Chapter 1 

 

"Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you." Yuri Kim glanced at the doorway one more time before resignedly blowing the 25 candles on her cake. Her friends and guests cheered her on and clapped their hands happily for her. Everyone was in high spirits for this wonderful occasion, everyone, except for the birthday girl herself. 

 

"Did you remember to make a wish?!" One of the guests called out. 

 

Yuri gave the friend a vague smiled, 'Yes.' She thought sadly, 'I did make a wish. I wish that my husband was here right now.'

 

It was after midnight by the time Yuri's absent husband got home. Kim Jaejoong, owner of one of the busiest trading companies in Korea, tiredly placed his briefcase on a sofa table by the hallway. It had been a long day for him but staying late at the office was definitely worthwhile today; he was able to cinch a million dollar deal with a company in Japan and he couldn't wait to share this news with his wife. He eagerly glanced at the couch where Yuri would usually be curled up in while waiting for him to come home. He gave a slight frowned when she wasn't there. He finally noticed the birthday balloons and streamers all over the house, 'Oh no.' He thought, with dread and deep regret. He had forgotten that it was Yuri's birthday. Maybe staying late at the company wasn't worth it at all. 

 

Jaejoong took a quick looked throughout the rest of the house before entering their bedroom. At this point, he was praying fervently that his wife was in the bedroom. He sighed with relief when he saw Yuri sleeping on her side of the bed. He silently approached her and gave her a gentle kissed on her thick, straight brow. Yuri's dark brown, almond-shaped eyes popped opened. She turned her head away from her husband. 

 

"Yuri, I'm so sorry." Jaejoong whispered. 

 

Yuri kept quiet; she was too angry and disappointed with her husband. This wasn't the first time he had forgotten an engagement with her because of business. 

 

Jaejoong knew his wife was livid with him, "Yuri, please don't be liked this? I promise to make this up to you. I will take tomorrow off so we can spend the day together and do whatever you want." He reached out and gently tucked her mid-length, dark brown hair behind her ear, "Happy birthday beautiful." He leaned down and gave her a sweet kissed on her pouting plump lips. 

 

Despite of her anger, Yuri felt a fluttered of excitement with the prospect of spending a whole day with her husband. It's been so long since they have had any quality time together. She reached up and drew Jaejoong down for a longer kissed, "You are forgiven this time as long as you keep your promise." 

 

Yuri had already cleaned the house and made breakfast by the time Jaejoong sleepily wandered into the kitchen, "Good morning Jaejoong Oppa." She greeted enthusiastically. Jaejoong could see that his wife was practically bursting with energy and he couldn't helped but smiled in response. He walked up to his wife and clasped her in his arms, "Good morning beautiful." He quickly stole a kissed and grinned at his wife's mock anger. 

 

"Hurry up and eat your breakfast. I have a lot of things planned for us today." Yuri handed Jaejoong a steaming cup of coffee. She opened the fridge and grabbed a grinded ma juice for herself. They have been married for over a year and Jaejoong still couldn't get used to Yuri's habit of drinking grinded ma juice first thing in the morning but it was just one more of her quirks that he loved. They both eagerly dugged into the rice, soup and meat dish that Yuri had prepared and Jaejoong smiled in contentment as he bit into the meat with satisfaction. 

 

"So tell me, what have you got planned for us today?" 

 

"First, you have to go shopping with me." Yuri grinned cheekily when Jaejoong groaned, "That's your punishment for forgetting about my birthday yesterday and besides, you owe me a present." 

 

"You are right." Jaejoong sat up straighter, "Yuri, I'm really sorry." 

 

"No need to apologize as long as you make up for it up today." Nothing was going to burst her happy bubble, "Spending the whole day with you is better than some boring party anyway." 

 

Their phone started ringing and Yuri signaled that she would answered the called. Moments later, she came back to the dining room with a deadpan expression, "Jaejoong, the called is for you." Without another word, she walked away. Jaejoong frowned as he got up to take the called, all the while watching his wife's back as she left the house and entered their backyard. 

 

Jaejoong hang up the phone and squared his broad shoulders as he walked to their yard, "Yuri." Jaejoong started gently, "There's a problem at the office. It would only take an hour or so to straighten it up. I'm sorry but I promise to be back before 11." 

 

Yuri swallowed the crashing disappointment she was feeling and tried to be an understanding wife. She faked a smiled and said, "For that, you had better prepared your platinum card. You are going to have to buy me a very expensive present to make up for not being with me part of the day." 

 

Jaejoong smiled gratefully. He was the luckiest man alive for having such an understanding wife, "You can have anything your heart desires. I love you Yuri." He gave her a peck on the cheek. 

 

Yuri watched her husband hurrying back inside the house to get ready for worked, 'Oppa, if only you knew. Everything my heart desires is you and you are never here anymore.' She thought wistfully. 

 

Hours went by and still no signed of Jaejoong. Yuri glanced at the clock again. 3 pm. She was about to change back into her house clothes but something in her finally snapped. No, not this time Jaejoong. She determinedly pushed away her hurt and disappointment and got into her BMW Z4 and left. 

 

Jaejoong was so immersed in worked that by the time he finally thought to glanced at the clock, it was already 3:50 pm. Where had the time gone? And then, he remembered something else, "Yuri." He immediately called their house phone and then her iphone 4s. No answered on both of them. He told his secretary that he would be off for the rest of the day and drove home. 

 

Jaejoong had been sitting in their room for hours. Once again, he impatiently punched the remote control button. How can they have all these channels and still nothing to watch? He glanced at the clock again. 5 pm and still no Yuri. He knew he deserved whatever she deemed was the appropriate punishment for him. He blew it today, no doubt about it. His heart thumped loudly in his chest when he heard her car in the driveway. He threw the remote control down and rushed to opened their front door. 

 

"Hi Yuri." He greeted tentatively. 

 

"Oh, you are home." Yuri barely gave him a glance. She was carrying dozens of bags with her. She had definitely gone on a shopping spree. 

 

"Let me helped you with some of those." Jaejoong offered, still nervous with the impending outburst from his wife, "No need. I can handle this." Yuri answered coldly. She swept passed him as if he didn't exists and headed towards the living room where she carelessly dropped the bags. 

 

"Yuri." Her attitude was more than Jaejoong could stand. He wished that she would just yelled or hit him, anything but this freezing manner she had adopted, "About today." 

 

Yuri finally looked at him directly; Jaejoong took an involuntary step back at the loathing he saw in her eyes, "It's been a long day. I'm tired." She stepped passed him, walked into the bedroom and slammed the door. 

 

The click as she locked the door sounded liked a canon blast to Jaejoong. He knew that it would be useless to talked to his wife tonight, "Tomorrow, I will make it up to her tomorrow." He silently vowed, as he reluctantly stretch out on the sofa for the night but tomorrow never came. Yuri never gave her husband another chance to apologize. She started treating him liked he had the plague; her mission seemed to be avoiding him at all cost. 

 

Jaejoong tried hard but how could he even start to make up for his wrong doings if he couldn't even get a hold of his wife anymore? Yuri's anger was so deep rooted this time, he was at a lost as to what he could do to make it up to her and then, on the 26th day after her birthday, Jaejoong arrived home to find his wife's side of the closet empty. He sat on the bed with shocked. Yuri had left him without a word, without giving him a chance to make it up to her. With shaking hands, he picked up the phone and dialed the only number he could think of at this time. It was the number of Yuri's best friend, Sunny. He hoped with all his might that his wife would be there; otherwise, he wouldn't even know where to start looking for her. 

 

"Yuri, are you sure you are going to be ok?" Sunny asked worriedly. She found her friend patiently waiting for her to come home from worked yesterday. Sunny didn't have to asked any questions. One looked at the luggage surrounding her best friend told her that Yuri finally had enough of Jaejoong and had left him. She ushered her friend inside the house, led her to the guest bedroom and the rest of the evening was spent mostly on girl talks, both of them getting slightly gidy from drinking a little bit. Not one word was said about why Yuri was now occupying the guest room. 

 

"I'm going to be fine, don't worry about me." Yuri gave her friend a reassuring smiled, "I will helped cleaned up the mess we did last night." Sunny was about to protests but Yuri stopped her with, "It's the least I could do. Thank you." She said softly. No other words needed to be uttered. Sunny and Yuri had been friends long enough to know what the other person was thinking without any need for verbalization. 

 

"Well, just in case, you know my worked number. I will picked something up for our dinner tonight so don't bother preparing anything. See you later." Sunny impulsively gave her friend a hugged before opening the front door. 

 

"What are you doing here?!" Sunny exclaimed in surprised, before she had a chance to closed the door. 

 

"I came to talked to Yuri." Jaejoong had been sitting outside the house since dawn, not risking the chance of missing his wife should she decide to go out early. 

 

"I distinctly remember her telling you to buzzed off when you called last night. So why don't you act liked the irritating bee that you are and buzz off? Yuri doesn't want to see you." Sunny closed the door and started towards her BMW mini cooper, "I'm surprised you even noticed she was gone with as much attention as you have given her!" She added snappily, before driving off. 

 

Jaejoong rang the doorbell but no answered. He knew that Yuri was aware of his presence outside the house by now. Sunny wasn't exactly whispering when she gave him her piece of mind. He started banging on the door. His fist hitting it with greater intensity as his dread escalated, "Yuri!" He started shouting. 

 

Yuri was crouched trembling in the middle of the living room floor, her hands covering her ear, wishing that Jaejoong would just go away. She didn't want to see him right now. She's had enough of him always putting her at the bottom of his list of priorities but Jaejoong's shouting prompted her to do something about the noise. Sunny's neighborhood might start calling the police. 

 

Jaejoong almost hit Yuri when the door suddenly opened, "Yuri." He whispered in relief. 

 

"What are you doing here? I told you that I didn't want to see nor talked to you." 

 

"Please Yuri, don't be liked this? I know I messed up but please give me a chance to...?" 

 

Jaejoong never got a chance to finished his sentence when Yuri interrupted him with, "Give you a chance to what? To make up for forgetting about me again? Not this time. Do you even realized how many times you have done this to me during our one and a half year marriage? And liked a fool, I believed you every single time but not anymore. I'm sick and tired of being treated liked a nobody. Oppa, listen to this carefully for I will only say it once. Go take care of business, do whatever it is that you think is important and when you finally figured out the priorities in life, let me know but for now, I'm asking for a separation. Please don't bother me again." With that, Yuri slammed the door. 

 

"No! Yuri!" Jaejoong hit the door helplessly, "Yuri, don't do this to us, please?" Jaejoong's voice trailed off to a whispered. There was one more thing that he knew about his wife. Once she set her mind to doing something, no one could ever dissuade her from her course of action. 

 

8 months after... 

 

Jaejoong glared angrily at the lopsided pyramid constructed from empty bottles of soju. He wondered why he couldn't make the geometric shape come out right. Of course, he would never take into account that he had been drinking steadily for hours, thus his motor skills and visions were hopelessly impaired from his excessive alcohol intake. 

 

He raised his hand and took a hard swing at the bottles. Everything in his life was falling apart. Yuri still refused to have anything to do with him and he couldn't seem to do anything about it. One of the bottle flew across the room, hitting a picture frame, causing the glass to shuttered as if fell onto the floor. 

 

The sound of the cracking glass snapped Jaejoong out of his alcohol induced stupor. He bent down to picked up the picture and his brown, cresent-shaped eyes watered as he saw what he had destroyed this time. Yuri and him were grinning happily at the camera, their eyes shinning with happiness and excitement with the prospect of facing the future together. It was a picture taken right after their wedding. 

 

Heedless of the broken glasses surrounding him, Jaejoong sank weakly down on the floor. He wondered what had gone so wrong in their marriage. He clutched the picture tightly against him as his mind started wandering back to the first time he met Yuri.