Jinli drove north. At first, her mind was stuffed and she just wanted to drive but as she signaled onto the highway, she thought of where she would go. She hated to impose on Lili but she knew her best friend would always be welcoming. It was an adrenaline rush, an unknown anger that made her continue driving.

            It was a long drive and the mindlessness of it helped. She operated on automatic, driving within speed limit and occasionally speeding up when she felt the surge of hate overcome her. It was when she arrived in the city that Jinli finally texted Lili, hoping that it wasn’t too late for her to contact her best friend.

            She answered back immediately, and Jinli knew she had a place to stay. When she pulled into the garage, Lili was already there, waiting. She ran to the older woman and threw herself into her waiting arms. The rush of tears came out and Lili patted her back.

            “Hey, hey, tell me what happened.”

            The two of them went up the elevator into the apartment where Chanyeol was gently rocking a sleepy Jinhee. He waved at her and discreetly disappeared into the nursery. Lili led Jinli into their room and the two sat on the bed just like old times.

            “Tell me what happened? You’re wearing your pajamas and no bra. Did Daehyun?” She didn’t finish her question.

            Jinli shook her head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him but I can’t handle it anymore.” A fresh torrent of tears overcame her and so they waited. When Jinli finally spoke, it was her anger that channeled her words. “It’s an emotional struggle living with him. He told me he wanted to try but then my dad messed up a deal. There’s some woman who came back to the company, and it is affecting him a lot. I don’t know why or what their relationship is but he started to kiss me. It was the first time he ever touched me in a way that wasn’t platonic or forced. And he muttered a name and couldn’t get it up.” She told the story robotically, recounting the details while staring straight ahead.

            Lili sighed and kissed her temple. “I’m sorry, baby,” she said because there really wasn’t anything else to say.

            Jinli blinked and settled against the blanket. “I think I need a break. I’ll work from here and I’ll find myself an apartment if it’s too much hassle. I don’t want to be crashing your place.”

            Her best friend laughed and flicked her forehead. “And you’re sure Daehyun wouldn’t come forcibly dragging you away?”

            “Of course not. He hates my guts as much as I hate his. He’ll be happy to see me leave.”

            “I hate to bring up the public to you, hon, but the rest of the world wouldn’t allow you to leave him like this. This is just the same as a divorce. Wouldn’t your father be furious?”

            Jinli raised up her middle finger in defiance and Lili rolled her eyes. “Screw it. Daehyun can go screw himself and so can my dad.”

            The older woman shook her head. “You can stay here for as long as you can. I promise if you feel like a burden, I can make you Jinhee’s babysitter. Are you going back to your old position here then? You can’t possibly travel from here to Busan every day.”

            “Yeah, they still have my office there and I’m free to go back and forth. I’ll be fine.”

            Lili nodded and patted her back. “You can sleep next to me. Chanyeol’s okay with being on the couch.”

***

            Daehyun stared at the empty spot next to him and debated calling her. But he didn’t know what to say to her if she did pick up. His eyes strayed to his phone and he sighed. His throat was scratchy from smoking and he went downstairs for water. He swallowed entire gulps and sighed. Sometimes he wished he didn’t smoke and was into alcohol as a vice instead. Being drunk would be a much better solution than chain smoking.

            He reached for his phone and turned it over and over in his hands before deciding that he was going to call Yongguk instead. His hyung picked up and he could hear the sleep in his voice. Daehyun didn’t know what to say and the two of them just breathed quietly to one another until the younger broke down.

            It was a relief to cry, to let someone else take care of him. He knew that Yongguk would not judge and any words of advice would be something that was beneficial to him so Daehyun listened. He listened to his hyung’s reassuring words until finally, he felt slightly better.

            “Give her some time, Daehyun. You hurt her really badly. You need to give her time and then I’ll get Youngjae to get her. You just sit tight and try to change. Try to forget about the company when you’re at home. Remember, you married her, and whatever reason it was, she’s a part of your life now. Take care of her, and stop smoking. You sound awful.”

            The night went by too slowly for him and it was with a jolt that Daehyun woke up and remembered that he was about to meet someone he hadn’t met for a long time.

***

            Taewoon was surprised to see her and it made her heart a little fuller to know that someone was pleased to see her. “Hey, fancy meeting you here,” he smiled at her.

            Jinli bowed to him. “Yeah, I’ll be working in Seoul for a while.”

            He gave her a sideways glance and for some reason, picked up on her emotions. “He was mean again, wasn’t he?”

            She gave him a sharp look and he backtracked. It wasn’t his place to question and he knew that she always worked to make it seem as if nothing was wrong. “Well, if you have time, coffee? I feel like I’ve been asking for years.”

            She smiled then. “Of course. Sorry to keep you waiting.” The coffee date was pleasant. He knew how to joke around with her and lift her spirits and even though he never brought up Daehyun again, he made sure to constantly gauge her feelings.

            Jinli had fun and if she could do it all over again, she would still be single for this date to count as something. It made her sad that she had only met Taewoon now when it was pointless. “So when are you going back to teach diving?”

            He raised his cup. “I don’t know if I can. You were the prettiest newlywed bride I met. If I go back now, I’d be disappointed by everyone else.”

            She laughed and kicked him gently under the table. “Watch what you say, mister. Maybe one day you’ll find a girl who will sweep you off your feet even when you’re underwater.” He let loose a hearty laugh and she reveled in how simple the moment was.

            He looked her in the eye and smiled gently. “If that happens, I’ll let you know.” Jinli looked away, afraid that it would turn into a moment more inappropriate and that was dropped.

***

            Meeting her again caused his life to go completely off kilter. It was a formal meeting with the two of them already sitting in the meeting room when he walked in with Yongguk. When they walked in, the fresh-faced intern bowed immediately. “Kim Yoojae,” he stuttered but she stood and held out her arms.

            “Gukkie,” she greeted Yongguk warmly and when she turned to look at Daehyun, it was as if nothing had happened between them. She lowered her eyes demurely and smiled. “Dae.” She came forward and hugged Yongguk. The younger boy was watching their interactions and she stopped in front of Daehyun.

            He didn’t know how to react. She still took his breath away and standing in front of him after three years, she still made his heart beat too quickly. She stepped into his space and hugged him, pressing her body against him and grazed her lips across his jaw. “I missed you, baby,” she whispered.

            Yongguk cleared his throat. “Ms. Jeon, Mr. Kim, welcome to the company.”

            She laughed, an airy fluttery laugh. “Yongguk, stop being such a stranger. We’re going to be a family again.”

            He turned to look at her and his eyes were cold. “Hyosung, nobody asked for you to come back.”            

sorry I haven't updated in a while :/

Ugh Daehyun in real life is perfection ♥♥♥