Picture frames containing the moments they were happy stood at the ledge of the fireplace, topping it off with the wedding photo hanging above it. Jisoo observed every one of them, her mother's soap opera monologue fading in the background.

For some reason, those images made Jisoo take her to a time machine, of what happy once felt like, of how warm Jiwon's arms could be, of the immense joy she felt when they both said their vows.

There were a lot of regrettable things, but she knew she didn't want to lose Jiwon too.

She noticed some picture frames were turned upside down. She found it weird for a while, but came to a conclusion that maybe the wind from the windows managed to knock them down. She neatly arranged them back up.

"Mom," Jisoo called as she turned around. "I'm gonna head out for a little while. Let me borrow your car."

Her mother nodded absentmindedly, her eyes fixated on the TV in front of her. "You go do that," she mumbled under her breath as she pointed at the keys on the coffee table.

Having the urge to do something nice for a change, Jisoo headed down to the supermarket to buy ingredients to Jiwon's favorite meal, sausages with fried rice. He always made sure not to run out of stock of those things. In fact, he'd always request it when she cooked him breakfast before leaving for work. Nowadays, he'd leave early just to avoid expecting that she'd cook for him at all.

After she bought food, she went straight home and made a beeline for the kitchen. Sandara leaned an arm on top of the couch to look behind where Jisoo was making a ruckus.

"You need help with that?" her mother asked as she eyed the numerous grocery bags strewn over the kitchen island.

Jisoo shook her head and took out the numerous canned goods to place on the shelves. "I'm good."

"Okay," came her mother's reply.

After putting away all the groceries, she heated a pan, opposite of the pot she used to heat the take-out bone marrow soup for her mother, and opened the sausage packaging. While waiting for the pan to heat, she brought out her phone from her jean pocket and called Jiwon. He answered after three rings.

"Jisoo? Is there a problem at the house?"

She bit her lip when she caught the surprised tone in his voice. It came out as if she did it out of the blue, as if she just called because she needed something.

Nowadays, he was the one who did all the calling. Never her.

"No, I'm just calling to see if you'll be coming home today."

"I will. But I'll probably be home late. There's a problem at work that I need to sort out."

"Oh." She hoped she did enough to mask her disappointment. "Well, it can't be helped." I just want to see you.

"I'm really sorry about this. Are you not feeling safe there? Did mother already left?"

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm just... asking. Mom's still here, watching her dramas. I'm – I'm gonna hang up now."

"Okay. Stay safe. Love you."

Click.

Jisoo still kept the phone in her ear, even though the conversation ended already.

He didn't even wait for me to say it back.

Sighing, she pocketed the phone and turned off the stove.

Jiwon stared at his phone for a while. He didn't know why, but he felt guilty for lying to his wife.

He wasn't doing anything wrong. Just that it felt wrong for him to come home with the way things ended between him and Jisoo last time.

There was a look of uncertainty in her eyes the moment he said those three words. Was it because she didn't love him anymore? It was a question fearfully dancing in his mind for a while. She wasn't the same Jisoo he knew before, and whenever he tried reaching out to her, the distance would grow wider between them.

He tried, he really tried, but it seemed that whatever he did, she would drown deeper in her sorrow. He had done nothing but to be good to her, but he had limitations too.

He understood her. After all, it hit her the hardest when everything fell apart. But why would she push him away? It wasn't like he wasn't suffering too. They both lost someone. For some reason, he felt that Jisoo was blaming it on him.

Before he could go deeper in his own thoughts, a knock was heard on his office door. Glancing up, he saw that it was his co-worker and close friend, Donghyuk.

"Mind if I come in?"

Jiwon shook his head.

Donghyuk sat at one of the chair infront of his table. "A little heads up. The guys are gonna take us out—forcefully, if I may add—to Junhoe's bachelor party."

"That's today?"

"Tonight," his friend grimly noted.

"It's bad timing, man. I can't. You know I can't."

"That's why I just gave you a heads-up. About them taking drastic measures."

"It's a bachelor party, Donghyuk. I'm married. Those two things don't add up."

"That's what I said too." Donghyuk rose from his seat and smirked. "But, like it or not, the Association of Married Men will never take no for an answer. We'll bring a brother to go down with us."

"What?"

As if answering his question, Hanbin and Jinhwan emerged behind the door and entered his cramped office, briefly passing by Donghyuk to go and take both of Jiwon's arms.

"I'm still working!"

Beside him, Jinhwan rolled his eyes. "I'm your boss, dimwit. Now hurry up so we can close the office."

"Hyung! And Hanbin, you're in on this too? What will Hayi say about this?"

"Do I look like I want to do this? I was also forced into this ," Hanbin grumbled.

Jiwon, thankful that he was still holding on to his phone, pressed the button on the right to make the screen light up. "Wait, I'll just call Jisoo—"

Donghyuk snatched the phone away. "No one's calling their wives. I believe you told her you're working late, right?"

Jiwon stared at them, mortified. These evil pricks.

"You sure you don't want me staying over? I can talk it over with your dad if you want," Sandara suggested, the red scarf still in her hands, as if she was hoping she wouldn't have to wear it at all.

Jisoo shook her head, her hand hanging loosely at the doorknob. "It's okay, ma. I feel better now, now that you came over. I don't feel so afraid anymore."

"I'd be scared to death, honey, if that happened to me." She shook her hands and nudged her daughter's petite frame away from the door to enter again. "I – I can't leave you like this. Not when I'm worried for you. When's Jiwon coming home?"

Jisoo absentmindedly fiddled with the doorknob. "He'll come home late. It's... It's work. You know how it is."

"That brat... He's seriously leaving you at this state? Is work all that matters to him? I'm gonna call him and tell him—"

"Mom, please. I don't have to be babysat anymore. I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"I know... I just don't want to... to see you so broken like this. I know you're a grown woman now, but... I can't help it. You're my baby girl."

"I know you love me too much, but it's fine, really. Besides, Jiwon will come home, just a little late. I meant it when I said I feel better now."

Sandara sighed in defeat and wore her scarf. "Okay... I guess it can't be helped then." She pecked her daughter's cheek. "Remember everything I said, honey. Take care of your husband, even though he doesn't seem to be taking care of you now..."

"Mom," Jisoo said in a slight reprimanding tone. "He's actually the one doing all the taking care of. I'm the bad one."

"Oh, honey..."

"It's true though. That's why I want to move on, for him." Jisoo let out a smile. "My moping will not bring my girl back. But I love her, and she'll always, always be here in my heart. Thank you for telling me that."

Sandara encased Jisoo in her arms in a tight hug as soon as she heard that. "You don't know how long I waited for you to say that. I'm proud of you."

Jisoo gently removed her mother's hands away from her and looked at her warmly. "You need to go now. It's an hour-long drive from here. Call me when you get home."

"I love you, honey."

"Love you too, mom."

Jiwon fidgeted in his seat uneasily. When he looked around, he noticed selected others doing the same.

The venue was at a club they frequented during their younger days. For exclusive reasons, they weren't out there at the dance floor, rather in a spacious private room with black, leather sectional sofas and a karaoke booth at the corner. The room was dimly lit with blue, red, and green strobe lights occasionally hitting parts of his face. Even though it was a private room, the loud music from outside could still be heard in the distance. Jiwon never knew that there would come a time he'd fear hearing EDMs and see the dancing strobe lights.

It didn't comfort him to know that Chanwoo planned all of this, the only one single out of the group. And the wild one. For sure, this bachelor party would involve booze, loud music, and fearfully, girls.

The first round of booze was served, along with the blindfolded bachelor's appearance and his best man. Instead of a warm welcome, the dreadfully dragged ones groaned aloud.

"Now, why are there gloomy faces in this party? Liven up, my hyungs!" Chanwoo remarked as he led Junhoe to sit between the guys. The youngest then took a seat beside him.

"Why did you even ask that guy to be your best man?" Donghyuk asked.

Junhoe rolled his eyes as he casually leaned back. "Because if I made one of the married ones to be so, I know I'd never get an awesome bachelor party. Remember Yunhyeong's party?"

Yunhyeong jumped to his defense. "Hey, spa day with just us guys are fun!"

Junhoe grimaced. "That's the gayest I've ever been into. Even weirder when Hanbin and Jinhwan came out with those disgusting painted toenails."

"You hyungs, are no fun. This," Chanwoo gestured at the whole room. "—is fun. Be thankful that I gave you this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel single, even for a night."

"Someone needs to find Chanwoo a wife for him to realize how much deep married men get with things like this," Hanbin said.

"Soohyun doesn't even let me hang out with you guys when she hears Chanwoo is coming," Jinhwan chimed.

Junhoe groaned. "My future's getting bleaker with Chaeyoung. No one's even touching the booze. Is it this always sad?"

"It doesn't!" Yunhyeong chirped.

Bobby, Jinhwan, and Hanbin all exchanged meaningful looks. Now it felt like an atmosphere of drinking.

Jinhwan was the first one to open a bottle of soju and pour himself a glass. "You're just saying that because you got married four months ago. When the honeymoon period ends... That's where the rollercoaster begins."

There were a few chuckles heard from the group.

Jiwon didn't want to taste a drop of alcohol, but with the guys talking about bits and pieces of their marriage life, he wanted to have a drink too.

The atmosphere turned into a livelier one. Laughter were thrown around and a lot of topics were covered. In the midst of this, Jiwon already lost count of how many shots he took. He could feel his inhibitions slowly fading away, and the little conscience he had left inwardly cursed Chanwoo when he called for girls at the room.

Thankfully, Hanbin and Jinhwan were weak when it comes to alcohol. Hanbin was curled like a ball at the floor sleeping while Jinhwan was busy crying and mumbling something under his breath.

Chanwoo shot the girls a guilty look and steered them away from Jinhwan. "Just pretend he doesn't exist. It's his drinking habit."

Jiwon searched for Yunhyeong's presence, but he was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Donghyuk was busy shooting death glares at girls who try to come his way. Junhoe, the man having his wedding in under a week, was having the time of his life entertaining two girls clinging to both sides of his arms.

Grabbing the nearest beer bottle, Jiwon gulped the contents down mercilessly. He winced and felt chills on his spine as the alcohol entered his system. When he set the bottle down, a girl giving him a sultry smile sat beside him and moved close, too close that he could feel her s pressing against his arm.

Instinctively moving away, he shook his head and raised his left hand. "Married."

Somehow during the booze hazing his mind, he was thankful that he had enough control. Heaven knows what would've happened if he became heavily drunk. But the girl didn't let up and traced a finger around his torso.

"No one will know," she whispered, even coming close to his ear that he could feel her warm breath.

It made him stunned. He wouldn't lie; he let the idea play inside his head.

Maybe it was because of Jisoo's coldness for the past few months, but he felt attracted to play with fire, even for just a little while.

No one will know...

The girl took his silence as a cue to go closer and nibble his lower lip. Strangely, he didn't find the strength to push her away.

No one will know...

Maybe he'd let loose, just for tonight.

He raised his hand to grab her closer as he closed his eyes. But he had to stop midway because right as he did, an image of Jisoo smiling, stunning him with her white dress, flashed in his mind.

The memory burned him too much.

This isn't right.

He stood up abruptly, detaching the girl away from him.

"Hey! What gives?"

He felt suffocated all of a sudden. There were a million thoughts running in his head, but only one sufficed. Without a word, he went out of there. Jiwon bet that his friends were too drunk to care he left. He hailed a taxi afterwards and went to the place he should be right now.

Home.

When he came home, Jisoo was already sleeping soundly on their bed. His footsteps felt heavy as he went inside. As he crouched beside her, he could see the trails of tears on the corners of her eyes. He tenderly wiped them away with his thumb.

He knew he wasn't the one who caused her grief, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. Guilty that as her husband, he didn't have the ability to take away all her pain for himself instead. He wished he was the one suffering, not her. She didn't deserve this.

She also didn't deserve being cheated on. No, she suffered too much.

He shut his eyes tight and hung his head low.

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...

He didn't have it in him to sleep beside her so he sent himself to sleep on the couch.

Thinking was exhausting. Mustering the courage was also exhausting. Maybe he'd sleep on it and hope the next day would bring this night as a dream... or a nightmare... or even a fantasy.

It felt uncomfortable. Couches weren't custom-made to fit his tall height. He had to prop his feet at the armrest, making it hang at the edge awkwardly. As his body adjusted to the unforgiving, stiff crooks of the couch, he could make out a shadowy figure standing at the end of his feet.

He thought it was his drunk mind tripping so he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

-to be continued-