A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 6

“Yes, I’m on my way.”

Jaehoon hung up the phone, his expression noticeably dark. His face was so serious that it felt like no one should mess with him. Dayun was curious but didn’t have the courage to ask what had happened. Then, his cold lips parted.

“Sorry, but I need to stop somewhere for a moment.”

Without giving Dayun a chance to respond, Jaehoon stepped on the gas. Buildings and people flashed past in a blur. What was going on? Anxiety crept in, but at the same time, she thought, it must be because of Song Hyeyun. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, like drinking the strongest coffee.

Soon, the car came to a stop. Jaehoon unbuckled his seatbelt roughly and jumped out, heading into a bar.

How long did she wait?

The bar’s door opened, and Jaehoon walked out—carrying Hyeyun in his arms. She was completely drunk, unable to stand on her own.

“…Ha.”

Seeing them together, a sigh escaped from Dayun’s lips. She had promised herself she would move on, but seeing them with her own eyes made her heart ache unbearably.

More than anything, the look in Jaehoon’s eyes—gentle, worried, and utterly devoted—crushed her. It made her feel wretched.

In the end, she couldn’t bear it anymore. She got out of the car and walked toward them. If she stayed any longer, she would have to witness more than she could handle.

“Excuse me, sunbae.”

Neither Jaehoon nor Hyeyun had noticed her approaching. They were too caught up in their own world. When they finally heard her voice up close, they flinched and looked her way.

“I’ll head home first. It looks like you’ll be a while…”

“No, just come with me. Even if I don’t have feelings for you, I still have manners.”

“But—”

“I may have been cold to you, but I’m not the kind of guy who sends a woman home alone this late at night.”

For some reason, his words reassured her. Her mind told her no, but her heart wanted him to hold onto her.

But then, the woman in his arms spoke, her voice sharp with jealousy.

“I know you’re not that kind of guy, Jaehoon. But tonight, I wish you were.”

“What?”

Hyeyun pushed away Jaehoon’s hand that was holding her. Though she wobbled, she stood firm, glaring at Dayun. No, rather than just looking—she was glowering.

“Sorry, but can you leave first? I know you’re his legal wife, but as you can see, the woman Jaehoon really loves is me.”

“….”

Dayun couldn’t say a word.

Because Hyeyun was right.

Dayun was just his legal wife, nothing more. She was not the woman he truly loved.

Silence filled the air.

Dayun, frozen in place. Hyeyun, staring her down. And Jaehoon, calling out her name in an annoyed tone.

“Song Hyeyun.”

His voice was laced with barely suppressed anger.

But Hyeyun, her eyes welling up, spoke with frustration.

“What! You never told me! If I had known she was this young and this pretty, I wouldn’t have told you to marry her. I—I’m scared, Jaehoon…”

As she sobbed, Jaehoon’s face softened with guilt. He pulled her back into his arms and whispered,

“Don’t be scared. You know you’re the only one for me.”

Still, Hyeyun didn’t seem satisfied. She turned her gaze to Dayun, her expression unreadable.

Or maybe not so unreadable.

It was the look of someone saying, I won.

Perhaps it wasn’t intentional.

But to Dayun, it felt like it was.

And just in case the message wasn’t clear, Hyeyun spoke again, her words laced with thorns.

“You heard that, right? To Jaehoon, there’s only me. So, you should remember—you married him for money. Never fall for him.”

“Song Hyeyun!”

Jaehoon looked shocked as he grabbed Hyeyun by the shoulders, pulling her away from him. He had never imagined such words coming from the woman he once thought was so sweet.

But he didn’t have time to scold her further.

Because Hyeyun had already passed out in his arms.

“…I’m sorry. Let me apologize on her behalf.”

“It’s fine. She wasn’t wrong, anyway.”

“Choi Dayun…”

For the first time, he said her name with gentleness.

But it didn’t make her happy.

Instead, she felt like crying.

“I should go inside now. I have work left to do.”

Forcing back her tears, Dayun turned away.

And the moment she did, the tears she had been holding back fell freely. The faster she walked, the faster they came.

But what she didn’t know—

Was that, for the first time, Jaehoon was watching her with guilt in his eyes.

Dayun walked back to her apartment with heavy steps.

Somehow, she ended up sitting on the stairs outside.

Going inside felt suffocating.

The air was cool, but it was a nice night for a drink.

She pulled out a can of beer from a convenience store bag and started sipping.

“…Ha, so refreshing.”

But despite her words, tears welled in her eyes.

“The woman who married for money.”

Hyeyun’s voice echoed in her head.

“Does sunbae think that too?”

She was scared.

Her heart ached.

Yes, it was true. She had married for money.

She didn’t want her father, mother, and brother to suffer in poverty.

But the real reason was Jaehoon.

She thought that as long as she was by his side, she could endure anything.

But—

“This is too hard…”

It was exhausting.

She thought being next to him would make things better.

But it only made it worse.

She had to watch him smile because of another woman.

Get angry because of another woman.

No matter how much she told herself to stop, her heart still raced at his presence.

“This is really too hard…”

“If it’s that hard, why don’t you just come inside? You’re blocking the entrance, you know.”

Startled, Dayun turned her head.

Standing there was—

“Oh? Oppa!”

It was Junseok.

Her club senior, her department senior.

And Jaehoon’s friend.

“I had a feeling it was you, Choi Dayun.”

“Holy— Oppa, what are you doing here?”

“My work studio is on the second floor of this villa.”

“Wait—”

Dayun’s eyes widened.

“Are you the drama writer next door?!”

Junseok chuckled.

“Drama writer? Hmm… yeah, I guess you could call me that.”

“Whoa!”

“Well, I’m just an assistant writer for now.”

“Still, that’s amazing!”

Junseok sat next to her and casually took the beer from her hand.

“So, what are you doing out here at this hour?”

“Uh… just needed some air.”

Junseok took a sip of beer and spoke without looking at her.

“Is it hard, living in a fake marriage? Or is it the one-sided love that’s harder?”

“…!”

Dayun stiffened.

“Gasp!”

How did Junseok know? Dayun looked more than just surprised—she looked shocked. Junseok then smiled brightly, as if her reaction was funny, and joked.

“What is it? Are you shocked because I know the marriage is fake, or because I know you have a crush on Jaehoon?”

It was early dawn, before the sun had even properly risen. Dayun ran out of the villa as if she were escaping. She looked around nervously, checking to see if she might run into Junseok.

“Phew…”

Realizing no one was around, she let out a sigh of relief. She felt awkward knowing Junseok had figured out everything, so she didn’t want to see him. Then, she remembered the text message he sent. It came shortly after she ran inside the villa to avoid him after being exposed.

[Don’t worry. Everyone already knows the marriage is fake. And the fact that you like Jaehoon… maybe only I know that? Anyway, I’ll keep it a secret. So if you ever need help, just call me. I’ll be there.]

It was a message from Junseok. It was hard to tell exactly what he meant, but somehow it gave her comfort. Still, one thing bothered her…

“So… when he said he’s the only one who knows I have a crush on my senior, does he really mean he’s the only one, or do others know too?”

While thinking about all this, Dayun eventually arrived at the apartment she lived in. She opened the front door and instinctively looked toward the living room—and was immediately surprised.

“Huh?”

It was because Jaehoon was sitting on the sofa, eyes closed, leaning back. He must have heard her presence because he soon opened his eyes and looked at her. How long did he stare? The way he looked at her for a long time made Dayun feel awkward, so she tried to act normal.

“You’re already awake?”

“Yeah… kind of…”

For some reason, his answer felt uncertain. Maybe he was also feeling awkward, because after staring at her, he quickly turned his head and pretended to be casual.

“Yeah. You’re just getting back?”

“Yes… I had more to write than I expected…”

“Okay, then go in and get some rest.”

After telling her to rest, Jaehoon stood up as well. He looked very tired, which made Dayun suddenly worried.

“Uh, breakfast…”

But instead of expressing concern properly, she blurted out something random. She quickly regretted it. After all, ever since they got married, he had never even eaten dinner at home, let alone breakfast. Why ask about breakfast now?

“I mean… I know you’re going to work… but I was wondering if you’d eat breakfast today…”

Her words were jumbled and awkward. She instantly regretted it again. But then, something unexpected came from him.

“Hey, today’s Sunday. Shouldn’t you sleep more? We both look tired.”

“Oh…”

She had completely forgotten. It was Sunday… Honestly, since she stayed at home all the time, she had long lost track of the days.

“Sorry, I watched a rerun of Regret of the Sun the day before yesterday, so I thought today was Saturday.”

“Pfft~”

Jaehoon burst out laughing at her words. He found it funny that she got confused about the day of the week because of a drama that aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Her face turned red. Feeling suddenly hot, she started fanning herself without thinking. Then, she looked at Jaehoon, who was still laughing like it was amusing.

“Senior, do you know something?”

“What?”

Jaehoon stopped laughing and tried to answer her seriously when he heard the sudden serious tone in her voice. But he still had a faint smile on his face.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you smile like that in front of me. I mean, if I don’t count last time—because I wasn’t sure if you were really smiling or just mocking me—then this is the first real smile.”

Jaehoon suddenly looked a bit embarrassed.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well… anyway, let’s say that’s true. Let’s both go rest in our rooms now. You and I both look terrible.”

“It’s true, right?”

“Yeah.”

Jaehoon passed by her and went toward his room. Dayun quietly watched him, but then flinched when he turned back and looked at her.

“W-What?”

“Nothing… if you’re going to give food, give it at lunch.”

“Huh?”

Dayun looked confused, not understanding what he meant. Jaehoon shook his head like he was frustrated.

“I mean food. A meal.”

“Oh…”

Then suddenly a thought popped into her head.

“By the way… aren’t you meeting your girlfriend today…?”

She was talking about Hyeyun. Even on weekends, Jaehoon was never home, so she always assumed he was with Hyeyun. But now, since he was staying even until lunch, she felt confused, though a little happy. But Jaehoon gave her a look like he didn’t understand why she was asking.

“It’s just that… you’ve always gone out on weekends…”

Then Jaehoon nodded as if he understood.

“Oh~ yeah. But I haven’t met Hyeyun on weekends.”

“What?”

“I’ve been working on weekends. Because of a project I was handling. It finally ended yesterday, so I’m just resting at home today.”

“Oh…”

Dayun suddenly felt ashamed. She had imagined Jaehoon and Hyeyun together every weekend and hurt herself over it, even crying sometimes. It felt silly now. Then, another question came to mind.

“Then… all those late nights and stuff were because of work?”

Jaehoon thought for a moment, then said,

“Well, mostly. But yeah, there were a few times it was because of Hyeyun too…”

The moment he said her name, Dayun flinched without realizing. But he didn’t notice and continued speaking.

“But the biggest reason… was you.”

“What?”

Dayun looked at him in surprise. She didn’t understand why he would say that.

“It was awkward. Even though it’s a marriage without love, the thought that the woman I married was in my house… I’m still a guy, you know. It made me nervous.”

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