The tea was cooling down but Jun Seo did not take a sip from it. Eun Ae was watching him patiently. He had come over to her place after receiving her call, but he had not said anything yet. She had rarely seen him so desperate. He looked much older than his age with his swollen eyes, drawn-looking skin and messy beard. She remained quiet as she believed that he would talk when he would feel like it. He had picked up earlier, and had agreed to meet her too, so he would certainly tell her what was bothering him. In the meantime, she pushed the cup a little closer to him so as to invite him to drink. Jun Seo sat still. She went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of soju along with two glasses. Alcohol was probably more appealing than tea to someone who was going through a difficult situation. Although she did not think that drinking problems away was a healthy solution, she hoped that it would get Jun Seo talking. He swallowed the drink in one gulp whereas she slowly drank from her own glass while looking at him. Their eyes met for the first time that evening and Eun Ae was troubled by the immense pain she read in his gaze. He looked away with a sigh, then emptied down his glass of soju to find the courage to talk.

"Sun Hee cheated on me."

Eun Ae was too taken aback to utter a word. She had not seen it coming. If she was asked to name an ideal couple among her relatives, she would certainly pick her pair of friends. She could not believe that Sun Hee had been unfaithful to her loving husband. It was the worst thing to do in a relationship because it meant that the love between both parties was not sincere. Eun Ae was at a loss of words. Although she wanted to comfort Jun Seo, she knew that she would never forgive the person who betrayed her in the way he had been betrayed. She could not advise him to end his relationship though. She was not even aware of the details of the story. It was important to question the veracity of what her friend believed.

"How did you find out ?"

"I heard her lover brag about it." he painfully answered, "apparently they met before our wedding, when I was away for work."

"Is it, are they still... seeing each other ?"

"No. She said it meant nothing. That it was a mistake. But I can't accept it."

"You talked to her..."

"Yes." he said in a sigh.

"Do you believe her ?"

"I think I do. Or maybe I just love her so much that I'd rather believe it was just a fling."

"But it's bad, isn't it ? I mean, it's too easy to be tempted and then ask for forgiveness. She met someone else even if she knew it would hurt you, and now she says it was a mistake. It's too easy."

"I don't know if I can forgive her."

"Did they-" she tried to mime the rest of her sentence instead of saying it. Thankfully, she was saved from embarrassment as he figured out what she was referring to.

"Yeah. One night. Just one night."

"Just one night ?"

He ran his hand through his hair frustratedly as he replied : "that's what she told me. But I'm not sure it changes anything. She slept with another man when we were dating. I know it was a long time ago, maybe it meant nothing to her, but she kept it a secret. All these years... she said she loved me, she... we even got married but she never said a thing. I can't trust her anymore."

"Take some time to think about it, okay ? Don't make a hasty decision."

Jun Seo nodded and Eun Ae felt relieved. Now that she viewed the situation from his standpoint, it reinforced her belief that cheating was an ultimate betrayal because it not only destroyed a relationship, it tarnished the memories attached to it too. She was certain that she would not forgive such an act if she were in his place. However, she could not ignore the love he felt for his wife. That was why she encouraged him to think for a while and come up with the best solution.

She tried her best to comfort Jun Seo who left the house a few hours later, causing her to stay awake well into the night. She went to bed as soon as he was gone and immediately drifted off to sleep.

. . .

Lunch time was the busiest hour of the day for Eun Ae and her employees. The shop was full of customers yet it did not prevent her from thinking about her friends. She had not heard of Myung Soo or Jun Seo since they had left her place the night before, and she wondered if the latter was feeling better.

She brewed coffee and served customers absent-mindedly until she spotted two familiar figures at the door. The coffee shop suddenly became quiet, melodies of laughter were replaced by inaudible whispers, and Eun Ae's eyes were glued to the two people at the origin of the change of ambience. Sun Hee and Myung Soo walked straight to her. The actress looked perfect from afar, but once she was standing in front of Eun Ae, the latter noticed the monstruous effects of a sleepless night on the beautiful face. Sun Hee had barely hidden her dark circles with foundation, her face looked swollen from all the crying, and she was not wearing several jewelries as per her habit. However, this unusual fashion left Eun Ae unfazed. Had she not known the reason for the woman's sadness, she would have felt compassion for her. But she could not be sympathetic towards a wife who had betrayed the man who loved her the most. Myung Soo, however, did not seem bothered. His arm was wrapped around Sun Hee's shoulders as if to physically guard her. His faint smile was a silent request for Eun Ae to encourage their friend.

"Did you meet Jun Seo ?" Sun Hee spoke softly, her voice sounded sore.

"I did. But let's not talk about it here."

She led the way to a small room located next to the kitchen that she had converted into a rest area for the employees. She locked the door for privacy before the three of them sat at a table. Seeing Myung Soo tap on Sun Hee's shoulder as a gesture of comfort made her feel irritated and the words blurted out of before she could even think of what she wanted to say :

"Shouldn't you be at work ?"

"I took a day off." Myung Soo answered.

"Ah. You couldn't make time for the opening of my shop but you can free yourself for someone else's wife. I deserve less than a liar, how great is that!"

He frowned while talking, "I can't leave Noona alone in that state."

"I can't believe it..." she groaned in anger, surprised by her own reaction. "What about Jun Seo ? What about that time she slept with another man ? You're taking care of the wrong person Oppa. Jun Seo needs his friends because HE is in a bad state, but you're helping the one who hurt him instead."

"I didn't mean to." Sun Hee tried to excuse her action with the explanation that she had been blinded by loneliness, that she had been too vulnerable to think of the consequences, but she truly felt sorry : "I can assure you it was a mistake."

"And I can assure you, you won't get away with an apology."

"That's for Jun Seo to decide." she argued.

"He's decided already. You lost his trust, and you must know what it means. There's no relationship without trust."

Myung Soo could no longer keep quiet when he saw a tear roll down Sun Hee's cheek, he used a hard tone to reprimand his friend: "Be careful of your words, Eun Ae! She's going through something difficult and you're making it worse."

"Wait. Now I'm the mean one ?"

It was more than what she could handle. Jun Seo was the victim in this affair, he was supposed to be treated with care because his wife had kept a terrible secret from him despite the sacredness of their marriage. If she was talking on his behalf, it was because he was too heartbroken to confront his wife, yet Myung Soo decided to comfort the cheater and labelled Eun Ae a bad person when she simply stated facts. Simply because she believed it was only right for Sun Hee to suffer from the consequences of her wrongdoings. The fact that her best friend had a different opinion hurt her. She was disappointed but she wanted to be the bigger person and leave them to their absurdity, so she stood up, her hands flat on the table, a malicious smile plastered on her face as she said:

"Let me invite you both to get out of my coffee shop." Her eyes met Myung Soo's so she addressed him directly: "as for you, I respect your opinion. Feel free to side with Sun Hee if that's what you want, but I don't agree with you. If you think I'm making her feel worse, please keep her away from me 'cause I won't be nice to someone who doesn't have the decency to act responsibly. And I have another request if you're going to be on her side," her heart broke into pieces but she continued talking: "don't talk to me from now on."