Married First, a Couple - Chapter 43

Tae Yeon stood motionless in the middle of the living room, squeezing her eyes shut.

If it had been her usual self, she would have quickly gotten off Do Joon’s lap the moment she sat on it.

Today, she didn’t. As if she was expecting something.

Yes, that’s right.

Honestly, she was curious about what Do Joon, who believed this was a dream, would do.

“Even so, this is…”

Tae Yeon looked at the tightly closed bedroom door and touched the spot where Do Joon’s lips had been just moments ago.

It was still hot. As if someone had set it on fire.

“This is already the second time.”

Surprisingly, this was already the second kiss with Do Joon.

The first emotionless kiss was on the day they took their wedding photos.

Of course, she thought that would be the first and last.

As if mocking Tae Yeon’s arrogance, today was the second time.

Could there be even more between us?

As this absurd thought led to another, Tae Yeon shook her head vigorously.

“Why are we like this today, both me and Do Joon…”

Even if Do Joon wouldn’t remember due to being drunk, everything remained clear in Tae Yeon’s mind.

The scent of a male emanating from him. Those intense eyes looking at her like a beast. And the sensation of his lips.

Everything. It remained vividly in her mind.

Even the rapid beating of her own heart.

[This is the timeline separator]

Tae Yeon woke up feeling someone shaking her.

Opening her eyes, she saw Do Joon who had just finished washing up.

His face was so clean that the languid look from last night was nowhere to be seen.

“Jin Tae Yeon, the alarm kept ringing but you didn’t seem to hear it.”

“Ah.”

Tae Yeon turned her head to check the clock on the table.

As Do Joon said, it was well past the time she should have woken up. If Do Joon hadn’t woken her, she would have been late for work.

“Thank you for waking me up.”

It was because she couldn’t fall asleep easily until dawn, worrying about Do Joon from last night, and only managed to close her eyes when morning came.

Do Joon was staring down at Tae Yeon as if he had a lot to say.

Tae Yeon tried to move calmly as if nothing had happened.

Of course, it didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped.

“Do Joon, why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just thinking that even you have days when you oversleep.”

“I guess I was a bit tired today.”

Do Joon sent a worried look.

Tae Yeon got up from the bed to hurriedly prepare for work.

“Has Mrs. Choi already left for work?”

“Yes, she’s preparing breakfast outside.”

“I’ll wash up quickly and come out.”

Do Joon stood up as if to give Tae Yeon space to prepare comfortably.

As he was walking towards the door, he suddenly turned around.

“Jin Tae Yeon, what time did I come home last night?”

“Um… you came back a little after midnight.”

Tae Yeon swallowed hard, waiting for Do Joon’s next words.

Do Joon nodded and put his hands in his suit pockets.

This time, Tae Yeon spoke first.

“You must have drunk a lot yesterday.”

“Yes. More than I expected. I remember up to the point where you gave me honey water.”

Tae Yeon’s pupils trembled, wondering if he clearly remembered what happened after that too.

If Do Joon brought up the kiss from last night first, how should she react?

It would be funny to pretend to remember, but it would also be awkward to act like she didn’t remember.

Do Joon loosely pulled up the corners of his mouth.

“Jin Tae Yeon, why do you have that look on your face?”

“What?”

“It seems like there’s something I shouldn’t remember. Between us.”

“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Once again, it was Tae Yeon who left first.

“I’ll wash up quickly and come out.”

As Tae Yeon was leaving the bed and heading to the bathroom, Do Joon’s low voice pierced her back.

“I intentionally didn’t tie my necktie myself today.”

Tae Yeon turned her head to look at Do Joon’s neck. As he said, the part where his tie usually was was empty.

“Could you tie it for me?”

“I will.”

“If you don’t know how, just pretend to do it.”

He meant to show Mrs. Choi that they were an affectionate couple.

Tae Yeon smiled brightly and looked at the door. It was meant to convey that she would tie his necktie, so please leave the room quickly.

“Now that you’re urging me to leave, I feel less inclined to go.”

At those words, Tae Yeon’s mouth fell open. Then she quickly wiped the expression from her face and smiled sweetly.

“If I take too long to wash up, there won’t be enough time for me to tie your necktie. Is that okay?”

Do Joon’s mouth corners twitched upwards as if he hadn’t expected Tae Yeon to say such a thing.

“I guess I should go out and wait quietly.”

After the door closed, Tae Yeon went straight into the bathroom.

Feeling the hot water on her skin seemed to release the tension in her muscles.

As Tae Yeon was about to apply body wash to her shower puff, she noticed a reddish mark around her neck and let out a short scream.

“What is this?”

After roughly wiping the steam-covered mirror with her hand, Tae Yeon checked her reflection.

“Could it be…”

She remembered last night when Do Joon’s lips touched her, saying he wanted to smell the sweet scent coming from her.

There had been a smacking sound and a slight stinging sensation.

She thought he had just kissed her, but to think he’d left such a mark.

“I wonder if this will come off?”

She rubbed it vigorously with the shower puff, but instead of fading, it only became more red and inflamed.

It was hot summer, so she couldn’t wear clothes that covered her neck.

It was a mark that anyone would easily misunderstand, so Tae Yeon stood there blankly for a while, lost in thought.

If Do Joon saw this mark, he would surely recall everything that happened last night.

Even if Do Joon did it because he was drunk, how should she explain why she, being sober, accepted him?

Just then, there was a knock on the bathroom door from outside.

“Are you still washing up?”

“Yes.”

“It seems we need to hurry a bit.”

The most urgent matter was to finish washing up and leave so as not to be late.

Tae Yeon quickly rinsed off the soap and put on a robe before opening the bathroom door.

Do Joon was waiting in front.

Do Joon’s gaze went to Tae Yeon’s nape. Tae Yeon deliberately let down her still damp hair to block Do Joon’s line of sight.

“I’ll tie your necktie in front of Mrs. Choi.”

“Alright. But Jin Tae Yeon.”

Do Joon took a step closer and stared intently at Tae Yeon’s neck. Then he reached out and stroked the red mark with his finger.

“I haven’t seen this before.”

Tae Yeon bit her lower lip.

“I… got bitten by a mosquito.”

At those words, Do Joon’s eyes narrowed sideways.

“A mosquito?”

“Yes. I had trouble sleeping last night because of mosquitoes. One seemed to bite my neck and fly away.”

After making this awkward excuse, Tae Yeon moved away from Do Joon. Then she hurriedly turned on the hair dryer and started drying her hair.

Do Joon smiled widely at Tae Yeon’s flustered back without realizing it.

Although she ended up blaming it on a mosquito, it was fine. He intended to respect Tae Yeon’s wish to hide the memory of last night.

[This is the timeline separator]

There wasn’t enough time to apply makeup carefully. After roughly drying her hair, Tae Yeon went to the kitchen wearing a scarf that could hide her neck.

Mrs. Choi greeted Tae Yeon with a warm smile like sunshine.

“Young lady, good morning.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Choi.”

For Tae Yeon who didn’t have time to eat, Mrs. Choi had carefully placed a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice on the table.

Tae Yeon bowed her head gratefully and drank the juice in one go.

Do Joon approached her side and held out his necktie.

Tae Yeon took the necktie without a word and stood on her tiptoes.

Do Joon bent his knees to match her eye level, making it easier for Tae Yeon to tie the necktie.

In an instant, their gazes intertwined in the air.

Tae Yeon held her breath as she started tying the necktie. She was quite clumsy as she hadn’t tied neckties often.

Being aware of Mrs. Choi’s presence made her even more nervous.

“I thought this was how you do it…”

Do Joon gently took hold of Tae Yeon’s fumbling fingertips. Then he looked at Tae Yeon kindly and smiled.

“Are you pretending to be clumsy on purpose?”

“What? No!”

“I’m joking. If you were skilled, I might have felt a bit upset.”

At his sincere tone, Tae Yeon stood there blankly with her mouth slightly open.

Then she quickly came to her senses.

‘She would have made a good actress.’

Although she knew it was said because he was aware Mrs. Choi was watching, why did she always feel so nervous and tremble on her own?

Do Joon smiled broadly, pulling up the corners of his mouth as if pleased.

“I’m glad Jin Tae Yeon is clumsy at tying neckties.”

“Why?”

“Because it means my wife has never tied a necktie for another man.”

Do Joon smiled, pulling up the corners of his mouth.

Her heart was beating wildly, about to burst – once at the word “my wife”, and twice at his intense gaze looking at her.

She needed to react calmly.

If she were a real wife who loved Do Joon, she probably would have been shy and happy in this situation.

Tae Yeon quickly put on a faint smile.

“Thank you for seeing it so positively. I’ll practice a lot on my own next time.”

“Why on your own?”

Do Joon took Tae Yeon’s hands and started teaching her how to tie a necktie.

“Your husband is right here. You can practice with me.”

“…”

“Put this here, that’s right. Now turn it like this.”

After being held by Do Joon’s hands, the necktie instantly took its proper shape.

Do Joon then let go of his hands and gave Tae Yeon a thumbs up.

“You tie neckties perfectly.”

Tae Yeon laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

“But you did it all, Do Joon.”

“Me? No, I didn’t.”

Do Joon then shifted his gaze to the scarf around Tae Yeon’s neck.

“Since you tied my necktie, I’ll fix this for you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Tae Yeon tried to stop him, worried that Mrs. Choi might see the red mark left on her neck, but Do Joon’s hands were quicker.

He pulled the scarf off in one motion and touched the red mark with his finger once more.

While deliberately pressing that spot, Do Joon observed Tae Yeon’s reaction.