A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 47

Click, clack.

The sound of her high heels echoed with each step Dayun took. In contrast to her bright expression, the sound felt heavy and uncomfortable.

“Ah…”

Eventually, as if unable to bear the discomfort any longer, Dayun unconsciously frowned. When she checked her feet, she saw that the back of her heel had been scraped, leaving a small red wound.

“It hurts…”

Thinking it might be a date with him, she had taken out and worn heels for the first time in a while. But unfortunately, since it was her first time wearing these shoes, they were unbearably uncomfortable and painful. Still, she couldn’t just leave them behind. These shoes were the first gift Jaehoon had bought her not long after confessing his feelings to her.

“Phew… I wanted to show him.”

Since she usually didn’t wear heels, today was a special occasion. She had wanted to show him how she looked in the beautiful shoes he had given her. But now, struggling to walk in them, she felt a little bitter.

“If I had known, I would’ve worn them a few times beforehand.”

She regretted it. She thought, ‘I should have broken them in earlier.’ But there was no point thinking about it now. Shaking her head as if to brush off the thought, Dayun put the shoes back on and continued walking. Soon, Jaehoon’s office building came into view.

Meanwhile, inside the office, the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock. The atmosphere was quiet, as if everyone was deeply focused on their work. However, rather than concentration, the employees were sneaking glances at the clock, silently hoping for the end of the workday.

As the clock hands pointed to six, people subtly started wrapping up their tasks and packing their bags. Then, the door to the team leader’s office opened, and Jaehoon stepped out. The employees, who had been about to leave, flinched in surprise and quickly pretended to be busy with their work again. No matter how relaxed the company culture was, the presence of a superior still made them cautious.

“Everyone, you should go home.”

“Yes, sir. You too, have a good evening.”

As soon as Jaehoon left, the employees hurriedly packed up and rushed out. Hyeyun was no exception. Unlike usual, she had been watching Jaehoon intently as he left right at six, then quickly grabbed her bag and followed him out of the office.

“Huh?”

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Jaehoon standing at the end of the hallway. Not wanting to let him go just yet, she ran with all her might. But just as she reached him, the elevator doors closed, and she barely managed to step into the adjacent one. She hastily pressed the button for the first floor, anxiously jabbing the “close” button repeatedly.

“Oh? Hyeyun, wait a second!”

Even though she saw her coworkers running toward the elevator, she pretended not to notice.

As soon as the doors opened on the first floor, Hyeyun quickly scanned her surroundings, looking for Jaehoon. But he was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, she stepped out of the building, knowing that Jaehoon usually parked his car in the outdoor lot rather than the underground garage.

“Where did he go so fast?”

Just as she was about to give up, she spotted him.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here too.”

Jaehoon had just gotten out of his car and was now standing in front of Dayun. The way they looked at each other, smiling warmly, made Hyeyun feel sick. In short, she was disgusted.

“I hate this. I really do.”

Suppressing her desire to separate them, Hyeyun started walking toward them.

Meanwhile, Jaehoon and Dayun, unaware of her approach, continued to look at each other fondly.

“Oh? You’re wearing the shoes I got you today.”

Noticing the shoes, Jaehoon smiled brightly. Embarrassed, Dayun fiddled with her fingers and lowered her head.

“Yes.”

“They look beautiful.”

Hearing Jaehoon’s compliment, Dayun widened her eyes in surprise. Then, flustered, she quickly lowered her head again.

“Huh?”

“I said they’re beautiful. The shoes are pretty, and… you’re beautiful too.”

Even Jaehoon, despite being the one who said it, felt embarrassed and cleared his throat, looking at the ground. Then, he glanced up and, seeing Dayun still blushing, smiled softly and patted her head.

“You’ve always been beautiful, but today you look especially stunning.”

Hearing his gentle words, Dayun unconsciously lifted her head and met his eyes. His words made her happy. Everything he said filled her with joy.

They continued to gaze at each other, sharing shy but happy smiles. No words were exchanged, but their eyes spoke more sweetly than any words could. However, their moment didn’t last long.

“Sorry, am I late?”

It was Hyeyun. Her sudden appearance startled both Jaehoon and Dayun, as if she had always been part of their meeting.

“What? You… no, Song Hyeyun, what are you doing?”

Jaehoon, annoyed, frowned. He thought they had already settled things before, so why was she here now?

But Hyeyun remained unfazed and even acted more brazenly.

“Huh? What do you mean? We were supposed to have dinner together today. You, me… and Choi Dayun.”

“What?”

“I was worried about how to ask, but I guess I did a good job. I didn’t think she’d come, but here she is.”

“Song Hyeyun.”

Jaehoon’s irritation turned into anger. He had been trying to be civil with her, but now his patience was running out.

Yet, instead of backing off, Hyeyun approached Dayun.

“Dayun, it’s been a while. I think this is our first time meeting since then. You still remember my name, right?”

“Ah… yes. Nice to see you.”

“Shall we move somewhere else? There are a lot of people watching here.”

“Oh, okay…”

Unable to refuse, Jaehoon and Dayun reluctantly followed Hyeyun to a restaurant. The atmosphere was tense, with Hyeyun maintaining a thin smile while Jaehoon and Dayun awkwardly picked at their food. They couldn’t even taste it, forcing down bites out of politeness.

Watching them, Hyeyun smirked to herself. Gone were the affectionate smiles they had shared earlier. Now, they looked miserable. This was the beginning of the misunderstanding she had planned.

And so, the night took an unexpected turn.

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