A Marriage with A Reason - Chapter 80

On the other side, Dayun was sitting in her studio, writing. Tap tap tap. Perhaps she had been typing for a while, but soon she dropped both of her arms under the desk and tilted her head back.

Sigh… This is really… not coming together at all.

There was frustration in her closed eyes. She still had a lot of work to finish, and the deadline was just four days away. At that moment, her phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

Perhaps due to her frustration, Dayun picked up the phone without even checking who it was. As soon as she heard the voice, her eyes snapped open in surprise.

“… Yes, then I’ll see you in a little while. Yes…”

She ended the call, looking slightly dazed. The conversation hadn’t lasted long—had the second hand of the clock moved two full rotations?

“I guess I have to go.”

Dayun turned off her laptop and got up from her seat. But despite the resolve on her face, she was wandering around, unsure. She had this thought suddenly:

Do I still have things I need to say to her…?

In one word, she was worried. And scared. After all, the one who had called her was Miyoung.

Without even realizing how she prepared, Dayun left her studio and entered the place where she felt the appointment was closer than usual.

“Would you like to order?”

A sunbeam shone through the window, but the air conditioning made the spot near the window feel cozy.

“No, I’ll order when the other person arrives.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Dayun gazed out the window at the clear sky, but her face looked as though it was covered with dark clouds. Checking the time, she still had about 15 minutes to wait before the appointment time.

Sigh…

For no reason, Dayun picked up a cold cup of water, which had formed beads of condensation, and took a sip. The cold water moistened her mouth, but strangely enough, her insides felt drier than ever, as though they were cracking open like a parched land under intense pressure.

How long had she been nervously swallowing water? Soon, the sound of high heels tapping reached her ears.

“You’re early.”

The familiar voice made Dayun get up and bow her head slightly in greeting. Her awkwardness, the uneasy atmosphere, seemed to speak volumes about their current relationship. Miyoung sat down, and Dayun hesitantly followed her, sitting down as well. The atmosphere was still tense.

“I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to meet today… Do you still have things to say?”

“Things to say… I do, actually. There are things I need to say.”

Things to say? Dayun was curious but also afraid. What more could Miyoung possibly say to hurt her? Yet, Miyoung spoke calmly.

“Let’s order first. We can talk after that. A coffee, please.”

“… I’ll have the same.”

The two of them placed their order with the staff, and soon two cups of black coffee arrived, one with ice. Miyoung took a sip of hers, while Dayun fiddled with her own cup, waiting for Miyoung to speak.

Miyoung finally broke the silence.

“At first, it was just simple jealousy.”

Dayun stopped fiddling with her cup and turned her eyes to Miyoung.

“It was a sense of inferiority. You were just an ordinary woman with nothing, the daughter of a poor family who received support from our father. But you were always ahead of me, and now that I think about it, you were a thorn in my side.”

“…”

“I was always compared to you. I was scolded by my father for being worse than your mother, treated with contempt and disdain. I think I resented your mother for that. Why did she catch our father’s eye? Why was she getting support from our company? Why was she around me?”

“…”

“Honestly, I envied her. I envied your mother who was always ahead of me, and I envied her for receiving recognition from my father, something I never got. Then I found out that the person my father liked was your mother. It made me so angry. I thought he was taking away the one person I liked.”

Miyoung’s honest words, words Dayun had never heard, made Dayun unable to look away.

“First my father, and then that person… it felt like they were all taking away people I cared about. It sounds ridiculous now, but that was how I felt at the time. It always felt like the things I wanted were being taken away by you. In the end, you got married, but that uneasy feeling never went away. That person always put your mother first.”

Dayun could understand. She had felt that way too. She, too, had felt like the person she liked was always surrounded by someone much better than her. And that feeling of not being able to be that person caused a secret resentment.

“So, I think that made me resent your mother more. To comfort my own pain, to hide my miserable feelings, I wanted to think it was all because of your mother. Even though I knew deep down that she had done nothing wrong.”

“… So why are you telling me all of this now? Why suddenly…?”

This question confused Dayun. People are imperfect, so it’s understandable to feel jealousy. But that didn’t justify her actions towards Dayun herself. Miyoung spoke quietly.

“I know it’s just an excuse. You probably can’t understand why I did this to you. I regret it. I keep asking myself why I did it, why I hurt you when you did nothing wrong.”

“Do you think someone who knows that would still act like that?”

“I was foolish, selfish. I couldn’t accept my guilt about your mother, and I think that led me to make the same mistake again. Even though I knew it was wrong, I denied it. Now, I admit I was wrong.”

Admitting guilt was good, and it’s a positive step to regret one’s mistakes. But Dayun still couldn’t hide the doubt she felt.

“… Now you’re apologizing, but why? Why now, after everything you’ve done to me?”

She had believed Miyoung to be a good person, but it turned out it was all a mask.

“I’ve only just realized it myself. Ah, this was wrong. I hurt so many people… I’ve always been in discomfort too. I convinced myself that it wasn’t because of me, but now I see. And honestly, the biggest reason is my son, Jaehoon.”

“…”

“I was so selfish. All I could see was my own pain. But now, I realize I’ve hurt my son with my selfishness…”

Her sincere words made Dayun stop doubting her. Miyoung’s concern for her son was now evident.

The two women’s eyes met with understanding. Soon, Miyoung’s earnest voice broke the silence.

“I know you like Jaehoon. And I now realize he likes you too. I was wrong, I was selfish. But I’m admitting everything now… Please, let me be by my son’s side.”

“…”

“Give me one more chance, so I can be his mother.”

Dayun stared at her for a moment, then quickly ran out of the café.

Dayun ran. The place that had felt close earlier now seemed to stretch endlessly. But she didn’t stop running. Her heart pounded with excitement as she ran.

Finally, she reached her destination. It wasn’t the studio.

Ding ding ding!

“Ah, why isn’t this working? Senior!! Are you home?!”

She had arrived at the apartment where she and Jaehoon lived. Struggling with the trembling hands trying to input the password, Dayun started banging on the door. When there was no response, she grew anxious.

“Did he go to the company? That can’t be… Oppa! Oppa! Jaehoon oppa, open the door!!”

Meanwhile, Jaehoon had just returned from the convenience store with a bag of beer. He looked exhausted, his hair messy, and the smell of alcohol clung to him.

“Ha… When can I see you again…”

Jaehoon missed Dayun deeply. Despite Junseok’s advice to wait, he wanted to rush to her side immediately. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want to push her further away.

As he stood there with a complicated look, the elevator doors opened, and just as he was about to step out, he froze.

“Oppa!!! Jaehoon oppa!!!”

The familiar voice, one he had longed to hear, rang out. Jaehoon dropped everything he was holding and ran towards the sound. There she was, knocking on the door with small fists.

Without hesitation, he ran and embraced her tightly.

“I missed you.”

His tearful voice and the sudden embrace startled Dayun, but she smiled softly as Jaehoon’s scent filled her senses and his gentle voice comforted her. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him too.

“I missed you too, Oppa…”

The two of them held each other tightly, unwilling to let go, as if this moment together was a dream.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

Jaehoon hurriedly opened the door and led Dayun into their living room.

“By the way, why were you banging on the

door?”

“You weren’t answering, and I thought you might have left, so I was worried.”

“You’re cute.”

Jaehoon chuckled softly and patted her head. Then, they both sat on the couch, the silence no longer awkward.

It wasn’t easy, but after everything they had gone through, they were finally back. The misunderstandings were cleared, and they understood each other. Their reunion was the beginning of a new chapter.

Support A Marriage with A Reason