Chapter 49 - First Love?

Almost as if she suddenly gained a conscience, Yiyoung said to Muyeol, “I’m sorry for eating well all by myself.. I expend a lot of energy, so I eat a lot whenever I get the chance. It’s a habit I gained as a child.”

“And what about now?” he asked.

“I work hard to make money. There’s never enough time for me to eat nowadays.”

“Don’t you get a lunch break at work?”

“There’s no such thing called a break for the doctors in the ER. The patients are our first priority.”

Muyeol nodded in agreement. After Yiyoung finished her breakfast, she began to clean up after herself.

“Just leave it there,” said Muyeol, “You don’t have to do such things.”

Yiyoung paid him no heed. She went to the sink and started washing the dishes, and Muyeol resigned himself to making her a cup of coffee with a stoic face.

The two of them sat down at the table, facing each other again.

“But… it’s kind of scary, getting married all of a sudden,” Yiyoung whispered, hands wrapped around the coffee cup.

“One week into our marriage, you’ll scoff at yourself for being so scared about it.”

“Maybe…” Yiyoung took a sip from the coffee. “But I never thought I would get married.”

Muyeol looked up at her, drinking from his own cup of coffee. His eyes wandered all over her face. Her full hair was like the petals of a flower in full bloom after the rain. He observed her closely: her small face half-covered by her thick, puffy hair, her sparkling black eyes with an honest gaze that only ever looked straight ahead, and attractive lips that were almost always pulled into a smile. 

Then, he calmly answered, “If you end up meeting someone you want to date after we get married, just wait for one year. You can date him once we get divorced.” 

“And then get married again to him?” Yiyoung joked.

“But if you cheat while we’re still married—” Muyeol abruptly closed his mouth, unwilling to finish the sentence. Yiyoung looked at him curiously, and noticed the muscles in his neck twitching from how tightly he had clenched his jaw. Then she recalled what he had told her: his father acting like a dog in heat, the paternity tests his father conducted every year, and his mother’s second marriage…

Yiyoung guffawed, intentionally laughing louder than necessary. “Do you really think I’ll fall in love that easily? I have not dated even once yet. That should give you an idea of how hard it would be for me to catch feelings! On top of that, I’m too busy. I can’t focus on anything other than work. My goal is to become a professor and lead the ER staff, after all.”

“I’m going to write a marriage contract.”

“A contract? For you? Are you worried that I’ll refuse to divorce you?”

“No. It’s for you.”

“No, don’t worry about it. But I’ll sign it if you find it necessary. If something happens, you stand to lose more than me.”

“You’re that confident, huh?”

“Why shouldn’t I be? After all, I’m the only person Cha Muyeol could trust in his life.” From what Muyeol had told her so far, she was the only one he could place faith in. Yiyoung tilted her head up with pride. “So I deserve to be confident, no?”

Muyeol maintained a stoic face. “Nothing will change after we get married.”

His response slightly upset her. Yiyoung had never seen Muyeol express his emotions openly. She guessed that even if the world was ending, he wouldn’t reveal his feelings. And that somehow made her want to pick a fight with him.  

Determined to do just that, Yiyoung smiled. “Actually, there will be something different.”

 Muyeol raised an eyebrow, curious to know what she meant, but Yiyoung simply smiled at him. After a brief moment, she urged him, “Just take a guess.”

“Are you going to get drunk and fall asleep at the entrance?” asked Muyeol, “…You were pretty heavy.”

“Not that, you idiot. I’m not going to drink like that everyday! I have lived my life unreservedly so far.”

Muyeol’s brows twitched. He couldn’t understand what Yiyoung was talking about.

Yiyoung continued, “I sing when I take showers. I kick the crumbs under the rug instead of cleaning it. I don’t know how to cook rice, and I definitely don’t know how to make any side dishes. The only thing I know how to cook is ramen.”

Yiyoung paused to check his reaction, and found that he still couldn’t understand why her behavior would change anything after their marriage. “You’ll be sharing your private space with me, and I’m sure you’ll end up feeling uncomfortable. It’s been a while since I’ve lived with someone, so I wouldn’t even realize if I’m making you feel comfortable. I think that’s what will happen.”

“So? What does that mean?”

“Since I’m going to live with you at your request, you’ll have to endure it patiently. Only once you run out of patience and can’t bear it anymore, can you ask me to fix my behavior.”

Muyeol’s lips lifted into an imperceptible smile. Yoon Yiyoung was just as confident now as she was back in the day, when she flipped him off in the middle of class. That Shitty Yoon… Those were the times when his days started and ended with her. And now, after so many years, his days would start and end with her again.

“Alright. Just finish your coffee.” Muyeol said as he looked down at his cup. He sipped his coffee, his smile a bit wider, but hidden behind the coffee cup.