After Daisy cald down, Kimberly led her back up to the apartnt. When they walked inside,
"Dude, enemy... enemy... shoot!" Jason yelled excitedly.
"Damn... too late, I’m dead," Dennis replied with a shout.
The two of them imdiately burst into cheerful, carefree laughter. Seeing Dennis looking perfectly fine—even looking happy as he laughed his head off playing gas with Jason, as if they were in their own little world without a care for anything around them—Daisy’s face, which was still a ss with puffy eyes, suddenly snapped alert and instantly flushed red with rage. Kimberly could see both of her hands clenching at her sides until her knuckles turned white and her teeth started grinding.
"Oh my god... why is it like this... what an idiot husband," Kimberly muttered to herself while rubbing her face.
Without delaying, Daisy stepped inside while Kimberly closed the door and chased after her. Daisy approached Dennis and Jason, who were currently sitting on the floor holding their controllers.
"Honey!" Daisy scread.
Dennis turned and was shocked to see Daisy standing next to him with her hands on her hips and a furious expression. The smile on his face vanished instantly; he put down his controller and stood up to face her.
"You... ca here?" Dennis asked, stamring.
"Having fun, aren’t you," Daisy answered slowly.
"Huh... what?" Dennis asked.
"Having fun, right? I’m mad at you, I went downstairs to look for you, but you’re just here playing and having a blast. It’s better if I’m not around, isn’t it... you’re happy to be free from ," Daisy shouted angrily, her face turning red.
The atmosphere turned silent instantly. Dennis turned to look at Jason, who stood there looking down while holding his controller, and Kimberly, who also had an angry expression as she rested her elbow on Jason’s shoulder. Then Dennis turned back to Daisy.
"I’m sorry... actually, I didn’t want to face you yet... you’ve surely seen what I showed you earlier, right? I feel like I don’t deserve to be by your side," Dennis said, looking down.
"Hah... what did you say? This has nothing to do with what you showed ! I was wrong for slapping you, but that was just a montary emotional outburst. It doesn’t an I don’t accept you. What is wrong with you... now co on, let’s go ho," Daisy shouted.
"Hmm... sorry, but could I stay at the hotel across the street tonight? It feels like we need so space," Dennis said.
"Hah... you’re asking for space? Why? I didn’t an to slap you, right? I just told you, the problem is over... let’s go ho," Daisy shouted once more.
"But... I need ti to accept everything... you understand, right?" Dennis asked calmly.
"Why? Oh... you want to leave , don’t you... you want to separate from ? So that’s why?" Daisy asked, becoming even more emotional.
"No, that’s not it. I just need ti to process what’s happening in my head. You understand, right? It’s not because I want to leave you... besides... are you really okay, considering where I co from?" Dennis answered.
Daisy went silent imdiately. She stared at Dennis with her puffy, red eyes as tears began to fall. She understood right away; one slap was enough to make Dennis feel as insecure as he used to be, clearly feeling unworthy of staying with a woman who had been hurt by the man who was his biological father. Daisy didn’t know what to say; she just stood there silently, trying to breathe so she could calm down again. anwhile, all the Daisys in the council room turned to look at Daisy Number Seven, ready to kill her.
Finally, Daisy looked at Kimberly and Jason, who were standing there frozen, then turned around and walked out of the apartnt. Kimberly imdiately turned to Dennis.
"Hey Den, go after her," Kimberly said.
"It’s okay, Kim. I’ll just go. I’m staying at the hotel across the street. Sorry for bothering you guys," Dennis replied with a sad smile.
"Ugh, what is wrong with you? Stay here and don’t you dare play any more gas... rember, idiot husband," Kimberly said to Jason, fuming.
"Yeah... sorry," Jason replied, full of regret.
Kimberly imdiately ran out of the apartnt to catch up with Daisy, while Jason stepped forward to massage Dennis’s shoulders.
"Sorry, bro. Because of , you ended up in a fight with Kimberly," Dennis said quietly.
"Relax. Kim and I fight all the ti, don’t worry about us," Jason said.
"Okay. I’m heading out now. I’ll just go to the hotel across the street," Dennis said, moving Jason’s hand off his shoulder.
Jason went silent for a mont, but just as Dennis was about to open the door, "Wait." Dennis turned to see Jason running toward him while grabbing his smartphone off the table.
"You’re heading to the hotel, right? I’m coming with," Jason said.
"Wait, why? I’m fine on my own," Dennis replied.
"Huh? You’re in this state and you want to be alone? If I have to, I’ll just call Gary, Ivan, Hyunjin, Brad, and Akira to co over too," Jason shot back firmly.
"Don’t, bro... fine, whatever," Dennis muttered.
"Okay, let’s go. When you’re fighting with the wife, no matter what the problem is, we have to stick together. Got it?" Jason said with a smile.
Then they both left the apartnt. All the way down the hallway, Dennis just kept his head down in silence, watching his own feet as he walked. Jason, walking beside Dennis, typed a ssage on his smartphone to let Kimberly know he was staying with Dennis; a mont later, Kimberly replied that she was staying with Daisy at her place.
As Dennis and Jason stood in front of the elevator, "vwooong," an interface suddenly snapped open in front of Dennis’s face. Dennis’s eyes widened because the interface was broadcasting exactly what was happening inside the council room in Daisy’s head, and for the first ti, he saw seven Daisies inside a single room, sitting around a table as if they were in a eting.
The display showed a playback of Daisy in the bedroom after she had slapped Dennis; then, two holographic earphones erged from the interface and floated into Dennis’s ears. Instantly, the conversations of all the Daisies inside the room beca audible, starting from why she had slapped him and what it ant, the fact that Daisy already knew his true identity from talking to her father-in-law.
Plus Daisy Number Two having investigated him before they even got married, and finally, all the Daisies scolding Daisy Number Seven and bickering amongst themselves inside the council room. Dennis understood imdiately; his wife didn’t want to separate from him, and instead, she was terrified that he would be the one to leave them due to a misunderstanding, because they knew exactly how easily Dennis could beco humble and lose his self-confidence.
After the interface vanished, Dennis stood stunned and seed lost in thought. The elevator in front of him had already opened, but he didn’t step inside; he just stood frozen before the doors. Jason turned to look at Dennis and smiled; he simply waited to see what Dennis would do, standing beside him without saying a word. Dennis raised one of his palms and looked down at it, then he began to speak in his head.
"So Daisy already knew?" Dennis asked in his mind.
[That is correct, master. Your father—or your wife’s father-in-law—told your wife everything during the proposal for the sake of transparency, because he knew your wife was a victim of that man.]
"She... already knew who I was and still chose to be with ?" Dennis muttered in his head.
[Exactly, master. I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t be telling you this because you heard it yourself in the broadcast just now; they don’t want to reveal the secret that she heard everything from your father, so please do not tell your wife that I was the one who told you.]
"I know, don’t worry about that," Dennis said in his head.
Then Dennis went silent and thought, imdiately realizing that he was being pathetic and reverting to his old self—the person he was back when he was still overweight and cross-eyed—and letting his wife down all over again. His awareness snapped back, and he turned to look at Jason beside him.
"Bro, I’m just going ho. I need to talk to my wife privately. If I go to a hotel and create space, it’s pointless; it’ll only make things worse. If there’s a problem, it’s better to resolve it," Dennis said.
"Now... that’s what I wanted to hear. Okay bro, I’m heading back then. You just head straight back up," Jason replied, patting Dennis on the back.
Dennis pressed the button repeatedly, and the mont the elevator opened, he stepped right in. Jason, seeing Dennis inside, gave him a thumbs-up. As soon as the doors closed, he shot a text to Kimberly telling her to head back from Daisy’s place. "Ding," when the elevator opened, Dennis saw Kimberly standing alone in front of the doors.
Dennis stepped out as Kimberly stepped in; as they passed each other, Kimberly patted Dennis on the shoulder with a smile. When Dennis turned back, Kimberly winked and flashed a thumbs-up, smiling until the elevator doors shut.
After that, Dennis walked quickly to his unit. Standing in front of the door, he took a deep breath. He opened the door and saw Daisy slumped on the sofa, apparently crying. Dennis quietly closed the door, walked into the living room, and stood before the sofa.
"Honey... I’m ho," Dennis said.
Daisy lifted her head; her eyes were incredibly puffy and tears were streaming down her face. Her lips trembled as she stared at Dennis, as if she couldn’t believe he was actually standing there. Dennis just gave a faint smile and waved his hand. Without a second’s delay, Daisy stood up and leaped into his arms, hugging him tight.
"I’m sorry for slapping you, I didn’t an it like that, I just wanted you to snap out of it," Daisy said, sobbing.
"I know... I’m sorry too for making you cry. I love you," Dennis replied, holding her close.
"I love you too," Daisy said.
Then they let go of their embrace and went straight into a kiss. Dennis picked Daisy up and carried her into the bedroom to rest... or maybe sothing else.
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