A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 29

“So… you think something’s changed a bit?”

“Yeah… it kind of feels the same, but also… um… kind of unfamiliar?”

It was a late afternoon, when the sun started lowering its head. Inside the café, Suji and Dayun’s voices could be heard—confused, as if they couldn’t understand something. Since Jaehoon said he was going to meet Junseok and the others for dinner and drinks, Dayun had also taken the chance to meet with her friends and talk. And the topic of conversation lately had been strange events that happened.

“So basically, Dayun, you’re saying Junseok, Jiwoong, and even Ahn Jaehoon are all acting… weird?”

She was saying that their behavior had been a little strange. Dayun nodded at Sojin’s words, and Sojin asked again.

“Exactly what seems weird to you?”

Then Dayun started thinking deeply. About the things they had done recently.

“Hmm… It’s not really weird, but… they’re being kind, like… really kind?”

“Kind?”

Suji tilted her head, not really understanding what Dayun meant by “kind.” It wasn’t clear what kind of kindness she was talking about.

“But Junseok’s always been a nice guy, right? He just jokes around a lot.”

“Right, but… it’s a bit…”

“What? What is it?”

Dayun recalled what had happened. First, about Junseok. Just like Suji said, Junseok had always been kind. He was helpful and caring… though a bit of a prankster. But lately, even his kindness felt like… too much. When she went to her studio to write, he would leave chocolate, strawberry milk, snacks—everything she liked—hanging on the doorknob. Sometimes he would even visit her and bring tasty food himself. But the weirdest part was…

“I figured he was just being extra nice since he’s always been a good guy… but he hasn’t joked around even once. He smiled the whole time we met, but somehow… he seemed serious.”

“No way. That’s hard to believe.”

But it was true. He always used to joke around when he talked, but this time was different. Even though his smile looked the same as always, it felt strangely serious. Especially when he spoke. To be honest, Dayun felt a little nervous when he said things like, “You’re pretty,” “You’re cute,” “You’re kind.” Things any girl would feel fluttered by.

“Then what about Jaehoon? What’s changed about him?”

Now Suji asked about Jaehoon, looking the most curious.

“Oh, Jaehoon?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… Jaehoon’s been…”

Actually, to Dayun, Jaehoon had changed the most. At the beginning of their marriage, he always said he was too busy and didn’t even come home much. But now, it was like that never happened. He came home regularly, they ate together more often, and sometimes, he even started conversations first. But recently, those changes had gotten more obvious.

“Oh my gosh, no way. Ahn Jaehoon helps with housework?”

Suji was so shocked she nearly shouted. Even quiet Sojin looked surprised and stared at Dayun. Dayun, on the other hand, felt a bit embarrassed by Suji’s loud voice.

“Shin Suji, don’t shout like that. Everyone’s looking.”

“Sorry, sorry. But seriously? He helps with housework now?”

“Yeah. He used to ask if I needed help, but I don’t think he ever actually did anything.”

Just like Dayun said, that’s how it was. Before, he would come home late or just ask, “Need help?” But these days, he helped on his own. If Dayun was vacuuming, he would move things for her or quietly bring a rag and start wiping. On weekends, he’d even wake up first and make breakfast.

“He acts like he doesn’t care, but he helps and takes care of me. Honestly, thanks to him, things are easier these days. And not just that—when I cook dinner, he says it tastes good. He’s been so sweet lately, I’ve been happy. I really feel like we’re a real married couple.”

“Like newlyweds?”

Dayun nodded shyly at Suji’s words. These days, she really did feel like she was living a newlywed life. Every time he took care of her or said something kind, her heart fluttered—and even got nervous.

While she was enjoying that happiness alone, Sojin rested her chin on her hand and asked,

“Then what about Nam Jiwoong? Honestly, I can’t picture that guy at all.”

It was about Jiwoong. Suji agreed instantly.

“Same here. I’m curious about Jaehoon, but Jiwoong? I just can’t imagine it.”

At the mention of Jiwoong, Dayun frowned slightly.

“He’s the weirdest one.”

Just like she said, Jiwoong’s behavior was the most confusing and strange to Dayun. Mainly because he hadn’t really done anything—but he still made her nervous. More than nervous… he bothered her.

Here’s what happened: a short buzzing sound came from her phone. It was a text from an unknown number. And it said:

[Hi^^ – Nam Jiwoong]

A random “hi” out of nowhere totally threw Dayun off. She replied, “Yes, hello~” but still felt weird about it. They weren’t even close—she didn’t even have his number. It was so random. But it didn’t stop there.

“What? He texts ‘hi’ every morning?”

Yep. Just like Suji said in surprise, Jiwoong sent a single word—“hi”—every morning. Nothing else. At first, Dayun thought he just sent it by mistake. But now she really didn’t get what was going on with him.

“Yeah, like… what is this? No other words. Just ‘hi’ in the morning, ‘good night’ at night. That’s it. And it comes every day.”

“Whoa… what? Did he go crazy from overwork at the hospital?”

Dayun didn’t understand. Suji didn’t get it either. For them, Jiwoong sending texts like that felt almost creepy. Especially since he even added smiley faces… totally unlike the stiff, expressionless Jiwoong they knew.

“Anyway, like you said, he’s the weirdest.”

“Right?”

“But…”

Suddenly, Suji noticed how unusually quiet Sojin had been today.

“Why are you so quiet today? Normally, you’d be the one talking the most.”

Sojin was acting very differently than usual. But she had her reasons. She already knew who liked who. She already knew what had been said between them through Hyunsoo. So nothing Dayun was saying felt strange or surprising. If anything, she just thought, “Ah, the real battle’s started now.” But to Dayun and Suji, who didn’t know any of this, Sojin was just being quiet today. She stayed silent because she already knew everything. But Suji couldn’t get used to that version of Sojin.

“Hey? Why are you just sitting there~?”

She kept poking at her.

“Don’t you think it’s weird? Aren’t the guys acting strange?”

Eventually, Sojin frowned, clearly annoyed.

“Yeah, it’s weird. Super weird.”

“Right?”

Finally getting the answer she wanted, Suji smiled brightly. Then she and Dayun started chattering about why the guys were acting strange. Watching them, Sojin let out a little laugh. And she muttered under her breath.

“The guys trying to flirt like that are weird, sure, but you not even noticing it is even weirder. Everyone’s weird.”

Then suddenly, she remembered the guys’ meeting today. Especially Hyunsoo storming off, yelling that he’d fight fair and not tell her anything.

“I wonder what they’re up to now.”

Sojin smiled to herself, secretly entertained. Honestly, she thought that meeting was probably more fun than this one.

Meanwhile, the group of guys Sojin was curious about were gathered at a bar, sitting close together. But the atmosphere, despite being close, felt tense. In that silence, Hyunsoo’s cold voice broke through like ice.

“So, you all decided to fight fair… without me. Just me, left out.”

“No, that’s not what happened…”

Gyumin tried to calm him down, nervous about his sharp glare. But before he could finish, Hyunsoo spoke again, cutting him off.

“Man, if Minseok hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t even have known! You almost left me out completely!”

He sounded so upset it made everyone freeze. But even after his words, Jaehoon, Junseok, and Jiwoong didn’t change their expressions at all. It was like they were watching a kid throwing a tantrum. And because of that, the ones who looked the most uncomfortable were Gyumin, Minseok, and Juhyung. Hyunsoo’s voice was loud enough for people nearby to stare. Gyumin sighed and tried again, whispering.

“Okay, I get it, but lower your voice. People are staring. And seriously, Yoon Minseok, why’d you tell him everything?”

Minseok flinched at Gyumin’s glare. He had been the one who spilled everything to Hyunsoo. Then Hyunsoo fired back.

“Hey! Why are you mad at sweet Minseok? The ones in the wrong are them! They’re the unfair ones!!”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. They’re the problem. Said they’d fight fair, but then left out Hyunsoo? That’s not fair at all.”

Gyumin gave in to Hyunsoo’s rant, glaring at the three—Jaehoon, Junseok, and Jiwoong. He was mostly trying to calm things down, but he also did feel like they’d acted a bit dirty.

Then Junseok, resting his chin on his hand, spoke in a calm tone.

“What were we supposed to do? You’re the one who said we’d never win. That means you’d try everything to stop us. So the underdogs had to stick together.”

“What? That’s just something I said because I was mad! Can you imagine how I felt hearing that not one but three guys liked the same girl I’ve been crushing on? And all of you are better than me in every way!”

That was Hyunsoo’s true feeling. Honestly, when he said he wished none of them liked her, he kind of meant it. Because he really wished it were true. But he couldn’t control his heart, let alone theirs. What bothered him was the reality: he was still just a student with nothing special, while Jaehoon was a corporate heir and team leader, Junseok a promising new writer, and Jiwoong a doctor. Just thinking about them standing next to her drove him crazy.

“Anyway! Let me join too. I’ll fight fair and accept the results, okay? Just—don’t mess with me like yesterday!”

Hearing that, Jaehoon, Junseok, and Jiwoong gave awkward, embarrassed smiles. Because yesterday, Hyunsoo had planned to eat dinner with Dayun—but the three of them had ruined it.

“When I tried to have dinner with her, Jiwoong called me, Junseok came in person, and Jaehoon… you weren’t really sick, were you? You faked it, right?”

“What? No way… I really was sick.”

“Then where did it hurt?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Jaehoon paused. He’d only told Dayun he was fine now, so he hadn’t even thought about the details. But just for a second—he pulled himself together and calmly said,

“Cold. I had a cold.”

“Oh, a cold… yesterday Dayun called and—”

“Ah… really? So it wasn’t a cold… Oh, my head! My head hurt a bit.”

“Oh, so it was your head. I see.”

Jaehoon felt embarrassed at Hyunsoo’s smug expression, as if he knew everything. He wanted to hide in a hole. But the way Gyumin, Minseok, and Juhyung were looking at him was even worse—they were watching him with such amused interest, like he was a rare specimen. None of them said it out loud, but they all thought Jaehoon and the others were incredibly petty and childish. Especially Gyumin, who seemed so stunned that he muttered in disbelief,

“Wow… and these guys are my friends. Whether it’s Junseok or Jiwoong, all three of you are unbelievably immature and pathetic, but Jaehoon, you’re the worst. You’re smart—why lie like that?”

“What was I supposed to do? I was going home after work and saw the text.”

“You answered anyway—amazing. You said you didn’t even know if you liked her, and yet you’re trying the hardest.”

Jaehoon felt like dying from the mock-praise that wasn’t praise. It was the first time he’d been mocked without being outright insulted. Still, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d done well yesterday.

Just then, Hyunsoo spoke.

“Anyway, from now on, let’s compete fairly. No interference. Got it?”

Jaehoon and Junseok nodded reluctantly. They figured there was nothing wrong with being fair. But also because they saw Gyumin and the others giving them pitiful looks. Still, Jiwoong, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up.

“But… isn’t that already kind of unfair?”

Everyone turned to look at Jiwoong.

“I mean, think about it. Jaehoon and I aren’t that close to Dayun. Junseok only sees her sometimes at the studio because of work. But Hyunsoo, you can see her anytime, right? You’re friends.”

Everyone nodded in agreement—except Hyunsoo.

“You’re the closest to her, and you know the most about her. Even your parents are close, and it’s not weird if you contact her anytime. I barely get to say good morning and good night.”

“Come on, that’s not fair logic.”

Hyunsoo tried to protest, but Jaehoon and Junseok cut him off.

“He has a point.”

“Yeah, now that I think about it… Dayun trusts Hyunsoo the most. Back in school, he was always with her. More than Sojin or Suji. Maybe he needs a bit of a handicap.”

Jaehoon and Jiwoong nodded in agreement, and Hyunsoo cried out in frustration.

“Oh, come on, that’s ridiculous! Sojin and Suji were her high school friends. I’ve known her since we were kids, that’s why we’re close. And if we’re going by that logic, I’m at the biggest disadvantage.”

Everyone looked at Hyunsoo like, “Why?”

Hyunsoo took a deep breath, then explained calmly.

“Think about it. Like you said, I’m an old friend. We’re really comfortable and know everything about each other. Do you think you could suddenly see someone like that as a woman? After being friends for decades? And you’re forgetting something—Dayun’s the main character here. She’s clueless. She has zero awareness of who likes her.”

His words made a lot of sense, and everyone nodded. Then they all thought to themselves: “Ah… maybe Hyunsoo really doesn’t have a chance.” Gyumin, Minseok, and Juhyung, watching as outsiders, suddenly felt sorry for Hyunsoo. It seemed possible that Dayun might never realize that Hyunsoo liked her—not even once in her whole life.

“And honestly, the ones with the real advantage are you guys. Look at Jaehoon. He lives in the same house as her. He sees her every day—that’s a huge benefit.”

At that, Gyumin smirked and said,

“Yeah, but so what? Dayun’s not even close to Jaehoon. She calls all of us oppa, but she always calls Jaehoon sunbae. Oh, does she call Jiwoong sunbae too?”

Jaehoon and Jiwoong glared at Gyumin, clearly annoyed. They both wanted to smack him.

“Hey, don’t talk like you know everything. You don’t understand how much living together means. I heard that even if it was a fake marriage, Dayun really thinks of Jaehoon as her husband. And she didn’t seem that uncomfortable with it either. If anything, she seemed kind of okay with it…”

Even Hyunsoo felt bitter as he said it. He honestly thought Jaehoon had the best chance. Especially because Dayun didn’t seem completely indifferent to him either. Though Jaehoon, clueless as always, didn’t seem to realize it.

Meanwhile, Jaehoon smiled unknowingly. From what he was hearing, it sounded like he had the upper hand.

“And Junseok has his studio in the same villa. If he wanted to, he could drop by anytime. Plus, he’s her senior in the same major, and Dayun really likes him as a good oppa. I heard from Sojin that he’s her number one favorite among the guys.”

“Oh, really?”

Junseok was pleased by Hyunsoo’s words. Meanwhile, Jiwoong and Jaehoon frowned a little. Seeing this, Minseok’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“What about me? What number am I?”

Gyumin also chimed in eagerly.

“What about me? Dayun said I was the best-looking, so I thought I was number one. Where do I rank?”

“Uh…”

Hyunsoo was dumbfounded. He’d been talking about who had the advantage, and somehow it had turned into this. But their curious eyes made it hard to resist, so he answered quickly.

“Gyumin, second. Third is… Minseok.”

“What about me?”

Juhyung asked hopefully, but Hyunsoo just mumbled something vague, pretending not to remember. Juhyung looked disappointed, but Hyunsoo didn’t care and instead turned to Gyumin and Minseok, who were drinking the “kimchi soup” of hope, assuming Dayun liked them.

“It was just a preference ranking, okay? And it was a long time ago. Who knows how things have changed since then?”

The thought that things might’ve changed brightened Jaehoon and Jiwoong’s expressions. But Hyunsoo didn’t notice and kept talking.

“Anyway, I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this, but just know that I’m at the biggest disadvantage. So please, stop interfering.”

Everyone nodded in understanding. Everyone except Jiwoong, who looked displeased and said,

“What about me? Why didn’t you say anything about me?”

“Ah… well…”

Hyunsoo was at a loss for words. He had just received a text from Sojin and knew exactly what Dayun thought about Jiwoong. But sometimes, you need to cut something off at the root before it grows again.

“Well, it’s just… a bit awkward. She said you’re a bit weird.”

Everyone turned to look at Hyunsoo. Especially Jiwoong, who looked like he really wanted to know.

“‘Hi,’ ‘Good night’… that’s all you ever say. You keep sending the same thing, and I think Dayun is starting to think you’re strange.”

“Ah… so that’s why she stopped replying…”

Jiwoong was devastated. He hadn’t realized that was what Dayun thought. At first, she replied a bit, but then it stopped. He thought she was just busy—but now he knew the truth. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Hyunsoo added another blow.

“Honestly, I think you’re the one with the least chance… that’s the vibe I’m getting.”

That night, Jiwoong clutched his pillow and quietly cried into it.

After hanging out with the others, Jaehoon got into Gyumin’s car, since he hadn’t drunk any alcohol, and the two headed home. Just then, Jaehoon’s phone buzzed.

“Jaehoon, you’ve got a call.”

“Yeah.”

Jaehoon checked the caller—and his face darkened. It was Hyeyun. He hesitated, unsure whether to answer, then ended the call.

“Was it Hyeyun?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Did you guys fight?”

“No… not really. It’s just… complicated.”

Silence filled the car for a moment. Then Gyumin spoke sincerely.

“Hey, don’t you think it’s time to sort things out?”

“Huh?”

“You said you didn’t want to lose Dayun. But you’re still like this with Hyeyun—it’s not right.”

“Ah…”

Jaehoon knew it. He probably knew it better than anyone else. If he kept dragging this out, everyone would end up hurt.

“Does she still not know how you feel?”

“No… It’s not that. I just feel bad. She’s waited for me for so long—it feels like I’m betraying her.”

“So you’ve chosen Dayun then? I thought so. The way you talked on the phone last time… you didn’t sound happy anymore.”

Jaehoon couldn’t say anything. He felt like the worst person ever. But Gyumin gave him a gentle, understanding smile.

“But with Dayun, you’re different. You look happy.”

“Ah…”

Those unspoken feelings—I think I’ve fallen for Dayun. With Gyumin’s words, Jaehoon felt his heart settle into clarity. A feeling of acceptance. But also, a weight that wouldn’t go away.

Gyumin, sensing Jaehoon’s struggle, said warmly,

“I get it. It’s hard. You might hurt someone. But Jaehoon… sometimes in life, parting is necessary. Just holding on doesn’t always bring happiness.”

He said it with real warmth.

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