The honeymoon went on in a similar manner, with the two of them constantly at odds with each other. It was a miracle four days passed as quickly as it did. Even though she was supposed to be focusing her time on Daehyun, Jinli still snuck a look at her phone. It was exploding with messages.

            Each one of them was from Lili, wanting to know how she had done the deed and whether Daehyun was treating her right or not. She was unsure as to how to respond. To admit that they hadn’t done anything would be embarrassing, especially since it seems so natural to do so. Times like these were when she really envied her friend for having such a caring husband.         

            Today, they didn’t even go outside. Daehyun had gotten out of bed, wolfed down the breakfast the maids had set up and then took out his laptop to start working. Jinli tried to engage him in conversation but his responses were sparse and sometimes nonexistent. She decided to do her own work to make sure she wouldn’t be swamped when she gets back.

            Every once in a while, she would look up and see that he was staring at the screen with his eyebrows furrowed. His shoulders were tense and she stood up behind him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and started to squeeze lightly, trying to relieve the tension. Daehyun paused for a second and then became a rock under her touch.

            “Relax,” she told him and he let his muscles loosen. It felt strangely intimate to be touching her husband this way, an irony considering how most couples would have long explored each other’s body by now. Her hands feel as if they were exploring foreign territory. She kneaded her thumbs into his back and he rolled his head back, letting out a tiny moan. Jinli blushed and she attacked all the knots in his back.

            Then his phone rang and he jerked away from her. He fumbled to get his device and picked up. “Yeah?” Jinli stood back and watched him as he wrote furiously on his notepad, writing down figures that made her head spin. When he hung up, he snarled at her meanly, once more returning to the cold person he was.

            “Go keep yourself busy somehow. We’re not going to do anything today. If you want, you can go to the beach and amuse yourself.”

            She stared at him, wondering how he could possibly live with his own wild swings. “Suit yourself. I’ll be doing work. It wouldn’t look right if I left you alone on our honeymoon.”

            He stared at her for a long moment before letting out an annoyed sigh. “Always faking.” And that was that.

            When she showered and went to bed, she stayed awake, pondering what to do next. She knew what the parents would be expecting and knew that no matter how unwilling he was, and how contemptuous he was of their pretenses, it was a necessity to play the part to perfection.

            Jinli sighed and decided to try again. She had let two days pass since her first attempt and now she could only hope that by some miracle Daehyun had changed his mind. Her cheeks flamed when she remembered her futile attempts and she knew that if he refused her again, she would lose all courage to try again.

            He came to bed early, much to her surprise. She made a mistake of opening her eyes and staring at him before looking away. Daehyun’s expression was utterly blank and she tensed slightly when he got onto the bed. His back was turned to her and she wondered what to do.

            Tentatively, she reached out. Her hand hovered in the air and she was struck with how similar the situation was compared to the first day. His breathing was still uneven, so she knew he hadn’t fallen asleep. Jinli closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. She had to be brave. Something had to happen.      

            She touched his shoulder. “Daehyun,” she whispered. He didn’t respond and for a moment, she froze. But then courage overtook her and she placed her other hand on his back, sliding the other down his arm. “Dae.” She tried calling him a nickname.   

            His response was too quick for her to register. Daehyun flipped over and propped himself on one elbow. She saw the flash of fury in his eyes and withdrew her hand, curling into herself. “Don’t bother,” he spat. There was a heated venom in his words as he took in her figure. “You don’t need to tremble like a scared little mouse every time I get in the bed. I won’t do anything to you. I haven’t touched you and I don’t plan on it. You can relax and just sleep.” His eyes ran with disdain at her silk camisole and he snarled. “And you don’t need to feel obligated to wear such skimpy outfits. I don’t care.”

            He gave her one last look before plopping down and turning again. Jinli bit back tears. The rejection stung more when it was so outright but she also knew that she should have expected it. She bore holes in his back and wondered how anyone could be so insensitive. She felt too exposed in the nightgown and got up to change. For a moment, she thought she saw Daehyun move but she dismissed it. With an almost vengeance, she tore through her closet, hoping Lili had had the foresight to pack something less racy for her. The most she came up with was an off the shoulder oversized T-shirt. She tore off the necklace Mrs. Jung had given her and placed it back in its box. She wouldn’t be needing it.

            Her friend’s words came back to her and she sighed in defeat. How could she even control Daehyun in any aspect if he refused to touch her? Even the simplest victory she had hoped to have had failed. There was a tug in her chest as she stared at the still figure on the bed. What had she done to be stuck with someone like him?

            Daehyun rolled his eyes to ceiling and heard her moving around, trying to find something to wear. Women always had ulterior motives, he groused. He knew in his deepest heart of hearts that his treatment of Jinli was utterly unfair. It wasn’t her fault that she was pushed into the marriage like he was. But he wished that she could be more competent.

            He was tired of her timid act. And even though he saw hints of a fiery temper, he didn’t want to have to deal with any of her weaknesses. It was better to alienate her from the beginning. When he felt her climb back into bed and pull a separate blanket over her, he nodded in satisfaction. If this meant she would give up on trying to get him to bed her, everything was alright with him.

All this Daehyun hate

I like it