PTC Chapter 20. A Long Night for the Newlyweds

Da-in barely opened her eyes. The sun was up, and sunlight streaming through the window. Beside her, Kang Seojun slept, his bare chest exposed, a thick arm draped over her.

She was about to push him away but paused, studying his face. Asleep, he looked much younger and gentler than she remembered. 

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.

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

“How much should I pay?”

Seojun chuckled.

“Pay with your body.”

Da-in smacked his shoulder hard.

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

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

“I don’t even know what time it is.”

Da-in fumbled for the clock on the nightstand.

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

“So what?”

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

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

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

She said this out of a sense of minimal propriety, but Seojun replied indifferently.

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

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?

“No.”

“No what?”

Startled by her sudden refusal, Seojun looked at her, fully awake. Da-in voiced her thoughts.

“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.”

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

Seojun tried to pull her back down for a cuddle. Slap! Da-in hit his shoulder again. Still, he didn’t budge.

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

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

At her words, Seojun looked up. Seeing Da-in’s coldness after she had cried, clung to him, and moaned in his arms all night, a chill ran down his spine. He stared at her silently, and Da-in met his gaze, speaking firmly.

“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.”

As Da-in got out of his embrace, Seojun watched her from the bed, wanting to retort to her mention of the contract.

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

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.

“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.”

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

“Do you have to put it that way?”

Da-in turned away without looking at him, slipping on her robe.

“Then how should I put it?”

She walked straight into the bathroom.

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.

In his arms, she felt like she was back ten years ago. He was exactly the same Kang Seojun who had loved her. 

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.

If only that were possible… If only she could turn back time ten years.

Exhausted, she eventually fell asleep and had a dream. A dream of pain starting in her abdomen, and blood flowing down her legs.

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.

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

“Die? What are you talking about…?”

“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.”

It was shocking. She couldn’t even respond; they were saying Seojun would die. She was unusually tired that day, but she never imagined she would lose her child so senselessly, right then and there.

“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.”

After that, she truly never wanted to see Kang Seojun again. Da-in wiped away her tears and turned on the shower.

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.

“Ugh.”

Sighing, Da-in quickly dried her hair and went out.

Seojun as if he had already showered in the other bathroom, was fully dressed.

“Are you feeling okay?”

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.

“I’m fine. Are you worried about me?”

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

Lies. Formal, empty concern.

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

“Okay.”

As expected, when they went downstairs, Soonja and Junghee were waiting with a lavishly set table.

“Good morning, Grandma, Mother.”

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

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.”

“Yes.”

The table was overflowing with a variety of Korean dishes. It was so excessive she wondered how they could possibly finish it all. The first thing that caught her eye was the galbijjim (braised short ribs) in a large ceramic bowl. The glistening galbijjim was topped with beautifully arranged mushrooms.

Next to it was a generous portion of japchae (glass noodles with stir-fried vegetables and meat). The noodles, vegetables, and beef were piled high, enough for several people. The rich sesame oil aroma made her mouth water.

“Let’s eat.”

A quick glance revealed a platter of jeon (Korean pancakes) – kimchi jeon, haemul pajeon (seafood pancake), and even saengseon jeon (fish pancake) and yukjeon (meat pancake). A pot of well-made doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) completed the spread.

‘Do you always eat like this, Kang Seojun?’

Da-in carefully ladled some stew and took a bite of the galbijjim. The other family members seemed to be eating small portions in silence. Throughout the meal, no one spoke a word. Seowoo was nowhere to be seen.

Da-in helped herself to the neatly arranged seasoned vegetables, jangajji (pickled vegetables), and other traditional side dishes. She had planned to do this from the start. It was only a 100-day marriage, so why hold back? She intended to eat what she wanted and speak her mind.

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.

Mid-meal, Soonja’s face paled and she started to cough and splutter, looking clearly unwell.

“Oh dear, what’s wrong with me?”

She clutched her chest with a pained expression on her pale face. Junghee stood up.

“Mother, are you alright?”

Soonja tried to nod, but her discomfort worsened, and she leaned back against her chair.

“Oh, I think I have indigestion.”

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.

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

Just then, Da-in observed Soonja closely. It was definitely acute indigestion. Her face was pale, and her hands were trembling.

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

Da-in quickly got up and went to the second floor. She returned with the acupuncture needles, something she always carried in her bag.

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

“What? Prick it?”

Soonja trembled, and Junghee asked worriedly.

“Do you even have a license?”

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