She received his text early in the morning as she was getting ready to go to work. It was short and made her raise her eyebrows. The Plaza. After work. Dress nicely. Jinli scoffed and rolled her eyes. What was Youngjae up to? It had already been five days. There was no way Youngjae would be getting her back now. Nevertheless, she made a mental note to herself so she wouldn’t forget.

            She had a meeting with a client and so wore a deep blue dress. She glanced in the mirror, and shook her head in embarrassment. What did it matter how she looked like to him? She sighed and went off to work.

            He was already there when she arrived. He smiled at her. “Sister-in-law!” he called out and she recoiled slightly.

            Youngjae’s sharp eyes caught her reaction and an eyebrow went up slowly. “Was that wrong?”

            “I just, don’t quite like being associated with him,” she muttered. It was a difficult position to be in. Youngjae was his best friend and she was his wife. It was weird that she was bad-mouthing Daehyun to someone who should be defending him no matter what.

            He chuckled and shyly rubbed the back of his head. “Of course. Touchy subject. Come, I booked us a restaurant so we can talk.”

            “Talk about what?” she peered at him suspiciously.

            He didn’t bother softening his words. “Look, you’re supposed to be working in Busan. Why are you up here? And Daehyun, jerk as he sometimes can be, is still my best friend. I know everything that’s going on in his life. Let’s just say, I know that you’ve pulled a runner.”

            Jinli rolled her eyes. “Of course I can’t count on you either,” she said, wanting the venom to hit.

            Youngjae held out his hands. “Hey, I take no sides in this. I’m a neutral party. Consider me your liaison.” She scoffed and he held out his elbow. “My lady?”  

            At the restaurant, they sat across from one another and Youngjae picked up his glass of scotch. He swirled the alcohol along with the ice before speaking. “So how are you doing?”

            She stared at him suspiciously. “You did not request for a private room just to ask me the pleasantries. What do you really want to know?”

            Youngjae sat forward and peered at her from over his glass. “Daehyun’s done something again, right?” He said this so matter-of-factly, Jinli nearly choked on her martini.

            “What makes you say that?”

            His response was wry as he took a sip. “My best friend isn’t hard to read. Not to mention, I’m the one who is picking you up after you ran away. And I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t do it for no reason, either.” He placed his glass down on the table. His sharp eyes fell on the fading hickey on her neck and his expression darkened. “Daehyun hurt you, didn’t he?”

            “Not in the way you think.” It was so easy to open up with Youngjae. Almost wishfully, she imagined that it had been this man whose company could have helped her father.

            “I bet he couldn’t even get it up.” When she flushed, he leaned forward again and gently her hand. “I think I should tell you something. And it’s really not you. It’s one hundred percent Daehyun.”

            Jinli blinked and Youngjae sat back, getting comfortable before he told the story. “There was a noona who worked with us before. She was brilliant, an all-kill. She was gorgeous, ambitious and also someone easy to get along with. Daehyun loved her.” Judging from his wistful tone, Jinli could tell that Daehyun hadn’t been the only one. He cast her an uneasy glance. “They had a… relationship. It went for a year and a half until she pulled the rug under him and said she found a job at another company. Something else happened between them before they broke up but he never told us. She disappeared after that. To make a long story short, Daehyun had his heart broken but now she’s back.” He looked at her hesitantly, watching her absorb the new information.

            She was quiet for a long moment. Her entire life story was like a bad drama put on loop. Her imagination raced as she tried to picture the kind of woman who was remarkable enough to capture Daehyun’s heart. A giggle escaped her lips and Youngjae raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to meet her, ask her how she did it.” The more Jinli thought about it, the harder she laughed. The resentment poured from her and then the mirth turned into tears. “I hate him. I hate him so much.”

            Her companion got up and hugged her. She sniffled as he rubbed her back. She yearned for someone to touch her like this and she sighed unhappily. Youngjae pulled away and took her hand. “We should head back. A lot of our clients are here and it would be bad if they caught you crying.”

            The reality of her life, always under scrutiny, hit her and Jinli forced herself to gain composure. With a face completely devoid of emotion, she looked at him. “I can take a bus from here.”

            He smiled gently. “Don’t be silly. You’re going to go back home. We already went to Lili’s place and got whatever you had brought.”

            “Don’t take me back. I can work from here. I can’t stand being back there with him.”

            He gave a bitter laugh. “Jinli, unfortunately Seoul is my territory. Jongup is here to take you back. Be strong. Daehyun will come around, I know it. Remember, all of us are here for you.” Youngjae gave her a quick hug and gently pushed her into the car that had just pulled up.

            “Noona,” Jongup greeted her. She gave him a bleak smile and he pulled a joke. “Don’t kill the deliverer, Noona. I’m here on errand you happen to be it. At least give me a larger smile. Save your scowls for Daehyun-Hyung.”

            She couldn’t help but laugh. He had a way about him that never failed to make her feel better. Jongup glanced at her, smiled and refocused on the road. The ride was a long one and he spoke again. “Daehyun is really sorry. Once you left, he called Yongguk-Hyung and cried quite a bit.”

            Jinli suppressed the urge to tell Jongup to stop. He had a way of making her feel bad even when she knew she shouldn’t. He looked over at her again. “He’s been smoking probably a pack a day.”

            She couldn’t stop the snide remark. “That’s his problem. He told me he could smoke his way to lung cancer and there isn’t anything I could do to stop him. And that’s practically verbatim.”

            Jongup sighed. “Blame Hyosung-Noona.” From the intimate way the title came out, Jinli knew they must have been all close to her.”Hyung should be the one telling you this.”

            “I have a brief idea. I don’t need to know.”

            He looked at her and shook his head. “You’re really stubborn. Hyung always said you were bland but you have quite a personality.”

            “Glad to know you’ve noticed,” she responded dryly.

            Jongup laughed. “Don’t shoot the messenger. What I said was word for word too.”

***

            Daehyun was home by the time Jongup dropped her off. She didn’t spare him a second look. Instead, she breezed into the bedroom and began to move her things. “Are you leaving again?” She winced. He sounded as if he smoked a pack a day.

            “Not far. Just down the hallway.”

            “Why?” Jinli decided not to answer. He asked again and she shrugged. “You live your life. I live mine. We’ll both be happier.”

He didn’t respond for a while.” Do you really think so?”

            She lifted her shoulder and dropped it.

            “I-I’m sorry.”

            This caused Jinli to drop the shirts she was holding. “Come again?”

            “I said I’m sorry. I haven’t been the best husband,” the understatement of the century, “and I would like to get to know you. I can’t guarantee I can change but I’d like to try to. Why don’t we start by being friends?”

            She looked at him and thought of all the humiliation she had to suffer for so long and then thought of what he had just said. He was willing to try but may not change. At least he was honest. She figured he deserved the same courtesy. “I think I’ll sleep in the guest room for now. I don’t want you bringing up my hopes only to dash them” She pulled her blanket and pillow from the bed and gave him a cool smile. “Think of it on the bright side. Next time you advance on your journey towards lung cancer, you don’t need to worry about my complaining.” She slid past him and out the door.