Jihyo had been mulling over what she has been seeing since she got out of the hospital. For most, there weren’t any signs at all and she was just making a storm in a glass of water. It wasn’t something anyone else seemed to have noticed, but nothing escaped Jihyo’s eyes, this was not an exception. But, instead of worrying about things that are yet to happen, our detective decided to take care of the things that were happening at the moment, like the whole ploy for her to become commissioner that was already in motion and it seems she will be ‘promoted’ as soon as she is allowed back to work. 

There is also this whole problem between Dahyun and Jeongyeon, that Jihyo really believes her best friend should just get a divorce, but she will never place her own perceptions on her friend like that. Also, there was her own marriage that was getting to the end they had written on the prenup, Jihyo knew they would definitely get divorced, and it was better that they did, if her instinct isn’t failing her. (It never does)

That morning, our favorite grump woke up early, but she was already alone in the room. Sweeping her eyes towards Sunmi’s bed, the woman had insisted on using a portable cot during Jihyo’s recovery because she didn’t want to hit her in her sleep or something, as the politician had argued. It made sense, but Sunmi was too old to keep sleeping in portable cots, and wouldn't agree to get rid of it and sleep on the bed. The door to the guest bedroom was open, that meant Dahyun was also already up, but Jihyo was heavily drugged during the nights so she could actually sleep without the pain and saw nothing happening, not that she was actually one to complain about hurting, but still.

“Oh, good morning!” Dahyun greeted when she saw her friend enter the kitchen.

“Morning.” Jihyo yawns back. 

“Sunmi already left.” The younger woman adds.

“Hmmm.” The detective moves sleepily.

Dahyun waits for her friend to get her breakfast and take a seat. They all knew Jihyo was slower in the mornings, it was alright, she always gave her friend however much time she needed. After taking her meds and having some coffee, Jihyo was ready to interact with people. This whole incident was just getting on her nerves, but what could she do, she did get shot and she does need to go through the proper treatments if she wanted to get back to her life. 

“I’m good to talk now.” The older woman says halfway through her breakfast.

“Well, I think I’m divorcing Jeongyeon.” Dahyun blurted out. “I know I’ve been with her for a while already, but I really can’t do this anymore.”

“Whatever you decide, Hyun.” 

“I know you’ll support me no matter what, but I’d also like to vent a little bit? You could pick up on something that I’m not seeing. This whole relationship with Jeongyeon has just been me being way too patient and giving her too much leeway.”

“Should I prepare myself to be fully honest, then?”

“Please do, I know you’d never stick your nose into anyone’s business and actually say what you are thinking, but I’m asking you to tell me what you truly think by the end of this conversation.”

“How about I put these away and turn on the dishwasher, you prepare some snacks for us in the living room and we’ll talk about this.” Jihyo suggests gently.

“I like that plan.” Dahyun agrees happily.

They make quick work of tidying things up, Jihyo wasn’t moving too well, but her best friend knew she needed to let her do a few things here and there, otherwise, the detective would go insane. Soon, they are both in the living room, some drama playing in the background to prevent any awkward silences that could arise, and both friends making themselves very comfortable on the couch. Dahyun did take a while to start talking, but she was organizing her thoughts and deciding on where she would start.

“I don’t think I can be with Jeongyeon anymore.” The younger woman begins. “It’s not just about her being a complete when she thinks she is above someone, there are a lot of little things that piled up through the years.”

“Like how she doesn’t thank the servers when we all go out, or how she will leave without tidying up the table even when she is the one who makes the bigger mess?” Jihyo offers. “Maybe how she never once did anything nice for you, like opening the car door, walking on the outer side, offering to share a blanket on movie nights when you are obviously cold?”

“Yeah, things like that.” Dahyun sounds utterly defeated and tired. “All the little things I thought would be natural when you are a couple, like you and Sunmi do.”

“It’s not really fair to compare relationships.” The older one says gently. “No two are the same, and I promise Sunmi and I aren’t that great either.”

“Whatever it is, I wanted someone to take care of me as I would take care of them. But Jeong doesn’t seem capable of caring for someone at all. I’m tired, and it’s been draining me more and more each day.”

“Well, I’ll help you with whatever I can, however you need me to.”

“Would you tell me your truth about my wife?”

“I-”

“You never told me. I know what happened, but you never told me what you felt about everything.”

“I was lonely. You know how well my love life usually goes, and Jeongyeon was there. I knew she didn’t want much with me, but I just wanted someone to look at me, even when I knew she was just looking for a pass time, a backup if things didn’t work.”
 

“And you still accepted her?”

“I hope you never come to understand my reasons. But I was alone, like always, and she was willing to give me some attention every now and then. For those few moments she spared me, I could delude myself and forget I was being left behind, and not think she would eventually leave too.”

Dahyun doesn’t know what to say to that. If there was something everyone in Jihyo’s life knew, was that she had it rough. But to be told she was aware of all of it? That she was in a place where the delusion would be good enough despite the pain and hurt that would certainly follow, this was heavy. She thought she was prepared for anything Jihyo might have said, but this, this wasn’t something she could have prepared herself for. 

“It’s alright, you don’t have to worry about that.” Jihyo dismissed it lightly. “It’s in the past and should be left there. No, I won’t be forgetting about it, nor will I be forgiving anyone who hasn’t done anything to redeem themselves. But this shouldn’t interfere with your decision now.”

“I’ll try, but now I can’t not think about it.”Dahyun sighs deeply. “Well, tell me what you really think about my marriage.”

“I honestly think you shouldn’t have married her at all.” Jihyo decided to just say it. “Yeah, I told you to give her another chance back then, but I didn’t think it would get so far. I was thinking maybe you could date her a bit longer but you’d eventually find someone to treat you right. When you said you’d gotten engaged, I just gave up on rooting for you to find someone deserving of you and supported your decision.”

“Oh.” It was a lot. “I never thought you’d been holding that in for so long.”

“You know I’d never say anything to discourage you nor to make you think I’m not supporting you a hundred percent.”

“I know, but you could have told me how you felt about all this.”

“You know I never would, given you were happy and still sure of your decision.”

“Well, ain’t happy now…”

“Give it a bit more thought, if you divorce, you divorce. Also, you know you are welcome to stay as long as you want to.”

“I know, and I might stay until it’s all finalized. But I’ll get my own place eventually. I don’t want to go back to that house, and I’ve come to appreciate living in a closed neighborhood. I like that people can’t really just show up at your door.”

“It is one of the perks.”

“I was considering finding a place around here, if there is something within my budget.”

“There are a few lower cost properties on the other side, we can go there after lunch for you to take a look.”

“I’d like that.”

The best friends keep on talking, Dahyun getting everything out of her chest and Jihyo being honest about what she thinks of everything. It was a long overdue conversation, and Dahyun found that she really should have asked her friend to be more honest. Jihyo placed a call to the real estate office, it was a small office just down the street from the front entrance, they said it was alright, asked for the budget so they could show them the affordable properties and scheduled a viewing at two. The cheaper houses were also smaller, clearly made for one person or a couple, and exactly what Dahyun wanted, especially because she spent most of her days out at work and really just needed a place to sleep and rest during weekends.

It was unusual in Korea, but back then Jihyo allowed herself to make a single suggestion to her best friend. The older woman suggested they get a prenup dividing their assets in case of divorce, the one thing both would have to share would be the house, which Dahyun would give up gladly. Jihyo was more than happy to be out of the house and helping her friend out, she had also assured Dahyun that if the younger wanted something a bit over her budget, she would be more than willing to lend her the money, which was thanked and put on hold because they were just starting to look at places.

All in all, it was a good day, Sunmi was waiting for them with dinner and looking very angry about something, which got them a bit of scolding because Jihyo was supposed to be resting at home and not out and about going from place to place. She was proven correct when they were settling down to sleep and Jihyo said the pain was a bit stronger that evening. But Sunmi made sure to get more pillows and prop her wife up so it would relieve pressure and they all slept fairly comfortably, despite Jihyo occupying more than half the bed.