Shock, confusion, and a sharp sense of grievance from being deliberately kept in the dark by the person closest to him all crashed down on Kaoru Hoshitani like icy water dumped over his head in the dead of winter, soaking into his limbs and bones.
His fingertips turned cold, his heart squeezed so tightly by an invisible hand that he could barely breathe.
He didn’t understand. Why would such a major decision about the future—their livelihood, their shared life—be made, and yet his girlfriend wouldn’t tell him a single word, keeping him completely in the dark?
Could it be… was it just because, before, when she occasionally complained about how exhausting her job was, he had gently expressed, out of concern for a stable life, that he hoped she wouldn’t quit or switch jobs lightly?
That thought made the pain in his heart even sharper.
These past few days, after that terrifying and disgusting incident at the Izakaya, Kaoru Hoshitani had already been feeling low, emotionally fragile, and sensitive.
Now, this sudden act of secrecy from his girlfriend hit him even harder.
All his pent-up grievances, insecurity, and the current shock tangled together, turning into hot tears that quickly welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision in an instant.
“Aina! What is this!? You’re quitting your job?! Why… why wouldn’t you discuss something this important with me?!”
He gripped that resignation letter, which seemed to burn his fingers, so tightly that the paper crumpled into a ball between them.
He glared stubbornly, his beautiful eyes clouded and glistening with tears, desperately trying to hold them back.
He strode over to Aina Saiten, who still looked utterly stunned, clearly not yet understanding what was going on.
Almost in a posture of accusation, he threw the wrinkled resignation letter down at her feet on the polished floor, shouting at her in a trembling, tearful voice, each word squeezed out painfully between clenched teeth.
Aina Saiten was completely dumbfounded, her mind going blank for a moment.
She had just finished fixing her appearance, ready to grab her bag and head out for an important interview.
Suddenly, she saw her boyfriend storming toward her, eyes red like a startled rabbit, clearly emotional.
Her first instinct was heartache and worry; she subconsciously wanted to open her arms and hug him, gently ask what happened, if he’d been wronged somehow.
But before she could utter any words of concern, she was struck by his choked shout, so sudden and loud it made her eardrums buzz and left her frozen in place.
However, when her confused gaze followed her boyfriend’s trembling hand to that all-too-familiar resignation letter on the floor, all her uncertainty instantly vanished. How could she not understand why he was so agitated, even losing his composure?
[It’s over… All that careful planning, yet at the critical moment, I got exposed like this by Kaoru…]
Aina Saiten looked at her boyfriend’s pitiful face, on the verge of tears, as if the dam would burst any second, and her heart sank.
In her own mind, resigning and changing jobs wasn’t some earth-shattering, unforgivable thing; it was simply seeking better opportunities, and ultimately, the one to benefit would be their little family.
She truly felt it wasn’t worth Kaoru getting so upset over it, reacting this strongly.
But of course, she wasn’t about to say any of that out loud—no need to add fuel to the fire.
Nor would she let herself get swept up by his emotions, becoming equally agitated and turning it into an even more heated argument.
If she did, in her eyes, as a woman, that would be the lowest emotional intelligence, practically handing her man over for some “understanding” woman to swoop in.
Such a foolish thing, Aina Saiten would never do.
In fact, Aina Saiten couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen her boyfriend so angry that his whole body trembled, tears shimmering in his eyes.
Her blurry memory seemed to stretch back to the morning after their first night together, when Kaoru, feeling he’d been “tricked” into bed, was filled with shame and unease. He’d been just as emotional then.
But now, faced with her boyfriend’s surging emotions, she chose the same response as that morning—without hesitation, she “slid down in apology,” using gentleness and explanation to dissolve the conflict.
“I’m sorry, Kaoru! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hide it from you, really!”
Aina Saiten took a quick step forward and, without waiting for permission, wrapped both arms tightly around her boyfriend’s slender, soft waist, which was trembling slightly from agitation, pulling him fully into her embrace.
Ignoring his faint, resentful struggle, she quickly pulled out her phone, fumbling a little as she unlocked it and brought up the interview invitation from Quansheng Group, the official logo plainly visible.
She almost pushed the screen right into Kaoru Hoshitani’s face, her tone urgent and eager to please as she showed him, her words coming out in a rapid rush:
“Look, look at this! I’m going to an interview at Quansheng today! I wanted to wait until I’d passed the interview and got a formal offer, then give you a real surprise! See? It’s Quansheng!”
She deliberately emphasized the words “Quansheng,”
“You know about Quansheng, right? It’s a huge, prestigious company! Remember before… I even took you to one of their high-end Wagyu restaurants for your birthday? I sent my resume for their opening as Deputy Chief Accountant, and after screening, they actually gave me an interview!”
In fact, Aina Saiten’s combo of “apology + explanation + distraction” was a rather clever and effective emotional strategy.
First, she put the legitimate interview invitation right before Kaoru Hoshitani’s eyes, using the name of the famous Quansheng Group and his curiosity to shift his attention away from his anger over her secrecy and toward the concrete matter of her interview at Quansheng.
Then, she quickly poured out a stream of details about the company’s background, the position, salary prospects—forcing his emotion-clouded brain to start thinking rationally, processing all the information.
This way, she could dilute his highly emotional state and create some breathing room to help him calm down.
And sure enough, it worked.
Though Kaoru Hoshitani’s teary eyes still glimmered with moisture, his gaze was now unconsciously drawn to the clear text on the phone screen.
He began to read the neatly formatted interview notice, trying to process the information within.
Seizing the moment, Aina Saiten pressed her advantage, moving on to her next step.
She continued to gently stroke up and down Kaoru Hoshitani’s thin back, soothing him like a frightened, bristling cat, her voice dropping even softer, nearly coaxing as she whispered by his ear:
“Kaoru, trust me. All this time, I’ve been staying up late every night, cooped up at home on weekends, all to prepare for this interview. I’ve read so much, practiced so many mock interviews……”
“If I land this Deputy Chief Accountant job, my salary will be more than triple what I’m making now! I’m working this hard so our future can be easier, so we can live more comfortably and have more.”
She paused, then dangled a bigger, more tempting vision:
“When I really land this job, and by the end of the year we’re financially comfortable, let’s travel abroad together, okay? We could go to Europe, the place you’ve been dreaming about, seen so many times in magazines, or go honeymooning on some warm, sunny Southeast Asian island. You’ve always wanted that, haven’t you?”
Under this mixture of practical plans and romantic promises, Kaoru Hoshitani couldn’t help but imagine sunshine, beaches, foreign lands…
The tension left his muscles just a little, his heaving chest slowly calming down.
The tears welling in his eyes never fell, and he blinked them back in secret.
His lips still pressed together in grievance, but his agitation truly eased quite a bit.
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