Ｓｅｏｒｉ

"Mmmm, did you make this?" 

The tteokbokki Soobin had made was melting in my mouth. 

He sat opposite me on the island, and the apron he wore clearly stated the obvious. He hummed accordingly. 

"Is it good?"

"I've never tasted anything like this before, I swear," I said while stuffing my mouth with more of it, "You should cook some for me sometime." 

He chuckled at my answer. "I haven't tried it yet."

Without prior thought, I was already feeding him some. While my hand was approaching his mouth, he smirked slightly not breaking eye contact with me. 

I was filled with regret, and I was slightly trembling. But he held on to my wrist gently and brought the tteotbokki closer to his mouth to eat it. 

My spine felt colder at his action. At that point, I was craving for his touch. It felt so right, yet so wrong of me to want someone else. I was stuck in a dilemma, choosing between my husband and someone I met a couple of months ago. 

__________

Soobin offered to drive me home, as I was about to call my driver. I could not help but accept it. 

While nearing my house, it started raining a little. Soobin stopped the car a few metres in front of the front gate. I was about to get off when he stopped me. 

"I'll go instead. You'll get wet in the rain."

I stared at my reflection in the side mirror of his car in disbelief. In a world of boys, he was a gentleman.

He was jogging towards the gate, then opened it, and came back. 

I did not want to ask him to drop me right in front of the front door because Miso-unnie might get the wrong idea. 

"But she would not be wrong, though," my inner voice snapped, but I brushed it off quickly. 

"Are you sure?" Soobin asked for the last time. 

I nodded with a smile. "Thank you for the food and the ride home, Soobin. It means a lot."

"Before you leave," he turned to the backseat and pulled out an umbrella. The same one from the first time we met. "Take this," he offered. 

I got out of the car and waved him goodbye. Noticing that his car was still there after a few seconds. I started walking away first. After just a few steps away from his car, the bright headlights from his car lit my way to the house. I smiled to myself at how thoughtful he always was to me. 

"Seori-ah! Call me later if you can," he shouted from his car. 

"I will!" I shouted back. 

Facetiming each other was also slowly becoming a habit of ours. It felt so comforting to even just talk to him; his mere presence made me feel safe and maybe even... loved. 

I went inside Ahyeon's nursery to ensure she was sleeping. I checked her breathing and changed into comfortable clothes. 

I wanted to Facetime Soobin. Lately, it became something we did every night before bed. 

Ｓｏｏｂｉｎ

I had been staring at my phone for the past ten minutes, longing to press the "call" button. 

I would probably come off as clingy if I called her. So I waited instead. 

When her name flashed across the screen of my phone, I quietly squealed in joy and then picked it up. 

"Hey," she smiled—my weakness. 

"Did you reach home well?"

"Yeah, I did." 

There was something I was dying to ask her. I had planned on doing it over dinner today, but I was hesitating a lot. Now was the time. 

"I, um... I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead," she was leaning against the headboard of her bed. 

"Um, it might seem a bit too straightforward. I mean... Trust me, I only mean it in the best way."

"Okay...?" she replied quizzically, "What is it you want to ask me?"

"Do you think- want to... maybe be my uh... my girlfriend?"

As soon as I said the last word, she cut the call. 

My heart was thumping, and I was sweating so much. The nervousness got to me. But I had to ask it someday, anyway. 

I messed up. I knew it. 

And now I lost this game for two. 

Ｓｅｏｒｉ

"Do you think- want to... maybe be my uh... my girlfriend?"

He finally said it. But was I ready for it? I was confused. 

Kyung-seok, Ahyeon, and I were already a family. 

I had perfectly hidden my private life from the media, which was why Soobin did not know I was married. I never wore my wedding ring anyway. 

As Soobin finally asked the question, the door to my room opened. 

My heart sank when I realised Kyung-seok was standing behind it. 

I frantically ended the call and shifted my focus to the man standing behind my door. I glared at him. 

He had a small Louis Vuitton box in his hand. "What happened to 'Hi baby, how was the trip?'. You could at least act like you're happy seeing me?"

He walked towards me with a smile. He pressed a kiss on my temples. Fucking bipolar husband. 

I guessed he was feeling lovely on that day. I rolled my eyes at him, then stared at the blank wall in front of me. 

"I got you this."

He placed the box on my nightstand. I noticed a small cut on his collarbone, but who was I to care? While I was lost in my thoughts, he left the room. I did not bother to even open the box to see what was inside. 

As soon as he left the room, I heard Ahyeon's weak screams from her nursery. I rushed to find them. 

"Oh come on, I am your father," Kyung-seok whined. It made my blood boil. 

He had raised her near the ceiling and she was crying, yet all that mattered to him was if Ahyeon recognised him. 

"Put her down, you ignorant, selfish imbecile," I muttered through gritted teeth, "You're hurting her."

He recklessly shoved her back into her crib. He turned to face me, and his eyes were furious. I could tell he had snapped. 

He gripped my hands tightly, and said, "You will watch the way you speak to me," 

He was stronger than me, and I was pinned against the wall, my left hand right over my head. 

"Don't cry. Don't be weak," I stated mentally. 

Kyung-seok pressed even harder on my hand. He had a smirk playing on his lips, and he said, "You asked for this. Missed me?"

I spat in his face. He deserved it. 

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