A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 37

After work, Jaehoon reluctantly headed to the place where he had agreed to meet his friends.

‘I just want to go home…’

He truly had no choice. He wanted nothing more than to return home, but Dayun had told him to go see his friends, and if he didn’t, their threats—half-serious but still intimidating—had made it clear that skipping out was not an option. If it had seemed like a joke, he might have ignored it, but the chilling intensity of their words made it impossible to refuse.

When Jaehoon arrived at the meeting place, he scanned the area, looking for the table where his friends were gathered. As he moved through the crowd, he suddenly heard—

“Hey, Ahn Jaehoon! Over here!”

Recognizing Gyumin’s voice, he looked in that direction.

“Huh?”

For a brief moment, he felt relieved to have found them, but his relief quickly turned to concern. Gyumin was sitting with Juhyung and Minseok, and for some reason, their expressions weren’t good. They looked uncomfortable, uneasy… even conflicted. Jaehoon had no idea why they looked that way, but he approached their table anyway, confused.

“Why do you all look like that? Did something happen…?”

Jaehoon started to ask, but he couldn’t finish his sentence. That was because several pairs of eyes were glaring at him as if he had done something terribly wrong.

Hyunsoo, Junseok, and Jiwoong all stared at him with sour expressions, their faces filled with discontent. They didn’t say a word, but their eyes practically screamed, ‘We’re going to kill you.’ Jaehoon had no idea why they were acting this way.

“Traitor.”

“Cheating bastard.”

“Pervert.”

One by one, Hyunsoo, Junseok, and Jiwoong spoke, spitting out words Jaehoon couldn’t understand. Still, their eyes never left him. Feeling both bewildered and exasperated, Jaehoon turned to Gyumin for an explanation.

“Kim Gyumin, what’s going on? Why are they acting like this?”

Gyumin sighed, giving the others a disapproving look before turning back to Jaehoon.

“What else? It’s because of that damned thing called love.”

“What?”

“Oh, come on. You and Dayun went on a trip together, just the two of you. For two days and one night.”

That was it. They had found out that Jaehoon and Dayun had gone on a trip alone, and they were upset because they hadn’t been able to experience something like that themselves.

Now that he understood their reason, Jaehoon was even more baffled. Was this really something to glare at him for?

Gyumin, seeing Jaehoon’s confused expression, smirked knowingly and said, “You don’t get why they’re acting this way, do you?”

“No.”

“But if the roles were reversed, you’d understand. Imagine if the girl you liked went on a trip and spent the night with another guy. You’d be furious, wouldn’t you?”

At first, Jaehoon dismissed the thought, but then he reconsidered.

‘What if she went on a trip with one of these guys instead of me?’

The thought of Dayun, dressed up beautifully, smiling, laughing, and chatting with another man… The more he imagined it, the more his brows furrowed. Just as Gyumin had said, it was impossible not to get angry.

Gyumin smirked as he watched Jaehoon’s face contort. It was rare to see Jaehoon make such an expression, even when he was dating Hyeyun. Somehow, it made him seem more human. As a friend, Gyumin found it amusing.

“So? Doesn’t it piss you off?”

“Well…”

Gyumin was even more tempted to tease him.

Anyway, with Jaehoon’s arrival, the drinking party officially began. They ordered some snacks and started drinking as a substitute for dinner. But even as they drank, Junseok, Hyunsoo, and Jiwoong refused to let their grudge go. They kept making petty moves, like—

“Hey, pass me some water.”

Instead of water, they handed Jaehoon a glass filled with soju. Or when he reached for the last piece of fried chicken, one of them would snatch it away first.

“Ugh, seriously! Why are you guys acting like little kids?”

Jaehoon tried to hold back his frustration, but it was impossible. But no matter how irritated he got, they continued their childish antics.

Finally, he had enough.

“If you guys keep this up, I’ll just go and sleep with Dayun.”

His face turned bright red as he spoke, but at last, the nonsense came to an end.

Meanwhile, Dayun found herself in a very awkward and bewildering situation. A middle-aged woman, unfamiliar yet strangely familiar, stood at her doorstep.

Without warning, the woman spoke.

“You’re Choi Dayun, right? Jaehoon’s legal wife.”

Dayun, caught off guard, could only nod in confusion. Before she could process the situation, the woman insisted they talk inside, acting as if it were her own home. Unable to refuse, Dayun hesitantly let the stranger in.

“Hmm… You’ve kept the place quite neat. I thought someone your age wouldn’t be capable, but you’ve done well.”

The woman inspected the house as if she were an examiner evaluating a student’s work. Dayun felt incredibly uncomfortable. She had just let a complete stranger into her home, and now she was debating whether she should inform Jaehoon about it.

As she nervously fidgeted with her phone, the woman suddenly spoke again.

“No matter how unexpected my visit is, I am still a guest. Shouldn’t you at least offer me a seat?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Please, have a seat over here.”

Still flustered, Dayun gestured toward the sofa. The woman sat down gracefully, while Dayun quickly went to the kitchen to prepare a drink. As she stood there, she hesitated once more.

‘Who is she? Did I just let a random stranger into my house?’

The thought worried her. But since the woman knew about Jaehoon, she figured she must be someone he knew. Surely she wasn’t dangerous… right?

Just as she was about to call Jaehoon, the woman’s voice interrupted her.

“What’s taking so long?”

Dayun had no choice but to put down her phone and bring out the tea.

“Here’s some coffee…”

She placed the cup in front of the woman and sat down, waiting for her to speak first. Unlike the tense Dayun, the woman was completely at ease, sipping her coffee leisurely.

“Hmm, not bad.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After a brief silence, the woman finally spoke again.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Huh?”

Dayun, still tense, stared at her. The woman’s gaze was confident, even playful. It was unnerving.

“You’re curious, aren’t you? Wondering who this random lady is.”

“Well… yes, I am.”

“Shall I tell you?”

Their eyes met, and Dayun felt an intense curiosity. Who was this woman who knew both her and Jaehoon? And why was she acting this way? Then, the woman spoke words that shocked Dayun to her core.

“I’m his mother. Jaehoon’s biological mother.”

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