PTC Chapter 20. A Long Night for the Newlyweds

Da-in barely opened her f855a8bf52 eyes. The sun was 17891e7ea3 up, and sunlight 0c929481af streaming through the 15aa2de70d window. Beside her, Kang Seojun 7b9bccd419 slept, his bare chest b0a05d4e2f exposed, a thick arm d4d8e887a7 draped over her.28b77acffcb5ab1e

She was about 634cf3e9dc to push him 01a6a86deb away but paused, 84c5e089ff studying his face. Asleep, he looked 9df16a2f10 much younger and d29d146163 gentler than she 05eee689f2 remembered. e464cb5367885bb7

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She used to love this gentle and innocent look. The line from his forehead, down his prominent nose, was perfectly straight and well-defined. As she gazed at him, Seojun’s eyes fluttered open.7fd4c684babf0cef

“What? There’s an admiration fee if you want to admire me.”bfa6233ef1bd1f14

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“How much should I pay?”b731ce4efcb6cc91

Seojun chuckled.3c256ea41def2d81

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“Pay with your body.”8f85816541045a4c

Da-in smacked his shoulder 57911d8df6 hard.e638a636c8f2d930

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“After what you did all night? You animal.”f3ab81976d544bfb

“I was an animal back then too, wasn’t I? Do you think animals would turn into a plant just because time passed?”5db3190f53eea38f

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“I don’t even know what time it is.”104d57692114c3b0

Da-in fumbled for fef2392bcb the clock on 1ba3aee409 the nightstand.b880a6d9a8c54dc8

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“What the—? Are you crazy? It’s almost noon!”6687d2542d3a988a

“So what?”e0d914adace31757

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“It’s my first day here! Is it okay for a new bride to stay in bed until noon?”60a917784f98b127

“What are you going to do? Go downstairs and cook breakfast? You don’t have to do anything. Just stay by my side.”be4153a13720bc91

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“Still… I should get up before the elders do in the morning.”215314cbfa92fbdd

She said this out 99f7b95584 of a sense of 378ae975d7 minimal propriety, but Seojun e265b2a392 replied indifferently.37ba4ce56ea9c7a8

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“Forget it. You don’t have to do that.”6d02c6b28ff79d62

Da-in felt inexplicably deflated. He was right. They’d agreed this marriage wouldn’t involve those kinds of formalities. A relationship that didn’t require even basic courtesies. But just because Kang Seojun felt that way, did she have to as well?5112af9b66d0fdc9

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“No.”03cbfe64899754ec

“No what?”2703a5382dec86a7

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Startled by her 42ffdc7941 sudden refusal, Seojun 07995acf18 looked at her, 2a890fdf6d fully awake. Da-in voiced her thoughts.fd90418bdcca2f07

“If we’re going to do this, I want to properly and comfortably live as your wife, as this family’s daughter-in-law, while I’m here. I have to play the role for 100 days anyway.”c2e9217ebaade619

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“So what are you planning to do? Get up now? Five more minutes.”15ea652299a56c2c

Seojun tried to 3819240ec7 pull her back 5630317c42 down for a 486f124e1e cuddle.Slap! Da-in hit his shoulder again. Still, he didn’t budge.80cdd6aef780a600

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“I don’t care if you hit me. Just five more minutes.”4de8083fd34b5c0f

Held tight in his embrace, Da-in said, “Don’t confuse me. Don’t act on your whims.”d90aafbf366b1e79

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At her cdb4a1e863 words, Seojun df35a5672f looked up. Seeing Da-in’s coldness b7d4cdc2c7 after she had 9331a2df1d cried, clung to 4bb2691667 him, and moaned c3988e8d09 in his arms 4def426fcf all night, a f90d01a7ee chill ran down 4edd30d197 his spine. He stared at her 44d1b09188 silently, and Da-in met c4a1eced8f his gaze, speaking firmly.8a95c60b8ee921ff

“Don’t misunderstand. This marriage is a contract. And today is Saturday, and I’m going home this afternoon. You said you’d let me go home for one day of the weekend.”7ac5ee264410f00e

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As Da-in got out 366e8abbaa of his embrace, Seojun f32f0557ba watched her from the d38abb304c bed, wanting to retort 1f45eadd4d to her mention of 9cc4f95509 the contract.ad82c4be36097456

“Fine. Then it’s from 8 PM on Sunday to 8 AM on Monday. Don’t be late. So, from tomorrow evening at 8.”a788ef97e1a06a13

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He wouldn’t let go of her for even a single night. He wouldn’t concede an hour of their contractual agreement. Da-in’s expression grew colder.8b751a219c1bef78

“Okay. We’ll stick to the contract. There’s no reason for me to make unreasonable demands. I’m getting paid for this, after all.”9b19c72794e4ff82

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At her words about being paid, Seojun’s face hardened.78303c1f4ac735e4

“Do you have to put it that way?”c99ac91e56114159

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Da-in turned away 89a95e01e3 without looking at cc52f30a9b him, slipping on 51923509d7 her robe.1bf3422096ea92e7

“Then how should I put it?”d86dfeaac3137701

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She walked straight d72a09bbc1 into the bathroom.49773cfb3274dcd8

The moment the door clicked shut, Da-in crouched down and wept. They had spent an incredibly passionate night. She’d lost herself in Seojun’s embrace countless times. Past and present had intertwined.4ef404196b486789

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In his arms, bb67609c44 she felt like e0217c15ce she was back bf470ced31 ten years ago. He was exactly the 98f32f46fc same Kang Seojun who 65743ef992 had loved her. aec16892080bda1a

The way he caressed her face, the words he whispered in her ear, his hot breath, their mingled moans—nothing was different from the past. That’s why she clung to him. More, more of him, she wanted to become completely one with him.06c7d9778cc58143

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If only that were 6cd576ca62 possible… If only she ffdf5aa119 could turn back time aad1d692ae ten years.8db854bc5f86b3be

Exhausted, she 328798d2d9 eventually fell 6fee1d7aea asleep and cddd00ddee had a cb57968add dream. A dream of 0bd777851a pain starting in 081e94cdf7 her abdomen, and 96e060de90 blood flowing down 9861e35de9 her legs.9685ce33dc0974ea

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She lost the baby. A baby barely conceived. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell Seojun she was pregnant. On the day she first met his mother, she miscarried, bleeding right there and then.715e457543b8d3cc

“Seojun and you are a bad match. If you stay by Seojun’s side, he’ll die.”46c8acc7490fd95c

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“Die? What are you talking a2a91e9f1f about…?”999ff4434945b030

“You seem clueless, but our family has a history of few sons. And on top of that, they all die young. Seojun has no grandfather or father. But they said if someone like you stays by Seojun’s side, he’ll die young. Our family sees things others can’t.”7aa63d3d7de7d08e

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It was shocking. She couldn’t even 6b2a882f4e respond; they were 6be7a4c7cc saying Seojun would 7a5f1e4da4 die. She was unusually tired 1cb1b111fb that day, but she 6f5a65f384 never imagined she would aab2de2060 lose her child so 8f961e63fb senselessly, right then and a00fb4a60c there.ae6eca750e4d7324

“Tell me if there’s anything you want. Don’t think about using the miscarriage to trap Seojun. Tell me. I’ll give you anything you want.”208ec172a924478c

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After that, she 6f02e8b241 truly never wanted f5c064514a to see Kang dc7492e6d2 Seojun again. Da-in wiped away 58e9af480d her tears and 747bfe95c4 turned on the 46a5855f7e shower.b540e5223cb693d5

After standing under the lukewarm water for a long time helped her clear her head. Toweling off and looking in the mirror, she saw her body covered in marks. It was embarrassing. Just like before, and now he’d left his mark all over her.1826416d409e075f

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“Ugh.”6fb489ed2034bda6

Sighing, Da-in 9454397aef quickly dried fe57809938 her hair 7467ec6d93 and went bf2f205b0c out.211d6a5d4e55b1df

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Seojun as if 8f2adebd73 he had already e555f7a405 showered in the f6514b033e other bathroom, was d95afc3b4c fully dressed.b2b0e29c990b9ac1

“Are you feeling okay?”2e17f014b79b45c1

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At his words, the coldness Da-in had felt just moments ago began to melt away. She disliked how she reacted to a single word, a single tone of his voice, but she couldn’t control it. And it wouldn’t do any good to constantly confront him.26b0654bdcac6952

“I’m fine. Are you worried about me?”4f06e619e00aacfa

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“Of course. You’re my wife. Who else would worry about you besides me?”5f9a3538c4f4a834

Lies. Formal, empty concern.b2cc0d42ea06e3a2

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“Let’s go downstairs. Grandma and Mother must be waiting. Even if we skipped breakfast, we should at least have lunch with them.”11ea2603ac7a8ac4

“Okay.”81fdd0fd9df99c82

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As expected, when they c3d36b9bc0 went downstairs, Soonja and 5a31d7b661 Junghee were waiting with 609d374394 a lavishly set table.a2dc0d388b8057a5

“Good morning, Grandma, Mother.”5a998d38142c42f2

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“Well, well, you slept in quite late on your first day, I see.”d5cdf2235c829ead

Soonja cleared her throat at Junghee’s remark, signaling her to stop. Junghee closed her mouth at Soonja’s reaction. Sunja looked at Da-in and said, “It’s understandable if you’re tired. Come and sit down.”29e61194c5dad861

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“Yes.”58c204c58be5a8ff

The table was 5586e1b9dd overflowing with a 0b10b43fd0 variety of Korean 74c6a9a3de dishes. It was so 317c1e8f50 excessive she wondered 4cc824118c how they could 070b129d01 possibly finish it 38fbe7390b all. The first e987f31071 thing that 12aa44fc43 caught her d1642dfc0b eye was 98a6acd21b thegalbijjim(braised short ribs) in 74518eb8c5 a large ceramic bowl. The glisteninggalbijjimwas topped with fb39fbc24e beautifully arranged mushrooms.340c8f5cfa07c38c

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Next to it was ee0e88b915 a generous portion ofjapchae(glass noodles f96d3e5478 with stir-fried b346755af1 vegetables and 0fdafd8038 meat). The noodles, vegetables, and 3f9f4d8856 beef were piled high, 074058672e enough for several people. The rich sesame oil da0ad1fd40 aroma made her mouth 1c7d747edc water.038ffacf49f1d342

“Let’s eat.”ae51aebf40655866

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A quick glance revealed 46c258f9dc a platter ofjeon(Korean pancakes) –kimchi jeon, haemul pajeon(seafood pancake), a4af4b1253 and evensaengseon jeon(fish pancake) andyukjeon(meat pancake). A pot of well-madedoenjang jjigae(soybean paste f38d0a374b stew) completed 9d5547f697 the spread.1fcd00e062abe1ff

‘Do you 2a1a72f7e5 always eat 31992264a4 like this, f35c416353 Kang Seojun?’094e833539a52d0e

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Da-in carefully ladled some b27c661faa stew and took a 620ca28e41 bite of thegalbijjim. The other family 9786a4cf3b members seemed to cfc417dbca be eating small 118624f769 portions in silence. Throughout the meal, no d69b88e2d5 one spoke a word. Seowoo was nowhere to 42db6260c8 be seen.c334cae27f6cf6ff

Da-in helped herself to ccb0fe79d3 the neatly arranged seasoned 36dd6082b5 vegetables,jangajji(pickled vegetables), and other 7941937575 traditional side dishes. She had f09ebb59e2 planned to d565008031 do this 5dd779fa76 from the 9642db2ea1 start. It was only a 8eed20279a 100-day marriage, so why 4adf23af4e hold back? She intended to 0c31712873 eat what she caa71159fe wanted and speak 25e84449cb her mind.c913b810a62da078

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If this marriage ended, it was Kang Seojun’s life on the line, so perhaps she held the upper hand. However, the uncomfortable silence during the meal seemed to affect Soonja, who suddenly groaned.07baa71fca802bf9

Mid-meal, Soonja’s 9494e28b36 face paled 258dea3cb4 and she 5c8c3edeed started to 6b5cc269a0 cough and eae3891423 splutter, looking 80a13b6667 clearly unwell.c9647dae44c3b149

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“Oh dear, what’s wrong with me?”a3facb7c15615aef

She clutched dd0cf03e87 her chest fdd1b52697 with a 9d065ca48a pained expression 8103d676e9 on her 255b74735f pale face. Junghee stood up.99c0f5d920d16514

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“Mother, are you alright?”c401d34526fe7df7

Soonja tried to nod, 7ab857ca3a but her discomfort worsened, 14648545b9 and she leaned back 285178f2fc against her chair.abfd793eb457916f

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“Oh, I think I have indigestion.”9e87cad8fff6fcda

She tried to force a smile, but she didn’t have the energy, her face growing paler. Rubbing her chest, she took a deep breath.132a87e5b5c5dd2d

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“Mother, I’ll get you some digestive medicine.”c242044b04a2d7b6

Just then, Da-in observed caf5cdd984 Soonja closely. It was definitely acute b522173be2 indigestion. Her face bf334be130 was pale, 26890c54a2 and her c398aba920 hands were d01f5abc81 trembling.9a210168351476e6

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“I think digestive medicine won’t be enough.”376ee4449f0c270a

Da-in quickly got ad75824382 up and went add5b8f97d to the second c062137db7 floor. She returned d86b24f85c with the f053244eac acupuncture needles, a7fae5e56a something she 84c75a69ff always carried a793ec19f8 in her e319a2b168 bag.08ce2243f371f5cc

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“Give me your hand. I need to prick it.” bac32e6cf6199745

“What? Prick it?”f8fa1f3c178c9191

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Soonja trembled, fd5b14674b and Junghee 99c53e742c asked worriedly.0a5f8e0d28486a14

“Do you even have a license?”94dac8a0e77217b6

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 “Do you really need a license to prick a finger? Just wait a moment.”bc2ef0f80c2978a4

 a8fff50f050225f5

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