[Sim Daegwang]

Between being falsely implied to be the biological father of Blythe's youngest daughter, Ava, and dealing with Durlene's potential betrayal, I feel I'm almost cooked. If there's a way to get out of the hole someone dug for me and threw me in, I haven't found it yet.

As if things don't already look bad enough, here also come Seju and Kevin with extra loads of drama. Not from themselves, but from their friend, Nina. I barely know her, so I don't know how the fuck she got them involved in it. But this looks to be anything but good news, especially because the last thing I want is for my younger sister to face trouble of her own.

It's no chance they invited me for dinner. What surprises me, however, is that they only called me, not Himchan. Maybe him staying out of this for now is for the better. He has shit to deal with Saejeong. He's adamant she wrote the two notes he found. But how could she plant them in his garden and the surrounding area without being signaled to authorities?

Never mind. As long as the bickering between my brother and Saejeong doesn't get me dragged in their troubles, I should be okay.

***

The moment I take my seat, I realize things with Nina can escalate any time. There's no telling whether she has a chance to get the upper hand in her power struggle with her toxic husband Bret. I suspect he has powerful allies who can shut her up; however, she isn't alone. Or this, at least, is what Seju says to reassure me.

This meal, albeit delicious in itself, is filled with moments of awkward silence taking turns with disturbing truths that disrupt the already precarious harmony among the four of us. Nina passes her phone to me, inviting me to read her exchange of messages with Seju and Kevin.

"So, Nina. That scumbag claims to have leverage on you. What do you mean?" I ask, genuinely concerned it could mean financial blackmail or even revenge porn. There's one part of me that wishes it isn't as serious as it's made out to be; nonetheless, Bret McCullum is dangerous and sounds extremely vengeful based solely on the pieces of information I've been given so far.

"Well, he knows Alivia and I had feelings for each other. Actually, we still have, but we have to tread a lot more carefully," she explains. I barely keep myself from gulping, with Seju shooting an alarmed glance at me. I wave my hand to dismiss her worry. It's not as serious as it seems.

Nina continues, "But that's not it. He found my biggest secret on our first honeymoon night. Yeah. Right then." She takes a deep breath, trying hard to retain tears. "I don't know if I'm ready to confess just yet. He knows, though. And, even though he hasn't taken direct action over it, he can."

"That's okay," intervenes Seju. "It's up to you if you want to tell us. We're here for you."

Another question dawns into me. "Have you managed to talk to Alivia lately?"

"Why so?"

"Does she know Bret poses a serious threat on the two of you?"

"She does. She's never liked him and even attempted to crash the wedding."

Seju takes her turn speaking again. "You've never told us, though. What happened exactly?"

"I've never told you because she failed. Bret's family gave her a shit ton of cash to stay away from me in public and allow that farce of a marriage to proceed as expected. That made me loathe Bret even more. He clearly only wanted me as a trophy to show off with his filthy friends, in every sense." Nina curls her nose as if she wants to throw up. I can't blame her for that. Arranged marriages usually come with extremely unpleasant surprises.

I ask again, "Does Bret usually act on his own to make your life harder, or does he have friends who help him?"

"Friends? They're more like his pawns. He's too full of himself to consider other people as friends. In his little big world, he's the ultimate master, and the rest are nothing." The more Nina says about this horrifying marriage, the earlier I hope divorce is finalized. That's just not enough, though. That man is a disgusting pervert, a control freak who won't accept anyone attempting to destroy his castle of cards.

"I call bullshit on his alleged leverage!" exclaims Kevin. "He thinks he can bully his way around to appear stronger than he is. Strong men don't need empty threats to prove their worth." He's right. In a world where arrogance and abuse of power are normalized, showing assertiveness through a positive mindset and humbleness is what is needed to build a healthy relationship.

Nina shakes her head. "Kevin, your assumption is bold to say the least. He does have something on me. Trust me." Her hands visibly shake. For the first time today, I sense fragility on her part.

I intervene, "The fact that he uses it as a tool to control you is a sign of his weakness, though. Kevin has a point. If you have a solid gameplan, you'll be able to outsmart him." Seju and Kevin smile in agreement, proving me right.

"I guess so. By the way, I think I have an idea on how to start, but I'll brief you on it another day. I need some more time to perfect it." It makes sense. Taking down a dangerously controlling partner is no easy task, especially if he's in a position of power. Or, at least, apparently.

We put an end to the meal in silence. Seju retreats in the kitchen to wash up, along with Kevin. This leaves me alone with Nina. She stares intensely at her phone. I don't ask her other questions, not wanting to overstep.

We stay in the living room in silence, occasionally sharing glances. While it seems an eternity is passing, it's actually only fifteen minutes before Seju and Kevin return from the kitchen. "Okay, what would you like to?" asks the former.

I'm about to answer, when I hear my phone ringing. "Sorry, I have to take this call. I think I have to go." I apologize profusely to the others before rushing out of Seju's house.

***

"Daegwang, this is a serious matter. Ryan has repeatedly gone through my mail. He insinuated I'm hiding something. Please, tell me authorities have started investigating." Blythe's plea on the phone hits me harder than a crumbling wall of bricks. I know for a matter of facts that Himchan took the fake test to the police. Whether they'll actually find out the truth is up to them.

"So, buying out more time is no longer a viable strategy, I see," I state, trying hard to suppress my emotions. "But we can't go all in just yet, or else Ryan will make even bolder assumptions."

Blythe snaps on the other side of the line. "At this point I don't care anymore. Our marriage is on the line, Daegwang. I have to take the girls' wellbeing into account. So, either we come up with a good plan, or Ryan and I are done."

What I say next leaves her in utter shock. "You know what, Blythe? Dump his sorry ass. You deserve far better than that manipulative sucker." I hear her groan, but don't let her interrupt me. "Before you say how you want to protect your daughters, don't think of giving him another chance. His reaction to the fake test is proof of his hypocrisy. Imagine if it were real-"

She puts an abrupt end to the phone call without letting me finish or saying goodbye. Why is she so adamant in saving a marriage that's meant to fail, all at the price of giving up on her happiness?

The only way to prove to her things with Ryan will never work as they did before is to wait for the result of the investigation on the test.