A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 70

Two days before the weekend, as promised, Dayun made omurice for Jaehoon that evening.

“Wow, this looks really delicious.”

“Really? Go ahead, try it.”

With Dayun’s excited gaze following him, Jaehoon carefully took a bite of the omurice. The rich flavor of the rice mixed with various vegetables and ham, all wrapped in egg, made Jaehoon give a thumbs-up.

“It’s really delicious. You could open a restaurant right now and no one would be surprised.”

“Thank goodness. Eat a lot.”

“Yeah, you eat too.”

At his compliment, Dayun smiled brightly and picked up her spoon. Taking a bite, she found it tasted as good as Jaehoon had said. It was probably even more delicious because of his praise, though. As they sat facing each other, enjoying their meal, Dayun suddenly remembered something she had forgotten to tell him.

“Oh, right. I had something to tell you, Oppa…”

“…What is it?”

Still awkward with using “Oppa,” Dayun gave a slight, uncomfortable look. It was the same for Jaehoon. Although he liked the word, it still felt a bit embarrassing.

“Lately, I’ve been a bit out of it, and I forgot to mention this. My mom called me the other day.”

“Your mom? From your hometown?”

At hearing about his mother, Jaehoon put his spoon down on the table and turned his attention to her. He wondered if something had happened.

“No, not my mom from my hometown.”

“Ah… why?”

But when Dayun mentioned her mother, she was referring to his biological mother, not her own. Maybe that was why he felt uneasy. Even though they had been distant, she was his real mother, and now that she was alone, he couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing Dayun shake her head as if to reassure him, Jaehoon relaxed.

“No, it’s nothing serious. She just wanted us to go on a trip together.”

“A trip?”

For a moment, Jaehoon was relieved, but the word “trip” immediately caught his attention.

“Yeah. It’s not a complicated trip, just somewhere nearby. She wanted us to go, eat together, and stay for a night. So, I said I would ask you and then call her.”

“Oh… When is it?”

“This weekend.”

“Ah… in two days… Ah…”

It was understandable. He had never really gone on a proper family trip with his father, and even if he did, it was always reluctantly, staying in a room. To suddenly go on a trip with his biological mother, whom he hadn’t lived with for years, was unexpected and a little overwhelming. Seeing Jaehoon look lost in thought, Dayun began to worry if he was upset about her mentioning it so late.

“But, I totally forgot… If you tell me what you think, I’ll let my mom know. What… what do you think, Oppa?”

“Well… It’s a bit sudden, but… what do you think?”

“Me? Me?”

“Yeah, if you’re okay with it, I think it should be fine. If you go, I’ll go too.”

Honestly, for Dayun, going on a trip with her mother-in-law wasn’t an easy thing, especially when it was a mother-in-law she hadn’t known for long. But to her, the most important thing was helping Jaehoon and his mother get closer, even if just a little.

“Hmm… I think it’s fine. Let’s go.”

She wanted to make the relationship between them feel more natural, even if it couldn’t be the same as before.

“Okay, let’s pack this… Oh, I need to pack this too.”

It was the night before the trip, Friday evening. Thanks to Jaehoon taking a day off on Saturday, they planned to leave on Saturday and return on Sunday. Dayun was busy packing her clothes and other things.

“It’s just one night, so I guess we don’t need to pack much.”

Actually, they were going to a villa owned by Jaehoon’s mother, Miyoung, so most things would be provided. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Jaehoon entered.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, I was packing for tomorrow.”

“Ah… Okay.”

“Oppa, have you packed everything?”

“Yeah.”

When Jaehoon said that, Dayun stopped packing and looked at him. Her jaw dropped in surprise.

“Oppa! What’s all this?!”

“Huh? It’s just luggage. By the way, why are you calling me ‘senpai’ again? You should be calling me ‘Oppa’.”

“That’s just because I was surprised… But that’s not the point! We’re only going for one night, and it’s to your mom’s villa, where everything is already there.”

That’s right—Jaehoon was holding several large trunks. For a one-night trip, she couldn’t understand why he needed so much. But Jaehoon, seemingly unfazed, dragged the trunks into the room and sat on the bed, looking a bit smug.

“I know it’s just one night.”

“Then why is all this here? Oppa, are you going to move abroad or something? Are we moving?”

“Ah, I told you not to call me ‘senpai.’”

Jaehoon, not happy with the repeated use of “senpai,” gave Dayun a displeased look as she unwittingly said it again due to her surprise.

“What’s with all this luggage?”

“Are you curious?”

“Of course I am. What is all this?”

Seeing Dayun’s curiosity, Jaehoon gave her a sly grin, as if he had something up his sleeve.

“If you call me ‘Oppa’ ten times, I’ll tell you.”

“Ugh…”

And there it was again… “Oppa.”

His condition seemed devious. Dayun had already said “senpai” out of habit, which only made it feel more difficult to say “Oppa.”

“I’m trying hard to call you ‘Oppa,’ but it’s not coming naturally.”

“Well, if you keep saying it while looking at me, it might start feeling more natural.”

“Ugh…”

“Look into my eyes and call me ‘Oppa.’ Then I’ll be all sweet and say ‘Oh, our Dayun~’ and spoil you.”

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy. Oppa… I know you can tell how cheesy it is.”

“Ha, still calling me ‘senpai’… Don’t avoid the question, just say ‘Oppa’ and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

With no way around it, Dayun sighed deeply and muttered “Oppa” under her breath, almost like a spell.

“Hey, I can’t hear you. Say it louder.”

It was so frustrating. Finally, Dayun, feeling a bit annoyed, shouted louder.

“Oppa!! Oppa!! Jaehoon Oppa!! Is that enough?”

“Well… you were a bit angry, but okay.”

“Wow… you know that was really annoying, right?”

“I’m not sure.”

Jaehoon shrugged as if he didn’t care. Dayun, not wanting to seem too upset, glanced at him, but then asked again.

“So, what’s with all this stuff? Why is there so much?”

“This?”

Dayun nodded, and Jaehoon slowly began to unpack the bags.

“First, the clothes and underwear are in here. The boxes outside are my things.”

“There are boxes too? Where are you going?”

The more she listened, the more confused she became.

“I’m going somewhere, yeah. From that room to this one.”

“What?”

Jaehoon pointed toward one room and then the other, but Dayun still didn’t get it. When she finally understood, she was stunned.

“I’m moving from that room into this one with you.”

“Huh? Why? Why?”

“Why? Because it’s natural for a married couple to share a room.”

“That’s true, but…”

“I told you last time, let’s move in together. Haven’t I waited long enough? Men don’t have a lot of patience, especially when they live with a woman they like.”

And Dayun’s face turned bright red.

“Of course, I know. You’re not ready to fully accept me yet, so you need more time. But if I don’t make a move, it’ll take forever.”

“Ah…”

“I don’t want to rush into anything deep with you now. I’m not saying I want us to have a baby right away. But we don’t have much time. We’re getting older, and things will change, both physically and otherwise. Before all that happens, I want to live a little more happily with you. Will you accept my choice?”

His gentle, serious whisper made Dayun shiver as Jaehoon moved closer.

“You’re sweetly saying you want to sleep, laugh, and live in the same room. Is that why they say men are like wolves? You can fall so quickly.”

“Does that mean you’ll accept my choice?”

“Why are you checking again? Of course, I’ll be with you, now and forever.”

“Thank you. But…”

Jaehoon paused, and Dayun raised her head to look at him. The way he was so close to her, as if he were about to kiss her, made her heart race.

Jaehoon slowly wrapped his arms around her back and whispered softly.

“Not all men are wolves. Only those who have a woman they love turn into wolves.”

Then, he leaned in and gently kissed her lips. On that night, a man, who had fallen in love with one woman, whispered love to her, becoming a wolf who would always look at only one person.

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