A Broken Promise
JinHai was in the car thinking of what to say toe her
He didn't want to lie to her. He really cared about her and hurting her hurt him.
He came home to a very worried LiQiu
"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?!"
JinHai was silent
He couldn't answer her. "You stink of alcohol. Please don't tell me you drank" she pleaded
"I didn't. I was...at a bar making a deal with our American client" JinHai answered stumbling at his words. He didn't want her to worry and especially didn't want to hurt her
"All night long? You're not lying to me. Are you?" She questioned pleading to herself all night hoping he didn't spiral like before
"No, why would I? I gain no benefits from that." JinHai said pushing down the lies he had just told her
"Okay. You want to go out for breakfast?" LiQiu asked trying to take her mind off of all the awful things she thought that he did
"Yeah let's go to our normal place." He answered with a smile
The normal place was a small cafe but what was interesting about it was that across the street there was a small Korean restaurant that Min-Ju always went to during high school and university. He would go there sometimes when he was stressed about something and the owners knew who he was and were always kind to him. Even though they really didn't have to after what they did to one of their love ones
"Why do you keep looking out the window?" LiQiu asked holding her menu and looking concerned again
"Huh. Oh, it's nothing it's just..."
"Hey, isn't that Min-Ju?" LiQiu asked pointing to Min-Ju holding Yong-Sun. JinHai took special interested Yong-Sun. Finding him very suspicious
"What?!" JinHai said not really all that surprised. He knew that she would have come to visit at least once a day
"We should eat with her since I didn't have a chance to get to know her like you do."
"Maybe later, right now I want to spend time with you." JinHai said reaching out to hold LiQiu's hand
That made LiQiu happy and she let out a smile but she could help to wonder what was his relationship with Min-Ju.
'He has been like this since Min-Ju came back. He always told me everything. Now, he's just been so vague towards me.' thought LiQiu
"How's work?'' She asked trying to get a conversation started because all the other conversations weren't going anywhere
"Same old same old. The American client is a Chinese entrepreneur. He's getting sued because the workers think that he breached the contract. It is confusing and so messy'' He said as he continued to look at the menu
"What do you think?" LiQiu asked him again trying to get him talking since he seems out of it
"It's clear that he breached the contract. But if I do my best I'm afraid that he is gonna win the case and the workers are being represented by Zhou."
"Then don't do your best. Isn't Zhou notorious for being a screw up."
"You know that breaks my moral codes and how do you know"
"We published a paper on him once. Also, Zhou isn't is gonna fuck up this case. So, break them once. Isn't for the better good."
"No, I can't but what I will do is. I'll make sure that Zhou doesn't fuck this case up."
That made LiQiu smile they were back to their old selves again
But were they?
When they were eating their breakfast. JinHai was looking over at the small restaurant. Towards Min-Ju and her son looking happy and smiling, chatting with the owners but it hurts to think about her even if it has been 10 years