Married First, a Couple - Chapter 31

The dim light of dawn enters the bedroom.

Because Do Joon was lying on the bed without a shirt on, Tae Yeon fell asleep later than usual.

However, she slept very deeply for a short time.

Tae Yeon slowly pushed up her eyelids before the alarm went off.

“……”

And discovering something, Tae Yeon covered her mouth with her hand, startled.

“Why am I……”

What Tae Yeon saw before her eyes was a feast of apricot color.

She had clearly fallen asleep at the edge of the bed with her back turned to Do Joon, but somehow she had gotten this close.

Not only had she turned towards Do Joon’s side, but she had unknowingly burrowed into his arms. It seemed she had slept nestled in his embrace the whole time.

“Did I unconsciously snuggle up because it got cold at night?”

No matter how much she tried to recall, she couldn’t remember when she had ended up in Do Joon’s arms like this.

“Oh my. And why is my hand like this.”

Tae Yeon hastily withdrew her hand that was splayed out on Do Joon’s firm abs.

No wonder the bed felt harder than usual.

Realizing that what she had been touching repeatedly with her hand was Do Joon’s abs, Tae Yeon nibbled on her lower lip.

When she gently raised her head, Do Joon still had his eyes tightly closed, seemingly not yet awake.

Tae Yeon let out a short breath.

“It’s fortunate that Do Joon is still asleep.”

Tae Yeon carefully lifted Do Joon’s arm that was resting on her waist.

Being extremely careful not to wake Do Joon.

After placing Do Joon’s arm on the bed, Tae Yeon let out a sigh of relief.

And she hurriedly extricated herself from Do Joon’s embrace.

It was absurd to her that she had slept so soundly in Do Joon’s arms, despite having confidently declared she had no sleeping habits at all.

Still, the fortunate thing was that she had woken up before Do Joon.

If he had seen this, how embarrassed he would have been…

Tae Yeon, about to get out of bed, first checked the time. Having woken up earlier than usual, she had some time to spare.

“I should lie down a bit more.”

And Tae Yeon stared intently at the sleeping form of Do Joon.

His clear skin, uncharacteristic for a man, and his high, sharp nose bridge looked like they could cut. Even in the morning, his skin was soft and smooth.

Though he was her husband, he truly had outstanding looks.

Looking up at his prominent jawline, she felt like she might get cut by its sharpness.

Usually at the company, Do Joon was always on edge, focused on work. At those times, his gaze would always deepen to an almost chilling degree.

But now, only an infinitely soft face remained.

As she admired Do Joon’s face, Tae Yeon unknowingly reached out her hand and placed it on his cheek. The warm temperature transmitted directly, and Tae Yeon smiled faintly.

At first, she thought Do Joon was an extremely cold and calculating person. But after he returned to Korea and they spent time together, her assessment of him changed a lot.

“I’m grateful for many things……”

Whenever she was stressed because of President Jin and Tae Jin, Do Joon would amazingly appear each time to lend a shoulder and be a source of strength.

This wasn’t a marriage she had wanted for such things. She had only needed 2 years to escape President Jin’s sight.

While she was grateful for the unexpected warmth she received, she couldn’t help but feel afraid.

The validity period of this marriage that President Jin and Tae Yeon had agreed on was 2 years.

It was a marriage made with the condition that within 2 years, after Chasin Dairy received investment from KK Group, Tae Yeon could divorce or leave Korea as she wished.

Of course, the fact that Do Joon would stay in America after marriage was also appealing.

Do Joon too had married to inherit KK Group.

If he solidified his position as the successor of KK Group within the remaining 6 months, whether this marriage continued afterwards or not wouldn’t matter much to Do Joon.

Through this marriage, President Jin only hoped for investment, that one thing alone. If the investment was successfully secured, she could live freely without seeing President Jin, Hye Sook, and Tae Jin anymore.

Do Joon too, once he got the successor position he wanted, wouldn’t hold onto her anymore.

Theoretically, divorce from Do Joon seemed so easy and necessary for her freedom.

When Do Joon first came to Korea, Tae Yeon wished for the 6 months to pass quickly.

But now.

It wouldn’t be so bad if that period passed slowly.

Her thoughts had changed.

Thinking it was the feeling of meeting a reliable business partner, Tae Yeon smiled brightly.

“Now I should get ready too.”

Thinking of preparing for work before Do Joon woke up, she carefully slipped out of bed.

And Tae Yeon headed to the bathroom on the second floor.

Her face flushed hot as she kept thinking about waking up in Do Joon’s arms. The sensation of touching Do Joon’s abs still lingered on her fingertips.

“It was like an incredibly hard rock. How can a person’s body be like that?”

Even while showering, she was going crazy as Do Joon’s face she had seen up close and his toned body kept coming to mind.

“It’s fortunate that I woke up first.”

Thinking that Do Joon wouldn’t know anything about this morning’s events, Tae Yeon comforted herself.

“Married life isn’t easy, but it’s not all hard either.”

A faint smile hung on Tae Yeon’s lips as she showered.

And so, the two of them each hid one truth about what happened that morning.

Thinking it was consideration for each other.

[This is the timeline separator]

As the end of the workday approached on Friday afternoon.

Do Joon was in his office with Tae Yeon, organizing things they needed to check during their business trip.

It was another day of being impressed by Tae Yeon’s meticulous personality.

“I think this should be enough. What do you think, Representative Jin?”

“I think we need to discuss where to book our accommodations lastly.”

“I’ll take care of booking the accommodations.”

“Then I’ll organize a list of hotels in Busan and give it to you, Director. You can choose from there.”

“Alright then. I’ll make the reservation myself.”

“You will, Director?”

“Ah, to be precise, Secretary Choi will.”

Tae Yeon was about to say she would do it, but then stopped herself. Secretary Choi knew Do Joon’s preferences better than she did.

Nodding her head, Tae Yeon thought Secretary Choi would surely book a hotel to Do Joon’s liking.

As Tae Yeon gathered her belongings and stood up, Do Joon held her back.

“It seems we’ll have to eat dinner separately today.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“You’re not going to ask?”

At Do Joon’s question, Tae Yeon looked at him.

“Where I’m going. It seems Jin Tae Yeon has never been curious about it.”

Tae Yeon smiled, pulling up the corners of her mouth.

“Because Director, you can have a private life too.”

Displeased with that answer, Do Joon furrowed his brow.

“Is it consideration, or is it lack of interest?”

“Of course, that’s……”

“No. I think it’s better not to hear the answer.”

It was said to avoid hurting his pride in case she said she wasn’t interested.

Tae Yeon straightened her back with a faint smile on her face. And she asked Do Joon.

“Is it a work-related meeting? Or a personal meeting?”

Do Joon’s eyes narrowed at Tae Yeon’s question.

“If it’s a work-related meeting, I’m asking as a subordinate.”

Staring at Tae Yeon’s clear face, Do Joon tilted his head slightly as if telling her to continue.

“If it’s a personal meeting, I’m asking as your wife.”

Phew- Seemingly satisfied, Do Joon let out a small laugh.

“It’s a meeting that’s a mix of both.”

Tae Yeon’s eyes widened round.

How could there be such a meeting?

Finally, Do Joon’s mouth opened and a name she didn’t want to hear came out.

“President Jin has requested a meeting.”

“My father?”

“Yes.”

Tae Yeon gripped the diary she was holding tightly, without Do Joon noticing.

It seemed that since she had been avoiding President Jin’s calls lately, he had contacted Do Joon directly.

Because he was desperate to secure investment from KK Group.

She became suddenly afraid of what Do Joon and President Jin would talk about.

Unaware of Tae Yeon’s inner thoughts, Do Joon stood up and gathered his suit jacket.

“Secretary Choi will drive Representative Jin home.”

“No, I’ll go by myself.”

“Do you have somewhere to stop by?”

“Since you’ll be home late. I thought I’d meet a friend after a long time.”

Do Joon nodded as if to say go ahead. And he casually asked.

“Is it a female friend?”

“Huh? Yes.”

“That’s good.”

Why did he suddenly ask about the friend’s gender?

“Is it not okay to meet male friends?”

It was an innocent question. Do Joon’s face contorted abruptly, and he asked back as if it wasn’t even a question.

“What if I said I was going to meet a female friend?”

“Have a good time. You said it’s a friend, right?”

“……”

“They’re just female in gender. Isn’t that right?”

“Huh.”

Once again, it felt like he had fallen for Tae Yeon’s trick. Though she probably didn’t intend it at all.

Worried he might seem like a narrow-minded man for no reason, Do Joon added:

“I was just curious. Because Jin Tae Yeon has never talked about friends before.”

Do Joon’s appearance as he rambled on with reasons was somehow cute.

So words she didn’t mean suddenly popped out of her mouth.

“Next time when there’s a chance, let’s meet together. With my friend.”

“Is that alright?”

“Yes. There’s no reason why not.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Do Joon’s car entered the parking lot of a high-end Japanese restaurant.

When he mentioned President Jin’s name, a staff member guided Do Joon to a private room located in a corner.

Creaaaak- As he opened the door and entered, he saw President Jin who had already arrived and was waiting for him.

“Mr. Cha, you’ve come.”

President Jin abruptly stood up from his seat and flashed an excessively bright smile towards Do Joon, to the point of being burdensome.

“Sit down.”

After sitting down and ordering food. President Jin, as if in a hurry about something, tried to get straight to the point.

“How is Chairman Cha doing?”

“Yes. He’s a person who takes great care of his health. He’s doing well.”

President Jin tried to create a softer atmosphere by offering Do Joon a drink, but he declined.

“I have to drive myself today because Secretary Choi isn’t here. So alcohol might be difficult.”

“What? Why did Secretary Choi leave work before his superior?”

“He went to take Tae Yeon home.”

Hearing an unexpected answer, President Jin looked dumbfounded. Then he burst into laughter.

“Hohoho. I see.”

President Jin poured a drink only for himself and took a sip.

Just as he was about to bring up the topic of investment. Do Joon spoke first.

“I also have something to say, which is why I came to this meeting today.”