A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 5

“Did you get my message yesterday?”

On a quiet and uneventful morning, just like any other day, Dayun asked Jaehoon as he was about to leave for work. Jaehoon hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

“I know you don’t really want to, but your parents were the ones who brought it up, so I hope you can come home early today. As you said, we need to at least pretend to be a loving couple in front of the elders.”

“Yeah, I’ll come early.”

“No, you don’t need to come home. Just go straight to your parents’ house after work. I should go ahead and help with the food preparation.”

“Ah…”

Jaehoon felt that Dayun was acting strangely today. He didn’t say anything, but inwardly, he was completely taken aback. Usually, she was quiet, hesitant to speak, and even when she did, she would stammer with a flushed face. But today, she was completely different. It felt as if every word she spoke was laced with thorns.

“But do you even know the address? I don’t think you’ve been there before.”

“Ah… the address…”

Dayun suddenly felt embarrassed. Seeing Jaehoon, she was reminded of his conversation with Junseok from the night before, and she had been acting spitefully out of pure jealousy. When Jaehoon noticed her flustered expression, he let out an almost imperceptible smile before quickly returning to his usual indifferent face.

“Never mind. I’ll come home first, and we can go together. I doubt you’d be much help even if you went early.”

“No, just send me the address by text. And by the way, you’ve never tasted my cooking before, so you wouldn’t know, but I’m actually pretty good at it.”

Dayun found herself snapping back, unable to hide her irritation at his dismissive comment. In response, Jaehoon let out a soft chuckle—whether it was a scoff or genuine amusement, she couldn’t tell. Then, as if realizing his own reaction, he quickly covered his mouth and looked a little embarrassed.

“Well, do whatever you want.”

And with that, he hurried out of the house. Left alone, Dayun pouted and muttered to herself.

“What the heck, why is he laughing…? Does he think I’m funny? Ugh, and why does he have to look so good even when he’s smirking? So annoying!”

As Jaehoon entered the office, employees greeted him one by one.

“Good morning, Team Leader.”

His eyes met Hyeyun’s, who was smiling at him. He gave her a brief, subtle nod before acting as if nothing had happened.

“The meeting will start in 30 minutes. Be prepared.”

“Yes, sir.”

After giving instructions, Jaehoon quickly entered his office and sat down. He pulled out his phone and sent Dayun the address. Shortly after, his phone buzzed with a reply from her.

[Gatwu gohaseyo.]

“Gat… gohaseyo?”

Puzzled by the strange text, he thought about it for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

It was obvious that Dayun had struggled with what to write and had ended up sending a jumbled message. The way she had gotten flustered earlier in the morning also came to mind. Seeing this different side of her, Jaehoon found her unexpectedly intriguing. He had thought she was always timid, but now, little by little, her true personality was showing.

Of course, he had already heard from Junseok that she acted very differently with people she was comfortable with compared to those she wasn’t. But seeing it with his own eyes felt entirely new.

“She’s still just a kid.”

Though they were only four years apart, at that moment, those four years felt like a significant gap. The fact that he found her somewhat cute… was surprising even to himself.

“Cute, huh…?”

Jaehoon suddenly froze, shocked at his own thoughts. He shook his head firmly.

“No way. She’s not just a kid. Get a grip, Jaehoon.”

He dismissed the thought as ridiculous and tried to clear his mind.

“Ugh, what did I just send?!”

On the other hand, Dayun was in despair, clutching her head. If it had been a text to a friend, it wouldn’t have mattered. But because it was him, she felt mortified beyond belief.

“I should’ve just not replied…”

When she received his message with only the address, she had hesitated. Should she reply, or just ignore it? Since she had asked for the address first, she felt like she should at least thank him. After much deliberation, she initially typed “Thank you.” But after thinking about it more, she changed it to “Take care.” In her rush to send it, she hadn’t noticed the typo.

“My first text to him…”

It was literally the first time she had ever sent him a message. She had never contacted him first, nor sent him any texts before. She had always just waited for him to come to her, over and over again.

“Ugh, whatever. What’s done is done. I should just get back to work.”

With that, she quickly changed her clothes and left the house. She was heading to the small studio apartment she had rented with her friends, where she could focus on writing. It wasn’t far from where she lived, and it was a nice, quiet place.

As she entered, she paused for a moment and looked at the door of the apartment next to hers.

‘I heard a drama writer lives next door. It should be a quiet environment for working.’

‘A drama writer?’

‘Yeah. I don’t know his name, but he’s a good-looking guy. Like you, he only comes here to work.’

She suddenly recalled what the real estate agent had told her before she signed the lease.

“A drama writer… What kind of work has he written?”

Dayun was curious. She was writing novels now, but her ultimate goal was to become a drama writer. One of the reasons she had chosen this apartment was because of her neighbor. She wanted to meet him, and if possible, learn from him.

“It’d be nice if I could get close to him…”

Realizing how random her thoughts were, she scratched her head in embarrassment before heading inside.

“Mother, hello.”

Before she knew it, it was already past 5 PM. Dayun had arrived early at the main house to play the role of a dutiful wife, just as Jaehoon had hoped.

“Oh my, why are you here so early? You could have come with Jaehoon later.”

“Haha, it’s fine. As your daughter-in-law, I should come early to help.”

“Oh my, how sweet. My daughter-in-law is so considerate.”

Jaehoon’s mother looked at her fondly, clearly pleased. She seemed to think she had lucked out in getting such a thoughtful daughter-in-law.

“By the way, where’s Father?”

“He’s not home yet. He should be back around six.”

“I see. Well then, Mother, what can I help you with?”

Though Dayun insisted on helping, Jaehoon’s mother told her the house staff would take care of everything and urged her to explore the house instead. Eventually, she found herself heading to Jaehoon’s room.

Back at the office, Jaehoon let out a deep sigh and picked up his office phone.

“Tell Song Hyeyun to come to my office immediately.”

Moments later, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hyeyun entered.

“What’s up?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Something to say?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing the expectant look on Hyeyun’s face, Jaehoon felt frustrated. He was worried that her bright face might turn dark because of what he was about to say. But it wasn’t something he could avoid. After thinking for a moment, Jaehoon carefully opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can be with you today.”

“…Why..?”

Just as he feared… Hyeyun’s face visibly darkened at his words. Jaehoon avoided her gaze as he continued.

“I’m going to my family’s house. My father wants to have dinner together.”

“Oh… then that woman will be going too, right?”

“Yeah, legally and formally, she’s the daughter-in-law.”

“Ha… right, legally…”

She was right. As soon as Jaehoon and Dayun got married, they registered their marriage. It was something forced by their parents, but legally, Jaehoon and Dayun were husband and wife.

“So I can’t be with you today. So…”

“Fine. I’ll take care of my own dinner and sleep by myself. You don’t need to worry.”

Hyeyun left after saying only what she wanted to say, with a sharp tone. Her attitude was clearly irritated to anyone watching.

“Sigh… how can I not care when she acts like that?”

Jaehoon was also annoyed. He couldn’t understand Hyeyun’s angry attitude. After all, before they even discussed marriage, he had clearly explained his situation and what would happen if he didn’t get married. She had agreed and they had gotten married. But now she was acting like a child throwing a tantrum, and he felt exhausted.

“Sigh…”

Dayun reluctantly came up to Jaehoon’s room. As she stepped inside, she felt strange. Tingly, soft… The room was filled with Jaehoon’s scent. From the wallpaper to each piece of furniture, even the small items, everything felt like it was telling her about him. Because of that… it felt like she had entered a place she didn’t belong—Jaehoon’s arms.

Dayun slowly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. As she looked around, she noticed an album on his bookshelf, brought it over, and opened it.

“I wonder what he looked like as a kid…”

Inside the album was a very cute boy smiling brightly. Then crying, frowning…

“He was good-looking even as a kid… kind of cute too… huh?”

Then Dayun felt something strange. For a kid who seemed no older than kindergarten or early elementary, his expression was too dark. He didn’t smile much, didn’t look angry either… just expressionless—exactly the kind of face he showed her now. And there was something else.

“Who is this woman?”

Next to him stood a woman she didn’t recognize. If it were just one or two pictures, she might have ignored it. But in almost every baby picture, that woman was there. At that moment, the door clicked open, and Jaehoon’s mother walked in.

“What’s my daughter-in-law doing?”

“Oh, I was just looking at the album.”

Surprised by the sudden entrance, Dayun instinctively closed the album. She didn’t know why, but she felt awkward showing it in front of his mother. And she was also bothered by that strange woman in the photos. Seeing her reaction, Jaehoon’s mother asked, as if it were nothing.

“I guess you saw it. Are you curious about the woman next to Jaehoon?”

“Huh? Oh… it’s not like that…”

But honestly, she was very curious. Who was that woman who appeared in so many pictures with Jaehoon? Why wasn’t there a single picture with his mother instead? Then came something shocking from his mother’s mouth. Or maybe, something she had kind of guessed.

“Actually, I’m not Jaehoon’s birth mother. The woman in the pictures, the one you saw—she’s his real mother.”

“Gasp…”

How was she supposed to react to this? What was she supposed to say? Dayun was confused and lost. She had suspected, but hearing it out loud still shocked her. Just then, someone’s voice rescued her.

“Ma’am, the chairman and his son have arrived!”

Dayun felt relieved inside. Then Jaehoon’s mother gently held her hand and said,

“Shall we go downstairs?”

Led by her mother-in-law’s hand, Dayun walked into the living room. She politely bowed to her father-in-law, who was standing in front of her.

“Hello, Father.”

“Yes, our Dayun has gotten even prettier.”

“Haha, not at all.”

It was so awkward. It was the first time she saw him since the wedding. And the thought that this was his family, not hers, made her feel heavy, uncomfortable, and pressured. Then her eyes met Jaehoon’s.

‘What the… how long has he been watching me?’

Jaehoon was staring at her. His expression looked like he expected her to greet him too, now that his parents were around. In the end, feeling a little embarrassed, Dayun averted her eyes and said,

“Senior, you’re here?”

“Yeah.”

As if he had been waiting, Jaehoon nodded right away.

“Well then, shall we go eat?”

His father’s words started an awkward and uncomfortable dinner. Everyone ate in silence. Dayun, unfamiliar with this atmosphere, didn’t know if the food was going down her throat or up her nose.

“Cough, cough!”

Trying to escape the awkwardness by eating quickly, Dayun suddenly started coughing. The surprised family members turned to her.

“Oh my, Dayun, are you okay?”

She nodded, trying to say she was fine. But her face and actions said, “I’m dying.” Someone handed her a glass of water—it was Jaehoon.

“What are you doing? Take it.”

Surprised by his unexpected action, Dayun stared at the cup. Annoyed, Jaehoon snapped at her.

“Just take it already.”

Caught off guard, Dayun took the glass and quickly drank the water.

“Ha…”

After drinking a bit, she let out a sigh like, “Now I can breathe.” Jaehoon’s father looked at her fondly, as if she were a cute daughter.

“Our Dayun must have been really hungry.”

“Oh, well… Senior, thanks for the water.”

Dayun, grateful for the water, thanked Jaehoon. He just gave a small nod without even looking at her, maybe out of embarrassment.

“But Dayun, do you still call Jaehoon ‘Senior’?”

“Huh? Oh…”

His father asked with a serious face, clearly not liking the title. Seeing this unfamiliar expression made Dayun nervous.

“You’re not strangers anymore. You’re married now. Shouldn’t you change how you call him? It’s a bit strange that you still call him ‘Senior.’”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

Feeling embarrassed, Dayun bowed her head and sincerely apologized. Then snap, Jaehoon stood up.

“Father, please stop. She’s scared because you’re being too harsh over something so small.”

“You like being called ‘Senior’? Don’t you care what others might think?”

Jaehoon sneered and said sarcastically,

“Why does it matter what others think? As long as we’re comfortable, that’s enough. Oh, but you do care a lot about appearances, don’t you? Still, please don’t get involved. We’ll handle our own issues.”

“You little brat!”

“Hey, let’s go. Let’s go home.”

“Huh?”

Dayun was stuck in the middle, completely lost. She felt like this was all her fault. If they left now, she’d feel bad for his parents. If they stayed, she was afraid of what would happen next. As she hesitated, annoyed and frustrated, Jaehoon grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

“Let’s go already.”

In the moving car, Jaehoon quietly drove while Dayun sat nervously.

“Is it really okay to leave like that?”

“…”

“Oh… I’m really sorry. Because of me… I’ll call your parents tomorrow to apologize. I’m so sorry.”

Dayun kept apologizing. Jaehoon, looking irritated, ran his hand through his hair and spoke with frustration.

“It’s fine. It’s not because of you. Stop blaming yourself.”

“But still…”

“Just call me whatever you want. I don’t care.”

Even if he didn’t care, she did. What if this happened again?

“Still, since it happened because of how I called you, I’ll use a different title in front of the adults. My parents would also say something if they heard me call you ‘Senior.’”

Jaehoon seemed to calm down a little and replied in a softer voice.

“Well, do what you want.”

Then, his phone rang. It was Hyeyun. Seeing her name, Dayun looked out the window, pretending not to care but feeling bitter.

“Yeah.”

The car was quiet for a moment. Dayun looked over, wondering what was going on. Jaehoon’s face was cold and stiff.

“Who are you?”

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