Kai stood in front of the familiar building. It was the coffee shop next to the place where he once had a photoshoot and also where he met Jennie for the first time. They had spent countless hours enjoying each other’s company in that small coffee shop hidden from the public’s eye. With heavy footsteps, he entered the cafe and headed straight for the corner booth, where an auburn haired girl wearing large sunglasses was already sitting there waiting for him.

Once Kai slipped into the seat across from her, the girl removed her sunglasses, revealing her doll face. Kai could not help but notice the heavy eye-bags that even layers of make up could not hide.

“Have you been sleeping at all?”

“I see you brought Vivi,” Jennie commented, ignoring his question. “Is Sehun away on a business trip again?”

“Yes, he’s in Hong Kong for a week,” Kai mumbled, combing his hand through Vivi’s fur. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Our divorce has been all over the news,” Jennie stated monotonously.

“I saw.” Kai frowned. “Whoever is slipping the information is definitely not from my side though. The law firm I’m working with are known for their secrecy and ability to fend off reporters.”

“I know. I wanted to hire them but you got to them first.” Jennie smiled softly, though it did not quite reach her eyes. “Anyway, it was an intern from my agency. It’s been taken care of.”

Kai nodded, though offered no verbal response. He kept his gaze on Vivi, wishing that he could be just like her, living a carefree and pampered life. He honestly had no idea how to face Jennie anymore. How should he act in front of her? Should he even be meeting with her in private?

“I wanted to see you before things got ugly with the attorneys involved,” Jennie whispered.

“So you’re removing any possibility of it being an amicable divorce?” Kai responded bitterly.

“Can a divorce between people like us be amicable?”

“People like us?” Kai echoed her words.

“People of our status, who are constantly under the spotlight,” Jennie sighed. “Whatever we do will be twisted and inflated by the media and fed to the public, regardless of how much false information there is.”

“The divorce is between us,” Kai grunted. “It’s a personal matter. The media should not get involved and the public should not care.”

“Stop being stubborn and naive Jongin.”

Kai inhaled sharply. Jennie was one of the few people who called him by his birth name, and it used to be a mark of intimacy and familiarity. Hearing her utter his name now however, it felt like a stab in his heart; a bullet shattering the fantasy that he had been desperately holding onto.

“I don’t think there’s anything else that we can discuss,” Kai uttered in defeat. “Let’s just leave the uncomfortable conversation to the professionals.”

Not bothering to look at what expression Jennie was making, Kai held Vivi tightly in his arms and stumbled out of the coffee shop. He felt utterly numb after that exchange and he was not sure what scared him more; the fact that the person he had thought was his soulmate now spoke to him like a stranger or that he was not feeling more broken about it all.

Where had the love gone? When did it start to go wrong? How did it get to that point?

・・・

Bongcha was in a daze as she stood outside the main entrance of the hospital waiting for Aecha’s arrival. A car accident had taken place so Junmyeon was busy handling that. Minseok was also in the middle of a department meeting so there was nothing much for Bongcha to entertain herself with.

Soon a flashy Porsche appeared in Bongcha’s view, coming to a stop right in front of her. The back door opened and Aecha jumped out, dashing straight for Bongcha’s open arms.

“Auntie Bongbong!”

A pair of Louboutin heels stepped into sight and when Bongcha stood up with Aecha snuggling in her arms, she came face to face with Jinah, her former sister-in-law. Though she offered Bongcha a saccharine smile as greeting, her eyes showed clear disdain towards Bongcha’s outfit. Bongcha mentally rolled her eyes, but held back from making a snide remark, especially since Aecha was there.

“Bongcha, I didn’t know you were here,” Jinah g