations—just… scheduling! To minimize emotional wear and tear, you know?"
"Excuse me? What am I, a co-working space?"
From behind the sofa, Noah buried his face in his hands.
"God, my mouth. I never should've brought up the harem thing…"
"Enough of this nonsense."
Celeste leaned back into the couch, her voice steely.
The men's faces stiffened all at once.
An awkward, thick silence settled over the room—until Jinwoo spoke again, this time with care.
"…Look. The truth is, all three of us want to be near you. But we can't follow you around all day. And we sure as hell can't be fighting constantly."
"Still doesn't explain why you'd suggest a rotation schedule,"
Celeste shot back, her tone still icy.
Daniel raised a hand, like a moderator at a peace summit.
"Just hear me out. We're not asking for a formal relationship—just designated time. It's not about who gets the bedroom. It's about who gets to have dinner with you, go on a date, spend the weekend together, watch a movie. Just… time. That's all."
"…Do you even hear how insane that sounds?"
Daniel sighed, deeply.
"We know. It's not normal. But we also don't want to burden you by pulling you in three directions with our own selfishness."
Jinwoo added quietly,
"We made a promise. None of us will try to 'win' you. We'll stay respectful. But if you allow it…we're willing to live with this arrangement. We knew what we were signing up for."
Celeste looked at them—frustration, disbelief, sorrow, and just maybe… the faintest trace of affection flickered in her eyes.
A long silence. Unspoken, but dense.
Then—she shut her eyes.
Leaning her head back, she exhaled.
Deep and weary.
And finally—
"With those eyes… how am I supposed to say no?"
A soft sigh.
And then a helpless murmur slipped between her lips.
"…Fine."
"What?! For real? She said okay!!"
Jinwoo leapt to his feet, his eyes wide with delight.
Daniel, already anticipating the moment, opened his tablet.
"Quick, before she changes her mind—Let's get this down!"
He opened his planner app and began entering names into blank spaces.
"So... are we kicking this off Monday?"
"Wait—next week's tricky. Celeste is in Japan for part of it…whoever's on rotation might not see her much."
Daniel's comment was met with Jinwoo's quick retort,
"Dude, if we nitpick like that, we'll never get this done. If she's abroad, it's your call—either tag along or miss out. Your loss."
"Fair point. That's actually fair. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Same here."
"Great. Then who wants to take the first week, starting Monday?"
A beat. Eyes darted. Tension rose.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
"Yes! I win! First spot's mine!"
Jinwoo threw both arms in the air with a triumphant yell.
"Ugh… I knew I should've gone with scissors."
Noah groaned, resting his chin in his hand.
Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing as he entered Jinwoo's name into the planner.
As the three men debated and bickered—Celeste simply watched them in silence.
Her elbow rested on the armrest, chin in hand.
At first, her face bore only fatigue.
Then slowly—a faint, almost imperceptible smile began to form.
"What am I supposed to do with you three…"
They were making a literal schedule to take turns spending time with her.
Complete with a weekly rotation and a rock-paper-scissors tournament.
And yet—something about it warmed her.
For just a breath of a moment, it wasn't weariness but a quiet sense of ease that filled her gaze.
Rising without a word, she walked to the coffee table and took a sip of her mint tea.
Behind her, Jinwoo's victorious cheers echoed in the room.
She muttered under her breath—
"Truly… I need a vacation from all of you."
And yet—the smile on her lips said otherwise.
Tired or not, that smile was unmistakably, irreversibly soft.