Read Marriage Agreement Novel Translation Chapter 4

(결혼합의)

Author: 문스톤 (Moonstone) | Translator: Genie

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

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It had already been three months since he returned to Korea. During that time, Eunsu had heard rumours that he had been going on arranged dates. In that case, he must have been introduced to plenty of women with much better prospects, so why had he specifically called Seo Eunsu to say this?

As her mind whirled with confusion, she suddenly realized something and nodded to herself.

Ah, I see.

Jinhyuk must not have heard the “rumours about Seo Eunsu.” That would explain why he could so casually bring up the topic of marriage.

But as soon as she realized this, the thought of having to confess those rumours to him weighed heavily on her heart.

I shouldn’t have come.

In that moment, the nervousness she had felt all morning disappeared as if it had been a lie.

Truthfully, she wanted to just close her eyes and grab his hand. But doing so would only bring back a far greater backlash. Eunsu couldn’t bring herself to do that to Jinhyuk.

Abandoning all the fantasies, resolutions, and rehearsals she had gone through all morning, she thought:

They say it’s better to face the blow sooner rather than later.

She let out a small sigh and opened her mouth to speak.

“This is all so sudden.”

“We’re both at an age where marriage is worth considering, don’t you think?”

“But why… why me, of all people…?”

Her words trailed off hesitantly, but Jinhyuk remained calm as ever.

“Is that a rejection?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…”

At her honest response, Jinhyuk finally showed something resembling a smile. Once her flushed face had cooled down somewhat, Eunsu hesitantly spoke again.

“There’s something I need to tell you first.”

“Go ahead.”

As he nodded, as if he’d been expecting this, she swallowed nervously.

“You know I was engaged before, right?”

“Yes.”

“After Jinsoo oppa’s accident…”

Eunsu’s hands, resting on her lap, were now clammy with cold sweat.

“People started spreading rumours that the accident was my fault.”

Jinhyuk asked in a cold voice, “Is that true?”

“It’s not, but everyone believes it.”

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

Not understanding the question due to her nervousness, Eunsu looked up at him, and Jinhyuk repeated his question.

“Why do people believe that?”

“Well…”

Unconsciously, she wiped her sweaty palms on the hem of her dress and answered.

“Because the accident happened right after Jinsoo oppa and I had a fight. He was drunk driving, and I couldn’t stop him…”

“Were you in the car with him?”

“No.”

“Then why do they think it’s your fault? If a man, especially a drunk man, pushes you away, there’s nothing you could’ve done about it.”

His words made sense. It felt as if he had witnessed the situation himself. Overwhelmed, Eunsu felt a lump in her throat, delaying her response.

“Anyway, Jinsoo oppa died in that accident, and I’m the one who’s still here. If rumours spread about me getting married, people probably won’t say anything nice. President Park has been grieving Jinsoo oppa’s passing for so long…”

At the mention of her late fiancé’s father, a look of displeasure briefly flickered across Jinhyuk’s face. After a moment of silence, he asked in a slightly colder tone,

“Why bring that up here?”

“…….”

“Isn’t that something that works against you?”

“I thought it’d be better for you to hear it from me rather than from someone else later. You should know about my situation, sunbae.”

As Eunsu said this, she lowered her head again. She simply couldn’t bring herself to keep meeting Jinhyuk’s eyes.

Now that she had let it all out, she felt both relieved and resentful. Regret crept in, making her wonder if she’d made a mistake. Still, she swallowed her emotions. She might regret letting go of the hand he was offering for the rest of her life. But if she shamelessly held onto it, she could end up regretting it even more.

She decided to find solace in the fact that she got to meet Jinhyuk after so long and sit across from him, even if only for a short while. If not for this opportunity, they might never have crossed paths again.

A heavy silence settled between them. Eunsu fidgeted with her fingers under the table, waiting for him to stand up and leave. However, after a long pause, when Jinhyuk finally spoke, it wasn’t a farewell.

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Pardon?”

Once again, Eunsu blinked, failing to grasp his meaning immediately. Seeing her confusion, Jinhyuk let out a quiet sigh and repeated,

“Before we get married, is there anything else I should know?”

“Ah, that… Are you seriously going through with this?”

A slight crease appeared in his otherwise smooth forehead.

“Isn’t that what we’ve been discussing this whole time?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Eunsu felt like crying.

I thought I explained everything just now…

Seeing her expression, Jinhyuk sighed again, this time a bit more heavily than before. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, he said,

“We’ll talk about this later. I’m sorry, but I have somewhere I need to be right now.”

With that, Jinhyuk rose from his seat. Watching his retreating figure, Eunsu thought blankly to herself: He must already be regretting his hasty decision.

But that was okay. She had prepared herself for this from the beginning, so there was no reason to feel sad or upset.

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