A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 71

Click, click, whoosh~

In the early morning, the sound of busy hands in the kitchen echoed. Looking closely, Dayun was blending fruit in the blender. Seeing this, Jaehoon, adjusting his clothes, entered the kitchen and asked, looking puzzled.

“Hey? What are you doing? Didn’t you say everything was ready over there?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Without delay, Jaehoon stood right next to Dayun.

“But what are you doing?”

“It’s nothing special. I was just making some sandwiches for breakfast and making juice with the fruit.”

“Really? Ah, don’t do that, it’s too much.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not difficult, and your mom might not have breakfast, right?”

At that moment, Jaehoon gently patted her head. He felt grateful for Dayun, who had already gotten her hands wet early in the morning to take care of both him and his mother.

“Thank you for thinking of my mom too.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just something I should do.”

In the end, Jaehoon, looking at her affectionately, stretched his arms to hug her.

“How do you speak so beautifully?”

“Ah, you’re making me embarrassed again. Is everything ready? We need to pick up my mom and leave soon.”

However, before he could finish, Dayun quickly slipped under his arm and moved behind him. Jaehoon, looking a little disappointed and dissatisfied, couldn’t hide his feelings and pouted.

“I’m ready. What about you, have you finished?”

“Yes. I’m dressed and just finished preparing breakfast.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so shall we go now?”

Dayun, holding Jaehoon’s arm, smiled. Though Jaehoon seemed slightly upset, her gesture seemed to work, as his face soon softened into a smile.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The car smoothly traveled down the road, eventually reaching a quiet, elegant neighborhood. It stopped in front of a large house. Dayun, who was visiting Miyoung’s house for the first time, was surprised by how big it was, her mouth opening slightly.

“Is this your mom’s house?”

“Yes.”

“She lives alone… Wow, this house is quite big.”

“Ah, this house used to belong to my grandparents. They’ve passed away now, and my mom lives here alone.”

“Ah… I see.”

Hearing that she lived alone in such a big house made Dayun feel a bit heavy-hearted. She couldn’t help but think:

‘How lonely must she have been here alone?’

In the past, even though she wasn’t alone, she still felt lonely with her brother Da-on because their parents were always busy. Lost in thought, Dayun was snapped out of it when Jaehoon came closer.

“My mom will be out soon.”

“Did you call her?”

“Yeah, I told her I was out front, and she said she knew.”

Before Dayun could respond, the front gate opened, and Miyoung came out.

“Are you out?”

“Hello, Mom!”

Miyoung smiled warmly and greeted them in return.

“I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

“We just got here, don’t worry.”

“Really?”

As the conversation continued between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Jaehoon took Miyoung’s luggage and said,

“Dayun, get in the car. I’ll put the luggage in the trunk.”

“Could you do that?”

“Of course, get in.”

As Jaehoon turned to place the luggage in the trunk, Dayun and Miyoung reached for the car. However, to Dayun’s surprise, they both reached for the front passenger side. Feeling a little flustered, Dayun couldn’t hide her confusion, while Miyoung remained calm. Eventually, Miyoung’s hand touched the passenger-side door handle first.

“Sorry, do you mind if I sit in the front? I thought it would be nice to sit with my son for a change.”

“Ah…”

“Is that alright? You don’t mind, right?”

“Of course, it’s fine. Please, go ahead.”

Dayun, briefly flustered, quickly smiled and nodded. After all, she realized that as a mother, Miyoung would naturally want to sit next to her son. Though it was typical for the daughter-in-law to sit next to the son, Miyoung and Jaehoon hadn’t had much time together recently, so it was understandable. So, with a smile, Dayun got into the back seat.

Soon after, Jaehoon entered the car and saw Miyoung sitting in the front and Dayun in the back. He looked at them with mild surprise.

“Did mom decide to sit in the front?”

“Yeah, that’s what she wanted.”

“Why?”

“Well, Dayun said it’s her first trip with you, so it would be nice if you two sat together.”

“Really?”

Miyoung smiled at Dayun as if confirming her words, but something about her smile felt off to Dayun. Still, she nodded in agreement, but inside, she couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort.

“Yeah, that’s right. She’s so thoughtful, I’m really thankful.”

“Dayun is beautiful inside and out.”

As Jaehoon complimented her naturally, Dayun felt a little awkward but was more bothered by Miyoung’s behavior than the compliment. It seemed like Jaehoon didn’t notice anything unusual.

“I never thought my son would become such a fool. They say men change after they get married, but I didn’t expect it from him. I wonder if it’s because of our excellent daughter-in-law? And now he’s more playful. He used to be so stiff, but now he’s more charming.”

“Actually, Dayun says that too, these days.”

Dayun started to wonder if she was being too sensitive. Miyoung’s words might just be a harmless white lie. But as the conversation continued, Dayun couldn’t shake the uneasiness growing in her.

“Playful?”

“Yeah, he says cheesy things now. I think he’s more expressive with his feelings because he’s so in love with Dayun.”

“Wow, our son really changed. He’s totally in love with Dayun. I don’t even know what’s so attractive about her.”

Miyoung said this while looking at Dayun with a strange, almost disdainful look. Dayun felt uncomfortable, like she was being examined. But Jaehoon, focusing on driving, didn’t seem to notice any of this.

The more Dayun heard Jaehoon talk about how much he loved her, the more she sighed quietly, her mind growing heavy. Something felt off about Miyoung today.

‘Is this trip going to be okay?’

A wave of unease washed over her. It felt like something might go wrong.

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