A Marriage with an Expiry (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
Their lips met, and hers covered his in a kiss.
His body temperature was hotter than she had expected.
While their lips were still touching, he grabbed her shoulders.
She didn’t even know what to do, yet a magma-like desire to get even closer erupted within her.
A hot, moist, soft flame instantly spread throughout her entire body.
The contact didn’t last long.
Before he could push her away, So Ri quickly pulled herself far from him.
It had been brief, yet intensely vivid.
Haah… haah…
Though it lasted only a split second, she was breathless up to her chin.
The fire that had ignited at the tip of her lips spread through her whole body in an instant.
The swirling thoughts that had clouded her mind seemed to burn away into black ash, vanishing completely.
Her body, engulfed in heat, felt as if it might crumble apart at any moment.
Now, all that remained was to apologize.
“I’m really sor—”
Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes.
Why? Seriously, this is nothing short of a spectacle.
The harder she tried to hold back, the more her whole body trembled.
A storm of fear—“What if I die?”—and sorrow—“Why did this misfortune have to come to me?”—crashed over her.
“You… right now…”
It was pointless to even ask if she was crying.
So Ri had buried her face in her hands, her small shoulders shaking faintly.
And Hyun Woo, who seemed to understand why, gently pulled her frail frame into his embrace.
She buried her face into his chest and finally let out the sorrowful sobs she’d been holding back.
Sighing softly into the empty air, Hyun Woo wordlessly patted So Ri’s back.
Though it was spring, the night air was still chilly.
The next day.
Beep-beep beep-beep.
Somewhere, a phone alarm began blaring obnoxiously.
Still groggy, eyes half-closed, So Ri reached out blindly. After fumbling a few times, she finally grabbed her phone and pressed a button to silence the alarm.
She flipped her body over from lying face-down and rubbed her eyes hard, forcing them open despite the heavy drowsiness.
With her arm draped over her throbbing head, she stared blankly at the ceiling.
The familiar ceiling.
The familiar feel of her bedding.
The familiar scent of her diffuser.
“This is… my room.”
But why is it my room?
Since when exactly did it become my room?
Still blinking repeatedly because her swollen eyes wouldn’t open properly, she suddenly lifted her hand to her lips.
“Hic—”
Recalling that vivid sensation—even through her drunken haze—she gulped nervously.
And then,
“Hic—”
She clearly remembered, to her dismay, that Hyun Woo had carried her on his back all the way here after she’d cried herself exhausted.
‘Oppa’s back is so wide and warm.’
She remembered tightly hugging his neck from behind, shivering from the cold.
She remembered bursting into tears again, mid-conversation about her mom.
“I’m insane. Totally insane. I really can’t live like this. What do I do…?”
So Ri shot up, then flopped back down onto her bed, flailing her legs like she was treading water and clutching her head in despair.
“If you’re drunk, just go home quietly and sleep! Seriously, you—really!”
She’d sworn never to cross the line, yet on her very first day at work, she didn’t just cross it—she did a full jump rope routine over it.
She’d clung to him—the professor—cried on him, and even stolen a kiss.
How many people could stay sober after five straight shots of whiskey?
This is my fault… (Well, yes, but)—no.
“No, no, it’s my fault, all my fault. Uuuugh!”
But why hadn’t he—completely clueless as he was—gotten even slightly angry? Why had he silently endured her drunken outburst?
Maybe it was simply because she was his younger sister’s friend—he couldn’t just push her away.
Perhaps it was sheer luck that Hyun Woo Oppa had become her professor.
“Professor, I’ll do my absolute best from now on. Please just forget about what happened yesterday.”
While pleading to empty air, So Ri’s eyes suddenly widened in horror.
“Wait… did I actually say it out loud?”
That I might have leukemia?
Why does that part feel completely erased from my memory, like it was covered with correction fluid?
No, I couldn’t have instinctively said something like that.
Or… did I go mad and beg him to save my life?
Her rapid shifts in expression would’ve made a one-person drama look tame in comparison.
Just then—
“So Ri, are you awake?”
Soo Hyang elegantly inquired about her daughter’s well-being from outside the door.
“You okay? I heard your alarm go off. If you’re up, come out. I brought you some hangover soup.”
So Ri, who’d been about to bolt out the door, flung it open—only to stagger, clutching her forehead with a sharp wince.
“Oh dear, just how much did you drink?”
Soo Hyang clicked her tongue disapprovingly. So Ri, barely regaining her balance, shook her head slightly and asked,
“Mom… Professor—no, Hyun Woo Oppa came last night, right?”
“Yes, he carried you home on his back after you passed out drunk.”
“Ugh, I’m totally, completely ruined.”
“Showing up on your professor’s back on day one—what a brilliant move.”
“Yeah, I’m insane.”
So Ri repeatedly thumped her forehead against the wall beside the door like a woodpecker.
How was she ever going to face him again?
“But your drunken crying habit seems to have changed, huh?”
But So Ri had no energy left to answer Soo Hyang.
Her forehead flushed, she shuffled unsteadily to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
“You bottle up your emotions, so they just explode like that. You should let them out regularly—really.”
So Ri normally, whenever she got thoroughly drunk, would keep murmuring for her mom in her sleep.
But apparently, last night she’d cried all night instead.
“But you’re my daughter, after all. Your crying eyes are so pretty, you could be an actress. Eyes are crucial for actors, you know.”
Soo Hyang transferred the purchased seolleongtang into bowls at the dining table, watching So Ri with eyes full of gentle amusement—but also with something more she wanted to say.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen Hyun Woo, yet he hasn’t changed a bit. I nearly jumped when I opened the front door. Professor Seo must be really popular. He’s handsomer than the lead actor in that drama. It’d be such a waste for someone with that face to just treat patients.”
Soo Hyang handed So Ri a glass of fresh water in a clear tumbler.
“I never knew that hospital hazing was so barbaric. Didn’t Hyun Woo cover for you?”
“He was in surgery, so he joined late. Honestly, I only managed to escape thanks to Hyun Woo Oppa.”
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
So Ri lay down childishly, resting her head on Soo Hyang’s lap.
“If you lie down again, how will you go to work? Eat up quickly.”
“Just five more minutes.”
Soo Hyang gently brushed So Ri’s hair aside.
She smiled down at her daughter, but inwardly, she couldn’t smile at all—because of her brief conversation with Hyun Woo last night, after he’d carried So Ri home.
Even though So Ri had been drunk, it pained Soo Hyang deeply to see her cry while being held for the first time.
So she’d inadvertently shared some cautious thoughts with Hyun Woo—and spent the whole night wide awake, wondering whether she’d done the right thing.
Quickly hiding her worry, Soo Hyang asked,
“Sweetie, how’s the new hospital? Better than Seohan?”
“All hospitals are chaotic and the same, really.”
“But at least Hyun Woo’s there, so it’s better, right?”
“Wha—at?”
Eyes still closed, So Ri felt a twinge of discomfort—but couldn’t bring herself to agree.
Just hearing the name “Hyun Woo” now felt like her insides were burning up.
She let out a long, heavy sigh.
NS Department Office.
Having finished their rounds and dressing changes on the ward, So Ri and Gi Tae simultaneously collapsed into their chairs as if drained.
“I’ll handle all the order corrections today.”
So Ri felt she had to keep herself busy to distract from her worries about Hyun Woo—so she immediately sat down at the computer without a pause.
“We’ll do it together. What are you talking about?”
Gi Tae followed suit and took a seat at another computer.
“So Ri, did you get home okay last night?”
Gi Tae stirred the ice in his iced Americano and checked on her well-being from the night before.
“Yeah. How about you? You looked pretty drunk last night too—feeling better?”
“I was on the verge of death. Woke up in the department’s bunk bed with zero memory. Haha. Trying to recover with some iced coffee for now.”
Something definitely seemed off—but he wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask. Gi Tae casually glanced at So Ri’s expression, then deliberately brought up Se Hoon.
“By the way, Professor Seo absolutely crushed Chief yesterday and just walked off. Even crazier—this morning, he canceled his surgery too. When I saw him just now, he looked completely wrecked.”
“I see…”
So Ri couldn’t respond at all—because her own mental state was already thoroughly shattered.
The morning meeting would start soon.
Even while entering orders, she could think of nothing but how she should face him.
Should she apologize before the meeting started?
Or play dumb and brazenly pretend she didn’t remember anything?
This wasn’t how she’d imagined gracefully closing the chapter on her first love.
Her mind was a chaotic mess of conflicting worries.
The least awkward approach would be—
Right. Pretend ignorance, act politely formal, and subtly move past it.
She steeled herself with that resolve—but doubted whether she could actually pull it off.
Rrrrrr.
Startled by the sudden ringtone, So Ri pulled out her phone.
“I thought it was on vibrate—sorry.”
“It’s fine. Go ahead and answer.”
The caller ID showed a regular Seoul landline number.
Spam? So Ri tilted her head in confusion but answered anyway.
“Hello?”
Yoo Sunim, it’s me—Park Ji Woong.
“Oh… Yes, hello, Sunim.”
Worried Gi Tae might overhear, So Ri lowered the volume to minimum and stepped out into the hallway.
“Sunim, you’re calling so early in the morning. I was actually planning to visit you again soon…”
She hadn’t expected a call from Park Ji Woong this early—her heart began racing with an ominous premonition.
She walked to the far end of the opposite hallway and spoke as quietly as possible.
“I’ll come as quickly as I can. When’s my first day off?”
Um… Yoo Sunim…
“Yes, Sunim?”
Yoo Sunim, it’s just that…
Ji Woong’s voice carried an unmistakable note of awkwardness as he called her name.
Fine—better to know the truth right away.
Resigned, So Ri asked calmly,
“You can just tell me straight. I’m okay.”
She stopped walking, took a deep breath, and braced herself mentally.
Then, as Ji Woong continued speaking, her eyes gradually widened in clarity.
“Wha—at?! Are you serious?!”
She accidentally raised her voice and immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. Thankfully, no one else was around yet.
“Oh—yes, yes, of course that’s possible… No—ah… Haah… Yes…”
I’m sorry. I’ve never encountered a situation like this before in my life. I’m not even sure how to handle it. We really should meet and talk in person—but I thought you’d want to know right away, so I called myself.
“Oh, yes, that makes sense. It’s okay—I’m fine…”
No, it’s not okay! What am I supposed to do now?
Another patient at Seohan Hospital—with the exact same name, blood type, and even birthdate as her…
Another Yoo So Ri, same age—the poor woman must be getting struck by lightning today.
If only it had been a misdiagnosis, the drama would’ve been perfectly over-the-top.
Relief washed over her at the thought that it wasn’t her—but it was swiftly followed by bitterness.
But Yoo Sunim, your tests also showed identical results—low hemoglobin and low platelet count. That’s why we only realized the mix-up so late. You received a transfusion, so you should be okay for now, but please take good care of yourself and stay alert.
“Yes, I will.”
I have to get into a meeting now, so I can’t talk long—but come by the hospital sometime. Got it?
“Yes, I will. Yes, yes—thank you.”
Even after hanging up, So Ri stood dazed against the wall for a long while.
Of all days, for this news to arrive right after her catastrophic mistake—was this some cruel twist of fate?
Maybe she should just bang her head against the wall and truly die right here today.
Remembering what she’d done to Hyun Woo made her feel like a criminal deserving capital punishment.
Pressing her eyes shut against the wall, So Ri slowly tapped the back of her head against it.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Huh?
She should’ve felt the hard concrete—but instead, an unfamiliar warmth touched the back of her head.
The moment she opened her eyes, they met Hyun Woo’s.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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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.