Chapter 12: What is unfair?

“Where are you? Everyone is waiting.” Mi Rae's words rag in Da Hyun's ears as walked to her car. She knew everyone would have million questions to ask but she didn't know how she would answer them. Despair filled her heart and she felt suffocated as if drowning. Her mother would kill her.

Reputation was the most important thing for Da Hyun's mother, Kang Sun Mi. She came from a rich family and had never worked a day in her life. Others worked for her, she owned businesses but she didn't work. Instead she spent her time in beauty spas and five star restaurants with other privileged people like her. After getting married she devoted herself to being the most perfect woman. Not a mother or a wife but utmost foremost a woman. Her clothes were all bought from expensive boutiques, mostly shipped from Europe. The style didn't matter as much as the brand and price.

For her, attending cocktail parties and meeting other women such as her (to exchange gossips) was the most important thing in her life. Needless to mention that losing face was the most horrible thing that could ever happen to her. It would be like a suicide of her glorious social life. And with the latest stunts Da Hyun had finally brought her to the edge of a cliff, like she had always feared.

But Sun Mi was not only a pretty and harmless social butterfly (like she liked to fool others to think), she was also involved in darker things, dangerous things. These were things Da Hyun didn't want to have anything to do with and no one was forcing her. Anyhow, her mother was not stupid. She knew what was going on with Mi Rae and the business. She was a woman who always knew everything.

So far she had decided to sit back and watch from the side, she wanted to see how Da Hyun would handle the situation. She wanted to see if her daughter was ready to stand on her own against the harsh world they lived in. But Sun Mi was growing impatient and even worried because things were not going so well from her perspective. The money laundering case had stretched for almost a month already and Da Hyun wasn't even close to getting it under control. Moreover, other cases were being revoked, cases that should be closed and stay that way forever. But the worst were these stunts Da Hyun had gotten involved in and all those carefully arranged blind dates she had skipped. After all it was Sun Mi who would have to face unsatisfied mothers of those stood up men. She was really close to losing her face and she didn't like it.

She never wanted Da Hyun to succeed the company and that's why she insisted on a marriage. There had been another person who was supposed to take over, his name was Jae Hyuk, Mi Rae's former fiance. But he died in extremely complicated circumstances and that's why Kang Min was eventually brought in the picture. The latter was ambitious and greedy for power which was a good thing in an appropriate amount. But Kang Min was too greedy and too ambitious which lead to several unfortunate events like the money laundering case. It was the smallest problem on the list and it was supposed to be easy one to handle. But now, nothing would be easy anymore.

The prosecutor just had to be persistent, the detective was too fearless, Da Hyun too adamant on doing everything in a clean way, and Kang Min too determined to take over. Sun Mi understood Kang Min's feelings, he was angry and bitter, she understood. But that's where her understanding stopped. He had treated Mi Rae badly and caused big problems for Da Hyun, moreover he had plotted her husband's death. He had done enough damage and it was the time for her to start taking more actions.

No one would be spared.

The eldest daughter So Hwan was tall and skinny. She had worked as a model before but after becoming a mother of twins retired and followed her own mother's footsteps. She strove to be a perfect woman and she also put a lot of effort in the education of her children so they would also be perfect later on in their lives. She was perfectionist in everything she did and when things didn't go like planned she'd nag and nag until everyone around her would die from it.

Luckily she rarely failed, she was ambitions in whatever she did and wasn't used to losing or giving up. In a way she was similar to Da Hyun except their goals in life were different. Just the opposite like day and night. When So Hwan danced ballet and was the primadonna of the family Da Hyun practiced karate kicks and fought with boys. While So Hwan wanted to be like their mother and engulfed herself in darkness Da Hyun followed their father's footsteps instead, she went into the opposite direction to face the light.

The second daughter Soo Yeon was on the chubby side because she was too lazy to look after her figure. She didn't care much about being perfect, she was after happiness but to such obsession that she never did anything what she didn't want to do. And she didn't need to because her husband was rich and could provide her with luxurious lifestyle even if she spent his money mindlessly on the most ridiculous things. She didn't have any dark secrets and lived her life in the most normal way. And no one could make as delicious pancakes as she could, no one.

She had three kids and loved them dearly. But what she couldn't do she made them do: piano, sports and acting, languages and math. They had the best teachers and tutors in the country and were growing up to be the most messed up adults of the century. At least that's what Da Hyun always thought. She had never seen such well behaved children but she was sure they were going through too much stress.

Then there was Mi Rae, the daughter who never succeeded in anything and never fulfilled anyone's expectations. She also had the worst luck with men and terrible love life full of crazy drama. At some point she became tired of always failing and decided to become a failure herself. She dropped out of high school and partied her life away until she met Jae Hyuk and got into even more trouble. He was the one who was supposed to succeed and she was supposed to be his lucky charm but... Things don't always go like planned and Mi Rae was left alone and pregnant.

That's when Kang Min stepped into the picture to save her from the shame of being a single mother. They never got along well and now she was waiting for a divorce. She indeed was one failure of a daughter according to the rumors. In reality she wasn't a failure, just unlucky. This was a pity because deep inside Mi Rae was a very sweet and kind woman, she had a good character even though a bit selfish and wishy-washy. She didn't open up to others easily but once she did she loved with all 100%, she gave her all only to lose it in the end. But she was strong and could survive anything, she was stubborn. The specialty of Kang family.

Mi Rae was unlucky but she was good at slipping away from trouble and avoiding taking responsibility. Soo Yeon would constantly get caught in trouble with one thing or another, especially her unhealthy love for wines. So Hwan again was talented and intelligent so she never got into trouble. Da Hyun was a mix of them all.

As a child she had been rebellious and wild. She always did whatever she wanted no matter if it was appropriate or not, besides her father never scolded her because she was his favorite. Her mother again had her hands full with the three promising and beautiful daughters so she let Da Hyun have it easy, like this she became her father's responsibility. She was glad it went that way because she had a happy and carefree childhood, at least to some extent. There was also a darker side to her childhood, a realistic one. But she didn't like to think about it.

Da Hyun was the responsible one. She was the most hardworking of the four but to her mother's dismay she only cared about her career. She was a lot like her father, distant from the family, quiet around them and preferred to spend her free time by herself, mostly working. She didn't think about marriage or getting children, she didn't act like a daughter at all. But she was trustworthy and headstrong like a pillar of the family, whenever there was a problem everyone knew she would be able to solve it in a blink of an eye. That's why her mother had trusted her with the company so lightly.

Like this she had become the son her parents had wished for but never had. Her family loved her and cared about her but because of her unladylike ways, blunt tongue and stubborn character she would often argue with everyone and then get scolded by the mother. They often fought but her mother was also the one who trusted her the most, her expectations were high. Sky high. However, it appeared there was finally a problem Da Hyun had difficulties handling because lately she was starting to cause trouble, sliding back into her rebellious wild ways.

Sun Mi wanted to be in the control of the situation before her elder brother would meddle. She had been to the prosecutor's office but when she had asked to meet with the one responsible for her daughter's case she had been lead to Ji Hwan (she knew this boy was not the one she was looking for). She had seen Jongin from afar but she didn't care about the detective much. She was intrigued by Sehun the most because he was the one who had revoked her husband's death case and he was hiding. He was hiding from her and no one gets away with hiding from her. No one. She wanted to meet him eye to eye and she wanted to take a good look at him, she wanted to see how he was and who he was.

Then she'd make her final decision.

As expected the family meeting turned into a disaster as soon as Da Hyun came home. First thing everyone was shocked that she was wearing ungodly worn out sweatpants and a hoodie, and she wasn't wearing any lipstick which was unacceptable. Her mother brought up the money laundering case, demanding to know everything, pretending that she didn't know anything about it but had heard rumors. Da Hyun knew right away her mother had been snooping around.

Soo Yeon was so shocked about everything that she got drunk from the wine she was secretly drinking disguised as juice. So Hwan threatened to get herself removed from the family registry because she was too ashamed of them all and Mi Rae started crying hysterically while begging for forgiveness and mercy. Da Hyun didn't say much after explaining the whole situation and just sat there staring at the floor. Their mother was unusually quiet but everyone suspected that was only because she was planning something nasty and complicated again. Needless to say the whole scandal was nothing but a ridiculous farce and Da Hyun couldn't imagine the outcome now that her mother had taken interest in it.

“Da Hyun, you know enough people and we have enough money. Why didn't you take care of it in a proper way?” Her mother asked at some point.

There was no answer. Da Hyun knew that bribes were what Sehun was expecting from her and she was not going to make stupid mistakes like that. She was going to prove him that he was being a selfish and egoistical piece of s.hit. That he was nothing compared to her. If he was not willing to take the case seriously she would do it instead and she would prove her innocence no matter what. Somehow.

“She is too honest and innocent for her own damn good!” So Hwan barked.

“What will happen if we lose the company?” Soo Yeon wanted to know. “Father worked on it so hard, it was his life.”

This caused Mi Rae to cry louder.

“Moreover she is going to become a divorcee single mother and that's a disgrace for the family”, So Hwan pointed her long finger at her sister, exposing her beautiful manicure.

“Shut up!” Da Hyun snapped. “She was being abused by that disgusting bas.tard! I am ashamed of myself and you all because we failed to see it.”
“Being hit a few times will do only good, what has she ever done with her life, anyway?” So Hwan scoffed, throwing a glare at Mi Rae. “Stop crying for God's sake.”

“Sister you are being too cruel!” Soo Yeon scolded, being the one sitting on the sofa next to Mi Rae she pulled the latter into a hug and started crying together with her.

Da Hyun shifted her furious eyes at their mother. “Don't tell me you knew?”
“I didn't”, Sun Mi answered honestly, throwing a sideways glance at her crying daughters. “But anyway... If no one noticed that only means he didn't beat her too bad.”
“Mother!” Da Hyun raised her voice. She couldn't believe her family was so heartless.

“Don't you yell at me”, her mother ordered strictly. “I know it wasn't your fault that this all happened but I thought you would be able to handle the situation in a subtle manner. What will happen once media catches up? Have you thought about that? Why is this dragging for so long? Why is the prosecutor digging for bones like a hungry dog? And why are you going around causing trouble with Kang Min?” The look in Sun Mi's eyes grew sharper.

“Mother!” Da Hyun hissed. “I will handle this, stay out of it and tell uncle to keep out as well.”

“You are taking too long”, Sun Mi yapped.

“Well guess what? Maybe you should have put Kang Min on a leash a bit earlier!” Da Hyun snapped.

So Hwan glanced at her, a small smirk lingering on her lips. “He is digging his own grave just next to the prosecutor's. Don't you worry about that.”

“Seriously!” Da Hyun threw her hands in the air. “Let me handle this!”

“Your behavior is suspicious”, So Hwan eyed her through squinted eyes and rubbed her chin. “Don't tell me...Are you two having an affair?”

“What?! With who?”

“Hyuk Jae...”

Da Hyu glared at her sister and gritted her teeth. “That's outrageous!”

“Because that's the rumor I heard the other day. You always meet and play golf together...”

“He is like 25 years older than me!” Da Hyun reasoned, running her slender fingers though her hair. “Why would I even... Never mind... that is just stupid.”

“You are so shameless”, their mother injected bitterly. “Why can't you pick someone from the men I send your way?”

“Mother I am not having an affair with an old man, okay?” Da Hyun shrieked.

“This brings me to the other topic I wanted to discuss. You have been skipping blind dates and... Mrs Lee is still bitter abut the scene you caused with her son. Why haven't you apologized yet? I thought we agreed on proper behavior from your side”, Sun Mi scolded sternly.
“It wasn't my fault!” Da Hyun denied curtly. “And that was like almost a month ago...”

Everyone looked at her dully as if asking her to not joke around. They didn't exactly trust her when it came to manners on dates. She had caused so much ruckus during the past year it was becoming hard to find a man who would want to go on a date with her. Da Hyun was becoming a sensation. Not in a good way.

“What I heard from his cousin was that you brought your boyfriend and he is some dude whose father is a plumber!” Soo Yeon announced with a hiccup. “I thought your standards were higher than that!”

“Jesus!” Da Hyun covered her forehead with her palm. She couldn't believe they were discussing her blind date when they should have been concentrating on something more important. But of course, blind dates were extremely important to her family.

“Who is this plumber?” Their mother asked angrily, straightening up in her seat. “If you don't break up with him right now I will remove you from the family's registry!” She demanded in loud voice.

“He is not my boyfriend and it was a coincidence that he was there”, Da Hyun explained with a groan.

“Was it Jongin? Did you go out with him?” Mi Rae asked between her tears. “I thought he was gay! How could he lie to me like this? I liked him first!”

So Hwan burst out in hearty laughter, leaning her head back. “A gay man!”

Soo Yeon stared at Da Hyun wide eyed. “Did you plot to marry a gay so you could concentrate on your career? Are you willing to go that far? Are you crazy? Do you want to live in a celibate for the rest of your life? No, I mean once you get older and less attractive you will never be able to have .”

“Soo Yeon shut up.”

“But mother she is making the wrong decision!”

“I said shut up.”

“Yes mother...” Soo Yeon mumbled, lowering her head. She slowly reached for her wine glass and took a sip.

“And stop drinking!” Sun Mi shrieked.

“But I can't” Soo Yeon cried. “It tastes too good. Why? Why is it so good?”

“It wasn't Jongin, okay...” Da Hyun narrowed her eyes at Mi Rae. “He is gay! When are you going to finally accept that he will be gay forever?”

“But he is so handsome”, Mi Rae sobbed. “I want him.”

Da Hyun groaned in frustration.

“Who is this Jongin?” Soo Yeon asked curiously.

“The detective.”

So Hwan laughed eve harder, she even snorted.

“We are doomed”, Soo Yeon said gloomily and drank more. “We are done for. Gays, plumbers and no , I don't understand anymore. She wants to bring a detective into our family? That's crazy!”

“Then who is the plumber?” Mi Rae asked in confusion. “Wait! You are not talking about Sehun, are you? Is he a plumber too?”

“No, he is not a plumber. No one is a plumber!” Da Hyun yelled. “Stop talking about this already.”

“And who is Sehun?” So Hwan asked in amusement. “Is he gay too?” To this Da Hyun almost blurted that he kind of was but then she closed because her mother knew Hyuk Jae and she didn't want any weird rumors to spread. Though, she wasn't sure if her mother had made the connection between the father and son yet, after all Hyuk Jae never brought Sehun to any parties and barely anyone knew how he looked like.

“How could you?” Mi Rae asked sourly. “How could you choose someone as disgusting as him?”
“Disgusting?” Soo Yeon perked up, wanting to know more.

“Sometimes he doesn't shower for weeks and he has a nasty temper. And an ugly hairstyle! It's really ugly!”

“Sounds like a plumber to me”, So Hwan nodded with a snort.

“He has been showering lately, though”, Da Hyun added matter-of-factly but no one seemed to listen.
“Oh my god, ugly hairstyle is the worst!” Soo Yeon almost fainted.

“I don't like this”, their mother crossed her arms over her chest. “I want you to call him now and break up with him.”
“I am not dating him”, Da Hyun insisted.

“Don't lie”, So Hwan smirked. “In fact, mother. Don't make her call him I want to see him in person.”

“That would be good, if he came here he'd realize how out of place he is and that he is hindering my daughter's career. That would be the best way to get rid of him.”
“No! You can't let someone who doesn't shower for weeks into this house!” Mi Rae opposed, her whole body stiffening.

“At least make him get a haircut first!”

“He got a haircut already”, Da Hyun muttered.

“But does it look good?” Soo Yeon raised her brows.

“Who cares?”

Mi Rae gasped in shock. “How could you not care?”

“Look at her, obviously she doesn't care about the appearance”, So Hwan teased.

“But still.. A man with ugly hair...”

Da Hyun stood up and glared at everyone. “I don't need to listen to this! I'm leaving!”

“Are you going to meet that gay plumber or whatever?” So Hwan yelled after her.

A groan escaped Da Hyun's throat. She couldn't believe they had pulled Sehun into this, it's not like she had no other men in her life. Actually she didn't. But anyway...

“Right, don't forget we have the family gathering next Sunday.”

Life can be tiring when a lot of things happen at fast pace and lately too much had happened to Da Hyun. In only one moth's time her comfortable slow paced life had turned into a chaos and she didn't know where she was headed to. It was hard to keep her thoughts together. When she arrived home and collapsed on the sofa she felt like she would never be able to get up again. She was so tired wishing everything could be over sooner. If only Sehun had not overheard Kang Min's confession about the murder, if only...

She knew for sure that her mother and uncle would not let her father's death slip between their fingers just like that. Actually her father and her uncle hadn't had a good relationship and had often clashed but she knew her uncle was not a person who would go for his younger sister's husband. He wouldn't be sad for the man to be gone but he would not get rid of him either. She knew that for sure. Maybe, just maybe Jung Woo had something to do with her father's death and maybe, just maybe, it was her family involved in his death. Just maybe. She didn't want to think about it. She was bitter about her father's death and she detested Kang Min more than it was possible to describe in words but she didn't want to get involved in a gang war because that's what this whole mess was sliding into.

The most important thing for Da Hyun at the moment was to get Kang Min out of the picture. She had to get rid of him and prove her own innocence. That's all, then she'd walk away from the whole mess and let the boys handle it the way they wanted. But how was she supposed to prepare for the trial when it wasn't Sehun's or Jongin's priority anymore? Or was it? They were snooping around and meddling in her business, distracting her all the time. She was confused and disoriented. And she sure as h.ell did not like to be that way.

And then there was the second important thing on Da Hyun's mind. The family gathering! She had forgotten about it in the midst of all the action and she had nothing to wear. Actually she had a lot of pretty dresses but it was a family gathering of one frivolous family. Needless to say just any dress wouldn't do. She needed to go shopping!

*

The shopping trip turned out to be interesting because Da Hyun bumped into Eun Yoo at the mall. They were both extremely surprised about such a coincidence but also happy because now they could shop together, it would be more fun than roaming all the shops alone.

Eun Yoo had come to the mall to buy new shoes and apparently Sehun had asked her to grab a few t-shirts for him. He had given her his unlimited VIP credit card and upon seeing it Da Hyun's eyes lit up, nothing would stop them from a shopping spree now. She was determined to help Eun Yoo to upgrade Sehun's wardrobe just so the poor woman wouldn't need to be embarrassed about his style ever again. She was not allowed to buy Adidas shorts, that was for sure. Even though Da Hyun didn't care about Sehun's style in general she actually liked Eun Yoo. The girl was sweet and caring, she was shy but also easygoing once she became comfortable around people. Immediately the two bonded as they walked from one shop to another, the amount of bags in their hands growing in numbers.

At first Eun Yoo was extremely cautious about using Sehun's credit card. She insisted that just a few cheap tees would be fine but Da Hyun sneakily talked her over into buying a lot more than planned. Shoes, bags, shirts, pants, jeans. She tried to ask what style Eun Yoo liked but the latter didn't really seem to care. With a beautiful smile she said that she loved Sehun as he was and that statement softened Da Hyun's heart. Eun Yoo's love was so pure and beautiful.

In the end Da Hyun managed to squeeze some opinions from Eun Yoo's mouth but she went for the cute guy style which would have not suited Sehun at all because 1. he was not cute 2. he was totally not cute and 3. nope, still not cute. Da Hyun let Eun Yoo choose some clothes anyway, she was the fiancee for God's sake. Eun Yoo again didn't mind letting Da Hyun choose Sehun's clothes because she herself didn't really care about his style and she thought that Da Hyun was better at choosing clothes. She enjoyed being with Da Hyun and that was enough for her, she was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.

Eventually Da Hyun remembered that she had to buy a dress for herself and she decided to buy one for Eun Yoo as well as a pre-wedding gift. The latter tried to refuse but Da Hyun was once again adamant about it. In the end Eun Yoo was happy to shop with Da Hyun because Da Hyun made her feel beautiful. Da Hyun knew how to choose clothes for her, Da Hyun was nice, kind and sweet. Da Hyun was strong, confident and decisive. Da Hyun made her feel lighthearted, giddy and happy. She liked Da Hyun, she wanted to be around her more, more, and even more. Sehun's incident flashed through her mind a few times but Da Hyun wasn't bringing it up and Eun Yoo felt like they shouldn't talk about it. After all Sehun was good now, perfectly healthy.

“How are the wedding preparations coming along?” Da Hyun asked curiously as the two entered a coffee shop to take a break from their crazy shopping spree. By now they had so many bags already it was hard to move around.

“Right, the wedding dress fitting is next week! Do you still want to come?”

“Of course!” Da Hyun nodded enthusiastically. “Just text me the details and I will show up.”

“Then that's great”, Eun Yoo smiled sweetly. “You are so good at picking clothes.”

“I know right”, Da Hyun joked. “What do you want to dink?”

“I'm not sure...” Eun Yoo pondered.

“Then wait here, I'll buy something good.”

While Da Hyun was gone Eun Yoo thought about the wedding and she felt hesitant for the first time. She didn't doubt Sehun's feelings, he was kind to her, they had on regular basis and he was always happy to be with her. She liked to be with him and she adored his family but... she only liked him. She didn't love him. Actually all this time she had thought she had loved him but now she finally realized the truth. She cared about him but she didn't love him in a way a woman loves a man. Encouraged by Da Hyun's strong presence she finally had the guts to admit it to herself. But what could she do anymore when things had advanced this far? The wedding was scheduled to be in about a month and everything had been organized already, a huge sum of money had been spent. There were all these expectations.

“What's wrong, unni?” Da Hyun asked with a frown when she found Eun Yoo sitting in a slouch with horrified look on her face. She was pale.

“I'm fine”, Eun Yoo flashed a weak smile. “Just tired.”

“I see”, Da Hyun nodded and placed a tray with drinks and cake slices in the middle of the table. “I'm sure this will make you feel better.”

“I like pastries”, Eun Yoo smiled in delight at the cakes Da Hyun had bought for them to share. She liked the idea of sharing, especially if it meant sharing with Da Hyun.

“Hey... Can I ask something”, Da Hyun asked with a cautious smile. Eun Yoo nodded. “I have been curious all this time about how you and Sehun met. Was it love at first sight?” she chuckled, remembering his high school nickname.

My father is a police officer and he is a workaholic. He has been that way even since my mother died. I was always worried that he'd skip meals and often went to meet him at the police station to bring him lunch and dinner. Then one day he got injured and I rushed to the hospital. That's how I met Sehun. He was arguing with the nurse about some arrangements and throwing his temper all over. It was definitely not love at first sight because that moment I was very scared of him. I remember how fast my heart beat when our eyes met. He was furious.

Father told him to walk me home and he did as asked, we didn't exchange much words, I didn't even dare to look at him. But once we stood at the front door of our house he smiled at me and apologized about his rude behavior. There was something familiar about him and I realized that we went to the same high school but he didn't remember me. I was just another plain girl, anyway so I wasn't surprised he didn't remember. I just thought that world could be such a small place.

I thought he was working with my father because he was wearing police uniform that day but later I found out that he was a prosecutor trainee and was only asking my father for help with a case he had been assigned with. I learned that the two became close and spent a lot of time together. Maybe you know that Sehun has a very bad relationship with his father so I think he saw a father figure in my father. They got along well and when my father would drink too much Sehun would carry him on his back all the way home. Sometime he'd stay over, he came by often and we learned to know each other.

At first I tried to keep my distance because he made me feel nervous. He wasn't rude to me but he was always teasing me and flirting. He knew it made me feel uncomfortable so he wouldn't stop. Still, I couldn't dislike him because he was fun and caring. Father loved him too, he was always teasing how we should get married. It was just talk back then, just casual joking and I never thought it would become a reality. Sehun didn't seem to be interested in me back then. A year passed without me even noticing, we had become friends. His internship had long ended but he kept coming over, anyway.

Then one day he changed, he wasn't his usual self anymore. He became aloof and even sad. He would still tease me but the spark in his eyes had dimmed. One day when he was drunk he told me that he loved someone who didn't love him back, he even cried. I felt really sad for him but there was nothing I could do. I tried to distract him the best I could. We spent more time together and grew closer.

Then he graduated from the university and went to the army. Slowly he cheered up, though it took him a long time to get over his unrequited love. He is the type of a person who can't stop loving once he falls for someone. He is not stubborn at all but sometimes, when he starts loving something or someone he clings onto it with all his might.

During his second year in army when he came home for a short visit he asked me on a date. We had been sending letters to each other all the time but his confession came out of the blue, I was really surprised. I agreed anyway, because by that time I already liked him a lot. It was my birthday and that's when we kissed for the first time. That was three years ago, two years after we had first met. It's been five years already.

We started dating and time passed. One day he proposed and it felt only natural to agree. He might not be very romantic and he has his own strange ways of showing his love but I enjoy his company and I feel happy with him. He has always been kind and sweet to me and I wanted to be with him so here we are... now, today.

Shin Eun Yoo

28 years old

Regretting something.

“I can't believe we are talking about the same Sehun”, Da Hyun commented in disbelief while sipping her milk coffee. She couldn't imagine the rat man being all sweet and kind to someone. “I have a completely different image in my head”, she chuckled.

“That's right”, a slight frown crossed Eun Yoo's face. “He is being really mean to you. He is not like that and the other time...” her voice faded and she cleared . “I have never seen him as angry as that one morning.”

“I'm really sorry about causing such a commotion back then”, Da Hyun flashed an apologetic smile. She honesty felt bad about her arrogant behavior. “I went too far...”

“I think he went too far”, Eun Yoo said sounding even a bit angry. “I scolded him a lot about it. He is always like that, when something bad happens he disappears instead of talking about it. He only came back one day after in a bad condition. His body was full of bruises, he refused to tell what had happened but I am sure it was something work related. He never talks about his work. He is a lot like dad!” Eun Yoo suddenly realized that she had been ranting and lowered her eyes in embarrassment. “Sorry.”

Da Hyun felt a bit bad knowing how and where Sehun had disappeared to when his fiancee didn't know but she felt like it was not her place to tell Eun Yoo anything. It would probably scare her even more than the latest incident. Hearing that Sehun had bruises made her realize that maybe his escape from kidnapping had not been very smooth but she brushed these thoughts away. A lot had happened ever since.

“That's fine. You probably don't get to complain about him too often. Just let it all out”, Da Hyun smiled widely. “I'll listen to your worries.” Suddenly Eun Yoo's face saddened and Da Hyun's smile vanished that instant. “You are not having problems, are you?”
“No, no”, Eun Yoo answered hurriedly. “There are no problems but...”

“Did he force you into marriage?” Da Hyun frowned. “Did he two-time you? Did he hurt you? Did he bully you? Was he rude to you?” she asked in one breath, ready to kick his sorry as.s if Eun Yoo admitted to him treating her bad.

“No, no!” the latter shook her hands in midair. “Nothing like that”, she uttered a chuckle. Concern seeped through Da Hyun's voice and her worry warmed Eun Yoo's heart. She felt touched.“I just... he is always working just like my father and I am afraid I'll feel lonely. It's really selfish, right?” she asked cautiously, even guilty, peeking at Da Hyun's serious face from under her bangs. “Sometimes he doesn't come home for days, he practically lives at the office. I just...”

“Psh, who needs him anyway?” Da Hyun scoffed. She wondered if Sehun didn't come home only because he spent his nights with Jongin. For the first time she actually regretted helping them to reconcile. This all made her feel guilty but she was not going to say anything to Eun Yoo, if it was her she also wouldn't want to find out. “Let him die in that smelly office from food poisoning and then find a better man who knows what taking a shower means”, she smirked a little but quickly snapped from her sarcastic state. “I mean...” she cleared .

Eun Yoo chuckled at her comment. “I know why you dislike him but he is actually a nice person. I wish he was better to you.”

“That's fine”, Da Hyun brushed it off coolly. “I don't want to have anything to do with him. I like you a lot more.”

Eun Yoo blushed at her comment, her heart skipping a beat.

“You should spend more time with your in-laws: They treat you well, right?” Da Hyun smiled.

“Yes, but I am afraid I'll be a bother if I go to their house too often”, Eun Yoo sighed with a pout.

“Nonsense. And you should get many kids, that way you will always have company.”

Eun Yoo swallowed, her body stiffening a bit. Kids... if only Da Hyun knew.

“Sorry to be so blunt but you two do have , right?” Da Hyun asked in quiet voice, leaning over the table. She looked extremely serious like this was a matter of life and death. Deep inside Eun Yoo was relieved that Da Hyun had misunderstood her reaction but then again, was not a comfortable topic for her to talk about, especially in a public place. Her face turned beet red and she finally nodded.

“Is he good?” Da Hyun blurted and then covered with her palm. “Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to ask that.”

“He is very gentle”, Eun Yoo mumbled, avoiding eye contact. She felt so awkward she didn't know how to be or where to look.

“Well, that's good then”, Da Hyun heaved a laugh. “It's a healthy relationship.” But it was hard to imagine Sehun being gentle. Who was this guy Eun Yoo kept talking abut, anyway? He didn't seem bad at all.

“Unni”, Da Hyun called out and Eun Yoo finally looked up. “It's completely normal to be this nervous and insecure before the wedding. I have three sisters who are all married and all of them were freaking out before their weddings. They turned into monsters. Compared to them you are doing really well.” Da Hyun flashed an encouraging smile.

“Is that so?” Eun Yoo sighed. “I guess it's just that...” She hoped it was just her being nervous.

“Next time when you feel lonely you should call him or go to him. After listening to you I think you two have a wonderful relationship”, Da Hyun leaned her cheek against her palm. She was even a bit jealous of their relationship and she felt like protecting it. But then again, who knew what Sehun was up to? Why couldn't Eun Yoo meet someone better?

“But I don't want to bother him”, Eun Yoo started to say.

“Maybe he doesn't know you are feeling lonely?” Da Hyun simply asked. “Does he ever buy you gifts?”

Eun Yoo nodded.

“What kind of gifts?”

“Soft toys, sweets, cakes and such. He knows how to cheer me up.”