Chapter 16 – Sight of redemption

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Jinri yawned widely as she stepped through the front door of her restaurant the next morning. For the past few days ever since that night, she had barely gotten any sleep, instead tossing and turning for the entirety of the nights, no different at the night before which she was staying at her parents' house.

Yesterday as soon as Jinri stepped in the house, her parents had inquired as to why she brought Jimmy to stay with them. Her parents kept pressing on until she had admitted that she and Minho had been caught into a fight. Jinri didn't tell them the reason, fearing that her father might go after Minho.

Jinri once planned to get a divorce with Minho but after that night as she cooled down, she told herself that she needed time to reevaluate it. Jinri didn't really mean it that she wanted to leave Minho. Because if they ended up bad, thing certainly wouldn't end pretty once her parents found out the reason why she asked Minho for a divorce.

Then there was the whole argument of her and him had the afternoon before. Jinri thought back on the completely shattered look on Minho's face when he thought that she had slept with Taemin, which wasn't true in the slightest. Taemin just lent her his shoulder to cry on and later on, he let her crash on his couch and that was just that, nothing happened between them. But Jinri had to let Minho think like that and she had to be harsh on him and so she could get back at that man for all the pain he had caused her.

Called her immature? Yes, she was. But was she satisfying for doing that? Not in the slightest. Not when she still loved Minho despite the pain he caused her and most importantly they still had the kids to be responsible. Jinri emitted out a heavy sigh, maybe she would cross that bridge when she came to it. For now she didn't want to think of anything.

Once Jinri stepped in the restaurant, she noticed it was eerily silent. Exhaustedly, Jinri delivered her coat and purse to her office and made her way to the kitchen where she hoped her employees had gathered there. Once she opened the door to the kitchen, again, she noticed the abnormal silence that hung over the kitchen, much like in the dining room.

Stepping in, Jinri was surprised to find about ten pairs of eyes trained on her. All were wearing a general expression of shock, while others pursed their lips in sympathy or knit their eyebrows in distaste. Krystal sat in the middle of everyone, holding the only unique look among all of people there, her expression was like there is something terribly came up.

"What are you all doing back here?" Asked Jinri curiously. She tugged at her sleeve self-consciously. The intensity of their stares began to unnerve her and Jinri finally averted her gaze away.

Krystal was the first to react and hopped up from the stool. Without saying a word, she grabbed Jinri's arm and steered her out of the kitchen, throwing a look over her shoulder to her co-workers as if to motion them to get back to work.

Once they reached Jinri's office, Krystal made her sit, while she stood in front of her desk, holding a rolled up newspaper in her hand.

Heart pounding, Jinri tried to smile and asked tentatively, "Krys, what is going on?"

"Jinri...." Started Krystal as she sighed. "I'm so sorry about this."

Krystal pushed a magazine toward Jinri and she took a seat in a chair that sat off to the side.

Biting her lip nervously, Jinri gingerly took the magazine in her friend's hand and noticed it was that week's issue, a well-known gossip magazine that was published in the city and had a reputation for being trashy and unforgiving.

Unfortunately, Jinri knew that the stuff posted in the magazine was mainly truth that was embellished and not purely rumor. Due to the high status of Minho's family name, they had been the hot topic in there often. Namely, the latest issue about them was when they announced about Jimmy and Jaemi were their children and also when deals were closed.

Back to the magazine in her hand, Jinri gasped as her eyes widened to see her picture from the front page along with a picture of Minho graced the page under a title that read "Lie and failure of the duty". Jinri hurriedly flipped through the page as when she made a stop of the specific page, a sick feeling twisted at her gut as Jinri began to read the article.

"For years I'm sure all of you readers have heard about the Choi's Empire throughout South Korea and most especially in Seoul. In fact, I am sure most of you have invested in the Chois' Law Offices. You have come to know and trust them. When Choi Minho and Choi Jinri were married, it seemed as if they were a match made in heaven, yet in the past few weeks, surprisingly I know that it is not.”

“Choi Minho and his wife, Choi Jinri are among the most powerful couple in the city. With Minho at the head of his father's law office and Jinri the owner of the successful restaurant, Tastila. Their connections and influence are strong. How would the people of the city feel, to know that this was all a lie?”

“Yes, the whole thing is indeed a lie, the secret that people are solemnly mistaken. Minho and Jinri seem like the perfect couple on earth. Isn't that what you all believing? Yet, Jinri and Minho's parents forced the match between the two due to Minho's rendezvous. And his rendezvous produced the spotlight of the family, the little boy Jimmy and little girl Jaemi. Wait a moment! Are they really their biological children? Choi Jimmy is, too bad he was conceived out of love. But for Choi Jaemi, she isn't Jinri's but Minho's. The little girl, Choi Jaemi is fully and biologically Choi Minho's daughter only.”

“If Jaemi is only Minho's biological daughter, then who is the mother? Park Jiyeon.... Yes, well you may have never heard of her. But she was the city's highest paid call girl and in fact she was the love of Minho's life, that was until the dearest father got in the way. Poor Jinri that she had been used for all these while. Even though Jinri and Minho were legally bound, Minho still continued his escapades with one of the secretaries in the law firm and Jinri can be quoted as saying, ‘At times it's like he doesn't even know I'm around because his mind is elsewhere.’ I think we all know what that means.”

Jinri threw the article across the room in rage, unable to read anymore of the article. She stood up so quickly that she knocked the swivel chair over and yelled, "Who wrote this trash?"

"Jinri...." Started Krystal, but was cut off immediately.

"No! I'm asking who the hell wrote it." Repeated Jinri. Her voice was shaken due to the mixed emotions that wanna burst out. She wiped her hair frustratingly before pointing toward the magazine that was lying on the floor across the room. "That damn quote was printed without my knowledge nor my consent! For all I know, it could have been made up! And there is also the whole trashy article, what about Minho? What will happen to him? This will absolutely ruin his reputation!"

Krystal stood up and immedia