A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 10

On Saturday morning, when Jaehoon had planned to invite his company colleagues, he headed towards the entrance to go to work. Then, he turned back and looked at Dayun, who was following him. Her expression seemed to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“The employees will probably arrive around seven. I have to work outside this afternoon, but I’ll come back right away. Let’s go grocery shopping together when I return. Don’t go alone.”

Hearing that they would go together, Dayun’s face lit up. Since many employees were coming, there would be a lot to buy. Also, because she couldn’t drive, he was worried about her carrying everything alone. But her joy was brief. She quickly hid her happiness and waved her hand, saying it was fine.

“No, you don’t have to go with me. You’re busy, right?”

“It’s fine. Just come with me. There will be a lot to carry. How will you bring it all by yourself?”

Dayun shook her hand again, but this time, she seemed a little flustered.

“Really, it’s okay. Actually, Hyunsoo said he would go with me. He even borrowed a car from an older friend.”

Without realizing it, Dayun mentioned that she was going with Hyunsoo. In truth, she hadn’t even asked him yet, but she suddenly remembered something Sojin had said before:

“What bothers men the most is when you’re with another man, not them.”

That thought made her unconsciously mention Hyunsoo’s name, the friend she was closest and most comfortable with. Then, Jaehoon repeated the name.

“Hyunsoo?”

Jaehoon’s face showed he was trying to recall someone. It seemed he didn’t remember Hyunsoo well.

“You don’t remember Hyunsoo, do you?”

Come to think of it, Jaehoon might not remember Hyunsoo clearly. Even though they had been in the same club, Jaehoon was popular and well-known, while Hyunsoo was just a freshman at the time. They had only interacted for about a year and a half due to military service and graduation.

“Oh… Maybe you don’t remember? But Hyunsoo said he met you a few times even after you graduated.”

At Dayun’s words, a memory surfaced in Jaehoon’s mind—a handsome first-year student whom the girls in the club liked. He occasionally joined drinking gatherings with Junseok and others.

“Ah… That guy is Hyunsoo. The good-looking freshman the girls used to bring along.”

When Jaehoon finally remembered, Dayun felt strangely happy. Maybe too happy—her thoughts slipped out.

“Yes, that’s right. Wow, I knew you were indifferent to people, but this is extreme.”

Jaehoon glared at her, eyes wide.

“What?”

“Uh… never mind.”

Dayun flinched, and Jaehoon, finding her reaction amusing, smirked slightly. Then he opened the door and said,

“Well, anyway, have a good time with him. I’ll help with the food preparation later.”

“Okay, see you later!”

With that, he left the house.

As he walked, he muttered to himself,

“Hyunsoo… Hyunsoo… It was Kim Hyunsoo, right?”

Without realizing it, he kept repeating the name, then shook his head, wondering why he was even thinking about him.

As lunchtime approached,

“I’m going straight home after my fieldwork. I gave my address to Assistant Manager Lee, so I’ll see you later.”

“Understood.”

Jaehoon left the office. Just then, hurried footsteps approached, and someone grabbed his arm.

“Team Leader, wait a moment.”

Surprised by Hyeyun’s sudden action, Jaehoon was caught off guard. She never initiated conversations at work unless they were alone. But today, she ran up and grabbed him, even though other employees were leaving for lunch.

“W-What is it, Song Hyeyun?”

His voice wavered slightly. Seeing his reaction, Hyeyun chuckled softly.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Jaehoon glanced around, wary of the approaching employees. He worried they might misunderstand the situation, but they simply passed by with casual remarks like “See you later” and “Talk to him and come.” Soon, only the two of them remained in the hallway.

“Let’s go outside and talk.”

Jaehoon ended up taking Hyeyun to a small, old restaurant a bit away from the company.

“Come on, let’s go in.”

Hyeyun pulled his arm, urging him inside.

“We should at least eat something before you leave.”

“Oh? Uh… okay.”

As soon as they sat down, steaming hot noodles were served. But Jaehoon barely touched his food, occasionally glancing at the clock.

“Eat up. You like noodles, right? This place is really good.”

“Yeah, I’ll eat. You eat too.”

While Hyeyun happily ate, Jaehoon only pretended to. His mind kept drifting to Dayun, who was grocery shopping alone. He felt guilty and wanted to finish early to help her. However, due to Hyeyun’s sudden invitation, he was stuck here.

Then, Hyeyun casually brought up something.

“Oh, did you have a good meal with the chairman last time?”

“Yeah, it went fine.”

“Can I ask what you talked about?”

Jaehoon sensed this was her real reason for meeting him.

“He just told me to take good care of Dayun.”

“Ah… Dayun… your wife?”

Hearing Dayun’s name, Hyeyun’s expression stiffened. She seemed displeased that he called her so familiarly without her last name. But Jaehoon, oblivious, continued.

“Yeah. Even if it’s a contract marriage, the elders want us to get along. He just told me to treat her well.”

Hyeyun quickly masked her reaction with a gentle smile.

“I see. The        like her.”

“Yeah, he sees her like a daughter. My mother too. Well, she does a lot to be loved.”

“Like what?”

“Just small things, like calling them often. She works hard at everything, so they find her adorable.”

Hyeyun was now curious. If Jaehoon’s parents adored Dayun, how did Jaehoon himself see her?

“Haha, when I saw her last time, even though she was drunk, she seemed pretty and kind. She treats you well too, right?”

Jaehoon hesitated, sensing a trap. Praising another woman in front of Hyeyun was dangerous.

“Uh… yeah, I guess.”

Then he checked the time—12:30 PM. He calculated his schedule and decided he had to leave.

“I think I should go now.”

“Why? Are you late?”

“No, but I need to help Dayun.”

Unexpectedly, Hyeyun smiled brightly.

“Then hurry and go. You don’t want to feel guilty, right?”

Jaehoon was surprised but relieved.

“You’re the best, Song Hyeyun.”

She joked back,

“See? Older women are better, right?”

“No, just you.”

Jaehoon gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and left. Left alone, Hyeyun sat down, murmuring,

“Ugh… this is annoying. But I shouldn’t make him feel guilty.”

Meanwhile, Dayun cheerfully walked out of the apartment, looking forward to seeing Hyunsoo.

“Hyunsoo, can you help me~?”
“What is it?”
“Some of Jaehoon’s coworkers are coming over to our house today, and I need to buy groceries. I hope my lovely friend—you—can help me out.”
“No.”
“I’ll buy you a meal, and coffee too! It’s the first time since I got married. Are you really not going to see me?”
“Sigh… fine.”
“Then I’ll text you. Oh, borrow a car from someone if you can. There’s a ton to buy.”
“Okay~ see you later.”

The real reason was that she was excited to see Hyunsoo after such a long time. Sure, she needed help with the groceries, but more than anything, she missed him—they hadn’t seen each other since she got married. Even though Hyunsoo didn’t exactly agree willingly, it was the longest they’d gone without seeing each other. That’s why Dayun’s steps were light, and a smile naturally appeared on her lips as she walked.

“Oh? Hyunsoo~!”

She spotted Hyunsoo from a distance. Leaning against the bus stop with his eyes closed under the sunlight, he looked like a character out of a romance comic. Well, he did have the looks for it.

“Hyunsoo~ Kim Hyunsoo~”

Dayun was even more excited seeing him for the first time in nearly three weeks. Hearing her voice, Hyunsoo opened his eyes wide.

“Huh?”

Then, seeing her running toward him clumsily, he smiled but also shouted out in concern.

“Hey, Choi Dayun. Don’t run!”

But it was clear she had no intention of stopping. With a smile that said, “You’re impossible,” Hyunsoo started walking toward her too. Finally, they stood face to face, and Dayun was panting slightly, out of breath.

“Haah… haah… Wow, I’m dying. It’s been so long since I ran… haah…”

“Then why did you run? You could’ve just walked.”

Hyunsoo reached out to fix her messy hair. When his large, warm hand gently touched her hair, Dayun smiled slightly, clearly enjoying the moment.

“Because I was happy to see you.”

“Even if you’re happy, don’t run next time. What if you fall and hurt yourself?”

“Aww, okay. I got it, so stop nagging and let’s go already.”

Dayun grabbed his arm and pulled. Hyunsoo let out a small chuckle as if he found her cute, then wrapped one arm around her shoulder.

“Alright, let’s go. Gosh… Choi Dayun, you’re just as clingy now as you were before getting married.”

“Tsk, you say I’m clingy but still show up every time.”

She pouted, and Hyunsoo smiled again like he found that cute too. Then he looked at her with playful but sincere eyes and said,

“Of course. You’re still you, even when you’re annoying.”

“Oh~ So I’m someone really special to Kim Hyunsoo?”

“Well, you’re both special and strange.”

“Tsk, you always have to ruin the moment, don’t you?”

“Okay, okay. Don’t pout. Let’s go to the car. I got you your favorite—strawberry milk.”

“Ooh~”

They bickered, but they looked so warm and close. Even if the meaning behind their glances was different, it was easy to tell how much they liked and cared for each other.

At the apartment entrance, the car they were in passed smoothly through the gate and stopped at the parking lot. They both got out, and judging by the five bags they carried, they must’ve bought a lot.

“Didn’t your brother say he already bought the alcohol?”

“Yeah. He said it’d be too much to carry everything at once. By the way, I’m surprised you call Jaehoon ‘hyung’ so naturally. He doesn’t even seem to remember you.”

Hearing that Jaehoon didn’t remember him, Hyunsoo frowned.

“What? Even if we weren’t close, we drank together a few times. He doesn’t even know my name?”

He seemed pretty shocked. Understandable—after all those shared meals and drinks, it must feel insulting.

“Yeah. He seems to remember your face a little, but not your name.”

“Unbelievable. He’s always been like that—never cared about anyone. And you remember him?”

“Well, I ran into him more often at school than you did. I was also classmates with Junseok, his friend.”

“I was close with all his friends, though.”

Maybe it hurt his pride that Jaehoon didn’t remember him while Dayun did. He even stopped calling him “hyung” and started saying “that guy.” Of course, Dayun wasn’t going to let that slide.

“Hey! Stop calling him ‘that guy’!”

“What? He doesn’t even know my name, so why should I call him hyung?”

“Geez, you could at least call him ‘sunbae’ like I do.”

“Ugh, no thanks. That word sounds so awkward to me.”

“What?”

Dayun was dumbfounded. She thought calling someone hyung, oppa, or noona when you’re not even close was even more awkward. Shaking her head, she picked up two bags.

“Come on, let’s just carry this stuff up.”

Hyunsoo held out his already full hands.

“Hey, give me that.”

“What?”

She blinked in confusion, and Hyunsoo pointed with his chin at the bags she was holding.

“I mean those bags. Give them to me.”

It looked like he wanted to carry them for her. But no matter how strong he was, three bags were already a lot. She didn’t want to overwork him.

“It’s fine. You’ve got three, so I’ll carry two. I can handle this much.”

“Yeah, I know you’re strong. But just give me one.”

In the end, he took one from her—leaving her with the lightest bag.

Soon, they reached the front door. Dayun stepped inside, but for some reason, Hyunsoo just stood outside, still holding the bags and hesitating. Dayun noticed and asked,

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”

“Can I… come in?”

His eyes clearly wanted to go inside, but his words and actions were full of hesitation. He was probably worried—no matter how close they were, it felt awkward stepping into a married woman’s home. Dayun found that so cute that she let out a small laugh.

“Are you really going to come all the way here and just leave?”

“But your husband might not like it.”

“Don’t worry. Your eyes already say you want to come in, so stop pretending to be polite. It’s heavy—just come in.”

“Then I’m coming in, okay?”

As soon as he finished his sentence, Hyunsoo cautiously stepped inside. He looked around curiously.

“You’ve come all this way. Want something to drink? Coffee? Juice?”

“I’m good. Just some water is fine.”

He wandered into the living room, looking around curiously. But soon, the curious look disappeared and his eyes began to tremble slightly. Sadness started to fill them.

“You put up the wedding photo.”

It was because of the wedding photo in the living room. Even though the marriage was fake and just for show, seeing Dayun and Jaehoon smiling together in a tuxedo and dress brought an unexpected bitterness.

“Well… even if it’s fake, it is a marriage. And who knows when our parents might drop by.”

“I see…”

He already knew about the fake marriage and that the photo was part of the act, but it still stung. He didn’t know why he felt so disappointed… And then a thought popped into his head:

“Do they share a room?”

The curiosity was strong, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He was afraid she might say yes. Just as he was debating whether to ask or not, Dayun spoke first.

“Here’s your water. Oh, and we use separate rooms. I sleep in the master bedroom, and he uses the guest room next to the study. Even if the elders come, I’ll just say it’s the guest room.”

“Oh… okay.”

His curiosity was satisfied, and his tense expression relaxed. Hyunsoo smiled in relief without even realizing it.

“I should start prepping dinner soon. The guests will arrive around 7.”

At her words, Hyunsoo looked at the clock. It was already close to 5.

“Are you sure you can do it all yourself?”

His worried expression made Dayun nod with confidence.

“I’ll manage. Jaehoon said he’d come home early to help, too.”

“Then…”

“Hm?”

Hyunsoo seemed to think for a moment, then smiled brightly and said,

“Then, should I help you until that guy gets here?”

Support