A Marriage with an Expiry (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
Hyun Woo’s appearance overwhelmed even the boisterous atmosphere.
Yet his sharp voice instantly wiped the laughter off everyone’s faces.
He had tracked her down even to this department dinner and was now abruptly demanding that a new resident—on her very first day—stand up.
Yoo So Ri wondered just what kind of trouble she’d caused for Professor Seo Hyun Woo to be this furious.
Everyone watched the two of them with eyes full of that same question.
Se Hoon, who had just been pouring drinks for So Ri, also sensed something was off and began cautiously stealing glances at Hyun Woo.
So Ri was still dazed from the strong whiskey she’d downed too quickly.
Her eyes, brimming with tears, were unfocused.
“What are you doing, Dr. Yoo So Ri? Get a grip. The professor’s calling you.”
Se Hoon, trying to nudge So Ri on Hyun Woo’s behalf, couldn’t finish his sentence.
Crash!
He froze mid-sentence—startled by the sound of So Ri’s glass being snatched from her hand and slammed onto the table, then completely silenced by Hyun Woo’s icy glare when he turned toward him.
“Was it you who did this to her?”
“Huh? No, Professor! Dr. Yoo was perfectly fine just a moment ago—why’s she like this all of a sudden? Hong Eun Seok, get her some water.”
Everyone had been freely chatting and slowly enjoying the dinner party.
So why did Yoo So Ri now look like she was about to cry?
“Dr. Yoo, stop pretending you’re drunk and go get some fresh air. Must’ve been so nervous on your first day that the alcohol finally hit you. Professor, I guess a first-year resident’s mental strength is just naturally a bit weak.”
What on earth?
For a split second, Hyun Woo nearly let out an exasperated, hollow laugh.
Eun Seok and Jong Woo, who’d been watching Se Hoon, quickly turned their heads to hide their stiffening expressions.
Hyun Woo checked the half-empty whiskey bottle in front of Se Hoon.
Just as fury threatened to spill out in even harsher words—
“Professor Seo, don’t do that. Since you’re already here, why not sit down for a bit?”
The department head, seated at the head table behind them, spoke up.
“I don’t know what trouble this sharp kid caused, but cut her some slack today. It’s her first day, after all.”
Thanks to Department Head Park Seok Gu, who was playing the benevolent superior, So Ri suddenly seemed like a rookie resident who’d just committed a grave offense yet still showed up to the dinner.
“If I’ve ruined the mood, I apologize.”
Hyun Woo bowed politely to the department head.
His initial intention—to immediately take So Ri and leave—shifted.
“Then I’ll sit for a moment before leaving, Department Head.”
“In that case, I’ll move over to the next table.”
“Kang Se Hoon, just stay seated.”
Before Se Hoon could even shift aside, Hyun Woo shoved him aside with his shoulder and took the seat next to him. Se Hoon stumbled awkwardly to the side.
Hyun Woo flicked his fingers toward the other doctors.
Everyone seated on the semicircular cushioned bench quickly shuffled to make room for him.
Then he pulled two on-the-rocks glasses toward himself.
“Professor, shall I add ice for you?”
Eun Seok, seated beside So Ri, stretched out his long arm to help.
Hyun Woo poured whiskey loudly into the ice-filled glass until the half-empty bottle was nearly drained.
He set the brimming glass down firmly in front of Se Hoon and locked eyes with him.
Drink it all.
Se Hoon, watching Hyun Woo warily, picked up the glass with an expression as if deeply moved—as if this were some special favor.
“Thank you, Professor.”
Oh really? Let’s see how long that gratitude lasts.
Swallowing the sigh that nearly burst out, Hyun Woo also gulped down the ice-cold whiskey to quench his burning thirst.
His gaze remained fixed on Yoo So Ri’s shimmering eyes right across from him.
The one most shocked was So Ri herself, who, despite being drunk, had been watching all this.
He was making Se Hoon drink—for her.
With the scariest expression in the world.
Could it be… that the professor was this angry… because of me?
Her drunken mind was leaping to absurd conclusions.
Why on earth was she thinking something ridiculous like “for her”?
He downed the strong liquor in his glass in one breath without pausing. Se Hoon followed suit and emptied his glass too.
Then he refilled Se Hoon’s empty glass—now containing only ice—with the last drops from the bottle.
At a subtle gesture, another whiskey bottle from nearby landed in Hyun Woo’s hand.
After filling his own glass to the brim, Hyun Woo suddenly grabbed Se Hoon by the back of his neck and yanked him forward.
“I heard you’re NS’s strongest drinker—Kang Se Hoon, right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, Professor. Everyone else here is weaker than me.”
“Is that so?”
Se Hoon prided himself on being the best drinker in NS, which was why he often tested others at drinking gatherings by forcing liquor on them.
“Let’s see if that’s really true. I don’t have time—just down it fast.”
He growled lowly—just loud enough for Se Hoon to hear.
In no time, the second bottle was drained. Drinking such strong liquor nonstop left Se Hoon on the verge of blacking out.
Hyun Woo, whose expression hadn’t changed a bit, placed another freshly filled glass in front of Se Hoon.
“What are you waiting for? Push through with mental strength.”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Kang Se Hoon, who’d never been pressured to drink before, felt like gagging at the sight of the full glass. But unable to withstand Hyun Woo’s relentless stare, he eventually trembled and emptied the glass.
Hyun Woo turned cheerfully to Eun Seok.
“Send the department chief home safely.”
It was Hyun Woo’s polite instruction—but everyone sensed it was his final act here.
Immediately after, he looked back at So Ri.
His sharp gaze, fixed on her, sent chills through everyone’s hearts.
“You, come with me.”
Leaving those final words, he stood and walked straight down the stairs to the second floor.
For a moment, everyone was stunned—not only by Hyun Woo, who’d matched Kang Se Hoon drink for drink yet remained perfectly sober, but also by the fact that he hadn’t forgotten his business with the rookie resident amid all this.
It was clear no one here could stop him.
Everyone began looking at So Ri with pity.
“You’re really drunk, aren’t you? Can you walk on your own?”
While Jong Woo and Eun Seok worried over her, So Ri gathered herself and stood up.
“I’ll head out first then. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, go on. Just survive and see us tomorrow.”
“Yes…”
Her words came out slowly and slurred from intoxication.
So Ri began walking slowly. She thought she was walking straight, but to others, her steps looked dangerously unsteady.
Heading toward the stairs leading to the first floor, she took a deep breath.
With her dizzy head, she thought:
Had she really done something bad enough to be called out like this?
She quickly reviewed her day at the hospital.
But perhaps because she was drunk, her memories wouldn’t come clearly.
When she reached the stairs, So Ri grabbed the railing and saw Hyun Woo standing on the first floor.
Had he been waiting for her?
Sensing movement, Hyun Woo looked up.
His already cold expression grew even frostier as he watched So Ri descend, gripping the railing, and let out a sigh into the air.
Just seeing his face made So Ri’s body stiffen again.
He climbed back up a few steps and grabbed her arm.
“…Professor.”
“I really feel like cutting you loose.”
Gi Tae, who’d grown worried too late, arrived at the top of the stairs and saw the scene.
More precisely—he heard every word Hyun Woo had just said.
Hyun Woo’s angry eyes met Gi Tae’s as they both looked at So Ri.
Professor Seo, you’re really going too far.
Though he grumbled inwardly, Gi Tae didn’t dare ask for an explanation under Hyun Woo’s icy stare.
All he could do was silently pray for Yoo So Ri, who—drunk and practically being dragged away—was walking into the unknown.
Inside the taxi.
So Ri and Hyun Woo sat side by side in the back seat.
Hyun Woo kept letting out long, deep sighs every now and then.
So Ri could only steal furtive glances at him from time to time.
She simply couldn’t figure out why he was angry.
“Can I… ask why you’re mad?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
It wasn’t like he had a reason to be this furious—yet even he didn’t understand why he was so angry.
He’d nearly told So Ri not to go to the dinner, but stopped himself—it felt somehow inappropriate to interfere that much.
After all, she’d received a blood transfusion just yesterday; surely she wouldn’t drink at the dinner.
But the problem was that rookie Yoo So Ri couldn’t even hold onto her own cup of coffee—she was clearly the youngest and most vulnerable.
‘Just avoid Senior Kang Se Hoon.’
‘He claims he’s the best drinker, yet won’t drink himself—just forces others, always picking just one person. What’s that about?’
Ultimately, the reason he’d even shown up to a dinner he never normally attends was because he’d overheard interns whispering as they left work.
And the scene that greeted him at the dinner was truly something to behold.
Hyun Woo turned to look at So Ri, who’d gone quiet beside him.
Sensing his gaze, the drooping So Ri lowered her head.
“I’ll talk to you about your part once you’re sober—just rest for now.”
At his crisp, decisive tone, So Ri quietly replied, “Okay.”
For the drunken So Ri, simply being with him right now meant everything.
Perhaps it had been arrogance to believe her feelings for him were just admiration.
After living through this dreamlike day she’d yearned for so long, she realized it wasn’t.
Every time he called her name—in the ER, on the ward, in the treatment room—her heart skipped a beat.
Even being summoned for a mistake didn’t feel painful, simply because it was Seo Hyun Woo.
Instead, she’d only felt excitement at the thought of learning his vast medical knowledge and skills.
She kept assigning special meaning to his indifferent acts of care—and kept hoping, even though she knew she shouldn’t.
Yet despite knowing better, her heart wouldn’t listen.
Could it really just be admiration?
All day long, she’d constantly searched for him, hoping he was watching her from somewhere.
Whenever she stood before him, she trembled endlessly—but when he was out of sight, disappointment drove her to scan the area desperately.
After repeating this strange state countless times today,
So Ri found herself—without even realizing—staring at him again.
He let out a weary sigh.
In the utterly silent car, every breath he took seemed to stir her very cells.
Sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her.
“Is something wrong? Do you feel sick?”
So Ri shook her head.
“I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
His voice was warm, despite his expression.
Feeling slightly relieved, So Ri closed her eyes tightly.
An inexplicable impulse kept shaking her from within.
If I’m really unwell… wouldn’t it be wrong to confess?
Then again—if I really want to confess—shouldn’t I do it before I fully understand my own condition?
But she had no idea how to put this overwhelming emotion—impossible to explain clearly—into words for him.
Whether it was the alcohol speeding up her blood flow or simply because Seo Hyun Woo was sitting right beside her,
her heartbeat pounded loudly in her chest.
No matter how tightly she shut her eyes, sleep wouldn’t come.
The taxi had stopped.
So Ri opened her eyes. Her head still spun.
She followed him out of the taxi after he finished payment.
So Ri lost her balance and swayed sideways.
Hyun Woo quickly grabbed her shoulder to steady her.
At that moment, all strength left So Ri’s body.
His tall frame stood firm like a wall, supporting her solidly. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
The asphalt ground spun in dizzying circles.
“How much alcohol did you even drink?”
His low voice rumbled through the chest she was leaning against.
“Try standing straight.”
His now firmer tone was enough to frighten So Ri.
But her mind seemed paralyzed—perhaps from the alcohol.
Since she was already in trouble anyway, just this once…
“Just a moment. Please, just a little longer.”
Closing her dizzy eyes, she pressed her forehead against his chest.
So Ri wished time would just stop right here.
Thankfully, he didn’t push her away or scold her. He simply waited silently.
How many minutes passed?
Slowly, So Ri pulled away and stood upright.
Now it was time to hear his scolding.
Bracing herself, she lowered her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
She still didn’t know exactly what she’d done wrong at the hospital…
But as a blood-drenched resident, she must have already crossed many lines in how she’d behaved toward her professor.
At the edge of her lowered gaze, she saw his hand move.
Instinctively, So Ri flinched slightly.
His hand stopped at her coat collar—and gently smoothed the open edges closed.
His indifferent touch felt warm.
“Are you really in your right mind?”
No.
She absolutely wasn’t.
“If someone pours you drinks, do you really have to down every last drop?”
He only let out one long sigh into the air and said no more.
Was that it—just that one sentence?
Still dizzy and confused, So Ri slowly lifted her head.
Past his tie knot, she saw his Adam’s apple move, then his well-shaped jaw—and her gaze lingered a little too long on his healthy-looking lips.
Tilting her head back just a bit more, her eyes met his.
“It’s me…”
I really liked you, Oppa. A lot.
I know I shouldn’t anymore—but I just want to confess, just once.
“I…”
But she couldn’t.
Though it wasn’t from the cold, her voice trembled slightly as it came out.
He frowned slightly and took off his suit jacket.
Taking one step closer, he draped the jacket over So Ri’s shoulders.
Now barely half a hand’s width apart, he lowered his head to meet her eyes.
“Get a hold of yourself. We need to get you home.”
In that instant, So Ri unconsciously rose onto her tiptoes.
“Yoo So—”
The moment soft, yielding warmth met hers,
her whole body went numb, and her mind turned completely blank.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (15)
They are too shy to each other. I hope she will be a little relaxed ☺️
Oh no..she’s gonna tell fl about her mom.yup time for drama
I feel like the dad reveal will be a big one like he is some kind of big shot.
Inline Comments (1)
She couldn't recall a single word she'd just said.
Oh I will tell you..you said some pretty harsh things🥲
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Bannedbaddie
Omg she kissed him ommgggg!!