A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 38

“I’m his mother. The real mother of the man you married.”

At the stranger’s words, Dayun was shocked. It felt as if she had been hit hard on the head. Her mind went completely blank, and it didn’t feel real. But the woman standing before her proved it wasn’t a dream. Overwhelmed by confusion, Dayun couldn’t gather her thoughts. The woman—no, Jaehoon’s biological mother, Miyoung—smiled slightly at her reaction.

“Judging by your reaction, I guess you didn’t know that Jaehoon had a birth mother. Well, since it was a forced marriage, there was no reason for him to tell you.”

Somehow, that smile seemed cold. But Dayun had no time to dwell on it. She was too flustered by the situation. In the end, she cautiously asked to organize her thoughts.

“So, you’re really Jaehoon’s birth mother?”

“Yes.”

“Haha… I see.”

For a moment, she felt a bit sad that Jaehoon had kept this a secret from her. But she soon understood. They weren’t close enough to share such deep conversations, and it wasn’t something easily spoken about.

“Ah… Then please speak comfortably. Since you’re Jaehoon’s mother, you’re my mother-in-law.”

“Shall I? Speaking formally felt a bit odd anyway.”

“Haha, yes. Oh, I’m Choi Dayun. I married Jaehoon. I look forward to getting along with you.”

“I’m Shin Miyoung, Jaehoon’s birth mother.”

After their awkward yet simple introductions, silence followed. Feeling uncomfortable in the quiet atmosphere, Dayun quickly grabbed the coffee in front of her and took a big sip.

“Ah, hot!”

Lost in the awkwardness, she had forgotten the coffee was still hot and burned her tongue.

“Be careful.”

“Thank you.”

She quickly took the napkin Miyoung handed her and wiped her mouth.

“Are you still young? Jaehoon likes mature and graceful women.”

At Miyoung’s words, Dayun suddenly felt discouraged. Even though they had just met, she wanted to make a good impression on Jaehoon’s birth mother. But it seemed like she had already failed. Miyoung saw her as nothing more than a childish girl.

At that moment,

“I should get going now.”

Miyoung stood up from her seat. Although she had only just arrived, she was already leaving.

“Aren’t you going to see Jaehoon? If I call him, he’ll come home right away.”

“We talk often, so it’s fine. Besides, I didn’t come to see my son today—I came to see my daughter-in-law.”

“Oh…”

Hearing those words made Dayun feel embarrassed. It truly felt like she had become Jaehoon’s wife. Not just in front of his family but also to his birth mother.

“Oh, and please keep my visit a secret from Jaehoon.”

“Huh? Why?”

“He hasn’t told you about me yet. If he finds out I visited you without telling him, he won’t be happy. I knew that, but I was too curious about my daughter-in-law and couldn’t help myself.”

Dayun thought about it and realized Miyoung was right. Jaehoon would find it uncomfortable and troublesome.

“Ah… then I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Oh my, thank you. Unlike someone else, my daughter-in-law is so sweet.”

“Huh?”

What did she mean? Who was she comparing her to?

Seeing Dayun’s confusion, Miyoung smiled.

“I just mean you seem like my own daughter. A very kind daughter.”

For some reason, that smile felt a little scary.

That Night

“Hey, wake up.”

How much had he drunk? Jaehoon was completely intoxicated, unable to keep himself together. Gyumin had no choice but to help him home.

“Oppa, what happened to Jaehoon? Did something happen?”

Jaehoon had never been this drunk before. Dayun couldn’t hide her surprise. She was already shocked from meeting his birth mother earlier, and now this. It had been a day full of surprises.

Gyumin laid Jaehoon on his bed and said,

“It’s not that something happened… just some idiots betrayed their friend for love.”

“What?”

Gyumin mumbled to himself, and Dayun couldn’t catch everything. When she asked again, he simply smiled.

“It was just a drinking mood among friends. No big reason.”

“If that’s all, then that’s a relief…”

Seeing her worried face, Gyumin patted her head.

“Seriously, don’t worry. Jaehoon seemed more at peace today. Maybe it’s because he chose you.”

Dayun’s face immediately turned red. Hearing this from Jaehoon’s friend made her feel like she truly belonged to him. Seeing her blushing face, Gyumin smirked.

“You turn red so easily. I can see why guys go crazy for you.”

“Huh?”

Not understanding, Dayun looked up at Gyumin with wide eyes, her cheeks still flushed. Gyumin simply grinned.

“You’re a loved woman, and that makes you beautiful. It’s late. I should go. Get some rest.”

With that, he left.

Click.

The front door closed, leaving only Dayun and Jaehoon in the house.

“Mmm…”

“Ah, Jaehoon, you must be uncomfortable like that.”

Dayun leaned over and reached for him. Even in his drunken state, his slightly disheveled appearance didn’t look bad. In fact, it made him seem more human and even a bit… attractive.

She removed his socks and struggled to take off his jacket so he could sleep more comfortably. Even though he was asleep, he felt heavier than usual. Just as she was about to finish taking off his jacket—

“Ahh!”

She let out a small scream. Jaehoon had suddenly pulled her down onto the bed, holding her in his arms.

What do I do? What do I do?!

It seemed like he did it unconsciously, but Dayun was at a loss. The more she struggled, the tighter he held her.

“Haa…”

She needed to escape. Otherwise, facing him in the morning would be too embarrassing. But just as she was about to wiggle out of his grip—

“Sleep… Sleep, Dayun…”

When had he opened his eyes? His sleepy gaze fell on her as he mumbled those words. Was it just because of the alcohol? Or was he aware of what he was doing? She didn’t know. But at that moment, his embrace felt so warm, and his scent mixed with the faint smell of alcohol was overwhelmingly intoxicating.

Eventually, she closed her eyes in his arms.

As the night deepened, in Jaehoon’s quiet room, on his bed, they lay holding each other.

The Next Morning

Sunlight poured over Dayun’s closed eyes. She frowned at the brightness before slowly opening them.

“…Jaehoon?”

The first thing she did was look around. She clearly remembered sleeping beside him. But he was nowhere in sight. Feeling something was off, she glanced at the small clock on his desk.

“Oh no!”

It was almost 10 AM. She always set an alarm, but last night she had slept in his room, so it was inevitable she overslept.

She hurried to the living room, hoping to see him, but…

“Ah… he already left.”

Instead, she found a sandwich on the kitchen table with a note beside it.

[You were sleeping soundly, so I left quietly. I woke up late too, so I made a sandwich instead of breakfast. Enjoy~ Also, I bought you strawberry milk. Check the fridge. See you later.]

Reading his note, Dayun smiled happily before taking a big bite of the sandwich.

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