A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 25

“Whoa…”

“No way…”

Everyone’s faces were filled with shock. Liking someone? And that person was here? They couldn’t believe what Junseok had just said. All eyes turned to him in disbelief, but Junseok simply smiled as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“What?”

His shameless expression, as if wondering why everyone was reacting this way, left them all speechless. It was almost infuriating. Minseok, in particular, couldn’t believe it and asked,

“You really like someone? And that person is here?”

Junseok nodded. Then, with a meaningful smile, he stared directly at Jaehoon—not at anyone else.

“Yeah, someone I really, really like.”

Their gazes clashed in the air. Jaehoon’s expression was unreadable, while Junseok wore a knowing smirk. Their expressions differed, yet their eyes carried the same sharp intensity. Soon, only Jaehoon’s gaze remained fixed on Junseok, because Junseok had shifted his attention to Dayun. Unlike the look he had given Jaehoon, he now beamed with pure happiness.

“And the person I love so much.”

Dayun met his gaze. His eyes radiated warmth and affection. It was clear—he truly liked someone. As she processed this, a question arose in her mind: who exactly did Junseok like? She wasn’t the only one wondering. Juhyung, looking curious, mumbled,

“Wow. Unbelievable. So that means it’s one of the three: Sojin, Suji, or Dayun.”

Hearing this, Gyumin lightly smacked Juhyung on the back. Juhyung yelped in surprise, looking offended, while Gyumin just shook his head in disbelief.

“Hey, think before you speak. Seriously. Dayun should obviously be excluded. No matter how close they are, she’s married to Jaehoon. You think Junseok would like his friend’s wife?”

Junseok let out a bitter smile, though no one seemed to notice. A few nodded in agreement, believing that no one would openly confess to liking a married woman—especially the wife of a close friend. However, Juhyung had a different opinion, frowning slightly.

“Why is that so impossible? Sure, Jaehoon and Dayun are married, but let’s be real—it’s not like they’re madly in love. It’s a contract marriage. Jaehoon already has someone he loves, and who’s to say Dayun doesn’t feel the same? Besides, in a year, they might still be married, or they might be complete strangers. So why not? He could like her.”

“Ahh!!”

Before he could finish, Juhyung let out a genuine cry of pain. Minseok had smacked him hard on the back of the head. Juhyung turned, scowling.

“Why the hell did you hit me?!”

“Ugh, just shut up already. You’re so clueless.”

Feeling embarrassed, Juhyung looked around. The stares from the others made him shrink back—they were cold, as if questioning why he was even talking. Meanwhile, Jaehoon, Dayun, and Junseok all looked awkward. Juhyung, realizing he might have gone too far, felt a tinge of regret but refused to admit it. Instead, he turned his frustration on Junseok, who was calmly smiling at the floor.

“Fine, then! Who do you like, Junseok? Who is it?!”

Junseok slowly lifted his head, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

“Is that your question?”

“Yes, it is! So answer me! Who do you like?”

“Well…”

Everyone’s eyes were now on Junseok, waiting eagerly. He seemed about to speak but then smirked and picked up his glass, downing his drink in one go. With a mischievous grin, he said,

“I drank.”

Gyumin and Minseok looked utterly dumbfounded.

“What was that?”

“What do you think? I didn’t want to answer, so I drank.”

“What?!”

“This is how you play Truth Game. You get three questions max, but you can stop at one or two if you want.”

Everyone looked confused. Was that an explanation, or was he telling the truth? Juhyung, feeling betrayed, shouted,

“Agh! So it was all a lie?! I got scolded for nothing, thinking you might actually like Dayun!”

“Hey, shut up already.”

Gyumin, irritated, turned to Junseok with a serious look.

“Be honest. Was it true or not?”

Junseok, instead of looking at Gyumin, directed his gaze at Jaehoon and smiled sharply.

“Well, that depends on who’s listening.”

“What the hell does that mean? What is he saying?”

Frustrated, Gyumin turned to the others, but they were just as clueless. Only Jaehoon’s expression darkened.

Junseok chuckled at his confused friends.

“Alright, alright. Let’s keep playing.”

The spoon spun and finally landed on someone.

“Damn, it’s me.”

Juhyung frowned, clearly unhappy about being chosen. But the others were even more disappointed.

“Ugh, why him? There’s nothing interesting to ask.”

“I know, right?”

“Can we just skip him?”

“Yeah, let’s spin again.”

Gyumin, Junseok, Sojin, and Hyunsoo all voiced their disapproval. The rest nodded in agreement. Juhyung, feeling left out, pouted and protested.

“Hey! You can’t just skip me! And why wouldn’t you be curious? I’m a well-known model! I have plenty of secrets!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

Everyone nodded dismissively. Still, Juhyung refused to let it go.

“Stop nodding like that and ask me something! I’m ready for any question! Come on!”

“Fine.”

Gyumin sighed. But as he thought about it, he realized he didn’t actually care. He hesitated, then said,

“I’ve worked with him a lot, so I already know everything. Someone else should ask.”

“Fair enough. Someone else then.”

Everyone exchanged looks, hesitating. There really was nothing they wanted to know. In the end, Suji nudged Sojin.

“Sojin, you ask. You’re good at this.”

“Oh? Alright. Let’s see… How many female models have you dated?”

“Oooh, good question!”

“Haha, thanks.”

Sojin smiled awkwardly, hoping he’d just answer quickly.

Juhyung thought for a moment before grinning.

“Well… about four?”

“Oh, more than I expected.”

Sojin’s tone was genuinely surprised. Juhyung looked proud.

“Of course! I’m pretty popular with women. Most of my fans are female.”

“Good for you.”

“Next question! Two more left. Ask away!”

Sojin hesitated.

“Actually… I’m done.”

“What? Someone else?”

Nobody responded. Finally, Jiwoong spoke up.

“Let’s move on. We don’t need all three questions.”

“But—”

“Just spin again.”

With that, the spoon spun once more, and this time, it pointed to Sojin. Junseok raised his hand with a mischievous look.

“I’ll ask. There’s something I’m curious about.”

Sojin had a bad feeling about this.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Junseok smirked.

“You and Daon—something’s going on, isn’t it?”

Sojin choked on her drink. Everyone else froze, especially Dayun, who looked just as shocked.

Anyway, Sojin looked at Junseok with a flustered and slightly surprised expression. Though she didn’t say anything, her face seemed to ask, How do you know? Junseok responded with a sly smile, as if to say, I knew it.

“Just as I thought. Back when we went to see the cherry blossoms, you two were always sticking together.”

“No, that’s not it! I was just trying to help them get together!!”

Sojin blurted it out instinctively, feeling as if she’d just been completely exposed. Realizing her slip, her face changed to one of regret as she glanced nervously at Jaehoon and Dayun. She had done all this behind their backs, and now she felt like she’d stepped on a landmine herself. But she tried to act nonchalant.

“Anyway, there was a reason I was sticking around Daon-oppa, okay?”

“Liar. You two are dating, aren’t you?”

Junseok teased with a mischievous look, and as the others reacted as if it were true, Sojin started to feel irritated. It felt like her feelings had been completely laid bare. What bothered her most was that Dayun—before being her friend, she was the sister of the guy Sojin liked—seemed to know everything. Sojin had once confidently said she was over it, that she’d already been rejected, but now she just felt small. That’s when Dayun cut in.

“Oppa and Sojin aren’t dating. It’s just that… their feelings aren’t lining up yet.”

For a moment, everyone went silent. They all understood what Dayun meant. One person liked the other, but it wasn’t mutual. Sojin looked at Dayun. Then she smiled a little and soon returned to the confident Sojin everyone knew.

“Well… yeah, I like him. I was rejected quite a while ago, but I still want him enough to say that.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock at Sojin’s confession. It was unbelievable enough that the Jeong Sojin had a one-sided crush—but even more so because the person she liked was someone they all knew: Dayun’s brother, Daon.

Meanwhile, Hyunsoo and Suji, who had already known about Sojin’s feelings for Daon, exchanged knowing looks and whispered so only they could hear:

“Didn’t she say she was over it…”

“Ugh… no wonder she reacted that way when we talked about blind dates last time. What’s with our friend group? Everyone’s stuck in a one-sided crush. It’s hopeless.”

Even though they muttered different things, Hyunsoo and Suji felt the same: sympathy for a friend trapped in unrequited love. But the person who had just openly admitted her feelings—Sojin—actually looked relieved.

“Hmm… looks like everyone’s too stunned to ask the next question, so should we move on? I’ll spin this time.”

Sojin spun the spoon again. This time, it pointed to Hyunsoo. He looked at it, sighed, and ruffled his hair.

“Ah, it’s me…”

As soon as Hyunsoo was chosen, Gyumin and Minseok’s eyes lit up like they’d been waiting for this moment.

“Ooh, Kim Hyunsoo!”

“Right? It’s Kim Hyunsoo!”

Their voices were excited, their faces beaming with energy. Clearly, they were about to ask him about the girl he had mentioned liking earlier.

“You said it, right? That you like someone?”

“Yup, you said there’s someone you really, really like.”

Everyone looked surprised at Gyumin’s words. It felt like today was some sort of confessions day. But for Sojin and Jaehoon, who already knew about Hyunsoo’s crush, it wasn’t so surprising. One was amused, and the other… didn’t seem to feel great about it.

Hyunsoo grimaced as if he’d expected this, clearly annoyed and frustrated.

“Ugh, if you’re going to ask, just ask already. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Alright, alright. Then here’s the question.”

Hyunsoo looked displeased, but he still nodded as if to say, Go ahead.

“Is the person you like someone you’re crushing on alone?”

“Yeah.”

Hyunsoo hesitated for a moment. He wondered if it was okay to say it out loud. But he didn’t want to keep hiding it. It was already painful to like someone in secret, but trying to hide even that he liked her made him feel even more pathetic.

“Ooh… then let me ask again. Is it someone we know?”

But he didn’t want to make things harder for the girl he liked. So, in response to this question, Hyunsoo chose to drink. He knew that even drinking instead of answering could give something away. Still, he didn’t want to say anything that would put her in a tough spot.

After watching Hyunsoo finish his drink, Gyumin asked one last question.

“Final question, then… Is she here with us now?”

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