Evelyn grumbled in the pile of her warm blanket. She stretched her limbs lazily and rubbed her eyes softly. She sat on her bed slouchily and was visibly disoriented after the sleep. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and jolted on her bed as soon as she realized she was a married woman and that her husband was supposed to leave for his office. She hastily looked at her phone which showed the time to be half an hour past ten and several missed calls from her brother, Ashley, Scarlet and Lily. She hurriedly straightened her untangled hair, making herself look presentable, unlocked her room door and went to the living area only to find a very empty house.

She sighed, disappointed in herself, her figure automatically slouching. She returned to her room, but this time she noticed the bright yellow sticky note on her door.

I knocked but you didn't open. Will return by eight. Breakfast is in the refrigerator. 

~ Jin

The note was simple, but it felt like a punch to the gut. She felt the coldness of his note washing over the air in the house, quite contrary to the sweet warm slumber she had. She was about to go inside when she abruptly stopped in her tracks and marched over to the living area. All her litter was gone. It was all...organized, properly stacked on the glass table, under the paperweight. She felt another wave of embarrassment and disappointment wash all over her.

She was very anxious last night, which made it very hard for her to sleep so she decided to write something to get things off her chest. She was unable to write anything trapped in the four walls, the place being unfamiliar was not helping either. She had carefully come out of her room and sat on the sofa, taking inspiration from the beautiful night view visible from the giant glass doors. She was annoyed and irritated because nothing was coming out of her even though she wanted to, which ultimately resulted in her taking a few shots of caffeine.

She didn't remember when she went back to her room. What she knew for sure was, that she had littered and her husband had cleaned it when he didn't need to. She imagined him in the early hours of the morning, tired and frustrated, picking up her papers, and washing her coffee cups, all before heading off to work. She hadn't meant to leave everything like that, hadn't realized just how much her habits would affect a person living with her. She had no experience living with another person, though sometimes she had her friends over, two of them write, so they never had any issue with her disorganization and other habits. Scarlet had always whined and scolded her but she never really gave it much thought until today. Maybe it really was time to change herself for good...or for worse. It didn't matter anymore, it wasn't a choice.

She collected those papers and took them inside her room. She washed up, changed her clothes and sat down with the breakfast Seok Jin had prepared earlier. She huffed as she took the first bite of bibimbap. The food was tasty, sure, but she was feeling embarrassment and anger taking over her body for some odd reason. Anger, she wasn't sure why. Perhaps due to the incompetence shown by her on the very first morning of her wedding.

She dialled the number of Ashley, who picked up after a few rings. She greeted her cheerfully, excitement evident in her tone but Evelyn replied in a low, serious tone, catching her off guard.

"Why are you pissed first thing in the morning?" Asked Ashley from the other side.

Evelyn sighed, "I don't know. I need my car."

"Girl, you okay?" Asked Ashley, this time worry laced in her tone, "You can take your car later. Somebody can drop it off at your place anytime you want it."

"No," Evelyn spoke, maintaining her tone, "I need to get things off my head. Do you think we can maybe hang out a little?"

"Of course!" Ashley replied, "I'll come pick you up in your car, you can drop me off later and keep the vehicle."

"Works."

Evelyn sighed and disconnected the call. She munched on the food lazily and mindlessly scrolled through her social media, reading the supportive messages and comments left by her readers, which almost always brought a smile to her face. They did their magic today too and helped her get through the painfully silent lonely breakfast.

—

"Isn't it good that your book is still the talk of the town?" Ashley asked as she sipped on her chocolate chip frappe. Evelyn sighed and continued playing with her bagels, mindlessly, making Ashley annoyed, "That's my biggest pet peeve. Can you please stop playing with your food?"

Evelyn stopped immediately and took a sip of her much-loved espresso, "Attention is good only to some extent, Ash. I'm not entirely sure of how to feel about this."

Ashley chuckled, "Your paranoid characters are getting to you too, Eve. Relax, it's nothing. Your books come up every now and then, this time's the same too."

Evelyn nodded her head and finished her bagels. After a brief silence of them munching on their snacks, she spoke again, "When are you going back to Cali?"

"In three days, Finn is really missing me this time."

Evelyn chuckled, "He's just eight, of course, he will. However, I'm still mad at you for not bringing your husband and child to my once-in-a-lifetime wedding event. I really hoped to see Finny!"

Ashley giggled, "Rhys was very busy with his job and well, Finn had school. Also, since you mentioned the wedding, how was your first day?"

Evelyn's face grimaced at the mention of the wedding. She remembered the night before, which did little something to her heart but at the same time, the morning event flashed before her eyes, disappointing her. She gulped the last bit of espresso left in her cup and cleared her throat, letting the caffeine kick in. She had no idea what to say to that, she wasn't sure of what to feel just yet.

"I don't know. Jin seems like a good guy for people he is close with, with strangers...not very welcoming." Evelyn said, "Although, he does pay attention to things."

Ashley nodded her head, "It's just the beginning, I'm sure it'll get better. Rhys and I had a love marriage and we were very young too, it was hard in the beginning for us as well. It's just the entire setting which is a bit uncomfortable at first, you'll ease as time goes by."

"Hopefully," Evelyn whispered.

Evelyn wasn't the one to share much about her life with anyone. With Ashley too she mostly talked about her family and pushed the conversation in her direction more than in her own. She had always been more of a listener than a speaker, but she enjoyed talking to her friends. After a bit of chit-chatting, Evelyn dropped Ashley home and came back to the apartment by herself. She was not feeling great but definitely a bit refreshed after sharing some things with Ashley. She's that one person who had always been a great friend to Evelyn, almost like a mother figure. Evelyn could go to Ashley with her head filled with all kinds of worries and she would help her sort them out, and Evelyn was very glad for that.

While Evelyn had a good day that refreshed her to start working on her upcoming book, Seok Jin was going through one of the worst days ever since the leak incident.

The conference room was suffocatingly tense as the executive team of PureGlow gathered for what they all knew would be a brutal meeting. The room was filled with senior executives from PureGlow, each one avoiding eye contact with him, sensing the impending eruption. The tension was palpable, like the moment before a thunderstorm broke. There was a tense silence, broken only by the relentless tapping of Seok Jin's fingers on the polished mahogany table. His expression was dark, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared at the team assembled before him. Namjoon and Hoseok, two of his most trusted colleagues and friends, sat on both of his sides, exchanging anxious glances. They knew what was coming; Seok Jin's patience had been stretched to its limits, and today was the day it would finally snap.

Seok Jin's gaze zeroed in on the management executive, he sucked in a sharp breath before speaking, "Let's hear it, Mr. Choi. What's the plan to pull us out of this?"

The head of the management department, Mr. Choi, cleared his throat nervously. "We've been brainstorming, and we have a few ideas, but..."

"But what?" Seok Jin snapped, his patience already wearing thin. "What's the holdup?"

"We need some more time, sir. The ideas we've had so far are not foolproof yet. The market is already saturated with the rival's product, and we're struggling to find a way to regain our foothold."

Seok Jin's eyes narrowed, the fury within him rising to the surface. "Seriously? We don't have the luxury of struggling! This company is bleeding money every day and we don't have a solid plan in place. Are you even hearing yourself?"

The room was silent, the tension escalating with every word Seok Jin uttered. The employees shifted uncomfortably in their seats, avoiding his gaze.

"This is unacceptable!" He continued, his voice rising. "We have the best minds in the industry, and you're telling me that none of you can come up with a solution? What exactly am I paying you for?"

Namjoon and Hoseok exchanged a quick glance. They had seen Seok Jin angry before, but this was something else—he was on the verge of losing control.

"Jin," Namjoon began cautiously, "we're all working as hard as we can. The marketing team has been managing the fallout as best as possible, and we've minimized the damage to our brand image. But these things take time—"

"Oh please," Seok Jin cut him off, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Time is the one thing we don't have, Namjoon. Every minute we waste is another minute our competitors are getting ahead of us. We're not just talking about capital here—we're talking about the future of this company!"

Hoseok stepped in, trying to diffuse the situation. "Jin, we know how serious this is, but we need to take a step back and reassess. We can't make decisions out of panic."

Seok Jin's eyes flashed with anger, and he turned to Hoseok. " You think I'm panicking? I'm doing everything I can to keep this company afloat while the rest of you are twiddling your thumbs!"

Hoseok swallowed hard but held his ground. "That's not what I meant. My point is, if we don't think this through, we could make things worse."

Seok Jin's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his frustration boiling over. "Lovely! How can it get worse, Hoseok? We've already lost millions in research and development. Our product is dead before it even hit the shelves, thanks to that leak. We're losing clients, our investors are getting jittery, and morale among our employees is at an all-time low. How much worse can it get?"

He paused, his chest heaving with anger as he looked around the table. "And what's the management team doing about it? Nothing! You've had days to come up with a plan, and you're still giving me excuses. This company is sinking, and all you can offer me is 'we're trying'? That's not good enough! Why exactly do you need more time? Did you not know we had a meeting scheduled today?"

Mr. Choi looked down at the table, visibly shaken by Seok Jin's outburst. "Uh, you recently got married, we assumed there would be a delay—"

Seok Jin slammed his fist on the table, making everyone jump. "Please be serious, Mr. Choi. There is no more time! We need solutions, and we need them now! Don't give me petty excuses."

Namjoon and Hoseok both leaned forward, trying to calm him down before he completely lost it.

"Jin," Namjoon said gently, "we know how much this company means to you. But you need to trust us to do our jobs. The PR team has already managed to control the narrative, at least for now. We're doing damage control, and the brand is still holding strong in the public eye."

Seok Jin exhaled sharply, his gaze softening just a fraction. "And how long can we keep that up, Namjoon? How long before the cracks start to show and our reputation takes a hit?"

Namjoon sighed. "Not long, if we don't come up with something soon. But we're on it. The press release we issued was well-received, and the social media backlash has been minimal. We're working on keeping the brand's image intact while the rest of the team figures out the next steps."

Seok Jin pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to rein in his frustration. "Fine. The PR team is doing its job, but what about the rest of you? What are you doing to fix this?"

The head of legal, Ms. Park, cleared her throat. "We're exploring legal options to sue the rival company for intellectual property theft. But it's going to be a long and expensive battle."

Seok Jin's lips pressed into a thin line. "So, more delays and more expenses. Just what we need."

He turned back to Mr. Choi. "And the management? What's the plan? Can I at least expect a plan?"

Mr Choi slowly spoke, "We're trying our best sir. We'll map the plan and present it to you as soon as possible."

"Forget it," He snapped. "If this is your best, I fear the work you do when you're not 'trying your best'. I'll handle it myself. Clearly, I can't rely on any of you to get this done. Also, consider resigning if all you're going to do is enjoy the comfort of your office and do nothing! All of you! Not long before we can't afford it anymore, anyway."

The room was silent as their CEO stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and no one dared to speak.

"Meeting adjourned, please go enjoy the luxuries of your life!" Seok Jin said curtly, before walking out of the room, his frustration and anger palpable in every step.

As the door slammed shut behind him, Namjoon and Hoseok exchanged a worried glance. Seok Jin was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry, but this was different. He was spiralling, and they knew it.

"He's taking this harder than I thought," Namjoon murmured, leaning back in his chair.

"He's always been ambitious," Hoseok replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But this... this is something else. We need to find a way to help him before he burns himself out."

"And before he burns the rest of us out," Namjoon added, his tone laced with concern.

The boardroom had barely settled after Seok Jin's stormy exit when Hoseok and Namjoon too stood up and followed their friend down the hallway toward his office, their footsteps echoing in the otherwise quiet corridor.

His office was at the far end of the hall, its heavy wooden door now closed, but not locked. Namjoon knocked softly before pushing it open, revealing Seok Jin behind his desk, his hands gripping the edges so tightly his knuckles were white.

"Jin," Namjoon began cautiously, "We have to talk."

Seok Jin didn't look up. His gaze was fixed on the floor, his jaw clenched as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "There's nothing to talk about," he muttered, the words clipped and sharp.

Hoseok stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "Actually, there is. You were pretty hard on the team back there. They're doing their best—"

"Their best isn't good enough," Seok Jin snapped, finally lifting his head to meet their eyes. "Do you have any idea what's at stake here? The company is on the brink of disaster, and all I'm getting are excuses."

"We get it," Namjoon said, trying to keep his tone calm and measured. "But you're not helping the situation by tearing everyone down. They need your leadership."

Seok Jin scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "I'm the only one holding this company together while everyone else is falling apart."

Hoseok shook his head. "You're pushing people too hard, Jin. They're exhausted, and they're scared. If you keep going like this, you're going to lose them. And without them, this company is nothing."

Seok Jin's eyes flashed with anger. "So what am I supposed to do, Hoseok? Pat them on the back and tell them everything's going to be okay. Because it's not! This is a damn war, and I'm not going to let this company go down without a fight."

Namjoon sighed, taking a step closer to his fuming friend's desk. "We're not saying you should go easy on them. But there's a difference between pushing people to do their best and pushing them to the brink. You need to find that balance."

Seok Jin's gaze flickered between Namjoon and Hoseok, his expression hardening. "You think I'm being too harsh? Fine. Maybe I am. If you have so many problems, go do you, Namjoon! Be my guest. You don't look like you're someone of a position here."

Namjoon bristled at the taunt, but Hoseok motioned him to not respond and did that himself.

"We're not here to fight. We're with you, Jin. We always have been. But we're asking you to trust us and trust the team. They're loyal to you—they believe in you. Don't push them away."

For a moment, Seok Jin's resolve seemed to waver. The tension in his shoulders eased just a fraction, and the hardness in his eyes softened. But it was fleeting, and soon, the wall went back up.

"Then, please focus on your work." Seok Jin said, his voice cold again, "I'll handle it my way."

Namjoon and Hoseok exchanged another look, knowing there was no point in pushing further. Seok Jin was too far gone in his anger and frustration to listen to reason. They didn't speak anything else and his attention was already back on collecting documents scattered across his desk, packing them in his office bag, preparing to go back home. Namjoon and Hoseok took that as their cue to leave, closing the door behind them with a heavy sense of defeat.

As he drove home, his mind was a storm of anger and disappointment. The idea of finding peace at home was the only thing keeping him going, but that hope was quickly shattered when he walked through the door.

The living room looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Papers were scattered across the coffee table, books were piled haphazardly on the couch, and boxes of Evelyn's belongings were strewn about, half-opened and overflowing. His jaw clenched as he surveyed the mess. It was the last thing he needed after the day he'd had.

Seok Jin took a deep breath, trying to control the rising tide of irritation. He could feel the anger simmering just below the surface, but he pushed it down, reminding himself that Evelyn was still adjusting to her new life. They were both trying to figure things out, and she didn't need him blowing up over something as trivial as a messy house. She was probably in her room, he decided to get to his room without disturbing any scattered pieces of paper. He carefully walked through the visible floor, but as he walked further, stepping over yet another box in the process making him lose his balance and falling down, something inside him snapped. The stress of the day, the pressure of the situation at work, and the sight of the chaos in front of him collided into a wave of frustration that he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Seriously?!" He roared, seething with anger. He got up and dusted his pants and shirt.

On hearing the familiar voice, Evelyn, who was busy finding her missing journal, came out of the room, to find her husband standing amidst the pile of boxes, fuming with anger. Her heartbeat rose as she noticed his face turning red due to anger.

"Welcome back?" She muttered in a small voice.

"What is this, Evelyn?"

He asked harshly, startling her by his tone.

"I was unpacking— I was just about to clean it." She locked her palms uncomfortably, "Sorry for the mess, give me some time, it'll be fine."

The sentence reminded him of the catastrophic meeting he had a while ago, igniting his anger further.

"Gosh!" he snapped, "It's not about time— it's about respect! Can you please respect this space? This is a place where someone other than you lives too. Stop treating it like your personal storage unit. This is my house!"

Evelyn's eyes widened subtly at his lash out, she was hurt by his words. She bit her lips, trying her best not to respond to his harsh words for it would only worsen the situation but Seok Jin's words were not helping it. She closed her eyes for a brief second and opened them, looking directly at him.

"Please calm down. I said I'm sorry." She picked up the box lying on the ground, putting it aside, her tone firm as ever yet with a hint of softness, "Also, this is our house, not just yours. I wanted to finish unpacking before you came. I'll take care of it, you can go rest."

But Seok Jin wasn't done. The anger that had been building all day finally erupted, and he couldn't stop himself from saying what he knew he shouldn't.

"It's always 'I'll take care of it,' isn't it? But nothing ever gets done! You're so caught up in your little world of books and papers that you don't even notice what's going on around you. I'm trying to keep this company from falling apart, and I come home to this. How is that fair?"

Evelyn felt a sharp sting in her heart due to his words. She clenched her jaw. She knew he was letting his workplace frustration out on her which wasn't fair for her. If she didn't reply, he would take it as a cue to keep doing it, and if she did, the argument would escalate.

She chose the latter and stood in front of him, looking directly into his eyes, "It's not my fault that your company is struggling, don't put it on me, Jin. I'm also not a fan of this whole arrangement. I would've been thriving Berkley, if not for this wedding."

Seok Jin rolled his eyes at her words, "Oh yeah? Why did you even agree if you were that desperate to thrive in Berkley?"

Evelyn scoffed at him, having enough of his anger, "Don't judge me for things you don't know, okay? If your business was in need of this investment, I had a lot of things at stake too. Don't act like you didn't play a pivotal role in this marriage." She replied calmly but was clearly disappointed by his behaviour.

Seok Jin's eyes twitched with anger and embarrassment, he stormed inside his room, slamming the room door while Evelyn let out a deep breath and went to her stuff, collecting them and making a mental note to never step into the living space with her writing gear. This was the last thing she expected to happen, an ugly argument the next day of their wedding. Shouting and yelling during a disagreement was not a characteristic of her, but that didn't mean she would let people intimidate her. She preferred being calm and logical to being rash and loud.

Meanwhile, Seok Jin ruffled his hair in anger and guilt as he realized he was too harsh on Evelyn a while ago, but his ego was too big to allow him to feel ashamed of how he behaved and what he said. He turned towards his door and noticed a yellow sticky note stuck on the brown door.

Thank you for the breakfast! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know what you like so I bought a few desserts from the cafe nearby. It's in the refrigerator. Have a nice day!

~Evelyn :)

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Author's Note: I have a bunch of assignments and competitions coming up, but I'll try my best to update once a week. Let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far!

Have a great day/night! <3