All weekend, Sunggyu tried to forget his meeting with Nam Woohyun and the tales the other spun for him. Because, obviously, the man had some ulterior motive against Sunggyu and his wife. Why else would he go through so much effort to make Sunggyu doubt Kyungmi?

Sure, he and Kyungmi were in an arranged marriage and didn’t exactly fall in love the conventional way, but for people of their status, it was inevitable. Both had agreed to the marriage after meeting a few times with their family. They were a good match, personality-wise and business-wise (PYC Interior Design had been handling all of their hotels and resorts décor for years and the Park family owned stock with the Kim family business and vice versa). Besides, love didn’t often make a marriage work.

It was teamwork and a good partnership. He and Kyungmi respected each other and he had no doubt that she did grow to love him as well.

So, when he returned home from the office Monday evening, Kyungmi was already there, armed with presents and trinkets for him – a keychain, some snacks, and a red “I Love Daegu” t-shirt (he kind of lifted an eyebrow at this one).

Sunggyu welcomed her home with open arms and kiss on the cheek.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked her as they sat down for dinner.

Immediately, Kyungmi’s eyes sparkled as she began to talk rapidly about the places they went to, the things they saw, and the designs she came up with while exploring the temples.

He always did like this passion in his wife but the way she talked about this one particular “friend” she went with was rubbing him the wrong way. He never really paid much attention to when his wife spoke of this new friend of hers before and at that moment, he realized that this wasn’t the first time Kyungmi spoke about a nameless friend.

“She seems like fun,” he commented with a smile. “Which friend is this? I don’t think you’ve introduced us.”

Almost immediately, Kyungmi appeared to close off as she turned her concentration to her food. “Ah, no, you haven’t. I met her through work and she’s really sweet and fun,” she said.

And then, she spoke no more about the matter.

Nam Woohyun’s words came back to Sunggyu, haunting him as he watched his wife’s demeanor change.

And, then, he shook his head clear of the thoughts.

That Nam Woohyun was making up stories. His wife wasn’t having an affair with a woman. She wasn’t even a lesbian!

But, that night, as they both got ready for bed, he noticed them.

Kyungmi was doing her nightly facial routine on their dresser mirror while Sunggyu lounged on their bed, going over some e-mails. He looked up to ask her a question when the sight froze his words. On Kyungmi’s neck were faint (but definitely there) bruises. She was patting what appeared to be BB cream on them.

“What happened to your neck?” he asked.

His question caught her off-guard and he saw her flinch. “Oh, I accidentally hit myself with a few branches while going hiking,” she said, subtly lifting her pajama collar to cover them up. “It’s not a big deal, I was a little clumsy. They’ll go away in a few days.”

But, Sunggyu wasn’t a fool. He may be what most people called “uptight” these days but he had his fair share of hookups in his younger days. Those bruises were not caused by getting hit by a branch or any object of some kind. They were hickeys. Caused by lips and teeth. Lips and teeth that weren’t his.

Kyungmi just lied to him.

As she laid next to him in bed that night, he couldn’t stop the awful churning in the pit of his stomach. He suddenly wasn’t feeling good. Slowly, he turned around to stare at his wife’s back. It occurred to him once more that they both hadn’t shared an intimate moment in so long. And they always had their backs turned to one another while they slept.

How had he been such a fool and didn’t notice how distant he was from his own wife? And, yet, she never once complained.

The next few days, he tried so hard not to notice anything amiss, but with the idea planted in his head, he couldn’t help but notice the signs that he never paid attention to before.

Sometimes, they would be eating dinner and he would spy another hickey peeking out from the collar of Kyungmi’s blouse. Or they would be sitting quietly in front of the T.V. together, Sunggyu immersed in some paperwork while Kyungmi would text on her phone, a fond smile on her lips. There was even one time when she was in the bathroom for so long that when he went to check on her, he could hear her giggling through the door. Giggling!

One day, he thought about taking her out to lunch since she always preferred to eat surrounded by work (just like him). So, he drove across town to her office during his break, but her assistant told him that she had already left. Then, the innocent young woman revealed that Kyungmi had been taking lunch out of the office for some time now.

But, that was fine. It was good for her to get out of the office sometimes.

Another time, he figured he could pick her up from work and called in advance this time, but she told him she had already made dinner plans with a client. Months ago, he wouldn’t have questioned it, but now…

He blamed that Nam Woohyun for putting those thoughts in his head!

At the office, he would often glare at the drawer where he had stuffed that infuriating business card, out of sight and out of mind.

He was on another one of these brooding moods one day when his office phone rang. Dutifully, he answered it.

“Yes?” he said into the speaker, professionally.

“Sajangnim, there’s a call from you from a Mr. Nam Woohyun? He says it’s urgent.”

How the hell did he get his number?! Sunggyu fumed, feeling one of his eyes twitch.

“Sir?”

Sunggyu sighed and answered, “Let him through.”

He waited for the ‘beep’, signaling the transfer of the call.

“Sunggyu-shii,” the now familiar deep voice greeted.

“What do you want, Mr. Nam?” he asked in a bored tone as he tapped a pen against the top of a blank note.

“Have dinner with me.”

Sunggyu dropped the pen in shock, feeling a rush of blood flow to his face. “Excuse me?!”

“Tonight, our wives are going on a date at a restaurant in Gangnam. If you want proof, I’ll give you proof.”

Sunggyu scoffed. So, he was still on that? “Is that all? Did you have to phrase it like that?” he asked.

“Like what?”

“Like… never mind.” Sunggyu coughed and cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t want to waste my time-.”

“Oh, come on! Are you saying you didn’t at least try to observe your own wife in the last couple of weeks?! Weren’t you suspicious at all?!”

Leaning back in his chair, Sunggyu rolled his eyes. “I trust my wife,” he simply replied.

“If that’s the case, then come have dinner with me tonight and watch our wives. You can either prove me wrong or I prove myself right. And if I’m wrong, then by all means, I will leave you alone and we can forget this ever happened. Deal?”

Sunggyu absolutely had no time for shenanigans, but the thought of being left alone by this rambunctious chef was appealing.

It was only for that sole reason that he found himself agreeing.

“Great! Give me your number! I’ll text you the place and the address! Should I pick you up?”

“I can get there, myself, thank you,” Sunggyu said, sarcastically before chanting out his personal cell phone number.

“Great! See you then, Sunggyu-shii!”

As Sunggyu hung up the phone, he had to lean back in his chair again and sigh, contemplating what just happened.

Agreeing to go to that restaurant confirmed that he did have his own suspicions about Kyungmi and Nam Woohyun’s wife. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for doubting his own wife, but there was a part of him – a very small but curious part – that wanted to know the truth and get it over with.

Picking up his phone and dialing Kyungmi’s number, he waited for her to answer with bated breath.

“Yeobsaeyo.”

He took a deep breath. “Hey. Are you busy?”

“A little but I have a moment. What’s up?” He heard some rustling of papers.

“Well… I was thinking… why don’t we have dinner tonight? We haven’t gone out in a while.”

He braced himself.

On the other line, Kyungmi was silent for several moments. He couldn’t hear the rustling anymore so she must have frozen.

“I can’t… I made dinner plans with a friend… I was going to call you later about it.”

Sunggyu’s heart sank but he forced his voice to remain calm and steady. “Is that so? Well, another time then.”

“You’re so sweet, yeobo. I’ll make it up to you. How about tomorrow night?”

Sunggyu swallowed and forced some cheer into his tone. “Sounds good.” He hesitated before adding, “I love you.”

It took a few seconds for Kyungmi to respond, “Me too” before announcing that she had to get back to work and both bid each other good-bye.

Once more, Sunggyu found himself leaning back in his chair, his mind in shambles as he tried to wrap his head around the situation. It could just be a mere coincidence. After all, Kyungmi had friends too and she was allowed to go out with once in a while.

As Sunggyu brooded, his phone buzzed and he looked to see that it was a text from an unfamiliar number. He opened it up.

Hello. This is Nam Woohyun.

It was followed by a restaurant name and an address.

Sunggyu sighed again.

What did he get himself into?

Woohyun was nervous and fidgety as he waited at a table in the crowded restaurant in the Gangnam district. It wasn’t every day that he was willingly going to witness his wife on a date with someone other than himself. He had found out about the date while snooping through Chungha’s e-mail again (she really needed to stop leaving her stuff out for him to see).

And, now, here he was, in an expensive restaurant that he never thought he would never ever step foot in (since it was a hundred times fancier and more expensive than his beloved INSPIRIT), waiting for the husband of his wife’s mistress to join him for dinner.

Now, that was a sentence he never thought he would ever think or utter in his entire life.

His phone buzzed and he checked it. Speaking of the devil, it was a text from said wife’s mistress’ husband.

I’m here. Where are you?

He looked up towards the entrance where the familiar older man was standing, talking to the hostess and looking around. Woohyun waved a hand to get his attention and when the other man caught sight of him, he pointed him out to the hostess. The young woman looked over before nodding and leading the man to Woohyun’s table.

“Woohyun-shii,” Sunggyu greeted with a bow.

Woohyun stood up and returned the bow. Just because this man’s wife was trying to steal his didn’t mean that Woohyun was an animal – he knew where politeness was needed, thank you.

“Sunggyu-shii, thank you for coming.”

The other man took his seat across from Woohyun. “Did I have a choice?” he asked, sarcastically.

Woohyun shrugged before taking a sip of the complimentary water. “Well, you came because you wanted answers, right? Well, you’re getting it tonight. In about,” he checked his watch. “Ten minutes or so. Chungha is always punctual and she hates being late.”

“Sounds like Kyungmi too,” Sunggyu said, following Woohyun’s lead and taking a sip of the water. “You know, they could just be friends. Really good friends-.”

“Who goes to motels together in the middle of the day?” Woohyun hissed with a frown.

“You don’t know what they were doing in that motel-.”

“Having , duh.”

Sunggyu glared at him. “Must you be so crude?”

“Must you be so gullible?” Woohyun shot back.

The two had a short staring contest, neither backing down.

Woohyun had to admit that despite the man being in denial of the truth, he was pretty strong-willed. Now, if only he directed that strong will towards their wives and figuring out how to fix this whole mess, Woohyun would be grateful.

The man’s tiny eyes must give him some kind of advantage at staring contests because Woohyun found himself giving in and looking away first.

“You know what, I’m here to show you proof and I will show you proof,” he said, instead.

Sunggyu shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly before picking up the menu in front of him and beginning to peruse it. Meanwhile, Woohyun turned his attention towards the door, watching it for signs of their wives.

The next ten minutes or so were spent in silence. A waiter came by at least three times and they sent him away each time, telling him they weren’t ready to order. The poor teen looked ready to tear his hair out each time but had to force a smile, instead. As someone who had waited tables before, Woohyun felt for him.

Finally, Woohyun saw them as they were being led into the restaurant by the hostess. 

First was Sunggyu’s wife, Kyungmi. A classy woman dressed to the nines in a black pencil skirt, red long-sleeved blouse, and a pair of simple black shoes with a matching black leather bag slung on her shoulder.

And then just behind her, a small delicate hand holding on to her own finely manicured one, was Chungha, wearing a white dress with pink flower patterns and beige shoes, her own beige handbag slung across her body. There was a slight skip to her step.

Woohyun’s jaw dropped open. That was certainly not the outfit that Chungha was wearing that morning when she left for work – not when she dealt with soil and flowers and grass all day.

Across from him, Sunggyu had followed his gaze and was silent.

They watched as the two women were seated in a dark corner of the restaurant and given menus. The candles on the table gave off a romantic glow, illuminating the blush on Chungha’s cheeks as she perused the menu and enthusiastically chattered, as well as the soft yet amused gaze on Kyungmi’s eyes as she listened. They may not be touching but the way they gazed at each other was filled with nothing but pure bliss and joy.

To the innocent bystander, the two women looked like two best friends, just having a meal together.

But to Woohyun, who had never seen his wife glow in such a way in years, they were two women who shared something so much deeper than friendship.

“Your wife is beautiful,” a voice suddenly said, breaking Woohyun’s train of thought.

Woohyun looked at the man across from him. Sunggyu was staring at his menu again but this time, his eyes weren’t moving.

“Thanks… I think,” Woohyun managed before coughing. “Yours, too. You know… even if she’s trying to steal Chungha from me.”

He couldn’t help the helplessness in the tone of his voice. All of a sudden, he just felt weary and tired. Seeing the two women again, together, sent a blow to his heart and his pride as a man. On the one hand, he wanted to storm over there and start yelling, to show Chungha exactly how angry and betrayed he felt. But, on the other hand, he also wanted to go home and bury himself under the covers and listen to sad music.

“Do you know what you want to order?” the man across from him asked, calmly.

Surprised that he wasn’t even acknowledging the fact that their wives were together, Woohyun glared at him before his eyes fell on the menu.

He had lost his appetite.

“I’m not really hungry anymore,” he mumbled, dropping the menu back on the table.

Across from him, Sunggyu did the same. “Me neither.”

Woohyun looked up at him. “Wanna get out of here?” he found himself asking.

Sunggyu tilted his head to the side. “And where would we go now?”

Woohyun shrugged. “I don’t know. Anywhere but here. Watching my wife throw goo-goo eyes at someone else isn’t exactly my definition of a good dinner atmosphere. I would know, I own a restaurant.”

Right at that moment, their waiter came by a fourth time, asking them if they were ready.

“I’m sorry but we have to go,” Sunggyu said to the poor kid. “My companion isn’t feeling well.”

Woohyun was grateful for the older man taking initiative because honestly, he felt really, really, really weary at that moment.

He dragged himself out of his chair, taking care to make sure he was shielded from the two women’s line of sight.

Outside the restaurant, the two men stood next to each other, awkwardly.

Woohyun’s main objective had been to show Sunggyu the truth and prove to him their wives really were dating. But, it looked like the other man was unaffected. Did he still think Woohyun was lying? Sure, their wives weren’t exactly lovey-dovey because they were in public, but did he not see the look in their eyes? The glow of their auras? Was the man really that bad at reading the situation?!

“So, I guess I’ll be heading out first,” stated the other man.

But, before he could take a step, Woohyun blurted out, “Wanna get drunk?”

His day had taken such a strange turn. After receiving that phone call from a mouthy restaurant owner and meeting said restaurant owner for dinner to witness his wife on a date with a woman, Sunggyu somehow found himself drinking soju and grilling meat in a tent. Across from him was the husband of the woman his wife was having an affair with.

Nam Woohyun was already on his second bottle of soju and despite his claim that he wasn’t hungry, he had consumed an entire plate of samgyeopsal and was getting started on a plate of galbi. And in between bites, he would talk about his wife's infidelity… like no tomorrow.

“… and you know what else?” Woohyun let out a humorless laugh. “She still kisses me goodnight! Every. Single. Night. What for? To ease her guilt? How could she do this to me?!” Then, he glared at Sunggyu, who had been silent this entire time. “And what about you? Why are you so calm, huh? You still don’t believe me? You haven’t said a word since we ordered!”

Sunggyu hesitated.

“Say something, will you?!”

He sighed. “I’m… not calm,” he admitted. “In fact, I feel like crap right now.” With that, he tossed back the glass of soju, feeling the burn as the alcohol slid down his throat. It distracted him from the ache of betrayal he was feeling in his chest.

“Kyungmi has always been a good wife,” he continued, his gaze on his wedding ring. It glinted back at him, mockingly. “I didn’t realize that she was so unhappy.” He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. “It would have been fine if she had just told me. If... If she was just confused about her uality, I would have tried to help. She didn’t… She didn’t have to go behind my back and have an... an affair.”

He had known Kyungmi for exactly 6 years. He knew most of her mannerisms, when she was happy, and when she was displeased. He had been married to Kyungmi for 5 of those 6 years and not once, had he ever seen her the way she was at the restaurant earlier.

Sunggyu wasn’t blind nor was he as naïve as Woohyun assumed he was.

Kyungmi was unguarded and comfortable in the way she oh-so-affectionately looked at Woohyun’s wife. The way she held the other woman’s hand, like she didn’t want to let go. The way she seemed to drown at the sight of Chungha, like she was seeing something wonderful.

He thought he knew Kyungmi well. But... maybe that was the problem. He thought he did. But, maybe, perhaps be barely knew her at all.

The thought prompted him to grab the bottle of soju in front of him and pour himself another shot, tossing it back like it was water.

Across from him, Woohyun grinned, though his eyes looked defeated. “Look at us. We’re pathetic, aren’t we?”

Sunggyu had to agree. Despite being one of Korea’s most successful and richest businessmen, he definitely felt pathetic.

“And you know what else is worse?” Woohyun continued, staring at his glass of soju. “We still love them.” With that, he tossed back the drink.

Sunggyu watched as the younger man made a face. If they both weren’t feeling utterly miserable at that moment, he would have laughed at how funny he looked.

“What should we do now?” Sunggyu asked, quietly.

Woohyun slammed a soju bottle against the table. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do, Sunggyu-shii,” he said, determinedly. “We are going to get our wives back.”

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow. “And how do you suggest we do that?”

If he was honest, Sunggyu was kind of at a loss, at that point. He had simply planned on confronting Kyungmi and then figure out what was going on with her. They both had always communicated rather well. He could still fix this.

To his curiosity, Woohyun grinned rather mischievously. “Easy. Just with good old-fashioned seduction and wooing.”

Sunggyu looked back at him, blankly.

Woohyun blinked. “What?”

“That’s your master plan?” Sunggyu asked in disbelief.

Woohyun actually looked offended. “Absolutely! I mean, how do you think Chungha fell for me? I obviously made her heart flutter many times! I mean, your wife probably felt the same, right? How did you make her fall for you?”

Sunggyu flipped a few pieces of meat on the grill. “I didn’t,” he said, matter-of-factly. “We were in an arranged marriage. We both agreed to the match. But, I’ve been a good husband to her since the day we married. I never forget her birthdays and our anniversaries. And I used to always bring her flowers.” He pursed his lip, contemplatively. “I haven’t done that in two years, now that I think about it.”

“Then, why don’t you do that again?”

“Do what?”

“Bring her flowers!” The younger man was practically buzzing with excitement now. “You can go to Chungha’s store! She makes the best bouquets. Maybe that’s how Kyungmi…” He stopped, tilting his head to the side in thought. “Maybe that’s how she got Kyungmi interested in her.”

In retrospect, it did kind of make sense. Sunggyu had sort of stopped showering Kyungmi with gifts and affection after the first two years of their marriage. It wasn’t because he didn’t love her, but simply because he had gotten busy with work and Kyungmi, herself, was focused on her career. Still, he didn’t forget his duties as a husband. He remembered important events, supported her career and ambitions, and pleased her in bed (whenever she was in the mood. But now that he was looking back, he couldn’t remember the last time they did it).

“I guess I do need to brush up on my wooing and seduction skills,” he said, absentmindedly.

All of a sudden, Woohyun stood up. “That’s settled then. We will woo and seduce our wives into falling in love with us all over again!”

Woohyun’s sudden (and embarrassing) outburst had caught the attention of the other patrons and before Sunggyu knew what he was doing, he was grabbing the other man’s arm to bring him back down to sit as he flashed apologetic looks to everyone.

“I guess you’re right. It’s the only way,” Sunggyu said once Woohyun was settled. “And it also wouldn’t hurt to try and keep them away from each other. So, it appears that Kyungmi makes all the arrangements for their dates. I’ll try to keep her busy as much as I can. Maybe I’ll take her on dates, instead.”

His brain was already coming up with various date ideas that he often watched in dramas and movies. 

Woohyun nodded, eagerly. “And I’ll keep you updated with Chungha’s e-mails. Since they haven’t figured out that we know, we have the advantage.” With a grin, he picked up a bottle of soju and poured a shot for Sunggyu and one for himself before picking up the glass. He held it out towards Sunggyu as he curled his other hand into a fist. “Fighting!”

Amused, Sunggyu laughed and picked up his glass and clinked it to Woohyun’s. “Fighting,” he agreed.

And with that, the two drank to their new partnership.

A/N: Hi, everyone! Here's chapter 2!

Now, based on a few comments of chapter 1, a few were worried that this might end up not being a WooGyu (since they are initially married to women) so I'm here to reassure everyone that this is, indeed, a WooGyu! It will be a slower burn compared to my past stories and they will start off as acquaintances and friends before they fall in love. As to how that will happen when they're so focused on getting their wives back? Well, that's for me to know and for you to all read about! **winks**

So, what does everyone think so far? Any thoughts, concerns, or theories? Drop them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them!

'Til the next one!