A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 20

Rustle. Her eyes opened, and just like that, another day began. But today was a little different from other mornings—because it was Sunday, Jaehoon didn’t have to go to work. That meant there was no need to prepare breakfast early.

“There’s no reason to wake up early on a holiday. I’m going to sleep in anyway, and you must be tired from waking up early every day too. We can just eat brunch together.”

That was what Jaehoon had once said to Dayun, who used to wake up early even on holidays. Whether it was because he didn’t want to be bothered or for some other reason, today was a day to sleep in. That’s why, even after opening her eyes, Dayun didn’t get out of bed. Maybe it was because the bed felt especially soft today, or because the sunlight through the window was warm and comforting.

“Mmm…”

Should I go back to sleep for a bit? Or get up? After thinking about it for a moment, Dayun finally got up. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she was greeted by silence. She could hear faint voices of people through the balcony window, but the house itself was quiet, like it was still dawn. The room where Jaehoon was sleeping seemed no different—no sounds at all.

‘Is he still sleeping?’

Thinking Jaehoon was still asleep, Dayun quietly walked to the living room and drank a glass of water.

“Ahh, so refreshing.”

Her thirst completely disappeared. Then she went into the bathroom, and the moment she stood in front of the mirror, she let out a short scream.

“Ah… what is this… I’m so puffy! I look like a steamed bun, a big one…”

Her face looked like it could burst any second, and she almost looked like she was about to cry.

“My eyes are swollen too…”

With a sigh, Dayun thought to herself, “What a mess.” Still, she didn’t look unhappy. In fact, she chuckled a little.

“Hehe, I ate that two days in a row, so it’s no wonder I’m swollen.”

What did she eat that made her this puffy? Fried chicken. The night she texted Jaehoon asking if he wanted to eat chicken and beer, she had debated—should she order one or two? She herself could easily eat one whole chicken, but Jaehoon was the unpredictable factor.

‘Does he even like chicken? What if he doesn’t eat much when he drinks beer?’

After thinking it over, she ordered just one chicken. From what she had seen, Jaehoon didn’t seem like someone who enjoyed eating a lot. But that was a big mistake. Jaehoon loved chicken—a lot. So much that one chicken wasn’t enough. Feeling disappointed that night, they ended up ordering chicken again the next day. This time, it was Jaehoon’s idea.

‘Hey, want chicken again? One chicken each?’
‘Yes. One for each of us. And beer too.’

So they had chicken two days in a row. And this time, one chicken per person. No wonder her face was puffy. Still, she couldn’t stop smiling. Her swollen face didn’t bother her—because now she and Jaehoon had something in common: they both loved chicken. Most of all, it felt like she was getting a little closer to him by learning what he liked.

“I just wish my face was a little less swollen…”

Still, she worried a bit about having to show her puffy face to Jaehoon.

“Wow, the weather’s so nice. The sky’s super clear!”

“Right? It’s the perfect day for a picnic.”

Wait, what were these voices? They weren’t from Jaehoon or Dayun. They belonged to Sojin and Daon. And then more voices followed.

“The weather’s nice, but isn’t it way too crowded?”

“Yeah, hyung. At this rate, we might get trampled.”

Junseok and Hyunsoo sounded clearly annoyed, unlike Sojin and Daon, who were excited and cheerful. And nearby, there stood Dayun and Jaehoon—looking awkward and confused.

‘How did I end up here?’

They were now in a park full of beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. The reason they ended up here? A phone call that came in the morning. Right after Dayun had walked out of the bathroom with her swollen face, her phone rang.

“Hey, let’s go on a picnic! I already called Jaehoon, so get ready and come out with him!”

The call was from Daon. Just like that, without any explanation, he announced a picnic. After hanging up, Dayun walked into the living room, confused. And there she saw Jaehoon, who looked just as disoriented and messy, like he had just woken up.

“No way…”

“Let me guess, Daon called you too?”

They looked at each other and silently nodded. And now here they were—dragged into a picnic by Daon and Sojin.

“Dayun, isn’t this great? Being out like this brings back old memories. Look at those flowers, they’re so pretty.”

“Yeah… I guess.”

Dayun smiled faintly and nodded. It was nice, just like Sojin said. The weather was beautiful, the breeze carried the flower petals gently, and the scent in the air was pleasant. But she felt a little awkward—because of Jaehoon. With Junseok, she had hung out before since they were in the same club and major, but with Jaehoon, this was a first. Sure, their club was for travel, and they had gone on trips together, but this kind of personal hangout? Never. She guessed Jaehoon felt the same, since he just looked around awkwardly.

Then the grumpy guys spoke again.

“Pretty? We’re gonna get trampled before we can even look at flowers.”

“Good point, Hyunsoo. This isn’t a picnic—it’s a war zone.”

Sojin frowned at their complaints.

“Oh come on, it’s the weekend. Of course there are lots of people. Hyunsoo, you were the one excited about going, and now you’re complaining?”

Hyunsoo mumbled quietly so only he could hear.

“Ugh, I thought it was just going to be us. Why are those two even here?”

“What? What are you mumbling?”

Sojin didn’t hear clearly and asked again. Hyunsoo replied, annoyed.

“I didn’t think there’d be this many people! There are way too many.”

“I told you it’s always crowded on weekends!”

“It’s too much. Unnecessarily crowded.”

He glanced at Jaehoon, the look in his eyes saying, “You’re not welcome here.” Jaehoon noticed and frowned too. Meanwhile…

“And why did you even come, oppa? No one invited you, so how did you even find us?”

Yes—Sojin and Daon hadn’t invited Junseok at all. Yet somehow, he showed up. Curious, Daon asked too.

“Yeah, how did you know, Junseok? Neither of us thought to invite you. Though I guess you helped even out the numbers.”

Everyone stared at him, curious. Junseok wiggled his eyebrows and grinned like he was playing a game.

“Oh come on, oppa! Just tell us! How did you know?”

He teased a bit more before finally speaking with a smirk.

“Shin Suji.”

As soon as he said Suji’s name, everyone’s confused faces turned to understanding.

“I’m Suji’s replacement~”

“Ah, that makes sense. You found out somehow. Well, now that you’re here, we’re even. Let’s sit down and eat—I’m starving from all this moving around since morning.”

Hyunsoo snorted.

“Moving around, yeah right. Daon’s mom made all the food. You just washed and cut fruit.”

“Hey! I washed all the veggies for the kimbap, okay?”

“Yikes, we’re gonna be chewing dirt.”

“Oh, that’s it!!”

Annoyed, Sojin jumped at him, but Daon stopped her just in time.

“Whoa.”

He grabbed both of her arms. She ended up close to his chest, startled by the sudden gesture.

“Enough. Let’s just sit and eat. Hyunsoo, stop teasing Sojin. Cutting fruit is hard too. Now come on.”

He let go. Sojin’s face was burning red. Her whole body felt hot. And for some reason, she missed his hands as soon as they were gone.

“Wow, that was really good. Dayun, your mom is seriously a great cook.”

“Hehe, I’m glad you liked it.”

“No joke, I was touched because it tasted so good the whole time I was eating.”

Junseok’s praise continued, as if he really had been moved by the lunchbox. Thanks to that, Dayun felt proud but also a little embarrassed. It felt nice that someone praised her family, but at the same time, it was a bit cringey.

“Senior, did you enjoy it too?”

Suddenly, Dayun became curious. She wanted to know if Jaehoon enjoyed the food as much as Junseok did. Jaehoon gave a small nod.

“Yeah. It was good. Just like last time, your mom really knows how to cook.”

Hearing Jaehoon say it was delicious made Dayun happy. She had felt good when Junseok said it too, but hearing it from Jaehoon made her twice as happy. And then came his next words, which made her feel like she was floating in the sky.

“Well, maybe that’s why you’re good at cooking too…”

“What?”

“What you made tasted just as good as what your mom made.”

After saying that, Jaehoon stood up from his seat. It seemed like he felt awkward or embarrassed for saying it. He scratched his head for no reason.

“Hey, where are you going? Daon and Hyunsoo said they’re going to buy drinks.”

“I know. I’m just going to the bathroom, the bathroom.”

Jaehoon walked away quickly like he was running away. Watching him go, Junseok stood up too and said,

“That guy must be really desperate. Hey! Ahn Jaehoon, wait up!”

Now that all the guys were gone, Sojin turned to Dayun, who still had a shy expression from what Jaehoon had said.

“Hey, Choi Dayun, what was that?”

“Huh?”

“What did you and the senior talk about? Why did he leave like he was running away, and why are you all shy?”

“Well…”

Dayun was about to tell Sojin everything just as it happened but closed her mouth. When she thought about it, it made her feel a bit annoyed.

“Hey, what about you? What’s going on?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You and Suji and Daon oppa planned this, didn’t you? Trying to push me and Jaehoon senior together?”

At that, Sojin smiled slyly, her eyes twinkling as if to say, ‘Oh, not bad~’

“Oh~ Our Dayun’s gotten a little sharper? I thought you didn’t notice anything, but you actually noticed this?”

“Ah, seriously, what are you talking about?”

“We agreed to help you and the senior get together~ Daon oppa and I are just a bonus.”

“But still, doing it this suddenly is a bit much. And my face is so puffy today.”

Dayun cupped her cheeks with both hands, embarrassed. She was reminded of the bun-like face she saw in the mirror that morning. Sojin suddenly clapped her hands like she just remembered something.

“Oh right, I’ve been meaning to ask—what happened to your face? Why is it so swollen?”

“I ate chicken before bed.”

“Chicken?”

“Yeah. We ordered a whole one and shared it, but it was small. So yesterday we did one chicken per person. He was the one who said we should eat first.”

“So you both drank beer and had one chicken each? Wait, did you really finish a whole one by yourself?”

“Almost.”

Dayun nodded slightly. Sojin frowned, clearly disappointed.

“Are you really a girl?”

“Ah, come on! Of course I’m a girl. You think I’m a guy?”

“What kind of girl eats a whole chicken in front of the guy she likes, without even pretending to hold back? You should’ve eaten less, you dummy!”

“Hey… but it’s chicken! How could I eat just a little? Even if I ate a lot, it wasn’t enough…”

Looking at Dayun, who seemed like she couldn’t bear to disrespect chicken, Sojin let out a sigh.

“Ugh, how am I supposed to turn that into a lady? It’s hopeless. Seriously, how were you so popular with the guys back in high school?”

“I was popular?”

“Sigh… See? You’re totally clueless.”

As Dayun stared back, completely confused, Sojin sighed again. Then she looked up and stared at Dayun. Feeling awkward and unsure, Dayun asked,

“What?”

“Why does he even like you? I mean, you’ve got a decent face, but… is being a bit clueless your charm?”

“Hey!”

Dayun shouted, feeling like she was being insulted, even though she wasn’t exactly sure how. But Sojin didn’t seem to hear her at all. She just kept staring and then gave a small nod.

“Well… I guess guys would think you’re kind of cute. Even I think so sometimes, so imagine how they feel.”

“…What are you even muttering about?”

Dayun started to feel frustrated. It seemed like Sojin should explain now, but she had no intention of doing so. Her strange muttering continued.

“Just that we’re surrounded by a bunch of pitiful, clueless guys.”

“Huh?”

Just as Dayun was about to ask what that meant—

“Hey guys, we brought drinks!”

“Wow, even the bathroom was packed. Right, Ahn Jaehoon?”

“Yeah. But you’re even more annoying.”

Daon, Junseok, and Jaehoon walked over. And right behind them—

“Hey! Why’d you all leave me behind!! Hey, Choi Dayun! I got your favorite strawberry milk, so drink that!”

Hyunsoo came running, looking tired and annoyed. But the annoyed look vanished as soon as he made eye contact with Dayun.

“Well, you should’ve come faster. Oh, Dayun, I got your favorite strawberry milk.”

“Strawberry milk, huh? Junseok hyung, Dayun likes ice cream more than strawberry milk after eating. Hey, Choi Dayun! Eat the ice cream first!”

“Strawberry milk!” “Ice cream!”—Junseok and Hyunsoo bickered like kids. Meanwhile, Jaehoon walked over and handed Dayun a warm soy milk.

“You’re cold right now. Don’t eat anything cold—drink this warm soy milk.”

“Ah, thank you, senior.”

“Mm.”

Then, as if feeling awkward again, he turned away and walked toward Daon, who was trying to stop Junseok and Hyunsoo from fighting, asking for a drink himself.

Four guys gathered in one spot. And a bit behind them, Dayun stood, fidgeting with the warm soy milk Jaehoon had given her. From somewhere behind them, Sojin’s barely audible voice could be heard again.

“There they are—another idiot and fool. Looks like one more will be joining them soon…”

Support