Johnny stole glances at Sojung, she had been in her own world ever since they left the hospital. He wanted to ask her what was wrong but there was this aura around her.

"Sojung?"

She side-eyed him.

"Is everything alright?"

Johnny could feel Wonwoo's piercing gaze from the rearview mirror. Sojung shook her head, keeping mum. Mingyu sat on the passenger's seat, typing away on his mobile.

A ping sounded, Mingyu reached back and handed the device to Sojung.

Johnny noticed how secretive they were being and assumed it was Clan stuff.

The air in the car suddenly got chilly when Sojung let out a loud breath. She was angry. She turned to Johnny.

"Why did you bring a woman to my father's ward earlier?"

"What? How did you know that?"

Sojung scoffed, "Do you really think I would leave the ward unguarded even when I'm not there?"

She turned the screen towards Johnny. He watched as the CCTV footage of Minah entering Mr Oh's ward played. There was another camera in the ward, capturing every single movement that was made.

"I specifically said no guests, no visitors. Why can't I trust you to do even that?"

Wonwoo stopped the car by the roadside, both the guards stepped out to give the couple some space.

Sojung took a deep breath, "I hope you know by now that I don't trust anyone outside the family. Especially this woman."

"You don't even know her," Johnny argued. "Come on. Judging her based on what you see? I thought you were better than that."

"What angle are you playing right now? Protecting your ex-girlfriend?" She glared at him, "And don’t think that we’ve ed once, that you’ll be able to make assumptions about me."

Sojung took the phone back and scrolled through a PDF document. She the device back to him. His eyes rounded when he saw it was a full document on Minah - her personal details, the whole lot.

"Song Minah, 25 years old. Left Korea 3 years ago with a young tycoon, returned to Seoul a month ago, single. Currently working for a small firm - who is in contact with Kia."

"You ran a background check on her?"

Johnny was taken aback, his hands balling into fists.

"Yes, I told you. I don't trust this woman."

He let go of the phone, letting the device fall to the floor of the car. He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation, "I don't understand! Why are you being so hard on a woman you've never met?! Minah's my ex-girlfriend, that is a fact, but you're my wife! Doesn't that say a lot of things?"

"So what if I'm your wife now? The point now is that you brought a random woman to--"

"Is this what it was about? Are you jealous of Minah? Sojung! She's an ex! An ex! Why are you so hung up over her?"

Sojung was on the verge of screaming.

"I don't ing care about your relationship with her, Seo Youngho! You brought her over to my dad's ward - without my permission and without supervision - and you have the cheek to be angry with me now?"

"She just wanted to hand me something and I couldn't leave the ward!" He huffed. "You checking up on my friend made things worse! Don't you think you have a problem?"

"Did you know my dad's condition deteriorated after she left? Did you have a ing clue? My father almost died after her visit! Don't I have the right to question and be ing mad about this?"

"It could have been an underlying cause! Why would you pin that on Minah?"

"SEO YOUNGHO!"

Sojung was seething, so pissed that angry tears were starting to line her eyes.

"STOP! Stop protecting her. You don't know her."

Johnny rolled his eyes, "I don't know her? Speak for yourself, Oh Sojung."

She took a breath to calm herself down, her hands wiping her tears away quickly.

"Do you dare say you know her well? You guys broke up a few years ago! A lot of things could change. PEOPLE! CHANGE!"

"Just like how you changed after your ex died?"

The words came out too fast, Johnny felt an instant regret.

Especially at the look on her face.

Sojung froze.

"What?"

He couldn't back down now.

"You stopped smiling as much after your ex died. Even being married to me, you're still affected by him. What am I to you? If you think I'm bad, you're worse, Oh Sojung."

She started shaking.

"You… don't bring Changkyun into this."

"See what I mean? Even now, you're prioritizing him over me. I can't deal with you now," Johnny threw his arms up. "I'm leaving. You can blame Minah, shout at me or whatever you please when I'm gone."

He threw the car door open and stepped out, hailing a cab that drove up. Wonwoo and Mingyu shared a look and entered their vehicle, they saw Sojung looking distressed.

"Young Miss?"

She wiped her face, "Drive. Just… Just drive."

***

Johnny didn't return home. Sojung was left alone in the house, she told her men to leave for the night. She walked to the kitchen, ready to crack open a 6-pack when her mobile started ringing.

"Hello? Jungie?"

For some reason, there was a small lift in her spirits, "Hey, Jaehyun."

There was a pause on the line.

"You don't sound too good. Are you okay?"

How is it someone else can tell how I'm feeling except my husband?

She rubbed her face, "I'm alright. Just had an intense discussion with Youngho, that's all. What's the matter?"

"Hmm, the guys and I were wondering if you would like to join us for dinner… but by the sound of things, alcohol would be better, huh?"

Sojung chuckled tiredly and grabbed her car keys as she headed towards the door, "Yeah, drinks definitely sound better."

"Alright, see you at DONA?"

She hummed and ended the call. She slid into her car, staring at herself in the mirror for a whole minute before driving off.

*

"So, you met Minah?"

Taeyong, Jaehyun, Yuta and Mark surrounded Sojung as the girl downed three shots in a row. She waved her hand at the nearby waiter to bring more shots to the table.

"Yeah, and I don't like her." She then held her palm out, "Now before you say it's because she's Youngho's ex, it's not. I have my reasons."

Taeyong and Jaehyun shared a look, before the latter heaved a loud sigh, grabbing a shot and downing it.

"Oh my god, I thought Tae and I were the only ones. We never liked her, to be honest."

"What?" Mark screeched. "But you were so chummy with her."

"Chummy?" Jaehyun rolled his eyes. "I was only doing it because she was Johnny's girlfriend, okay?"

"Why didn't you like her?" Yuta asked. "She seemed like a nice person."

"Until you see how two-faced she can get."

Jaehyun nudged Taeyong, "Tell 'em."

Taeyong leaned in closer, the others did so too instinctively, even Sojung.

"So, remember her super-rich tycoon boyfriend? She was already seeing him when she was still with Johnny. She dumped him when she found out the tycoon was going to take over his father's mega-huge business."

Sojung clenched her fists under the table.

"Wait, what? She did that?" Mark and Yuta chorused. “I didn’t expect that.”

Taeyong and Jaehyun shared another look and leaned back on their seats, a smug look on their faces. Sojung tapped her chin and shook her head in disapproval. The boys started to whisper among themselves, discussing the current topic. She watched them and smiled a little before reaching for her glass and downing the beer.

The four of them stopped talking, turning their heads to face her. Mark scooted close to her.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “Nothing.”

The four of them clapped their hands.

Jaehyun huffed, “None of that. Come on, spill.”

“Did you get into a fight with Youngho?” Yuta blurted.

Sojung remained silent, Taeyong pushed his glass of alcohol towards her.

“Seems like it,” Mark chuckled. “Intense discussion, my .”

He poured himself some wine, “Sojung-ah, let me tell you something about Johnny.”

Jaehyun waved for the waiter to come over, Yuta and Taeyong refilled everyone’s glasses as the five of them scooted close to each other.

“He’s soft on the eyes and ears, all you have to do is cater to that, and he’ll cling onto you like a koala to a tree.” Mark grinned.

“Why do I have to cater to his needs? This isn’t my fault. Why should I be the one who has to soften first?”

Taeyong knocked his knuckles on the table.

“Both of you obviously care for each other, but you guys are too stubborn for your own sake, he sighed. “One’s an alpha female, the other’s a playboy with a high ego.”

Sojung pressed her lips together, not knowing what to counter. She understood what they were trying to say. She was indeed someone who was very straightforward and maybe, a little too controlling.

She had to, she’s the head of a Family Clan, for goodness sake.

“Alpha female?” She repeated.

Yuta nodded, “We all know you have to lead a lot of people, but maybe you could just soften towards Johnny, just a bit. He is your husband.”

“But he has to be comfortable with me and my life, for me to even try.”

“We’ll talk to him,” Jaehyun patted Sojung’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll take care of it.”

The waiter brought over a whole tray of different drinks and set them down in front of the group. Each of them chose a drink and Taeyong raised his glass.

“For now, let