Chapter 11
Jin Ri bit her lip as she concentrated on the menu in front of her. She went over the ingredients and procedures of everything that she had to make three times before she reached for a knife and started chopping vegetables, meat and other things needed for the food she was going to make. After she finished chopping everything, she turned the stove on and placed a pan on top of it. She turned around to look at the next item on her list of food to cook when she stopped, startled at the appearance of someone by the door.

“Did you miss me?”

“Mimi!!!” Jin Ri shrieked. She hurried around the counter and launched herself into his arms, not caring about propriety. Hugging the man tightly around his slim waist, she closed her eyes and smiled contentedly. The Chinese male had been gone far too long for her not to act the way she was acting.

“I see that you did,” Zhoumi remarked, hugging his friend back. It really had been too long. He was glad that he was able to come to Korea for a while before Super Junior M activities started again.

“I really did,” she reiterated with a kiss on his cheek. “When did you get here? And why didn’t you tell me?” She frowned when she realized that she could have picked him up from the airport or she could have prepared something special for him had she known that he was coming.

He chuckled and gave her a kiss on the head. “Have you ever heard of surprises?” he teased, moving around the kitchen and looking at the list of food she was to make. “What’s all this for?”

“Kyuhyun’s friend from high school is coming over for dinner and I want to make it special,” she shared, returning to her cooking.

“Which friend?” he wanted to know, dipping his finger in a sauce that she had concocted earlier. He nodded in satisfaction as he tasted it.

“Hyo Sun,” she told him. “Do you know her?” When he shook his head, she went on with a giggle, “They dated back in high school and just recently reconnected. They’ve been spending a lot of time together, catching up and such. Kyuhyun’s over the moon about it.” She smiled at the thought of his husband being so happy at the fact that Hyo Sun was back in his life.

“I don’t hear a hint of jealousy,” he commented, very much surprised about such fact. He was starting to think that the girlfriends of the members were all weird. He was pretty sure that Angie wasn’t the jealous type, so was Nari. But, sometimes, he couldn’t help but think at how much Jin Ri trusted Kyuhyun. She let him do practically whatever pleased him. To Kyuhyun’s credit, he was very much in love with his wife that he never did anything that would be cause for jealousy or any kind of trouble.

She shrugged. “There’s nothing to be jealous about,” she told him imperturbably. “Sure they dated, but they haven’t seen each other in such a long time. I don’t want to be a hindrance to the rekindling of their friendship. I don’t want to take that joy away from Kyuhyun.” She smiled almost wistfully. “You should see how happy he is when he tells me about the things they talked about, stuff that happened eons ago. He becomes such a little boy.”

“You mean more than he usually is?” he chuckled. Sometimes, or rather most of the time, Kyuhyun took advantage of the fact that he was the magnae of the group (even when Henry’s around). He whined and teased and just got on everyone’s nerves. But no one could really get mad at him, because then he becomes all adorable and they all just allow him to be impudent.

“More than he usually is,” she confirmed. “So how long are you here for?” She looked at him expectantly, hoping he would say that he was going to stay longer than the previous times that she had seen him. He was far too busy for her liking.

“A couple of weeks,” was his vague answer. “You know we’re recording right now for M’s new mini album, right? I’m sure Kyuhyun has told you about it.”

“He has,” she established. “I hear it’s going to be a very hot concept.”

“You hear or you know?” he snickered, rolling his eyes.

“I know,” she said in a very know-it-all tone. “I am shooting the album photos, after all.” She grinned as he rolled his eyes at her.

“Hey,” he suddenly said, changing the topic. “Kyuhyun told me that you two are starring in Ryeowook’s song MV.”

She shook her head. “You know I’m not the type,” she told him before he could ask her why. “I love Kyuhyun and I want to help him with everything, but I think my life’s too public as it is. I don’t really want to push myself out into the spotlight any further.”

When Kyuhyun had approached her about being in the music video with him, she had immediately but nicely said no. She knew that Kyuhyun knew about what her answer was going to be because he had laughed and hugged her tight. After which, he had complained like a little boy about how he would have to fake being in love with some girl he probably didn’t even like. She had laughed and told him that she would love him even if he did that.

“Figures,” he chuckled. “So who’s going to be the lucky girl?”

“I think they’re picking someone unknown,” she shared with a shrug. “That way, no scandals would erupt.” She chuckled. The thought of fans creating all such theories about which star was dating whom always made her wonder about why people even bothered about such things.

He chuckled along with her then clapped his hands together. “So what can I do to help?”

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask that all this time!” she told him, looking relieved and handing him the list of food.

“That’s probably the biggest reason why you missed me, huh?” He rolled his eyes at her once again.

She shook her head. “No,” she told him, looking stricken at his suggestion. “That’s the only reason why I missed you.” She grinned almost evilly.

“The members are right,” he declared resignedly. “You have been corrupted by our evil magnae.”

~ * ~

Kyuhyun and Jin Ri’s wedding photo that was displayed in their living room wasn’t the conventional wedding photo that one would put up for everyone to see. Unlike other couples that would’ve probably chosen a photo of them sitting prettily, beside each other, looking straight at the camera, theirs was one where they’re looking at each other and laughing. But, unlike those conventional wedding photos, Kyuhyun and Jin Ri’s clearly showed that they loved each other and actually liked and were happy with each other.

“That’s my favorite photo out of all the photos that were taken during our wedding,” Kyuhyun commented as he stood beside Hyo Sun, who was looking at it.

“This was your idea?” Hyo Sun asked, looking at him in surprise.

Kyuhyun grinned and nodded. “I’ve always thought that Jin Ri’s most beautiful laughing and smiling. When she looks at me when doing either of those things, I feel lucky all over again,” he elaborated.

“Cheesy,” she responded, shuddering. She looked around in amazement at the house. “Why would she want such a big house, though? I mean, it’s just the two of you.”

He chuckled at this. “This house wasn’t her idea either,” he let her know. He looked around, contentment evident on his face. “The moment I saw this house, I knew that this was our home. This is where I want to start our family.”

“Family?” she repeated, giving him another surprised look. “You mean, kids?”

“Kids,” he confirmed with a nod and a big grin. “We’ve decided that we want a big family. Lots of little Kyuhyuns running around,” he added proudly and excitedly.

“That’s a lot of mischief in one house,” she lightly teased, shaking her head. Then she gave him a look. “You’ve really changed, Kyuhyun.”

“It’s Jin Ri,” he happily established.

“I can tell,” she commented. “Monogamy and kids, really?”

“Hey, it’s not like I went from one girl to the next in a second back in high school,” he defended himself. “I’ve only gone out with you and Na Young.”

“And what about all those girls you’d dated before you and Jin Ri met?” she shot back, making a face. “Does she know all about them?”

“Of course she does—hey, how do you know about that?” he wanted to know, a confused look on his face.

Before Hyo Sun could form a sentence, Jin Ri had walked into the living room. She wrapped an arm around Kyuhyun’s waist and told them that dinner was ready. Because of Zhoumi’s presence and help, the food had finished being cooked earlier than expected.

They trooped to the dining room, where Zhoumi, Angie, Leeteuk, Taeyeon and Kangin were already hanging out, chatting and laughing with each other. Kyuhyun and Jin Ri introduced Hyo Sun to them, after which they all sat down to eat.

Throughout the whole evening, Hyo Sun regaled them with stories of Kyuhyun in high school. According to her stories, Kyuhyun never studied for school because he was already a genius. Instead, he spent his time gaming and going after girls. She told them stories of the time when they had first met and when they had started dating. Leeteuk and Kangin kept on teasing their magnae, saying that they knew how big of a player he was. Kyuhyun laughed at everything that Hyo Sun said, but denied the whole “going after girls” part, while squeezing his wife’s hand under the table. Jin Ri enjoyed the dinner immensely. She thanked Hyo Sun for all the stories that she could blackmail Kyuhyun with.

Halfway to the dinner, Jin Ri suddenly interrupted the conversation, wanting to excuse herself for a bit. Kyuhyun asked her if she was okay, she smiled and nodded, patting his cheek, then left the dining room.

When more than 10 minutes had passed and she hadn’t returned to the table, Kyuhyun excused himself and went to look for his wife. He found her hunched over the sink in their bedroom bathroom, breathing heavily, her hands gripping the edges of the sink.

“Princess?” Kyuhyun rushed to her side, putting an arm around her and bending his head down to get a good look at her face, which was hidden behind the curtain of her hair. “Are you okay?” She merely shook her head, unable to speak.

He carried her, bridal style, without a second thought and brought her to the bed. He sat down on the edge as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

“Princess, what are you feeling?” he asked, looking very much worried as he looked at her. Her face was pale.

“Must be something I ate,” she told him, giving him a weak smile. “I’m fine.”

“I’ll take you to the doctor,” he declared, moving to stand up to tell the others.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, grabbing his wrist, stopping him. “I promise,” she insisted when a frown appeared on his handsome face. “I probably just need to sleep this off.”

“I’ll tell them to leave anyway,” he prompted, not taking no for an answer. “I won’t have fun with you sick like this.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

She smiled at her husband’s thoughtfulness and sweetness. It was in such times where she felt lucky that he was her husband. He took care of her so well. “Tell them nicely,” she lightly reminded him.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered, leaning over her and giving her a quick kiss. “I love you.”

“I’m not dying,” she retorted, still managing to roll her eyes at him.

“I love you,” he repeated expectantly, frowning once more.

“I love you, too, seobang,” she told him sincerely, smiling as he kissed her again.

This made Kyuhyun rush out of the room in a heartbeat to shoo out the guests. Jin Ri rarely called him nicknames, but when she did, it made him want to curl up with her all day. Especially in the recent days, since they were working on creating their family. But right now, he just wanted to hug her and make her feel okay.

Jin Ri laughed as she heard Kyuhyun tell the guests to leave in a very evilKyu manner.

~ * ~

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Zhoumi asked as Jin Ri returned to the studio. She had been going in and out to go to the bathroom because she was feeling nauseous.

“I’m fine,” Jin Ri responded, waving her hand dismissively. She picked up her camera and walked in front of the members, who were looking at her concernedly. “Let’s go again?”

Super Junior M was finally coming back with a new mini album in a couple of weeks. The group was back with two new members, who were all missing Hangeng. Eunhyuk and Sungmin, the new recruits, despite still not being able to speak Chinese that well, seemed to fit right into the group.

“I’m going to call Kyuhyun,” Ryeowook announced, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Kyuhyun was running late from an individual schedule.

“Wookie, I’m fine,” she insisted, shooting him a glare. “I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily.” She really didn’t know what was going on with her. Ever since the dinner with Hyo Sun, she hadn’t been feeling well. She was always nauseous, always throwing up. Sometimes she had splitting headaches and other times, she felt overly tired. Even so, she refused to go to the doctor. She was too busy to do a check-up anyway and she really felt it was unnecessary.

“But this is necessary,” Eunhyuk retorted, frowning at her. “You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine,” she stubbornly maintained.

“Riri,” Eunhyuk began, but Jin Ri stopped him by walking up to him and fixing the fur hat he had on.

“I’m fine,” she repeated in a much calmer way, almost pleadingly.

He sighed and patted her cheek. “I’m going to let this go for now. But after the shoot is over, I’m going to start nagging you again,” he made clear, looking pointedly at her before walking back to the set, where the other members were.

She felt relived that Eunhyuk had let it go for the time being. Sometimes she felt that they worried too much about her. It was probably because they cared so much about Kyuhyun that they wanted to make sure that his wife was doing fine as well.

She was about to call out to the boys for the start of the shoot when she felt arms around her waist and a warm breath on her neck. Smiling, she slowly turned around and saw Kyuhyun grinning geekily at her through his black spectacles.

“Hi,” Kyuhyun greeted her.

“You’re late,” Jin Ri pointed out.

“I missed you, too,” was his response, giving her a quick peck on the lips before leaving the studio once more to get dressed and made up for the shoot.

Jin Ri rolled her eyes and shook her head at the vanity of her husband.

After three hours, the shoot was finally concluded. As the Super Junior M members left the studio to remove their make-up and change out of the photo shoot clothes, Jin Ri sat down on one of the chairs, massaging her forehead. She didn’t want to say anything during the shoot, but her head felt like it was going to explode the whole time she was taking their photos. Closing her eyes for a second, she took deep breaths, hoping to help ease the pain.

She was just about to stand up and look for Kyuhyun when she felt hands on her shoulders, stopping her from getting up, then felt her temples being massaged. She melted right into it, feeling the pain being relieved for a bit.

“I like doing this, taking pain away from you, even just for a little while.”

At the sound of the voice, Jin Ri stiffened and immediately stood up, moving away. She looked around and realized that the staff had left the studio and that it was just the two of them there. Without bothering to say anything, she turned to leave.

“You don’t have to do this,” Keiji called after her, grabbing her wrist to stop her from walking away from him like she had been doing for the past weeks since their encounter in the office. “You don’t have to keep on avoiding me.”

“Yes, I do have to do this. I have to keep on avoiding you,” Jin Ri countered, facing him and untangling her wrist from his grasp. “I have to do this because you don’t seem to understand that Kyuhyun is my husband. He’s my life and I’m not going to do any bit of damage to it just because you want to be in a relationship that I obviously can’t be a part of.” She turned around and started walking out of the studio. She didn’t want to waste any more time with him.

Ever since the rather heated discussion that had in the company building, he hadn’t stopped nagging her and pursuing her. He kept on reminding her of what had happened back in Japan, how he was there for her when she needed him the most, in a time when Kyuhyun wasn’t around, in a time when Kyuhyun hurt her deeply.

“Why haven’t you told him about what happened between us in Japan?” he suddenly asked, making her freeze. “Why doesn’t he know everything about you even after all this time, even after being married?”

She whipped around and gave him a piercing glare. “That was a very insignificant part of my stay in Japan, much less my life. It’s not an important detail,” she shot back.

Hurt flickered in Keiji’s eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He smirked and shook his head, eyes challenging. “I wonder if he would think of it in the same way,” he mused, tapping his chin in a thoughtful manner. “He’s not a saint.”

“Are you threatening me?” she spat, not taking a step back as he moved closer to her.

“Now, why would I do that?” he asked, touching her chin and locking her gaze in his. “You know I would never tell him about us.”

“There is no us. There was never an us,” she emphasized, stepping away from him so he wasn’t touching her chin anymore.

He smiled at him, his lips forming a sneer. “We’ll just see about that,” he challenged.

Before Jin Ri could do anything about it, Keiji had s an arm around her waist and had pulled her flush against him, locking her lips in a kiss.

She lifted a hand to slap him and push him away, but he had grabbed it with his free hand and held it tight so that she couldn’t do anything to stop him. He held her tighter against him, forcing her to kiss him back. She squirmed and tried to break free from his hold, but it was no use. She felt weak because she wasn’t feeling well and he was too strong for her, a strength she never thought he would use on her in such a manner. The Keiji she knew or had known was gentle and nice. This one… she didn’t know who he was.

Jin Ri felt scared. She was scared because she couldn’t do anything to stop Keiji, because Kyuhyun was just in another room getting dressed and she couldn’t get to him in time, because she had kept this secret all this time. She really should have told him when they had gotten back together. It was a really big mistake on her part. And if anything happened to their marriage because of this, she would regret it forever.

Keiji was so busy trying to coax Jin Ri to kiss him and she was so busy trying to push him away that they didn’t notice someone had opened the studio door and had walked in.