A Marriage So Lethal (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
Even Cha Gang Woo, the man who ruled the world, looked momentarily stunned.
Soon after, his eyes—cold when he wasn’t smiling—narrowed slightly.
“Are you angry I delayed filing our marriage registration? I was busy with that collaboration deal, and I even asked for your understanding.”
“Yes, I said I’d understand. Back then, you were so busy you couldn’t even go on our honeymoon.”
“…….”
“Honestly, it worked out for the better—no unnecessary complications.”
Se Ah, who had briefly stepped into the room and returned, placed a desk calendar open in front of him. His gaze settled on the calendar, dotted here and there with red circles.
After a pause, his dark eyes filled completely with confusion.
“I marked the days you came home early. The days we had dinner together.”
“Hah. You really planned this thoroughly.”
Chuckling lowly, he picked up the calendar. Flipping forward one page at a time from the current month of September, he saw some months with three circles, and rarely, even four.
“So this is how you express that I’ve been indifferent to our marriage.”
“I’m not blaming you.”
“Yet you never once mentioned this as a grievance—until suddenly bringing up divorce.”
“You’ve always prioritized your business over anything else. Even if I’d said something, it wouldn’t have changed that.”
Leaning back slightly against the chair, Gang Woo looked down at Se Ah. The coldest smile he’d ever seen passed over her face.
“Then why marry me at all? You couldn’t possibly have been unaware things would turn out like this.”
When Se Ah fell completely silent, he pressed slowly forward.
“We never dated, but you’ve known me long enough—you know I’m not the warm, affectionate type.”
Uncharacteristically growling, his tone roughened, and the corners of his eyes lifted sharply, as if tearing open. After staring fixedly at his face for a moment, Se Ah finally spoke.
“If you break up with me, it’ll be easier for you too. No more forcing yourself to schedule time for meals, sharing a bed, or sending your secretary to handle gifts on anniversaries.”
His eyebrows, which had struggled to maintain calm until now, sharply arched upward.
“Just let me go. Living with you—I can’t do it anymore.”
“…….”
“There’s really nothing much to settle between us. We don’t have children, nor documents needing sorting.”
Gang Woo looked dazed at Se Ah’s calm tone. Leaving him like that, she stood up first.
“It must be uncomfortable for you to live here with me, so I’ll move out as soon as possible.”
“Ji Se Ah.”
Standing up, Gang Woo seized her wrist as if snatching it.
Tears brimmed in her clear eyes, but she didn’t cry.
Instinct told him this wasn’t some petulant remark—and his stomach churned.
“Still, I don’t regret marrying you, Gang Woo. I truly mean that.”
Ignoring the flicker in Gang Woo’s trembling gaze, Se Ah gently pulled her hand away. After coldly returning to the bedroom, she leaned back against the door.
Perhaps, for Gang Woo, this marriage had always belonged to the realm of duty—just like when he taught children at the orphanage back then.
Faint memories of eight years finally dissolved—into tears.
** ** **
Se Ah grew up in a childcare facility on the outskirts of Seoul.
Though each child arrived there under different circumstances, there was one scenario all secretly envied: being reclaimed by long-dreamed-of parents or relatives.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, she never even needed to indulge in such futile fantasies—having been transferred to the infant care center almost immediately after birth, according to the director.
Years blanketed in long loneliness and emptiness passed, and she turned seventeen. With mandatory departure looming at eighteen, her future felt pitch-black. Her grades were excellent, yet university felt like a luxury given her circumstances.
Still, she kept studying. If she excelled academically—even just that—she might at least live an ordinary life.
Not long before midterms, Se Ah was studying quietly in an isolated room. Lifting her head at the sound of movement, she found the director already beside her—unusually, the usual stiffness in her mouth had softened somewhat.
“Studying going well?”
“Yes.”
“I think you’ll hear some good news soon. Go change into something neat and come back.”
The director glanced down at Se Ah’s dark jeans, knees heavily scuffed and nearly visible.
Without a word of protest, Se Ah returned to her room and changed into her cleanest outfit.
Soon after, she entered the director’s office. In the center of the room, the director and two strangers faced each other on a long sofa—a sharp-featured middle-aged man and a strikingly young, handsome one.
“Se Ah, come here.”
At the director’s unusually warm gesture, Se Ah approached and bowed politely to the strangers whose identities she didn’t know.
“This is the girl.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze lingered on Se Ah, piercing as if examining her thoroughly—his expression meticulous and dispassionate.
“I heard her name is Ji Se Ah.”
Uncertain of the situation, Se Ah glanced quickly at the director. He smiled faintly, his tone now softer than before.
“I’m not some bad old man, so don’t be too formal. I’d like to sponsor you, Se Ah.”
He handed her his business card.
Cha Nam Tae. Later, she learned he was immensely wealthy—the entirety of Seoul reportedly fell within his domain. A former university dean and head of a nonprofit organization, he was also a likely secretary to a presidential candidate.
True to his academic roots, he claimed deep interest in education, personally selecting and mentoring scholarship students from orphanages nationwide.
She’d heard plenty from her older “sisters” at the facility—about the rare, lucky chance of gaining a guardian. Amid her despair, it felt like a ray of sunlight breaking through.
Se Ah stated she was currently a first-year student at Hwa Min High School and aspired to join a major corporation someday.
Nam Tae, who might become her guardian, looked satisfied.
“She seems remarkably intelligent.”
At Nam Tae’s words, the director’s mouth curved into a pleased smile.
“She’s sharp enough never to lose the top spot in school.”
Se Ah briefly glanced at the young man who hadn’t once met her eyes.
“Cha Gang Woo. Now that you’re here, at least acknowledge your younger sister.”
Only then, prompted by his father’s teasing chastisement, did Gang Woo finally meet Se Ah’s gaze—without speaking, merely giving the faintest nod.
“Director, I’m sure there’s something I can assist you with?”
“Well—if it’s alright with you…”
The director paused mid-sentence and glanced sideways at Gang Woo.
“Ever since the semester began, the number of university student volunteers has dropped sharply… So, it’d be a great help if someone could tutor the children.”
“My son can handle it. He may not look it, but he’s from a prestigious university.”
Gang Woo, who’d been gazing elsewhere, turned to his father with an incredulous expression.
Though fleeting, to Se Ah—who’d survived on reading people’s moods—it was unmistakable:
the subtle arch of his thick brows, the faint downturn of his lips—his entire expression clearly reluctant.
For some reason, she quietly smiled. In that instant, their eyes met—his dark pupils, like spilled black ink, entwined briefly before slipping past.
** ** **
Though it seemed forced upon him, surprisingly, he carried out his role as assistant teacher responsibly—attending faithfully once or twice a month for a year.
She, who had never waited for anyone, began counting the Saturdays he came. Compared to Gang Woo at twenty-three, the boys her age in her class seemed like infants.
Unlike those restless boys who darted around the classroom like stray kittens, Gang Woo’s steps carried rhythm and dignity.
Ji Se Ah—when he called her name from behind and she turned, he never played childish pranks like poking her cheek. His smiles were never excessive, and even the faint scent clinging to him felt deep and chic.
The day before he came, she’d unnecessarily mark up her textbooks with highlighters—even though she already knew the material. Not only that: she’d oversleep after spending over an hour picking out unremarkable clothes, and act like a fool, lowering her head whenever he happened to glance her way meaninglessly.
“Are you listening?”
Gang Woo leaned back and tapped his pen firmly against the math worksheet.
“…Yes, Teacher.”
“You’re really the top student in school?”
Thick suspicion clouded his dark eyes. Unsure what he meant, Se Ah’s heart lurched—had he noticed she was feigning ignorance?
“This is absolute basics.”
“…Ah, sorry.”
Smirking lightly, Gang Woo explained once more. He suggested she keep an error log and repeatedly revisit incorrect problems until they were ingrained. As he briskly gathered his things to leave, he turned back and glanced at her.
“Today’s the final lesson. A better teacher will come.”
Stunned into silence by this sudden farewell, Se Ah couldn’t utter a word—though she felt she had so much to say to him, she didn’t know where to begin. Watching her dumbfounded expression, Gang Woo’s lips curved faintly upward.
“Get into the university you want.”
Through pouring rain, he disappeared from sight.
She secretly waited for him at the facility until her departure—just in case he’d ever return, even once.
She didn’t even know what she felt—it was her first love, a quiet, unknowing ache.
** ** **
After her departure from the facility, Nam Tae prepared housing for Se Ah and covered her university tuition and living expenses.
One day, when Nam Tae summoned her, a reporter was already seated there. Se Ah gave an interview about her guardian, and the heartwarming story quickly spread.
Nam Tae, steadily progressing toward a political career, successfully won his first election as a National Assembly member.
Time rushed by. Due to taking a semester off, she graduated alongside the chrysanthemum blooms of autumn. Se Ah disliked these kinds of days—knowing no one would come for her.
So she planned merely to collect her diploma from her former professor and head straight home—until Hyun Sook called.
“Se Ah!”
Hyun Sook stood cheerfully waving in front of the Humanities Building.
“Madam, how have you been?”
“Yes, and you’ve grown even prettier since we last met! Here, take this.”
It was clearly a specially ordered bouquet, with a note nestled among the petals: *“Cheering on Se Ah, the new professional!”*
Hyun Sook, Nam Tae’s wife, had always been warmhearted—inviting Se Ah home or to restaurants for birthdays, holidays, or Christmas. Occasionally, if lucky, she’d even see Gang Woo.
“How did you know?”
“I asked Gang Woo. When I asked about your graduation date, he looked it up online for me.”
“Oh.”
Hearing his name after so long, her ears tingled. She knew he’d become CEO of a company, yet still wondered how he was doing—it had been a whole year.
Riding with Hyun Sook, they arrived at an upscale restaurant.
The dazzling lighting, modern décor, and antique yet elegant vase sitting on the square table all pleased her.
“Do you like the atmosphere? I asked our youngest housemaid, and she said this place is trending lately.”
“Yes, it’s absolutely lovely.”
Graciously accepting the compliment, Hyun Sook answered an incoming call. Gang Woo’s voice drifted faintly through the receiver—his low, weighty tone making her heart flutter each time she caught it.
After ending the brief call, Hyun Sook opened the menu and placed it before Se Ah.
“It’s our Se Ah’s graduation celebration—order anything you want.”
“Thank you.”
Though Hyun Sook had said that, Se Ah instinctively prepared to choose modestly—she’d never set foot in such a place otherwise, and struggled with the menu.
“Oh—and I invited Gang Woo too. Is that alright?”
“What?”
“It’s such a special day—it’d feel incomplete if only I celebrated you. Besides, you two already know each other.”
Caught off guard by Hyun Sook’s sudden remark, Se Ah froze—having thrown on any old clothes since no one was expected… of all times.
Just as she opened her mouth, a tall shadow loomed over her.
“It’s been a while.”
Meeting him again after a year, he looked even more handsome than in her dreams.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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