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vent-stink · 1 day

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Queen of Tears (1)

Summary: Chaebol heiress, Hong Y/n, and idol, Choi Jongho, fell in love three years ago, but now their marriage is tense, and Jongho can't take it anymore. He hates the Hong family, and he can't stand his wife. But suddenly, as he is considering divorce, she gives him some bad(?) news.

pairings: idol!Jongho x chaebol!reader

c/w: i mean?? none really? toxic family, I suppose

a/n: I wish I knew how to write more than 2k words at a time, but this one is 3k. This basically follows the same sequence as the first episode of Queen of Tears, so slight spoilers! also not proofread, I wrote this all in one day on a whim

w/c: 3.7k

Jongho smiled as he spoke, looking at his interviewer, “People have asked me what it’s like living with a queen like y/n. I can just tell you that I’m a lucky man who married the love of his life.”

At the same time, y/n looked into a different camera, expression friendly, but distant, “I know people thought that Choi Jongho married me to further his career, but as I had not shown my face, no one had any idea who I was, even him. I hope this will put everyone’s minds at ease.”

“I get to spend every moment with her,” Jongho said, “We wake up together, eat breakfast together, and go to work together as well.” He failed to mention that waking up next to her meant waking up in adjacent bedrooms, eating breakfast together meant sitting on opposite sides of a long dining room table, and going to work together meant sitting in silence for twenty minutes as his wife drove him to his agency.

“My father liked to indulge my interests, and at the time I was interested in dancing. My father immediately paid for me to be a backup dancer in a small recently debuted group in secret. I didn’t need all of that when I knew my interest was temporary, but it was a worthwhile experience, all things considered. When I first met Choi Jongho, he bought me a banana milk from a vending machine,” y/n chuckled, “I immediately knew that he must like me…”

“That's not exactly the case,” Jongho said, “She was a little clumsy in practices since she was inexperienced. I really thought she was going to get fired soon. One day she was standing in front of the vending machine, just staring at it. My hyungs had made me go to get drinks for them, and she was standing there so long, so I just… saw what she was looking at and got it for her, so that she’d move.”

It was cute, at the time, her dazed expression as she stared at the banana milk in the vending machine, and the surprise when Jongho had held it out to her casually. He had looked so cool to her, and he fell, a little, because of her expressions.

“I paid more attention to her from then… I guess I was a little obvious, especially when I scolded her after she made too many mistakes one day,” Jongho sighed, feigning a wistful smile.

“You have to shape up if you want to perform. We can’t afford to lose a dancer before the performance. Even if you get fired and find another position, you’ll probably end up getting fired from there, too! Seriously, my heart stutters every time the choreographer calls you out,” Jongho had said to her, his voice somewhat cold but not unkind. He was maintaining distance, but it had only made y/n smile at him coyly, “Why? I’m the one being scolded, right? So why is your heart reacting?”

Jongho had been stunned by her response, her cute giggle being the reason he snapped out of it as she returned to practice.

When he saw her again, standing in the lobby of their agency’s building as the rain poured outside, he held out his umbrella to her. “You always need help. It’s so annoying, really,” he said and she chuckled, “I made your heart stop and now I’m annoying?”

“You didn’t- Listen, I didn’t want to say all this because I’m not trying to look cool in front of you, but even though I haven’t been with this company long, I was training since I was fourteen years old to be a singer, so I’m confident that I will succeed. My parents were professional athletes and my brother is on track to be a professional archer. We’re from Seoul, too, so obviously we’re well off enough already that we can afford an apartment there. My family not only has a lot but we are on track to make more. So even if you get fired, now or later, from here or from anywhere else, you don’t have to worry because I can take care of you.”

Y/n was dumbfounded at the suddenness and the brazenness of his rant. She tried to correct his assumptions, but he stopped her, firmly placing the umbrella in her grasp. “I’ll be honest, I always wanted my future wife,” she almost choked at that, “to work, but if it’s for you, I think it’s okay.” She looked straight into his face to see if he was joking, and his smirk proved that he knew the effect of his words. She frowned, huffing, “You’re making fun of me.”

“Oh, no, on the contrary, I’m quite serious.” “I should have known you were just a jerk-” “I like you,” He said, seriously, “I was teasing you with all of that before, sure, but you laughed, too, when you asked me why my heart was stuttering, didn’t you?” She shut her lips up into a pout.

“You don’t have to feel pressured to answer right away,” he said, “Just don’t get wet outside, and that’s enough for me.” “...Jongho-ssi-” “Don’t argue with me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Before she could get another word in, he pulled his hood over his head and ran outside. “I… have a driver…” she sighed, looking at the umbrella in her hand. Slowly, her lips lifted up into a shy, but giddy smile. She didn’t need to, as her driver would be taking another ten minutes, but she went outside, lifting the umbrella above her head, just so she could use it.

“Romantic, isn’t it?” Y/n chuckled, “That was how our love story began.” Smiling fakely, Jongho spoke, “I was really shocked when I found out about her family. So shocked in fact that she got scared and ended up ghosting me.”

“I was a fan of Seventeen,” she chuckled, “And he knew that so… on some show he sang the chorus of ‘Is it still beautiful’” Have the things that made me smile changed? Do you still talk the same way? I’m not the same, I don’t smile like I used to. I’m thinner now than I was with you. Y/n smiled fondly, “He used to make a big stink about how he gained weight when he was happy… so I knew he picked that song with intention… but he couldn’t bring himself to face me again after the things he’d said… so I came to him…”

“She visited me when I was visiting my hyung’s family with all the members in Namhae. She brought her helicopter and made a big scene, and I had a heart attack because I was worried about a scandal.”

“But I know what fans are like,” she said slyly, “They're jealous until their idol finds a literal goddess. I’m definitely not that good, but I suppose being a chaebol helped them accept me at least a little bit.”

“Well, there was a lot of happiness in between, but that’s what led to me having a happily married life now,” Jongho spoke confidently despite the lack of truth in his words.

“We’re very happy,” she lied straight through her teeth with ease.

But Jongho hated lying. He looked at the divorce settlement agreement in his hands, sighing as he knew it would be a perilous road to take, but he couldn’t take this anymore. He felt suffocated. He felt like it would be any day now that his lungs would finally either fail or gain enough energy to finally scream all his frustrations at his wife, which would probably result in worse repercussions than death.

He shoved the document back in his desk and stood when his phone buzzed. He looked at it and realized that y/n had texted him a while ago to come down for a family meeting since he’d been taking too long in his office.

“I’m sorry-” “Why were you late?” His father-in-law asked. “I texted him late,” y/n spoke, but her mother scoffed, “You shouldn’t have to remind him.”

Jongho could only clench his fist as he sat near, but not too near, his wife. The tension in the room was high, and once again Jongho struggled to even breathe. He was used to this in their last three years of marriage, so he knew how to talk, but it didn’t make it any less uncomfortable.

The family spoke business. Jongho vaguely understood it, but it had nothing to do with him, so he did not have to pay attention, zoning out until he was addressed again, “I want you two to have a baby.” If he was new to the family he would have had a violent coughing fit, but he only gave an unaffected but displeased look, “And after the baby is born, Jongho, we’ll send you to Boston to get your business degree.” “We’ve had this discussion already,” Jongho said. “Then I don’t have to tell you again that it’s not up to you.”

They never approved of him being an idol, they thought it was a job that was beneath that of even a commoner. His job was to sing and dance in front of peasants. It was less than a king’s stupid jester to them.

“Come on, Jongho, being an idol is all flashy, but there’s no money in that, really,” Woojin insisted. Of course you would say that since your net worth rival’s the entirety of my company’s. “It’s just singing and dancing, we all do that at karaoke, right? Is that all you could do? Is that why you didn’t go to college-” “That’s enough, Woojin,” Mr. Hong said, looking at him sternly. It wasn’t that he was defending Jongho, but rather he was tired of hearing his son pick a fight, “Anyway, enough pressuring them to have a child, they’ll do it eventually.” Jongho was naive to think the conversation was over when his father-in-law continued, “But I hope we can meet Soobin in May.”

“...Soobin, sir? Who is Soobin?” “My future granddaughter, of course. Soobin, it means "remarkably shining”. Hong Soobin. It sounds great, doesn’t it?” Jongho had to hold back a scoff as he pressed his lips into a smile full of restraint, “Will she be Hong Soobin instead of Choi Soobin?” “Why not?! Taking the husband’s name is so old-fashioned, the woman is the one who gives birth, why should the child get the father’s name? We live in a progressive society. Do you not want her to have her mother’s surname-?” “But dad, I thought you said giving my son his mom’s surname was ridiculous-” “Shut up. This is different” Mr. Hong snapped at his son.

The meeting soon ended. Jongho followed after Y/n stopping her in the hallway when they were along. “We need to talk.” She looked at him, waiting for him to continue, “You still want to have a child with everything going on? And I’m going to the states to study business? Is that what you want?” “It’s all words, Jongho. They can’t- no, they won’t force you to do anything.” Over my dead body. “They have no power over you. Only I do.” “Power over me. Right,” Jongho scoffed. “What? Don’t tell me you want to go to the states? If that’s the case, should I go with you-?” “No,” he said sharply, “Even if I was going, no.” “Exactly,” she said, “So don’t think about what they say about your career, it doesn’t pertain to them in the slightest. And as for the baby, it’s not like you’ll have to lift a finger. You’re free to tour and practice all you like since other people will be raising it anyway.” “It,” she said.

“Are you happy about this? You really want a baby?” he asked, taking a menacing step forward. She looked up at him, unfazed, picking up her phone and answering her husband before she answered the call, “If it’s needed.” Jongho stared her down before shaking his head, turning to leave, but stopped when he realized she was talking to another magazine outlet for another interview.

When she hung up he spoke angrily, “I’m done with these interviews! Don’t include me, do it by yourself!” “How can I do it by myself if it’s about married couples?” “You can tell them everything you want! Tell them how much we love each other and how happy we are. Tell them how we sleep in the same bed and go on dates and nothing has changed since we got married. You can keep telling them that. It’s all a lie anyway, and I’m not doing it anymore.” He stormed out, exasperated. He couldn’t believe her. What had gone wrong in their marriage?

Y/n stayed behind to find Woojin in the garden later, interrupting his call as she slapped him in the back of the head. He looked at her dumbfounded before he yelled at her, “Why did you do that!?” She simply looked at him as she stepped forward. He backed up with every step she took. “Stop it, what are you doing? Stay over there, use your words, don’t hit me!” He flinched when she raised her hand. Instead of hitting him, she grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from his face.

“As far as I know, if not for our parents and grandparents, your net worth from your ventures would amount to less than Jongho’s net worth as an idol. So who are you to say anything to him?” She kicked his leg and punched him down so that he was now on the floor. “I know you must feel threatened because Jongho is a beloved idol and nobody in our family even respects you,” She kicked him again, “Don’t fool yourself because you’re older than me.”

Woojin gritted his teeth as he stood up and looked down at her, “Disrespect my husband again, and I’ll kill you.” “Fine! Fine, I got it. You’re seriously a psychopath!” Y/n ignored him as she walked back to her cold home where her husband was not waiting for her.

Instead he was with his members, Wooyoung and San. After exerting his angry energy by practicing their latest choreo, he asked them to get drinks with him, and despite his high tolerance he was wasted. He just wanted to forget his shitty life at home.

“What’s wrong with you?” Wooyoung deadpanned at Jongho whose head was on the table. He lifted his head, giving a cute closed lip smile and San laughed, “What is this? Why do you look so cute when you’re drunk? I’m not used to it.” “I’m cute, right? She said that, too,” Jongho sniffed, “She said it was her favorite thing I do.” “Who said that?” “Y/n,” he said, then choked out a sob, “Why!? Why am I cute?! If I wasn’t this cute maybe I could have been saved!”

Wooyoung and San shared a look. Jongho was never like this. “I did this to myself!” Jongho sobbed, beating his chest, “I was so cute and I made her fall in love with me!” “Yah, Jongho, go home. You’re drunk.” San said, cleaning up the table. “I can’t.” “Why not?” Wooyoung asked, already tired of this. “I’m too cute. She’ll see it, so I can’t go home. What can I do??”

San left to throw the garbage away and Wooyoung leaned forward, “So you don’t want to go home?” “Noooo!” “Okay, fine. Sleep on the hard floor in the practice room them, break your back and then be on hiatus for the next showcase. Do it.” “Jongho-ya, spouses fight all the time. Girls pay more attention to things so they just talk about it more and then men don’t like it, but you’re better than that, right? So stop worrying and just go home to your wife.”

Jongho cried his sorrows away as he went home, followed by Hong Y/n’s PR team.

Divorce is the only way out.

Now, staring the Hong Family secretary of affairs, he felt even more sure of that.

“You know she wrote a will before you two got married, right? In it, you get nothing. She was never planning on letting you have anything. She wasn't looking for a husband, she was looking for a pretty face for PR, an Idol of your caliber was just the perfect fit.

Jongho spoke suspiciously, “You came all the way to our house to tell me this?”

“You're a busy man, Jongho-ssi, I wasn't able to reach you otherwise. I just wanted to help. Consider it an act of kindness from a fellow commoner. Even if we aren't the same status at all in your eyes, you know we are both looked down on equally for not being one of them.”

“Hm. I see,” Jongho said, “Thank you for letting me know.” His grip strength nearly broke the door and she nodded, giving a quick bow before leaving, a smirk donning her face as she had planted the seed in his mind.

It was as if it was fate when Jongho closed the door and heard the click of Y/n’s heels behind him. He steeled himself and turned to look at her and her steady expression. “We need to go somewhere today. I know you have nothing on your schedule, I checked, so-” “No.”

She froze when he cut her off, hurt flashing in her eyes, “I didn’t even tell you where we’re going.” “I don’t care,” he said, “I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” He put his shoes on as he walked out of the house, leaving his wife alone. She didn’t cry, but she went without him, because what else was she supposed to do? Even though she didn’t want to be alone.

Seonghwa looked at Jongho stupidly. “I’m going to divorce her.” Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, then at Yunho, and then Yeosang, and then San, and Mingi, and Wooyoung. They all shared the same expression. What the fuck?

“What?” San asked in disbelief. “I’m going to divorce, Y/n” “Wh-why!?” “Is this because I said I would rather die than get married? You know I was kidding, right?!” Mingi yelled, resulting in a slap to the back of the head from Wooyoung, “Jongho wouldn’t be influenced by you!” “Ya!”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Hongjoong said to everyone before looking at Jongho, “What’s the reason? Don’t tell me… are you seeing another-” “NO! I’m not like that!” “Then does Y/n-?” “Stop it, Wooyoung, those kinds of questions are uncomfortable,” Seonghwa sighed, looking worriedly at Jongho. “No, she doesn’t,” the maknae sighed, “This life…with her…just became too much for me. I’m not happy anymore.”

“Jongho-ya… not all married couples are always happy… I’m sure this is something you can work through!” Hongjoong tried to reason with him, “Don’t give up yet! It’s only been three years!” “Should I be unhappy for 20 years before it becomes too much?” Jongho asked, “I’m firm. I already got a lawyer to draft the paperwork and everything.”

“Jongho…,” Yunho said softly, “Seriously, think about it more. You loved- love her. Does she feel the same? If you don’t know what she’s thinking then there are clearly other things you have to work out before you can make a final decision like this.” “I wouldn’t even mention it if I wasn’t sure, Yunho-hyung.”

“Maybe you’re always with her so you can’t think straight. Why don’t you stay at the dorm tonight and clear your head,” Wooyoung suggested, but Jongho shook his head, “I came to see you all unexpectedly. I’ll be scolded if I come home too late or not at all.”

“Maybe taking a moment to clear your mind would be worth that, Jongho,” Yeosang said, but Jongho didn’t. He was determined to confront Y/n. Tonight.

He walked straight to her room when he got home, knocking and not waiting for an answer before he opened the door. He looked at Y/n who looked surprised that he’d even stepped foot in her room.

“I have something I want to say.” “Oh, I do, too. Can… can I go first?” Her eyes, usually a lot more stoic, were now softer. Jongho couldn’t tell the difference in her demeanor. He didn’t care.

“Fine. Go ahead.” She crossed her arms, clenching the sleeves of her blazer in her fists before speaking, “I’m dying, and I have three months left to live.”

Jongho heard a record scratch, glass breaking, and a train stopping all at once in his mind. He controlled his expression, “What the hell are you saying?”

“When I said we needed to go somewhere today, I meant to the doctor. They had test results that they had to give in person, so I thought it would be better if you were with me when I heard them… but um…,” She shuffled uncomfortably, “I have a tumor in my brain. It’s very rare and so far there’s no available treatment, so unless I find someone, all I have is three months.” A silence followed so she said, “That’s all… so… what did you want to say?”

Jongho shook his head, “That- that’s not important right now.” “Just say it, it’s not like I have time for you to tell me later,” she said grimly, “So?”

“I…” She looked at him expectantly, and for the first time, he was almost at a loss for words. This was the last thing he expected to hear, but somehow it was also exactly what he needed.

“I’m sorry, for today,” he said, and she looked at him surprised, “I’m sorry for everything I have said until now. It won’t happen again, and I’ll treat you better from now on. That’s what I wanted to say.”

Jongho shook his head, “But you only have three months to live? How am I supposed to live without you? How is that possible? Are you serious?” “Yeah, but-”

Suddenly, Jongho pulled her in for a hug in panic. His face was about to betray him, but it slackened at his next words, since they weren’t real. He didn’t mean them.

“I love you, Y/n. I love you.”

His face was void of any of the love he said he had behind her back, but Y/n didn’t know that. She blushed, wrapping her arms around his waist, clutching the jacket in her hands and not letting him pull away until she could fix her own pathetic expression.

Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.

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