A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 40

Unexpectedly giving them a ride, Jaehoon had no choice but to head home. It was because they clung to him like leeches and didn’t seem like they would ever let go.

“Get out.”

As soon as they arrived at the underground parking lot of the apartment, they rushed ahead more excitedly and quickly than even the homeowners, Jaehoon and Dayun. They were the first to press the elevator button, of course, and even ran to the door, begging to be let in before the others caught up.

“Sigh…”

Jaehoon and Dayun both let out deep sighs at the same time, without anyone going first. Then they looked at each other in surprise, as if amazed by how synchronized they were.

“Pfft~”

That amazement quickly turned into smiles. Even to themselves, the situation felt ridiculous and somehow funny. As they smiled at each other for a brief moment,

“Hey! What are you doing over there? Hurry up and open the door!”

“Open it! Hey, Choi Dayun, open the door!”

Startled by the annoyed voices of Junseok and Hyunsoo, the two reluctantly walked over and opened the door. Of course, the first ones to go in were the same people who’d been rushing ahead—as if they were the owners of the house. After Gyumin and Minseok entered, Junseok glanced at Dayun and pulled Jaehoon by the arm.

“What the—?”

Jaehoon’s voice showed his confusion, but Junseok dragged him inside without caring. Now it was just Hyunsoo and Dayun left. Dayun waited for Hyunsoo to go in first so she could close the door after him. But strangely, Hyunsoo didn’t move.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going in?”

Puzzled, Dayun looked up at Hyunsoo. Then she flinched, unconsciously. The reason was simple—Hyunsoo was staring at her with eyes full of annoyance.

“Why? Did I do something to upset you?”

“You really… Hah…”

She didn’t know what he was so upset about, but Dayun started to feel small. Since they’d known each other for a long time, she could easily read his emotions just from his eyes—and right now, she knew better than anyone that Hyunsoo was upset.

So she couldn’t say anything. She knew he was upset, but didn’t know why. She could only hope Hyunsoo would explain first.

“You went on a trip alone with Jaehoon hyung, right? Shinsuji knows, Sojin knows… and I’m the only one who didn’t know.”

“…”

“And after hiding it from me, you two were just smiling at each other like everything’s great…”

Then, from Hyunsoo’s words, Dayun finally understood the reason. But even knowing it, she didn’t know what to say.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it…”

All she could say was sorry. Technically, going on a trip was her own choice, but the fact remained—she told her friends Sojin and Suji, but not Hyunsoo. That alone could definitely make him feel betrayed.

“I didn’t plan to keep it a secret, I swear… It just kind of happened…”

Watching Dayun shrink in front of him like that made Hyunsoo feel even worse. That wasn’t what he meant to happen. Yes, he was upset. Even if he couldn’t be the guy she liked, he thought at least he was her closest friend. But realizing he was the only one left out made him wonder if even that wasn’t true.

“I didn’t bring this up to pick a fight. I was just feeling upset and let my emotions get the better of me.”

Still, Hyunsoo decided to understand her. Just like he had things he couldn’t tell her, maybe she had things she only wanted to tell her female friends.

“Nothing happened, right?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, with Jaehoon hyung… nothing happened, right?”

Even though he understood her, Hyunsoo was still a guy who liked her, and he couldn’t help but feel jealous. Maybe jealousy was just a guy thing.

At his question, Dayun gave a relaxed answer to reassure him.

“Hmm… nothing special really happened. I accidentally fell into the water and we ended up staying with a kind old lady. Oh, and there was this adorable little kid named Hoyeong. We said we’d visit again sometime—next time, you should come too. I think you’ll really like it.”

Looking at her peaceful and innocent face, Hyunsoo’s heart felt so much lighter. He even felt silly for having unnecessary thoughts.

Maybe because he felt better, the mean look in his eyes disappeared. Smiling sweetly at her like none of that had ever happened, he nodded.

“Yeah, let’s go together next time.”

Bubble, bubble—the pot on the stove boiled strongly. The bubbling budae jjigae gave off a delicious color and smell, as if begging to be eaten, making the hungry guys even hungrier.

“Dayun, it’s boiling.”

“Dayun, Dayun, when can we eat this?”

“Choi Dayun, I think this is ready to eat?”

Somehow, they had already run into the kitchen. In front of the stew, Junseok, Minseok, and Hyunsoo lined up with questions. Dayun, who was getting the noodles ready, finally gave in and walked over to them.

“We can move it to the table and eat while it simmers.”

“Oh, really?”

“Then can you help me set the table? That way, we can eat faster.”

“Okay!”

At her request, the three guys quickly got to work. Since there were too many people for the dining table, they brought out a low table in the living room, set up a portable gas burner, and started arranging the spoons and chopsticks. They looked like sons helping their mom prepare dinner.

Jaehoon and Gyumin, who had just come out of the room, looked at them in surprise, like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Wow… I’ve thought this before, but Dayun is really something.”

At Gyumin’s random comment, Jaehoon looked at him, wondering what he meant. Gyumin kept talking.

“I mean, look at them. Are any of those guys the kind who listen to others? They’re like wild puppies. But look at Dayun. She handles them like she’s their owner.”

At that, Jaehoon unconsciously looked at Dayun. Now that he thought about it, she really was amazing. She seemed timid and weak, but she handled both friends and seniors so smoothly.

As he kept staring at her, Gyumin said with a teasing look,

“She’s amazing. She knows how to handle people and steal their hearts~”

Jaehoon glared at him, but Gyumin just went on unfazed.

“Well, Dayun is kind of charming. She’s pretty, kind-hearted, and even if she doesn’t act cutesy, she blushes easily when you say something cheesy—it’s cute. Actually, now that I think about it, she does get a bit clingy when she’s drunk.”

“When have you ever seen her drunk?”

That question came out almost instantly, with clear displeasure.

“What do you mean? Back in school, and remember last time we drank together? Dayun’s actually pretty cute when she drinks—laughs a lot too. And yesterday, when I brought you home drunk, I saw her and said something sweet. She blushed so fast.”

“What did you say?”

Yup, now Jaehoon was definitely pissed. Even Gyumin’s usual cheeky smile looked irritating.

Gyumin wanted to tease him, so he said with a grin,

“I said she was cute. She really was. I get why you’re all obsessed with her. Actually, maybe I should get in on this too? I think I’d make a pretty good boyfriend for her.”

“Crazy. If you’re going to talk nonsense, just go home.”

Jaehoon’s response was immediate. He glared at Gyumin with a face full of annoyance.

“Hehe, are you jealous? What, afraid I’ll steal Dayun away?”

“Take those other guys with you while you’re at it.”

“Go? Where? I’m not leaving until I eat this stew!”

Smiling like he didn’t care, Gyumin went and sat down next to Dayun. And all Jaehoon could do was mutter under his breath:

“So annoying.”

Even if it wasn’t a romantic moment alone, a noisy but fun time passed.

Even after Jaehoon told them to go home, they stayed and ended up drinking at Dayun’s place.

“Sigh…”

Worse yet, they got drunk and passed out everywhere. Looking at them sprawled out, Jaehoon let out an irritated sigh.

“So annoying.”

Ever since he admitted to himself that he liked her, nothing seemed to go smoothly. It was like the moment he accepted his feelings, everything started getting in the way. So maybe that’s why he stood up and hit each one of them on the head—Minseok, Gyumin, Hyunsoo, and then Junseok.

Jaehoon normally would never do something like that, but tonight he was fed up—and he’d had a little to drink. He hit everyone except Minseok a bit harder, and even though they were asleep, they still twitched from the pain. That made him feel a little better.

“Guess I should go sleep too.”

He had already told Dayun to sleep early, and now turned to head to his room. But for some reason, his feet wouldn’t move.

“Maybe I’ll check on her for a second…”

He suddenly missed her. With all these distractions around, it felt like they were star-crossed lovers—so close, yet so far.

Jaehoon quietly opened the door and stepped inside, careful not to wake her. The light coming through the slightly open door illuminated her face. She was deeply asleep and didn’t stir. Gently, he brushed her hair back.

‘So pretty.’

He swallowed the words he couldn’t say aloud.

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