Read Marriage Agreement Novel Translation Chapter 1

(결혼합의)

Author: 문스톤 (Moonstone) | Translator: Genie

#josei #drama #romance #contract-marriage #mature #modern #slice-of-life

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~Prologue~

The weather had been gloomy since dawn, and now, raindrops had begun to fall.

Eunsu paused as she reached into her bag for her makeup pouch and blankly stared out the window. Heavy rain pelted the glass with a loud patter.

“If we had taken the late-night flight, we might not have been able to leave at all.”

A low mutter escaped her lips, but she didn’t feel too disappointed at the thought.

A marriage in name only, a honeymoon in name only.

Feeling a sudden wave of melancholy, Eunsu crouched in front of her bag and let out a deep sigh. Inevitably, a thought she had mulled over countless times in the past few months resurfaced once again.

Was this really the right thing to do?

At that moment, the bathroom door across from her opened, revealing Jinhyuk, who had only a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Broad shoulders, a toned chest, a smooth, defined abdomen, and…

Gulp.

Without realising it, Eunsu stared intently at his body, her face suddenly flushing red as she quickly averted her gaze.

“Oh, uh, you came out so soon.”

Jinhyuk spoke in his usual stoic tone.

“Have you not showered yet?”

“Ah, no. I was just about to.”

Gripping her makeup pouch tightly, Eunsu sprang to her feet and dashed into the opposite bathroom like someone being chased. Her heart raced uncontrollably, and her fingertips trembled.

What’s wrong with me? Get a grip.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t erase the image of Jinhyuk’s bare chest from her mind.

“Calm down, Seo Eunsu,” she muttered, closing her eyes and taking slow, deep breaths. Only after her wildly pounding heart settled did she undress and step under the shower.

The strong stream of water washed away the carefully styled hair and makeup she had worn all day. She meticulously removed her makeup and lathered up to wash her body. Yet, even though she moved as slowly as possible, the shower ended quickly.

Wrapped in a thick bathrobe, Eunsu hesitated, realizing she hadn’t dried her hair yet, and sighed in relief.

Her long, thick hair took a lot of time to dry—a fact she had debated many times before the wedding. She had considered cutting it short but ultimately decided against it. Now, she felt grateful for that decision.

She carefully dried her hair, lifting each strand, until every last drop of moisture was gone. Her arms grew stiff from holding the hairdryer, but she continued until her hair was completely dry. Only then did she reluctantly step away from the mirror.

With her makeup pouch clutched tightly in one hand, just as she had when she entered, Eunsu stood in front of the bathroom door. Now she had to go out. Out there…

‘I plan to have a real relationship with my wife and even have children. Isn’t that how everyone lives?’

Jinhyuk’s voice, speaking about their future married life, echoed in her mind, making her heart race once again.

“I made this decision,” she muttered as if to convince herself.

“It’s time to go outside.”

As she quietly opened the bathroom door, the smell of something savoury filled her nostrils. Jinhyuk, dressed in a robe just like hers, turned his head from where he sat at the dining table and met her eyes.

“You took a while.”

Avoiding his gaze, Eunsu answered awkwardly, “I was drying my hair.”

“I’ve ordered a simple meal. If it’s not enough, we can get more.”

“Okay.”

Tightening the belt of her robe, she cautiously sat in the chair across from him. Though she hadn’t eaten anything all day except for a few glasses of water, she didn’t feel hungry.

Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she was sitting across from him, wearing nothing but a robe. The fact that the robe was oversized, covering her knees and requiring the sleeves to be rolled up, did little to ease her self-consciousness.

As she nervously lifted her glass of water, Eunsu thought to herself, He’s my husband now. It’ll be fine.

Jinhyuk, who had been watching her with his usual expressionless face, asked quietly, “Not eating?”

“I’ll eat.”

Eunsu grabbed a roll from the table and spread it generously with strawberry jam. The sweetness was so intense it stung her tongue and jolted her awake.

She forced herself to finish the roll and drained her water to wash it down. Watching her, Jinhyuk remarked, “Take your time.”

“Okay.”

Even so, she repeated the process with another roll. When she placed her glass back down, she met Jinhyuk’s steady gaze. Startled, she began coughing, the bread having gone down the wrong way.

As she struggled, Jinhyuk sighed softly and refilled her glass.

“You don’t have to force yourself to eat,” he said.

“Okay.”

Once her coughing subsided, Eunsu sat quietly, fiddling with her glass. Jinhyuk sighed again, stood up, and said, “Shall we call it a night?”

“Sure…”

With trembling steps, Eunsu followed him.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she’d find herself in a luxury hotel suite, let alone with a man. Such extravagance had never been within reach for Seo Eunsu.

But unfortunately, her pounding heart left her no time to take in her surroundings.

While she hesitated, Jinhyuk turned and approached her.

“Why are you so nervous?”

Because of what’s about to happen, obviously. Even though it’s our first night, I’ve never shown my bare body to a man before…

Of course, she couldn’t say that aloud. She stood silently, avoiding his gaze, as Jinhyuk placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ll need to get used to it,” he said.

His voice, so close to her ear, made her heart feel as though it might stop.

It’ll be fine, she reassured herself.

This is Jinhyuk sunbae. My first love and my husband. So everything will be okay.

But when his hand which had been gently holding her shoulder, slid down, brushing against her bare skin as it pushed aside her robe, Eunsu tensed.

When she looked up in surprise, he smiled faintly and whispered, “Now you’re looking at me.”

Without giving her a chance to respond, he kissed her.