Friday, August 8th

“Jodi? Jodi-yah.” JiYong whispered her name a little louder every time. He faced her on the bed and rubbed her shoulder until her swollen eyes opened. She looked at him across the moonlit distance with a blank expression. He smiled at her shyly and reached behind himself to give her flowers. “Happy birthday, baby.”

Jodi looked from his face to the roses several times before rolling away from him. He said her name a few more times, but she didn't respond. They were in the same bed, under the same covers, but she was completely unreachable.
 

* * * * *

JiYong woke at 9 a.m., when his alarm went off. Jodi wasn't in the bed, but the flowers still were. He used the intercom and got no reply. Thinking that maybe she was just ignoring him, he looked upstairs and then downstairs last. Her car was gone. Not knowing what else to do, he called her, only to have it go straight to her voicemail. After debating for a minute he made another call.

“Hey, Soo? Do you know where Jodi is?”

“At a temple. It's how she always starts her birthday,” she answered sleepily.

“Which one?”

“I don't know, and I wouldn't tell you if I did.” Then she hung up. JiYong thought it was safe to assume that Jodi had filled her in on their fight.

JiYong cut the stems off the roses, set them in a vase, left a note on the fridge and left.

* * * * *
 

Jodi walked into her house that afternoon, feeling relaxed after her visit to Myogaksa Temple. With her phone in the glovebox and Ebah by her side, she had prayed and meditated for hours. Walking the grounds and talking to the monks never failed to ease her. One even gave her relationship advice. While she ranted about JiYong's behavior and how she just couldn't understand how he could act like that, the monk beside her nudged her and quoted, “'...Forgiving is not having to understand. Understanding may come later, in fragments, an insight here and a glimpse there, after forgiving.' Forgive your husband first so that you can release your feelings of anger. Work on understanding his actions later.”

With that in mind, Jodi had every intention of calling JiYong after she got some water. But that was when she saw the note on the door. 'Come to Mugunghwa at the Lotte Hotel. 7 o'clock—don't be late.' Jodi read the note two more times before ripping it in half and throwing it away. She threw the roses away, too.

Then she started texting her friends to ask about their plans for the evening. She realized she wasn't in the mood yet to consider forgiveness, nor understanding.
 

* * * * *
 

“Daaaaaamn.” Jay whistled when he saw Jodi walk out of the bedroom in her birthday outfit. A skintight, red, bandage dress matched with gold accessories. While it covered all the important things, it left very little to the imagination. “You're gonna cause trouble tonight, aren't you?”

Jodi smirked as she approached him and handed over her cellphone. “Hold onto this for me tonight. I'm liable to start drinking and get real honest with people.”

* * * * *
 

JiYong tapped his fingers on the table, trying to decide if he was more angry or embarrassed that he was sitting in a full restaurant alone. He had been sitting there for an hour waiting for Jodi. She hadn't answered his two calls or three text messages, but he held out hope that she would come anyway. That was until the waitress, with her pitying smiles, came back to ask if he was ready to order yet. He shook his head, apologized for holding up the table and asked for the check.

* * * * *

“What's your name, honey?” Jodi asked the waitress.

“HyunMi,”

“Alright, HyunMi. It's my birthday and I'm putting you in charge of my happiness. Alcohol equals happiness tonight, you follow?” The girl nodded and Jodi smiled. “Good. Get a beer mug and fill the bottom of it with olives. Then, two shots of Beefeater gin, a splash of vermouth and an inch of olive juice on top of it. It's just an overly complicated martini in a glass I can grip better.” HyunMi nodded again as she jotted down the order. “I'm drinking these all night. Once you see me eating the olives, its time for a new one.” HyunMi nodded, bowed, smiled and ran off. “She's cute.”

Jay nodded absently. “Did you get enough to eat?”

“Neh, oppa. I ate well,” Jodi said with a smile.

“Are you going to answer the phone the next time JiYong calls?”

Jodi's smile dropped. “Nope.”

“Jodi,” he said sadly. “It sounds like he ed up, but at least hear him out.”

She turned in the seat to look at him. “Why are you always trying to give me relationship advice? You've been single most of the time that I've known you. Get a girlfriend, then you can talk all the you want.”

“I would love to, but the girl I want won't say yes.” His eyes traveled to the other side of the booth where Ailee was talking to Amber. Jodi understood. She wrapped her arm around his and rubbed it comfortingly. “Don't let this linger, Jo. Call him and tell him to come.”

“Not gonna happen, captain. It's my birthday and I don't want him here." Jodi faked a shiver and looked away. "Just talking about him is killing my buzz.”

“You haven't drank anything yet.”

“That's how much of a buzzkill he is." She looked at Jay and said earnestly, "He is not invited.”
 

* * * * *

Near midnight, JiYong sat on his couch with reruns of 'Running Man' on as background noise. His phone rang from time to time with his friends wanting him to come out and meet them. He ignored them all. He was just about to turn the ringer off when a familiar ringtone played. Stunned, JiYong stared at 'Anae' boldly displayed on the screen for a few seconds before finally answering it.

“Babe?”

“No, this is Jay, and you're wife is ed up. You need to come get her. Like, now.”

JiYong wiped a hand over his face and looked down at his clothes. “Where are you?”

* * * * *

JiYong parked his Lamborghini in front of Octagon. He slipped sunglasses on before getting out when he saw all the people standing in line outside. Cameras started flashing before he even got out, but the security was good and began making a barrier for him. JiYong got out of the car, casually dressed in a leather jacket, graphic tee and jeans, and waved absently to the crowd on his way to the front door. He bowed to the door man and leaned close to be sure he could be heard. “Sorry to leave my car there, I'm just here to pick up my wife.”

“It's no problem, Mr. Kwon. Stay as long as you like.” The door man waved him on and spoke into his wrist. Two bouncers walked slightly behind JiYong, and he was almost to the VIP section when he heard the DJ announce his presence. . He raised his hands and waved when the crowd spotted him. The bouncers flanked him and created as much space as possible to move him along. Safe in the VIP section at last, he thanked the bouncers and looked around for Jodi. She wasn't hard to spot, dancing on a table with a beer mug in her hands. He could see Jay trying to coax her off the table and failing miserably. JiYong walked up to the table and tapped her leg. Jodi looked down at him with her head cocked.

“Why is he here? I didn't invite him to my party,” she whined and pointed. Jodi pouted and stomped her foot hard enough to make some glasses rattle. While she was distracted, Jay stepped onto the booth seat and guided her down.

“Let's have a talk. All three of us, okay?” Jodi stomped her feet, but allowed Jay to lead her. JiYong followed behind. With her back against the wall, Jay drew JiYong forward and put his arm around his shoulders. “Sorry for the familiarity, but cameras, you know?” JiYong nodded. “I've been thinking about how to do this. You two should go out to the floor, dance to two songs and then he can take you home.”

“No,” Jodi answered and drank from her mug.

“Jodi,” Jay began patiently. “The episode with the fight airs this weekend and it'll cut down on the damage. I'm not talking about fault, because either way, the fans are going to attack him for it. You walking out of here on his arm, it might lessen the talk.”

“I don't care. that show, them fans, and him.” She looked at JiYong and told him, “ you.” JiYong flinched and looked away. Jay withdrew his arm and stepped closer to Jodi. He whispered in her ear and JiYong watched her face flash from outrage to anger to acceptance twinged with anger. “You really want to use your favor on this?” Jay nodded. “Fine.”

She set her drink of a table and held her hand out to JiYong. He grabbed it and led her out to the main dance floor, passing several of her friends along the way. They both nodded their heads as 'Mirotic' went off and transitioned into 'Hug Me' by Crush. Jodi wrapped her arms around his neck and swayed with him to the beat. They stayed facing each other, foreheads pressed, lips almost touching, his hands on her hips until the second chorus. Jodi spun around and put her back to him. She rolled and wound her hips, letting the y feel of the song get into her blood. She could feel JiYong hands all over her. No longer anchored on her hips, they swept up and down her back, slid around to lay on her stomach. When Gaeko's rap came on, he tugged her shoulder to make her stand up. He pushed her hair to the side and kissed her neck, never losing the rhythm of the song. Right at the end of the song, Jodi stood fully, ready to leave the dancefloor. He held her back.

The music slowed down further and switched to 'Pills N Potions' by Nicki Minaj. 'Pills and potions, we're overdosing. I'm angry, but I still love you.' JiYong took his sunglasses off and put them in his pocket. Jodi looked away, but JiYong used his fingers to bring her gaze to his. As she looked in his eyes, she saw her husband again, not that other guy. 'I still love, I still love, I still love . . .' He mouthed the words along with the song and drew her into his arms. Though it wasn't exactly a slow song, nor a particularly romantic one, Jodi let her head rest on his shoulder while it played. They didn't dance, so much as hold each other and sway gently. 'In due time, we'll be fine . . .'

The DJ ed up the mood by playing 'Turn Down for What' after that. It was the abrupt, sloppy and jarring change over that brought her back. She shook her head and walked off the dance floor. JiYong followed close to her heels as she cut through the crowd to get back to the VIP section. She grabbed her purse and sunglasses off the table and turned to him. “I'm ready to go.”

Her goodbyes were brief. Plenty of hugs and kisses all around, but rushed. On the way out the club doors, JiYong pulled her to a stop. He put his sunglasses back on, took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. Then, he took the gold glasses out of her hand and put them on for her. With a nod, he held her hand. The security made a path for them through the recently arrived paparazzi. It was a struggle to get in the car, but he made sure she was in securely before going to the driver side. He sped off into the night as soon as he could.

It was silent in the car. Jodi kept her face to the window, JiYong kept his eyes mostly on the road. He cleared his throat and asked, “Why didn't you come to dinner?”

“You didn't ask me,” she said eventually.

“You didn't see the note?”

“I saw it. 'Come to Mugunghwa at the Lotte Hotel. 7 o'clock—don't be late,'" she recited. "Again, you didn't ask me.”

JiYong looked over at her and rubbed his chin. “You stood me up out of spite?” She didn't respond. “I waited an hour for you.” She said nothing. She let her left hand fall into her lap as she readjusted and JiYong glanced down. Not believing what he was seeing, he gripped her wrist and brought her hand closer to his face. “Where is your ring?”

This time when she didn't answer, he swerved hard to the right and pulled the car over. “Are you crazy?!”

“Where is your ring, Jodi?” He looked at the gold smiley face on her finger and it seemed to be taunting him.