Jeonghan picked up the clothing to examine it further, just to make sure that it was what it was, and just underneath the shirt was a lacey purple bra with a matching set of underwear.

So that was what Jae had to “do” earlier.

Jeonghan was pissed.

Jeonghan threw the piece of clothing on floor as soon as the realization had hit him and he stalked off to the guest room that he used as his own. He was beyond angry and he wanted nothing more than to have it out with Jae. He wanted to yell at the other and call him names. He wanted to punch him right in the face. 

But not because he was hurt. No. Because that would mean that Jeonghan would’ve had to have feelings for Jae and he certainly didn’t have any of those. Not in the slightest.

No, Jeonghan was angry because of the disrespect. He had known about Jae’s not-so-secret affairs for a few years now. The signs had always been there. From his husband frequently coming home later than what was necessary to the smell of fruity perfumes that lingered on his clothes. It was nothing concrete but Jeonghan would’ve had to have been plain stupid and in complete denial not to see those things for what they were. And it probably wasn’t even from one single person. Jeonghan knew that his husband probably had a string of lovers on the side. 

The only reason Jeonghan never said anything about it was because it truly didn’t matter to him. He knew Jae liked and when they had gotten married Jeonghan had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in those kinds of things (at least not with him) and Jae had enough decency to respect his wishes. So it made complete sense to Jeonghan when he realized a few years into their marriage that Jae had started to have lovers on the side. 

Again, it didn’t matter to Jeonghan because Jae seeking pleasure from other people didn’t hurt him. There was no emotional attachment for him to even feel those things. 

The only things Jeonghan did feel towards his husband’s affairs was annoyance and maybe slight embarrassment from time to time, and that was only when Jae had been stupid enough to make it painfully obvious to outsiders what he had been doing and Jeonghan would have to either cover his or look like a complete idiot so that people wouldn’t start asking too many questions. And Jeonghan only did that to save the face of the company and to make his own life a little easier. 

The less questions about his marriage, the better.

And that was the mindset that Jeonghan had whenever he found knew pieces of evidence that clearly showed what his husband had been doing right under his nose. If he didn’t start anything, if he just kept his mouth shut, then everything would be fine.

But this time, Jeonghan felt like he couldn’t just let this one slide. Because this time, Jae had been daring enough to bring one of those cheap s into their house. Jae was rubbing it in his face that he was ing another person and reminding Jeonghan that he wouldn’t (and couldn’t) do about it. 

He was further belittling Jeonghan and basically reminding him how little control he had over things. Reminding him how Jae could walk all over him and Jeonghan would just have to take it.

It was insulting and disrespectful and it made Jeonghan’s blood boil.

Jeonghan threw things; pillows, clothes, even his phone. His hair was a mess and his face was red as he panted with anger. He was frustrated and pissed.

At Jae and himself. 

Because when had things become like this? When did he let himself become so powerless and small? He missed the days when he had a voice. When he could speak out and call someone on their bull. When he refused to be looked down on. When he felt like a man with a face. 

Now he was nothing more than an old trophy. A display piece that was used to show off every now and then but behind the scenes was losing it’s value to those that owned it. One that could be easily replaced if they found something wrong with it. One that would be on the streets and useless if thrown away.

That was all Jeonghan was now and it made him feel sick to his stomach. And what made him feel even worse was that he knew he chose this life. For whatever reasons they were, he chose to be where he is and now he couldn’t get out.

Anger again filled within Jeonghan and the brunette could only go to sleep with a huff in hopes that his dreams would take him back to a time where he had control over his own life. A time where he was actually happy.

The next morning Jeonghan woke up to the sound of his alarm ringing in his ear. He groaned as he reached to turn it off and then he went about his morning routine, dragging his feet as he moved about. He found himself still being moody, feelings from the night before still lingering around him, and he couldn’t help the glare that stead on his face. He couldn’t even find the energy to pretend to be okay and when he tried to force a smile on his face he only found himself to be unattractive (a word that he had never used to describe himself before). He glared at his reflection as he brushed his teeth, he glared at his feet as he spent longer than usual in the shower and he glared at his himself again when he stood in front of a mirror as he got dressed.

The only time Jeonghan didn’t glare was when he made his way to the kitchen and he got a call from Joshua. He contemplated not answering the call because he knew that his best friend would be able to tell something was off just by the sound of his voice, but then he also knew that only his best friend would be able to get his mind off of things. So Jeonghan answered the call with the full intention of just letting Joshua speak and hoping that the other had something to say that Jeonghan could absorb himself into.

“Hello?”

“Hey Jeonghan, are you coming to the cafe this morning?”

“I might. Why?”

“Well I think I owe you at least a weeks worth of free coffee. Maybe even two free weeks.”

“Seriously? What did I do?”

“Well your little stunt yesterday helped me and Dokyeom start talking more and more and we’ve even made plans to hang out after work.”

“He asked you out?!”

“What? No.”

“Then you asked him out?”

“NO!”

“Then I’m confused. Who asked who out?"

“No one asked anyone out! And keep your voice dawn, people can hear you through the phone!” Joshua hissed and Jeonghan could just imagine the other’s face burning pink.

“Then if it’s not a date then why are you getting me excited over things?” Jeonghan replied.

“Because, this is exactly what I wanted. You know I’m the type to take things slow and I just had trouble getting close enough to really know the guy. But now we’re making plans to hang out and our conversations have finally evolved from something other than cranky customers and new blends of coffee.”

“Sounds exciting.” Jeonghan said in a flat tone but they both know he was just teasing.

“It is. Oh god Jeonghan, I mean I knew he was funny and his smile is great and all but he’s also extremely thoughtful and- Oh he’s coming. Crap he’s coming this way! Uh...I gotta go!"

“Hey wait, when do I get to collect my free coffee? And do I get a free meal? I mean I did technically hook you guys up.”

“Ugh fine. But you only get free bagels!”

“Deal. I’ll come by this morning to pick up my first of many free breakfasts. Later Shua! Have fun with your soon-to-be boyfriend!” And with that Jeonghan hung up the phone.

He was right. Talking to Joshua definitely did bring up his spirits. He was happy for his friend. It had been years since Joshua had shown any real interest in anyone, after all, he was once head over heels for someone but when he had finally mustered up the courage to confess the other didn’t waste a moment to tell Joshua flat out that he only saw him as a friend. And then a few years later, that very same first love that Joshua had so much trouble getting over had come home after being away at college for a month with hearts in his eyes while talking about a boy he had met at a small bookstore that had stolen his heart. Jeonghan had always felt guilty about friend zoning Joshua, feeling even worse for the other when Joshua would enter a new relationship only to be dumped a few weeks later. And Jeonghan knew what the problem was too. It was because Joshua never gave his all in any of those new relationships. He would try his hardest but it was never enough because somehow Jeonghan always came first. But this time, with Dokyeom, Jeonghan could tell from the first second that this one would be different. Not only was Dokyeom understanding of their friendship but there was a sparkle in Joshua’s eyes whenever Dokyeom smiled that Jeonghan had never seen before. And there was that genuine laugh that Joshua had whenever Dokyeom was around. The younger made Joshua truly happy and Jeonghan hoped with all his heart that this time things would would work out. 

And after this morning phone call, Jeonghan felt delighted for his best friend because this was a step forward in the right direction. And, for the first time that morning, Jeonghan smiled.

Until Jae come down stairs and entered the kitchen.

Seeing the other immediately washed away Jeonghan’s happy mood and he went back to being pissed and scowling at everything within sight.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jae asked when Jeonghan’s glare was directed at him.

Jeonghan ignored him and flipped through the morning paper that was laying on one of the marble countertops and Jae just sighed, not really caring about why Jeonghan was so angry.

“Anyway, whatever plans you have this weekend with your little friends, you need to cancel. I need you to be free Saturday night.”

“Damn, Shua and I were planning on each other off that night.” Jeonghan said, knowing that comment would piss off Jae even though they both knew that it was a complete lie.

“You still hang around that little ?”

“He’s my best friend. Of course we still spend time together.”

“I guess you are the company that you keep.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Hey, don’t get your in a bunch Jeonghan. I’m only saying what’s true. Anyway, cancel whatever you have and be ready by 9 on Saturday.”

“ you! Why should I?”

“Because we’re meeting with those guys from Sebong International. We’re going to a club to talk business and get drunk.”

“I still don’t see why I have to be there if you’re just gonna get wasted. There’s no way in hell I’m dealing with your drunk .”

“You’re going because my father said you are. Apparently you made a good impression on that Eric guy and he specially requested that you be there too.”

Jeonghan thought for a second but they both knew that he couldn’t refuse. If Mr. Shim wanted him there then he had to be there.

“Fine. Who else will be there?”

“Besides me and my father, some other officials from our company, Eric, some guys from Sebong and that Seungmin guy and the short one.”

“His name is SeungCHEOL.”

“What difference does it make?” Jae asked, shrugging because he really couldn’t care less.

“It makes a huge ing difference when you’re trying to make a deal with the guy and you can’t even remember his damn name. You’ll make a fool out of yourself and then I’ll have to save your like usual.”

“Whatever.” Jae said before his phone buzzed and he walked off to answer a phone call, leaving Jeonghan standing in the kitchen feeling ten different levels of anger.

Saturday night had rolled around faster than Jeonghan expected and now he was currently sitting in a round booth on the upper level of a club in Seoul. The upstairs was usually reserved for business men that like to talk business while getting drunk off their asses and that was exactly the situation Jeonghan found himself stuck in the middle of. Several men all dressed in suits, much too formal and stuffy for the club life on a Saturday night, talking about the merger while taking shots of soju and other alcoholic beverages. 

Jeonghan himself was wearing a nice dress shirt with some suit pants and he was sitting on the edge of one side of the booth with Jae’s arm wrapped around his shoulder. Jeonghan wanted to rip the arm right off of him but he knew he had a show to put on. So he downed another shot and forced a smile on his face as he pretended to be interested in the story Mr. Shim was telling. The older man was clearly trying to be funny but Jeonghan had never heard the man tell a single joke in his life so the story ran a little dry. Luckily, the men at the table were all drunk enough to laugh along anyway and Jeonghan forced himself to chuckle too. Jeonghan shoved Jae to make the other play along, seeing that would help him in this situation but Jae was too busy on his phone. Out of pure curiosity, Jeonghan glanced over at the screen and saw that it was a text from some woman asking if Jae wanted to come over.

Suddenly that night that Jeonghan found the shirt with the lipstick stain came rushing to the front of his mind and Jeonghan felt pissed again because Jae was again doing this right in front of him. All while Jeonghan was forced to sit next to the and play the “good little husband” in front of everyone else.

He took two more shots and and then another one before he felt someone’s gaze on him and he glanced up to see Seungcheol staring at him with concerned eyes. He knew that look. It was the look Seungcheol used to give him back in college when they would go out to bars with their friends and Seungcheol would warn him about not drinking too much because he always had the worst hangovers. 

Seeing that look again made Jeonghan feel warm inside and he wasn’t sure if that was because of the feelings he got from that look or from the alcohol finally starting to kick in his system. Jeonghan was unconsciously reaching for another shot when their eyes met and Jeonghan realized that he felt a little giddy. Seungcheol was looking at him with such concern and worry and Jeonghan kinda felt cared for. 

That made him happy.

And finally it hit Jeonghan. Maybe it was the alcohol in his body or maybe it was the longing for true affection that he’d been craving for 6 years. But Jeonghan came to the conclusion that he, without a doubt wanted Seungcheol. He wanted Seungcheol so much and he suddenly didn’t care about any of the consequences that came with wanting the other. In his drunken mind, he didn’t care that he was married. He didn’t care about Joshua’s advice. He didn’t even care that Seungcheol possibly had other people in his life. He wanted Seungcheol and his alcohol induced thoughts told him that he didn’t want to hold back any longer. 

Because he knew that Seungcheol would treat him right. Certainly much better than the cheating he called his own husband. And that was enough reason for Jeonghan to think about pursuing the other.

So Jeonghan waited, and surely enough, Seungcheol had to excuse himself when his phone started to ring. It was then that Jeonghan took one last shot before he excused himself to use the bathroom and then he followed a few paces behind Seungcheol. They had made it down the steps and when they finally made it to the bottom, Jeonghan had lost Seungcheol in the crowd. He figured that the other would step outside to take his phone call so Jeonghan waited by the bar while he ordered himself a beer. 

And when Seungcheol had finally returned, Jeonghan was more than a little tipsy. He made his way over to Seungcheol, stumbling as he went and when he called the other’s name, Seungcheol’s eyes widened at the sight of Jeonghan.

“, how much did you have to drink?”

“Just enough.” Jeonghan replied with a giggle and then Seungcheol grabbed him by the wrist.

“Come on, let’s get you back to your partner and then he can take you home.” Seungcheol said as he tried to pull the drunk brunette with him.

“No!! I don’t wanna go back to him! Come on Cheollie! Let’s dance!” Jeonghan said as he threw his arms around Seungcheol. “You used to love dancing! Let’s goo!” Jeonghan said as he tried to pull Seungcheol’s body closer to his but Seungcheol put his hands firmly on Jeonghan’s sides and pushed the younger man away from him.

“You are drunk.” Was all Seungcheol said as if that would sober Jeonghan up.

“Completely!” Jeonghan said with more giggles. “Come on Seungcheol! Don’t be such a downer! Don’t you want me?” Jeonghan asked as he tried to get closer again, this time reaching to play with Seungcheol’s tie.

“We can’t.” Seungcheol replied, keeping Jeonghan at arm’s length. “Come on, let me bring you back to Jae and then I’ll call you guys a cab or something.”

And that was when Jeonghan realized that Seungcheol was completely unaffected by his advances. And that made him feel annoyed. Humiliated. Rejected. And then he let his anger get the best of him.

“Don’t bother! If you won’t dance with me then I’ll just find someone who will.” And with that Jeonghan stormed off to the middle of the dance floor to find some people to dance with. 

Within minutes, Jeonghan found himself sandwiched between a man and woman, both of them trying to get their hands all over him as he rolled his hips in time with the music. Jeonghan glanced up at the balcony of the second floor where he knew Seungcheol would be and for the second time that night, the two locked eyes and Jeonghan continued to move along with the rhythmic beat. He realized that he wanted to make the other jealous so he finally put his hands to use and he wrapped his arms around the stranger he had been dancing with, all while keeping Seungcheol’s gaze. But eventually Seungcheol broke the eye contact and Jeonghan huffed in frustration. He continued to dance until he was bored but what he didn’t notice was that Seungcheol wasn’t the only one who was staring at him from time to time.

When Jeonghan had finally returned up the stairs, he was suddenly yanked by a strong grip at his wrist.

“Just what the did you think you were doing down there?!” Jae screamed in his face. “Do you think you can just act like the little you are in front of my business partners? Are you trying to embarrass me?!”

But Jeonghan was too tired and still too tipsy to even respond and he was even on the verge of passing out.

“Answer me you little !” And just then Jae was about to raise his hand to slap Jeonghan but his arm was caught midway before his hand could come into contact with Jeonghan’s cheek.

“I know you weren’t just about to touch your husband like that, right Mr. Jae?” Seungcheol growled from Jae’s side, his grip hard on the older man’s wrist and there was not doubt that there would be a bruise there in the morning due to the amount of force Seungcheol was using.

“And what the does it matter to you? This is my wife.” Jae said while somehow managing to break his arm free from Seungcheol grip.

“Because I have a no bull policy and I refuse to do business with trash like you. So if I ever find out that you’re hurting your spouse in such a way, I will make sure that not only will Shim Corporations never score a deal with my company but also that your business burns to the ground if you ever came into power. I’m not a man to mess around with and I take my own rules very seriously. So I suggest that you start treating your husband with some respect if you ever want me to do business with the likes of you.” And with that, Seungcheol held onto Jeonghan, who was now resting on an empty booth beside them looking like he was already asleep.

“And just where do you think you’re going with my spouse?” Jae asked angrily.

“I’m gonna have one of my workers take him home in a cab and you can go off for all I care. There’s no way I’m trusting you to take care of him when he’s this wasted.” Seungcheol said over his shoulder before he did just that.

He told one of his workers to take Jeonghan home, asking Mr. Shim for the address and brushing off any and all apologies the CEO tried to offer him as he called a cab. He then had a club hostess bring Jeonghan a glass of water. Jeonghan had woken up just a little and that was when Seungcheol was able to get the keys to Jeonghan’s house from the younger and he gave that to his worker and told him to take care of Jeonghan once the cab had arrived outside.

He had helped Jeonghan enter the cab and then he let his employee handle the rest, trusting that Jeonghan would make it home safely and hopefully be able to handle the terrible hangover that he would definitely be suffering from in the next morning.

A/N: I actually really liked how this chapter turned out LOL (I have no idea where that last scene with Cheol came from but I loved it too much to stop LOL)

Anyway, what did you guys think?? Did you love it? Did you hate it? Is there enough drama?? LOL

Also, on a serious note, at what point does someone change the rating to M?? This fic definitely has more cursing and adult themes than my other fics and I'm contemplating about adding in later chapters...so do I keep it how it is and only mark a few chapters rated or do I mark the entire fic as rated M? I'm very confused about how all of this works lol

Please help! LOL And as always, thank you so much for reading and liking my story and I hope to update this again as soon as I can! And yeah, bye for now!!