A Marriage with an Expiry (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
The day her friend’s older brother—who she’d always found frightening—was newly etched into So Ri’s heart went back about eight years.
It was just a couple of months before the college entrance exam.
One day, So Ri suddenly felt that everything seemed utterly hollow.
She had never once rebelled or acted out; she’d always been diligent, and her school grades had consistently placed her in the top tier.
If she kept going as she had been, getting into medical school—the goal for most science-track students—wouldn’t be difficult. Yet, out of nowhere, this thought struck her:
Why am I trying so hard to get into medical school when nobody ever asked me to?
If I’d had a father, what would he have wanted for me?
Why did Mom raise me all alone?
Because of these endless questions, she hadn’t been able to focus on studying for weeks—an unusually unsettling state for her.
So Ri loved her mother, her only family in the world, more than anyone else, and was such a thoughtful daughter that she often comforted her hardworking mom.
But that day, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore.
So that day, she skipped school alone without permission.
Without warning, So Ri went straight to Hyun Woo’s school.
He, a third-year medical student, was currently doing his PK (clinical clerkship) at the hospital.
She’d waited for him at the main gate for about an hour.
A man got out of a taxi and immediately sprinted toward her at full speed.
So Ri could spot him instantly from afar—he always stood out wherever he was.
“Oppa…”
“Did you wait long?”
“No. Not really.”
He let out a light, breathless sigh. He was still wearing his white lab coat, apparently having rushed out in a hurry.
“Did I scare you a lot?”
Noticing her puzzled gaze belatedly, Hyun Woo made a face as if annoyed at himself and quickly took off the lab coat.
“A kid who should be in school shows up here at this hour—how could I not be surprised?”
“…Sorry.”
“You’re not the type to do something like this without a reason.”
Feeling guilty toward Hyun Woo, So Ri looked completely lost.
She’d run away from school, but the only place she could think of going was his school.
Seeing him dash over in such a flustered state just because she’d impulsively come and called him made her unexpectedly emotional with gratitude.
An awkward silence settled between them while Hyun Woo neatly folded his coat into his bag.
Normally, she would have wanted to flee from such an awkward moment, but not that day.
Because maybe, at this crucial time, there was no one else who could help her pull herself together.
Strangely enough, whether he scolded her or gave advice, she felt like she could accept anything he said.
“Let’s grab dinner. I’m hungry.”
“Okay.”
The place they went for dinner was a nearby pork cutlet restaurant near his school.
Sitting across from each other at the table, the awkwardness only intensified.
So Ri avoided his gaze, her eyes wandering restlessly around the restaurant as if to distract herself.
“I’ll treat you to something more expensive and delicious next time.”
“Huh? Ah… This pork cutlet here already looks really good.”
“Still, next time, let’s eat something even better.”
Surprised inwardly by his repeated mention of “next time,” So Ri asked hesitantly,
“Can I contact you again?”
“Of course. Just don’t skip school for no reason. If you feel stifled, go ahead and call me.”
For So Ri, who’d never even considered such a possibility, his words came as a complete surprise.
After hearing that, her mood—which had sunk relentlessly all day—began slowly lifting. It was a strangely unfamiliar feeling.
Once they’d somewhat satisfied their hunger, he casually asked,
“Have you been struggling with studying lately?”
“…Yeah.”
“Is it because it’s all too boring?”
“No, it’s not that. I’m not even sure myself why I’ve suddenly become like this.”
Unlike what she’d just told Hyun Woo, So Ri actually had a vague idea of why she was feeling lost.
It all started a few weeks earlier, after listening to a friend’s troubles.
Her friend, who loved animals, wanted to major in veterinary medicine, but her father kept pressuring her to go to medical school, and she’d broken down crying in front of So Ri.
That day, instead of feeling sorry for her friend, So Ri had strangely felt envious—because she herself had never even had a father who’d pressured her about anything.
This current confusion was a side effect of her first real awareness of her own situation.
“I heard you were a great student—I’d been hoping you’d become my junior here.”
“Really?”
“Every time Ji Woo sees me, she talks about you.”
“Oh…”
She hadn’t realized Ji Woo spoke about her so often to her oppa. He suddenly felt a little closer, though he’d always seemed distant and intimidating before.
“Don’t you want to be my junior?”
He suddenly looked straight into So Ri’s eyes and asked.
His gaze was so vivid, as if casting a spell, that it pulled her in completely.
She almost felt that whatever answer she gave would instantly become reality.
“If I say yes, will you show me around campus? And if not…”
“I want to.”
The words came out a bit too eagerly from So Ri.
But Hyun Woo just quietly held her gaze, as if waiting for a definite answer.
“Just a campus tour. Ah—I mean, I do want to be your university junior, too. But… does it have to be your school specifically? Can’t I just become a doctor’s junior in general?”
Seeing her nervously ramble on, worried about making promises she might not keep, Hyun Woo let out a soft chuckle.
“If you’re done eating, let’s go. I’ll give you that campus tour.”
So Ri walked with him across the campus in September, where a cool breeze gently blew.
She even scored a small victory by receiving his well-used fountain pen and an extra clinical gown as gifts.
As soon as she got home that day, she stood in front of the mirror wearing the oversized white gown. It faintly carried the scent of soap that had clung to Hyun Woo all day.
As she reflected on everything that had happened, a soft blush warmed her cheeks.
In the space left behind by her confusion, one person began to fill her heart completely.
It wasn’t about attending whichever university she was supposed to—it was that she now desperately wanted to go to medical school.
She wanted to become a doctor just like him.
From that day on, Seo Hyun Woo held absolute dominance over her heart.
First love, puppy love, unrequited love—no matter what label you attached, she’d gladly accept them all.
“But why am I feeling so fluttery all of a sudden?”
She’d thought that, given how much time had passed, seeing him again wouldn’t make her nervous.
She’d been very, very wrong.
A little while later, Hyun Woo came back in holding a first-aid kit.
Seeing So Ri standing exactly where she’d been instructed—at the kitchen sink—he let out a short sigh through his teeth.
All she had to do was hold her hand up, yet she stood there rigidly as if playing some kind of frozen game.
“Go ahead and sit down.”
“Oh, it’s just that…”
The moment she saw Hyun Woo, she’d instantly turned into an idiot—that was the root of the problem.
Everything had happened so suddenly that her body was acting like a malfunctioning machine, creaking awkwardly.
“Come here.”
“Yes.”
He placed the first-aid kit on the marble countertop. His voice, slightly weary, sank with its characteristic weightiness.
Trying to hide her pounding heart, So Ri shuffled nervously to sit across from him.
But the large marble table was too wide for him to treat her properly from across the way.
Quietly, he got up, pulled out the chair next to her, and sat down.
Oh no, I messed up again. I should’ve just sat beside him right away.
She felt utterly foolish for being so tense.
“Please hurry up and come already, Ji Woo.”
If Ji Woo were here, it wouldn’t feel so awkward. What was she even doing down in the basement cellar brewing alcohol?
“Give me your hand.”
“Oh… Okay.”
She responded like a student caught daydreaming during class and extended her left hand toward him.
He frowned as he carefully peeled away the blood-soaked handkerchief and examined her wound closely.
So Ri kept sneaking glances at his face.
“Oppa, you’re still as handsome and radiant as ever.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Seo Hyun Woo was even more strikingly good-looking than the beautiful actress Seo Ji Woo.
But what So Ri liked even more than his appearance was his inner strength.
Ever since she was young, just having him nearby had always made her feel like she could overcome anything.
It was strange.
Merely his presence—despite him never being particularly close or affectionate—somehow offered her immense comfort.
Having a mother whose job constantly left her vulnerable to others’ whims, So Ri had secretly come to rely on him.
That’s why she felt this emotion went beyond simple “liking.”
It was as if there simply wasn’t a word in the world that could accurately describe what she felt.
Now, despite having known him for so long, sitting next to him made her unbearably nervous.
She wanted to say something—anything—but her mind felt completely blank.
“When you were little, you were always scraping your knees. And you’re still getting hurt.”
“Oh, you used to treat me every time back then, too.”
“Do you at least fall less clumsily now?”
“Yes, of course.”
…Though that didn’t seem to be the case.
His sidelong glance at her clearly said as much.
She scratched her cheek sheepishly.
“But at least you don’t run away anymore.”
“Huh? Ah…”
When she was little, So Ri often scraped her knees while playing with Ji Woo.
The treatment for skinned knees had felt unbearably painful to her young self—and he, firm and decisive, had seemed downright terrifying.
She’d tried to bolt out the front gate more than once, only to be caught by him every time.
Thinking back on her childish behavior made her inexplicably embarrassed.
“You remember the silliest things.”
“How could I forget a brat who insisted on walking home alone without a trace of fear?”
Back then, she’d barely been able to bring herself to say “Oppa,” and now, again, she found herself unable to speak.
Her eyes, which had been darting toward him, dropped helplessly to her own injury.
Had she really been that scared of Hyun Woo back then? Why on earth had she run away like such a fool?
So Ri usually remembered old events quite clearly, but she couldn’t recall exactly how she’d felt at that time.
Maybe she’d just been too young.
But one lingering memory remained—the sting of her scraped knee had always been overshadowed by the burning warmth in her cheeks whenever he treated her.
Just like right now.
The problem was, this time she knew very well it wasn’t because she was simply scared of him.
“Get a grip, Yoo So Ri.”
He wasn’t someone she could ever hope to have a personal, romantic relationship with.
Moreover, he was her best friend’s older brother—and soon, he’d be her professor.
Seo Hyun Woo was the kind of person she wanted to stay near and look up to for as long as possible, someone she wanted to follow.
That’s why So Ri had long ago labeled her feelings for him as mere admiration.
Now, whatever she felt for him—no matter what it was—she intended to keep it hidden and preserve it quietly as a memory.
Having steeled herself, So Ri spoke calmly to Hyun Woo, who was still trying to stop the bleeding:
“I think I’d better just put on a bandage quickly…”
He clicked his tongue in mild irritation, brows furrowed.
He removed the thick gauze he’d placed over the handkerchief, but blood still trickled steadily from her finger.
“Why won’t this bleeding stop.”
“…”
Seeing the blood still dripping, So Ri felt a bit flustered too.
“You’re not eating properly, are you.”
“No, that’s not it… really…”
His tone—so certain, as if he saw right through her—made her shrink inwardly.
During her intern days, eating regular meals felt like a luxury. She barely ate, just consuming calories instinctively to stay alive.
His knowing glance briefly brushed her cheek before he turned away.
Then, he carefully wiped up the spilled blood with tissues and layered several more thickly onto the countertop.
“It’s going to hurt a lot. Bear with it for a bit.”
“…Okay.”
His grip on her hand felt scalding hot, and the cold antiseptic was about to touch her wound. Nervous for many reasons, So Ri swallowed hard.
He placed her injured finger on the tissue and poured the clear antiseptic generously over it. His treatment was brisk, yet his touch was gentle and kind.
“Ugh…”
Biting her lip harder against the sharp pain, So Ri turned her head away as the ache intensified.
Suddenly, her stinging fingertip grew warm.
It was the same comforting warmth as the breath he’d blown on her scraped knees when she was little.
The sharp pain rapidly subsided.
And her newly resolved determination? She feared it might vanish like dust carried off by the wind.
-PK (Poly-clinic: Clinical Clerkship)
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.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (23)
I really think hyun woo is in love with her he is just masking it so well
Girl how do you have constant nose bleeds and not go check it out atleast once
See i know he is completely and utterly in love with her
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
So why is hyun woo not working at his own dad’s hospital?