Playlist here!

Whatever Kyungsoo had been discussing with his father on the phone must have upset him greatly, because it was a somber, tight-lipped Kyungsoo who clambered into the car with Jandi the next morning.

“Nervous?” she asked, noting his dark countenance and eyebags.

Kyungsoo stared out the window. “Yes.”

Jandi waited for elaboration, but none came. He must not have slept well, she thought. I don’t blame him. It’s Convention Day, everything he’s been working towards for the last few years. At this point, he’s either going home with the nomination or the death toll of his political career.

“I’m sure you’ll do well,” she said to the back of his head. “That day at the clock tower is all anybody’s talking about. People are already predicting the numbers you’ll pull in the final election, let alone the primaries.”

He blinked. “Right.”

Jandi sighed and gave up, turning to stare out her own window. She wasn’t stupid – she could tell when her company wasn’t wanted. Strange, though; it wasn’t Kyungsoo’s style to be so blatantly discourteous. Usually he at least tried to make her feel welcome. He must be really nervous. Either that or Mansoo said something really, really terrible last night. She wouldn’t put it past her father-in-law, not with his track record of being an absolute brute.

“Young Master, two minutes until we reach the convention center,” the driver said, nodding at Kyungsoo. “I’d recommend you lower the shades now. The media’s been clustered outside the center since before dawn waiting to take photos of the candidates as they arrive.”

Waving for Jandi to do the same, Kyungsoo drew the shades on his window. Jandi had only seen the convention center on the news before, never in real life, but she remembered the mass coverage of the primaries every election cycle. Amazing how they can make an entire broadcast out of three seconds of footage of candidates walking into the center repeated over and over again, she mused. A big day like Convention Day meant that all the TV channels and radio stations were tuned into their sources at the Capital. In a way, it felt like the Empress Dowager’s gala all over again, with the mass media attention and concentration of wealth and power.

I suppose I’m banking on it being like the gala in at least one way. Jandi glanced at Kyungsoo, who was still content to stare out his window even with the shades drawn. She’d spent all of last night planning out her time left in the Capital before leaving for the Golden River cities - now if only things would pan out!

Certainly her plan to talk to Jongin, hastily concocted last night, had failed; the silk handkerchief with the spider embroidered upon it she'd left outside her window had still been hanging there when she checked this morning with no sign of Jongin having detected her attempt at a signal. Is he still at the house? Her gut clenched. What if he’d been taken away by Mansoo’s men, caught sneaking around her room while she was away? A vivid image of Hyemin being dragged away flashed through her mind, and she flinched.

I’ll leave the handkerchief out again tonight after the maids have cleaned my room, she decided. No point in worrying yet. Maybe he just didn’t see it.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, the driver cleared his throat. “Young Master, we’re approaching the center now.”

Jandi swallowed. Here we go.

***

The interior of the convention center, to Jandi’s surprise, was fairly plain, devoid of the thousands of Empire flags and candidate posters waving outside. Grey stone, grey desks, grey ceilings - a complete contrast from the hubbub that had taken the entire city by storm. Trailing after Kyungsoo, who was quickly joined by his aide and ushered to the ballroom serving as the center of the convention, Jandi scanned the hallways for other women. They have to be here, they have to! This is exactly the type of event these men bring their wives to.

“Ah, the man of the hour!” A loud voice caught her attention. Park Chanyeol from the gala, she remembered, watching the man amble over and grasp her husband’s arm like they were best friends. He was the arrogant idiot with the timid wife and the loud mouth, the one Kyungsoo had so clearly disliked. The wife in question, however, was conspicuously absent, and Jandi cursed her poor luck.

“Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo’s gaze, decidedly cool, settled on the other man. “Fancy seeing you here after your prediction last time. Has the campaign season been as interesting as you thought it would?”

Shameless, Chanyeol grinned. “It’s always interesting. But for what it’s worth, I love a good underdog story just as much as the next guy, and yours is the underdog tale of the century, my good man!’

“Hm. Is that so."

“Ah, you know me.” Chanyeol waved a hand. “Always chasing after the biggest scoop - I run a news outlet, after all, and a man’s got to make money. I hope you don’t take what I said last time too personally, Kyungsoo - business is business.”

“Sure.” Managing a forced smile, Kyungsoo side-stepped the other man. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some of my own business to attend to.”

“Quite right!” Chanyeol glanced at his watch. “I’d better get going, too - there’s an issue with one of my men’s press passes I need resolved before the first district’s ballot counts come in. And - oh, for God’s sake, where on earth has my wife disappeared off to now?”

Kyungsoo peered into the ballroom. “I believe she’s in the sitting area by the women’s room.” Straining to see past her husband’s shoulder, Jandi caught a glimpse of silk skirts and flashing jewelry. Heart leaping, she took a deep breath. That had better be the right group of women, not just a cluster of wives seeking refuge from their overbearing husbands. Please, please -

“Ah, no doubt another one of those silly fashion clubs.” Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "She's always rabbiting off to those whenever I have an event."

Yes!

“Womenfolk and their vain ways,” he continued with a grimace, “I will never understand how they spend hours at a time chattering on about the newest shiny trifle.” Jandi, spotting a gold-plated watch adorning his wrist, bit back a scoff.

“Better to distract them with jewels and silk anyway,” Kyungsoo said. “Keeps them from nagging too much.”

“Say, what about your wife?” Chanyeol gave Jandi a once-over, scanning her plain black dress with a curl of his lip. “I don’t suppose she’s part of a fashion discussion club? Looks like she could benefit from joining one.”

Cheeks burning, Jandi forced her face to stay smooth and unaffected, ignoring the anger bubbling in her stomach. Rude pig.

Kyungsoo frowned. “No, she’s not. No interest in -”

“Actually,” Jandi interrupted, “actually, I’ve been thinking it’s quite time for me to start getting on board with Capital fashion trends.”

Chanyeol’s face split into a grin at the same time that Kyungsoo turned incredulous eyes on her. Forcing down a rising wave of guilt at the disbelieving look on his face, Jandi swallowed. It’s all going to be worth it. It’s all going to be worth it.

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