A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 68

The quiet master bedroom was empty, but soon, the silence was broken by the loud ringing of a phone. The door quickly opened, and Dayun rushed in to answer the call.

“Hello?”

Who could it be? Dayun’s face brightened with a big smile as she nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll ask after I get off work. Yes, take care.”

As soon as the call ended, she started preparing to leave in a hurry.

“I need to bring my research notes… Oh, and the reference materials too.”

The place Dayun headed to wasn’t anything special. As always, it was the workspace. It was a familiar place, but since she hadn’t been there in a while, she felt excited. Maybe today, her writing would flow even better—at least, that’s how it felt.

“Shall I go in?”

Feeling inspired, she hurried her steps, eager to start writing. But just as she was about to enter, a voice stopped her.

“Oh, Dayun!”

“Huh? Junseok?”

It had been a while since she last came to the workspace, and coincidentally, she ran into Junseok. His face lit up with happiness, clearly pleased by the unexpected meeting.

“It’s been a while! Are you here to work?”

“Yes. What about you, senior?”

“I just went to buy some food. I’ve been staying home a lot these past few days.”

“I see.”

Junseok shook the bag in his hand, but as soon as Dayun saw what was inside, her face twisted in disapproval.

“Wait, is this all instant noodles?”

The bag was filled with various types of ramen.

“Are you only eating ramen? Every time I see you, you’re always eating instant food.”

“Haha… Well, it’s the easiest and most convenient.”

“Still…”

“Besides, whether you’re good at cooking or not, instant noodles always taste amazing.”

Junseok grinned and proudly gave a thumbs-up. Seeing his cheerful expression, Dayun couldn’t help but shake her head. No matter how delicious it was, eating instant food too often wasn’t good for his health.

“So, are you planning to eat that for lunch too?”

“Probably?”

“Then why don’t you come to my workspace later? Let’s have a proper meal together, something other than ramen.”

After a brief thought, Dayun invited Junseok to eat at her place. Since she trusted him like a real older brother, she couldn’t help but worry about his eating habits.

“Really? Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Of course. Come over a little after noon.”

Junseok’s face beamed with happiness.

“Alright!”

“Oh, but just so you know, the menu is up to the chef.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Having lunch together after so long made him excited.

Meanwhile, at the office, someone spoke up.

“Hey, it’s lunchtime. Let’s go eat.”

At those words, the employees quickly wrapped up their work and got up from their seats.

“I’m starving. What’s for lunch today?”

“I heard it’s a special menu today.”

“Yeah, it’s samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).”

Hearing that, everyone’s expressions brightened, and they hurried to the cafeteria.

“Oh, samgyetang! We should hurry before the line gets too long.”

“Yeah. I’ll go get the team leader.”

One of the employees headed to Jaehoon’s office. Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

As usual, Jaehoon was busy reviewing documents, his hands moving swiftly.

‘Wow, he looks so cool when he’s focused.’

People say that men are most attractive when they’re concentrated on something, and at this moment, even another male employee had to admit Jaehoon looked impressive.

“What is it?”

“Oh, it’s lunchtime.”

Jaehoon glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already past noon.

“Ah… Time went by so fast.”

“Shall we go eat?”

“You guys go ahead. I’ll finish this and come later.”

“Oh… Alright.”

Even though the employee invited him to join, Jaehoon shook his head and sent him off. He wasn’t hungry enough to stop working, and he wanted to finish what he was doing first.

Instead of eating, Jaehoon got himself a cup of coffee and returned to his desk. The warm drink soothed his fatigue as he took a sip. Then, suddenly, he thought of Dayun.

“Did she eat yet?”

He always worried about her around this time, hoping she was eating well even when she was alone. Unable to resist his concern, he picked up his phone and dialed her number—one he had memorized by heart.

‘Yes, Jaehoon—oh, I mean, Jaehoon oppa.’

Hearing her voice, Jaehoon couldn’t help but smile. She had almost called him “senior” but corrected herself to “oppa,” and for some reason, that made him incredibly happy. If anyone saw him, they’d think he had lost his mind.

‘What’s up? Have you eaten?’

“Well… What about you? Have you eaten yet? Or are you eating now?”

‘Not yet. I’m in the middle of making something.’

“Oh? What are you making?”

‘Nothing special. I’m just frying some rice and making omurice with what I have in the workspace.’

“Oh, that sounds delicious. But isn’t it lonely eating alone?”

‘Huh? Oh, I’m not eating alone today.’

“What?”

Jaehoon froze. What did she mean? Just as he was about to ask more, he heard a doorbell through the phone. Then, Dayun spoke.

‘Hold on a second. Someone’s here.’

Jaehoon strained his ears to listen. Then, he frowned deeply when he heard a familiar voice.

‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’

It was Junseok. His voice was clear as day. Trying to hide his irritation, Jaehoon spoke calmly.

“Junseok came over?”

‘Yeah, I ran into him earlier and invited him to have lunch together.’

“I see…”

But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t stop the irritation from creeping in. Even worse, he heard Junseok shout through the phone.

‘Hey, we’re about to eat! Hurry and hang up!’

Jaehoon disliked how Junseok spoke so casually, but even more than that, he was annoyed because he knew Junseok liked Dayun.

‘Sorry, Junseok is really hungry, so I should hang up now.’

“Yeah, I have work to do anyway. Enjoy your meal. Oh, and make sure Junseok does the dishes.”

‘Oh, I can do it myself.’

“No way. You cooked, so he has to clean. You shouldn’t overwork yourself.”

From the other end, Junseok’s voice rang out again.

‘Don’t worry. I was going to do it anyway. Now hurry up and end the call. I’m starving!’

Jaehoon muttered under his breath, “Ugh, that annoying bastard…”

‘Huh? What did you just say?’

“Nothing. Just enjoy your meal. See you later.”

‘Okay. See you later, Jaehoon oppa.’

Hearing her call him “oppa” again made him smile. It was like magic—it instantly lifted his mood.

But then, a thought hit him.

“Wait… She probably calls Junseok oppa too. And probably more naturally than when she says it to me.”

His smile faded. He was jealous.

“Sigh… Should I just move her workspace somewhere else?”

It was a silly, stubborn, and undeniably cute kind of jealousy.

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