Wife Privileges

The first hour of the drive was quiet. Not peaceful quiet. Company-mandated quiet.

There was a difference.

Jihyo had said assigned silence until the first checkpoint, and somehow, by sheer force of Park Jihyo existing, everyone had obeyed.

Mostly.

Ryujin had obeyed in spirit, which meant she had not spoken but had communicated several criminal thoughts through facial expressions alone.

Yuna had lasted eleven minutes before silently writing activity notes in her vacation notebook with the intensity of a woman planning a government program.

Lia had watched her do it, sighed once, and taken the pen away twice.

Chaeryeong had spent most of the drive making sure the snack bags were evenly distributed, which became less about logistics and more about survival once Momo’s van pulled beside ours at the first stop and Momo looked through the tinted window with terrifying food awareness.

Yeji sat beside me. Her hand had found mine ten minutes after we left the parking level. No one commented. That was how I knew they were tired. Or plotting. Possibly both… definitely both.

By the second hour, the silence order had dissolved into low conversation.

By the third, Ryujin had fallen asleep with sunglasses still on, which somehow made her look more suspicious.

By the fourth, Yuna had renamed the retreat six times.

By the fifth, Lia had threatened to throw the notebook out of the window if the phrase “Hostile Wellness” appeared one more time.

“It’s not a title anymore,” Yuna protested from the back.

“It is on the page.”
“It’s a concept.”
“It’s a felony with spa access,” Lia said.

Ryujin, without opening her eyes, raised one hand “I vote felony with spa access.”
“No one asked you,” Yeji said.
“I live here emotionally.”
“You live everywhere emotionally,” Chaeryeong murmured.

Ryujin opened one eye “That was sharp.”

Chaeryeong immediately looked down “Sorry.”
“No, keep going. I like vacation Chaeryeong.”

Chaeryeong hid behind a snack bag. I looked toward Yeji. She was trying not to smile. I noticed. Of course I noticed. She noticed me noticing “Don’t,” she said.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“I was about to say you look happy.”

Her expression softened before she could stop it. Then she looked out the window “I am.”

That stayed with me longer than it should have.

Outside, the city had thinned into long roads, guarded turns, and stretches of coast that looked too clean to be casual. Eventually, the vans turned away from the public highway and onto a private access road lined with tall trees and security posts so discreet they looked decorative until you noticed the cameras. Yuna leaned forward “Are we arriving or being abducted luxuriously?”

“Both can be true,” Ryujin said.
Lia looked out the window “This is… really private.”
Chaeryeong shifted closer to the glass “There are no other cars.”
“Good,” I said.
Yeji looked at me “That sounded expensive.”
“Privacy usually does.”
“That did not make me feel better.”
“It was not meant to.”

The first gate opened before our vans fully stopped. Then the second. Then a third, hidden behind a curve of palm trees and stone walls. By the time the resort finally appeared, even Ryujin sat up properly. The place did not look like a hotel. It looked like someone had taken a private beach, erased the rest of the world from around it, and built a quiet kingdom along the water.

White villas sat apart from each other along the coastline, spaced far enough that no balcony looked directly into another. A private road curved through landscaped gardens toward a central pavilion of glass, wood, and stone. Beyond it, the beach stretched out in pale sand and blue water, empty except for staff preparing shaded lounges beneath the trees.

No crowds, visible guests, camera flashes, distant fans, or noise— except the ocean.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Ryujin whispered “Okay. This is rich-rich”. Yuna pressed both hands to the window “This is not a retreat. This is where villains recover after losing the first movie”. Chaeryeong’s mouth opened slightly “Is this all for us?”

“For two weeks,” I said. The van went quiet. Yeji turned toward me slowly “Ben”. I looked out the window “Yes?”

“How expensive is this?”
“That depends on how you define expensive.”
Lia closed her eyes “Bad answer.”
Yuna pointed at me “That is a tax bracket answer.”

The van stopped near the private reception pavilion. The doors opened. Warm air, salt wind, and sunlight spilled in. TWICE’s van had arrived just ahead of us, and they stepped out one by one into the brightness.

Nayeon took off her sunglasses and stared.
Sana clasped both hands in front of her chest.
Dahyun looked around like she was searching for the hidden production crew.
Jeongyeon crossed her arms, suspicious.
Momo looked toward the dining pavilion first.
Tzuyu looked at the beach quietly.
Chaeyoung smiled to herself.
Jihyo stepped out last, already assessing the entire venue like a leader who did not believe in relaxing until the building had earned her trust.
Mina stood beside her, calm as ever.

That was unfair because this was partly her fault. John got out of the van looking like a man who had survived a long drive only to be financially attacked by architecture. He looked at the resort. Then at me. Then at Mina “No.”

I frowned “What now?”
“This is not a wellness retreat.”
Mina looked at him “It has wellness facilities.”
“This is a private country with towels.”

Nayeon walked closer, eyes still moving across the resort “So… nobody else is here?” A staff member approached at a respectful distance but did not stare. That helped. A little.

Sana’s smile softened, but her eyes stayed careful “No guests?”
“No public bookings,” Mina said.

The group turned toward her. Mina adjusted the strap of her bag “This resort does not operate through normal channels. There are no public listings, no standard reservations, no casual walk-ins, no press access, and no guest overlap unless approved in advance.”

Dahyun lowered the invisible microphone she had almost raised “That sounds illegal.”
“It is not,” Mina said.
I added, “It is just expensive.”
John looked at me “That is not a defense.”
“It is often the explanation.”
Jeongyeon looked toward the beach “And staff?”
“Vetted,” I said. “Rotations locked. Phones restricted on working areas. Social posting prohibited by contract. Security handles perimeter access. Internal routes are separated.”

Jihyo’s eyes narrowed “That was too detailed.”
“Privacy requires detail.”

Yeji stepped closer to me. Her voice dropped just enough “Ben.”
I looked at her “What?”
“Invoice.”
I immediately looked away “No.”
Jihyo turned toward Mina “Invoice.”

Mina looked at Jihyo, then at me. Then calmly opened her phone “Mina,” I said. She ignored me. John exhaled “I knew it.” Yeji held out her hand “Show me.”

“It is already paid,” I said.
“That is not what I asked.”
“Technically, Mina paid half.”
Mina nodded “Split evenly.”

Jihyo took the phone first. She looked at the screen. Her face did not move. That was worse than screaming. Nayeon leaned over her shoulder. Then froze. Sana looked. Her smile dropped. Dahyun looked. Her imaginary microphone slowly lowered to her side. John saw the number and made a sound like someone had unplugged him from life support. Yeji took the phone last. She stared. Then stared longer. Then looked at me “Benjie.”

I stood straighter “Yes?”
“This is the price of every seat in an arena concert.”
Ryujin’s mouth dropped open.
Yuna turned toward the resort “We are sleeping inside a sold-out concert?”
Chaeryeong whispered, “For two weeks?”
Momo looked concerned “Is food included?”

Everyone turned toward her. She blinked “What?”
I nodded “Yes. Food is included.”
Chaeryeong visibly relaxed.
Mina added, “Food, staff, security, medical standby, private venue access, route control, and emergency contingencies.”