A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 12

As a night filled with excitement, disappointment, and a mix of complicated emotions passed, the sun eventually rose. However, Dayun, who had tossed and turned all night due to these emotions, couldn’t wake up and only opened her eyes when the sun was already high in the sky.

“Mmm…”

Wondering what time it was, Dayun reached for her phone with half-closed eyes. The moment she saw the time, her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly sat up.

“Oh no…”

It was already 11 a.m. Maybe because she had trouble sleeping, she ended up sleeping in for the first time since getting married. Before marriage, she lived alone and was a student, so sleeping in on weekends was normal. But since getting married, this had never happened before, which made her feel flustered. As a married woman, she was supposed to wake up early, prepare breakfast for her husband before he went to work—something her father had also insisted on—and it was also one of her little dreams.

“He must have already left, right?”

Just in case, she quickly washed her face and sneaked into the living room. As expected, since it was a weekday, the house was quiet except for her own sounds.

“He’s gone… Ah, but I’m so thirsty.”

As soon as she confirmed he wasn’t there, thirst overwhelmed her, and she headed to the kitchen. There, she found a glass of water on the table with a note next to it.

“What’s this?”

Curious, she picked up the note. It read:

[Drink honey water when you wake up. You didn’t seem to feel well, so I made porridge for you. Eat up.]

Dayun opened the small pot on the stove. Inside was a warm, milky-white porridge. Seeing it, she felt a wave of emotion. She could hardly imagine him making porridge, yet she could picture Jaehoon preparing it for her. However, a heavy feeling also settled in her chest. No matter how much he cared for her, she couldn’t shake the thought that the worried gaze he gave to Hyeyun last night would never be directed at her. His eyes had been filled with genuine concern, unmistakably the look of someone in love. Dayun’s mind became a tangled mess, confused by his actions while he clearly loved someone else.

“Even if I try to forget, how can I when he does things like this…”

In the empty house, only her sad voice echoed.

Saturday had arrived, the day she had planned to invite her friends over. However, the gathering was canceled because Juhyun had a photo shoot and Jiwoong, the doctor, had a shift. So, it ended up being just another ordinary Saturday. The only difference was that Dayun was also getting ready to leave, along with Jaehoon, who was heading to work.

“Where are you going this early?”

Jaehoon, having finished getting ready for work, was putting on his shoes at the entrance when he noticed Dayun approaching, dressed to go out.

“It’s my deadline today, so I’m heading to the studio.”

“Ah.”

Looking thoughtful as he finished putting on his shoes, Jaehoon suddenly asked,

“Where’s your studio? Is it far from here?”

“No, not really. About a 10 to 15-minute walk?”

“I see. Then let’s go. I’ll drop you off on the way.”

“What?”

Dayun was startled. She never expected him to offer her a ride. Momentarily dazed, she quickly shook her hands.

“No, no. It’s not that far. I can just walk.”

“Exactly, since it’s not far, I’ll drop you off on the way. Come on.”

Leaving no room for argument, he stepped outside. After hesitating for a moment, Dayun finally gave in and hurriedly followed him.

“Is this the place?”

After a short but awkward ride, his car stopped in front of the building where her studio was located.

“Yes. Thanks for the ride, Jaehoon.”

Dayun bowed slightly to show her gratitude and reached for the car door. Just as she was about to step out, she was blocked by a long leg. Startled, she looked up to see who it belonged to.

“Hey there, friends~”

It was Junseok. At the sound of his voice, Jaehoon also got out of the car.

“Huh? Kim Junseok. What are you doing here?”

Judging by his casual clothes and the convenience store bag in his hand, it didn’t seem like he was here for work. Stepping back slightly, Junseok gestured to Dayun.

“Come on out.”

As she hesitated and got out, Junseok answered Jaehoon’s question.

“I have my studio in this building, too. By some twist of fate, we’re on the same floor.”

“Oh, really?”

Junseok pointed at Dayun playfully, looking amused. Jaehoon, for some reason, found this displeasing. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t like it. Still, he didn’t show it.

“So, are you heading to work? Just dropping her off?”

Junseok asked, looking at Jaehoon while glancing at Dayun with a pleased expression. Jaehoon simply nodded and then turned to Dayun.

“I’ll probably be home early today. Since you have your deadline, let’s just eat dinner outside.”

“Oh, okay.”

Dayun nodded but wasn’t sure what he meant. Was he telling her to eat alone or suggesting they eat together? Before she could ask, Junseok teased,

“Oh~ Jaehoon, are you suggesting dinner out because you don’t want her to be exhausted after her deadline?”

“Well… Writing isn’t easy, after all.”

Jaehoon mumbled awkwardly, looking away. But his voice wasn’t quiet enough, and Dayun heard everything. Her heart warmed, knowing he was thinking of her.

“Then let me join you.”

“What?”

Jaehoon frowned, and Junseok cheekily made a flower pose with his hands.

“Aww, Jaehoon, buy me something tasty too~”

“Ugh…”

Both Jaehoon and Dayun grimaced at the sight.

Later, as Junseok and Dayun entered the building, he suddenly asked,

“Did you have breakfast? If not, want a rice ball? I bought some.”

“Oh, I already ate with Jaehoon this morning.”

Junseok clicked his tongue in disappointment but then handed her a chocolate and a strawberry milk.

“What’s this?”

“You like having snacks while writing. Thought it’d help when you’re stuck.”

“Oh~ Thanks, Junseok! I was just thinking about getting some.”

She beamed, taking the snacks. Seeing her smile, Junseok chuckled and patted her head gently.

“Eat this and write well.”

Meanwhile, in the office, Jaehoon was still working past noon. A knock on the door interrupted him.

“Come in.”

Hyeyun entered, holding a paper bag and smiling brightly.

“Lunch delivery for my busy team leader~”

She placed a sandwich and juice on his desk. Jaehoon looked at her and sighed internally. Lately, she had been crossing lines more and more.

“Here, try this. I bought it from the place you like.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Jaehoon accepted the sandwich she offered. He felt grateful that she had gone to a store he liked just to get it for him. But at the same time, he felt a bit burdened. The reason was that they were at work. He was a married man, and Hyeyun was his subordinate, yet her actions had recently become more daring. For example, she openly looked after him. In the past, she used to strictly separate work from personal matters, and at the office, she acted only as a staff member to her boss. Occasionally, when they were alone, she would jokingly show affection, but lately, she was becoming overly forward. Because of this, rumors had started to spread among the employees that Hyeyun liked the team leader. While the word “like” could just mean respect between a subordinate and a superior, Jaehoon felt uncomfortable.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“Huh? Oh, I will. But didn’t you go eat with the others?”

“Nope, I figured you wouldn’t have time for lunch, so I went out to buy this. Since I bought it, I thought we could eat lunch together.”

He wanted to tell her that he wished they could go back to how they used to be — just boss and employee at the office. But when he saw her smiling brightly, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. At the same time, he was confused by his own feelings. In the past, when she had clear boundaries, he used to whine and ask her to pay more attention to him. But now that they were in a fake marriage, he found himself becoming overly cautious, and he didn’t understand why.

But Hyeyun, not knowing any of this, smiled pleasantly and said,

“Jaehoon, are you free tonight? It’s Saturday. Let’s have dinner together.”

When she mentioned dinner, one person came to Jaehoon’s mind — Dayun. He had already asked Dayun to have dinner with him first, so he felt sorry but thought he needed to turn Hyeyun down politely.

“Sorry, I already have plans.”

“Oh, really? With who?”

“Uh…”

Caught off guard by her question, Jaehoon was flustered. He could’ve just casually said he was having dinner with Dayun and Junseok, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say Dayun’s name. Meanwhile, disappointment and tension spread across Hyeyun’s face. Deep down, she was hoping the person wasn’t Dayun. Then, when she finally heard the name from his mouth, a look of relief appeared on her face. That person was—

“Junseok. I made plans with Junseok.”

It was Junseok.

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