A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 46

“Hm~ Hmhmm~”

On a warm morning, Dayun’s humming blended with the sound of the vacuum cleaner and somehow sounded sweet. Cleaning, doing laundry… it didn’t seem hard for her. Her face was full of smiles, like someone who had something good happen.

“Ah, I’m thirsty after all that cleaning.”

After cleaning for a while, Dayun said she was thirsty and went to the kitchen.

“Ah~ so refreshing.”

After drinking water from the purifier, Dayun looked truly refreshed, like someone whose thirst was completely gone. Then her eyes landed on something… a post-it note stuck on the fridge.

[Please come in front of the office by 6 PM.]

It was a note Jaehoon had left for Dayun. When she first saw it, she wondered why he didn’t just say it or text her. But even that was nice—after all, it was a note from Jaehoon.

“Hehe, what should I wear?”

Thanks to that, Dayun couldn’t stop smiling, thinking it was probably a date with Jaehoon. What to wear today—it was a happy problem to have.

Meanwhile, Jaehoon at the office didn’t look happy at all. Maybe that’s why…

“So, about this project… Team Leader? Team Leader?”

“Huh?!”

Even though they were in a meeting, Jaehoon couldn’t focus. It was understandable—he was thinking about his dinner plan with Dayun. He had called her to the office because of his not-quite-an-appointment with Hyeyun, but he hadn’t told Dayun that Hyeyun would be there too.

“Sorry, please continue.”

“So, about the project—we’ll go with the plan that Miyoung and I worked on.”

“Oh… okay. Let’s proceed with that.”

“Yes.”

The meeting ended before Jaehoon even realized how time passed.

“Wasn’t the team leader acting strange today?”

“Right? He looked totally spaced out.”

The employees began to leave the meeting room one by one, whispering among themselves about Jaehoon.

Watching them leave, Jaehoon messed up his neatly styled hair. That’s how his heart felt too—neat at first, then all tangled again. He felt like everything was messed up because of his own unclear feelings. He wanted to be close to Dayun, and also to Hyeyun… He knew they were both good people, and that’s why he had made this choice. But… maybe it was just greed, like Gyumin said. Feeling troubled, Jaehoon started to regret his choice.

‘Why do I keep doing things I regret… Ha… Ahn Jaehoon, get it together.’

Jaehoon lifted his head. It was time to get his mind straight. He thought, I’m the one who tangled things, so I have to fix it or cut it myself. But just then, he was caught off guard.

“Can we talk for a bit, Team Leader?”

Hyeyun had come up to him and was smiling. Jaehoon was surprised, but tried not to show it and answered calmly.

“What is it?”

Just then, one of the two remaining female employees behind Hyeyun spoke up.

“Hyeyun, do you have something to say to the team leader?”

“Yes, can you go ahead without me?”

“Sure. Oh, we’re getting coffee—want one too?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“Okay, I’ll leave it on your desk.”

“Thanks.”

After saying goodbye to Jaehoon, the two employees left the room, closing the door behind them.

“You don’t look well.”

Hyeyun dropped the formal tone she usually used and spoke casually.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Nothing serious… So, what do you want to say?”

“Hmm… nothing really. You just looked upset, and I was worried.”

Hyeyun looked really concerned as she slowly stepped closer. Then, as if it were the most natural thing, she reached out her hand to his face, which looked a little cold. Her hand came close to his face, just about to touch him, but Jaehoon pulled his head back.

“Ah…”

Because of that, Hyeyun’s hand froze awkwardly in the air. It was an awkward moment, and she felt kind of dazed. He avoided her touch. It was a natural reaction—they had broken up—but she still felt hurt. Like someone had taken away her favorite toy. Like it wasn’t hers anymore. That’s exactly how Hyeyun felt.

But Jaehoon, not knowing how she felt, stood up with a displeased look.

“That was out of line.”

“…What?”

Then, with a sharp look in his eyes, he spoke coldly.

“What you just did—it was too much.”

Hyeyun felt a lump in her throat. She was just…

“But I was just worried about you.”

There really was no bad intention in that moment. It was an unconscious act, something that came from the heart.

“We’re… friends, so of course—”

“It’s not ‘of course.’ If we were really friends, you would’ve just worried and stopped there. But you didn’t.”

“…”

“The more I think about it, the more I realize I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

At his words, Hyeyun looked up at his face. She seemed to wonder what he was about to say.

“How long has it even been since we broke up? Friends? Now that I think about it… yeah. You and I weren’t thinking straight. No matter how good we were to each other, we still broke up.”

“…”

“So of course, it’s going to feel awkward and uncomfortable. Let’s stop. Let’s not be friends anymore.”

“But!”

Hyeyun shouted in panic at his words. She couldn’t let go of this chance she finally got.

“I don’t think either of us has really moved on yet. That’s why this feels right. What we’re doing now—that’s what’s wrong.”

Jaehoon, done talking, walked past her like he was about to leave. Hyeyun wanted to stop him. But she couldn’t. His words were too firm, and all she could feel was the brush of his sleeve as he walked by.

Without even giving her a real chance to respond, Jaehoon reached for the door, then paused and slightly turned his head.

“Song Hyeyun. Let’s cancel tonight’s dinner. It was a one-sided promise anyway.”

Then he left the office, saying only what he wanted.

In the end, Hyeyun was left alone in the meeting room. Her back looked small and lonely in the empty space.

“Ha… Song Hyeyun…?”

Hyeyun felt frustrated. At first, she felt wronged and hurt… but now she felt angry. The way he treated her like just another employee in the end—it was unbelievable.

He was fine with being friends before, but now he wants to draw a line?

For the first time, Hyeyun thought Jaehoon was spineless. And she also felt bitter—maybe he threw her away because of Dayun. That thought made her angry. So she bit her lip hard and muttered,

“Just wait and see. I’ll show you.”

Blood started to come from her lip, but she didn’t care.

“Hey, enjoy your date, okay?”

“It’s not a date! We’re just meeting!”

On the way out of Sojin’s salon, Dayun jumped and waved her hands at the word “date.” She looked so innocent, like someone who had never been in a relationship, and Sojin smiled at her. But with a teasing tone, Sojin continued.

“If he calls you out late at night for dinner and coffee, that’s a date. And since you two live in the same house… tonight might be your first night together?”

“Hey!”

“Okay, okay. Still, you’re cute.”

She was teasing because Dayun’s shy reaction was just too adorable.

But Dayun didn’t like how Sojin kept teasing her. She wanted to get back at her somehow. Thinking for a moment, she suddenly got an idea.

“What’s with that look in your eyes?”

She remembered what Sojin had said when she met Suji alone last time.

“Hehe~”

“Ugh, why are you laughing like that?”

Seeing Dayun grinning at her made Sojin nervous. She suddenly felt like Dayun knew something.

“What? What is it?”

“You!”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’re dating my brother, right?”

“…”

“Right? You’re dating Choi Daon, huh?”

At those words, Sojin’s face turned red like a roasted sweet potato. She couldn’t lift her head as Dayun kept teasing her. Even more so because Dayun was Daon’s sister.

“We’re not officially dating yet…”

“Come on. You said if you eat and drink together, that’s dating.”

“Well… we did eat and drink…”

Seeing Sojin lower her head and not even look her in the eyes made Dayun feel a strange joy. So this is why Sojin always teased me. Even though Sojin was taller and had a cool look, she suddenly seemed cute. Dayun wanted to tease her more.

“So, did you sleep together?”

“What?!”

“Pfft. Did you sleep with Choi Daon?”

“Hey! What kind of girl says that about her own brother?!”

“My brother’s a man too. With a pretty and sexy girl like you around… what, is he a monk?”

So Dayun playfully teased her, acting more like Sojin than usual.

“Thanks for saying that, but… your brother’s such a good person…”

“I know, I know. I was just joking.”

She stopped teasing when Sojin looked like she didn’t know what to do anymore.

“But honestly, I’m a bit hurt. Suji and Hyunsoo knew you and my brother were dating, but I didn’t?”

“Oh… well, you’re his sister. It felt awkward to say anything. I’d already been rejected once, and I said I didn’t like him anymore. Then I started liking him again—it felt silly.”

Sojin looked truly sorry. It was a rare look for her. That made Dayun want to tease her again.

“You did say you’d never like my brother, huh?”

“…Yeah… I did…”

But seeing Sojin get smaller and smaller, she couldn’t keep teasing.

In the end, Dayun spoke her honest feelings.

“But really, I’m happy for you.”

“Huh?”

“You’re my close friend before you’re my brother’s girlfriend. I’m happy your crush came true. I know how hard one-sided love is. I even hoped you’d give up because I didn’t want you to get hurt… but in the end, it all worked out.”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s enough for me. I approve of you dating my brother.”

She was truly happy that Sojin and Daon were together.

“Really?”

“Yep. Be happy, and marry him. You’re totally welcome.”

“Thank you, really. Thank you.”

Sojin hugged Dayun tightly, showing her true feelings. But Dayun almost suffocated from the tight hug and tried to escape.

“Hey, let go! Or I’ll tell my brother to break up with you!”

That’s when Sojin finally let go, like lightning. It was funny and a little absurd at the same time.

“You like my brother that much?”

“Yeah!”

“Wow… okay. If you’re happy, that’s good. I’m going now.”

“Okay, see you!”

“Bye.”

Dayun smiled and started walking. On her way to Jaehoon, she suddenly had a thought.

“Maybe I look like that too, when I like him?”

She hoped that Jaehoon would love her just as much as she loved him.

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