Things became cool between the two of them after that incident. Daehyun threw himself into trying to figure out what was going on in the company and Jinli kept her distance. Every time she was home, he would be pored over piles of papers, his brows furrowed. Her heart went out to him, but she also knew that a tense Daehyun was a predator on edge, any little thing would have him biting.

            One particular night she came back and found him passed out. There was a long sheet clutched in his hand. A quick glance saw that it was a comparison sheet between his bank accounts, and three more columns with her father’s name, Mr. Im’s and then X. She had read the news and heard from his conversations what was going on. Jinli sighed as she placed a blanket over his shoulders.

            Daehyun inhaled deeply and turned his head to the side, revealing the red print on his cheek. One eye opened slowly. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other. It has officially been ten days since they last spoke, not that she was keeping count. Jinli gave a small nod and turned to go.

            “Hey,” he croaked, his voice hoarse with the murkiness of a nap after a long day. “Did you eat yet?”

            Without consciously realizing, Jinli had once more slipped into the bad habit of a poor diet. She simply forgot to eat when she was stressed. “No.”

            He lifted himself up, letting the blanket slide to the back of his chair. “Then let’s go out and eat.”

            “It’s ten. What place would be open at this time?”

            Daehyun smiled. “Please. I’m Jung Daehyun. What place wouldn’t be open for me at this time?”

            She couldn’t help but give him a smile. Classic. He could go days without sleep, days stressing and smoking and drinking and puking his brains out, but he will never lose the self-confidence. “Then let’s go.”

            It turned out to be the pizza place they went to the first time Daehyun took her out. The place was dim and only a few tables were occupied by students with their laptops. “Luxury gourmet,” Jinli commented.

            Next to her, Daehyun rolled his eyes. “Please, I can’t take you out to steak and barbeque every night.” She suppressed the urge to sarcastically ask him when he has ever taken her out for steak and barbeque, but knew that would be looking for a fight. He was reaching out, and she shouldn’t be the one to antagonize him.

            “Do you still remember the Hawaiian style pizza? Let’s get that and half of something else?”

            “Surprise me.”

            When the pizza came, she could smell the tangy spice of kimchi and laughed. “Well, this is indeed a surprise.”

            Daehyun held up a slice to her lips and she hesitated. “What? Do you want a formal invitation too?” Before she could respond, he made an exaggerated gesture. “My dear Mrs. Jung, please open your delicate mouth and taste the superb mix of authentic Korean kimchi with the creamy, stringy cheese, made with imported dairy from the best cows.”

            “You’re so annoying.”

            “But you love it.”

            She took another bite to avoid answering. No matter how much progress they had made, it still pained her that she had to deal with Daehyun with caution. Every step forward always meant several backwards, and if she gave away her heart too quickly, she was only asking for trouble. Luckily, he didn’t seem to want to press.

            “Listen,” he seemed hesitant but determined. “I know lately I’ve been distant, but the poor press is taking a toll on the company. And I guess for me, the family business comes first.”

            Jinli smiled a little. “It’s quite alright. It’s not like I’m particularly accustomed to your company twenty-four seven anyway.”

            Daehyun gave her a pained look. “I’m sorry.”

            She shrugged and picked up another slice. It was better to eat and skirt around the topic because dwelling too much would only bring up pain and potential heartache. “Don’t worry about it. Do you need my help in any way?”

            This question threw him off. Daehyun looked at her and opened his mouth. “I might actually.”

            Jinli looked surprised. She had offered but didn’t expect him to take things so seriously.  “How?”

            “By not worrying. I have everything under my control. And,” and he looked uncomfortable saying the second part, “by trusting me. No matter what happens next, I’m going to need you to not take me too seriously, and put it all aside.”

            She stopped mid-chew. All of a sudden, the food was hard to swallow. Those words from anyone else would have been reassuring but somehow from Daehyun they felt constricting, almost like a warning that there would be more trouble ahead.

            “Is there something going on that I should be aware of?”

            By now, he already signaled the waiter to pack the food home. It was clear that they had both lost their appetite. Daehyun stood up and waited for her to gather her belongings. “We’ve been doing investigations. But there really is only so much I can do until I can find enough evidence to incriminate anyone. Until then, it’s best if we just acted as if everything was normal. That would probably be the best for us.”

            For us. As if any of this had to do with her as well. Jinli looked at the man in front of her and wondered just how much he was keeping from her. How much of all of tonight had been a lie, and how much should she actually trust him, despite what he has just asked her to do.

            “You know, trust is a lot easier when there are facts.”

            “False,” he said flatly. Daehyun gripped the steering wheel tighter. “That would be believing. Trust is more innate. And right now I need you to trust me.”

            As always in the many conversations they have had during their marriage, Jinli had the choice to say something that would make him shut down or to shut down herself and say nothing. He had been quite earnest in asking for her faith earlier. Maybe that was what he wanted the most, needed the most right now. She took a deep breath, hating herself for being weak, and nodded.

            “I won’t ask anymore.”

             The thank you he whispered was barely audible but the silence that enveloped the two of them made all of today’s efforts to get closer evaporate into the atmosphere. Once again, the metal fences that she had been trying to lower around her heart, came back up.

***

            “I am honored you would request that I design the new mansion. These pictures you brought in are a good starting place, but I would need to visit onsite and talk to you a little more to get an idea of the environment as well as know how everything is placed.” Jinli smiled at the billionaire celebrity in front of her and held her breath. This was the first time in her three year career that she was able to work solo on such a huge client.

            The actress nodded and threw her arms out for a hug. “Only from the best. And I have often worked with productions that your husband’s company has produced. I like to keep things in the family.”

            Hearing this, Jinli’s heart plummeted a little. Of course Daehyun had to come up in the context one way or another. The elderly woman turned her head and cast Jinli a long look. “How are you finding married life?”

            At this personal question, Jinli couldn’t help but laugh a little nervously. “Not much different than every day.”

            She tsked. “You young people are always more focused on careers. It’s like romance is short lived. Once the fire burns out, it’s either staying together for monetary purposes or divorce. It’s not like us back in the day. We had fewer choices so we had to love.”

            “Ah, I would never dream of using my husband for any monetary gain.”

            Her client in front of her leaned back against the sofa and suddenly her gaze wasn’t so kind anymore. “That’s not what I’ve been hearing.”

            It was as if a douse of cold water was poured down Jinli’s back. Her face paled and her hands shook. “H-hearing?”

            The actress leaned forward and suddenly the knowing gaze became more sinister. “Listen, Ms. Cho, I am requesting your services because you are skilled. However, I do not approve of what you are doing. I purposely mentioned my connection to Mr. Jung just to see if you have any conscience. But young ladies these days seem to have thicker skin. You didn’t even blink an eye before denying that you are using him purely for self-gain.”

            “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

            “No?” One finely drawn on eyebrow arched in disbelief. “Well, then you certainly avoid reading the papers. It’s called the internet. Look yourself up sometimes.”

            The moment the actress swept out of her office, Jinli dove to her computer. She typed in her name and saw a long list of new articles that popped up, each one of them pointing out the gains that her father has made, as well as the now high profile client she had just gained. There were photos of Jinli with Youngjae, of her with Taewoon, each one with increasingly nasty comments questioning her fidelity. There was even a snippet of a paragraph that mentioned divorce papers. The conclusion of every article was basically that she was using Daehyun and now that his company was going through issues, she was going to jump ship.

            Malicious media was never something that surprised her. She was used to it. But reading the things that were both private, and utterly unreal, hit her harder than she would have liked.

            “Hey,” there was a soft knock on her door.

            She looked up and saw Taewoon. She quickly closed out the tabs and forced a smile. “Yes, how may I help you?”

            “I just wanted to tell you that the contract has been signed, and we are going to set up a location visit.”

            “Thank you.” She turned back to her computer screen and wished him to leave.

            “Did you eat yet?”

            “Please, I’m sorry. I’m busy.” The words came out more curt than she expected and she could see from the corner of her eye that he had reeled back in shock.

            “I apologize.”

            When she heard her door close firmly and resolutely behind him, she allowed herself to spiral down into silent panic. It took several deep breaths for her to realize that her first step was to clear things up. But that couldn’t be done without telling Daehyun. And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

            “Lili? I need your help.”

Quick chapter. I'm so sorry guys!

Been studying for the LSAT and so it's been a little crazy.

I'm trying to see if I want to reroute the story and change the plot, but I hope what I do have planned won't disappoint.

Love you all ♥