Married First, a Couple (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
Do Jun carefully observed Tae Yeon’s face.
‘Well, if you already own something and someone offers to buy it for you again, a reaction like that makes sense.’
So he wanted to probe deeper. Do Jun asked once more.
“This watch—do you really dislike it? To me, it seems like it would suit you well.”
No matter how he looked at it, the watch simply didn’t match Tae Yeon’s taste.
Nevertheless, after hesitating briefly, Tae Yeon finally nodded—her decision swayed by Do Jun’s comment that it would suit her.
“Do you really think so?”
“What? Ah, you mean whether it suits you?”
“Yes. To me, it seems a bit too flashy.”
Do Jun tugged at the corner of his mouth, picked up the watch, and fastened it onto Tae Yeon’s slender wrist.
“It suits you well.”
Tae Yeon tilted and turned her wrist, inspecting the watch.
‘Now that I hear Do Jun’s words, it actually seems quite nice again…’
Catching a glimpse of Tae Yeon’s hesitation, Do Jun lifted the corner of his lips even higher.
‘She didn’t even mention that she already owns one, so she’s not buying it for that reason.’
Two people, looking at the same watch, yet thinking entirely different things.
A few days later—
Neither had the faintest idea of the storm this watch would soon bring.
[This is the timeline separator]Tae Yeon resolved herself, opened her eyes wide, and looked straight at Do Jun.
“I’ll go with this one.”
“Alright. Let’s also take a look at our new wedding bands.”
At Do Jun’s request, the staff member laid out several wedding bands. Do Jun urged Tae Yeon to choose one.
“Which one catches your eye?”
After a long while of examining them, Tae Yeon selected the most understated wedding band.
“I like this one.”
Do Jun, too, was thoroughly pleased—the band wasn’t flashy at all.
After measuring their ring sizes, the two placed the order for custom production.
Upon hearing they could pick them up in a week, Do Jun took out a black card from his wallet and handed it to the clerk.
Even after leaving the store, Tae Yeon kept turning the watch Do Jun had gifted her this way and that. Noticing this, Do Jun casually asked,
“You seem to like it.”
“At first, I was worried it was too flashy to wear often, but the more I look at it, the prettier it seems. Thank you.”
Tae Yeon smiled shyly, her eyes gently crinkling.
There was something oddly compelling about that smile—just watching it warmed his heart in a strange way.
Do Jun deliberately averted his gaze and cleared his throat with a quiet, “Hmm.”
“Any other places you’d like to visit?”
“Oh—I’d also like to give you a gift, Do Jun.”
“I don’t need anything.”
Though he refused firmly, this time, Tae Yeon was even more insistent.
“But I just received this watch from you—let me at least buy you a tie.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Do Jun turned and began walking ahead, leading the way toward the men’s clothing section.
Once inside the store, Tae Yeon glanced at the ties displayed on one side and asked Do Jun,
“Is there any color you don’t already have?”
She knew the question was meaningless—the moment it left her lips—but she still asked, hoping to avoid gifting something he already owned.
Unsurprisingly, his reply was exactly what she expected.
“I have them all.”
Tae Yeon carefully examined the ties and then lifted one up.
“How about this one?”
She held it against Do Jun’s neck and barely suppressed a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
Do Jun practically snatched the tie from her hand to inspect it closely.
When he saw the pattern, his eyes widened visibly.
“It’s cute, isn’t it?”
The tie Tae Yeon had picked featured a dense print—vaguely resembling clouds, or perhaps mushrooms.
“I chose it because I thought you probably wouldn’t have something like this.”
“Of course…”
He nearly added, *Who on earth would wear this?*—but promptly clamped his mouth shut.
Surprisingly, just as Tae Yeon said, the pattern *was* undeniably cute. Even so, where exactly could he possibly wear such a tie?
Just as he was about to set it down, disappointment briefly flickered across Tae Yeon’s face.
It was the kind of pout a rabbit might make if its carrot were suddenly snatched away—so adorably dejected that Do Jun nearly burst into laughter, barely managing to hold it in.
Quickly schooling his expression into neutrality, he asked,
“You truly think this suits me?”
Tae Yeon gave a faint nod and murmured in a small voice,
“Yes—I think it’d be perfect for occasions calling for a softer, gentler vibe.”
Do Jun handed the tie back to her.
“If you tie it yourself, I’ll check it in the mirror.”
“Really?”
Tae Yeon beamed and readily nodded in agreement.
Do Jun loosened his existing tie, and Tae Yeon stood on tiptoe to drape the new one around his neck.
Noticing her effort, Do Jun subtly bent his knees to lower his height.
“Thank you—but staying like this will hurt your legs. I’ll finish quickly.”
At that, Do Jun let out an amused chuckle—ridiculous. After all the training he’d done, could his legs possibly ache from bending just this much?
“You can take your time.”
In the meantime, Tae Yeon deftly tied the knot and offered him a bright smile.
“Let’s check the mirror—I think it looks even better now that you’re wearing it.”
With no expectations whatsoever, Do Jun glanced into the mirror.
Yet, just as Tae Yeon claimed, the tie looked as if it had been made for him—perfectly harmonizing with the suit he wore.
“How does it look?”
Tae Yeon cautiously asked for his opinion.
Contrary to her expectation that he might yank it off without hesitation, Do Jun seemed genuinely pleased, intently studying his reflection.
“Let’s go with this one.”
“Yes.”
Tae Yeon, thrilled, headed straight to the checkout counter.
Watching her, an unbidden, faint smile bloomed on Do Jun’s face.
[This is the timeline separator]On the day of Tae Yeon’s birthday.
Having woken early and immersed herself in reading, Tae Yeon jumped at the sudden ring of the doorbell and hurried into the living room.
Do Jun must have answered it already—the chime had fallen silent.
“Who’s here?”
Tae Yeon moved toward the front door. What met her eyes was Do Jun holding an enormous floral bouquet and a cake.
“What—this is…”
With feigned nonchalance, Do Jun walked over and placed the bouquet on the dining table.
“It’s a gift.”
“Oh.”
He was one of the very few people who even knew today was her birthday.
“I’ve never celebrated anyone’s birthday before.”
He then set the cake down on the table as well.
When Tae Yeon saw the cake unpacked from its box, her eyes widened even more—a caricature resembling her adorned the top.
“Wow.”
Entranced, Tae Yeon stared fixedly at the cake.
“Did you prepare this, Do Jun?”
“I did get some help from Secretary Choi. Originally, I wanted to give you a photo cake with your face printed on it.”
“I see.”
“But I couldn’t—I don’t have any photos of Jin Tae Yeon.”
True to her personality, her messenger app lacked even a single profile picture. They’d never taken photos together on their dates, either.
The only image of Tae Yeon in Do Jun’s possession was an unverified paparazzi shot, with no sender identified.
Naturally, he couldn’t use *that*—so he settled on the caricature cake instead.
Still unable to tear her gaze away, Tae Yeon smiled brightly.
“It’s such a cute cake—thank you.”
Her chestnut-brown eyes sparkled.
Though she knew Do Jun was aware of her birthday, she’d never imagined receiving such a heartfelt celebration.
After all, they were merely a showroom couple—no need for such gestures.
After yesterday’s shopping spree, where he bought her a gift, now this cake too—it all felt like a dream.
“Sit down—we need to light the candles.”
At Do Jun’s gesture, Tae Yeon sat at the dining table. Do Jun inserted numbered candles, lit them, and then, with impassive expression, tossed out,
“Shall we sing the song together, too?”
“Huh?”
The image of that stoic face earnestly singing a birthday song made her burst into laughter.
Tae Yeon bit her lip hard to suppress it. Do Jun, noticing, asked,
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh—I just pictured you singing.”
Do Jun gave her a look—as if to say, *What’s so funny about that?*—and then began to sing.
His mellifluous voice filled the room.
She’d thought there was probably nothing he couldn’t do—but even his singing was perfectly flawless.
Almost instinctively, Tae Yeon clapped along and joined him in singing her own birthday song.
When the song ended, Do Jun rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed, and nodded toward the candles.
“Make a wish—and blow them out.”
Tae Yeon squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands together.
*Please let our marriage end without any problems.*
Then she blew out the candles in one breath. Her exhale gently tousled Do Jun’s bangs where he sat across from her.
Do Jun removed the candles and handed her a knife for cutting the cake. Tae Yeon accepted it and sprang to her feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Can I just take one quick photo?”
Do Jun nodded and crossed his arms.
Tae Yeon darted off to grab her phone, then snapped several shots of the cake and bouquet Do Jun had given her.
After clicking away for a while, she stared blankly at Do Jun.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How about I take one of you, too?”
Do Jun waved his hand dismissively, refusing outright.
“No, thank you.”
“You’d look incredibly good in this spot—that’s why I asked.”
“I said no. I’m not particularly fond of being photographed.”
Tae Yeon hesitated briefly, phone still in hand—then spoke up.
“Do Jun—how about we take one together?”
“What did you say?”
“If we take a photo together and send it to Chairman Cha, what do you think?”
Do Jun, who had been firmly shaking his head, seemed to grasp her intention—and his expression shifted to one of intrigue.
“So you want to demonstrate how well we get along—as a couple thoughtful enough to celebrate the wife’s birthday?”
“Exactly. And make sure we look as affectionate as possible in the photo…”
Before Tae Yeon could even finish, Do Jun rose from his seat.
He moved beside her, sat down, and leaned in close.
For someone who claimed to dislike photos, his move was startlingly bold.
Seeing Tae Yeon frozen in surprise, Do Jun prompted her,
“Well? Aren’t we taking the photo?”
“Oh—yes, of course.”
Because Do Jun had come so much closer than expected, Tae Yeon instinctively shifted sideways.
Do Jun gave a soft chuckle and closed the distance she’d just created.
“If we’re pretending to be close, why are you running away?”
“…”
“If anyone sees this, they’ll think *I* was the one who suggested taking the photo.”
Flustered by his remark, Tae Yeon offered an awkward smile.
Thinking she should just snap the photo quickly and stand up, she lifted her phone camera.
Even on their wedding photo shoot—arranged for media release—they’d never taken a personal photo together. There’d been no reason to.
Thus, this selfie was their very first as a couple.
Their awkwardness was unmistakable. After reviewing the result, Do Jun frowned slightly, evidently dissatisfied.
“If we send this photo to Chairman Cha, it might backfire instead.”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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