"where were you?" anger and irritation. if the expression in jeongguk's face masked his inner turmoil then, the tremor of his voice gave it all away. the last thing jiho had ever wanted was to come home with a fuming husband accusing her of doing something she hadn't done, will never do and would never think of doing in her whole life.

arriving at home at exactly 5.00 in the morning, the first thing that jiho wanted to do was to take a bath with a fragrant bath bomb to remove all the sticky feeling in her skin. the woman had opted to make herself useful since she wasn't able to go home yesterday, she never expected to see a fuming jeongguk waiting for her arrival at the master's bedroom with his stoic and cold expression.

"jeongguk, listen to me—"

cutting through her, the man had closed ears and the only thing that mattered in this argument was his opinion, "i called your office, mihyun told me that you brought kim fucking taehyung home at exactly 20.00 and what the hell happened? why didn't you come home? where did you went off to? where!? for almost ten hours where the hell did you stay?!" voice thick with hatred, the way jeongguk's voice slowly raised made jiho feel small. what are you implying on me? are you accusing me of— eyes widening in shock as her head shook in disbelief, jiho could not believe what was coming out of jeongguk's lips. "i—"

"you better come up with a good reason or i don't think i could—" she could not really believe that he was trying to turn this into such a big deal. the last thing jiho had ever wanted was to be put in this position, what are you trying to say to me? you're thinking that i—

"are you really serious, now?" she'd asked not really engaging herself with such a petty argument. it was the start of a new day and as much as her nerves were already ticking its way to blew up and slap jeongguk, she had controlled herself as she trudged past him and fished out a new set of clothes to wear in their shared closet before heading to the bathroom.

"you think i'm joking?!" the man spoke suddenly catching jiho's arm as he pinned her to the nearest wall, trapping and cornering her. what the fuck is wrong with you? jiho didn't want to start a fight, jinyeon was still sleeping at the other room and she didn't want the younger to wake up at the scene of his parents arguing.

"what makes you think i am joking?! you come home at this hour wearing another man's clothes and smelling like him! you think i'll let this pass? what do you think i would assume? you were supposed to go home straight after you brought your boss, home! heck, bringing him home wasn't even your responsibility! why the fuck did you have to stay all night?! you messaged me once and i bet your reason in the text is far different with what really happened. did you finally give in to him and opened your legs wi—" eyes widening in shock as jiho couldn't believe what jeongguk was about to say, she immediately pushed the man away from her petite body as she couldn't tame the way her hand moved on its own.

a slap met its way to touch jeongguk's skin. "you think i slept with taehyung?!" a lump growing inside her throat, jiho could not believe how jeongguk assumed she would do something like that. "h—how could you—" how could you think of me that way?

anger still lingering in his voice, the next words that escaped on jeongguk's lips made jiho's heart break. "am i not right?! what do you think i'd assume—" heart churning and forming into different knots, jiho's eyes immediately glossed with the treacherous tears she desperately tried to hide. how could you think of me in that way? how could you think that i'm really that low—

anger, confusion and melancholy seeping through the woman's veins, jiho gathered all of her strength to push jeongguk further away from her personal space. anguish coveting her frail body as she tried so hard not to breakdown, the words that came out of her lips ran unstoppable. "how dare you accuse me of something only you would do!"

like spears stabbing jeongguk's chest, the man suddenly felt as if his heart was pierced with thousands of swords with what escaped on jiho's lips. "i—jiho—"

jiho wouldn't let him speak, the same way he did to her as she finally let the tears that ached to overflow, go. "let me remind you that i'm not the one who broke this family apart, you did! you have the audacity to accuse of me when i'm not even the one who slept on another house doing ungodly acts, you did! i'm not the one who sought for other's warmth, you did!! i'm not the one who broke the wedding vows we shared, you did! i'm . . ."

jeongguk couldn't bear listening in silence as he tried to explain himself, "no. jiho, liste—"

"in case you don't remember, let me remind you that i'm not the one who fucked up in this relationship! i'm not the one who cheated, you did! how dare you! how fucking dare you turn this on me when – when you have no right to even breathe the same air as me!" the woman screamed as her feelings erupted like a volcano leaving jeongguk speechless. "all . . . all you've ever done is to hurt me and this is all . . . this is all i'd get?!"

immediately feeling small, jeongguk found no words to speak. "i'm . . . not the one who asked for a divorce, you did! just because you apologized and acted nice yesterday doesn't mean you have the right to boss me around! for two years you kept on sleeping on god knows where but did i ever mention anything about that? did i ever accuse you of cheating?! fucking no!" screaming on top of her lungs, jiho's words made way to jeongguk's foolish heart.

"i'm so sorr—" jeongguk's eyes slowly becoming glossy as his vision started to get cloudy,

"no! you were never sorry! stop saying sorry if you never even meant it! how—how dare you . . ." the woman whimpered still not finished speaking all the contents of her heart, wiping the flood of tears that clouded her vision. "all . . . all i've ever done was to be a faithful and devoting wife to you but all i've ever gotten in return were a series of lies, broken promises and heartaches. now, you accuse me of doing something i won't? fuck you"

"jiho, please—" this time jeongguk tried to reach out to jiho, marching to her bubble of space and just wanting to save the remaining hope that he had (if there was still left) only to be met with rejection.

"no! s—stay right where you are . . . i can't believe you'd ever think of me that way" jiho whispered, pulling herself together as she kept her things close and hugged herself, as if wanting to seek security in the comforts of her clothes. jeongguk could only comply as he stood a good one meter away, still shaken with the way their argument had went.

"i—i thought for a moment that maybe this marriage could be saved but, who am i kidding? there's no way . . ." at the mention of those words, jeongguk could certainly feel how his world started to collapse. no, no, no, please—

jeongguk wished the time could just stop and if he ever had the chance again, he'd never started their day like this. he'd never spent their second to the last day before the due of fourteen days, this way. if only he had known the outcome of his rage, he would've just welcomed jiho the moment she stepped foot on their home. please, oh god no, please don't say it– ". . . then this marriage must end once and for all"

shattering, jeongguk could feel his eyes burning with the tears that threatened to fall as he stood frozen and watched futilely to the retreating figure of jiho, going to their shared bathroom. "you've . . . you've really changed a lot, jeon"

tears falling and knees betraying his stunned figure, as soon as the water flowing out of the shower echoed, the tears instantly fell in the corners of jeongguk's eyes as it ran like a dam.

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square one, jeongguk was back from where he started.

melancholia. it was already 13.00 when jeongguk finds himself futilely staring at nothingness, hands in the keyboard as he sat inside his office, throat dry with blood-shot eyes. the man had a few deadlines to meet for the day but he couldn't find it in himself to think and make his brain cells work. he had been spending the last couple of hours staring into oblivion.

i fucked up, again. sighing a year's worth as his hand retreated from the hardware only to get itself carding on his black locks, he cupped his face as the treacherous tears erupted in the corner of his eyes. the things that happened early in the morning continued to haunt his memories. i fucked up again, for the hundredth time, i fucked up big time.

"you think i slept with taehyung!?" broken and hesitation in jiho's tone, jeongguk felt worse. remembering the way her voice wavered as her head shook in disbelief made jeongguk's determination stagger, the man felt the way his heart cracked and shatter into smithereens.

fat and angry tears pouring down as it escaped through jeongguk's palms, he couldn't help to let out the whimpers at the painful memory, he could only blame himself for being such a douche, for treating jiho as if she was the one who's at the wrong when clearly, she wasn't. why was i such a fool?! what the fuck is wrong with you jeon jeongguk? thoughts clouding up his clashing mind, the man knew that he was the only one to blame in this predicament. he knew how wrong of him to accuse of jiho to do something like that – it was just plainly below the belt.

"i—i thought for a moment that maybe this marriage could be saved but, who am i kidding? there's no way. . ." ugly sobs escaping his dear lips, the tears ran unstoppable in rolling against jeongguk's cheeks. the man couldn't tame the way his body started to shake with the unbearable pain that coursed through his veins. breath getting caught up on his throat as if a bile urging him to vomit, jeongguk could only clutch the fabric that rested on top of his chest, he wanted to peel out his flesh in order to ease the pain that bothered his whole body but he knew . . . he knew that he deserved feeling this way.

if in the first place, he had been just an understanding husband and gave his trust to jiho then . . . neither of this would've happened.

we could've just made everything better, i could've told her that i was calling off the divorce and that i don't want to lose her. everything would've been better, i could've been able to finally say what i had been dying to speak. i could've hugged her tight, i could've asked for a second chance.

i had a taste of my own medicine. how could i even accuse of her? it was me, it was me who had slept with another and yet . . . yet i— how could i? lips quivering with the realization kicking in, jeongguk could only let himself wallow with guilt.

that morning had been just a mess, forcing himself to smile infront of jinyeon to appear like the perfect father made him wish that everything was just a nightmare. the man was forced to act into his character—a loving father who carried his wife before leaving their house. at that moment, the man wished that everything could be resolved with just a simple sorry, that with just a simple word everything would return to the way it was two years ago – that he'd magically return two years ago, when everything was at its place, but he knew he couldn't.

the actions and words he had done made enough damage to jiho's heart and no words could ever compensate to everything, no matter what words he'd speak as long as he won't put them into actions, his sincerety won't mean anything at all. he knew that he must act fast but jeongguk couldn't work and wouldn't want to work. everything he touched, would end up thinking of cat-like eyes turning glossy and swollen because of the harsh words he had spoken.

caught up in a daze as the swarm of his thoughts clouded his attachment to the reality, he didn't even notice the way another presence made its way to call his attention.

"jeongguk?" no response coming from him, the other presence had no time for sick games as she made its way to push the man's office chair and sat on jeongguk's lap.

"what the—" pulling jeongguk from a trance that woke him up, even before he could process what was happening, a pair of soft lips was suddenly pressed against his. eyes widening and heart hammering inside his chest, he had initially wanted to push the woman away as he finally realized that it wasn't jiho . . . but lilia. hands descending to grip the shoulder of the woman who hovered against him, jeongguk had wanted to push lilia but . . . the man didn't know what came into him.

sitting frozen within the lip lock, lilia's lips lured him into desperation. all the stress and heartache had tempted him, all over again . . . finally giving in and answered the hungry kiss as his arms embraced the other.

all it takes was a kiss, a kiss to forget. a kiss to shatter the resolve he had initially made. a kiss to destroy the hope of mending the broken family he had wrecked and left barely functioning. all it took was a kiss to turn his back against jiho and jinyeon, once again.

snakes and temptation. infidelity doesn't come from a lack of love, it comes from being with a whore, a lack of respect with the person who've only fully given their whole life and love. the lack of communication isn't always an excuse, there is no way a man can love and lie over and over again. true love won't ever hurt and being faithful is easy.

no point of return. at the heat of the moment, what was supposed to be a secret became a full-blown bomb dropped.

blonde locks and angel like features going unnoticed, "knock. knock, jeong—" lips immediately tugging into a deep frown, the man's cheerful voice slowly staggered into shock as his presence was ignored – to say that he was displeased was an understatement. his observant eyes tried to check if he had the right room and realizing he did, he couldn't help the widening and gaze immediately becoming pointy as saucers would. disbelief running in his features, the man tried to wipe the corners of his brown orbs to make sure that what he was seeing was real, that he was really seeing his sister's husband kissing another woman in his goddamn office.

"what the fuck" red flashing in his eyes as he clicked his tongue, the curse easily slipped in his lips. warm eyes morphing into hatred, the man couldn't tame the way his blood boiled when he finally realized how putrid and disgusting was the scene unfolding in front of him

ragged breathing, hands turning into fists and harsh footsteps echoing in the room, one thing was in his mind : kill and protect. never get on the bad side with the blonde fairy, park jimin or you'll see all hell lose.

i come here to see what was going on and ask for what was the problem in jiho. i came here to help jeon fucking jeongguk to prepare for their tenth year anniversary and this is what would welcome me? what the fuck is this joke for? you've gotta be fucking kidding me.

the man wanted to roll on the ground and laugh, he had wanted to think that this was nothing but a nightmare that his pretentious mind managed to make but, the moment he bit his lips until it bleed and hurt and he still could see the nasty scene . . . anger seeped in his veins. you see, park jimin was never the type to put his fists on action but once you mess with the people he loves and treasures then . . . prepare to see satan, honey.

faster than anyone could foresee, jimin had pulled the disgusting creatures with their equally disgusting act as he had peeled the woman against jeongguk. growling as he clutched the collar of jeongguk, he easily tackled the startled man on the ground. "fuck you, bastard"

uh oh, run jeongguk.

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so um, happy new year! i hope his year becomes prosperous for all of us and i want to thank you all for tuning in and never getting tired of supporting me in this whole ride of the story!! (;-;) i am grateful to all of you!

sometimes, there are things we are not about to expect so um, idk i hope some of you won't get mad with the ending i have in mind.