A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 74

“Thank you for the meal.”

The dinner, which felt both long and short, ended, and thanks to Jaehoon’s help, cleaning up afterward was much easier.

“Good job cleaning up, Dayun.”

“No, it’s nothing. You’re the one who helped a lot.”

“Oh, come on, you keep calling me ‘senior.’ It’s ‘oppa,’ not senior.”

Jaehoon frowned slightly when Dayun accidentally called him “senior” again. Then, with a pout, he mumbled.

“How many times do I have to hear it before it sticks? Can’t you just say ‘oppa’ when you see me?”

“I’ve called you ‘senior’ more often, that’s why. But from now on, I’ll definitely call you ‘oppa.'”

At Dayun’s words, Jaehoon couldn’t help but smile widely.

“Well, if you say so, I’ll believe you and let this be the last time. I’ll trust you.”

“Hehe, thank you. Anyway, you really worked hard today, ‘oppa.’ Driving, grilling the meat, helping clean up… it must have been exhausting.”

“Well, I think I’m a pretty good husband, right?”

At Jaehoon’s playful comment, Dayun smiled happily.

“Of course, you’re the best, most wonderful husband.”

Just as the sweet atmosphere was building, Miyoung, her face still damp from washing up, came into the living room. Dayun’s expression subtly stiffened, but Jaehoon, not noticing, smiled at Miyoung.

“Did you finish washing up?”

“Yes, you should wash up too.”

“Okay, we’ll go upstairs and wash up now.”

“Good. You’ve both worked hard today. Go rest after you wash up.”

With Miyoung’s words, Jaehoon smiled and grabbed Dayun’s hand to pull her along. Dayun, being pulled along, slightly lowered her head toward Miyoung.

“Good night, Mother.”

“Sleep well, and see you soon.”

An exchange of meaningful glances passed between the two, unnoticed by Jaehoon.

Once they got upstairs, Jaehoon, in a bright mood, grinned at Dayun.

“Tonight, we’re sleeping together, right?”

His expression made it clear that this was his goal all along.

“If I say no, will we sleep separately?”

“No, absolutely not. Tonight, we’re sleeping together. We’re a married couple, and this is a family trip.”

With Jaehoon wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Dayun smiled, knowing she couldn’t resist. Jaehoon, feeling her smile, continued with a grin.

“Do you want to wash up first?”

Soon, Dayun, neatly washed and in comfortable clothes, entered the room. Jaehoon also grabbed his clothes and left to wash up. Alone in the empty room, Dayun applied some skincare products, patted her face, and dried her wet hair. As she did, her mind wandered to the conversation she would have with Miyoung later.

“I wonder what she’s going to say?”

The issue about her late mother, the different side of her mother she hadn’t known, made her feel anxious and a little pained.

“Ah, I shouldn’t think about it. I’ll find out later.”

Though she told herself not to think about it, she couldn’t stop her thoughts. Just then, Jaehoon came back into the room, his hair still damp, and stared at Dayun in surprise.

“Still drying your hair?”

“Huh? You’re done already?”

“Done? It’s been about 15 minutes, I think.”

“Ah… has it really been that long?”

Jaehoon, having applied his skin care, sat next to Dayun, gently taking the blow dryer from her.

“Why are you still drying it? Look, it’s still wet.”

He started drying her hair carefully.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything special.”

“Today, you’re acting a little strange. You’ve been out of it, not talking much, barely eating lunch or dinner. Is something wrong?”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong.”

“Well, I’m relieved, but you’ve been acting differently, and that makes me worry.”

Hearing Jaehoon’s worried voice made Dayun feel guilty. So, she took the blow dryer from him and began drying his hair.

“Oh, you’re doing well. With you doing this, I feel like my eyes are getting heavy.”

Jaehoon seemed to enjoy it, closing his eyes and savoring Dayun’s touch.

“Alright, all done. Are you going to sleep now, ‘senior’?”

It was strange how his head kept drooping lower. Before long, Jaehoon had fallen asleep, and seeing him like that made Dayun smile like a mother. She gently pulled him up and laid him down.

“Ah… he’s heavy.”

He was definitely heavy, but as she looked at the sleeping Jaehoon, all her worries seemed to melt away.

“Look at him sleeping. Who would think of him as my ‘oppa’? He’s like a baby.”

Both Dayun and Jaehoon affectionately looked at each other as they lay in bed, their gazes filled with love for one another.

After a while, Dayun, still staring at Jaehoon as he slept, gently lay down beside him. She playfully poked his cheek, ran her fingers through his dark eyebrows, and breathed in his scent.

“Hmm… oh!”

Perhaps she had dozed off, but when Dayun looked around, she saw Jaehoon still peacefully asleep beside her. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised to see it was almost 2 a.m.

“Oh no… what should I do?”

Dayun quickly but carefully got out of bed, making sure not to wake Jaehoon. She turned off the lights and stepped out of the room, greeted by the pitch-black darkness outside.

“Is she asleep already?”

In the darkness, a sudden worry crept in—was Miyoung already asleep, exhausted from waiting?

When she reached the first floor, she saw a faint light coming from under Miyoung’s door. Relieved, Dayun carefully knocked.

“Come in.”

Miyoung’s voice called out, and Dayun slowly opened the door. Inside, Miyoung was sitting on the bed, reading a book under the soft light of a desk lamp. Seeing Dayun enter, Miyoung closed the book and spoke.

“It’s later than I thought.”

“Sorry, I was just lying down for a moment and fell asleep.”

“It’s okay, sit down.”

Miyoung pointed to the table in the corner of the room.

“No, I’ll just stand and listen.”

“This might take a while…”

“It’s fine.”

Miyoung nodded as if to say, “do as you please,” and sat down, ready to talk.

“Well then, let’s get to it.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“I’ll keep it simple and go straight to the point. It’ll be easier for both of us.”

Dayun swallowed hard as she listened to Miyoung’s voice.

“Your mother was my enemy. Why? Because your mother was the first love of the man I loved.”

“… What?”

The words stunned Dayun, her eyes wide in disbelief.

“What do you mean…”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but Miyoung continued.

“Your husband, and now your husband’s father, both loved your mother. And they loved her very passionately.”

The truth of it hit Dayun like a shock, and she struggled to process it.

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