When I Reach You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
Casually nodding, he took a sip of herbal tea—then abruptly set the mug down on the table.
“Wait a second—what did you just say…?”
His face looked genuinely startled.
And understandably so. Until just moments ago, hadn’t she been shouting about repaying money and drawing up a contract? And what about the scene in front of the officetel?
It wasn’t as if her mind had suddenly changed because of today’s events.
In truth, she may have already leaned toward agreement on the very day he first made the proposal.
After parting ways with him and returning home, she lay in bed for two days, staring blankly at the ceiling, endlessly replaying and pondering over everything he had said.
The more she thought about it, the harder it became to dismiss the idea that his proposal might be her last chance.
Eun Jae glanced at the man, who wore a puzzled expression toward her, and let out a faint, amused smile.
Just like he’d once told her:
“You heard me.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
He looked as if he wanted to hear it one more time—as though he needed that extra certainty, however slight.
She’d somehow mustered the courage to say it once—but a second time…?
“Then let’s just forget it ever happened.”
Teasing Seon Woo with a raised eyebrow, Eun Jae took another quick sip of herbal tea. In response, Seon Woo suddenly scooted closer beside her, narrowing the distance between them.
“Won’t you regret those words?”
Caught completely off guard by the sudden closeness, Eun Jae instinctively pressed her knees together and hunched her shoulders inward. Her tense back straightened involuntarily.
“You can’t go back on your word later. No—better yet, sign it now, before you change your mind.”
“What? I thought you said you didn’t hear me.”
Avoiding direct eye contact with his now-near face, Eun Jae pretended to sip her tea again, shifting her gaze down into the mug.
After clearing her throat two or three times, she stole a glance at him and finally asked,
“What about you, Teacher? Won’t *you* regret it?”
No father, ailing mother, nothing to her name but a mountain of debt—a pitiful, worthless me—
marrying me would clearly be a losing deal, from anyone’s perspective.
“You kept switching between ‘Mister’ and ‘Teacher.’”
“…”
“Just pick one. I’m getting confused.”
As she finished speaking, a strange, inexplicable light flickered across the man’s smiling face. Suddenly feeling her cheeks flush hot, Eun Jae lowered her head sharply without replying.
Why does he keep smiling like that? It’s not like he’s trying to enchant me or anything.
“If I thought I’d regret it, I wouldn’t have even brought it up.”
Just one small, ordinary smile from him erased all the worries that had swirled chaotically in her head only moments before.
For the first time, she thought:
How fortunate it is that I’m the only person who can reach you. How fortunate it is that I have something I can offer you in return.
Only then might I be able to repay the emotional debt I owe you—
though even then, it would pale in comparison to everything you’ve done for me.
“Actually, the reason I came here today was…”
Because I started wanting to accept your proposal. And maybe… because I wanted to see you again, too.
With a playful smile, Eun Jae spoke to the man:
“By any chance… have you seen my keychain?”
“Your keychain?”
The man tilted his head, clearly hearing of it for the first time.
“The one with the little brown bear?”
“Oh—that one. Don’t tell me you came all the way here, at this hour, just to look for *that*?”
“Yes. It’s really precious to me.”
Disappointment visibly washed over the man’s face—he hadn’t gotten the answer he’d hoped for.
He trudged toward the kitchen, retrieved something from the dining table, and walked back.
“This one?”
“Yes! That’s it.”
So it *was* here, after all.
She’d once resolved to discard it without hesitation, to forget it entirely—yet she couldn’t explain why she suddenly felt compelled to search for it again.
If not for this keychain, she wouldn’t have had even the slightest excuse to face him once more.
As Eun Jae reached out to take it, Seon Woo pulled the keychain back into his hand.
“Why did your mind change so suddenly?”
He was genuinely curious. Two days ago, she had been utterly resolute.
He’d wanted to undo that rash behavior—to undo the hurt he believed he’d caused her, regardless of his original intent.
“It didn’t *change*. I just needed time to accept it.”
Snatching the keychain from his grasp almost defiantly, Eun Jae tucked it into her palm and beamed.
Her gaze remained fixed on the keychain—her fingers gently caressed the bear plush as if handling something invaluable.
“What was there even to agonize over? It’s an incredibly favorable offer for me.”
Rubbing the bear’s face with her thumb, she smiled like a child.
“Honestly, I was terrified today. Even though part of me regretted saying no, another part kept wondering if accepting it was really the right thing to do—my heart was such a mess…”
Her clear, earnest eyes lifted from the keychain and met Seon Woo’s.
“But I don’t want to live like that anymore.”
“…”
“Thank you so much, Teacher.”
Bowing deeply, then raising her head once more to meet his gaze directly—her eyes sent a jolt straight to Seon Woo’s chest.
They sparkled brighter than he’d ever seen before.
[This is the timeline separator]Late at night.
Though Eun Jae insisted on going alone, Seon Woo stubbornly accompanied her anyway.
Upon arriving at the neighborhood where Eun Jae was staying, he frowned, stood before the shabby building, momentarily lost for words—and then exhaled a deep, weary sigh.
“…You’ve really been living here all this time?”
“Oh—yes…”
She stared back at him with a look of innocent indifference—*What about it?*
He gave her guileless face one long, searching look, then turned his head to scan the surroundings.
A dim, neglected neighborhood with not even a single properly functioning streetlamp.
From the moment he’d had to park at the entrance—no space for a car to enter—and trudge through the cramped alley, his mood had soured.
The place they finally reached after a long walk was a tiny motel at the end of a dark alley.
Its garish neon sign flickered in places, making the original business name nearly illegible.
A stale, suffocating blend of unidentifiable odors filled the air, tightening his chest.
Stepping into the run-down motel—no elevator in sight—Seon Woo nudged Eun Jae forward into the building and followed behind.
“Which floor is it?”
“Huh? Why?”
Her cheeks flushed pink at his question, yet even as he gently pushed her up the stairs, Eun Jae kept glancing back over her shoulder.
He’d trailed her here under the pretense of dropping her off—but now that they were inside, what did he plan to do?
They hadn’t even signed anything yet—how could he start acting like this already?
A sudden, mortifying thought flared in her mind, making her pulse race. Her feet, climbing the stairs, felt as heavy as soaked cotton.
The moment Eun Jae’s foot touched the top step—
“Grab whatever you need, and let’s go to my place.”
“What? No!”
Startled, Eun Jae spun around and cried out—but Seon Woo caught her wrist.
“I can’t leave you here alone.”
“…”
“Or—sleep me here, if you prefer.”
Their gazes locked, briefly entangled in something thick and charged.
His eyes shimmered with the same intensity as when they’d last met, nearly half-naked.
The atmosphere and rhythm eerily echoed that day.
In the deafening silence of the hallway, nothing but the thunder of her own heartbeat echoed in her ears—she could no longer hold his gaze. Eun Jae quickly turned away.
“No. Why would *I*—I mean, why would I let *you* stay here? You’ve got a perfectly good house.”
“You always call me ‘Mister’ whenever you’re flustered.”
As Eun Jae sputtered, wordless, Seon Woo gave her a gentle nudge forward.
“Or when you’re caught off guard.”
She stole a glance at him—his faint, breathless smile—and cautiously inserted her key into the lock.
She remembered rushing out the door that day after Tae Gyu’s call, leaving everything in disarray.
As Eun Jae slowly opened the door, the man peering into the narrow gap behind her murmured over her shoulder:
“Pack your things and let’s go. We’ll sleep together in a better house.”
“Huh?”
“Or—shall we just sleep here together?”
It’s cozy and compact, he added breezily—his body pressing close behind her. Eun Jae gulped, panic flashing through her eyes, and thrust both arms forward, shoving weakly against his chest.
“No—ah, f-fine… I mean, there’s nothing to pack anyway.”
Muttering under her breath, she hesitated—until Seon Woo swung the front door wide open and pushed her inside.
“You’re not coming back here again. So hurry up and grab your things—don’t come crying later saying you left something behind.”
[This is the timeline separator]In the end, she returned once more to the man’s house.
By the time she’d quickly packed a few essentials, he’d already settled her overdue lodging fees.
The moment they got home, he led Eun Jae to a room at the end of the hallway, handed her a robe and towel he’d retrieved from somewhere, and said:
“You’ll stay here. The bathroom across the hall is yours. It’s a guest room—should have most of the basics.”
He added that, technically a guest room, no one had ever stayed there before—and that she should let him know if she needed anything else.
“We’ll live here together after we marry anyway, so get comfortable. Think of it as a dress rehearsal.”
“…”
“I’ll pick you up after work tomorrow evening. We can talk more then.”
“Okay.”
Everything had unfolded so abruptly—it felt like her brain had short-circuited.
Swept along like debris in a torrent, she’d barely had time to think before suddenly finding herself here.
The man slid a finger into his loosened tie knot and, looking utterly exhausted, said to Eun Jae:
“I have an important surgery in the morning—I need to rest.”
“Yes. Please rest.”
“You rest too, Ji Eun Jae.”
Eun Jae watched as he twisted off his tie and headed toward the living room—then, once he disappeared from view, she began to move.
He looked so tired.
Then again, he must have been exhausted after working all day.
Eun Jae stopped before the guest room door he’d indicated. She pushed down the golden doorknob—the one that reflected her face—and stepped inside. The room was surprisingly spacious, easily twice the size of her old motel room.
Unlike that place, it smelled wonderfully fresh—and thanks to the pristine white bedding, the entire space felt bright and welcoming.
A simple, tidy room: a bed, a small dresser, and a desk.
Eun Jae picked up the robe and towel he’d given her and perched briefly on the edge of the bed. The goose-down comforter sank softly beneath her.
It felt like sitting on a cloud.
So warm, so comforting—she gently laid herself down on her side. A familiar scent, one that sometimes brushed her nose when he drew near, drifted up from the sheets.
She only meant to rest for a moment—but her eyelids kept drifting shut.
[This is the timeline separator]After showering, Seon Woo—dressed in a well-tailored bathrobe—brushed his damp bangs aside in front of the mirror.
His smooth forehead was revealed, along with the faint tension creasing his brow.
When she’d said she had almost nothing to pack, her troubled tone left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He felt as though he were doing something cruel to a woman who’d fought so fiercely, day by day, just to survive.
No matter the reason, this was a marriage she never wanted—a marriage born solely of his own need.
A loveless marriage. A hollow arrangement with a predetermined end.
She—of all people—had wanted this kind of marriage the least. Yet she was also the kind of woman he could only hold onto this way.
“A contract marriage, huh.”
An empty laugh escaped him.
He’d always assumed such things only happened in dramas or novels.
Even his initial search for someone ‘within reach’ may have stemmed from a faint, foolish hope: *If she appeared before me—if someone like her truly existed—then maybe, just maybe, I could have an ordinary marriage, like everyone else.*
Had he overreached?
Was it arrogance for someone so far from ordinary to even attempt an ordinary life?
Though this marriage diverged wildly from his original vision—veering into unfamiliar, almost pitiful directions—he also sometimes wondered: *Isn’t it only natural for a marriage built on no sincerity to end exactly like this?*
“Well—it’s just one year.”
What major incident could possibly occur in that time?
After all, it was a one-year contract marriage—with a single, crystal-clear purpose.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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