"Okay." Lisa nodded, not knowing why Tzuyu was telling her this.
"But it was nothing like what was reported. You know that I live in Imperial Park as well, and last night, we had dinner together so he gave me a ride. We didn't have dinner alone, our families were there too. Besides, Jungkook didn't know that I would be present at the dinner. He just got back and met my dad, so they chatted about business. I think it was very normal and I hope you won't misunderstand."
"Yeah, and?" Lisa asked calmly.
"Then it was what you saw. We were filmed by some paparazzi... and that's what caused the cheating scandal. I was planning to explain it to you. Don't misunderstand Jungkook. He cares about you a lot... I don't want you guys to have any issues with your relationship because of me."
"I didn't misunderstand. You're worrying too much."
"I was afraid that you would misunderstand when you saw the news. Last night Jungkook went back home after he dropped me off. We are innocent and there are cameras all over our community, you can go and check the footages."
"I know. So, you came to explain this to me?" Lisa looked at Tzuyu, thinking her purpose was not this simple.
"That's right. I came to explain this to you...and, yes, I have feelings for Jungkook. But I also know that he's married and I know that he loves you. That's why I don't want to play games. I asked you to meet me not because I wanted you to forgive me or anything, but only because I hope that you won't misunderstand us. Other people can, but you shouldn't because he cares about you the most."
"You sound like you know my husband really well," Lisa laughed.
"Actually, I do." Tzuyu was full of confidence.
Then Lisa burst into laughter...
"What are you laughing about? You think I'm lying?" Tzuyu looked at Lisa and asked gently.
"No, I'm just curious... you have barely seen him since you guys were eight. How could you know him well? I have been with him for so long, but I still can't say with absolute confidence that I know everything about him. So, do you really know him? Or you just think you know him."
Lisa was mocking her. It's true. A woman who had no contact with Jungkook since they were eight claimed that she knew Lisa's husband well. It didn't make sense to Lisa.
"You don't have to spend a lot of time with someone to know them well. Some couples spend their whole lives together but still don't know each other's true hearts. But, I think Jungkook showed the real him to me. You probably might feel uncomfortable hearing me say this, but I think the Jungkook I see is the Jungkook I know."
"So what? No matter how well you know him, he is still my husband." Lisa smiled as she said this...
She wanted to use Tzuyu's tactics against her.
Saying harsh words with smiles was something that Lisa had just learned and used.
Certainly, Tzuyu's expression changed...
But, soon it changed back, which meant that she was still very rational. She looked at Lisa, smiling. "So, you are very lucky... therefore, you should cherish it. Don't be too close to Jimin... The other day, after my friends unintentionally bullied you at the wine party, he crashed his car into my friends for you. Fortunately, nobody got hurt. Otherwise, I'm sure you would feel extremely guilty."
"I have something to say about this. Tzuyu, please be careful in choosing friends in the future... Don't hang out too much with stupid people, or else they will drag you down. Your besties are obviously not on your level. But that's about right, not many people are as smart as you in this world. Geniuses are always lonely..." Lisa didn't feel embarrassed about the Jimin thing; instead, she taunted Tzuyu with it.
"Lisa, you are indeed a smart woman."
Tzuyu looked at Lisa with deep intent and her lips curled up into a creepy smile.
"Tzuyu, what do you mean by that?" Lisa pretended not to know what she was talking about.
"Nothing... In the past, I thought that since Jungkook was such an outstanding man, so many women would throw themselves at him, trying everything they could to be with him. However, in the end, he chose you, and you guys even had a shotgun wedding. I thought his determination was because he didn't want to let go of his high school sweetheart, but now I can see that... you are a smart and capable woman. If I were a man, I would probably fall in love with you as well."
"Thank you for your compliment. I'm not special, rather, I'm an ordinary woman... I cry, laugh, I feel happiness, and I feel sorrow. I also want to protect the man I love... I am willing to face-off against those who try to ruin our relationship; I refuse to stand by and watch as manipulative and calculating bitches try to pry their way through."
"Haha... you're absolutely right. You do have to protect him." Conceding the verbal show-down with Lisa, Tzuyu smiled faintly and sipped at her coffee.
"So, do you need to talk to me about anything else? If not, I'm going to go... working the night shift has been tiring."
"No, I just wanted to explain to you about the photos."
"Okay then, I'm going to leave now."
"Waiter, check please." Tzuyu elegantly waved her hand.
"It's okay, my treat." Lisa smiled gracefully and then picked up her bag and left.
Back when she recalled all the storefronts on this street, business was close to dying. Today, the 13 storefronts had combined to become one of the most popular pedestrian streets in the city, and everyone who worked in the coffee shop knew who their boss was.
Of course, they wouldn't charge Tzuyu, so why was she offering to pay? This area was Lisa's territory...
On her way home, Jungkook sent her a video-chat request. She set her phone on a little stand above her steering wheel and picked up.
"Hey."
"You seem to be in a good mood, where did you go?"
"To secretly meet Jimin," Lisa laughed arrogantly.
"Come here now, I promise not to strangle you," Jungkook said in all seriousness.
"Hahaha... I love it when you're jealous, Hubby, you're so cute..."
"What kind of fetish is this?" Jungkook was at a loss for words.
Was his wife's purpose in life to make him feel bad? To build her happiness atop his agony?
"Where are you going?"
"To South Hill Manor."
"I thought you went back already." Uncle Li had told Jungkook that Lisa was back; plus, he could see South Hill Manor's surveillance from his phone. He noticed that Lisa went back before he even got off work.
"Yeah, I did, but then I came out again to have a cup of coffee. I'm now heading back again."
"Coffee? With who?" Jungkook was a little surprised.
"Guess..."
"What's in it for me if I guess right?" Jungkook asked.
"How about 50k won," Lisa stuck out a finger.
Jungkook shook his head...
"Then 60k?"
Jungkook still shook his head...
"100k won, that's as high as I go." Lisa clenched her teeth and upped her offer one last time.
"I don't want money; if I guess right, you have to kiss me."
"... how am I supposed to do that? You're not here."
"Kiss me through the screen."
"But... that's awkward." Lisa had never done something as lame as that.
"Yes or no?" Jungkook purposely provoked her.
"Why not? But you only have one chance, and if you guess wrong, you will have to kiss me through the screen," Lisa said smugly.
This was because she didn't think Jungkook would guess right; he would probably guess either Jennie or Chaeyoung.
After all, no one would imagine that Lisa would ever have coffee with Tzuyu.
"Deal." Jungkook was sure of himself as well.
"Okay then, guess." Lisa was proud of herself; Back to 17, sang by a reality-show star, played in her car as she hummed along.
The lyrics were as follows, "The sun is shining, the flowers are smiling... the birds are saying good morning, why are you carrying..."
Before she could finish the rest of that sentence, Jungkook, who was sitting on the chair in his office said, "Tzuyu."
What?"
"I'm guessing you had coffee with Tzuyu."
"You, you... you cheated... you already knew, didn't you?" Lisa was absolutely dumbstruck by the fact that Jungkook guessed right on his first try...
"I didn't, I made a simple deduction."
"What deduction, tell me," Lisa said, unconvinced.
"At noon, Chaeyoung said in our WeChat group that she was flying to another country, and Jennie is pregnant, so she can't drink coffee... Most importantly, you asked me to guess with such confidence, which meant that it's someone I would never think of. That's why I guessed her."
"Is your brain human? Were you assembled by a machine?" Lisa was completely persuaded.
She knew that Jungkook would never cheat; of course, he didn't know that she met with Tzuyu.
Plus, from her conversation with Tzuyu just now, it didn't seem like the latter planned on telling Jungkook about their meetup.
Therefore, Jungkook's guess was completely based on deductions; how attentive to details was he?
"Fine, you win." The smug look on Lisa's face completely disappeared.
The song in her car kept playing, "Back then I had to memorize a bunch of rules, and after all these years, I finally remembered everything. The first time I drank, it tasted sweet and bitter, and I still reminisce about it now."
"Come on, baby." Jungkook couldn't help but laugh at how quickly his wife wilted. Then, he moved his face towards the screen in all seriousness.
"Kook, it's not a good idea." Lisa was embarrassed.
An action as cheesy as kissing another person through a screen was something only teenagers would do.
She was a grown up, and the most famous doctor at South Side, Dr. Lisa.
If word got out, her reputation would change forever...
"Doll, come on, you lost. You have to be a woman of your words... or else how are you going to educate our child in the future?" Jungkook said, word for word.
"Gosh, fine, I got it."
Then, Lisa clenched her jaw and slowly parked her car off to the side of the road...
She shyly closed her eyes and gently kissed the screen.
"I'm saving this recording for the rest of my life," Jungkook said triumphantly.
"Jungkook, screw you..." Lisa felt like she was going crazy.
Did he just record what she did? My god, how was she supposed to face the rest of this world...
"Yeah? What do you think Bambam and Chaeyoung would say if I uploaded this video onto our group chat?" Jungkook laughed.
Lisa admitted defeat once again, "Kook, please show mercy."
"Call me 'Hubby'."
"Mr. Hubby."
"Call me 'Hubby', not 'Mr. Hubby'." Jungkook was acting high and mighty as all hell.
"Hubby..." Lisa sounded like a whiny little housewife.
"Say 'Hubby, you're the best'."
"Hubby, you're the best."
"Say, 'Hubby, you're so handsome'."
"Hubby... you're so handsome." Lisa was like a tape recorder, repeating everything Jungkook said.
She acted all obedient, but her brain was crying out for dear god...
If Jungkook kept playing her like this, she might go crazy.
This was so embarrassing; she jumped into a hole she dug herself. Why in the world would she ask him to guess who she had coffee with?
What an idiot...
"Say 'Hubby, I want it tonight'."
Lisa: "-_-"
"Say it."
"Jungkook... how thick-skinned are you?" Lisa asked slowly.
Jungkook couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing what his wife said.
Lisa's heart filled with warmth as she saw the man through her screen laugh so happily and handsomely.
"Hubby... I really miss you."
Lisa said passionately to the man on the other side of the screen...
Jungkook felt like something began melting in his body...
At that moment, nothing in the world could compare to Lisa's 'Hubby, I really miss you'.
"Doll, maybe we should... abort our plan. I'll go find you tonight."
Jungkook had been missing Lisa all day; the more he saw her, the more he missed her.
"No, or else all of our hard work would've been for nothing... just a few more days."
Lisa really wanted to find the man behind the scenes...
Jungkook looked at her with puppy-dog eyes.
They chatted for a while longer as she drove towards South Hill Manor; it was 9-something when she arrived.
Lisa took a hot shower and then climbed into bed.
She then took out a book, while the maid brought over some fruit and warm milk. The service was impeccable.
Just then, her phone began ringing again...
Upon seeing the number, Lisa immediately put down the book and picked up her phone.
"Haruto."
"Noona... are you sleeping?"
"Not yet, I was reading."
"I knew you wouldn't be asleep at this hour, haha."
"How are you doing there, are you used to it?"
"Yup, things are great. The scenery here is amazing. If you have time, you should come here with hyung. I'll take you guys out for food."
"Sure."
"Noona..."
"Yeah?"
"How... have you been?" Haruto asked carefully.
"I've been great."
"Don't lie to me... my old classmates already told me what happened back in Seoul. The media outlets have been reporting that you guys are getting divorced."
"How much of an idiot are you to believe in what media outlets say?"
"But... where there's smoke, there's fire, right? Did something happen between you and hyung?"
"Nope, don't worry about it."
"Really?" Haruto remained unbelieving.
"Really, my good brother, don't worry about us."
"Okay, thank goodness."
Towards the end of their call, Haruto suddenly said, "noona, I've been dreaming about Won a lot."
"Really?" Their tones became grave at the mentioning of Wonyoung.
"Yeah, I keep dreaming that she's looking at me from afar. But every time I walk towards her, she disappears into thin air, and I can't even touch her..."
"Ruto, people can't arise from the dead, you have to accept that. Life is a one-way ticket, everyone has to get off sooner or later. She just fell in love with the scenery along the way and got off a little earlier than the rest of us. One day, the same thing will happen to us. Don't be too hard on yourself."
"I know, I'm just sad... I used to say to her that once I start working at hyung's company, I would earn enough money to marry her. Then, we would go to a foreign country for our honeymoon. Too bad... these things will never come true."
"I know you loved her, but you guys weren't meant to be... Ruto, she's a part of who you are, but it's all in the past. You don't have to forget her, but you need to learn to let go, okay?"
"I will... okay, Noona, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm heading out now, so you should get some sleep soon."
"Okay."
Lisa felt bad after she hung up the phone with Haruto...
What happened with Wonyoung was too much for Haruto to handle; it'll be a while before he forgot her.
However, she occasionally hoped that she could help him out of sadness...
Life was a process of obtaining and losing that everyone had to go through.
Her family and friends would all leave her one day.
Even if she was sad, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it...
Sometimes, she would recharge herself by reading some soothing literature.
Lisa clicked open her instagram and signed on. She posted,
"I closed my eyes and sat amidst the incense fog inside the temple and suddenly hear the mantras you used to recite.
That month, setting all the prayer wheels turning. Not to achieve transcendence, only to brush your fingertips.
That year, proning in the dust of the mountain road. Not to make obeisance, only to press into your warmth.
That life time, turning and turning, mountains, rivers stupas. Not to seek rebirth, but to meet you along the way.
That moment, hoisting the wind-horse banners. Not to beg for good fortune, only to welcome your return.
That day, raising the sacred boulder pile. Not to accumulate virtue, but to cast a stone in your heart's pool.
A night gone, listened to Satsang. Not to be enlightened, but to find your scent.
A second gone, I flew up into the sky. Not to become an immortal, but to wish you a lifetime of happiness.
That day, that month, that year, that lifetime...
But that night, I forgot everything.
I threw away my faith, abandoned my Samsara.
Just for the rose crying in front of the Buddha, that lost its shine a long time ago."
Lisa hadn't uploaded on instagram in a while. As soon as she uploaded this verse, her comments section blew up again.
This time, some cursed at her while others praised her. Upon seeing this update, Jimin became excited.
He privately messaged her, "Lisa, do you believe in destiny?"
"I feel like destiny played me over... Haha, others think that I'm too outstanding, so they're envious of me. Some even said that I saved the universe my last life and stuff like that. But I know that aside from materialistic things, I'm just an ordinary man. I thought I was favored by God and therefore reborn into a great family, but now I realize that God was just giving me a taste of sweetness before playing me to death."
Lisa didn't reply, because she didn't know what to say.
Jimin continued, "I never thought that I, Jimin, would one day want something that I can't have. Did you know? Ever since I was young, I could always get what I wanted. Therefore, I didn't care about anything. But one day, I met someone great, but she's not mine. I felt depressed as ever... in other words, I may never have you, and that feeling is tearing me up inside... it's killing me."
Every time the Jeon couple flaunted their love, Jimin would feel crippled.
However, he kept looking for trouble. Wherever Lisa went, he would go as well.
To him, as long as he didn't make Lisa's life harder, everything was worth it.
However, missing her, and the pain of not being able to have her, accompanied him all the time.
"If you know that she doesn't belong to you, then why not give up? Sometimes determination isn't a good thing," Lisa tried to console Jimin...
The truth was, she hoped that Jimin would let her go...
After all, only then will her heart not feel burdened anymore.
She never thought that one day she would marry Jungkook, the man she loved since she was a young girl.
Since they were already married, she had no intention of leaving him. Forget Jimin; even if someone even better than him appeared, Lisa still wouldn't do anything about it.
Perhaps Jimin may think she was overly indifferent, but she lived by her principles.
If something wasn't hers, she didn't want it. If something was hers, she would do everything to get it.
"Haha... you make it sound so easy. How can I let go? Did you think it's as simple as going to the market? That I can buy carrots if there weren't any cucumbers left?" Jimin smiled bitterly...
Lisa fell silent...
"That's why I'm saying that God is playing with me. If you believe in destiny, then you should know that in this life, we're only paying back the debt we incurred in our last life. Someone wise once said that people meet because they owed each other. I think... I might've owed you too much from my last life, and that's why I'm doomed in this life. You exist on this world to put me in gut-wrenching pain."
"Jimin... the truth is... I don't know how to say this, but I'm not someone who likes loose ends. If I don't like you, I don't like you. Even if I didn't meet Jungkook, I still wouldn't like you. Love isn't that simple; two people have to be attracted to each other, but I'm not attracted to you. You're not going through what you're going through because you met me a little later than Jungkook did. The truth is, even if I didn't marry Jungkook, we still wouldn't be together. That's our destiny."
Lisa knew how much pain she put Jimin in every time she said ruthless things to him.
However, if she didn't make things clear and instead spared his feelings, he would never let her go and will continue obsessing over her...
In this life, she only wanted Jungkook to obsess over her... not anyone else...
"You damned girl... I know what you're saying. The truth is, I don't want you to be mine anymore. After all, compared to Jungkook, I barely did anything for you. Sometimes I was just thinking if I would ever get the chance to take care of you, even for a day... However, I know that some things are impossible... never mind, go to bed; don't listen to me drone on and on. Oh, and... thank you for helping me that other time, you sure are an iron-lady... you never back down when faced with danger. If you were a man, I would make you my sworn brother."
Lisa smiled, but she didn't reply. To her, the less she spoke with Jimin, the better.
She had to take Jungkook's anger this time into account. After all, everyone knew how Jimin felt about her...
Anyone would be annoyed if this happened to them; Jungkook was generous enough.
He already spoiled her to no end...
The next day was Saturday, so Lisa slept in.
During breakfast, the headlines of the newspaper once again drew her attention.
The front page of the Saturday newspaper was of Tzuyu, along with a giant photo.
The title was, "It was a Complete Misunderstanding. The Mysterious Woman is Miss Lisa's Close Friend."
Lisa felt speechless after she read what it said.
That woman, Tzuyu, really had her ways...
It turned out that the report clarified that the woman in JC's President Jeon's car was Tzuyu.
She lived in Imperial Park as well, and that was why they were riding in the same car.
Most importantly, she was good friends with Lisa, and they enjoyed coffee together the day after the incident. The photo on the front page was of them laughing and chatting at the coffee shop.
However, that wasn't what happened...
Lisa sighed; she thought she took everything into consideration, but she didn't think that Tzuyu would do something like this...
It was obvious that Tzuyu asked to be followed the other day at the coffee shop...
Then, she released the photo on purpose, showing that Lisa and she were actually friends.
What was Tzuyu's goal? Simple, it was to prove Jungkook's innocence.
Tzuyu cared about Jungkook's reputation; she also wanted to keep her 'good girl' reputation in front of Jungkook's parents.
If others defamed Jungkook, Tzuyu's life would be much harder.
Therefore, she decided to use Lisa to prove her and Jungkook's innocence. That way, people would turn their attention back onto Lisa since her incident with Jimin still hadn't been resolved yet...
That day, Tzuyu updated her instagram. She wrote, 'love needs regular maintenance and upkeep, or else weeds will grow.'
Then, a bunch of fans became showing their support in her comments section...
"Goddess, we support you. You're beautiful, and your heart is even more so."
"Goddess Han, you're so pretty. Why didn't you become an actress? It's such a waste of your looks."
"Goddess, you're so much prettier than JC's Young Madam. I wonder why President Jeon didn't choose you. I hear that you guys met when you were 8 years old."
"When is your art school opening? I want my nieces and nephews to learn drawing from you, I heard that you are a master of ink wash painting."
Tzuyu's instagram was filled with fans who sucked up to her...
They were all crazy in love with her...
Jennie, who was resting at home, couldn't take it anymore and registered a instagram account, with the username, 'Bitch-Conqueror'.
Then, she wrote in the comments section, "Hey, goddess, I have a question. There're so many places to live in our city, why did you move to Imperial Park? Didn't you know that President Jeon lived there as well? Oh, and I heard that you haven't been back in South Korea for a long time, how did you manage to become such good friends with Mrs. Jeon in less than a month? Finally, I heard that a couple of your socialite friends were blacklisted by Mrs. Jeon's coffee shop. Do you care to venture an explanation?"
Jennie's questions were short, sharp, and to the point.
Tzuyu didn't know how to reply upon seeing this comment...
However, she didn't reply, pretending to be aloof.
A couple of fans who didn't know what was happening swore at Jennie, "You have such a venomous tongue, that's her business, what's it to you? I hate your instagram user name. Stop defaming my goddess and go away."
"Goddess? Yeah right, that word is worth nothing these days, are you sure it's a compliment?" Jennie shot back.
"Babe, what are you doing?" Taehyung was strolling around with Jennie, but she suddenly sat down in a pavilion and began playing with her phone.
"Oh, nothing, I was just playing with some puppies." Jennie smiled and put away her phone.
"Hey, I suddenly thought of a name for our child." Jennie quickly changed the subject...
"Um... what name?" Taehyung's instincts told him that Jennie's name would shock him....
She laughed as she said, "If it's a boy, we should call him Kim Wae (A/n: means 'why' in Korean)."
Taehyung: "-_-"
"If it's a girl, Kim Nuga (A/n: means 'for who' in korean). So, when we call her in for dinner, it'll totally mess with peoples' heads."
Taehyung: "-_-"
"It's so confusing..." She completely confused Taehyung.
Were those actual names? They sounded weird...
"What? Don't you like them?" Jennie tilted her head and looked at Taehyung.
"I do, but these names are really weird, haha...while naming our kids, we should combine my last name with your first name. How cute is that?"
To his surprise, Jennie glared at him.
"Your ideas are so lame, I don't want to give my child any ordinary name. It has to be one of a kind."
Then, Jennie walked away, leaving Taehyung all dumbfounded in the pavilion...
*
With one photo, Tzuyu successfully proved that nothing was going on with her and Jungkook.
Most people believed that she and Lisa were really good friends.
That night, another post was uploaded onto a forum, 'A Flirty Bitch, the Women of the Oh family are all the Same'.
This post again caused an uproar... It was the most harmful, Lisa-slandering post ever, so naturally, it gained a very high click-rate.