Wheein's PoV

. I am running late again.

I hastily parked at Yong's company basement parking and ran to the elevator feeling all jittery and sweaty. I pressed the up button multiple times until the doors opened in front of me. I went inside and immediately pressed Yong’s office floor. When the doors closed and the elevator slowly brought me up, I leaned my back and head on the wall as I tried to calm myself down.

Please don’t be mad. Please don’t get mad.

I wiped my palms on my jeans as I chanted in my mind, wishing that Yong won’t be mad at me. Again. I ran my fingers in my hair, pulling it a little, to loosen myself from stress. I then rubbed my hands on my face, running them on my cheeks, and sighed a couple of times as I felt the metal band of my wedding ring on my left hand; the same ring that Yong has on her hand too.

When the elevator doors opened, I ran my fingers again on my hair to straighten it. I straightened my black and white stripe shirt under my grey hoodie, zippers down, then pulled the brown coat I have over it, fixing myself before I’m about to face my wife.

I looked at Hyejin from the reception desk beside the wooden double doors of Yong’s office, mouthing, “How is she?”, at her while walking to the door.

She sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her head at me.

.

“Can I come in? Does she have any guests or people in there?” I asked Hyejin when I’m earshot before I hugged to greet her.

“No” she shook her head as we pulled back. “She’s all by herself in there”

I walked in front of the door, raised my hand, ready to knock, and looked at Hyejin nervously.

“Just get in or she’ll be angrier at you” Hyejin said, shooing me with her hand.

Ah, ! She’s already mad.

I closed my eyes to release a huge sigh, then knocked on the door before I went in.

“You’re late. Again” Yong said behind her table, looking at me behind her eyeglasses.

“I know. I’m sorry. There’s just—” I started but she cut me off right away.

“I don’t want to hear whatever reason you have right now. Wait for me outside” she said, fixing the papers on her table.

“Are we still going to have dinner outside? I already have the reservation?” I asked.

“No, I already lost my appetite. Wait outside”

I nodded, holding back my tears, as I went outside and sat beside Hyejin behind her reception desk. I leaned my elbows on the table, covered my face with my hands, and willed myself not to cry in my wife’s workplace while Hyejin rubbed a hand on my back.

“Why is she like this? She used to listen to me. What happened when I was away?” I whispered questions to myself while Hyejin stayed silent and continued to rub a hand on my back.

In the first few months that Yong and I got married, it was pure bliss. We were both busy, me catching up with work while Yong with moving the main branch to Seoul and moving in with me, but we are happy and contented. We’ve been married for more than a year now. We celebrated our anniversary a month ago before I went on a two-week trip to Switzerland for work.

It has been the fifth day now ever since I got back, and Yong has been very moody towards me. One time, I was late picking her up for lunch because I got carried away with work, entirely my fault and I admit to that. She scolded me inside her office. I apologized repeatedly, admitting my mistake, and promised it won’t happen again. She accepted my apology but she was still very moody the rest of the day. She used to be very patient and would listen to me before, despite her impatience. But not on that day. Not on the days that followed it. Her impatience just skyrocketed, which I do not understand because she was never like this before I left for my trip.

I adjusted all my schedules so that I won’t ever be late again, but the world just planned for me to remain on my wife’s bad side. My client, who I was meeting outside the city, wanted to show me his collection of my paintings after I delivered him another one. He was very passionate about it, telling me how my paintings were helping him cope with loneliness away from his family, and I felt bad if I cut the meeting short. I do not want to be rude so I ended up being scolded by my wife for being late again.

The next one was when I was driving back to her office building after meeting another client. I made sure to leave an hour before the planned time I’m supposed to pick her up. It was only a 30-minute drive back to her office so I was confident I’ll be on time. However, there was a car accident that got me stuck in traffic for more than an hour. The same thing happened to me when I was driving back on the next day too. Another accident happened and I got stuck for almost two hours.

On both occasions, I was tempted to leave my car and just ran back to Yong’s building. But when I called her, telling her that I will be running late again, she never listened and just told me not to pick her up anymore. I was so frustrated at how things always don't go my way and I was frustrated why she would never listen to me.

I’m going insane from how aggravating things are. The only things that are keeping me in check is how I was not yet murdered by those men in black suits they have, and how she still returned some of my kisses and touches. Other than that, she has gone completely cold towards me.

Today would be the fourth time that she got mad at me. My delivery got delayed; canvases and some of the paintings that I brought to Switzerland. I had to wait until the workers transferred everything in my studio. I would love to leave them but I can’t. I had to make sure that everything was undamaged and I still had to sign documents for them too.

This hurts too much already.

“You seem cozy there” Yong said, which dragged me back to her office and away from my thoughts.

I subtly wiped a lone tear that fell from my eye and immediately stood up. I nodded at Hyejin’s direction, not looking at her, and went to Yong. I wanted to carry her bag for her and hold her hand but she walked ahead of me.

The ride in the elevator was suffocating. The silence in my car when I drove us back to my penthouse was deafening. She never spoke. I didn’t dare speak. I don’t want to worsen the situation but I have no clue how to fix it as well. My mind is confused and my heart seems to compress from the pain that I feel right now.

When I parked the car, I told her to go ahead first and she just shrugged at me. I went to a convenience store to buy food since we hadn’t had dinner yet and bought two bottles of beer for myself.

I badly needed the alcohol in my system tonight.

I opened the first bottle and finished it just when I reached the door to our penthouse. She was still in the shower when I got in so I placed everything on the table and grabbed the last bottle as I went outside, on the small balcony in our house. I sat on the far corner of the balcony, away from the door, and drank my beer, intoxicating me inside while the cold autumn wind freezes me outside.

Does she still want this marriage with me? Does she even want to stay with me? How the am I supposed to figure things out when she doesn’t want to listen to me or when she doesn’t want to talk at all?

I thought of a lot of things; what went wrong? What happened? What did I do other than being late? And where does this pent up anger from her come from?

Hyejin told me that she was sure there was no one else, that she is fully confident that Yong never cheated on me or replaced me. I could also say that she is not ashamed of our marriage. She was still proudly wearing the ring I put on her.

What is happening? Why can’t she tell me what’s wrong?

I thought of everything, analyzing everything, and trying to understand everything; her miniscule movements, and her reactions towards me. But I couldn’t still get something out of it.

I finished the bottle of beer and placed it on the table beside me. I closed my eyes and let the tears I’ve been holding, ever since she started getting cold towards me, fall from them. I let them all fall just like how I think our marriage is going.

I lifted my legs on the chair, hugging them as I leaned my head on my knees. I cried. I sobbed and I let all the pain I felt consume me, overpower me, and take control of everything within me.

I can’t take it anymore. It hurts too much.

“Whee…” I heard her say before I felt a kiss on top of my head, not realizing that she was already in front of me. I never moved and I never stopped crying.

I felt her pull my legs down from the chair so I leaned my back behind me and covered my face as I continued to cry. She sat on my lap and pulled me towards her as I felt her draped a blanket on me. She wrapped her arms around me and propped her chin on top of my head. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me, while I buried my face on her chest, wetting her shirt with my tears.

“Are you not happy with me anymore? Do you still want to stay with me? Why are you always mad at me?” I asked as I continued to sob on her chest.

She rubbed a hand on my back and said, “No, baby. It’s not like that”

“I tried not to be late, Yong. I swear. My client was passionately telling me how my paintings helped him with loneliness. I don’t want to be rude and leave right away when I heard that. I got stuck in traffic for more than an hour for two consecutive times. And today. Today my delivery got delayed. I just can’t trust them not to damage my paintings. I can’t control that, Yong. Why won’t you let me explain?” I asked as my tears started to fall harder.

I felt her kiss the top of my head before she whispered, “I’m sorry”

“Do you not want me anymore? Do you not love me anymore?” I voiced out the questions I’m afraid to ask while my fists clenched on her shirt.

She pulled my face away from her chest and wiped my tears as I remained closing my eyes. She wiped my tears before she leaned in to kiss my forehead as she whispered, "I love you, Jung Wheein" She then kissed the mole below my left eye, and then my sleeping dimple.

She rubbed her thumbs on my cheek and whispered, "Baby… look at me please"

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at hers. She cupped my cheek and looked at me closely. She kissed my forehead before she said, "I love you and I always will. I'm sorry if I made you doubt that"

"Why are you always mad at me? Are you still happy with me?" I asked as I searched her eyes.

She pecked me on my lips before she said, "I am, baby. I'm always happy with you. There's just a lot of things going on and my emotions have gone haywire. I couldn't control it. I'm sorry if I have poured my anger in you. I shouldn't have done that." She buried her face on my neck, her tears wetting it, and whispered, "I'm really sorry. Please don't leave me. I don't know what I'll do if you leave me"

"It hurts, Yong. It hurts me so much. I don't want to leave you too but you keep pushing me away. Don't do that, baby. I don't know what I'd do to make you feel better if I don't know what's going on"

She pulled away to lean in and kissed my lips but I pulled back saying, "I just drank beer, baby. You don't like the taste of it"

She smiled so wide and kissed my dimpled cheek instead before she looked at me intently. "I'm sorry. I will really try to be patient next time. Just don't leave me, Wheein" 

I shook my head and said, "I won't. Tell me what's happening so that we can figure it out together, okay?" I hugged her tighter as I buried my face on her neck. "Just stop pushing me away. You felt so cold and distant towards me ever since I came back from my trip. I don't like not being able to hold you. I don't like doubting you. I don't want to think that our marriage is already falling apart. I love you, Yong. I don't know what to do if our marriage would fall apart"

She hugged me tighter as she showered kisses on my neck and my cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. And we won't. We wouldn't fall apart, Wheein. I've been away from you already. I can't let that happen again. I love you so much"

"I love you too" I said, pulling away from her neck to kiss her forehead.

We hugged each other tightly as the blankets she draped on us protected us from the cold wind while our embrace kept us warmer, melting the coldness that once invaded our relationship. 

I wore an oxford blue suit with thin white stripes, white long-sleeve button-down linen shirt, and white rubber shoes when I was about to pick up Yong for our family dinner tonight. I also came in minutes earlier just to make sure she won't be mad at me even though she promised last night that she'll be really patient.

Hyejin was smiling so wide when I hugged to greet her. 

"She's in a really good mood today. Were you able to talk things out?" she asked when we pulled away from the hug. 

"Yeah" I said, smiling and nodding at her. "Is she alone in there?" I asked and she nodded, still smiling at me.

I muttered my thanks before I knocked on her door and went inside her office.

Unlike yesterday, she smiled the moment she saw me coming in. I smiled back at her while I walked towards her to kiss her, mentally patting myself on the back for how things are going well now. 

"Dad's already picking up my family. They're on their way. Your parents too. We should go now so that we won't keep them waiting" I said as I stood straighter from bending low to kiss her.

"Okay" she said, nodding at me while pointing at the couch in front of her table. "Sit first while I prepare my things to leave"

I sat down on one of the couches she has in her office. My back against the glass window as I faced her walls. I scanned her walls filled with all my paintings. It never fails to make me smile and feel happy with the thought of having a mini gallery of my paintings in her office.

I felt her arms snake across my shoulders from behind the couch, not noticing how she's already behind me. She bent down, kissed my cheek, and whispered, "Like what you see?"

“I love what I see” I said, smiling as I leaned further into her embrace.

She kissed the exposed skin on my neck before she whispered, “Let’s go. Our family is waiting”

She leaned back and stood straighter as I stood up from the couch, reaching a hand to her. She accepted it, and we walked out of her office hand in hand. When Hyejin saw us coming out, she smiled so wide and I gave her a thumbs up while Yong approached her. She dropped my hand and hugged Hyejin as she whispered something in her ear that I wasn’t able to catch.

When they pulled back, they looked at each other and Hyejin said to Yong, “I’m always here, for both of you”

“Thank you” Yong said to Hyejin as she walked back to hold my hand again. “Have a good night”

“Have a good night, Hyej” I said to her as we turned to walk towards the elevator.

“You too. Take care” Hyejin said, as we waved back at her.

When we arrived at the restaurant that Yong reserved, both of our families were already there. We hurriedly walked and greeted them; hugging them and kissing their cheek while we both ruffled my brother’s hair and kissed the top of his head. I pulled a chair for Yong to seat in before I sat beside her,

We were in a VIP section of the restaurant so we were able to have some privacy. Yong’s parents just arrived this morning and will be flying back to America tomorrow morning. My family will be traveling back to our hometown while my father will be back in the city before the weekday starts.

I noticed both of our families were smiling at us but it seems that there is something that’s bothering them. I turned to face Yong with both of my eyebrows up as if questioning if she noticed it as well. She turned to look at me, mirroring my expression. After staring at each other, she smiled and shrugged as if to tell me maybe there’s nothing at all.

“Wh