Chapter 13
“It’s my phone.”
“Who’s calling at this hour?”
Hyunjun’s question came out along with a rough exhale.
“It’s Junha. My best friend.”
Soeun picked up the glasses he had removed, put them back on, and checked the screen.
“Calling this early… what a good friend.”
Hyunjun curled one side of his lips into a small smile, his expression lingering with a sense of disappointment that the mood had been interrupted.
“Hello… Junha.”
He wiped the saliva from his lips with his finger and stared intently at Soeun.
-Soeun!! Are you awake?!
“Mm, Junha. I’ve been up. How about you?”
-I’m having breakfast now! When are you leaving? We agreed to meet in front of Sangkyung University and go in together today.
“Right, I’ll leave in about thirty minutes. Then I’ll meet you there.”
-Good. Call me when you leave. I’ll go out with you.
“Okay, Junha.”
Soeun ended the call with a faint smile.
Because she was so close and Junha’s voice was naturally loud, Hyunjun had heard the entire conversation from beside her.
He tugged the robe slipping from her shoulders back into place and spoke.
“Do female college students check in with friends first thing in the morning?”
Hyunjun tilted his head, clearly struggling to understand this unfamiliar custom.
Soeun covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh.
“Hyunjun, don’t you do this with your close friends?”
“Not once.”
“Yeah… I thought so.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Pfft.
Ah, she couldn’t hold back the laugh any longer.
Hyunjun’s expression, so serious as he asked what she meant, made it impossible.
“Generational difference?”
“Not really… it’s just that you seem like the kind of person who wouldn’t do this.”
“The kind of person who wouldn’t do this… what kind of person is that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing! I need to get ready for school now.”
Soeun changed the subject, sensing that if she said more, he might get annoyed.
As she stepped out of the bed, he watched closely.
“Your ankle… is it okay?”
Hyunjun asked, focusing on the right ankle Soeun had twisted yesterday.
Fortunately, after a good night’s sleep, it was fine—walking wasn’t a problem.
“Yes. It feels fine after sleeping. No problem at all.”
Soeun walked cheerfully in her robe.
“Go wash up. I’ll take you there.”
Hyunjun jumped up from the bed.
“What? Ah, no, it’s fine.”
“Your ankle isn’t in great shape.”
“It’s perfectly fine! See?”
She even gave a little spin to show him, but it seemed to have no effect on Hyunjun.
“Before going to school, we should stop by a clinic for a quick check-up.”
“What?! That’ll make me late. I’m meeting Junha, and I really don’t need to go to the hospital.”
“…”
Hyunjun’s mouth pressed into a tight line.
“Do you keep refusing because you don’t want my help?”
“N-no… I already have plans. And I really don’t want to go to the hospital. I’m fine; no need for a check-up.”
Hyunjun was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
“If you hate it that much, I won’t push. Do as you wish. But if it hurts later, you must tell me.”
“Alright. Thanks for caring.”
Soeun smiled faintly and put down her phone.
She headed into the bathroom attached to the master bedroom to shower, and Hyunjun followed.
As she reached to put on the bathroom slippers, he loitered behind her, making her turn around.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to shower too.”
“Ah… but I was going first…”
“Fine.”
Soeun put on her slippers and approached the sink. Hyunjun entered the bathroom without slippers, striding in confidently.
“Why… why are you coming in?”
“I said I’m showering too.”
“I said I’m going first!”
“We’ll shower together.”
“What?!”
Soeun’s eyes widened in shock.
She hadn’t imagined that he meant they would actually shower together, and her mouth gaped open.
“You go first. I’ll soap up and wait.”
“Ahhh!!”
Soeun panicked, imagining him in the shower, lathering up while she went first.
Even though they were married, seeing him this close after three years was absurd.
“No! No! We cannot shower together. Get out! I can’t survive this, really.”
Soeun waved her hands and shoved him toward the door.
“You really make rejecting a daily habit. So many things are impossible for you.”
Even as he was kicked out of the bathroom, Hyunjun shook his head in disbelief.
The car ride was filled with awkward silence.
Hyunjun drove his wife to school, while Soeun sat next to him with her backpack containing books and assignments on her lap.
Soeun, used to public transport, wasn’t accustomed to being driven.
“……”
“……”
In the quiet car, Soeun glanced at Hyunjun.
His silver metal watch glinted under the rolled-up sleeves of his white shirt.
Black slacks and sneakers made him look more like a senior at school than a professor, and his youthful face added to the impression.
Soeun, in a casual t-shirt and jeans, noticed his full lips and remembered the sweet, electrifying kiss.
The memory of his hot hand trying to slip under her thigh made her breath catch.
‘If Junha hadn’t called then, how far would we have gone?’
In hindsight, the call was probably a blessing—his chest had been burning with heat, and if she hadn’t answered, he might not have stopped.
Still, a small part of her regretted that the moment had been interrupted.
‘What am I thinking?’
Soeun quickly shook her head, embarrassed by her own thoughts.
“Is that Junha?”
Hyunjun nodded toward Sangkyung University.
In front of the university, Junha waited with his report in hand.
“Yes. The friend in the red hoodie is Junha.”
The black sedan glided to a stop in front of him.
The passenger window slid down.
“Junha.”
Junha had been staring straight ahead, waiting for Soeun, but turned when he heard his name.
“Oh? Soeun! What… why is there a car…?”
His eyes widened at the luxury car.
“Soeun, who’s that guy? He’s crazy handsome! Is he your cousin?”
Soeun leaned closer to the window. Junha whispered just for her.
He probably fell for Hyunjun’s seductive looks at first sight; he couldn’t wait until Soeun got out of the car.
Hyunjun unclipped Soeun’s seatbelt with a gentle tone.
“Pay attention in class. My father called me for urgent work at the company. I’ll call you after and come pick you up.”
“You don’t have to come just for me if you’re busy with work.”
“Call me later and let me know. I’ll come if I need to.”
“……Okay.”
Junha, eavesdropping, finally asked outright.
“What? Yang Soeun, you said you didn’t have a boyfriend! When did you get such a handsome one?!”
“…He’s my husband.”
“What?! You’re married?!”
Junha was completely stunned.
“Uh… mm… Junha, I’ll tell you everything later.”
The passenger window slid up again.
Hyunjun’s aura suddenly became sharp.
His piercing eyes fixed on her.
“Has no one around you known that you’re married?”
A cold voice grabbed the back of Soeun’s head as she tried to get out.
“So you’ve been hiding the fact you’re a wife all this time.”
Three years after returning, Hyunjun’s left ring finger bore a wedding band—but Soeun’s was empty.
His low, cold voice followed naturally from the thought.
“If there’s anyone else you’ve been seeing while I was gone, end it all. I’ll pretend I don’t know today.”
