TKFT 21

Chapter 21

“That damn preference again?”

Jian was already married to him. The goal had already been achieved.
It wasn’t like he would ask for a divorce just because she had gained a little weight.

Besides, when she had been hospitalized, the doctor had said she needed to keep up proper nutrition. Health should come first, so Jian had assumed he wouldn’t care about such trivial “preferences” anymore.
She thought the fact that he had started enjoying meals again afterward was proof of that.

Yugeon lowered his head, pressing his forehead.

“I-I’m controlling my diet, so the weight will come off soon! Please don’t worry. I’ll make sure I don’t collapse again either.”

Jian, thinking Yugeon was shocked that she had gained weight, hurried to reassure him.
But instead, her words shocked Yugeon.

What kind of person does she think I am?

‘Don’t worry! I won’t cause any problems! I have no intention of letting this hard-maintained marriage go to waste!’

Ah… now that he thought about it—

‘To her, I must just be some creep with strange preferences who talked about contracts, snooped through her diary, and tried to monitor her. Maybe that’s why she’s being so careful about the contract now, afraid of causing another scene.’

Yugeon’s self-loathing deepened.

So this is all my own karma.
The phrase you reap what you sow fit perfectly.

He let out a heavy sigh, lifted his head, and spoke with a stiff expression.

“Eun Jian… Right. I never actually told you this. Listen carefully. My preferences have changed.”

“What? Your preferences changed? When…?”

“Not long ago. Anyway, I don’t like skinny anymore. I think women are cuter when they’re… a little chubby.”

Yugeon almost said “round enough to roll like a snowman,” but settled on “a little chubby.”
He didn’t want Jian—who was overly responsible—to overdo it and end up with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, or fatty liver disease.

He wanted her to stay healthy.

At the same time, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
Recently, after seeing her cheeks puff out while eating, he had discovered a new preference he hadn’t even realized himself.

“Oh… really?”

“Yeah. So hurry and eat. If Cha Yugeon’s wife doesn’t satisfy Cha Yugeon’s updated preferences, people might think something’s strange.”

Thinking he should spread the news through his secretary as soon as possible, Yugeon once again offered her tteokbokki.

Jian blinked at the sudden change in situation.

Then… from now on, my main job is really just to eat well.

She obediently accepted the fork he handed her and took a bite of the tteokbokki.

The moving taste—one she had thought she would never experience again—touched her heart once more.
Her eyes even welled with tears.

“Did the restaurant owner really teach you the recipe?”

“Yeah. I made a deal.”

“A deal? Did you pay money? How much?”

“That’s a secret.”

“How much could it be…? Can you teach me the recipe too? I want to make it often. Then maybe I’ll get chubby faster.”

Jian asked with sparkling eyes.

Yugeon almost agreed, but suddenly shut his mouth.

He wanted her to ask him whenever she craved this tteokbokki.
That way, when he wasn’t around, she’d wait for him—and when they were together, she’d talk to him.

“…No. They asked me to keep it secret. I can’t tell anyone. I’m a businessman—I have to value trust.”

No such condition had actually been mentioned, but Yugeon pretended anyway.

Jian’s face fell like a drenched puppy.

“If you want it, just tell me. I’ll make it for you.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

“Well, it can’t be helped. And… that’s why I got the recipe in the first place.”

Whatever the reason, hearing that he had gone through the trouble for her made Jian’s chest tighten with emotion.

She smiled shyly, happy.

“Then you should be prepared. I’m totally obsessed with tteokbokki.”

“I know. Your father told me. Come on, eat. They say even ghosts who die after eating tteokbokki look satisfied.”

“I’m not going to die…”

With a lighter heart, Jian chatted while eating enthusiastically.

Her lips chewing so adorably were still stimulating—but perhaps because he hadn’t seen it in a while, he felt more pride than anything else.

‘My child looked pretty just by eating well—that alone made me happy.’

Seeing her rounded cheeks again put Yugeon at ease, and something he had heard during an executive meeting crossed his mind.

‘She’s not even my child—why does this make me so pleased?’

It was strange, yet the smile wouldn’t leave his lips.

Two days remained before the Chuseok holiday.

“Um… after dinner tomorrow, may I visit my father’s house?”

During dinner together, Jian asked Yugeon.

The awkwardness after the “kiss incident” had mostly faded.
Though whenever he was with her, his body still heated up unexpectedly.

They say you only realize what’s precious after losing it.
Seeing her eating well and living well felt so precious that instead of avoiding her, he chose to control himself better.

Of course, if he relaxed even a little, his body and imagination would run wild again—so it required constant effort.

“After dinner tomorrow? Why? Is something going on?”

They were already planning to visit her parents on the first day of Chuseok the day after tomorrow, so he was simply curious why she needed to go earlier.

“In my family, my dad and I make songpyeon together before Chuseok. I’m married now, but… if it’s okay, I still want to do it with him. I’m an only child, and since my mom passed away, I worry he might feel lonely.”

“Ah, I see. Okay.”

Yugeon nodded.

It seemed they had been a warm father-daughter family despite being just the two of them.

When I first met her father, he seemed so different from Jian that I wondered if they were really related.

How had someone so rough produced someone so delicate?

Maybe Jian takes after her mother. Then she must have been beautiful.

He had only heard that Jian’s mother had died of kidney disease when Jian was young.
Jian likewise only knew that Yugeon’s mother had died in an accident.

Because theirs was a contract marriage, they had never shared memories or even photos of their mothers.

But now…

Why am I becoming curious about Jian… and her family?

It felt strange.
He kept wanting to know about the things precious to her.

“I’ll go with you then.”

Yugeon finally spoke.

“You will?”

Jian’s eyes widened slightly—she hadn’t expected him to come along to make songpyeon.

“These days it’s not ‘a wife follows her husband,’ but ‘a husband follows his wife.’ Didn’t you know?”

Of course she didn’t—it was something he had just made up.

“So a husband should follow where his wife goes. Besides, it’s our first holiday after marriage. Makes sense, right?”

The emphasis he placed on the words husband and wife made Jian’s heart pound.

I’m his wife… so he’s coming to my parents’ house with me… just like a real husband…

Her thoughts, drifting happily, suddenly snapped back.

Wait—why did I ignore the part about ‘because it’s our first holiday after marriage’? Right, it’s because we haven’t been married long… he’s just being careful… Yugeon always takes the contract seriously…

Her excitement faded slightly.

Still, whatever the reason, she was happy that he was willing to do things together with her.