A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 52

“Oh, so that’s how you ended up dating my brother?”

“No… we’re not exactly dating…”

Sojin’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment. She didn’t say anything, but her face showed how happy she was. Seeing her like that, Dayun felt both happy for her and a little jealous. At the same time, she couldn’t help but think of herself and Jaehoon, which left her feeling bittersweet.

Still, she didn’t want to show any of that in front of Sojin. At least, not at this moment when she was listening to her story.

“If he confessed to you, that means you’re dating.”

“I haven’t given him an answer yet.”

That day, when Sojin met Daon at the blind date location, he confessed to her, saying, “I keep thinking about you. I think I like you. I know I don’t deserve it, but will you accept me?” It was a heartfelt confession from someone she had secretly loved for so long. But Sojin hadn’t given him an answer yet.

“I decided to think about it a little longer. I know it’s selfish, but I can’t just accept him so easily. It doesn’t feel fair to me.”

She had been hurt too deeply and for too long. She didn’t want him to suffer the same pain, but she hoped that, just like she had waited for him, he would wait for her too.

Dayun understood how Sojin felt, so she simply nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Yeah, don’t accept my brother too easily.”

“Really? You’re not upset?”

Sojin widened her eyes in surprise. She knew how close Daon and Dayun were—almost like father and daughter—so she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Why would I be upset? He was a great brother to me, but as a man, Choi Daon was terrible. You were hurt so badly because of him. So yeah, you have every right to take your time.”

“Dayun…”

“Honestly, I hope you make him wait. As your friend, I think you’re too young and pretty to settle so easily.”

“As expected, you’re the best~”

Overcome with emotion, Sojin ran over to Dayun and hugged her tightly. “Ah, I can’t breathe!” Dayun yelped playfully, but Sojin didn’t care. She was just happy to have such a great friend by her side. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she pulled away and asked loudly,

“Wait, why are you here? Didn’t you say you were going on a date with that jerk, Ahn Jaehoon?”

The thought suddenly hit her. Seeing that Dayun didn’t respond, Sojin’s face filled with concern.

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Sojin…”

Dayun’s face showed her heartbreak, and as Sojin saw it, she felt frustration well up inside her.

“What the hell?! What did that bastard do this time?!”

After hearing everything, Sojin was furious. She even forgot they were in her hair salon and yelled at the top of her lungs. People turned to stare, but she didn’t care.

“So you’re telling me he asked you out just to have dinner with his ex-girlfriend?!”

“Yeah…”

Dayun, already deflated from talking about Jaehoon, just nodded.

“Wow. What a piece of trash. Hey, Choi Dayun. Lift your head. Why are you looking down? He’s the one in the wrong, not you!”

Hearing Sojin’s words, Dayun slowly raised her head. She had done nothing wrong, but no matter how much she told herself that, the pain didn’t go away. Seeing her so down, Sojin cupped her face gently.

“Oh, my poor baby… How much did that hurt?”

She comforted her carefully, and finally, Dayun let out all the tears she had been holding back.

“Yeah, cry it out, Dayun. Just let it all out.”

For a long time, Dayun sobbed in Sojin’s arms, occasionally whispering,

“Sojin, it’s so unfair. What did I do wrong?”

“Don’t say that. You did nothing wrong.”

She blamed herself…

“Is it really impossible between me and him? I thought he felt the same way, but maybe I was just fooling myself.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

She resented Jaehoon for never fully choosing her. After crying for a while, Dayun finally calmed down and pulled away from Sojin.

“Sorry… I got your clothes all wet.”

“Who cares about clothes? So what are you going to do now?”

What was she going to do? What was the right thing to do?

“I don’t know… I really don’t know. What should I do?”

Dayun felt completely lost. She still liked Jaehoon, and that made her feel pathetic. Seeing her trembling hands, Sojin held them tightly.

“It’s okay. There’s no right answer when it comes to feelings.”

She wanted to tell Dayun to just let go, to break up with him. In the past, it would have been easy to say that. Back then, Dayun wasn’t as deeply in love, and Sojin thought moving on was the best answer. But now, she understood that things weren’t that simple. Telling her to forget him would only hurt her more.

“Just do what you want for now. It’s not like your feelings will change overnight. It’s like how I couldn’t give up on Daon.”

“Yeah…”

“So just follow your heart. Express yourself more, say what you want to say. Don’t hide anymore.”

“Do you think that’s okay?”

“Of course. From now on, listen to your heart. Don’t worry about anything else.”

The only advice Sojin could give her was to be honest with herself. It might not have seemed like much, but to Dayun, it felt like a huge source of courage. The courage to be true to herself.

Meanwhile, Jaehoon paced around his living room, unable to sit still. The clock was almost at midnight, but Dayun still hadn’t come home, nor had she sent a message.

“Where is she? Why isn’t she answering?”

For the first time, she was completely out of reach, and it was driving him crazy. He wondered if something had happened to her—or worse, if she had finally stopped loving him because of the pain he caused.

“Ugh…”

After hesitating for a long time, he finally picked up his phone and dialed her number.

[The person you are trying to reach is unavailable.]

All he heard was the cold, automated voice. Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair. He wanted to find her and explain everything, but he had no idea where she was.

“Where is she? What is she doing?”

Maybe she had gone home? But he quickly shook his head. The Dayun he knew would never want to worry her parents.

“Maybe…”

A thought crossed his mind—her usual work studio.

“Could she be there?”

He didn’t want to, but he had no choice. He dialed Junseok’s number.

‘Hey, what’s up?’

Jaehoon hesitated. Junseok sounded like he didn’t know anything.

“Have you seen Dayun?”

‘No, she hasn’t been here today.’

Jaehoon sighed. If she wasn’t there, then where?

‘Ask Sojin or Suji. She might be with them.’

“Oh… right.”

Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? Feeling foolish, he called Sojin.

‘Why are you calling me?’

Sojin’s sharp voice answered. She already knew everything.

“Is Dayun with you?”

‘Worried now, huh? Must feel weird not having her around to follow you like a fool.”

“…”

She was right. He had taken Dayun for granted.

“I know I messed up. I just… I just want to talk to her.”

‘Not happening. She finally fell asleep, and I’m not waking her up for you.’

“Then… can I call her tomorrow?”

‘No. Come find her yourself. I’ll send you the address. From now on, you need to be the one making the first move.’

Support